The black clouds hang low, seemingly within reach of the eaves, while torrential rain pours out from the clouds like a breaking mountain flood.
Bolts of lightning streak down like chains from the cloud layer, illuminating the entire Dark World. They lay down layers of electric grids in the water on the ground, and all creatures moving through the rain are electrocuted to death at this moment.
"When the Water God is enraged, heaven and earth are overturned!" Tushan Qing watched the lightning slipping through the sky, his eyes full of awe. He saw hundreds of lightning ropes falling from the clouds above Chongzheng Academy, but they were instead drawn towards the Exquisite Tower, with all the lightning absorbed and transformed into the tower’s energy.
"I don’t know how many innocent citizens will die tragically in the streets..." Tushan Qing sighed softly.
"Fool! At a time like this, there aren’t any ordinary citizens on the streets." Zhang Chen shook his head. For ordinary people, seeking advantage and avoiding harm is human nature, and with Jinling City in chaos right now, the truly kind-hearted have long since been praying silently indoors, not walking the streets.
At this moment, amidst the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning that shine throughout heaven and earth, the rage of the Innate Water God swept through the entire Jinling City. The misty clouds obscured Zhang Chen’s view, making it difficult for him to see clearly what was happening at the Shen Family Mansion. It was only a quarter of an hour later that the Exquisite Tower of Chongzheng Academy suddenly vibrated violently, then rose straight up and disappeared into the sea of clouds, afterward followed by the rageful shout of the Innate Water God from the direction of the Shen family: "You insect, how dare you stop me from destroying Jinling City?"
Then, there was an even fiercer burst of divine light, and a quarter of an hour later, everything between heaven and earth returned to peace, with the tower transformed into a stream of light, coming back from the distant clouds and landing inside Chongzheng Academy.
The lightning in the sky abruptly stopped, and the black clouds began to gradually disperse.
"The great battle is over. I wonder what the outcome was?" Tushan Qing looked towards the now silent sea of clouds and muttered softly.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen said: "It must have been the academy’s victory. Otherwise, the Innate Water God should have massacred the entire Jinling City!"
At this time, the scholars within Chongzheng Academy also started quietly discussing and debating Jinling City’s situation. Just then, a figure emerged from the mountain below. It was Zhou Qiucheng in a white robe, walking up through the drizzle, facing the curious glances from within the academy, he said: "Classes will resume as usual tomorrow!"
Zhou Qiucheng then turned his body towards the back of the mountain and left.
The scholars gathered in small groups upon hearing this, continuously discussing the night’s events. Meanwhile, Zhang Chen and Tushan Qing went their separate ways, making their way to the back mountain, finding the three little ones and Mrs. Zhang in a secluded pavilion.
Zhang Chen carried an oiled paper umbrella in his hand. Although he possessed the Authority of Water Element, he felt using the Divine Technique to avoid the rain was too extravagant; it was safer to blend in with the masses using an oiled paper umbrella.
He calculated against the Innate Water God, wishing to completely conceal his family to avoid attracting the attention of the Innate Water God.
"Big brother!"
Zhang Tuowei called out softly, looking at Zhang Chen approaching through the darkness.
When Zhang Chen stepped into the pavilion, protected from the earlier lightning, the family remained unaffected.
He walked slowly to the pavilion, using a lantern to look at the pale-faced three little ones and Mrs. Zhang, and said warmly: "Fear not, it’s all over now!"
"What happened in Jinling City to cause such a large commotion?" Xiaodouding asked, as a cultivator, her sensitivity to the Qi Mechanism between heaven and earth allowed her to sense the terrifying events unfolding in Jinling City.
"Someone acted against the Shen family. If nothing unexpected happened, the Shen family is likely gone..." Zhang Chen’s voice was filled with emotion.
Tonight, the direct lineage of the Shen family was completely massacred, and that Innate Water God, facing the Exquisite Tower and the Profound Yuan Water Control Banner, must have met with disaster. Once tonight is over, the Jinling Shen family is likely to be erased.
It’s just unclear how Shen Ling and Shen Qiu fared; whether they returned from the academy in time. If they stayed within the academy, perhaps they escaped this calamity, becoming the sole remaining bloodline of the Shen family.
Of course, the Yellow Heaven Dao intends to scheme against Jinling City. Now, with the Shen family’s appearance of eleventh and twelfth-tier beings and Zhang Xiaohua slain by his hands, it’s uncertain if the Yellow Heaven Dao still has the courage to continue its plans for Jinling City.
Losing Zhang Xiaohua was undoubtedly the greatest loss; likely, the Yellow Heaven Dao will pull back its reach, intimidated by the complex situation in Jinling City.
"I also don’t know how Liu Ji is holding up; that fellow with Ten Directions Defense should be okay." In Zhang Chen’s mind, endless thoughts flashed instantaneously, countless distractions sprouted, yet he swiftly cut them off.
"Jinling Shen family erased in one night?" The three little ones gasped in tremble upon hearing the words.
Mrs. Zhang’s eyes were full of disbelief: "Such a large Shen family, how could it be erased in one night? What kind of force has such power?"
Zhang Chen replied: "There will always be someone stronger. Though the Shen family is formidable, there are countless stronger powers in the world. The situation at the foot of the mountain is unstable; you should stay in the academy for now. When the situation below stabilizes, we’ll return down the mountain to settle again."
