This is simply too much; they're supposed to be brothers! Xiong Kaishan thought to himself, baring his teeth, the way he looked at Hu Liedi, the Tiger King, suddenly carried a glimmer of shared suffering.

These two giants were, naturally, the two Beast Kings fulfilling their promise with Jun Moxie to the mysterious expert: delivering the first batch of spirit herbs from the Heavenly Punishment Forest to Tianxiang City.

Since Jun Moxie's departure, those several Beast Kings had done little else; day and night they had supervised their subordinate Profound Beasts searching everywhere for aged spirit herbs. Now, they had finally gathered a considerable amount and, unable to wait any longer, hurried to deliver them.

For these two spots of escort duty, the Seven Great Beast Kings had nearly started an internal feud. It couldn't be helped; this opportunity, akin to "government-funded tourism," was too rare, and besides, there might be huge hidden benefits. Who wouldn't want to go?

In the end, the Bear King and the Tiger King, relying on their immense physical strength, snatched these two coveted spots. As for He Chongxiao, he needed to remain in the Heavenly Punishment Forest to hold the fort and manage the overall situation. In Xiong Kaishan's own words: "Anyway, I have no idea how to manage any grand situation! If you left me here, the Heavenly Punishment Forest might end up hosting duels every day, or perhaps we’d have another Beast Tide again!"

Faced with such a rogue, shameless threat from a tough character, He Chongxiao could only reluctantly accept the terms, but before leaving, he played a trick on the two Beast Kings: Run there on two legs! No flying Profound Beasts are allowed to move!

When King He spoke, which bird in the Heavenly Punishment Forest dared to disobey?

Thus, Xiong Kaishan felt deeply wronged the entire way!

Conversely, the Tiger King hadn't left the Heavenly Punishment Forest in decades, so everything he saw was novel and exciting, making him quite cheerful along the journey. This directly resulted in all of Xiong Kaishan's dissatisfaction and suppressed anger being vented upon him.

It seemed the Tiger King was simply inferior in skill; he had to endure it all the way. He felt his mouth was aching from grinning so wide, and his cheeks stiff from smiling, yet this Fourth Brother maintained a perpetually stern, bear-like face, harboring endless resentment.

If not for the thieves and robbers along the way to let off steam, the Tiger King Hu Liedi might have developed depression from Xiong Kaishan's constant badgering.

The two Beast Kings traveled leisurely along, not rushing, drawing closer and closer to Tianxiang. They certainly had a blast fighting along the way. How could ordinary bandits possibly stand against these two supreme Beast Kings? They were basically treating these greedy humans as moving targets for practice.

The Golden Tiger King Hu Liedi was majestic along the path, fighting with great vigor and enthusiasm. Eventually, he even took a section of a several-hundred-year-old medicinal herb, stuck it out of his shoulder with the head showing, so everyone could recognize it, using it as bait to attract attention.

Hu Liedi excitedly suggested, "Fourth Brother, next time we should do it this way again! Definitely no flying! Damn it, if we flew, how much of this exhilarating fun would we miss out on? It's just too thrilling!"

Xiong Kaishan rolled his eyes irritably: "Do you think you'll even get a 'next time'? I really have nothing to say to you. I told you, stop trying to get close to me; I don't know you well!"

Hu Liedi smiled sheepishly and continued his persistent flattery. Thus, the two proceeded on their way...

Jindong City, the Huang Family.

A purple-robed elder sat comfortably in the center of the main hall. His hair was white and his eyebrows gray, slanted sharply upwards. Even in stillness, he exuded an aura of fierce severity, yet his cheeks were remarkably rosy, smooth, and fair, oddly mismatched with his white hair, making him look like a man only in his thirties or forties—quite the picture of an aged youth. His eyes were slightly narrowed, but when they flickered, sharp light flashed out as if solid. Though his body remained motionless, a natural, vast aura, like towering mountains and boundless seas, emanated from him, inscrutable and unmeasurable. He sat quietly, yet seemed to have merged with the very heavens and earth!

United with the vast, boundless cosmos!

This purple-robed elder had clearly reached a level far surpassing the Supreme Realm! Beside him sat five or six other purple-robed figures, appearing to be quite aged themselves, with heads full of white hair, each seated in their respective places. At first glance, their attire seemed identical, but closer inspection revealed that the collar and cuffs of the elder’s purple robe were edged with a brilliant gold border, while the others had silver embroidery. This distinction of one gold and several silver immediately denoted differences in status and rank.

There was also a middle-aged man, around thirty or forty years old, whose cuffs were also embroidered with gold. He had a square face and thick brows but possessed a pair of slender eyes. Among these purple-robed figures, he was the youngest, yet he sat side-by-side with the gold-bordered purple-robed elder, seemingly on equal footing.

The eight figures quietly sipped their tea, not uttering a sound for a long time.

All the servants of the Huang Family were nowhere to be seen. Only a delicate, pretty maid in green carefully served tea and water. The head of the Huang Family, Huang Jun, wore a sycophantic smile, perched precariously on half a chair. On the other side, his own younger brother, Huang Ri, appeared even more subdued than his elder brother, his face pale and somewhat trembling, yet an indescribable excitement flickered in his eyes.

“How did that matter proceed?” After a long pause, the purple-robed elder asked without preamble, his eyes still lowered.

