Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 402: Chapter 291: A Powerful Lineup (Part 2)

Of all those present, the Qin Family accounted for only one-fifth! Moreover, the most powerful individual was not even from the Qin Family.

So the disciple from the Gu Family didn’t even spare Ling Xiao a glance. He simply turned away and resumed his search for traps. Over the past half a day, he had already disabled more than a dozen dangerous contraptions! This made even those who had initially dismissed him look at him with newfound respect.

The traps within the Ancient Ruins weren’t limited to things like flying arrows. There were pitfalls, secret passages, and poison gas—it had everything. You could say that any vicious trap imaginable could be found here. Forget everyone else; even the disciple from the Gu Family had to tread with extreme caution. Many of the traps couldn’t be overcome with brute strength alone.

The deep concern in the eyes of Song Mingyue and Shangguan Yutong brought a great deal of warmth to Ling Xiao’s heart. He watched the others bustling about and murmured, "Could it be that all the treasures of these ruins are gathered right here?"

Both Song Mingyue and Shangguan Yutong knew Ling Xiao very well. Seeing his expression, they knew at once that he had profited somehow. Shangguan Yutong smiled and said, "Martial Uncle, Patriarch Qin is such a good person! He said that everyone present gets a share of the Crystal Cores! We’ll all split them evenly. Hee hee, this is great! We finally don’t have to work so hard hunting Magical Beasts anymore!"

Many of the people present nearly tripped over themselves when they heard Shangguan Yutong’s words. Of all those who had made it this far, besides Ling Xiao’s group of three, who *wasn’t* from a first-rate family or sect?

The East Sea Zhao Family, the Western Li Family, the Dragon Valley Gou Family, the Yanzhao Yu Family, the Tianshan Sun Family, the Snowfield Zhu Family, and the Zichuan Zhe Family—these families, all of whom had crossed paths with Ling Xiao before, all had members present!

The East Sea Zhao Family was represented by Patriarch Zhao Jingzhi and a Tier One Sword Emperor, who was also a member of the Zhao Family. He followed silently by Zhao Jingzhi’s side without a word.

In fact, it was much the same for every family. The patriarchs were usually not exceptionally powerful, as they had far too many matters to attend to and simply couldn’t dedicate all of their energy to cultivation.

The Western Li Family sent a larger contingent. In addition to Li Yan, a Tier Six Sword Sect, ten others had entered with him. Those ten were all core experts of the Li Family. Besides two who were also Tier Six Sword Sects like Li Yan, the other eight all possessed the power of a Sword Emperor. The strongest of them had already reached the level of a Tier Four Sword Emperor!

The Dragon Valley Gou Family also sent six people. The one who bore a striking resemblance to Gou You was Gou Shuang, a Tier Five Sword Sect and the Patriarch of the Dragon Valley Gou Family. The other five all possessed power at the Sword Emperor level or higher!

Furthermore, it was obvious that the Gou Family and the Li Family were mutually on guard. The Gou Family had clearly learned of Gou You’s death, as well as the grudge between him and Li Yan. However, it was not yet time to make a move. But here in the Ancient Ruins, the Gou Family’s group was weaker than the Li Family’s, so it was only natural for them to be on high alert for a sneak attack.

The Yanzhao Yu Family also had five people, but they seemed considerably weaker. Aside from one Middle-Level Sword Emperor at Tier Three, the other four were all at the Sword Sect level.

The Tianshan Sun Family was another family that had previously sent disciples to Penzes City to contact Ling Xiao. However, the ones who came this time weren’t particularly strong; they had no Sword Emperors, only four at the Sword Sect level. They also maintained a very low profile, giving the impression that they were just here to watch the excitement. But among these great families and sects, apart from those universally recognized as first or second-rate, how many would truly expose their full strength to others?

The Snowfield Zhu Family, a clan that had always maintained a low profile, had surprisingly sent ten people! What’s more, six of them possessed the power of Sword Emperors! They all looked quite old, with white hair and beards, and their faces seemed to radiate a righteous air. But if it weren’t for the promise of wealth and treasure, why would they have come to such a place? The remaining four were also experts at the Sword Sect level.

