Meanwhile, that trusted elder of Wei Tiantong's was also killed by the combined efforts of Wei Zhi, Elder Zhuo, and Elder Feng.
Wei Tiantong's son, Wei Xiu, tried to seize the chance to flee, but under the suppression of the Royal Realm domain, there was absolutely no possibility of escape. He was also struck dead by a single palm from Elder Feng.
Clearly, the righteous Elder Feng was thoroughly enraged this time. When Wei Tiantong had ordered Alchemist Yu to activate the poison formation earlier, both Elder Feng and Elder Zhuo had abruptly realized that they had nominally been Wei Tiantong's allies, yet they had no prior knowledge of this poison formation whatsoever.
In other words, once Wei Tiantong finished dealing with Wei Tianxiao, the next ones to suffer might very well be the two of them!
Understanding this, how could Elder Zhuo and Elder Feng show any mercy?
After killing Wei Xiu, they joined the fray one after another, sealing off every possible escape route for Wei Tiantong. Since they had already decided to purge the clan, they naturally had to pull up the roots!
If they let Wei Tiantong escape today, it would be like releasing a tiger back to the mountains. With Wei Tiantong's talent for stirring up trouble — whose only knack was making a mess of things — he might well collude with outside enemies and return to bring disaster upon the Wei family once more.
Wei Tianxiao's strength already decisively surpassed Wei Tiantong's, and with three clan elders watching like tigers eyeing their prey, Wei Tiantong's retreat was completely cut off.
Though Wei Tiantong fought with the desperation of a cornered beast, his combat power surging to its peak, the situation remained perilous — precarious in the extreme. Before long, he was struck several times.
"Wei Tiantong, you colluded with outside enemies and brought ruin upon the Wei clan. At this point, do you still intend to resist to the bitter end?" Wei Zhi bellowed from outside the circle, employing psychological warfare to break Wei Tiantong's fighting spirit.
Wei Tiantong was struck again and again. A mighty sixth-stage Royal Realm expert, he now looked more like a cornered beast in its death throes — covered in blood, his hair disheveled, not a trace remaining of his former bearing as the Wei family's second most powerful figure.
Even as he fought with the desperation of a doomed animal, he screamed madly: "Heaven damn you, I refuse to accept this! What am I lacking compared to him? Why does he win in the end? Why?!"
Wei Tiantong simply could not accept it. Before setting out today, he had believed his scheme was flawless — advancing layer by layer, through both political maneuvering and military force, he could have played Wei Tianxiao and his son to death.
But who could have guessed that in the end, the one played to death would be himself?
Elder Zhuo, watching from the perimeter, said coldly: "Wei Tiantong, in what way can you compare to the Clan Head? You have ambition, but lack the ability to command it. You have schemes, but your heart is crooked. What else do you have? In martial prowess, are you stronger than the Clan Head? As for sons, can that good-for-nothing of yours compare to Young Master Wei Jie? In benevolence, you still fall short of the Clan Head! Tell me — in what way are you superior?"
"Wei Zhuo, you treacherous, oath-breaking scoundrel! I'll never let you go, even as a ghost!"
In his death throes, Wei Tiantong was finally subdued.
Wei Tianxiao and the three clan elders all came forward to thank Jiang Chen: "Pill King Zhen, this time it is all thanks to your Half-Step Zhixian Pill. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
At that moment, Wei Jie also cleaved Alchemist Yu in two with a single blade strike and came to express his gratitude to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen did not claim credit. They were all in the same boat now — his actions were not merely to help the Wei family, but also to pave his own road ahead.
"My friends, now is not the time for optimism. Judging from the tone of that Alchemist Yu and Wei Tiantong, it is clear that Alchemist Yu was a spy planted by the Great Clan of the Royal Court. Now that these people are dead, the Great Clan of the Royal Court may not be willing to let the matter rest!"
Jiang Chen sounded a warning for everyone.
Wei Tianxiao's face darkened. "The Great Clan of the Royal Court has grown more and more outrageous in recent years, extending their fingers further and further — they have even reached into our Wei family."
"The Great Clan of the Royal Court's ambition is plain for all to see. This is a signal that they intend to declare war on the Panlong Grand Clan!" Elder Zhuo sighed as well.
"It seems the contest for the title of the foremost Grand Clan will only intensify from here on." Elder Feng nodded.
Wei Tianxiao's gaze grew deep and contemplative. He looked at Elder Zhuo and Elder Feng for a long while before speaking earnestly: "Elder Zhuo, Elder Feng, though this battle has temporarily eliminated the internal threat, there are words I must speak in advance. No matter what, the Wei family will never change its allegiance and defect to the Great Clan of the Royal Court. Even if the Panlong Grand Clan's glory fades, even if the Panlong Grand Clan falls from first Grand Clan to last — unless the Panlong Grand Clan casts us out, the Wei family will never abandon them!"
His tone was exceptionally resolute.
Elder Zhuo let out a soft sigh. "Clan Head, we never had any other intentions. We merely struck a deal with Wei Tiantong to rent the shops on Shennong Market to the Tong family. Fortunately, we came to our senses before any great harm was done. We have no desire to betray the Panlong Grand Clan, much less defect to the Great Clan of the Royal Court."
"Elder Zhuo is right. I, Wei Feng, would never commit such a treacherous act. Clan Head, our Wei family was able to rise to become a ninth-rank noble house in part because of the Panlong Grand Clan's considerable support over the years. Although the Panlong Grand Clan has kept a lower profile recently, that does not necessarily mean it is not a deliberate strategy. The day may come when the coiling dragon soars into the heavens and looks down upon all the other clans!" Elder Feng also declared his position, openly supporting Wei Tianxiao's decision as Clan Head.
Wei Tianxiao saw that both Elder Zhuo and Elder Feng had pledged their loyalty, and his spirits lifted considerably.
The existential threat of Wei Tiantong had been eliminated, and the previously neutral Elder Zhuo and Elder Feng had declared their support for him as Clan Head.
The Wei family's chaos was finally broken, and things were back on track.
As long as the Wei family stood united as one, they had nothing to fear.
Wei Tianxiao was in high spirits, but he did not forget that the greatest contributor to this victory was none other than Jiang Chen. With a smile, he stepped forward and clasped Jiang Chen's hand.
"This time, the one who helped our Wei family set things right is none other than Pill King Zhen. Wouldn't you all agree?"
Elder Zhuo and Elder Feng both nodded in agreement.