Tang Feng knew Star Luo Empire's rules all too well. The so-called "censorship" and "guidance" were nothing more than excuses for house arrest, control, or even abolishment or erasure.
The Dai Family would never allow a genius who might threaten the absolute rule of the royal family to emerge, especially since this person was originally intended to be a pawn used in a marriage alliance to control the Zhu Family, but now has the potential to break free of control and even surpass them.
Zhu Zhuqing's rapid growth has become the greatest threat to the Star Luo Imperial Family's "White Tiger Supreme, Direct Lineage Strongest" philosophy.
" Zhu Zhuqing..." Tang Feng murmured to himself, a sense of urgency and anger rising within him.
During his two years of travel, he witnessed too much injustice and oppression. Now, upon hearing about his friend's plight, his empathetic anger was particularly clear.
The Star Luo Imperial Family's "those who obey me prosper, those who oppose me perish" tactic is remarkably similar to the aristocratic oppression he has witnessed along the way, only more ruthless and direct.
Tang Feng did not act immediately. Instead, like a shadow blending into the night, he quietly left the teahouse and stealthily headed towards the general direction of the Zhu Family mansion in Star Luo City, as he remembered it.
His mental energy spread out like an invisible spider web, capturing every subtle fluctuation that might be related to Zhu Zhuqing.
That night, at the Zhu residence, in the ancestral hall.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't wear her usual black outfit; instead, she changed into a plain white dress, her long hair simply tied up with a wooden hairpin, revealing her slender yet resilient profile.
The candlelight flickered in her eyes, reflecting not fear, but a Ice Seal lake, beneath which lurked an unyielding undercurrent.
Footsteps echoed heavily in the shadows.
Three elders of the Zhu Family walked out slowly. The one in the lead had white hair and beard and a stern face. He was the second elder in charge of punishments and discipline within the clan.
The two people behind him exuded a deep and imposing aura, both at the Soul Douluo level, their natural pressure making the air in the ancestral hall feel heavier.
The Second Elder spoke up, " Zhu Zhuqing, the family's deadline for you is tonight. Have you thought it through?"
Zhu Zhuqing did not stand up, her voice calm and even. "What does the Second Elder want me to think?"
"Give up futile resistance and accept the royal family's arrangements." The Second Elder's words were devoid of emotion. "Go to the 'seclusion place' designated by the royal family and cooperate with the investigation. As long as you show your attitude and behave yourself, His Majesty may spare your life out of consideration for past favors and grant you a peaceful rest of your life."
"A place for quiet cultivation?" Zhu Zhuqing's lips curled into a faint, cold smile. "Is it the Dai Family's private prison, or some secluded place where one's Soul Power is imprisoned and can never leave? Second Elder, do you even believe that yourself?"
"Insolence!" the Fourth Elder on the left, his face flushed, roared. " Zhu Zhuqing! Who do you think you are talking to! The family has nurtured you all these years not so that you would be so arrogant and bring disaster upon the entire clan! Your talent is indeed remarkable, but it is precisely this unbridled talent that has brought you this calamity! The Dai Family is the true master of the empire. You are a woman; no matter how high your talent, showing too much brilliance is a path to death!"
The Fifth Elder, whose face was grim on the right, coldly added, "What the Dai Family wants is a Zhu Family is forever docile and will never exceed our control. Your existence, your cultivation speed, and the potential you have shown in the competition have all made the Dai Family uneasy."
"They don't need a genius who might threaten the prestige of the White Tiger Martial Soul or even affect the power of the royal family in the future, especially since this genius was originally intended as a tool for marriage alliances and control over the Zhu Family. Now that this tool has developed its own ideas and unexpected abilities, the best way to deal with it is to 'recycle' and 'destroy' it."
Zhu Zhuqing slowly stood up, her plain white robes fluttering slightly.
She turned to face the three elders, her gaze sharp as a knife. "So, the family's decision is to hand me over in exchange for temporary peace? To use my freedom, my future, even my life, to quell the Dai Family's suspicions?"
The Second Elder closed his eyes, then opened them again, his gaze now filled with a deep, cold indifference. "It's not that the family is heartless. It's just that the laws of the Star Luo Empire are such; under imperial power, no family can truly defy them. Your talent has become the reason the Dai Family is determined to eliminate you. To protect the thousands of members of the Zhu Family, this is the only option. His Majesty has given us two paths: either you voluntarily enter the 'Secluded Cultivation Place,' isolating yourself from the outside world; or... the Zhu Family will personally 'clean house,' giving the imperial family an explanation."
