"Is it really that funny? To this extent?" Dongfang Wenqing faced him with utter astonishment, unable to fathom what on earth his nephew was laughing at so pointlessly.

"Chen... what a name! Are all members of their family this dense? I just wonder where the door to their Clan is located—is it large or small? Hahaha..." Jun Mo Xie swayed back and forth, nearly tumbling right off his horse.

"What the hell are you laughing at, you brat!" Old Master Dongfang was furious. "Facing such a formidable enemy, and instead of strategizing, you're laughing! What are you laughing at?"

"A formidable enemy?!" Jun Mo Xie’s mouth twisted, finally ceasing his laughter, though his shoulders still twitched. He spat out the words with icy intensity: "These irrelevant riffraff are a formidable enemy? They call themselves Unrestrained (Can Ran), is that right? Uncle, just watch quietly, watch your nephew make that entire Chen family sing a chorus of Unrestrained (Can Ran)!"

"That flower is not easy to keep unrestrained! The foundation of that flower is remarkably tough!" Dongfang Wenqing had no idea what his nephew was talking about, nor could he grasp such wordplay. Sticking to a factual assessment, he compared the strengths of both sides, stroking his chin: "Our objective this time is precisely the head of the Chen family, the Cloud-Chasing Hand, Chen Qingtian. To assassinate the deeply hidden Chen Qingtian amidst the protection of countless masters will be extremely difficult..."

Old Master Dongfang turned and retrieved a scroll, handing it to Jun Mo Xie: "Here is the detailed information on the Chen family."

"Assassinate the head of a contemporary Super Family? Uncle, how could the higher echelons of the Dongfang Family agree to such an absurd decision?" Jun Mo Xie studied the scroll closely, his joking demeanor vanishing, and asked with genuine confusion.

Simultaneously, a deep doubt arose in his heart. If one disregarded the newly added formidable strength on their side, and judged purely by the current situation of the Dongfang Family, accepting this target seemed utterly impractical.

According to the intelligence, the Chen Family, though merely a Secular Family, could absolutely be counted as a Super Family based on their inherent strength. Their deep foundation was definitely no less than the Dongfang Family's, and perhaps even surpassed it in several aspects. Moreover... this was only the overt information; who knew what lay hidden underneath. For the Dongfang Family, emerging once more after years of dormancy, accepting this target was rather imprudent!

"The reason lies with you." Dongfang Wenqing looked at his nephew with a hint of indulgence. Although they had been sparring these past few days, Old Master Dongfang was quite satisfied with his nephew.

"With me? What do you mean?" Jun Mo Xie raised his head, perplexed.

"Roughly a thousand years ago, the Chen Family's founding ancestor established the clan, but back then, the nascent Chen Family was at best a very small household. Although they developed somewhat later, their actual strength always hovered around the Third-Rate Family tier, without achieving much. However, starting five hundred years ago, the Chen Family unexpectedly produced a legend of astonishing genius! Since then, the Chen Family has stood firm and unyielding, still dominating one region to this day."

"That legendary figure who single-handedly brought prosperity to the Chen Family, you, young man, should not be unfamiliar with him—that person is the Wind and Cloud Hand, Chen Chong! After Chen Chong debuted, his fame echoed throughout the entire Profound Profound Continent in the span of mere months."

"He then relentlessly charged towards the peak of Profound Arts, advancing to become a Supreme expert at under fifty years old. His fame and prestige were unparalleled at the time; the title of Wind and Cloud Supreme was a living legend! Afterward, this person even joined the Three Great Sacred Lands, becoming the Wind and Cloud Venerable, the Wind and Cloud Saint—the legend transformed into myth! Yet now, it is rumored that the Wind and Cloud Hand, Chen Chong... this multi-century legend of the Chen Family, has fallen by the hand of your Master..."

Jun Mo Xie let out a long breath. So that was it. He had a general understanding of the situation now.

"The accidental demise of Chen Chong, a Saint-level expert, was undoubtedly a major loss for the World-Seclusion Immortal Palace. But for the Chen Family, losing the backing they relied upon was tantamount to the sky collapsing!"

Dongfang Wenqing’s mouth curled into a mocking smile: "After confirming Chen Chong's death, the Jun Family retreated into Heavenly Punishment. The Chen Family swore revenge but couldn't find their target. Besides, what right did a mere Secular Family have to provoke an expert who couldn't even defeat Chen Chong himself? But precisely at this moment, the Dongfang Family, deeply connected to you, young man, officially announced their re-emergence onto the world stage. Naturally, the Chen Family directed their vented fury towards us! They even issued a declaration, stating they would pursue an endless vendetta against us!"

Jun Mo Xie slightly shook his head, a strange feeling of irony bubbling up in his heart. It seemed that in everything, cause must lead to effect. Even if they couldn't find the true culprit, as long as people harbored the desire for vengeance, they could always find a suitable target within their reach.

No matter how tenuous the link between the targeted party and the original target, or how flimsy and utterly nonsensical the rationale for dragging them in, it would always serve as an excuse for some people's actions!

