The Clan's Surrender

“Threads of Silk Rain?” Dongzi Qi murmured softly behind him. Behind him, the other four Zifu Disciples remained in a state of shock.

“This Ji Ning is even stronger than I anticipated,” Dongzi Qi mused. “Only sixteen years old, and even Junior Apprentice-Brother Musi can’t take him down! It seems only I could kill him.” If he were to act, he would unleash the Eight Trigrams Blood Dragon Formation. Once that formation appeared, it would be a life-or-death struggle with no room for turning back.

Dongzi Qi was confident, yet he understood that the Ji Clan’s strength was not negligible. If a true battle broke out, it was highly likely that one or two of their five Zifu Disciples would fall.

If he could make the enemy retreat, that would be for the best.

“Ji Ning, well done.”

“Good work.”

The Ji Clan tribesmen all looked at Ji Ning. “Are you alright?” Ji Yichuan looked at his son, and only relaxed when he saw that Ji Ning was unharmed.

“Dongzi Qi!” Granny Shadow suddenly shouted harshly. “What is the meaning of this! Attacking a member of my Ji Clan by surprise? We are all right here, and you still dare to act so arrogantly!”

“Your Snowdragon Mountain is far too overbearing!”

The Ji Clan tribesmen were filled with grief and indignation, but every single one of them forcibly held back, not daring to make a move. After all, they were facing Snowdragon Mountain.

“Hahaha…” Dongzi Qi began to laugh. “Attacking by surprise? Such an ugly way to put it. My Junior Apprentice-Brother Musi only heard that your Ji Clan had a genius with incredible talent, one who even killed my Snowdragon Mountain’s Junior Apprentice-Brother Beizi Shan. When he saw this young genius today, he couldn’t resist the urge to spar with him. What, are you saying that a Zifu Disciple of Snowdragon Mountain doesn’t even have the right to spar with a member of your Ji Clan?”

“You call this a spar?” Granny Shadow’s hoarse voice was fierce.

“Of course it’s a spar,” Dongzi Qi said. “From what I can see now, this young genius of your Ji Clan truly has impressive techniques. He was even able to break my junior apprentice-brother’s sorcery. Admirable, admirable.”

“You…” Granny Shadow was absolutely furious. In her nearly four hundred years of life, she had rarely suffered such humiliation. If she had no burdens, she would have attacked long ago. But for the sake of the entire Ji Clan, she had to endure.

A fierce light flashed in Dongzi Qi’s eyes. He gave a cold snort and said, “Even if it weren’t a spar, and we truly fought and killed that Ji Ning, what could your Ji Clan possibly do about it?” Dongzi Qi’s icy pupils swept across the group of Ji Clan tribesmen, a trace of a disdainful smirk on his lips, causing the Ji Clan members to grow even more grievous and indignant.

Flamboyant and arrogant!

Dongzi Qi’s goal was to be flamboyant and arrogant, to completely suppress the Ji Clan!

“Chieftain!” Ji Liuzhen suddenly roared in anger. “Our Ji Clan is not one to be bullied! We would rather stand tall in death than kneel in life! We have given ground step by step, and Snowdragon Mountain has pressed forward step by step. Do they truly think our Ji Clan is made of mud? Let us fight them to the death! There are five of them here today—we will make sure that more than half of them die with us!”

“Fight to the death!”

“Chieftain, let us fight!”

“If they won’t give us a way to live, we won’t let them live either!” Immediately, many of the Ji Clan tribesmen roared in fury.

This gave Dongzi Qi and the other four a slight start. Snowdragon Mountain’s faction was indeed powerful, but that referred to the main Snowdragon Mountain Sect! As for this single Yan Mountain branch of Snowdragon Mountain… although it was stronger than the Ji Clan, the difference was limited. After all, the peak fighting force on both sides was only Zifu Disciples. If a true life-or-death fight erupted, even if they annihilated the Ji Clan, the Yan Mountain branch of Snowdragon Mountain would suffer devastating losses.

“Silence.” Ji Jiuhuo turned his head and transmitted his voice with elemental energy, his shout ringing in every clan member’s ear.

The tribesmen all looked at Ji Jiuhuo.

…

“What are they talking about?” the burly youth Ju San from the Snowdragon Mountain side transmitted.

“These natives,” the gray-robed man Musi transmitted. “They’re used to tribal life; they’d rather break than bend. When pushed to the brink, they will fight to the death. We pushed a little too hard, so they’re starting to push back.”

Dongzi Qi transmitted back with confidence, “Don’t worry. Ji Jiuhuo is an old fox who’s lived for nearly four hundred years. He’s extremely slick. He’ll persuade and control his people.”

…

On the Ji Clan’s side, they were secretly communicating with each other via voice transmission.

