Are the Zhang family trustworthy Are you even human

"Grandfather, are we really going to strike against our homeland?"

Outside the immortal gate, Zhang Aotian asked with a grave expression.

"His Majesty's decree cannot be defied. There's no turning back—our former homeland is lost to us!" Zhang Qian replied with a pained expression, his eyes flickering with an eerie light.

"But aren't we heading back right now?" Zhang Aotian murmured. "His Majesty only ordered us to eliminate the remnants of the conservative faction. He didn’t demand we devastate our homeland—in fact, he even warned against going too far. How is there no return? I was hoping to go back and properly deal with that rebellious son of mine!"

Zhang Qian fell silent for a moment before sighing softly. "Sigh... No matter how we fight, we are all part of the Zi Wei family. They returned first, and now they alone will dictate the narrative of right and wrong. If we go back now, we’ll be seen as enemies. Differences in ideology inevitably lead to bloodshed. Who knows if Xiao Kuang has already..."

Hearing this, Zhang Aotian also grew silent, his eyes gradually filling with rage.

"If Xiao Kuang has truly suffered misfortune, I will hold every last member of the conservative faction accountable!"

"Let’s go. If we do this well, His Majesty Wuji will not treat us poorly. Besides, you’re still capable of fathering another heir. If need be, we’ll just have another. Then we’ll ask our ancestor to request His Majesty Wuji’s blessing for a marriage alliance. Our Zhang family will finally become true natives of the immortal realm!"

"Ah, I’m not as vigorous as I used to be, Grandfather. But speaking of which, the little princess of the Golden Scale Ancient Clan isn’t bad. The only problem is her ancestor, the God of Wealth serving in the Heavenly Court—he’s not easy to deal with. He looks down on our Zhang family’s humble origins..."

"Hahaha, no matter! Our ancestor isn’t just for show. If you want her, we’ll arrange it immediately!"

"Hehe..."

"..."

Wuji: "......"

Well, well. I was worried you might show mercy toward old acquaintances, but it seems you’re eager to climb the ranks?

As expected of the Zhang family—every one of you is a talent!

"Fine. If Ling Xiao didn’t dare to trust you, I will. The little princess of the Golden Scale Ancient Clan, you say? If you complete your mission flawlessly, what’s a marriage decree from me?"

With that thought, Wuji immediately sent down a wisp of his will, conveying this promise to the Zhang grandfather and grandson.

Trust those you employ, and employ those you trust—this was his unwavering principle!

The Zhang family was worthy of his confidence!

"We thank Your Majesty for your grace!"

The Zhang duo bowed respectfully toward the void, inwardly sighing in relief.

Damn, that was close. He really was watching from the shadows. Thankfully, we remained cautious and played our roles convincingly—otherwise, we’d have been exposed!

While Wuji was micromanaging, Chen Yi was also pulling strings!

The only difference was that Wuji operated through the Heaven-Gazing Mirror, which introduced a slight delay—like wearing a protective sheath, unable to receive real-time feedback. He remained oblivious, completely unaware that the Zhang grandfather and grandson were secretly acting.

And Chen Yi?

He manipulated events directly through his avatars, seamless and instantaneous, his will transcending time without delay!

Once everything was in place, he immediately prepared to close the net.

"Tsk—"

Black Earth, who had been busy forging the Five Elements Fate Coins, suddenly shuddered as an unfamiliar yet familiar surge of magic descended. In an instant, the raging "Yang Fire" furnace before her was suppressed, and the previously unstable Five Elements Fate Coin took shape in the blink of an eye!

No need to guess—this was undoubtedly that bastard’s doing!

Black Earth was stunned.

Didn’t that brat enter the third trial?

How does he still have tricks up his sleeve in the second trial?

Seriously, how is he this monstrous?

So the Spirit-Sealing Seal is just for show? It’s like he’s wearing it but it does nothing—or maybe he isn’t even wearing it at all?

Hopefully, he didn’t hear that little complaint of mine just now...

Whatever, it doesn’t matter!

Black Earth suppressed her minor shock.

Even if he did hear, so what?

He’s the one who acted unreasonably first. Can’t I vent a little?

Now that he’s stepped in to fix things, at least it saves me some effort!

Truthfully, crafting Five Elements Fate Coins by hand was a difficult task for a Great Luo, but for a half-step Dao Ancestor like Hu Fangyuan, it was child’s play—not effortless, but close.

But right now, she wasn’t Hu Fangyuan. She was Black Earth, a semi-cosmic-level anomaly molded by that scheming bastard Chen Yi into He Chunqiu’s form!

No choice—if she was going to act the part, she had to commit fully!

If she revealed too much, forget winning the treasure’s favor—she’d be lucky not to be outright banished in disgust!

The Primordial Heaven-Pivot Mirror’s artifact spirit had taught her this: only a Chaos Treasure truly understands another Chaos Treasure!

(Of course, that freakish, incomplete Creation Disk didn’t count!)

So, Chen Yi, how do you plan to compete with me?

"Stop spacing out. Take the toll coin and get inside!"

"Right away!"

Black Earth naturally complied. While the Five Elements Fate Coin was still warm, she swiftly brought it to the second trial’s termination stele for verification.

"Pop—"

Passing through the thin membrane of light...

Before Black Earth could even process her surroundings, Chen Yi unceremoniously shoved her aside.

In an instant—

Searing heat! Excruciating pain! Suffocation!

Before she could adjust to the spatial shift’s pressure, an even more violent sensation overwhelmed her!

Black Earth felt as if she’d been forcibly stuffed into a furiously churning alchemy furnace, like spiritual ingredients being refined!

Her vision flooded with crimson.

The boiling, chaotic currents morphed into scarlet flames, their highly compressed energy wildly colliding, tearing, and annihilating everything within this space!

Even deadlier—within this raging ocean of chaos, countless "islands" of varying sizes and grotesque shapes hurtled at destructive speeds, smashing through everything in their path!

The distorted energy fields around them hinted at their terrifying power. Getting hit even once... would probably hurt like hell!

Without the Spirit-Sealing Seal’s restrictions, these "islands" wouldn’t even graze a True Immortal, let alone someone of her semi-cosmic anomaly cultivation.

But now, deprived of magic, a direct impact would genuinely shatter her body and bones!

"Fing—!!!"

"Are you even human?!"

"You’re just a goddamn lunatic!!!"

The moment Black Earth grasped the situation, she unleashed a torrent of colorful language.

Unfortunately, Chen Yi was dawdling behind the instruction stele in the safe zone, where no noise reached him. Her poetic outbursts fell on deaf ears.

"Hmm, the remaining eighty Taiyi can be ruled out. Wuji couldn’t have hidden his will within them—he wouldn’t be able to conceal it unless he severed all perception, sacrificing his vision entirely and only awakening when a Taiyi was in danger."

"That wouldn’t align with his interests. Wuji isn’t that stupid. Only a Great Luo’s bestowed fate—where one lifetime’s destiny refines ten thousand others yet transcends them all—has enough hiding spots to maintain full awareness without leaking any suspicious aura."

"After careful observation, out of the six Great Luo present, only the Tai Chu Soul Clan member can be ruled out. The other five could all be potential hosts for Wuji’s possession. He’s hidden well—no traces yet..."

"To play it safe and avoid any sudden disasters, the best move would be to lure those five out for a one-on-one showdown at a critical moment!"

"Sigh, only one five-star avatar made it inside—this is way too much pressure. Gotta find a way to spread out the risk..."

"Maybe we could reach out to that Great Luo from the Taichu Soul Clan. Surely she wouldn’t want her kin to come to harm, right?"