Chapter 6: The Advent of Chaos

  Due to its proximity to the border and rich surrounding resources, the small Ning City is like a naive young girl who has attracted the attention of various powerful families from all over Longhua.

  Fortunately, the Hu family's foundation has been deep enough to hold out here for a long time. Several bloody battles have directly repelled countless large families trying to reach into Ning City. Now, only the Zhu, Wu, Guo, and Wei families are barely able to contend with the Hu family under the support of other large families.

  However, when it comes to the site, these four families are only equivalent to the Hu family in total, and if not for the increasing pressure exerted by the Lang family on the Hu family in the Qingyuan mine vein in recent years, the contrast between the two sides' strength would be even more pronounced.

  Given this, the Hu family is considered to be the dominant force in this small city. With such a large influence, even within the family, there are several branches that have been differentiated, such as the Grand Priest and the Clan Leader, who are also known as the direct descendants of the Hu family with the beautiful name of Jiuyou. There are also five other major branches: Zebai, Licheng, Xuechi, Beiji, and Saluo.

  Among these major branches, the Ze Bai branch and the Li Qing branch are relatively strong, along with the direct line of descent, known as the top three branches. The other branches are collectively referred to as the lower three branches. These branches do not live together in one place, but rather are scattered throughout various parts of Ningcheng. Only the ancestral hall used for clan discussions is located at the very center of Ningcheng, symbolizing the unique status of the Hu family in Ningcheng.

  The Zong Tang is of high status in the Hu family, and only the Grand Priest and members of the Council of Elders are qualified to reside here. In recent days, due to the intense battle at the Qingyuan Mine Vein, more than half of the elders were dispatched to the front lines for support, making it quieter inside compared to usual times.

  At this moment, in the grand priest's room inside the temple, a middle-aged man with white hair and fully dressed in armor stood before the grand priest, speaking softly.

  "Lord Zhai, just now in the forbidden area, Hu Gao seemed to have forgotten who he was and looked like he had amnesia. The Hu Gao before the sacrifice, I also count as having interacted with him a few times, it shouldn't be fake." The speaker was Bai Wei, who was sent back by the elder yesterday to report the news.

  "Hmm, there's a lot of twists and turns in this matter. Qing Gao was personally selected by me from the Liqing lineage as the perfect vessel, for which I even broke the rules to give him the surname Hu. This thoughtfulness must be understood by both the Great Elder of the Ze Bai lineage and the Cang Ming Great Elder of the Liqing lineage, but I didn't expect that this time, the weakest of the three branches, Liqing, would make me look at them in a new light." The High Priest Hu Jiu Zhan sighed and spoke quietly.

  "Your Excellency the High Priest need not worry, the power of inheritance is strong. If this Hu Gao has any problems, he will not last long. I will secretly keep an eye on him and report back to you at any time."

  "It's good, but you also need to be careful. Huang Quan Da Zhang Lao has been obsessed with the inheritance of blood for many years, and for the sake of the family's long-term revival, don't let a small matter lead to an irreversible change." Hu Jiu Zhan leaned on his cane and stood up, his aged face filled with a hint of bright hope.

  At this time, outside the ancestral hall, a hand was placed on his chest, and Hu Gao, who was still in shock, was put down by Qing Feng. He followed behind several people, silent and expressionless. He could feel that others seemed to have generated some hostility towards him due to the injury of the elder. Ah, it's really a rhythm of being shot while lying down.

  "Hmmph..."

  As soon as he walked into the first inner gate of the ancestral hall, the elder who made the judgment finally couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of black blood. After the bloodstain splashed on the ground, purple smoke curled up, obviously containing severe toxicity.

  "Your Honor, Elder..."

  The four men's faces were shocked, revealing a flustered expression. The presiding elder was the leader of the entire Hu family guard team and also the backbone of the family. If something unexpected happened at this time, it would be a huge blow to the already precarious Hu family, adding insult to injury.

  "I didn't expect Lang Sheng's Black Flame Wolf Beast Soul to progress so quickly, a year ago I could still withstand this move, but now it seems I can no longer resist, the flame toxin has rushed into my heart meridian, I'm afraid my time is running out."

  The elder's face was ashen, his aged countenance etched with worry. "But I also shattered his beast soul to pieces, this guy is too arrogant, daring to ignore our Hu tribe's ban. Fortunately, he won't live for much longer either, after all, he's the most formidable genius of the Lang tribe in recent years. Getting rid of him can at least exchange a few years of peace!"

  "Elder Arbitrator, nothing will happen to you." The four of them also had faces full of sorrow. Although they said that being able to kill Lang Sheng was a blessing in disguise, for the Hu family, such a loss was still unacceptable.

  "If I were thirty years younger, I could still withstand the flame poison of the Black Flame Wolf. But now it's too late. Dark Wind, go and call Bai Xiao over, my body's precious blood will be wasted if it's taken underground, let this be my final contribution to the family. As for Hu Gao's matter, it can only be left to Patriarch to worry about."

  The elder judge was also calm, he was not afraid of death, but he was full of worries about the future of the Hu family, especially the one standing beside him with a calm face, Hu Gao, why couldn't he feel any hint of the Hu family's bloodline from him?

  "Great Elder..."

  Everyone was crying out in sorrow.

  "Go, I have lived long enough. Death may also be a kind of relief for me." The elder judge waved his hand at the four people.

  "Yes!" The four people who always wore masks belonged to the Hu family's special organization, Anshi. They were personally managed and assigned by the High Priest. Each person had a different code name based on their mask. One of them, with a wind character engraved on his mask, wiped away tears and said in a sorrowful tone.

  Hu Gao stood by silently, not uttering a word. Witnessing the death of a flesh-and-blood person for the first time made him realize the cruelty of this otherworldly realm. Until now, he still had no ability to stand on his own, and it was a problem he must face head-on!

  "Master Priest, you've arrived!" Anfeng was just about to leave when he ran into Master Priest who had rushed over after receiving the news. He hastily bowed and stepped aside.

  Hu Jiu looked at the stumbling Cai Zhuang, who was being supported by two people, and hurriedly walked forward to hug him. "Old buddy..." Before he could finish speaking, he was choked with sobs. He waved his right hand, "An Feng, you go first, take the other Dark Guards and Hu Gao to find the clan leader, I'll be fine here."

  As the High Priest, he didn't want to show his weak side to too many people. The Hu family's direct descendants were now dwindling in numbers, and he had been struggling to hold on for so many years. Who would have thought that just as the family was about to rise again, the one who had always stood behind him as his strongest supporter would end up walking ahead of him due to his own mistake!

  Hu Jiu Zhan felt a deep sense of guilt in his heart. Previously, An Shi had reminded him several times that there were unusual movements on the Lang family's side. At that time, because he was preparing for the final sacrifice, he couldn't spare any attention, and didn't expect that it would end up being a tragic event. It's really unfortunate for the Hu clan!

  Hu Shuilong forced a smile, "Don't be sad, Master Jisi. Three hundred years of wind and rain, ups and downs have long been seen through. Moreover, the new generation of our Hu family has grown up, especially the daughter of the clan leader, Hu Wushuang. In terms of talent, she may not be inferior to Lang Sheng."

  Hu Shuilong spat out another mouthful of black blood, "Moreover, we finally succeeded in offering sacrifices this time, and there is a successor, everything still has hope..."

  "Enough said! We will definitely avenge you, our Hui people will never be exterminated!"