Chapter 1078, Helping Lu Fan

Translator: Silavin

 

Yet in the very next instant, she was seized by a deep sense of alarm.

 

The words Lu Fan had spoken were truly too shocking to comprehend.

 

Ye Wuxian was going to annihilate the Tie Family?!

 

What sort of joke was this? The Tie Family was, in every sense of the word, a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family. It was on equal footing with their own Situ Family. Their actual might was so profound, it was beyond measure.

 

One had to understand: what did it mean to be a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family?!

 

Any Ancient Noble Family, even the most lowly Third Tier Ancient Noble Family, was a colossus Force forged over several centuries of accumulated resources.

 

In the wider world, such Families were entities capable of controlling an entire nation.

 

And yet such Third Tier Ancient Noble Families were, in the eyes of Second Tier Ancient Noble Families, no more significant than insects, to be toyed with at will.

 

As for the Higher Tier Ancient Noble Families: First Tier Ancient Noble Families, and the Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Families above them, this went without saying.

 

In this world, so long as other Families of comparable standing did not act, a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family was practically an entity capable of sweeping away every openly acknowledged Force in existence.

 

Not only did they command extraordinary experts and resources, their concealed might was even harder to gauge.

 

And to seek the destruction of a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family was even more arduous than ascending Heaven.

For every Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family, beyond cultivating their own strength, would channel the vast majority of their resources and efforts into the defence of their own territory.

 

As a general rule, the defensive resources of an Ancient Noble Family far exceeded what their own Tier might suggest.

 

A Third Tier Ancient Noble Family, for instance, would inevitably have their ancestral land lined with countless Defensive Arrays, such that even a Second Tier Ancient Noble Family would struggle to breach them.

 

Of course, if a Second Tier Ancient Noble Family truly stationed itself outside the gates, the members within a Third Tier Ancient Noble Family would essentially be unable to venture out. They would be starved into submission.

 

Thus, under ordinary circumstances, no Ancient Noble Family was willing to challenge one of a higher standing.

 

In a roundabout way, this showed that a Family’s defensive capabilities were truly not to be underestimated.

 

When it came to annihilating another Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family, the Situ Family could not honestly claim it was within their power to do so.

 

Only a Sacred Land, a colossus of an altogether different magnitude, could genuinely claim the capacity to erase a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family.

 

After all, a Sacred Land stood in a position that transcended even Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Families. Ancient Noble Families were Ancient Noble Families; Sacred Lands were Sacred Lands, these two could not be spoken of in the same breath.

 

Annihilating a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family was something only a Sacred Land could accomplish. And while Lu Fan was undeniably formidable, Situ Qianqian had not previously felt that Lu Fan had the standing to be mentioned in the same breath as a Sacred Land.

 

Besides, the one going to annihilate the Tie Family was not even Lu Fan. It was only Ye Wuxian.

 

As for Lu Fan, Situ Qianqian had never witnessed him act firsthand, but she had heard of how strong he was from Situ Hengxing upon his return.

 

His strength was boundless, his depth was unfathomable. He was absolutely capable of contending against an entire Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family.

 

Whether he could truly annihilate a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family remained uncertain, but there was every possibility he could flatten one.

 

But Ye Wuxian?

 

She was strong, certainly. Gifted, without question. And yet, no matter how one looked at it, she should not be in a position to contend with a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family.

 

To eliminate even a First Tier Ancient Noble Family would be an impossibility.

 

Asking her to annihilate a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family, the Tie Family, was that not pure fantasy?

 

For a moment, Situ Qianqian grew genuinely troubled by the full picture of this.

 

Because once a hand was raised against the Tie Family, there could be no peaceful resolution between the two parties. The outcome would inevitably be a matter of life and death.

 

Either Lu Fan would die, or the Tie Family would be destroyed.

 

And the Situ Family, as a participant in the creation of this grievance, would find it difficult to extricate themselves from this affair…

 

Moreover, even if the Situ Family truly managed to distance themselves, turning a blind eye to both sides, whichever party survived would surely harbour resentment towards the Situ Family, would they not?

 

After turning the matter over carefully, Situ Qianqian arrived at her decision surprisingly quickly.

 

She lowered her voice and asked Lu Fan, “Master Lu, would you need our Situ Family’s help? If there are any difficulties in annihilating the Tie Family, our Situ Family is willing to extend a helping hand!”

 

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan was genuinely taken aback. He cast a glance at Situ Qianqian. He had not expected she would say something like this.

 

Yet, in the very next moment, Lu Fan understood. This, too, was a statement of allegiance.

 

If the Situ Family could not extricate themselves from the conflict between the two sides, then rather than remaining uninvolved, it was better to take a side and help one of them.

 

Situ Qianqian had been astute enough to choose him.

 

Lu Fan smiled at once, asking. “Do you have the authority to make that call?”

 

Situ Qianqian shook her head honestly. “I do not.”

 

“Within the Family, I am merely a Junior. Though I am considered one of the more gifted among the younger generation, and I do hold a certain degree of authority, but declaring war on another Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family is not something I can decide on my own.” She paused, then continued in a resolute tone, “But, I will make the case to my Elders and persuade them to help you. After all, this matter began because our Situ Family was exploring and pioneering the Flaming Hell Dungeon Instance. We cannot extricate ourselves from this. Since the Tie Family made their move first through underhanded means, it is justified for you to strike back. By both reason and sentiment, our Situ Family ought to stand on your side.”

 

Lu Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly, a quiet admiration stirring within him. It was no wonder Situ Qianqian had managed to distinguish herself from the thousands of Situ Family Juniors. She truly possessed her own remarkable qualities.

 

Her way with words alone, combined with her sharp intellect, was worthy of praise.

 

Did she choose to help Lu Fan purely because the Tie Family had struck first?

 

Perhaps that was a portion of the reason.

 

But the most important reason was this: Lu Fan was simply the more worthwhile one to align with.

 

If the Situ Family helped the Tie Family, there was little to be gained. At most, the ties between the two Families would draw slightly closer, with a little more back-and-forth between them.

 

But once the Tie Family lost, the next target of Lu Fan’s retribution would inevitably be the Situ Family, who had aided them.

 

And if the Situ Family helped Lu Fan instead?

 

The calculus changed entirely.

 

The Situ Family deliberately cultivating favour with Lu Fan was tantamount to investing in an unparalleled genius of this era.

 

If Lu Fan truly lost, the outcome would be his death. The Tie Family and Situ Family would simply cease all dealings. After all, the Tie Family and Situ Family were of the same standing. After a battle with Lu Fan, the Tie Family would not be in a position to dream of annihilating the Situ Family as well.

 

If Lu Fan won, it meant he was stronger than a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family. The Tie Family would be gone, and the Situ Family would benefit from his goodwill.

 

If Lu Fan lost, it meant a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family was stronger. Since the Situ Family was no weaker than the Tie Family, the most the Situ Family would lose was a connection to the Tie Family, which could barely even be called friendship in the first place.

 

Weighing all considerations, the choice was not a difficult one.

 

Situ Qianqian had grasped this entire web of relationships in an instant before arriving at her decision. Such a sharp mind, how many youths could claim to possess such a thing?