Splitting the Heave

In the Shang Clan Manor in the Tongyou City…

A middle-aged man who had a headful of short hair stood before the giant doors of the Shang Clan Manor. He had a long sword in his hand and he was dressed simply. Even so, his plain clothing couldn’t hide the unique aura he emitted. He had a melancholic look in his eyes as he looked at the structure before him.

“Second brother?” Behind the middle-aged man, a youngster called out anxiously. The two of them looked pretty similar, but he couldn’t help but call out to the middle-aged man after some time.

The youngster resembled Shang Xia slightly, but there was a trace of mischief in his eyes. From time to time, his gaze would turn sharp, revealing his true self. From the looks of it, he wasn’t a simple character. He carried a long cloth bag behind him and no one knew what it contained.

The middle-aged man turned around with a complicated expression on his face. “I haven’t been back for the past ten years… The manor looks even more imposing than before.”

Swallowing his words, the youngster forced a smile. “Let’s talk when we’re back inside…” 

Stepping past the middle-aged man, the youngster smacked his palm on the gate impatiently. “Open the door! Hurry up! Why did you guys close the main gate in the day anyway?!”

The middle-aged man behind him couldn’t help but burst into laughter after hearing what he said.

As the entrance creaked open, an aged voice rang in their ears. “Stop knocking. Damn it, even the sturdiest of doors would be destroyed by all the heavy banging from you cultivators.” 

Yelping in fright, the youngster retracted his hand instantly. He muttered softly, “Uncle Xiang, why are you opening the door personally? Where’s the rest?!” 

A white-haired old man whose back hunched a little poked his head out. Sizing the youngster up, his eyebrows shot upwards and he cried out in shock, “Ninth Young Master?! Didn’t you go to the Ji Continent? Why are you back so early?” 

“How can I remain in the Ji Continent after such a huge matter happened in the Tongyou City? Also, I didn’t come back alone! I dragged this guy along with me!” A wide grin appeared on the youngster’s face and he stepped to the side.

The figure of the middle-aged man appeared and the youngster yelled happily, “Uncle Xiang, do you recognize him?” 

The middle-aged man took a step forward and smiled. “Uncle Xiang, it’s been a while. How are you doing?” 

A trace of confusion could be seen on Uncle Xiang’s face, but it was soon replaced by an agitated expression. “Second… Second Young Master! Second Young Master, you came back!”

“Yeah…” The middle-aged man exhaled a long breath in response.

Seemingly having thought of something, Uncle Xiang pushed the doors open and sighed, “It’s good that you’re back. No one from the older generation is watching over the clan right now. The disciples of the clan are getting nervous about the situation brewing in the city. Second Young Master, Ninth Young Master, now that you’re back, we finally have someone to make the decisions!” 

The middle-aged man and the youngster stared at each other for a second and their hearts sank.

“Where’s third uncle? Shouldn’t he be in charge of matters in the clan? What about my dad? Don’t tell me Seventh Sister isn’t here too… Where did all of them go?” The youngster asked.

Leading the two of them into the manor, Uncle Xiang sighed, “We’ll talk when we’re back…” 

The two of them hastened their footsteps and the door closed behind them.

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

...

Back in the institution, it was business as usual as Yun Jing held the fort alone.

Yu Duhe entered the main hall to give his report for the day. “We just received news from those in the city that Shang Jian, the second young master of the Shang Clan, and Shang Yang, the ninth young master of the Shang Clan had returned.” 

Opening her eyes slowly, the corners of Yun Jing’s lips curled upwards. “How many families does this make?” 

“They’re the eleventh family to recall their members so far. However, not everyone from the Shang Clan is back. Their fifth young lady has yet to return.” Yu Duhe explained.

Seeing Yun Jing’s expressionless face, Yu Duhe continued, “Ever since the news of Patriarch Kou’s injury and the Rose Party’s entry to the battlefield between the two words were revealed, we imposed martial law on the city. A total of sixteen families in the city started to recall their members. Other than that, several wandering experts have entered the city.” 

Yun Jing nodded slightly and her expression lightened up. “Looks like they still care about the You Continent. Let’s hope that everything proceeds smoothly.” 

…

In the Four Spiritual Peak…

Shang Ke looked at the staggering swordsman facing Shang Xia and he raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You didn’t kill him?” 

Shang Xia kept Jade Creek on his back before focusing on the Yin Yang Diagram in his dantian. The fifth tiny sword was forming, and he explained simply, “I broke his dantian earlier. He's no threat to us anymore.” 

“Hold up. That doesn’t seem right. If you broke his dantian, that would mean that his cultivation is crippled. To cultivators, it’s a fate worse than death! Why was he thanking you when he left?” Shang Ke frowned.

Shang Xia replied nonchalantly, “How would I know? Not every cultivator treats cultivation as their life. He might have some family members back at home. Why would he choose to die here if he can return to their side?” 

“Wait a second. That’s not the main point. What type of sword technique are you using anyway? It looked like you used an ordinary strike to shatter his sword intent…” Shang Ke frowned.

His question was met with a burst of laughter from Shang Xia. “Grandpa, who said that I had to use my martial intent to break his?” 

“What? Oh right, whatever. What is your martial intent anyway? Stinking brat, come back here when I’m talking to you!” Shang Ke yelled when he saw that Shang Xia was wandering up ahead without him. However, a smile soon formed on his face. “Damn brat, why are you acting all mysterious with this old man? Don’t you know that there’s a Martial Intent Realm expert waiting up ahead to ambush you?” He quickly followed behind Shang Xia after muttering to himself. Even though he was trailing behind Shang Xia, he didn’t look anxious at all. It was as though he didn’t even care that Shang Xia was about to walk into an ambush.

When the disciple of the Four Spiritual Peak leaped at him, Shang Xia was actually surprised. Even though the man before him was a Martial Intent Realm expert, he refused to believe that Shang Ke would be unable to detect his presence. There was only a single explanation… His Fifth Grandpa had been waiting for him to walk into a trap! 

Looking at the dirty appearance of the cultivator who just popped up, Shang Xia realized that his opponent had probably been buried in the dirt below after one of the mountains collapsed. 

“Damn it! He did it on purpose! He probably wants to verify my strength after hearing that I killed a Martial Intent Realm expert back in the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World.” Shang Xia muttered to himself. However, he didn’t know if Shang Ke was doing it to satisfy his own curiosity or if it was because of Shang Bo’s orders.

“Hmph! Since all of you want to see my martial intent so badly… I won’t use it!” Shang Xia made up his mind and laughed silently. A trace of sword qi emerged from his Jade Creek Sword hanging from his back and it sliced towards the Martial Intent Realm cultivator in front of him.

Facing the sword qi of a Martial Extremity Realm cultivator, a look of disdain appeared on his face. However, he quickly regretted his decision. He circulated his inner qi desperately when he felt a sense of danger filling his mind, but it was too late! He was sliced in two by the ray of sword qi before he could wrap his head around the matter.

The sword qi Shang Xia unleashed was named the Yin Yang Sword, and it was something he comprehended not too long ago. Even without unleashing his martial intent, the Yin Yang Sword Formation, the sword qi alone contained a fusion of five different sword intents!