Although the underground chamber was dark, everything you needed was there. There were two paintings hanging on the grey walls. There was only an arm-thick candle burning, and the flicking light made the two paintings look blurry.
On the left side of the room was a jade bed. It was simple and exuded a milky, white glow. There was a figure sitting on a pad on top of the jade bed.
This figure had long hair scattered over his shoulders, and there was grey mixed in with his white hair. He had an eagle hook nose like Han Tianhu and wore a dark purple robe. He looked slightly old, but his skin was as smooth as a baby’s.
He was Villa Master Han, and tomorrow was his 200th birthday. He had been stuck at the Spirit Core Realm for a long time. Normally, it would have been hopeless for him, but something had allowed his cultivation to improve rapidly with no sign of stopping.
Not far away from the bed, there was a jade table with three jade chairs.
Han Shaolong was calmly sitting on one of the chairs. There were occasionally flashes of light in his eyes, but there was no trace of emotions in them.
The other two figures were not as calm as Han Shaolong; they kept pacing around the table. From the frequency of their steps, they were obviously a bit excited.
Han Tianhu was filled with excitement and was rubbing his fists. Even in this dark room, the joy in his eyes was obvious.
The last person was excited due to nervousness. He was much more handsome than Han Shaolong and Han Tianhu, but his eyes contained a slightly evil aura. His age was similar to the other two Han brothers. The arm-thick candle burned on the jade table, and the light shone on his anxious face.
He was Villa Master Han’s adopted son, Han Zhibao. He was an orphan at an early age and brought back as a disciple of Villa Master Han. He was loved by Villa Master Han and was later adopted as his son.
“Adopted Father, tomorrow is your birthday and is when we must act. Do you really want to do it this way? It’s still not too late to change your mind now.”
After pacing for a while, Han Zhibao, who was impatient, saw that no one else was going to speak, so he spoke up. He looked at Villa Master Han, who was sitting on the jade bed.
Han Tianhu, who was also pacing around like Han Zhibao, suddenly stopped and replied in a strange stone, “A man can’t be like this. Now that everything is set, we just need to stay on our path for our plan to succeed. We only need to satisfy that senior, then there will only be benefits for us. Perhaps our cultivation will improve greatly once more.”
As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face, as if he was fantasizing about his cultivation improving greatly.
Villa Master Han sat on the bed motionlessly as he watched his son quarrel with his adopted son. His eyes occasionally turned, as if he was thinking about something.
“Is this a small matter? This is related to the lives of the 200 people in our Wind Mountain Villa. If we are not careful, it won’t affect just you or me, even father’s life will be threatened. Once this is over, there will be no going back. Once we are exposed, not only the nearby forces, even all orthodox factions in the Huang and Yan Provinces will do whatever it takes to destroy us. There are many people from the local forces here. If we kill them all, you know the consequences.”
Han Zhibao was angry and emotional. Even when facing Han Tianhu, he didn’t back down at all. Although he was adopted, his status was no worse than Han Tianhu’s.
“Then you say what we should do. We are following that senior’s orders, and you know how terrifying that senior is. Did you forget that it was that senior who taught us and allowed us to make breakthroughs so quickly? It’s not like we haven’t done this before. Over the past several years, all the rogue cultivators that joined us were killed and turned into spirit corpses.”
Facing the slightly angry Han Zhibao, even Han Tianhu became angry as well. However, when he spoke about the spirit corpses, he suddenly felt nervous and his voice was a lot softer.
“Enough!”
Seeing the two of them quarrel, Villa Master Han finally let out an angry roar. Hearing this, both Han Tianhu and Han Zhibao didn’t dare to make another sound.
Seeing the two of them shut up, Villa Master Han’s expression eased a little. Fortunately, there was a formation around this secret chamber that prevented the sound from leaking out. Villa Master Han looked at his eldest son, Han Shaolong, and softly said, “Shaolong, what’s your opinion?”
Han Shaolong was pondering while sitting on a jade stool and was startled by this question. He didn’t expect his father to ask for his opinion, he expected his father to just make a decision.
