Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Sudden Change

The woman remained silent for a moment. Finally, she took out a crystal-clear white jade token from her waist, with the words “Holy Sun” inscribed on it.

Her red lips parted slightly as she said, “If we have the chance to meet again in the future, I will definitely repay you.”

Before Qin Yefeng could react, the stunning woman’s beautiful figure was already about to disappear into the mist-shrouded marsh.

Then, a faint voice drifted over, “My name is Ye Ruoxuan. I hope there will be a day when we can meet again.”

Qin Yefeng gazed in the direction she disappeared, a trace of complex emotion deep in his eyes, and muttered, “With that cultivation, she must be at least in the Xiantian Realm.”

Earlier, after Qin Yefeng refined the Extreme Yin Cold Qi from the body of the woman named Ye Ruoxuan, his own body inexplicably alternated between bouts of burning heat and freezing cold.

Subsequently, his cultivation directly broke through to the seventh level of the Houtian Realm. This left Qin Yefeng feeling astonished, wondering what kind of special physique this mysterious woman possessed.

Since his goal for entering the Black Water Marsh this time had been accomplished, Qin Yefeng did not linger any longer. He began to hurry towards the outskirts of the Black Water Marsh to prepare for the Holy Sun Academy’s recruitment tournament.

Along the way, although some demonic beasts attempted to attack him, Qin Yefeng’s cultivation had already broken through to the seventh level of the Houtian Realm, so he faced no real danger.

With just a tap of his foot on the ground, Qin Yefeng’s figure could shoot forward several zhang. In merely a moment, he had dashed across a distance of several hundred zhang.

Within the Qin Family residence, a group of black-clad Qin Family law enforcement guards, each wielding a weapon, stood guard in the courtyard.

“Elder, if Qin Yefeng hears the news, would that brat still dare to come back?” a black-clad man asked in a low voice.

Among this group of black-clad men, the leader was the Second Elder, who had a hooked nose and inverted triangular eyes. He sneered, “He won’t know. As long as we get rid of Qin Yefeng, Qin Pengfei will no longer be able to hold the position of Patriarch due to having no heir. When that time comes, the Patriarch’s seat will belong to our lineage!”

Then, the Second Elder asked uneasily, “Are you absolutely certain that the Nine Fragrances Qi-Dissolving Powder was slipped into Qin Pengfei’s teacup?”

“Rest assured, I have already bribed Qin Pengfei’s personal maid. She saw him drink the Nine Fragrances Qi-Dissolving Powder with her own eyes,” the black-clad man said fawningly, claiming credit.

“Good, good! Poisoned by the Nine Fragrances Qi-Dissolving Powder, Qin Pengfei won’t be able to use his spiritual energy for three days. That’s more than enough time for us to subdue him and kill Qin Yefeng!”

The Second Elder’s eyes lit up, and the black-clad law enforcement guards behind him all erupted into boisterous laughter, looking like a pack of ferocious beasts.

By the time Qin Yefeng hurried back, he was completely unaware of the situation.

He saw that many people had already gathered in the courtyard; even the Second Elder and a portion of the law enforcement team were standing guard there.

Qin Yefeng felt both surprised and anxious, not knowing exactly what had happened.

The Second Elder stood firmly in the main courtyard. Seeing Qin Yefeng enter, his old face couldn’t help but form a faint smile as he waved his hand.

The law enforcement team, who had been prepared and waiting on the side, moved swiftly and immediately surrounded Qin Yefeng.

“Qin Ao, as the captain of the law enforcement team, what do you think you’re doing?” Qin Yefeng asked sternly, not understanding the situation.

Qin Ao’s expression was cold as he said chillingly, “You don’t need to know why right now. We are going to escort you to the ancestral hall. Will you go on your own, or do we have to drag you there?”

Qin Yefeng looked at the sinister Second Elder, then swept his gaze over the people around him, only to find that every single one of them harbored malicious intentions and was laughing wildly.

What exactly was this old thing planning? How were they trying to deal with him?

Qin Yefeng thought of many possibilities. Finally, he reasoned that his father was still in charge of the Qin Family, so what harm would there be in accompanying them to the ancestral hall?

“Lead the way. I’ll go with you,” Qin Yefeng replied calmly and indifferently.

“It seems that today, the Patriarch will be replaced ahead of schedule!”

“Is he courting death? He still dared to come back at a time like this?”

“Qin Yefeng is really going to die this time. Even the Patriarch might not be able to save him!”

Seeing the Qin Family law enforcement team escorting Qin Yefeng, the Qin Family members who were passing by and watching immediately began to discuss among themselves.

Hearing the clansmen inexplicably talking about life and death, changing the Patriarch, and so on, Qin Yefeng stopped in his tracks, full of questions, wanting to ask what was going on.

“Escort him to the ancestral hall!” Just as Qin Yefeng was about to voice his question, the Second Elder’s withered and dry voice rang out from behind.

“Understood!” several black-clad men from the law enforcement team respectfully replied. After speaking, they stepped forward together to pressure Qin Yefeng.

Qin Yefeng stood his ground, clenched his fists tightly, and directly threw off the several black-clad men who were trying to suppress him.

“I can walk on my own! Don’t touch me!” Qin Yefeng shouted, his anger soaring to the heavens.

What exactly had happened? Qin Yefeng decided to wait and see, heading to the ancestral hall to find out what was going on in the family.

Following the steps of the law enforcement team, Qin Yefeng stepped into the solemn Qin Family ancestral hall.

At this moment, the Qin Family ancestral hall was full of people. On both sides sat the elders of the Qin Family, and behind these elders were the forces representing their respective lineages.

Within the Qin Family, there were three main factions: the Patriarch, the First Elder, and the Second Elder.

