In the capital's Long family, Long Batian was preparing to depart after receiving notification from the Zhao family. However, unexpectedly, Li Shanhai, the First Commander of the War Department, personally called to see him.
Reluctantly, Long Batian went to the War Department to meet Li Shanhai. Despite being a God of War within the department, Li Shanhai was its paramount leader. An summons from him was unavoidable.
Upon arriving at the War Department, Long Batian expected a significant matter or mission. To his surprise, Li Shanhai merely discussed arrangements for the God of War banquet.
Their conversation lasted a full two hours before Li Shanhai dismissed Long Batian.
Long Batian felt a surge of bottled-up frustration, yet had nowhere to direct it. After all, Li Shanhai's personal consultation was a sign of his regard.
Watching Long Batian depart, Li Shanhai breathed a sigh of relief.
"Long Batian, Long Batian, I saved your life tonight! One day, you will understand my good intentions."
Li Shanhai mused, feeling a pang of annoyance at Long Batian's ignorance. He had overlooked Long Batian's forceful seizure of the Long and Lin families previously, given his status as a God of War and his contributions to the Great Qin Empire.
But now, to think that Long Batian had allied himself with the Li family and other clans, and worse, had made an enemy of Li Xiaotian!
"Does he truly believe he's untouchable just because he's a God of War?" Li Shanhai chuckled self-mockingly. A God of War? Before the master of the Dragon King Hall, he was nothing more than a speck of dust!
That night, all the aristocratic families in the capital were stunned. Countless influential figures were awakened in the dead of night by the shocking news.
In the capital's Zhao family, every single member had a hand broken!
The allied forces of the Li family and various other clans also suffered heavy losses.
All of this was because of one person: Li Xiaotian. He, with only a handful of subordinates, had annihilated more than half of the allied forces from the various families. Ultimately, he killed the Zhao family patriarch, Zhao Tiancheng, and broke the hands of every Zhao family member.
Such an event had never before occurred in the capital!
"Li Xiaotian! Who is this man? Why does he act so brazenly?" a patriarch of an aristocratic family exclaimed in shock.
"He's too presumptuous; this is tantamount to provoking all the aristocratic families of the capital!"
"The Li family, the Zhang family, and the Zhao family – they have all been slapped in the face by Li Xiaotian, and in front of all the capital's aristocratic families. And it was a resounding slap!"
"The times are about to change. Although the Li and Zhang families suffered minor losses this time, the Zhao family is their ally. With the Zhao family suffering such profound humiliation, these families will certainly not let Li Xiaotian off the hook and will seek retribution."
"Since when did a nobody from Jiangnan dare to act so outrageously in our capital?"
The major aristocratic families of the capital voiced their sentiments, their attitudes varied. However, the common thread was their curiosity about Li Xiaotian's identity. If he were truly an ordinary person with no backing, he could never act this way in the capital.
Of course, among them, some patriarchs secretly chuckled. Kings, after all, remain kings, drawing attention wherever they go.
In the Li family's manor, the patriarchs of various influential families convened an emergency meeting. This included the Zhao family patriarch, who had just had his broken hand bandaged at the hospital.
All sat in the hall with grim expressions.
"Disgrace! This is a disgrace!!" Li Weihai, seated at the head of the table, roared, his face terrifyingly dark.
The other patriarchs also wore somber expressions. Their plan had been meticulously crafted, leaving Li Xiaotian with no escape.
But at the last moment, Long Batian had failed to arrive, and their combined forces proved as fragile as a paper wall against Li Xiaotian and his ten men.
This led to the death of the Zhao family patriarch and the breaking of every Zhao family member's hand.
"Brother Li, esteemed patriarchs, I implore you to avenge my Zhao family!" the Zhao family patriarch said, his face pale and filled with grief and indignation.
Hearing the Zhao patriarch speak, the other family heads looked uneasy, as it had been they who had decided to let the Zhao family lure Li Xiaotian out.
"Brother Zhao, rest assured, the humiliation suffered by the Zhao family will be avenged by my Li family. This time, I will summon all the forces of my Li family's Heavenly Army. There will be at least three Gods of War. Then, no matter how formidable Li Xiaotian's background, he will have only one outcome: death!"
Li Weihai stated coldly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"The Heavenly Army!"
Everyone in the hall was stunned by this statement, their hearts filled with shock. The Li family's Heavenly Army was known to all the major families in the capital.
The Heavenly Army was a top overlord in the war-torn regions, with powers so immense that they secretly controlled several small countries. For the Li family to recall the Heavenly Army was a move that could shake the heavens!
"Thank you, Brother Li, thank you!" The Zhao patriarch, also aware of the Li family's Heavenly Army, was visibly moved. With the return of the Heavenly Army, bringing three Gods of War, Li Xiaotian was surely doomed!
"However, before that, we cannot let Li Xiaotian have it easy!" Li Weihai said with a dark expression, then continued.
"Our families will dispatch more forces to search the entire city for Li Xiaotian and his friends and family. Anyone related to Li Xiaotian is to be captured!"
"Furthermore, send a contingent to Jiangnan to destroy anything connected to him, forcing Li Xiaotian to reveal himself!"
"I have one request: I demand that Li Xiaotian's friends and family be handed over to my Zhao family for disposal!" the Zhao patriarch said with a ferocious expression.
There were no objections from the others. After all, the Zhao family had suffered too great a loss, a loss that could not be compensated by money alone. Even if they succeeded in killing Li Xiaotian this time, the Zhao family would forever become a laughingstock in the capital.
Long Batian arrived late, having learned of the night's events en route. However, upon entering the hall, his expression was calm, showing no trace of guilt.
"I received news tonight and had already set out, but Commander Li summoned me at the last minute, so I went to the War Department," Long Batian stated calmly, then continued.
"I will deploy some personnel from the War Department to assist you in the search for Li Xiaotian. This time, if there is any news of him, I will go personally!"
Having said this, Long Batian fell silent and sat in his seat.
"Lord God of War, you think a couple of casual explanations are enough? Does that mean our Zhao family's losses are in vain? Did my father die for nothing?"
Zhao Lu's eyes were bloodshot as she stared fixedly at Long Batian. If he had arrived at the Zhao family as scheduled, their family would not have ended up like this.
Her father would not have died, and she would not have had a hand broken. It was all his fault!
Long Batian glanced at Zhao Lu and let out a cold laugh.
"What? What else do you want me to do?"