Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Only then did a chorus of wails suddenly erupt throughout the Zhe Family Manor. Countless people broke down in tears; many of those who had died were their loved ones.

And just like that, the Zhe Family members who had just "mutinied" and those who had lost family were instantly split into two factions. The two sides were relatively equal in strength, and although no conflict broke out, it was obvious that the future Zhe Family would no longer be a united front.

Among the survivors, a seventeen-year-old boy was perhaps the luckiest. He was a Sixth Rank Demon Sword Master, Zhe Shiwei's grandson, named Zhe Xiaotong. Before setting out, Zhe Shiwei had locked the boy in the Clan Ancestral Hall, hoping the spirits of their ancestors would protect his grandson.

Listening to the roars of anger and cries of grief from outside, Zhe Xiaotong, who had never once left the manor, curled himself into a ball, not daring to make the slightest sound, because before Zhe Shiwei had left, he had told him.

"If your grandfather doesn't return, you must remember that you are the direct heir of the Zhe Family! The future of the Zhe Family rests in your hands! The clan has already sent away a large group of youths; in the future, they will be your greatest asset for taking revenge! If… you cannot find them, or if you do not have the power of a Sword Emperor, then forget about revenge!"

In fact, before facing his powerful enemy, Zhe Shiwei had anticipated this outcome. He told his naive grandson all about the feud with the Ling Family just in case the worst should happen. He never expected his premonition to come true: all of the Zhe Family's experts had been killed!

Zhe Xiaotong did his best to control his anxiety, crying silently. Suddenly, he saw a ball of light appear above the ancestral shrine. His eyes widened, and he held his breath, not daring to make the slightest sound. He watched in fear as the ball of light gradually formed the face of an old man, whose eyes suddenly turned to look at him.

Zhe Xiaotong instinctively tried to run, but the face formed from light suddenly spoke. "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid, child. I am your ancestor. Tell me, what has happened?"

Zhe Xiaotong was stunned for a moment, then said, "You're lying! No one from the Zhe Family has ever ascended to the Holy Sanctuary! How could you be my ancestor?"

The face of light seemed slightly taken aback as well before it spoke. "No one has ascended? I am from the era of the ancient Saint Domain Emperor. It is true, child, that after me, none of my descendants entered the Holy Sanctuary. Today, I suddenly sensed a great calamity had befallen the family. Tell me, what happened?"

Zhe Xiaotong stared blankly at the face of light. "You… you're really an ancestor of the Zhe Family?"

The face of light suddenly frowned, a hint of anger in its expression. "I don't have much time! Just speaking with you for this long has already cost me a Low-grade Crystal Stone. Now hurry up and tell me what happened!"

The old man's angry expression terrified Zhe Xiaotong, but he still tremblingly recounted what he knew, including the story his grandfather had told him about the origins of their feud with the Ling Family. Zhe Xiaotong was young and naive and didn't know how to embellish a story, so his account of the events was relatively objective.

After listening, the form of light snorted in fury and cursed, "If I had known my descendants would be so worthless, I should have just strangled all my offspring at birth! A bunch of useless trash! Trash! TRASH!"

Zhe Xiaotong stumbled back in fear, his body hitting the wall with a dull THUD. The old man's light-form had a ferocious expression. "To destroy so many experts of my Zhe Family… Ling Xiao, is it? Very good. Very good. You had better not let me see you in the Holy Sanctuary!" With that, it ignored the stunned Zhe Xiaotong, and the shadow of light gradually faded away.

Zhe Xiaotong collapsed onto the ground, his entire body soaked through with sweat. He muttered to himself, 'The ancestor said he would get revenge, so let him do it. I… I want no part of it.'

...

Ling Xiao and his party sped through the sky, returning to Shushan City several days later. Though they were all powerful, they were also somewhat weary, so they went straight to their quarters to rest upon their return.

Ling Xiao, however, sent for Gaia and Tang Ming from the army. Gaia, an honest and good-natured man, was currently serving as a squad leader in the Lightning Legion. He was always working hard to improve his strength and was quite satisfied with his current situation. The only thing that never left his mind was avenging his big brother, Wang Chao!

Don't be fooled by Gaia's simple and honest appearance; simple doesn't mean stupid. When he was just a boy, he met his big brother, Wang Chao. It was Wang Chao who had always looked after him, treating him like a blood brother. Gaia never spoke of that bond, but that didn't mean he didn't cherish it in his heart.

Therefore, every time he thought of Wu Liang, a deep-seated rage would well up inside Gaia, and he would secretly swear an oath to one day personally avenge his big brother.

Tang Ming and Anya felt the exact same way.

The three of them didn't know why Ling Xiao wanted to see them the moment he returned, but a suspicion bloomed in their hearts. 'Could it be... that he found a clue to Wu Liang's whereabouts?'

The moment the three of them entered Ling Xiao's room, they saw not Ling Xiao, but Wu Liang, bound to a chair.

Instantly, boundless fury erupted in their eyes as they fixed a deathly stare on the seated Wu Liang.

Wu Liang gave a hollow laugh. "You guys doing okay? Uh, Young Master Ling… ah, no… Sect Leader Lingxiao, he has a bit of a misunderstanding about me. He thinks I'm the one who harmed Big Brother Wang Chao. But really, how is that possible? How could I ever do something like that? It's great that you're here. You can vouch for me! Big Brother's death has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

Tears streamed down Anya's face, and Tang Ming's eyes were bloodshot. Gaia's reaction was the most direct. He pulled a sharp dagger from a sheath on his calf and, without a moment's hesitation, plunged it into Wu Liang's heart. He roared, "Wu Liang, letting you die like this is getting off easy!"

Wu Liang's eyes shot wide open, a gurgling sound escaping his throat. He never imagined that Gaia, once the most honest and loyal of them all, would kill him without a second thought. His eyes bulged, and he died with them open, forever staring into the void.