Xuanwu War Sovereign

A few days later, a major event occurred in Shanghe Town. Someone had unearthed several monsters from beneath the ground. These creatures had the heads of dogs and the bodies of men, with long, sharp claws. They began killing on sight the moment they emerged, slaughtering many innocent townspeople. If not for a few powerful Martial Artists who happened to be passing by and killed the monsters in time, many more people in the town would have died.

According to these powerful Martial Artists, the creatures were the legendary Earth Abyss Demon Fiends. They suspected there might be a fissure to the Earth Abyss beneath Shanghe Town, from which the Demon Fiends had escaped.

Demon Fiends! In the ancient legends, they were monsters even more cruel than Fierce Beasts!

At first, some people were skeptical, but their doubts vanished when a second wave of dog-headed Demon Fiends burst from the ground and began a wanton slaughter.

The people of Shanghe Town fell into a full-blown panic. A wave of refugees began to flee, and within a few days, as more and more Dog-headed Demons clawed their way to the surface, that wave swelled into a torrent, scattering in all directions toward other major towns.

The once-vast Shanghe Town was now almost entirely deserted.

The Qin Family was the preeminent clan in this region, having been rooted in Shanghe Town for centuries. They had built roads and established waterway docks. As Shanghe Town achieved its own rugged prosperity, the Qin Family grew ever stronger, gathering refugees and expanding their territory. But with the sudden collapse of the fertile land that was Shanghe Town, this great and powerful clan, once firmly established, was now like a condemned house with its foundation hollowed out. It began to crumble.

This was especially true now, having lost most of its elite members and suffering a grievous blow to its core strength. The family, whose prestige once commanded the entire region and whose reputation was illustrious, suddenly disintegrated like scattered sand.

Without Shanghe Town, the Qin Family was nothing!

In the Qin Family’s estate, the Qin Family Master, Qin Qingshan, stood on a pavilion, his gaze vacant as he stared out at the empty, silent Shanghe Town. From this high vantage point in the Qin estate, one could see the entire town in a single panoramic view. In the past, this was Qin Qingshan’s favorite spot.

The shrewd, dignified old man stood on the pavilion, his pupils unfocused, his eyes staring blankly at the town that was once bustling with traffic and was now utterly deserted.

The sprawling town was a mess. The wide streets were eerily silent. Down at the waterway docks, once teeming with an endless stream of merchants, great ships were moored, but there was no sign of the usual hustle and bustle—only a dead silence.

"How did it come to this..." Qin Qingshan stared intently at the scene. "Fourth Brother, tell me, what did I do wrong? How could our Qin Family end up in such a state!"

"All these years, I’ve exhausted my mind and body, never resting for a moment. I was always planning for the Qin Family, always toiling, always paving the way for our future. How could the Qin Family fall so far! How could this happen on my watch, under Qin Qingshan’s leadership!"

He roared, his emotions running high. His eyes were bloodshot as a furious aura erupted from him. A blast of Qi Force shot out from his waist, causing the air to shudder and crackle.

An old man in black robes stood ramrod straight behind him. When the Qi Force struck, an invisible field around him blocked it. His expression was placid, tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"Eldest Brother, the Shanghe Town branch of the Qin Family has fallen. It’s not because you didn’t work hard enough."

Qin Qingshan spun around, staring daggers at the black-robed, black-haired old man. The black-robed man gave a cold smile, his gaze as sharp as a piercing winter light.

"It’s just that you put your faith in the wrong person. It’s obvious that Qin Fang is not the Revival Lord of the Qin Family spoken of in the prophecy. The reason the Qin Family has fallen to this state is entirely because of that ’good’ grandson of yours, Qin Fang. If it weren’t for his jealousy of the talented, his lust for glory, and his unbridled arrogance, he would never have sent so many of the Qin Family’s elites to their deaths. He was responsible for the loss of almost a third of our elites in the Barbaric Mountain Range!"

The black-robed man’s words stabbed into Qin Qingshan’s heart like a sword. With every word he spoke, Qin Qingshan grew more silent. By the end, his face had turned ashen. Yet, a sliver of hope remained in his eyes. He forced a smile.

"Fourth Brother, that can’t be true. As they say, you learn from your mistakes. With this lesson, Fang’er will surely rise again. That Great Power said that our Qin Family is destined to produce a Revival Lord in this generation, one who will lead our family to glory! Fang’er is destined to lead the Qin Family to rise once more!"

