Chapter 615 - 614: The Nine Great Clans Force the Palace? The Old Chief: Whatever
Chapter 615: Chapter 614: The Nine Great Clans Force the Palace? The Old Chief: Whatever
Ever since Chu Sheng appeared, the once-invincible Ten Great Clans...
No, now only the Nine Great Clans remained.
A heavy, dark cloud always hung over their heads.
This dark cloud was Chu Sheng.
He had killed the matriarchs of seven great clans, several patriarchs, and experts at the Half-Step Emperor Realm.
And to top it all off, he had single-handedly annihilated the Qin Family, one of the Top Three Families...
Each and every one of these deeds made the scions of the Nine Great Clans hate Chu Sheng to their very bones.
If they ever had the slightest chance to kick him while he was down, they would absolutely seize it.
This time, however, they never imagined the Military Department would actually get serious with them over a mosquito.
In the past, the scions of the Nine Great Clans had committed their fair share of illegal acts—murder, arson, extortion, you name it—but none of them had ever actually been arrested and thrown in a cell.
Every time they got into trouble, their families would just have to make a call, and the whole thing would disappear.
They never, ever imagined that this time, just for spreading a few rumors about Chu Sheng online, they would be arrested overnight by the Military Department, with no quarter given whatsoever.
The Nine Great Clans saw this as a blatant slap in the face from the authorities.
The clan leaders might be forced to endure it, but the Old Ancestors certainly couldn’t!
And so, the scene before them unfolded.
Xia Hanshan, the Old Ancestor of the Xia Family, and Xuanyuan Changfeng, the Old Ancestor of the Xuanyuan Family, led the patriarchs of the other seven great clans in a massive procession to block the main gate of the Military Department.
They had previously joined forces to kill Chu Sheng, only to be stopped by the old director, Lu Lingchen.
Although the two were unhappy with the old director’s decision at the time, they hadn’t completely broken ties.
But this time was different. If the authorities insisted on not releasing their people, it would mean a true, complete rupture with the Nine Great Clans.
The two Old Ancestors were absolutely certain of this.
The Great Xia of today had already lost its international support.
Qin Yuan, disheartened by the annihilation of the Qin Family, had also left Great Xia.
Right now, Great Xia simply could not afford the price of losing two more resident Emperor Realm experts.
Without their protection, what would Great Xia possibly use to fend off a full-scale invasion from the Outer Realm Alien Race?
It was precisely because they had grasped this point that the Nine Great Clans dared to stage this "palace coup" drama.
"Our Nine Great Clans have risked life and limb for the nation and made so many contributions. Is this how the nation repays us?"
"Our scions just said a few fair words online, and you arrest them all without any regard for the facts? This is outrageous!"
"Can the Military Department just ignore the law when making arrests?!! If you don’t give us a satisfactory explanation today, we’re not leaving!"
...
The patriarchs of the seven great clans stood behind Xia Hanshan and Xuanyuan Changfeng, shouting at the top of their lungs with extreme arrogance.
The guards at the Military Department’s main gate were so overwhelmed by the invisible pressure emanating from the two Emperor Realm experts that they could barely breathe, let alone try to stop them.
All they could do was clutch their guns, staring helplessly at the crowd before them.
Just as the guards were reaching their breaking point...
"CREAK..."
The heavy gates of the Military Department slowly swung open.
When the guards saw who was walking out, their slumped postures instantly snapped ramrod straight.
The fear on their faces vanished, replaced by profound reverence.
The newcomer was none other than the old director, Lu Lingchen.
One of the acknowledged strongest individuals in Great Xia, and even the entire world.
Seeing Lu Lingchen emerge, both Xia Hanshan and Xuanyuan Changfeng narrowed their eyes slightly, and the oppressive aura around them unconsciously receded.
If they were facing Lin Yuehua or Feng Wuji, they could still throw their weight around and use their seniority to intimidate them.
But against Lu Lingchen, even the two of them combined were no match for him. How could they dare to act so presumptuously?
"Old Director, I didn’t expect you to be back so soon."
Xia Hanshan forced a smile, shedding his previous high-and-mighty demeanor.
Lu Lingchen remained silent, merely giving Xia Hanshan and Xuanyuan Changfeng a cool glance.
Then, his gaze swept over the seven belligerent patriarchs standing behind them.
Under Lu Lingchen’s calm gaze, the seven patriarchs immediately fell silent.
One by one, they hurriedly lowered their heads and greeted him respectfully, "Old Director."
Their previous arrogance was now gone without a trace.
Lu Lingchen began to speak slowly. "The Nine Great Clans have indeed made some contributions to the nation over the years."
"However, the nation has also granted you considerable privileges."
"Whether in Cultivation Resources or political standing, it has never short-changed a single one of you."
"As for your clans’ scions..."
"The rumors they spread online maliciously slandered the National Guardian Divine Mosquito, destabilized the morale of both the military and the populace, and have seriously endangered national security."
"As clan patriarchs, can you not even tell the difference between right and wrong in this matter?"
His voice grew colder. "Lastly, the Military Department’s arrests were lawful, justified, and followed all proper procedures."
"If you object, you can file a lawsuit. You should not be leading a mob to block and storm the gates of the Military Department."
"If you do not leave immediately, the Military Department will prosecute all of you on charges of endangering national security."
Hearing this, the patriarchs of the seven great clans exchanged uneasy glances, their faces showing clear hesitation.
In unison, they turned their gazes to Xia Hanshan and Xuanyuan Changfeng, who stood at the very front.
Their courage to come and cause trouble today relied entirely on these two Emperor Realm experts.
"Heh." Xuanyuan Changfeng chuckled, breaking the silence. "The old director is as serious as ever."
Lu Lingchen looked at him, his expression unchanging.
Xuanyuan Changfeng’s tone shifted. "However, for you to offend the global God-Slaying Alliance and place Great Xia in an isolated and helpless position, all for a mere mosquito, is truly detrimental to our nation’s interests."
"We two are Emperor Realm experts of Great Xia, after all, and members of the God-Slaying Alliance."
"When you make such a monumental decision, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?"
Lu Lingchen said coolly, "An explanation? Very well."
"First, go to the Alien Race battlefront, kill an Emperor Realm alien, and return. Then I will naturally give you an explanation."
Xia Hanshan frowned. "Emperor Realm aliens are all incredibly powerful and cunning. They are not so easily killed."
"Old Director, aren’t you deliberately making things difficult for us?"
Lu Lingchen continued, "Then you could go kill an avatar of an Ancient God instead."
Xia Hanshan’s expression darkened further. "Old Director, the avatars of Ancient Gods are even more powerful than Emperor Realm aliens. Now you’re just making it harder for us."
"Hmph!" Lu Lingchen snorted, sweeping a cold gaze over Xia Hanshan and Xuanyuan Changfeng. "You can’t do it, but the National Guardian Divine Mosquito has."
"That... is your explanation!"
Xia Hanshan and Xuanyuan Changfeng were struck speechless, unsure of how to respond.
The two exchanged a glance. The respectful smiles on their faces vanished completely, replaced by an icy chill.
"Lu Lingchen!" Xia Hanshan’s face fell, his tone turning frigid. "If you insist on protecting that mosquito today, if you refuse to give us a satisfactory explanation..."
"...Then the two of us will no longer protect Great Xia!"
"When the Alien Race invades, the consequences will be yours alone to bear!"
Not a single ripple of emotion showed on Lu Lingchen’s face. He simply repeated the same word he had used at the God-Slaying Alliance meeting: "Whatever."
...