As Zhu Que retreated, Shen Ya Yin led the way, holding the Yu Hua Sword with an unparalleled aura.
"Quickly go invite the Family Head!"
Zhu Que exclaimed, "We absolutely cannot let them leave, otherwise the Family Head will surely blame us!"
The many men nodded, not daring to show the slightest negligence. They were very clear that if Shen Ya Yin left, the Family Head would hold them accountable, and those guarding the divine sword would also be punished.
"No need to invite him!"
A faint voice sounded, and Shen Ba Tian strode forward, accompanied by several elders who exuded a powerful aura.
"Dad!"
Shen Ya Yin was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected Shen Ba Tian to arrive so quickly.
"You foolish girl, how could you do such a thing!"
The Shen Family Head exclaimed, "Don't you know that by drawing the Yu Hua Sword, you will bring disaster to the Shen Clan, and even cause unforeseen trouble."
"This is unavoidable!"
Shen Ya Yin stated directly, "If we cannot do this, how can we be worthy of being called an ancient clan!"
"Hand over the Yu Hua Sword to me, and I will re-seal it. Otherwise, it will provoke the displeasure of the Ghost Hall, and then the entire Shen Clan will be in jeopardy!" Shen Ba Tian said repeatedly.
"Is the Shen Family Head so afraid of the Ghost Hall?"
Lu Fan frowned, "In ancient times, the Ghost Hall was suppressed by the Five Great Ancient Clans, so they should be afraid of us. Why must the Shen Family Head be like this!"
"You don't understand! We don't understand at all!"
Shen Ba Tian shook his head, "Now, the Lord of the Ghost Hall is about to complete his cultivation. Even if the Shen Clan makes a move, it will be useless!"
"Even if it means mutual destruction, the Shen Clan will never retreat!"
Shen Ya Yin stated directly, "Otherwise, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the integrity of my Shen Clan? If that were the case, how could we face our ancestors!"
"You are a good child, but you must understand that some things are not as simple as they seem!"
Shen Ba Tian said, "Listen to your father and hand over the Yu Hua Sword to me. As for your friends, I will never harm them!"
"Absolutely not!"
Shen Ya Yin shook her head. She had finally managed to unseal the Yu Hua Sword, so how could she easily hand it over? Moreover, this matter was of great importance, and she would not back down in the slightest.
"If that is the case, then do not blame me for being ruthless!"
Shen Ba Tian's expression turned cold, and he grabbed Lin Ke.
Just as Lu Fan was about to make a move, Shen Ba Tian sneered, "Don't you dare act rashly. If I apply a little more force, he will die!"
"To think that the dignified Shen Family Head would do such a thing, isn't that laughable!"
Lu Fan said coldly, "If you let Xiao Ke go, I might still respect you a little."
"It's not important, none of this is important!"
Shen Ba Tian shook his head, and at the same time looked at Shen Ya Yin, "If you don't hand over the Yu Hua Sword, I will get rid of him. Isn't he your friend? Are you really willing to watch him die before your eyes?"
"Dad, what's wrong with you?"
Shen Ya Yin's eyes welled up with tears, "Why are you doing this? Is there some unspeakable reason!"
Shen Ba Tian looked helpless, "Times have changed. We are no longer the Five Great Ancient Clans of the past. Listen to your father's advice. As long as the Shen Clan does not get involved in this matter, the Ghost Hall will surely spare the Shen Clan a way out!"
"What good would that do!"
Shen Ya Yin gave a bitter smile and placed the Yu Hua Sword on her neck, "Dad, if you insist on this, I can only accompany you in death!"
"Xiao Yin!"
Shen Ba Tian's face changed drastically. He had never expected Shen Ya Yin to act this way, catching him completely off guard.
"Please, Family Head, reconsider!"
The Shen Clan elders cupped their fists, "Our Shen Clan's ancestral teachings state that the Five Great Ancient Clans are united and will jointly resist the Ghost Hall. Now that the eldest daughter is acting like this, it is a blessing for our Shen Clan. We implore the Family Head to give the order to jointly resist the Ghost Hall!"
"Please, Family Head, give the order to jointly resist the Ghost Hall!"
From within the Shen Clan, voices arose, their eyes filled with solemnity.
As members of the Shen Clan, they possessed an innate sense of responsibility and were unwilling to live a life of subservience, especially at this critical juncture.
Seeing the Shen Clan members kneel, Shen Ba Tian stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what to say. He had never imagined that the Shen Clan would possess such dignity.
"Good, very good!"
The Shen Family Head nodded, "You are indeed worthy of being descendants of my Shen Clan, and you do not fear death!"
He slowly released Lin Ke, and Shen Ba Tian then said, "Since everyone is prepared to die, I, as the head of the Shen Clan, how can I sit idly by and be a cowardly survivor!"
"This is my dad!"
Shen Ya Yin smiled. She knew that Shen Ba Tian had agreed, agreeing to deal with the Ghost Hall and not abandon his responsibilities.
"To deal with the Ghost Hall, we must gather the power of the Five Swords!"
Shen Ba Tian said, "Unfortunately, with your current strength, you are still too weak!"
"We are already Half-Saints, and with the combination of the Five Swords, we can still heavily injure the Hall Master!"
Long Yi said, "Why should the Shen Family Head worry!"
Shen Ba Tian shook his head, "You are too naive. The most powerful being within the Ghost Hall is the Lord of the Ghost Hall. Even if the leaders of the Five Great Ancient Clans were alive, they would not be his match if they joined forces!"
Everyone present was shocked. The clan leaders of the ancient clans possessed immense cultivation. If even five of them working together could not deal with the Lord of the Ghost Hall, what level had he reached.
"This is also why I wanted to stop you!"
Shen Ba Tian did not hide anything, "According to normal calculations, we are bound to lose. This is why my Shen Clan was unwilling to join."
"In other words, no matter what, we will lose?"
Lu Fan frowned. He could indeed discern Shen Ba Tian's underlying meaning.
"In ancient times, the clan leaders of the Five Great Ancient Clans personally controlled the divine swords to barely suppress the Lord of the Ghost Hall!"
Shen Ba Tian chuckled, "Now, the Lord of the Ghost Hall is about to break through the seal and cultivate to a higher level. Our strength is simply not enough!"
"Even if I die in battle, I will have no regrets!"
Shen Ya Yin's expression was cold, "The Shen Clan must not be a coward. At this moment of life and death, we cannot betray the other four clans for self-preservation!"
"Even if we fight to the death, we will die without regret!"
Many of the Shen Clan's experts spoke, their indignation growing. At this point, they had never considered retreating.
"Since you have made your choice, as the head of the Shen Clan, I am proud of you!"
Shen Ba Tian's aura surged instantly, "No matter what storms lie ahead, we will face them together!"
The members of the Shen Clan were instantly filled with passion. They could feel that the Shen Ba Tian of the past had returned. The Shen Ba Tian before them was no longer the hesitant Shen Ba Tian, but the battle-hardened Shen Ba Tian.
As they were talking, a man rushed to report, "Reporting to the Family Head, Meng Po of the Ghost Hall is shouting outside and demanding to enter the Shen Clan!"
"Hmph! They certainly have a lot of nerve!"