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"The Shen Family?"

A few elders were taken aback. They naturally had heard of the Shen Family, an old and established clan in the Capital City, one of the earliest sorcerer families to pledge loyalty to Great Jin.

However, their foundation was not very deep.

Even though they had allied themselves early on, they held no share in the two most powerful institutions of the Great Jin Dynasty.

As everyone knows, in Great Jin, the nine high officials and the scholars of the six great halls held the most power, occupying virtually all of the top civilian positions.

The Siao Family, in order to suppress the Duke of Qin who led the Southern Clans, granted significant authority to these sorcerer families, with a very broad scope of administrative powers for the civilian officials.

Another power structure was the Yin Yang Academy.

After twenty years of development, the academy had become the advanced cradle for sorcerers of Great Jin, possessing not only the contributions of various family Dao collections but also, as leaders of the academy, the ability to allocate resources shared among the great families.

Though they mostly acted with fairness and integrity, those in the know understood that within the same tier, positions that commanded more authority at the academy always facilitated benefits for one’s own descendants.

In these two areas, the Shen Family had not secured a single seat!

The reason was simple: no matter how early they had pledged their allegiance, the Shen Family’s depth was lacking. To put it bluntly, they were a third-rate clan and stood no chance of sharing in the top-tier resources of power.

Nowadays, the best face the Shen Family had to show for themselves were the two Academic Commissioners they had stationed abroad. Compounding their troubles, one of them had died in the northern border unrest ten years ago.

To add insult to injury, the Imperial Court, in recognition of their hard work, summoned back the remaining one, who was now the current head of the Shen Family, Shen Yan, to the Capital City to serve as the Jingzhao Governor.

It was a form of compensation and, among the various clans, the Shen Family fared not too poorly.

But when compared to these millennium-old families, they were simply outclassed.

"Where is he?" the elder asked eagerly.

The Shen Family was very easy to handle. First, capture the person, extract the intelligence, and the Shen Family wouldn’t dare to do anything. If they were wise, they would compensate later with a teaching position in the Yin Yang Academy. But if they were not... Ha!

This was the thought of nearly everyone present, including the young disciples!

They had long since been displeased with Shen Yuan’s cold demeanor—what was he pretending to be?

Did he really think they hadn’t recognized him?

A person from a family that had fallen into disrepair, now that he had sworn allegiance to a new master, thought he had turned from a golden chicken into a phoenix?

Under the leadership of a group of disciples, several elders quickly found Shen Yuan, who was dining outside the post station.

Shen Yuan and a group of soldiers were eating together, not partaking in the post station’s food, but rather their own provisions. To be frank, the people of Jiangnan were picky eaters; the outside food probably did not sit well with them, so they just had the post station serve some hot soup.

Shen Yang of the Shen Family, who had come along, was nearby trying to be helpful. Upon seeing the imposing group approaching, he was momentarily startled and carefully stepped back, holding his bowl.

"I was wondering why I didn’t see Brother Shen during the meal. So Brother Shen prefers soldier’s rations?" the leading disciple said mockingly.

Shen Yang’s face turned red. Of course, he didn’t enjoy eating with these rough soldiers, but you had to admit, the soldier’s rations were quite tasty... though not as good as the hot dishes served in the Nanming Prefecture, they were much better than the average fare outside.

"Brother Fang... what is this about?"

Shen Yang sensed that something was amiss. Those elders... he seemed to recognize them. He hadn’t expected the clans to come so quickly. Where were the elders of his own family? Not a single one had come?

Damned be it, he should have sent a message by flying messenger earlier!

But then he thought about it and realized it wouldn’t have mattered; the only one in the Shen Family who could fight was now the Jingzhao Governor, tied up with endless duties and unable to leave his post. If he couldn’t come, who among the Shen Family could stand shoulder to shoulder with these grand family elders?

One of the elders impatiently asked, "Which one of you is Shen Yuan?"

Shen Yuan frowned, having a good idea of what this group intended to do but feeling not the slightest panic in his heart.

After all, he was escorting a person for the Imperial Court, and it was part of the sovereign’s plan to establish authority.

He had anticipated this scenario, just not its swift arrival.

"I am..." Shen Yuan put down the wrapped bowl in his hand, took a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and then stood up.

Seeing that the group seemed to have come looking for trouble, the other soldiers sneered, placed their bowls down, and one by one rose to their feet.

Like towering brown bears, the tall and burly group stood up and their vital energy surged forth, causing the group of sorcerer disciples to instinctively step back.

