I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1234 - Chapter 1234 Chapter 527 Frustration

Chapter 1234: Chapter 527: Frustration Chapter 1234: Chapter 527: Frustration South Sea Arena

In the center of a square arena cast of steel, a cushion adorned with gold-threaded brocade was placed. On it sat the Yanyun Grandmaster, cross-legged, his face calm as he withdrew his consciousness from the Immortal Cloud Whisk Soul.

He could no longer remember how many times he had failed. Since the battle at South City, whenever he had a spare moment, he would utilize the Immortal Cloud Whisk Soul to search for the whereabouts of the Devil Lord Hook Chen, but each attempt ended without a trace.

“So you still haven’t found the Devil Lord’s whereabouts?”

In a dim corner of the arena, Xiang Qian, who had arrived at some unknown time, asked in a ghostly manner.

“Why has the Ancestor left Xiang Residence to oversee everything and run off to the South Sea?”

The Yanyun Grandmaster was not impressed by the sudden appearance of his family elder; he was still nursing a grievance over Xiang Qian’s order to cease fighting during the battle at South City.

Strike while the iron is hot; after that comes decline, and then exhaustion.

Competing in martial prowess is not like doing business–indeed, the Xiang Family had had their weak moment exploited by the Devil Lord, losing much.

But the Devil Lord himself was also at the end of his tether. The cultivation of the White Tiger Seven Stars was indeed exceptional, but they were only able to kill their Martial Ancestor so unexpectedly because they were well-equipped.

Had the war continued, victory would ultimately have belonged to the Xiang Family, for they had an endless supply of reinforcements, whereas the Devil Lord’s side, at best, comprised only ten people.

In Xiang Yan’s eyes, paying a small price to kill the Devil Lord to gain the Wang Family’s secret support and the care of Wang Invincible was worthwhile.

Besides that, the Xiang Family could obtain another Immortal Cloud Whisk Soul and open the Yun Zu’s treasure vault.

As long as they developed quietly for two or three decades, no matter what they lost today, they could win it all back with interest over time.

In the end, after becoming masters of Chaochang, the ambition of the Xiang Family waned, content to just hold onto their Chaochang foundation, without the determination to further expand their territories.

Xiang Yan felt uncomfortable in his heart, and Xiang Qian certainly understood this, but each had their own stance. He was not willing to compromise but was seeking common ground while reserving differences: “We all underestimated the Devil Lord. When the Heavenly Patrol Envoy from Wang Patrol arrived at Chaochang and heard news of the Devil Lord Hook Chen, he didn’t even bother with the servant girl who could find the remaining scions of the Yun Family.”

“The Yun Clan has been wiped out, a handful of cats left can’t stir up any waves,”

Xiang Yan said nonchalantly, unsurprised: “Instead, it’s the Devil Lord Hook Chen who holds too many secrets. What really interests Buddha’s Country is not the Devil Lord himself but the things behind him. Yet, what does this have to do with our clan?”

“Since it was decided to cease fighting at that time, one should not change their attitude now just because of a few words from the Wang Patrol’s envoy. Does the Ancestor think so?”

Caught off guard by Xiang Yan’s words, Ancestor Xiang Qian took a while to catch his breath before reluctantly saying, “With Chaochang facing internal and external troubles, the Xiang Family cannot afford to cut off their own retreat. We must focus on the bigger picture and not be short-sighted.”

“Ange has just died, and the situation is already this dire. Apart from the main house lineage, are all the other branches incompetent?”

Xiang Yan said angrily.

“The various counties in the Southern Boundary have been coveting Chaochang for a long time. Ye Qingcang of Da Lin’s Commerce Alliance has held a grudge since leaving the Southern Boundary and sent servants to collude with the lords of each county. He has also gathered a large army from Da Lin that is rolling towards us.”

Xiang Qian sighed and laid bare the current situation of the Xiang Family: “Continual turmoil has caused public resentment to rise within Chaochang. Now that the Cloud Summit Council has been eliminated and Little Lan was abducted by the Devil Lord, representatives of the three great families–the Liu Clan of Chuanyuan, the Mu Family of Mutai, and the Nong Clan of Yancang–all have varying degrees of dissatisfaction with the recent actions of the Xiang Family. Furthermore, the situation with Liu Qingzong has made the major leaders of the Commerce Alliance feel threatened, fearing that the Xiang Family has lost power and already shifted their allegiance to other factions.”

