The bell reverberated.
Five chimes signaled the hour.
In an instant, figures flickered throughout the Chai family estate.
From beneath the rock garden, amidst the garden trees, in the dark rafters of the beams, people continuously emerged and swiftly moved towards the assembly point.
The eldest master Chai, his face stern, awaited the steward for the final headcount.
Soon, the steward arrived before the eldest master Chai and respectfully reported, "Master, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends are all assembled!"
The eldest master Chai grunted.
He stepped forward, chest puffed out, about to inform everyone that they would next conquer Shanhai City and purge Shanhai Hall, when a person walked in through the main gate.
The appearance of this individual visibly dimmed the surrounding light.
In that moment, everyone felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on their heads, making their breathing heavy and difficult. They instantly became alert and ready.
However, this sensation came and went quickly, as if merely informing those inside—he had arrived.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the eldest master Chai was first taken aback, then his expression became filled with bewilderment.
Following that, he hurried to the entrance and said with great humility, "Elder Brother, you have emerged from seclusion?"
"Congratulations, Elder Brother, on reaching new heights!"
"What wind has blown Elder Brother to the Chai family today?"
The newcomer was tall and robust, with a square face and thick eyebrows, exuding an aura of authority.
"You intend to mobilize people to conquer Shanhai City and Shanhai Hall?" the man asked.
The eldest master Chai nodded. "Yes!"
"Elder Brother, as the administrator, you must be well aware of the situation regarding Shanhai Hall's defiance of the War Emperor Hall."
"My brother was tasked with handling this matter but was severely injured and is currently in intensive care!"
"When they show such disrespect to the Dragon God Nation and the Chai family, I will teach Shanhai Hall what a bloody lesson means."
The man was silent for three seconds before speaking, "Disperse, I will handle this matter!"
Disperse?
The eldest master Chai looked at the man before him with great surprise.
As a man at the apex of the Dragon God Nation, it was illogical for him to interfere, or rather, there was no need for him to interfere.
In fact, the man had interfered, and had come forward voluntarily.
This immediately left the eldest master Chai somewhat confused.
With his brother still hospitalized and the Chai family's authority challenged, the eldest master Chai naturally could not swallow his anger.
Therefore, he shook his head and said coldly, "Impossible!"
"So many of the Hundred Clans are watching!"
"If the Chai family does nothing, won't we become a laughingstock to the Hundred Clans?"
Facing the eldest master Chai's insistence, the man sneered indifferently and then calmly said, "I will remind you one more time, disperse!"
The sudden shift in tone and the emanating oppressive aura caused the eldest master Chai's expression to turn serious.
He knew that the man's sudden appearance at this time was not a joke.
Although the Chai family was already ranked fifth among the Hundred Clans in the Dragon God Nation, they dared not be overly arrogant in the face of this man who hailed from the foremost of the Hundred Clans.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Why?"
Any action, whether initiated or abandoned, required a reason.
If the other party could not provide a valid reason, the eldest master Chai would not easily compromise.
The man calmly replied, "This matter concerns the Dragon God Nation; it should not be handled by your Chai family!"
"Your brother is part of the Dragon God Nation's management. He was attacked, and by reason and principle, shouldn't the Dragon God Nation handle this?"
Hearing this, it did seem to hold some logic, and the eldest master Chai nodded.
"As a prominent family, would it not be like using a cleaver to kill a chicken to mobilize your family's forces for such a minor incident?"
After a pause, the man continued, "Besides, as far as I know, this Shanhai Hall is not to be underestimated. Otherwise, your second brother would not have returned empty-handed!"
"Are you certain that bringing these people will achieve the massacre?"
"What if your Chai family is the one that gets massacred?"
If the Chai family were to be massacred, this incident would become the most significant event in the Dragon God Nation.
At the same time, the Chai family would directly fall from fifth place among the Hundred Clans.
"Impossible!"
The eldest master Chai immediately shook his head, utterly convinced that the mighty Chai family could not possibly be defeated by a mere Shanhai Hall.
"Hahaha..."
The man burst into loud laughter, his voice causing everything in the Chai family estate to tremble.
"I believe you still don't fully understand who your opponent is this time?"
"I stand here today only because the relationship between the Chai family and the Chu family has been relatively good over the years. I am kindly warning you!"
"If you insist on proceeding, then you may try."
Subsequently, the man turned and left indifferently, under the eldest master Chai's dazed gaze.
A mere Shanhai Hall, that formidable?
They only had one Grandmaster, and it was that difficult to deal with?
Earlier, when the injured second master Chai was brought back, the eldest master Chai had learned that his brother was severely injured by the head of Shanhai Hall.
According to the description, even two half-step Grandmasters were no match for Chu Fan, leading to the inference that his strength was at the Grandmaster level.
A Grandmaster, to ordinary families, was indeed unreachable.
However, in front of the Chai family, it was nothing.
The eldest master Chai fell into hesitation.
He knew well that this man, who could be considered number one in the Dragon God Nation, would not act lightly.
What was originally a small Shanhai Hall, but it required him to personally intervene to stop the Chai family from causing trouble, was highly unusual.
Considering these factors, the eldest master Chai immediately turned, waved his hand, and said, "Disperse for now!"
Afterward, he instructed the steward, "Within half an hour, I want to see all the information on Shanhai Hall!"
The unusual turn of events prompted the eldest master Chai to prepare to thoroughly investigate Shanhai Hall again. Previously, the second master Chai had not provided much information about Shanhai Hall, only stating that this newly formed power was extremely arrogant and dared to disregard the existence of the War Emperor Hall.
The man's appearance made the eldest master Chai realize that the matter might not be as simple as his brother had initially described.
There were always contingencies.
What if, in reality, it was as the man said, and the Chai family, in their haste to purge Shanhai Hall, ended up being purged by the other side? That would be a considerable loss.
Half an hour later, the specific information about Shanhai Hall was delivered to the eldest master Chai.
When it was founded, who the main responsible individuals were, what their strength was, and the overall strength.
Upon reaching the end.
The eldest master Chai saw Chu Fan's information.
Regarding Chu Fan, due to the restrictions of the Azure Dragon Consortium, even with the Chai family's considerable strength and capable intelligence network, the information they could obtain was scarce.
Currently, they only knew that he might be the never-before-seen head of Shanhai Hall, or perhaps a powerful hidden supporter of Shanhai Hall, otherwise, he would not have appeared at a critical moment to prevent the second master Chai from destroying Shanhai Hall.
"Also surnamed Chu?"
The eldest master Chai murmured, his fingers continuously stroking his chin, pondering the relationship between Chu Fan and the man who had come to stop him from purging Shanhai Hall.
His intuition told him that there must be a connection between them.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for the man to intervene and obstruct the Chai family's actions.
As he pondered, the eldest master Chai's eyes suddenly lit up, recalling an event from over twenty years ago.
"Could it be, he is..."