Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 533 - 296: Annihilation of the Clan_2

"The Chen family has operated here for many years, and there is a narrow secret passage behind the ancestral hall that leads outside the city."

Young Master Chen's eyes instantly brightened, and he felt as though there was still a glimmer of hope. He quickly said, "Father, what are we waiting for? Let's go now!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Tao's face flashed with disappointment. He gently stroked his son's head, recalling the moment when the child was born. He had been so joyful and fortunate, watching the once tiny bundle grow up into a man. As a father, his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

However, the child ultimately disappointed him. In peaceful times, under his protection, he could have lived a safe life, but now, in these chaotic times, how could such a person survive in this cruel world? At this moment, Chen Tao made up his mind.

Young Master Chen felt his father's warm palm. In his memory, his father had never seemed so kindly and pleasant before. But soon, a severe pain struck him, and he looked down only to see his own father holding a dagger, stabbing him in the stomach.

"Father!!!" Young Master Chen could only utter this word before slowly collapsing into Chen Tao's arms, his eyes wide open with disbelief.

Chen Tao gently stroked his son's face, slowly closing the eyes that refused to shut, tears continuously falling from his own eyes. He murmured to his son's corpse, "Do not blame your father for being heartless. Without the protection of the Chen family, how could you survive in this chaos and talk about reviving the Chen family's fortunes?"

"Family Head, it's time to go." An old servant gently said to Chen Tao.

"Uncle Zhong, what's the situation outside?"

"The rebels will be breaking in soon, and we won't be able to hold out much longer. It's best for you to leave quickly. Once you enter the secret passage, I'll completely lock it from the inside. The food in the passage is only enough for one person. This was the only choice you had, so please start moving now, and don't miss this opportunity." The old servant spoke with a grave expression.

Chen Tao gently laid down his son's body, looked around at the densely packed memorial tablets of the Chen family's ancestors placed on the table, walked over, knelt in front of them, and fiercely kowtowed until his forehead bled.

"Honored ancestors above, Chen Tao is unfilial for not being able to protect the Chen family. Today, having escaped this disaster, I swear not to rest until these bandits are destroyed." Chen Tao said hatefully, then resolutely walked towards the hidden room behind the table. The old servant had already opened the door for him; stopping at the door, he looked back one last time at the ancestral hall.

"Family Head, rest assured, once the rebels break into the inner courtyard, I will set fire to this ancestral hall and ensure the bandits don't disturb the honored ancestors." Uncle Zhong said softly.

"Uncle Zhong! Farewell!" Chen Tao said lastly, then rushed into the secret passage.

The old servant watched his retreating figure, dropped the secret passage's mechanism, destroyed the key, and slowly walked to the table, looking at the corpses and food offered on the table.

He grabbed a roast chicken and began to eat slowly, murmuring, "My lord, I've now repaid the debt I owed you."

When dawn was about to break, a middle-aged man received the news of the great fire at the Chen family ancestral hall, where all the Chen family's direct relatives, young and old, had died except for the family head, Chen Tao, who was nowhere to be seen.

The middle-aged man handed the message to Lao Han, who was sitting beside him. Lao Han read it carefully, furrowing his brow as he said, "This Chen Tao is resilient and can endure. Now that he has escaped, he may become a significant threat."

"I'm not afraid of the Chen family. Why would I fear a mere Chen Tao without the support of the Noble Families and Clans? He's just an ordinary man with slightly more experience, not worth fearing,"

The middle-aged man's confident words made Lao Han smile involuntarily, and then he brought up the recent events, saying worriedly, "If things continue this way, this team is finished."

The middle-aged man then sighed gently and said, "How could I not know that this is no solution? You know our team, a mix of good and bad. If we didn't use gold and women as bait, how many would truly pledge their loyalty? Although we now occupy this city, it won't be long before the armies of the Noble Families and Clans swarm in like hyenas smelling blood."

Lao Han understood this but he was also acutely aware that if they continued like this, the only outcome awaiting them was a dead end. Yet, the man in front of him who had managed to unite all forces and lead them forward was deteriorating day by day, now merely sustained by a heart full of hatred, hardly able to handle these matters.

"Lao Han, we really need to think of a solution. We cannot let these children sacrifice their lives by our hands," the middle-aged man looked into the distance and suddenly sighed.

Inside the city, turmoil swirled and corpses were strewn all over. Even the Underworld was not at peace. In the City God Temple in the city, countless Shadow Souls mournfully walked towards the passage to the Netherworld, all victims of this turmoil.

The Judge, holding a Judge's Brush, looked at the endless line of Shadow Souls and sighed softly, "Ah, when will these days end? Nowadays, the number of dead souls is increasing by the moment. I am almost unable to bear it."

A clerk helping him spoke as well, "Yes, in these chaotic times, life is as fragile as a blade of grass. We in the Underworld are under tremendous pressure. And these are just the Ghosts willing to go to the Underworld. There are still many Ghosts who have escaped; I heard that the City God has been worried these days. With so many Shadow Souls escaping, things could really get out of hand."

"Ah, but having been prepared psychologically, the situation is not beyond control. It's just a pity that Great Chu has perished like this."

He was an official of Great Chu and had been posthumously appointed as a Judge and granted a Divine Position, so he had always had a fondness for Great Chu. To see this once mighty Imperial Court collapse was very saddening.

Meanwhile, deep in the Underworld, roaring sounds emerged, attracting the attention of all the Shadow Souls. The Judge and the clerk craned their necks to look inside, only to see that the passage was pitch black, void of any scene.

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"I bet it's those old timers from the Chen Family causing a ruckus again," the Judge disdainfully said, having come from a common background and holding no particular fondness for the Noble Families and Clans.

"You might not know, but the Chen Family has really suffered this time. It's said they were almost annihilated; even their ancestral hall was burned. How can these old folks stay put? Without descendants to worship them, they'll gradually fade away, so now they're like madmen trying to break into the living realm to seek revenge," the clerk explained.

"Them? They still think it's eight hundred years ago when there was no City God, and due to the lack of personnel in the Underworld, these Shadow Souls would often escape the Underworld to wreak havoc in the living realm. Now, City God Taoism has been established for nearly eight hundred years. The City Gods, each with profound abilities, you watch, they'll get what's coming to them,"

Just as the Judge finished speaking, a streak of Incense Prayer Power flashed through the passage, and a young man wearing a Government office uniform stepped into the passage leading to the Underworld. In less than a moment, the disturbance there quieted down.

The clerk, watching the receding noise, couldn't help but exclaim, "I heard that our City God was once a renowned genius of the Sword Dao in the Cultivation Realm. Those old scoundrels from the Chen Family are in for a rough time now, you know City God hasn't personally acted in many years."

The Judge nodded and said, "We, Divine Spirits, derive our strength mainly from Incense Prayer Power. With eight hundred years of accumulated Incense Prayer Power, he should be more than enough for them. Let's keep working hard without slacking, lest the superior returns and scolds us."

The two exchanged a smile and continued their work, checking the Shadow Souls' records and guiding them orderly into the Underworld.