373: Chapter 367 is filled with bloodshed, scheming, and betrayal.

This time, Chen Zhiwen did not hold back at all.

He crudely flipped through the darkest corners of the other party's memories.

"Hmph."

As the memories flooded in, Chen Zhiwen let out a cold snort.

If Huang Xia's memories were a clear spring, then Huang Lichun's memories were a pool of foul, stagnant water.

Filled with blood, schemes, and betrayal.

This seemingly kind old person was actually a ruthless individual.

For the sake of the Family's interests and the status of his branch, his hands were already stained with the blood of the innocent.

In his memory fragments, Chen Zhiwen saw a hair-raising scene.

To prevent news of this treasure hunt from leaking, just before they set off, he had personally shattered the heart meridian of a young clansman.

The boy was named Duan Xiaoding, a collateral descendant of the Huang Family who usually treated Huang Lichun with great respect.

Just because he had inadvertently overheard a whisper about the volcano, he was silenced by this old person without hesitation.

"What a poisonous snake." Chen Zhiwen cursed inwardly.

Besides this, he discovered an even more interesting piece of information.

Huang Lichun's hundred-year Cultivation career had always been lived in the shadow of the Grand Elder, Huang Wanfu.

Huang Wanfu held the power of the Huang Family and suppressed the other branches severely.

Huang Lichun had long harbored resentment for this.

The reason he was Cultivating Huang Xia so desperately was not entirely out of affection, but more to utilize his granddaughter's Aptitude.

His plan was perfect.

As soon as Huang Xia reached the Late Golden Core Stage, he would unite with several confidants to act against the Grand Elder Huang Wanfu and usurp the position of Family head.

"Dogs biting dogs, a mouthful of fur." Chen Zhiwen scoffed at this.

He had no interest in this kind of internal power struggle within a Family.

Who was in charge of the Huang Family made no difference to him, as long as they did not provoke him.

However, since he had taken a liking to Huang Xia, he would never allow this good seedling to be dragged into such a dirty whirlpool.

"Huang Xia, girl, following a person like you will ruin her sooner or later."

"Since she has met me, that is her good fortune."

Chen Zhiwen withdrew his hand.

The killing intent in his eyes flashed and vanished.

But in the end, he held back.

Killing Huang Lichun now would only cause Huang Xia to develop resistance.

After all, that was the grandmother he had depended on for twenty years.

Some things had to be done slowly.

"Wake up!" Chen Zhiwen shouted in a low voice.

The voice was mixed with a trace of Divine Sense impact, exploding directly in the minds of the two like the tolling of morning and evening bells.

"Ying..."

"Cough, cough..."

Two groans sounded one after another.

Huang Lichun and Huang Xia opened their eyes almost simultaneously, their eyes filled with confusion.

But soon, when they saw the scene before them and the young figure floating in the air, the confusion turned into fear in an instant.

"Sen... Senior..."

Huang Lichun struggled to get up but found his whole body weak and powerless.

He could only manage to kneel on the hard shell of the Yao Beast, trembling.

He remembered very clearly that just a short while ago, this seemingly young man had defeated him and that powerful sea Yao Beast with just one move.

That kind of terrifying strength was simply not something he could contend with.

"Junior Huang Lichun pays respects to Senior!"

"I wonder, Senior... what are your instructions?"

Huang Lichun buried his head very low, his voice trembling, afraid that if the other party was unhappy, he would wipe out both grandmother and granddaughter.

"Get up." Chen Zhiwen said lightly, his tone calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

He turned to look at Huang Xia beside him.

The young girl was currently looking at him timidly.

In her big eyes, besides fear, there was a trace of curiosity.

"You get up too." Chen Zhiwen waved at Huang Xia, his tone significantly softer.

"There is no need to be constrained by those empty courtesies."

"Since you are awake, I will speak plainly."

Huang Xia was stunned for a moment, looking at her grandmother in a loss of what to do.

Seeing Huang Lichun still kneeling and not daring to move, she also did not dare to get up.

"I told you to get up." Chen Zhiwen frowned slightly, his voice rising a little.

Huang Xia was startled, and like a frightened little rabbit, she quickly jumped off the Yao Beast's shell.

She stood properly, twisting the corner of her clothes with both hands, lowering her head and not daring to speak.

"Listen." Chen Zhiwen stood with his hands behind his back.

His gaze passed over Huang Xia and landed on the still-kneeling Huang Lichun.

His tone instantly became extremely cold, like a freezing wind blowing from the Ninth Hell.

