Star Trace Gate

Chapter 924 One Person Humiliated, the Lamp Burning in Vain

The Sun and Zhao families secretly colluded, each dispatching dozens of experts from their clans. Under the pretext of clan meetings, they completely sealed off the clan hall and placed the "villains" led by Qian Zhongge under house arrest. As a result, Qin Yanting and his sixth grandfather were also caught in the crossfire, trapped here for several days, unable to return home, and bored out of their minds.

With nothing to do, the two old men rested together in the pavilion in the middle courtyard, both of them adopting the posture of "dead riddle people," talking in ways that others couldn't understand.

As the night breeze blew, Qin Yanting was about to bend down and sit down when he saw Zhao Han from the Zhao family, leading two attendants, heading straight for the backyard.

Tonight is far from peaceful. First, there was the strange phenomenon of the Divine Tomb Mountain violently shaking, followed by the bizarre occurrence of the Daoist intent in the void flashing three times across the night sky. These unusual omens seem to foreshadow that a conflict between the four races, a bloodbath, is inevitable...

"What is Zhao Han doing in the backyard at this time?" Qin Yanting frowned and muttered.

Grandpa Liu, carrying his wine gourd, said calmly, "Who knows what he's up to?"

"Shall we go and take a look?" Qin Yanting asked tentatively.

Sixth Grandfather glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "Hehe, didn't you agree to Sun Michen and the Zhao family's decision to open the illusory divine tomb? Since Zhao Han's plan is the same as yours, what can you possibly do in the backyard?"

Seeing that the other party still didn't quite believe him, Qin Yanting sighed inwardly, "Sigh, my acting skills are still too superb. Even this drunkard couldn't see through my act and was so wary of me..."

He paused briefly, then pointed to the lanterns hanging outside the pavilion, and then, once again turning into a riddle-maker, said, "I want to go and see this scene where the lanterns are still lit and the world is still alive."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left, heading straight for the backyard.

Grandpa Liu got up with his wine gourd in hand. After a long pause, he belatedly muttered, "No wonder people say that the more books you read, the more cunning you become and the more tricks you can pull... Oh, so this old man came to this pavilion out of nowhere and kept muttering nonsensical things... He was actually giving me a hint."

"Hold!"

Grandpa Liu retorted in a crisp voice, "How old am I? And you're still spouting this nonsense to me?! I didn't understand a single word he said, and I almost thought he was having hysteria...!"

Qin Yanting is very cunning. He disguised himself as a riddle-maker to give his sixth grandfather some hints and subtly express his own stance.

However, the uneducated Sixth Grandfather hadn't understood a single word. The other person was a fake riddle teller, but he was the real one, because what he had just said was just a jumbled mess of words, and even he himself had no idea what it meant.

At this moment, Sixth Grandfather understood the other party's intentions and naturally followed Qin Yanting to the backyard.

……

Clan hall, backyard.

Despite his advanced age, Zhao Han walked with an air of indifference, his white beard fluttering in the wind, his posture ramrod straight.

He had just arrived in the backyard when he saw Qian Zhongge with six elders, who were standing with their hands behind their backs, gazing up at the night sky, seemingly discussing the strange phenomenon that had just occurred in the void.

Previously, Qian Zhongge and the six elders not only openly opposed the Sun and Zhao families' proposal to open the tomb, but also hysterically insulted all of Sun Michen's ancestors and the women in his family. Therefore, the seven of them have had a difficult time these past few days. They were not only confined to the backyard and not allowed to leave, but also had to endure the sarcasm and veiled insults from the experts of the Sun and Zhao families.

Qian Zhongge had never experienced such grievance and such a great loss in his eight lifetimes. As a result, he had been so angry these past few days that he was not feeling well, and his face looked sallow and his expression was haggard.

Conversely, Qin Yanting, who publicly supported the opening of the tomb during the council meeting, and his sixth grandfather and others, have been treated exceptionally well these past few days. Not only are they provided with abundant meals, but they are also not disturbed by a group of lowlifes. In fact, as long as they don't leave the ancestral hall, they could even call over a prostitute for some entertainment without anyone interfering.

The premise is that prostitutes must undergo inspection, and the entire process may be monitored by some unscrupulous individuals.

When Zhao Han led his men into the hospital, Qian Zhongge's face turned cold. He simply flicked his sleeves, turned around, and was about to go back to his room to rest, completely ignoring the other party.

"Stay!"

Zhao Han was too lazy to play along with this old man with a stubborn and inflexible personality. He simply stated his purpose with a cold face: "Tonight, strange phenomena have been occurring frequently in this Divine Tomb Immortal Palace. In order to prevent any more traitors from plotting something untoward... the clan hall has decided to send me to collect a personal token from Brother Qian and give it to your family as a warning."

Qian Zhongge raised an eyebrow: "Warning? You're being quite direct...!"

"At this point, if I don't act directly, things will get messy, and messy things will lead to deaths, many deaths!" Zhao Han is a ruthless man. In his youth, in order to seize opportunities, he slaughtered an entire group of remnant souls and travelers in a secret realm. In addition, with Zhao Mi not coming out now and the Zhao family already involved, he, as the "patriarch" in charge, naturally has to be decisive in killing.

This kind of decisiveness requires disregarding personal reputation and honor, and even more so, risking one's life and sparing no expense to complete the family mission.

Therefore, his visit was not merely a threat, but also a covert attempt to kill.

Although Qian Zhongge was inflexible and sometimes even foolishly pedantic, he was still a man who had lived for hundreds of years. How could he not sense the murderous intent hidden in Zhao Han's eyes?

However, understanding something is one thing, but doing it is another.

If Qian Zhongge had chosen to kneel down at this moment, he would never have achieved his current status, nor would he have earned the heartfelt respect of a proud educator like Qin Yanting to call him "Old Qian."

