Elder Mo looked at the five of them, his face grim. "Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect, Violet Heaven Holy Land, Azure Profound Divine Palace, Great Sun Divine Sect, Nine Heavens Cloud Palace!"
"What do you five great factions mean by this? Are you trying to make a move against the Zhou Clan? Are you courting death? Watch out—when the Clan Head returns, he'll wipe out all five of your sects!"
Elder Mo's heart was incomparably heavy. What it meant for these five great factions to strike at the Zhou Clan went without saying.
Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect and Violet Heaven Holy Land were one thing. After all, those two had finally produced peerless prodigies with a Supreme Bone and Twin Pupils, hoping to raise their sects to towering heights.
Yet just as those two peerless prodigies had begun to reveal their brilliance, Savage Great Emperor had forcibly taken them away, dug out their bones, and gouged out their eyes. It had been a sight too horrible to behold, worse than death itself.
Though the two sects said nothing aloud, they surely hated Savage Great Emperor and the Zhou Clan to the bone.
Although the people in power of those two sects should not have made such a rash move, there was still a slight possibility.
But what the hell were Great Sun Divine Sect, Azure Profound Divine Palace, and Nine Heavens Cloud Palace trying to pull?
Had they lived in peace for too long and wanted a full-course sect-slaughtering, clan-eradicating feast to spice things up?
But Elder Mo could no longer spare thought for so much. He had to deal with the crisis before him. His own death did not matter, but nothing could happen to the Young Master!
These five were all Saint King Realm experts: one Mid-stage Saint King, two Late-stage Saint Kings, and two Saint King Great Perfections!
Although Elder Mo was also at Saint King Great Perfection, he was old. It would already be good if he could unleash eighty percent of his strength.
Facing five Saint Kings, two of whom were no weaker than himself, Elder Mo knew he was no match. This was likely a disaster with little hope of survival.
"Hahaha." The Saint King expert from Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect burst into laughter. "Zhou Clan Saint King, could it be that you still don't know that the cultivators from your Zhou Clan who followed Zhou Kuang to wage war on other continents are nearly all dead?"
"Two Supremes and ten Saint King Great Perfection experts have fallen. Zhou Kuang himself has gone missing, with no one knowing where he is. The Zhou Clan's strength has been greatly diminished. Do you really think the Zhou Clan is still the Zhou Clan it once was?"
"You want to wipe out our sects? I'm afraid your Clan Head is dead too. You should worry about yourself instead. Rest assured, we won't kill Young Master Zhou. He can serve as a trump card to threaten the Zhou Clan."
"Besides, that Supreme Bone and those Twin Pupils should return to their rightful owners. Hehe, let Young Master Zhou experience bone-digging and eye-gouging as well. Don't worry, it's only a minor procedure."
Elder Mo's face darkened. Saint Power had long since gathered within him, and at that moment, it suddenly erupted. A force of space enveloped Zhou Qiongtian.
"Young Master, go!"
After saying that, Elder Mo's Saint King Great Perfection cultivation erupted completely. He burned his essence blood, and his aura soared!
"Old bastard, you're courting death!"
"Stop him! We can't let Zhou Qiongtian return to the Zhou Clan!"
The five Saint Kings charged at Elder Mo at the same time.
"With this old man here, you will not harm the Young Master! Even if I die, I'll drag two of you down with me!"
Elder Mo's eyes flew wide with rage. His body was no longer hunched; it became straight and powerful. His white hair turned black, and vitality surged forth.
The five Saint Kings were deeply wary. Elder Mo was clearly prepared to risk his life. They cherished their lives, so they fought with their hands tied, able to unleash at most eighty percent of their strength.
"What a chance!" A sharp glint flashed through Lin Tian's eyes as he swiftly fled.
The others saw Lin Tian escape but paid him no heed. He was merely an ant-like cultivator.
Zhou Qiongtian's figure vanished. When he appeared again, he was already back at the Zhou Clan.
Inside the Zhou Clan's main hall, the upper echelons of the Zhou Clan had gathered together. Every face was grave, and everyone looked at the others with scrutiny in their eyes.
"Who exactly leaked the news? Only those present know that the Clan Head has gone missing and that Zhou Clan experts have fallen. There is a traitor among us."
The Zhou Clan higher-ups hurriedly explained themselves, trying to clear their names. For a time, the main hall was filled with clamoring voices.
"Silence!" The person at the head spoke. The moment he opened his mouth, everyone else fell quiet. Clearly, he possessed extremely high prestige among them.
He was an old man, his hair gray-white and his face covered in deep wrinkles, like an elder with one foot already in the grave.
Yet the old man's gaze was exceptionally sharp. He swept his eyes over the crowd indifferently, and his gaze was like a keen blade. No one dared meet his eyes.
The old man radiated the aura of the Supreme Realm, deep and vast as an abyss or sea. He was the Zhou Clan's Grand Elder!
Zhou Kuang had led the Second Grand Elder, the Third Grand Elder, and others to wage war on other continents, leaving the Zhou Clan's affairs temporarily in the Grand Elder's hands.
The Grand Elder slowly said, "Since this spy has yet to be found, we will not uncover him anytime soon. What we must do now is deal with the current situation."
"When the Clan Head returns and sees the Zhou Clan in such a shattered state, we will be unable to escape blame."
"Wait until the Clan Head returns? Could it be that the Grand Elder already knows the Clan Head's whereabouts?" a Saint King elder asked, anticipation in his eyes.
The Grand Elder did not answer him. Instead, he continued, "At present, we know that nine factions, including Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect, Violet Heaven Holy Land, Azure Profound Divine Palace, Great Sun Divine Sect, and Nine Heavens Cloud Palace, have made moves against our Zhou Clan."
"Among them are five super factions and four top holy lands. But that is only what is visible on the surface. There must be no shortage of factions watching from the shadows."
"Beyond these factions, those existences in the forbidden lands whom the Clan Head suppressed are also waiting for an opportunity to move."
"Now, much of the Zhou Clan's resources has been plundered, and countless Zhou Clan disciples and elders have been killed. This hatred must be repaid!"
"What does the Grand Elder mean?" a Saint King elder asked with a frown.
"We strike first! As an overlord-level force of Azure World, the Zhou Clan cannot show weakness. Otherwise, other factions will pounce on us like beasts that have spotted food."
"Before the situation worsens beyond control, we must seize the initiative."
"First, gather as many Zhou Clan disciples and elders outside as possible. Then, the Fifth Grand Elder will lead several Saint King experts to form an elite force and attack other factions, destroy their resource sites, and kill their experts."
"As for the Zhou Clan, with me here and the contingencies the Clan Head has arranged, even several Supreme experts would need many days to break through."
"The specific plan is..."
"..."
After a round of discussions, the decision was finally set in stone.
After everyone received their respective assignments and departed, a dark glimmer flickered in the Grand Elder's eyes, his gaze icy.
Upon returning to the Zhou Clan, Zhou Qiongtian immediately contacted his two elder sisters, Zhou Xinchi and Zhou Zimo.
He learned that both of them had been attacked. Fortunately, Zhou Xinchi was a Wisdom Path expert. She had made preparations in advance and invited numerous experts, ultimately emerging unharmed.
As for Zhou Zimo, her strength was formidable. She killed enemies above her level, not only breaking free from the encirclement of seven Saint King experts but also killing two and severely wounding five.
If those five Saint Kings had not fled so quickly, more than two would have died.
Before you continue