The Legend of Min Hong

Two days rushed by like water from a broken dam…

Today, the rest of the Min Family members were all gathered outside the Family Castle awaiting today's inevitable battle with the Wang Family…

On the Min Family side, there were about five hundred Death Guards, about two hundred and fifty ordinary outer members who refused to desert their home, fifty next generation members, ten elders, two supreme elder and lastly the family head himself, Min Tian.

Altogether, there were about a thousand figures lined up outside the castle, the rest of them included people like Min Su and Min Hao and the armor-clad guards that returned together with Min Hong from the Southern Sun Tribe.

It didn't take thirty minutes after they all marched outside that Min Tian raised his head. Almost at the same instant, the rest of the elders of the Min Family also raised their heads and gazed into the skies.

The clouds suddenly surged in the sky above.

Fwoosh! An incomparably quick black colored light made a beeline as it descended, and its destination was aimed at the spot a few meters from the gathered Min Family members.

The faces of the Min Family experts went utterly grim as they retreated hurriedly and a huge area of about ten meters was instantly created.

Boom!

Min Tian heard a very loud and deafening sound of the ground exploding sound in the area they just created, when he focused his gaze in that spot, he noticed an enormous figure had appeared in that same spot.

This was a flying magic beast that was covered in black feathers, it had an extremely ugly appearance, as it flapped its wings and rose into air, hovering at just about three meters from the pit it just created.

"Peak Dan Formation stage spirit beast!" with the 'Eye of Myriad Universe' Min Hong could easily discover the cultivation base of this beast by just merely looking at it.

"Wang Tong, why have you brought the Royal Guard and your three supreme elders to my Castle?" Right at this moment, Min Tian's voice boomed past the ears of everyone present.

Min Hong raised his head and focused on the spot atop the bird, it was at this moment he noticed that there were five people standing on the back of this beast that looked like the crossbreed of a raven and a crow.

"Demon Devouring Crow!" Min Hong recalled everything he knew about beast and the probable power who could tame and own such beast. This was precisely the beast the Royal Guard Pavilion of the Royal Palace.

"According to the information gathered by mother, this beast was the same one the Royal Guard arrived on when he came to the Soaring Cloud Village to settle the matter of the Central Region war." Min Hong searched his memory as he remembered.

"What did the Wang Family bring the Royal Guard for? To mediate today's battle?" Min Hong's brows furrowed, as he was utterly unable to understand the motives behind the Wang Family bringing the Royal Guard along.

"It's the Royal Guard; Lu Chen!" An elder amongst the Min Family said.

"So, it's the shameless and greedy royal guard!"

Some of the elders of the Min Family immediately recognized Lu Chen, most especially the three supreme elders and they all hurled different curses at the man in their minds.

"I was wondering who it was, so it turns out to be this disgrace of a Royal Guard… Hmph! He actually received bribes from the Wang and Zhou Family to cheat in the duty he was commanded by the Royal Palace to preside over and still has the face to come here?"

"He deserves to be beaten and hanged on a pole for the birds of prey to feed on till he dies and his soul descends into the eternal torment of hell!"

Most of the elders of the Min Family were filled with righteous indignation and they were seriously bubbling with rage.

Lu Chen just stood there gazing at these people with a discriminating and amusing look. He didn't even pay much attention to their glares as he just leisurely stood aside and watched, anticipating the events that were about to unfold.

"Family Head Min Tian. I trust that you're doing well." The Wang Family Head Wang Tong, nodded with a smile to Min Tian, then paid no further attention to Min Tian as he shot a piercing gaze at a figure who was standing just a few bodies away from Min Tian.

Min Hong frowned when he noticed Wang Tong's gaze.

"What is this Wang Tong planning to do?" Min Hong's heart jerked as a really bad premonition rose within his heart.

"Min Hong, I heard that you were a nobody about seven years ago, and virtually everybody in your family thought you would never be able to embark on the path of the immortals. Then in just about five to six years, you embarked on both the body and Qi path of cultivation."

"I had to tell you…at that time I was rather shocked. Then you actually used a cultivation base of 5 Star King and Qi Sea stage to take the first position of your coming-of-age ceremony from a 2 Star Dan Formation opponent who was actually helpless in your duel." Wang Tong calmly gazed at Min Hong as he slowly spoke.

"I was merely lucky…" Min Hong also casually responded as he began to look for another treasure within his nostrils.

Earlier, he had looked at Wang Tong and noticed that his cultivation base was actually not inferior to that of his grandfather; Min Tian, and he was also an expert in the 3 Star Nascent Soul stage.