Outsiders see him as pedantic, inflexible, and unyielding, like a rock in a latrine—truly tiresome. But only he knows that it's not that he doesn't understand the ways of the world, but rather... he insists on the truth, on his own path, and firmly believes that this is the only hope for survival for the Village of Illusions.

A chilling wind blew, causing the white hair at Qian Zhongge's temples to flutter. He squinted at Zhao Han, whose face was gloomy, and said succinctly, "You're just a mere collateral descendant of the Zhao family. You can't hold power while you're alive, and you can't even be buried in the Divine Tomb when you die. You dare to warn me?!"

“I, Qian Zhongge, am neither greedy for money nor lustful. My children are extremely filial, and I don’t have to worry about their food, clothing, or daily necessities. I don’t have any valuable personal items. If you really want one… then I can show you the way!”

"On the altar in the ancestral hall are the laws of the illusory village, jointly formulated by countless ancestors after the era of the old master. They are the guiding principles of this place, the hope for survival and inheritance, and my only token. If you want to take them, give them to my descendants with both hands!"

"They will understand my intention at a glance."

In the stillness of the night, with a cool breeze blowing, Mr. Qian's words echoed for a long time in the backyard.

Zhao Han was enraged when Qian Zhongge retorted with legal arguments in front of everyone, his face darkening further: "Qian Zhongge, you're courting death. Even now... do you still think I wouldn't dare kill you?!"

“Then kill me, take my head back, and see how my descendants react.” Qian Zhongge refused to budge an inch.

"Ha, since you insist, then I will grant your wish!"

Zhao Han sneered: "You old fool, you still don't understand. After today, there will no longer be four clans, and your Qian family... will no longer be the Qian family it used to be."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slightly raised his arms and said decisively, "The clan hall has decided that no one may leave the clan hall compound before the Huang aunt and nephew emerge from the tomb. Tonight, strange phenomena have occurred frequently in the Divine Tomb and Immortal Palace, yet Qian Zhongge has killed several experts from the three major halls, attempting to infiltrate the Divine Tomb. His purpose is unclear, and he was ultimately killed here by the combined forces of the three major halls!"

Zhao Han's cold and ruthless voice resounded, each word clearly reaching the ears of the six elders. He had decided that tonight he would take action against Qian Zhongge, and even draw blood three feet in front of the six elders.

"Boom boom boom...!"

At a command, the experts from the Sun and Zhao families, who had been waiting for a long time, all rose up and flew out together, floating in the air above the backyard.

They were all dressed in black, holding various magical treasures and talismans, their eyes extremely cold and murderous as they looked down at Qian Zhongge and the six elders.

The seven people looked up slightly and roughly estimated that there were at least a hundred experts at the Black Qi level. Furthermore, three large arrays that isolated auras had been secretly set up in this huge clan hall courtyard, so outsiders could not detect what was happening here at the moment.

"Om...!"

More than a hundred experts, all exuding overwhelming auras and pressure, pressed down on Qian Zhongge's body, as heavy as a mountain, causing his back to bend slightly.

These hundred-plus people joined forces, continuously releasing spiritual energy, and only targeting Qian Zhongge to exert pressure. It was as if more than a hundred men in their prime were working together to subdue an aging martial arts master.

However, even with over a hundred people joining forces, the Sun and Zhao families still lacked the confidence to kill Qian Zhongge in one blow.

He was, after all, the patriarch of the Qian family, a terrifying being who had attained enlightenment for many years. Therefore, a direct descendant of the Zhao family, in the heavens above, exerted his spiritual energy to the utmost and actually activated a supreme innate treasure.

That innate treasure was a vase, entirely emerald green and crystal clear, but its origin was unknown.

"Boom!"

Immediately afterwards, a wisp of the Great Dao's pressure emanated from the innate treasure bottle and pressed down on Qian Zhongge once again.

"Ha, everyone says you're tough, I'll see just how tough you are today!" The eldest grandson of the Zhao family looked down at Qian Zhongge with disdain and sneered, "Kneel down!!!"

"Buzz!"

Under the continuous urging of the Zhao family's direct grandson, that wisp of the Great Dao's pressure showed signs of complete revival, and the green light surging from the treasure bottle also enveloped the entire clan hall.

Standing before the private room, Qian Zhongge felt an overwhelming sense of despair and suffocation, as if the stars were pressing down on him. He felt his physical body was about to shatter, and his soul was about to be annihilated by the pressure from over a hundred powerful forces and the profound meaning of the Great Dao emanating from the innate treasure.

"Snap, snap...!"

Suddenly, the corridor, which was more than ten meters long and located in front of the elegant room, collapsed silently, turning into sand and dust that scattered to the ground.

The precious materials used to build the ancestral hall were all rare and precious items, not ordinary stones or wood. But under this oppressive force, they could not even last a moment before turning completely to dust.

"boom!"

Finally, a continuous stream of spiritual energy burst forth from Qian Zhongge's aged body, enveloping him and supporting him three feet in front of him, preventing him from bending over and kneeling.

More than a hundred pressures, plus a supreme innate treasure, could not force him to kneel and suffer humiliation. This was the level and foundation of the four clan leaders.

In fact, Qian Zhongge had already made up his mind before attending the clan council meeting. Therefore, he did not take out the Great Dao Treasure from his home, but instead ordered the elders of his family to keep it for other uses.

Otherwise, how could a mere direct descendant of the Zhao family be worthy of flaunting the power of a priceless treasure in front of him?!

"brush……!"

Standing amidst the terrifying and overwhelming pressure, Qian Zhongge slowly raised his head, without uttering a single word or uttering a sound of pain. He simply stared coldly at the hundred or so black-qi experts in the sky.