Prelude to War

A heady fragrance rushed over him, and Zhou Qiongtian felt his body go soft, as though he had been forever sunk in this land of tenderness.

The next moment, Zhou Qiongtian struggled to poke his head out. "Ah! Fresh air!"

Zhou Qiongtian freed himself from Zhou Xinchi's embrace, a smile appearing on his face. "Sister Xinchi, long time no see."

The corners of Zhou Xinchi's lips also curled up. "Really? Being with my little brother feels as though it was only yesterday."

"Sister Xinchi, I heard the Heart Pond Empire was attacked. How are things? Were you hurt?" Zhou Qiongtian asked with concern.

Zhou Xinchi's eyes immediately curved into crescents, revealing a delighted smile. In that instant, heaven and earth seemed to lose their color, her smile becoming the brightest thing between them.

"Hehe, are you worried about me, little brother? Don't worry, I wasn't hurt. Your sister is a Wisdom Path Grandmaster. I had long foreseen it and made plenty of preparations before the attack. Unless a Supreme One came in person, no one could possibly hurt me."

"Aren't you going to worry about me too? Is it really okay for you to play favorites like this?" Zhou Zimo said gloomily.

Zhou Qiongtian looked to the side. His second sister had appeared at some point, yet he had not noticed her at all. How embarrassing.

Zhou Qiongtian laughed awkwardly. "Second Sister, you must be joking. Who could possibly hurt you? You are peerless in grace and unmatched beneath heaven. Whoever dares lay a hand on you—kill one if one comes, kill a pair if two come."

Zhou Zimo's pretty face flushed faintly. After coughing once, she returned to her previous indifferent expression. "That is true. I have already slain every Saint King who attacked me before. Unless it is a Supreme One, killing me is impossible."

Zhou Zimo's tone carried intense confidence. Though she was only a Late-stage Saint King, she possessed the terrifying record of slaying Saint Kings at Saint King Great Perfection. Even against a Supreme One, Zhou Zimo was confident she could escape.

"Eh? Qiongtian, you've actually broken through to Sainthood already? What a fast pace. Even I wasn't this fast back then!" Zhou Zimo cried out, clearly astonished.

Zhou Zimo was the most monstrously gifted member of the Zhou Clan. Zhou Kuang had called her a seed of the Great Emperor, the person in the entire Azure World most likely to break through to the Great Emperor realm.

Zhou Zimo began cultivating at three, reached the Innate Realm at five, Spirit Aperture at six, Divine Passage at eight, Cycle Rotation at ten, Ascension at thirteen, and at eighteen transcended the mundane and entered sainthood, breaking through to become a Saint and the youngest elder in the Zhou Clan.

At twenty-five, she broke through to the Saint King realm and challenged Saint Kings from every major power along the way, never suffering a defeat. Now, though only a Late-stage Saint King, she was the number one person beneath the Supreme Ones in the Zhou Clan and even the entire Azure World!

This was absolutely a protagonist template—the Dragon-Blooded Overlord version, no less.

"Yes, as expected of my little brother. He really is amazing!" As she spoke, Zhou Xinchi gave Zhou Qiongtian a loving hug, her face full of satisfaction.

Zhou Xinchi was also monstrously talented. At such a young age, she was already an Early-stage Saint King. Moreover, she was a Wisdom Path Grandmaster; across the entire Azure World, fewer than five people could surpass her attainments in the Wisdom Path.

Furthermore, the Heart Pond Empire Zhou Xinchi had founded influenced the entire Azure World. It maintained close exchanges with numerous superpowers and had an extremely broad network of connections. If she mobilized those connections, countless factions and experts would come to aid them.

Those factions were one thing. They represented not only themselves, but also their respective powers. Though they might not personally come to offer aid, assistance in resources was certainly possible, and at the very least, they would remain neutral.

However, the independent cultivators and Demonic Path cultivators were another matter. The Heart Pond Empire dealt not only with righteous-path cultivators, but also with independent cultivators and Demonic Path cultivators.

These independent cultivators and Demonic Path cultivators stood alone, and every one of them was powerful. If they truly came to help the Zhou Clan, they would be an enormous headache for the Anti-Zhou Alliance.

Zhou Qiongtian, Zhou Xinchi, and Zhou Zimo sat off to one side chatting. More and more Zhou Clan members gathered in the plaza. Though the plaza did not appear large, it employed a spatial folding divine ability and could hold everyone in the Zhou Clan.

"What do you think the Supreme Elders summoned us for? It was so urgent, and all the elders are here. This is the first time I've ever seen the three Grand Elders."

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I don't know either. I just rushed over in a hurry—I hadn't even put my wife away yet."

"What's that compared to me? I had it worse. Just now, Ya'er and I were cultivating together, and we were at the critical moment. Give me another three seconds and I could have finished. Then the Grand Elder's stern, booming voice suddenly rang out in my mind, and I went soft right away. Ya'er even asked whether I was incapable. I'm seriously done for!"

"You weren't only good for three seconds, were you?"

"Bullshit! At the very least, I last three minutes!"

"..."

The Zhou Clan disciples below discussed among themselves, wondering why the Supreme Elders had summoned them all here with such solemnity. This was their first time encountering anything like it.

"Quiet!" the Grand Elder said slowly. His voice seemed to contain some kind of magic, and the Zhou Clan disciples hurriedly shut their mouths without making the slightest sound.

They all looked toward the Grand Elder, waiting for what he would say next. Clearly, the Grand Elder possessed extremely high prestige within the Zhou Clan.

The Grand Elder looked over these Zhou Clan disciples, drew a deep breath, and spoke again. "You are the people of my Zhou Clan, the future of my Zhou Clan. In the future, you may guard Zhou Clan resource sites, manage Zhou Clan industries, or perhaps become Supreme Elders like this old man."

"You enjoy the highest status, the finest resources, and the best environment in the Azure World. Raise troops for a thousand days, use them for one moment. Now, this old man will tell you: war is coming. This is the moment that will decide whether our Zhou Clan lives or dies."

"Perhaps you will die. Perhaps this old man will die. Perhaps the Zhou Clan will be exterminated. The enemy is very powerful. To speak frankly, our chances of victory are low. Are you afraid? Those who are afraid, step forward. This old man will send you safely away from the Zhou Clan. You will be able to live peacefully, but you will no longer be members of the Zhou Clan."

Silence fell below, followed by resolute voices one after another. "Not afraid! Not afraid! Not afraid!"

"We swear to live and die with the Zhou Clan!"

"The Zhou Clan is my home. I will protect the Zhou Clan!"

"Those who offend my Zhou Clan shall be executed, no matter how far away they are!"

Among these Zhou Clan disciples, there might have been people who wanted to shrink back, leave, or flee. But amid the shouts of countless Zhou Clan disciples, they did not dare, nor would they voice their inner thoughts. Instead, they shouted words like, "We swear to live and die with the Zhou Clan!"

"Good! Good! Good!" The Grand Elder said "good" three times in a row. "You are indeed worthy of being members of my Zhou Clan. This time, our enemies include at least six superpowers, twelve top-tier powers, at least seven Supreme Ones, and perhaps even more!"

"But rest assured, even if this old man dies, I will not retreat a single step. Whoever dares offend my Zhou Clan must pay the price in blood and life!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"