“Snowdragon Mountain is going too far,” Ji Jiuhuo transmitted. “But no matter how arrogant they are, we have to endure it! Do you really want to fight them to the death?”

“But Chieftain, we can sign a transfer contract with the Grand Xia Dynasty. The Grand Xia Dynasty will protect us then, and we can still get thirty percent of the Yuan Stone mine,” a burly Ji Clan tribesman hastily transmitted.

“Foolish!” Ji Jiuhuo transmitted back. “To sign a transfer contract with the Grand Xia Dynasty, we must first report it, then wait for the Grand Xia Dynasty’s Celestial Envoy to arrive and verify the Yuan Stone mine, and only then can we sign the contract! This all takes time. Given the current situation, our Ji Clan could very well face total annihilation before that happens!”

“For the sake of a thirty percent share of a Yuan Stone mine, you want to plunge the entire tribe into a crisis of extinction?” Ji Jiuhuo roared. “There is nothing more stupid than that! Even if we successfully sign the transfer contract and the Grand Xia Dynasty protects our Ji Clan for a thousand years… what about after that thousand years? When Snowdragon Mountain comes to exact revenge upon our Ji Clan, we will be finished all the same. So I would rather give the entire Yuan Stone mine to Snowdragon Mountain!”

“But…”

“This is too infuriating.”

“Too…”

Every single Ji Clan tribesman felt a burning rage in their hearts.

“No matter how angry or unwilling we are, for the sake of the Ji Clan, we must endure,” Ji Jiuhuo transmitted with a sigh. “As long as we allow the Ji Clan to continue to flourish and prosper, what does a little humiliation matter?”

“If anyone is to blame, it is our own lack of strength. It is a great blessing from the Heavens, but this Yuan Stone mine is something we cannot bear.” Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Ning. “Ji Ning, you are the most incredible genius our Ji Clan has produced since its founding. If you are allowed to grow, it is almost certain that you will become a Wanxiang Adept.”

One by one, the tribesmen looked at Ji Ning, their eyes filled with hope and longing.

Yes.

The hope for the Ji Clan’s rise… lay with Ji Ning. The Xiantian lifeforms of the Ancestral Manor had previously doubted Ji Ning’s strength, having only heard of it through rumor. But just now, they had witnessed Ji Ning’s power with their own eyes—he had forcibly broken even a high-level sorcery technique of a Snowdragon Mountain Zifu Disciple. And Ji Ning was only sixteen years old! The thought of Ji Ning’s immense potential excited them all.

“But no matter how talented a genius is, once dead, he is no longer a genius,” Ji Jiuhuo said, looking at Ji Ning. “For the sake of our Ji Clan, you must live, and live long.”

Ji Ning nodded gently.

He thought back to one person… Lei Zhan, the fourth master of the aquatic palace. A man who, despite competing against so many rivals, had become a personal disciple of Celestial Immortal Juhua. His talent went without saying, and yet he had died while still a Wanxiang Adept.

“Let the humiliation of this day be forever carved into the hearts of every Ji Clan tribesman,” Ji Jiuhuo said, looking at each of his people. “We must grow strong. Only when you are strong will others not dare to bully you or look down on you.”

“Yes.” The assembled tribesmen all nodded, Ji Ning among them.

…

Dongzi Qi and the other four Zifu Disciples watched from the side, looking at the expressions of grief, indignation, and forcibly suppressed rage on the faces of the Ji Clan group, and could not help but sneer. They had seen this scene too many times. Back when they were out on business for their Sect, they had faced countless small tribes that could only bow their heads before Snowdragon Mountain.

“Dongzi Qi.” Ji Jiuhuo turned his head to look at the five of them.

“Have you decided?” Dongzi Qi looked at Ji Jiuhuo. “But Ji Jiuhuo, let me make this clear to you. No matter what, you must hand over the Vassal Token of Ten Thousand Swords City! If you don’t hand it over, the doom of your Ji Clan’s extermination is right around the corner!”

The Ji Clan tribesmen could barely contain their rage; anger was written on every single face.

Hand over the Vassal Token?

Wasn’t that forcing them to abandon their territory?

Ji Jiuhuo clenched his teeth, his face dark. Forcing the words out one by one, he said, “My Ji Clan can hand over the Vassal Token and leave this territory! Everything within this territory will belong to Snowdragon Mountain.”

“What?!”

Everyone was stunned. Ji Ning was also shocked as he looked at the Chieftain.

Ji Jiuhuo continued through gritted teeth: “But your Snowdragon Mountain must give my Ji Clan a Vassal Token, a piece of land for our Ji Clan to have a foundation! We will exchange the Vassal Token of Ten Thousand Swords City for the Vassal Token of another Grand Xia city. My Ji Clan is willing to leave our homeland.”