Fortunately, Huang'er and the others had been settled into the cave dwelling and had not accompanied
Of all the misfortune, there was one blessing — in Huang'er's direct bloodline, her grandfather
Yet even so, Jiang Chen felt a heavy weight pressing on his heart. For Huang'er, the most important people in the Yan family were her parents, still imprisoned in the Endless Dungeon.
Ziche Min noticed Jiang Chen's silence and understood that this news must have dealt him a blow.
After a long pause, Jiang Chen finally drew a deep breath and asked, "The Yan family was destroyed — did the Sacred Land have no inkling at all?"
Though Jiang Chen had never been particularly fond of the Yan family, they were still Huang'er's birth family. That the Yan family could be wiped out right under the nose of the
After all, the Yan family had been destroyed while he had gone to reinforce the True Martial Sacred Land. The Eternal Sacred Land could not entirely escape the suspicion that their protection had been lacking.
Of course, now was obviously not the time to assign blame.
Ziche Min sighed. "The attack came without warning, and at the time the Saint Ancestor was not in the Sacred Land. By the time the news of the Yan family's destruction reached us, the Grand Sacred Master had personally led a team to investigate. The Yan family estate was already nothing but ruins. Not a single survivor remained."
"Were there any bodies?" Jiang Chen asked.
Ziche Min's eyes filled with a pained expression. "There were hardly any intact corpses."
"If that's the case, how was the identity of the culprit confirmed? That they must have been a powerful expert who escaped from the Endless Dungeon?" Jiang Chen asked, curious.
"That is merely what rumors say, combined with some clues uncovered during the Sacred Land's investigation." Ziche Min was rather vague on this particular topic.
After all, he and Jiang Chen were on fairly good terms, and Jiang Chen could not very well press him aggressively on every point. Besides, for an act of clan extermination, whoever carried it out would naturally have gone to great lengths to keep it hidden.
That the Sacred Land had failed to respond in time was perfectly understandable.
After all, the Eternal Divine Kingdom had only just emerged from a massive upheaval, with a hundred tasks awaiting restoration. Even the Eternal Sacred Land itself was still struggling to regain its footing.
Jiang Chen asked a few more questions, but on specific details, Ziche Min clearly knew little more. After sitting for a while, Jiang Chen took his leave.
When he returned to the cave dwelling, Huang'er and Yan Qingsang came to greet him.
"Brother Chen, shall we head back to the Yan family now?"
Seeing the eager look in Huang'er's eyes, Jiang Chen felt a pang in his chest. In that moment, he did not even know how to break the news.
Huang'er was sharp and perceptive. The moment she caught Jiang Chen's hesitant expression, she froze. "Brother Chen — has something gone wrong?"
Jiang Chen drew a deep breath. "Huang'er, let me first take you to see your grandfather, and
Elder Shun had been settled in a villa within the Eternal Sacred Land, along with
Huang'er grew even more certain of her suspicions seeing Jiang Chen like this, and a look of sorrow crept across her face. "Brother Chen — is it that there's still no word about my parents?"
Jiang Chen's expression dimmed. "Huang'er, Qingsang — something terrible has happened to the Yan family."
"What happened?" Yan Qingsang was equally stunned.
"Steel yourselves — the Yan family has been wiped out." In the end, Jiang Chen did not conceal the truth. He knew concealment was impossible.