Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Attacks from All Sides

Upon returning to the Mo family estate, Mo Chengtian immediately ordered the elder in charge of intelligence to compile a detailed report on all the major powers in the Dream Realm Plain.

Only after repeatedly stressing that there could be no mistakes or omissions did he finally have a chance to sit down. He let out a breath, crossed his legs, and leisurely sipped a cup of hot tea.

"Patriarch, what is going on? Why did we pledge our allegiance to those two youngsters?"

The Mo family elders were in no mood for tea. They had rushed over and were now firing off questions.

Back in his own estate, Mo Chengtian’s excitement had finally begun to calm. He glanced at the elders and said coolly, "Elders, in the ten-plus years since I became Patriarch, have I ever done anything to betray the family?"

"The Patriarch has always been diligent and dedicated to the family, and we all remember that. It’s just... pledging allegiance to another... this kind of thing is just too..."

The elders still found it hard to accept.

What did it mean to pledge allegiance? It meant that from this day forward, the entire family would serve them. Even if their new masters ordered them to die, they could not object.

"Hmph, how shortsighted! Do you have any idea what kind of background those two have?" Mo Chengtian snorted in displeasure.

’These elders have no vision. Am I the kind of person who would push the family into a fiery pit? Why can’t they understand?’

"What kind of background could they possibly have? Our Mo family has stood strong on Wukong Ridge for over two hundred years, and we’ve never pledged allegiance to anyone! A hundred years ago, when several major sects and empires wanted to absorb the families of Wukong Ridge, our Mo family didn’t yield. Even if those two are princes of some empire, they’re not qualified to make the Mo family submit, are they?" one hot-tempered elder said resentfully.

Mo Chengtian gave a cold smile. "Some empire? A few major sects? They’re nothing! There are some things I can’t say, but I can tell you this: His Highness’s background is so profound you can’t possibly imagine it. Do you know what that blond young man’s cultivation level is?"

"What level? Based on his age, he looks to be in his early twenties. Could he be a Tier Six Martial Venerable?" an elder frowned.

"A Tier Six Martial Venerable?" Mo Chengtian sneered. "A bunch of frogs in a well. That senior, Jin Lin, is a genuine Tier Seven Martial King expert."

As Mo Chengtian’s words fell, the elders were all stunned.

"Hehe, shocked, are you? But even a genius Martial King like him is merely His Highness’s servant. Hmph, just think about it. If even a Martial King expert is his servant, you can imagine His Highness’s status. If His Highness wasn’t new to the Dream Realm Plain, our Mo family trying to latch on to him would be like a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh."

Mo Chengtian said smugly, mentally patting himself on the back for his earlier quick-wittedness.

’Hehe, only someone like me, Mo Chengtian, could seize such an opportunity and turn a disaster into a blessing.’

While Mo Chengtian was feeling smug, the elders before him were already completely dumbfounded.

Seeing the elders’ shocked and vacant expressions, Mo Chengtian couldn’t help but feel contempt, cursing inwardly, ’A bunch of country bumpkins.’

He completely forgot that his own shock had been no less than that of the elders.

"Without my order, none of you are to spread this news. Otherwise, it will be treated as treason against the family. Understand?" Mo Chengtian concluded with a stern warning to the elders.

The elders nodded one after another, their own hearts now pounding with excitement.

If the Mo family truly followed such a person, it would be a blessing they had cultivated over several lifetimes.

Meanwhile, the news that the Mo family had gone menacingly to the Celestial One Inn to demand their man, only to return without any incident, spread like the wind, reaching the ears of the many families and powers paying attention to the event.

"What happened? With Mo Chengtian’s personality, he’s not the type to take his son being bullied lying down."

"I heard that after Mo Chengtian and the elders went in, they didn’t clash with those two at all. They just left obediently. Young Master Mo Cong of the Mo family was brought out, though."

"Did the Mo family really pay a ransom? Or did something else happen behind the scenes?"

"Those two have the Seven-Colored Chaos Soil. The Mo family was very interested in that before. Even without the Mo Cong incident, things shouldn’t have been this quiet."

"Strange, truly strange!"

"Investigate for me. Investigate thoroughly."

After hearing that the Mo family and Ye Xuan hadn’t clashed, all the major powers were shocked, each one guessing what might have transpired.

When Steward Liu of the Treasure Pavilion received the news, he too was astonished.

His gaze darkened as he muttered, "The Mo family didn’t make a move, but I refuse to believe the other major families will do nothing. Hmph, those two brats are running rampant in my Black Stone City. I refuse to believe they’ll get through this unscathed."

Just as Steward Liu had guessed, after their investigations yielded no results, the other three major families of Black Stone City, besides the Mo family, could no longer hold back.

Night fell, and groups of black-clothed, masked figures gathered outside the Celestial One Inn.

"Remember, make it quick. Grab the Seven-Colored Chaos Soil and leave immediately. Unless absolutely necessary, try not to harm the two youths," a masked man instructed the Martial Artists under his command.

As he gave his orders, the other two groups of masked men were receiving similar instructions.

