With his hands clasped behind his back, Tan Chang saw Jiang Tengyun, the eldest young master of the Jiang Family, rapidly approaching with his men from a distance.

He couldn't help but glance at Xu Lai, who was squatting by the roadside with a foxtail grass stem dangling from his mouth, and frowned. "The enemy is here!"

"Oh."

"You're a Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor, for goodness' sake. Straighten your back. Don't bring shame upon Martial Artists or the one you serve."

Tan Chang snorted coldly. "And don't let the Jiang Family look down on us. We can't lose our imposing air before the battle even starts!"

Xu Lai was stunned.

Young Tan is getting a big head lately. He even dares to lecture me. Who gave him the courage...?

But Tan Chang was right; he couldn't embarrass his wife, Ruan Tang. He stood up, his expression gradually growing indifferent.

Tan Chang nodded inwardly in approval. Xu Lai's indifference made it seem as though he had seen through the life and death of all beings, as if he stood atop the highest peak, looking down upon the approaching ants.

Worthy indeed of being the Flower Fairy's offspring, and truly a descendant of the Divine Gate!

"Stop!"

In less than a minute, Jiang Tengyun was upon them. He raised a hand to halt his troops, squinting as he scrutinized Xu Lai and Tan Chang standing guard at the foot of Mount Haitang.

Eventually, his gaze settled on Tan Chang.

Jiang Tengyun spoke in a leisurely tone, "Tan Chang, I must say, I'm surprised you were able to break through to the Seventh Grade."

Tan Chang's gaze was icy. "Jiang Tengyun, this day has finally come!"

In Tan Chang's original plan, he had intended to seek trouble with the Jiang Family in the capital only after reaching the Eighth Grade, all under the protection of Senior Flower Fairy. But he never expected this day to arrive so swiftly, so fast that it caught him completely off guard.

"Don't worry," Lyu He giggled. "The young master has prepared a coffin for you, and it's even made of Huali wood. That shouldn't discredit your status as a Martial Ancestor."

Tan Chang was not one for verbal sparring, so he simply stopped talking, looking at them with pity in his eyes.

To be so arrogant in Senior Flower Fairy's territory... they're really asking to die!

Jiang Tengyun looked back at Tan Chang with the same pity. "Let me tell you the truth. The Venerates from my Jiang Family have arrived. If you kneel and beg for mercy now, and accept the servitude mark anew, I'll spare your life."

"Ridiculous," Tan Chang said coldly. "In life, I am a man of Mount Haitang; in death, a ghost of Mount Haitang. Return to the Jiang Family as a Servant? What a fantasy!"

"Then there's nothing to be done," Jiang Tengyun sighed. "I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. Tan Chang, when you reach the Netherworld, don't..."

"Alright, alright," Xu Lai cut in. "Enough with the chatter. If you're going to fight, then fight. I'm in a hurry to get home and rest."

"Courting death!" Jiang Tengyun sneered, gesturing sharply with his hand.

The nineteen Jiang Family shadows behind him leaped into action, their figures shifting as they moved into a Formation. Countless dazzling lights blazed to life under their feet. As for the three Martial Ancestors from their own clan, they remained standing behind Jiang Tengyun.

"It's the Flowing Cloud Array!" Tan Chang was no longer the Sixth Grade peak he once was; both his strength and his perception had improved dramatically, but his expression still changed the moment he saw the shadows' Formation.

Compared to the Jiang Family's other Formations, this Flowing Cloud Array didn't increase attack power. It had only one effect: damage distribution among its casters. In other words, any attack would be evenly spread among the nineteen Jiang Family shadows, effectively crippling Tan Chang's combat power. Unless he could break the Formation and kill all nineteen of them in an instant, he would be slowly worn down to his death.

"To ensure this operation is foolproof, all of the Jiang Family's shadows are here." Jiang Tengyun flashed a brilliant smile. "So, Tan Chang, you can die in peace." His expression then turned utterly cold as he commanded, "Attack!"

