Chapter 264 - 251: The Elder Ancestors of the 3 Sects Curry Favor

In this whole chain of events, the person Shen Lang wanted to kill most was Xu Daolin, not Ye Xiao Zheng.

But the appearance of Black Impermanence from the Spirit Copper Level influence, Blood Evil Island, who then abducted Xu Daolin, was something Shen Lang had never expected.

No matter why they took Xu Daolin, Shen Lang would have to confront them sooner or later because of him.

As Shen Lang calmly faced every crisis, firmly believing he could protect the people around him through his own efforts, the conviction of the War Emperor who shattered the Azure Vault became even more deeply rooted in his heart.

Shen Lang was the War Emperor, and the War Emperor was Shen Lang!

From the War Emperor’s perspective, Blood Evil Island was meddling in affairs that weren’t its business. Daring to make an enemy of him was simply courting death!

This trace of Battle Intent was wild and domineering.

But Shen Lang had earned the right to be!

All he needed now was time.

’Xu Daolin, oh Xu Daolin, I’ll let you live just a little longer...’

Sneering inwardly, Shen Lang walked over to his parents and sister, a slight smile on his face. "Father, Mother, Sister, let’s go home."

The crowd immediately parted, clearing a path for them.

Suddenly, a very calm voice came from the ruins at the edge of the massive crater. "Hold on, don’t be in such a hurry to leave!"

Everyone was stunned. ’There’s someone still buried in these ruins?’

’That makes no sense! Back when Shen Lang fought Yuwen Huaji, besides Nalan Ziyun and Chu Qingcheng, absolutely no one dared to get near this area, right?’

The next moment, words that made one unsure whether to laugh or cry came from the ruins. "Cousin, please dig me out before you go. I can’t hold on much longer..."

"Shen Jianfeng?"

The expression on Shen Lang’s face was priceless.

When people scrambled to dig Shen Jianfeng out of the rubble, his aura was indeed extremely faint. He was covered in dust from head to toe and quite seriously injured.

When Shen Lang and Yuwen Huaji fought, their battle was apocalyptic, and everything nearby was destroyed.

In particular, Shen Lang’s final strike, the Water Demon Saber, had left Sword Intent raging across the area. For some time afterward, no one dared approach due to the rampant Sword Intent.

It was sheer luck that the guy had survived.

The Shen Family’s Clan Leader, Shen Haoxuan, who was also Shen Jianfeng’s father, closed the distance in two quick strides and slapped him.

The slap nearly made the already weakened Shen Jianfeng cough up blood.

"You little bastard, what are you doing here? Do you have a death wish?" Shen Haoxuan screamed, a little hysterically.

"I... I saw he was being hunted down and wanted to come help, didn’t I?" Shen Jianfeng mumbled, clutching his face. "I used a Herculean effort to activate an Earth Escape Talisman to tunnel here. Who knew that old bastard Yuwen Huaji would be throwing that stupid ring around? Not only did he knock Shen Lang away, but he also buried me alive..."

"HAHAHAHA!" The crowd immediately burst into laughter, and the originally somber atmosphere finally became much more cheerful.

Even Shen Lang started to laugh...

Taking this opportunity, Shangguan Feiyue, who had been almost completely ignored by Shen Lang, stepped forward.

This esteemed Elder Ancestor of the Imperial Dragon Sect, a man who had been a dominant figure in the Purple Chu Country for many years, gave a wry smile and announced in a clear voice, "Ye Xiao Zheng colluded with the Demon Dao and murdered civilians. He is now dead, and he showed remorse before his death. All the assets and resource veins of the Ye Family and the Xu Family will be confiscated and handed over to the Shen Family for management. A portion will be set aside as compensation for the families of those killed by Demon Martial Artists in recent years."

"The members of the Ye Family must all leave Celestial Phoenix City within three days, or they will be executed without mercy!"

The faces of the Ye Family members turned ashen, and they lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

To have such an outcome was a blessing in disguise. They didn’t dare ask for anything more.

"All members of the Xu Family are to be imprisoned in Celestial Phoenix City’s dungeons. After an investigation, any innocents who did not participate in this incident will be allowed to leave Celestial Phoenix City. Those who were involved will be handed over to the Shen Family and Evil Wind Valley to be dealt with!"

