95: The Huo family, retreat!

Misfortune has befallen our family...

Huo Kuang also regretted spoiling his granddaughter Huo Wu at this moment. In the past, for minor squabbles, he always turned a blind eye, but now it had finally turned into a tsunami that would engulf the Huo Family.

“Tell me, what do you want in order to spare our Huo Family?”

Staggering to his feet with a bald head, Huo Kuang's figure was like a swaying duckweed, easily affected by even a gentle breeze.

His appearance seemed unchanged, but his eyes instantly aged by more than ten years, his voice weak and compromising, no longer arrogant.

Su Ye exclaimed in surprise, a smile on his face, “Knowing that your strength can't solve the problem, you're thinking of negotiating now, right?”

“Everyone from your Huo Family is truly the same!!”

Facing the ridicule, Huo Kuang remained silent. The current situation was pressing, beyond his control.

Seeing this, Su Ye stopped the pleasantries, his smile fading, replaced by a cold, stern face, and he said coldly,

“I don't need an apology, nor do I care for your insincere apologies!”

“Previously, I had an agreement with your granddaughter and the others. Whoever lost would be a beggar for one day. If you lose, you accept the consequences. This matter should have been resolved here.”

“Unfortunately, the tradition of your Huo Family has always been arrogance and looking down on others.”

Su Ye pointed at Huo Qingtian and continued, “Do you know, the first thing this guy did when he came out was to indiscriminately threaten to kill me!”

“Since your Huo Family wants to speak with strength, and now I've won, you tell me, according to the rules, how should this matter be handled?”

...I understand.” Huo Kuang gave a tragic smile. Since they chose to speak with strength, losing naturally meant bearing all consequences.

Between the two of them, it was no longer a matter of right or wrong.

Huo Kuang's voice was hesitant, like slow, powerless flowing water, “Since my Huo Family was in the wrong first, and now we have lost completely, you can dispose of us as you see fit.”

Tsk!

Isn't this quite reasonable!

“This matter is simple.” Su Ye stopped dawdling, because he sensed that the Heaven Dou army was approaching, and he didn't want to get involved in imperial affairs.

“Your Huo Family broke the agreement first, so it won't just be one day as a beggar. I need her to be a beggar for one year, and during this time, the Huo Family cannot shelter her.”

“Of course, you can refuse, and as for the price…”

“I agree!” Huo Wu quickly interjected, her throat constantly choking back sobs.

“It would have been great if you had this attitude earlier.”

Su Ye's eyes narrowed, and he didn't hesitate to step on her.

“Second!”

“You must hand over half of all the Huo Family's property.”

“As for the reason, I shouldn't need to repeat what I said earlier, right?”

Huo Kuang was silent, only nodding with a dejected expression. The reason was simple: he lost.

Su Ye continued, “As for the third, I want your Huo Family to withdraw from Blazing Academy from now on.”

“Effective immediately, all affairs of Blazing Academy will have nothing to do with your Huo Family.”

Whoosh—!

Huo Kuang's eyes suddenly widened.

...Are you really trying to completely annihilate the Huo Family?”

The low roar was full of anger and unwillingness, Huo Kuang's emotions were extremely agitated.

Blazing Academy was the Huo Family's biggest reliance. Since the academy only recruited nobles, it was a huge noble circle.

As long as they had Blazing Academy, their Huo Family could firmly occupy a portion of the power within the Heaven Dou noble circle and prosper indefinitely.

Once they lost this power, the Huo Family would sooner or later decline, or even fall into a trough due to an accident and never recover.

This condition was simply pulling the rug out from under them!

Su Ye shook his head, his eyes suddenly becoming domineering and sharp, “I think it's necessary for me to correct you.”

“If I wanted to annihilate the Huo Family, I could completely do so right now.”

“For every sip and every drink in this world, there is karmic retribution.”

