Chapter 97: Factions
"Swoosh!"
Less than ten seconds after Alkaid had left, two figures, one after the other, burst into the room of Family Head Shangguan Jinlong.
Upon seeing Shangguan Jinlong, who had already become a corpse, both figures were filled with a look of shock.
Compared with the clan leaders of other families, Shangguan Jinlong...
had actually killed his own second uncle to ascend to power.
The inside story here is rather complex, but the reason Shangguan Jinlong was able to firmly hold onto his position as Family Head, and receive their full support, was entirely due to his astonishing Martial Path talent and his fierce and powerful methods.
His rule over the family was one of intimidation, not virtue.
He himself was well aware that the other branches of the family must each harbor their own thoughts, so after becoming Family Head, he never relaxed in his cultivation. He was single-mindedly focused on becoming a Primordial Chaos Martial Saint, condensing a Flawless body, and living more than a century.
But now...
This Family Head of the Shangguan Family, who had risen to power through martial force and was at the Divine Intent Martial Saint level, had been beaten to death with the same method!
This scene deeply shook the two branch Martial Saints who had hurriedly arrived.
They looked towards the figure that had vanished into the night and a trace of fear also flashed through their eyes.
Of course, fear was one thing, but it was another matter altogether to express their stance and position.
Without any hesitation, the two of them ordered angrily, "Chase! Chase! Chase him down for me! To dare to commit murder in our Shangguan Family's territory, it's an outrage against the heavens!"
"Gather everyone and chase after him. Even if we have to turn the Imperial Capital upside down tonight, we must find the murderer who killed the Family Head!"
"Yes."
Amid the resounding chorus of affirmations, the entire Shangguan Family quickly lit up and sprang into action.
...
The privileged district where the Shangguan Family resided was actually located at the base of Star-plucking Mountain.
Above Star-plucking Mountain was where the palace was situated.
The Shangguan Family's big commotion naturally drew the attention of the royal family members situated upon the mountain.
...
At that very moment, in the True Cultivation Hall of the palace, specifically designated for handling state affairs by Jiang Shengtian, this Red Star Emperor was discussing matters with three high-ranking officials.
The expression on each of their faces was extremely solemn.
"Have you figured it out? Why has the Rebirth Society suddenly become as quiet as if they have vanished from existence recently? This behavior... it always feels like the calm before a storm," Jiang Shengtian inquired cautiously.
Answering him was the chief of the intelligence department, who was also Jiang Shengtian's son-in-law, Qi Renjie.
"We're still investigating. Despite our multiple attempts to infiltrate the Rebirth Society and express our friendly intentions, they and we... ultimately have a fundamental difference. Trying to penetrate their core layers... is too difficult," Qi Renjie said.
"Continuing to be passive is not a solution. Our 'Demon Lord' plan needs to be accelerated," commented Jiang Ruolong, who was of an older generation and also Jiang Shengtian's biological father.
"The 'Demon Lord' plan... We also want to complete it as soon as possible, but... We've been stuck on the final step for so long, there's really no other way. After all... the Immortal Soldier Demon Weapons themselves are the 'tenants' we have to pay to the Artifact Sect in order to rule this world. These things are not meant for us to wield, to grasp them is too difficult..." Jiang Shengtian sighed.
"If the 'Demon Lord' plan cannot be carried out smoothly, we will have no way of dealing with the Rebirth Society," he said.
"We'll just have to wait. We've waited so many years, and moreover, the plan has advanced to the final step; we don't mind waiting another decade or so... If the situation changes too quickly... then we will have no choice but to start a war of World Annihilation," Jiang Ruolong said.
"Impossible! The Rebirth Society will not allow such a thing to happen. If we really do that, it would be equivalent to forcing the Rebirth Society to go to war with us ahead of time."
"Over the years, their forces have clearly been expanding rapidly, especially in recent years. According to the feedback fluctuations from various sources about the Stellar Sect, their strength... is getting stronger and stronger... We may not have another decade," one of them said.
As they discussed, their brows furrowed even more deeply.
After a long while, Jiang Ruolong finally said, "What does the Xie Family have to say?"
"Their attitude towards the Rebirth Society is very tough, which is why the Rebirth Society has shifted its focus to our side. After all, many of our people and equipment were already withdrawn years ago. If it weren't for the Heavenly Venerable's breakthrough, which made our ancestor reluctant to hand over this world easily, we wouldn't even exist," Jiang Shengtian said.
His tone was uplifted when he mentioned "Heavenly Venerable."
He said confidently, "The reason why the Snow Dragon Xie Family has not acted against us yet is because they fear the Heavenly Venerable. After being out of contact for so long, they also don't know to what extent the Heavenly Venerable has grown. Perhaps... he may have already become a chosen one of our sect."
Not just Jiang Shengtian, but the others also smiled at these words.
Despite it being time for a change in world rulers, the Jiang Family dared to linger and even maintain their dominant position in this world solely because they were certain the Snow Dragon Xie Family did not have the courage to deeply offend them.
"They dare not make a move, but the Rebirth Society has no such scruples..." Qi Renjie said.
"The Rebirth Society..." Jiang Shengtian pondered, taking a long while before he said, "Do you think... the Rebirth Society is just bluffing, with the intent to deter us so that we do not act rashly, allowing them to slowly infiltrate and control our world?"