Wails immediately broke out from the Xu Family crowd, and many began to curse Xu Daolin and Yuwen Huaji.

"The Shen Family will move into the Celestial Phoenix City Lord’s Mansion. Evil Wind Valley will assist them in governing Celestial Phoenix City. Any sect or influence that dares to covet Celestial Phoenix City again will be making an enemy of the Imperial Dragon Sect!"

Although the members of the Shen Family had guessed something like this might happen, hearing the Elder Ancestor of the Imperial Dragon Sect say it himself, and with such gravity, sent the younger generation into a frenzy of shouts!

That was already enough to drive people wild, but then Shangguan Feiyue added, "Any disciple of the Shen Family who reaches the Qi Martial Realm before the age of eighteen may enter the Imperial Dragon Sect and become an Inner Sect Disciple!"

"..." This time, it wasn’t just the Xu Family who cried; the Shen Family members all started crying too.

The people from the various surrounding influences went insane!

What kind of condition was that? Reaching the Qi Martial Realm by eighteen?

As long as you weren’t a complete waste, who couldn’t achieve that with a few Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills as resources?

With this arrangement, the gates of the Imperial Dragon Sect were basically wide open for the Shen Family alone!

You have to remember, the major influences had competed fiercely in the Martial Arts Arena for the sole purpose of fighting for a few spots in the Imperial Dragon Sect!

And even those few spots weren’t guaranteed!

If the people from the Imperial Dragon Sect didn’t take a liking to anyone, it was possible that not a single person would qualify!

While the people from Celestial Phoenix City’s various influences erupted in a clamor, Shark’s Kiss and Nangong Yan’s faces grew as long as a donkey’s.

"That old bastard Shangguan Feiyue sure is damn fast. To think he’d pull a move like this to rope in Shen Lang!" Shark’s Kiss was tempted to grab Shangguan Feiyue and slice his neck a couple of times.

"That old bastard! He blocked all our paths with a single sentence! So greedy! He won’t even leave us a sliver of an opportunity? This is outrageous!" Nangong Yan was just as displeased.

As the two of them mentally dismembered Shangguan Feiyue, they immediately stepped forward and interrupted him.

Nangong Yan raised a hand to stop Shark’s Kiss and said loudly, "There is one thing I must point out. The people of the Shen Family don’t just have the Imperial Dragon Sect as an option. There’s also our Flower Sect and the Li Hen Sect. As long as you are willing, the gates of our Three Sects are open to you! Of course..."

Nangong Yan smiled sweetly and said, "Our Flower Sect has a few more female disciples, but we don’t exclude male disciples. In fact, male disciples are very popular in our Flower Sect, you know!"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Were those really the words of a majestic Elder Ancestor from a Spirit Copper Level influence?

A Spirit Copper Level influence! If even one person from Celestial Phoenix City managed to enter such a sect in a decade, they would celebrate with a three-day banquet and burn incense in worship for half a month!

But now, they were treating the Shen Family like a hot commodity, all fighting to recruit their members as disciples?

’The key thing is, can you please not be so direct? Can you give others a chance?’

’Celestial Phoenix City doesn’t just have the Shen Family, you know!’

’You can’t just abandon all the other families because the Shen Family has a Shen Lang...’

’Although Shen Lang’s aptitude is indeed heaven-defying, and he seems to have many secrets...’

Shen Lang, who had been watching all this with indifference, suddenly spoke up. "The Chu Family and the Shen Family are closely connected. I wonder if you could give the Chu Family an opportunity as well?"

"We can!" This time, Nangong Yan seized the opportunity and declared, "As long as you say the word, little brother, nothing is impossible!"

As she spoke, she shot a provocative glance at Shangguan Feiyue.

This woman’s cunning was truly impressive. With that one sentence, she had turned the tables.

She made it clear that she was only doing this out of respect for Shen Lang, giving him a great deal of face in the process.

By saying something like that in front of so many people, it was obvious that soon enough, people from every influence in Celestial Phoenix City would be beating down the door to Shen Lang’s home...

If the old-timers from the various Celestial Phoenix City families couldn’t even grasp an opportunity like this, they would have lived their lives in vain.

