The two brothers could hardly believe that Nie Li's strength had actually increased to such an astounding level.
"Will Elder Nie En be in danger?" Nie Xiao Ri asked with a furrowed brow, having not seen Elder Nie En since he hurried off some time ago.
"Don't worry. He should be fine!" Nie Xiao Feng shook his head, trying to reassure him.
"This is the territory of the Heavenly Mark Family. The most the Dark Guild members sneaking into Glory City can manage is Silver Tier Five. Elder Nie En is already a Gold Tier Three martial artist; he’ll be alright."
From the distance, sounds of fighting echoed through the forest, but they quickly faded away.
After a long while, silence returned.
A figure suddenly rushed towards them.
“It’s Elder Nie En, Elder Nie En is back!”
Elder Nie En landed in front of them, his face somber.
"Elder Nie En, how did it go? Did you catch them?" Nie Xiao Feng asked anxiously.
Elder Nie En shook his head solemnly.
"The opponent is a Silver Tier Five demon spirit master. After merging with the Heavenly Star Black Tiger demon spirit, his strength is formidable, and he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. I couldn’t catch him; he managed to escape!”
Upon hearing Elder Nie’s words, Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri exchanged glances, realizing that the demon spirit master had managed to evade capture even from Elder Nie En.
That was quite remarkable!
Elder Nie En glanced at the corpses of Liu Qing and Liu Yan lying on the ground, frowning.
This whole matter seemed rather strange.
How had members of the Dark Guild appeared here? Who had killed these two? Was there a conflict among the Dark Guild that led to their mutual slaughter in their territory? It seemed unlikely, or perhaps a mysterious strong fighter had helped the Heavenly Mark Family eliminate these two members of the Dark Guild?
That mysterious figure eliminated two Silver Tier enemies while injuring a Silver Tier Five.
They were likely at least of Gold Tier level! Who was aiding the Heavenly Mark Family? If this strong fighter had helped, why hadn’t they revealed themselves?
Though he had some doubts about Nie Li, Elder Nie En never would have guessed that it was Nie Li who had taken down these two and injured Deacon Yunhua.
After all, before leaving the family to attend the Saint Spirit Academy, Nie Li hadn’t even reached Bronze Tier One.
In just half a semester, how could he possibly have reached Silver Tier?
Elder Nie knelt down to examine the bodies of Liu Qing and Liu Yan.
Neither showed signs of a fierce fight, suggesting they were struck down in a single blow in vital areas by some sharp weapon, leaving wounds that exhibited strange serrated edges.
"What an impressive method of killing!" Elder Nie was secretly alarmed.
Even he doubted he could so decisively take out two Silver Tier Three martial artists; the weapon used seemed particularly extraordinary, one he had never seen before!
“Nie Li, come with me. Report to the family head about how you discovered these three Dark Guild members and what happened afterward!” Elder Nie stated after a moment's thought, glancing at Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri.
"You two, take these bodies back for the family head to examine!"
“Yes, Elder Nie En!” Nie Li nodded.
“Yes!” Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri each took hold of a corpse, following behind Elder Nie.
They only walked a few steps when Nie Yu came rushing towards them.
Her speed was much slower than that of Elder Nie En and the others, so she had only just arrived.
“Brother Nie Li, how are you? Are you okay?” Nie Yu asked, her youthful face still showing traces of tears and full of worry.
“Don't worry, Brother Nie Li is fine!” Nie Li smiled and ruffled her hair.
“Yeah.” Upon hearing Nie Li's words, Nie Yu’s heart finally settled, and she obediently followed behind him.
In the ancestral hall of the Heavenly Mark Family, the area was brightly lit.
Family members were fully armed, holding torches as they knew members of the Dark Guild had invaded their territory.
Everyone was alert, prepared to fight off any threat.
As Nie En and the others returned, the crowd parted to create a path.
The family head, Nie Hai, sat at the head of the hall, dressed in a gray robe, with long white hair and beard, looking stern and authoritative.
“Nie En, what on earth happened?” Nie Hai looked at Elder Nie En and asked.
“Reporting to the family head, three members of the Dark Guild planned to steal something from our Heavenly Mark Family. Two were defeated, and one escaped!” Elder Nie En reported respectfully.
Nie Hai glanced at the two bodies on the ground and let out a slight breath of relief. “It's good there were only three. Although we don't know what they intended, we must remain cautious. Our Heavenly Mark Family likely has nothing they would want to steal. These three might have just come to scout our defenses; we must double our vigilance in the coming days!”
“Yes!” The guards of the Heavenly Mark Family all nodded in agreement loudly.
“Were these two defeated by you?” Nie Hai looked at the fallen figures, recognizing they were at least of Silver Tier strength.
“No,” Elder Nie En shook his head.
“Then it was Xiao Feng and Xiao Ri?” Nie Hai praised, “Xiao Feng and Xiao Ri have made rapid progress!”
Hearing Nie Hai’s words, Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri felt their cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“Reporting to the family head, it wasn't us!” They quickly asserted, not daring to take credit for the achievement.
Nie Hai frowned slightly, puzzled. “Then who defeated them? Only Nie En, Xiao Feng, and Xiao Ri pursued those members of the Dark Guild; could there have been someone else?”
“When we arrived, the two of them were already dead, and only Nie Li was present!” Elder Nie En stated truthfully.
Everyone's gaze turned towards Nie Li, a combination of disbelief washing over them.
What kind of ability did Nie Li possess to have taken down two Silver Tier martial artists?
“I don’t know; I just saw a shadow flash past, and then these two fell!” Nie Li shrugged, acting innocent.