Morale is something intangible and invisible, yet it exists in reality and dominates the outcome of victory and defeat.

To the two grandmasters of the Xiang Family, their clash with the Devil Lord Gouchen could only be considered a minor defeat, as the real loss was limited to the clan leader Xiang Ange and two peak powerhouses from the Fierce Realm.

Though such a loss was painful, it didn’t cut deep to the bone.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, the Xiang Family had suffered a crushing defeat. Many who previously dared not show their faces, petty clowns, had all jumped out, looking to step on the Xiang Family to rise to power.

“Then we kill!”

Xiang Yan narrowed his eyes, and his Square Heaven Unfixed Divine Pupil shone with a light known as ferocity, “To deal with external troubles, we must first settle internal affairs. Let’s have the troops from all sides enter the city, purge Chaochang, and kill all those who are trying to jump up and down!”

The method of governance for martial artists was as clean and efficient as combat. To Xiang Yan, this issue was all too easy to handle, and he really didn’t understand why Xiang Qian was agonizing over it.

With a wry smile, Xiang Qian didn’t plan to dwell on the topic of governance but brought the discussion back to the Devil Lord, “To consider victory, one must first consider defeat. Ye Qingcang came prepared this time, we need to figure out our next move. And there aren’t many forces that can subdue the Commerce Alliance of Da Lin …”

“So, our clan must be spurred by the agent of the Heavenly Patrol?”

“This is but a temporary measure. Having a powerful striker from the Heavenly Patrol assisted by our grandmasters might allow us to avenge that arrow’s wound.”

After talking for a while, Xiang Qian finally addressed what was in Xiang Yan’s heart. As the sole individual who held an advantage during the one-on-one matchups in the South City battle, Xiang Yan had always felt that if Xiang Qian hadn’t given up, after repelling White Tiger, he could have gone to reinforce the other fronts.

The reinforcements for the Devil Lord had come from a long-distance march, without any reserve forces. If one was taken down, it would create a chain reaction, leading to a total collapse.

But due to the low fighting will of the other Xiang Family divisions, he didn’t even have the chance to defeat White Tiger before the battle ended, which naturally caused resentment for Xiang Yan.

If he could have a different team, he would have taken down Devil Lord Gouchen and his gang long ago!

More than once, Xiang Yan had such thoughts after returning to the practice fields in the South Sea, and now the opportunity to prove himself had astonishingly appeared before him.

Although delighted in his heart, Xiang Yan still asked indifferently, “Which strong figure has the Heavenly Patrol sent?”

“The Great Commander pays great attention to Devil Lord Gouchen. Upon receiving the news, he sent reinforcements from the Forest Department, led by the Heavenly Patrol Envoy, accompanied by a group of elite Heavenly Patrol warriors.”

“Oh? So, it’s Wang Chang who has arrived!?” Xiang Yan’s eyebrows raised, somewhat intrigued.

The so-called elite of the Heavenly Patrol were battle squads composed of descendants from holy lands. These individuals had been subjected to the highest level of martial arts training from Xiehe since they were young, and their combat strength was far superior to ordinary noble families.

In particular, Wang Chang, who was known as one of the two chariots of the Heavenly Patrol together with Lord Lei Ze, was revered as a powerful figure surpassing the grandmasters.

His son, Wang Po, was the most prominent contender for the title of Saint Child of the current generation of the Wang Clan. If not for Wang Chan being particularly brilliant, perhaps Wang Chang’s lineage could have seen two generations walking the same path of greatness.

Fighting alongside such a martial artist was the lifelong wish of many, and even though Xiang Yan was a grandmaster himself, he was curious to see just how dazzling the Saint Child of the Wang Family would become after maturing.

“Since the Great Commander holds such a stance, it’s not impossible to offer help,” finally relented Xiang Yan. “Since the battle of South City, there has been no response from the Immortal Cloud Whisk Soul, which means the Devil Lord has not left Chaochang but is hiding in the Spirit World Passage!”

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