Nine Astra Skies

The clansmen may have been administered with first aid as soon as the danger had been averted but there were still casualties. Three had died in the melee, thirty-six were gravely injured, one hundred and six were wounded in one way or another.

The clansmen could only lament the accidental passings of the three most unfortunate ones among them.

"Where the hell is Ye Moyang?!" Ye Zhantian bellowed in rage.

"Chief, Elder Ye Moyang has already escaped. Even his son, who was supposed to be detained in the Tribunal, has escaped too."

"That damned crook!" Ye Zhantian exploded in fury. "From now on, I decree that Ye Moyang and his son, Ye Kongyan, are expelled from the Ye family. If anyone of you dares maintain any form of contact with him, you'll be punished accordingly; And should anyone of you encounter him anywhere, the only acceptable reception toward him would be to slay that lout right there and then so that he doesn't live to embarrass our family any longer!"

The clansmen gave an affirmative chorus.

This Unihorn Lizard's intrusion must have been Ye Moyang's handiwork, no doubt about it. Ye Zhantian could not even imagine just what kind of method did that crook used to lure a Ninth Stage mystical beast from its original habitat to come all the way to Ye Castle; But one thing was for sure — Ye Moyang used the ensuing chaos to rescue Ye Kongyan from the detention cell before escaping. If it were not for Ye Chen's rescue, Ye Castle would likely sustain even worse damage.

The only silver lining was that the rewards carved from such an advanced-stage Unihorn Lizard were very hefty. Hunting down a Seventh or Eighth Stage mystical beast was already very rare, much less successfully maiming a Ninth Stage one. In addition to that was the fact that Unihorn Lizards were chock-full of useful raw materials. Its hide, for example, could be used to make at least a dozen armors. The beast's organs could also be harvested as ingredients for herbal medicines, though the organ with the single most merits was the Spirit Pill — every mystical beast that had attained the Eighth Stage or above would possess a Spirit Pill within themselves. A Spirit Pill salvaged from this Ninth Stage Unihorn Lizard would be able to fetch at least two hundred Chi-amassing Pills.

It did not take a long time before every clansman who was able to quickly chip in to harvest the Unihorn Lizard's cadaver as they carved and skinned every part of the monster.

In the conference hall.

"Chen, what was that thing you'd used to kill that Unihorn Lizard?" Ye Changxuan asked. The effect from that otherwise-nondescript bag was too mighty for the old-timer to ignore — especially when the impact generated was as potent as the brunt of a Ninth Stage fighter's maximum force.

Whatever that bag was — it was something terrifying even to the old-timer himself.

"It's gunpowder," Ye Chen replied.

"Gun...powder…?"

"It's, um, something our ancestors had taught me to make. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to talk about its details," Ye Chen quickly fibbed, once again making an excuse using his ancestors' name. Some things are always best kept as secrets, especially when the truth may prove to be fatalistic to the family.

The fewer people knew about the existence of such a thing, the fewer people would be able to get a hold of it — which was ultimately the better outcome. Had it not been a situation this desperate, Ye Chen would not have evinced the existence of gunpowder so publicly.

"If that is the case, then I suppose we have no rights to ask," Ye Changxuan said as the rest nodded. Whatever this gunpowder thing was, its effects should never be taken lightly. In fact, the sight that had occurred when it exploded was still leaving their mind in a daze.

"Spread the news to the whole clan. No one shall mention a single word about today's event!" Ye Zhantian ordered after giving a moment's thought.

Of course, it was doubtful that anyone who had not witnessed it would believe those who talked about what had transpired, as the whole tale was just so preposterous. However, precautions should still be taken.

The Unihorn Lizard had become just the oasis the House of Ye needed to relieve some of their current predicament. Very soon, the Unihorn Lizard's organs and Spirit Pill had all been traded off for about three hundred Chi-amassing Pills via Ye Zhantian's mercantile connections in the Donglin county. On the other hand, the Unihorn Lizard's hide was promptly used to forge protective leather vests by their in-house blacksmith, the completed products distributed to all of the Zhang cohort clansmen, although Ye Chen was given one just as well.

The leather vest was aesthetically-pleasing without compensating its defensive property. Firstly, normal-bladed weapons would not be able to penetrate it and secondly, unskilled Seventh Stage or Eighth Stage warriors may not be able to harm anyone wearing the vest with their melee attacks either.

Another boon of this leather vest would be how slim it was — it fitted the wearer's shape so snugly that, should the wearer don an extra outer garment over their vest, nothing on their exterior appearance would have suggested the vest's existence. Quite obviously, donning a leather vest like this meant that there would be fewer casualties should a sudden battle erupted between the Ye family and other hostile forces.

In a sense, the House of Ye had at least gotten something good out of a fiasco.

