The sun rose, and morning light shone through the ruined buildings of the City Lord Mansion as the perilous night came to an end.
Ye Zong immediately ordered several of his men to scour the city in search of the escaping members of the Dark Guild.
Similarly, the same thing was happening at the Divine Family Mansion, as Chen Zhenlong sent several of his men to search the city.
As a result, the other families also took action and joined the search.
Overall, the day began with a tense and anxious atmosphere for the people of Glory City.
Sacred Family
Shen Hong had not gotten any sleep since last night. The attack on the Divine Family Mansion and the City Lord Mansion was meant to cause massive chaos, diverting the attention of the two powerful families from the Sacred Family so they could gain a reprieve from all the suppression those families had been imposing. The attack was also meant to eliminate several troublesome people, such as Nie Li, Ye Zong, Chen Zhenlong, and, most importantly, Xue Hui.
Shen Hong's fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair, creating an ominous thumping sound that echoed throughout the room. His leg bounced repeatedly, while a grim expression was etched across his face.
Not only had the attack failed to eliminate any of those people, but it had also been thwarted rather quickly by the experts of both families.
There had been four Abyss Demons, with an Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor joining the assault, yet they had been defeated without even destroying half the territory of either family.
Shen Hong groaned in frustration. The Sacred Family and the Dark Guild had spent an exorbitant amount of resources summoning those Legend-rank Demon Beasts.
Yet they had been defeated without even stepping into the city to cause greater panic among the people.
The mere thought of it made him feel dizzy. He ran a hand over his face, brushing away the lingering drowsiness.
The worst part of all this was that Shen Hong had no idea where Gui Sha and Long Sha were.
Normally, once the raid ended, the two of them would escape and hide in his mansion until the tension had eased. Only then would they attempt to leave the city.
But not only had the two of them failed to return to his mansion, none of the other experts they had brought with them had shown themselves either.
This placed Shen Hong in an extremely precarious situation.
Ever since the Sacred Family had been removed from guard duty, communication between them and the Dark Guild had become relatively scarce.
Even the information about the raid had reached Shen Hong rather late, leaving him unable to come up with a backup plan in case the attack failed.
Which it indeed had.
As a result, Shen Hong was now completely in the dark about what would happen next.
Shen Hong let out another groan as his head began to ache from overthinking.
The sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears, followed by the door sliding open as someone entered the room.
Shen Xiu, dressed in her usual revealing outfit, made her presence known. As she carried an anxious expression across her face.
"Brother, I came to deliver some reports regarding the attack that happened last night."
Her voice was tinged with worry. From that alone, Shen Hong could already tell that nothing good had come of it.
Bracing himself, Shen Hong waved his hand, signaling for her to continue.
A bead of sweat trickled down Shen Xiu's forehead as she spoke.
"There's a rumor circulating that, out of the four Abyss Demons, one of them was killed by Chen Zhenlong's daughter, while another was slain by Nie Li."
"What!?"
Shen Hong shouted in disbelief. His entire body trembled from the shock as a look of bewilderment washed over him.
One had to know that the Abyss Demons possessed the strength of Legend Rank. Even he couldn't fight one of those demons alone, yet two children who were only thirteen or fourteen years old had supposedly defeated them.
Shen Hong dismissed it as utter rubbish and complete nonsense.
Shen Xiu continued, ignoring her brother's outburst, as she had already expected such a reaction.
"I'm certainly not lying, Big Brother. It's already widespread news, and everyone is talking about it. While Nie Li used the combined power of his weapon and the array they had been building, Chen Zhenlong's daughter defeated the Abyss Demon using only her own strength."
"What do you mean by her own strength!?"
Shen Hong was flabbergasted. Every word that came out of Shen Xiu's mouth sounded utterly nonsensical.
Shen Xiu, on the other hand, looked at him with concern. The implications of this matter posed an even greater threat to their Sacred Family.
She let out a shaky breath before answering.
"This can only mean that Chen Zhenlong's daughter has already reached the realm of a Legend-rank Demon Spiritualist."
"Bullshit!"
Shen Hong shot up from his chair, a cold sweat running down his back.
A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Legend-rank Demon Spiritualist.
Such talent even surpassed Lady Yueliang Nushen.
Shen Hong had already known that the moment the little lass of the Divine Family was discovered to possess the Legendary Nine Crystal Yin Physique, she would inevitably become a tremendous threat to the Sacred Family's position of power.
That was why Shen Hong had gone to great lengths to find a way to eliminate her while she was still young.
Who would have thought that not only would she completely recover from the poison, but her cultivation would also rise at an astonishing speed and break through to Legend Rank?
If Shen Hong hadn't already been overwhelmed by the dread brought about by everything that had happened recently, he certainly was now.
The matter of her poisoning could never be discovered, or else the entire Sacred Family would be annihilated by her and her family.
A shiver ran down Shen Hong's back as the image of the Sacred Family Mansion lying in complete ruins flashed through his mind.
Quickly, he racked his brain for a way to change their situation.
