A small jade bottle appeared in Tang Xiu’s hand as he moved his finger. Using his thoughts, he wound the cork up its neck. In but a moment, the bottle cap was pulled out, and the colorless and odorless gas floated out from the bottle mouth. He then exerted his power to wrap the gas to drift toward Singtuo and the old man.

He did all of that very secretively, causing Singtuo and the old man inside the ancestral hall to be unable to detect his actions, as even Singluen who stood next to him was unaware of what he was doing.

“So, which one of you is really in charge of the Dark Shaman Clan then?” asked Tang Xiu smilingly as he looked at Singtuo and the old man. There was a bit of a playful tone in his voice.

“Tuo’er is the patriarch. He naturally holds the right to manage the clan,” answered the old man indifferently.

“Well, then it’s much easier for us to deal with this issue since the one with the rights is here, don’t you think?” Tang Xiu nodded and said, “Anyway, don’t you feel that the Dark Shaman Clan has been stagnant for too long all these years? You see, even your own son, who is supposed to be the Young Master of Dark Shaman Clan, is so dirt poor that he doesn’t have enough money to buy things, no?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” responded Singtuo coldly.

“What I mean is very simple. Just step down from your position and give way to a more qualified person.” Tang Xiu grinned and said, “But of course, it’s best to give it to Singluen, though. I believe that your Dark Shaman Clan will become more formidable under his leadership.”

“Heh, this is the internal affairs of my Dark Shaman Clan. Why should your distinguished self worry about that anyway?”

“What I’m telling you is the truth; it’s the intention Singluen has always had in his heart.” Tang Xiu shrugged and lightly smiled. “Just ask him if you don’t believe me.”

Upon seeing how calm Tang Xiu’s expression was, Singluen, who had been inwardly restless after seeing the sudden appearance of his grandfather, took a deep breath. He then looked straight at Singtuo and said, “Father, you’re old and you being the clan’s patriarch will affect your own cultivation. Hence, you might as well pass on the patriarch seat to me. You can rest your worries about the clan’s prosperity. I’ll definitely able to develop our Dark Shaman Clan’s power as long as I’m the clan’s patriarch. I’ll make every clansman’s strength progress by leaps and bounds in a short period of time; that way you can have a peaceful time cultivating in seclusion, no longer affected by the mundane affairs in the clan.”

“Shut the hell up, you unfilial son!” roared Singtuo angrily. “I could’ve considered passing on the patriarchal seat to you prior to this. But you have colluded with outsiders; you’ve committed treason just to deal with your own father! A man like you is worthless! You’re unworthy of being the Dark Shaman Clan’s patriarch—you’re even unworthy of being a member of the clan!”

Singluen’s expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, “So, you’re that adamant to not pass the patriarch seat to me, Father. You know, Singkuo is as good as dead already. You no longer have another son to pass on the position except me.”

Singtuo’s eyes lit up and he asked in a deep voice, “So you say that Singkuo is still alive?”

“He is now… But you can expect his death soon,” replied Singluen coldly.

“Where is he?” asked Singtuo in a deep voice.

“You still care about where your damned eldest son is?” Singluen scornfully talked back with a bitter laugh,” Hahaha… I knew it. You’ve always been partial to him, but I really didn’t expect you favor him to this degree. Singkuo has been suppressing me all these years, leaving me no room to breathe at all. So much so that he’d push me to my end just for the sake of becoming the patriarch. And yet you’ve never once helped me. Instead, you helped him all the way through. I… I’m so very fed up and disappointed with you…”

“Singkuo is more resourceful and bold—someone who is the most suitable to inherit the patriarch seat of the Dark Shaman Clan. I just chose who’s the most outstanding; you can’t compare with him,” said Singtuo regretfully. “Aside from all that, I never wanted you to die. Back before you had a final stand with Singkuo, I sent Singli and the 13 Shaman Guardians to catch up and protect you.”

Tang Xiu patted Singluen’s shoulder and lightly said, “It’s no use talking anymore. Things have gotten to this point; it’s obvious that he won’t give you the patriarch seat easily. So, we can only threaten with our combat forces, unless they’re not afraid of death.”

“It seems like you really want to meddle in our internal affairs, huh, Chinese man?” Singtuo glared at Tang Xiu and shouted, “Are you not afraid of meeting your own demise here?”

“Me? Dying here? Are you an idiot dreaming of the impossible?” mocked Tang Xiu. “Just try to circulate your mana, Singtuo, then tell me what you feel.”

Singtuo was stunned and secretly circulate his mana immediately. His face was devoid of color as he faintly felt a weakening sensation in his body. He tried to circulate his mana in the meridians and found that it was hard to control.

‘What’s going on?’

He quickly turned his head to look at his father.

