Seven Treasure City, the city owned by the Ning Clan.
At this moment, the atmosphere within the grand hall of the Ning Clan was shrouded with a tension so palpable it felt as though the very air had turned into lead.
High atop the mahogany dais, Patriarch Ning Xiao sat upon his seat of authority, his knuckles white as he gripped the armrests.
His face was wrinkled, as if they have been carved with the weight of leadership and the brewing storm of a continental conflict.
To his left and right stood the twin pillars of the Ning Clan's martial might—two men whose names were whispered with reverence and terror throughout the Eastern Region.
The first was the Sword Saint, known simply as Old Jian. He stood as straight as the blade he carried, his aura sharp enough to pierce the skin of any lesser cultivator who dared to look him in the eye.
As a 6th Stage Spirit Ascension Realm expert, he was a living disaster, a man who could cleave mountains with a flick of his wrist.