"Damn it!" Tan Chang roared furiously. The world seemed to shift as the sea rolled back. Pulled by Spiritual Energy, the seawater formed a massive water dragon that crashed down upon the Flowing Cloud Array!

SHIING—

Empowered by the Formation, the Jiang Family shadows, at least one or two of whom should have died, were completely unharmed. Instead, their faces twisted with savagery.

*Traitor. Kill the traitor Tan Chang!*

They attacked with near-maniacal fury, their weapons daggers of fine steel. No longer hiding, they clashed openly with Tan Chang, trading blow for blow, wound for wound!

Even though Tan Chang's Boundary was high, he wasn't invincible. How could he possibly withstand such an assault?

In just a few minutes, an ashen-faced Tan Chang spat out a large mouthful of blood. He cried out in shock, "Xu Lai, retreat! Now!"

He couldn't win this fight. But when it came to escaping, Tan Chang was certain no one here could stop him—not even an Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor!

"Escape?" Jiang Tengyun sneered. "Now it's your turn. Capture him alive."

As the young master finished speaking, three Jiang family members stepped forward from behind him. They were all Grandmasters, though from collateral branches of the family. With two mid-Seventh Grade and one early-Eighth Grade expert joining forces, they could take down even a peak Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor, to say nothing of a mere nobody like Xu Lai.

So what if you're a descendant of the Flower Fairy? I'm not afraid!

"Jiang Chen!"

"Jiang Fengyu!"

"Jiang Kebian!"

The three elders announced their names and even gave Xu Lai a Martial Dao salute. After all, he was the descendant of a Divine Gate Realm power, and the necessary respect had to be shown.

Xu Lai glanced at Mount Haitang behind him before his gaze returned to them. His tone was indifferent. "If you don't want to die, cripple your Cultivation Level and scram."

Since arriving on Earth, Xu Lai had rarely resorted to killing, only doing so when his reverse scale was touched. Firstly, Xu Lai's temperament had changed. A hundred thousand years had passed, and he had experienced far too much. Even a sword that was once all sharp edges would have them worn smooth by now. Secondly, Xu Lai wanted to be a good role model for his daughter, Yiyi. He wanted her to have a happy childhood, not one spent watching her father's hands become stained with the blood of one life after another.

"..."

Xu Lai's words stunned Jiang Tengyun and the three Jiang Family Martial Ancestors for a moment, before they all burst out laughing. This was especially true for Jiang Tengyun. He was laughing so hard that tears formed in his eyes. "Lyu He, what did Xu Lai just say? I don't think I heard him correctly."

"Young Master," Lyu He replied respectfully, "he said, 'If you don't want to die, cripple your Cultivation Level and scram.'"

"Arrogant!" The Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor from the Jiang Family snorted. No longer caring about showing respect to the Flower Fairy, he attacked with a terrifying, oppressive force. His first move was a peak strike, channeling the full power of his Boundary. A horrifying sea of fire condensed from thin air, carrying a terrifying, bone-chilling heat as it crashed down upon Xu Lai from above!

After reaching the Seventh Grade, a Martial Artist awakens a seed in their inner core, which must be constantly nourished with Spiritual Energy to grow.

Some Grandmaster seeds are Strength, granting the awakened a body as tough as diamond and the power to shatter a mountain with a single punch.

Some Martial Ancestor seeds are Divine Sense, allowing for incredibly powerful mental attacks that can easily destroy a person's consciousness.

Still other Martial Ancestor seeds allow control over the various elements between heaven and earth. Some cultivators become adept with water, others with fire, and still others with wind or thunder. It varies entirely from person to person, but it's hard to say which is stronger or weaker. After all, the seeds are static, but the people who wield them are not.

And the seed of the early-Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor from the Jiang Family, Jiang Chen, was unmistakably Fire!

The other two Seventh Grade Martial Ancestors also attacked. Both possessed Strength-type seeds; their bodies swelled, clothes bursting apart to reveal astonishing muscles as their height shot up to a terrifying three meters

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