Chapter 184: Chapter 179: The Nine Hidden Families

Elder Mu gave Mu Chen a disdainful look. "Let me give you some numbers, and you’ll understand just how strong a Dynasty is. First, to even become a Dynasty, you need the backing of at least two Saints, ten Venerables, and one hundred Emperors! Not to mention countless other Martial Artists..."

’Two Saints! Ten Venerables! One hundred Emperors! This...’ Mu Chen was stunned as he processed these figures. ’If Dynasties are really as powerful as Elder Mu says, then the Xuanling Empire truly is an insignificant existence.’

"And that’s just the bare minimum to become a Dynasty. The Four Great Dynasties have been established on the Extreme Martial Continent for tens of thousands of years. We have no way of knowing how many powerhouses they’ve produced in that time, but one thing is for sure: the power behind each Dynasty is far more terrifying than those numbers suggest."

Mu Chen opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that no words would come out. Elder Mu sighed. "In another two years, the Extreme Martial Continent’s new Empire tournament will begin. The continent’s imperial powers will face a new reshuffling, and the ones hosting this tournament are none other than the Four Great Dynasties."

"Does that mean the Four Great Dynasties are the strongest powers on the continent?" Mu Chen asked.

Elder Mu scoffed. "The strongest? Kid, you’re too naive. The Four Great Dynasties aren’t the strongest powers. In front of those truly supreme forces, the Dynasties aren’t even worth mentioning. You’ve seen a map of the Extreme Martial Continent, right?"

Mu Chen nodded. "I have."

"Then you must know that the Extreme Martial Continent is a massive landmass. In the center of this landmass is an oval region, no larger than a Middle-class Empire, called the Central Continent." As he spoke of the Central Continent, Elder Mu’s expression turned extremely serious. "Don’t be fooled by the Central Continent’s small size, which might not seem large enough to house many powers. However, every single power established in the Central Continent has the ability to annihilate a Dynasty!"

"What?! Every single power can annihilate a Dynasty!" Mu Chen was utterly horrified.

Elder Mu chuckled. "What’s so surprising about that? I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. In the Central Continent, there are countless families, and every one of them is a power that has been passed down for ten thousand years. To endure for so long without declining, they must possess terrifying strength."

"And among these families, four Noble Families are known as the Overlords of the Central Continent. They are the Nangong Family, the Dongfang Family, the Ximen Family, and the Beiming Family. In the long river of the Extreme Martial Continent’s history, only these four families have survived completely intact. They are also the only ones to have produced Martial Emperors. They practically control the situation of the entire Central Continent, and by extension, the entire continent. You could say they are peak powers that can make the whole Extreme Martial Continent tremble with just a stomp of their foot!"

"’The Four Great Families...’ ’So I’ve been short-sighted all this time.’" A trace of disappointment flashed in Mu Chen’s eyes. He knew the path to becoming a true powerhouse was long and that he would have to endure even more perilous tribulations, but he never imagined that he had still underestimated just how difficult the road ahead would be.

Elder Mu gave a wry smile. "You’re still young. Knowing this won’t do you any harm. But this isn’t the end of it. The Four Great Families are merely the publicly-known Overlords of the Central Continent. You must understand that in this world, there is a type of person called a Hermit, and a type of family called a Hidden Clan! There’s a kind of power that can turn mighty fleets to ash and smoke amidst casual conversation..."

Mu Chen’s face went pale as he exclaimed, "You mean there are powers even more terrifying than the Four Great Families?"

Elder Mu nodded. "Yes! The Hidden Clans!"

"The Hidden Clans?"

"That’s right, the Hidden Clans. Families that have existed since the Primordial Chaos era of the Extreme Martial Continent. Most of them do not meddle in worldly affairs, but they check and balance one another while protecting the continent’s order. They are the Nine Hidden Families: one Palace, one Hall, one Valley, one Manor, two Sects, and three Pavilions!" Elder Mu’s eyes filled with reverence. "Those are the true powers that stand at the apex of the entire continent. Perhaps no one on the Extreme Martial Continent will ever reach such heights again."

"One Palace, one Hall, one Valley, one Manor, two Sects, three Pavilions..." Mu Chen murmured, repeating Elder Mu’s words.

"The one Palace! The Ding Palace! The legendary gathering place of Cauldron Masters. There, even the lowest-ranking Cauldron Master can refine Sixth Grade Elixirs. The highest-ranking ones can even create Holy Grade Elixirs! Their combat strength may be the absolute worst among the Nine Hidden Families, but their influence is definitely the strongest on the entire Extreme Martial Continent. After all, Cauldron Masters are the noblest existence on the Extreme Martial Continent. No one would ever say, ’I don’t need a Cauldron Master’s help, I don’t need elixirs!’ So, with just a single word from the Ding Palace, a massive army would come to their aid, possibly just for a single elixir. That’s why on the Extreme Martial Continent, the Ding Palace is deservedly ranked first!"

"’The Ding Palace?!’" Mu Chen’s heart jolted. He remembered that the Golden Dragon Scripture in his mind came from the Ding Palace and was called the Palace’s Most Valuable Treasure by Venerable Wan Gu. ’Could these two Ding Palaces be the same power?’

"Do you have a question?" Elder Mu asked, seeing the look of confusion on Mu Chen’s face.

Startled by the question, Mu Chen quickly waved his hands. "No, no questions. What about the one Hall?"

