129: Chapter 129 The Su Family

Su Yang and Su Xuanxiao continuously tried different arrangements on the chessboard; although they were taking turns placing pieces randomly, they always ended up forming a competitive game of Go.

Every time a game was completed, Su Yang would catch a glimmer of insight.

"The positions of the stars are shifting, but we've failed to notice it. There are invisible rules influencing everything around us, including our consciousness."

Su Yang suddenly said in a low voice.

Su Xuanxiao was taken aback and asked, somewhat confused, "What do you mean, Father?"

"As long as the stars are used as a reference, it will always be a game of Go in progress."

Su Yang's eyes flickered as the insight he had captured in his mind gradually became clear. "The stars in the sky have established a certain rule, influencing how the game is presented."

"From the moment we stepped into this place, we have been within these rules."

"The Opportunity of the thatched hut isn't inside the hut, nor is it within the game; it's the twinkling stars in the sky!"

Su Xuanxiao looked bewildered after hearing this. He tried to understand his father's words, but he remained completely clueless.

If the Opportunity was in the sky, how was he supposed to get it?

Just as he was about to ask further, he saw that his father had already closed his eyes and entered a state of Epiphany.

"Father truly is a Spell-Creating Cultivator; his Comprehension Ability is terrifyingly strong!"

Wei Yan whispered beside Su Xuanxiao, voicing exactly what he was thinking.

...

*Clatter!*

The sound of a porcelain cup shattering suddenly rang out from the banquet platform!

A Shi Family Cultivator abruptly stood up, staring in disbelief at the Family name disappearing from the painted scroll.

"Head of the Family! This is impossible!!"

The faces of the Shi Family Cultivators all changed drastically as they cried out in shock. All the members of the Shi Family who had entered the Secret Realm, including their head, had fallen, causing them to lose their composure instantly.

Most of the Immortal Officials who were still drinking and gambling had their attention on the struggles between the Foundation Establishment Factions.

With the cry of the Shi Family Cultivator, they only then noticed that the name of the Shi Family—one of the six major factions most likely to secure a top-five spot—had disappeared from the rankings.

"The Shi Family was wiped out? When did this happen?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, who would have thought? Two of the six major Qi Refining Factions have actually been eliminated."

"Hahaha! It just so happens that the top five I bet on didn't include the Shi Family. This Family was clearly no good; their cultivation auras were all gloomy and sinister. They didn't look like a Family with good Luck at all."

"Who wiped out the Shi Family? By the way, how is there a 'Qingyuan Su Clan' in the top five that I've never heard of?"

The Great Wei Immortal Officials were all talking at once.

Some angrily smashed their wine cups, cursing the useless Shi Family for making them lose money, while others curiously asked which Family was so formidable that they could wipe out the Shi Family. Not a single person sympathized with them.

Even though there were still Shi Family Cultivators present on the banquet platform, this group of Immortal Officials mocked and discussed them without any restraint.

"Does anyone know the background of this Qingyuan Su Clan?"

Holding a wine cup, City Lord asked calmly with a deep gaze.

Zhang Xian immediately cupped his hands and replied respectfully, "My Lord, the 'Qingyuan Su Clan' is a Qi Refining Family that only recently promoted to the eighth rank."

"Oh?" City Lord's interest was piqued. "Looking at their ranking, do they look like an Eighth-Rank Qi Refining Family?"

What Eighth-Rank Qi Refining Family could squeeze into the top five?

Looking from top to bottom, they were all seventh-rank Qi Refining Families with centuries of heritage. The inclusion of an Eighth-Rank Family like the 'Qingyuan Su Clan' was incredibly jarring.

"Uh..." Zhang Xian was momentarily speechless. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The Head of the Su Family is usually low-key and prefers to keep a low profile. Additionally, the destruction of Qingyuan County caused their ranking evaluation to lag behind."

"Heh!" City Lord chuckled. "After this assembly ends, promote them to a Seventh-Rank Family. Otherwise, an eighth-rank crushing seventh-ranks would look ridiculous."

"You are right, My Lord!"

Zhang Xian cupped his hands and smiled along, but his heart was anything but calm.