"Today's events, regarding the underground eggshell, regarding that great hall, and my existence..."

"If even half a word leaks out..."

"You should know the consequences."

Huang Lichun trembled all over, suddenly raising his head, his eyes filled with horror.

"Eggshell? Great hall?" He blinked, feigning ignorance.

"Senior... Junior does not know what you are talking about?"

"Junior only remembers that we encountered a Yao Beast attack at the volcano, and then we were saved by you..."

"As for the rest, Junior truly does not remember anything!"

Chen Zhiwen watched his exquisite acting and sneered.

"You are a smart person."

"Since you don't remember, it is best never to remember."

"Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make you remember, and then make you regret coming into this world."

Huang Lichun kowtowed repeatedly.

"Junior dares not! Junior dares not!"

"Junior will definitely keep his mouth shut!"

Chen Zhiwen ignored him and turned his gaze back to Huang Xia, his eyes becoming gentle again.

"Little girl."

"Your name is Huang Xia, right?"

Huang Xia nodded and replied in a low voice: "Yes... yes, Senior."

"From today on, you don't have to call me Senior."

Chen Zhiwen smiled slightly.

This smile was like a spring breeze, instantly dispelling the surrounding coldness.

"I am an acquaintance of your Revered Master."

"Counting it up, I should be your Senior Brother."

This was, of course, nonsense, but he needed a reasonable identity to bring the two closer.

Accepting a disciple on behalf of a Revered Master was the most common trick in the Cultivation world.

It could make things seem legitimate and also make the other party feel a sense of belonging.

"Sen... Senior Brother?"

Huang Xia's eyes widened in disbelief.

She had never heard that she had any Revered Master, let alone a Senior Brother.

"That's right." Chen Zhiwen spoke nonsense with a straight face.

"You possess an Ice Spiritual Root and are a rare Cultivation genius."

"But this Huang Family is too small, and its layout is too low."

"Staying here will only bury your Aptitude."

"Therefore, I have decided to accept you as a disciple on behalf of my Revered Master."

"And take you back to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to Cultivate."

At these words... What? Ten Thousand Swords Sect?!

Huang Lichun suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of shock.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was one of the top Sects within a radius of ten thousand miles!

Although it could not compare to a behemoth like the Tianyang Sect, it was definitely not something their small Huang Family could compare to.

If Huang Xia could enter the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, that would be a huge backer for their branch!

However...

"Senior..." Huang Lichun hesitated for a moment and said cautiously.

"It is Xiaer's good fortune to be able to enter the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."

"It's just that... Xiaer is, after all, the hope of our Huang Family, and also..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Chen Zhiwen.

"And what?"

"And you want to keep her, waiting until you defeat Huang Wanfu, so she can support you?"

"Or do you want her to marry that so-called Nascent Soul Old Monster from the Tianyang Sect?"

Boom!

This sentence was like a thunderbolt, striking Huang Lichun heavily on the crown of his head.

His whole body stiffened, and his complexion turned deathly pale instantly.

How did he know these things?!

The marriage contract with the Tianyang Sect was the highest secret of the Huang Family!

Except for him and the Family head, no third person knew about it!

Could it be... Could it be that he can read minds?!

An unprecedented fear instantly drowned his reason.

Chen Zhiwen watched his ghost-seeing expression and sneered inwardly.

The benefit of the Soul Search Technique was right here.

Mastering all of the other party's trump cards allowed one to manipulate them at will.

"Don't look at me like that." Chen Zhiwen took a step forward.

A terrifying pressure belonging to a Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage was released without reservation.

Like Mount Tai pressing down, it weighed heavily on Huang Lichun.

"Puff!" Huang Lichun spat out a mouthful of blood, and his whole body collapsed to the ground.

His bones made creaking sounds.

"Senior, spare my life! Senior, spare my life!"

At this moment, he had no thoughts of resistance left, only endless desire to survive.

"I am not discussing this with you."

Chen Zhiwen looked down at him, his eyes disdainful.

"I am informing you."

"I am taking Huang Xia away."

"The resources of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect are a hundred times, a thousand times stronger than your Huang Family."

"Only there can she truly grow up."

"As for your little schemes..."

"You had better put them away."

Speaking of this, Chen Zhiwen paused and turned to look at the bewildered Huang Xia, his tone softening.

"Of course, I am not unreasonable."

"You can come to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to visit her every ten days."

"But if your messy business disturbs her Cultivation..."

"Or if you want to use her as a chip for political marriage..."

"Then don't blame me for being heartless."

"At that time..."

"Let alone you."

