The Seventh Elder shook his head and sighed. "Patriarch, with the situation as it is now, how will you give an explanation to the ancestors of our Wang Clan?"
The First Elder, Third Elder, and Seventh Elder were usually the most dissatisfied with Wang Yan's actions. Therefore, at the clan meeting, they immediately questioned him.
When the Ninth Elder saw the three of them showing such disrespect to the Patriarch, he became furious and shouted, "First Elder, how dare you speak to the Patriarch like that! If it weren't for the Patriarch risking his life for the Wang Clan, would we have the glory we enjoy today?"
The Second Elder, one of Wang Yan's trusted supporters, stroked his beard and said, "The Patriarch only acted for the good of our Wang Clan. Back then, the Second Prince's power was at its peak—his decision was not wrong. Once the Second Prince became Crown Prince, our Wang Clan would have become one of the top families of the Sun Moon Empire."
Another elder immediately added, "At a time like this, what use is there in questioning the Patriarch? What's done is done. What we should be thinking about now is how to fix it!"
Elder Wang Yuan said, "Everyone, stop arguing. Quarreling won't solve anything. Let's discuss this calmly and think of a proper plan."
The elders who supported Wang Yan, those who opposed him, and those trying to mediate all began arguing loudly.
For a moment, the entire hall was filled with buzzing noise—it sounded like hundreds of flies all screeching at once.
Wang Yan sat in the seat of honor, watching the arguing elders below. His aged face remained expressionless.
His gaze was calm as still water, showing no emotion at all. It was as if he didn't take the opposition of the First Elder and the others seriously in the slightest.
In truth, that was exactly the case—because at this very moment, Wang Yan was planning how to assassinate the Crown Prince, Xu Tianran.
As long as Xu Tianran died, all problems would be solved. The Second Prince would then ascend as Crown Prince and soon take the throne. Wang Yan would break through to Titled Douluo, and under his leadership, the Wang Clan would rise to a new peak.
But if the assassination failed, then everything would end—all would die. There would be nothing left to discuss.
Wang Yan had no intention of telling the clan about the plan to assassinate Xu Tianran.
In his eyes, the fewer people who knew about such a thing, the better. The more who knew, the greater the risk of exposure.
If Xu Tianran were to learn in advance that someone intended to assassinate him, he would surely prepare his defenses ahead of time. That would raise the difficulty of the assassination by several levels.
If that happened, killing Xu Tianran would become nearly impossible.
Besides, assassinations depended on precision, not numbers. The more people involved, the easier it would be to attract attention. At that point, it would no longer be an assassination, but an open assault.
Could such a frontal attack succeed? Clearly not. If too much noise were made, within moments they would be discovered by the Soul Engineer Legions and Rank Nine Soul Engineers. At that point, death would be certain.
Furthermore, the more people involved, the harder it would be to retreat or hide their tracks afterward.
When Wang Yan and the Second Prince had discussed this in the prince's mansion, they had already decided: the assassination team must not exceed five people.
They had even finalized the list of participants—each one a powerful Contra-level expert.
All they needed now was to confirm Xu Tianran's schedule. Once they found a suitable, less-crowded location, they could lie in wait and strike.
While Wang Yan was lost in thought, the argument among the elders grew more and more heated.
The noise became so unbearable that Wang Yan furrowed his brows.
"Quiet!" Wang Yan commanded.
The moment his voice fell, most of the elders immediately stopped arguing.
Clearly, Wang Yan's decades as Patriarch had instilled deep authority. Even after such a major political blunder, most of the elders did not dare disobey him.
Only the First Elder, who had broken through to the Contra realm a year earlier, continued speaking.
He snorted coldly and said, "Patriarch, from the very beginning, you've been silent. I suppose even you know just how grave your mistake was.
Patriarch, you're old now. It's time you enjoyed your remaining years in peace. You are no longer fit to lead the Wang Clan. Hand your position over to someone younger."
Indeed, strength bred courage. After breaking through to Contra, the First Elder no longer feared Wang Yan, who was at the same cultivation level.
After all, Wang Yan was already old. The First Elder believed that even if he couldn't defeat him, he wouldn't lose by much.
Hearing his words, the expressionless Wang Yan finally showed a trace of coldness on his face.
He had led the Wang Clan for so many years, his word absolute. Now someone dared to challenge his authority openly—this was rebellion!
Narrowing his eyes, Wang Yan asked coldly, "First Elder, are you saying that I, Wang Yan, am unfit to be Patriarch?"
The surrounding elders held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
The First Elder showed no fear and shot back directly, "Wang Yan, I admit you were once a qualified Patriarch. But now—you are not worthy!"
Wang Yan was so furious that he laughed. "Good, good, very good!"
The moment he finished speaking, eight soul rings rose around his body, and a menacing soul tool armor appeared over him.
Several soul rings lit up at once. Wang Yan struck with a single punch. Even though the First Elder summoned both his martial soul and soul tools and fought with all his might, he still could not withstand it.
After only three moves, the First Elder was blasted out of the ancestral hall, his chest caved in by Wang Yan's fist. He spat a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.
All the other elders stared in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"This power… could it be a Rank Nine Soul Tool?! No, not quite… but close!"
Wang Yan swept his cold gaze across them and said in a deep voice, "As long as I still live, the Wang Clan will not fall.
Does anyone else have objections to me remaining Patriarch? Speak!"
The elders exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, the meeting ended in a heavy, oppressive silence. Each elder left the ancestral hall with his own thoughts.
Once everyone was gone, the hall fell completely silent, except for the crackling of the burning incense and the faint sound of the wind.
Alone, Wang Yan stood before the ancestral tablets, gazing quietly at them.
After a long time, he murmured softly, "I, Wang Yan, have no regrets."
——————————————
When Wang Chen returned home, it was already evening.
The round moon hung high in the sky, stars twinkling as silver moonlight blanketed the earth.
The moment he stepped through the door, his parents, who hadn't seen him in a long time, began fussing over him.
Father Wang and Mother Wang didn't know much about their son's current strength or influence. Seeing him return home, both were moved to tears.
"Chen'er, you child, you've been gone so long without even sending word to let us know you're safe."
Mother Wang's eyes were full of worry and affection. She grabbed Wang Chen's hands, looking him up and down as if to confirm he wasn't hurt.
Father Wang added, "Son, now that Xu Tianran has become Crown Prince, don't run around anymore."
Wang Chen quietly listened to their nagging, feeling warmth in his heart. He knew that during his time away, his parents must have been deeply worried.
Smiling, he comforted them, "Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'm fine, see? I've made a lot of friends outside who will look after me."
Soon, Wang Chen managed to calm his parents down, and the three of them enjoyed a rare, joyful family dinner together.
Time passed quickly, and the next day arrived.
In the morning, after visiting Elder Wang Yuan, Wang Chen learned what had happened during the previous night's clan meeting.
He was utterly stunned.
Wait—what? That old man Wang Yan, already half in his grave, is actually that strong?