Liu Ruolan—no, it was Ruoling—emitted a faint icy blue chill from her body.
This chill wasn't formed by profound energy but seemed more like a convergence of "intent," intangible yet palpable, sharp and domineering.
Her clothes fluttered without wind, and her black hair slightly lifted. Her usually gentle and graceful eyes now seemed frosted, becoming sharp and fierce.
The aura she unintentionally exuded put immense pressure on Wang Shouzhe, who was in the same flying carriage compartment.
Over the years, Ruoling's appearances had become increasingly frequent.
Unlike before, when she only emerged when Liu Ruolan was thoroughly enraged, now Ruoling appeared more often.
Wang Shouzhe was somewhat worried about this. Over the years, he had been researching the situation between Ruolan and Ruoling, suspecting that the "Innate Dao Embryo Spirit Seed" brought by Liu Xuanfu had undergone some mutation.
Or perhaps the "Innate Dao Embryo Spirit Seed" itself had some hidden attributes not recorded in any texts.
However, due to a lack of relevant knowledge and the increasingly unpredictable conditions for Ruoling's appearance, Wang Shouzhe's "research" had made limited progress.
He could only confirm that Ruoling and Ruolan's consciousnesses were not connected and were independent entities.
Sometimes, Ruoling would wake up without causing trouble, coexisting briefly with Ruolan.
The only advantage for Wang Shouzhe was that Ruoling had no intention of breaking the marriage between Liu Ruolan and him. Unconsciously, she accepted Wang Shouzhe as her husband.
This was the foundation of Wang Shouzhe's survival…
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Liu Ruoling opened the flying carriage compartment, her killing intent palpable, ready to jump down and act.
"Don't be impulsive, my dear wife," Wang Shouzhe hurriedly stopped her. "The one fighting Ancestor Ruhong is Zhao Wuqing, the adopted son of Flood Dragon Gang's leader, Long Wuji."
"So what?" Liu Ruoling glanced coldly at Wang Shouzhe.
"Long Wuji is not only a powerful leader but also a Zifu Realm big shot. If we kill Zhao Wuqing, we might have no room for negotiation with the Flood Dragon Gang," Wang Shouzhe explained patiently, "Given the overall strength of our Changning Wang Clan, it's not wise to go to war with the Flood Dragon Gang."
"Just a mere Zifu Realm, kill him and be done with it," Liu Ruoling said disdainfully.
"Uh…"
Wang Shouzhe broke out in a cold sweat. What do you mean by "just a mere Zifu Realm, kill him and be done with it"? Liu Ruoling, you haven't even reached the Celestial Realm yet…
Due to Liu Ruolan's "lax" cultivation, she had only reached the seventh level of the Lingtai Realm over the years, barely entering the late Lingtai Realm.
This was only because Ruoling had woken up recently, found her cultivation too low, and advanced to the late stage after a brief retreat.
With her great prodigy bloodline, equipment level, and combat power, she could barely fight an early-stage Celestial Realm cultivator. But if she encountered a prodigy-level Celestial Realm cultivator, it would be difficult to handle.
After all, there's a major realm difference between the Celestial Realm and the Lingtai Realm.
And what is a Zifu Realm cultivator?
A minor prodigy with a slightly weaker bloodline has a low probability of reaching the Zifu Realm. Therefore, most Zifu Realm cultivators are born prodigies or even great prodigies.
In lower realms, prodigies can easily surpass levels because the lower realms are mixed with dragons and snakes, and most people's bloodlines are mediocre.
The higher you go, the less advantage a strong bloodline brings. After all, those who reach the Zifu Realm have strong bloodlines. And in the Divine Realm, who isn't a great prodigy?
However, despite Wang Shouzhe's internal complaints, he couldn't "scold" Ruoling to her face.
After all, Ruoling was his wife, and to maintain family stability, Wang Shouzhe decided to continue treating her gently: "My dear wife, please don't be reckless. According to my intelligence, Long Wuji has a mysterious background and strong backing. If our Wang Clan's marriage alliance goes to war with him, the outcome is uncertain, and even if we win, the losses will be severe."
"Please consider the bigger picture," Wang Shouzhe advised patiently. "The best outcome for us now is to capture Zhao Wuqing and his subordinates alive, keeping the initiative in our hands. Please be considerate of your husband~~"
Calling her "my dear wife" in such a gentle tone.
Even someone as strong-willed as Liu Ruoling softened a bit under this tender affection. She glanced sideways at Wang Shouzhe: "Fine. For my husband's sake, I'll let him live a bit longer~"
With that, she leaped out, walking on air like a war goddess, flying swiftly towards the battlefield.
"Wife, catch your weapon…"
Wang Shouzhe hurriedly took out a spirit sword, a set of spirit armor, and a set of flying feather spirit treasures from his storage ring and threw them to Liu Ruoling.
Previously, because Ruolan felt she was staying home to support her husband and teach her children, she had given the "Autumn Water Sword," the Yuan Water Spirit Armor, and the flying feather spirit treasures to their daughter, Wang Liyao.
