Chapter 341: Chapter 338: Visitors From Home

One king, two generals, three grand ministers—they stabilized mountains, secured the seas, and pacified the realm!

The establishment of the Mountain and Sea Empire and its development over the past ten thousand years would have been impossible without the efforts of the Six Great Clans.

No one could have predicted that among the three grand ministers, the Zhuge Family—who represented intellect and strategy—would now be completely gone, their residence empty.

When Li Shimu received this news from his informant, he wasn’t surprised. He even felt it was to be expected.

For those who were exceptionally intelligent—or rather, wise—with minds that operated differently from the average person, it was inevitable that they would harbor immense ambitions.

This was especially true for a family like the Zhuges, where every member was unnaturally brilliant, capable of manipulating other experts with pure strategy, never needing to resort to force.

Their pursuits, their goals, were never limited to the small Mountain and Sea Empire.

Li Shimu had known for a long time that the Zhuge Family was no longer loyal to the Mountain and Sea Empire.

He even knew that the Zhuge Family had made unauthorized contact with the Hall of Envoys, intending to strike out on their own and find a new patron.

But Li Shimu had taken no action against the Zhuge Family.

This was because the founding ancestor of the Li Family had left an edict: unless absolutely necessary, they were never to turn against the Zhuge Family.

In the ancestor’s descriptions, the Zhuge Family was mysterious and unfathomable. Even the founding ancestor himself had been unable to grasp the full extent of their capabilities.

All he knew was that they were a terrifying group of people!

Their schemes and plots were flawless. Although their Combat Power was average, countless experts had died at their hands.

And even at the moment of death, those experts could never figure out how they had been led, step by step, into the abyss.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead men to capture the traitors!" A cold glint flashed in the King of Kaosan’s eyes.

The Six Great Clans had worked together, lived together, and strived together to build the Mountain and Sea Empire. Although there had been friction along the way, the bonds between them were deep.

The Zhuge Family’s betrayal made the King of Kaosan furious. Years of camaraderie had now come to nothing, and he was seething.

"There’s no need." Li Shimu shook his head. "Knowing the temperament, character, and habits of the Zhuge Family, they certainly prepared an escape route from the very beginning. It’s not just that you won’t be able to catch them; even if you did, we would be the ones to suffer in the end."

Although the King of Kaosan was angry and wished he could chase after the Zhuge Family right now to demand an explanation, he knew that what Li Shimu said was true.

The Zhuge Family was almost like a lineage where nearly every member’s Brain Power Value far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

This was especially true of the Zhuge Family’s new-generation leader, Zhuge Boqing. His methods and strategies could only be described as "monstrous" and "inhuman."

Once, when he was not yet ten years old, with no training in any Cultivation Technique, not a shred of Cultivation, and without even revealing his identity, he had managed to stir up a conflict between the Imperial Academy and the Imperial Family using nothing but his words and his wits.

If not for the timely appearance of Academy Head Mu Kongfu and His Holiness Li Shimu at the final moment, the Imperial Academy might have rebelled against the Mountain and Sea Empire.

No one knew how Zhuge Boqing had done it; even the subsequent investigation failed to uncover the truth.

The Imperial Academy and the Imperial Family couldn’t very well take action against a child, so the matter was eventually dropped.

The King of Kaosan was certain that if he really did lead men in pursuit, he would be forced to flee back without even catching a glimpse of Zhuge Boqing.

It is said that in the face of true power, all schemes and plots are meaningless.

But anyone who had witnessed Zhuge Boqing’s methods knew that in the face of true strategy, even the greatest power was nothing more than a brainless mule.

Sometimes, being outsmarted that badly is enough to make you cry.

"Your Majesty, what do we do now?" the King of Kaosan asked worriedly, looking at the devastated Imperial City.

Li Shimu sighed. "We’ll wait and see. Since the Feng Family has already shown themselves, it means they’ve made their decision. We’ll wait for that boy, Qin Daye, to return before doing anything."

The King of Kaosan nodded and said no more.

Li Shimu wasn’t the only one waiting for Mo Qi’s return. The experts of the Feng Family, the grandfather and grandchild of the Liu Family, and the two brothers, Liu Hui and San Pang, were all eagerly awaiting his arrival.

For a moment, the Imperial City fell into an eerie calm.

Just then, several figures tore through the void. The powerful spatial fluctuations they created caused the already devastated Imperial City to crumble even further.

"What kind of backwater hellhole is this? The Spiritual Energy is so thin it’s suffocating! How could my cousin stand to stay here for eight years?!"

A lazy voice grumbled, spoken by a young man in his early twenties whose face was etched with disgust.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man in luxurious robes, followed by five elders with restrained auras.

"Of course the Spiritual Energy is thin in the Mortal District. That child, Ruyan, is too willful. How could her Cultivation possibly improve quickly in this environment? What a waste of her talent!" the middle-aged man frowned, his expression displeased.

The young man gave a sly chuckle. "Uncle, you might not know this, but in my opinion, that’s my cousin’s real goal. She’s deliberately slowing her Cultivation progress to delay her wedding to Huangfu Yu."

"Heh heh, that guy Huangfu Yu has a terrible temper. I’m afraid this Mortal District has already suffered for it."

The two made no effort to conceal their conversation, and everyone present heard it clearly.

"Father?!"

Seeing the middle-aged man, Liu Ruyan’s expression turned grim.

Liu Hong had told her that people from their family would be coming, but she never imagined it would be her own father.

"Ruyan?" The middle-aged man looked over at the sound of her voice, his expression shifting from surprise directly to anger. "You unfilial daughter!"

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan’s face went pale.

She had thought that with the passage of time, the conflict over the marriage alliance with the Huangfu Family would have gradually faded.

Who would have thought that after eight years apart, the first thing she would hear upon seeing her father again wasn’t a warm greeting or words of care, but the accusation, "unfilial daughter!"

There was a time when, despite her reluctance to return, Liu Ruyan still held a sliver of hope for her family.

But now, that sliver of hope was completely shattered.

A wave of grievance washed over her. Liu Ruyan’s eyes reddened and welled with tears as she pleaded in her heart, ’Brother Mo, please come back soon!’

"Cousin?" The young man’s eyes lit up when he saw Liu Ruyan, and a flash of greed flickered in their depths.

He walked toward Liu Ruyan, reaching out his hand as if he were an elder about to pat a junior on the head.

"Long time no see! I never thought the little brat from back then would blossom into such a beauty! What do you say, do you still remember your big brother, Xiao Zhize?"

Liu Ruyan’s figure flickered, and she shot backward vigilantly, putting distance between herself and Xiao Zhize.

Xiao Zhize’s hand froze in mid-air, and his expression stiffened for a moment before returning to normal.

His smile unwavering, he continued to approach Liu Ruyan. "Still as mischievous as ever, cousin."

Liu Ruyan wiped away her tears, her expression turning dark.

"If you dare come within thirty feet of me, you will bear the consequences!"

As her words fell, a Grotto Heaven rose from behind her head, accompanied by the phantom image of a massive willow tree.

"The Void Realm! A Void Realm with Mental Realm Transformation!"

The middle-aged man and Xiao Zhize exclaimed in unison.