Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”What bad luck, I, Tao Chengju, am actually mentioned alongside a madman!”

Seeing Lin Zhenjiang laughing uncontrollably, Tao Chengju couldn’t help but spit, seemingly ashamed to be associated with such a lunatic, and he resolved even more to reclaim the territory that belonged to the Tao Family.

”Haha, Great Elder, all of you take a look, and after you’ve looked, let the Tao Family Master see it too!”

Just as Tao Chengju was harboring certain thoughts, Lin Zhenjiang finally regained some composure, and handed the letter in his hand to the confused and worried Great Elder beside him, finally pointing towards the Tao Family Master.

”What is it?”

The Great Elder took the letter, initially bewildered, then turned his gaze to it. Scanning ten lines with one glance, his expression also became somewhat twisted.

”Haha... this is truly... hahahaha...”

The Lin Family Great Elder’s response was exactly the same as Lin Zhenjiang’s earlier, which only made people more curious about what exactly was written on that letter.

What kind of message could cause the two current power figures of the Lin Family to lose their composure like this? For some reason, upon seeing the state of the Lin Family Great Elder once more, an inexplicable sense of unease rose within Tao Chengju.

Swish!

So in the next moment, Tao Chengju didn’t care about others, or perhaps the Lin Family Elders, and directly stepped forward, snatching the letter from the Lin Family Great Elder’s hand to take a look for himself.

”How is this... how is this possible?!”

Having seen it, a look of extreme shock appeared on Tao Chengju’s face, accompanied by a chill rising from his tailbone, refusing to dissipate.

Intense fear seized Tao Chengju’s heart and mind, and at this moment, he wished he could shrink back with the Tao Family people, never to appear before the Lin Family members again.

”Father, what’s wrong with you?”

Beside him, the Heir of Tao Family, Tao Liqian, who had just become the Direct Disciple of the Great Elder of Spirit Fighting Commerce, was in high spirits. Seeing his father’s state, he was somewhat displeased.

”It seems Father is really old. This position of Tao Family Master should be given to me sooner!”

Tao Liqian thought more than necessary. As the Direct Disciple of the Great Elder of Spirit Fighting Commerce, he believed there was little on the Tenglong Continent that could scare him.

His father was frightened by a mere letter; it was clear he lacked courage and fortitude. Under such a family head, how could the Tao Family move forward?

”Liqian, let’s go back!”

Tao Liqian’s words finally pulled Tao Chengju back from his daze. Trembling with fear, he wanted to leave the Lin Family immediately with the Tao Family members.

”Father, what are you saying? I’m now the Direct Disciple of the Great Elder of Spirit Fighting Commerce, are we still afraid of the mere Lin Family?”

Tao Liqian, with his thoughts swirling, felt more and more that his father was no longer suitable to be the Tao Family Head, so he voiced his opposition in a low tone, causing Lin Zhenjiang and the Lin Family Great Elder to look at him with schadenfreude.

Slap!

Just after Tao Liqian finished speaking, a palm like a fan slammed onto his cheek, causing one side of his face to swell visibly.

”Father, why... why did you...”

Tao Liqian was clearly stunned by the slap, completely at a loss as to why his always doting father would do something so incomprehensible. He was the Direct Disciple of the Great Elder of Spirit Fighting Commerce!

In truth, since becoming the Direct Disciple of the Great Elder of Spirit Fighting Commerce, Tao Liqian’s status in the family had almost become equal to that of the family head, Tao Chengju, requiring his opinion on many major decisions.

For example, the current visit to the Lin Family to reclaim the territory was entirely his idea. He always believed that with his current status, the Lin Family had no reason to be strong.

”You unfilial son! It’s all your foolish idea, hurry up and kneel to your Uncle Lin and apologize!”

Tao Liqian was angry and unwilling, but didn’t expect Tao Chengju to kick him at the back of his knees, causing him to stumble forward and kneel at the feet of Lin Zhenjiang, the Lin Family Patriarch.

At this moment, Tao Liqian felt extremely aggrieved, feeling as though his lungs were about to explode; he, a Direct Disciple of the Great Elder of Spirit Fighting Commerce, actually had to kneel before the head of a small family in Yujiang City.

The intense feeling of humiliation made him not only refuse to acknowledge his mistake, but also defiantly bounce back up, filled with resentment, even hating his father at this moment.

”Why on earth is this happening?”

Tao Liqian roared, pointing to the group of Tao Family members and said in a deep voice, ”I don’t care if you all want to be cowards, but I, Tao Liqian, will never bow to the Lin Family!”

”Nonsense!”

