Nine Astra Skies

At the Ye Castle.

The Second-rank Prince of Donglin’s troops had the Ye Castle surrounded for the past twelve days. Liu Kan and Liu Xun still did not manage to see the supposedly powerful figure who would show up to save the clan from their doom. Yin Mengtian, however, showed up with his three thousand men to save the Ye Clan though he was eventually forced into retreat. Luckily, Yin Mengtian was a key member of the government, which meant neither Liu Kan nor Liu Xun could take his life and could only drive him away.

“Old Yin is such a dumb*ss. So what if he owed the kid a favor? Ye Chen probably died in the Sunken Jade Tower some time back. I can’t believe he intends to see his promise through,” Liu Kan complained. If it were not for the fact that he was afraid of the Great Emperor Mingwu, who so happened to have Yin Mengtian’s back, they would have disposed of him long ago.

The House of Yin of Yinbei were loyal followers whose past seven generations of ancestors had pledged their lives to the Great Emperor Mingwu in countless battles. As such, Yin Mengtian was one of the emperor’s highly trusted courtiers. It would have been fine to kill Yin Mengtian in the Sunken Jade Tower not so much outside given there would be witnesses which would mean the Great Emperor Mingwu would launch an investigation. If that ever happened, the Second-Prince’s Palace would be done for.

“It’s been twelve days. The Ye Castle hasn’t made a single move. Maybe we should move on to the next plan. Come with me, Father. We’ll head to the Ye Castle together!” Liu Xun suggested. Having weighed the pros and cons, Liu Xun decided to put his subsequent plans into motion.

“You’ve made a decision?” Liu Kan looked at Liu Xun. He was still a little unsure about things.

For the past few days, the people of the Ye Castle were denied exit by the Dark Troopers when they attempted to head out to purchase some rations. A recent scuffle that broke out between both parties left three members of the Ye Clan heavily wounded and eleven with minor injuries. Meanwhile, the castle walls had been conquered by the troops. Given the lack of a powerful figure’s presence despite the state the clan was in, Liu Xun guessed that the said figure would not necessarily reach out to help even if the clan begged for him or her to do so!

The thought of allowing the Ye Clan to linger around longer which could result in giving them more time to grow stronger made Liu Xun extremely uneasy. As such, he decided to act foolishly.

“I won’t be able to rest well until I get rid of them!” Liu Xun was adamant. If it were not for the fact that the Ye Clan had risen in power, the Yun Clan would have conquered the Eighteen Houses of Lianyun and the Second-Prince’s Palace would have to be able to rule over them, which could give way to their next plan. Now, Donglin County was in a mess and a couple of houses were going against him, which was something he did not expect.

“If we obliterate the Ye Clan now and the powerful figure shows up, he or she would never let us go.” Liu Kan mused. It was a world where martial prowess was everything. It was a common sight to see certain clans fall under the hands of one powerful combatant. If they messed with someone of that caliber, the said person would probably storm the Second-Prince’s Palace and obliterate them. Things would be ugly when that happened!

“Relax, I know what to do!” Liu Xun reassured. After all, he owned a county. For every problem he had encountered, he had various ways to solve them.

“Very well then.” Liu Kan had no choice but to agree.

Clad in black armor, Liu Xun and Liu Kan gathered a group of strong combatants from the Second-Prince Palace and made their way to the Ye Castle’s main gate. Liu Xun summoned all his energy and delivered one powerful kick to the gate. The gate was destroyed and Liu Xun marched toward Ye Castle with his head held high.

Liu Kan was shocked to see what Liu Xun did but he merely sighed and followed.

Right at the Ye Patriarch Residency, Ye Zhantian, Ye Changxuan, and the rest were hard at training. With the help of the Thousand Year Flaming Serpent Berry and long hours of training, Ye Changxuan’s accumulated Celestial Chi had managed to get past the threshold and advanced to the Tenth Level. Likewise, Ye Zhantian was nearing a critical period too.

While they were focused on their training, an explosion came from the Ye Castle’s gate. Ye Changxuan and rest reacted in horror. The time had finally come.

All the Ye Clan’s combatants darted out to the direction where the castle gate was located.

