In the room, only the Old Ancestor, Huo Tongtian, and Xu Luo remained. The Old Ancestor opened his eyes, looked at Xu Luo, and said in a deep voice, "Young man, being low-key, patient, and cunning... these are good qualities, but you can have too much of a good thing. The Patriarch is, after all, that child Huo Lin's grandfather. You must be careful; some people might move against you. As the Old Ancestor, I can only warn you, but I will not help you... because only the one who comes out on top in the end is the most outstanding!"
As Huo Tongtian spoke, he gave Xu Luo a profound look. "Feng'er, do you understand?"
Xu Luo gave a deep bow and said, "With the Old Ancestor's high regard, how could I not understand? How could I possibly fail to understand? How would I dare to not understand?"
"Hahaha, a fine 'How could I not... How could I possibly... How would I dare...' Excellent!" Huo Tongtian laughed heartily. "Go and do what you want without fear. Just remember one thing: no matter what... your own life is what's most important!"
Xu Luo nodded forcefully, his face full of gratitude, but inwardly he was thinking: 'You say it so well, old man! What a pity. The lives of your Huo Family descendants are lives, but my life... is a life too! My life... can only be in my own hands! Not in yours!'
ćAn hour later.ć
The Huo Family's assembly hall.
The hall was bustling with activity as elderly men, each with a different expression, continuously walked in.
Xu Luo had originally intended to take his leave. After all, this was a meeting for the Huo Family's inner circle. Only those at the rank of Inner Sect Elder or above were qualified to attend. Even Huo Feng's father, Master Huo Qi, was not qualified, let alone a junior like him.
But for some reason, the Old Ancestor had kept him by his side, which left many of the arriving Elders extremely astonished by his presence.
"The Old Ancestor has never shown such favor to a young person before. What could be the reason this time?" an elderly man, who looked to be in his twilight years, asked another Elder next to him via voice transmission. He was sitting in a corner, watching Huo Feng stand beside the Old Ancestor from afar, a questioning look in his eyes.
"I heard that some time ago, while on the Central Plains Star Continent, this kid encountered Beidou's Eighth Star and actually managed to escape from him... Perhaps that's why the Old Ancestor favors him?"
Once a person cultivated to a certain realm and reached a certain age, they naturally gained a more detached perspective on many things. These two Inner Sect Elders of the Huo Family, for example, rarely made appearances on normal days and did not participate in the family's various affairs.
They would only show up for events like today's. Even then, they usually wouldn't participate in any decision-making, as they had long since lost interest in power.
However, no matter how indifferent a person was, it was difficult to remain calm at the mention of Beidou's Eighth Star.
Although they were well aware that even if Beidou's Eighth Star were captured, they wouldn't get a share of the benefits, one could always hold on to a sliver of extravagant hope!
For instance, if the Old Ancestor successfully refined Beidou's Eighth Star and ascended to the Immortal Realm, then as members of the Huo Family, their own statuses would naturally rise with the tide. Perhaps one day... they too would get a chance to ascend!
Even if they couldn't ascend, the hope of stepping into the Saint Realm... would suddenly increase countless times over!
Therefore, when the topic of Beidou's Eighth Star came up, even these old-timers who had reached a venerable age and viewed everything with detachment would immediately become animated.
"Oh, so he's met Beidou's Eighth Star... Hehe, no wonder. But it looks like the Patriarch's expression isn't too pleasant!"
"What's so hard to understand? The current Patriarch has a young grandson, said to be a once-in-a-generation prodigy. Now that the Old Ancestor seems to have an excellent impression of this little fellow, the Patriarch is naturally feeling a bit uneasy..."
"Haha, this has nothing to do with us. We're just here to watch the show."
In the assembly hall, these people were all communicating with each other via voice transmission. Their faces were full of expression, yet there wasn't a single sound, creating a somewhat bizarre atmosphere.
The Huo Family Patriarch, a smile on his face, walked up to the Old Ancestor Huo Tongtian and said softly, "Old Ancestor, everyone has been summoned."
"Good!" Huo Tongtian gave a light cough, his gaze sweeping over the entire hall. He said faintly, "It has been a long time since it was this lively."
The already silent hall fell even quieter. The moment the Old Ancestor spoke, everyone stopped their private conversations and turned their gazes toward him in unison.
Standing right beside the Old Ancestor, Xu Luo naturally became the focus of everyone's attention.
Not everyone was uninterested in power. The younger Inner Sect Elders, who were currently enjoying the immense benefits that power brought them, looked at "Huo Feng" with eyes full of envy and jealousy.
For a great clan like the Huo Family, attaining the position of Patriarch meant gaining control over an unimaginable amount of resources!
Although the Patriarch's word wasn't absolute law, using their influence to direct some of those resources... was an incredibly easy thing to do!
And absolutely no one would find fault with them for it!
This was the Patriarch's prerogative!
Resources... meant a faster cultivation speed!