"Even if it is the entire Huang Family..."

"I wouldn't mind making it disappear from this Flying Leaf Island."

This statement was spoken with domineering arrogance, leaving no room for doubt.

Huang Lichun lay on the ground, soaked in cold sweat.

He knew that this man before him would absolutely do what he said.

And, he had just mentioned the marriage contract with the Tianyang Sect.

That was a huge bomb.

If Huang Xia really went to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and had this layer of protection, perhaps... perhaps she could really survive that disaster?

Thinking of this, Huang Lichun's mind became active.

Compared to that Tianyang Sect old monster who treated his granddaughter as a Cauldron, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was clearly a better choice.

At the very least, this "Senior Brother" before him did not seem to have any intention of using Huang Xia as a Cauldron.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Junior understands! Junior obeys!"

Huang Lichun kowtowed repeatedly.

"It is Xiaer's good fortune accumulated over eight lifetimes to be able to Cultivate with Senior!"

"Junior will go back now and will definitely not say a word!"

"Good." Chen Zhiwen nodded with satisfaction.

"Since that is the case, you go back first."

"As for Huang Xia, she will come with me now."

After speaking, he did not wait for Huang Xia to react.

He rolled his large sleeve, and a gentle force of wind wrapped around the girl's body, bringing her directly onto his Flying Sword.

"Let's go!" Chen Zhiwen shouted softly.

The sword light beneath his feet flourished, turning into a rainbow that soared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

Only Huang Lichun was left alone, standing on the volcano, looking at the distant sword light with extremely complex eyes.

There was both the relief of surviving a disaster and the loss of having lost her most important bargaining chip.

"Ten Thousand Swords Sect..."

"Accepting a disciple on behalf of a Revered Master..."

Huang Lichun muttered to himself.

Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he shuddered violently.

"Wait!"

"How did he know about that Nascent Soul Old Monster from the Tianyang Sect?!"

"Could it be..."

"Has the Ten Thousand Swords Sect been watching our Huang Family for a long time?!"

The wind at the volcano was still biting.

The black smoke mixed with the smell of sulfur did not dissipate; instead, it became even thicker.

Chen Zhiwen stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes indifferently scanning the old and young before him.

The previous soul search had already made him understand the Huang Family's background clearly.

The so-called "offering to the stars" was to send Huang Xia to that Nascent Soul Old Monster of the Tianyang Sect to be a Cauldron, which was actually a cover.

Or rather, this was a statement Huang Lichun deliberately used to appear weak in front of him.

In the core secrets of the Huang Family, Huang Xia was being cultivated as the hope for the future.

Earth-grade Ice Spiritual Root.

With this kind of Aptitude, if the resources were sufficient, she even had the hope of impacting the Nascent Soul.

The Huang Wanfu who held the power in the Huang Family was tyrannical, but his brain was not broken.

How could he possibly give his own Qilin child to an outsider as a one-time consumable?

What they really wanted to do was to use Huang Xia as a bargaining chip, waiting for the price to rise.

They were even thinking that after she grew up, they would let the Huang Family upgrade from a small Cultivation Family to a real Sect force.

"A nice wishful thinking." Chen Zhiwen sneered in his heart.

It was just a pity that she met him.

The person he took a fancy to had never escaped his grasp.

Chen Zhiwen withdrew his thoughts, his eyes landing on the kneeling Huang Lichun, and he spoke lightly:

"Since you have already agreed, there is no need to say more. Huang Xia will immediately return to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect with me."

His tone was calm, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

It was as if this was not a discussion, but a decree.

Huang Lichun knelt on the ground, his body trembling slightly.

He stole a glance at Chen Zhiwen from the corner of his eye, his heart churning.

Although this star of misfortune was young, this pressure was several times more terrifying than their own Grand Elder.

If he really let him take Xiaer away, how would he explain it when he went back?

The Grand Elder Huang Wanfu, that short-tempered man, would probably slice him alive if he knew he had lost the only hope of the Family.

No.

He absolutely could not agree so easily.

Huang Lichun rolled his eyes, a plan coming to mind.

He suddenly raised his head, a look of extreme misery on his face, and his voice even carried a cry:

"Senior! It is not that Junior is unwilling, it is truly... truly that Junior cannot make the decision!"

As he said this, he kowtowed heavily.

His forehead hit the hard rock, making a muffled sound.

Chen Zhiwen raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at him with a half-smile:

"Oh? You are her biological grandmother and also a Golden Core Elder, and you cannot even make this decision?"

The voice carried a bit of mockery.