The air was pervaded with a dangerous aura.
All the martial artists of the Li Clan of Tianfeng City.
All the martial artists of the Shi Clan of Tianfeng City.
Including a formidable army of over ten thousand martial artists under the control of Shi Long, the City Lord of Tianfeng City.
Within the army, although most were Martial Veins Third Layer practitioners or below, their sheer numbers and weapons like bows and crossbows meant that even stronger warriors would be hard-pressed, possibly turned into porcupines under the barrage of crossbow arrows.
There were also one hundred hidden guards with a strength of Martial Pulse Fifth Level and above.
These were the ones besieging the Ling Family, leaving no path for escape.
Of course, the strongest among them were ten individuals.
They were Shi Long and Li Yunsheng, as well as three Elder Supremes from both clans, each possessing the power of the Martial Vein Seventh Layer.
There were also Fei Mu and Fei Yun.
It was clear that the Ling Family members had no chance to escape, even if they had wings, let alone the few among them capable of Crossing the Air in the Void, what more to speak of flying?
Witnessing this terrifying scene, numerous disciples of the Ling Family trembled all over.
Their hot-bloodedness seemed as if doused with cold water, chilling them from head to toe.
Anyone could see that today’s events would likely not end well; the Ninja Clan was truly capable of wiping out a clan.
The fear of one person gradually became the fear of the majority.
After all, the Ling Family only had fewer than five thousand disciples, and among them, those below Martial Veins Third Layer were in the vast majority.
With such strength, facing the overwhelming Allied Forces was undoubtedly like an egg striking a rock.
Seeing the trepidation of the Ling Family members, Shi Long felt a great sense of satisfaction in his heart.
For many years, he had longed to see such a scene, and he hadn’t expected it to come to fruition with the help of the Ninja Clan today. It seemed that surrendering to the Ninja Clan was indeed a very wise decision.
Shi Long stood there and suddenly threw a punch at a building within the Ling Family compound.
With just one punch that unleashed Gang Qi, the building nearly burst apart.
The building instantly became ruins.
Such terrifying power could only be wielded by a Martial Master of Martial Vein Seventh Layer and above.
"Hahaha, all of you from the Ling Family, listen up!"
He stood with his hands behind his back, his voice emanating a domineering tone as he spoke loudly, "The Ninja Clan has come from across the sea from the immortal islands, to fight for the preservation of our Human Race’s territory. Today, we invited the Ling Family to join us, but to our surprise, that old curmudgeon Ling Xiaotian harbored ulterior motives and rejected this proposal."
"Today! I, the City Lord, and the two envoys have come forward to take the life of that old dog, and to expel the Ling Family from Tianfeng City for good!"
Expel the Ling Family from Tianfeng City?
Doesn’t that mean to destroy the Ling Family?
It seemed Ling Xiaotian’s rejection of cooperation with the Ninja Clan truly angered these barbaric Ninja Clan members; they no longer had room for the Ling Family in their eyes.
"No, I can’t die yet, I’m still young!"
"Yes, I don’t want to be buried along with the Ling Family!"
"Why should we suffer because the Clan Leader offended the Ninja Clan!"
The emotions grew even stronger.
All of these were seen by Shi Long.
He chuckled and said, "I have already said, today we’ve come to execute Ling Xiaotian and the stubborn members of his group, it has nothing to do with the others. If others are willing to leave the Ling Family and submit to the Ninja Clan, the Ninja Clan will surely treat you well!"
"Can the main family members of the Ling Family do that as well?"
"Of course, even if you are Ling Xiaotian’s own son, as long as you are willing to submit to the Ninja Clan, there will be no problem."
With these words, turmoil had already erupted within the Ling Family.
Tianfeng City had been peaceful for many years.
Most young people had never experienced the great war of the Ten Thousand Clans back in the day, let alone any small-scale wars with other races.
They did not understand how hard-won the establishment of the Human Sacred Dynasty was.
They were even less aware that, before the establishment of the Human Sacred Dynasty, the Human Race was nothing but vassals and slaves to other races.
They could be auctioned off at will at an auction.
They could be killed on the streets at random, and the only compensation might be just a few silver, or perhaps no compensation was required at all.
That dark age had passed so long ago that modern humans simply did not grasp the significance of the Sacred Dynasty.
Even if the Sacred Dynasty were in decline, the Human Race must not cede territory; otherwise, that dark age would quickly return.
Ling Xiaotian’s face was grim.
But he was powerless.
The situation had become irretrievable.
The enemy was too strong.
The momentum they brought was also too strong.
Although he loathed those whose wills were not firm, it was too late for words now.
"Now, those willing to pledge allegiance to the Ninja Clan, step forward from the ranks of the Ling Family and stand over there," he said.
The place Shi Long pointed to was precisely the direction in which the Tianfeng City military’s crossbows were aimed; should these people dare to cause trouble, he would not hesitate to order them to be shot on the spot.
"Do not be afraid, as long as you pledge true allegiance, no one will hurt you. Of course, if you do not wish to leave the Ling Family, that is also fine. Today, you will accompany that old fool Ling Xiaotian to hell," Shi Long declared.
In the crowd, some people hesitated.
Some were still afraid.
The Ling Family had always been merciless towards traitors.
Naturally, there were also some who were simply torn between loyalty and survival.
"Whoever dares to betray the family at this time, I, Ling Wuheng, will surely kill him!"
Suddenly, Ling Wuheng, the second elder of the Ling Family, bellowed, drawing his longsword and pointing it towards the sky.
"Back when you joined the Ling Family, the Ling Family was not unkind to you. Today, when the Ling Family faces peril, to abandon it is to be disloyal and unjust!"
He wasn’t wrong with his words. In fact, including Ling Xiao, they all had received many favors from the Ling Family.
It’s true that Ling Xiao had suffered grievances and injustices, but when he first joined the Ling Family, the Ling Family had at least taken care of his sustenance.
They had also given him the opportunity to practice martial arts.
Not to mention, the treatment received by the majority of others was much better than what Ling Xiao had gotten.
To betray at this moment truly would make one a disloyal and disgraceful traitor.
"Hmph, Second Brother, your words sound nice. If you want to die with that old thing, then accompany him. As for us, we’re not willing," sneered Ling Jiu, standing up and glancing disdainfully at Ling Wuheng before walking towards the spot Shi Long had indicated.
"Ling Jiu, you scoundrel!"
Ling Xiaotian was so angry he nearly spat blood.
He had never imagined that the first to betray the Ling Family would not be a disciple recruited from outside, but his own flesh and blood.
"Old man, you might want to die, but I’m not willing to accompany you. As the saying goes, ’He who knows the times is a wise man.’ I think there’s nothing wrong with surrendering to the Ninja Clan. Not only can we preserve the Ling Family, but we can even make it flourish!"
Ling Jiu said with a sneer, "Your approach is nothing more than throwing eggs against rocks."
Ling Chong quickly followed Ling Jiu and stood by his side.
With this father and son taking the lead, many who were still hesitant no longer wavered.
In just a short period of time, thousands of disciples had crossed over, and the number continued to grow.
Among these people, although there were disciples who had been externally recruited, there were also a large number of the main bloodline disciples of the Ling Clan.
To be honest, Ling Xiaotian had never held much hope for the disciples who had joined from outside; their abandonment of the Ling Family at this time was normal.
After all, they did not have a true bloodline connection to the Ling Family.
But the betrayal of the main family disciples pierced his heart deeply.
It was apparent, his body shook with unceasing tremors.