Then there was the Zichuan Zhe Family, Ling Xiao’s mortal enemies. Their group numbered twelve! The only one Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue recognized was Zhe Shixun, and they knew he was a Tier Three Sword Emperor. Of the remaining eleven, eight possessed the power of Sword Emperors, and from the looks of it, they were not much weaker than Zhe Shixun!

Ling Xiao frowned at the sight. ’The Zhe Family’s power is truly formidable!’ he thought. ’It seems they’ve concentrated most of their experts here for this gathering of the great families!’

The Qin Family, in contrast, had sent thirteen people. Of these thirteen, apart from Patriarch Qin Zhaoran, who was a Tier Six Sword Sect, and his son Qin Feng, a Sixth Rank Demon Sword Master, the rest were all Sword Emperor Powerhouses!

Such was the home-field advantage. Qin Zhaoran had summoned nearly every Sword Emperor from the entire Qin Family to this place. When exploring Ancient Ruins with so many other families watching like hungry tigers, how could they not be fully prepared?

The only ones remaining were the disciple from the Gu Family of Mechanical Masters, whose strength was pitifully weak, and Ling Xiao’s trio, each of whom looked weaker than the last. It was no wonder no one bothered with them. With their apparent level of power, they were beneath anyone’s notice.

Aside from these groups, Ling Xiao also noticed three other people who seemed completely detached from the situation. Although they stood with the rest, their demeanor... was truly that of mere spectators. This made Ling Xiao wonder. ’Are they faking this nonchalance, or do they genuinely not care about these Ancient Ruins?’

Seeing Ling Xiao’s curiosity, Song Mingyue, who had been mingling with them for a full day, whispered, "Those three are supposedly from some super-family. I think it’s called the Jingwu Family. A very imposing name. I can’t discern their power level..."

Ling Xiao glanced over and said with a smile, "They’re all at the Sword Sect level. One Middle Tier and two High Tiers."

Song Mingyue’s mouth fell slightly agape in shock. The folding fan in her hand snapped open with a crisp THWAP. She then gave a little laugh to cover her surprise. "Impressive. Truly impressive!"

As for why Song Mingyue was so surprised—after all, more than half of the people gathered here were Sword Emperor Powerhouses. Even if they were all elites from the great families, the concentration of so many Sword Emperors in one place was enough to make one’s scalp tingle. It was hard to imagine what would happen if that many Sword Emperors besieged a single person. The destructive power would be, without a doubt, apocalyptic!

The true reason for Song Mingyue’s astonishment was the age of the three from the Jingwu Family. The oldest wasn’t even thirty! Calling them thirty was an overstatement; they looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. The youngest was only twenty, their face still holding a touch of immaturity... ’Three people like that are a Middle-Tier and two High-Tier Sword Sects?’

Shangguan Yutong was also stunned. She stole a glance at the three arrogant-looking youths. ’The Canglan Continent is truly full of masters,’ she thought. ’I originally thought that even among the hidden families, I was considered an expert of the younger generation. I never realized that compared to these truly first-rate families, the gap is enormous. My peers, and even those younger than me... my junior martial sisters who were once weaker than I was, have probably all reached the level of Demon Sword Master by now.’

And now she saw these three youths from a super-family... who were already Sword Sects.

At this thought, Shangguan Yutong couldn’t help but shake her head. ’I can’t think about it anymore, or I’ll just want to die.’ Even if these three were masters forged with the full might of a super-family, it was still too incredible.

’How... how did they get so powerful?’

As if sensing they were being watched, the three youths turned their heads in their direction. One of them, who was clearly a woman in disguise, let out a disdainful snort, then turned away and said to her two companions, "Those third-rate runts are so annoying, staring at us like that. I really don’t know where they get the audacity to butt into a scene like this. Aren’t they ashamed of themselves?"

The handsome, older young man beside her blinked his charming, almond-shaped eyes but didn’t spare Ling Xiao’s group a single glance. "Little Sister, you’re actually taking the adoring gazes of some nobodies to heart? I’ve told you many times, just treat them as ants. They don’t live in the same world we do!"

The young woman in disguise snorted and muttered under her breath, full of resentment, "And what about that woman from the Mortal World? Is she an ant in your eyes, too?"

The handsome youth shot the girl beside him a glare, his voice growing cold. "How can you put them in the same category? Don’t you dare sully her."

The girl just huffed and fell silent.

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