The Zhou Clan That Ended Before It Began, Zero-Rank Resource Supply

Qin Fuhai shuddered violently, and the teacup in his hand shattered with a "crack."

The two of them bowed respectfully without a moment's hesitation: "Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

Ripples appeared in the void, and an old man in linen robes emerged from thin air.

He had a youthful face despite his crane-white hair, and his black Daoist robe fluttered without a breeze. The birth and annihilation of the Great Dao faintly manifested around him.

Most striking were his eyes—the left was as deep as a vast galaxy, while the right was as bright as the rising morning sun. As his eyelids opened and closed, the energies of Yin and Yang flowed within them.

The Qin Clan Ancestor, Qin Taiyi!

This Heavenly Emperor, who had lived through endless ages, took the Image Recording Stone and tapped it lightly with his fingertip.

In an instant, a massive light screen appeared in the room, and the memories of Qin Xuan and the other being subjected to Soul Search unfolded like a long river.

"Interesting." The phenomenon of all things' birth in the Old Ancestor's right eye suddenly froze. Although the man in black had prepared magical artifacts to conceal his form, in the eyes of a Heavenly Emperor, such methods were no more than clumsy scribbles by a child in the snow.

The galaxy in his left eye surged backward, and the vitality in his right eye stagnated. His gaze actually pierced through the memories to project into reality.

Across billions of galaxies, above the ancestral grounds of the Zhou Clan, one of the Ten Great Imperial Clans.

An Eye of Dao Laws that blotted out the sky manifested.

Even the Clan Protection Array, as powerful as it was, was easily pierced through like thin paper under this gaze.

"Found you."

Before the Great Emperor of the Zhou Clan could react, the voice of the Qin Clan Ancestor seemed to echo from the dawn of time. Following this, the man in black and countless Zhou Clan disciples suddenly exploded into mists of blood, and even their remaining souls were stripped away inch by inch.

This was the power of a Heavenly Emperor!

Even among the Ten Great Imperial Clans, and even with a Great Emperor guarding their home.

As long as a clan did not produce a Heavenly Emperor, they remained mere ants.

If not for the pact between the three Heavenly Emperors, this Zhou Clan could be wiped out with a snap of his fingers!

The Eye of Dao Laws slowly closed.

His gaze returned to the Qin Clan.

"It was the Zhou Clan. I have already given them a small lesson; handle the compensation matters accordingly."

"To dare pull such petty tricks within my Qin Clan—we must hollow out their entire foundation."

"It was actually the Zhou Clan?!" Qin Fuhai looked up abruptly, killing intent surging in his eyes. "They—"

"The Qin Clan has been dormant for too long; even some rats dare to stir trouble on the head of Tai Sui." The Old Ancestor waved his hand, his eyes suddenly turning toward a certain direction as he began to calculate with his fingers. At the same time, he said, "Go and thoroughly investigate the interior of the Qin Clan, and check every single affiliated family from top to bottom! Anyone found problematic is to be executed without mercy!"

"I do not want Chuan'er to be under the slightest threat, not even a tiny bit!"

"The world only knows he possesses the Longevity Immortal Body, but I fear this ability to ignore karma and foresee the future is what is truly terrifying..."

"Oh?" Qin Taiyi stopped the hand seals he was forming. The Heavenly Emperor, who had remained as calm as an ancient well for a million years, now wore an expression of childlike excitement. "The origin source within that boy... is growing at a terrifying speed. It has already reached a frightening level!"

"What does a Heavenly Emperor even count for? My Qin Clan is soon going to produce an Immortal! An Immortal Emperor!"

"Twenty guards... not enough! Send more men."

"From this day forward, the Ninth Young Master's resources are to be ranked at Priority Zero."

Qin Fuhai was startled by these words. He frowned slightly and asked respectfully, "Old Ancestor, what is 'Priority Zero'?"

The Qin Clan's resources were divided into three tiers: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.

Each tier was divided into five grades.

The highest was Primary 1, and the lowest—servants of affiliated families—was Tertiary 5.

The resources for the Young Masters had always been equally ranked at Primary 1.

That is to say: all resources were first allocated to the Young Masters, and only then distributed layer by layer to others.

But this Priority Zero was something he had never heard of.

"It is something I just thought of," the Old Ancestor said slowly, his voice carrying an unquestionable majesty. "Priority Zero: all resources within the clan—are to be supplied to Chuan'er alone first."

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the hall suddenly froze.

Qin Fuhai's pupils constricted, and a stormy sea surged in his heart.

This meant that from now on, all the Qin Clan's heavenly treasures, Secret Realm opportunities, and martial arts inheritances had to be picked over by Qin Wangchuan first. Only if there was anything left would it be the turn of others!

This level of treatment already surpassed that of any previous clan head!

"Old Ancestor, this..." Qin Fuhai carefully chose his words. "What about the other Young Masters..."

"How is it?" The galaxy in Qin Taiyi's left eye suddenly shattered, and a terrifying pressure made the entire hall tremble. "Do you find it inappropriate?"

Qin Fuhai hurriedly bowed. His mouth was practically splitting into a grin; how could he possibly find it inappropriate?

"I am only concerned that the other Young Masters might become dissatisfied, affecting the harmony of the clan."

"Hmph!" The Old Ancestor let out a cold snort and flicked his sleeve. "If they could display even half of Chuan'er's potential, I would give them Priority Zero as well!"

"Those grandsons and granddaughters of yours—some are mad, some are hiding their true strength; there are hardly any normal ones among them."

