’Did Jiang Xinglan go easy on her?’
’No, that’s not right. It would have had to be a flood!’
’Only then could Jiang Qingyao have possibly died at Gu Yuexi’s hands!’
But Jiang Xinglan and Jiang Qingyao had always been close siblings.
They had no conflicts of interest within the clan, either.
There was absolutely no reason for Jiang Xinglan to stand by and watch Jiang Qingyao die.
Master Jiang Wei stared at Master Jia, his voice low as he asked,
"What exactly happened? Explain everything. Don’t leave out a single detail."
Master Jia sighed and began to recount everything that had happened, from beginning to end.
He started with how Gu Yuexi killed Jiang Qingyao, forcing her Divine Soul to take refuge in the Soul Guardian Bottle. He then covered Chu Sheng’s arrival, the failure of the Law of Gravity, and Jiang Xinglan being caught in a surprise attack. Finally, he described how Gu Yuexi crushed Jiang Qingyao’s Divine Soul, narrating the entire sequence of events in full detail.
’A mosquito blocked all of Jiang Xinglan’s attacks and even had him completely suppressed?’
Master Jiang Wei was completely stunned.
"A mosquito?"
"Are you sure... it was a mosquito?"
He suspected he had misheard.
Master Jia nodded emphatically, his tone certain.
"It was indeed an ordinary White-striped Aedes Mosquito."
"This mosquito is the very one that killed multiple Cultivators in the Land of Burial."
"It’s Gu Yuexi’s Beast Pet, and its strength was at the Peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm..."
"No, that’s not right. It was at the Peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm when it was in the Land of Burial."
"But now, it has undergone its Celestial Tribulation and advanced to the First Layer of the Void Refining Realm."
Master Jiang Wei frowned, sorting out the timeline in his head.
"In other words, in the half-day since it left the Land of Burial, it underwent a tribulation and advanced to the First Layer of the Void Refining Realm?"
"A Demon Beast this unusual undergoing a tribulation would definitely attract a special Celestial Tribulation."
"Why wasn’t I given any intelligence reports about this mosquito beforehand?"
Master Jia opened his mouth, then gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Patriarch, someone did come to report it to you."
"But at the time, you heard Qingyao was in trouble and were frantic with worry."
"You sent Young Master Xinglan over before you had a chance to hear the subordinate’s full report."
Prompted by Master Jia’s reminder, Master Jiang Wei finally recalled the minor detail he had overlooked.
At the time, all he could think about was his daughter being wronged; he was in no state of mind to hear about some tribulation.
"Gu Yuexi!!!"
Master Jiang Wei’s eyes were ice-cold.
Since Jiang Xinglan hadn’t thrown the fight,
then Gu Yuexi, the one who killed Jiang Qingyao, must bear the full wrath of the Jiang Family.
Gu Yuexi must die!
And that damned mosquito had to die too!
Master Jiang Wei tapped his fingers on the desk.
With each tap, the fury on his face gradually receded, leaving him expressionless.
"Besides Xiao Feng, was anyone else from the other great clans on the scene?"
Master Jia quickly replied, "Ye Guxuan of the Ye Family and Chu Nianci of the Chu Family were also there, watching the battle from a tall building."
Master Jiang Wei continued, "Did those two youngsters do anything to help?"
Master Jia shook his head.
"They stood very far away and never made a move, watching the whole thing from the sidelines."
"However, it was their people who first sent back the news of Qingyao’s death."
"Hmph!"
Master Jiang Wei snorted coldly, his eyes icy.
"Those two were definitely waiting to see Xinglan make a fool of himself, hoping to see our Jiang Family become a laughingstock."
"They just didn’t expect that Gu Yuexi actually had the guts to kill."
"By the time they realized what was happening, Gu Yuexi had already taken things to an irreversible point, leaving them no chance to intervene."
"Knowing they were in the wrong, they sent the news over to try and distance themselves from the matter."
"But I won’t let them off so easily for Qingyao’s death."
"They stood by and watched her die. I will remember this debt."
"After I’ve dealt with Gu Yuexi and that mosquito, I will go settle the score with the Ye and Chu Families!"
