Chapter 320: 12 episodes, 10 Chapters, Open and aboveboard (3 Chapters completed today, asking for monthly passes!)

Yan Xufan, Yan Xutang... one after another, the elders of the Yan family gathered in the hall. The atmosphere inside was oppressively tense, everyone’s face grim.

"Second Elder, please speak," Yan Xufan said.

Yan Shuo, the Second Elder of the Yan family, had a bitter look on his face. He took a deep breath, and his expression gradually became resolute: "Gentlemen, I believe you are all aware that just last night, our family head was murdered, and not a single soul residing nearby noticed anything amiss."

Second Elder Yan Shuo glanced around at everyone present: "Everyone is desperately searching for the murderer now, but I know that it’s just for show. To kill Xu Lan, the killer must be at least a Golden Immortal! If the murderer wanted to flee, they probably used Great Teleportation last night and would be long gone by now, making them impossible to find."

Everyone gave a bitter smile.

Yes, with the Yan family’s massive search efforts, it’s indeed fruitless. How could they possibly catch a Golden Immortal, who could’ve escaped anywhere with just one Great Teleportation?

"Second Elder, our family head was killed. Are we supposed to just swallow our anger and not seek revenge?" Yan Xutang said angrily.

"Fourth brother, calm down," Yan Xufan said coldly.

Second Elder Yan Shuo shook his head: "Our Yan family is too weak on its own."

Yan Xufan’s eyes lit up: "Second Elder, what do you mean?"

Second Elder Yan Shuo nodded: "Yes, we can only try to get the Yujian Sect to help us. If the Yujian Sect is willing to assist, the chances of avenging this successfully are much higher. But we have little connection with the Yujian Sect, so we can only ask the Great Elder to make a move. After all, the Great Elder is a disciple of the Yujian Sect."

"But the Great Elder is in seclusion..." said Yan Xulan’s wife with a wry smile.

Second Elder nodded: "We can only wait. This time the Great Elder is in seclusion aiming to reach the Seventh Level Golden Immortal Realm, and we must not disturb him no matter what. If we disturb him and cause any disruption in his cultivation, we would be sinners against the Yan family."

All the people in the hall nodded.

Compared to Xu Lan, Great Elder Yan Gao is more important to the Yan family.

Xu Lan’s death is of no great issue. The Yan family can still stand proudly on Fengyue Star.

But if Yan Gao were to suffer a deviation and die, then the Yan family would likely be immediately suppressed by the other two major families, maybe even forever.

"We can only wait!"

Second Elder Yan Shuo stated decisively.

...

In a secluded small manor within Yanshan City, which originally belonged to a cultivator, Qin Yu had bought it with a single middle-grade Primordial Spirit Stone. To those cultivators, a middle-grade Primordial Spirit Stone is worth far more than a small manor.

In one of the rooms of the manor, Qin Yu was sorting through Xu Lan’s belongings.

"Who would’ve thought, upon a closer look, this Xu Lan was truly ruthless." Qin Yu saw one IOU after another, which he understood to be akin to ’usurious loans’ in the Hidden Dragon Continent.

The blood oath handprints on the IOUs made Qin Yu’s heart tremble.

Then a purple Heavenly Fire flew out from Qin Yu’s palm, directly turning hundreds of IOUs to ashes.

With this act by Qin Yu,

those who had signed the IOUs felt a sense of liberation, as they had been tortured by their debts to the point of madness. Now that they felt the IOUs being burned, they were overjoyed, for it meant they no longer needed to repay their debts.

"Strange, strange, for a million years, almost always the Yan family has been in control of that Planet Transmission Array. In principle, their wealth should at least be a hundred times more than that of the Yan Family, and this family head’s space ring should contain at least several billion. But there... there’s only one billion."

With a sweep of his Immortal Consciousness, Qin Yu found out the value of the Primordial Spirit Stones in Xu Lan’s space ring was only one billion.

Even for a family head, why was it so little?

"Never mind, I should just focus on cultivating quietly for a while."

Qin Yu sat down cross-legged.

He had not returned to his original flesh body, but stayed within the Sword Immortal Puppet. Since his cultivation was solely focused on the soul, this condition was equally viable.

In the realms of immortals, demons, and monsters, power is the ultimate authority, and to kill is simply to kill. If one is softhearted, survival is unlikely to be prolonged.

Through the endless years of cultivation, Qin Yu’s heart had grown increasingly cold.

Perhaps only at the deepest recesses of his heart, that familial love, that romantic love, and that brotherly bond... could be considered eternal.

×××

Inside the Sword Immortal Palace of the Yan Family.

A middle-aged man with white eyebrows was sitting cross-legged, his body radiating sharp Sword Qi that moved in and out like breaths.

Suddenly—

The white eyebrows of the middle-aged man floated upwards, all the Sword Qi in his body converged to an extreme point, and a terrifying oppressive aura enveloped the entire secret chamber of the Sword Immortal Palace, causing his complexion to turn red.

Red.

Then, his face turned purple.

