THE REAL PROTEGE-Chapter 507: THE ASSASINATION ATTEMPT

The aftermath was not peace, but fury. Rival clans humiliated, Li Clan elders exposed in disloyalty, spectators torn between awe and outrage. Yet Ling Li stood unbroken, her cold brilliance silencing all.

Shi Min and the Seven Shah tended to the wounded, their quiet strength a reminder of what truly mattered. The Valley elders exchanged uneasy glances, their authority shaken.

The Li Clan had survived. But the cost was division, fury, and betrayal.

Ling Li's jade-green eyes burned as she whispered to herself:

"Let them rage. Let them betray. In the end, the Li Clan will never tolerate."

The Family Competition surprisingly ended one day ahead of schedule, and Ling Li decided to stay at the Pavilion of Celestial Harmony to know what the rival sects were up to and wanted to unmask them together with the disloyal Li Clan Elders. Knowing Ling Li was staying, the Rival Sects decided to stay as well. Each one waiting wo will make the first move.

Shadows of Rebellion: Rival Clans' Secret Plots

The verdict was delivered. The Blood Seal throbbed in the Li Clan's grasp, its radiance binding their triumph to legend. Yet beneath the Pavilion's hush, the Valley quaked.

Humiliation festered like rot. The Iron Fang Clan convened in shadowed chambers. Warriors honed venomous blades, murmuring vengeance.

The Crimson Lotus Sect veiled itself in illusions, spinning conspiracies. They schemed to rupture the Valley within.

The Moonshade Pavilion bent mirrors inward, divining rebellion. Mystics swore to taint the Li Clan's legacy.

Hyun patriarchs, hawk-eyed, engineered lethal strikes. Cursed arrows, already notched, awaited assassination.

Each clan swore that if the Valley elders would not strip the Li Clan of victory, they would do so with blood. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Unease raced among the Hidden Valley elders. Some feared that awarding the Blood Seal to the Li Clan had unleashed an uncontrollable storm.

Otako, head of the Hidden Valley's Imperial Court, remained silent, his mask veiling thoughts none dared challenge. His presence alone stifled open rebellion, yet whispers grew — should civil war erupt, even Imperial authority might splinter.

Li Clan's Preparations

Ling Li acted quickly. Her jade-green aura burned with resolve as she summoned disciples and loyal elders.

Shi Min tended the wounded, his immortal hands steady, ensuring no disciple succumbed to lingering poisons or cursed wounds.

The Seven Shah reinforced the Mansion's defenses, weaving siege-proof formations.

Four Eyes and Mushu strengthened the clan's arrays, combining shadows and frost to guard the Jade Dragon Emblem.

Goldie and Ailun drilled weapon formations, blades flashing in unison.

Shun, Nicu, and Reginald refined their fire techniques, ready to unleash storms if rebellion broke out.

Lili and Jack drilled resonance and swiftness; their harmony aimed to fortify morale and strike down infiltrators.

Rockie and Fatty stood as bulwarks, their bodies ready to endure any assault.

Wushing balanced radiance and shadow, his duality poised to unravel illusions and purge corruption.

Chatty deepened his bond with the Enfield beast, bracing for the Beast Dominion's oncoming tumult.

While the rest of the Li Clan's inner and outer disciples were on guard.

Ling Li herself spun strategy, her mind keener than any blade. She foresaw rebellion and aimed to confront it with cold, flawless annihilation.

The Looming Civil War

The Valley was divided. Rival clans whispered rebellion in the shadows; pride demanded vengeance.

While Hidden Valley elders exchanged uneasy glances, their authority was shaken. Otako's heavy silence left everyone wondering if he would side with the Li Clan, remain neutral, or support the war.

Otako - Butler Oda smirked under his mask, 'Who are so stupid as to plot against Ling Li? The real Otako!' He silently thought with a sigh. Though Ling Li would not display her true capability, he knew Ling Li could crush these people plotting against her with a snap of her fingers, like ants.

Within the Li Clan, loyalty and betrayal simmered side by side. Some elders bowed their heads in shame for having tolerated corruption; others whispered treachery in hidden corners, driven by ambition for power.

Ling Li's jade-green eyes burned with unyielding fire. She would purge weakness from within to restore the clan's honor. She would crush rebellion to secure her family's rule.

The Blood Seal pulsed brighter, casting long shadows across the Hidden Valley — shadows filled with knives, conspiracies, and the promise of war.

The First Act of Rebellion – Blood in the Shadows

The Valley had barely settled after the verdict when the first strike hit.

Cloaked figures slipped through the Pavilion of Celestial Harmony's fractured corridors, blades tipped with venom, talismans etched with forbidden curses.

Their target: Reginald, frost-bearer of the Li Clan. Not chosen for weakness, but for symbolism—his Nine Yin Manual shielded the clan, and breaking him would shatter morale.

The assassins struck. Soul-devouring arrows pierced walls, illusions warped the air, and one blade grazed Reginald's throat. His frost flared, freezing the ground, but poison seeped in, slowing him.

At the same time, another group of rebels crept toward the Jade Dragon Emblem, attempting to corrupt it with shadow talismans. If the artifact fell, the Li Clan's victory would be undone.

Ling Li's Brutal Response

Ling Li's jade-green aura lit the night like wildfire. She appeared before the assassins, eyes burning with merciless fire.

She did not hesitate.

With a flick of her wrist, she severed the arm of the assassin who dared touch Reginald, his scream echoing through the Mansion.

Her aura expanded, crushing illusions into dust, exposing every cloaked figure in the shadows.

She seized an assassin by the throat, lifting him. Her jade aura burned through his talisman until his body turned to ash.

Another assassin ran. Ling Li's jade fire lanced through the air, pinning him to the wall until he fell silent.

At the Jade Dragon Emblem, she unleashed a storm of jade flames that incinerated the talismans before they could corrupt the artifact. The assassins who carried them were reduced to charred husks, their betrayal burned into the stone itself.

Kill a Lion to Warn the Monkey

Ling Li dragged the surviving assassin into the center of the Pavilion of Celestial Harmony, his body broken, his face pale with terror. She forced him to kneel before the Blood Seal, her voice cold and merciless:

"This is the fate of those who conspire against the Li Clan."

With a single strike, she shattered his core, leaving him lifeless at the feet of the Valley elders.

The Pavilion gasped. Rival clans, ready to rebel, felt their blood run cold. The message was clear — Ling Li would not just defend; she would annihilate.