Chapter Thirty-Two: The Battle for the Throne
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“What did you say? The Voidfire Violet Flame has vanished?”
In the Xiao family’s main hall, Jiang Wuying clenched both fists, his face livid as he glared at Xiao Jue.
The entire hall was silent.
Everyone lowered their heads without saying a word.
Even the overbearing Xiao Jue did not dare meet Jiang Wuying’s eyes.
The ancestral tombs had been blown apart, the Voidfire Violet Flame had disappeared, and even the Fire Spirit Stone had been dug out and taken away.
None of this had been within Xiao Jue’s expectations.
Worse still, Xiao Ruoxin’s plan to enter the Profound Yellow Realm had been reduced to nothing.
“Wuying, we never wanted this to happen, but the truth is—”
Xiao Jue had just begun to explain when Jiang Wuying cut him off.
“You mean to say that the three outstanding members of the Xiao family were wiped out, and even the forbidden grounds were destroyed?”
“Didn’t you say the people stationed there were all elites?”
“What exactly did you promise me back then?”
Jiang Wuying slammed his palm onto the table and rose to his feet. The fury blazing through him seemed ready to incinerate Xiao Jue on the spot.
They had failed to kill Mu Feng, and now they had even lost the Voidfire Violet Flame.
What a bunch of useless fools!
Cold sweat covered Xiao Jue’s forehead. All he could do was offer an awkward, ingratiating smile.
Xiao Ruoxin, standing nearby, did not dare say a word either. She kept her head bowed in silence.
“Do you have any idea who did it?” Jiang Wuying asked coldly.
“If nothing unexpected happened, it should have been Mu Feng. According to our intelligence, he once met with a powerful expert of the Heaven and Earth Realm.”
“Only someone at that level could have killed the Grand Elder and taken the Voidfire Violet Flame. Mu Feng’s ability to refine flawless pills was probably due to that expert as well,” Xiao Jue replied nervously.
Since no one knew who was truly responsible, he might as well pin the blame on Mu Feng first.
Mu Feng!
That man again!
At the thought of that name, Jiang Wuying’s expression became sinister.
First, Mu Qingcheng had rescued him. Then he had won the favor of a Heaven and Earth Realm expert. Now he even had the protection of the Treasure Pavilion.
How could that useless boy from three months ago possess such astonishing abilities?
“If the Treasure Pavilion wants to protect that boy, then I’ll force him to his death with my own hands!”
“Spread the word. Anyone who dares buy pills from the Mu family’s Alchemy Hall will be treated as an enemy of Jiang Wuying!”
“Yes!”
At those words, Xiao Jue was overjoyed and hurriedly withdrew.
Once everyone else had left, Jiang Wuying slowly rose and walked over to Xiao Ruoxin. A trace of tenderness appeared in his eyes.
“Ruoxin, don’t be sad. Even without the Voidfire Violet Flame, I still have the ability to help you enter the Profound Yellow Realm.”
“Take this pill.”
With that, Jiang Wuying drew a pill from his storage ring and handed it to Xiao Ruoxin.
“This is… the Profound Yellow Pill!”
The instant she saw it, Xiao Ruoxin became intensely excited.
The Profound Yellow Pill could greatly increase the chances of a tenth-level Spirit Entrance cultivator breaking through into the Profound Yellow Realm. It was a genuine first-grade pill.
Its price was exorbitant.
Even throughout the Snowmoon Dynasty, finding a single one was exceedingly difficult.
Seeing her excitement, Jiang Wuying smiled faintly.
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“That’s right. It is the Profound Yellow Pill. Go and prepare for your breakthrough.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang!”
Xiao Ruoxin was beside herself with excitement as she hurried away with the pill.
Yet when Jiang Wuying heard her address him as Senior Brother Jiang, a trace of loneliness flashed through his eyes.
At the same time.
In the Mu family residence.
Jia Zhuangxian carried a bundle on his back, constantly looking around at the lavish decorations. He could not stop exclaiming in admiration.
“Good heavens, if I could live here from now on, I’d be happy even if I had to eat delicacies from land and sea every day.”
“Look at you. You have no dignity at all. Anyone would think you haven’t even developed an intellect,” Little Jade said, rolling her eyes at Jia Zhuangxian.
“There are plenty of rooms in this courtyard. Settle yourselves in. I’ll take Yutong to meet the elders of the clan first.”
“Uncle Qian, keep an eye on them. Don’t let anything happen to them.”
Mu Feng looked at the pair with some exasperation, helped Xiao Yutong to her feet, and headed toward the main hall.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the Mu family’s main hall.
Today was the Mu family’s annual gathering, so the surroundings had long since been decorated in a festive blaze of red.
Along the way, quite a few Mu family disciples greeted the two of them with respectful bows.
