Han Xuanji walked along the streets of Qianhun City; beneath his feet was a long street paved with bluestone slabs, flanked by rows of shops and bustling crowds.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled from the horizon, dyeing the entire city in a layer of pale gold.
His pace was neither fast nor slow, his expression calm, showing no emotional fluctuation, yet his mind was racing.
Han Xuanji temporarily set aside the matter of Qin Xin.
Her identity was indeed shocking; her true form was an ancient Eternal Deity.
But what did that have to do with him?
At least for now, Qin Xin had shown no hostility toward him, but rather a somewhat inexplicable interest.
Regarding such matters, he would simply pretend to know nothing. Rashly probing the background of an Eternal Deity was no different from seeking death.
The most pressing matter was something else. The application for the Life and Death Ravine had already yielded a result.
Opening the Secret Realm required a full quota of one hundred people, and it was impossible for the Hun Family to open it solely for him, which Han Xuanji had long expected.
Ticket fees were still being collected, and the allocation of quotas among various households was being debated; based on his understanding of the Hun Family's efficiency in deliberation, this process wouldn't be too fast, nor too slow.
Perhaps a few months, or possibly a few years. This matter couldn't be rushed, nor did it need to be; he could use this window of time to settle another more urgent matter.
Those who wished him harm.
After all, while improving his own strength was important, he wouldn't be able to Cultivate in peace if there were always hidden dangers watching him from behind.
Han Xuanji's gaze turned slightly cold.
Baili Qianchi was merely a pawn, and Wu Congshan was just a lackey.
The ones truly orchestrating things from behind were Third Young Master Hun Qianchen and Hun Cangfeng, who supported him.
This Third Young Master of the Hun Family was a strong contender for the Family succession. From the moment Han Xuanji became an S-rank Talent supporting Hun Qianxue, and especially when Han Xuanji ascended the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder, he had been viewed as a thorn in their side.
"In that case, I must strike first to gain the upper hand," Han Xuanji thought to himself.
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
He was well aware of the ambitions of Third Young Master Hun Qianchen and Hun Cangfeng. Wu Congshan could send Baili Qianchi to test him today, and he might send someone even stronger tomorrow.
As long as he remained in Qianhun City, he would be a thorn in Third Young Master Hun Qianchen's side.
Sitting around waiting for death had never been his style, and it would still take some time before he grew enough to sweep away these threats.
One must be decisive when it's time to act, or there will be endless trouble. That left only borrowing the hands of others. And what he had to do was very simple. Add fuel to the fire and force those conspiracies still surging in the shadows to erupt prematurely.
Han Xuanji had originally intended to deal with these hidden threats.
Previously, at the Family Council, he had used the System's investigation function to gather a lot of intelligence.
...
A secret small building within the Hun Family.
Only three people were present in the room: Third Young Master Hun Qianchen, Hun Cangfeng, and the Sect Leader of the Tianwu Sect, Wu Tianqiong.
"The situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for us."
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen was the first to speak. His voice was low, carrying an irrepressible irritability.
"Now Hun Qianxue's weight within the clan grows heavier by the day; one word from him is more effective than ten of mine. If this continues, we will eventually be..."
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, as the outcome seemed already decided.
Since Han Xuanji ascended the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder, Hun Qianxue's prestige had been rising daily, while those like them who had previously opposed him were naturally being quietly suppressed.
The gloom in Third Young Master Hun Qianchen's eyes almost overflowed.
He never thought he would lose so miserably—not knocked down by a single thunderous blow, but gradually dismantled from his very Foundation.
This feeling left him unwilling but helpless.
"Elder Zangfeng, you aren't offering any ideas either."
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen complained slightly.
Hearing this, Hun Cangfeng was speechless; what ideas could he possibly offer?
Hun Qianxue was the Patriarch to begin with, and his weight had always been greater than yours.
"At this critical juncture, why did you still instruct Wu Congshan to deal with Han Xuanji?"
Hun Cangfeng said somewhat helplessly.
"Hmph, we can't just let that kid who ruined our plans live so comfortably, can we?"
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen snorted coldly.
Seeing that the other party didn't realize how foolish this decision was at all. Hun Cangfeng was also exasperated; no wonder fewer and fewer people in the clan supported him. How could he possibly contend with the opposition?
To deal with Han Xuanji, in his view, one should either win him over or pull him up by the roots.
As for the former, they had been trying, but unfortunately, all messages went unanswered. As for the latter, the risk was high, and the rewards were completely disproportionate to the risk.
Even if they killed Han Xuanji, it would just be eliminating an Eternal Dao Lord, and it would instead allow Hun Qianxue to use the incident to exert pressure.
"Qianchen, do you want to become the Patriarch?"
Hun Cangfeng spoke, his voice old and calm, like the autumn wind sweeping over withered leaves.
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen and Wu Tianqiong both looked toward him.
"I know everything you've said, and because I know, I already have a solution."
Hun Cangfeng didn't rush to finish; instead, he slowly reached out his hand and drew a line on the table with his index finger.
A line of blood.
Crimson blood seeped from his fingertip, drawing a straight red mark on the table, leaving a dark stain.
"As long as Hun Qianxue is around, we will never have a chance to rise."
He said, his tone as flat as if he were remarking on the nice weather, but the coldness beneath that flatness made a slight chill run down Third Young Master Hun Qianchen's spine.
"In that case, there is only one final path to take—Decapitation."
As those two words fell, the air in the secret room seemed to suddenly freeze.
"You mean... kill him?"
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen's voice suddenly grew loud; he stood up abruptly, then realized something and lowered his voice, but the shock in his tone couldn't be hidden.
"The Ancestral Precepts state clearly that fratricide is a great taboo, and plotting against the Patriarch is a capital offense!"
Once exposed, the entire Family will have no place for us!
At that time, no one will support us.
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen hadn't expected Hun Cangfeng to play such a high-stakes game. Plotting against the Patriarch was no joke. If they killed Han Xuanji, even if the matter was exposed, they would only be severely punished and forced to hand over their power; their lives could still be preserved.
After all, a dead talent is no longer a talent, just a corpse. And as living Eternal True Gods, they undoubtedly still had greater uses. Wu Tianqiong raised an eyebrow, and the smile on his face didn't disappear; instead, it deepened.
Having experienced the split of the Tianwu Sect and seen many such things, he wasn't surprised; instead, he was thinking about how much profit he could gain from it.
Hun Cangfeng didn't argue; he just looked at him quietly.
Only after Third Young Master Hun Qianchen finished speaking did he slowly open his mouth.
"Ancestral Precepts."
He let out a faint, cold laugh that was very brief:
"Qianchen, you grew up in the Hun Family too. In the power struggles of the Hun Family, how much do you think the words 'Ancestral Precepts' are actually worth?"
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.