Chapter 466 - 318: The Waves Rise Again

Chapter 466: Chapter 318: The Waves Rise Again

Among the seven women, aside from Shangguan Yutong who had reached the Sword Emperor realm, the next strongest, Ye Zi, was merely a Demon Sword Master. Ling Yun’Er and Yisha, as well as Chunlan and Qiuyue, were all somewhere between the Great Sword Master and Mad Sword Master levels. Fengling was slightly stronger, but her current cultivation was only that of a Tier Two Demon Sword Master.

But Song Mingyue could see it clearly. Inside the Sword Array, Shangguan Yutong wasn’t using her Sword Emperor strength at all. Instead, following the Jade Maiden Sword Skill, she was only exhibiting the power of a Demon Sword Master. Yet even so, a Sword Array like this was enough to trap a master in the Sword Sect Realm!

Song Mingyue thought to herself, ’Just how many secrets is my husband hiding?’

Gongsun Sword, feeling somewhat dejected over his grandfather’s passing, bid farewell to Ling Xiao and returned alone to the small courtyard Ling Xiao had prepared for him. Ling Xiao, on the other hand, went to the place where the women practiced. Many towering, ancient trees had been transplanted here from elsewhere, blocking the scorching sun and shading a large training ground below.

From a distance, he could hear the delicate shouts of the girls, which sounded quite pleasant to the ear.

Seeing Ling Xiao approach, all the women stopped and looked at him, but none of them took the initiative to step forward. Ling Yun’Er, however, ran over without a care, tugging on Ling Xiao’s arm and saying with charming innocence, "Big Brother, you haven’t given Yun’Er any pointers on her martial arts lately!"

Ling Xiao smiled and patted Ling Yun’Er’s head. The little girl’s strength was progressing rapidly; at such a young age, she had already reached the realm of a Tier Six Great Sword Master!

Ling Su glanced at Ling Xiao, then at her brother’s bevy of beauties, and couldn’t help but smile wryly. ’Originally, Mother should have been most worried about Xiaosan’s marriage. The Ling Family had long seen that the girl from the Xie Family looked down on Ling Xiao. That was why Lady Ling had told Ling Su long ago that as soon as they came of age, they would hold the wedding immediately. They would force the issue, leaving that Xie girl no room to back out.’

But unexpectedly, Xie Xiaoyan had actually done something so self-destructive. Ling Su had originally had a decent impression of Xie Xiaoyan, thinking she was a smart and ambitious girl. She never imagined that Xie Xiaoyan could be so cruel as to hurt her brother, Ling Xiao, in such a way. As a result, whatever favorable impression she once had of Xie Xiaoyan had long since vanished.

News of the incident between Ling Xiao and Xie Xiaoyan had reached Ling Su’s ears at the time. People treated it as a joke, and of course, the one being ridiculed was undoubtedly Ling Xiao.

It was at that moment that Ling Su, who had previously thought it would be fine for her brother to live as an ordinary person, became determined to find a way to unseal his Celestial Vein. Having studied many ancient texts, Ling Su knew that many Alchemists in the Ancient Era were incredibly powerful. ’Perhaps they have a method to unseal a Celestial Vein!’

That was why Ling Su hadn’t returned home for a long time, wandering the world instead. Until... for some unknown reason, her own brother’s power suddenly skyrocketed, and he rescued her from the Zhe Family.

Looking back, Ling Su felt as if she were in a dream. It was a dream so beautiful that it felt unreal.

Especially with this flock of beautiful women before her. Chunlan and Qiuyue went without saying; they were her brother’s personal maids since childhood and were already deeply attached to him. Now that Ling Xiao was so powerful, it was even more impossible for them to marry anyone else.

Shangguan Yutong had originally been Ling Su’s closest confidante. Ling Su had never imagined that this good friend of hers—a woman outstanding in character, family background, and personal strength—would actually fall for her younger brother. Moreover, after some probing from Ling Su over the past few days, Shangguan Yutong confessed that she’d had a special fondness for this ’little brother’ even before Ling Xiao’s Celestial Vein was unsealed. It might not have been love, but Ling Xiao’s subsequent actions, especially when he used his Sword Intent to scare away Night Owl and rescue her from his clutches, had changed everything. Shangguan Yutong told Ling Su, "At that moment, Ling Xiao was like a world-shaking hero. Having him by my side made me feel incredibly safe!"

Later, on the Mesopotamia Grassland near Cameron Town, Ling Xiao’s resourcefulness and courage finally made Shangguan Yutong fall in love with this man who was several years her junior.

After hearing Shangguan Yutong’s story, Ling Su finally had a complete understanding of the changes her brother had undergone in the past two years.

Ling Su was very fond of the other girls, all of whom had different personalities. However, she shared the same worry as Lady Ling: her brother was too outstanding, and the number of girls around him would inevitably grow. If Ling Xiao were to be indecisive in matters of the heart, he wouldn’t just be hurting one person!

As a woman herself, Ling Su knew she could never tolerate her future husband having so many women. On this topic, Ling Su had tentatively questioned Shangguan Yutong. As good sisters, they could talk about anything. Shangguan Yutong told Ling Su that it would be a lie to say she didn’t care at all—who wouldn’t want their lover all to themselves? But they could only blame themselves, for they had all fallen for Ling Xiao. Someone like Huangpu Yue, who kept her distance from Ling Xiao, had actually made the wisest choice. Unfortunately... even though they understood this, they refused to dwell on it, preferring to sink deeper and deeper into their feelings.

