Translator: CinderTL
Chen Jiuxuan's gaze swept across the assembled clan members before he nodded in satisfaction.
His iron-fisted methods were, in truth, paving the way for Chen Zilu and Jiang Ye's future.
Chen Jiuxuan understood this clearly.
The Chen Clan's elders currently treated Jiang Ye with utmost courtesy and friendliness.
But this was only because he, the demigod ancestor, was still alive.
Once he reached the end of his lifespan and departed this world, these elders might not remain so compliant toward Jiang Ye.
After all, Jiang Ye wasn't a true member of the Chen Clan by blood.
Yet Chen Jiuxuan hoped Jiang Ye would become the clan's true core.
He knew Jiang Ye's genius would inevitably surpass his own. It would be a tragedy if the narrow-mindedness of some clan members caused a rift between Jiang Ye and the Chen Clan.
"I hope..."
I hope that brat doesn't hold a grudge against the Chen Clan because of this, Chen Jiuxuan thought to himself with a sigh.
He worried that Jiang Ye might feel betrayed by the incident. After all, the Hidden God Organization had sent a ninth breakthrough expert to assassinate Jiang Ye, and the order had originated from the Chen Clan.
This was precisely why Chen Jiuxuan had acted with such ruthless decisiveness today.
As he pondered this, a sudden buzz made his ears twitch. He had just received a peculiar sonic wave.
"Hmm?"
"That sound... is it from the Shadow Clan?" Chen Jiuxuan's expression shifted.
He could recognize the Shadow Clan's sonic waves, and the one he had just received was unmistakably from them.
The Shadow Clan's voices were unique, capable of assaulting the mind and even trapping listeners in illusionary realms. Yet, they also used these sonic waves for communication among themselves.
Therefore, at times, their voices carried specific messages.
This sonic wave was one such instance.
"Decode," Chen Jiuxuan immediately activated a secret art to decipher the message.
As a demigod-level expert, his vast knowledge naturally included methods for decoding the Shadow Clan's sonic waves.
Within seconds, he had deciphered the message.
Chen Jiuxuan completely deciphered the sonic wave from earlier.
The next moment,
"What?!"
"Damn it!" Chen Jiuxuan's eyes suddenly blazed with a terrifying light, his face darkening abruptly.
Just then,
Buzz! The communication wristband vibrated faintly.
"The alliance leader?" Chen Jiuxuan frowned and opened the wristband to check the message.
After reading it,
Without hesitation,
Whoosh! Chen Jiuxuan took a single step, his body instantly dissolving into nothingness, vanishing from the spot.
"What was that?"
"The ancestor?"
"What's happened?" The Chen Clan members watched the scene in stunned silence.
They had rarely seen such an expression on their ancestor's face.
After all, Chen Jiuxuan, as a demigod ancestor, had stood at the pinnacle of the world for centuries. What storms hadn't he weathered?
Yet just now, they had glimpsed a hint of panic in his eyes.
"Could it be the Shadow Calamity?"
"Is the ultimate shadow calamity about to erupt?" Chen Fang, Chen Yuan, and the other elders secretly speculated, their hearts pounding with dread.
Only the ultimate shadow calamity could possibly elicit such a reaction from the ancestor, right?
As the Chen Clan members speculated in shock and confusion, Chen Jiuxuan had already arrived at the federal headquarters.
As a demigod, he could traverse tens of thousands of miles with just a few instantaneous steps, his speed utterly astonishing.
Simultaneously with Chen Jiuxuan's arrival, the other demigods of Blue Star began descending upon the headquarters.
The Zhou Family demigod, the Chu Clan demigod, the Li Clan demigod, and numerous ninth breakthrough experts arrived in succession.
"Did you hear that voice from the Shadow Clan too?"
"Yes, let's go inside quickly."
"Something major is likely about to happen." The assembled experts wore grave expressions as they made their way to the council hall.
Soon after.
Federal Headquarters, council hall.
Over a hundred figures sat in the council hall, their auras unfathomable. Yet they remained utterly silent, creating an oppressive atmosphere that weighed heavily on the entire hall.