"That hypothesis has been around for over a decade. But before the Rebirth Society, or rather the Moon Demon Empire, descended... Even when we were still maintaining contact with the Artifact Sect, the ancestor did mention that they had opened up a new battlefield... This aligns with the origin of the Rebirth Society," Jiang Ruolong said, shaking his head.
"However, now it's meaningless to discuss this. All we need to know is that we desperately need to execute the 'Demon Lord' plan, on one hand to re-establish our connection with the Artifact Sect, and on the other to wield the power of the 'Demon Lord' to force the Rebirth Society to the negotiation table, or even use their power to return to the Artifact Sect.
As long as we can return to the Artifact Sect, it doesn't matter if they have this world."
His words made the others nod in agreement simultaneously.
Return to the Artifact Sect.
This was their only requirement so far.
As for the rest, it didn't matter.
Whether this world got destroyed or not was of no significant concern to them.
At this moment, Qi Renjie seemed to recall something and suddenly spoke up, "Speaking of the unusual silence of the Rebirth Society during this period, I remembered a piece of news. According to our undercover agents, there appears to be a traitor within the Rebirth Society? The upper echelons are offering a reward for any information on him..."
"A traitor?"
Jiang Shengtian's eyes lit up, "Who?"
"Still investigating. After all, our infiltration of the Rebirth Society has been too slow."
"Report to me the moment there is news."
Jiang Shengtian ordered solemnly.
One could never be too cautious with those claiming to be from the Moon Demon Empire in the Rebirth Society...
Just then, Jiang Shengtian seemed to notice something and abruptly asked, "What has happened?"
Soon, a voice came from outside, "There's been an incident at the Shangguan Family, an assassin broke in and attempted to kill Shangguan Jinlong."
"Shangguan Jinlong was assassinated?"
Qi Renjie was somewhat surprised, "I had high hopes for him... He had a decent chance of advancing further, stepping into the Sixth Heaven Realm, then he could serve our Jiang Family for several more decades."
"Just a bunch of household slaves, if they die, they die; let them choose another one."
Jiang Ruolong waved his hand dismissively.
"Daring to kill someone in the Imperial Capital is no trivial matter."
Jiang Shengtian's expression grew cold, "Whether it's internal strife among the servants or other powers acting rashly and boldly, we cannot condone it! Renjie, go to the Shangguan Family personally to investigate, and find out who did this!
Once you've found out, no matter who it is, even if it's someone from the Snow Dragon Xie Family, arrest them if they must be arrested, kill them if they must be killed!"
After finishing speaking, he huffed coldly, "They are rebelling against the heavens, daring to murder on Star-plucking Mountain. This sort of action has crossed the line! We must make our stance clear for the world to see or else they will continue to think the Jiang Family can be bullied."
Qi Renjie nodded.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ruolong and the others also felt that Jiang Shengtian made sense.
It didn't matter that the one who died was Shangguan Jinlong; anyone who dared to kill in the Imperial Capital was challenging the Red Star Imperial Family, and such provocateurs must be dealt with decisively, regardless of their status or origin.
"I will go now."
Qi Renjie stood up.
But just at this moment, a sudden ringing resounded from outside.
It was accompanied by a series of shocked and angry shouts, "An assassin!"
And with the shouting, a tremendous aura was rapidly approaching the True Cultivation Hall where they were situated.
Clearly, the assailant was targeting them.
"What audacity! Daring to cause a disturbance on Star-plucking Mountain!"
Jiang Ruolong bellowed furiously.
Qi Renjie glanced at a device in his hand, "Divine Soul strength 11.21, a newly-promoted Divine Intent Martial Saint."
"Call the commander over, or let Thunder handle it."
Jiang Shengtian suggested.
"I'll handle it."
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At this time, the man who was under thirty and had been mostly silent spoke up.
He was Jiang Xuntian.
The most outstanding prince of the younger generation of the Jiang Family, unanimously regarded by the higher-ups as the future Family Head, and even as a Celestial in the making.
He had achieved the rank of Martial Saint at twenty-one.
Today, he had taken a step further and entered the Divine Intent Realm.
"There are only so many experts in Divine Intent. This person might be the killer of Shangguan Jinlong... It might be better to let Half-child Commander or Thunder handle it."
"Divine Intent differs greatly between individuals; sometimes, the gap between Divine Intents is bigger than between a human and a dog."
Jiang Xuntian said calmly, "Besides, how could the Martial Techniques practiced by household slaves compare to mine?"
After hearing this, Jiang Ruolong smiled and nodded, "Well said."
He glanced at Jiang Shengtian, "Since Xuntian is interested, let him go. After all, it's just a newly-promoted Divine Intent, how strong can he be? Besides, don't we have us here watching? Three Divine Intents and one Martial Saint, this kind of power could easily quell any resistance within the Martial Arts World of a continent."
Upon hearing this, and thinking of his nephew's invincible record as a Martial Saint, Jiang Shengtian found it hard to say more, only advising, "Be careful, wear your vestment robe, and don the Magic Artifact, you know the lion uses all its strength even when hunting a rabbit."
"I'm aware."
Jiang Xuntian nodded indifferently.
Then, he took the lead in pushing the door open, stepping out of the conference room.
Jiang Shengtian and the others followed closely behind.
As they opened the door, they saw a figure breaking through the guard's blockade, leaping into view.