Qin Xue belonged to the First Elder’s lineage, but the First Elder had an indifferent temperament and little interest in fighting for power and profit.

The Second Elder, however, greatly desired the position of Patriarch and had been scheming to obtain it.

Because Qin Yefeng previously lacked any talent for cultivation and was unsuited to be the next Patriarch’s successor, the First Elder had slowly begun to lean towards the Second Elder.

It was only during the time Qin Yefeng went to the Black Water Marsh that the Second Elder managed to bribe his way through the family’s law enforcement team, leading to this sudden uprising.

“Qin Yefeng, you couldn’t even protect the Patriarch lineage’s Holy Sun Token! What face do you have to return to the Qin Family?” the Second Elder shouted sternly, his face full of savagery.

Qin Yefeng ignored the Second Elder beside him and looked towards the central seat, only to find it empty.

“Where is my father?” Qin Yefeng asked in a chilling voice.

The Second Elder smiled eerily and secretly shot a glance at his descendants behind him.

“You stole the Holy Sun Token and injured members of the Qin Family! You naturally deserve to be punished!”

“Qin Pengfei has failed to discipline his son and should naturally step down from the position of Patriarch.”

“Today, you shall be stripped of your status as the Patriarch’s successor!”

The members of the Second Elder’s lineage in the family began to accuse Qin Yefeng one after another. Under their incitement, other uninformed clansmen also joined in the accusations.

“Good! Since the entire Qin Family is of one mind, I shall cripple his cultivation on behalf of our ancestors and then expel him from the family!” The Second Elder put on a righteous and awe-inspiring facade.

Looking at this Second Elder, who was at the seventh level of the Houtian Realm, he seemed like nothing more than a comical old man in Qin Yefeng’s eyes at this moment.

Qin Yefeng couldn’t help but let out a contemptuous laugh. “You just want to be the Patriarch yourself. If you have the ability, then come at me.”

Seeing Qin Yefeng acting so fearlessly in front of him, the Second Elder flew into a violent rage.

As long as he crippled Qin Yefeng’s cultivation, the position of Patriarch would undoubtedly be his!

“Intermediate Martial Skill—Yin Void Claw!”

The Second Elder’s figure burst forward. The Green Yin Ghost Claw in his hand aimed straight for Qin Yefeng’s throat, tracing an eerie arc through the air.

“What’s wrong with Qin Yefeng? Is he really not afraid of death?”

“It seems that today, the sky over the Qin Family is truly going to change!”

“The Second Elder’s cultivation has already reached the peak of the seventh level of the Houtian Realm, and he has years of combat experience. It looks like Qin Yefeng is doomed!”

Seeing the Second Elder make his move, the clansmen in the Qin Family ancestral hall seemed to envision Qin Yefeng having his cultivation crippled and being kicked out of the Qin Family like a useless dog.

Qin Yefeng sneered. He gripped the hilt of his saber with both hands, raised the blade above his head, and then slashed down with all his might.

Where the blade passed, the Second Elder was instantly cleaved in half alive, his blood splattering all over the ground.

“This… this… how is this possible?”

“Qin Yefeng can’t… possibly… be this strong! Something must be wrong!”

“This… this… could it be that Qin Yefeng has awakened a powerful martial talent? But even then, he shouldn’t be this strong!”

With the Second Elder slain by a single strike from Qin Yefeng, the clansmen in the Qin Family ancestral hall were all shocked.

At this moment, the First Elder, who was sitting peacefully in his chair, calmly looked at the corpse on the ground, then glanced at the high-spirited Qin Yefeng standing there, and finally made his decision.

The First Elder slowly spoke, “The Second Elder has committed treason. He captured the Patriarch and attempted to persecute the Young Patriarch. Law enforcement team, hear my command! Execute the entire lineage of the Second Elder!”

After saying this, the First Elder stood up and led Qin Yefeng out of the Qin Family ancestral hall.

Qin Yefeng looked at the deeply hidden First Elder leading the way beside him. His strength was actually a bit higher than his father’s, and he could be considered a scheming old fox.

If he hadn’t had the strength to kill the Second Elder, the one crippled would have been him, and the First Elder probably wouldn’t have even blinked an eye.

After opening the dungeon, Qin Yefeng saw his disheveled father in the very last stone cell, his head covered in blood.

“Father!” Qin Yefeng’s eyes were filled with fury as he directly smashed the wooden stakes of the cell with a single punch.

Qin Pengfei raised his head. After looking closely, he realized it was indeed his son.

“Yefeng, you’re not dead? Run away, quickly…” Qin Pengfei shouted loudly.

However, a glint of cold light flashed through Qin Yefeng’s eyes as he quickly said, “Father, I have already killed the Second Elder. Now, no one in the Qin Family dares to threaten us.”

“What? You killed the Second Elder?” At this moment, Qin Pengfei’s eyes lit up, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

Qin Yefeng nodded heavily, and then the father and son embraced tightly.

Following Qin Yefeng’s slaying of the Second Elder and the First Elder’s order to eradicate the Second Elder’s lineage, Qin Yefeng’s name spread throughout the entire Qin Residence like a hurricane.

“What? You’re saying Qin Yefeng’s cultivation actually broke through to the seventh level of the Houtian Realm?”

“How is that possible?”

“Qin Yefeng has always just been trash. Could it be that he was hiding his strength all along?”

All sorts of remarks echoed throughout the Qin Residence.

The night was as black as ink. In a small courtyard within the Qin Residence, Qin Yefeng and his father stood inside a pavilion.

At this time, Qin Pengfei’s eyes held a complex expression. Looking at Qin Yefeng beside him, he said softly, “Yefeng, I have never told you about your mother before. Now that you have become a true martial artist, it is time to tell you.”