Chapter 536: 538: The Ming God Clan Traitor
Zhu Minglang had collected a large sack of spiritual materials and happily returned to the Ancestral Dragon City-State.
Upon arrival at the Nan Family Residence and seeing the displayed corpses, he first thought his identity had been compromised. After inquiring, he nearly burst out laughing.
It turned out that the Great Zhou Clan had lost the Cultivation Fruit and immediately shifted their focus to the Nan Family Sacred Forest, hoping to make up for their loss.
But the Nan Family Sacred Forest was within the boundaries of the Ancestral Dragon City-State, and they naturally dreaded dealing with the Zhu Gate and Yaoshan Sword Sect that were stationed there. First off, their crossbow army could never get close to the Ancestral Dragon City-State, and second, the experts clearly associated with the Great Zhou Clan could not blatantly rob the place, so they could only send Elder Chen, who had connections with other miscellaneous sects, to forcibly occupy it.
In their view, even if it was just the sects responsible for patrolling Absolute Ridge, plus an Elder Chen, they should easily crush the so-called Nan Family. The result was a disastrous loss of both wife and soldiers, and Nan Lingsha exposed the matter, subjecting them to a severe humiliation!
No one dared to claim Elder Chen’s body to this day. Zhu Minglang thought it was a bit of an eyesore hanging there, so he had it wrapped up and personally visited Zhou Xian.
“Eldest son of the Zhu, what wind has blown you this way?” Zhou Xian’s face was filled with a courteous smile. He did not show the usual disdain he had for others when dealing with Zhu Minglang.
“The Nan Family and I share some history. I had just returned from my travels when this unpleasant incident happened. I believe the Great Zhou Clan has always been known as a distinguished and powerful family in the eyes of the people and would never engage in such blatant robbery. I was worried that people might misunderstand the character of the men under Young Master Zhou Xian, so I promptly took down the bones of Elder Chen and brought them here to you,” Zhu Minglang said.
“Such an incident, how preposterous, how utterly preposterous! That Chen Hui was colluding with miscellaneous sects and was unrighteous even back in our Great Zhou Clan. I never expected him to so brazenly disregard the power constraints and cause trouble at the Nan Family. Good riddance, good riddance. I, Zhou Xian, would have killed him without hesitation!” Zhou Xian put on an air of righteous indignation.
Such a matter, Zhou Xian would never admit to death.
“They ravaged the Nan Family Residence,” Zhu Minglang stated.
“I understand what the Eldest son of the Zhu means. Regardless, it is our fault the Great Zhou Clan didn’t discipline strictly and let such a scoundrel run amok. I, Zhou Xian, will compensate for the damages to the Nan Family Residence this time. As for that Mouse Despise Daoist Temple and other miscellaneous people, they truly have nothing to do with our Great Zhou Clan. Please don’t take it to heart, Eldest son of Zhu,” Zhou Xian said politely.
“How could I, everyone in the Great Zhou Clan is trustworthy, especially you, Zhou Xian. Your reputation is enviable, unlike my notorious self, who everyone despises,” Zhu Minglang offered a hypocritical smile.
After receiving a hefty compensation, Zhu Minglang left Zhou Xian’s place contentedly.
Of course, if Zhou Xian knew that the person who had stolen his Cultivation Fruit was none other than Zhu Minglang, who had the gall to come asking for compensation, he would probably die of rage!
No sooner had Zhu Minglang left than Zhou Xian’s expression turned gloomy.
He glanced at another Elder Xiao standing beside him, who then said, “We hadn’t expected the Nan Family Sacred Forest to be protected by such powerful individuals. We underestimated them. Eldest son, we have suffered great losses this time. May I ask what your plans are going forward?”
“Hmph, that little good-for-nothing Zhu Minglang, daring to come to me, Zhou Xian, and shake me down!” Zhou Xian was very angry.
