: Chapter Four Hundred Sixty-One: The Wu Siblings


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    The rite of passage on the eighth of August not only resolved the future development issues for the Tang n, but also provided a new strategy for the sixth elder, Tang Gaomin, to deal with Wu Huan.


    On the night of the ceremony, a letter was delivered to the desk of Wu Huan at Xiling in Western Yulong. It greatly worried the ambitious hawk of Xiling who had risen to fame after decades of enduring hardship.


    He assumed the Tang n would express appeasement towards the Wu family as they did with others known for their territorial ims, even without outright offering supplies. Instead, he received a harsh retort.


    “Look at this,” Wu Huan passed the letter to his younger brother, Wu Lan, expressing his regret. “Tang Zhi is always Tang Zhi. Our intentions were never hidden from his eyes. Right now, the entirety of the western waterway is patrolled by the Tang n’s warships. We can only leave those smaller ns to the Tang n.”


    Wu Lan carefully read the letter several times before tearing it up. Outraged, he said: “Elder brother, the Tang n are going too far! We should join hands with the Mi n, let Tang Zhi experience the consequences of undermining the Wu n!”


    Looking at his furious younger brother, Wu Huan could only shake his head with a bitter smile. In a conciliatory tone, he asked, “Are you suggesting that the Wu n be mere pawns for the Mi n?”


    The Wu n, now at its prime, was bolstered by the support of various influential families that had pledged allegiance to the Tang and Mi ns. The Xiao Family even moved entirely to Red Cloud Mountain, staying at arm’s length from the conflict.


    The sudden rise of the Wu n had made them appear as strong as the elite families. However, no one was more aware than him, the n leader, that the praises from the lesser families were not genuine. He had observed the activities in the new northern town that night. The Tang n’s martial ancestors, possessing the Combined Attack Technique, were monstrous in seizing territory. Despite the seeming imprability of Xiling, it would be powerless in the face of such an attack. Resistance was futile.


    Wu Huan had warned his younger brother of this, but their family had been overlooked by the people of Xiling for two hundred years, despite knowing their astonishing strength, due to the family rules that prevented them from showing it.


    As a result of this, they carried the inherent hazard of concealing their strength; having masqueraded as weak for too long, they almost became genuinely weak.


    Once they cast aside their disguise and rose to the top like a flood dragon, the Wu n went from hiding their own strength to behaving extremely arrogantly, as if they were the most powerful under heaven. They looked down on everyone in Xiling except for the Tang and Mi ns. Should the Wu n lend its allegiance to the Mi n now, they would merely be pawns for the Mi n to test the strength of the Tang n, something that Wu Huan would not allow.


    The ancestralnds of the Tang and Mi ns are both in Xiling. The two will inevitably wage war before this flood subsides. The reason the two ns aren’t making a move right now is because everyone still has surplus supplies. Every little bit counts. Once the supplies of the lesser ns run out, that will be when the two ns step in to wipe out the families. At that time, all of Xiling will be a real battlefield. The Wu n must leave Xiling before winter. If you think that the support of these lesser ns gives us the qualifications topete with the Tang and Mi ns, then you’re making a big mistake!” Upon hearing his elder brother’s blunt criticism, Wu Lan’s face darkened, but he still defended himself, stating, “Elder brother, don’t paint the Mi n with such a nasty brush. Currently, all the major elite ns in Xiling have already pledged allegiance to the Mi n, making them more powerful than the Tang n. Although the Beast Valley in South Ridge is not as vast as the mountains to the north, it won’t be a problem settling the families of Xiling there. All the families have been treated well by the Mi n. As long as everyone works together, they’ll have a more than seventy percent chance of defeating the Mi n. Once the Tang Family is eliminated and the flood recedes, there will be enough resources in Xiling for the remaining noble families to enjoy. The Wu n doesn’t necessarily have to leave Xiling.”


    “The Mi n has been in contact with you!” Wu Huan coldly stared at his younger brother. This bias towards the Mi n was not a conclusion a neutral noble family woulde to, indicating that the Mi n must have sent someone to contact Wu Lan in an attempt to persuade Wu Huan.


