"If only I hadn't let you escape back then!" the Fifth Elder blurted out.
"Idiot!" the Jin Family Head berated him. How could the Fifth Elder speak such words at this moment? It was practically admitting guilt!
The Fifth Elder covered his mouth, bewildered. How could he have said that? This shouldn't have happened, absolutely not!
A flicker of a smile crossed Xiao Man's eyes. She had warned everyone present long ago that the moment they stepped into this hall, they would be poisoned. The Fifth Elder was no exception!
"Family Head!"
"These two are colluding to slander the Family Head and the Elder Conductor, solely to split the Jin Family." The Jin Family Head calmed himself. "Originally, I didn't want to kill you, but your actions now have crossed my bottom line. Today, I must kill you!"
As he spoke, the Jin Family Head surged towards Chong Sheng once more, his resolve to kill absolute, as if the person before him were not his own son, but an archenemy!
Xiao Man immediately blocked the Great Elder, preventing him from aiding the Jin Family Head. The Third Elder intercepted the Fifth Elder, while the Second and Fourth Elders remained seated, unmoving.
"Third Elder, are you going to betray the Jin Family?"
The Third Elder looked at the Fifth Elder with great composure. "You are the ones betraying the Jin Family. The Jin Family cannot tolerate traitors like you!"
"Jin Ling is the traitor!"
"The victor takes all, don't you understand such a simple principle?"
"Third Elder, you're against me?" the Jin Family Head bellowed while fighting Chong Sheng.
The Third Elder smiled tenderly. "My little disciple has made her move, and as her master, I must naturally protect her."
"You intend to oppose me for the sake of an unknown disciple?"
"It's not just for her," the Third Elder said slowly. "It's also for myself. Although my strength is ordinary, I am unwilling to be a lackey of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Between you and the eldest son, I choose the eldest son!"
"When Madam and A Yao return..."
"They won't be able to," Xiao Man said, pushing back the Great Elder and taking over the conversation. "From the day they left the Jin Family, they were already unable to return!"
"You..."
"Therefore, Family Head Jin, you need to consider carefully. If he suffers any harm, the Jin Family will truly be without an heir."
"You dare to kill A Yao!"
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Xiao Man retorted with a smile. "Back in the Trial Ground, if he hadn't had a magic artifact, he would have died there long ago. I wouldn't have needed to spend so much effort coming to the Jin Family to kill him."
"I will kill you!" The Jin Family Head shifted his target, lunging towards Xiao Man. As insignificant as Jin Yao might be, he was still someone the Family Head had painstakingly cultivated. Now, this woman dared to say she would kill his son right in front of him!
Chong Sheng instantly stepped in front of Xiao Man. "Want to kill her? Not a chance!"
The Jin Family Head was struck by Chong Sheng's palm, reeling back. That single blow ignited his fury. "Excellent! Since you wish to die, I shall grant you your wish!"
The Jin Family Head began to gather his strength for a powerful move, but halfway through, the vital energy within him suddenly vanished. This discovery sent a cold sweat down his spine. He tried with all his might to mobilize his vital energy, but it felt as though it had evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace.
Chong Sheng struck again, repelling the Jin Family Head, who fell to the ground in disarray, staring at his hands in disbelief. Where had his vital energy gone?
"What did you do to me?" the Jin Family Head demanded angrily.
Chong Sheng looked down at the Jin Family Head with icy indifference. "I hit you with a palm, didn't you see?"
"You poisoned me!" the Jin Family Head accused. "You actually poisoned your own father!"
"You were allowed to kill me, cripple my golden core, and sever my tendons, but I'm not allowed to poison you?" Chong Sheng's expression was utterly devoid of emotion. He felt no guilt whatsoever for injuring his own father or poisoning him.
"You..."
"Eldest Son, how can you treat the Family Head like this? What you're doing is disloyal and unfilial!" the Fifth Elder exclaimed in exasperation. He had thought their position would remain secure, but in the blink of an eye, upheaval had struck.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect will not stand idly by while you control the Jin Family. Your inheriting the Jin Family will only lead to its ruin!" the Fifth Elder shouted urgently. "Eldest Son, you are also a member of the Jin Family. Are you going to stand by and watch the Jin Family perish?"
"By allying yourselves with the Heavenly Sword Sect, aren't you courting your own destruction?" Chong Sheng said slowly. "Do you really think the Heavenly Sword Sect will prop you up to be the foremost family?"
"The old sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect is a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage!"
"So what if he's a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage? For so many years, he hasn't been able to break through to the Cang Xuan realm and ascend to a higher plane. Why?" Chong Sheng asked. "Have you never considered the reason behind this?"
"How could we possibly fathom the thoughts of a mighty cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage?"
"But the massacre of the Qin family, you should be able to understand that, right?"
"The Jin Family possesses something the Heavenly Sword Sect desires!" the Fourth Elder said calmly. "The Heavenly Sword Sect are despicable cowards who don't act without reward."
"Fourth Elder, watch your words!"
The Fourth Elder let out a cold scoff and leaned back. "Fifth Elder, you should worry about how to survive before teaching me to watch my words."
"You... you're not going to make a move?"
The Fourth Elder crossed his arms, adopting an attitude of an amused spectator. "I think the Eldest Son is quite good, and I have no intention of intervening."
"You... you're betraying the Jin Family too?"
"Fifth Elder, you are the one betraying the Jin Family, not I," the Fourth Elder's voice remained gentle and languid. "I have always supported the Jin Family Head."
"Fourth Elder, if you support the Family Head, then I order you to kill Jin Ling!"
"Reporting to the Family Head, I cannot comply." The Fourth Elder refused without hesitation.
"Didn't you say you support the Family Head? Then why are you disobeying the Family Head's orders?" the Jin Family Head roared. Everything had been within his grasp, yet now a pawn dared to oppose him.
"Family Head, haven't you noticed something wrong with your body?" The Fourth Elder gestured feebly, appearing weak and powerless. "The vital energy in my body is gone, and my body is extremely weak. Even if I had the will to help, I wouldn't be able to move."
"You're poisoned too?" The Jin Family Head was shocked. His gaze shifted to the Second and Third Elders. The Third Elder could stop the Fifth Elder, so he was undoubtedly fine. As for the Second Elder, he seemed to be unaffected. "Second Elder?"
The Second Elder slowly sat down, his expression calm and composed. "I support the Eldest Son."
"Third Elder?" The Jin Family Head looked at the Third Elder, who didn't even glance at him.
"I am united with my disciple."
Hearing this, the Jin Family Head was enraged. The Great Elder must also be poisoned, and the Fifth Elder likely wasn't faring any better. They had fallen completely into a disadvantage.