He paused, then said firmly, "Since you are so stubborn and unwilling to sacrifice for the greater good of the family... then, according to the family rules, the elders' council has decided: effective immediately, Zhu Zhuqing, due to 'his actions seriously endangering the interests and stability of the family,' is officially expelled from the Star Luo Zhu Family! His name will be removed from the family register, and from this day forward, his life, death, fortune, and misfortune will have no further connection with the Zhu Family! The Zhu Family will not provide you with any protection!"
Expelled from the family! Removed from the family genealogy!
These words, like icicles, pierced Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
Her body swayed almost imperceptibly, and a bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head—the despair and loneliness of being completely abandoned by her blood relatives.
But she clenched her teeth tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, forcefully suppressing the surging blood and the stinging in her eyes.
Zhu Zhuqing raised her head, a hint of relief even rising in her heart. She sneered, "Fine. From this day forward, I, Zhu Zhuqing, am simply Zhu Zhuqing. My ties with the Star Luo Zhu Family are severed!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The resounding, heavy thuds of footsteps and the clanging of armor suddenly erupted from all directions! Flames shot into the sky, instantly illuminating the courtyard where the ancestral hall was located.
At least three hundred elite Soul Master, fully clad in heavy armor of the Star Luo Imperial Family Imperial Guard and wielding weapons, had surrounded the area like an impenetrable fortress.
The leading general, clad in dark gold tiger-striped heavy armor, exuded an aura befitting Soul Douluo. He did not enter the ancestral hall; his cold gaze swept over the three Zhu Family elders who had retreated to the side, finally fixing firmly on Zhu Zhuqing, who stood alone in the center of the hall, and he announced emotionlessly:
"The traitor Zhu Zhuqing has defied the imperial decree and harbors resentment; his very existence poses a potential threat to the security of the empire. By His Majesty's secret decree: execute him on the spot as a warning to others!"
Hundreds of imperial guards outside the gate roared in unison, and terrifying waves of Soul Power surged into the ancestral hall like a tsunami!
Several Soul Saint- level officers stepped forward and pounced on Zhu Zhuqing from mid-air, their fierce killing moves aimed straight for her vitals!
The three elders of the Zhu Family took a few steps back expressionlessly, completely distancing themselves and coldly watching the impending carnage unfold before them.
Zhu Zhuqing stood alone in the center of the ancestral hall, flickering with candlelight, dressed in plain white, facing the overwhelming killing intent and desperate situation. There was no fear in her eyes, only Ice Seal resolve and a fighting spirit burning to its extreme.
The phantom of the Hell Spirit Cat silently appeared, its five Soul Ring— yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black—shimmering with light, unleashing its level 59 Soul Power without reservation!
With a flick of her wrists, the pair of jet-black claws that had followed her for so long were now in her hands, their blades gleaming with a dark luster in the firelight.
Five Soul Saint- level Imperial Guard commanders, their Soul Ring gleaming brightly, joined forces to surround Zhu Zhuqing.
Faced with this deadly situation, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flashed with icy coldness. She did not flinch in the slightest, pushing her Soul Power to its limit.
" Third Soul Skill, Netherworld Shadow Clone!"
Two clones, almost identical to her original body, suddenly appeared, facing the wind blades and poisonous mist from the left and right sides respectively. They were instantly shredded and corroded, but they also successfully diverted some of the attacks.
" First Soul Skill, Hell Stab!"
Its true form transformed into a blurry shadow, moving so fast that it left afterimages in its place. It narrowly escaped the gap between the attacks of the two Soul Saint, its target being the weakest Soul Saint!
Fourth Soul Skill, Nether Dreadclaw!
Dark golden light suddenly condensed on the pitch-black claws, Space Rending with a shrill whistling sound, and accurately grabbed at the neck of the Ghost Shadow Leopard Soul Saint!
The Soul Saint retreated hastily in horror, but was still struck on the shoulder by the claw wind. His protective soul light shattered, leaving three deep, bone-revealing bloodstains. He screamed and staggered backward.
But Zhu Zhuqing paid a price for this. A Vajra Ape Soul Saint turned his fist into a palm and struck her arm as she hastily blocked.
"Puff!"
Zhu Zhuqing spat out a mouthful of blood, her delicate body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a pillar of the ancestral hall before falling to the ground.
She struggled to get up, only to find that her arms were almost numb. Her plain white dress was stained with large patches of glaring blood and dust, making her look utterly disheveled.