With a single, simple sentence, Nangong Yan had made every influence in Celestial Phoenix City, aside from the Xu and Ye Families, beam with joy.

Seeing that Nangong Yan and Shark’s Kiss had seen through his plan, Shangguan Feiyue felt a little awkward.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem, during this incident, all Imperial Dragon Sect disciples who were compelled by Yuwen Huaji to assist the Xu Family will be taken back to the Imperial Dragon Sect for trial!"

"Hey, you... what’s your name?" Shangguan Feiyue asked, pointing to a late-stage Xuanwu Realm powerhouse from the Imperial Dragon Sect with white hair and a white beard.

The man quickly scurried over and said respectfully, "Replying to the Elder Ancestor, this disciple’s name is Luo Xingchen. I am in charge of the Inner Sect’s East Peak."

"Very good. You will stay here with these men and assist the Shen Family in handling these matters. If there are any more mistakes..." Shangguan Feiyue’s gaze turned cold.

Luo Xingchen hurriedly said, "Rest assured, Elder Ancestor. This disciple will handle everything perfectly. There won’t be any mishaps."

With that, the man turned to the crowd and said, "I wonder which one of you is the Clan Leader of the Shen Family? Could I have a word with you in private?"

Shen Haoxuan had been listening to Shangguan Feiyue’s words in a daze and still hadn’t fully processed everything.

Hearing this Imperial Dragon Sect powerhouse, whose cultivation was no weaker than Yuwen Huaji’s, speak so politely, his legs immediately began to tremble, and his speech became unsteady.

Although it was clear from the beginning that the Elder Ancestors of the Three Sects cared greatly for Shen Lang, and that the powerhouse from the Buddhist Sect had even called him "Senior Brother," Shen Haoxuan never expected happiness to arrive so suddenly.

Not long ago, the late-stage Xuanwu Realm Yuwen Huaji had been trying to kill Shen Lang, and after killing him, he would have certainly turned on the Shen Family.

Now, Yuwen Huaji had been killed with a single slash, and the Shen Family was going to take control of Celestial Phoenix City’s influences?

The members of the Shen Family could easily enter the Imperial Dragon Sect?

According to legend, it seemed only the Royal Family of the Purple Chu Country received such treatment, right?

And not only was Evil Wind Valley assisting them, but they even had such a powerful late-stage Xuanwu Realm expert to help out?

The few old-timers of the Shen Family wept with joy, while the group of youngsters, full of spirit, cheered and leaped in celebration.

The people from the surrounding influences all cast looks of envy and jealousy at the Shen Family, whispering amongst themselves.

"The Shen Family has really struck it rich this time! Because of Shen Lang, they’re about to move into the City Lord’s Mansion! And if that wasn’t enough, they’re getting this kind of treatment—the three great Spirit Copper Level Sects of the Purple Chu Country are opening their doors for them and even fighting over their disciples!"

"It’s truly unbelievable..."

"Unbelievable, my ass! Back at the Martial Arts Arena, Shen Lang foiled Xu Daolin’s plot and seized control of Celestial Phoenix City right in front of all the influences... Then he cut down Yuwen Huaji with a single slash! Is a character like that someone you can even comprehend?"

"It’s not just that. That young master from the Buddhist Sect seems incredibly strong. He injured that expert from Blood Evil Island with a casual move, but he still called Shen Lang ’Senior Brother’..."

"Speaking of which, the fact that Shen Lang killed Yuwen Huaji with one slash... that seems to be what those Xuanwu Realm powerhouses said. Did any of you actually see it? It’s just too terrifying, too incredible... The events of today are destined to spread throughout the entire country. Celestial Phoenix City’s fame will surely skyrocket!"

Just as the surrounding crowd was buzzing with discussion, pumped up as if they were on stimulants, Nangong Yan walked up to Shen Lang.

She gave a polite nod to Shen Haotian and his wife, then said softly to Shen Lang, "Little brother, I was wondering if the few of us could trouble you for a cup of tea at your home?"

The moment she finished speaking, Shark’s Kiss and Shangguan Feiyue came over, their faces long.

They looked as if they were determined to get a drink, even if it was just plain water and not tea.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes and thought, ’These old monsters have definitely picked up on some suspicious things about me. It seems they won’t let me off the hook so easily unless I reveal something...’