After hesitating for a bit, Han Shaolong’s furrowed brows loosened and he slowly said, “I think that what Second Brother and Third Brother have said is reasonable. However, some things are inevitable, and we have prepared for so long. When tomorrow comes, we must act, or we will anger that senior. Nothing good would come from angering that senior. We have seen his methods. All of the Wind Mountain Villa’s strength was given to us by that senior, and that senior can take it away. In order to avoid revealing his identity, he will certainly kill us all.” After he finished speaking, Han Shaolong’s eyes were filled with fear, as if he had recalled something terrifying.
Hearing that his big brother agreed with him, Han Tianhu folded his arms and looked at Han Zhibao proudly.
“Yes, Shaolong, continue.” Villa Master Han coldly watched his sons and didn’t allow them to continue fighting. Instead, he looked at Han Shaolong to tell him to continue.
“However, what Third Brother said also makes sense. This is not like before, where we only made moves against people who joined us. No matter what we did, no one would know. This time we are going to face the forces of the Yan Zhi Region and its surrounding areas. Although our final goal is the Spirit Core Realm cultivators, you all saw the various elders and disciples from these forces here. If any of them die at our Wind Mountain Villa, it will certainly cause a public outrage. We must continue to do this, but we must assess the current situation. We need to ensure that we finish the task that senior gave us while also keeping the 200 or so people of our Wind Mountain Villa safe.”
Han Shaolong had a serious expression and his words were very heavy. This caused the situation to suddenly become tense.
At this point, even Han Tianhu and Han Zhibao stopped their dispute to listen to Han Shaolong’s words.
Villa Master Han’s eyes lit up and he nodded in agreement. He looked at his eldest son in admiration and said, “That’s right. Then, what do you think we should do tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, after father’s birthday, you can let the weak cultivators leave first, tell them there are only so many spots to head into the rank-5 spirit vein. Only those powerful enough will have a chance anyway. These weak cultivators are of no use to us, so it's better to let them go, to avoid some trouble. After the powerful cultivators have been led to that place, then those who were unwilling to leave can only blame themselves! They will be used as fertilizer for that place! Then things will go as planned, and no one in the Wind Mountain Villa will leak a thing. It’s a pity that that senior only wants Spirit Core Realm or higher cultivators; otherwise, there would be more than 200 spirit corpses this time.”
When Han Shaolong spoke of that place, his tone became a bit strange and his attitude clearly changed a bit. If someone else heard his words, they would be shocked. Spirit corpses! The Wind Mountain Villa was seizing cultivator bodies to create spirit corpses! Back in the nameless graveyard, the Ten Thousand Corpse Old Man had also summoned a spirit corpse, but it was of the lowest grade.
“The senior said that after we finish all of this, we don’t have to worry about it anymore, and he will teach us even more powerful corpse refining spells. If things go well, we’ll stay here as long as we can. If that senior uses this chance to restore his body, it will be for the best, and we’ll follow him. If everything fails, then us four will abandon the Wind Mountain Villa and the people here. I don’t believe we won’t be able to enjoy wealth and glory once our strength improves even more. Nothing is more important than our own strength.”
The more Han Shaolong spoke, the more excited he became. Even though he was usually very calm, he lost himself while thinking about the future.
Han Tianhu and Han Zhibao gave up on the dispute between them and looked at each other. That’s right, nothing was more important than their own strength.
Even Villa Master Han had a big smile on his face. Among his sons, his eldest was undoubtedly the most similar to him. He had the nature of a leader.
“Okay, it is decided. The three of you, go back and prepare for tomorrow. Each one of you is responsible for his own task, and don’t become careless. If matter succeeds, then the four of us will be able to enjoy endless riches. If it fails, we’ll have to depend on ourselves to run for our lives. You all know the pleasures brought by strength. Leave everything to fate. All of you, go back to prepare.”
Villa Master Han had a serious expression while he reminded his three sons.
Han Shaolong, Han Tianhu, and Han Zhibao quickly nodded and then left the secret room. The only difference was that their expressions were all very different.
Han Shaolong was still expressionless and calm, Han Tianhu was very excited, and Han Zhibao was pondering something. No one knew what he was planning.
After his three sons departed the dark chamber, it became quiet once more. Villa Master Han had a smile on his face, then he closed his eyes. He knew what his sons were thinking and about the fighting between them, but he chose to remain silent about it.