“Xiaofeng, come in,” Mu Qingcheng called cheerfully from outside the hall.
Many of the Mu family elders had already gathered inside.
After Mu Feng introduced Xiao Yutong and exchanged greetings with everyone, he found a seat and sat down.
The moment he did, Mu Feng sensed that something was wrong.
It was the annual gathering.
In previous years, the hall had always been filled with lively conversation and familial warmth.
Today, however, everyone seemed unusually subdued.
“Uncle, what happened?” Mu Feng asked after realizing that something was amiss.
Mu Qingcheng let out a helpless sigh and was just about to speak when an unfriendly voice suddenly came from outside the door.
“You still have the nerve to ask? Don’t you know what you’ve done?”
Two figures strode into the hall.
One was an elderly man, the other a young man.
The old man was the Mu family’s Second Elder.
The young man was none other than the prodigy who had emerged in the Mu family after Mu Feng became a cripple.
He was Mu Kuang, the Second Elder’s son.
His cultivation had now reached the ninth level of the Spirit Entrance Realm.
Compared with Xiao Ruoxin, he was only one minor realm behind, a clear testament to the height of his talent.
He was one of the strongest members of the Mu family’s younger generation.
“How dare you! How can you be so disrespectful to the young lord?”
Seeing Mu Kuang’s arrogance, Mu Qingcheng immediately flew into a rage.
“Young lord? Hahahahahaha!”
Upon hearing those words, Mu Kuang showed not the slightest respect. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed.
“Patriarch, are you still shielding him at a time like this?”
“If it weren’t for him, how could our Mu family have fallen into such dire straits?”
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“What qualifications does he have to become the young lord of the Mu family?”
As soon as those words fell, Mu Feng’s brows drew together.
It was not Mu Kuang’s disrespect that puzzled him, but the question of what had actually happened to the Mu family.
“Uncle, what exactly happened?”
“You’re still pretending not to understand! Do you know that because of you, Jiang Wuying has declared that anyone who associates with our Mu family will be treated as an enemy of Jiang Wuying?”
“Now everyone in Yuanzhou City regards our Mu family as if we were tigers and wolves. No one dares associate with us.”
“Within three months, the entire family will be unable to afford even food!”
Only then did Mu Feng understand.
No wonder the family showed no joy despite today being the annual gathering.
The Mu family had several hundred members, and with the disciples bearing other surnames, their numbers exceeded a thousand. If they truly could no longer do business, their expenses would soon exceed their income.
Jiang Wuying was truly despicable.
“So, in my opinion, the position of young lord should be given to someone else.”
“Our younger generation needs a new leader.”
The Second Elder spoke up as well, a faint smile spreading across his face.
“Hmph. You simply want to use this opportunity to put Mu Kuang in power.”
“Brother Feng has risked life and limb for the family. How can you strip him of his position over such a minor matter?”
“Second Elder, this goes against the rules.”
The Grand Elder voiced his displeasure.
Regardless of Mu Feng’s past achievements, he had now mastered alchemy and brought the Mu family under the protection of the Treasure Pavilion, which was the only reason the Sword Sect had been unable to act.
Both emotionally and logically, there was no justification for stripping him of the position of young lord.
Faced with the Grand Elder’s anger, Mu Kuang merely sneered.
“Grand Elder, there’s no need to be so rigid.”
“The position of young lord has always belonged to the capable. In a few days, the First Dawn Martial Academy will hold its entrance examination. I certainly don’t want the Mu family’s young lord to be unable even to pass it.”
“Mu Feng, if you had obediently stayed in Yellow Sand Town and lived out the rest of your days, I might still have allowed you to retain some dignity. But you insisted on coming back.”
“So don’t blame me for what happens next!”
With that, Mu Kuang’s body suddenly moved. He shot toward Mu Feng at great speed, his five fingers forming claws as though he intended to crush Mu Feng in his palm.
Boom!
A figure rushed forward and blocked Mu Kuang’s path.
“Mu Jie? What do you mean by this?”
Mu Kuang’s expression darkened as he stared at the figure standing in his way.
Apart from Mu Feng and Mu Kuang, Mu Jie was the last outstanding talent among the younger generation.
Though still young, he too had reached the ninth level of the Spirit Entrance Realm.
“Mu Kuang, the family has been passed down for generations, yet there has never been a precedent for removing the young lord. By doing this, are you disregarding the family’s rules?”
“You want to talk about rules? Once I become the young lord, my rules will be the rules.”
“If you insist on seizing the position of young lord, you’ll have to get past me first.”
“Looks like you’re feeling very confident after recently breaking through to the ninth level of the Spirit Entrance Realm!”
Mu Kuang bared his teeth in a grin and raised a hand, giving it a sharp shake.
A terrifying aura surged outward.
The tenth level of the Spirit Entrance Realm!
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