Sitting up in his chair, Mu Fan lifted his hand and sent out his Spiritual Qi to have it enter his uncle.
The metal properties of his Qi then jolted Mu Sun awake. He slowly tried to get up, but Mu Fan coldly said, “Stay kneeled.”
Mu Sun reluctantly agreed and got on his knees in front of his nephew.
“Where’s my father?” Mu Fan asked coldly.
“He’s fine, he’s in the Clan Dungeon.”
“Someone go and release my father.”
One of the elders nearby got up himself and left to carry out his Young Master’s order. He had a skip in his step and was even whistling a delightful tune as he went.
It was obvious he was glad this situation was solved. He and the others who had been opposed to Mu Sun becoming the Clan Head had faced constant harassment from all sides these past few days.
After that, Mu Fan asked, “What happened when I wasn’t here, tell me the full story.”
Mu Sun then went on to tell of how the Ming Clan youth had stopped by in their City and happened to see Mu Fan's sister, who was three years older than him. The Ming Clan youth then came to the Mu Clan and proposed Mu Fan’s father make her become his concubine.
After Mu Fan’s father said no, the youth was first stunned that a backwater Clan had refused him and had even threatened to wipe out the entire Clan if he didn’t get what he wanted.
Hearing this part, Mu Fan grind his teeth in anger.
But after it was revealed that Mu Fan was a Celestial Academy disciple, the youth immediately retracted his statement and instead conspired with Mu Sun and a few elders to have Mu Fan’s father abdicate his position. Saying Mu Sun, who had amazingly somehow reached the 3rd stage of the Foundation Realm after years of stagnating cultivation progress in the 1st stage, had become a better fit for the Clan Head position than his father who was only in the 2nd stage.
After the story was fully told, Xi Shen was the one who asked the other question.
“Where is the Ming Clan youth now? Is he still inside the Clan?”
Mu Sun frowned at this unknown youth asking him questions, but upon seeing Mu Fan’s cold eyes boring into him, he answered, “No. He received a message via jade slip before he hurriedly left.”
‘Hmm, the Ming Clan had probably acted. If it was mistaken that they had tried to use such methods to force a Chosen to join their Clan, then they could receive backlash from the Righteous Faction Counsel Elders.’
Xi Shen heard from Lihua that the Counsel of Elders' authority was only second to the Emperor, his father. They were made up of the various powers of the top noble families, Clans, and Academies to fight against the Allied Demonic Cult Forces.
“Where is my sister?” Mu Fan suddenly asked.
“….”
Mu Sun and the entire hall fell into silence.
Seeing this Mu Fan’s heart sank, and he growled out, “Answer me.”
The one who inevitably answer him was his father who just entered the main hall.
“Fan’er, your sister is recovering in her chambers after she tried to harm herself. She was unwilling to be forced by your uncle to leave with that Ming Clan youth.”
*BANG!!*
Something within Mu Fan’s mind snapped like a thin string holding up an anvil. After which an insurmountable aura erupted from his body to cover the entire hall. It spread to the outside and the crowd took a step back in fright.
Within the hall, the elders got thrown to the ground as the chair beneath them suddenly collapsed.
Yang Su, Fang Chen, and Lihua, all took a step back in surprise at the sudden burst of aura.
As it weighed down on their shoulders, they got the sensation that a Heavenly Blade was hovering above them ready to cut them down.
Only after Fei Yin released his 7th stage Foundation Realm cultivation base to bolster their protection that they felt the pressure and sensation ease up.
‘Such overwhelming pressure. Is he really in the Sea Expansion Realm? Just how can he release such an aura?’
Fei Yin was shocked to his core.
‘But what is this I sense within it? It’s weird, his aura feels frenzied and unstable. I think if a low-level cultivator or a normal mortal were to stand in this aura, their mind would devolve into chaos before it collapsed. Such a terrifying property. Is this a result of…’
Fei Yin paused and he recalled the changes his body and mind had gone through after killing Bai Lu. His soul had taken on the properties of a tree going through the cycle of growth and wilting. Xi Shen explained to him it was something known as Dao Realization, and that it was a sign of him taking a step on the path of Dao Comprehension.
The feeling Mu Fan’s aura was giving him was that it had gone through a similar transformation.
‘Has he really gone through a Dao Realization as I have? What monstrous talent, he’s two years younger than me. But I guess when heavenly talent is involved age difference becomes meaningless.’
*Tremble* *Tremble*
The main building shook violently as Mu Fan slowly rose from his chair, which quickly dissolve into dust.
Mu Sun who was feeling the brunt of the pressure was gasping for air and was looking at Mu Fan with a horror-stricken face. How could he have guessed that his weak nephew had gone on to become this terrifying monster in front of him?
Mu Sun was scared. He was scared because Mu Fan's eyes showed that he was about to kill him. And to him, it would be no different than killing an ant.
But he couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak to beg for his life, all he could do was stare wide-eyed.
As of this moment, the demeanor Mu Fan held previously was completely gone. He looked like a completely different person who could kill a thousand without batting an eye. The change was extremely exaggerated.
Xi Shen, who was calmly standing off to the side watching, observed Mu Fan’s sudden change curiously.
‘It almost seemed as if he have a split personality. His change in demeanor is way too drastic.’
Mu Fan lifted his hand and pointed his index finger at Mu Fan. A shocking blood-red glow appeared on the tip of his finger that made the aura in the hall multiply tenfold and ripples to appear in the air which distort and twist the space in front of him.
*Crack*Crack*
The floor and steps in front of Mu Fan began to crack as it was unable to handle the pressure his finger was releasing.
‘Blade Intent.’
Xi Shen thought, and he was still rather casually standing where he was to observe it for the first time.
Just as Mu Fan was about to release the Blade Intent from his finger, his father's voice, who seemed to be the only one unaffected by Mu Fan’s blind outburst, shouted at his son, “Mu Fan!! That’s enough! Your sister is fine, she’s mostly recovered and isn’t in danger of dying. Despite what he did, he’s still your uncle. What did I say about shedding the blood of your own family? Haven’t you learned nothing from my teachings at all!”
Hearing that, clarity returned to Mu Fan’s eyes and the terrifying pressure in the hall suddenly withdrew.
Dropping his hand, Mu Fan turned to his father with teary eyes.
“Dad… I-I-I was worried something had happened to you and elder sister.”
Mu Fan’s figure then vanished from his position and reappeared in front of his father, to bury his head in his chest while giving him a hug. Despite his height, his father still had the ability to rest his chin on his head to hug him back.
"I'm fine son, there's no need to lose control of your emotions."
Seeing his sudden change again Xi Shen became even more curious. Mu Fan had just been in a berserk-like state where he couldn’t distinguish foe from friend. Well, aside from his father that is, but everyone else was affected by his burst of aura.
The aura itself as well wasn’t normal. It was filled with rampage and unruliness, and most of all, it gave off a crazy and chaotic feeling.
‘This is the manifestation of a Dao. It’s small and could barely be considered anything, but it’s still there. The seed has been planted for something to bloom in the future if he’s diligent. Wait, is this the reason why he was able to comprehend Blade Intent so early on? Then just how long ago was it since he gain that Dao Realization? I’ll need to ask him more about this later. No, since I have all six members now, I need to learn more in-depth about their strengths and talents. Everyone has a story, background, or past. On the path of cultivation, this becomes the backbone and foundation they build upon. Whether it was for revenge, a sense of duty, or just wishing to become stronger. I need to understand their desires and get to know them better. Huh, I'm really starting to like this leadership route. I'm glad I chose it instead of going about this alone. It would have been too lonely for my taste.’
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