Chapter 46

"Nie Zhang branch? What are you doing here? Don't you know that after being expelled from the core, you're not allowed to come back without a summons?"

Seeing these two people, Nie Qiang's face darkened.

"Please, Young Master, don't send us away. We have something important to report to the Clan Head..." the two people who entered cried out simultaneously.

"Hmph, what could a branch that has been expelled from the family have to report? Get them out!" Nie Qiang shouted.

"Enough, just say what you have to say. The family will definitely stand up for you!" the Grand Elder interrupted Nie Qiang and said.

"Yes, yes, thank you, Grand Elder!" The visitors seemed relieved and hurriedly kowtowed.

If someone had sharp eyes, they would have noticed that at the moment this person kowtowed, he exchanged a gesture with Nie Qiang, as if signaling that the matter was successful.

"I am the third-generation descendant of the Nie Zhang branch, Nie Shuhe. Along with the Nie Tian branch, we maintain the family's small business, and our relationship is quite good. One day, our branch people discovered a thousand-year-old Pongxin Snow Lotus in the Xialuo Mountains by chance. We planned to capture it and present it to the Clan Head, hoping that the Clan Head could break through to the Qi Zong realm, making our Nie family the first in Luoshui City..."

When Nie Shuhe mentioned capturing the thousand-year-old Pongxin Snow Lotus to present to the Clan Head, all the elders in the hall nodded in satisfaction.

A branch that has been expelled from the core still has such awareness, which is quite commendable...

"Unfortunately, our branch people lack the talent for capturing medicinal herbs. We went several times but the Pongxin Snow Lotus always escaped. So, we sought out the family's top herbalist, Nie Ling! She is now the matriarch of the Nie Tian branch, Nie Xiaotian's wife, and Nie Yun's mother!"

Nie Shuhe said slowly.

"Hmm?" Hearing that Nie Shuhe also mentioned the Nie Tian branch and Nie Yun, the Grand Elder frowned.

"At the time, I had some matters to attend to, so my wife Shen Gui and others went to the Xialuo Mountains with Nie Ling. Who knew... who knew they never came back! When I found my wife again, she... she had already become a corpse!"

Tears streamed down Nie Shuhe's face as he spoke.

"What?" Hearing that going to gather herbs resulted in a corpse, everyone in the hall was stunned.

"Seeing my wife dead, I couldn't believe it, so I went to the Nie Tian branch to see how Nie Ling was doing, only to find that she seemed fine, and the Pongxin Snow Lotus was nowhere to be found on the mountain!" Nie Shuhe continued.

"Are you saying that Nie Ling went up the mountain with your wife and others to find the Pongxin Snow Lotus, and your wife and the others died, but Nie Ling was fine?" Nie Qiang suddenly interjected.

"Yes, so I suspect that Nie Ling, seeing the Pongxin Snow Lotus, was tempted by the wealth and pushed my wife and the others off the cliff... Clan Head, Grand Elder, you must stand up for us!"

Nie Shuhe wept bitterly, his nose and eyes streaming.

"Killing clan members for wealth is an unforgivable crime. I will thoroughly investigate this matter and give your branch a fair judgment!" Nie Haotian, the Clan Head, stood up from his throne and said, "Elder Nie Lang, the Nie Tian branch has a rebellious nature and their actions violate the family's ancestral rules. I now order you to lead the Black Shadow Enforcers to apprehend them. If they resist, kill them on the spot!"

The Black Shadow Enforcers are a elite force directly under the control of the Clan Head, with each member having the strength of the initial stage of the fifth level of the Qi Sea. Mobilizing them is usually reserved for major family events, such as the defection of an elder or an invasion by the demon race. The fact that the Clan Head personally ordered them to apprehend the Nie Tian branch shows the seriousness of the matter.

"Clan Head, the matter hasn't been clarified yet. These are just their one-sided words. Sending the Black Shadow Enforcers to kill them on the spot seems a bit severe!" The Grand Elder hesitated and said.

"Yes, Clan Head! Nie Xiaotian of the Nie Tian branch once won the Luoshui Golden Shield honor for the family. If we send the Black Shadow Enforcers without fully understanding the situation, it will dishearten the clan members!"

"The Luoshui Golden Shield is a competition organized by the City Lord's residence, in which the four major families personally participate. The winner of the Luoshui Golden Shield not only gains supreme honor but also the recognition and status of Luoshui City. If we send people like this, what will the other families think of our Nie family?"

Several elders who were on the same side as the Grand Elder spoke up simultaneously.

"Clan Head is right. So what if they have the Luoshui Golden Shield? It's their honor to contribute to the family. If we don't stop them from acting recklessly, who will still respect our core branch in the future?"

"Such family pests should be severely punished. Killing them for resisting is too lenient. I think we should confiscate their property and imprison all the members of the branch, torturing them severely!"

