“Patriarch!” everyone greeted Gong Juan as he arrived with Song Que.Gong Juan waved his hand and asked, “How is the situation?”“Not good, Patriarch. Look at him—he’s starting to tire, but we don’t know how long the chains will hold. If they break, none of us may survive!” Gong Pei explained.Gong Juan looked at the clan ancestor—his own father. He remembered clearly that his father had once been a kind man, someone who avoided conflict. He had always been honest and highly respected, having reached the Peak Stage of the Energy Core Realm. He was the only one in the Gong Clan to reach such a height, elevating the clan to a first-tier power.But ever since his father developed this madness, the Gong Clan had declined sharply to a second-tier force. If things continued like this—if the illness remained uncured or if the ancestor were to die—they could fall to a third-tier clan.And that would be disastrous.Third-tier clans were often oppressed. Many of them constantly sought to rise b

Knock! Knock! Knock!A knock sounded on the door of the room where Song Que was staying.“Young Master Song, everything you requested has been prepared!” a gentle voice called from outside. It was Gong Hye, sent by Gong Juan to summon him. Deep down, Gong Juan also harbored a small hope that the two of them might develop a relationship. After all, a handsome and capable young man was a perfect match for a beautiful woman. Age was not an issue, even if the gap was quite large.Song Que rose from his seat, opened the door, and saw a beautiful figure standing right in front of him.Their eyes met.Two gazes became one.Previously, Song Que hadn’t paid attention to Gong Hye when treating Gong Hanbu. But now, standing face to face, he could clearly see her beauty.As for Gong Hye, she looked at Song Que with complicated emotions. Any woman would admire a strong man—and she was no exception. Since her youth into adulthood, she had never once felt attraction toward any man. She had always be

“Father! So you had already recovered from the beginning?” Gong Juan asked happily as the pressure imposed by Xia Ya disappeared. He stood up and moved to stand beside Gong Hanbu.“That’s right… it’s all thanks to Young Master Song. He was also the one who arranged this plan to lure out the hidden thorn within our flesh—and as you can see, it worked,” Gong Hanbu replied. After answering, he turned his gaze toward Xia Ya. “Tell the truth—who are you? I know you are not my daughter-in-law Xia Ya. Stop playing tricks!”“Hahahaha… very well then!” Xia Ya tore off the mask on her face, revealing a horrifying visage—half of her face was covered in burn scars. It was terrifying and grotesque. Yet she showed no shame, because to her, anyone who had seen her true face would not live to tell the tale.“Do you remember the Lu Clan, the one that was burned to the ground by raging flames?” she said while kicking her leg free from Gong Hye’s grip. “You were the one who destroyed it, weren’t you? Th

"You said the one who helped you was Wang Bao. Do you also know who informed me that my wife had been kidnapped? It was the same person. So do you understand now what actually happened here? I have never killed innocent people, let alone wiped out an entire clan. For what reason?" Gong Hanbu said, his hand still gripping Lu Rao’s neck."What Father said might be true. The fact is, after my father fell ill, they kept suppressing our clan and bought many of our properties at low prices. We had no choice but to sell them to afford treatment. Otherwise, that would never have happened!" Gong Juan stepped forward and spoke to clarify.He knew that the tension between the Gong Clan and the Wang Clan had existed for a long time.Lu Rao fell silent for a long time. Then he said haltingly, “Is… is that true?” His face turned pale as blood no longer flowed properly to his head.Seeing Lu Rao’s pale expression and that he seemed to accept the explanation, Gong Hanbu released his grip. “I do not w

“That is all I can report, Master!”Wang Bao glanced at his loyal subordinate and nodded. At the very least, he now knew roughly where his opponent’s strength stood. Even though he had not personally witnessed Gong Hanbu’s current power, from his subordinate’s account he could conclude that Gong Hanbu had fully advanced to the Initial Stage of the Earth King Realm.If that assumption was correct, then he had inadvertently nurtured a formidable enemy. Moreover, he had openly offended the Gong Clan. Although the truth about Lu Rao’s attack and the slander he orchestrated had not been fully exposed, he knew the Gong Clan was not foolish. This conspiracy had likely already been discovered—they simply lacked solid evidence, even if suspicion pointed toward him.To interfere with another clan’s residence required strong proof. Otherwise, both the individual and their clan would be executed by the Martial Arts Association. For the time being, he was safe from direct conflict—but a cold war c