With each breath through his nostrils, two streams of sharp Sword Qi shot out and then flew back into the middle-aged man’s body, cycling over and over, the Sword Qi shortening with each pass until suddenly—

The body of the white-eyebrowed middle-aged man trembled.

"Boom!"

Countless strands of Sword Qi burst forth from within the man, shooting in all directions. The defensive capabilities of the Sword Immortal Palace, personally setup by Yan Gao and several Senior Brothers, were indeed remarkable; it remained undamaged under the onslaught of the countless Sword Qi.

"I’ve done it, I’ve finally reached the Seventh Level Golden Immortal," exclaimed the middle-aged man as his eyes snapped open, shining brightly.

This white-eyebrowed middle-aged man was none other than Yan Gao, who had secluded himself for cultivation. Sensing that he was at the peak of the Sixth-level Golden Immortal and only a step away from the Seventh Level, he chose to seclude himself to attempt a breakthrough, and it was successful.

Yan Gao was a third-generation disciple of the Yujian Sect, considered to be of mid-lower strength among his peers.

The first generation of the Yujian Sect, the Sect Master, is the only First Level Profound Immortal.

The second generation of the Yujian Sect consists of eight disciples, seven of whom are Ninth-level Golden Immortals and one who is an Eighth-level Golden Immortal.

Among the several dozen third-generation disciples of the Yujian Sect, there are six Ninth-level Golden Immortals, over a dozen Eighth-level ones, and many Seventh-level ones, with the remainder being Sixth-level Golden Immortals. By reaching the Seventh Level Golden Immortal, the white-eyebrowed middle-aged man could finally be considered average within his generation.

"Master, I have reached the realm of a Seventh Level Golden Immortal," reported Yan Gao to his Master immediately, sharing the good news.

Yan Gao’s Master, Yu Dian, was a second-generation disciple of the Yujian Sect, the only Eighth-level Golden Immortal among them. However, in terms of managing the operations of the sect, Master Yu Dian excelled all others and thus held an extremely high position.

"My disciple, you’ve finally reached the Seventh Level Golden Immortal, haha, this is fantastic. I’ve been wanting you to help me for a long time, but with you being a Sixth-level Golden Immortal, I was worried you couldn’t handle it. In a few days, come to Red Leaf Star," said Yan Gao’s Master cheerfully.

There’s no one more trustworthy than using one’s own disciples.

"Don’t worry, Master. As soon as I’ve arranged the affairs of the clan, I will hurry over," Yan Gao rejoiced internally.

What achievements could there be on a mere Fengyue Star?

Red Leaf Star is a core planet of the Silver String Star System, with even more masters. Developing there promises a brighter future. Furthermore, Yan Gao even aspired to work for Emperor Yu through the Yujian Sect.

After ending the communication, Yan Gao’s face was brimming with smiles.

"The profits from Fengyue Star are too meager. Thus far, I’ve only obtained one Top-Grade offensive Immortal Artifact, and even that was with Master’s assistance. Once I’m at Red Leaf Star, acting under the identity of a Yujian Sect official, I’ll not only have prestige but also, I presume, access to more treasures."

Yan Gao’s Immortal Consciousness spread out.

"Yan Shuo, Xu Lan, I’ve completed my cultivation and can come out of seclusion," communicated Yan Gao through his Immortal Consciousness. However, Yan Gao suddenly realized that he could not find any trace of Xu Lan and thus his Immortal Consciousness began to expand.

But after searching the entire Yanshan City, they could not find Yan Xulan.

"Great Elder, the Family Head has been killed," Yan Shuo’s Immortal Consciousness transmitted the message.

Yan Gao’s complexion changed.

He had just reached the Seventh Level Golden Immortal and was in high spirits due to his appointment by his master. Who would have thought he would receive such infuriating news in the blink of an eye?

"Where is the murderer?" Yan Gao transmitted his voice.

Second Elder Yan Shuo transmitted back, "Great Elder, the murderer killed the Family Head silently in the night, and no one saw the murderer’s appearance. We don’t have a single clue. We simply can’t catch them."

The Great Elder’s complexion grew even uglier.

"Let’s discuss this after I exit my retreat," the Great Elder suppressed the rage in his heart.

The news of the Great Elder’s exit from retreat quickly spread throughout the Yan Family, and all members with any status gathered in the great hall. The death of Yan Xulan did not greatly impact the Yan Family.

Because it was Great Elder Yan Gao who was the pillar of the Yan Family.

...

Within the secluded manor Qin Yu had purchased in Yanshan City.

When Great Elder Yan Gao’s Immortal Consciousness covered the entire Yanshan City searching for Yan Xulan, it accidentally awoke Qin Yu. Although Qin Yu’s soul realm was vastly inferior to Great Elder Yan Gao,

after Qin Yu’s soul merged with the Meteor Tear, not only was his compatibility with the heavens and earth extremely high, but he was also particularly sensitive. He could clearly sense the Great Elder’s Immortal Consciousness.

"Did that old fellow leave his retreat?"

