Shangguan Ce gave a soft snort and turned around. His eyes gleamed with an eerie silver light in the shadows, like two cold stars: "It's alright." With a flick of his sleeve, an invisible pressure swept over him. "He hasn't fully matured yet; he's only at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm."
Nangong Wentian's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
"What?" Shangguan Ce raised an eyebrow. "Does Patriarch Nangong still have concerns?"
"That kid... is a bit strange." Nangong Wentian carefully chose his words. "Back at the Liu family, he was clearly only at the peak of the Acquired Realm, but his moves were ruthless and cunning; even I had to be careful when dealing with him."
"Heh." Shangguan Ce's lips curled into a mocking smile. "It was nothing more than using his strongest, desperate attack." He approached slowly, each step causing a thin layer of frost to form on the ground. "Nangong Wentian, when did you become so cowardly?"
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Nangong Wentian's forehead. The aura of the Shangguan family head before him was as deep and unfathomable as the ocean; merely being near him made it difficult for him to breathe. He gritted his teeth inwardly, suppressing the resentment in his heart—after all, the Shangguan family was one of the three great families of China, while his Nangong family was merely one of the vassal families of the Shangguan family, their statuses were no longer comparable.
"I wouldn't dare," Nangong Wentian said, bowing his head. "I'm merely reminding Patriarch Shangguan that this young man should not be underestimated."
Shangguan Ce suddenly reached out, his icy fingertips lifting Nangong Wentian's chin, forcing him to meet his gaze: "Remember, as long as I can fulfill Miss Mu's promise, I can break through to the Great Dao Realm." A fervent glint flashed in his silver eyes, "At that time, let alone Han Feng, what would we fear even if the Zhang and Dongfang families joined forces?"
Nangong Wentian's pupils contracted slightly. The Great Dao Realm! That was a realm countless ancient martial arts families dreamed of. If Shangguan Ce could truly break through, the power structure of the three great families would be rewritten...
"I was overthinking it," Nangong Wentian said, lowering his posture even further.
Shangguan Ce released his grip with satisfaction: "You can focus on dealing with Han Feng. I'll send people to keep the Zhang and Dongfang families occupied." He turned and walked towards the inner room, his voice drifting back, "Besides, with Miss Mu secretly assisting, how could a mid-stage Innate Realm cultivator possibly cause any trouble?"
Nangong Wentian stared at Shangguan Ce's retreating figure, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes. He recalled the scene at the Liu family that day, when Han Feng, with his Acquired Realm body, directly confronted his Innate Realm pressure—there was something in those starry eyes that made his heart tremble.
"Alright then." Shangguan Ce suddenly stopped, and two jade talismans flew out from his sleeve. "I'll send two bodyguards to accompany you back to the Nangong family. With their help, you should feel more at ease, right?"
The jade talisman hovered before Nangong Wentian, engraved with the Shangguan family crest. He sneered inwardly—wasn't this supposed assistance just a cover for surveillance? But he showed no outward sign, respectfully accepting the talisman: "Thank you for your kindness, Patriarch Shangguan."
"Go." Shangguan Ce waved his hand. "I will go there myself first thing tomorrow morning. I hope Patriarch Nangong... will not disappoint me."
Nangong Wentian bowed and withdrew from the main hall. Only after leaving the Shangguan family's secret realm did he let out a long sigh of relief, his back soaked with cold sweat.
"Patriarch?" The Nangong family guards who were waiting outside came forward to greet him.
Nangong Wentian stroked the jade talisman in his hand, his eyes growing cold: "Send the order to activate all the family's defensive formations. Also..." He lowered his voice, "Find a way to inform Miss Mu that the Nangong family is willing to take that potion."
The guard's expression changed drastically: "But Master, that kind of medicine is..."
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." Nangong Wentian crushed the jade talisman, and two black shadows immediately materialized behind him. "Shangguan Ce thought he had everything planned, but little did he know that Han Feng... is best at creating miracles."
A night breeze blew by, lifting the hem of Nangong Wentian's robe. He looked north, towards the capital, the epicenter of tomorrow's storm.
"Han Feng..." he muttered to himself, "Let me see just how many cards you're still hiding."
---This is the dividing line---
At five in the morning, the training grounds at the Dragon Abyss Base were still shrouded in a hazy morning mist. Han Feng hadn't brought Liu Mengran and Su Wanwan this time. Firstly, he believed the mission was too dangerous for him to keep a close eye on everyone. Secondly, even the Reverse Scale Squad was only stationed outside to provide support on this trip to the Nangong family.
As Han Feng and Dongfang Wantang passed through the automatically opening alloy gate, five figures were already standing at attention in the center of the arena, waiting for them.
\"team leader!\"
Amidst the resounding salutes, Han Feng's gaze swept over his team members—Iron Tower stood like an iron tower on the far left, its height of over two meters making it stand out even among special forces; Night Owl had his hands behind his back, seemingly relaxed but actually ready to draw a dagger from his leg at any moment; Viper toyed with a coin, the silver light shimmering between his fingers like a living thing; Rain Butterfly was the only woman in the team, her slender figure concealing the strength of the Dragon Abyss close combat champion; and finally, Chen Feng, the man who had once served as Lin Zhengguo's personal bodyguard, now had an excited gleam in his eyes.
"Chen Feng." Han Feng frowned slightly. "Aren't you in charge of Elder Lin's security?"
Chen Feng grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Reporting, Captain, ever since we were selected for the 'Reverse Scale' unit, the commander has changed his bodyguards. He said..." Chen Feng suddenly lowered his voice, mimicking Lin Zhengguo's tone, "'Following that kid Han Feng is much more exciting than following me.'"
Dongfang Wantang covered her mouth and chuckled. Han Feng shook his head helplessly, walked to the front of the group, and his expression suddenly turned serious: "Mission briefing."
The five of them immediately straightened their backs, and all their joking expressions vanished.
"Today's target—" Han Feng paused for half a second, "The Nangong family."
Those three simple words exploded like a bomb in the training field. The Iron Tower's muscles tensed instantly, the coin slipped from Viper's fingers, and even the usually calm Night Owl's pupils contracted sharply.
"Team... Captain..." Yu Die's voice tightened, "You mean... the Nangong family, an ancient martial arts clan?"
Han Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping across each person's face like a sharp blade: "According to intelligence, the Nangong family is colluding with the Shangguan family, and Mu Xiaoxiao is behind it. You all probably know Mu Xiaoxiao; she has been working for an overseas genetic organization. Today they will be holding a secret meeting at their family headquarters. We must strike first."
The team members exchanged bewildered glances. Over the past two weeks, they had crammed all the information they could about ancient martial arts families, and they did have some understanding of them.
"Ask your questions now." Han Feng noticed the hesitation in everyone's eyes.
Iron Tower spoke first, his voice deep and rumbling like thunder: "Captain, the information says the Nangong family has seven people at the Innate Realm, and the patriarch, Nangong Wentian, is even at the mid-Innate Realm... What about us..."
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