High Martial Arts: Invincible Starts from Basic Archery Chapter 790 - 616: All for the Elder Council

By the following morning, shocking news raced across Yan Country at an astonishing speed.

Overnight, the Song Family, Liu Family, Bai Family, and Liang Family appeared to have been utterly erased from existence.

Barring just a handful of peripheral relatives, every member of these clans perished, their bodies shriveled like desiccated husks in a nightmarish tragedy.

The one thing tying these clans together, if anything, was their role in the assault on the Jiangnan Martial Arts Association.

Furthermore, residents of Jiangnan City had caught wind the day before of Chen Fan's plans to confront these families, leading nearly all to point fingers at him as the perpetrator.

Conversations buzzed in taverns, tea houses, and hidden corners as folks dissected the events everywhere.

"This is outrageous. The Liu Family was just following commands, and he took out some of their folks. But did he need to exterminate the whole lot?"

"You said it. I checked out the Bai Family place. The sight was downright terrifying. Calling it a hell on earth wouldn't overstate it."

"What's the Elder Council waiting for? A bloodthirsty monster like that, and they still haven't taken him down? Are they fine with him keeping up the slaughter?"

"Ugh, don't get me started. Now that you mention it, it jogged my memory. Word is, a couple of minor clans met the same grim end last night. They just lack the fame of the Song Family, so the story hasn't spread far."

"What? Even more victims?"

At those words, panic gripped one listener.

"Isn't he just going after those who've wronged him?"

"Beats me what's driving this."

The man shook his head and added, "I dismissed the rumor at first. But then confirmation rolled in—it really happened. Don't take my word if you're skeptical; verify it yourself. Updates are bound to hit soon."

Silence enveloped the room.

Waves of anxiety rippled through the group.

"That madman won't turn his sights on us next, will he?"

At last, one voice broke through the bottled-up fear with a question. Their clan's influence was modest at best; boasting a Celestial Human Realm elder counted as a real achievement.

Yet for that guy, dispatching mid-stage Celestial Realm Martial Artists came effortlessly. An early-stage one might as well be worthless.

Should he set his eyes on them for real.

The fates of the Song and Liu Families stood as stark warnings.

"Nah, probably not. We've got no beef with him."

"But those minor clans didn't cross him either, and look what happened to them."

"Forget guessing games. We ought to push the Elder Council to end that maniac fast. With him breathing, none of us can sleep easy."

"You're right. Let's head to the Elder Council as a group."

Come midday, crowds packed the Elder Council headquarters.

Up in the highest-level meeting chamber, four elders gathered around a conference table.

Grim expressions clouded their features.

Within a single evening, the bulk of members from the Song Family, Liu Family, and additional clans had met their doom!

An incident like this hadn't struck in nearly a decade.

The repercussions were utterly devastating!

Crucially, they weren't idiots.

While the public pinned it all on Chen Fan.

Deep down, they recognized a different hand at work.

Take the Liu Family, for instance.

They'd spoken by phone with them the previous day, hearing that Chen Fan was long gone. How could a departed man loop back to annihilate the entire Liu Family?

The Bai Family mirrored that situation.

Queries via calls had gone out to each.

Every response matched.

Right then, a holographic image flickered to life on the wall.

"What's going on?"

The image inquired.

It belonged to Su Ming himself.

"Brother Su, we've got trouble."

Xu Hu blurted out in haste, "Overnight, the Song Family folks and the rest got wiped out."

"What? This went down for real?"

Su Ming froze for a beat, then let out a icy huff and declared, "That punk Chen Fan's got some nerve! Stealing their cultivation techniques is bad enough, but massacring them too? He's begging for it!"

"Brother Su, it's probably not that straightforward." Zhao Chunyuan spoke with heavy gravity, "Our checks with the families at the time showed no issues. Take the Song Family—post Chen Fan's visit, they dispatched a messenger here. If silencing was his goal, why go through the motions?"

"Exactly, Brother Su. I suspect it's more tangled than it seems. Reports indicate the victims had their life force sucked dry, resembling withered corpses. This reeks of the Ogre's handiwork to me." The Yan Family elder chimed in as well.

"What?" Su Ming exclaimed in shock, "You suspect them? That can't be, can it? They got the balls for that?"

"Brother Su, I'm leaning toward it being their plot, deliberately setting up Chen Fan." The Qin Family elder interjected right then.

"Is that so?"

Seriousness finally etched across Xu Ming's face as he replied, "Fine, I'll confront them soon enough and find out if they're behind it. If they are, they've got guts pulling this without looping me in."

Those present traded uneasy looks.

"Brother Xu, I've got words I hesitate to voice." Zhao Chunyuan paused uncertainly.

"Hehe," Xu Ming gave a faint smile and urged, "No need for ceremony, Younger Brother Zhao. Speak freely."

"Very well."

Drawing in a steadying breath, Zhao Chunyuan continued, "Releasing those two after Chen Fan feels like sending a tiger to devour a wolf—slip up once, and the tiger escapes back to the wild.

True, Chen Fan defied the Elder Council's might and earned a death sentence. Yet he showed a shred of mercy, snatching only the cultivation techniques without needless blood. Those two, though? Ruthless to the core, they eradicated the Song, Liu, Bai, and Liang families—thousands upon thousands gone. Plus, other clans fell victim too. Blaming Chen Fan for this? It doesn't add up. Brother Xu, those two have gone utterly unhinged."