As the battle loomed, Noah Ji didn’t even use the Lunar Eclipse Technique to absorb the moonlight.
He was worried that once the fight started, the enemy would be tempted to attack him upon seeing his glowing form.
Although this would reduce the absorption of vitality, safety was the top priority.
When everyone had concealed themselves, the only sound in the Chen Clan was the falling rain, which also masked their breathing.
Noah’s roots had already spread outside the ancestral hall, allowing him to sense the hidden positions of many clan members.
For instance, Oliver Chen had chosen to hide on a rooftop.
Not far away, two more clan members were hiding in a cellar.
As his consciousness drifted, Noah suddenly sensed two familiar figures in a corner.
Seeing them, Noah was speechless.
It was none other than Lucas Chen and Alexander Chen, who should have been hiding in the secret passage.
Ethan had previously instructed that all early Body Tempering Realm warriors be sent into the secret passage.
The reason was that most early Body Tempering Realm warriors were young and couldn’t contribute much to the clan’s battles, making their participation more harmful than beneficial.
Clearly, the two had sneaked out when no one was looking.
At this point, Noah couldn’t inform Ethan, so he could only let them be, hoping they would be lucky enough not to reduce the Chen Clan’s numbers further.
“Alexander, don’t run around when the fight starts, or I won’t be able to protect you!” Lucas warned, looking at Alexander hiding behind him.
“Okay,” Alexander nodded, his face tense and his heart filled with fear.
When they had sneaked out of the secret passage earlier, they were full of bravado, driven by a surge of hot-bloodedness to save their clan.
But now, in this cold corner, their hot-bloodedness had cooled, and reason gradually returned.
Especially when they thought about the brutality of the clan battles, a trace of panic and fear grew in their hearts.
After all, they were only in the early Body Tempering Realm, and a warrior’s fight was no child’s play. A moment’s inattention could lead to their deaths at the enemy’s hands.
But now, there was no turning back.
…
Outside the Chen Clan, the Li Family had arrived at the gate.
However, unlike before, the gate was now deserted.
As Joshua Li and his group arrived, a clan scout immediately appeared.
“Greetings, Clan Chief.”
“What’s the situation?” Joshua asked, looking inside the gate.
“Clan Chief, there was some noise earlier, but now it’s completely silent.”
“I wanted to check it out, but I was worried it might be a Chen Clan trap.”
Before Joshua could respond, a burly man beside him snorted.
“A trap? The Chen Clan is like a dog with its tail between its legs now. What tricks could they possibly play? Even if it’s a trap, what do we have to fear? Right?”
“Fourth Uncle is right.”
“Absolutely.”
The warriors behind him laughed, their expressions relaxed.
After all, they had always had the upper hand in their previous skirmishes with the Chen Clan. If it weren’t for the Chen Clan’s Elder Ancestor, they would have wiped out the Chen Clan long ago.
Joshua frowned slightly but said nothing more.
He didn’t believe the Chen Clan had any tricks up their sleeves either, given the disparity in strength.
But he was always cautious. Even if the Chen Clan had fled, he felt they should thoroughly check first, so he said, “Everyone, to be safe, I think we should be careful.”
“I say we just charge in, find the Chen Clan’s secret passage, and chase them down. I’ll lead the way,” the burly man said dismissively.
“Fourth Uncle, let’s listen to the Clan Chief,” a middle-aged man beside him said.
Seeing Joshua’s stern expression, the burly man fell silent.
“Second Uncle, take some people and enter through the back gate of the Chen Clan.”
“Fifth Uncle, take a few people and enter from the side.”
…
Quickly, Joshua had arranged everything, dividing the family members into four teams, each with two Blood Condensation Realm warriors, to surround the Chen Clan from four directions.
This way, even if the Chen Clan had any tricks, they could block them, and others could quickly come to their aid.
Additionally, they could block all exits of the Chen Clan, preventing anyone from escaping.
After assigning the teams, Joshua felt much more at ease.
As they split up, Joshua reminded them, “Everyone, be careful during the search. Don’t miss any place.”
“Understood, don’t worry.”
They all nodded and agreed, then slowly stepped into the Chen Clan.
Though it was a small clan by Disordered Burial Mountain, the Chen Clan’s territory was not small. Even with four teams searching, it would take some time.
Joshua led his group, carefully exploring and checking the traces left by the Chen Clan.
Seeing many fresh beast bones, Joshua was almost convinced. It seemed the Chen Clan indeed had a secret passage leading outside, which explained their lack of significant response in recent days.
The only breakout attempt might have been to confuse him.
However, he couldn’t understand why the Chen Clan had waited until now to leave through the secret passage instead of choosing a night.
Could it be because of the weather?
Joshua looked up at the light rain in the sky, but this drizzle wouldn’t affect warriors much.
As he continued his search, a loud noise suddenly came from not far away.
The sound startled Joshua. Could there really be an ambush?
His group, now on high alert, was about to head towards the source of the noise when a loud shout came from afar:
“Chen Clan brats, come out and meet your death!”
Hearing this familiar voice, Joshua’s face darkened.
This family Fourth Uncle had initially followed orders, but ever since Joshua had led the family to victory and gradually encroached on the Chen Clan, he had become somewhat defiant.
He often relied on his seniority and realm to disregard Joshua’s authority as Clan Chief.
If it weren’t for the ongoing conflict with the Chen Clan, Joshua would have found a way to deal with him.
But now was not the time.
So the group continued their search.
Meanwhile, the burly man punched forward, using his robust Qi and Blood to shatter the rain and a wooden house into pieces.
After a cursory inspection, he said indifferently, “Why bother checking house by house? My fists are more straightforward.”
After checking several houses without finding anything, the burly man grew impatient.
His eyes lit up as he called over a clan member and asked, “If the Chen Clan had a secret passage, where would they build it?”
“Hmm, if it were me, I’d definitely build it in the ancestral hall.”
“Hahaha, just like I thought!”
“Let’s head straight to the ancestral hall!”
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