CHAPTER 210: CHAPTER 196: WILLING TO HELP

Yuan Zu Zheng, known as the Iron Blood Sword, was tough in his actions and flamboyant in personality.

He had three great hobbies in his life: loving beautiful women, smoking, and killing.

Ever since Yuan Zu Zheng took control of the Yuan Family, the family’s external style became ruthless.

In recent decades, the reputation of the Yuan Family has also become quite infamous. All thanks to Yuan Zu Zheng.

To be honest, Yuan Ansheng was quite in awe of Yuan Zu Zheng, but he didn’t agree with his father’s methods.

For a millennium-old noble family, the most important things are stability and order.

Because order is most beneficial for a noble family. Breaking the order may bring short-term benefits, but it’s undermining the foundation of the family.

However, it wasn’t Yuan Ansheng’s turn to call the shots in the Yuan Family affairs.

Yuan Ansheng also knew that his father always looked down on him. On the other hand, he quite admired Yuan Hao’s style.

Therefore, Yuan Zu Zheng would make an exception to come to the spiritual hall for a look.

In Yuan Ansheng’s mind, Yuan Zu Zheng had always been a towering mountain. He was also aware that Yuan Zu Zheng was a tenth-level expert, had completed genetic sequence evolution, and had a longer lifespan than him.

The position of the patriarch of the Yuan Family would never come to him. In the future, it could only pass to the third generation or even outstanding descendants of the fourth or fifth generations.

Yet, the Iron Blood Sword, Yuan Zu Zheng, the patriarch of the Yuan Family, just died right in front of him!

Yuan Ansheng was stunned for several seconds, almost believing he was dreaming, or that it was a cruel joke from his father!

But he quickly realized this wasn’t a prank. It was all real.

Although Yuan Zu Zheng had a nasty personality, he wouldn’t play such a low-level joke.

"Father is dead!"

After the shock, Yuan Ansheng wasn’t sad; he was extremely calm. As the first in line for succession to the position of Yuan Family patriarch, from this moment, he automatically became the patriarch.

However, he didn’t have enough prestige within the family. His father was simply too domineering.

So, what he needed to do most now was to control the news and manage the situation.

Yuan Ansheng was cautious by nature, but he was intelligent and reacted swiftly. He immediately realized this was his opportunity to ascend.

As for the murderer of his father, it was obviously Blood Shadow. This was probably what Wei Yue wanted to imply.

Yuan Ansheng suddenly understood that Wei Yue, by having him contact his father earlier, wanted him to witness this scene!

This was terrifying because the opponent wanted to monitor his communication status at all times.

This alone showcased Wei Yue’s formidable power.

Moreover, Wei Yue must have known his father’s rigid attitude, that negotiation was impossible, hence directly killing his father.

Firstly, it was a warning to him, and secondly, it was also an opportunity for him to ascend.

A father’s death and a son’s hatred is a deep-seated enmity.

But at this moment, Yuan Ansheng was thinking only about the position of patriarch and how to smoothly ascend.

As for vengeance, it could be addressed after ascending.

The order of priorities must not be confused.

Yuan Ansheng, having figured all this out, immediately contacted his father’s driver, instructing him to take the convoy straight to the old residence.

All personnel must strictly maintain secrecy, absolutely prohibiting leaving on their own, or any mutual communication and exchange.

Yuan Ansheng didn’t have enough prestige at home, but he was responsible for managing daily affairs and held considerable power, controlling many people.

He called Yuanbao in, ordering him to immediately gather everybody and then head to the old residence.

Yuanbao seemed confused, wondering if Gao Xuan hadn’t been killed or if the funeral wouldn’t be conducted?

Yuan Ansheng still trusted this confidant. Yuanbao also had the best chance of advancing by sticking with him.

"What?" Yuanbao’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, his small eyes widening round.

"Calm down, it was Blood Shadow’s doing. I saw it firsthand during the video earlier. There’s absolutely no mistake."

Yuan Ansheng was particularly calm at this point. "It’s very obviously Wei Yue’s work."

Yuanbao trembled a bit, "So, what do we do now?"

"What is there to fear; my father is already dead. We mustn’t get flustered. We need to do all the subsequent work properly."

Yuan Ansheng calmly said, "You go and control my father’s convoy personnel, make sure not a word leaks out. I will go and find Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle. As long as they are willing to support me, no one can contest my position as patriarch."