As this involved disputes between the great clans, Master Jia knew it wasn’t his place to comment and quickly changed the subject.
"Patriarch, Young Master Xinglan is currently pinned down by that mosquito, hiding inside the All Things Return to Origin Bell and not daring to come out."
"Shouldn’t we send someone to rescue him immediately?"
Master Jiang Wei nodded, his expression grave.
"Gu Yuexi and her Beast Pet certainly can’t break the defenses of the All Things Return to Origin Bell."
"But just to be safe, have the Grand Elder make the trip."
"Tell the Grand Elder that when he brings Xinglan back, he must capture Gu Yuexi and bring her back as well."
"I will personally torture her and make her pay for killing Qingyao."
Master Jiang Wei paused for a moment, then continued.
"Also, you will personally go and inform the Patriarchs of the other Seven Great Clans."
"Tell them that this matter is no longer just the Jiang Family’s business, but concerns the collective honor and status of the Eight Great Clans."
"If we don’t handle this properly, and allow a Loose Cultivator to kill members of the Eight Great Clans as she pleases,"
"our standing as the Eight Great Clans will be shaken, and no one will fear us anymore."
"They’ve lived long enough to understand that principle perfectly well."
Master Jia nodded.
"Yes, I’ll see to it at once."
Before Master Jia’s message could even reach the other Seven Great Clans, they had already received news of Jiang Qingyao’s death.
And every Patriarch’s reaction was almost identical.
"What! A Loose Cultivator who just arrived in Luoping City actually killed Jiang Qingyao in public?!"
"Is she crazy? Does she have a death wish?"
"Jiang Qingyao’s strength and aptitude may have been average, but she was Jiang Wei’s favorite daughter—the apple of his eye."
"Who gave that Loose Cultivator, Gu Yuexi, the nerve?"
"A mere cultivator at the First Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm dares to strike a fatal blow against a direct-line daughter of the Eight Great Clans? Isn’t she afraid of retaliation from all eight of them?"
"Could it be... that she has a very powerful force backing her?"
"A Hidden Clan? Or a Core Disciple from the Ten Great Sects out gaining experience?"
Aside from the Jiang Family,
the initial reaction of the other Seven Great Clans was identical to Ye Guxuan’s: they all suspected Gu Yuexi had a powerful backer.
Otherwise,
how could she dare kill Jiang Wei’s most cherished daughter in front of everyone?
Isn’t that just asking to die?!!
Unless, Gu Yuexi was an idiot.
But how could a Cultivator who managed to reach the Divinity Transformation Realm be an idiot?
Therefore, Gu Yuexi had to have a powerful force backing her.
The Patriarchs of the Seven Great Clans
ultimately reached the same conclusion.
But even though they suspected Gu Yuexi had a powerful backer, the Patriarchs of the Seven Great Clans still dispatched their respective experts to rush to the battlefield.
After all, this was Luoping City, the territory of their Eight Great Clans.
Even a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake.
If it really was a Hidden Clan or one of the Ten Great Sects trying to make a move against them,
they couldn’t hide even if they wanted to; they would have to face it head-on.
However, all the clan experts rushing to the scene received the exact same order from their Patriarchs.
"When you get there, act according to the situation. Don’t be impulsive."
"Protect Jiang Xinglan, but under no circumstances are you to take Gu Yuexi’s life."
"At most, just trap her."
"You can kill her Beast Pet Mosquito, and that Frost Bone Dragon. It doesn’t matter if those two die."
"If the mosquito and the dragon die, there is still room to negotiate with the power behind Gu Yuexi."
"Once Gu Yuexi is dead, the situation will escalate into a war to the death."
"We absolutely cannot be the ones to provoke the unknown power behind her, understand?"
While the Eight Great Clans were each scheming for their own benefit,
in the center of the battlefield, Chu Sheng flew two circles around the All Things Return to Origin Bell.
"You think you’re safe just by hiding in there?"
"A Divine Level Upper-Grade Defense Treasure, is it?"
"This Lord Mosquito is about to take this piece-of-junk bell apart and drag you out!"