Several elders, following Nie Qiang's instructions, also shouted wildly.

"Alright, the matter is decided. Even if Nie Ling didn't kill Shen Gui and the others, Nie Liu has suffered such a great humiliation and wouldn't lie! Elder Nie Lang, this matter is yours to handle. The council meeting ends here!"

The Clan Head, Nie Haotian, made the final decision, stood up from his throne, and walked out through the back door of the hall.

As soon as he left, a smile slowly spread across Nie Qiang's lips, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

It was clear that this series of false accusations was all his doing, with one goal: to destroy the Nie Tian branch!

Although the Nie Zhang branch and the Nie Long branch had been expelled from the core, they had long been following his orders. Otherwise, they wouldn't have first set up his sister Nie Xiaofeng and then his mother Nie Ling!

"Nie Xiaotian, you'd rather pretend to be crazy than hand over that thing. I'll see if you still refuse after your family is destroyed!"

With a low growl, Nie Qiang made a "kill" gesture to Elder Nie Lang and followed Nie Haotian through the back door, ignoring Nie Hen, Nie Liao, and the others lying on the ground, as well as Nie Liu and Nie Shuhe kneeling on the ground.

............................

"Evolution of the bloodline to the upper class of the royal lineage, I didn't expect the body's resilience to increase as well. I thought this Imperial Flame Spirit Stone would be enough for my father, Nie Tong, and me to fully master the second level of the Lingxi Body Tempering Technique, but it wasn't even enough for me alone!"

Looking at the Imperial Flame Spirit Stone that had disappeared from his palm, Nie Yun opened his eyes helplessly.

Absorbing the special energy contained in the Imperial Flame Spirit Stone to cultivate the Lingxi Body Tempering Technique, Nie Yun originally thought that such a large piece of spirit stone would be enough for his father, Nie Tong, and himself to advance together. However, after the bloodline evolved, the body's absorption ability also increased, and even the entire piece of spirit stone was not enough to fully advance his second level of the Lingxi Body Tempering Technique. He had only progressed halfway, and there was still a long way to go to reach full mastery!

However, even so, his body's defensive power could withstand a full-strength attack from a peak Qi Sea Sixth Level Chenggang realm expert without any damage!

"Not only was the Imperial Flame Spirit Stone insufficient, but the unnamed technique also expanded the Qi Sea while increasing the bloodline factor. Although my true qi reserves are several times more than others, it has made it much more difficult to reach the peak of the Qi Sea Fourth Level True Qi realm..."

Thinking about the changes in his body, Nie Yun shook his head.

After opening the seven dantians, Nie Yun's strength had already approached the peak of the True Qi realm. However, he realized that it would take an enormous amount of true qi to fill them up.

The unnamed technique increased the bloodline factor and, in the process, expanded the capacity of the Qi Sea. As a result, the Qi Sea could hold more true qi, making it even more difficult to advance!

Originally, he thought it would take no more than half a month to fully advance to the peak of the True Qi realm and attempt the first Nirvana of the Ninefold Nirvana Technique. However, after cultivating, he realized that he had underestimated the increased capacity of the Qi Sea. According to the actual situation, it would take at least three to five months of cultivation to break through!

"Although my Qi Sea cultivation hasn't increased much, with the seven dantians operating simultaneously, the elevated bloodline, and the second level of the Lingxi Body Tempering Technique fully stabilized, I could probably fight even a Qi Sea Sixth Level Chenggang realm expert!"

After assessing his strength, Nie Yun exhaled.

People with high bloodlines not only cultivate faster than normal people but also have faster reaction times. With his seven dantians and upper-class royal lineage, Nie Yun could probably rank first in Luoshui City, except for his father, Nie Xiaotian. Relying on the advantages of his bloodline and his combat experience from his previous life, challenging two levels higher would no longer be a difficult task!

Of course, the so-called Chenggang realm experts are limited to the initial stage. Mid-stage Chenggang realm experts, who can release true qi to harm others, would be much harder to deal with!

However, with the second level of the Lingxi Body Tempering Technique providing invincible defense, even a mid-stage Chenggang realm expert would find it impossible to harm him!

"Although my strength has improved, I still have no chance of winning against these two tiger-headed beasts. I'll have to use drugs!"

With that thought, Nie Yun quietly swam toward the surface of the water pool. Looking up, he saw that the two tiger-headed beasts had just woken up, stretched lazily, and were about to drink water again.

PS: Two tigers taking medicine... hahaha, tomorrow will be "tiger-tiger wind"... don't be too evil... Also, tomorrow, the protagonist will gain a third innate ability besides the storage dantian and the fire dantian. What will it be? Give me your recommendation votes! With nearly 300 recommendation votes now, if we can reach 450 votes by tomorrow night, I'll update three times! That's just 150 more votes, very simple! Sprint, sprint, keep sprinting, let's aim higher!!!