Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 135

In this round of brutal power reshuffling, the auxiliary families that once belonged to the Tidal Battle King and the Azure Mountain Battle King undoubtedly suffered the heaviest blows. Among them, the Tao Family, the main family of the Tidal Battle King, faced the most miserable situation.

The Tidal Battle King was inherently greedy and acted overbearingly, offending many forces during her reign. Now that she was dead, the wall collapsed and everyone pushed it down. Those families she had once oppressed and exploited, as well as the emerging forces coveting the Tao Family’s lucrative industries, swarmed like sharks smelling blood. The Lin, Chen, and Zhao families, the three “sharp blades” of Xiao Yan, regarded the Tao Family as a key target for liquidation, employing various tactics that brought the Tao Family to the brink of collapse within a few months. Most of their experts were killed or injured, their core industries were completely divided, leaving only some old, weak, women, and children, and a few surviving collateral family members struggling to survive in the turbulent times.

Seeing their family on the verge of complete annihilation and eternal damnation, the few remaining elders of the Tao Family, in despair, made a desperate, last-dditch decision—the only one they could think of to save their family’s fate—to offer their last and most precious “sacrifice” to the high and mighty new king who controlled their lives and deaths.

This “sacrifice” was not gold, silver, or treasures, nor secret cultivation manuals. The Tao Family no longer had anything that could move Xiao Yan. What they offered was the future hope of the Tao Family, and the continuation of the Tidal Battle King’s bloodline—the Tidal Battle King’s niece, Tao Ling.

Tao Ling was sixty-one years old. This age, for ordinary people, was already the twilight of their lives, but for cultivators, especially high-level cultivators, it was the golden age of prime youth and unlimited potential. And Tao Ling’s talent was truly astonishing. Unlike her aunt, the Tidal Battle King, who focused on the domineering and destructive power of water, she had an extraordinary sensitivity to the perception and manipulation of various energies, especially in terms of spiritual power, where she displayed talent far beyond her peers.

Not long ago, with the family pouring in its last resources for her cultivation, Tao Ling painstakingly broke through the bottleneck that had plagued countless geniuses, successfully condensed her spiritual core, and stepped into the realm of a First-Rank Battle General!

A First-Rank Battle General at sixty-one!

This achievement, even in the talent-rich Fourth New Nanjing City, was enough to cause quite a stir! One must know that many people never even touched the threshold of a Battle General in their entire lives. Tao Ling’s talent and potential were beyond doubt! She was regarded by the entire Tao Family as the last hope for the family’s revival, the only glimmer of light in the darkness.

However, now, this glimmer of light was to be extinguished by their own hands, or rather, “burned” in another way, to illuminate the family’s precarious future.

When the few remaining white-haired elders of the Tao Family, bringing Tao Ling, whose face was haggard and whose eyes were filled with humiliation and unwillingness, yet forced to suppress all emotions, knelt outside Xiao Yan’s study, trembling as they explained their purpose and “offered” Tao Ling like a commodity, even the Xiao Residence’s butler, who had seen countless scenes of “defection,” couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

This was the fate of the defeated. A Battle King family, once high and mighty, now had to sacrifice its most outstanding young woman to gain a chance to survive.

Xiao Yan sat calmly in his study, quietly listening to the butler’s report. When he heard the keywords “Tidal Battle King’s niece,” “sixty-one years old,” “First-Rank Battle General,” and “outstanding spiritual power talent,” a subtle ripple finally appeared in his otherwise placid eyes.

A First-Rank Battle General at sixty-one, her potential was indeed remarkable. Moreover, she was of the Tidal Battle King’s bloodline… This seemed to contain some special “value.”

He did not immediately express his stance but instructed the butler to bring Tao Ling in.

When the young woman (at the Battle General’s life level, sixty-one could indeed only be considered young), dressed in plain clothes, with a delicate but slightly haggard face, and stubborn, cool eyes, walked into the study and silently knelt before him, not saying a word, but stubbornly looking at him with eyes filled with complex emotions, Xiao Yan could clearly sense the Battle General’s aura within her body—though slightly nascent, it was already formed and contained remarkable spiritual power.

“Raise your head,” Xiao Yan’s voice was calm, showing no emotion.

Tao Ling’s body trembled slightly, but she slowly raised her head, looking directly into Xiao Yan’s eyes. In her gaze, there was no flattery, no fear, only a resigned calmness, and… a deeply hidden, barely perceptible pride. It was the pride of a genius, not completely eroded even in desperate circumstances.

Xiao Yan gazed at her for a moment, and a decision had already formed in his mind.

This Tao Ling indeed had good aptitude, especially in terms of spiritual power, with immense potential. If carefully nurtured, her future achievements would be limitless. More importantly, she was the Tidal Battle King’s niece, and this identity itself carried a certain “symbolic meaning.” Taking her in could completely dismantle the remaining resistance of the Tao Family and send a clear signal to the outside world—those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish; even former enemies, as long as they completely surrender and offer sufficient “sincerity,” can gain a glimmer of hope.

Of course, the most crucial aspect was her First-Rank Battle General cultivation and outstanding potential. If such a woman could bear children, the potential assessment… would likely not be lower than “Excellent”! It might even be higher! This was undoubtedly a highly valuable “investment” for his future “progeny plan.”

Thinking of this, a subtle curve appeared at the corner of Xiao Yan’s mouth, and he slowly spoke, “The Tao Family… indeed has a heart.”

He paused, his gaze falling on Tao Ling, his tone indifferent but with undeniable authority: “You, stay here. From now on, cultivate peacefully in the residence. If you serve diligently, I… will not treat you unfairly, nor will I… trouble the remaining members of the Tao Family.”

These words were both an acceptance and a promise, and even… a form of invisible control.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan’s words, an indescribably complex emotion finally flickered in Tao Ling’s stubborn eyes. There was humiliation, unwillingness, concern for her family’s fate, and a hint of… bewilderment after the dust had settled. But in the end, she lowered her head deeply, her voice clear but with a slight tremor:

“Tao Ling… obeys. Thank you… City Lord… for sparing my life.”

From this moment on, this talented Battle General, once entrusted with the family’s great hopes, the future hope of the Tao Family, became one of Xiao Yan’s many “collections.” Her fate would be inextricably linked with this unfathomable manor and the man who controlled everything.

And the Tao Family, because of this heavy “offering,” temporarily escaped the fate of complete liquidation, barely surviving in a small corner tacitly allowed by Xiao Yan.

This was the cruel law of the power game. There was no right or wrong, only strength and weakness. The victor possessed everything, while the defeated… could only beg for charity.