人人操人人爱人人

Chapter 111: The Time is Right

Wang Han couldn\'t hide his enmity toward Zhang Lie even if he wanted to. It was natural, after all: the Wang clan had dominated over Ning for decades, and their greatest loss in recent memory could be attributed to a hunter who was barely of age!

"Elder Wang Feng, under these circumstances, I hope you\'ll keep the Wang clan\'s greater good in mind!" Wang Han turned and glanced at Wang Feng, his gaze filled with hostility.

Wang Feng sighed. "Head, you don\'t have to worry. From now on, I don\'t intend to oversee clan affairs at all!"

As the other elders stared in shock, Wang Feng stood up and left the meeting room. Two other elders immediately excused themselves and followed behind him, but Wang Han didn\'t mind, and he made no effort to stop them. They were loyal allies of Wang Feng, and even if they had stayed, they would hardly have contributed much to the following discussion.

A similar scene was playing out in the Qin clan\'s meeting room, in which the video of a hunter fighting alone amidst a swarm of bugs was prominently displayed. His gaze was calm and collected, as though he intended to forge a path through the sea of bugs with his might alone.

The hunters of the Qin clan were watching the video with serious expressions on their faces; the clan head Qin Zongming was sullen and brooding.

As the three-star scarab fell to the earth like a meteor and the video ended, a pregnant silence filled the room. Qin Zongming licked his rather parched lips, a hint of a quaver in his voice. "What are your thoughts, Elders?"

Zhang Lie, with his newfound status as a \'galaxy fighter\' and \'dragonsoul warrior\', would undoubtedly have an illustrious future. These were good tidings for the Yun and Chu clans, to whom Zhang Lie was close, but what about the Qin clan? To Qin Zongming, Zhang Lie was like a bomb that could well explode in his face.

If the Qin clan were to let him grow, they would surely perish.

"To think that someone like him has managed such an impressive feat despite his initial poor reputation! Head, I suggest reparations in order to ameliorate the relationship between the Qin clan and Zhang Lie," the Qin clan\'s third elder, Qin Li, ventured.

His proposal was logical: after all, Zhang Lie\'s two titles was a gulf that would shield him from all attacks by the Qin clan, whose status had dropped dramatically since the events of the venombane glade. If they were to expend all their resources in an attempt to kill Zhang Lie, it was still possible that they would succeed, but it would surely be a pyrrhic victory.

After all, the affair with Qin Xiaotian had been more or less resolved, and he had been punished for his transgression. If the Qin clan was willing to lose a little reputation, it wasn\'t impossible for them to salvage their relationship with Zhang Lie.

Qin Zongming narrowed his eyes. As his fingers rapped out a rhythm on the conference table, a sudden pressure descended on the room. He appeared to be calm, but the cold aura emanating from him betrayed his thoughts. Not only had his only son lost an arm because of Zhang Lie, he had even been expelled from the clan!

Whenever Qin Zongming thought of how he had to live like a gutter rat out in the dimensional world, his mind seethed with rage. Despite the trouble that Zhang Lie had caused for the Qin clan, these elders were thinking of starting afresh, just like that!

"You must be joking," Qin Zongming replied. "Will the proud Qin clan lower its head to someone who came from the slums of Ning? Do none of you remember that he was the sole cause of our recent tribulation?

Do none of you realize what bowing down to him would do to our reputation?" Qin Zongming slammed a palm on the table, his features contorted with rage. Such was his strength that the table splintered and cracked where his palm landed, causing the elders to react with consternation and shock.

"I agree with the clan head. The enmity between the Qin clan and Zhang Lie is one of blood, and can only be repaid by blood. Zhang Lie will never be more vulnerable than he is now, not when he hasn\'t yet grown into his strength," reiterated the Qin clan\'s first elder, Qin Feng.

"In that case, Head, how do you intend on dealing with Zhang Lie? Let us assume that you were able to kill Zhang Lie. How will the Qin clan absolve itself of suspicion and blame? The enmity between the Qin clan and Zhang Lie is well known in Ning. If Zhang Lie dies, we shall become the prime suspect!" Qin Li called out.

Many of the elders nodded in agreement.

In the past, Zhang Lie would have been trivial to deal with, but now that he was the center of attention, it would be extremely difficult for the Qin clan to lay a hand on him.

"So? He\'s a promising hunter, that\'s all. As long as we make appropriate reparations, neither the federal nor Chinese governments will hold us accountable for long." A malevolent smile caused Qin Zongming\'s lips to quirk up.

Qin Li sighed. Qin Zongming seemed to be set on his ways, but he knew how illogical the decision would be for the future of the Qin clan.

"That said, we should avoid suspicion where we can. I\'ve heard that this brat\'s currently making plans for constructing a dojo, and we could do worse than to prepare him a lavish gift." Qin Zongming glanced up at the image of Zhang Lie displayed prominently on the screen, his eyes darkening.

At the same time, within a forest located somewhere in the dimensional world, a black-robed hunter was slaughtering every lifeform he could see. With every kill, his ferocious expression grew even darker.

"How could you have gotten this far? You\'re just some brat from the slums! How could you have become so strong? How could you have become so popular? I swear I\'ll kill you! I swear it!"

As he yelled, Qin Xiao\'s hatchet struck lifeform after lifeform. The sensation of blood splattering on his body gave him an unusual sense of exhilaration; he imagined that every blow was landing on Zhang Lie\'s body.

Suddenly, his transceiver beeped. Qin Xiao frowned as the device clicked into action.

.

"Your opportunity\'s here. Are you ready?" Qin Zongming\'s face and voice appeared through the screen.

"One chance will be all I need!" Qin Xiao replied, his voice filled with hatred.

"You\'ll get your chance soon enough, but you had better be prepared." Seeing Qin Xiao\'s appearance now, Qin Zongming was certain that taking revenge on Zhang Lie was the right choice.

"Of course." Qin Xiao\'s breathing turned heavy.

As a lifeform pounced toward Qin Xiao, he split it in two with his hatchet without even looking back, spilling blood and innards all over the forest floor.

"Zhang Lie, let\'s see how long your fame will last!"

Qin Xiao licked at a drop of blood by the corner of his mouth as he steadily walked toward the Blacksteel settlement.

Zhang Lie, blissfully unaware of the forces that were converging on him, was still recuperating in bed. Although his constitution was significantly enhanced by his limit fragments and eternalspring cocoon soulshard, the extent of his injuries meant that he would need to rest for another day or two.

However, he had gained far more than he had lost during the fight. As a result of his life-or-death struggle, his latent talent had been drawn out, and he found combining the use of his soulshards and techniques to be far easier than it had been before.

This... could form the basis of a new training regimen, Zhang Lie thought.

"Brother!" Just as he was tabulating his rewards from the battle, a voice rang out from the distance. Before Zhang Lie could raise his head, a warm body pressed against his lap.

Zhang Lie felt Zhang Hanxiang\'s familiar warmth. He was gratified by her attention, but also at a loss in terms of how to explain what he had experienced in the footage she had undoubtedly seen.

"Brother, I don\'t want to stay in school any longer. Can we just stay at our old place and return to our lives from half a year ago?" Zhang Hanxiang asked, her voice quavering. Zhang Lie felt a damp patch on his shoulder.

Zhang Lie caressed her hand, unable to say anything. Of course, it would be impossible for him to return to his old life now. The only route left to him was becoming stronger and stronger, until he could protect his sister and himself from any trouble that might come his way. Only then could they experience true peace.

He clenched his fists. "Don\'t worry, Hanxiang. I\'m actually very strong, and this was just an accident!"

For the sake of his sister, he had to grow stronger, even stronger!