422: Chapter 422 The Liu Family's Hongmen

[Half an incense stick later—]

[You lie on the ground, looking at Qin Han, and fall silent.]

[Qin Han squats beside you, licking its paws with an innocent face.]

["Hand of Rules," it speaks clumsily, as if explaining the move it just used. "Just learned it."]

[It doesn't know why this move is so powerful, but it feels the name is very fitting.]

[You don't want to talk.]

[You used Void Power, and it tore through the void with a single claw.]

[You released Clones to besiege it, and it dispersed them with a single swipe.]

[You condensed a black hole to devour it, and it—with that same claw—struck the black hole until it vanished.]

[From beginning to end, it only used that one move.]

[Hand of Rules.]

[Most importantly—its speed was too fast, so fast that you couldn't even see how it attacked.]

[The only thing you could feel was that every time it raised its claw, all the Laws around you, including the Sword Law you were so proud of, would instantly fall into chaos.]

[It was as if an invisible hand had scrambled your "rules" into a mess.]

[You climb up from the ground and pat the dust off your clothes.]

[Then you look at it and nod with satisfaction: "Well, you weren't fed for nothing."]

[Back then—when the Divine Dragon Cult and the Piaomiao Sect were destroyed, the countless years of accumulation from those two great factions, including Magic Treasures, Spirit Treasures, Medicinal Pills, and spiritual materials, were almost all fed to Qin Han by you.]

[You didn't even look at those things, nor did you take a detailed inventory—because you knew that looking would only cause heartache.]

[You can't even calculate how much it has eaten.]

[Keep in mind, there were one hundred and fifty thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones alone.]

[One can only imagine how much Qin Han has eaten?]

[So, you don't even know what its current strength actually is.]

[In the sixty-sixth year,]

[With the support of the xuantian treasure mirror, you not only stabilized your cultivation but also practiced the Illusionary Form Technique to Perfection.]

[The Illusionary Form Technique at Perfection is even more profound; even your bones and aura change completely, transforming you into a different person from the inside out, such that even those a Realm higher cannot see through it.]

[Only then did you take Gu Jing and leave for Ziyang Immortal City.]

[Before departing, you performed three divinations—]

[Qin Han: Auspicious.]

[Zhulong: Auspicious.]

[Gu Jing: Also auspicious.]

[All three divinations were auspicious; you could set out.]

[But you hesitated for a moment and ultimately only condensed a Clone—allocating ninety percent of your power to it, while your main body continued to Cultivate in the Immortal Cave.]

[You weren't like other Void Refining Cultivators who couldn't bear to part with their power and only sent out a Clone with ten percent strength—how was that any different from delivering one's head on a silver platter?]

[Afterward, your Clone transformed and disguised itself before setting off with Gu Jing.]

[Qin Han and Zhulong did not travel with your Clone—because it wasn't necessary.]

[Of course, your Clone didn't take any Spirit Treasures either, only a few Magic Treasures and a small amount of Spirit Stones.]

[It must be admitted that the fear of death is truly etched into one's bones.]

[Before, you didn't understand why those people always loved to wander around with Clones when their main bodies weren't weak either.]

[Now, you understand.]

[You only have one life.]

[Several days later,]

[The two of you arrived at Ziyang Immortal City.]

[When stepping into Ziyang Immortal City, Gu Jing's eyes were never still.]

[She looked around, finding everything fresh, with an irrepressible expectation and smile on her face.]

[You glanced at her and asked casually, "Any progress on the matter of the Heart Demon Tribulation?"]

[Her face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head, her voice soft: "Um... just walking around with Young Master like this, I should be able to find a way within a few years."]

[You nodded and didn't ask further.]

[After being in seclusion for so long, one really does need to come out and walk around.]

[Those things you can't figure out, the hurdles you're stuck on, often suddenly clear up while on the road, in a crowd, or in some inadvertent moment.]

[You yourself had gone through the same.]

