Well, actually, Mo Tang didn't mean to insult anyone.
He didn't have a penchant for bullying people.
The reason he asked was simply to find out if the Ye family was still worth subduing…
It wasn't until he arrived at the Ye family and personally witnessed their strength that Mo Tang realized how naive his previous thoughts had been.
Although the Ye family still held the title of one of the five great families, and although Mo Tang had tried his best to imagine the worst possible decline, he still hadn't expected the Ye family to have actually fallen to such a state…
Upon arriving at the Ye family and opening the system map, the strength of the Ye family members displayed was truly appalling—just a few small cats… not even a single large cat left.
Of course, this might not be all of the Ye family's strength, but it was definitely the majority.
This strength even made Mo Tang consider giving up on subduing them, which gives you an idea of just how far the Ye family had fallen.
Suppressing his anger, Ye Chong said in an unfriendly tone, "I don't know what you mean by that, sir?"
Mo Tang's expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "Don't misunderstand, I don't mean to look down on you. I just want to assess your strength and see if you're qualified for my protection."
This was a more palatable statement, since it was protection, not subjugation—wasn't that the same purpose as the Ye family's elaborate schemes to join the
Pill Tower? However, these words only fueled Ye Chong's anger…
What was this?
Did the Ye family not even qualify for your attention?
"Hmph! Young master, don't speak so rudely. This is the Pill Domain, the territory of the Pill Tower! No matter how much my Ye family has declined, we are still one of the five great families of the Pill Domain, and we still have many connections within the Pill Tower!"
Mo Tang looked at the old man speechlessly and said indifferently, "So, will this help with the current problems facing your Ye family?"
"...!"
Ye Zhong was speechless.
Although the Ye family, as one of the five great families, had declined, Ye Zhong's words were not wrong. Thanks to the legacy of their ancestors, they could still find some connections within the Pill Tower.
However, this was of no help in addressing the problems the Ye family was facing!
To retain their position as elders of the Pill Tower, they had to achieve a top-three ranking in this assessment. This was the rule, a fact that no one could change.
Just as Ye Zhong was feeling a pang of anger, Ye Xinlan suddenly spoke up, "I wonder if the method this gentleman mentioned earlier, which would help my Ye family overcome this difficulty, is true?"
Her sudden voice startled both Ye Zhong and Ye Lan, but it was too late to stop her.
Mo Tang looked at this young lady of the Ye family, smiled slightly, and nodded, "Of course it's true. You only want to join the Pill Tower to preserve the Ye family's current status. Since the Pill Tower doesn't want you, why don't you just find another one?"
Ye Xinlan could only laugh and cry at this.
Was there any power in Zhongzhou that could compare to the Pill Tower?
Even if there were, would they even look at their Ye family?
"Alright, enough with the nonsense." Mo Tang waved his hand impatiently, "Answer my question first."
Ye Xinlan looked at him, then at the indifferent Little Fairy Doctor and Bi Wu beside her, and made a decision in her heart.
"My lord, my Ye family currently has three seventh-grade beginner alchemists, twelve sixth-grade alchemists, and seventy-eight alchemists below the sixth grade..."
"Xinlan!" *2
Seeing that Ye Xinlan had revealed her family's trump card so readily, Ye Zhong and Ye Lan were both greatly shocked.
They knew that the true strength of a family was its most closely guarded secret...
If outsiders found out, their clan would be on the verge of extermination!
It could be said that Ye Xinlan had essentially betrayed her family.
Mo Tang's eyes lit up at this; he hadn't expected the Ye family to be so weak after all…
Although high-grade alchemists were extremely rare, their reserves of sixth-grade and lower alchemists were unmatched by many first-rate forces.
"Not bad, not bad. Although the high-grade alchemists are lacking, the fact that there are twelve sixth-grade alchemists is truly a pleasant surprise."
A sixth-grade alchemist could refine pills like the Dou Ling Dan, Huang Ji Dan, and Po Zong Dan—pills that help people break through and rapidly increase their strength. This was crucial for a force's training of its grassroots personnel.
For the current Feng Lei Pavilion, or even the future Four Directions Pavilion Alliance, the biggest problem was the scarcity of Dou Zong powerhouses as its core strength.
In future battles, Dou Zong will truly become the main force...
After all, there are only so many experts. When it comes to soldiers versus soldiers, generals versus generals, Dou Zun and Dou Sheng will naturally restrain each other, and Dou Zong will become the key to breaking the deadlock.
Then, by restraining your experts, destroying your stronghold, and seizing your treasures, you can develop your own power again.
Actually, Mo Tang is now somewhat dismissive of those high-grade medicinal herbs. Unless they are like the Bodhi Ancient Tree, nothing is more valuable than a Dou Zun's body.
But even if he could kill such a powerful figure, he couldn't kill indiscriminately, otherwise, before the Soul Clan, he would become a universally hated rat.
Returning to the Ye family...
Mo Tang was quite optimistic about the Ye family's current strength; he hadn't expected them to not disappoint him too much.
"My name is Mo Tang, and I am a disciple of Lei Zun, the Pavilion Master of Feng Lei Pavilion. If your Ye family wants to escape your current crisis, then why not join the Feng Lei Pavilion? I will naturally protect you and ensure the Ye family's foundation is secure..."
If these words had been spoken a month ago, the Ye family would probably have spat in his face...
What right did a mere Feng Lei Pavilion have to speak like this in the Pill Domain?
However, ever since the news spread that Mo Tang, the young Pavilion Master of Feng Lei Pavilion, had single-handedly destroyed Binghe Valley, no one in the Central Continent dared to underestimate Feng Lei Pavilion anymore.
Although the reputation of Sifang Pavilion remained, to the people of the Central Region, they were merely local tyrants from remote areas, not worthy of being mentioned.
But Binghe Valley was renowned in the Central Region, and its two Dou Zun were also quite famous.
Moreover, in the ranking of forces in the Central Region, the Three Valleys were clearly stronger than Sifang Pavilion...
Yet this stronger Binghe Valley was actually destroyed by a young disciple of Feng Lei Pavilion!
In an instant, Mo Tang's name resounded throughout the Central Continent!
His identity as a member of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan also spread; otherwise, no one could imagine how a junior disciple could possess the strength to kill a four-star Dou Zun!
All of this gave Mo Tang a reputation in the Central Continent comparable to many older generation Venerable-level experts.
(End of Chapter)