I Seriously Didn't Want to Be the Martial Alliance Leader

The main hall of the Qiu Family estate was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

The Qiu Family’s patriarch, Qiu Tianzheng, sat enthroned in a grandmaster’s chair. He wore a brocade robe embroidered with qilin, his complexion ruddy and his face betraying no hint of his advanced years.

Below him, young disciples of the Qiu Family came forward one by one to offer their birthday congratulations. Qiu Tianzheng beamed, raising his wine cup, his heart filled with gratification.

’Though their strength is ordinary for now, these disciples are all young and aspiring. There isn’t a single useless wastrel among them.’

’My own cultivation peaked at the Condensing Truth Realm, and the second generation was disappointingly average.’

’But the third generation has no shortage of outstanding disciples. Perhaps, in the future, one of them can take that next step and bring forth a Martial Arts Grandmaster for our Qiu Family!’

A thrill of excitement ran through Qiu Tianzheng at the thought.

’What were the origins of the Qiu Family? We were nothing more than servants.’

’Back in the day, we were just attendants in the Great Brightness Sect, running errands and serving others. We weren’t even qualified to practice their cultivation techniques.’

’But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When the Court and the Jianghu Major Sects joined forces to annihilate the Great Brightness Sect, anyone who had practiced their techniques or was a registered disciple was hunted down and killed.’

’But our ancestor, being a mere servant who had never practiced their techniques and wasn’t on any roster, managed to escape with his life. He was able to start fresh with a clean identity.’

’That was why Pang Xizhen had our ancestor guard his legacy.’

’The old fool was far too loyal, though. He actually planned to waste his entire life away on Shanyang Ridge, guarding some legacy for a Great Brightness Sect remnant who was nothing but a pile of dry bones. Did he actually enjoy being a servant that much?’

’Fortunately, the later generations of ancestors were more sensible. They decisively concealed the location of the legacy and focused on building the family’s own power. That’s the only reason the Qiu Family is as glorious as it is today.’

’It’s a pity that fiend from the Great Brightness Sect was so cautious. We of the Qiu Family have never been able to enter the legacy site ourselves.’

’If we could only obtain the Great Brightness Sect’s legacy, the Qiu Family would undoubtedly soar to new heights!’

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Qiu Tianzheng raised his wine cup and addressed the assembled Jianghu People with a smile. "I am deeply grateful that all of you could come to celebrate this old man’s birthday."

"The Qiu Family has been established here on Shanyang Ridge for hundreds of years. We owe our current foundation to the respect all of you, our fellow members of the Jianghu, have shown us."

"But enough pleasantries. Please forgive me if our hospitality today falls short."

Just as Qiu Tianzheng was about to declare the start of the banquet, a voice suddenly echoed from outside the hall. "You won’t be enjoying a birthday banquet today. But you’ll be hosting a funeral feast soon, so I suppose it makes little difference."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the many guests present flickered with change.

’Damn,’ they thought. ’To say something like that on a man’s birthday... just how deep does this grudge run?’

The expressions of the Qiu Family members turned thunderous, and they immediately began to curse and shout.

"Who’s there!? Show yourself!"

"How dare you cause trouble at the Qiu Family estate! You’re courting death!"

Chen Yuan strode into the hall. He was dressed all in black, his face hidden behind the Ghost Mask of General Yun. The mere sight of him sent a chill down the spine.

Qiu Tianzheng held up a hand, silencing the shouting disciples as he fixed his gaze on Chen Yuan.

"My family has long resided on Shanyang Ridge and we rarely travel abroad. I don’t believe we have made many enemies."

"Today is my birthday. What grudge could you possibly have with the Qiu Family to choose this day to cause trouble? Or were you sent by someone?"

Due to their origins, the Qiu Family had always maintained a low profile, never stirring up trouble in the Jianghu, terrified that their connection to the Great Brightness Sect would be discovered.

Qiu Tianzheng could confidently say that his family had no mortal enemies. At most, they had minor frictions with neighboring powers—hardly enough to be considered a proper grudge.