Although compensation and Cultivation Fruit aren’t much compared to each other, Zhou Xian was currently tight on funds, and should he fail to find more resources soon, his twenty thousand crossbowmen would have to eat dirt and disband right there!
“Who was that person who just came?” A person wrapped in bandages walked out, his voice indistinct, likely due to severe swelling in his cheeks.
“Zhu Minglang, the only son of the Zhu Clan,” Zhou Xian said.
“Why does his silhouette resemble that of the Flying Sword Thief?” asked the bandaged youth.
“Er… Priest Ming Ji, lately you find everyone somewhat resembles that Flying Sword Thief. You’ve already mistakenly killed seven people. It’s probably best not to provoke this Young Master of the Zhu Clan carelessly. Not only does he have the Zhu Clan backing him, but the Yaoshan Sword Sect is his biggest supporting force,” Elder Xiao hurriedly advised.
“He resembles him the most!” the bandaged youth said urgently.
“Priest, he’s actually the least likely to be the one. He’s just a little Dragon Shepherd now, only somewhat famous among the disciples. Moreover, although he used to be a Sword Master, he practiced the battle sword school. If his Flying Sword Technique had reached the level of the Flying Sword Thief, wouldn’t he be unbeatable? Zhu Minglang is just a minor character; Priest Ming Ji, there’s no need to take him to heart,” Zhou Xian interjected.
Zhou Xian did have some understanding of Zhu Minglang.
“Humph, you bunch of good-for-nothings, hurry up and find that Flying Sword Thief for me. I must flay his skin, draw his tendons, and crush his eyeballs!” Ming Ji held a grudge.
“We can take our time finding the Flying Sword Thief. After all, with his Cultivation Base and strength, he’s not likely to stay quiet. On the other hand, we haven’t obtained any spiritual resources, and we still need Priest Ming Ji to show us a clear path,” Zhou Xian said.
Zhou Xian actually hated the Flying Sword Thief even more than Ming Ji did. The thought of the phrase “your great kindness goes unthanked” made Zhou Xian feel a tremendous sense of humiliation, his entire face numbing and burning with shame!
But Zhou Xian had so many people under him, and even though a portion of them had been lost in the Nan Family Sacred Forest, it hadn’t had much of an impact on his overall strength. Other major factions were frantically seizing spiritual resources; they couldn’t just do nothing—they had to take action!
“On the Upper Isolated Ridge, there’s an ancient city encased in ice, and inside, there are definitely many treasures,” Ming Ji said.
“But the Upper Isolated Ridge is now inhabited by a group of powerful Absolute Ridge natives. With our current strength and military force, I’m afraid it might be difficult to conquer them,” Zhou Xian said.
“Moreover, the Royal Family has already ordered the rulers to join forces to wipe out the Absolute Ridge City-State. The treasures there are basically going to fall into the hands of the ruler and those allied forces; it will be hard for us to get a share,” Elder Xiao remarked.
“Humph, they have no idea what the Absolute Ridge City-State possesses. Going like that is equivalent to courting death. Apply to the Royal Family for permission to join their exterminating army. Just follow my commands, and I assure you that you will achieve extraordinary feats. After the success, demand fifty percent of the treasures, leaving the rest for those fools to divide up!” Ming Ji said.
“But they won’t possibly agree to that, will they?” Zhou Xian wondered.
“Don’t worry, they will agree as long as they dare to besiege the High Cut-off Ridge City-State…”
“Could Priest first give us some guidance?” Zhou Xian asked softly.
“Absolute Ridge City was founded by a defector of our Ming God Clan. He mastered the techniques of the Giant Generals. Those so-called Giant Ridge Generals cannot be compared to the strongmen from your Lower Realm. Even Giant Dragons are like normal wild beasts in front of them, let alone, with the mountains they rely on, their strength is doubled. No matter how capable the Li Chuan Ruler is, there’s no way they can defeat our Ming God Clan’s renegade,” Ming Ji explained.