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Translator: 549690339

The Tang Clan’s annual meeting is the most crucial celebration of the year for the clan. The ancestral hall, which can accommodate twenty thousand people, has been transformed into a banquet hall. In the center, a two-meter-high platform was erected, giving a full view of the venue.

Behind the platform are nine extraordinarily luxurious round tables, which are the seats of honor at the meeting. They belong to the clan leader, the First Head of the Battle Hall, the head of the clan, and the elders.

Further back, round tables are neatly arranged throughout the hall, with eight seats per table, totaling two thousand tables.

The arrival of Tang Sen and his family was not early. By the time they entered the hall, it was already bustling with people. Most of the clan members had been sitting for a while, immersed in lively chatter.

With the arrival of Tang Sen’s family, all the clan members, except those at the main table, stood up to show their respect.

With Tang Nuannuan in one arm and holding Xu Shuhui’s hand in the other, Tang Sen politely nodded to those around him as he walked towards his seat.

Despite being the target of such attention for the second time, Tang Luo still wasn’t quite used to it, let alone the young boy with him.

The young boy tried his best to hold his head high and puff his chest out, not wanting to appear weak. But he didn’t know where to put his eyes or hands, so he just followed half a step behind, intently focusing on Tang Luo’s back.

Under the gaze of thousands in the hall, the family walked to their table and sat down. Less than half of the dozen main seats were occupied, a sharp contrast to the other eight tables.

The seats were left this empty not because there were so few people in the third branch of the Tang Clan, but because the father-son relationship between Tang Sen and his father, Tang Hao, was very strained.

The patriarch of the Tang Clan in Xiling, named Tang Zhenqing, was a powerful figure at the pinnacle of the Fierce Realm. He had three sons, and hence, the Tang family was divided into three branches.

Tang Luo’s lineage is the third branch, which includes his grandfather Tang Hao and his granduncle Tang Ran. Over twenty generations, the first and second branches of the Tang Clan in Xiling had branched off numerous times, while the third branch only had one main and one branch lineage, which, of course, happened for a reason.

The Tang Clan’s rules clearly state that a clan member can apply to establish a separate household after the age of twenty. After establishing a separate household, you become the head of a separate branch of the Tang Clan.

For ambitious Tang Clan men, establishing a separate household is almost a necessary step, as every young man has great confidence in himself, believing that he can build a vast family fortune.

Only the third branch was different. Apart from Tang Sen, none of the men in the third branch believed they could build a larger family fortune than the third branch already had.

Tang Zhenqing had three children, but his youngest son was his favorite because he was born in his twilight years. He was particularly spoiled, but as a young child, he was almost a hundred years younger than his two brothers, causing Tang Zhenqing to worry immensely about his youngest son’s future.

So when dividing the Tang Clan into three branches, Tang Zhenqing gave some spiritual jade, herbs, divine weapons and armor to the first and second branches, but left all the fundamental resources to his youngest son.

These included thirty-three beasts, a thousand Blood Slaves, a thousand puppets, and a mansion engraved with twenty-one major formations to serve as the third branch’s ancestral home.

His eldest and second sons were forced to accept Tang Zhenqing’s favoritism, but this grand inheritance did not cause the third branch to grow.

The youngest son, although talented and devoted to martial arts in his youth, abandoned his martial path in adulthood, indulged in debauchery, and ruined his health. When Tang Zhenqing came out of his ten-year closed-door cultivation, the once vibrant and talented youth had become a wretch who was exhausted by excessive indulgence in wine and women.

So the third branch became the weakest in the Xiling Tang family, despite having the most abundant resources. Because of this, every male in the third branch, even some from the collateral line aware of the slim hope, couldn’t suppress their greed for the branch leader’s wealth.

After all, if they stayed in the third branch, they could use the Blood Slaves and puppets. If they established their separate households, they would have nothing except for a few warriors who hadn’t reached the stage of transcendence.

So up to now, there was only one branch from the third line, which belonged to Tang Sen.