With the fall of the Shen family, the top-tier combat power of the five great families has completely perished. Jinling City is bound to enter a fierce scramble in the coming days, with countless forces seizing the opportunity to take a bite out of the few great families.
The upcoming chaos in Jinling City is inevitable, with bloody battles going on for a long, long time.
"That being said, severing ties with the Shen family and annulling your marriage was indeed a wise decision. It spared you the trouble of being implicated with them." Blood gradually returned to Mrs. Zhang’s face as she spoke.
Zhang Chen nodded: "Fate sure likes to toy with people!"
"Let’s go, we’ll settle down for now and leave any matters until after tonight," Zhang Chen distributed umbrellas to everyone, then led Mrs. Zhang and the three children down the mountain.
To settle in the mountains, a visit to Zhou Qiucheng is necessary.
The three children naturally did not need any introductions; each academy disciple is allotted a room as soon as they enter the academy, saving them from the hardship of traveling. Although the children don’t usually reside at the academy, their dormitories remain available. Mrs. Zhang, however, is not an academy member, so her residency requires arrangements from Zhou Qiucheng.
The family carried lanterns and held umbrellas, arriving at the courtyard in the back mountains where Zhou Qiucheng resided. From afar, they saw the courtyard ablaze with bright lights. Before the Zhang family could reach it, the eldest son, Zhou Zhen, appeared outside the gate, holding a lantern in one hand and an oiled paper umbrella in the other, waiting in the drizzle.
As Zhang Chen’s family approached, Zhou Zhen spoke first: "Brother Zhang, Mrs. Zhang, please come in quickly. Our family has already prepared accommodations for you. You can stay in the mountains for the time being."
Zhang Chen nodded and thanked Zhou Zhen: "Thank you for the trouble."
Then he asked, "How is the master?"
"Father just told me that after settling your family, he will take you to see him," Zhou Zhen replied, then addressed Mrs. Zhang: "The night is late, so please rest, Mrs. Zhang. My mother would not want to disturb your rest tonight. She will definitely visit you personally tomorrow. Please do not hold it against us if it’s inconvenient tonight."
"It doesn’t matter. In the deep quiet of the night, we should be the ones apologizing for our sudden visit. Traditionally, we should have proactively paid our respects to your esteemed father and mother, but it is late and we shouldn’t disturb them. I hope your father will not fault us," Mrs. Zhang returned a polite bow.
"We are family, there’s no need for formalities—let’s settle in first and talk later," Zhou Zhen replied, then led Zhang Chen’s family into the courtyard to arrange lodging for Mrs. Zhang and the three children.
Zhou Qiucheng’s house is ample to accommodate everyone; Mrs. Zhang, Zhang Tuowei, and Chengyu share one room, while Zhang Chen and Zhang Fei share another.
After arranging the accommodations and providing cups and hot water, Zhou Zhen then took Zhang Chen to Zhou Qiucheng’s study. As they pushed the door and entered, they saw Zhou Qiucheng sitting behind the desk, his face pale as paper, seemingly on the brink of collapse.
Most notably, Zhou Qiucheng was wrapped in a heavy quilt, with frost swirling around him. The air in the room was exceptionally cold, as if winter had replaced the summer heat outside.
Zhang Chen could see that the tea in front of Zhou Qiucheng had frozen solid and the ink stone was also iced over.
Entering the room, Zhang Chen shivered and bowed to Zhou Qiucheng:
"Greetings, sir."
Zhou Qiucheng adjusted the quilt around him, a layer of frost falling down: "You’ve come!"
His voice was hoarse, like cotton was stuffed in his throat.
"Sir, why are you in such a state?" Zhang Chen asked, "What happened in Jinling City?"
Feigning ignorance of the events in Jinling City, Zhang Chen kept from revealing he had witnessed them firsthand. He had already entered the tomb of the Innate Water God before Zhou Qiucheng arrived.
Upon Zhang Chen’s words, Zhou Qiucheng paused briefly in contemplation before speaking: "Something has occurred which you must prepare for—it has significant ties to you."
"What is the matter? With the fierce battle down the mountain, how could I possibly be involved?" Zhang Chen’s heart skipped a beat, fearing Zhou Qiucheng had discovered his intervention. But thinking it unlikely, he inquired further.
"Though it doesn’t concern you, it relates to the Shen family." Zhou Qiucheng exhaled coldly: "The Shen family has been exterminated! All elite members of the Jinling Shen family have been erased. Except for Shen family disciples within the academy, every bloodline in Jinling City has been reduced to nothing."
Zhang Chen was ’shocked,’ standing silent for a moment before regaining his composure and saying: "Are you serious, sir? The Shen family was so formidable, how could they vanish so suddenly?"
"Indeed, such a strong Shen family, controlling seventy percent of the water fortunes throughout the realm, disappeared overnight! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it," Zhou Qiucheng sighed solemnly, consoling Zhang Chen: "The destruction of the Shen family was unavoidable, so... take heart, don’t be too sorrowful."
Zhang Chen shook his head upon hearing this:
"Sir, you’ve misunderstood. I’m merely shocked. I had long since annulled my engagement with the Shen family. The Shen family’s young lady didn’t favor me; their matters have nothing to do with me."
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