In the presidential suite, Ming Yue sat elegantly on the sofa, swirling a glass of red wine. "Are the three Judicator Families really that strong?" she asked.

Sitting opposite her, Er Gouzi was browsing through Wang Chaoyang’s post on Ming Yue’s phone, an excited expression on his face. He said, "They’re so powerful you can’t even imagine."

"Stronger than Huang Quan?" Ming Yue asked.

"Compared to the three Judicator Families, Huang Quan is a complete joke."

As someone from Medicine King Valley, Er Gouzi had some understanding of the three Judicator Families. He also knew that Medicine King Valley’s Totem had been bestowed upon them by these very families. In his mind, the Judicator Families were deities, omnipotent gods who could create Second Realm War Gods with a simple bestowal of a Totem. Considering their ancient heritage, how could a twenty-six-year-old upstart like Ye Xiu, who had only been active for ten years, possibly compare? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"That impressive?" Ming Yue was greatly surprised. "Doesn’t that mean that as long as I join the Mist Chant Martial Meeting’s sponsor team, Ye Xiu won’t dare to do anything to me or the Ming Family?"

"You don’t know a damn thing," Er Gouzi cursed unceremoniously. "The three Judicator Families only look after the sponsors during the Mist Chant Martial Meeting. Once it ends, the sponsors’ lives and deaths are no longer their concern."

Ming Yue’s face fell with disappointment.

"But you can use the three Judicator Families to eliminate Ye Xiu," Er Gouzi urged.

Ming Yue instantly understood his implication. "You mean I should kill people from the Wang Family and the sponsor teams and then frame Ye Xiu for it?"

"Smart!" Er Gouzi nodded. "We should head to Yunluo City now and wait for the right opportunity."

"The Long Family members are all in Guoyang. Isn’t going to Yunluo City an unnecessary trip?" Ming Yue asked.

"The Long Family will go to Yunluo City too," Er Gouzi stated with absolute certainty.

...

Ye Xiu was browsing posts on the Martial Artist forum when he suddenly received an audio recording from Gong Jin.

"Young Master, Er Gouzi has somehow gotten mixed up with Ming Yue. This is what I picked up from the listening device I installed in her room."

Ye Xiu hurriedly played the recording. After listening, he turned to Qin Qing beside him and asked, "Er Gouzi said the Long Family will go to Yunluo City. What do you think?"

Qin Qing shot him a look. "Anyone with half a brain who knows about the Mist Chant Martial Meeting and the three Judicator Families understands what being a sponsor means. Sects and families from all over the world, even powerful corporations and financial groups who’ve gotten wind of it, will be tripping over themselves to flock to Yunluo City to suck up to the Wang Family, begging to join the sponsor team.

"The Wang Family can’t possibly accept every sycophant in the world, so those who aren’t chosen will immediately turn around and start sucking up to the members who were.

"The Long Family will definitely go to Yunluo City to be fawned over."

At this, Qin Qing’s expression turned serious. "We should also head to Yunluo City and cause some trouble for the Ye Family!"

Ye Xiu mulled over her words for a moment before saying, "Alright, we’ll go to Yunluo City. But before we leave, I need to leave a little gift for the Dragon Master at the Long Family Manor."

"The Dragon Master is about to leave for Yunluo City. Why would you leave a gift for him at the manor?" Qin Qing asked.

Ye Xiu simply smiled without answering.

「Night!」

It was a pitch-black night, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Rain poured down in a heavy torrent. Through the dark, wet curtain, over a thousand figures dashed forward. At their head were the five elders of the Long Family, followed by First and Second Realm War Gods from the Long Family’s headquarters in Hundred Flowers Valley and their fourteen branches on Hexia Road.

"Big Brother, you and Meng Haishan went to the Long Family Manor this morning," the Long Family’s second elder said. "Ye Xiu will surely guess that we’re planning a night raid. He and the elites of the thirteen external families are probably lying in wait for us right now."

"Hmph. The thirteen external families only have thirty-four fighters at the War God level and above," the third elder scoffed with confidence. "Even if you add Ye Xiu and those two women, it’s only thirty-seven. We have seventy-four, a perfect two-to-one advantage. We outnumber them in War Gods as well. Don’t worry, this battle is a guaranteed win!"

"Listen up!" the Dragon Master commanded. "Tonight, we kill everyone inside the Long Family Manor. Leave Ye Xiu to me and the Second Elder."

"Don’t worry, Big Brother!"

The thousand-strong force sprinted through the downpour under the cover of night, finally reaching the Long Family Manor. Without a moment’s hesitation, they charged straight in.

"Slaughter them all! Leave no one alive!" the Dragon Master roared, drawing his blade.

"Kill!" the other Long Family members bellowed, drawing their own weapons.

After their thunderous cries, the entire force of a thousand men stood in awkward silence. There wasn’t a single person in the Long Family Manor.

"Damn it! Ye Xiu must have guessed we’d attack tonight and moved out early," the Dragon Master cursed furiously.

"I actually thought he’d gather the elites of the thirteen external families to ambush us. Seems I overestimated him," the second elder said with disdain.

The rest of the Long Family members were utterly dejected. They had braved the heavy rain in the middle of the night, all fired up for a raid, only to find their target completely empty. In an instant, all the killing intent they had built up on their journey vanished, replaced by confusion and frustration.

"Let’s go, let’s go. Hurry to the airport. I’ll treat everyone to a big meal when we get to Yunluo City," the Dragon Master ordered, his enthusiasm gone.

The thousand members of the Long Family began sheathing their weapons, preparing to leave the manor.

Just then!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT...

The roar of gunfire shattered the night sky. The unprepared Long Family members were caught completely off guard, and in an instant, more than a dozen of them were hit.

"Damn it! Ye Xiu, you shameless bastard, you’re actually using guns!" the Dragon Master bellowed, then shouted, "Quick, find cover! Quick!" With that, he dove headfirst into a nearby villa.

The rest of the Long Family devolved into chaos, scrambling frantically for cover. At that moment, muzzle flashes lit up the dark from three other directions. The Long Family was caught in another devastating wave of fire.

"Dongfang Chaonan, Dazhuang, Erleng, and Meili’s marksmanship is terrible."

In a room on the top floor of a nearby residential building, Ye Xiu, Qin Qing, Chloe, and An Dongye were admiring the "scenic" view in the manor. Ye Xiu sounded disappointed. He had specifically borrowed four Gatling guns for the group, hoping to deal the Long Family a heavy blow, but their marksmanship was far from impressive.

"Let me show you how it’s done," An Dongye said. She took out her sniper rifle from its case, and with a single BANG, shot off the left arm of a Long Family First Realm War God. It wasn’t that her aim was poor. Ye Xiu had instructed her only to wound, not to kill.

"How did you know the Dragon Master would definitely lead a raid tonight?" Qin Qing asked, her curiosity piqued.

"The Dragon Master wants my left arm more than he wants the power, influence, and wealth that being a sponsor could bring his family," Ye Xiu explained with a smile. "So I was certain he’d stake everything on one final, all-out attack on the manor before leaving for Yunluo City."

Realization dawned on Qin Qing’s face. Sword in hand, she looked eager to join the fight. "Senior Dongfang and the others are almost out of ammunition. I want to go down and get in on the action."

"No!" Ye Xiu refused decisively. "While I’m not afraid of the three Judicator Families, I don’t want to make enemies of them. So, unless it’s absolutely necessary, we can’t kill the sponsors’ people. But it’s different for Dongfang Chaonan and his group. They’re Totem Inheritors. Even if they kill the sponsors, the Judicator Families won’t punish them."