He was, by name and rights, the first in line for succession, but lacked prestige, making it difficult to win support.

Once there were disputes in the family meeting, he would be in an awkward position.

His Third and Fourth Uncles were both very capable, holding substantial power. Moreover, their relationship with him was quite good.

Yuan Zu Zheng was so domineering that no one in the family liked him. Particularly, those at the center of power; the stronger Yuan Zu Zheng was, the more others retreated.

Yuan Ansheng, because of his cautious nature and adherence to rules, maintained a good relationship with other elders.

He also believed that Third and Fourth Uncles would be more willing to see him ascend. If Second Uncle ascended, it would not be good for those two.

At this moment, Yuan Ansheng was very action-oriented, and after discussing a simple action plan with Yuanbao, they immediately moved separately.

Leading the team to the ancestral residence, Yuanbao, at this moment, realized that he had underestimated Yuan Ansheng.

This heir, always cautious and proper in his work, turned out to be very calm, even a bit ruthless at critical moments.

Yuanbao, thinking about this, felt a bit apprehensive. Was he too casual with this heir on normal days?

However, this was indeed a great opportunity. If Yuan Ansheng could ascend, he could immediately ride the waves and become the head steward of the Yuan Family.

The benefits within were immense.

Yuanbao now stopped thinking about Blood Shadow and Wei Yue. These people weren’t important. It’s not too late to consider them after securing the patriarch position.

With Yuan Zu Zheng’s death, Yuan Ansheng was busy seizing power and had no mind for other matters.

Wei Yue, having received the news of Blood Shadow, also sighed in great relief. She had actually roughly guessed Blood Shadow’s approach.

After all, Blood Shadow had done this kind of thing multiple times in Mingjing City, directly executing the opposing leader.

No matter how vast the power, without a leader, everything would fall into chaos. Moreover, due to the vast power and numerous internal factions, losing the lead control meant recalibrating the interest relationships.

Like the Fang Family and the Divine Shield Group, all collapsed due to being beheaded. They lost their ability to resist.

But how could Blood Shadow so easily kill Yuan Zu Zheng?

He claimed to be the Iron Blood Sword and even self-proclaimed as the number one swordsman in Zhongjing!

Of course, this was just Yuan Zu Zheng’s self-proclaimed title. The Yuan Family was powerful, and no one would openly oppose Yuan Zu Zheng.

Even if the title of First Swordsman was somewhat exaggerated, he was still not easy to provoke.

In the end, he was casually wiped out by the Blood Shadow.

Wei Yue felt that Blood Shadow was becoming increasingly powerful, and his methods were becoming colder.

However, the Yuan Family had deep roots. Once they reacted, this matter would not be resolved easily.

Wei Yue had deep concerns about this, and she communicated her worries to the Blood Shadow.

Gao Xuan replied, "I will handle it."

For Gao Xuan to let Wei Yue take the lead naturally meant he had confidence in managing the situation.

As the spiritual spirit gathered by the Celestial Demon Relic increased, many marvelous abilities were activated within it.

The simplest of these was that the Celestial Demon Relic could greatly enhance Gao Xuan’s spiritual power.

This enhancement fluctuated with the amount of spiritual power absorbed by the Celestial Demon Relic. The stronger the absorbed power, the greater the enhancement.

Currently, the Celestial Demon Relic could enhance his spiritual power by approximately 30%. This was an astonishing increase.

It’s important to know that Gao Xuan’s spiritual power was at the Golden Level, and in a place like Pegasus Star, his spiritual power was enough to dominate globally, with no opponents.

His powerful spiritual power allowed him to create avatars from tens of thousands of kilometers away through spiritual roaming.

The enhancement from the Celestial Demon Relic had significantly boosted Gao Xuan’s spiritual power.

He could spiritually wander in all directions, and through feedback from the various emotional powers absorbed by the Celestial Demon Relic, he could even track down related individuals.

Such as Yuan Ansheng, and then from Yuan Ansheng to Yuan Zu Zheng.

Locking onto Yuan Zu Zheng’s location, Gao Xuan’s spiritual avatar wielded the Godslaying Sword and easily killed Yuan Zu Zheng.

It wasn’t that Yuan Zu Zheng was powerless, but rather the spiritual avatar was invisible and intangible, only manifesting as a blood shadow when striking.