The goal of the great families was the Seven-Colored Chaos Soil. Ye Xuan and Jin Lin’s backgrounds were mysterious, so unless it was absolutely necessary, they wouldn’t take their lives.

Even though in the ensuing chaos, it would be unlikely anyone could tell which family was responsible.

"Move out!"

With a low shout, figures darted swiftly toward the Celestial One Inn. The three groups moved almost simultaneously.

The Celestial One Inn was brightly lit, and the movements of the large number of black-clothed men were discovered immediately by the inn’s guards.

"Assassins!"

"Someone’s attacking the inn!"

"Halt! This is the Celestial One Inn! Trespassers will be killed without mercy!"

The Celestial One Inn’s guards roared furiously.

But their furious roars were soon drowned out by the sounds of fighting. The black-clothed men attacked frantically, and the inn’s guards fell one by one.

These black-clothed men acted with restraint. They avoided killing if they could, and most of the inn’s guards were merely knocked unconscious, their lives not in danger.

"Who are you people? How dare you trespass in my Celestial One Inn! Do you not know who backs this establishment?"

An angry shout rang out as the broadly built Shopkeeper Wu shot out from the first floor. The full power of a Tier Five Peak Martial Sect erupted from him as he attacked fiercely.

BANG! The leading black-clothed man turned and, with a single light palm strike, forced Shopkeeper Wu back.

"Shopkeeper Wu, we have no quarrel with the Celestial One Inn. Please don’t meddle in business that isn’t yours. We apologize for the offense today," the black-clothed man said in a low voice before blasting toward the room where Ye Xuan and Jin Lin were staying.

But just as he did—

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

From the rooms surrounding Ye Xuan and Jin Lin’s, figures with extraordinary auras suddenly shot out, intercepting the black-clothed attackers.

The leader of this new group had a remarkable presence. The aura of a Tier Six Second Layer Martial Venerable radiated from him as he stood like a War God at the inn’s entrance.

"Patriarchs of the Li, Xu, and Wei families, since you’re already here, why hide your faces? With my Mo family here today, the three of you can forget about taking another step closer."

Mo Chengtian’s booming voice rang out, filled with heroic bravado.

After preparing the information for Ye Xuan, he knew the three great families wouldn’t let the matter of the Seven-Colored Chaos Soil rest. So, he had immediately led all his family’s experts to stand guard for Ye Xuan.

In Mo Chengtian’s mind, this was a golden opportunity to make a good impression on Ye Xuan, so he naturally didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest.

"Mo Chengtian!"

Seeing Mo Chengtian, the experts from the three great families were all stunned.

They didn’t understand why the Mo family was guarding this place.

"Could it be... that you, the Mo family, have already captured those two?"

The thought arose in the minds of the three family patriarchs, and they shouted in angry shock.

But they quickly dismissed that conclusion.

If that were the case, the Seven-Colored Chaos Soil should have already fallen into the Mo family’s hands. There would be no reason for them to be guarding this place; after all, compared to the Mo family estate, the Celestial One Inn’s defenses were pathetic.

But then, why?

The members of the three great families simply couldn’t figure it out.

But they were decisive enough. If they couldn’t figure it out, they wouldn’t waste time thinking about it.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The three great families were clearly not going to retreat. An intense clash erupted in an instant.

Inside his room, Ye Xuan was looking over the information Mo Chengtian had brought him.

The report was very thorough, covering basically all the major and top-tier powers in the Dream Realm Plain.

In the Dream Realm Plain, the standard for a major power was simple: possessing a Tier Seven Martial King expert. Both the Tianya Commerce Association and the Divine Walk Commerce Association were among these major powers.

Thus, there were many major powers, no fewer than several dozen.

The top-tier powers, however, were far fewer. There were only ten in total: the three great empires—the Sky Empire, the Bright Moon Empire, and the Qingfeng Empire; the four great sects—the Nine Yang Sect, the Profound Mystery Sect, the Sword Sect, and the Divine Sea Sect; and finally, the Profound Sound Valley, the War God Tribe, and Gale Light Academy.

These ten were the absolute apex powers of the Dream Realm Plain.

To become a top-tier power, one must have at least five Tier Seven Martial King Level experts, and among them, at least one Martial King at the Tier Seven Second Layer or above.

Although they were all top-ten powers, they were not all equal in strength. Three were the strongest, forever occupying the top three positions: Gale Light Academy, the Nine Yang Sect, and the Profound Mystery Sect.

These three powers all had Martial Kings at the Tier Seven Third Layer. As for whether they had any Tier Eight Martial Emperors, no one knew.

’It seems the strength of this Profound Mystery Sect is even greater than I anticipated.’

Ye Xuan read this and was secretly alarmed. To become one of the top three powers in the Dream Realm Plain was something no ordinary faction could achieve. Their foundations had to be extraordinarily deep.

However, no matter who the opponent was, Ye Xuan would not feel the slightest fear. Anyone who dared to move against the Thirteen Nations Alliance—even if they were the king of the heavens—Ye Xuan would dare to drag them from their throne.