The Conspiracy Begins

The Huo Family's internal strife had barely begun before it was extinguished. To outsiders, everything still appeared prosperous, and every member of the Huo Family still seemed as united as ever. Yet beneath the surface, storms were already gathering.

Everything in the shadows was concealed beneath the unusually flourishing facade. Every day, large numbers of lineages and rogue cultivators came to pay visits. The Huo Family's overall strength seemed to be rising by the day, though the growth was not particularly rapid.

The Huo Family's former weakness of lacking deep foundations was replenished through the vast number of gifts they received. One could well imagine what kind of prospects awaited the Huo Family after this matter had passed. The other lineages saw this as well, yet there was nothing they could do. The Huo Family's rise was something none of the other top lineages wished to see.

Since they could no longer stop it openly, they could only act in the shadows. A group of figures met inside an abandoned hut on the outskirts of Western Frontier City. The clothes these people wore did not look at all like those of people who should have been appearing here.

At some unknown time, another group entered the hut. "You're here. We've agreed to your plan, but Huo Hai must be eliminated. I don't want to see him leave alive." A voice rang out.

The speaker was Huo Yan. Behind him stood several Huo Family disciples, along with subordinates utterly loyal to them. Many of those subordinates were private soldiers, rather than people assigned to them by the family.

"Hmph, we know Huo Hai's strength better than anyone. Do you really think people like us can take him out? Besides, you're the ones begging for cooperation now. If you show no sincerity, we won't agree." The one speaking this time was He Ya, the second young master of the He Family. Speaking of which, He Ya's relationship with Huo Hai had never been very good.

Huo Yan nodded, his expression calm. "I know you want that Concealed Weapon Technique too. So do we. Don't worry. Once that brat hands over the concealed weapon technique, each side will get a copy."

A faint smile appeared on He Ya's face. "Very good. A wise man submits to circumstances; I like people like you. Rest assured, when the time comes, only our two families will possess such a formidable technique. Our two families will become the two strongest lineages in the Western Frontier."

He Ya had come this time as the representative of the He Family head's branch. In truth, that meant he could represent the entire He Family. The family head's branch currently held enormous prestige within the He Family. But that could not last forever. If the family head's branch wanted to maintain control permanently, it needed greater deterrent power. This special Concealed Weapon Technique was exactly what they needed.

The Huo Family disciples thought the same way. Huo Hai had entered the Spirit Blood Realm only recently, yet he could easily slaughter experts of the Spirit Bone Realm. That kind of power made their eyes burn with envy, and at this point, they no longer cared whether he was a direct descendant of the Huo Family.

As long as one had strength, one was a direct descendant. Who had time to care about anything else? So what if they cooperated with the He Family? If they did not cooperate, they would be the ones to die. The elders behind them were no fools; everyone could sense the family head's movements.

The family head was too powerful now, so they could only delay things for the time being. Once they obtained the concealed weapon technique, several elders could use it together. Even the family head would be unable to withstand such an attack. Huo Hai's abilities had already proven that. If they did not resist now, they would die. For their own survival, let alone the family head, they would even kill the ruler of the nation without hesitation.

"Very good. What we want is the concealed weapon technique. I hope you don't deceive us when the time comes. Now we need to plan how to capture Huo Hai. That brat never steps outside his door these days. We can't just charge straight in."

The Huo Family was very powerful. Secretly engaging in such petty schemes was one thing, but if they attacked head-on and the Huo Family fought to the death, the clash between two top lineages would leave them grievously weakened even if they won. Would the other lineages simply watch them recover?

After what had happened last time, the Huo Family's defenses had grown stronger by the day. Outside Huo Hai's courtyard, countless Huo Family guards protected him layer upon layer, three deep inside and three deep outside. Huo Kai was worried that someone would risk everything to cause trouble for Huo Hai in order to obtain his Concealed Weapon Technique. Huo Hai's protection was now even tighter than that of Huo Kai, the family head.

Trying to get Huo Hai out from under such airtight protection was simply a fool's dream. Even if an expert of the Spirit Practitioner Realm acted personally, success would still be impossible. Huo Hai himself was no harmless soul either; no one knew how things would turn out.

They did not have much time left. Once the testing ended, the academy would not send them off immediately. After departure, unless they left the academy, they would be unable to return home for a very long time. That was the academy's rule.

This period was their final time with their families. No one knew how many years it would be before they met again, and perhaps they might never see one another again. In at most a month, Huo Hai and the others would follow the main group to the academy. This was their last chance. Huo Kai was in the Spirit Practitioner Realm and was not someone easy to provoke.