Qin Yu ceased his cultivation, stood up, and cast his gaze toward the direction of the Yan Family great hall. Suddenly, Qin Yu vanished into thin air.

...

Inside the Yan Family great hall.

The incessant chattering noises echoed within the hall. Now, over a hundred elite members had gathered there; Yan Wutao, who had been enchanted by Qin Yu, was also present.

On that day, Qin Yu had only made Yan Wutao lose consciousness, without taking his life.

"Silence."

Yan Xufan’s voice rang out loudly, and the once noisy hall instantly quieted down, no one daring to speak again, guessing that... the Great Elder also had come out.

The Great Elder and the Second Elder walked out one after the other from behind the hall.

Great Elder Yan Gao, with his white eyebrows fluttering and eyes sharp as swords, caused the Yan Family members to not dare even breathe too loudly.

There were three thrones at the top of the great hall.

In the past, the Great Elder and Second Elder sat on the sides, with the center seat reserved for the Family Head. But today, Great Elder Yan Gao took the central throne, while Second Elder Yan Shuo sat beside him.

"I just exited my retreat and received very displeasing news—Xu Lan has been killed," the voice of Great Elder Yan Gao contained anger.

The Yan Family descendants below did not dare to speak out.

After scanning the disciples, Yan Gao continued, "I know this doesn’t concern you much, as anyone who can kill Xu Lan must be at least a Golden Immortal. Today’s assembly has two purposes: one is to avenge Xu Lan, and the second is to select a new Family Head."

Select a Family Head?

If the Great Elder decides on someone, probably no one would dare to object.

"We’ll discuss selecting a Family Head later," said the Great Elder indifferently, "Right now, the biggest problem in avenging Xu Lan is... we don’t have any leads. May I ask the guest elders? Have you also not discovered any information about the enemy?"

The Yan Family’s guest elders all shook their heads helplessly.

Without any information, how could they investigate?

"I have news of the murderer," a voice suddenly echoed throughout the great hall.

A tall, lean man with an icy demeanor entered, a scar crossing his face that only added to his chill. He also carried an Immortal Sword on his back.

Carrying an Immortal Sword was a characteristic of a Sword Immortal.

The newcomer was none other than Qin Yu, who had changed his appearance, using the body of a Sword Immortal Puppet.

"Who are you, and who allowed you to enter our Yan Family great hall?" Yan Xufan was the first to shout in reprimand. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

With the Family Head position at stake, Yan Xufan was naturally the strongest contender and wanted to make his presence known at this moment.

"You... shut up," Qin Yu spoke indifferently, "I am speaking with the Yan Family’s Great Elder, not addressing a junior like you." Qin Yu did not give the slightest face to this Yan Xufan.

Being not even at the Golden Immortal Realm, Qin Yu completely disregarded his existence.

"I am Yan Gao, a third-generation disciple of the Yujian Sect. May I ask which sect this fellow Taoist belongs to..." Yan Gao spoke out.

Qin Yu purposely revealed a trace of his aura for Yan Gao to sense his strength, and Yan Gao detected that the stranger was about an Eighth Level Celestial Immortal in terms of soul realm, which naturally did not concern him much.

However, Qin Yu carrying an Immortal Sword indicated that he might belong to a Sword Cultivation Sect.

Sword Cultivation Sects included severely powerful factions, and the Yujian Sect was just a minor sect among them. Yan Gao was not afraid of Qin Yu himself, yet he feared the sect that stood behind him.

"I... belong to no sect," Qin Yu said with a smile.

Yan Gao’s expression darkened: "Are you here to mock me?"

"Great Elder, this man has already committed a grave offense by barging into our Yan Family hall uninvited, and now he speaks arrogantly. He must be severely punished," Yan Xutang also stood up and said.

Yet Yan Gao was looking at Qin Yu because he felt Qin Yu’s aura beginning to change.

It became sharp.

"I am not here to mock you, but rather... to kill you."

As the words fell, Qin Yu’s right hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

Drawing the sword!

The Seventh Sword Technique of the Sky-breaking Sword Technique!

A sharp, pale sword Qi shot through the air, as Yan Gao almost simultaneously drew his sword, his sword Qi erupting forth.

In an instant!

Yan Gao’s Immortal Sword clanged to the ground. A thin wound from the sword Qi appeared on his abdomen, and Yan Gao’s eyes widened as he slowly fell to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.

With one sword strike, the Seventh Level Golden Immortal Sword Immortal, Yan Gao, was dead!

The entire Yan Family great hall was silent as if everybody was stunned. Their pillar, their guardian deity—the great Yan Gao—was dead!

"A Nascent Soul of a Seventh Level Golden Immortal shouldn’t be wasted," Qin Yu smiled while clutching the Nascent Soul and directly placed it into Yanxuan’s Ring, then vanished from the great hall in a flash.

Awakening to Qin Yu’s voice and seeing Qin Yu snatch the Nascent Soul and teleport away, everyone in the hall finally came to their senses.

(Three Chapters completed. Wow, the competition for monthly tickets is so fierce; the top three are very close. Help me surge ahead with your monthly tickets if you have them!)

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