Mainland Martial Arts

Chapter 436 The Strength of the Four Major Families

For a moment, the room fell silent, only the sound of heavy breathing echoing in the air. The moods of the three people were like the cloud-covered sky outside the window, gloomy and uncertain.

Xu Tian, ​​Chen Yu, and Chen Xin'er sat around a rickety wooden table, their expressions tense, their eyes mingling with deep worry about the unknown, wariness, and a tinge of determination to uncover the truth. Hong Ze sat at the other end of the table, his fingers rhythmically tapping the surface. The clacking sound was especially clear in the silent room, as if he were enjoying the unique pleasure of controlling information, yet also deliberately creating a tense atmosphere.

Xu Tian's brows were furrowed, like two deep ravines across his forehead, his eyes revealing a hint of anxiety and confusion, and he was the first to break the suffocating silence: "The Ding family and the Li family are joining forces, what are they going to do?" His voice was low and hoarse, as if it was squeezed out from the depths of his chest with difficulty, with a bit of uneasiness and eagerness. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists under the table, his knuckles turned white due to the force, as if he had already anticipated the huge conspiracy hidden behind this, and that conspiracy was like a haze, slowly enveloping him.

Hong Ze raised the corners of his mouth slightly, outlining a sly smile, like a cunning fox, and asked: "What do you think?" There was a mysterious light flashing in his eyes, deliberately keeping Xu Tian in suspense, as if testing Xu Tian's insight, and as if enjoying the feeling of being in control of the overall situation. That light was like a cold star twinkling in the night sky, making it unpredictable.

Chen Xiner bit her lower lip lightly and fell into a brief contemplation, her eyes revealing a hint of intelligence and determination. After a moment, she whispered, "Of course, we have to overthrow the Ming family." Her voice was soft but firm, like a breeze, and it was particularly clear in this depressing atmosphere. She looked at Hongze with a firm gaze, as if it could penetrate the surface and look directly at the truth behind it, as if she had seen through the intricate entanglement of interests.

Hongze nodded slightly, with a barely perceptible admiration in his eyes: "Right." There was a hint of teasing and amusement in his tone. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in his chair. His posture was as if that of a wise man who was in control of the overall situation and knew everything about it. He seemed to be appreciating the performance of the three people in this information game.

Chen Yu scratched his head, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion and worry, and then he said, "If the Ding family and the Li family join forces to overthrow the Ming family, then the Ming family can also cooperate with the Cao family. Wouldn't that make them evenly matched?" There was a hint of doubt in his voice, and his brows were furrowed, as if he was trapped in a fog, trying to find a balance and turnaround in this complicated situation. His hands were rubbing restlessly on his knees, revealing his inner tension and uneasiness.

Hongze sneered, and the laughter sounded particularly harsh in the silent room. His eyes revealed a hint of sarcasm and shrewdness: "What if we annex the Cao family before overthrowing the Ming family?" There was a sharp light flashing in his eyes, like two sharp daggers. His body leaned forward slightly, as if revealing to them a more cruel and realistic situation. The light seemed to be able to penetrate the darkness, making people shudder.

Chen Xiner's face changed slightly, and her eyes revealed a hint of shock and realization: "Then we have enough strength to overthrow the Ming family." There was a hint of helplessness and worry in her voice. She clenched the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white. She was secretly worried about the complicated and changing situation, as if she saw an impending bloody storm, and they were in the middle of it, unable to escape.

Xu Tian took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a hint of determination and an urgent desire to know the truth, and continued to ask: "What about the current combat power of the four major families?" His eyes were fixed on Hong Ze, and his gaze was like two pliers, not missing any details, as if he could find their way to deal with the crisis in this key information, and it was as if he was engaged in a silent contest with Hong Ze, trying to pry more secrets from his mouth.

Hongze sat up straight and cleared his throat. The sound broke the brief silence in the room, and he began to introduce in detail: "Let's talk about the Ding family first. The Ding family is a big family that has existed for hundreds of years. Its foundation is as deep as a towering mountain and difficult to shake!" There was a hint of awe in his voice, and his eyes revealed fear of the Ding family's strength, as if he was telling an ancient and powerful legend. "Their family is very powerful. They have five Grandmasters and an ancestor who is said to be striving for the Grandmaster level. He is still in seclusion and has not come out yet. The head of the family is Ding Moyuan, who is already a fifth-grade Grandmaster. With a wave of his hand, he can mobilize the power of heaven and earth. His reputation is well-known in Lingyuan City. The first elder and the second elder are both sixth-grade Grandmasters with unfathomable strength. Every time they make a move, it is like a thunderclap with astonishing power. The third elder and the fourth elder are fifth-grade Grandmasters. They are also masters that cannot be underestimated and hold a pivotal position in the family. Moreover, there are countless half-step Grandmasters. Although these people have not yet entered the Grandmaster level, each of them possesses extraordinary strength and may break through that bottleneck at any time to become a giant." As Hong Ze spoke, he stretched out his fingers and counted one by one. The expression on his face became more and more solemn, as if he was painting a magnificent picture of the martial arts world. "Even more amazingly, the Ding family has an exceptionally gifted heir. He's only twenty years old, but he's already reached the level of a Half-Step Grandmaster. His talent for cultivation is truly terrifying, as if he's been blessed by heaven. Given time, he's very likely to become the youngest Grandmaster in the empire, renowned throughout the world. His future is limitless!"

Upon hearing this lineup, Chen Xiner gasped, her eyes revealing deep shock and worry. She pondered, "How could a single family possess such formidable strength? Six Grandmasters, and an ancestor striving for Grand Grandmaster status? With only the great families of the Imperial Capital and the Four Profound Cities to prove themselves, no other family can rival this strength. The waters of Lingyuan City are truly treacherous. Now that we're caught up in it, what should we do?" Her face paled, like a sheet of white paper, devoid of color. She unconsciously clasped her hands together, her fingers turning slightly white from the strain, as if she were trying to draw a shred of strength and courage from her clenched fists.