Chapter 544: Confrontation

"I'm sorry, Miss. I was just worried about the Young Master. I didn't mean to jinx him!"

Xiaohe stuck out her tongue playfully, an apologetic look on her face.

Lin Qiyun, of course, wasn't going to hold such a small thing against her.

She shook her head and said, "Let's wait a few more days. It's been so long. Even if my husband doesn't return, the old Priest should have some news of him."

"A few more days?"

"My dear sister, I can tell you right now that there's no place left for you here!"

Just then, a light, bell-like laugh drifted over from the distance.

Lin Qiyun's expression changed, and she quickly looked toward the source of the sound.

A figure in a flowing red dress appeared within the tribe—it was Lin Ruowei.

Behind Lin Ruowei followed a group of clan Elders, led by Han Luo. Each one radiated a powerful aura; after the awakening of the totem's power, their strength had begun to approach the Spirit Sea Realm.

"Sister, it seems your husband isn't in the tribe right now."

"Does that mean you're all alone?"

Lin Ruowei smiled sweetly. Her beauty was exquisite and otherworldly, in no way inferior to Lin Qiyun's.

However, looking at her smiling face, Xiaohe, who stood to the side, felt no sense of radiance. Instead, a chill ran down her spine.

'Compared to my master, this woman is too cold, too cruel!'

'She's a demon who kills without batting an eye!'

"What if I am alone?" Lin Qiyun's expression remained unchanged. She forced herself to calm down and spoke in a low voice.

"Is that so?"

"I hear you've been feeling quite confident lately, even thinking of snatching the Clan Leader position from me?"

Lin Ruowei smiled nonchalantly. "Since your husband isn't here to back you up, then your little sister won't be holding back, you know?"

"Hold on!"

"Young Master Ruowei, having Young Master Qiyun assume the position of Clan Leader is my wish as well."

An aged voice suddenly echoed through the air. The old Priest had appeared on the scene at some unknown time.

He stood protectively in front of Lin Qiyun, facing off against Lin Ruowei and her group from a distance.

Behind the old Priest, a group of guard captains had just managed to arrive. Each held a spirit weapon, their gazes sharp, showing no intention of backing down.

"Tsk..." Lin Ruowei frowned, a hint of displeasure surfacing in the depths of her eyes.

Seeing this, Han Luo immediately took a step forward and said to the old Priest with a smile, "Old Priest, you've always stayed out of the clan's affairs. Why now...?"

"Just because I didn't interfere in the past doesn't mean I won't interfere in the future."

Before Han Luo could finish, the old Priest had already cut him off forcefully.

The old Priest's expression was serene as he spoke slowly, "I am, after all, a member of this tribe. When it comes to selecting a Clan Leader, I should have the right to intervene, shouldn't I?"

Han Luo was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Of course. Given the old Priest's status and reputation in the tribe, it's understandable that you would involve yourself in the matter of the Clan Leader."

"But... I wonder if the old Priest would be willing to tell us your reason for nominating Young Master Qiyun as Clan Leader?"

Hearing this, the old Priest shot a cool glance at Lin Ruowei.

"The reason is simple."

"Young Master Ruowei is too scheming and overly ambitious. To achieve her goals, she will stop at nothing!"

"In my view, only Young Master Qiyun's benevolence can properly manage the tribe and ensure its continuation."

"Is that reason enough for you?"

"Ambition? You call that a reason?" Han Luo couldn't help but sneer. "As the leader of a tribe, what's the difference between having no ambition and being a beast without fangs?"

"We walk different paths, so there is no point in trying to convince each other. I have said what I needed to say," the old Priest replied, his expression unchanged.

In truth, he would have accepted either Lin Qiyun or Lin Ruowei as Clan Leader.

Just as everyone knew, he had always been indifferent to the tribe's internal affairs, rarely interfering.

The only thing the old Priest cared about was the tribe's totem.

Therefore, his reason for nominating Lin Qiyun was actually very simple.

One could even say he was doing it entirely for Ye Chen's sake!

After all, the one who had awakened the totem's power was Ye Chen!

In the old Priest's eyes, the young man Ye Chen was the most important person for the tribe.

"Oh?"

"Since things have come to this, it seems there's nothing left for us to discuss."

Han Luo's face grew cold. "Old Priest, I don't want to fight you, but if you insist on being stubborn, then I'll have no choice but to stretch my muscles a bit today."

"Supreme Elder, are you really going to attack the old Priest?"

Behind the old Priest, the faces of several guard captains changed as they looked at Han Luo with vigilance.

"And what if I am?"

"Do you really think you can stop me?"

Han Luo sneered.

Behind him, the Elders belonging to his faction all took a step forward, clearly ready to make a move.

Looking at the tense, sword-drawn scene, the old Priest couldn't help but sigh.

"What's the point of fighting?"

"Han Luo, you know you can't take me down," the old Priest said.

"True. With the tribe's totem on your side, no one in this tribe can defeat you," Han Luo did not deny. "But I only need to hold you back."

"Exactly. The one who truly decides who becomes Clan Leader is the struggle between my sister and me, isn't it?"

Lin Ruowei, standing to the side, let out a playful laugh.

Hearing this, Lin Qiyun's expression tightened. "Ruowei, you're going to make a move?"

Lin Ruowei looked at Lin Qiyun and said contemptuously, "As long as I subdue you and lock you in the great prison, how will you possibly compete with me for the position of Clan Leader?"

"Ultimately, having the old Priest's support isn't enough."

"Is your own strength enough to hold on to the Clan Leader's position?"

She walked toward Lin Qiyun, her steps light and unhurried.

But with every step she took, a powerful aura of Spiritual Power billowed out from her.

Lin Qiyun's expression changed, her gaze turning grave.

'I never would have imagined that Lin Ruowei is now a Cultivator at the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm!'

'Although the awakening of the totem's power was bound to have improved Ruowei's bloodline and talent, it shouldn't have allowed her to break through to the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm this quickly, right?'

'Could it be that Ruowei had some sort of fortuitous encounter while she was away?'

"Young Master Ruowei, this old one will not stand by and watch you act so recklessly!"

The old Priest's brows furrowed slightly. 'During this time when Ye Chen is absent, I absolutely cannot let anything happen to Lin Qiyun.'

"Old Priest, your opponent is me."

"The decision of Clan Leader Ruowei is not something you can sway."

But Han Luo was already watching from the side like a tiger stalking its prey, his expression indifferent as the monstrous waves of Spiritual Power from the Spirit Sea Realm billowed out.

Any rash move from the old Priest would be met with his most powerful interception.

The old Priest's aged eyes narrowed slightly. He felt that this situation was becoming difficult.

'With the Supreme Elder Han Luo here, I really can't free myself up to protect Lin Qiyun.'

'This is going to be tricky!'