Richard's eyes flashed with anger. He decided that he would not show the traitor any mercy once he
found out who it was. However, this was not the right time to pursue that matter just yet.
"Chief Richard, you have until tomorrow to think this through. As soon as you come up with a decision,
send someone to inform me. We'll be staying in the Breeze Tavern in the Wankong City. I look forward
to working with you soon." Seth had finally achieved the purpose of his visit, so he stood up from his
seat and left with his men.
In his anger, Richard slapped the arm of his chair hard right after Seth took his leave. Nobody in the
hall had seen their patriarch this infuriated, so they did not dare to say a word.
Of course, they all could understand why Richard reacted that way. Their clan had always had a hard
time struggling among the great clans. Now that they finally found a legendary chose one, they were
hopeful that they could turn the tide and change their fate in the upcoming trip to the Ethereal Valley—
until the Myriad Spiritual Hall learned about their secret and was now using it to get the better of them.
Surely, such trickeries could throw anyone off their balance.
When he had finally calmed down, Richard waved his hand and asked everyone to go. "You're all free
to leave. Alex, you stay back."
They immediately complied, leaving only Alex and Richard in the hall.
"Father, we must find out who did this at once!" Alex was so mad that her fury manifested in her voice.
"Yes, we will. But right now, we have more important matters to deal with. We can't let the Myriad
Spiritual Hall spread this information everywhere else. We might have to compromise," Richard
expressed discreetly.
"If we do that, we're most likely handing them our position in the five great clans on a silver platter. This
compromise will do us more harm than good," Alex said worriedly.
"That's true. Can you think of something else we can do?"
Although she had expected the question, Alex was rendered speechless. She knew that the Myriad
Spiritual Hall would easily disclose the information to the public as soon as the Wankong Clan chose
not to cooperate with them.
While she was quiet, Richard then continued, "We can't let them have their way, so we have to make
sure that we'll get more benefits from this alliance than them. I don't know how we can do that yet, but
I'm certain they won't make things easy for us."
Alex finally raised her head and stated, "Father, I might have an idea."
"Alright, let's hear it."
"I think maybe we can send the chosen one himself to negotiate with the Myriad Spiritual Hall," Alex
suggested.
"We're sending Rookie?" Obviously, the patriarch was surprised to hear this unexpected proposal.
"Yes. If we go there to negotiate for our own benefits, we'll easily be swayed because our perspective
only lets us look at the clan's possible gains and losses. But, if we send the chosen one to negotiate for
us, we are more likely to win more than what we'll lose. Besides, it's Rookie who will enter the Ethereal
Valley, so he has the final say on what we and the Myriad Spiritual Hall will get from this quest.
Therefore, no matter what request Rookie makes, they wouldn't be able to say no," Alex thoughtfully
explained.
"You make a good point, but do you think Rookie will agree to this?"
"He might. I'll try and persuade him."
"Alright. Then, I'll leave that to you." Despite knowing that they were left with no other choice, Richard
felt a little encouraged after his discussion with Alex.
Alex then went straight to the Spring Cloud Pavilion to visit Rocky and Vivian and inform them about
the Myriad Spiritual Hall's request for an alliance.
Upon hearing Alex, Vivian snorted, and then commented, "Ha! Aren't they cunning? They're making it
way too obvious that they're desperate to enter the Ethereal Valley."
"Their actions had forced our clan into this predicament. Once word about Rookie gets around, the four
great clans will covet his gift. They will stop at nothing to coerce us into handing you over," Alex
elaborated further.
Rocky was deep in thought before he remarked, "Your misgivings have paved the way for the Myriad
Spiritual Hall to take advantage of you by forcing you into this alliance."
"What do you mean?" Alex could not make sense of what Rocky said.
"Tell me, do they have any evidence to prove my identity?" Rocky astutely asked.
Alex was incredibly stunned that her jaw almost dropped. What Rocky implied did not cross her mind
once, so it had given her a sudden enlightenment.
"Let them spread the news if that's what they'll do. We can just wait and see if the other clans believe it
to be true," Rocky recommended confidently.
"Well, what if some of them actually believe it?"
"Even if they do, they won't make a move without investigating first. Nobody would provoke your clan
for no reason. Besides, there isn't much time left before the Ethereal Valley opens. I don't think they'd
want to waste that on a rumor that doesn't have any conclusive evidence," Rocky pointed out tactfully.
"That makes sense."
"Don't forget, your clan is one of the five great clans for a reason. Don't let any of your apprehensions
engulf you, since that's exactly how the Myriad Spiritual Hall tried to get the best of you. Send your men
to refuse their proposal. If Seth keeps causing trouble, I'll deal with him myself," Rocky continued,
assuring Alex.
The longer Alex pondered over his words, the more she was convinced. She then bid them goodbye
and left the pavilion.
As soon as Alex was out of sight, Rocky turned to Vivian and smiled. "Get ready, Miss Vivian.
Something huge is about to happen tonight."
As though she fully understood what Rocky meant, Vivian simply nodded.
Meanwhile, Alex returned to her father and told him about Rocky's take on the matter. The patriarch
agreed that it would disgrace and embarrass their family name if they were to accept the deal with the
Myriad Spiritual Hall.
Moreover, just as Rocky had emphasized, the Myriad Spiritual Hall had no evidence to prove his
identity at all. Hence, there was no reason why they should feel threatened by them.
Right after his conversation with Alex, Richard sent his men to the Breeze Tavern and sternly refused
their request.
"Damn it!" Seth got so mad that he swept the tea set off the table and into the ground.
"Young master, it seems they want it the hard way! Let's show them that they were wrong to reject our
offer. Tonight, I will send my men to sneak and capture the chosen one," a premium-stage Spiritual
Emperor quickly suggested.
"Are you sure you can do this?" With knitted brows, Seth took interest in this plan.
"They won't have any idea what's about to hit them. Besides, we were told that the chosen one is
merely a Spiritual King. We'll make a feint to distract their people, then we'll capture the chosen one. It
can't go wrong!" The Spiritual Emperor sounded so confident.
"Alright. Now, go get ready. Do not fail me." Seth sharply ordered.
The Spiritual Emperor bowed in respect, then left in a hurry.
Later that night, even though the entire Wankong Clan residence was still alive with lights, silence filled
the air. No one was out except for the night patrols.
Slowly, a dozen figures crawled up a high wall on the east side, and then jumped inside.
They sneaked into the first and second tiers of the Wankong Clan residence without getting noticed.
Not long after, some of the buildings in those areas suddenly burst into flames. As the fire spread
quickly, lots of people either got burned to death or severely injured. The havoc soon alarmed the entire
clan.
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