Chapter 179 - Time Passed Quickly

“He has detonated himself! Lin Hong was forced to do that!”

“Ruthless! Incredibly ruthless!”

“Pity, Lin Hong actually ended up killing nearly half of the Lin Clan members instead of the father and son duo."

“It’s truly unexpected. Lin Clan’s mighty patriarch had to detonate his primeval vessel!”

“The complete extermination of the Lin Clan... The rise of the Chen Clan in Watermoon City is imminent."

“......”

The distant, on-looking crowd watched as Lin Hong detonated himself and destroyed half of the Lin Clan mansion. It was a mess. The corners of their eyes twitched violently.

Not everyone dared to detonate their primeval vessel.

They were aware that Lin Hong's choice stemmed from being cornered into a dire situation. Unfortunately, the outcome didn't align with Lin Hong's intentions.

“What happened? That direction... Lin Clan! Something huge happened in the Lin Clan!”

“Quick, to the Lin Clan! That explosion from earlier came from them. Surely something huge has happened there.”

“Such a terrifying explosion! It was like a second sun had appeared in the sky. A Yuanfu realm expert must have detonated their primeval vessel!”

“What could force a Yuanfu realm powerhouse to do that?”

“......”

The other people of Watermoon City also felt the terrifying ripples coming from Lin Clan.

The upheaval generated by Lin Hong’s detonation was immense. The entire city felt the ground shake and witnessed the appearance of a second sun in the sky. Detecting the origin, they immediately understood that something big had happened in the Lin Clan, prompting them all to rush in that direction.

......

Swish, swish.

Chen Fan and Chen Zhengqing descended onto the ruined Lin Clan mansion with their other clansmen. Seeing the castle-like Lin Clan mansion reduced to debris with broken walls and ruined beyond recognition, the corners of their eyes twitched uncontrollably.

Chen Yunchong, Chen Hualong, and the others felt lingering fear in their hearts.

Had Chen Fan and Chen Zhengqing not swept them away together, that explosion would have left them without a corpse.

Although they were still terrified, their gazes were burning hot.

Lin Clan’s Yuanfu realm experts had all died.

The Lin Clan had been exterminated!

“Let’s get moving and gather the surviving members of the Lin Clan.”

At Chen Zhengqing’s command, Chen Yunchong, Chen Hualong, and the others led a group inside, guiding the fortunate survivors of the Lin Clan out.

Having experience wiping out clans and seizing their assets, they swiftly rounded up all surviving members of the Lin Clan.

Chen Fan and his companions repeated their practiced routines and crippled the cultivations of Lin Clan's core members. Chen Fan declared, “It would be in our best interest if you, the private troops, choose to stay and serve our Chen Clan. If not, leave immediately!”

Those private troops didn’t move.

“Very well. Chen Yunchong, Chen Hualong, assimilate these individuals into our ranks and immediately assume control of Lin Clan's businesses!” Chen Zhengqing commanded.

With a pressing need for manpower, they refrained from crippling the private troops' cultivation. These individuals didn’t have the Lin surname, as the Lin Clan had recruited them to follow orders and work.

Given the Lin Clan's annihilation and their small initial numbers, substantial manpower was required to take over Lin Clan's businesses in Watermoon City. It made the private troops invaluable.

“Yes, Patriarch!”

Chen Yunchong and the others were all very excited. They had all just wiped out a Grade-2 clan alone.

......

The shock from the Lin Clan’s extermination lasted for five days, dominating post-meal discussions among the populace.

No one anticipated the swift replacement of a prestigious clan that had thrived in Watermoon City for centuries.

Amidst the spreading of information by those with hidden agendas, fresh discussions emerged among the people of Watermoon City.

However, Chen Fan and the others ignored this, instead focusing on taking over Lin Clan’s businesses in the city.

The Lin Clan's estate exceeded the Liu and Tan clans in scale. The absence of adequate manpower became evident, necessitating their immediate attention.

Fortunately, the Chen Clan’s people arrived in time. They took over most of the Lin Clan’s estate using the carrot and stick method.

Other clans of Watermoon City swallowed some minor businesses, as the Chen Clan didn’t really care about them.

With them exterminating the Tan, Liu, and Lin clans successively, they needed a lot of manpower on their side to stabilize the situation.

The recent elimination of Watermoon City's Lin Clan propelled the Chen Clan to unprecedented heights, yet they struggled to cope with the escalating need for personnel.

Were it not for the remarkable display of strength by Chen Zhengqing and Chen Fan, many of Lin Clan's businesses would have fallen into the hands of rival clans. They had deterred some weaker clans and repelled the Zhao Clan during the takeover of Lin Clan's assets.

In Xuanyang City, Chen Tianxiong had to oversee things to prevent unwanted situations and couldn’t leave.

Consequently, in Watermoon City, Chen Zhengqing and Chen Fan found themselves exceptionally occupied, leading efforts to seize control of businesses, quell the chaos, and recruit additional private troops.

Busy with all these matters, ten days had already passed by the time the Lin Clan’s estate was completely under Chen Clan’s control.

During these ten days, Chen Fan was so busy that he didn’t have time to look at the other side, neglecting rest and cultivation.

After all, the Chen Clan was from Xuanyang City. The prestigious clans of Watermoon City had thoroughly investigated the Chen Clan. The occasional issues demanded the intervention of the two experts, Chen Fan and Chen Zhengqing.

“Phew, one truly doesn't comprehend the difficulties of this position until occupying it. I wonder how Father and Grandfather lived all these years.” Chen Fan exhaled a long breath of turbid air. His eyes flickered in a rare moment of rest.

The past ten days provided a firsthand experience of the myriad responsibilities and challenges of leading a family.

“Hoho, it’s nothing much. Chaos is inevitable when taking over businesses, but once things stabilize, it won't be as taxing.” Chen Zhengqing walked over, laughing brightly.

“Father, Lin Clan’s matters have settled down. Although those Watermoon City clans are envious, we’ve stepped in and intimidated them over the last ten days. I’m sure they wouldn’t dare find any more trouble with us.

Chen Fan looked at Chen Zhengqing and said, “Having exterminated the Tan, Liu, and Lin clans successively. Our clan’s strength and foundation have become much deeper in one go, but we have too few experts. Compared to the other clans, we’re like a house in dire straits. We must spend much effort nurturing a batch of Qi Grandmasters first.”

“You have a point. If it wasn’t for us both deterring those having designs on us, I’m afraid we couldn’t have claimed even a tiny slice of the pie. The gap between our clan’s strength and the other clans is too big,” Chen Zhengqing said, nodding.

“However, there was a lot of good stuff inside Lin Clan’s treasury. I’ve already distributed some of the treasures that can help one become a Qi Grandmaster. We should have a batch of Qi Grandmasters emerging soon.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Chen Fan nodded. After a moment of silence, he said, “Father, I’ve been back for two months now. I’ll return to the sect in a few days and enter the inner sect. The Chen Clan will depend on you and Grandfather in the future.”

Chen Fan felt a wave of emotions in his heart.

Time went by too quickly.

Two months had passed before he realized it. It felt like he had returned only yesterday.

Too many things have happened in the two months he had been in the clan.

They wiped out Xuanyang City’s Tan and Liu clans, then brought people to Watermoon City and exterminated the Lin Clan.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

He had also advanced to the Yuanfu realm. Returning to the sect and entering the inner sect would elevate him to the status of an elite disciple.