He had originally thought the Su Family was just here for the sake of appearing. After all, the Head of the Su Family hadn't even wanted to come to Luoxuan City initially. Yet now, not only had they entered the Secret Realm, but they were also slaughtering everyone inside. It truly left him jaw-dropped.

The Shi Family Cultivators on the banquet platform also noticed the Su Family's point ranking. Someone discovered that after the Shi Family disappeared from the rankings, the Family whose points increased significantly was precisely the Su Family.

"The Head of the Family must have died at the hands of the Su Family! This matter cannot be dropped!" a Shi Family Cultivator said resentfully.

An older man from the Shi Family furrowed his brows, his face as dark as water. "Don't be impulsive. Even the Head of the Family is dead. Do you really think you can ambush the Su Family?"

Their Family's main force had been wiped out. How could people like them be a match for the Su Family? If they really went to lie in wait outside the city, they would likely just be throwing their lives away.

"Then, Seventh Elder, what do you think we should do?"

"We will discuss this after returning to the Family. Moreover, we must leave immediately. The Family's secret has been discovered. That lord will not only refuse to protect us but will also kick us while we're down!"

The Seventh Elder's expression grew uglier as he spoke.

The fact that the Shi Family practiced Demonic Techniques had been exposed. Once the Su Family members came out, they would surely report this matter.

What their Shi Family should be thinking about now wasn't revenge, but fleeing immediately—and the entire Family had to flee.

"Lord City Lord, something major has happened in the Shi Family. We must take our leave first. Please forgive us."

The Seventh Elder stood up, bowed to the group of Immortal Officials, and simultaneously took out three Heaven And Earth Treasures, handing them over with spiritual energy.

"These three Heaven And Earth Treasures will aid you lords in your cultivation. Please accept them. Once the Shi Family has handled our Family matters, we will certainly come to apologize in person."

Just as City Lord and the others began to frown, they saw the Shi Family offering three Heaven And Earth Treasures, and their brows instantly relaxed.

The Seventh Elder understood the greed and corruption of these Immortal Officials all too well.

"Since there are matters at home, you are permitted to leave early. However, this is an exception."

City Lord waved his hand with a beaming smile, urging the Shi Family to leave quickly.

Seeing this, the other Cultivators on the platform cursed inwardly.

Although City Lord said it was an exception, he was actually hinting that if the next Family wanted to leave early, they would have to hand over even more precious treasures.

These Immortal Officials were not only limitlessly greedy, but they even dared to sabotage the tasks assigned by the imperial edict. They had arbitrarily altered the rules of the Secret Realm combat and were now letting the Shi Family leave at will.

One must know that the real show would begin after the Secret Realm combat ended. Great Wei had offered such generous rewards precisely to issue instructions to the various factions afterward.

By leaving now, the Shi Family was essentially ignoring this imperial edict from Great Wei.

It was truly a blatant act of bribery!

After receiving permission, the Shi Family Cultivators immediately bowed and hurriedly withdrew from the banquet.

Song Baiqing glanced at them indifferently, memorizing their appearances and auras.

Time passed quietly.

The moment the Secret Realm closed, all surviving Cultivators were teleported to the Central Square of the City Lord's Manor.

As streaks of Divine Sense swept across, the square gradually filled with the sound of voices.

When Jiang Wuyu and Cheng Lan saw that the Su Family hadn't lost a single person, they were surprised and secretly sighed with regret; this was far from the outcome they had anticipated.

"This Su Family really knows how to hide!" Jiang Wuyu said in an annoyed tone. "On the surface, they're an Eighth-Rank Qi Refining Family, but in reality, they're top-tier even among seventh-rank families."

Cheng Lan smiled faintly, a meaningful look appearing on her beautiful face. "Surviving the Secret Realm is indeed unexpected, but they might not necessarily be able to return to Qingyuan with the Lesser Five Elements Art."

"Does Head of the Cheng Family have some ideas?"

Jiang Wuyu glanced at her, and the latter shook her head with a light laugh. "The Cheng Family wouldn't dare covet the Lesser Five Elements Art."