The black-robed elder sneered and cut him off. "Eldest Brother, the Qin Family has indeed produced a Revival Lord in this generation. But I’m afraid it’s not the Qin Fang you’ve placed all your hopes in!"

Qin Qingshan’s body shuddered. His face was livid as he glared at the man in black. "Fourth Brother, that’s enough!" he roared in fury. "Fang’er has only failed once! How can you be so harsh? He’s still young and inexperienced! As long as he learns his lesson, he can make a comeback! As long as he is with our Qin Family, we have hope! Even in failure, there’s a chance to rise again!"

"Besides, Qin Fang is the most outstanding disciple of his generation in the Qin Family! In terms of aptitude, methods, and fortuitous encounters, who can compare to him?" As he said this, a trace of pride appeared on Qin Qingshan’s face. His eyes lit up with renewed excitement. Cultivating an elite like Qin Fang was the proudest achievement of his life.

The man in black stared speechlessly at Qin Qingshan, who was acting as if he were possessed by some fanatical zeal. After a moment, he sneered. "A comeback? Eldest Brother, have you gone mad? Your ’good’ grandson has already squandered the Qin Family’s entire fortune! What are we going to use to rise again? We can’t even hold on to Shanghe Town! The main Qin Family in Mountain and River City has already decided to send another branch to take over. Our Shanghe Town branch is now a thing of the past!"

As Qin Qingshan’s face turned deathly pale, the black-robed elder gave a faint smile. "But you were right about one thing. The Qin Family does have one last sliver of hope."

Qin Qingshan stared intently at the black-robed elder, a deeply ominous premonition rising within him. Ignoring Qin Qingshan’s murderous glare, the black-robed elder smiled, his expression filled with a glimmer of hope.

"Though it’s been proven that Qin Fang is nothing more than an embroidered pillow—all show and no substance—at least that useless pillow helped our Qin Family test a True Dragon! Qin Feng!"

"Qin Feng?" In an instant, Qin Qingshan’s eyes turned blood-red. "Fourth Brother, how dare you mention that rebellious little bastard in front of me!"

The black-robed elder sneered. "Eldest Brother, Qin Feng is no bastard. He is of our Qin Family’s bloodline, and he is our Qin Family’s Revival Lord!"

"Speaking of which, we have your ’good’ grandson to thank. If not for his foolishness serving as a foil, we might never have discovered this True Dragon!"

Qin Qingshan was enraged. "Scoundrel! How could that little bastard Qin Feng possibly be the Qin Family’s Revival Lord! He’s just a mongrel from a side branch! What right does he have to be the Revival Lord of the Qin Family!"

The black-robed elder retorted with a mix of mockery and resentment. "Useless? Yet this ’useless’ one surpasses your ’good’ grandson in every single way—be it Cultivation, talent, methods, or opportunities! If he isn’t the Revival Lord, then who is? That ’good’ grandson of yours, Qin Fang, who’s incapable of success but a master of failure?"

"Even if he’s not the Revival Lord, at the very least he’s far better than that prodigal son of yours who bankrupted the Qin Family!"

Qin Qingshan’s chest heaved violently, so filled with rage he felt he might explode. He was so furious he almost coughed up blood. Yet, he could not refute it, because it was the truth. The very Qin Fang in whom he had placed so much hope didn’t even have the courage to face Qin Feng; he had lost his nerve and turned tail to run.

The Qin Family had indeed lost the vast majority of its core strength because of Qin Fang.

Qin Qingshan was utterly disgraced, his reputation in tatters.

"Eldest Brother, the clan historians will record every detail of these events in our family’s history. I’m afraid the impression of you as a blind, domineering man of great ambition but little talent will be presented to our descendants for generations to come. You will be the sinner of the Shanghe Town branch of the Qin Family, the main culprit behind its fall! You will become an object of scorn for all posterity. You’ve made your bed, now lie in it."

After delivering this cold parting shot, the man in black flicked his sleeves and walked away.

Left standing alone, Qin Qingshan’s face cycled through shades of white, black, and red, finally settling on a deep, purplish crimson. "PTUI!" A suffocating pressure built in his chest, and he sprayed a mouthful of blood. His face instantly turned as pale as paper, and he collapsed to the ground.