Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Hai Bodong’s Decision
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Ma Sacred City, capital of the Jia Ma Empire.
As the most prosperous city in the entire empire, the daily flow of people through this place reached an astonishing figure.
However, today, this bustling city was shrouded in an unusually oppressive atmosphere.
A vague sense of impending catastrophe loomed, pressing heavily on everyone’s hearts.
With the continuous expansion of Yun Lan Sect’s influence in recent years, this capital city now carried a palpable sense of tension, like the calm before a storm.
Even the Imperial Family had been forced to retreat step by step, feeling stifled and powerless.
Boom!
At a certain moment, a deafening explosion suddenly thundered through the skies above Jia Ma Sacred City like a rolling clap of thunder.
The blast echoed continuously across the heavens, drawing every gaze in the city upward.
In the direction of the explosion, a cloud of condensed energy was rapidly taking form.
Beside this cloud, a long sword radiating a sharp sword aura pierced straight into the firmament.
"That’s Yun Lan Sect’s signal!"
Seeing that unique energy imprint in the sky, the entire Sacred City erupted into startled cries.
Some of the more sensitive individuals were visibly alarmed. Was the Yun Lan Sect really going to make a move on the capital?
The Mittel Clan, Alchemist Association, Imperial Family, and even the Nalan and Mu Clans—many of their members all raised their heads to look at that mark in the sky.
For a moment, everyone’s expressions became extremely grim.
The aggressive stance of Yun Lan Sect filled them with fury.
They had already retreated time and again, endlessly yielding. But now, it seemed... there was no more room to retreat.
Just as they were steeling themselves to resist with their lives—
"Mittel Clan, hand over the remnants of the Xiao Clan! Otherwise, your extermination will be today!"
A cold and indifferent voice, amplified by a mighty surge of Dou Qi, resounded thunderously across the entire Jia Ma Sacred City.
In that instant, a dead silence fell over the entire city—only that voice continued to echo and spread.
Countless people turned their gazes in the direction of the voice. There, a column of Dou Qi soared skyward like a heavenly pillar.
The members of the Mittel Clan, upon hearing the contents of that declaration, all turned pale.
Meanwhile, the other factions, while silently breathing a sigh of relief, couldn’t help but feel a surge of mixed emotions—a blend of relief and dread.
Today, Yun Lan Sect had come targeting the Mittel Clan. They were torn inside.
On the one hand, they were glad it wasn’t their turn yet. On the other hand, they couldn’t help but mourn: who knows when their day would come?
As for the so-called "searching for remnants of the Xiao Clan," most of them believed it was just a pretext.
Yun Lan Sect’s ambition to unify the entire Jia Ma Empire was already an open secret.
In Yun Lan Sect’s eyes—and in Yun Shan’s eyes—this tiny empire clearly could not accommodate so many forces coexisting.
At times, many of these powers felt that perhaps it would be better to just engage in an all-out war with Yun Lan Sect once and for all.
At least if they all fought together, they could take a bloody bite out of Yun Lan Sect even if they died.
Everyone understood this logic. But the sliver of hope and hesitation in their hearts made it impossible to take that decisive step.
The Mittel Clan—Ya Fei, Hai Bodong, and several others—had all rushed out of the great hall.
Their expressions were grave as they looked toward the direction where the overwhelming Dou Qi had erupted.
"What do we do now?" Mittel Tengshan asked in a deep voice.
"What else? Since we refuse to surrender, then we’ll fight to the death!" Hai Bodong snorted coldly, a faint frost swirling around his body.
Under the cover of that chill, the deep blue color in his eyes became even more intense and profound.
At that moment, a man sitting calmly in a wheelchair off to the side suddenly spoke in a soft voice:
"Elder Hai, if things become truly hopeless, then hand me and the majority of the Xiao Clan over. Tell them that we are all the remaining members. As for the rest of the clan, please help them escape in secret. The Xiao Clan is facing calamity—a drop of blood must remain."
Upon hearing this, many members of the Mittel Clan brightened in the eyes.
But at the same time, they were inwardly shocked. Their gazes turned toward Xiao Ding, who wore a faint, calm smile—and they couldn’t help but feel a chill from deep within.
This man, with just a few light words, had handed himself and most of his clan over to death.
Such a move... could only be described as ruthless.
"Xiao Ding, don’t worry. No one is going to hand you over. Even if I have to stake this old life of mine, even if it costs the entire Mittel Clan, I’ll protect you all!"
A cold voice suddenly rang out—it was Hai Bodong who had spoken.
Those blue eyes of his were now glinting with icy determination, and all those who had been swayed in their hearts were instantly silenced under that frosty glare, forced to swallow the words that had almost left their lips.
"Elder Hai..." Xiao Ding was stunned. For the first time, ripples appeared in his normally still, emotionless eyes.
Back when disaster first struck the Xiao Clan, though the Imperial Family and the Alchemist Association had secretly helped save a portion of them...it was the Mittel Clan, under the support of Ya Fei and Hai Bodong, that had taken in the Xiao Clan’s remaining survivors.
For the past two years, the Mittel Clan had been constantly protecting them.
And now, with things reaching such a critical point, Hai Bodong was still stubbornly protecting them, even willing to sacrifice himself—and his entire family.
"Why go so far, Elder Hai..." Xiao Ding gave a bitter smile, sighing softly.
He understood very well—Hai Bodong’s efforts to protect the Xiao Clan weren’t out of sentiment for him.
It was because of Xiao Yan... and Wei Yang.
Even the earlier covert actions of the Imperial Family and the Alchemist Association were because of them.
After all, these powers had seen the potential of Xiao Yan and Wei Yang, and decided it was worth it to do them a favor. They knew this investment would pay off in the future.
But in Xiao Ding’s view, Hai Bodong and the Mittel Clan had already done enough. There was no need for them to risk the entire family any further.
Right now, all he hoped for was that Xiao Yan and Xiao Li could grow strong in the future and avenge this blood feud for the Xiao Clan.
As for himself—and most of the surviving clan—whether they lived or died, it no longer mattered.
There was no need to drag the entire Mittel Clan into their tragedy.
"Hahaha! Just take it as me, Hai Bodong, making a gamble." Hai Bodong laughed boldly.
Such was Hai Bodong’s nature. While he could be impulsive at times, that didn’t mean he lacked the shrewdness of a merchant or a strong sense of loyalty.
And indeed, this was also... a bit of a gamble.
An investment. With wins and losses.
If he lost—he’d accept the consequences.But if he won—the gains would be tremendous.
Of course, the biggest reason Hai Bodong had made this decision was because he saw things very clearly, and thus forced himself to make a choice.
He glanced to the side at Mittel Tengshan, whose expression showed obvious hesitation, and snorted coldly:
"You people are always so shortsighted. Do you really think Yun Lan Sect is targeting the Mittel Clan just because of the Xiao Clan?"
"Hmph, it’s just a convenient excuse!"
"You all know full well what their real ambition is. The empire’s three great clans, even the Imperial Family—who among us will be spared in the end?"
"Instead of using this pathetic excuse to betray a friend in cowardice, why not fight with all we’ve got?! What—don’t tell me you don’t even have that much backbone?"
Mittel Tengshan fell silent. After a long pause, he sighed bitterly.
He knew all too well that the current Yun Lan Sect was moving to cleanse the empire’s forces one by one.
Still... if this inevitable day could be postponed, even by a little—that was better than nothing.
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