But for this man to come and cause a scene on his birthday... this was no longer just ’causing trouble.’ It was a humiliation that could only be settled by death!

Chen Yuan chuckled. "It’s true the Qiu Family hasn’t made many enemies. But you seem to have forgotten your roots."

"You’re squatting on something that doesn’t belong to you, something you can’t even use. A classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face."

At Chen Yuan’s words, the color drained from Qiu Tianzheng’s face.

’They’re here! They’ve finally come!’

’For all these years, the Qiu Family had wondered: what if someone from the Great Brightness Sect came for them?’

’Generations of ancestors had considered the question, and they had come up with two possibilities.’

’One: if the visitor was weaker than them, they would kill him on the spot. He might even be carrying some of the legacy’s treasures.’

’Two: if the visitor’s strength was overwhelming, they would immediately fall to their knees and beg for mercy, claiming they had only concealed the legacy site for its own protection, to keep it from being discovered by outsiders.’

’They had their strategies, but for hundreds of years, no one from the Great Brightness Sect had ever appeared. No one had even asked about the legacy.’

’Few Martial Artists ever came to Shanyang Ridge at all. The Qiu Family had begun to believe the Great Brightness Sect was truly extinct.’

’To think that now, in his generation, someone had actually shown up at their door!’

"Kill him!"

Qiu Tianzheng’s face twisted into a snarl. Without a moment’s hesitation, he bellowed the order.

’This man hasn’t even reached the Condensing Truth Realm. It’s best to just kill him and settle this.’

’Legacy aside, we absolutely cannot let anyone find out about the Qiu Family’s origins!’

The words had barely left his lips when True Essence surged through Qiu Tianzheng’s aged frame. He launched himself forward, blasting a palm strike at Chen Yuan.

The Palm Force was of the Supreme Yang attribute, incredibly fierce and powerful. His Qi and Blood showed no signs of decay.

The Qiu Family’s Cultivation Technique had been a gift from Pang Xizhen.

As a former Hall Master of the Great Brightness Sect, Pang Xizhen had practically no Low Tier Techniques in his possession.

The techniques he had casually bestowed upon the ancestors of the Guan and Xu Families were Earth Level, so it stood to reason that the one he gave his own servant would be of the same grade.

The power of Qiu Tianzheng’s Jinshan Six Yang Palm was ferocious and unmatched, its scorching, masculine aura washing over everything.

The other Direct Lineage Disciples of the Qiu Family also knew of their family’s origins.

At Qiu Tianzheng’s command, six Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artists and over a dozen Qi Casting Realm Martial Artists charged toward Chen Yuan in unison.

Seeing this, the many Martial Artists in attendance were stunned.

’Isn’t the Qiu Family’s reaction a bit extreme?’

’The guy was out of line, sure, but do they really need to swarm him like this?’

Chen Yuan let out a long breath as a boundless Blood Fiend aura erupted around him.

His Qi and Blood surged, his True Qi churned, and a malevolent Evil Qi condensed.

Meeting Qiu Tianzheng’s attack, Chen Yuan brought down a palm of his own. His Killing Tribulation Power materialized in midair as a colossal, blood-red Palm Seal, even more ferocious and tyrannical than the Jinshan Six Yang Palm!

The Killing Tribulation Power annihilated all in its path. Against Chen Yuan’s Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand, Qiu Tianzheng’s Palm Force was utterly suppressed. He was sent flying backward, a spray of blood erupting from his mouth.

He stared at Chen Yuan in horror. ’What kind of monster is this?’

’A Sea of Reincarnation Realm practitioner is overpowering me, a Condensing Truth expert, in raw power! Are all Martial Artists from the Great Brightness Sect this terrifying?’

A moment later, realization dawned on Qiu Tianzheng, and he roared, "Fall back!"

But it was too late.

Chen Yuan formed a Seal Technique. A golden Buddha Light vibrated through the air, and an instant later, an explosive Brahma Sound erupted.

