SSS-Rank 10x Reward System: Accepting Disciples to Live Forever-Chapter 176: Yang Kai shock

The memory alone made Rong Lua’s scalp tighten.

Ancestor Yun’s expression at the time had been darker than charcoal, his aura violent and oppressive. Even now, riding behind Young Master Yun, the old man’s face remained grim, his eyes practically spewing fire every time they landed on that familiar back.

Just what sins did I commit in my past life... to be saddled with a junior like this?

Meanwhile, Young Master Yun rode ahead as if nothing had happened.

His expression was calm, almost indifferent.

To outsiders, his actions might have seemed impulsive, reckless—borderline insane. But in truth, he knew exactly what he was doing.

This was a gamble.

A desperate one—but also a golden opportunity he could not afford to miss.

On the surface, the Yun Family still stood tall, their banners flying proudly across their territories. But beneath that veneer, the foundation was already cracking. Old enemies, dormant for generations, were beginning to move again—alliances forming in the shadows, blades being sharpened in silence.

If the Yun Family wanted to survive what was coming, they needed a backer. Not just any backer—but one powerful enough to deter even ancient foes.

And Wang Chen fit that role perfectly.

The problem was simple.

Why would someone like him ever help the Yun Family?

This was the answer.

By standing here today, by involving himself in Lin Huang’s fate, Young Master Yun was carving a path straight into the Phoenix and Dragon Immortal’s good graces.

He could feel the Ancestor’s disappointment like a blade pressed against his back—but he didn’t regret his decision.

Once the old man met Lin Huang.

Once he truly understood what kind of storm the Thousand Sword Sect had stirred...

Young Master Yun was certain of one thing.

The Ancestor would see the bigger picture.

As for that, Young Master Yun was confident they might not even need to take action themselves.

Given how deeply the Dojo Master cherished his disciple, there was no way Wang Chen would allow anything irreversible to happen. In the end, what truly mattered was not results, but intent. Showing up was already enough.

In another breath of time, the group pierced into the airspace of Ancient Sword City.

The moment they crossed the boundary, Ancestor Yun’s brows shot upward.

His expression changed instantly.

Far in the distance, the air itself trembled, distorted by lingering waves of terrifying qi. The fluctuations were chaotic yet profound, as if heaven and earth themselves had been violently torn apart and forcibly stitched back together.

What... is this level?

Ancestor Yun’s heart clenched.

This was no ordinary battle aftermath. Someone vastly above him had exchanged blows here. The residual pressure alone made his breathing hitch, a cold chill crawling up his spine despite his Grand Ascension cultivation.

Whoever fought here... was playing in a realm I cannot even touch.

And that realization unsettled him far more than any enemy ever could.

---

Meanwhile, in another corner of the city—

Yang Family Estate.

News spread through Ancient Sword City like wildfire.

The chaos at the Thousand Sword Sect.

The shocking fate of Sect Master Ning Qi.

And Ying Yue—once hailed as heaven’s chosen—reduced to nothing more than a disgraceful footnote.

No one was surprised that the information leaked so quickly. When Wang Chen made his move, outsiders had been present, and he had made no attempt to silence them.

When the heavens shake, whispers inevitably become storms.

Inside the Yang Family estate, Yang Kai sat quietly upon a prayer mat, his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. One hand dangled at his side, clenched loosely, his expression tinged with unhidden shame.

He had failed.

He had not delivered the Demon Blood Iron in time.

Although his father had not rebuked him—had not even mentioned it—Yang Kai could not shake the weight in his chest. The disappointment was not spoken, but it echoed loudly in his own mind.

Directly in front of him sat a towering, brutish man, his long beard cascading almost to his waist like a curtain of iron threads. His presence was heavy, grounded, and unyielding—like a mountain rooted deep into the earth.

This man was Grand Formation Master Yang Li.

And even without a word spoken between them, the silence itself pressed down harder than any reprimand ever could.

At this moment, Yang Li’s expression turned subtly intriguing, the corners of his lips curling upward as if he had stumbled upon an especially amusing puzzle.

"Hm... that is actually quite complex," he said slowly. "So it turns out a member of my Yang Family was the fuse that lit the fire beneath the Thousand Sword Sect. If the other great forces were to learn of this..." His eyes gleamed faintly. "I wonder how they would react."

Yang Kai froze.

"What?" His face paled instantly. "Wait—wait a minute. The Thousand Sword Sect was destroyed, and it has something to do with the Yang Family? Just what in the world is going on?"

He didn’t dare interrupt further. Instead, he lifted his head and stared at his father, waiting for an explanation that might reassure him this was all some elaborate misunderstanding.

Seeing the anxiety written plainly on his son’s face, Yang Li chuckled softly.

"Look at the mess you’ve dragged us into," he said, shaking his head.

Yang Kai knew his father was half-joking, but that did little to ease the tight knot forming in his chest. A faint sense of unease crept up his spine.

Then Yang Li’s expression shifted.

The humor faded, replaced by a quiet seriousness that made Yang Kai straighten instinctively.

"Yang Kai," Yang Li said, his voice calm but firm, "I want you to approach the man you brought to the Soaring Dragon Continent. Invite him to the Yang Family estate for dinner."

That man?

Yang Kai blinked, momentarily stunned.

Wang Chen’s indifferent, unreadable face surfaced in his mind. The calm gaze. The casual confidence. The way he had stood there as if the world itself owed him nothing.

What does Father want with him...?

They had only interacted briefly, yet the impression Wang Chen left behind was impossibly heavy, like a mountain glimpsed through mist—its true height impossible to judge.

Suppressing his doubts, Yang Kai nodded and forced confidence into his voice. "Don’t worry. I’ll bring him over right away."

But the moment the words left his mouth, something clicked.

A memory surfaced.

Just before we parted... he asked me for the Thousand Sword Sect’s address.

Yang Kai’s heartbeat skipped.

His gaze sharpened as an absurd thought flashed through his mind—so outrageous that he almost laughed it away.

No... that’s impossible.

There was no way.

There was absolutely no way that man could be connected to the destruction of a behemoth like the Thousand Sword Sect.

Father had to be joking.

...Right?