“Your Huo Family has prospered until now relying on Blazing Academy, and your descendants have become so arrogant and unruly. One day, you will fall into a state of eternal damnation.”

“Logically, you should even thank me. At least I am not the one who will ultimately raise the butcher's knife against the Huo Family.”

“At least now, the Huo Family can retreat safely, and their rise and fall can still be decided by themselves.”

A moment later.

The invisible despair and pressure dissipated with the departure of the young man.

“Grandpa—”

Supporting Huo Kuang, Huo Wu's lips trembled constantly. She lowered her head, not daring to look at the latter again, tears falling like broken strings of pearls.

Huo Qingtian was also rescued from the high wall. Although his internal meridians were eroded by Extreme Ice, preventing him from using his strength, his body was not seriously injured.

“Father, do we really have to listen to that guy? With the Huo Family's strength, at worst, we can…”

Huo Qingtian's face was fierce. With his fiery personality, he was unwilling to accept defeat and was ready to fight to the death.

“Enough!!”

But before he could finish speaking, he was sharply interrupted by Huo Kuang.

Huo Qingtian still wanted to persuade him, but when he noticed his father Huo Kuang's expression at that moment, he was immediately startled.

He saw streaks of blood-colored veins bulging on Huo Kuang's bald forehead, and his dark eyes were now crisscrossed with scarlet threads.

With such a terrifying appearance, Huo Kuang was like a man-eating demon who had walked out of hell, tightly squeezing the hearts of those around him.

“Hoo…” Huo Kuang sighed heavily. How could he not know that the Huo Family still had a chance for a desperate counterattack? They could completely sell themselves to the Empire, rely on the Empire's power, and turn this major issue into a minor one.

Or they could defect to the Spirit Hall, which would also resolve this matter.

But Huo Qingtian wouldn't understand what this meant. Huo Kuang was very clear; it meant completely resisting the opponent to the end.

A Soul Venerable at the three-ring level, whose strength was comparable to a Title Douluo, and who seemed to be only seventeen or eighteen years old...

Such an existence, one had to ask, where would he be in the future?

The Huo Family could hide for a while, but how long could they hide? When that day truly came, the Huo Family wouldn't even have the chance to retreat intact.

His teeth were about to shatter in his mouth. Huo Kuang stood in a stalemate with himself for a few seconds, and finally slowly opened his mouth.

“By the order of the Family Head, I announce that effective immediately, the Huo Family will retire!”

After saying these unwilling words, Huo Kuang's body collapsed like a falling mountain, slumping down with a crash.

“Grandpa! (Father!)” Huo Wu and the other cried out.

The originally bright soul-guided lamps also went out in response, and Blazing Academy fell into temporary chaos.

Su Ye couldn't see all this. After shaking off the surrounding spiritual power probes, he had already returned to the Du Gu Family with Zhu Zhuqing.

In the courtyard, a few crystal lamps were lit. Although there was still the faint glow emitted by plants, it was still somewhat dim.

“What's wrong?” Seeing Su Ye suddenly stop, Zhu Zhuqing frowned and asked, feeling something was off.

Su Ye didn't respond, his gaze fixed resolutely on a certain space, and he coldly shouted:

“Senior has been following for so long. Now that we've arrived here, do you still plan to continue hiding?”

Swish!

Zhu Zhuqing's heart tightened. Someone had been following them, and she hadn't noticed at all.

As Su Ye's words fell, a ripple suddenly spread out in the void.

Two figures appeared from a spatial rift like rising from water, revealing themselves.

The man had a refined appearance, a graceful demeanor, and wore a plain white robe, seemingly unadorned, but adorned with precious and luxurious accessories. Even the staff in his hand was inlaid with huge gems.

As for that old man, his face was withered, his body extremely emaciated, his clothes seemed to be completely supported by his skeletal frame, showing the pattern of his ribs, giving the illusion of being incredibly fragile.

But the integrated, astonishingly dull aura around him made one feel as if an indestructible peak stood before them.