"Wang Xiaohua...  what a cunning actress, what a malicious plan! To think that I, Qin Xiao, would be stymied by this slip of a girl!

Once we return to the Blacksteel settlement, keep Wang Xiaohua under heavy guard. Immediately send someone to the city of Ning and have them start surveillance on the Wang clan's every action!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Qin Xiao immediately focused his attention on the Wang clan, ignoring powerless actors like Zhang Lie in this whole affair. Oh, they would pay dearly for the loss of his arm!

With the current advancement of technology, it would be possible for him to recover the use of his tattered arm, but the process would require at least a month of intensive care. This implied that Qin Xiao wouldn't be able to hunt superior-grade lifeforms for the next month, and it could well impact his chances for the Void Cup in three months.

If this really were the case, then it would be a lethal blow to Qin Xiao.

At this moment, Qin Xiao's hatred toward Wang Xiaohua and the entire Wang clan at large surged to unimaginable capacities.

Of course, Qin Xiao wasn't the only one angered by the Wang clan. The three corporations and the Yun and Chu clans had all quickly connected Wang Xiaohua with the Wang clan. Wang Xiaohua was nothing more than a rich, spoiled heiress, but the Wang clan was a big name in Ning.

There were hundreds of settlements in the dimensional world, and the Blacksteel settlement was only one of many. Although the Wang clan might not be famous within the Blacksteel settlement, they were one of the top clans of the Bronzetooth settlement in the extreme south of the dimensional world.

With the Void Cup about to occur, the major powers of each settlement were entering the last stages of their preparation for the Cup, and it was inevitable that some hunters would try to sabotage their opponents.

After all, this was something that had occurred during previous iterations of the Void Cup as well.

In the past, the Blacksteel settlement hadn't been a major power. This time around, however, Yun Bing, Chu Feng, and Qin Xiao were upcoming stars that could well pose a threat to those from other settlements.

It wouldn't be strange for others to try to get rid of their opponents.

Most importantly, she was the instigator of the entire affair at the venombane glade, so it was natural that suspicion would be directed at her, especially given her inextricable link to the main branch of the Wang clan.

In truth, there were many hunters in the Blacksteel settlement who felt the same way as Qin Xiao. They focused all their attention on Wang Xiaohua and the Wang clan, and failed to notice Zhang Lie, who had vanished from the gene leaderboard quite a while back.

As a result, Zhang Lie had precious uninterrupted time for strengthening and advancing himself.

That night, representatives from all six clans rushed to the Blacksteel Inn to confront Wang Xiaohua. However, by the time they reached the inn, Wang Xiaohua had already rushed back to Earth. Her sudden disappearance confirmed everyone's suspicions that she had instigated the entire event.

After all, she was the one who had claimed that Qin Xiaotian's corpse would be buried within the venombane glade, and the truth of her words were easy to determine.

They had gone to the venombane glade and returned without Qin Xiaotian's corpse, battered by a whole slew of injuries, without the prize that they had been hunting all night. And now that they tried to confront her, they found that she had vanished!

What other explanation could there be?

All six clans began to surveil the Wang clan. Even the older-generation clan heads had begun to make their moves upon hearing about the news.

Back in Wang Jianxin's house in Ning, Wang Xiaohua was pitifully eyeing her raging father as though she were a convict waiting for judgment.

"Xiaohua, you've really been far too rash! I told you not to mess with him, didn't I? And now look at what you've done! Tell me the truth: did Qin Xiaotian's death have anything to do with you?"

Wang Jianxin frowned, having realized the importance of the matter. He scrutinized his daughter with his gaze, not daring to miss even the slightest detail. As an old hand, he had sensed the latent danger in this conundrum, something he hadn't felt for years.

Wang Xiaohua, tears streaking down her face, cried out, "Dad, Xiaotian's my boyfriend! How could I kill him? Don't you believe your own daughter? I'm telling you, Zhang Lie was the mastermind behind everything! He killed Xiaotian, he killed everyone! And then he stole our soulshards!

"Except for me and him, everyone else who entered the venombane glade is dead! He didn't leave me alive because he pitied me—he's using me as a scapegoat!

"And he even found someone to post an anonymous thread on the forum saying that he saw me scheme against Xiaotian and the rest of them, and they keep besmirching my name! I've tried to argue against them for hours on end, but no one in the settlement believes me!

"Dad, I need your help. Please, I feel like the Qin clan is going to try to kill me otherwise!"