Chen Jiuxuan sat among them, his face grim as if deep in thought.
Suddenly—
Boom!
A powerful aura descended, instantly overwhelming all those present and settling upon the silver dais at the front of the hall.
It was a figure clad in azure robes.
"Hail, Alliance Leader."
"Greetings, Alliance Leader," the demigods, including Chen Jiuxuan, and numerous ninth breakthrough experts rose to their feet in unison to pay their respects.
Alliance Leader Qi Tian.
The Blue Star Federation's foremost powerhouse.
His strength and prestige were indisputably supreme, commanding the utmost respect even from the demigods of the transcendent aristocratic families.
"You all heard that voice, didn't you?" Qi Tian's gaze swept across the assembly.
At his words, the gathered experts exchanged glances before nodding in unison.
Their very presence here was due to this very matter.
"Alliance Leader," a burly, bald-headed warrior with the aura of a peak ninth breakthrough expert spoke first. "The Shadow Clan Civilization demands we hand over Jiang Ye, or they will unleash a 7.9-level Shadow Calamity!"
"How should we respond to this?"
Many faces paled.
A 7.9-level Shadow Calamity!
Such a catastrophic event meant the inevitable emergence of demigod-level Shadow Clan entities, accompanied by vast numbers of ninth breakthrough-level Shadow Clan warriors.
This would trigger a full-scale war between demigods!
"Who is Jiang Ye?"
"Why would the Shadow Clan specifically target him?"
"Is he some kind of genius?" Several experts voiced their confusion.
These top-rank experts typically focused on arduous cultivation, paying little attention to external affairs.
Moreover, information about Jiang Ye had been completely suppressed recently.
Consequently, even peak ninth breakthrough experts found it difficult to obtain any information about him.
"Jiang Ye is a genius from White Dragon University," the Zhou Family demigod stated calmly. "He is currently at the late stage of the fourth breakthrough realm."
"Late stage fourth breakthrough?"
"Then why would the Shadow Clan demand we hand him over?" The experts grew even more puzzled.
"The real question is," the burly, bald-headed expert interjected, "how do we respond?"
"If a 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity erupts, it would be a catastrophe for Blue Star!"
"But Jiang Ye is a genius of our Blue Star. We can't just hand him over," the bald-headed expert said grimly.
The experts fell silent.
Indeed!
How could they counter the Shadow Clan's threat?
If they ignored the warning, and the Shadow Clan truly unleashed a 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity, it would be an unprecedented catastrophe.
"A 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity, if it truly erupts, could devastate an entire province," one expert murmured grimly.
"We have plenty of demigod-level experts. Why can't we send reinforcements?" someone asked.
"Reinforcements?"
"There are so many cosmic void passages. What if more than one region experiences a 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity?" the Zhou Family demigod said calmly. "Then, more than just one province would fall."
The crowd's hearts sank.
He's right!
What if every province in the Forty Provinces of the Federation faced a 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity?
How many demigod-level experts did Blue Star even have?
There wouldn't be enough time to reinforce them all.
"Let's hand him over!"
"If sacrificing one genius can secure Blue Star's safety, what's the harm?" a Zhou Family ninth breakthrough expert declared. "Jiang Ye is only at the fourth breakthrough anyway."
"No," a powerful figure countered, shaking his head. "Jiang Ye is Blue Star's genius!"
"Handing our genius over to the enemy... what message would that send?" the figure asked gravely. "How many hearts would that chill?"
"Yes, that's right."
"No matter what, Jiang Ye is our genius."
"To willingly hand over our own people to the enemy? How is that any different from defecting?"
The assembled experts shook their heads in disapproval.
"If we refuse to hand him over, we must prepare for all-out war," the Zhou Family's ninth breakthrough expert said coldly. "Even in the best-case scenario—a single 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity—an entire province would inevitably fall."
"Have you all considered your response strategy?"
Silence descended.
Response strategy?
What response strategy could there be? Were they supposed to evacuate an entire province in advance?
Impossible.
Just as everyone was at a loss for words, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Who says a 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity would inevitably lead to the fall of an entire province?"
(End of the Chapter)
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