Although the underground chamber was dark, everything you needed was there. There were two paintings hanging on the grey walls. There was only an arm-thick candle burning, and the flicking light made the two paintings look blurry.
On the left side of the room was a jade bed. It was simple and exuded a milky, white glow. There was a figure sitting on a pad on top of the jade bed.
This figure had long hair scattered over his shoulders, and there was grey mixed in with his white hair. He had an eagle hook nose like Han Tianhu and wore a dark purple robe. He looked slightly old, but his skin was as smooth as a baby’s.
He was Villa Master Han, and tomorrow was his 200th birthday. He had been stuck at the Spirit Core Realm for a long time. Normally, it would have been hopeless for him, but something had allowed his cultivation to improve rapidly with no sign of stopping.
Not far away from the bed, there was a jade table with three jade chairs.
Han Shaolong was calmly sitting on one of the chairs. There were occasionally flashes of light in his eyes, but there was no trace of emotions in them.
The other two figures were not as calm as Han Shaolong; they kept pacing around the table. From the frequency of their steps, they were obviously a bit excited.
Han Tianhu was filled with excitement and was rubbing his fists. Even in this dark room, the joy in his eyes was obvious.
The last person was excited due to nervousness. He was much more handsome than Han Shaolong and Han Tianhu, but his eyes contained a slightly evil aura. His age was similar to the other two Han brothers. The arm-thick candle burned on the jade table, and the light shone on his anxious face.
He was Villa Master Han’s adopted son, Han Zhibao. He was an orphan at an early age and brought back as a disciple of Villa Master Han. He was loved by Villa Master Han and was later adopted as his son.
“Adopted Father, tomorrow is your birthday and is when we must act. Do you really want to do it this way? It’s still not too late to change your mind now.”
After pacing for a while, Han Zhibao, who was impatient, saw that no one else was going to speak, so he spoke up. He looked at Villa Master Han, who was sitting on the jade bed.
Han Tianhu, who was also pacing around like Han Zhibao, suddenly stopped and replied in a strange stone, “A man can’t be like this. Now that everything is set, we just need to stay on our path for our plan to succeed. We only need to satisfy that senior, then there will only be benefits for us. Perhaps our cultivation will improve greatly once more.”
As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face, as if he was fantasizing about his cultivation improving greatly.
Villa Master Han sat on the bed motionlessly as he watched his son quarrel with his adopted son. His eyes occasionally turned, as if he was thinking about something.
“Is this a small matter? This is related to the lives of the 200 people in our Wind Mountain Villa. If we are not careful, it won’t affect just you or me, even father’s life will be threatened. Once this is over, there will be no going back. Once we are exposed, not only the nearby forces, even all orthodox factions in the Huang and Yan Provinces will do whatever it takes to destroy us. There are many people from the local forces here. If we kill them all, you know the consequences.”
Han Zhibao was angry and emotional. Even when facing Han Tianhu, he didn’t back down at all. Although he was adopted, his status was no worse than Han Tianhu’s.
“Then you say what we should do. We are following that senior’s orders, and you know how terrifying that senior is. Did you forget that it was that senior who taught us and allowed us to make breakthroughs so quickly? It’s not like we haven’t done this before. Over the past several years, all the rogue cultivators that joined us were killed and turned into spirit corpses.”
Facing the slightly angry Han Zhibao, even Han Tianhu became angry as well. However, when he spoke about the spirit corpses, he suddenly felt nervous and his voice was a lot softer.
“Enough!”
Seeing the two of them quarrel, Villa Master Han finally let out an angry roar. Hearing this, both Han Tianhu and Han Zhibao didn’t dare to make another sound.
Seeing the two of them shut up, Villa Master Han’s expression eased a little. Fortunately, there was a formation around this secret chamber that prevented the sound from leaking out. Villa Master Han looked at his eldest son, Han Shaolong, and softly said, “Shaolong, what’s your opinion?”
Han Shaolong was pondering while sitting on a jade stool and was startled by this question. He didn’t expect his father to ask for his opinion, he expected his father to just make a decision.
