Li Kuangren, Li Changsheng, and Li Changyao returned, bringing back bad news.
In truth, what Li Kuangren had said to Fourth Prince Yu was completely correct.
Many in the family were exceedingly naive; no matter what, they still harbored a final sliver of hope for the Imperial Dynasty, holding onto a trace of expectation for the various factions outside Azure Cloud Prefecture.
It all ended in vain.
On the contrary, Li Dalong in the Underworld had exceeded Li Kuangren's expectations.
Sitting on the Underworld King's throne in the Hell Layer IX: The Boiling Cauldrons, Li Dalong gazed into a bronze mirror.
Through the mirror, Li Xinjue—utilizing the methods of the [Immortal in the Mirror]—had already relayed the family's intelligence piece by piece.
"Husband..." Xu Cuihua lay across Li Dalong's lap, looking at his calm face.
The family had resided in Azure Cloud Prefecture for so many years; even if they lacked illustrious achievements, they had put in grueling hard work.
Then there were the family's friends... factions like the Heavenly Light Sect, the Sword Pavilion, and the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary.
They had collaborated extensively with the family over the years, exchanging smiles and laughter upon meeting, and had even sworn vows to live and die together.
Yet, in the end, they still chose to seek shelter under the tallest tree they could find.
"If it were us, we might have made the exact same choice."
Although Li Dalong had made peace with it, a trace of sorrow flashed through his eyes. "In the end, it all comes down to 'profit'. Quite boring."
"You're this open-minded about it?" Xu Cuihua was stunned. Loyalty and propriety—that was how her husband had always taught the children.
"I saw through it thoroughly a long time ago," Li Dalong said bitterly.
"Many years ago, I wished I could slaughter my way into the Imperial Capital.
Even if a member of our Li Clan didn't sit on the imperial throne, we had to put someone trustworthy on it.
But in the end, my strength was insufficient. I couldn't support my own ambitions, nor could I cure this Imperial Dynasty that had long since rotted to the core."
"The people outside cannot be trusted. This is our own calamity; no one wants to draw the fire onto themselves, especially when they have families to protect.
There are too many people in the world. Even if they have only ten or twenty percent of genuine friends, they still have numerous misgivings.
Pondering left and right and being swayed by others, friends are no longer friends."
"Changsheng shouldn't have gone to beg."
Li Dalong sighed. "If you don't beg, there will still be some lingering affection when you meet in the future. Once you beg and are rejected, nothing but resentment remains."
Xu Cuihua nodded, her expression gentle. "Husband, you still want to preserve some affection with them in the future."
The two fell into silence.
Beneath the Underworld King's throne, however, the clamor was incessant.
Standing below were the zombies, fierce ghosts, and Nether Officials from within Li Dalong's Blood Sea. They packed the entire grand hall.
Outside the Underworld King's hall, it was like a black torrent—countless entities of the Underworld crowded together, brandishing their fangs and claws, stretching as far as the eye could see.
They awaited the command of the Underworld's final King, its ultimate ruler.
...
[Special Event — Li Changsheng's Revenge]
[Upon leaving the Imperial Capital, your descendant Li Changsheng, without the slightest hesitation, quietly utilized the Hall of Heavenly Principle to command beggars, tavern patrons, and street ruffians to spread the news of everything that transpired in the Western Frontier.
The matters of the Western Frontier and Azure Cloud Prefecture gradually reached the ears of the common people, sparking rumors in every street and alleyway.]
What Li Changsheng disseminated were not rumors, but by the time they spread through the streets and alleys, they truly became rumors.
People began to suspect whether the imperial court had already been occupied by demons and monsters.
Those military families whose cultivator members had gone to the Southern Frontier and never returned finally mustered the courage to question the government.
The cultivators of the Imperial Dynasty began to question whether immortals truly existed.
Was the true ruler of the Human Race's Imperial Dynasty the Human Race, or the immortals who had once enslaved them? Or were the immortals enslaving the Human Race in a new way?
Not long after returning, Li Changsheng received the news he wanted to hear.
Numerous sects formed alliances and arrived at the border of the Central Plains, which was strictly guarded by the Imperial Protectors Guard.
They clashed with the Imperial Protectors Guard, resulting in many deaths.
Although it was utterly useless for the current situation in the Southern Frontier, it still left Li Changsheng feeling quite pleased.
Azure Cloud Region, the Feng family.
Feng Chunlin, the old Patriarch, was sitting in the seat of honor.
Today, he had already become the master of the entire Azure Cloud Region; even 'Hundred Treasures Mountain', the business Li Kuangren built single-handedly, had fallen into his hands.
Right now, he was busy organizing military affairs, completely ignoring the Wu Tribe defensive lines.
When a true crisis loomed, it was these old veterans of the Azure Cloud Region who were the most reliable, eagerly sharpening their blades to face the immortals.
Seated below were the couple, Li Kuangren and his wife, and the siblings, Li Changsheng and Li Changyao.
They rarely visited Azure Cloud Prefecture. No one above the Nascent Soul realm was allowed to enter the Azure Cloud Region.
No one knew exactly how many troops and horses Li Kuangren had hidden away over these centuries; they only knew that the vast majority of Azure Cloud Prefecture's tax revenue had completely flowed into the Azure Cloud Region.
The major factions of Azure Cloud Prefecture also obeyed his every command.
During those years when the family was engaged in a massive war against the Wu Tribe in the Western Frontier, they hadn't been idle in the slightest.
The Northern Frontier, Western Frontier, Eastern Frontier, sea regions...
The world only knew that the Azure Cloud Li Clan's Hall of Heavenly Principle ran a massive business, but they were entirely unaware that the Azure Cloud Region ran the cultivation world's 'military industry'—the Human Pills of the Ghost Eye Sect, the war artifacts of the Artifact Sect, the battle array training of the Black Tortoise Sect and the Myriad Arts Sect...
Even the 'Cloud Sea Army' where Li Xingchen was stationed bought and sold massive amounts of spirit boats and spiritual artifacts in the Azure Cloud Region.
The root cause of this was still Li Kuangren's ambition.
Li Dalong always maintained anger and restraint toward the Imperial Dynasty, while Li Kuangren was... constantly preparing for rebellion.
His anger from when the Wu Tribe invaded back then had never subsided, accumulating until today.