Woosh! Woosh!

Just in that same instant, another two enormous figures that were like small mountains whistled across the sky as they descended to hover in the air above the Min Family Castle, forming a triangular formation with the Demon Devouring Crow.

"The Merchant Alliance Head?" Min Hong' gaze locked on as he looked atop one of the two enormous spirit beasts.

This was a blue crane and it was definitely the Guardian beast of the Merchant Alliance, the Sky Crown Crane. There four old men with white hairs and expensive robes gracefully stood atop this spirit beast.

"This Sky Crown Crane is at the seventh level of the Dan Formation Stage… Though that man in front doesn't seem to be the Alliance Head but is at the second level of Nascent Soul stage." The 'Eye of Myriad Universe' once again gave Min Hong the accurate cultivation base of the man and beast.

Not long after, his gaze descended on the other spirit beast. This was a pigeon that was completely fiery red in color. As it lightly flapped its wings, it gave kicked up hot winds that were radiating intense heat.

"The Zhou Family Head!" Min Hong's gaze locked onto the bald old man in the middle of the four old men standing atop this spirit beast. It was the Zhou Family Head; Zhou Long.

"This spirit beast is at the ninth level of the Dan Formation Stage…besides that, the Zhou Family Head; Zhou Long, was also at the second level of the Nascent Soul stage!" Min Hong completed his analysis and his heart instantly became really turbulent.

"It is definitely not for anything good that these three Heads and the royal guard have gathered here today." Min Hong took a very deep breath as the feeling of disaster increased in his heart once again.

Min Hong wasn't the only one who felt danger at this moment, all of the elders of the Min Family had very grim expressions plastered on their faces as well.

"May I know why all four of you have come to my Min Family Castle today?" Min Tian only gazed and addressed the royal guard and the leaders of this domineering entourage. He had a very serious expression on his face as well as he demanded in a low voice.

Since the three Heads have come here today with the royal guard, then definitely something unusual was going on.

"Family Head; Min Tian!" the Wang Family Head looked at Min Tian in amusement as he smiled broadly. "I have come to your Min Family with Family Head Long, Alliance Head Ma and the venerable Royal Guard Chen this time for only one reason…That is to combine all Regions and form an Alliance!"

"Combine all regions?"

The moment the Wang Family Head ended his statement, every single figure on the Min Family side outside the castle had stumped, puzzled and dumbfounded expressions.

"Combine all regions?" Min Hong's heart skipped a beat. "I guessed correctly… the arrivals of these people were truly filled with malicious intentions."

"Family Head Tong, you lost me there. Could you please kindly explain this clearly?" Min Tian had a darkened expression engraved on his face as he asked in a slow and low tone.

"As from today and into the future, my Wang Family of the northern region, the Zhou Family of the eastern region and the Merchant Alliance of the western region have come to a concession to combine our regions into one and form an alliance called the 'Soaring Cloud Alliance'!"

"Today, as long as your Min Family of this southern region combines with our three regions, then the four regions will be unified into one Soaring Cloud Alliance and we can jointly control the Central Region once and for all." Wang Family Head Tong spoke slowly.

If the members of the Min Family could not still wrap their heads around the current situation, then they might as well all be sold into slavery.

Then the Merchant Alliance Head Ma stepped forward and spoke. "Family Head Tian, the reason for this alliance is to form an alliance that can at least stand toe to toe with the Ancient Clans of the East Wind Empire. After all, every one of us here was either banished or on the run from their respective clans."

"Once the Min Family combines their region with ours, we will all share all resources, cultivation techniques, martial arts, medicinal pills, weapons and the likes amongst each other. This also includes our Guardian Spirit Beasts and other lesser beasts!"

After Alliance Head Ma finished his speech, it was Family Head Zhou Long's turn to speak. "Furthermore, the Zhou Family, Wang Family, Min Family and Merchant Alliance would cease to exist independently… Our Families would no longer be divided by regions anymore and all regions would be uniformly called the 'Soaring Cloud Alliance'."

Share everything?

Including the Central Region and Guardian Beasts?

The Min Family would cease to exist?

Wang Tong's words caused Min Tian's face to blanche. "Family Head Wang Tong, I'm afraid your terms cannot be accepted… Even though our Min Family was created by us banished members of the Min Clan, our fathers, grandfathers and ancestors were loyal and proud members of the Min Clan…"

"Since what you are proposing is somewhat similar to rebellion, if our Min Family were to form an alliance with all of you, how do you expect us to answer to the forefathers of our Min Family?"