Hearing Tao Liqian’s words, Tao Chengju was utterly enraged, especially when he saw Lin Zhenjiang’s seemingly mocking expression, causing his heart to skip a beat.

”Take a look at this. If you remain stubborn, not just our Tao Family, even your mentor and the entire Spirit Fighting Commerce might not be able to protect you!”

A father knows his son best, and Tao Chengju knew that his son had a stubborn nature. Without something truly intimidating, who knows what nonsense he might spout. He immediately shoved the letter in his hand into Tao Liqian’s hand.

”I don’t care about... hmm?”

As Tao Liqian raised his right hand, his voice still full of arrogance, he caught sight of a name engraved in his bones and swallowed the words that were about to leave his mouth.

”Yun Xiao...”

A name buried deep in his memory appeared before Tao Liqian’s eyes. He quickly skimmed through the letter, his face turning pale, with a trace of fear he could not conceal.

The letter, of course, contained the news sent back to Yujiang City’s Lin Family by the Lin Family Heir, Lin Xuanhao, after the two great battles at Lianyun Mountain.

The letter detailed how Yun Xiao had turned the tide, destroyed many strong figures from the Wuyan Palace, and even slayed a Low Level Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit with a single sword slash.

Such occurrences were high-end battles that these small city cultivators could never imagine, all because of that boy named Yun Xiao.

To be honest, the Tao Family’s interaction with Yun Xiao wasn’t deep; it was only because the Tao Family aimed to capture Chi Yan, and Yun Xiao happened to be in the Lin Family’s camp.

At that time, Yun Xiao had low strength and didn’t want unnecessary trouble, so after ensuring Chi Yan was unharmed, he let the Tao Family members go, which may have seemed like a trivial matter to them.

However, over the following years, that boy named Yun Xiao rose strongly like a comet, and each time news returned to Yujiang City, it would leave the Tao Family in awe.

Especially after the news of the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield and Impermanence Island battles a few months ago, the Tao Family dared not confront the Lin Family because the boy had become one of the continent’s top powerhouses.

If Tao Liqian once thought he regained confidence after joining the Spirit Fighting Commerce and becoming the Great Elder’s direct disciple, upon seeing the contents of this letter, all his ambitions vanished instantly.

That boy named Yun Xiao had single-handedly destroyed everyone in Wuyan Palace, including the Palace Master, even stabbing the Low Level Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit to death with a sword.

The Wuyan Palace, always equal to the Spirit Fighting Commerce, even had Palace Master Wu Zhukong ranked higher than the President Wei Duzheng on the Heavenly List.

Given that Yun Xiao and Lianyun Mountain could destroy the Wuyan Palace, it meant they also had the power to eliminate the Spirit Fighting Commerce. In this light, everything Tao Liqian prided himself on was nothing but a joke.

”I... I... I...”

Tao Liqian’s right hand holding the letter trembled incessantly, and eventually, as if all his strength was drained, he collapsed to the ground and couldn’t get up again.

”Well? Tao Family Master, do you still want to reclaim the territory belonging to the Tao Family?”

By now, Lin Zhenjiang had calmed down, suppressing his excitement, he asked with a smirk, seemingly enjoying the expressions of the Tao Family members.

”I dare not! I dare not! Mr. Lin, you truly humble me. From now on, Yujiang City will be under the Lin Family’s lead; whatever orders you have, our Tao Family will certainly follow!”

By this time, Tao Chengju dared not be obstinate. The aggressive stance he had upon arrival had long vanished, and his final statement greatly satisfied Lin Zhenjiang.

Seeing the other side yielding, Lin Zhenjiang didn’t push his advantage. In essence, the Lin Family was merely waving the banner of Yun Xiao. Now that the Tao Family had the backing of Spirit Fighting Commerce, it was impossible for him to overstep.

As strong as Yun Xiao was, he only had a relationship with Lin Xuanhao, and having once exposed Lin Xuantian’s plot could be seen as repaying Lin Xuanhao’s lifesaving grace.

Lin Zhenjiang knew his own affairs, understanding that the boy named Yun Xiao might not necessarily have favorable feelings towards the Lin Family. If they truly oppressed the Tao Family to the point of death, provoking retaliation from the Spirit Fighting Commerce, it would be a loss.

Therefore, with Lin Zhenjiang’s intentional or unintentional guidance, the Lin and Tao families unexpectedly reconciled, and past conflicts faded away, of course, under the Lin Family’s leadership, leaving the Tao Family with no courage to say another word.

That night, the Lin Family headquarters was brightly lit, and the two former rival families of Yujiang City, due to some unexpected news, ”made amends.”

From then on, there would likely never again be a strife between the two major families of Yujiang City.