Chapter 116: Forced into Snake Valley

The deaths of Wei Ruoxue and several other elders echoed like a warning bell, relentlessly ringing in the hearts of everyone in the Wei family. Even the fourth elder, known for his fiery temper, wore an unusually solemn expression and remained silent.

After a brief pause, Wei Youwei spoke up, “Everyone, what should we do now?”

The elders exchanged glances, unsure of how to proceed. If a Spirit Sovereign were involved, sending anyone else would be a death sentence.

Suddenly, a plump young woman spoke up, “Wait, didn’t we hire Ruan Zhen from the Ruan Martial Arts School? Where is he?”

Ruan Zhen was a formidable cultivator and a master of both martial and mystical arts. Even facing a half-step Spirit Sovereign, he was no pushover. The Wei family had paid a great price to bring him in to deal with Granny Qiu.

They had thought victory was nearly certain, but events had spiraled far beyond their expectations.

A young man who had brought the news hurriedly added, “Fifth Elder, our scouts found Ruan Zhen’s corpse thirty kilometers south of the primeval forest. He has two intersecting wounds on his chest, piercing through his organs. He died instantly.”

A collective gasp filled the room. Even Ruan Zhen, a master, had been slain in an instant. Whoever their opponent was, they were close to the power of a Spirit Sovereign.

The only mystery was how Granny Qiu could possibly know such a figure. If she truly did, the Wei family’s troubles would be insignificant.

Suddenly, the hall’s doors were kicked open with a loud bang.

A tall, handsome young man strode in, his sharp gaze sending chills down the spines of even the elders.

“Jun, you’re back,” Wei Youwei said with a smile, stepping forward to greet him.

This young man was Wei Youwei’s son, Wei Jun, ranked ninety-ninth on the Heavenly Earth List of prodigies. Five years ago, he had joined the Red Skull, one of the five major powers of the Summer Flame, where he had been rigorously trained. Now, his strength had reached half-step Spirit Sovereign.

More fearsome was his mastery of both martial arts and mystical techniques. He was confident he could hold his own against even a full Spirit Sovereign like the Mo family’s grand elder.

“Dad, I just got home and heard that grandma was killed?” Wei Jun’s face was cold.

Wei Youwei shared all he knew about the situation.

“Do you have a photo?” Wei Jun asked.

“It’s here,” the third elder said cautiously, handing over the photo.

Wei Jun’s eyes narrowed, cold light flickering within them, intimidating all who met his gaze.

“Jun, what do you think? Was it a Spirit Sovereign who did this?” Wei Youwei asked.

Wei Jun shook his head. “I’m not sure if it was a Spirit Sovereign, but if I get involved, I can do the same. Hmph, whoever dares harm my Wei family must die.”

At that moment, Wei Youwei’s phone rang. After answering, his expression grew grave.

When he hung up, the third elder asked, “Youwei, what’s the matter?”

“We just received a report from the scouts. Granny Qiu has returned to Snake Valley.”

The hall fell silent, all eyes exchanging grim looks.

The Wei family had already sent Ruan Zhen and then Wei Ruoxue’s team after Granny Qiu, yet both attempts ended in death. Now that she had returned, the outcome was clear.

“Should we confront Granny Qiu?” the plump woman asked hesitantly.

“Of course! What’s there to fear? With Jun here, Granny Qiu will be caught like a sitting duck,” the fiery fourth elder shouted.

Wei Youwei looked at his son and asked for his opinion.

“Why even ask? We’re going to her doorstep. Anyone who dares kill my family will have the whole Snake Valley laid to waste,” Wei Jun said arrogantly.

As the Wei family prepared to march on Snake Valley, Granny Qiu was already ready. Upon her return, she immediately sealed off the valley and activated its defense array, leaving the Wei family empty-handed.

“Dad, let me try. I’ve heard the defenses of Snake Valley can withstand attacks from Spirit Sovereigns. Let’s see if that’s true,” Wei Jun said, eyes fixed on the array overhead.

“Alright,” Wei Youwei nodded. He was eager to see how much his son’s power had grown.

Wei Jun drew a crimson greatsword from his storage pouch. The moment it appeared, the temperature around them rose sharply, even making the grandmasters uncomfortable.

“Red Lotus Triple Slash!” Wei Jun shouted as the greatsword glowed with molten red energy.

With a heavy clash, the sword met the array. The formation shook violently but remained intact.

Wei Jun’s expression remained calm. The first slash of the Red Lotus Triple Slash was moderate in power, but each subsequent slash doubled the strength, with the third being triple.

Slash, slash, slash!

The array’s glow dimmed slightly.

At that moment, a group approached—it was Granny Qiu and Yu Xiaoyu, followed by several elders.

Yu Xiaoyu demanded fiercely, “What are you trying to do?”

“Nothing, just here to cultivate Snake Valley,” Wei Jun said lightly, as if the hundred or so people inside were mere cattle to be slaughtered at will.

“Who’s this blond brat?” the Snake Valley elders seethed, clearly insulted.

“Heh, if you have guts, come out and say it,” Wei Jun grinned, swinging his blade down hard.

