The kidnapping of Lin Yao was orchestrated by Jiang Xianhua, and it was also his arrangement to send Jiang Chengen, an elder of the Jiang family, to Xiangxi to demand his release. However, both attempts ended in failure, and they even lost a Heaven-level expert.
Based on the surveillance footage, Jiang Xianhua is certain that Jiang Chengen, a top-tier expert from the Jiang family, has met with misfortune.
This young master, a Heavenly Realm expert, was not from any known aristocratic family, so he might be from the Yi family. This conclusion shattered Jiang Xianhua's hopes, and he could no longer muster any thoughts of resistance. He only wanted to preserve some bloodlines for the Jiang family so that they could make a comeback in the future.
"All disciples, listen to my command!" Jiang Xianhua no longer hesitated. The Yi family had already come to their door, and he had no time to waste. He had to make a decision.
More than a hundred Jiang family members immediately stood up straight in the hall, facing Jiang Xianhua in unison, completely ignoring the explosions and gunshots coming from afar.
"From today onwards, Jiang Liu is the head of the Jiang family. From now on, you will assist Jiang Liu and, under his leadership, revitalize the Jiang family to avenge today's humiliation!"
Jiang Xianhua's words sent a shiver down the spines of all the Jiang family members, but the strict rules prevented them from asking any questions. No one spoke in the hall; only heavy breathing and determined eyes conveyed their resolve.
“Father, we have reported the situation to the Central Committee and the military. They should be able to stop the Yi family’s actions. We can get through this if we just hold on a little longer. The Jiang family is better suited to be under Father’s leadership. I am still young.”
A young man in his late twenties walked up to the position of the head of the family and stood there. His tone was quite resolute. Compared to Jiang Xianhua, he was less gloomy and more refined and elegant.
The person who stepped forward to answer was clearly Jiang Liu, the son of the patriarch Jiang Xianhua, whom he had mentioned.
"Liu'er, we don't have time." Jiang Xianhua sighed, a rare occurrence for him, completely different from his usual iron-blooded and cold image. His tone was also bleak. "The Yi family has a Heaven-level expert, and the elder has disappeared. Some people in the military have complaints about the Jiang family's attacks on the Yi family over the years and will definitely try to obstruct us. You see, more than an hour has passed, and there's still no news from above. The Yi family hasn't stopped either. You can tell we can't wait any longer."
“If the elders were here, we could buy some time. If we just wait a little longer, the matter will definitely be resolved.” Jiang Xianhua looked at his son Jiang Liu with affection, a rare tenderness in his eyes. “But we don’t have time.”
Jiang Liu looked up, ready to speak, but Jiang Xianhua reached out and pressed him down, stopping him from speaking. The patriarch's authority had been ingrained in him since childhood, and no matter how much he wanted to say, he could not speak at this moment.
"Nianba, please immediately take all the strategists and select half of the magicians to leave with Jiang Liu through the secret passage. From now on, you will attach yourselves to Jiang Liu and revitalize the Jiang family." Jiang Xianhua stood up and spoke to a man in his fifties with unusual politeness. "The Jiang family cannot be wiped out. We, the remaining people, must make the Yi family taste bitter fruit!"
"Master..."
"Father……"
Two voices rang out at the same time, and then disappeared at the same time, as if someone had choked them and suffocated their voices.
Jiang Nianba and Jiang Liu stared at Jiang Xianhua in disbelief, speechless. All the other Jiang family members were also stunned, their faces showing shock and a hint of ecstasy.
Jiang Xianhua was floating in mid-air! He was a Heavenly-level expert! The Jiang family actually had two Heavenly-level experts!
This exhilarating thought surged into everyone's mind: the Jiang family has two Heavenly-level experts, so there's no need to fear the Yi family now. They can still put up a fight. Once Elder Jiang Chengen returns, they can directly storm Yanji and avenge today's humiliation.
"Hurry up and go!" Jiang Xianhua, who was hovering in the air, shouted at Jiang Nianba and Jiang Liu. Although his tone was not as sinister as usual, it was more authoritative because he was a Heaven-level expert and had an innate sense of authority.
“Father, you are a Heavenly Rank expert, we can still fight back. We just need to wait for the orders from above.” Jiang Liu looked at his father, Jiang Xianhua, with reverence, his tone anxious. He couldn’t understand why his father would issue such an order. “Even if there are no orders from above, we might not necessarily lose to the Yi family. The Jiang family is the master here, we can definitely defeat them!”
Jiang Nianba did not speak, nor did he act according to the orders of the family head Jiang Xianhua. He just stared at Jiang Xianhua in the air, his expression and behavior showing that he agreed with Jiang Liu's opinion.
"No, we have no chance... The Yi family has sent two Heavenly Realm experts this time. I can only handle one at most, and it's a struggle to hold off both of them at the same time. You all follow orders and leave quickly to preserve hope for the Jiang family. I'll hold them off, and the remaining Jiang family members must kill as many enemies as possible. Use any means necessary!"
Jiang Xianhua's tone was initially dejected, then gradually became sharp and high-spirited. He was trying to encourage the Jiang family members, but in reality, he didn't believe he had the ability to restrain two Yi family experts at the Heavenly level.