After hesitating for a bit, Han Shaolong’s furrowed brows loosened and he slowly said, “I think that what Second Brother and Third Brother have said is reasonable. However, some things are inevitable, and we have prepared for so long. When tomorrow comes, we must act, or we will anger that senior. Nothing good would come from angering that senior. We have seen his methods. All of the Wind Mountain Villa’s strength was given to us by that senior, and that senior can take it away. In order to avoid revealing his identity, he will certainly kill us all.” After he finished speaking, Han Shaolong’s eyes were filled with fear, as if he had recalled something terrifying.
Hearing that his big brother agreed with him, Han Tianhu folded his arms and looked at Han Zhibao proudly.
“Yes, Shaolong, continue.” Villa Master Han coldly watched his sons and didn’t allow them to continue fighting. Instead, he looked at Han Shaolong to tell him to continue.
“However, what Third Brother said also makes sense. This is not like before, where we only made moves against people who joined us. No matter what we did, no one would know. This time we are going to face the forces of the Yan Zhi Region and its surrounding areas. Although our final goal is the Spirit Core Realm cultivators, you all saw the various elders and disciples from these forces here. If any of them die at our Wind Mountain Villa, it will certainly cause a public outrage. We must continue to do this, but we must assess the current situation. We need to ensure that we finish the task that senior gave us while also keeping the 200 or so people of our Wind Mountain Villa safe.”
Han Shaolong had a serious expression and his words were very heavy. This caused the situation to suddenly become tense.
At this point, even Han Tianhu and Han Zhibao stopped their dispute to listen to Han Shaolong’s words.
Villa Master Han’s eyes lit up and he nodded in agreement. He looked at his eldest son in admiration and said, “That’s right. Then, what do you think we should do tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, after father’s birthday, you can let the weak cultivators leave first, tell them there are only so many spots to head into the rank-5 spirit vein. Only those powerful enough will have a chance anyway. These weak cultivators are of no use to us, so it's better to let them go, to avoid some trouble. After the powerful cultivators have been led to that place, then those who were unwilling to leave can only blame themselves! They will be used as fertilizer for that place! Then things will go as planned, and no one in the Wind Mountain Villa will leak a thing. It’s a pity that that senior only wants Spirit Core Realm or higher cultivators; otherwise, there would be more than 200 spirit corpses this time.”
When Han Shaolong spoke of that place, his tone became a bit strange and his attitude clearly changed a bit. If someone else heard his words, they would be shocked. Spirit corpses! The Wind Mountain Villa was seizing cultivator bodies to create spirit corpses! Back in the nameless graveyard, the Ten Thousand Corpse Old Man had also summoned a spirit corpse, but it was of the lowest grade.
“The senior said that after we finish all of this, we don’t have to worry about it anymore, and he will teach us even more powerful corpse refining spells. If things go well, we’ll stay here as long as we can. If that senior uses this chance to restore his body, it will be for the best, and we’ll follow him. If everything fails, then us four will abandon the Wind Mountain Villa and the people here. I don’t believe we won’t be able to enjoy wealth and glory once our strength improves even more. Nothing is more important than our own strength.”
The more Han Shaolong spoke, the more excited he became. Even though he was usually very calm, he lost himself while thinking about the future.
Han Tianhu and Han Zhibao gave up on the dispute between them and looked at each other. That’s right, nothing was more important than their own strength.
Even Villa Master Han had a big smile on his face. Among his sons, his eldest was undoubtedly the most similar to him. He had the nature of a leader.
“Okay, it is decided. The three of you, go back and prepare for tomorrow. Each one of you is responsible for his own task, and don’t become careless. If matter succeeds, then the four of us will be able to enjoy endless riches. If it fails, we’ll have to depend on ourselves to run for our lives. You all know the pleasures brought by strength. Leave everything to fate. All of you, go back to prepare.”
Villa Master Han had a serious expression while he reminded his three sons.
Han Shaolong, Han Tianhu, and Han Zhibao quickly nodded and then left the secret room. The only difference was that their expressions were all very different.
Han Shaolong was still expressionless and calm, Han Tianhu was very excited, and Han Zhibao was pondering something. No one knew what he was planning.
After his three sons departed the dark chamber, it became quiet once more. Villa Master Han had a smile on his face, then he closed his eyes. He knew what his sons were thinking and about the fighting between them, but he chose to remain silent about it.
