On the other side, at that time in Zhongzhou.
Ao Kun and his group, who had just broken free from the seal, arrived late but still managed to rescue Medusa and the others. Then they engaged in a earth - shattering battle with the remaining clan leaders of the five great families.
This battle finally ended with the defeat and retreat of the five great families.
However, not long after the five great families had left, Ao Kun encountered the Patriarch of the Zhao Family, who, due to his daughter's request, had to come to the rescue but was also constantly late.
When they met, the two immediately got into a heated fight.
Then, under the persuasion of the late - arriving Zhao Zhixia, they cleared up the misunderstanding and found that the purposes of the two groups were actually the same.
It was truly like when the flood washes over the Dragon King's temple.
The two groups of people got together and had a discussion.
Among the eight great families, the Ye Family had declined and perished. Except for the Zhao Family, the other six families were seriously injured by Ye Shu's sword more than a decade ago. Now, the clan leaders of the five great families were even more severely injured. Only the Patriarch of the Mo Family was still recuperating in the clan and hadn't shown up.
In contrast, what about the Zhao Family and Ao Kun?
The Patriarch of the Zhao Family, Zhao Xiong, was one of the most powerful people in the world. He didn't participate in the battle at Qingxuan Sect and was still in his prime. As for Ao Kun, although he had been sealed for a thousand years, he was in the Immortal Ruins. He didn't become stronger, but neither did he become weaker. The accumulation over a thousand years made his foundation extremely solid.
A sword that has been sheathed for a thousand years is still sharp when drawn.
"After all this..."
On that star - filled night with the crackling sound of the bonfire, Ye Xiaoxi stood beside the fire, hands on her hips, looking at the Patriarch of the Zhao Family and Ao Kun in a daze. "It turns out that our family's power could have easily defeated the others long ago?"
"Theoretically speaking, that's right," said the Patriarch of the Zhao Family.
"You guys... sigh..."
Ye Xiaoxi stared at them in shock, then finally sighed, picked up a branch to stir the fire, and while stirring, she said, "Dear daddy, you died so unjustly. With the support of the top two powerful people on the continent, you still had to bear everything on your own and ended up dead. But don't worry, I, Xiaoxi, will definitely enjoy this wealth and honor on your behalf."
"What are you talking about!"
With a "bang", a fist as big as a sandbag landed on Ye Xiaoxi's head. Medusa mercilessly slapped her on the forehead, glared at her, and said, "Your father's body hasn't even been found. At most, he's just missing. How do you know he's definitely dead?"
Ye Xiaoxi covered her head, pouted aggrievedly, and said, "Well, being missing is the same as being dead, isn't it?"
"You still dare to say!"
Medusa pretended to raise her hand, scaring Ye Xiaoxi into quickly shrinking her neck and begging for mercy, "I won't say it anymore. Daddy must be alive and well."
Only then did Medusa retract her hand in satisfaction.
On the other side of the bonfire.
The Patriarch of the Zhao Family, Zhao Xiong, and Ao Kun were sitting together, each holding a bunch of grilled fish in their hands. While eating, the Patriarch of the Zhao Family looked at Zhao Zhixia in the distance and sighed, "They say that when a daughter grows up, she doesn't listen to her parents. I'm already at the peak of the Mahayana realm, but the daughter I gave birth to has taken a fancy to a penniless young man. And she keeps arguing with me every day."
"Is this reasonable? Ah? Is this reasonable?"
"You should be content," said Ao Kun, taking a bite of the grilled fish and looking at Ao Xue in the distance. "At least your daughter is still a human. Look at mine. What has she been trained into? She doesn't have the slightest bit of the dragon's might."
"Teach that guy's sycophant a lesson!"
The two men exchanged a glance, and both could see a bit of helplessness born of shared misfortune in each other's eyes.
Just as the two old fathers were raising their glasses to drown their sorrows.
Zhao Zhixia strode over with one hand on her hip, looking annoyed. "Everyone is in such a low mood, and you two still have the nerve to drink here?"
"It's your husbands who are gone, not mine," she said.
"What do I have to be sad about?"
Zhao Xiong looked as if it was only natural.
"What did you say?!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Zhao Zhixia instantly frowned in anger and shouted, "Say that again?!"
Zhao Xiong was instantly sobered up by the scare.
He gave a start and stammered, "No, what I meant was, my son - in - law is dead. I'm so sad. That's why I'm borrowing wine to drown my sorrows with Brother Long. Hehe..."
"At least you have a conscience."
Zhao Zhixia gave a cold snort and then said, "If you really care about me, your daughter, then take this opportunity to uproot the foundations of those old guys from the Mo, Yan, and Liu families all at once."
"This..."
Zhao Xiong's face instantly turned a bit ugly.
"Anyway, those families have an old acquaintance with your father. They even invited me to dinner. It's okay to give them a lesson, but rushing up to ruin their families is a bit too much, isn't it?"
"All you think about is human relationships."
Zhao Zhixia stared at Zhao Xiong. "Are you going to stay at home all day and do nothing for the rest of your life? If you don't solve them now, are you going to be happy when they recover and solve us instead? Hmm?"
"This..."
Zhao Xiong held the skewers and thought for a long time. It wasn't until dawn the next day that he stood up and said one word.
"Okay."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
