"I wouldn't dare! I absolutely wouldn't dare!"
"We didn't understand it before, but now we realize how much thought our ancestor had put into it!"
"That's right! The four major families are closely linked. If the Zhou family declines, the other three won't fare much better. The Mo family has always been dominant, and if the balance they're barely maintaining is broken, the other three will suffer sooner or later!"
Seeing that there were still "wise people" among the clan elders, Zhou Yingze's anger subsided slightly.
There was one thing he didn't tell everyone: the patriarch had already begun arranging the family's escape route.
Although the situation doesn't seem that bad right now, as the saying goes, those who plan ahead will succeed, and we should always prepare for the worst.
As the Zhou family members were assigning tasks, a beam of red light suddenly pierced through the roof and flew into Zhou Yingze's hand, transforming into a jade bead the size of a thumb.
Zhou Yingze probed into it with his divine sense, his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Oh no! Something terrible has happened!"
...
On that day, a momentous event spread like wildfire throughout the entire city of Zhou within a single day.
"The Crown Prince of the Great Yong Dynasty launched the Ziwei Palace Coup, but after the failure, he was banished to the Imperial Clan Court!"
At the same time, a host of shocking news and various rumors were also spreading like wildfire!
"All of the Crown Prince's ministers and confidants were imprisoned in the imperial prison, and countless palace servants and soldiers were killed or wounded. That night, Yongjing was awash in blood. Many cultivation families were implicated by the Crown Prince and their property was confiscated overnight."
"His Majesty has been assassinated; his fate is unknown!"
"It is said that when the Crown Prince was captured, he roared and shouted, 'How can there be a Crown Prince who is two hundred years old?' Then he uttered the hysterical words, 'There is only one Holy Emperor in a thousand years, who has been a lonely ruler for ten thousand years.'"
Among the many rumors circulating in Yongjing, one in particular terrified the Zhou family, making them feel as if they had fallen into a trap from which they could not escape.
"The Zhou family harbored treacherous intentions, first bewitching the Crown Prince, and then attempting to assassinate the King. Their actions were treasonous and unforgivable!"
Faced with the flood of rumors and news, the people of Zhou City were in a state of panic. Everyone knew that the Crown Princess was a daughter of the Zhou family. Now that the Crown Prince had committed such a treasonous act, the Zhou family would inevitably be implicated.
However, the Emperor's fate is currently unknown, and the Zhou family has no idea what terrible crime has befallen them.
The day after the Crown Prince's plot failed, the countdown to Operation Wolf Slaughter began, with only two days left.
Just as dawn broke, another bolt from the blue struck the Zhou family, leaving them utterly devastated!
"His Majesty succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night! The Second Prince has succeeded to the throne and ascended the throne!"
Upon hearing this news, Zhou Yingze was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) away.
Now, the blame for the assassination of the Holy Emperor by the Zhou family has been firmly pinned on the family, and they can't shake it off.
"Quickly seek help from the three major families! No matter the cost, we must get them to help our families through this calamity. Hurry! It will be too late if we delay any longer!"
Zhou Yingze didn't even bother to wipe the blood before angrily issuing the order.
The situation was extremely dire, and sending people was too late. The Zhou family had no choice but to send multiple "Ten Thousand Miles One Line Talismans" to the other three major families, making numerous promises and offering countless benefits within the talismans.
Less than two hours later, both the Mad Tiger Wu family and the Owl Eagle Yan family sent back messages, stating that they would definitely do their utmost to help.
Seeing this, Zhou Yingze felt somewhat relieved.
But he waited and waited, and never received a reply from the Sleeping Lion Hua family.
This made his heart sink to the bottom.
The Hua family of Sleeping Lion is the head of all the clans in Dayong, second only to the Mo family of the royal family in strength, and is supported by the powerful demonic sect, the Six Desires Demonic Sect.
Only with the Hua family stepping forward and leading the various clans could they resist the royal family.
The Hua family's attitude is currently ambiguous.