In Jiang Xianhua's analysis, the young Heavenly-level expert was far more powerful than Yi Potian, the eldest elder of the Yi family. Given his setup, even two Yi Potians couldn't have broken through the various blocking positions so quickly. The only explanation was that the young Heavenly-level expert was far stronger than Yi Potian.
This analysis was disheartening. Not to mention that he was holding back two Heavenly-level experts, he wasn't even sure if he could save his own life. He might very well perish. At this moment, he had given up all hope that Elder Jiang Chengen could survive.
"Two?!?" Jiang Liu exclaimed almost simultaneously with Jiang Nianba, and many of the Jiang family members fell from their previous ecstasy into despair.
All martial artists know what two Heavenly-level experts mean. Even if their side has one Heavenly-level expert, there is absolutely no chance of turning the tide. They can only follow the patriarch's orders and try their best to weaken the Yi family's strength, trading their lives for each other.
This bloodthirsty and reckless attitude has never been advocated by the Jiang family, and their education and training from childhood have always made them avoid such situations.
At this moment, having suddenly realized their doom, many Jiang family members felt a sense of relief. The feelings that had been suppressed for many years disappeared, as if they were about to experience the most exhilarating thing in their lives, doing something with an attitude they had never been willing to do, nor dared to imagine or experience, and embarking on a path of no return.
But on this path of no return, they suddenly found that they didn't reject it at all, and even had a faint sense of anticipation.
"Patriarch, let's go." Jiang Nianba grabbed Jiang Liu, who was still struggling, bowed to the former patriarch Jiang Xianhua, and loudly ordered, "All members of the first group of the Arts Department, come with me. The rest of you stay and fight alongside the patriarch!"
Jiang Nianba's words referred to two different people as "head of the family," but everyone understood them.
Ten middle-aged men stepped forward without a word, quickly following Jiang Nianba towards the side door of the hall, which led directly to the headquarters' assembly point. They didn't care about how to escape; their only responsibility was to ensure safety along the way. Obeying orders was in their nature, as they only possessed combat abilities; the planning and strategy were handled by the headquarters staff and the head of the family.
Less than a quarter of an hour after Jiang Nianba took Jiang Liu away, the hall door was blasted open, and a barrage of grenades rushed toward the entrance.
Two figures appeared at the gate: Yi Potian, the eldest elder of the Yi family, and Lin Yao. Neither of them flew off the ground; they simply stood on the ground, appearing as two ordinary men. However, the sharpness in their eyes betrayed their extraordinary identities.
The sight of Jiang Xianhua hovering in the air startled both of them, making them realize that the Jiang family actually had a second Heaven-level expert. This information came rather suddenly. Lin Yao even thought further: if the Jiang family, ranked fourth, had two Heaven-level experts, then it was even more likely that the higher-ranking families and some so-called second-rate families also possessed hidden Heaven-level experts.
Jiang Xianhua, in the air, focused all his attention on the young Lin Yao, because he was a master who might become the number one expert in China in the future. However, when his gaze turned to Lin Yao's eyes, the bloodlust and ruthlessness contained in those blood-red eyes were unbearable even for the usually ruthless Jiang Xianhua.
"May God bless the Jiang family! I hope that Liu'er can escape from this ruthless young man in the future. As for revenge, let's leave it at that and talk about it in a few decades. At least in the next few years, it's unlikely that Liu'er will be able to surpass the young man in front of him." Jiang Xianhua's sudden thoughts were extremely negative, which weakened his Heavenly-level aura considerably.
The dense grenades were like the sky when you look up during a heavy snowfall, and numerous dark figures rushed towards you.
At this moment, the Yi family members behind him also gathered. Lin Yao was startled and immediately ordered Xiao Cao to take action. He could not allow so many grenades to explode past him and the First Elder Yi Potian, otherwise the Yi family would suffer damage.
With a wave of his hands, all the grenades flew back to the Jiang family members amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd.
The powerful explosion reduced everything in the hall to dust. When the smoke cleared, the scene that appeared made Jiang Xianhua want to cry but had no tears. For the first time, he hated his own orders.
If they hadn't used firearms, the Jiang family members would have been able to inflict heavy losses on the Yi family. But the current situation left him feeling utterly hopeless. The Jiang family members who had been hit by the concentrated explosion of hundreds of grenades were either dead or wounded, and the few remaining had lost their offensive capabilities. Even he himself had been injured by the shockwave.
"Kill!" Elder Yi Potian's eyes turned bloodshot when he saw Jiang Xianhua, the head of the Jiang family. Standing next to Lin Yao, they were equally chilling and ruthless.
"Elder, wait a minute." Yi An's voice suddenly rang out, "Yi Fei called and said that the military wants the Yi family to immediately abandon the operation and stop attacking the Jiang family."
"Why?!" Elder Yi Potian's voice was practically squeezed out from between his teeth, making it extremely unpleasant to hear. His obvious ruthlessness and rage chilled everyone around him.
"A harmonious society." Yi An's answer was very concise. After speaking, he quickly retreated behind the other disciples, not daring to bear the wrath of the Grand Elder.
"Hahahaha." Still suspended in the air, Jiang Xianhua wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed happily.