In this world, such excuses are so readily available! For robbery and murder, these excuses transform the acts into legitimate means...

The Chen Family is doing exactly that now. They lack the courage and the power to trouble the Jun Family, who are shielded in Heavenly Punishment, so they resort to targeting another family. Such behavior is not only contemptible but also extremely despicable.

"As soon as the Chen Family issued their declaration, we immediately received the commission," Dongfang Wenqing’s eyes held a trace of mockery. "And the entity issuing this commission was another Super Family, the Zhan Family. The coincidence of this matter is almost laughable."

"The Zhan Family? Why is the Zhan Family's commission so utterly laughable?" Jun Mo Xie frowned. The character 'Zhan' reminded him of something, causing the beautiful, tragic image of Snake King to surface in his mind, the force of Zhan Mubai's palm seeming vivid before his eyes. A chilling murderous intent flickered in his gaze.

"Exactly! It’s the commission from the Zhan Family, a supremely laughable one. Many years ago, an ancestor of the Zhan Family entered the World-Seclusion Immortal Palace, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands—though the time is distant, there is still verifiable proof. Furthermore... the Zhan Family and the Chen Family have always maintained a good relationship. In terms of affiliation, both families are vassals of the World-Seclusion Immortal Palace and have never had any conflict. For two families with such a good relationship to commission assassins to kill the head of the other family—isn't that laughable!?"

Dongfang Wenqing sneered: "Furthermore, hundreds of years ago, a legend circulated that the Chen Family’s genius prodigy, the Wind and Cloud Hand, Chen Chong, had studied under a certain Zhan Family master who had entered the Three Great Sacred Lands! Therefore, for many years, the two families have been as close as one. Now, the Zhan Family issues a commission to assassinate the Chen Family Head... this is clearly a trap! They are treating our Dongfang Family like fools..." That's why your grandmother, without much further consideration, resolutely decided to accept this commission!

"It's not that these two families treat our Dongfang Family as fools. It's that... this entire affair is a direct challenge from the two families to the Dongfang Family!" Jun Mo Xie finally understood. "The Dongfang Family is now re-emerging into the world, and facing such a blatant challenge from formidable enemies, they truly cannot afford to back down. Any retreat means absolute ruin to their reputation. Therefore, this isn't a commission; it's a declaration of war!"

When the Old Madam Dongfang personally accepted this commission, it was equivalent to accepting a declaration of war from the other two Super Families!

The Old Madam Dongfang’s approach to handling affairs was exceptionally strong, decisive, and ruthless! Facing the provocation of two great families, she responded without hesitation, fighting head-on!

Firstly, this declaration of war involved the prestige of the Dongfang Family as the premier assassin lineage, which absolutely could not be profaned by others. Secondly, it was the Old Madam's way of announcing her support for her nephew, Jun Mo Xie, to the entire world!

Jun Mo Xie instantly grasped all of this.

He even understood that whether he came or not, the Old Madam Dongfang would have proceeded with this matter! Given the current strength of the Dongfang Family, confronting these two Super Families was tantamount to courting destruction! Yet the Old Madam did it without hesitation. His arrival endowed the Dongfang Family with the necessary strength to overcome their opponents—a genuine case of sending charcoal in snowy weather, but in another sense, also gilding the lily!

A wave of warmth suddenly surged through Jun Mo Xie's heart! This was the warmth of blood ties! Only his closest kin would undertake such an unwise act for his sake!

"Nationality-wise, the Dongfang Family and the Zhan Family belong to the Yu Tang Empire. But these two families have never involved themselves in the Empire's affairs, nor have they allowed their clan members to enter officialdom! Yet both families have branched out extensively, constantly producing outstanding descendants. In terms of both wealth and military might, they are undeniable behemoths! The entire novel published first on a small novel website believes that at this time, both families must have made thorough preparations! Therefore, our journey will be fraught with peril, and the road ahead unpredictable."

Dongfang Wenqing said gravely: "Mo Xie, you must keep this firmly in mind. We can look down upon and ignore our opponents, but we must never underestimate or overlook our enemies."

Jun Mo Xie nodded deeply, the gaze in his eyes suddenly turning as cruel as a vulture’s!

Ever since learning the full context of this mission, Jun Mo Xie had vaguely sensed that this operation would truly not be as simple as he had imagined. The combined might of the Zhan Family and the Chen Family was certainly far superior to the Dongfang Family, but to wipe them out completely was still beyond their reach.

If the Three Great Sacred Lands intended revenge, then once they found an opportunity, they would naturally launch a thunderous strike! They would aim for total annihilation, leaving no survivors, so how could they allow any stragglers to escape? But since the two families did not possess such strength, then...

The only explanation was that this place had been turned into a battlefield trap engineered by the Three Great Sacred Lands, using the two families as a cover!

Pity for the Three Great Sacred Lands—their calculations were destined to fail, for now that I, Jun Mo Xie, am here!

Jun Mo Xie inwardly sneered.

Let's see which party this trap ultimately buries!

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