For exclusive access to 500+ advanced chapters and more, visit my Ko-fi page and support the journey:
ko-fi.com/laoyao95
Laoyao with L yeahh..thanks for the support.
or Support me at patreon for 500+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk
**
"She Lao's aura?"
Hearing the words of the frail, elderly man before him, Mo Yu froze briefly, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
Since the battle in the Black-Corner Region, She Lao had fallen into a deep slumber and hadn't appeared for years. Yet, this old patriarch of the Golden Warhorse Clan recognized She Lao's lingering aura? Could they truly have been close friends in She Lao's past life?
Thoughts racing through his mind, Mo Yu maintained a calm demeanor and replied, "If I'm not mistaken, the 'She Wuwan' you mentioned should be my elder, She Lao."
"Oh, it's really him!"
The elder's face lit up with joy, his initial surprise quickly replaced by excitement. "It's been so long since I last saw Old Snake. I thought he might have perished somewhere."
The old patriarch sighed with relief but fixed a piercing gaze on Mo Yu as he continued, "Young one, since you're Old Snake's junior, you must tell me where he is now."
Hearing this, Mo Yu's fists clenched tightly.
Beside him, Ma Yunlu perked up her ears. Despite her grandfather's wide circle of friends, she had never seen him react this strongly to anyone before.
Mo Yu's hands trembled slightly, his silver eyes glinting with a faint murderous intent. After taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, he said softly, "She Lao… is no longer with us."
"What?!"
As soon as the words left Mo Yu's lips, the old man's expression turned ice-cold. A terrifying killing intent surged from his body, dropping the temperature in the hall significantly.
"What happened? With Old Snake's abilities, he was nearly unmatched even in Central Plains. How could he suddenly... perish? I still owe him several favors from back then!" The elder's face darkened, anger evident in his voice.
Witnessing her grandfather's rare display of fury, Ma Yunlu shrank back. It was uncommon to see him lose his composure like this.
"She Wuwan? Wasn't he the sworn brother Grandpa met during his travels, the one who saved him from death several times?" Ma Yunlu murmured to herself as her gaze shifted to Mo Yu, astonishment flashing in her beautiful eyes.
Seeing the patriarch's agitated reaction, Mo Yu felt a pang of certainty: this elder was indeed one of She Lao's old friends.
"Patriarch, although She Lao has passed, it's not entirely impossible to bring him back..." Mo Yu said quietly.
"Oh?"
The elder blinked in surprise and turned his gaze toward Mo Yu.
As an eighth-tier magical beast, the elder wasn't entirely skeptical of the concept of resurrection. However, hearing that Mo Yu might have a way to bring back She Wuwan still left him impressed and intrigued. Resurrecting a Dou Zun powerhouse was no trivial feat.
Before he could probe further, a familiar voice suddenly echoed from outside.
"Father, I have something to report!"
Moments later, several figures entered the hall. Leading them was Ma Zhen.
Upon seeing the newcomers, Mo Yu's silver eyes narrowed slightly. Trailing behind Ma Zhen were three individuals whose attire and aura distinctly differed from everyone present.
They were unmistakably from the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion.
Mo Yu's hands tightened at the sight of them, particularly one figure—a stern elder carrying a broad green sword. Judging by his imposing presence, this elder was likely one of the pavilion's Four Sword-Guarding Elders: Guardian Qing Jian.
Meanwhile, the elder known as Hei Jian cast a cold, murderous glance at Mo Yu, barely suppressing his urge to strike, restrained only by the fact that they were on Golden Warhorse Clan territory.
"Father," Ma Zhen began, pointing toward the three Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion members. "These distinguished guests are the young chief and two Sword-Guarding Elders. They've come to discuss my second brother's son-in-law.
"Recently, this son-in-law killed the disciple of Master Zhu Jian, causing an uproar in the Western Region.
"While our Golden Warhorse Clan has long maintained peace with the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion, this incident has put us in a difficult position."
Ma Zhen's words, laden with ill intent, caused Ma Teng's face to darken. He knew that Ma Zhen had intentionally invited the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion here to humiliate him.
Stepping forward, the youth known as Tang Ying clasped his hands toward the old patriarch. "I am Tang Ying. Greetings, Patriarch."
The old patriarch's expression remained indifferent as he glanced at Tang Ying. "So, you're the prodigy disciple of the Jian Zun-Zhe. Not bad. You've achieved remarkable strength for your age, becoming the Young Chief."
Tang Ying and his companions exchanged awkward glances at the elder's lukewarm response.
Finally, Elder Qing Jian stepped forward, speaking in a calm yet firm tone. "Patriarch Ma, this Mo Yu killed a disciple of our Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion. While we understand he's your granddaughter's husband, the law is the law.
"Both our Pavilion Master and Master Zhu Jian demand that Mo Yu be captured and judged. We hope you can understand and assist us in this matter."
The hall fell silent, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Ma Zhen's faction smirked gleefully. If Mo Yu were taken away, it would humiliate Ma Teng and undermine his chances in the upcoming competition for patriarchal succession.
On the other hand, Ma Teng's camp looked grim. Mo Yu was their trump card for the duel against Ma Chao, and losing him now would be disastrous.
Just as Ma Teng was about to speak in Mo Yu's defense, the old patriarch, Ma Chen, suddenly slammed his hand down.
"Hmph! Leave at once! Mo Yu isn't just my granddaughter's husband; he's also the descendant of an old friend. Even if your Pavilion Master comes in person, he won't take Mo Yu!"
The room fell into stunned silence.
"Father, is it worth offending the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion over a human boy?" Ma Zhen asked, his tone edged with disbelief.
But before he could finish, Ma Chen barked, "Enough! Are you of the Golden Warhorse Clan or the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion?