"As such, our Min Family has no objection if your regions want to form alliance as we plan to return to our Min Clan someday…But, it is going to be impossible for our Min Clan to agree to combine our regions and families!"

Min Tian's voice was decisive, resolute and bore no room for negotiations.

"Exactly, we are not deserting our Family heritage to form any alliance!"

"It's true, my tribe decided to join the Min Family because of their just goal to one day honorably return and join the Min Clan! If the Min Family won't be joining the Min Clan, then what is the point of my tribe joining them in the first place?"

The elders and the tribesmen who refused to leave came to a uniform conclusion as they decided that they were unwilling to form or join any form of alliance.

"Family Heads, you have all witnessed this…my Min Family is unwilling to form an alliance" Min Tian gazed at the four figures with calm and slightly proud expression.

"Hmm?" Min Hong noticed that when Min Tian made his decision, the three Heads looked at each other and seemed not to be surprised at all. In fact, they smiled faintly to one another.

However, Min Hong's years of killing experience noticed the killing intent that faintly rose from the bodies of these three Heads, at the first possible instant.

"Not good!" Elder Shui's face darkened as he hurriedly sent a mental transmission to Min Hong. "Family Head, I'm afraid these three region Heads have come with bad intentions!"

One of the perks of being in the Nascent Souls stage was that, once one reaches this stage, the span of one's Law Domain (The amount of area their Universal Law can affect), is determined by two factors;

Firstly; the type of Universal Law one has comprehended, then

Secondly; One's Spiritual sense which is linked to the number of Souls one had formed.

An expert with one Nascent Soul has a spiritual sense that spans ten kilometers, and for every extra Soul one forms its span is doubled.

Thus, at peak Nascent Soul stage, one would have a spiritual sense that spans about 2500 kilometers.

Therefore, since the current Elder Shui is in the second level of Nascent Soul Stage, his spiritual sense could span about twenty kilometers. Thus, he could easily send a mental transmission to Min Tian who was only about five feet away from him.

Min Tian did not even have the chance to react yet before the clouds within the Min Family Castle churned.

Woosh!

An extremely quick, loud and sharp howl resounded in the sky. At one moment it was far away within the castle and in less than a heartbeat it arrived.

It was an enormous bird that looked like the crossbreed between an eagle and an owl, its wings that spanned about a hundred feet from end to end was spread flat and wide open as it appeared at the area where the confrontation was currently taking place.

It made a few circles as its sharp eyes emitted a frightening silver sheen as the sunlight reflected off it. It stared at the three Guardian beasts from the three regions intently.

"Min Shin, was it a success?" Min Tian asked without even looking at the new arrivals.

Immediately, Min Hong gazed at this bird and gasped at what his senses were telling him.

One Star Nascent Soul Stage!

This bird's cultivation base was even stronger than that of the three Guardian Beasts of the three regions!

"Little fellow, you seem strange…Even I would have been unable to notice you scanning my cultivation base." A timid but matured feminine voice sounded within Min Hong's mind.

Min Hong looked up in utter shock, when he noticed it was the bird that just spoke.

"I never expected that you would notice me!" Min Hong exclaimed in his mind.

He was still in shock. After all, no one noticed it when he scanned the cultivation base of the various region Heads, their Guardian Beasts and even the Royal guard. But this time, he was noticed by the eagle. Clearly, this eagle was anything but simple.

"My Nascent Soul is innately stronger than that of you vermin. I happen to possess 26 percent bloodline purity of the Void Soul Owl and a faint trace of the Quicksilver Eagle within my body." The eagle's voice continually sounded within Min Hong's mind.

It wasn't as if Min Hong was talking back to the eagle, rather he was just thinking it and since the eagle had connected with his mind, it could naturally hear his replies.

Instantly Min Hong searched everything the Min Family had on the Void Soul Owl and got to know that it was actually a very formidable Saint Beast whose talents leaned more towards the soul attacks than physical attacks and was also adept with Space Law.

Though, he couldn't find any information about the Quicksilver Eagle, he was still shocked by the fact that this beast talking to him was actually a Magic Beast. This means that, if a beast of such bloodline could purify its bloodline to 75 percent level, it would be able to travel through space.

All this took long to document but actually happened in less than one second, since the conversation took place in Min Hong's mind.

Min Hong was still in shock. Then, remembering the statement Min Tian just made, he gazed atop the bird, only to find Elder Shin standing atop it like a war god looking down upon his mortal enemies.

"She succeeded… she should be arriving about now…" Elder Shin responded calmly.

"Yun'er, it's been too long…" Min Tian spoke again, this time his tone was softer and carried a serious warmth with it.