The position of the Huo Family Patriarch had never been passed down through a single lineage. Any direct descendant was qualified to compete for it. More importantly, the Huo Family did not prohibit any form of competition. If one was truly capable, even assassinationāsomething others might find intolerableāwas something the Huo Family's leaders would likely turn a blind eye to.
Under this system, every Patriarch of the Huo Family was hailed as the most outstanding individual of their generation!
On the surface, you might not see anything remarkable about him, but anyone from the Huo Family, or anyone who understood the Huo Family, would know never to underestimate the Patriarch!
Therefore, people were filled with curiosity about the Huo Feng standing beside the Old Ancestor. Of course, they were even more curious why the Old Ancestor, who hadn't summoned them in a very long time, had suddenly called them all together today.
Comparatively, they were more interested in what the Old Ancestor planned to do.
"I have gathered you all here today because I wish to announce something," the Old Ancestor said, his eyes sweeping over everyone present.
The Huo Family Patriarch was the most nervous of all. He carefully watched the young man standing beside the Old Ancestor and thought to himself: 'Could it be that the Old Ancestor, who never intervenes in family affairs... is finally going to make a move? Was this gathering of all the high-ranking members not just for a divination? If that's the case... what should I do?'
The Old Ancestor lowered his eyelids and said faintly, "I have previously divined that Beidou's Eighth Star should appear on the Ancient Race Continent. But the heavenly secrets are muddled, and even I dared not be completely certain... However, news of him has surfaced again recently. Therefore, I am preparing to perform another divination! This time, we must capture him!"
The Huo Family Patriarch secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Old Ancestor wasn't announcing Huo Feng as the successor, anything else was fine.
For the Patriarch, this was the only matter that truly concerned him.
The Old Ancestor continued, "This time, I would like to implore everyone present to help me find Beidou's Eighth Star. Whoever it may be, if you can find Beidou's Eighth Star... and bring him back, I will reward you generously! This is not an order, but a personal request from this old man. It's fine if you are unwilling."
"Old Ancestor, you speak too gravely! We will certainly do our utmost to fulfill your request! This is what we juniors ought to do!" the Huo Family Patriarch was the first to declare.
The others in the assembly hall also chimed in one after another. Regardless of whether they were sincere, they had to at least show their support verbally.
The Old Ancestor's request... who would dare refuse?
"Good. In that case, I will... begin the divination now!" Huo Tongtian said. He took a deep breath, performed the Golden Basin Hand Washing, dried his hands on a pristine white towel, and then personally lit thirty-six Everlasting Lamps. He then stood before the ancient Divine Wood Table and began his preparations for the divination.
...
"Young Master Lin... The Old Ancestor gathered all the family's Inner Sect Elders, saying he wanted to discuss matters concerning Beidou's Eighth Star, and that Huo Feng... was actually there too!" Huo Xu's handsome face was filled with indignation. "The Old Ancestor is spoiling Huo Feng too much!"
"That's right, Young Master Lin. The Old Ancestor is clearly biased toward Huo Feng. What right does he have to be there?" Huo Dong said with a dark expression and a sinister tone. "I say... we should find a chance... to make our move! If this goes on, I'm afraid... he'll truly become a force to be reckoned with!"
"He had a fortuitous encounter." Huo Lin's handsome young face was twisted with venomous hatred. He gritted his teeth and said, "In ten days, he went from the Fifth Layer of the Transformation Realm to the Ninth Layer..."
"Is that rumor true?" Huo Xu's face was filled with shock. "How is that possible? He's clearly a good-for-nothing!"
"So what if he's at the Ninth Layer of the Transformation Realm? Killing him would be a piece of cake!" Huo Dong said with a cruel expression. "Young Master Lin... we can't wait any longer!"
"HUFF!" Huo Lin let out a long breath and said, "You think I don't want to kill him? But he has four powerful experts at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Power Realm protecting him. Even if Huo Jinshan were to make a sudden move... there's no guarantee of success. And once Huo Feng escapes, finding another chance to strike... won't be easy."
"Exactly. If we make a move, it has to succeed on the first try!" Huo Xu's eyes darted back and forth as he muttered, "We need to find a chance to lure him out alone! Or... tie up Huo Wanchong and the others!"
"This time, the Old Ancestor has gathered the high-ranking elders of the family for the sake of Beidou's Eighth Star. With that kid Huo Feng's personality, he won't be content to sit on the sidelines. We'll use this opportunity... to take him out directly!" Huo Dong said, his face cold and sinister.
"Alright. I'll go make preparations right now. We'll strive... to succeed in one go!" Huo Lin finally made his decision. A glint of icy light flashed in his eyes as he thought to himself: 'Huo Feng... don't blame me. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for not knowing your place. How could I possibly spare you when you dare to compete with me for the position of Patriarch?'
...
PTOO!
The Old Ancestor Huo Tongtian spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body teetering, but his eyes were incomparably bright. He declared, his voice firm and resounding, "Beidou's Eighth Star... is on the Ancient Race Continent!"
Xu Luo quickly stepped forward, took out a clean cotton handkerchief, and offered it to the Old Ancestor, saying with a pained expression, "Old Ancestor... please take care of your health!"