"Mo Yu is the descendant of a sworn brother. If you scheme further, I'll pass the patriarch's position to your second brother right now—no need for an election!"
Ma Zhen's face froze, his expression twisted in frustration and fury as he reluctantly fell silent.
Meanwhile, Tang Ying and his companions exchanged uneasy glances. The Golden Warhorse Clan was no weaker than the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion; forcing the issue would be unwise.
Mo Yu glanced at Ma Chen in surprise, his heart filled with gratitude. It seemed She Lao had indeed shared a deep bond with this old patriarch.
As the tense atmosphere lingered, an elder seated beside Ma Chen finally broke the silence with a cough.
"Ahem. Today is the Golden Warhorse Clan's patriarchal election. Let's settle other matters afterward. For now, determining the next patriarch takes precedence."
The hall turned its focus back to the critical election. However, the unresolved tensions hung heavy in the air, promising further challenges ahead.
"Ha ha, the First Elder speaks wisely. Let's settle on a patriach today so I can spare myself the worry in the future," Ma Chen said with a faint smile, his gaze shifting to Ma Zhen and Ma Teng.
"As my sons, I hadn't planned for you to take on the position of patriach so soon. However, the ancestors of our Golden Warhorse Clan established a tradition of replacing the patriach every century to ensure vitality within the clan.
"Thus, as my descendants, which of you will become the next patriach depends on your own capabilities."
Having said this, Ma Chen gestured for the First Elder to take over the selection process.
Hearing this, Ma Zhen and Ma Teng exchanged a glance, an invisible spark igniting between the two.
Seeing this, Mo Yu couldn't help but grow curious about the Golden Warhorse Clan's rules. Setting such a generational tradition showed that the clan's ancestors had indeed put significant thought into the development of their people.
Once the patriach selection officially began, the First Elder took charge of the proceedings. To Mo Yu's surprise, the first round of evaluation turned out to be a test of territory management.
As the lords of the Di Kun Mountain Range and the rulers of Golden City, Ma Zhen and Ma Teng had been managing their respective territories since Ma Chen had partially retired, overseeing the affairs of these two domains.
This was not only a display of their authority but also a test to determine their qualifications for the patriach position.
Mo Yu was impressed by this method of evaluation.
After all, in the Dou Qi Continent, most powers valued strength above all else, often placing less importance on leadership and governance abilities. However, the Golden Warhorse Clan stood apart by prioritizing administrative capabilities over sheer power.
It didn't take long for Mo Yu to understand their reasoning. Those eligible for the patriach selection would naturally already meet the required strength threshold. Therefore, other abilities became paramount.
Mo Yu admired this approach. A leader of a faction needed not only physical might but also foresight and wisdom. The Golden Warhorse Clan's thoughtful evaluation methods indeed reflected their reputation as an intelligent race.
In the first round, Ma Teng held an unquestionable advantage.
Golden City, one of the most prosperous cities in the Western Region, had immense potential. Combined with Ma Teng's exceptional tactics, his management capabilities far outshone Ma Zhen's.
With a victory in the first round, Ma Teng's face lit up with joy, while Ma Zhen's expression turned grim.
Mo Yu shook his head slightly at the outcome. While Golden City had inherent advantages, its well-developed state meant further improvements were far more challenging. On the other hand, the Di Kun Mountain Range, with its limited foundation, offered greater opportunities for growth. Yet, under Ma Zhen's management, the region showed no significant progress.
Thus, Ma Zhen's defeat in the first round was well-deserved.
Just as Mo Yu thought he might not need to intervene, the second round unfolded with an unexpected twist.
This round, surprisingly, was a voting process.
Within the Golden Warhorse Clan, any clan member above the sixth-grade could participate in the voting for the next patriach. The rules were simple: the candidate with the most votes won the round.
Initially, Mo Yu believed Ma Teng had the upper hand. After all, he had rallied many high-grade Golden Warhorse Clan members from Golden City, most of whom qualified to vote.
However, to Mo Yu's surprise, Ma Zhen had similarly gathered and nurtured a significant number of high-grade members within the Di Kun Mountain Range. While the number of seventh-grade voters favoring Ma Zhen was limited, his sixth-grade supporters were overwhelmingly numerous.
Even with each seventh-grade vote counting as five sixth-grade votes, Ma Zhen narrowly won the second round by a slight margin.
"Hmph! My uncle must have secretly diverted clan resources. Otherwise, how could he have so many sixth-grade subordinates?" Ma Yunlu pouted indignantly.
Hearing this, Mo Yu paused. He hadn't expected Ma Zhen to be so meticulous. Cultivating such a large force of sixth-grade members required years of careful planning and patience. This level of foresight was truly remarkable.
Perhaps the clan's higher-ups recognized this as well, which was why they turned a blind eye.
With one victory each, all eyes turned to the third and final round: the offspring competition!
"My son Ma Chao is exceptionally talented. A century from now, he will undoubtedly succeed as the patriach!" Ma Zhen suddenly declared with a grin.
His words startled the crowd, who quickly turned to Ma Zhen. Planning so far ahead even beyond this selection? His confidence suggested that the eldest branch was determined to win the final round.
At this realization, the audience shifted their focus to Ma Teng's camp, their expressions mixed.
Ma Chao's strength was well-known throughout the Golden Warhorse Clan. Even some elder experts paled in comparison. How would Ma Teng respond?
Taking a deep breath, Ma Teng turned to Mo Yu and declared loudly, "My daughter Yunlu's husband, Mo Yu, will face Ma Chao!"
-------------------------------------------------------
For exclusive access to 500+ advanced chapters and more, visit my Ko-fi page and support the journey:
ko-fi.com/laoyao95
Laoyao with L yeahh..thanks for the support.
or Support me at patreon for 500+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk