The master of the Kill Path Association, Di Shitian, arrived by sea with his Three Peaks Twelve Riders, ambitiously vowing to seize the Dragon Country's Imperial Seal, sever its destiny, and avenge his son.
However, no one could have predicted that a single Dugu Jian and a Wang Yuyan would not only foil Di Shitian's plans but also lead to his demise.
Especially Wang Yuyan, who crushed Di Shitian with absolute martial power. This scene left everyone present in disbelief.
As Wang Yuyan retracted her hand, a chubby youth and a handsome youth, leading eight hundred men, charged forward with murderous intent.
The chubby youth was none other than Zhou Jian, and the handsome youth was Rong Haodong of the Rong family from the Northwest.
Upon seeing Zhou Jian and Rong Haodong's arrival, the faces of the five great families changed. Ye Zixuan, the patriarch of the Ye family, shouted, "Zhou Jian, Rong Haodong, why are you here?"
"Of course, to eliminate these traitors," Zhou Jian replied nonchalantly, a blade of grass in his mouth, addressing Ye Zixuan. "The five great families, with the exception of the Qin family, have all colluded with the Kill Path Association. Today, this young master, in conjunction with Young Master Rong from the Northwest, will purge you scoundrels."
With a wave of his hand, Zhou Jian commanded the eight hundred men, "Men of the five great families, kill them all, except for the Qin family."
"You..."
No one had anticipated Zhou Jian and Rong Haodong's timely appearance, nor that they would bring such a large force with the intention of eliminating the four great families.
The members of the four great families' faces suddenly contorted. "Zhou Jian, are you trying to take advantage of the situation?"
Earlier, Dugu Jian's attack had not only annihilated most of the Kill Path Association's powerhouses but also two-thirds of the five great families' experts. Even though they had all consumed Golden Pill Number One, the disparity in strength compared to Zhou Jian and Rong Haodong's eight hundred men was still terrifying.
"Less nonsense, kill them! Eliminate all members of the four great families, leaving none alive. I want the world to know the consequences of colluding with the Kill Path Association."
At Zhou Jian's command, the eight hundred men charged. Four hundred were armed with swords, and four hundred with sabers, all of them cultivators at the Heaven Realm peak or above. These were the accumulated trump cards of the Zhou and Rong families over a hundred years.
The four great families combined had fewer than two hundred experts. Facing an opponent four times their number with equal strength, they were no match. In less than five minutes, two-thirds of the four great families' experts had fallen.
Seeing this, Qi Tuojiang and Kong Wudao could only join the fray, but their strength was no match for the ferocious opponents, and they were soon gravely wounded.
"Stop—"
Just as the four great families' experts were about to be wiped out, Shen Tianjun, whose injuries had been healed by Shen Lang, roared and interrupted the ongoing slaughter.
The reputation of Shen Tianjun was such that his words caused the fighting to momentarily halt.
"Zhou Jian, Rong Haodong, what do you intend to do?" Shen Tianjun glared at Zhou Jian and Rong Haodong, his voice cold.
"Clearing out the dregs," Zhou Jian said with a chuckle, approaching Shen Tianjun. "Uncle, it goes without saying that these four great families colluded with the Kill Path Association before, but today, they openly allied with the Kill Path Association in front of everyone, nearly allowing the Imperial Seal to be stolen. What use are such traitors?"
"Zhou Jian, you intend to seize this opportunity to eliminate the four great families and then expand the territories of the Zhou and Rong families, don't you?" Shen Tianjun asked, smiling at the youth he had never met.
"Uncle... you make it sound like I have ill intentions," Zhou Jian said with a laugh, his thoughts exposed by Shen Tianjun. "If the four great families hadn't erred, I wouldn't dare act against them, no matter how bold I was. But since they colluded with the Kill Path Association, they have only themselves to blame."
"Collusion with the Kill Path Association is common knowledge. Today marks the end of the four great families."
In Zhou Jian's original plan, he intended to eliminate the Qin family as well, but he never imagined that the Qin family would ultimately refuse the Kill Path Association's generous temptations, leaving Zhou Jian somewhat disappointed.
However, as long as he could eliminate the four great families, it would be no problem to gradually annex the Qin family later.
"Fatty Zhou, I understand your intentions, but you shouldn't be so ruthless," Shen Tianjun said to Zhou Jian calmly. "As long as I don't agree, you won't be able to eliminate the four great families today."
"Uncle, I heard my parents talk about you when I was young. They said you were a prodigy, a legend, and I've always looked up to you as an idol. But, as the saying goes, new talents emerge with the times, each dominating for a century. Today, it is no longer your era."
With that, Zhou Jian tore off his outer garment, and under everyone's gaze, his fat physique began to contort, transforming into a terrifying musculature.
Zhou Jian looked at Shen Tianjun and said with a smile, "It's not impossible for me to stop. If you can withstand one of my strikes without falling, I will obey you and lead everyone away."
Today, the five great families had lost most of their strong members and could no longer be considered prominent families, nor a stumbling block for the Zhou and Rong families in the future. For the next few decades, the Zhou and Rong families were destined to be the overlords of the Dragon Country, and Zhou Jian's objective had been achieved.
However, he still wanted to pursue the four great families to the bitter end, as he would leave no hidden dangers and would not allow the four great families to rise again decades later.
"Fatty Zhou, you want to challenge me?" Shen Tianjun looked at Zhou Jian and smiled. "Although I am injured today, my martial cultivation is still beyond your reach."
"How do you know if you don't try," Zhou Jian replied with a composed smile.