    Knowing that his brother had discovered his contact with the Mi n, Wu Lan simply let go and spoke candidly. “The Mi n has stated that as long as our Wu n can lead all the lesser ns in Xiling to join them, they are willing to form a marriage alliance with us. Think about it, elder brother. As long as we form an alliance with the Mi n, our rtionship with the Mi n will be even closer than other ns. Even if we’re reduced to being cannon fodder, the other noble ns would go first, how could it be our turn?”


    Ignoring Wu Huan’s increasingly gloomy expression, Wu Lan continued triumphantly: “Moreover, Xiling is easy to defend and hard to attack. As long as we move our family to the Beast Valley in the South Ridge, the Mi n is willing to station troops here. The Tang n will be like a fish bone stuck in their throat. By the time theirnds are taken, let’s see if they can still be as overbearing and arrogant!”


    “Enough,” Wu Huan said impatiently, unable to bear his younger brother’s increasingly arrogant demeanor. “The reason the Mi n is offering such generous terms today is solely because of the Tang n’s challenge. If the Wu n is a vicious wolf, then the Tang and Mi ns are certainly fierce tigers. You dare to think that a vicious wolf can ally itself through marriage with a fierce tiger? I believe you’ve been ttered by those idiots outside to such an extent that you’ve forgotten who you are! The Wu n must leave Xiling in order to have a chance of surviving. You actually want to actively get involved? As the n leader, I order you, from today onwards, you’re no longer dealing with any n affairs. Go to the dockyard and work as a supervisor!”


    Wu Lan had never seen Wu Huan this angry. Although he was unwilling, he could only answer with gritted teeth, “Yes, n leader!”


    Wu Lan, while leaving with steady steps, revealed his discontent by mming the door violently on his way out.


    September 25th


    The whole of Xiling was still ravaged by floodwaters during what should have been harvest season. It was originally thought that the floodwaters would begin to subside after a month. Yet in practically a month and a half, not only did there seem no sign of ebbs, but the violently surging floodwater had instead burst open more channels in the Lingjiang River, with water flowing towards the west of Longzhou instead of downstream along Longjiang.


    Even some low-lying hills of Xiling showed signs of being submerged, causing the noble families that had taken refuge on those hills to start preparing to migrate.


    However, all of this had nothing to do with Tang Luo. Although he hadpleted the rite of passage, he still stayed at home. The rare leisure allowed him to consolidate his strength.


    Over the past four months, his spiritual power had grown to 19,580.2. If not for using the Immortal Wind Cloud Body Technique twice, this number would have been 19,980.2.


    His spiritual power of nearly 19,000 points made Tang Luo’s Undying Battle Body especially astonishing. With the five-tiered divine pattern spirit formation circting around his body, he could resist attacks of nearly 10,000 points of spiritual power. In other words, all spirit arts inferior to a joint attack of Transcendent Spirits would have no effect on him. Even if Master Xu Ying’s sword attack were as massive as a tsunami, he could ignore them.


    After a month of cultivation, he had gotten a slight grasp of one of the nine vigorous methods – Crash Energy, though implementing it in actualbat seemed like a long journey ahead. Currently, his utilization ofcrash energy was inconsistent. Against a still mountain wall or iron man, he might have a one in ten chance of sessfully using the crash energy. However, if the preparation time was shortened or the target started moving, his crash energy would be as weak as if he had never practiced it.


    This was undoubtedly due to the difficulty in mastering the energy, but the key reason was that Tang Luo gained strength moment by moment because his body was enhanced by Innate Qi, causing him to struggle with controlling it.


    Tang Luo originally nned to practice crash energy to a small degree of proficiency before switching to another type of energy. However, after referring to the teachings of his grandfather, Tang Hongtao, he realized that the best method at this time was to practice another type of energy while spending a portion of the day deepening his practice of crash energy.


    Although not sure whether his grandfather was absolutely correct, it seemed better than his own arbitrary ideas, so he began practicing the punching method rted to impact energy.