Just as Ye Xuan was lost in thought, Tang Long’s belated voice rang out.
"Patriarch, thank you. If it weren’t for you just now, I would have died. I couldn’t react at all."
Ye Xuan shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, the old man suddenly appeared before them.
"If I’m not mistaken, you must be the Patriarch of the Ye family, Ye Xuan. To think you actually survived that attack just now. You lot sure are lucky."
The old man’s gaze never left Ye Xuan.
Hearing this, Ye Xuan stood up and dusted himself off before finally speaking. "You are Patriarch Zhang."
The old man did not answer. Instead, he gnashed his teeth and said, "It would have been truly gratifying if that lord had killed you just now!"
"It seems you are indeed Patriarch Zhang. You’re exactly who I came looking for today."
Patriarch Zhang sneered. "You’re here because I didn’t pay the tribute, aren’t you?"
"Yes."
Ye Xuan nodded. Then, without any warning, golden light erupted from his body as he attacked Patriarch Zhang.
Patriarch Zhang coldly snorted and launched a counterattack, but within just three moves, Ye Xuan had him by the throat.
Ye Xuan’s current strength was at the 3rd Layer of the Super Spirit Realm. Even without using any hidden trump cards, he could easily fight a Cultivator at the 5th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm. Patriarch Zhang was only at the 4th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm. He was no match for Ye Xuan at all.
"Th-this..."
"The Patriarch was lifted by his throat by some kid!"
Nearby, the gatekeepers’ eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw Patriarch Zhang being hoisted into the air. Who would dare be so brazen in Zhang Family Main Town as to actually attack Patriarch Zhang? Did this kid have a powerful background as well?
"With such immense strength, it’s no wonder you were able to kill my grandson."
Despite being choked, Patriarch Zhang’s expression hardly changed. A Twin Jade suddenly appeared in his hand, and he spoke coldly.
"You certainly have the ability to deal with the Zhang family, but we are not lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Believe it or not, the moment I crush this Jade Pendant, the Ye family will be reduced to ashes and wiped from the face of the earth."
"Is that so?"
"What? You don’t believe me? I’ll tell you the truth: I’ve already had the Zhang family’s Second Elder lie in wait at Ye Family Main Town. Since I guessed you would come to Zhang Family Main Town, how could I not be prepared? I know you are the strongest in the Ye family. With you gone, do you really think the Ye family can hold off my Zhang family’s Elder?"
"What! Patriarch, what do we do?" Tang Long’s expression immediately turned grim.
Ye Xuan, however, spoke in an icy tone. "Do you dare touch the Ye family? The moment you do, I will start a massacre right here in Zhang Family Main Town and exterminate your entire clan."
Patriarch Zhang chuckled. "If you dare exterminate my clan, I dare exterminate yours. Anyone can make threats. Regardless, you can’t intimidate me. You can forget about collecting the Zhang family’s tribute. The Ye family isn’t qualified yet."
"Is that right? And what if I insist on collecting it today?"
"Young man, don’t be stubborn. Do you really want to fight until the fish dies and the net breaks?"
"The fish will die, but who says the net will break?"
A bloodthirsty smile appeared on Ye Xuan’s lips. The next moment, a Treasure Sword materialized in his hand. It was the mid-grade Spirit-tier Treasure Sword previously used by Zhang Wuzong.
A cold glint flashed, and one of Patriarch Zhang’s hands was cleanly severed.
"Ye Xuan, you arrogant brat! Do you really think I don’t dare crush this Twin Jade?" Patriarch Zhang’s eyes instantly went bloodshot.
Ye Xuan stated callously, "Crush it. Crush it right now. If you don’t, you’re nothing but a coward!"
"You... you!"
Ye Xuan’s seemingly childish and spiteful words left Patriarch Zhang breathing heavily, his entire body trembling.
Did this kid really not care if his entire clan died? Did he have absolutely no affection for his family? Even if he didn’t, shouldn’t a Patriarch consider the safety of his people? Did he truly want mutual destruction?
"Ye Xuan, think about this carefully. Are you really going to take it that far?"
"What’s the matter? Are you scared? Weren’t you just threatening to kill my entire family? Look at you, I give you a chance, and you’re too useless to take it. If you won’t crush it, I’ll do it for you."
As he spoke, Ye Xuan slapped Patriarch Zhang’s right hand, which still held the Twin Jade.
CRASH.
Spiritual Qi burst outward, and the Twin Jade instantly shattered. Ye Xuan’s actions left Tang Long completely stunned.
"Boy, do you really not care whether your clan lives or dies?"
At this moment, Patriarch Zhang’s mind was buzzing in disbelief. It was one thing for this young man to remain unfazed by threats, but why wasn’t he playing by the rules? Could it be that he wanted his own family dead even more than the Zhang family did? He had already made an agreement with the Second Elder: the moment the Twin Jade broke, the massacre would begin immediately.
At this moment, in Ye Family Main Town, an old man was drinking tea in a teahouse when his pupils suddenly constricted. He pulled out a shattered Twin Jade from his robes. This old man was none other than the Zhang family’s Second Elder. He was keeping an extremely low profile and wasn’t even wearing his Clan Uniform.
"How could this be... It actually broke!"
Staring at the crushed Twin Jade, the Second Elder’s eyes widened in shock. Although he had come to Ye Family Main Town, he assumed he was just going through the motions to intimidate the Ye family. He never believed that the Ye family’s Ye Xuan would actually fight the Zhang family to the bitter end.
But who could have predicted that the Twin Jade would actually shatter? Could it be that the brat had already started a massacre at the Zhang family? How dare he?
Right now, the Second Elder felt the exact same way as Patriarch Zhang. They were both utterly bewildered—did that Ye Xuan kid really not care about the lives of his own clansmen?
But this was clearly not the time to be shocked. He immediately stood up and rushed toward the Ye family’s estate. Regardless of the reason, since the Twin Jade was broken, he had to go to the Ye family and begin the slaughter.
A few minutes later, he walked right into the Ye family’s home. Upon entering, his brow furrowed. There wasn’t a single person at the entrance. The front and middle courtyards were completely empty as well. It wasn’t until he reached the main courtyard that he finally saw some shadows.
At the entrance to the main courtyard, Ye Wen and Ye Shanhan were standing guard. Seeing the sudden appearance of the old man, the two immediately stood at attention.
Ye Wen took the initiative to ask, "Are you from the Zhang family?"
The Zhang family’s Second Elder’s pupils shrank. "You guessed I was coming? So, you’re all hiding in the main courtyard? Good. That saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one. Today, all of you will die."
A terrifying aura erupted from the Second Elder. This pressure pressed down on the shoulders of all the Ye family members in the courtyard like a Big Mountain.
"He’s here! The enemy is here!"
"He’s so strong! We can’t even withstand his aura. Sigh, we’re still too weak."
The Ye family members were forced to the ground. Although they were lamenting their weakness, there was no panic in their eyes.
"CHIRP... CHIRP..."
In the courtyard, two small eagles suddenly cried out. These were the Flame Eagles that Ye Xuan had brought back. A month had passed, and the Flame Eagles, which were originally the size of chicks, were now as big as three-year-old toddlers. Although they were still juveniles, they already carried an air of majesty.
This oppressive aura had originally forced the two little eagles to the ground as well. However, it seemed their feral instincts had been awakened.
The Little Flame Eagles struggled to their feet. They glanced at Ye Ling’Er, whose face had gone pale beside them, and screeched at the sky in apparent fury. Ye Ling’Er was like a mother to them. How could they tolerate their mother being bullied?