Ultragenic Warlord

Chapter 110: The Wang Clan's Plans

Of course, there were two sides to every story, and while Zhang Lie had become an idol to most, there were others who were gnashing their teeth as they saw his rise to prominence—for instance, the Wang, Qin, and Zhou clans, as well as those hunters who believed themselves to have been wronged by Zhang Lie.

In a refugee camp on the Moon, within a small, cramped room, Wang Xiaohua punched her optical television. "What Dragonwolf? He's nothing, a piece of trash, a useless hunter! Argh!"

Zhang Lie's seemingly limitless future caused Wang Xiaohua to want to pull out her hair in fury. Ever since he had ruined her life, her only motivation to continue living was to seek revenge. As a result, she had been putting her life on the line to defeat lifeforms in the dimensional world.

She had already amassed over fifty superior gene fragments, and she was anticipating that, with a little more time and effort, she would surely be able to kill Zhang Lie and avenge her father's expulsion from the clan.

However, Zhang Lie had long since surpassed her.

Countless experts had confirmed that Zhang Lie had to have capped all his gene fragments and that he had a combat ability equivalent to that of a second-realm hunter. Furthermore, he had to have at least three superior-grade soulshards in his soulspace.

How was she to contend with someone like him? After her sudden fit of rage, Wang Xiaohua began to regret her past decisions.

Why had she discarded Zhang Lie for a piece of trash like Qin Xiaotian? Her vanity and repeated provocation of Zhang Lie had ruined her life and family. If she had a chance to repeat her past, she wouldn't have messed with him at any cost, but there were no second chances in life.

After packing up her scant belongings, Wang Xiaohua walked out of her rented room. She had no chance at revenge. In that case, she would leave and try to distance herself from Zhang Lie as much as possible.

She wasn't the only one with that thought. In the Wang clan headquarters in Ning, Wang Han had called a meeting with the clan elders from the branch families, and they were currently watching a holographic recording of Zhang Lie's now-famous battle.

After the battle were reports regarding Zhang Lie from various media sources.

"I'm sure you're all aware of just who this Zhang Lie is. The reason I've called an emergency meeting is to discuss just how to deal with this lad."

Wang Han's face was sunken and sallow. He was disgusted by Zhang Lie's meteoric rise, but this was surely an event that he and the entire Wang clan had to pay attention to.

"A galaxy fighter, as well as a dragonsoul warrior... these two titles alone make him an enemy we have to avoid at all costs. My recommendation is to leave Ning, or to give up our pride and formally apologize to Zhang Lie.

"Wang Jianxin and his family have already been punished for their misdeeds, and he should bear no further ill will toward the Wang clan. As long as we're sincere enough, he should be willing to let bygones be bygones," an elder suggested.

Wang Han exploded in fury. "You want us, the mighty Wang clan, to bow down and apologize to a kid? Aren't you ashamed for even suggesting such a course of action?!"

"Ashamed? No, of course not. Head, please consider the significance of his new titles carefully. If we oppose him, then we're all but opposing the Chinese government itself. Why take such an unnecessary risk? He's demonstrated his potential for all to see, and there's no need for the Wang clan to be enemies with a man who's being groomed to lead the next generation of hunters."

The elder's reasoned argument won over many supporters.

"Is that so? Just because he has demonstrated potential doesn't mean that he'll be able to live to actualize that potential! He'll be given more opportunities in light of that potential, yes, but he'll also become a greater target for enemy factions. I propose that we kill him before he reaches his full potential. After all, Ning isn't a large city, and were he to reach his full strength, would we be able to retain any power in Ning at all?"

Wang Han's view was completely antithetical to that of the Wang elder who had spoken previously. After all, Wang Jianxin was his younger brother, and although Wang Han had been forced to expel him under significant pressure from the various elders, it had been pure torture for him to do so.

Whenever he was reminded of Zhang Lie, he felt a throbbing pain deep in his bones.

Wang Jianxin's expulsion, the huge financial losses that the Wang clan had had to swallow... how could they annul this enmity so easily? He and Zhang Lie were destined to be bitter enemies. Now that he had finally saved the Wang clan from destitution, his next target would be Zhang Lie's destruction.

So what if he were a galaxy fighter, so what if he were a dragonsoul warrior? Regardless, that lad had no backer nor background to speak of. He was talented, sure, but only within the younger generation. The Wang clan had hunters famed even in the second realm of the dimensional world, and they had no need to fear Zhang Lie.

Zhang Lie was a young hunter, and it would be quite easy for his newfound fame and attention to get to his head. As long as the Wang clan was able to seize an opportunity or two to manufacture some form of negative publicity, even the federal and Chinese governments wouldn't be able to save him.

Wang Han was quite certain that he would succeed, and his desire to take decisive action drew the favor of several elders as well. Just like Wang Han, they believed that Zhang Lie's rise would cause the Wang clan's position in Ning to weaken.

The Wang clan had its roots in Ning, so how could they leave so easily? And because of a hunter of a younger generation, no less! If word were to spread, the Wang clan's reputation would fall overnight.

The elder who had taken the opposing position, Wang Feng, staunchly recapitulated his claim: Zhang Lie would surely outgrow the confines of Ning, and there was no need to take the unnecessary risk of making him an enemy.

The contentious issue of Zhang Lie caused a schism within the Wang clan.

"Elder Wang Feng, this time, I really have to side with the clan head. Zhang Lie's a member of the younger generation. If we bow down to him, what will the other clans say? Perhaps you might not know this, but this brash and arrogant Zhang Lie has purchased all the land within a kilometer of his house, and is intending to construct a dojo there! Surely you understand how threatening this might be to us?" another elder spoke up.

However, he was instantly met with a rebuttal from Wang Feng's faction. "Indeed, the fact that he's constructing a dojo is exactly why we shouldn't confront him directly. Right now, Zhang Lie's every action will surely draw the scrutiny of both the federal and Chinese governments, as well as countless citizens! If anyone were to stand against Zhang Lie now, they would surely face stiff opposition. Surely you can all see that this isn't worth it!"

Neither side was quite able to convince the other.

After the incident with Wang Jianxin, Wang Han's position as clan head had grown relatively insecure, and multiple factions had developed within the clan. This internal schism was made obvious by the day's events.

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In the end, Wang Han stared stonily at the gathered crowd. "Since we can't seem to reach an agreement, we'll let a majority vote determine our path ahead."