"Oh?" A flicker of surprise crossed the elders’ eyes. After Weichi Peng had been captured, the Imperial Court had analyzed the current military strength in Jiangnan. It seemed Chen Qing truly had something up his sleeves; these soldiers were as elite as the Golden Dragon Guard.

But alas, to stop them was still not enough!

""

An elder stepped forward abruptly and reached out to grab, only to see the ground rocks transform suddenly, as a giant clay hand formed from the earth itself hoisted the entire area surrounding Shen Yuan into the air.

A group of soldiers, only just approaching, found to their shock that their bodies were completely immobile.

Looking down, they realized with astonishment that unexpectedly, the ground beneath their feet had become a swamp, and no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to break free!

Several other elders nodded slightly in approval.

The Earth Origin Technique of the Feng Family was indeed remarkable.

Though it had quietly taken some time to prepare, it had taken only a few breaths to change the terrain and trap these hundreds of warriors without a sound.

Such a feat was something very few sorcerers in the entire Sorcerers’ Realm could achieve!

However, Shen Yuan, who was lifted into the air, was not the least bit panicked, his eyes carrying a trace of wistfulness.

Once upon a time... these figures... were existences so lofty that he couldn’t even see their backs when he looked up to them. He never expected that one day he would cross blades with them. It indeed felt like a dream...

He smiled, then crushed the rune stone in his hand. The immense energy burst into the sky, catching the few elders off guard.

What kind of technique was this?

Of course, they had clearly seen that the burst of energy had come about from the strange crystal the opposite party had crushed. First of all, how was such vast energy stored, and why was the other party releasing it all at once? Was he mad? Was he not afraid of blowing himself to death?

But in the next moment, they saw his hands draw in the air, and like ink spreading across water, that energy formed a series of intricate formations!

"Void Drawing Array??"

The elders’ eyes nearly bulged out of their heads at the sight!

Formations required a variety of high-level materials for energy stabilization, and special formation drawing techniques were used to channel the energy into those materials before it could take shape. This was common knowledge to all.

Yet in the annals of ancient clans, it was recorded that once, in the Eastern Sea, there was a group who could use the heavens and earth as their canvas and pure energy as their ink to directly create formations—this was the technique of the Void Drawing Array!

This account had always been regarded as a myth until fifty years ago, when a Heavenly Master Zhang from Yundu used lightning to create an array that instantly wiped out the armies of five warlords who invaded Yundu, and hence confirmed the existence of the Void Drawing Array!

After that battle, Master Zhang of the Zhang Family was acknowledged as the world’s number one sorcerer!

To date, no second sorcerer had managed to use the Void Drawing Array technique like he had. And yet, the technique from legend had unexpectedly appeared in a junior from a third-rate family!!

"Martial Peak Formation, rise!!"

As Shen Yuan’s formation sprung to life instantly, accompanied by the chant, a terrifying wind force spread out from him, causing the elders to immediately drag their direct descendants back.

Wherever the wind passed, it cleaved and chiseled like knives and axes, its shocking destructive power making all the elders take the situation even more seriously.

Although they did not understand how such a young sorcerer had acquired this kind of power, the person before them indeed qualified to compete with them!

With this thought, they dared not take any chances, and their own techniques were promptly unleashed.

However, in that very moment, a fearsome howl of wind rocketed into the sky, and amidst the hurricane, they saw the soldiers who had just been trapped in the swamp escaping. Encircled by gusts of wind, they were now floating in mid-air!

No... it was not floating to be exact. Those soldiers... had gained the ability to fly!

Elders with Spirit Eyes quickly found the cause.

Behind all the soldiers was a vast formation, with lines connecting it to the soldiers themselves.

These lines, seemingly formed of elements, provided a continuous supply of Wind Element power, enabling the soldiers to swoop down toward them like birds.

"Retreat!!"

Soldiers with the ability to fly—how could they have anticipated that? And they certainly didn’t expect that the opposition’s formation could grant these army men control over elemental power?

But by the time they thought to retreat, it was already too late.

Upon turning around, they discovered that an encirclement of soldiers, led by a general of at least First Rank strength, had formed behind them.

The overwhelming vitality combined with the terrifying power of the Wind Element gave them an oppressive feeling.

From all sides, including above, they were completely surrounded. Even the elders, accustomed to grand scenes, could not help as cold sweat streamed down their faces.

No wonder Weichi Peng had suffered such a terrible defeat. In Chen Qing’s hands lay such a military strategy—how could anyone prevail against it?

"Young master of the Shen Family!" the elder who made the first move hastily called out, "Let us cease hostilities for now!"