He cursed inwardly. If only he knew how to open the barrier behind the Holy Orchid Institute, he could bring his entire family there and escape into the Abyss Demon Realm.
But the Demon Lord had remained tight-lipped about the method of entering it, leaving him no choice but to wait for the Demon Lord to escort them through the barrier.
"There's another important piece of news, Big Brother."
Shen Hong, who had been lost in thought, suddenly came back to his senses. Only then did he realize that Shen Xiu had more to say.
He sat back down, composing himself.
"What else? What could possibly be more important than Chen Zhenlong's daughter becoming a Legend-rank expert?"
There was a hint of coldness in his voice. Everything he had heard so far was already enough to leave him with a splitting headache and an overwhelming sense of dread.
"Besides Chen Zhenlong's daughter and Nie Li, there's another person causing a huge uproar. The rumors say that this person single-handedly slew the Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor. Reports also indicate that he severely injured the leader of the raid."
Shen Xiu paused for a moment, drawing in a cold breath. She felt anxious, knowing this news would definitely send her brother into a fit of rage.
"What do you mean someone defeated the Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor by himself? And who was severely injured? Is this why Gui Sha and Long Sha never returned after the attack? Who is this person you're talking about?"
Shen Hong asked hurriedly. The grip of his hands on the armrests tightened, producing a loud creaking sound as the polished hardwood slowly cracked beneath his immense strength.
Shen Hong had a terrible feeling about everything he had just heard.
He couldn't help but suspect that the Dark Guild had abandoned them to protect themselves.
"Big Brother, it was that damned brat, Xue Hui. He's the one who fought and killed the Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor. Witnesses said he did it in such a domineering manner that it shocked everyone present. Furthermore, it's said that Xue Hui fought the raid leader and managed to cut off his arm. Big Brother... Enforcer Gui Sha was heavily injured by that brat."
Shen Xiu's voice trembled.
She was utterly terrified.
Never in her wildest imagination had she expected that the annoying brat who once sat in her class possessed such terrifying strength.
All the color drained from Shen Hong's face.
His scalp went numb as all the strength seemed to leave his body.
'Of all people, it had to be that damned child who possessed such power. No wonder that brat looked so confident when facing me. He was this powerful all along.'
Shen Hong gritted his teeth.
He couldn't believe that, all this time, he had been dancing in the palms of the Divine Family and the Snow Wind Family. That Blood Oath Duel of Dao Judgment was probably something both families had planned beforehand to trap both his son and the Sacred Family.
In Shen Hong's mind, the two families had already discovered the Sacred Family's collusion with the Dark Guild and were preparing to wipe them out.
As his thoughts spiraled, another set of footsteps approached.
Shen Xiu and Shen Hong both turned toward the entrance.
Their brows furrowed as Shen Ming stepped inside, sweating profusely as he caught his breath. It was obvious that the middle-aged man had run all the way to the patriarch's office in great haste.
"S-Shen Ming greets Lord Patriarch. I-I came with an important message from the City Lord Mansion."
He spoke between ragged breaths, clasping his hands respectfully as he waited for Shen Hong's permission to continue.
Shen Hong and Shen Xiu exchanged puzzled, worried looks.
Neither of them understood why the City Lord Mansion would send them a message, especially the day after the attack.
Feeling uneasy, Shen Hong gestured for Shen Ming to continue.
"This morning, Ye Zong sent a message to all the noble families stating that the City Lord Mansion would like to invite everyone to attend his younger son's birthday celebration. The event will be held in the banquet hall of the City Lord Mansion two days from now. Our Sacred Family has also been invited."
Shen Xiu's expression stiffened.
She didn't know why, but everything felt off.
Over the past month, both the City Lord Mansion and the Divine Family had made it abundantly clear that they were opposing the Sacred Family.
Yet now, Ye Zong was acting as though nothing had happened, inviting them to his son's birthday celebration.
The whole thing was undoubtedly suspicious.
"Big Brother, this might be a trap. We need to be careful."
Shen Hong nodded.
He, too, found the entire matter highly suspicious.
He pondered silently.
Without the Dark Guild's support, he felt an enormous weight pressing down on his shoulders.
"Give me some time to think about it. First, let's wait for Shen Han to return. He's been at the Dark Guild's main headquarters. He might bring back an important message from the Demon Lord himself."
Shen Xiu nodded.
Her fiancé had been away for quite some time now. Her brother had sent him to the Dark Guild's main headquarters to inquire about the method of opening the portal to the Abyss Demon Realm.
She could only hope he would return with good news.
'Ye Zong... Chen Zhenlong... What are the two of you planning?'
Shen Hong asked himself.
An immense sense of impending doom weighed heavily upon his heart.
With each passing day, it felt as though he was awaiting judgment, counting the moments until the blades of both families finally descended upon his neck.
He clenched his fists.
A dangerous glint flashed through his eyes as he thought that no matter what they were planning, he and the Sacred Family would slaughter their way out of Glory City when the time came.
End of Chapter 99
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