"Flee!"
Hearing the news reported by the guard, Feng Qingyang did not hesitate. He used the Qi of Heaven and Earth to transform into a clear breeze, instantly rising high into the sky.
Then...
He returned to the main hall, activated the protective array, and hid within the Prince's Mansion, not daring to move an inch. He was, after all, a Prince, and still maintained his composure. "I am a Prince, backed by the Imperial Dynasty. As long as I remain in the Prince's Mansion, in full view of everyone, what can you do to me?"
Above the Prince's Mansion, high in the sky.
Figures emerged from within the clouds!
Li Tianyi stood in the center of the sky above the Prince's Mansion, a reluctant expression on his face. Behind him were twenty-three old grandfathers. Any extra old grandfathers had already been sent out by him to help the clansmen in their cultivation, and he hadn't called them back yet.
Seeing Li Tianyi's expression, Li Wei could roughly guess why this kid was so unwilling.
[Your descendant, Li Tianyi, dug up a wisp of the remnant soul of a Great Priest from a Wu Clan tomb. Just as he was about to capture it, he received a family order, forcing him to abandon the remnant soul and bring these seniors, who represent the former peak power of Azure Cloud region, to prevent Feng Qingyang from escaping!]
As soon as these twenty-odd-old seniors appeared, Feng Qingyang had not hesitated to flee back into the Prince's Mansion.
It was no wonder...
[Your descendant, Li Tianyi, has cultivated for thirty years and reached the peak of the Golden Core stage. He is currently refining his Core to form his Nascent Soul. For over thirty years, the Li family members have found natural treasures that consolidate the souls of many old ancestors, allowing them to bestow even greater power upon Li Tianyi!]
"Hmph, he's lucky he ran fast."
"Tianyi, be ready to lend us your body at any moment. This old man was the eighth Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, and I have guarded the Azure Cloud region my entire life. Azure Cloud region was almost destroyed in his hands; even if it costs me my life, I will kill him!"
"Me too! Never mind all that, Tianyi, let's just charge down there and tear through his Prince's Mansion!"
"...."
Li Tianyi scratched his head. "Seniors, please don't make trouble. This time, it's a mission assigned by Second Uncle."
He remembered the smile of his second uncle, Li Yunbing, and couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear. If it were Fourth Aunt's orders, he might dare to try and disobey. When Fourth Aunt said she would refine all his seniors, she was probably just saying it to scare him. But Second Uncle... Second Uncle always did what he said when he was the family head, and now that he's back from the Thunderfire Demon Cave, he's even more terrifying.
...
Feng Qingyang sat within the family, but his calm only lasted for a moment.
Within the Prince's Mansion, every Nascent Soul cultivator abruptly lifted their heads, a ripple of unease passing through them.
They felt it – a palpable tension that gripped the entire region. Every Nascent Soul cultivator in the Azure Cloud region had their senses trained on the Prince's Mansion, waiting, watching.
Meanwhile, outside the mansion walls, the Wu Clan members, once brought here by the Li family, now found themselves bound prisoners at the very gates of the Prince's Mansion.
As the voices of these Wu Clan chieftains rang out, Feng Qingyang's expression turned unsightly.
Their cries reverberated through Azure Cloud City, impossibly loud, impossibly bold.
"I am the Chieftain of the Beast Division," a voice boomed. "I can testify that three hundred years ago, Prince Feng Qingyang was already cooperating with our people!"
Another voice rose, "And I, Chieftain of the Ghost Division, can attest to our own dealings with Feng Qingyang."
"I represent the Eagle Fang tribe!"
And so it went.
Six chieftains – six – stood bound outside the Prince's Mansion, their clansmen arrayed around them. Every word they uttered was a scandalous revelation.
The citizens of the Azure Cloud region listened, their eyes wide with disbelief, piecing together the implications of these accusations. A horrifying truth emerged: Three hundred years ago, Prince Feng Qingyang had already begun his treachery, allying himself with the Wu Clan. He wasn't even a true member of the Feng family, but a spy planted within the Azure Cloud region...
"Bastards! Bastards!"
The great hall was a scene of utter devastation, reflecting Feng Qingyang's near-mad state. Lies! All lies, those pronouncements from the Wu Clan!
But what he couldn't comprehend was why. Why would these fiercely proud Wu Clan, known for choosing death before dishonor, obey the Li family's commands and slander him so publicly? The power of rumors was terrifying enough, but the words of these Wu Clan, spoken with such conviction, were devastating.
From within the depths of the Feng family compound, the voices of several Nascent Soul ancestors reached his ears. These powerful cultivators, too, dismissed the outlandish claims, yet… they demanded his immediate abdication!
"How could these Wu Clan…? Why would they help the Li family?"
"They were captured, facing certain death. In such a situation, they should have fought to the bitter end, not…"
Feng Qingyang, a man who had schemed his entire life, even against his own family, suddenly deflated.
With his position as patriarch lost, all his ambitions would become nothing but fleeting illusions.
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