The Yan family's great hall was nearly full. Every senior member of the Yan clan had turned up, and the family's most talented younger generation were all present as well.
Yan Qingsang found his designated area and took his seat.
Jiang Chen cast a casual glance toward the Yan family patriarch and noticed a faint trace of worry between the man's brows. It looked as though he were wrestling with a truly formidable problem.
Jiang Chen's thoughts stirred slightly. Other matters involving the Yan family didn't concern him in the slightest. The only thing weighing on his mind right now was the possibility of
If Xiahou Zong came out and tried to take Huang'er away — that was the one scenario Jiang Chen found absolutely unacceptable.
As long as it wasn't that, he could handle even the sky collapsing.
"Now that everyone is here, I won't beat around the bush and will speak plainly. I've called you all here because there are several urgent matters that need to be reported."
"The first matter concerns the area around Cloud Camel Mountain. In the border region where the Feng family's territory meets ours, numerous celestial phenomena have appeared recently. In response, the Feng family has dispatched a large force of elites to station themselves there, giving every indication of intending to encroach upon our Cloud Camel Mountain border. Since the passing of our Supreme Ancestor, the strength of our Yan family has declined — there is no point denying that. Our situation is difficult — that too is undeniable. However — in all these years, our Yan family has never once suffered the humiliation of having our territory seized. Now the Feng family has stationed heavy troops on our border with clear aggressive intent. What our Yan family faces is the question of defending our homeland. Every man among us is hot-blooded — we would rather lose our heads than surrender our land. Otherwise, even in death we would have no face to meet our ancestors!"
"The situation at Cloud Camel Mountain demands immediate action. That is the first matter."
"The second matter concerns the Yaochi Sect. The Yaochi Sect has been provoking our Yan family for some time now. Because they failed to claim the championship in the alchemy competition, they've been harboring a grudge. Lately they've been stirring up trouble throughout the Divine Capital, trying to use the alchemy competition as ammunition. Most recently, they've even rallied a coalition of alchemy powerhouses to attempt overturning the conclusions of that competition — particularly the verdict regarding the Water Moon Heart-Gazing Pill. That is the second matter."
"The third matter concerns the Xiahou family. The Xiahou family has come to us again with demands. According to them, Xiahou Zong will emerge from seclusion within three years at most. During these three years, our Yan family must ensure that nothing happens to
The first two matters left Jiang Chen entirely unmoved.
But the third matter concerned Huang'er, and it concerned him, Jiang Chen. That made his brow furrow ever so slightly.
"The Xiahou family wants me?" A flicker of suspicion crossed Jiang Chen's mind. "Could it be because of my performance at that birthday banquet? Have they set their sights on me?"
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had come to the Eternal Divine Kingdom for two purposes: first, to rescue Huang'er from her plight, and second, with the intention of annihilating the Xiahou family.
Now the Xiahou family was calling him out by name. If that wasn't absurd, he didn't know what was.
"Very well. None of these three matters is trivial. Let's hear what everyone has to say."
The Yan patriarch spread his hands, signaling that all were free to speak their minds.
"Patriarch, there's nothing to discuss about Cloud Camel Mountain. They've stationed heavy troops, so we must respond in kind — an eye for an eye. We may be down, but we're not out. Our Yan family can be defeated, but we cannot be cowed."
"Exactly. Since when has the Feng family dared to bare their fangs at us? Back when the Supreme Ancestor was still alive, the Feng family groveled at our feet."
"Patriarch, give the order. We're willing to march to Cloud Camel Mountain and settle this with the Feng family once and for all."
"Indeed, Patriarch, we absolutely cannot back down. Perhaps we can use this conflict with the Feng family to restore our prestige. Our Yan family hasn't fallen so low as all that!"
When it came to Cloud Camel Mountain, virtually every Yan family disciple held the same resolute stance. The martial world was, after all, a world that respected courage and ruthlessness.
If someone bared their teeth at you and you chose to retreat rather than fight back, you would become the laughingstock of the world and earn nothing but contempt.
Besides, the Feng family wasn't even the most powerful force out there. If it were the Xiahou family, the Yan family knew it couldn't win and might have to swallow its pride and make concessions.
But the Feng family — a family that had once been weaker than the Yan family — if they swallowed their pride against the Feng family too, then the Yan family truly would have reached the point where everyone saw them as easy prey.
Looking back over recent times, the Yan family's situation had been one of everyone piling on a crumbling wall.
When returning from the Blue Smoke Island Domain, their airship had been intercepted by the Zhoguang Sect.
Now the Feng family was making trouble at Cloud Camel Mountain.
The Yaochi Sect, bitter over the alchemy competition, kept finding reasons to harass the Yan family. They were the ones who had lost, yet they couldn't accept defeat with any grace. The underlying reason was simple — they bullied the Yan family for being weak. If the Yan family were as powerful as the Xiahou family, would the Yaochi Sect dare act so brazenly? Unlikely.
And apart from these three, the Yan family's greatest internal threat — the Xiahou family — had never stopped stirring up trouble either.
Now they were demanding people. Not only Yan Qinghuang, but also the family's new favored disciple, Shao Yuan.
"Patriarch, the Yaochi Sect has gone too far as well. They lost fair and square, yet they keep playing these games. If they can't handle losing, they should just say so — why keep making waves?"
"At the end of the day, it's just plain bullying."
"Well, you can't put it entirely that way. We humiliated the Yaochi Sect in the alchemy competition, so it's only natural they'd hold a grudge."
"Nonsense! What kind of talk is that? In any competition, you give it your all. Would you have our Yan family disciples deliberately throw the match just because they had a chance to win? What kind of logic is that?"