The Six-winged Celestial Cicada suppressed all of Yuan Zu Zheng’s senses, allowing Gao Xuan to backstab him with the Godslaying Sword, making it impossible for Yuan Zu Zheng to dodge. Moreover, the nature of the Godslaying Sword also eliminated any possibility of Yuan Zu Zheng’s resurrection.

For the vast Yuan Family, killing just one Yuan Zu Zheng was not enough.

No worries, Gao Xuan would let them know just how terrifying the consequences of opposing him could be.

There was no need for Gao Xuan to follow Yuan Ansheng; by using the Celestial Demon Relic to lock onto him, he could sense changes in his emotions.

This extremely secret connection was not through Source Power, nor did it involve direct spiritual power fluctuations; even a tenth-level swordsman would find it hard to detect it. Let alone someone like Yuan Ansheng.

Gao Xuan stayed in his room, calmly watching events unfold.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xuejun and Wei Zhenzhen, worried about Gao Xuan’s safety, teamed up to visit him.

Due to their concern for Gao Xuan’s safety, both were unusually fervent. Fortunately, Gao Xuan was not one to be trifled with.

While Gao Xuan engaged in intense battle, Yuan Ansheng was running around tirelessly.

The Yuan Family was vast, and the Elder Council had over ten members, each one significant.

However, most of them came from the side branches and were not eligible to compete for the position of Patriarch.

Yuan Ansheng had discussed individually with his third and fourth uncles, securing their promises.

Subsequently, he visited several other close elders without pause.

By evening, the news finally spread.

When Yuan Ansheng returned to the old residence, he saw his second uncle waiting with five elders.

The main hall of the old residence was very grand, often hosting family meetings; its layout resembled a conference room.

The Patriarch’s seat was at the front, with other seats arranged to the sides, each separated by small tea tables, featuring traditional official hats over the chairs.

The hall also had numerous vermilion red pillars, with floors paved in rustic blue tiles.

There wasn’t any modern equipment in the main hall; the pillars, the floor, including the glazed roof tiles, all employed special materials buffering all wireless signals.

There was also a peculiar marvel in the center of the hall beneath, capable of blocking spiritual power.

Conducting meetings in this hall would not be overheard by outsiders. If there were leaks, it would definitely be from someone internal.

Now, Yuan Zuguang brought four elders and confronted Yuan Ansheng.

"Ansheng, your behavior is inappropriate. Finding your father’s assassin should be the first priority."

Yuan Zuguang bore some resemblance to Yuan Zu Zheng, albeit lacking Yuan Zu Zheng’s domineering aura, appearing more reserved.

However, he held high prestige in the Yuan Family. His martial arts and strategic abilities actually surpassed Yuan Zu Zheng by a notch.

Yet under Yuan Zu Zheng’s suppression, Yuan Zuguang could only serve as the second. The rules of the noble family also didn’t allow him to act recklessly.

Defying the rules would leave him without any support.

Yuan Zuguang was resigned, but Yuan Zu Zheng’s assassination presented him with an opportunity.

Yuan Ansheng was the first heir, and by normalcy, he would succeed as the Patriarch.

Thus, Yuan Zuguang couldn’t allow Yuan Ansheng to succeed normally. He was adamant about catching the assassin first.

If Yuan Ansheng couldn’t catch the assassin, it would prove he wasn’t suited to be the Patriarch.

If Yuan Ansheng did catch the assassin, he would think of other ways.

In short, the current objective was to buy time. Not to let Yuan Ansheng succeed.

Yuan Zuguang spoke with righteous indignation, and being a senior, he scolded Yuan Ansheng harshly.

Yuan Ansheng was at fault, and Yuan Zuguang’s cultivation was much higher than his. Facing scoldings directed at his nose, he could only endure.

In the end, Yuan Ansheng was reluctantly forced to agree temporarily to find the assassin first.

Once Yuan Zuguang and the others left satisfied, Yuan Ansheng sat down at the Patriarch’s seat despondently, letting out a long sigh.

No matter how meticulously he had planned, he was still too weak, unqualified to directly wrestle with Yuan Zuguang.

"Mr. Yuan, I can help you resolve this trouble..."

A blood-colored shadow appeared subtly and silently before Yuan Ansheng.

Yuan Ansheng was greatly shocked, his mouth opened wide, almost letting out a cry.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m a good person happy to offer assistance."

The enigmatic blood shadow, with a voice equally elusive and unpredictable.

Yuan Ansheng found it absurd, the Blood Shadow declaring himself a good person, damn, if he was, then were there still any villains in the world?