Despite Wang Xiaohua's melodramatic behavior, Wang Jianxin let out a breath. "Are you finally afraid now? You make me clean up your mess every single time—what's going to happen when I'm not around anymore?

"If you truly didn't hurt Qin Xiaotian, then what do you have to worry about? As for the Qin clan, you don't have to worry about that either. As long as you didn't kill Qin Xiaotian, I can guarantee that you'll be safe.

"As for clearing up your name, forget it. The moment you and Zhang Lie returned to the settlement together, you lost whatever chance you had at that. The more you try to defend yourself, the more they'll accuse you: you're from the Wang clan, but Zhang Lie's a nobody. Your connections and wealth make you a target."

Upon hearing her father's words, Wang Xiaohua calmed down a little. "Dad, in that case, what should we do? I was the one who buried Xiaotian's corpse myself! I told everyone that, as long as they find the corpse, it'll be clear that I'm not lying. Can't that clear my name?"

"Xiaohua, you're still far too naive. I've just told you that you'll never be able to clear your name as long as you're alive, and people will always be much more suspicious of you than they would Zhang Lie. Don't you know why? Who would believe that a supposed weakling like Zhang Lie would be able to overcome you and Qin Xiaotian on his own?

"But you don't have to be too worried either: at any rate, you're still a member of the Wang clan. Even if you really had committed the murder, just the Qin clan alone wouldn't be able to do anything to you.

"And while I might not have much standing in the main household, at the very least, I'm still a member of the clan, and our clan certainly won't let us be bullied like this. Let me call your third uncle and ask him to speak to the other clans on your behalf. This should resolve the problem."

Wang Xiaohua was overjoyed. "Really? That would really be a weight off my shoulders! Dad, won't you call him now? Qin Xiao's too frightening, and those hunters from the Blacksteel settlement are still keeping guard outside my hotel room! I don't even dare step outside! They're all so annoying!"

Wang Jianxin could think of no better way of resolving the current dilemma. However, just as he was about to call the current head of the Wang household, Wang Han, the holographic display lit up.

Wang Han was contacting them!

Wang Jianxin couldn't help but think that something was amiss, but he didn't dare refuse a call from the head of the household himself. He immediately accepted the call.

The next moment, the holographic projector showed the cold mien of a middle-aged man.

"Wang Jianxin, you bastard, are you trying to ruin the Wang clan?! The elders of the clan are going to arrive within ten minutes to take Wang Xiaohua away. Hand her to them immediately!" Wang Jianxin and Wang Xiaohua greeted him respectfully, but Wang Han ignored the customary greetings and began yelling at them the moment the call connected.

Wang Jianxian had to reevaluate the importance of this entire affair. "Wang Han, what's going on? Xiaohua's my only child, and I would be fine entrusting her to your care, but why the urgency?"

He was so indulgent of his only daughter that he still intended to protect her even at this critical juncture.

"What's the matter? You're asking me what's the matter? Don't you think that's something I should be asking the two of you?!" Wang Han's roar clearly conveyed his rage.

"Just now, Qin Zongming, Zhou Tianqi, Yun Yi, Chu Tiannan, Li Qing, and Zhao You all called me, 'congratulating' me for my accomplishment! They praised how devious a certain hunter from our Wang household was, stealing the kill of a superior-grade lifeform, killing Zhou Qian, crippling one of Qin Xiao's arms, and causing the entire Blacksteel settlement to erupt in chaos!

"How should I know what's going on?! Tell Wang Xiaohua to pack up and head straight to the Wang manor to explain herself. Otherwise, even the Wang household won't be able to protect her. The six clans have already started surveilling the Wang estate."

Wang Jianxin and Wang Xiaohua gaped at Wang Han's words. Before Wang Jianxin could react, Wang Han had cut the connection. Clearly, he was telling them that the only way for Wang Xiaohua to remain protected was for them to stay where they were.

By now, even Wang Jianxin was starting to panic. "Xiaohua, tell me what's going on!" 

"Dad, I don't know! I don't know anything! I don't know anything about stealing a superior-grade lifeform, killing Zhou Qian, and crippling Qin Xiao! I only told them how to head to the venombane glade!

"It wasn't me—do you think someone like me could do any of this? You know how I am! It has to be Zhang Lie, right, it can't be anyone but him! He's taking revenge on us, and he wants to kill us both! It has to be him!"  

Wang Xiaohua's pride and arrogance had crumbled away, replaced by overwhelming, unrelenting despair. It was too late, far too late for her. Even if Wang Xiaohua were to remain alive, her future was doomed to bleakness.