Jiang Chen became aware of the Bai Family’s furious retaliation—they wanted him dead.

Yet his expression was impassive.

Countless people had wanted to kill him, but few had ever succeeded.

Although the current Jiang Chen was still relatively weak, he had many tricks up his sleeve.

He had been constantly preparing countermeasures to ensure his survival.

He hadn’t even been able to spare the focus to practice certain powerful cultivation techniques.

’It seems the Bai Family is now determined to kill me at any cost.’

’Their next target might be our Jiang Family.’

Jiang Chen hurried back to the Jiang Family estate.

He now realized that the Bai Family’s retaliation was only the beginning.

’What comes next, I’m afraid, is when they’ll be at their most frenzied.’

"Father, has there been any news from Hanwu City recently?"

"About the Ximen Family and the Bai Family, for instance?"

As one of the three great families, the Jiang Family surely had its own intelligence network.

It was far beyond the petty information gathering Jiang Zuo was capable of.

As expected, Jiang Han’s expression grew pensive.

After a long moment, he suddenly sighed.

"We do."

He said in a grave tone, "Recently, we’ve learned that Patriarch Bai’s son, Bai Shu, died a sudden and violent death."

Jiang Han then glanced at his son.

He found Jiang Chen’s expression calm.

He continued, "I heard Bai Shu died at the Alchemy Master Guild. You must have heard about this, right?"

Jiang Chen leaned back and said something that nearly made Jiang Han jump out of his skin.

"Father, that’s right. I killed Bai Shu."

What?

Jiang Han did indeed jump, then stared at his son in disbelief.

He was dumbfounded. "You killed him?"

"Are you certain?"

He had a bad feeling that what his son said might be true.

If his son had really done it, then connecting it with some of the rumors the Jiang Clan Members had gathered... this was big trouble.

But Jiang Chen nodded without the slightest hesitation, admitting it.

"Yes. Why would I lie about something like this?"

BOOM!

Jiang Han was so startled he nearly fell to the floor. It was too much for his heart.

’This son of mine is too fond of giving people shocks and surprises.’

"Not long ago, you killed Ximen Gong’s son, Ximen Jianren. Now you’ve killed Bai Shu, the son of Bai Xiong, the Patriarch of the Bai Family."

"You..."

Jiang Han was speechless and felt utterly helpless.

He could see it clearly now: whoever provoked this son of his was in for a disaster.

In the end, all he could do was sigh.

Jiang Chen, however, had no regrets. What was done was done, and he’d had to do it.

Then, he added, "But I also have some good news for you."

Jiang Han was astonished. ’Good news? What good news could there possibly be?’

"Go on then. Let me hear this ’good news’ of yours."

He waited expectantly for his son’s so-called good news.

’He knew the news he was about to deliver would certainly have an impact on his father.’

’Though Jiang Chen wasn’t sure what kind of impact it would have.’

"I destroyed Ling Xuan’s cultivation and broke both his legs. His current status—whether he’s dead or alive—is unknown."

What?

Jiang Han felt as if he had misheard.

His eyes widened.

"You crippled Ling Xuan?"

Ling Xuan had been their Jiang Family’s alchemist. While it was true he had contributed a great deal, his final act before leaving had nearly brought the Jiang Family to ruin.

If it weren’t for his son’s timely return, the Jiang Family would have been finished long ago.

Jiang Han truly harbored a deep hatred for Ling Xuan.

When Jiang Chen announced he had crippled Ling Xuan, Jiang Han was still in disbelief.

’But then again,’ he thought, ’Jiang Chen became a Senior Steward of the Alchemy Master Guild. He has great authority now.’

’He would have the means to deal with Ling Xuan.’

Although he had wanted Ling Xuan dead, hearing now that Ling Xuan’s cultivation was destroyed and his legs broken, he didn’t know whether he should be happy or not.

His feelings were complicated.

After confirming that what Jiang Chen said was true, Jiang Han shook his head. "Perhaps this is a case of what goes around, comes around."

"If he hadn’t done what he did before he left, even if he still went to the Ximen Family, I would have just thought he was acting in his own interest."

"It’s a shame... But forget it. He got what he deserved."

Of course, they didn’t know that Ling Xuan had ultimately been abandoned by the Ximen Family anyway.

After a moment of reflection, Jiang Han spoke again.

"There’s more news, besides that of Bai Shu’s death."

"In the last few days, the patriarchs of the Ximen and Bai Families have been meeting frequently. I’m afraid they will join forces to take revenge on the Jiang Family."

Jiang Han stated his deduction, which was based on the intelligence they had gathered.

He already regarded his son, Jiang Chen, as the backbone of the Jiang Family, so he held nothing back.

Jiang Chen hadn’t expected his father to be so perceptive.

It was almost exactly what he had been thinking himself.

So he said to Jiang Han, "Father, I believe your guess is very close to the truth."

"Those two families have undoubtedly joined forces."

"They will most likely retaliate against our Jiang Family very soon. Tell everyone to be extremely careful. Our Jiang Family must also prepare."

"We must be ready to fight at a moment’s notice and not be caught off guard."

Jiang Han fell silent.

After a long while, he said gravely, "Son, you’re oversimplifying things."

"Even if we prepare in advance, if the Bai and Ximen Families join forces, there’s no way the Jiang Family can be their match."

"To put it plainly, we’re in big trouble this time."

The weight in his voice revealed his deep anxiety about the situation they were about to face.

The three great families—the Bai Family, the Ximen Family, and their own Jiang Family—were all roughly equal in strength.

Now, with the Bai and Ximen Families joining forces, their combined strength would be double that of the Jiang Family.

With such a huge disparity in power, if their enemies attacked, the Jiang Family would be completely unable to resist.

Even if every last clan member fought to a bitter end, they still couldn’t win against the two families’ alliance.

Seeing his father’s worry,

Jiang Chen wanted to reveal his own plan, but on second thought, decided against it.

He needed to deal a heavy blow to the Ximen and Bai Families at the critical moment.

’This battle might just decide the future balance of power in Hanwu City.’

So he said, "We still have to prepare. We can’t just do nothing and let them catch us off guard."

Jiang Han stood up.

"Call a clan meeting. This matter is of the utmost importance."

He immediately summoned the clan members to begin the discussion.

Of course, he didn’t mention the fact that Jiang Chen had killed Bai Shu.

"Clan Leader, why the sudden clan meeting? Has something major happened?"

The summoned clan members were all bewildered.

The meeting had been called too suddenly, catching many people off guard.

Jiang Han’s expression was grave as he spoke. "I have some very bad news for everyone. The Bai Family and the Ximen Family have joined forces to move against our Jiang Family."

What?

All the clan members present turned pale with shock.

"Patriarch, is this true? Please don’t frighten us!"

"That’s right! If those two families unite, how can the Jiang Family possibly be their match?"

Fear rippled through the clan members.

Among the three great families, an alliance between any two would create a terrifyingly powerful force.

The remaining family would be completely unable to fend them off.

Their Jiang Family was no match for a combined Ximen and Bai Family.

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy. Everyone was weighed down with anxiety, their faces etched with worry.