CHAPTER 307: CHAPTER 174: THE STRUGGLE FOR PATRIARCH HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY!

"Not good at fighting on the battlefield, but skilled in bedchamber brawls."

After exchanging pleasantries upon his return, Patriarch Shui Cang noticed that the expressions of the clan elders seemed somewhat unnatural.

He sought out the elder he was most familiar with, the only elder who had refused to change the position of Patriarch earlier, and inquired about what had transpired in the manor.

The elder didn’t elaborate.

He only said that there would be a council meeting in the Clan Elders Hall that evening, where things could be discussed face-to-face.

Shui Cang nodded in agreement and did not press further.

The meeting in the Clan Elders Hall... it would be the strategy that these elders had devised.

By then, they would all be prepared, lying in ambush, waiting for Shui Cang to enter the hall. They planned to attack together with three at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation and two at the eighth level, aiming to take Shui Cang down in one stroke.

Five against one, the advantage naturally lay with the Clan Elders Hall.

The most real internal strife doesn’t have many twists and turns; it only requires one thing to be done... killing the main offender!

As to who the offender is, it’s naturally the one who loses.

For a moment, Ji Yuan also felt a subtle anticipation for the strife that night.

Before the Clan Elders Hall, Shui Kai and two of his friends passed by the entrance. He restrained himself and glanced at his second grandfather Shui Yan, who feigned looking up at the sky and nodded unintentionally.

Thus, the deal was struck once more.

Ji Yuan had thought Shui Kai would first retrieve the Secret Scripture so he could take it and leave.

Unexpectedly, he still didn’t go.

"Damn, is Shui Kai bluffing? Could it be he doesn’t have the Secret Scripture at all, and the thing about the ancestral grave is fake?" Ji Yuan couldn’t help thinking this.

Young Master Shui Qian returned to rest for an hour or so, then went out to find his childhood sweetheart.

Both were young male and female cultivators, ready to Dual Cultivate at the slightest disagreement, observed briefly by Ji Yuan...

The man wasn’t suitable.

It was night.

Patriarch Shui Cang, after going through the spoils of his recent outing, hurriedly grabbed a few bites of dinner before heading to the Clan Elders Hall.

During this, Shui Qian asked if he needed company.

Shui Cang refused.

Sitting in the arrow tower, Ji Yuan extended his Divine Sense to cover the entire Clan Elders Hall and discovered that not only were there five elders, but also Shui Kai, who had conspired to seize power.

A good show was about to be staged.

As always, Shui Cang arrived in front of the Clan Elders Hall. The interior was brightly lit like daylight. He shook his sleeves, stepped through the door, and entered the front yard.

He walked through the bluestone path in the courtyard, climbed the steps guarded by stone lions, and finally stepped into the house.

But the moment he stepped inside... magical artifacts and techniques were released, all falling upon him. At first, he was flustered, but immediately, a bright light appeared on him.

As the golden light shone, it not only shielded him from these techniques but also blocked all those magical artifacts.

"Hmm?"

Even Ji Yuan, watching the entire scene, felt somewhat surprised.

Not to mention the elders inside the Clan Elders Hall.

Each one of them looked at Patriarch Shui Cang as if they had seen a ghost.

Shui Cang smiled slightly, his right foot, which was suspended in the air, finally touching the ground. Then, facing the techniques and the elders’ bewildered eyes, he walked forward step by step, finally reaching his usual seat... and sat down.

"What is it, esteemed elders, do you wish to overthrow my position as Patriarch?"

With victory in his grasp, Shui Cang crossed his hands in front of him, leaned forward, and said with a cold smile:

"This Patriarch asks, why have you conspired against me, elders?"

As he spoke, the golden light on him shone generously, and a heavy pressure enveloped the hearts of these elders.

Immediately, the elder who had previously sided with him flashed to his side, "Patriarch, I had no intention of this, it was Shui Yan and the others who coerced me, forcing me to stand against you. I hope the Patriarch sees clearly!"

"Oh?"

Shui Cang looked up at the old man, "Second Uncle, I have not treated you poorly, why must you harm me?"

Shui Yan’s face turned unsightly. Despite all his calculations, he hadn’t anticipated that Shui Cang would have such power and means.

His expression fluctuated for a moment, and finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back, attack!"

Having said that, he once again activated the Poison Dragon Drill at his side, charging fiercely.

He could feel that Shui Cang’s power was still at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation. It was just that he had used a means to block everyone’s attacks. Since that was the case, as long as they broke through this means, they could slay Shui Cang!

The other three elders felt the same.

If they hadn’t made a move, it would have been different; even switching sides during a battle wouldn’t be unheard of, but since they had made a move... it wasn’t like that.

Even if they surrendered, they couldn’t go back to how things were.

Betrayal is betrayal.

Since that was the case, it would be better to fight and risk it... though they failed to break through.

Shui Cang just sat there, allowing them to attack. Even after they joined forces and brought down the entire Clan Elders Hall, they couldn’t break through his defense.

Ji Yuan, hidden in the dark, watched this scene with an increasingly serious look.

He could tell that Shui Cang’s ability stemmed entirely from a bracelet on his wrist, a bracelet made from human finger bones. Moreover, what it emitted wasn’t Protective Golden Light, but black smoke.

It was just that the bracelet carried a Blinding Technique, so the human eye saw it as a Protective Golden Light.

"This looks like a Demon Cultivator’s means."

The protective black fog was likely to have a Protective Technique from a Foundation Establishment-stage Demon Cultivator hidden within it. At this point, Shui Cang activated it, and with their combined late-stage Qi Cultivation strength, they certainly couldn’t break through the defense.

So he was so fearless.

The four elders became more panic-stricken as they attacked, realizing they couldn’t break through Shui Cang’s defense. Angrily, they killed the treacherous elder among them.

Shui Cang only watched silently.

After a fierce battle, seeing the elders stop, he finally placed his hands behind his back and turned to a certain spot outside the door.

"Shui Kai, didn’t you find it easy to dig the ancestral grave?"