Ye Chen continued his daily routine. He sometimes busied himself with experiments on his gunpowder as he tried to make it into an Explosion Seed. Other times, he focused on his training. Despite the significant retardation in his cultivation speed, Ye Chen was still making splendid headways. For example, right now, he was about to master the First Grade of the Wind Grace Technique. Between his experiments and training, Ye Chen would also personally conduct teachings to juniors such as Ye Meng and Ye Ming in their respective training.

The House of Ye's mining business and their shops in Donglin county may have gone dark but at least the loot obtained from the Ninth Stage Unihorn Lizard managed to serve as a surprisingly solid relief for at least a few months.

After the news about the mining mountain being closed was broke to the mass, the Ye clansmen's opinion had hardened into a plea for a direct confrontation with the House of Yun. Yet, all of these suggestions were shot down by the Patriarch himself. To Ye Zhantian, now was the best time for every Ye clansman to train and improve themselves — a sentiment that held especially true for both himself and Ye Changxuan. Every decision made at this critical moment had to be scrutinized to avoid any unwanted trouble from suddenly springing about.

As a result, the entire Ye Castle had been shrouded in a somber, morose ambiance. From the highest echelon to the average mass, the entire clan was united in their conviction to defeat their enemy. Under the backdrop of their concerted effort to improve themselves, there was a spike in the number of fighters among the clan who had successfully advanced their Celestial Chi Stages.

One day, a clansman hurried to the Patriarch Residency.

"The Second Lord of Yun, the Lord of Qin, and the Lord of Yan have arrived!"

"Let them into the main hall." Ye Zhantian sneered in contempt. "At least this ensemble has me curious about their intentions."

"Inform the Former Chief and others to attend to the main hall as well," the Chief added. With three Ninth Stage fighters incoming, they had to prepare themselves for the worse as well.

At the entrance to the Ye Castle, Yun Yixuan and two other individuals were chattering amicably with each other as they entered.

Yun Yixuan's companies were the Lord of the House of Qin, Qin Yu; As well as the Lord of the House of Yan, Yan Yin. They looked to be in their forties or fifties, though their health was evident in how sturdy and nimble their gait was. Trailing behind these three kingpins was an envoy made up of a dozen people, some of them looking quite old while the others were evidently youthful.

A group of Ye clansmen were quick to spot the envoy from far. Not hiding their sentiment toward these visitors, their response was a collective glower; Already conscious of the hostility between their family and the House of Yun, these clansmen knew that these guests were not here for pleasantries.

Qin Yu scanned their faces, his expression blasé. "It seems that the House of Yun isn't exactly popular among these Ye clansmen, Brother Yixuan."

Yun Yixuan gave a hearty laugh. "Oh, they've got nothing that we Yun should fear."

"Well said! With Old Man Yun as the unassailable leader of your family, combined with the steadfast rapport between your esteemed family and the Second-rank Prince of Donglin—the House of Yun's stability and power are just way more superior than the House of Ye. Hopefully, these people would be smart enough to know what's good for them, or else… Heh heh," Yan Yin chimed in with his blatant flattery.

"So, Ye Zhantian had advanced his Stage and joined the ranks of that old geezer, Ye Changxuan. I'll admit that these two would be quite a nuisance to deal with but still… The House of Ye had been going downhill for such a long time, there is simply no reason for us House of Yun to see them as more than what they truly are. Who cares if they have two Ninth Stage fighters?" Yun Yixuan snickered stoically.

'Curse it! The House of Yun is planning to invade the House of Ye after all!'

Qin Yu and Yan Yin's heart skipped a beat as they caught the veiled confirmation in Yun Yixuan's words. If the House of Yun really started waging a war against the House of Ye, these two knew that their own clansmen were sure to be drafted as the Yun's cannon fodders.

However, both the Lord of Yun and the Lord of Qin, admittedly, harbored no die-hard loyalty to the Yuns enough to gladly risk their lives to act as their pawns either. This was primarily because they were reluctant to get on the bad side of the Ye family as well—especially not when the House of Ye now possessed two Ninth Stage master fighters among them.

"Ye Zhantian has barely attained the Ninth Stage, Brother Yixuan. He would have to spend many more months stabilizing his own Celestial Chi Stage, let alone rival your skill."

As they were chatting, the envoy finally reached the main hall of the Ye Castle. There, Ye Changxuan, Ye Zhantian, and the others had already been standing by in the hall waiting, while Ye Chen stood aside.

"Brother Ye! It's been such a long time! How are you doing?" Qin Yu and Yan Yin automatically gave their stock greeting.

Yun Yixuan did not have the courtesy to wait for Ye Zhantian and the rest to answer his companions' salutations before yanking a chair from the side. He slumped into his seat and guffawed, "Whoa ho ho! I didn't know you were this excited to see me, Brother Zhantian! That's a pretty big crowd you drew to welcome us, eh?"

'Did Yun Yixuan just treated our home as if he owned it?!' Ye Zhantian and the rest present in the room immediately scowled at Yun Yixuan's antics.