Elder Mu stroked his beard and explained, "The one Hall, naturally, refers to the Thunder God Hall. This Hidden Clan is famous for its Thunder Attribute Martial Artists. The Thunder Attribute is the strongest attribute on the Extreme Martial Continent, with astonishing destructive power, earning it the name Destruction Attribute. Every Martial Artist who possesses the Thunder Attribute is a powerhouse among powerhouses. And within the Thunder God Hall, nearly every Martial Artist has the Thunder Attribute. Even the Thunderous Mysterious Realm from the Deceitful Forbidden Lands is sealed within the Thunder God Hall. They are one of the families passed down from Ancient Times."

Before Mu Chen could ask, Elder Mu continued, "The one Valley is the Profound Ice Valley. Like the Thunder God Hall, the Martial Artists living in this valley almost all have the Ice Attribute. They are also one of the families passed down from Ancient Times. However, the cultivation conditions for their Cultivation Techniques are extremely harsh. They must be in a place of extreme yin and cold to advance quickly, which is why they all live in a place called the Profound Ice Valley. But the people of the Profound Ice Valley rarely interact with the outside world, so I don’t know much about them."

"The one Manor is the Hidden Sword Manor, a paradise for all weapon wielders, its prestige second only to the Ding Palace! This is because the Hidden Sword Manor is the gathering place for the continent’s Swordsmiths. Within its walls, there are even Divine Artisans who can forge Sacred Weapons. But unlike the Ding Palace, they don’t just focus on their specialty. Every person in the Hidden Sword Manor is an extremely formidable Fire Attribute Martial Artist, yet they aren’t limited to just Fire Attribute Combat Techniques; their greatest strength is their Swordsmanship! Every member of the Hidden Sword Manor can wield two swords at once. One is a Heavy Sword, massive and ponderous. The other is a Light Sword, swift and versatile! The world’s appraisal of them is: ’Heavy Sword Edgeless, great skill appears artless! Light Sword Wandering Dragon, as graceful as a startled swan!’"

"The two Sects are the Overlord Sect and the Turtle Spirit Sect. These two powers can be called absolute mortal enemies, because one is the Gold Attribute family with the strongest Attack Power, while the other is the Earth Attribute family with the strongest Defense Power. Every disciple of the Overlord Sect takes sharpness as their highest cultivation goal, aiming to cultivate their own ’Heart,’ ’Intent,’ or ’Realm’—such as a Sword Heart, Sword Intent, or Spear Realm—to maximize their Attack Power! That’s why they are the Hidden Clan with the closest ties to the Hidden Sword Manor."

"The Turtle Spirit Sect, however, is completely different. They focus on Body Forging, using near self-mutilating methods to strengthen their bodies to a point that even steel cannot compare. It is said that a Great Power from the Turtle Spirit Sect can even withstand a full-powered strike from a Sacred Weapon with their bare flesh and not be seriously injured. You can just imagine how terrifying their Defense Power truly is!"

"As for the three Pavilions—the Carefree Pavilion, the Tingyu Pavilion, and the Celestial Secret Pavilion—each has its own strengths. The Carefree Pavilion is known for its Wind Attribute Martial Artists. They are graceful, elegant, carefree, and unrestrained. Like the wind, they do not contend with the world. I’ve heard that everyone in the Carefree Pavilion has a heart that is unconcerned with worldly matters. But even so, they are counted among the Nine Hidden Families for one simple reason: when it comes to speed, the Carefree Pavilion is, without a doubt, number one on the continent!"

"The Tingyu Pavilion is a power composed almost entirely of women. The women there are skilled in song and dance, and each possesses her own unique talents. What’s more, every woman who enters the Tingyu Pavilion is a peerless beauty, one in ten thousand. Because of this, the Tingyu Pavilion has marriage alliances with all the great Noble Families, which means they have connections to the other eight great families. This makes the Tingyu Pavilion a special existence among the Nine Great Families. However, they share a common trait with the other families: any member of the Tingyu Pavilion is guaranteed to be a Water Attribute Martial Artist. Furthermore, the Combat Skills they use are Spiritual Power Combat Skills, which have all but vanished from the Extreme Martial Continent. If you face them and your Spiritual Power isn’t strong enough, you will definitely be the one to suffer, even if your opponent’s Martial Artist Realm is lower than yours."

"The Celestial Secret Pavilion is a gathering place for Wood Attribute Martial Artists. There, they endlessly research the Puppet Mechanism Trap Skill. Every member of the Celestial Secret Pavilion is certain to carry a Mechanical Puppet of their own creation. These puppets rely entirely on their creator’s control to execute all sorts of bizarre attacks. You never know what kind of secrets are hidden inside a puppet, or what terrifying mechanisms it contains. These puppets are their weapons; they are their Combat Skills! As for methods of escape and containment, the Celestial Secret Pavilion members are masters among masters. Once a member of the Celestial Secret Pavilion decides to flee, it’s difficult to catch them even if you are several realms higher, because you never know what kind of mechanism or trap will appear in your path."

"That is all I know. As for a true disciple from a Hidden Clan, even I have never seen one." Elder Mu took a deep breath. It was the first time he had said so much in one go.

Mu Chen listened intently, committing all the information about each Hidden Clan to memory. He believed that if he continued to press forward, he would one day have to face these clans—unless he was willing to give up and live out a mediocre life within the Empire.

But on second thought, Mu Chen suddenly realized that everything Elder Mu had just told him had nothing to do with that black book. ’Did Elder Mu intentionally change the subject?’

"Elder Mu, what does any of this have to do with that black book?" Mu Chen asked.

"A connection? Of course there’s a connection. The Nine Hidden Families I told you about have been passed down since Ancient Times. But in the last thirty thousand years, a new power has emerged. It is called the Divine Hall of Light..." Elder Mu’s expression turned somewhat grim.