Chapter 244: The Curtain Falls on the Eight Great Families

Yan Jing hadn't expected his aim to be so accurate.

He felt genuinely apologetic about accidentally kicking off his great-grandfather's head.

His apology stemmed from the fact that he couldn't let his great-grandfather be the only one to lose his head.

That would be highly disrespectful.

With so many elders present, wouldn't it embarrass the old man to be the only one missing his head?

So Yan Jing's figure blinked, appearing directly above the second patriarch on the left.

He threw a punch. Violent weird energy surged as his thick arm, densely packed with ferocious eyes, smashed ruthlessly downward!

The abilities unleashed by the surrounding crowd poured over him, but they were entirely blocked by the weird energy surging around his body, causing no significant impact. With a thunderous boom, the terrified Chen Family Patriarch's head burst apart alongside his Coffin.

Three of the six patriarchs were killed in an instant.

The three survivors included the Mu Family Ancestor, who was screaming incessantly in the distance.

As for the remaining two, Yan Jing recognized the one sleeping in a Coffin as the Wu Family Patriarch. The Wu Family's ritual system was primarily based on 'Sloth'.

That meant the final one had to be from the Xu Family.

Yan Jing dashed toward the closer of the two, the Xu Family Patriarch.

Buzz—

Radiant light burst from the Xu Family Patriarch as he sat in his Coffin, making him the first patriarch to deploy a Ritual since the battle began.

Yellow, purple, purple. This Xu Family Patriarch was no simple opponent; he possessed a perfect-quality Second Ritual.

Then, under everyone's gaze, the emaciated old man actually stood up. His right hand transformed into a Silver White blade, a murderous aura swirling at its tip.

He narrowed his eyes, making it impossible to tell if they were open or closed. Suddenly, an imposing aura erupted around him, and his long white robes fluttered without any wind.

He actually carried the ethereal bearing of an immortal.

"The Patriarch has drawn his blade!"

Someone among the Xu Family crowd cried out in excitement. It was mostly those who hadn't participated in the Super-Large Dungeon or didn't know the inside story.

Meanwhile, those who had actually participated in the Dungeon were deathly pale, their legs trembling as they watched Yan Jing, who had transformed into a monster.

That was the man who had killed Feng Buran and Chu Ming.

Feng Buran's Ritual quality of 'yellow, purple, purple, black' was undeniable proof of his strength. No one would ever consider him a fraud; he was a genuine seed!

Even in their patriarch's youth, he had never made it onto the Player Leaderboard, let alone come anywhere close to being a seed.

Most of the people present knew in their hearts that this extermination effort relied primarily on Tao Long.

But Tao Long was now nowhere to be seen. Those who understood the situation felt their hearts quiver. Looking at the barrier of silk threads surrounding them, they were filled with absolute despair.

They couldn't run, and they couldn't win.

"There's no need to be so agitated, young friend. Today was indeed a lack of foresight on our part. By rashly showing up at your door, it's inevitable that you would develop killing intent,"

the Xu Family Patriarch spoke softly, bursts of sharp light erupting from his narrowed eyes.

"But being tainted by too much karma is ultimately a bad thing. How about this: we each exchange a single move. After one strike, regardless of who wins or loses—"

"—who lives or who dies, this matter will be considered settled for my Xu Family. What do you say?"

Yan Jing laughed at the proposal.

This Xu Family Patriarch wasn't as composed as he appeared; he was trying to use this method to save both his pride and his life.

"Fine."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Just one move."

"Good."

Seeing Yan Jing actually agree, the Xu Family Patriarch was overjoyed. The aura around him gradually intensified as streams of weird energy gathered along the edge of his blade. He then slowly raised his arm, a streak of light piercing the night sky as he pointed it at Yan Jing.

Meanwhile, a black-and-white Thorn Spear materialized in Yan Jing's palm. Violent weird energy poured madly from the fissures across his body. His imposing aura returned to the absolute peak it had reached when he punched the Wang Family patriarch. Surges of murderous intent shot straight into the sky, scattering the clouds in the night above and revealing a sliver of the bright moon.

Witnessing Yan Jing's cloud-parting momentum, the Xu Family Patriarch's heart skipped a beat, and he began to second-guess himself.

"Wait—"

He called out, but Yan Jing had already thrust his spear.

A single thrust!

It was like white crests rising on a black sea, like sparks scorching the night sky! The crowd only felt a blinding flash of light cross their vision. By the time they opened their eyes again, Yan Jing had already retracted his spear. The blade on the Xu Family Patriarch's right hand was pressed against his own glabella, which had been pierced through completely, leaving a bloody, two-finger-wide hole in his head. His body slowly collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with despair.

The Xu Family Patriarch was dead!

In the end, he hadn't even unleashed his attack! He had used his blade purely for defense!

The Patriarch had been afraid!

A sudden chill gripped the crowd. Out of the six patriarchs, only two remained.

And one of them was lying half-dead in the distance.

The sole remaining Wu Family Patriarch kept his eyes open, staring blankly at Yan Jing, who looked like a demonic god. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Only when Yan Jing stepped right in front of him did he snap out of his daze. He let out a heavy sigh.

"We've lost."

"I will only ask one question: what will it take to spare the lives of these juniors?"

"If the answer is nothing, you may make your move."

"Didn't you consider this possibility before coming?" Yan Jing looked at the Wu Family Patriarch in front of him.

Perhaps because of his ability to enter dreams, the aura of twilight surrounding this patriarch wasn't as heavy as the others'.

"Whether they thought of it or not, I don't know," the Wu Family Patriarch said, a faint sorrow showing in his dim eyes.

"But I certainly did."

"However, the Eight Great Families have occupied the upper echelons of Ling'an for some three hundred years. That represents the hard work of over a dozen generations. Falling from power is no different from death to us."

Yan Jing laughed.

"I never said Ling'an was my target."

"But we were still afraid," the Wu Family Patriarch replied.

"Which is why you have to die,"

Yan Jing said.

"Yes."

The Wu Family Patriarch nodded. "That's exactly why I want to know what it will take to extinguish your fury."

"You and that Mu Family Ancestor will take your own lives."

Yan Jing stated, "The Eight Great Families will hand over their power to the Public Security Association and the Federal Government. Then, everyone will withdraw from Ling'an, never to return, and you will surrender your ancestral heirlooms. If all of this is done, the people who came here today will be spared."

...

The Wu Family Patriarch let out a bitter smile. He lightly pushed off the ground, arriving beside the heavily injured Mu Family Ancestor. He extended a finger, and weird energy rippled outward.

The Mu Family Ancestor unconsciously closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber and ceasing all movement.

Then, the Wu Family Patriarch turned to the crowd behind him and shouted, "Bring me a blade!!!"

The members of the Wu Family either remained silent or wept loudly, but no one handed him a blade.

"I said, bring me a blade!!!!" the Wu Family Patriarch bellowed again.

Eventually, a blade was passed into his hands.

Trembling, he squatted down, gripped the blade, and ruthlessly plunged it down! He slit the throat of the dreaming Mu Family Ancestor!

After that, he looked at the crowd and barked, "Everyone! Send one person to retrieve your family's heirloom!!! Sign the death contract!!!!"

The crowd stood frozen in place. Aside from the Wu Family members, no one was willing to move.

Even if someone wanted to move, they absolutely wouldn't dare. No one wanted to be the sinner to give in.

In a burst of ruthlessness, the Wu Family Patriarch dashed forward. He moved from one faction's leader to the next, extending a trembling hand to slap each of them across the face, hitting them so hard he nearly twisted their heads off.

"Go quickly!!!!"

"I have death contracts here! Use mine!"

Shen Youran stepped out from the darkness. She didn't trust those guys to draft the agreements.

In less than fifteen minutes, eight items were delivered before Yan Jing.

The Wu Family Patriarch then forced everyone to sign the death contract swearing to leave Ling'an.

But unexpectedly, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. "I won't sign!"

"I'm not signing! I'm Yan Jing's father! He's my son!!! You damned bastards, don't touch me! My son is right there!!! I'm going to stay in Ling'an with him!"

Yan Mu's voice was exceptionally jarring beneath the silent night sky.

Immediately, profound contempt welled up in everyone's hearts.

Who didn't know about the drama between the Yan Family father and son?

When his son was on the verge of death, he declared he had no such son. Now, he was stepping forward to claim him!

"My son will be the number one person in Ling'an! Keep your hands off me!!!"

Yan Mu struggled forcefully to shake off the people trying to make him sign the contract, then looked toward Yan Jing.

"Little Jing, Dad admits I made mistakes in the past, but—"

He couldn't finish his sentence, because Yan Jing had turned his back to chat with Shen Youran, entirely ignoring him.

Yan Mu felt incredibly awkward, but he still chuckled forcibly.

"My boy has been like this since he was little, always throwing temper tantrums."

As he spoke, he glared at Yan Yang, who was slumped on the ground nearby, and scolded him, "Get up! Look at the state of you! You've never been as sensible as your younger brother, even when you were kids! You piece of trash!"

The signing of the death contracts continued. Aside from Yan Mu and Yan Yang, everyone finished signing. Yan Mu puffed out his chest, reveling in the crowd's gazes, feeling an unprecedented sense of glory.

The Wu Family Patriarch walked over to Yan Jing and said, "The signing is complete. Now, I'm the only one left."