[As you walked, a pavilion appeared ahead.]

[It was nine stories high, with an imposing storefront and three gilded characters on the plaque—Tianxing Tower.]

[There were many Cultivators coming and going; some wore luxurious clothes, others wore Daoist robes, followed by Disciples or attendants, clearly people from various families and sects.]

[Bursts of discussion came from the pavilion, audible even from a distance.]

["I said long ago that we shouldn't have let them enter Ziyang Star! Now look, they're not even acting anymore; they've laid their cards on the table!"]

[Someone lowered their voice, but their resentment was impossible to hide: "Keep it down... walls have ears."]

["What's there to fear? Everyone in the city knows. Once that summons was issued last month, all pretenses were dropped. Are we supposed to be afraid of people talking?"]

[Another person chimed in, their tone more steady: "I don't think it's necessarily all bad. No matter how large the Liu Clan is, they need manpower. If we align ourselves with them, maybe..."]

["Maybe what? Maybe one day we'll just become numbers in their ledgers?" someone sighed.]

["In the end, those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."]

["Exactly. They are outsiders, while we are locals. If they're eating the meat, we'll be lucky if they leave us some soup."]

[Standing at the entrance, you listened to a few sentences and roughly pieced together what was happening.]

[When the Liu Clan Immortal Family first arrived at Ziyang Star, they kept a very low profile—settling in an uninhabited mountain range, never causing trouble, and being polite to everyone.]

[Later, they gradually gained a foothold and began to expand outward.]

[Nearby small forces were either swallowed up or became vassals.]

[Those further away hadn't been touched yet.]

[But last month, the Liu Clan suddenly issued a summons, inviting all the prominent forces of Ziyang Star to gather in Ziyang Immortal City for a discussion.]

[This summons was actually a Hongmen Banquet—to be held in three days at the City Lord's Mansion.]

[Everyone understood the meaning—the Liu Clan didn't want to pretend anymore.]

[Everyone could choose: either take the initiative to join them or wait for the Liu Clan to come knocking on their door.]

[There was no other way—if the Liu Clan wanted to develop, they had to monopolize resources and strengthen their Family's power.]

[The Liu Clan's plan was also very clear—to re-establish Ziyang Star as the Liu Clan Territory and then expand to nearby Star Continents.]

[Only with enough resources could the Liu Clan Immortal Family grow stronger.]

[The noisy discussions inside the pavilion continued; you stood at the door listening for a while, not in a hurry to enter.]

[Gu Jing leaned close to you, listening quietly as well.]

[Occasionally, a few sentences made her brow furrow slightly, but she didn't say anything.]

[You looked at Gu Jing and felt secretly relieved—fortunately, the Liu Clan's situation had overshadowed the matters of Tianyang Star and her Gu Family; otherwise, her Heart Demon Tribulation might have become even more difficult.]

[And it was true—now no one was discussing that small matter on Tianyang Star; everyone was talking about the Liu Clan Immortal Family.]

[In your mind, you reviewed the power dynamics of Ziyang Star—]

[The three strongest forces on Ziyang Star were the Heavenly Sword Sect, Wanling Valley, and the Tianyin Sect.]

[Except for Ziyang Palace, which was a special case, there were over a hundred other notable forces.]

[In other words, at least over a hundred forces would be attending the Liu Clan's Hongmen Banquet this time.]

[But the core remained the Three Great Factions.]

[However, the Three Great Factions currently posed no threat to the Liu Clan.]

[If the Three Great Factions were allowed to develop further, even if the Liu Clan could suppress them, they would suffer heavy losses.]

[After all, the strongest Old Ancestors of the Three Great Factions were currently only at the Void Refining cultivation level.]

[Based on your speculation regarding the three forces, the Heavenly Sword Sect would become the target of this "killing the chicken to warn the monkeys."]

[The Heavenly Sword Sect was the one you intended to win over to deal with the Liu Clan Immortal Family in the future.]

[Therefore, you would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.]