Chapter 74: A Shocking Speculation

“Alright then, what’s the deal?” Han Yue asked helplessly.

“Hehe, it’s like this! We take turns asking each other a question, and neither of us is allowed to refuse to answer. If the other person doesn’t know the answer, the asker can raise another question, until the other side answers.”

Xu Ziyan up in the sky felt a stir in her heart and became even more careful to hide her presence.

Han Yue on the snowy ground thought it over carefully. He realized that although he knew some secrets of his clan, they weren’t anything particularly confidential. Besides, the matter for which he had come to Zhongdu City to the Xu Clan would soon be announced to the world, so talking about it wouldn’t be a big deal.

On the other hand, if he could learn some secrets of the Zhou Family and still manage to escape, he would be getting a good deal. Of course, Han Yue knew his chances of escaping were very slim. If there had been even a sliver of hope before, it would likely vanish completely once he learned the Zhou Family’s secrets. But he decided to gamble anyway—since his fate was pretty much sealed, taking a risk couldn’t hurt! So he nodded at Zhou Yao and said:

“Fine, I’ll take the deal. But we must both swear an oath that what we say will be the truth!”

After the two of them swore to the heavens, they both began calculating what question to ask the other first. Zhou Yao looked at Han Yue and said lightly:

“You ask first.”

Han Yue didn’t hold back and blurted out: “I want to know, what secret about your Xu Clan did Xu Yundong find out?”

“Hehe, Han Yue, aren’t you wasting that question? You could just ask Xu Yundong beside you!”

“Would you let him speak? He’d probably turn into a corpse before he even opened his mouth!”

“Hehe, you’ve got a point. It seems you’re quite cautious.” A trace of approval flickered in Zhou Yao’s eyes.

Xu Yundong, standing beside Han Yue, clenched his fists tightly. The situation—where he was like meat on a chopping block and others held the knife—cut deeply into Xu Yundong’s heart. His fingernails dug into his palms, and drops of bright red blood dripped onto the snow, like delicate, vivid flowers.

“Alright, I can tell you. Our Zhou Family and the Yang Family of Nanlin City plan to join forces against the Xu Clan of Zhongdu City!”

Zhou Yao told Han Yue without any concealment, because in his eyes, Han Yue was no different from a dead man already. He didn’t believe Han Yue could escape his grasp. Besides, he had Zhou Qiang—at the Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage—by his side. As for the Houtian-stage Xu Yundong, Zhou Yao simply ignored him.

Han Yue’s previously resolute, death-defying expression changed. His face froze over like winter water. His heart surged like huge waves as he quickly analyzed the situation in the Northern Region.

In the Northern Region of the Vast Expanse Continent, there were Four Great Families, and above them were Sects of various sizes. Among them, the two largest Sects were the Taixuan Sect and the Huayang Sect.

The Zhou Family of Canglang City and the Yang Family of Nanlin City were both under the influence of the Huayang Sect, serving as the Sect’s power in the mortal world. Meanwhile, the Xu Clan of Zhongdu City and the Han Family of Juque City both belonged to the Taixuan Sect’s sphere of influence, representing the Sect’s presence in the secular world.

Although these Four Great Families belonged to different factions, they weren’t openly hostile to each other. Of course, they weren’t openly allied either. Among these four families, there had always been constant struggle, with each wanting to expand its own influence and dismantle or destroy the others. Even families under the same Sect—like the Zhou and Yang Families, or the Han and Xu Clans—were no exception, constantly bickering and scheming against each other. As for the lofty Huayang Sect and Taixuan Sect, they hardly cared about the mortal forces—as long as tributes were paid on time, they couldn’t care less who rose to power in the secular world.

What struck Han Yue now was this: the Zhou Family of Canglang City and the Yang Family of Nanlin City had unprecedentedly formed an alliance to jointly deal with the Xu Clan of Zhongdu City. Would they also plan to target his Han Family? Anxiously, he couldn’t help but exclaim:

“Are you also planning to deal with our Han Family?”

“That’s the second question!” Zhou Yao said calmly.

Up in the air, Xu Ziyan’s heart shook violently. The Zhou Family of Canglang City and the Yang Family of Nanlin City had actually formed an alliance—and their goal was to target her own clan. Her clan was already weakened by internal strife, besieged nearby by the City Lord’s Manor and the vicious wolves of the Xiao and Wu Families, and now two fierce tigers were watching covetously. This news was extremely bad for the Xu Clan, pushing them right to the edge of a cliff.

She had to inform her clan immediately. Otherwise, caught unprepared, her clan would face utter destruction. Still, Xu Ziyan wanted to hear if there were more secrets, so she tried hard to calm her restless heart and kept listening to the conversation below.

“Alright, then it’s your turn to ask.” On the snowy ground, Han Yue said helplessly to Zhou Yao.

“What did you come to Zhongdu City for?” Zhou Yao asked directly.

“To deliver a letter to the Family Head of the Xu Clan in Zhongdu City.”

“What letter?”

“That’s the second question.” Han Yue said with a smile, feeling a sense of having evened the score.

“Fine! Ask your second question.” Unexpectedly, Zhou Yao didn’t seem to care at all and simply let Han Yue ask the second question.

Han Yue’s expression stiffened, and he quickly realized—Zhou Yao simply didn’t regard him as a threat. In Zhou Yao’s eyes, he was already a dead man. What harm was there in a dead man knowing a little more? Still, thinking of the Zhou Family’s secrets, Han Yue mustered his spirits and asked:

“Do you have some scheme against our Han Family?”

“No! No! No!” Zhou Yao once again raised a finger and shook it, saying lightly:

“That’s not a scheme—it’s called a plan. After we wipe out the Xu Clan of Zhongdu City, we naturally won’t spare your Han Family either.”

By now, Han Yue had completely calmed down. As he secretly calculated, a sudden idea flashed in his mind—a question abruptly arose: Why would the Zhou Family of Canglang City and the Yang Family of Nanlin City suddenly form an alliance? Such a thing would have been unthinkable before.

Not only had the two families allied, but they were also acting together and had laid out a plan to target the Xu Clan of Zhongdu City and his own family one after the other. What had happened? Could it be the Huayang Sect…?

Could it be that the Huayang Sect wanted to dominate the entire mortal world of the Northern Region? Did the Huayang Sect not fear the Taixuan Sect? Suddenly, Han Yue’s heart shook violently, and an alarming thought uncontrollably surfaced in his mind…