“There’s nothing more to see, let’s go.”
“Ethan Chen, I’ve come from afar. Aren’t you going to greet me?”
Gabriel Zhou asked with a smile after observing the Sacred Tree.
Ethan snapped out of his thoughts and quickly responded, “Guest, this way please.”
Soon, they arrived at the clan’s main hall.
Calling it a main hall was an overstatement; it was quite simple.
After the tea was served, Gabriel took a sip and spoke again, “Ethan Chen, if I’m not mistaken, there should be a natural Blood Spring beneath your clan, right?”
Ethan’s hand holding the teacup paused instantly, a trace of vigilance in his expression.
However, considering that this person was brought by James Chen, he guessed that Gabriel must have already seen the clan’s Blood Rice. With Gabriel’s background and knowledge, discovering this wouldn’t be difficult.
Ethan slowly put down the teacup and nodded, “That’s right, our Chen Clan does indeed have a natural Blood Spring.”
Gabriel’s face showed no surprise at Ethan’s confirmation, only a smile, “Ethan Chen is straightforward, so I’ll be direct as well.”
“Our Zhou Family governs this region, with countless small clans under us. Although this place is called Disordered Burial Mountain, it still belongs to the Cloud Dream Mountain Range and is under the jurisdiction of Cloud Dream City.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying, Ethan Chen?”
Ethan’s face turned slightly grim upon hearing this. He understood the implication of Gabriel’s words.
The Chen Clan had been here for twenty years, and now they were suddenly being told they were on someone else’s territory. It was hard to accept.
If he agreed, wouldn’t the clan be under the Zhou Family’s control? What would happen to the clan’s Blood Rice?
The Blood Rice was the most important resource for the clan, the foundation for its future strength.
Seeing Ethan’s hesitation, Gabriel smiled faintly, “Ethan Chen, there’s no need to be conflicted. In this world, there’s no such thing as a secluded paradise. Even if I didn’t come today, someone else would come eventually.”
“The Chen Clan is just a small clan of over a hundred people, with one Innate Realm warrior and a low-level Totem. It’s not enough to secure your place here.”
“On the contrary, you should be glad it’s me. If it were someone else from the Zhou Family, Disordered Burial Mountain would no longer exist.”
After speaking, Gabriel turned his gaze to Oliver Chen, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, his expression still calm.
As he spoke, Gabriel raised his hand slightly, and the teapot beside him floated in the air, finally landing in his hand.
After filling his cup with tea, he gently pushed the teapot back to its original place.
This scene caused Ethan and the arriving Mason Chen to change their expressions slightly.
Even a late-stage Blood Condensation Realm warrior couldn’t achieve this, and Gabriel had shown no sign of Qi and Blood.
Clearly, Gabriel was a master of the Five Stages of Qi Control!
Above the Innate Realm was the Internal Qi Realm.
Upon reaching the Internal Qi Realm, warriors no longer cultivated Qi and Blood but Qi itself.
Controlling objects with Qi was a skill of Qi Control Realm warriors.
Even the Internal Qi stage was beyond the reach of Innate Realm warriors.
The significant power gap and Gabriel’s words left Ethan shaken.
Seeing the filled teacup, Ethan quickly responded with a bitter smile, “Mr. Zhou, you are absolutely right. The Chen Clan is willing to be under the Zhou Family’s jurisdiction.”
After Ethan said this, the emotions of Mason and the others in the hall were complex, but in the face of absolute power, they could only remain silent.
Oliver frowned and stepped forward.
Compared to Gabriel’s displayed skills, he preferred to trust his fists.
“Oliver, stand down. Don’t be rude,” Ethan quickly stopped him, seeing through Oliver’s thoughts.
Under Ethan’s stern gaze, Oliver didn’t advance further and turned to leave the hall.
“Quite talented,” Gabriel commented with a smile.
“You’re too kind, Mr. Zhou. It’s just luck,” Ethan replied.
Gabriel didn’t continue on this topic and instead said, “Since Ethan Chen has agreed, from now on, fifty percent of the Blood Rice produced by the Chen Clan must be offered to the Zhou Family. Do you have any objections?”
Fifty percent.
Ethan felt bitter but could only nod in agreement.
Since Gabriel was a master of the Five Stages of Qi Control, the Zhou Family surely had more than one such master.
In contrast, the Chen Clan only had Oliver, an early-stage Innate Realm warrior, who couldn’t break through to the Internal Qi Realm even with the Sacred Tree’s power. How could they compete with the Zhou Family?
Compared to the clan’s destruction, fifty percent of the Blood Rice was acceptable. At least the clan would still have the other fifty percent.
“Actually, it’s not just your Chen Clan. Many small clans in the Southern Border are protected by other clans. The Chen Clan lacks strength but controls a natural Blood Spring, which is a crime in itself.”
“Now that the Chen Clan is under the Zhou Family’s protection, you don’t have to worry about other clans coveting the Blood Spring.”
“In half a month, the Blood Rice should mature. I’ll bring people to collect it then. I hope your clan will be prepared.”
“I’ve said all I need to. I trust Ethan Chen understands.”
“Goodbye.”
With that, Gabriel turned and left the hall.
Ethan followed closely behind.
After leaving the hall, Gabriel whistled.
As the whistle sounded, a shadow appeared over the clan members’ heads.
When the shadow landed, everyone saw that it was a flying beast, half a meter tall, at the late-stage Blood Condensation Realm.
The beast looked like a cross between an eagle and a falcon, with sharp claws and wings spanning several meters. When it landed, it stirred up a gust of wind.
Many clan members were forced back, some thinking it was an attack and preparing to call for help.
But the next moment, Gabriel leaped into the air and landed on the beast’s back. The beast spread its wings and flew into the sky.
Soon, Gabriel and the beast became a small black dot in the sky.
But Gabriel’s parting words echoed in every clan member’s ears:
“Ethan Chen, we’ll meet again in half a month. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
It wasn’t until Gabriel and the beast completely disappeared that the clan members snapped back to reality.
That beast was merely Gabriel’s mount.
Yet in the clan, it could have been an elder.
Ethan stood silently for a long time, his brow furrowed.
In the end, all his words turned into a long sigh, filled with helplessness.
The sudden change in the clan’s situation was truly unexpected.
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