The old man frowned and secretly circulate his mana in his body. His complexion changed in a similar fashion as fear flashed in his eyes. He looked up to stare at Tang Xiu and growled, “What the hell did you do? Why…”

“You mean why you’re finding it hard to circulate the mana in your body, and why you feel a numb sensation on the insides, yes?” interrupted Tang Xiu with a grin. “Well, you see, I’m someone who loves a happy ending, so I’ll satisfy your curiosity. I poisoned you secretly when we just arrived, along with everyone else in the temple. No one but me in this world can remove that poison.”

“DAMN!!!”

The old man’s complexion greatly changed and he flung himself toward Tang Xiu instantly.

Tang Xiu grabbed Singluen’s shoulder and towed him back by jumping backwards dozens of meters away. Then he laughed loudly and said, “Hahaha, I think it’s best for you to hurry up if you want to deal with us. The longer you waste the time, the more difficult it will be for you to circulate your mana and the more weakened your body will be. Of course, you must be prepared once you really want to battle us, as I’ll kill you after your strength has greatly decreased. Well, I can still help Singluen to train a batch of wizards though.”

“Go back!”

Suddenly, Tang Guang appeared in front of Tang Xiu and fiercely brandished his immortal sword, causing the old man’s heartbeat to thump faster. Right as he was about to parry it, another immortal sword appeared in front of him soundlessly. The sword’s power appeared much weaker, yet it was too fast and extremely cunning. He didn’t have a choice but to give up attacking Tang Xiu, retreating back to the ancestral hall instantly.

Tang Xiu took out a cigarette from his pocket before lighting it up and taking two puffs. He spoke after blowing the smoke out, “All of you, people say that those who know times are wise. We came here, meaning that we are fully prepared. No matter how hard you struggle, your fate is still ultimately under my control. If you want to live, let Singluen be the new Patriarch of Dark Shaman Clan. Though if you wanna die, it’d be even easier since I’ll definitely help you with that wish.”

“I’LL KILL YOU!”

Singtuo instantly unsheathed the crescent machete from his waist. Raising the staff in his left hand, he chopped the machete in his right hand toward Tang Xiu.

“ENOUGH!”

The old man flashed and directly canceled Singtuo’s attack. Under the disbelieving eyes of Singtuo, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, “Is your goal really that simple? Just to help Singluen be our Dark Shaman Clan’s patriarch? Or is there another deal between you and him?”

Raising his thumbs-up, Tang Xiu praised, “Well, old ginger really is hotter than the younger ones. You’ve guessed it. I do have a deal with Singluen and the transaction is beneficial for both of us since I don’t want it to be one-sided. Am I right, Singluen?”

“Yes.” Singluen nodded.

The old man narrowed his eyes and asked again, “I want to know the content of the transaction first. Don’t try to conceal anything or lie about it. A lie can never be hidden forever, while more unforeseen accidents can happen once it is exposed.”

“Mr. Tang needs Sorcerer Stone, Grandpa. He’s willing to exchange it with pills,” explained Singluen. “I didn’t know that such pills existed before Mr. Tang gave them to me. I found that the pills can greatly help our wizardry cultivation.”

At his words, the old man responded with an incredulous face before angrily shouting, “SHUT UP! Don’t tell me you don’t know the meaning of Sorcerer Stone to our clan?!! That’s our foundation and the best supplement for our cultivation. Without it, our clan will no longer be able to reach the higher cultivation realms. You… you’re really a bastard!!!”

Singluen just brushed the curses aside and continued his explanation, “Grandpa, you don’t know yet what that pill can do for us. Just one pill was enough to enhance my power by leaps and bounds in just a few days. I’ve advanced my cultivation by two stages since I’ve known Mr. Tang. Just think, would I be able to break through two stages in such a short time if I just relied on absorbing the Sorcerer Stone?”

The old man was surprised, yet was still doubtful as he looked at Singluen. After staying silent for a long while, then he said, “Nonsense! If that pill is useful to our cultivators, why haven’t any clan elders found out about it before?”

Singluen then pointed to the woman and his five guardian elders, saying with a serious face, “I didn’t lie, nor do I need to. All of them have taken the pill and their cultivation and power have been greatly promoted. You may not know about it, but Father definitely knows about my strength and these six’s. Father, can you sense it? Aren’t we much stronger than before?”

Singtuo sensed the aura released by Singluen and the other six. After a few seconds, his expression was that of disbelief, and he was so dumbfounded that he was paralyzed.

Prior to this, he had heard from the 13 Shaman Guardian that Singluen and his subordinate had their strength progressed by leaps and bounds, on par with Singkuo’s five guardian elders. He didn’t believe it then, but the fact had now been proven otherwise!

“You’re surnamed Tang?” asked Singkuo as he looked at Tang Xiu.

“That’s right. Surnamed Tang, Xiu as my given name,” answered Tang Xiu smilingly. “If you’re well-versed with the situation in China, you’d probably know about me.”