He wasn’t keen on revealing his abilities just yet.
“A shadow flash?” Everyone was taken aback.
Elder Nie En fell silent for a moment, crouching down and pointing to the wounds on the bodies of the two Silver martial artists. “Family head, please look. These wounds were made by a peculiar weapon, one I cannot think of anyone in Glory City using!”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to the peculiar wounds on the corpses.
"Both of these were struck in vital areas; a single blow was all it took!” Elder Nie En inhaled deeply.
The family members exchanged glances, knowing that there was no one in their clan capable of such weaponry.
Who had done this? Could there be a hidden master on the back mountains? They couldn’t tell if this person was friend or foe; having someone like this lurking nearby made them uneasy.
“If he helped us take down the Dark Guild members, he should be on the side of Glory City and shouldn't pose a problem,” Nie Hai thought for a moment before saying. “This matter can be set aside for now; the key point is why the Dark Guild came. For safety’s sake, the Heavenly Mark Family must enter a state of high alert, and our defenses must be adjusted.”
Just then, Nie Wei, an elder close to Nie Hai, looked at Nie Li and asked in a deep voice, “Nie Li, when did you return?”
At Elder Nie Wei’s inquiry, Nie Li felt a shiver run down his spine.
Nie Wei was the most difficult elder to deal with in the whole Heavenly Mark Family.
Known as the law enforcement elder, he punished anyone who made even the slightest mistake, and his status was second only to Nie Hai.
In the Heavenly Mark Family, apart from Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri, Nie Li disliked Elder Nie Wei the most.
In his past life, he had been punished by the enforcement rod more times than he could count.
On top of that, Nie Wei was the grandfather of Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri.
Nie Li often contemplated whether Elder Nie Wei held a grudge against his family given they were not on good terms and whether those previous beatings were acts of vengeance.
“Returning to the Grand Elder, I just got back today!” Nie Li cupped his hands in respect.
Elder Nie Wei snorted coldly and scolded, "Nie Li, do you know your fault?"
Nie Li was a bit confused and asked in puzzlement, “Nie Li does not know, please enlighten me, Elder Nie Wei!”
“Nie Li, you did not study diligently at the academy and stirred up quite a bit of trouble. I heard you antagonized several direct heirs of the Divine Sacred Family, leading to them oppressing our Heavenly Mark Family. Is that true?” Elder Nie Wei’s tone was severe.
As Elder Nie Wei spoke, everyone turned their attention back to Nie Li.
They recalled that during that time, the Heavenly Mark Family faced its most difficult period, being ostracized by the Divine Sacred Family and suffering heavy business losses; all this was related to Nie Li?
Nie Hai’s brow furrowed as he looked at Nie Li and asked in a deep voice, “Nie Li, is there truth in this?”
Feeling helpless, Nie Li could only nod, “It is indeed my fault!”
“Studying at the Saint Spirit Academy but failing to adhere to family teachings, causing turmoil and loss for the family. A hundred strikes with the enforcement rod; do you accept?” Elder Nie Wei’s gaze bore down on Nie Li with a stern authority.
Upon hearing Elder Nie Wei’s words, Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri exchanged glances, secretly reveling in the spectacle.
Nie Li was truly unlucky, getting into trouble with his own grandfather.
Among the various branches of the Heavenly Mark Family, conflicts did exist.
Even though everyone united during external threats, they constantly vied for their positions and benefits within the family, unwilling to yield.
A few elders from Nie Li’s faction wanted to support him but ultimately remained silent, recognizing that Nie Li was indeed in the wrong.
Elder Nie Wei's actions were above reproach, leaving them without a word to say.
Beside them, Elder Nie En frowned.
He was also from Nie Li’s faction and thought for a moment before saying, “Family head, Nie Li is just a child and quite weak in strength; is a hundred strikes not too harsh? After that, he might take two months to recover!”
Elder Nie Wei responded firmly, “Elder Nie En showing such favoritism toward the younger generation is inappropriate. Nie Li's offense is unforgivable. If the Alchemist Association had not come to our rescue, who knows what could have happened to our family. We might even have lost our noble titles! This is a serious mistake. A hundred strikes is already lenient!” Elder Nie Wei's eyes widened as he glared at Nie Li. “Do you have anything to say?”
Elder Nie Wei was ruthless.
In his past life, Nie Li had dreaded Elder Wei.
Just seeing him glare would send shivers down his spine, rendering him speechless.
But this time, he didn’t regard Elder Wei with the same fear.
Nie Hai furrowed his brow, pausing briefly before stating, “I just received news that Nie Li has been accepted into the Talented Class of the Saint Spirit Academy and will receive special training! If he gets hit with a hundred strikes, it might hinder his studies!”
Nie Hai spoke up for Nie Li, recognizing that as family head, he had to be aware of the family's achievements at the Saint Spirit Academy.
When he heard Nie Li had reached Bronze Tier One and was accepted into the academy, he felt puzzled.
It led him to wonder how Nie Li's strength could improve so quickly and why the academy would assign a newcomer to the Talented Class.
Hearing Nie Hai’s words, everyone looked at Nie Li in shock.
They were clear about his strength and abilities; how could he have been accepted into the Talented Class at the Saint Spirit Academy? The news was astounding!
Nie Xiao Feng and Nie Xiao Ri wore expressions of disbelief.
They couldn’t fathom how Nie Li had managed such an achievement when they didn’t even qualify for entry into the Talented Class! However, since it came from the family head, they didn’t dare question it.
(End of Chapter)