Gongsun Po’s cultivation was at the 7th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. These people were no match for him. In just a few breaths, more than half of them were dead or injured. Mou Sanjie’s head was directly chopped off with a single strike of his blade.
"I’ll join in too!" Gongsun Hao, Gongsun Yan, and the others also made their moves. Although they had killed tens of thousands of bandits last time, they still held a lot of pent-up anger. In a dozen or so breaths, all the men from the Mou family were completely wiped out.
"It seems there is no need for me to step in," Ye Xuan’s voice suddenly rang out.
"Young Master, you broke through?"
"Yes. I broke through." A smile appeared on Ye Xuan’s face.
Within his body, an imposing Hidden Vein had emerged. Its shape was irregular, rising and falling like a mountain range. Having successfully opened his first Mountain Range, Ye Xuan’s cultivation had reached the 1st Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm.
After entering the Demon Spirit Realm, perhaps due to the Mountain Range, his connection with heaven and earth had grown much clearer. It felt as though with just a wave of his finger, the Spiritual Qi in front of him would resonate with his will. This was exactly why some powerful experts of the Demon Spirit Realm could launch long-distance attacks without overtly releasing their own Spiritual Qi. They merely detonated the ambient Spiritual Qi around their opponents. Without reaching this realm, one could never sense such profound mysteries of heaven and earth. Naturally, Ye Xuan could only sense it for now and hadn’t quite reached that level of mastery yet. But given time, he would undoubtedly achieve it.
"The Mou family, huh..." Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly. The Mou Family’s Three-Star Main Town also possessed a Secret Realm. The highest-level Beasts within it would definitely be at rank five. Though their numbers might be small, they would still offer him some benefit. Since the feud between him and the Mou family had escalated to this point, it was undoubtedly a struggle to the death. In that case, he would find time to wipe out the Mou family completely.
"Mother, I have something to discuss with you," Ye Xuan suddenly said to Gongsun Yanran.
Three minutes later, in the main hall.
"Xuan’Er, what is it?"
"Mother, are the members of the Gongsun family settling in alright?"
Gongsun Yanran shook her head. "How could they be used to it? But even so, it is what it is. The moment we fled Dapeng City, they were doomed to lose the privileged life of a city. They must get used to the thin Spiritual Qi here. They must get used to the fact that there is no one left to shield them from the wind and rain. Every resource they need, they must now seek out and fight for themselves."
Ye Xuan held his mother’s hand and continued, "Mother, I know your heart aches, but I still have to ask—what are the Gongsun family’s plans? You can’t stay at the Ye family permanently. Even though I haven’t visited the side courtyard myself, I can imagine that not a single Gongsun family member is content with living there."
Gongsun Yanran remained silent. She knew Ye Xuan was right. Ever since they settled down yesterday, members of the Gongsun family had been complaining. Even if the Gongsun family had fallen from grace—like tigers descending to the plains—they felt it was beneath them to be bullied by the Ye family and relegated to the side courtyard. Some were even clamoring to force the Ye family out of the main courtyard so they could move in themselves. And this was only the Gongsun family’s very first day at the Ye family! If people were already airing such grievances on day one, countless more conflicts would brew over time. Two tigers cannot share one mountain. Having grown up arrogant and proud, how could anyone from the Gongsun family willingly submit to being beneath others?
"Xuan’Er, since you asked, I will tell you my thoughts," Gongsun Yanran said. "If no other members of the Gongsun family come looking for us within the next half a month, we must leave the Ye family, no matter what. Us staying here is ultimately a hidden danger to your clan. Earlier, I allowed Gongsun Po to go on a killing spree precisely because I feared those from the Three-Star Main Town would inform the Sun family that we had ended up here."
Mou Sanjie could never have imagined that his entire group had been slaughtered purely because he recognized the Gongsun family’s identity. But the truth was, even if he hadn’t recognized them, Ye Xuan still would have killed them all. The Mou family had tracked them all the way to the Ye family; the enmity between them was already irreconcilable.
"Mother, are you planning to leave with them?"
Gongsun Yanran nodded. "Yes, I have to go too."
"But Mother..."
"I know what you want to say. The time we’ve spent together has been so short, and I cannot bear to part with you either. But as things stand now in the Gongsun family, I am the highest-ranking elder. I am the only one from my generation who is still alive. Gongsun Qingyue, and even Gongsun Fangru, sacrificed their lives for us. Xuan’Er, do you know how heavy the burden on my shoulders is?" Gongsun Yanran’s eyes grew red and teary.
In truth, there were many people in the Gongsun family who could have escorted the youths of the Direct Lineage away. Why her? Why not Gongsun Qingyue or Gongsun Fangru? The reason was simple: among her generation in the Gongsun family, she was the youngest, yet possessed the strongest talent. Her aptitude was in no way inferior to Gongsun Xin’s. With her alive, the Gongsun family had a much brighter future. Gongsun Xin and the others fully believed that Gongsun Yanran was destined to reach the Earth Spirit Realm!
"Mother, say no more, I understand," Ye Xuan replied gently. "So, where do you plan to go?"
"I don’t know, but we must definitely leave Dapeng City’s jurisdiction. It’s fine if we don’t run into anyone from the Sun family, but if we do, they will likely still hunt us down to the last person. Leaving Dapeng City’s territory is the most sensible choice. And don’t worry about me. With our strength, even if we can’t rule a city, taking command of a small town shouldn’t be a problem."
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even though the Gongsun family had fallen, occupying a Three-Star Main Town would be no issue for them. After all, Gongsun Yanran was at the 9th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm, and she could also use Beast Soul Transformation. However, a Three-Star Main Town might be the absolute limit for the Gongsun family. In this lifetime, they would never again enjoy the comfort of a proper city.
"Mother, I see you’ve already made your plans," Ye Xuan said. "I was actually intending to hand over Ye Family Town to you."
Gongsun Yanran looked somewhat surprised. "Hand over Ye Family Town to us?"
"Yes. The Ye family only holds a One-Star Main Town. People from the main city would never come here, so the chances of the Sun family discovering you are practically zero. Also, if the Sun family ends up perishing down the line, staying nearby ensures you can immediately rush back to contest for the position of City Lord. If you settle too far away, you wouldn’t make it in time."
"Xuan’Er, that’s far too unrealistic. A City Lord dying a natural death is something that happens once in a thousand years. Who knows how long it’ll be until the next time. Besides, if you hand Ye Family Town over to us, where will your people go? Would the Ye family members even agree to this?"
"We will head to a Three-Star Main Town. Didn’t Gongsun Po just kill the men from the Mou family? We might as well be decisive about this: we’ll wipe out the Mou family completely, and the Ye family will take their place. In the future, the Gongsun family members can also visit the Secret Realm in our Three-Star Main Town to train."
Gongsun Yanran’s eyes lit up. "That’s true. With us here, we can help you directly conquer that Three-Star Main Town. Mother will go with you."
"Mother, there’s no need. I can handle it." Now that his cultivation had advanced to the Demon Spirit Realm, wiping out the Mou family wouldn’t be difficult for Ye Xuan. Even if the Mou family had some hidden trump card, he still had Blood Princess.
"Mother, you should make a decision soon. When I march on the Mou family, I will definitely bring the Ye family members with me. Whether this town is left for your people or for a subordinate faction of the Ye family, I will be waiting for your answer."