“The news has been disseminated. I believe the three great families of Xuanzhou have all received the message. However…” Huang Jun replied respectfully, his back bent, “With the Ancestors and the esteemed Seniors overseeing things, our Huang Family is surely guaranteed victory this time; it is absolutely foolproof. The Jun, Tang, and Dugu families, though first-rate families in the mortal world, are ultimately just mortals. Compared to the divine might of the Ancestor and the Seniors, they are utterly insignificant…” He chuckled faintly.

“I have not visited the mortal world for seventy-nine years. I did not expect such profound changes in the human realm!” The purple-robed elder let out a deep hum, still not lifting his eyelids. His voice was gloomy: “Back then, even if my Huang Family couldn't compare to the super-families of that era, with me present, no one nearby dared to provoke us. Now, you worthless descendants have let the family enterprise decay to this extent! It is truly heartbreaking! If it weren't for the fact that you are all direct bloodline descendants of the Huang Family, I truly would have slapped both of you to death to stop you from staining the Huang Family name.”

His tone shifted abruptly, and his eyes snapped open, a piercing light fixing on Huang Jun’s face: “You beast are particularly unworthy, allowing others to step on your head and humiliate you while you endured it silently, seeking compromise! Your direct son was killed, and more than half of the family foundation was destroyed, yet you still went to their door begging for mercy, hoping they would spare you? What a massive joke! Did you not know that destiny is always held only in one's own efforts? Fortunately, it is I who came this time; otherwise, wouldn't the prestige of the Huang Family have been completely ruined by you unworthy descendants?”

“Yes, yes! Old Ancestor, please calm your anger. It is this humble descendant's incompetence that has disgraced the Huang Family’s legacy…” Sweat beaded and streamed down Huang Jun’s face as he dropped to his knees with a thud.

“Sigh, at least you still possess a sliver of shame. Get up! What use is kneeling at every turn? Are you a groveling worm?” The purple-robed elder narrowed his eyes. “However, for a mere three secular families to dare insult my Huang Family is truly to overestimate their own abilities! Hmph hmph… courting death! If we don't make them remember this lesson forever, wouldn't that be too lenient for them?”

“Your descendant dares ask the Old Ancestor’s intention?” Huang Jun asked nervously. He was already over fifty, but before this Old Ancestor, he couldn't help but feel as helpless as a three-year-old child.

“The terms will be exactly as proposed before! However, I estimate the three families will not accept such harsh conditions! Therefore, as soon as they declare their refusal, we will have ample reason to flatten them! What does it matter if they are the three great families? They sound impressive, the 'Three Great Families,' hmph hmph. If they truly anger this old man, letting not a single chicken or dog remain in those three families would not be difficult!”

“Yes!” Huang Jun secretly rejoiced. This was exactly what he desired. When cutting weeds, one must eliminate the roots. Now, with the Old Ancestor present, his Huang Family could naturally act tyrannically, but the Old Ancestor would eventually have to return, and when he might reappear next time was uncertain. If the three great families remained, even if only one survived, the Huang Family would certainly be finished!

Therefore, only by completely erasing these three families from existence was there a permanent solution!

“Elder Huang, this matter might require further deliberation…” A silver-bordered purple-robed figure smiled, choosing his words carefully, “The Sect Master’s intention was merely to investigate the true nature of the Bone Marrow Elixir. And the noble hall auctioning the Bone Marrow Elixir is jointly run by the Jun and Tang families, while the Dugu Family is related by marriage to the Jun Family. If…” he said cautiously.

“Of course, this time everyone has come out with the Young Sect Master; I, Huang, will naturally not act unilaterally,” the Elder Huang chuckled darkly. “How we proceed will naturally depend on the Young Sect Master’s opinion.”

All eyes turned simultaneously to the other gold-bordered purple-robed figure—the youngest among them.

That middle-aged man was none other than the Young Sect Master of the Illusory Blood Sea! No wonder he was seated as an equal to that old man Huang despite his youth…

This middle-aged man, Xuan, was currently in deep conflict. He thought: Elder Huang has already made his stance perfectly clear; how can I possibly disagree? If I reject his decision right now, wouldn't that be slapping his face and causing internal strife on the spot?! Elder Huang holds considerable status in the Illusory Blood Sea! To veto him in front of so many people—it would be surprising if he didn't explode in anger! But if he followed Elder Huang’s decision completely, what about the matter of the Bone Marrow Elixir? Killing a few people in the secular world was not a big issue, but the problem was that these people were connected to the Bone Marrow Elixir! The Bone Marrow Elixir now directly impacted the ranking of the Illusory Blood Sea relative to the other two Holy Lands.

As for the Heavenly Punishment Forest, the Young Sect Master had naturally filtered it out of his immediate considerations.

He pondered for a moment before saying, “Elder Huang’s family suffered such unwarranted bullying; naturally, we cannot ignore it. Otherwise, wouldn't it make the Illusory Blood Sea seem too weak? Revenge must certainly be taken, and our anger must certainly be vented!”

(Recommended New Book: The Ultimate Divine Stone by Guo Zi Yu Niang, Book Number: 0XGGU. Advertisement: Ding Quan accidentally discovers that the red stone his mother left him can absorb the blood flowing from him, and it can even advance in grade. What is the origin of this stone, why was it in his mother’s hands, and what does all this foreshadow?...)