The men had gathered at the Ye Castle’s center court, all looking toward the castle gate in fury. Liu Xun and Liu Kan and the rest walked in as a large group of Dark Troopers poured in and surrounded the Ye Clan members in the center.

Ye Changxuan clenched his fist. He knew Liu Xun would act sooner than he promised.

Ye Zhantian and the rest were silent. This was a do or die moment for the clan. Sadly, he could not advance to the Tenth Level before then. Even if he could not escape his imminent fate, he would die gloriously – without going down a fight and without tarnishing the Ye Clan’s namesake!

Liu Xun scanned the Ye Clan members and then looked at Ye Changxuan. He twitched his brows slightly. Neither of the clan members showed fear as they came face to face with the terrifying Dark Troopers. They had a long saber in their hands, their faces stoic as if they were prepared to face their deaths.

Liu Xun was a hardened man who had been through countless wars. He had also massacre countless clans. When it came to facing the Dark Troopers, most were wailing and crying at the top of their lungs or scared out of their wits. Neither of the clans he had faced in the past was as composed when they encountered the Dark Troopers!

It made sense how the Yun Clan had lost!

There was a reason for the Yun Clan’s defeat.

Liu Xun was upset. He looked at Ye Zhantian who was standing at a distance. Back at the grand hall of the Second-Prince’s Palace, Ye Zhantian got on both of his knees in front of everyone, begging to be given a Nexus Pill and promised that if he received one, the Ye Clan would pledge loyalty to them. That time, the prince rejected him and humiliated Ye Zhantian, driving him out of the palace. Now, Liu Xun had regretted his actions. If all it took was a Nexus Pill to please the hearts of these people, he would have gladly done so. Alas, there was no medicine for such a thing as regret in the world. It was simply too late for regrets now.

“Listen up members of the Ye Clan.” Liu Xun reined his horse in with a halberd in his right hand. He spoke loudly, “I don’t wish to see a bloodbath unfold today. If you heed my commands and cooperate with me, I guarantee I will spare every one of you. If you go against me, I will not hesitate to take your lives!”

Liu Xun looked on the Ye Clan members with a stern expression. All of them could feel the threat of Tenth Level combatants, some even struggling to breathe. However, they kept their heads up nonetheless, persevering, and refusing to bow down. They channeled their Celestial Chi and braced themselves for a fight.

“Can it, Liu Xun. If it’s a fight you seek, it’s a fight you’ll get. The Ye Clan are not cowards!” Ye Zhantian’s eyes were mad with rage. He stood at the front of his men alongside Ye Changxuan. They were prepared to die today.

The Ye Clan were far weaker in power compared to the Second-Prince’s Palace. Apart from Liu Xun, Liu Kan was a Tenth Level Combatant too. With the powerful combatants and Dark Troopers from the palace, the Ye Clan members would surely perish if a fight broke out.

“I don’t wish to commit a massacre. If you surrender to Second-Prince’s Palace, I’ll recognize your cultivation achievements and spare your lives. I promise all of you a bright future. Ye Zhantian, Ye Changxuan, don’t ruin this opportunity.” Liu Xun held out his right hand. There were some black pills in his palm. “If you each take one of these, I promise you the clan will be safe!”

The black pills – these were the pills that the Second-rank Prince Liu Xun used to control his Dark Troopers!

“Save it, Liu Xun. The Ye Clan will never be your slaves! Never! You can keep dreaming about that!” Ye Zhantian shuddered. The moment he consumed those pills, he would have to go back to Liu Xun for more every month or he would suffer a fate worse than death. There was no way to tell what the medicinal pill was made of and perhaps only the apothecary would be able to come up with an antidote, although it was all speculation at this point!

Liu Xun’s expression turned cold. He scoffed. “You better think twice about your words. I have my limits. Dead or alive, you lots decide!”

Liu Kan finally knew what was Liu Xun’s plans. Those that Liu Xun did not kill, he would have them enslaved instead. When the Ye Clan’s rumored powerful savior appeared, at least the presence of hostages would stop him or her from tearing them to bits. On top of that, it would buy them a few more days, enough for Qiu Ying to summon Great Emperor Mingwu over.