NOVPUBPassing through a long corridor, the scene ahead suddenly opened up to reveal a level valley with rows of wooden houses. Some houses looked brand new while others were very dilapidated, evidently having stood the test of time.
At first glance, it seemed more like an ordinary stockade in the deep mountains, at best just a slightly larger one. However, if you were to think that's all there is to it, you would be greatly mistaken.
To start with, the wooden houses might appear haphazardly constructed, but they were actually arranged according to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. In other words, collectively, the houses formed a very special formation. Moreover, the area around the houses had been arranged with some special materials, enhancing this Great Formation.
As to what this Great Formation actually was, Ye Feng couldn't tell for the moment because he found that even his spiritual power couldn't penetrate the ground and look deeper, as if it were blocked by some special substance.
Besides, above the valley floated a kind of colorful mist, which looked very magical. As for what this special mist was, Ye Feng also couldn't discern, because he discovered that this colorful mist could also block the probing of spiritual power.
"Please come this way!" Hong Tianze said as he slightly stepped aside, leading Ye Feng and Hong Qingyan along a bluestone path towards the wooden houses in front of them.
This was clearly a secluded ancient village of a clan, so when the locals saw outsiders entering, the entire ancient clan turned to look towards Ye Feng and Hong Qingyan.
Of course, these were not ordinary people. Despite their clothing looking similar to ordinary folk, their aura was very powerful. Ye Feng noticed that even the children here had some foundation in cultivation, with some youngsters in their teens having already succeeded in Foundation Establishment.
"Indeed worthy of an ancient clan, these descendants of the ancient clan are much stronger than the common folk outside, even incomparable to the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts!" Ye Feng remarked to himself.
Strictly speaking, these Four Great Ancient Clans have a legacy dating back more than two thousand years. Their isolation from the world has ensured the continuity of their heritage, and crucially, their Dao Cultivation Method has also been preserved. Although the turbulent times back then meant that the method couldn't be entirely conserved and passed down, even the fragmented texts are still extraordinary.
Unlike the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts, although they are also, in a way, inheritances from over two thousand years ago, because they are enmeshed in the secular world and have undergone much turmoil, their lineage has nearly been broken several times. Therefore, in terms of foundation, these Nine Great Sects are far inferior to the Four Great Ancient Clans.
Soon, the entire Ancient Hong Clan was alerted, and people came out from various places, staring unblinkingly at Ye Feng and Hong Qingyan. The expressions on their faces were as if they were suddenly seeing aliens intrude.
"See that young girl? They say she's the daughter of the clan chief, what's her name... right, it seems to be Hong Qingyan!" A few middle-aged women who appeared to be in their forties or fifties discussed among themselves by the roadside.
It seems that the penchant for gossiping and wagging tongues wasn't different based on cultivation levels—it was almost a common affliction among middle-aged women across the Xuanyuan Nation.
"That lass is pretty, and I hear she has even awakened our Hong Family's ancient bloodline inheritance, the Wings of Light. That's really something, indeed worthy of being the clan chief's daughter!" another woman remarked.
"Hong Qingyan is indeed impressive. After all, she's the clan chief's daughter, with both her looks and talent quite exceptional. But have you seen the young man beside her? He is rumored to be the Northern Border King of Xuanyuan Nation as well as the headmaster of the Martial Academy." Suddenly, another woman whispered among them.
No sooner had this person's words fallen than several women said, "Of course we know that. This young man is called Ye Feng. By rights, his talent is also quite remarkable, and his cultivation realm is not low. It is said that at this year's youth martial combat competition in the Outer Battlefield of the Milky Domain, this lad even won first place, indeed a peerless genius."
"Hmph, who would have thought that this kid, the very same who ranked first in this year's Martial Tournament on the Outer Battlefield, could even surpass our Hong Family's most esteemed talent, Hong Tianyu?"
"Not only did Tianyu fail to surpass him, but in the last Martial Dao Conference, he took second place, and this time he wasn't even able to make it into the top three. This sufficiently proves the strength and talent of this Ye surname kid. He could be said to be the strongest of the young generation in the world today. In theory, with Ye Feng's talent and status, he indeed would be a match for the daughter of our Hong Clan Chief, only..."
"Only what?" A number of members of the Hong Family who were unaware of the situation had their appetites whetted.
The person who spoke before said coldly, "Only, this Ye surname kid doesn't get along with our Hong Family. Remember, two years ago, our three Grand Elders had dealings with this kid, and it ended up in conflict because he was too arrogant. Later, when Ye Feng entered the Outer Battlefield, he didn't give our Ancestor any respect at all and openly provoked our Ancestor."
Hiss...
Many of the Hong Family members gasped after hearing this, and a good number of them scoffed, "If you ask me, this Ye surname kid is way too arrogant. He doesn't even pay respect to our Ancestor and dares to provoke him—it's just sheer ignorance of the heights of heaven and the depths of earth!"
"Isn't that the truth? Our Ancestor has lived nearly two hundred years and occupies the position of one of the Four Hall Masters in Xuanyuan Hall on the Outer Battlefield, with cultivation that can Reach the Sky and penetrate the earth. That this Ye surname kid would dare to provoke him, and even is said to have repeatedly opposed our Ancestor, he's simply asking for a death wish!"
"If that's so, why on earth would this kid dare to come here? Isn't he afraid of dying?" someone suddenly asked.
"Who knows? Perhaps the kid is just thick-skulled, or maybe he's become so inflated with pride that he no longer knows his place. Just wait and see. The Ancestor has already returned from the Outer Battlefield and is currently in the Council Hall on our clan grounds. We'll soon see how the Ancestor will deal with him!"
Not just Ye Feng, but Hong Qingyan too could hear all these various whispers around them. After all, at their level of cultivation, unless using a Secret Technique Voice Transmission to converse, even a hundred meters away and whispering, they could still hear clearly.
Yet, regardless of whether it was Ye Feng or Hong Qingyan, both were too lazy to pay any attention to these younger members of the Hong Family.
Under the guidance of Hong Tianze, the two of them walked along the long bluestone path, turned left at a bend, and then guessed their way to a plaza.
The circular plaza appeared ancient, with a red sun in the center, which Ye Feng glanced at and knew straight away must be the totem of the Hong Family, as many of their Cultivation Methods and Martial Techniques were related to the blazing sun.
Beyond the plaza was a five-story tall pavilion, which was the Hong Family's Council Hall. Any significant events faced by the family were typically discussed in meetings here.
"Mr. Ye, the building ahead is our Hong Family's Council Hall. The Ancestor is inside, and my task here is now complete. The two of you can proceed on your own," said Hong Tianze, bowing slightly before turning and leaving.
At that moment, the Ancestor of the Hong Family, Hong Wuji, accompanied by several Great Powers of the Yin-Yang Realm from the Hong Family, came walking out from inside.
"Ye surname, you've finally shown up," Hong Wuji sneered coldly.