Who knew how powerful this Concealed Weapon Technique would be in the hands of an expert of the Spirit Practitioner Realm? Among those known to possess this technique, the only one was the Huo Family's absolute direct descendant—Huo Hai himself.

They did not consider Huo Yuner at all. A girl would eventually be married off; how could they teach something so important to her?

Huo Yan sneered. "The defenses at Huo Hai's courtyard gate are strong, so we can't deal with him directly. But Huo Yuner is different. She is Huo Kai's greatest weakness. Given the relationship between those two, as long as we capture Huo Yuner, he will definitely submit."

Huo Yan's words pleased He Ya greatly. "Good, but we still need to make some preparations. If Huo Hai escapes, none of us will have an easy time afterward. Tell me, what do you intend to do? I imagine you already have a way to capture Huo Yuner." At the thought of Huo Yuner, a blazing heat rose within He Ya's heart. What a pity. Such a lovely little girl was about to die.

At that moment, Huo Yan's expression changed completely, turning savage. "It's simple. That girl Huo Yuner goes out shopping every day. That is our best opportunity. Huo Yuner herself has no real strength. When the time comes, I'll draw the others away."

After a pause, Huo Yan's voice grew even colder. "Then we only need to keep Huo Yuner here and lure Huo Hai over. We'll arrange Explosive Spirit Stones around the area. Once we get what we want, we'll detonate them directly. No matter how strong Huo Hai is, he won't possibly leave alive. I assume the He Family's second young master can find at least one death warrior."

Explosive Spirit Stones were Spirit Stones treated through a special method, causing the spiritual power within them to erupt in an instant. That eruption of spiritual power would produce a massive explosion. Unfortunately, very few people knew this method of treatment.

Even the He Family had only purchased some Explosive Spirit Stones from elsewhere for emergencies. The reason they needed death warriors was that once an Explosive Spirit Stone was detonated, it would explode within a short time.

If someone ran away at that moment, then Huo Hai, once he realized something was wrong, could easily evade it by fleeing. Yet those below a certain cultivation level, unable to control their own spiritual power from a distance, could only detonate Explosive Spirit Stones at close range.

Because of this, Explosive Spirit Stones were little more than tasteless scraps to most people. Even for ambushes, they were not very useful; at most, they could be used to blow up rocks. But death warriors were different. A death warrior could detonate a Self-Detonating Spirit Stone and die along with it. Huo Hai, caught off guard, naturally would not survive such an explosion.

"How vicious. If someone like you became family head, even we wouldn't be able to rest easy." He Ya narrowed his eyes and spoke blandly. This man was truly vicious, capable of using such methods even against members of his own family.

"Likewise. We're merely taking what we each need. I assume that after gaining such a huge advantage for nothing, you won't expect me to provide the Explosive Spirit Stones as well?" Huo Yan spoke naturally, without the slightest sense that he was plotting against anyone.

He Ya nodded in agreement. With Huo Yan's capabilities, it was impossible for him to obtain something like Explosive Spirit Stones. One had to know that Explosive Spirit Stones were an accumulation for those below the Spirit Practitioner Realm. But to those in the Spirit Practitioner Realm, they could already serve as a means of ambush. Spirit Practitioners could release their spiritual power over great distances and even control it freely.

The two exchanged smiles. This transaction truly allowed each side to take what it needed. Once it was complete, both sides would gain enormous benefits. If everything went smoothly, they could indeed become the two greatest lineages in Western Frontier City.

"Very good. A pleasant cooperation. Tomorrow at noon will be our time to act. By then, I hope your side will have this place prepared. I don't want any problems at that time." Huo Yan said this, then left with his people.

After Huo Yan left, He Ya's expression darkened completely. "Second Young Master, are we really going to cooperate with that Huo Yan? That brat is simply a sinister little man. I truly dislike him." An elderly man beside He Ya spoke with a frown. This matter was of great importance, so the He Family had naturally sent an expert to protect He Ya.

He Ya shook his head, his face full of disdain. "Cooperate with him? Hmph, it would be more accurate to call it using him. Such a fine thing should naturally remain in our own hands. When the time comes, we only need to make that brat disappear."

He Ya was extremely pleased. If this succeeded, even the Huo Family would disappear before long. What tremendous merit that would be. If he handled this matter well, the position of the next family head would basically be his.

Moreover, Huo Yan was a despicable villain, so ruthless even toward his own people. He would only be worse toward outsiders. How could He Ya allow such a person to live and continue growing? Before this trip to Imperial City Academy, he could simply kill him along the way. No matter what Huo Yan might become in the future, for now, he was merely an ordinary expert of the Spirit Bone Realm.