Chapter 1106, The Strangeness of the Sacred Jiang Family

Translator: Silavin

 

Everyone nodded, largely in agreement with Ouyang Bai Ge’s words.

 

Only Ouyang Bai Ge could open the Void World. As long as they retreated into it, everyone’s safety was guaranteed.

 

Although one of Lu Fan’s Projections had been instantly killed by the Slaughter Ancient God, if Lu Fan brought all of his Pet Dragons and summoned several more Projections, they ought to have a fighting chance against the Slaughter Ancient God.

 

Even if they could not overcome him, buying enough time for everyone to retreat into the Void World and then depart should at least be achievable.

 

For the time being, the Slaughter Ancient God was undeniably powerful.

 

But how high his degree of awakening truly was, Ouyang Bai Ge was still unable to determine.

 

Whether they could kill him and seize his Divine Seat remained something that could only be known through battle.

 

The most pressing matter was still to first locate the so-called Sacred Jiang Family and confirm the Slaughter Ancient God’s position.

 

Yet the location of the Sacred Jiang Family was not so easily confirmed.

 

Just as there existed information barriers between the ordinary world and the Ancient Noble Families, just as Second Tier Ancient Noble Families could scarcely peer into the affairs of Supreme Tier or First Tier ones, Sacred Lands, as the mightiest Force in the Western Border, looked down upon all living things. Even Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Families were barely regarded in their eyes.

 

By the same token, though Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Families were colossal presences even within the Western Border, their knowledge of the Sacred Land was far from thorough.

 

Thus, as far as the Sacred Jiang Family was concerned, Lu Fan and the others were completely in the dark. They did not have the faintest idea of its location.

 

Lu Fan had initially surmised that, since the Slaughter Ancient God had once descended upon the Tie Family before making his way to the Sacred Jiang Family, there was a strong likelihood of some connection between the Tie Family and the Sacred Jiang Family.

 

Ye Wuxian was in agreement with Lu Fan’s conjecture, and so she took the Ye Family members to search the Tie Family’s vaults thoroughly for another two days, hoping to uncover some clue regarding the Sacred Jiang Family within the Tie Family’s records.

 

The results were disappointing. Whether in the Tie Family’s various histories or in their records of other Ancient Noble Families, there was not the slightest trace of any clue related to the Sacred Jiang Family.

 

It appeared that between the Sacred Jiang Family and the Tie Family, there was simply no connection whatsoever.

 

This left the search for the Sacred Jiang Family momentarily at an impasse.

 

Fortunately, Lu Fan’s connections were quite extensive.

 

He reached out in succession to several newly acquainted Patriarchs of Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Families, making enquiries about any clues concerning the Sacred Jiang Family.

 

The replies he received were uniform. None of them had much knowledge of this Sacred Land, and they would need to go and consult certain Family records to see whether they might help Lu Fan find any thread to pull.

 

Three days passed. Still, not a single Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family had provided any useful clue.

 

The Western Border was so vast. Finding a single Sacred Land was truly no simple matter…

 

It was not until five days later, as Lu Fan sat reading through books at the Ye Family’s new base, formerly the Tie Family’s base, that word had finally arrived. Situ Qianqian of the Situ Family had come seeking Lu Fan, bearing news that the Situ Family had uncovered something about the Sacred Jiang Family.

 

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan was immediately overjoyed. He went to welcome Situ Qianqian at once. He naturally did not forget to bring Ouyang Bai Ge along.

 

The two arrived at the Ye Family’s reception hall, where they found Situ Qianqian, who had already been waiting for some time.

 

“Miss Situ, allow me to introduce you, this is my teacher, Ouyang Bai Ge.” Lu Fan said, straight to the point, ushering Ouyang Bai Ge to a seat before making the introductions. “And this is the Young Lady of the Situ Family, a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family, Situ Qianqian.”

 

Through Lu Fan’s introductions, the two came to know one another.

 

Situ Qianqian did not know Ouyang Bai Ge’s true identity, but seeing the profound respect Lu Fan showed her, she instinctively sensed that this outwardly unremarkable Senior was in fact some manner of great personage. So she dared not be neglectful, treating her with considerable deference in all her words.

 

After a brief round of introductions, Lu Fan’s expression turned serious. “Miss Situ, you said your Family has uncovered news about the Sacred Jiang Family. Is this true?”

 

“We would naturally not deceive you.” Situ Qianqian smiled lightly, addressing Lu Fan: “This Sacred Jiang Family is indeed extremely secretive. Never mind Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Families, we sought assistance from the Yei Family, another Sacred Land, and even they had to expend considerable effort before helping us locate any clues about the Sacred Jiang Family.”

 

“The Yei Family?” Lu Fan was puzzled.

 

Situ Qianqian smiled and explained in a low voice: “It is our Situ Family’s backer. Among Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Families, each is wary of the others. To maintain one’s position as a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family requires not only a sufficiently deep foundation of one’s own, but a backer as well. This is practically indispensable. Our Situ Family’s backer is the Sacred Yei Family, an extraordinarily powerful Sacred Land within the Western Border.”

 

“It is precisely through the protection of the Sacred Yei Family that our Situ Family was able to grow step by step into what it is today. The relationship between the Situ Family and the Sacred Yei Family is reasonably good, and the two sides interact with some regularity. Our Ancestor knew you were seeking the Sacred Jiang Family, and so he made a special trip to the Sacred Yei Family to search for clues. It was only then that he finally found information pertaining to the Sacred Jiang Family.”

 

“I see…” Lu Fan nodded.

 

Indeed, the Sacred Jiang Family was so secretive that only another Sacred Land could obtain even the faintest scraps of information about it.

 

“But.” Situ Qianqian said, her brow furrowing slightly at this point, “Mr Lu, through our Ancestor’s investigation, it has been found that this Sacred Jiang Family… is rather peculiar. I do not know your purpose in seeking the Sacred Jiang Family, but if it is not strictly necessary, I would still advise that you avoid becoming too entangled with it.”

 

“Oh?” Lu Fan listened with a puzzled frown. “How is it peculiar? Is it that this Sacred Land has too many powerful individuals, too strong?”

 

“Not exactly… it is just really strange.” Situ Qianqian weighed her words carefully, then began slowly recounting everything she knew about the Sacred Jiang Family.

 

This Sacred Jiang Family was, among the Sacred Lands, an extraordinarily peculiar existence.

 

The Western Border was vast, and the number of openly known Sacred Lands was sparse. There were no more than seven or eight in total.

 

Of course, it was also possible that there were other Sacred Lands lurking deep within the Western Border, unknown even to the other Sacred Lands.

 

Such existences were few in number.

 

And the Sacred Jiang Family appeared to be one of them.

 

The Sacred Jiang Family was not one of the current publicly known Sacred Lands.

 

Or rather, it was not one now, though it once had been.

 

The Sacred Jiang Family had, nearly a thousand years ago, genuinely existed. It was a legitimate Sacred Land in its own right.

 

Yet later, owing to a certain battle, the Sacred Jiang Family had ceased to exist.