The dark cloaked figure knelt before the patriarch as he sat on his throne. "How goes your mission?" the patriarch asked.
Before the cloaked man could respond, the doors to the great hall burst open. A man rushed in, sweat dripping from his brow. "Clan head, something happened!" he cried out. "The princess has returned and declared war on us!"
The patriarch's eyes widened in disbelief. "That cannot be! That girl Mei Ling would never do such a thing even if she had ten times the guts!"
"There's more," the man continued, catching his breath. "The Chen Family's Young Master is with her."
The Patriarch's expression darkened as realization dawned on him. "Ah, so that's why."
He let out a booming laugh that echoed throughout the hall. "If they seek death so eagerly, then I shall not deny them. Let them not blame me for what follows."
He turned to the cloaked figure still kneeling before him. "You heard the man. It seems our plans have been accelerated. See to it that everything is prepared. We must crush this rebellion before it can truly begin."
The cloaked figure bowed his head lower. "It will be done, my lord."
…
A few moments earlier.
Chen Mo burst through the Mei Clan's gates and strode comfortably into the clan's grounds, Mei Ling by his side. His gaze swept over the gathered members of the clan, finally settling on Mei Ling. "Well? What do you have to say now that we've arrived?" he asked.
If she truly wanted revenge, then she would have to shed her sheltered image as a protected princess and transform into a strong-willed person. Allowing her to speak up in front of her own clan could be the first step in boosting her confidence.
Mei Ling took a deep breath, lifting her head high. In a resounding voice that echoed through the hall, she shouted, "The Mei Clan is made up of a bunch of scummy people who bully the weak and only respect the strong! As the Princess of the Mei Clan, I have come here to clean up this clan so that we no longer bring shame upon our honorable ancestors!"
Silence fell over the gathering as Mei Ling's bold words hung in the air. Chen Mo allowed himself a small smile. Perhaps there was still hope for the timid princess.
"How dare you? Not only do you disobey your elders, but you also bring outsiders to make trouble here. Apologize right now and go back to the dungeons to kowtow and maybe the ancestors might forgive you."
An elderly man with long white hair and a long beard spoke up as he made his way through the crowd. He was an elder of the clan, Mei Guanyu.
"What elders? You're just a bunch of old men afraid of losing power to your talented juniors and resort to suppressing them." Mei Ling retorted.
"How dare you!" the elder shouted in an agitated voice as large palm made of condensed spiritual energy descended upon Mei Ling.
Mei Ling saw the large palm coming closer and closer and she closed her eyes, thinking she'd really die this time.
Just before the palm could hit her, Chen Mo grabbed her and teleported away.
"Elder, why are you so agitated over the words of the younger generation?" Chen Mo asked calmly.
The elder's face reddened in anger. "This is an internal matter of the Mei Clan. Just who do you think you are to interfere?"
Chen Mo nodded. "Ah, you're right. I almost forgot to introduce myself." He straightened to his full imposing height.
"I am Chen Mo, Sect Master of the Protagonist Sect. And since Mei Ling is my disciple, I naturally cannot allow her to be bullied and mistreated by her own clan."
A dramatic pause followed Chen Mo's words as realization sank in. Then, raucous laughter erupted throughout the hall. Mei Clan disciples guffawed, slapping their knees in mirth.
"Young Master Chen started his own sect? How ridiculous!"
"He's either incredibly arrogant or just plain stupid to go against the Mei Clan just by himself."
Chen Mo stood impassively, allowing the laughter to wash over him. Mei Ling glanced at him nervously, but he gave an imperceptible shake of his head. The time for words had passed. Soon, he would let his actions speak for themselves against these foolish, arrogant clansmen.
'Rasiel, who has the highest cultivation within the clan grounds?'
[Calculating]
[Analyzing]
[Report] – [It's Mei Xiaohan, the Mei Clan patriarch at the peak of Nascent Soul but there seems to be someone else cultivating in seclusion and I can't detect their cultivation just yet.]
'That's good, how much cultivation can I integrate at a time?'
[Report] – [At the moment, only one major realm at a time]
'I see. I want you to copy all data on peak Core Formation, early and peak Golden Core, and early and peak Nascent Soul.'
[Report] – [I thought you might ask so I already did]
'Good, now start running the simulations and alert me every time a realm is ready for integration.'
[Calculating]
[Processing]
[Analyzing]
[Simulating] – [Peak Core Formation - Time left: 10mins]
[Simulating] – [Early Golden Core - Time left: 20mins]
[Simulating] – [Peak Golden Core - Time left: 30mins]
[Simulating] – [Early Nascent Soul - Time left: 1hour]
[Simulating] – [Peak Nascent Soul - Time left: 2hours]
[Report] – [Simulation time will be reduced significantly every time you advance to a new realm]
'Looks like I've gained a huge harvest today. I'll have to thank the Mei Clan for this by not going easy on them. The person Rasiel can't evaluate must be in the Soul Formation realm, I might be able to sense their cultivation once I breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.'
"Hmph! Just a brat. You learned a few tricks and now you think you can beat anyone. Brat, when I started cultivating, your parents weren't even born yet"
The elder scoffed as he ordered everyone to attack Chen Mo and Mei Ling.
"Sorry Mei Ling but you'll have to sit this one out"
Chen Mo spoke calmly as he stretched out his palm and pushed Mei Ling away.
"Space Seal"
He shouted as a transparent four-sided shield materialized and trapped Mei Ling in it.
"You just stay in there and watch how cool your master is"
"But..."
"No buts, if you want to fight alongside me next time, you have to train hard when we get back."
"Yes master"
She spoke confidently, ignoring the tears dripping from her eyes.
[Report] – [Peak Core Formation simulation complete]
'Integrate'
"Now then"
Chen Mo spoke confidently as he walked towards the Mei Clan disciples, his aura increasing with every step.