"Your subordinate..."
"I like intelligent people," Aya Ikegami interrupted her, pushing her teacup towards the other woman. "Especially intelligent people who know how to assess situations."
Misaki Ikegami finally looked up, but quickly lowered her eyes again the moment she met those heterochromatic pupils: "You flatter me, Master."
Do you know why I called you here specifically?
Misaki Ikegami shook her head, fine beads of sweat appearing at her temples.
"Because you have value." Aya Ikegami's fingertips lightly traced the ancient text. "While your 'Eye of Tsukuyomi' may not be as powerful as the Moon Spirit Seal, it's still among the best in the clan."
Suddenly, the piercing cawing of crows pierced the air outside the window. Taking the opportunity, Ikegami Misaki took a deep breath to calm her wildly beating heart: "What does the master need me to do?"
"Two choices." Aya Ikegami held up two fingers. "One, accept the Moon Demon's Mark and become my confidant; two..." She glanced at the door, "...go and keep the Third Elder company."
Misaki Ikegami instantly understood the meaning of "accompany"—the corpses in the council chamber weren't even cold yet. Without hesitation, she leaned forward: "This subordinate chooses the first path."
"Mikazuchi." Aya Ikegami chuckled, her right eye suddenly blazing with red light. A thin, hair-like red line shot out from her pupil, piercing directly into Misaki Ikegami's brow!
"Ugh—!"
Misaki Ikegami curled up in pain, clutching her head. The red line meandered under her skin, eventually forming a tiny crescent-shaped mark on her forehead before gradually disappearing beneath the skin.
"From today onwards, you can borrow thirty percent of the Moon Demon's power." Aya Ikegami retracted the red thread, her tone calm. "Of course, I can take back this gift at any time... or even more."
Misaki Ikegami trembled as she touched her forehead, where a burning pain still lingered. When she looked at Aya Ikegami again, she found the world had changed—she could see the energy veins flowing in the air and even vaguely sense the emotional fluctuations of the head of the family.
---This is the dividing line---
Inside the safe room, the intelligence from the Aristocratic Alliance automatically unfolded on the table, displaying a three-dimensional map of R country. Dozens of red dots marked the strongholds of various families, seven of which shimmered with golden light—these were the locations of the core families of the council.
"The destruction of the Muye family has been more effective than expected." Dongfang Lin pointed to the map, where most of the red dots were concentrated near the family's secret realm. "All the elite troops from each family have returned to defend their positions, and even the disciples who have been training away from home for many years have been recalled."
Han Feng lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, each tap causing the red dots on the map to tremble slightly: "Has the intelligence been confirmed?"
"Absolutely true." The representative from the Beitang family handed over a crystal. "We have people monitoring the situation and recording everything about the entire family; they can even see what they eat for dinner."
Su Wanwan snatched the recording crystal from the Beitang family and infused it with a wisp of energy. Several images were immediately projected into the air. She noticed that the head of the Ikegami family did not appear; instead, it was the Second Elder, Ikegami Misaki, who was directing the family members to execute some of their members.
"This woman is ruthless." Su Wanwan steadied herself. "She doesn't hesitate to kill her own people."
Liu Mengran leaned closer to observe: "The red light in her eyes... could it be related to a secret technique of her family?"
Han Feng's gaze sharpened. Indeed, the energy fluctuations flowing in Ikegami Aya's right eye were somewhat similar to the pupil power of the previous Ikegami Aya. Could it be that Ikegami Aya had returned to Japan? The crescent moon mark that was faintly visible on Ikegami Misaki's forehead was clearly some kind of high-level control technique.
"The plan remains unchanged." Han Feng suddenly made the decision. "Tonight, apart from the seven families in the council, not a single other family will be spared."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop suddenly. Several representatives of the aristocratic families unconsciously straightened their backs, while Liu Mengran, Su Wanwan, and Dongfang Wantang's eyes ignited with eager anticipation.
"Wanwan will be in charge of disrupting communications and the barrier," Han Feng began assigning tasks. "Mengran and Wantang will come with me to the Miyamoto family." He paused, "I'll handle them personally. The other families will be dealt with according to the targets you're monitoring."
"And me?" A cold voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned around and saw Liu Xiaoran leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, having been listening for who knows how long.
Han Feng's lips curled into a slight smile: "You and the Longyuan Special Forces are responsible for clearing the outer perimeter. Don't let any escaped catch and alert the council families."
Liu Xiaoran nodded, his body lightly brushing against the doorframe with a crisp sound. This simple action caused the pupils of several aristocratic family representatives to contract—they hadn't even noticed when he had arrived!
"Remember." Han Feng stood up, the power of stars flowing around him, illuminating the entire room like a starry sky. "This isn't a warning, not a deterrent, it's complete eradication. From tonight onward, I want the ancient martial arts world of R Country to be filled only with the voice of obedience."
Everyone responded in unison. With each command issued, the energy fluctuations in the room grew stronger. Han Feng walked to the window, gazing at the setting sun in the distance, his pupils reflecting the impending blood and fire.
"Honey." Liu Mengran quietly approached him, her fingers lightly touching his tense arm. "That woman from the Chishang family...is there something wrong with her?"
Han Feng covered the back of her hand: "She definitely has a secret." His voice was so low that only the two of them could hear. "As for what kind of secret, I don't know, but there's no doubt about the unsettling feeling she gives off."
Liu Mengran gasped, then a resolute glint flashed in her eyes: "Should I go check on the situation?"
"No, the Ikegami family is too dangerous." Han Feng squeezed her fingers. "You'll come with me; we'll go cause some more trouble at the Miyamoto family."
The outline of the Miyamoto family mansion resembled a lurking beast under the moonlight. Han Feng crouched on a treetop a hundred meters away, the shadows of the branches perfectly concealing his figure. Behind him, twelve elite members of the Dongfang family were scattered and hidden, each breathing almost inaudibly.
"Three teams in position."
"Team Five has secured the eastern passage."
Reports from various groups came through the headsets one after another.
Han Feng glanced at his watch—it was exactly 10:00 PM. He conjured a walnut-sized ball of light at his fingertip, with nebula-like energy slowly rotating inside.
"Let's do it."
The ball of light shot out and expanded rapidly during its flight. By the time it touched the main gate of the Miyamoto family mansion, it had transformed into a terrifying energy body three meters in diameter. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a muffled "hum," after which the entire steel gate, along with the defensive array, vaporized, revealing the astonished guards behind it.
"Enemy attack—!"
The alarm had barely sounded when it abruptly stopped; an Eastern archer had precisely shattered the alarm device. Han Feng moved through the smoke like a ghost, and wherever he went, the Miyamoto family guards fell like wheat being harvested. They couldn't even see where the attack came from; they only felt a chill in their chests and looked down to see the blue light of starlight emanating from their hearts.
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