I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1150 - Chapter 1150 Chapter 444 Protagonist

Chapter 1150: Chapter 444: Protagonist Chapter 1150: Chapter 444: Protagonist Before the year ended, Xiang Ange held a secret meeting with wealthy merchants from the inner city, promising boundless riches; now sitting in the hall were those who chose to trust and speculate.

“Thank you all for coming to the Luo Mansion.”

Xiang Ange first nodded slightly to the crowd, smiled at the host and then went straight to the point, “The Cloud Council has colluded with heretical bandits from Zhongzhou to stage a rebellion, and now is a great opportunity for everyone here to turn the tide!”

“To eradicate these bandits connected to heresy and restore order to the Cloud Council, wouldn’t all affairs in Chaochang then be under your control?”

Chaochang is a commercial megacity in Longzhou, teeming with dragons and snakes; where there are the successful, naturally there are also the unsuccessful.

For instance, the Luo Family from Inner River and the Ye Family from Da Lin were looking for a way to gain a foothold in Chaochang, thus upon hearing Xiang Ange’s call, they began to prepare earnestly.

And those wealthy merchants originally on the periphery, who had nothing but their martial prowess, had their hearts stirred by Xiang Ange’s promise, for everyone knew just how extensive the Cloud Council’s power was, the highest authority in Chaochang in plain sight.

However, while the vision was enticing, one needed to be alive to spend their wealth, and the Luo Family from Inner River had made it this far because they were tough with their fists and steady in their actions. Although they coveted a councilor seat, they still exercised considerable restraint.

“Xiang Family Head speaks lightly; what we face is not some stray dogs and cats but preeminent masters of the demonic path since ancient times, along with assassin organisations like the Ancient Blood Tower,” the Luo Family Lord said, in a tone neither too salty nor bland. “If there’s retaliation afterwards, the Xiang Family, with two grandmasters, naturally has nothing to fear, but what about the rest of us?”

“What the Luo Family Lord has mentioned is precisely what Ye is concerned about,” Ye Qingcang idly played with the thumb ring in his hand, saying somberly, “Just a councilor’s seat isn’t worth the great risk we’d be taking!”

There is no real affection among merchants, they are closer than brothers in pants when joined by benefit.

If the Xiang Family clearly had the upper hand at the moment, these merchants wouldn’t hesitate to muster their forces and surround the Xiang Residence, for those who had carved out their fortunes were not the ones to be apprehensive.

But the current state of affairs was tense, with the Xiang Family’s forces, together with the Wind Department of King Di Jiang, seemingly at a disadvantage; what they held was a force that could tip the scales.

The price to be negotiated now was certainly no longer what had been initially agreed upon, whether this would cause a loss of face or not; they were all thousand-year-old foxes, uncaring about such trivial matters of dignity.

The brazen attitude of jacking up the price was all too real, but Xiang Ange had anticipated this and still wore a smiling expression: “Elder Ye speaks wisely; may I know what would constitute a sincere offer?”

“Of course, it would be to clean out your Xiang Family thoroughly.”

Before Ye Qingcang could answer, a slim man wearing a mask walked into the hall, arrogantly took a seat on the high threshold, and toyed with a large colored glaze bead in his hand. He said to the people in the hall, “The inner city is sealed with a big formation; those bandits have nowhere to run and can only fight to the death. Rather than join the fray now, we should talk price, drag out the time, and when their Spiritual Power is drained, that’s when we’ll secure the dominion. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

“Who are you, daring to rush into the courtyard of the Luo Mansion? Guards! Where are the guards!!?”

At the shout of the Luo Family Lord, the armored soldiers in Luo Mansion started to assemble toward the courtyard, approaching the central hall. The stone Qilins guarding the doorway suddenly came to life, pouncing toward the soldiers, the ground trembled slightly, and a giant statue of Di Jiang rose, six-legged and four-winged, faceless, its wings sharp as blades, creating Gang Waves with every swing, blocking all the guards.

The stone beasts stood guard in front of the central hall with their overwhelming might, causing the complexions of the wealthy merchants seated in the hall to change, and Xiang Ange’s face darkened as he coldly said, “Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?”

The man playing with the colored glaze bead looked at the agitated Xiang Ange and comforted him with a light laugh: “Didn’t the Xiang Family Head just say it? I’m one of the heretical bandits!”

“Playing tricks and pretending to be gods!”

With a low shout, the furious Luo Family Lord activated his Qi Zen Kasaya, his vigorous Qi turning into crimson streamers circling in front of him, appearing as though donning a red treasure robe.

The crimson streamers tore through the heavens and earth, shooting straight towards the man seated on the threshold like a red line.

The Luo Family from Inner River, known for their body-forging techniques, boast the top-tier defensive Spirit Art Qi Zen Kasaya, which, when paired with the Luo Family’s inherited boxing skills, made them unstoppable.

Facing the ferocious strike from the Luo Family Lord, the man sitting on the threshold didn’t dodge or flinch, not even his figure shook in the slightest, as if he were petrified by fear.

The Luo Family Lord, with murderous intent over the long table, aimed to smash the young man’s head, but a spike from the ground propelled him up, creating a huge hole in the roof.

As the spike crumbled, a figure wearing a Twenty-eight Constellations Robe and a Juexiu Mask emerged, blocking between the man in the mask and the merchants inside the room.

“Before the inner city’s grand formation vanishes, don’t let these people leave this place. Any questions?”

“Is that it?”

“That will suffice; after all, they are rather significant figures, aren’t they? Such a hassle if they die.”

The man playing with the Colored Glaze Bead stood up and, with one hand, tore open a Spirit World Passage, leaving Xiang Ange wide-eyed in astonishment: “How do you know this technique?”

“Guess?”

With a teasing remark, the young man leaped into the Spirit World Passage and disappeared, leaving only Juexiu Abyss standing in the hall, confronting the thirteen clan leaders with an undiminished presence.

…

Yun Quan left the battlefield and sprinted to the safe house in the inner city, wanting to inform Yun Xiu to activate the most crucial part of the plan.

But he found the Devil Lord Gou Chen had already vanished, which made Yun Quan somewhat anxious.

“Where is he!?”

“Gone.”

“For something so crucial, why didn’t he say anything!”

Yun Quan glared furiously and shouted at Xiu’er: “Do you know the King’s patrol has already sent people? Without the Devil Lord to draw their fire, do you realize how much our clan will suffer in this battle?”

Sister Xiu’er bit her lower lip but still defiantly said: “This is the Yun Family’s affair; why should we drag others into it?”

“You!”

The raised hand, ready to strike, hesitated, and his eyes filled with disappointment, he roared low: “No matter what means you use, draw Gou Chen out to distract the King’s patrol. The eldest son has painstakingly strategized this and invested most of our clan’s resources. Even if we cannot regain control of Chaochang, we must eradicate the living strength of the Xiang Family, without fail!”

With those words, Yun Quan flipped over and shot towards the sky, heading straight for the Xiang Residence, leaving Sister Xiu’er with a face of desolation.

How could she find a way to bring back Gou Chen when she didn’t even know where he had gone? But since they needed a lure to distract the King’s patrol, what did it matter whether the true Gou Chen or a fake one was used?

Taking a deep breath, Sister Xiu’er transformed, stretching her bones to morph into a tall, thin man. She then walked back into the room, donned a pure black Star Robe, retrieved the Gou Chen Mask, and after a moment’s thought, took out the Jade Box containing the Asura Divine Heart.