"Fatty Zhou, how about I take that sword strike for you?" As Zhou Jian finished speaking, Shen Lang walked over and said.
Seeing Shen Lang appear, Zhou Jian chuckled sheepishly. "Brother, we are closer than blood brothers. How can we fight?"
"Then how about I fight you in his stead?" As Zhou Jian finished speaking, Wang Yuyan stepped forward and said.
"Little Sister-in-law, don't joke. Let me tell you, I've been acting like a pig to eat the tiger, but I've been cultivating in secret and have had countless fortuitous encounters. My martial cultivation has already broken through to the Innate realm, reaching the second rank. In this world, I am heaven." Zhou Jian patted his chest, as if bragging.
Hearing Zhou Jian's words, everyone present, except for Wang Yuyan, looked on in shock. No one had expected the notoriously dissolute and womanizing Zhou Jian to be so powerful.
However, as Zhou Jian finished speaking, in the next second, Wang Yuyan casually unleashed a palm strike. Zhou Jian quickly defended, but the palm strike instantly sent him flying dozens of meters, crashing heavily to the ground with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
"How... how is this possible? You could injure me with just a casual palm strike?" Zhou Jian stared at Wang Yuyan, his face full of disbelief.
"You are only at the second rank of Innate, but I am at the ninth rank. Isn't it natural for me to injure you with a casual strike?" Wang Yuyan said with a smile, looking at Zhou Jian. "Take your men and leave. Your objective has been achieved, so don't be so ruthless."
"Ninth rank of Innate?" Hearing Wang Yuyan's words, Zhou Jian was dumbfounded. He thought he was invincible in this world, only to realize that Wang Yuyan was even stronger.
"Retreat—" After weighing the pros and cons, Zhou Jian stood up and walked towards Rong Haodong. "Retreat—"
Rong Haodong clearly followed Zhou Jian's lead. Hearing Zhou Jian's command, he shouted to his subordinates, and soon the eight hundred men, led by Zhou Jian and Rong Haodong, departed.
Although the four great families were not annihilated by Zhou Jian and Rong Haodong, their dealings with the Kill Path Association had cost them dearly.
Qi Tuojiang and Kong Wudao looked at Shen Lang with both hatred and helplessness. Because of Wang Yuyan's presence, they would never dare seek revenge against Shen Lang in their lifetime. Of course, they also knew that compared to their enmity with Shen Lang, how to deal with the future encroachment of the Zhou and Rong families was the most pressing matter.
"You can also die now." After Zhou Jian and his group withdrew, Wang Yuyan looked at Sword Demon Arthur, Red Knight Rose, and Zhao Shengtian and unleashed a palm strike. The terrifying palm force instantly blasted the three, who were ten meters away, to death.
Thus, a wave of turmoil, due to Wang Yuyan's decisive intervention, finally subsided.
However, as one storm calmed, another brewed. At this moment, the injured Dugu Jian's wounds had healed, and he slowly stood up. Dugu Jian looked at Wang Yuyan coldly and said, "Wang Yuyan, you've been hiding so deeply, and today you finally reveal your true form. Good, today, let me see if a ninth-rank Innate expert can withstand my sword." With that, Dugu Jian grabbed the heavy sword on the ground, and his terrifying sword intent and killing intent once again covered a kilometer radius.
Wang Yuyan did not back down; her terrifying killing intent erupted, clearly preparing for a life-or-death battle with Dugu Jian.
Seeing this, Shen Lang's expression changed, for he knew that if these two were to fight, the worst outcome would be their mutual destruction. Although Wang Yuyan was a ninth-rank Innate, Dugu Jian was the Sword Saint. The reason she was injured by Di Shitian earlier was because she hadn't expected Di Shitian's heart to be replaced by an artificial one; otherwise, she would never have been wounded. Dugu Jian's strength surpassed Di Shitian's. Even if Wang Yuyan was a ninth-rank Innate, the consequences of a real fight would be unthinkable.
"Stop." At the critical moment, Shen Lang flashed between them, stopping their fight. Shen Lang extended his arms and quickly embraced both Wang Yuyan and Dugu Jian, saying with a smile, "Why bother? We are all family. Harmony is precious."
With Shen Lang's embrace, Dugu Jian and Wang Yuyan's killing intent vanished into thin air.
That afternoon, Shen Lang, Dugu Jian, and Wang Yuyan took a flight back to Nanling. When Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan returned to the villa, they found that Song Qingyi, who had been traveling, had returned. Moreover, there was another woman in the villa, a woman heavily pregnant and on the verge of giving birth. Shen Lang looked at her and a smile of joy unconsciously appeared on his face as he called out, "Sister." This woman was none other than Gu Qinghan.
"Little brother, long time no see."
A month later, the Kill Path Association was annihilated due to internal strife. On the same day the Kill Path Association was destroyed, Gu Qinghan gave birth to a son and a daughter. Shen Lang named them Shen Ye and Shen Yue. On the same day, Wang Yuyan was also found to be pregnant. Shen Lang, who already loved Wang Yuyan to the core, was so excited by her pregnancy that he couldn't sleep for a long time and abandoned all other matters to stay by Wang Yuyan's side, taking meticulous care of her.
Five months later, Ye Shishi gave birth to a son, whom Shen Lang named Shen Ye. Nine months later, Wang Yuyan's daughter was born, and Shen Lang named her Shen Yan. As for why Gu Qinghan had left without saying goodbye at the wedding, Shen Lang did not ask, nor did Gu Qinghan explain. Because, compared to the truth, happiness seemed more important.
The End of the Book.