This was the worst possible news for the Zhou family, who desperately needed reinforcements.
As dusk fell, Zhou Yingze felt a surge of resentment and thought to himself, "No! I must report this to the Ancestor as soon as possible."
The thought arose, and unable to suppress his restless heart, he quickly wrote a talisman and sent it to Boiling Spring Valley.
However, Zhou Yingze was completely unaware that he was anxiously awaiting a reply from the Hua family.
The Hua family had already sent someone to Hongyangzhou, and this person was a very important figure.
Above Boiling Spring Valley, high above the clouds, two Golden Core cultivators stood facing each other, ignoring the biting gale.
"Old Zhou, disaster is imminent, what's the use of hiding it? Hand over the Dragon Pearl, and my Hua family will definitely help your Zhou family through this calamity!"
The speaker was tall and imposing, with thick, upright eyebrows, eyes like copper bells, and downturned corners of his mouth, giving him a naturally angry appearance. What was even more terrifying was that a ball of golden flame burned on his head.
The raging flames spread out, looking from afar like a flamboyant, dancing golden lion's mane.
This person is named Hua Xinyan, one of the three Golden Core Ancestors of the Hua family, a formidable figure in the late Golden Core stage.
Zhou Xilai asked in a puzzled tone, "Brother Hua, what do you mean by that? Where would I get a dragon pearl?"
At this time, Old Ancestor Zhou was over seven hundred years old. His body was decaying and he was as thin as a rake. The wide red robe covering his body looked like a monkey wearing a sack, which was quite ridiculous.
However, looking at his face alone, his features are like those of a young man, with fair and rosy skin, as tender as a baby's.
Hua Xinyan chuckled, "Hehe! Come and take a look at this."
As he spoke, a True Shadow Ball flew out of his hand and quickly landed in Zhou Xilai's hand.
As Zhou Xilai probed the True Image Sphere with his divine sense, his heart tightened. Inside, there was a record of Zhou Zhongyu finding the Dragon Ball.
After reading it, Zhou Xilai laughed and said, "You don't actually believe it, do you? You know, images can sometimes be faked."
Hua Xinyan sneered, "I didn't really believe it at first, but seeing how much effort the Mo family went through to deal with your Zhou family, I have no choice but to believe it."
At this point, the golden flames above Hua Xinyan's head instantly expanded a hundredfold, forming a vast sea of fire. Deep within the sea of fire, a three-zhang-tall, six-armed, three-headed, wrathful illusory king appeared faintly.
"Stop talking nonsense, hand over the Dragon Balls, and I'll spare your life!"
Zhou Xilai was startled and quickly said, "Brother Hua, please calm down. If you make a move, I'm afraid we'll both be injured, and someone else will end up getting the benefit."
As he spoke, Zhou Xilai flicked his right hand, and a streak of crimson fire, as thick as a child's arm, shot out from his palm and flew a hundred feet away, striking an ordinary cloud.
Suddenly,
The clouds suddenly burst into a large patch of crimson flames, and a figure rapidly appeared within the flames.
In the blink of an eye, a blue-faced old man dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a twelve-tasseled five-colored crown, exuding an aura of dominance, waved his hand to push aside the crimson flames and walked out of the firelight step by step until he stood opposite the two Golden Core cultivators, at which point he stopped.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Hua Xinyan's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Mo Wendao! Weren't you dead?"
Rumor has it that the Holy Emperor Mo Wendao, who was just seriously injured and nearly died, not only did not die, but actually appeared here.
This not only greatly surprised Hua Xinyan, but also made Zhou Xilai's expression change drastically.
Zhou Xilai was not surprised by Mo Wendao's feigned death, but rather by the man's immense and powerful aura.
Mo Wendao's cultivation level was only at the Foundation Establishment stage before, but the person who appeared here possessed an astonishing aura that was no less than that of the two of them.
Zhou Xilai also vaguely sensed an even more powerful aura hidden within Mo Wendao's body, which seemed to be the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator!