Reincarnated as a Divine Tree-Chapter 236: Losing His Cool

"Po Jing, speak up. What happened?"

"Why did Elder Chengzong of the clan die?"

In the grand hall of the Shi family, Shi Chenghong's stern face showed traces of anger on the verge of erupting. Several clan elders of considerable status, all at the Innate Realm, stood beside him.

On the day Shi Chengzong died, the family learned the news through the Divine Stone.

Upon receiving the message, Shi Chenghong flew into a rage. However, given the vast distance between them, he could only wait for Shi Pojing to return and question him about it.

As soon as Shi Pojing arrived at the family estate, he was immediately summoned.

The expressions of the Innate Realm elders nearby were equally grave.

The family had many Innate Realm martial artists, so the previous loss of Po Tian and Po Di, two Innate Realm warriors, had not shaken the foundation of the clan.

Nevertheless, late-stage Innate Realm martial artists were exceedingly rare. Within the clan, there were only a few of them. Moreover, Shi Chengzong wasn’t just late-stage Innate Realm; he had reached the Great Completion stage. Among the family, this level of cultivation placed him among the top-tier combatants with a real chance of breaking through to the Qi Manipulation Realm.

The clan had only had two warriors of such strength before. They had just gained another when, barely a few days later, they received the devastating news of Elder Chengzong’s death.

How could they not be furious?

Below, Shi Pojing let out a silent sigh. Before returning to the clan, he had anticipated this outcome.

When he first learned of Elder Chengzong’s death, shock and confusion filled his face.

How could an elder at the Great Completion stage of the Innate Realm die so easily?

After communicating with the clan’s Divine Stone, however, he had no choice but to accept the truth: Elder Chengzong was indeed dead, and not even his corpse could be found.

After hearing the patriarch’s question, Shi Pojing recounted the sequence of events in detail.

"Why didn't you go with Elder Chengzong to help him?" one of the elders asked after listening.

"Elder Chengzong said he could handle it alone. If we went, it would only hinder his performance. Besides, Elder Chengzong was too fast—none of us could keep up.”

Hearing this, the elders present fell silent.

Shi Chengzong had always preferred to act alone. Within the clan, he often served as a scout, so this behavior wasn’t unusual. No one saw anything wrong with it, and who could have imagined that an Innate Realm expert at Great Completion would fall so swiftly?

Moreover, Shi Pojing’s account of the events was accurate.

As for the Xie family, the clan had already taken precautions. Several of Xie’s high-ranking martial artists, including Xie Yanmo, remained in Yong’an City.

From the looks of it, this matter truly seemed to be the work of the Chen family.

“Patriarch, we can’t allow the Chen family to continue growing unchecked; otherwise, our clan will suffer!”

"Agreed. This blood feud must be avenged. If we continue to let the Chen family expand, they will greatly harm us.”

"I second that!"

Several elders spoke up one after another, their expressions solemn.

Some had previously remained silent because, in their view, the Chen family was insignificant and posed no real threat. Although the Shi family had lost two Innate Realm martial artists, the loss was not considered severe; only the Zhou family’s involvement made retaliation difficult. s

However, the Chen family's recent display of strength could no longer be ignored.

Moreover, the two clans were already locked in an irreconcilable blood feud. If things continued as they were, the Shi Clan would suffer even greater losses once the Chen family grew stronger.

They had to strike now, while the Chen family was still in its early stages, and wipe them out to eliminate the threat and avenge the fallen clansmen.

From every perspective, the clan had undeniable reasons to take action.

Above, Shi Chenghong's expression shifted slightly, yet he still did not nod.

Below, several elders noticed the patriarch’s hesitation. After all, the clan was not as strong as it appeared; behind the Chen family stood the even more powerful Zhou family.

However, the Innate Realm elders present had already made up their minds—they were determined to eliminate the Chen family. Immediately, one elder spoke up:

“Patriarch, Yong’an City isn’t only surrounded by the Zhou family. We can seek assistance from other clans and have them deal with the Zhou family!”

The other elders frowned slightly at this suggestion, but said nothing more.

Truthfully, some clansmen had already considered this idea. After all, the Zhou family wasn’t the only powerful force. Within several thousand li of Yong’an City, there were many clans that could stand on equal footing.

Among them were the Fang family of Xiangshui, the Sun family of Le’an, and the Cui family of Qinghe. These three major clans were no weaker than the Zhou family.

However, these powerful families were not easy to deal with. Once the Shi Clan became entangled with them, it would be difficult to break free. In many ways, the clan would be restricted.

For a small clan like the Chen family, forming ties with such powerful families could be highly advantageous. But for the Shi Clan, which was still in its early stages, the benefits and drawbacks were evenly matched.

Moreover, those great families would never help the Shi Clan deal with the Zhou family without compensation; the Shi Clan would have to offer significant benefits.

Doing so would offend the Zhou family completely.

This was precisely why no one had suggested this approach before. However, in order to deal with the Chen family, they had no choice. After all, if the Zhou family pursued the matter, the Shi Clan would not be able to withstand them.

Although there would be some losses, having the protection of the other clans would provide an extra layer of security and free the Shi Clan from worrying about the Zhou family.

After resolving this issue, one of the Innate Realm elders spoke again.

"What about the Xie family? They’ve been cooperating with the Chens. According to reports from our spies, the Xie family dispatched two Innate Realm martial artists from Yong’an City toward the Chaotic Burial Mountains. It's highly likely they went to assist the Chen family."

"According to Pojing, those two probably didn't act. Now that our clan has allied with the Shen and Gan families, however, the Xie family will definitely not sit by idly. They will try to obstruct us.”

Upon hearing this, the elders fell into deep thought once again.

In the past, as long as it didn’t greatly affect other families, the Xie family probably wouldn’t interfere if the Shi Clan was determined to act. However, the Xie family now has a martial artist in the Qi Manipulation Realm. Moreover, the agreement among the four major families in Yong’an City had practically become meaningless in recent days.

Under these circumstances, the Xie family would never turn a deaf ear like before. If this matter wasn't handled properly, the Shi Clan wouldn't be able to bypass the Xie family to attack the Chen family.

Otherwise, if the clansmen returned victorious only to find their family destroyed, the situation would be far worse.

At that moment, another elder spoke up.

"As far as I know, the Chen and Xie families haven't fully allied yet. Their relationship is only loosely cooperative, not particularly close. Moreover, there’s no irreconcilable conflict between our clan and the Xie family."

"In that case, the clan might as well..."