Chapter 1682: Furious Confrontation with the Ning Clan Elders

Heaven Eagle Imperial City, the Ning Clan!

Over the past few decades, the Ning Clan had been under immense pressure.

Ning Tianping, the Ning Clan's foremost genius, had vanished without a trace, a tremendous loss for the clan.

But the Nings were not fools. The moment Ye Yuan left, Ning Tianping disappeared; it was highly likely he had followed Ye Yuan.

However, Ye Yuan had said he was going out to seek opportunities for a breakthrough. Who knew when that opportunity would come, or what dangers he might encounter outside?

The uncertainties were too great!

After all, geniuses training alone in the outside world had a high chance of falling.

Every year in Heaven Eagle Imperial City, quite a few talented disciples died outside.

Some of them were even Divine Lord realm protectors, or even stewards.

If Ning Tianping and Ye Yuan fell outside, it would be a devastating blow to the Ning Clan.

A genius like Ning Tianping was not easily cultivated.

The Ning Clan's high echelons had long been gnashing their teeth in hatred toward Ye Yuan.

Leaving on his own was one thing, but he had also taken away the most talented youth of the Ning Clan, and even the entire Heaven Eagle Imperial City!

Over the years, Ning Zhiyuan rarely went into seclusion, investing much energy into training the younger disciples.

With Ning Tianping and Ye Yuan going out, Ye Yuan was practically useless and couldn't help much.

To be honest, Ning Zhiyuan didn't hold much hope that Ning Tianping would return alive.

Though decades had passed, whenever Ning Zhiyuan thought of Ning Tianping, he still felt deeply troubled.

One day, a subordinate suddenly came to report: Ning Tianping had returned!

Ning Zhiyuan shuddered, shot to his feet, and vanished from the spot.

In the Ning Clan's main hall, many clan elders stared in shock at the young man standing in the center.

In just a few decades, Ning Tianping had broken through again, becoming a mid-stage Divine Lord realm expert!

Such a cultivation speed was terrifying.

"Could that kid have encountered some fortuitous opportunity outside?"

"Could it be that he went out to train on his own? Was his disappearance with that waste just a coincidence?"

"That's possible! What kind of opportunity could he find with a Return to Void realm waste? It would be a miracle if he wasn't dragged down."

...

The elders whispered among themselves, directly separating Ning Tianping from Ye Yuan.

Among the upper echelons of Heaven Eagle Imperial City, Ye Yuan had become a laughingstock.

Before the Return to Void realm, he had been earth-shattering, but such a genius couldn't even break through to the Divine Lord realm.

Ning Tianping frowned, about to explode, when a figure rushed in—Ning Zhiyuan!

Ning Zhiyuan had arrived in a fury, but seeing that Ning Tianping had broken through, the anger on his face dissipated considerably.

Suppressing his anger, Ning Tianping bowed respectfully to Ning Zhiyuan. "Tianping pays respects to the Clan Leader!"

Though Ning Zhiyuan had already forgiven Ning Tianping, to maintain his authority as clan leader, he snorted coldly, "Hmph! Leaving without notice, do you still have me, the clan leader, in your eyes?"

In truth, Ning Tianping had been somewhat dissatisfied with Ning Zhiyuan before leaving.

What Ning Zhiyuan had done at the council of elders was not honorable.

But to be fair, Ning Zhiyuan had spared no effort in training him, so he couldn't really complain. Thus, he chose to leave without notice as a way to express his discontent.

Accepting Ning Zhiyuan's wrath calmly, Ning Tianping said respectfully, "Tianping would never dare!"

Ning Zhiyuan snorted again. "You've already done it, so what wouldn't you dare? But forget it. I thought you had followed that waste Ye Yuan, which is why I was so worried. Now it seems you've found your own opportunity! Breaking through to mid-stage Divine Lord in a few decades is a merit for the Ning Clan. Consider it atonement for your fault!"

Ning Tianping had been accepting the reprimand humbly, but when he heard Ning Zhiyuan call Ye Yuan a waste, he instantly exploded.

He shot to his feet, startling everyone around him.

"Tianping holds the deepest respect for the Clan Leader, but my reverence for Lord Ye is like looking up at a towering mountain! Clan Leader, I ask you to take back your words! Lord Ye is no waste; he is an unparalleled genius! Otherwise, you will regret what you said today!" Ning Tianping's voice was icy cold.

Ning Zhiyuan was taken aback by Ning Tianping's attitude. He had always known Ning Tianping as obedient, sensible, and deeply respectful.

Yet today, he had turned against him for Ye Yuan!

Ning Zhiyuan's face darkened. "Regret? A waste who can't even break through to the Divine Lord realm is an unparalleled genius? Very well, Ning Tianping, for a waste, you dare to defy me?"

Hearing this, the clan elders erupted in fury, joining in to rebuke Ning Tianping.

"Tianping, you've grown wings after going out, daring to be so disrespectful to the Clan Leader!"

"How outrageous! Do you think that just because you've broken through to the fourth level of Divine Lord, you can look down on the Clan Leader?"

"For a waste, you dare to act insolently toward the Clan Leader? This is preposterous! He should be punished by clan law!"

...

Listening to their clamor, Ning Tianping finally exploded.

His respect for Ning Zhiyuan did not extend to these people.

These old fools did nothing but point fingers and offer bad advice, never doing anything useful.

In short, they were a bunch of old parasites waiting to die.

Ning Tianping roared in anger, "All of you, shut up! Waste? Can't break through the Divine Lord realm? You're talking nonsense! If you have any guts, don't ever beg Lord Ye for pills! I tell you, Lord Ye is already deeply disappointed with the Ning Clan. You fools, are you trying to push the Ning Clan into an abyss of eternal damnation?"

One of the most senior elders immediately exploded, pointing at Ning Tianping and cursing, "You... you little brat! How dare you speak to us like that? This is rebellion! Rebellion! Clan Leader, look at this little brat—after going out, he's become lawless! That waste can't even break through the Divine Lord realm. Does this old man need to beg him for pills?"

But Ning Zhiyuan ignored him, instead looking at Ning Tianping with a puzzled expression. "Tianping, what do you mean by that?"

Ning Tianping sneered, "What do I mean? Lord Ye has not only broken through the Divine Lord realm, but his growth over these decades is beyond your imagination! Clan Leader, Tianping does not mean to be disrespectful to his elders, but I am truly grieved! If you had supported Lord Ye at the council of elders back then, the situation would not be what it is today! My Ning Clan would have become the number one clan in Heaven Eagle Imperial City! But now... alas!"

Ning Zhiyuan's eyes narrowed in shock. "What did you say? Ye Yuan... he really broke through? That's impossible! Back then, he even took the Sun-Moon Universe Pill and couldn't even reach half-step Divine Lord. How could he break through the Divine Lord realm?"

Ning Tianping glanced at Ning Zhiyuan and couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

That look pierced Ning Zhiyuan's heart like a thorn, stabbing deep into his soul.