And it is from this that the conflict between Tang Hao and Tang Sen arises. Tang Hao hoped that Tang Sen would return to the clan so that after a century, Tang Sen can succeed as the leader of the third branch and take care of his brothers and sisters.

But Tang Sen refused. In his heart, he considered only his wife, children, and sister as his family.

How could Tang Hao, who was always proud of the rich heritage of the third-generation, accept this? From then on, both of them no longer had any interaction with each other. Even if they saw each other at the annual meeting, they never greeted each other, or sat at the same table, they became strangers.

At this moment, the curtain on the high platform was lifted, revealing the figure of the clan head, Tang Zhi.

“All of our clansmen,” he said, wearing a black outfit as he stepped onto the stage. Having reached the peak of humanity and being unfazed by extreme weather, even in winter he wore only a single layer, making others feel chilly just looking at him.

The clan leader’s appearance brought everyone’s eyes to the stage, but they were all puzzled. The clan leader used to take the stage after the family dinner. Why was he on the stage so early this year?

With a smile on his face, Tang Zhi slowly scanned the hall and said loudly, “Wancheng Treasure Ship, returning in February.”

“Oh~” A sudden loud cheer, that was close to lifting the roof off the hall, erupted. For the past hundred years or so, every time the treasure ship returned, it meant another round of expansion for the Tang Clan. Each member of the Tang Clan could also share a lot of benefits. Some clansmen who went out to sea with the ship were even more excited, as everyone knew that when the treasure ship returned, each crew member’s wealth would be at least enough to buy a mansion in Xiling.

Sensing the excitement of his clansmen, Tang Zhi’s voice became even louder, “And this time, the loot, is extraordinarily exceptional.”

“Oh~ Oh~ Oh—” If the previous cheers were close to lifting the roof off, then the roar that erupted now made the entire hall shake. Little Nuannuan and the little boy were also caught up in the atmosphere, cheering loudly.

After a while, the cheering slowly died down, and everyone’s eyes once again fell on Tang Zhi standing on the main stage. Their eyes were full of excitement, looking forward to more good news.

And Tang Zhi did not disappoint, continued to speak, “In addition to this, I have another major proposal that has just been voted on by the Elder Council to announce.”

“We have established a new hall in our clan, named Dark Thunder, operating independently, and only responsible to the Elder Council. And the head of Dark Thunder Hall is the overall leader of this voyage, Tang Zuo.”

The hall, which was overjoyed just a few moments ago, instantly fell silent. Not even a sound could be heard. All of the clansmen turned their eyes to Tang Sen’s table.

Tang Zuo actually showed up, and was even setting up a new hall. Wasn’t this a blatant challenge to Tang Sen? At such a sensitive matter, no one dared to take a stand, so their eyes naturally turned to Tang Sen’s table, trying to gauge the First Head of the Martial Hall’s attitude before deciding whether to accept this “good news”.

But ever since the Clan Leader announced the news, Tang Luo’s brows knit together slightly because he noticed that his father seemed too calm, and his mother, who was the king of hype was too indifferent, sipping tea, indifferent to the good news.

It seems that his parents already knew about it.

After all, he is the First Head of the Martial Hall, in a major decision like this, they would never bypass Tang Sen.

Tang Zhi didn’t care about the atmosphere below, and after finishing his speech, he stepped aside and glanced at Tang Sen with a meaningful look. “Now, please, Tang Zuo, the Head of Dark Thunder Hall, to give a speech.”

Tang Sen noticed Tang Zhi’s look, nodded slightly, and stood up.

Seeing Tang Sen’s movement, everyone in the hall felt their hearts skip a beat.

If Tang Sen were to leave in a huff, this would surely ruin the festivities.

But unexpectedly, Tang Sen was the first to begin clapping.

“Clap, clap, clap, clap,” the solitary clapping echoed through the hall, so shocking that everyone didn’t react for a moment. After a while, they hastily followed Tang Sen’s rhythm, starting to clap as well..