Chapter 65: The Annihilation of the Xiong Family (Part Two)

Everyone’s gaze turned to Mr. Zhao, for the sound of shattering had come from above his head.

An eerie scene unfolded: fine cracks appeared on Mr. Zhao’s face. In the blink of an eye, fragments fell away, revealing another, slightly older visage. A conspicuous, dark birthmark marred his face—this was Mr. Zhao’s true appearance.

Chen Xian was somewhat surprised at the sight: why would this Zhao fellow disguise himself instead of showing his real face? Was there some secret he was hiding?

While Chen Xian pondered, a figure quietly slipped out.

Without an answer, Chen Xian ceased his speculation and glanced down at his own body.

He found that a multitude of red vortices had formed, absorbing all the energy from Mr. Zhao’s attacks.

He closed his eyes and sensed the mysterious tree in his mind; only a third of it had turned red, the rest remained gray.

“Mr. Zhao is still too weak,” Chen Xian sighed inwardly. If his opponent were stronger, perhaps the mysterious tree would become more solid, and might even bear an eighth fruit.

With that, he suddenly opened his eyes, sharp light radiating from his gaze as he swept over the other experts of the Xiong family, coldly declaring, “Tonight, every core member of the Xiong family must die!”

As his words fell, Chen Xian’s figure flashed, charging toward the Xiong family’s experts.

A few minutes later.

In front of the Ma Tower lay over a dozen corpses, all Xiong family experts; the lower ranks of the Xiong Group had surrendered and laid down their arms.

Chen Xian had no intention of slaughtering these minor underlings.

“Master Chen, mighty and invincible!”

“Master Chen, mighty and invincible!”

At this moment, Ma Tian, Ma He, and other Ma family members shouted excitedly.

Their voices joined in a deafening chorus.

To them, Chen Xian was the undefeated God of War!

The supposedly invincible Mr. Zhao, whom Ma Tian and Ma He had feared, was slain by Master Chen with a single punch—such skill was beyond mortal comprehension!

The Ma family’s core members placed even greater faith in Master Chen.

If not for him tonight, the Ma family would have been annihilated by the Xiong family.

The destruction of martial clans was not uncommon in the martial world.

Chen Xian scanned the corpses strewn across the ground and frowned slightly, realizing one person was missing.

That person was none other than Xiong He, the patriarch of the Xiong family.

Ma Tian, newly freed from his bonds, noticed this as well and hurriedly said, “Master Chen, we cannot let Xiong He escape. He’s the Xiong family’s head—otherwise, there will be endless trouble!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xian’s gaze flickered. After a moment’s thought, he said, “I’ll pursue Xiong He. Ma Tian, Ma He, Ma Shan... organize your manpower immediately. Bring accountants, lawyers, and others, and take control of the entire Xiong Group. Don’t let him move any assets.”

He was concerned that, after tonight’s crushing defeat, Xiong He would attempt to flee with the Xiong Group’s capital.

If that happened, tonight’s victory would be greatly diminished.

Afterwards, Chen Xian injected a trace of spiritual energy into the bodies of Ma Tian, Ma He, and the other dozen core Ma family members.

Immediately, the exhausted and wounded Ma Tian and his kin became invigorated, as if all fatigue had vanished.

Chen Xian then instructed the Ma family’s other core members to guard the bodies of their fallen comrades with care.

He stroked the head of Little Mei, communicating with her through his mind.

The cat’s sapphire eyes gleamed with a mysterious blue light. She opened her pink mouth and uttered a strange meow.

Meow~~~

Everyone present, upon hearing the cat’s call, felt their vision blur and sank into a dazed stupor.

Chen Xian swept his gaze over the stunned crowd. With a thought, the ring on his pinky finger shone with ghostly light, forming a vortex that rotated slowly and emitted a pulling force.

The corpses of the Xiong family, along with Mr. Zhao’s, were drawn toward the ring and finally absorbed within.

These martial artists’ bodies contained rich energy; once fully refined, they would provide Chen Xian with considerable spiritual power, especially that of Mr. Zhao.

Having finished, Chen Xian stroked the cat’s head again.

Meow~~~

Little Mei meowed once more.

Everyone present emerged from their stunned state.

Man and cat quickly left the Ma Tower plaza, setting off to track Xiong He’s whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Ma Tian, Ma He, and the other core Ma family members immediately mobilized large numbers of people, racing through the night to all Xiong family properties in M City, including their ancestral home.

Those surrendered Xiong family underlings were guarded by a handful of Ma family members.

Having witnessed Master Chen’s awe-inspiring power, their will to resist had been shattered and posed no threat.

...

Time slipped quietly into the next morning. The sun leapt above the horizon, casting rays in every direction.

In the suburbs of M City, atop a small hill, within a courtyard.

Chen Xian sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, gazing at the ring on his pinky in contemplation.

Last night, he had pursued Xiong He, but failed to catch him.

Xiong He was decisive; he hadn’t returned home, but fled M City overnight. According to information Ma Tian obtained from the aviation department, Xiong He had already escaped the Hualong Federation.

Thus, Chen Xian could not reach him and had to let the old fox flee abroad for now.

Although the Xiong family’s patriarch escaped, thanks to Chen Xian’s swift action in having Ma Tian, Ma He, and others take control of the Xiong Group’s financial accounts, none of the assets were transferred by Xiong He.

Now, Ma Tian was still leading his family in inventorying the Xiong Group’s assets. Results would come soon.

Severely injured members like Ma He were sent promptly to the hospital.

Furthermore, the aftermath and compensation work proceeded methodically; last night’s battle had cost the Ma family many lives.

Chen Xian ordered that compensation must be thorough, so the blood shed to protect the Ma Group would not be in vain:

Each fallen member would receive at least three million in compensation; those severely injured and unable to work would receive generous support, and for the rest of their working lives, would not need to work. They would receive monthly wages from the Ma Group, equal to regular employees.

Chen Xian knew that, for a large group to function well, it was crucial that his people were willing to risk their lives.

He wanted everyone to know that for their efforts on behalf of the Ma Group, he would never let them down.

...

Next, Chen Xian willed the ring to emit its ghostly light, forming a swirling vortex. One by one, items were expelled onto the mat before him, neatly arrayed:

A book, its cover mottled, pages yellowed and partly missing;

A bronze cauldron about a foot high;

Several precious medicinal herbs—wild ginseng, lingzhi, polygonum—over a century old;

A small pile of white porcelain bottles with red caps;

A sheepskin scroll and a token.

All these were spoils seized from Mr. Zhao.

Chen Xian’s attention was first drawn to the bronze cauldron...