Chapter 174: War Begins

At these words, Lady Murong Hong's expression clearly changed abruptly.

He suddenly turned to look at his second son, and in a deep voice demanded:

"How did you come to know of this matter?"

Before Lady Murong Zhen could reply, Lady Murong Feng on the side spoke up instead:

"This matter was told to us by Second Uncle. Father, with the passing of the two Laozu Sect elders, the situation for our Lady Murong family is now critical. Do you still intend to persist in one's own thoughts?"

Hearing this, Lady Murong Hong, seated in the main position, swept a glance over the two, his face shifting between light and shadow.

Immediately, a cold hue flashed through his eyes, and he spoke harshly:

"I told you long ago that your Second Uncle has a crooked heart; do not get too close to him. Yet you insisted on not listening to my words. If this continues, great disaster will surely befall you sooner or later!"

Lady Murong Zhen and Lady Murong Feng exchanged a glance, then shook their heads and said:

"Father, whether disaster will befall us or not is a matter for later; right now, without the Laozu Sect elders holding the fort, the Lady Murong family is truly on the brink of clan annihilation and total extinction."

Lady Murong Feng stood tall, nodding slightly as he said:

"Second Brother speaks reason. Even if, taking ten thousand steps back, the four great martial arts families in the city withdraw today due to Bai Li Changfeng's death, allowing our Lady Murong family to drag out its existence for a few more days, in the end, we cannot avoid a battle with them."

"And now that the Lady Murong family has lost two Laozu Sect elders, with what can we fight the four great families? Moreover, behind the four great families stands Han Chuiyuan. To speak bluntly, I can already imagine how miserable the Lady Murong family's future fate will be."

At these words, Lady Murong Hong, seated in the main position, suddenly trembled slightly in his body.

He gazed at the two sons before him and fell silent for a moment.

Below, Lady Murong Zhen and Lady Murong Feng did not speak further, seemingly waiting for Lady Murong Hong to make a decision.

After a while, Lady Murong Hong suddenly slowly closed his eyes, sighed, and said:

"How could I not know the Lady Murong family's current situation? However..."

At this point, Lady Murong Hong paused for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the two before him, and said:

"The ancestral teachings passed down through generations state that as the Lady Murong family, we are the 'Gravekeepers'; that thing must absolutely not be touched, or the consequences will be endless!"

Hearing these words, Lady Murong Zhen gazed at his father, sighed lightly, and said:

"Is the calamity of that thing greater than the calamity of the Lady Murong family's clan destruction? Or perhaps, Father, can you truly bear to watch the Lady Murong family be cut off in your hands and still have the face to face the Lady Murong family's ancestors and forefathers..."

"Enough!"

Suddenly, Lady Murong Hong rose abruptly from his seat, a terrifying martial arts aura like an abyss or a vast sea erupting from his body, instantly pressing down upon Lady Murong Zhen below.

Lady Murong Zhen, who had been standing, suddenly bent his body sharply; the green bricks beneath his feet instantly cracked and turned into powder, and then the entire ground beneath him sank more than an inch.

Lady Murong Zhen's body was bent almost into a right angle; the martial arts true qi within his body circulated with utmost effort, but under the pressure of the Heavenly Being, his veins bulged and his blood vessels swelled, yet he still could not resist even a fraction.

But in the next moment, Lady Murong Zhen suddenly shifted his mind, then rolled his eyes, and instantly a molten-gold martial arts true flame ignited.

Then, starting from the corners of his eyes, dark red patterns suddenly surfaced beneath his skin.

Those patterns resembled molten lava surging beneath cracks in the earth's crust, spreading to every part of his body almost in the blink of an eye.

The patterns blazed brightly, scorching his veins and burning his skin, causing the surrounding air to steam and warp; the cold sweat originally produced on Lady Murong Zhen by the oppressive aura instantly evaporated into wisps of white mist that scattered away.

At the same time, Lady Murong Zhen, who had been pressed unable to straighten his back, slowly stood upright.

The aura erupting from within his body at this moment was unknown how many times stronger than before!

Seeing this scene, Lady Murong Hong's face changed drastically; he immediately retracted the martial arts aura he had released and cried out in alarm:

"When did you take the Sparrow Flame Pill that Second Brother gave you?"

Hearing this, Lady Murong Zhen's eyes, with their molten-gold true flames flickering, and the heat waves rolling around his body, sighed lightly, then clasped his hands toward Lady Murong Hong and replied:

"Father, it has been over a year."

At this moment, Lady Murong Feng on the side also nodded slightly and said:

"From the moment we learned of the Laozu Sect elders' passing, we decided to swallow the Sparrow Flame Pill. Father, do not blame Second Uncle; this was all our own voluntary choice."

At these words, Lady Murong Hong gazed at his two sons, and his entire body suddenly trembled uncontrollably.

"You..."

For a moment, he could not speak at all; his hair stood on end and his eyes bulged in rage, yet within that, a deep sorrow quietly arose.

"Lady Murong Fu!"

Lady Murong Hong ground out three words through clenched teeth, and a terrifying killing intent instantly surged through his entire body.

In the next moment, his body moved, and he vanished from the council hall in an instant.

Seeing this, Lady Murong Zhen and Lady Murong Feng both changed color, exchanged a glance, and cried out:

"Oh no, Father has gone to find Second Uncle."

Having said this, the two did not hesitate and quickly followed in the direction Lady Murong Hong had departed.

When the two arrived before Second Uncle Lady Murong Fu's study, they saw the entire study already enveloped by a terrifying martial arts aura.

Seeing this, Lady Murong Zhen circulated his martial arts true qi with full force; the patterns on his body suddenly glowed, and his entire form was covered in molten-gold true flames, almost leaving his body to become a fire python, attempting to break through the martial arts aura before him and enter the study.

But the martial arts aura before him was too powerful; even with Lady Murong Zhen exerting all his strength, he could not approach the study even a single step.

Seeing this, Lady Murong Feng immediately acted to help his Second Brother, but unfortunately, he still could not manage it.

The two were anxious in their hearts but powerless; not long after, the martial arts aura enveloping the study suddenly dispersed.

The two brothers felt a stir in their hearts and immediately moved forward to check the situation.

But at this moment, the study door suddenly opened, and then Lady Murong Hong walked out facing them, his face gloomy.

Seeing this, the two could only stop their steps together.

At the same time, after Lady Murong Hong crossed the threshold with his hands behind his back, he turned his head and took a deep look inside the study.

Then, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the two sons before him; for a moment, the expression on his face was somewhat gloomy and uncertain.

After a long while, he finally spoke:

"I have agreed to what you said, but from this moment on, I will handle this matter. None of you are allowed to see your Second Uncle again."

Having said this, Lady Murong Hong waved his hand casually; a powerful true qi oscillated outward, pushing Lady Murong Zhen and the other away from the study by several zhang.

Then, Lady Murong Hong continued speaking:

"Notify everyone now: regardless of whether the Four Great Families withdraw today, the entire Lady Murong clan will fight them to the end. Everyone must be prepared."

Upon hearing these words, both men were slightly stunned. Lady Murong Zhen was about to speak, but Lady Murong Hong raised a hand to stop him and said:

"No need to ask further. After sunset is the time to act. Go notify them immediately and say that Laozu Sect will personally intervene."

(End of this chapter)