"The eldest one is decent enough, possessing the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body and the bearing of a Heavenly Emperor, but it's a pity... he's an idiot."

As he spoke, a primitive rune condensed at his fingertip, which he flicked gently.

The rune vanished into the void, instantly transforming into a golden Dharma Edict that hung suspended above the Qin Clan Ancestral Grounds.

"In recognition of the Ninth Young Master's merit in executing the traitor, he is awarded one Divine Seed. From this day forth—" The Old Ancestor's voice boomed like a great bell, resounding throughout the entire Qin Clan, "Ninth Young Master Qin Wangchuan shall enjoy the resources and offerings of the Zeroth Rank! No one shall harbor any dissent!"

The Ten Great Imperial Clans all possess unique ancestral treasures; this is the fundamental difference between them and other families.

The Qin Clan's ancestral treasure—the Undying Divine Tree—can grant eternal life with a single drop of its Jade Nectar, and a single Divine Leaf can be forged into an Emperor Artifact!

The Divine Seed is, in fact, the seed of this Divine Tree.

Once planted in the back courtyard, it can transform the surrounding area into a divine land; it is an incredibly precious supreme treasure.

Qin Fuhai's gaze pierced through layers of obstacles to look at the Dharma Edict in the sky, his heart filled with both joy and worry.

He understood that the Old Ancestor was betting the entire fortune of the Qin Clan for the next million years on Qin Wangchuan alone!

Grandson, the burden on your shoulders has grown heavy...

Once the Dharma Edict appeared, the entire Qin Clan was shaken.

This was the Dharma Edict of the Heavenly Emperor. As long as one was a member of the Qin Clan, regardless of whether they were at home or anywhere within the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, they could see it.

From the palaces of the several Young Masters of the Qin Clan, voices could be faintly heard.

"Zeroth Rank, unheard of. The Old Ancestor truly loves to stir up trouble. In this world, the sharper the sword, the easier it is to dull; only by sheathing one's blade and hiding one's brilliance can one remain secure."

"The Ninth Brother's birthday is coming up, isn't it? Soon, I'll be able to make a profit again!"

"Tsk tsk, my research funding is going to be cut again, but I suppose it's time to go see the Ninth Brother."

Meanwhile.

Outside the Qin Clan, at the Ten Directions Immortal Court's Red Dragon Abyss.

At the bottom of the abyss, where blood mist permeated the air, the corpse of a crimson True Dragon lay across the magma. Its dragon scales were shattered, and its dragon blood had congealed into crystals.

The Fifth Young Master of the Qin Clan, Qin Qingzheng, stood before the dragon's head. Her white dress was stained with blood, and the dragon blood on the sword in her hand had yet to dry.

"The True Dragon Heart can help the Ninth Brother temper his body." She whispered to herself, then suddenly tilted her head slightly, as if in thought. "I wonder what color the Ninth Brother likes... How troublesome. I'll just get a few more, that should do it."

With a flick of her finger, the dragon's body split open.

A beating, crimson dragon heart was encased in ice, and then she tore open the void to store it inside.

Within the rift in the void, several other hearts, similarly encased in ice, could be seen—golden, red, and even one that was purple.

Suddenly—

"ROAR--!"

The entire abyss trembled. The Primordial Dragon Emperor awakened from the magma, his dragon pupils locking onto Qin Qingzheng, his killing intent soaring to the heavens!

"Human... you seek death!"

Qin Qingzheng blinked, and the Innate Emperor Sword in her hand unsheathed. "Are you... also going to be a gift?"

While the Qin Clan was flourishing, the Zhou Clan on the other side was in a miserable state.

With just a single glance from Qin Taiyi.

The Zhou Clan's Clan Protection Array tore apart like thin paper. More than half of their ancestral grounds vanished, thirteen Immortal Islands plummeted, the Scripture Library was set ablaze by Dao Fire, and ten thousand years of heritage were reduced to ashes.

Below the Great Emperor realm, the physical bodies of hundreds of thousands of Zhou Clan disciples exploded. Their souls were pinned down by the willow branches of the Undying Divine Tree, peeled away inch by inch as their wails filled the air.

To kill your people right before your eyes, and yet still force you to offer an apology.

This is the Heavenly Emperor.

When the Heavenly Emperor is enraged, even an Emperor Clan is but an ant!

Zhou Clan Patriarch Zhou Xuanming knelt on the ground, coughing up blood, nearly driven mad as he watched this scene unfold!

"I told you! Don't go, don't provoke the Qin Clan! Why wouldn't you listen?!"

To be fair, no one could guarantee that their own clan was absolutely clean.

Infiltration and counter-infiltration were common occurrences among great clans, primarily used to keep track of other clans' movements.

But the problem was, the spy the Zhou Clan had worked so hard to plant had been uprooted without having accomplished a single thing, and on top of that, it had brought about this unprovoked disaster!

The other Emperor Clans were naturally aware of everything happening to the Zhou Clan.

"The Zhou Clan is finished. In the Struggle of the Great Era, they no longer even have the qualifications to enter the fray."

"That the Heavenly Emperor took action himself only further proves the importance of the Qilin Child."

"If that Qilin Child is allowed to grow up..."

The world only knew that the Qin Clan had given birth to a Qilin Child who was the Darling of the Great Dao, but they did not know exactly what made him so heaven-defying.

Despite the cautionary tale before them, quite a few people were beginning to stir with restless intent.

However, at this moment, Qin Wangchuan, who was at the center of the incident, had no idea what was happening.

He was already nearing Qixia Town.