Boom!

The array shook even more violently.

The elders’ hair stood on end. Snake Valley’s defenses were said to withstand multiple Spirit Sovereign attacks. Even if they combined their efforts, they could only cause minor trembles.

Yet this handsome young man had almost shattered the formation with a single strike.

Frightening!

Granny Qiu spoke in a deep voice, “You must be Wei Jun, the Wei family’s prodigy.”

Yu Xiaoyu’s eyes widened. So this was Wei Jun, ranked ninety-ninth on the Heavenly Earth List. If his strength was this terrifying, how formidable must the top-ranked be? She wondered if Mr. Lin could be a match for the number one.

“That’s right,” Wei Jun openly admitted.

Granny Qiu’s expression remained steady. She turned to Wei Youwei and asked, “Wei Youwei, you’ve brought your people here. Are you planning to start a war with Snake Valley?”

“Heh,” Wei Youwei sneered, “Granny Qiu, though we have grudges, why did you slaughter my family head and several elders?”

He spoke with righteous indignation, shifting all blame onto Snake Valley.

Yu Xiaoyu’s face flushed with anger. She had never met someone so shameless. It was the Wei family who had pursued her and Granny Qiu when they were isolated, yet Wei Youwei made it sound as if they were the victims.

“You’re lying!” Yu Xiaoyu’s eyes burned with murderous intent. She wanted to rush out and kill every one of those intruders immediately.

“Dad, why waste words with them? Strength is the only truth. If you ask me, just shatter their array and kill them all,” Wei Jun said coldly, swinging his greatsword again and again.

Each strike caused the defense array to tremble violently. At this rate, it would be breached within three hours.

The Snake Valley people’s faces darkened with worry.

Yu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth. “Grandma, we’ll fight to the death.”

“Don’t be rash,” Granny Qiu said, gripping Yu Xiaoyu’s wrist.

“But they’re bullying us, trying to wipe out our entire clan,” Yu Xiaoyu said bitterly.

Granny Qiu turned to one elder and asked, “Elder Yu, how many Heavenly Snake Fruits do we have left?”

“Only three. Are you thinking of using them to reconcile with the Wei family?” Elder Yu asked in confusion.

The Heavenly Snake Fruit was a rare treasure, capable of strengthening serpentine life and even transforming ordinary snakes into spiritual beasts. But it was extremely rare; Snake Valley had only a dozen over a hundred years.

“No,” Granny Qiu shook her head. “I intend to call upon a master for help.”

…

Meanwhile, Lin Yi had been cultivating for a while and was preparing to visit Yang Yujia.

He felt somewhat derelict in his role as family tutor.

“Forget it, I’ll buy some things on the way,” Lin Yi muttered.

Passing by Villa No. 9, he noticed two old men playing Go. One of them was familiar—Yao Shijie.

Ordinary Go was uninteresting to Lin Yi, but he saw that some of the stones were crafted from high-grade spirit stones, an extravagant display.

Though Lin Yi had hundreds of pounds of high-grade spirit stones, one could never have too much.

“Let’s take a look,” Lin Yi said, stepping over.

Yao Shijie was frowning deeply, clearly facing defeat.

Opposite him sat an older man in black robes, Li Shiguang, who looked smug.

“Hey, Old Yao, are you ever going to make your move? You’ve been thinking about this step for over ten minutes,” Li Shiguang urged.

“Old Li, why the rush? I had a plan, but you interrupted, and now my train of thought is all tangled,” Yao Shijie said irritably.

Li Shiguang didn’t mind; he enjoyed watching Yao Shijie get frustrated—it was quite amusing.

Lin Yi observed silently, quickly discerning the key flaw in the game.

Yao Shijie was clearly being led by Li Shiguang’s rhythm. The difference in skill was vast.

After a few more minutes, Yao Shijie cautiously placed a white stone.

Lin Yi shook his head. Yao Shijie was digging his own grave, sealing off all escape routes—defeat was inevitable.

Sure enough, after several more moves, Yao Shijie lost completely.

He pushed the board away like a sulky child. “Lost again. No more games.”

“Ha! Old Yao, you lost again. Others learn from their mistakes, but you just never get smarter,” Li Shiguang teased.

“Hmph, Old Li, if you’ve got guts, let’s settle this with fists,” Yao Shijie glared.

“You couldn’t beat me even with fists. Honestly, I broke through to the fourth innate layer yesterday,” Li Shiguang boasted with a raised brow.

Yao Shijie immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

Suddenly, he noticed Lin Yi standing nearby.

“Lin Yi, what brings you here?” Yao Shijie greeted warmly.

He couldn’t gauge Lin Yi’s strength, but the changes at Villa No. 8 told him it was Lin Yi’s doing.

“Just came for a bit,” Lin Yi replied coolly.

Li Shiguang asked curiously, “Old Yao, who is this?”

“Old Li, this is Lin Yi. You’ve always wondered who owns Villa No. 8 now—that’s him,” Yao Shijie introduced.

“Lin Yi, just call him Old Li,” Yao Shijie added.