The power of the Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava washed over them. In its wake, the True Qi protecting the Qiu Family Martial Artists shattered, and their minds were blasted blank.

Some of the weaker Qi Casting Realm Martial Artists even began to bleed from their orifices, their bodies collapsing as the power of the Vajra Spell instantly pulverized their Inner Viscera and Brain Juice!

In the next instant, an ultimate sharpness condensed upon the Celestial Blade in Chen Yuan’s hand, wreathed in boundless Demonic Qi and a monstrous Blood Fiend aura.

With a single horizontal slash, he unleashed Blood Demon Devouring the Sun!

The Blood Fiend and Demonic Qi tore at each other, weaving together into a terrifying force that ground down and devoured everything in its path.

Of the six Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artists from the Qiu Family, three were instantly shredded, their mangled flesh and blood splattering across the entire hall. The other three, though they survived the attack, were grievously wounded.

The guests watching from the sidelines were scared out of their wits.

Though they too were Jianghu People, when had any of them ever witnessed such a horrific and brutal spectacle?

After a moment of stunned shock at the sight of raining blood and gore, the banquet guests turned and fled for their lives.

Heaven only knew what manner of ferocious monster the Qiu Family had provoked this time.

If they stayed any longer, they wouldn’t just be attending the Qiu Family’s funeral feast; they’d be the main course at their own.

The Qiu Family had kept a low profile for years. While they hadn’t made many enemies, they hadn’t made many powerful friends, either.

When the Sun Family was facing annihilation, they had Monk Guang Ji of Longyou Temple step forward to help.

Yet now that the Qiu Family was in trouble, the guests only thought of fleeing for their own lives. Not a single person offered to help.

"You deserve to die!"

Qiu Tianzheng’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.

Just moments ago, he had been dreaming of the next generation producing a Martial Arts Grandmaster for the Qiu Family.

Who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, the foundation the family had spent years building would be all but destroyed!

Qiu Tianzheng roared in fury. He began to burn his own Qi and Blood, his True Essence circulating at a frantic pace. The golden True Qi overflowing from his body was so dense it almost looked solid.

As Qiu Tianzheng unleashed one palm strike after another, the air filled with a storm of Palm Force, and the entire hall was instantly flooded with a blinding golden radiance.

Chen Yuan retreated swiftly, forming a Seal Technique. A Pure Glaze Buddha Light bloomed around him as he used his Vajra Body to weather Qiu Tianzheng’s tyrannical Palm Force.

"Run! Run now!"

Qiu Tianzheng screamed at the three heavily wounded Sea of Reincarnation Realm disciples.

But before they could escape, Chen Yuan unleashed a Profound Celestial Finger, obliterating one of them in an instant.

No matter how furiously Qiu Tianzheng’s Palm Force surged, Chen Yuan handled it with effortless ease, as if taking a leisurely stroll, and picked off the remaining Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artists one by one.

Qiu Tianzheng coughed up a mouthful of blood with a strangled cry.

It wasn’t from a physical injury, but from the sheer, heart-wrenching rage that wracked his spirit.

An even more scorching Palm Force blasted toward him, but Chen Yuan didn’t meet it head-on. Instead, he suppressed his Blood Fiend and reined in his Killing Intent Origin, relying only on the power of the Sutra of the Pure Glazed Vajra and his own deep reserves of strength to withstand the assault.

’When I’m fighting a Condensing Truth expert at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, against someone powerful like Wu Youqing who has trump cards up his sleeve, it’s best to use Attack Against Attack and finish them quickly.’

’But this Qiu Tianzheng is old. On the surface, his Qi and Blood haven’t started to decay, but his Cultivation Technique is a ferocious, Supreme Yang style.’

’The power he’s showing now by burning his Qi and Blood is astonishing, but he’s old. If he uses a technique this demanding for too long, his body won’t be able to take it.’

’So there’s no need for me to clash with him head-on. I just have to wear him down.’

Chen Yuan called this the "Old Man Attrition" tactic. It was perfect for dealing with a Martial Artist in Qiu Tianzheng’s state.