Seeing the women practicing the Sword Array, Ling Xiao was very happy. In truth, he was also a bit worried about the relationships between all the women around him. But thankfully, they were all intelligent and rational, and none of them wanted to leave a bad impression on him or his family.

A few days ago, when Ling Xiao single-handedly faced the experts of the Zhe Family, everyone had been on edge for him. It was precisely because of this incident that the women, who had previously kept to themselves, began to unite. They had all come to a realization: without Ling Xiao, they might still live, but their lives would hold no more joy!

That was why Ling Xiao was now witnessing such a scene, with all the women practicing a Sword Array together. Moreover, they had been surprised to discover that the array, when combined, could unleash such immense power. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise for them all!

Ling Xiao’s strength had improved so quickly that it overshadowed everyone else’s progress. As his beautiful confidantes, outsiders naturally considered them his women. If their own strength was too weak, they couldn’t help but feel inadequate!

It wasn’t until they discovered the wonders of this Jade Maiden Sword Array that they regained much of their confidence.

Seeing all the women getting along harmoniously, at least on the surface, made Ling Xiao quite happy. He casually gave them some pointers, and after hearing his advice, the women, who had been struggling with certain aspects, all had a moment of sudden enlightenment and understood.

From a distance, Lady Ling sat in a pavilion, watching the happy and harmonious scene in the training ground, her heart blooming with joy. She thought, ’So many pretty girls. It would be even more perfect if one of them could give me a grandson soon!’

The tranquility here stood in stark contrast to the turmoil in the outside world. Take the Imperial Palace, for example. Li Wu Zhi, now the Sovereign of the Lanyue Empire, was practically seething with rage after receiving a secret report from his subordinate. By now, he understood completely: from the very beginning, the Ling Family had never cared one bit about him, Li Wu Zhi!

This was true whether it was during Ling Tianxiao’s era when he was still the Crown Prince, or the current era of the Ling Family’s Ling Xiao! They simply never took him seriously!

Ling Tianxiao had abandoned his title as a First-grade Duke and left the barracks without hesitation. The Ling mother and daughter had also quietly left the Imperial Capital. Although Li Wu Zhi knew why, he still couldn’t accept the fact that a noble family of the Lanyue Empire was acting with such complete disregard for him!

And yet, he didn’t dare make a single irrational move against them!

Many people now understood that the territory around Penzes had, in fact, fallen completely into the Ling Family’s hands. It was only because they had no intention of rebelling; otherwise, with Ling Xiao’s current strength, he could overthrow the Li Dynasty without even needing to consider the attitude of the Western Li Family!

Li Wu Zhi understood this as well, especially after he heard the news that the entire luxurious lineup of the first-rate Zhe Family—one Sword Venerable and nine Sword Emperors—had been annihilated in Penzes. He collapsed onto the Blast Flame Lion King’s Chair, speechless for a long time.

"That little bastard... he’s a true monster!" Patriarch Wulan, Wulan Xiong, finally sighed after hearing the news, and then said no more. He understood in his heart: ’From now on, the Wulan Family will never be a match for the Ling Family! To think we had just latched onto a big fish like the Zhe Family, only for them to be utterly crushed by that guy.’

"A first-rate family!" Wulan Xiong felt his heart bleeding. Suddenly, he remembered something. A while ago, before Ling Xiao went to war with the Zhe Family, he had taken all his family and friends away for their protection. But he hadn’t taken his own family’s nominal daughter-in-law, Huangpu Yue.

’Doesn’t that mean that Huangpu Yue and that Ling Xiao... have no relationship at all?’

Wulan Xiong hated the Ling Family, but he also knew that confronting Ling Xiao with his family’s strength would be like an egg hitting a rock—blatant suicide. The Huangpu Clan, however, had previously given the Wulan Family the most grief. Whether it was through their children’s marriages or business partnerships, not to mention their attitude, the Huangpu Clan’s arrogant behavior had infuriated Wulan Xiong, and he still couldn’t let it go.

He thought, ’Since you haven’t managed to latch onto the great tree that is the Ling Family, then if I deal with you, it should have nothing to do with Ling Xiao, right?’

Having made up his mind, Wulan Xiong went to the Imperial Palace to seek an audience with His Majesty the King.

"What? You want to arrange a wedding for your son?" Li Wu Zhi looked at Wulan Xiong with some displeasure, thinking, ’What does the wedding of that good-for-nothing son of yours have to do with me! Even you taking a concubine would be more noteworthy than your son’s wedding, wouldn’t it?’

Wulan Xiong noticed Li Wu Zhi’s displeasure, chuckled, and took a step forward to say softly, "My future daughter-in-law is Huangpu Yue, the Chief Steward of the Ling Auction House!"

"What? Are you insane?!" Li Wu Zhi leaped up from his throne, pointed a finger at Wulan Xiong, and cursed, "Wulan Xiong, you bastard! If you want to die, go die alone! Don’t try to drag me down with you! Now get the hell out!"