Therefore, Ruoling temporarily had no suitable equipment.
Initially, they thought that as a great prodigy, she would soon advance to the Celestial Realm, making it unnecessary to equip her now. They planned to get her mid-grade or high-grade treasures after her advancement.
But now, in an emergency, they had to use the equipment discarded by Ancestor Long Yan.
The "Frost Sword" and the "Ice Spirit Armor" were gifts from Luo Qiu and Luo Jing to Ancestor Long Yan, both high-quality top-grade spirit artifacts.
They had won these as spoils of war from the Shenwu Royal Dynasty's trial ruins and had chosen ice-attribute items to match Ancestor Long Yan's attributes.
Now that Ancestor Long Yan had advanced to the Celestial Realm and had better "Purple Lightning Sword" and "Xuanbing Li Jiao Armor," these top-grade spirit artifacts were discarded and temporarily stored with Wang Shouzhe.
If not for this, Wang Shouzhe wouldn't have been able to produce a set of equipment immediately.
Although this set of equipment didn't perfectly match Ruoling's bloodline attributes and hadn't been refined, it was better than nothing.
"Buzz!"
The three pieces of equipment flew swiftly.
With a flick of her hand, the three pieces of equipment fell into Liu Ruoling's hands.
In an instant, the black ice crystal armor covered her entire body, and the white frosty flying feather spirit treasure unfurled behind her with a "whoosh."
With a flick of her hand, the ice-blue long sword shone brilliantly in her hand.
Even though the attributes didn't perfectly match, the addition of two top-grade spirit artifacts and a flying feather spirit treasure significantly boosted her aura.
With a flick of her wrist, a sword light shot towards Zhao Wuqing like a piercing ray of light.
In an instant, the sword light cut through the sky.
The sharp chill emanated from the sword light, mingling with the misty water light, enveloping the entire port in a layer of frosty mist.
Under this frosty mist, not only did Liu Ruoling's figure become hazy, but the sword intent within the water-colored sword light also became elusive, like a flower in the mist, hard to discern.
The sound of the river's waves roared, as if cheering for this sword strike.
"What?"
Zhao Wuqing, entangled by Ancestor Ruhong, was already extremely irritated and didn't expect the Chen Clan to have reinforcements.
However, when he saw from a distance that the newcomer was a Lingtai Realm cultivator, he calmed down.
Just a Lingtai Realm cultivator, even if her aura was strong and her sword power was great, at most, she was a prodigy. As a Celestial Realm cultivator, how could he fear a Lingtai Realm cultivator?
As the sword light approached, he roared and activated the "Ancient Barbaric Extreme Golden Body Technique."
His body swelled again, and the golden bronze color on his skin deepened, making his aura even more imposing and inviolable.
The next moment, the sword light struck his chest with extraordinary speed.
"Boom~!"
The powerful force exploded on his chest, sending him flying several meters before he could stabilize himself.
Under the strong defense of the "Ancient Barbaric Extreme Golden Body Technique," his chest wasn't pierced, but a bone-chilling sword intent penetrated his golden body and entered his body.
The sword intent wasn't very strong but was extremely troublesome, causing him chest pain and internal organ discomfort.
"How is this possible!" Zhao Wuqing spat out a mouthful of blood, his face changing dramatically. "How can a mere Lingtai Realm be so powerful?"
But the situation didn't allow him to remain shocked.
With reinforcements, Ancestor Ruhong was overjoyed: "With Ruolan's support, I can rest assured. Let's work together to capture this scoundrel alive."
With that, Ancestor Ruhong intensified his attacks, his water dragon spear creating waves that surged towards Zhao Wuqing.
At the same time, Ruoling agreed with Ancestor Ruhong's suggestion, her flying feather spirit treasure vibrating slightly as she turned into a rainbow-like sword light and joined the battle, suppressing Zhao Wuqing.
***
Meanwhile.
On the flagship, Chen Xiuwu, who had the demeanor of a young Wang Shouzhe, was even more excited: "Brothers, my uncle and aunt have come to support us. Those who want to make a name for themselves, seize the opportunity, kill, kill, kill!"
For a moment, the Chen Clan's morale soared.
In contrast, the Flood Dragon Gang's morale plummeted, and many began to flee.
This was the difference between a gang and a family. When winning, gang members were high-spirited and aggressive. But in a losing situation, their morale dropped quickly, and few were willing to fight to the death.
Family members were different. They had families to protect and blood ties. Even family guards, passed down through generations, shared the family's honor and disgrace.
In life-and-death situations, these blood ties often created strong cohesion, enhancing their combat power.
***
Meanwhile.
Chen Clan's head, Chen Fangjie, led elite clansmen and family guards to the port to launch an attack, accompanied by several Lingtai Realm elders and Chen Xiuwu's mother, Wang Luoyi.
As the saying goes, a defeated army collapses like a landslide.
With reinforcements joining the battle, the Flood Dragon Gang's morale continued to collapse, and many fled or surrendered. In just the time it took to burn a stick of incense, all three Anger Flood Dragon warships were captured.