With that, he raised his hand to his own throat, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"The centuries-old legacy of the Eight Great Families, ruined by our hands..."

As weird energy pulsed in his palm, Yan Jing unexpectedly grabbed his hand. Then, under the patriarch's shocked gaze, Yan Jing spoke slowly.

"You don't have to die."

"..."

The Wu Family Patriarch froze, staring at Yan Jing in utter bewilderment.

"Live. It's better for everyone."

Yan Jing smiled.

Hearing Yan Jing's words, however, the Wu Family Patriarch's heart turned ice-cold. He looked at Yan Jing in sheer disbelief, as if looking at a monster!

The deeper meaning wasn't hard to grasp.

If he died, the anger and hatred of the younger generations would be impossible to suppress. They would be driven by this event, harboring the spark of a desire to rise up once more. Perhaps, one day, the Eight Great Families would return to their former glory.

But if he lived, things wouldn't be so certain.

He could already see the hatred in the eyes of the other family members as they looked at him.

He was the one who had forced them to sign the death contracts! He was the accomplice to the tyrant! He was the only one who got to live!

The one who lived was the sinner!

As long as he remained alive, the hatred of the Eight Great Families would eventually turn into internal strife. The animosity would splinter, impossible to unite or focus...

But if he were to go die...

He turned his head and looked at the members of the Wu Family.

As long as he was alive, the Wu Family would become the head of the Eight Great Families. As long as he was alive, the Wu Family's juniors could continue to enjoy his lingering protection.

After a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh.

"I've lost. I've completely lost..."

"As the saying goes, among any three people walking, one must be my teacher."

He cupped his fists toward Yan Jing, slowly bowed at the waist, and said, "I pay my respects to Master Yan."

"Hahaha, heaven blesses my Yan family! Yan Jing is my son! From now on, I am the father of the master of Ling'an—"

Yan Mu's smug voice drifted over from a distance.

"So noisy,"

Yan Jing remarked.

The Wu Family Patriarch paused, then his eyes widened as he looked back at Yan Jing.

After a moment of thought, he straightened up, walked over to Yan Mu, and mercilessly slapped him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"You—you dare hit me?! I am Yan Jing's father! You stubborn old coot! Didn't you say you were going to die?! Why are you still—"

Slap!!!

The Wu Family Patriarch struck him heavily again.

At the same time, he observed Yan Jing's expression from afar.

Seeing that Yan Jing had gone back to chatting with Shen Youran, he intensified his blows. How could Yan Mu possibly be his match? He began wailing incessantly.

"Save me! Save me, Little Jing!"

But Yan Jing acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Hardening his resolve, the Wu Family Patriarch continued. Gradually, a new thought sprouted in his mind—this was no longer just about following Yan Jing's implicit command.

Toward Yan Mu...

...he genuinely harbored hatred.

Either don't bring this monster into the world!

But if you do, then raise him properly as one of your own!!

This damned beast spawned a monster and couldn't even control him, forcing all of them to suffer the consequences!!!

Fueled by towering rage, the Wu Family Patriarch stopped holding back and viciously broke Yan Mu's arms and legs.

He threw all caution to the wind. Even if he had misinterpreted Yan Jing's meaning, the worst that could happen was being killed!

It was the same result as before anyway!

Thud, thud, thud!

Very soon, Yan Mu was beaten to the brink of death. With all his limbs broken and his eyes rolled back in his head, he twitched violently on the ground. He had been thoroughly crippled.

But right at that moment, an unexpected variable occurred. Someone lunged out from the surrounding crowd!

Wielding a blade, he ruthlessly pierced it straight through Yan Mu's throat!

It was a member of the Wu Family. After killing Yan Mu, he threw his head back and laughed maniacally, "If you have the guts, then kill me! Yan Jing, I just killed your father—"

Bang!

In the very next instant, a long spear tore through the night sky, and the man's body instantly exploded into a mist of blood.

The Wu Family Patriarch lowered his deeply wrinkled eyelids, trembling slightly.

Naturally, he had signaled for that person to act.

He had ultimately seen through it. Yan Jing didn't have a shred of affection for this father of his; in fact, he saw him as a nuisance.

Realizing this only deepened his reverence for Yan Jing. If it were him, he could never have been so detached.

This young man had a resolute temperament, acted decisively, possessed ruthless cunning, and wielded immense strength...

"In two hours, we will withdraw from Ling'an."

He cupped his fists toward Yan Jing, and the barrier of silk threads surrounding them vanished.

The large group of people quickly disappeared into the night.

They left behind only scattered remains and dark red bloodstains smeared across the entire highway.

From this moment onward, the Eight Great Families of Ling'an were no more.