The Chen Clan's fleet began hunting down fleeing gang members, spearing them with fishing harpoons.
These were battle merits, and relatively low-risk ones at that, naturally attracting the Chen Clan's clansmen, family guards, and even sailors.
Wang Shouzhe's flying carriage continued to hover in the sky, observing the battlefield.
By now, the battle was nearing its end, with the Chen Clan achieving a great victory.
Only Zhao Wuqing's battlefield remained in a stalemate. With Ancestor Ruhong and Ruoling working together, they could defeat Zhao Wuqing. But capturing him alive was much more difficult.
Despite being severely beaten and looking extremely miserable, Zhao Wuqing refused to surrender, dragging the battle into a stalemate.
At this critical moment, Wang Shouzhe joined the battle.
With three against one, Zhao Wuqing had no choice but to surrender.
Afterward, it was time to clean up the battlefield.
Wang Shouzhe personally arranged for Ruoling to rest in the Chen Clan's residence and then hurried to meet with Ancestor Ruhong and others. Although they had won the battle, many troublesome matters remained.
The Flood Dragon Gang might sound like a third-rate gang, but it was actually a dominant force.
When Wang Shouzhe arrived at the Chen Clan's main hall, various forces had already gathered. There were Ancestor Lei Yuanzhou of the Lei Clan, Ancestor Beichen of the Xu Clan, Ancestor Ruhong of the Chen Clan, and representatives from the Shanyin Liu Clan, Shanyang Gongsun Clan, Yingxiu Lu Clan, and Jinsha Xu Clan, all part of the marriage alliance.
"Shouzhe is here."
The hall, which had been somewhat chaotic with arguments and disputes, quieted down as soon as Wang Shouzhe entered. The various ancestors stood up to greet him.
"Shouzhe greets all the ancestors," Wang Shouzhe said respectfully. Despite his status, he was still a junior in terms of seniority and always showed proper respect and courtesy.
After exchanging greetings, Wang Shouzhe took the main seat.
This was only natural.
The Wang Clan was the leader of the marriage alliance, and the alliance's strength was largely due to the Wang Clan and Wang Shouzhe. Even though the ancestors were his elders, in formal meetings, Wang Shouzhe took the main seat.
Wang Shouzhe's final decision was often the alliance's final decision.
This position wasn't given but earned through Wang Shouzhe's abilities.
As soon as he sat down.
Ancestor Lei Yuanzhou said, "Shouzhe, the Chen Clan's rash decision to go to war with the Flood Dragon Gang was unwise. The Flood Dragon Gang is different from Qian's Trading Company, which is primarily a business and has many concerns. The Flood Dragon Gang, however, will act recklessly if they go to war with us."
"Ancestor Yuanzhou," Ancestor Ruhong said with a slightly displeased expression, "I've already explained that it wasn't the Chen Clan that started the war but the Flood Dragon Gang that broke the agreement first. They bullied us, and we couldn't just stand by and take it."
Ancestor Ruhong had advanced to the Celestial Realm and was now on equal footing with Lei Yuanzhou. Although the Donggang Chen Clan was still nominally an eighth-grade clan, advancing to the seventh grade was just a matter of official procedures.
Of course, as a newly promoted clan, the Chen Clan currently had only one Celestial Realm and seven Lingtai Realm cultivators, making them overall weaker than the Lei Clan. But this was just a matter of time, as the Chen Clan, with its control over the sea, had immense potential for future development.
"Ancestor Ruhong," Lei Yuanzhou said coldly, "It's said that patience brings peace. If you suffered a loss, Master Wang Shouzhe would naturally seek justice for you. But now, after killing so many from the Flood Dragon Gang, how could Long Wuji let it go?"
Just as Ancestor Ruhong was about to retort, Wang Shouzhe coughed and said, "Ancestors, please calm down and listen to what I have to say."
With this, both Lei Yuanzhou and Ancestor Ruhong suppressed their tempers and remained silent.
After a pause, Wang Shouzhe said with a slightly serious expression, "The Flood Dragon Gang has long dominated the An River, overlapping with our marriage alliance's territory. Therefore, I've always been diligent in gathering intelligence on the Flood Dragon Gang."
"To be honest, the Flood Dragon Gang's sudden action was somewhat unexpected, but upon reflection, it makes sense. Long Wuji has long coveted our marriage alliance's interests, and he's not a fool. If he harbors ill intentions, he wouldn't wait until we grow stronger to act."
"Therefore, we can infer that if the Flood Dragon Gang has decided to act, even if we retreat today, they will find another excuse tomorrow. So, I advise all the elders not to harbor any illusions at this point."
With these words.
The hall fell silent.
Wang Shouzhe's words, though harsh, revealed a truth.
"In that case, today's discussion should focus on how to deal with the Flood Dragon Gang's ambitions and how to navigate this crisis," Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "What do you all think?"
With his composed demeanor, Wang Shouzhe exuded an aura of control, giving the ancestors a sense of reassurance.
With Shouzhe here, they would surely overcome this crisis.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas