Huo Wanzhang and Huo Wanyu's eyebrows twitched slightly. Neither said another word. Inwardly, they both seemed to understand. 'This young master... he's not clueless at all. His cunning... it runs deep!'
Huo Wanyu finally felt relieved, believing he hadn't misjudged the man after all.
Before long, Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyin returned. Both wore looks of delight on their faces. From a distance, Huo Jinyin called out, "Young Master Feng, everything is ready. We can set off!"
Huo Jinshan suddenly noticed Huo Wanhua was gone. His thoughts stirred, and he asked with a smile, "Where's Uncle Wan Huo?"
"I sent him to make some preparations as well," Xu Luo replied with a faint smile.
Just then, Huo Wanhua walked over from a distance, his expression placid, betraying no emotion.
Although both Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyin felt a flicker of doubt, they didn't dwell on it. They might be of the same rank as Huo Wanhua, but neither of them ever took him very seriously.
Huo Wanhua had always been a low-profile figure in the Huo Family with little renown. Moreover, though he was a generation their senior, his strength was on par with theirs. Deep down, neither Huo Jinshan nor Huo Jinyin held him in high regard.
Calling him Uncle Wan Huo was merely a show of superficial respect, much like how they addressed Xu Luo as Young Master Feng...
"Young Master Feng, I have returned," Huo Wanhua said respectfully, approaching Xu Luo's side.
'Hmph, Young Master Feng... It won't be long before you vanish from this world completely! I wonder if you'll regret it then, regret ever getting involved in the struggle for succession,' Huo Jinshan thought darkly.
Xu Luo nodded. "Since everyone's ready, let's head out!"
...
"Young Master Lin, they've set out!" Huo Xu reported, standing before Huo Lin with a deferential look.
The others also gazed at Huo Lin with admiration. They were all his followers to begin with and held him in great awe.
Now, seeing Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyinâwho had been at Huo Feng's sideâjointly pledge allegiance to Young Master Lin, their admiration for him surged like an endless, roaring river.
Huo Lin reveled in their gazes. In that moment, he could already imagine himself as the Patriarch of the entire Huo Family, all power in his grasp... When that day came, everyone in the family would look at him with the very same adulation!
'That feeling... will be even more incredible!'
"We'll set out as well." Huo Lin nodded, his expression unreadable.
"This time, we will solidify Young Master Lin's position in the family in one fell swoop!" Huo Dong declared from the side.
The group all nodded in firm agreement. Clearly, in their eyes, Huo Fengâthe direct descendant favored by the Old Ancestorâwas already a dead man.
He would become a stepping stone for Huo Lin's ascent to greater heights.
...
The mountain path was rugged, and various Spirit Beasts roamed the towering peaks and steep ridges.
Once they arrived, the giant bird mounts they had brought from the family were no longer of use. After all, they were here to find Beidou's Eighth Star; they couldn't just circle the skies forever, or they'd never find a thing.
As Xu Luo walked, he plotted. 'How can I set a trap and kill Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyin, but do it in a way that leaves no one anything to say?'
'If they don't make a direct move against me, I can't really make a move against them either...' Xu Luo mused.
After a moment of thought, Xu Luo suddenly spoke up. "Searching like this, it'll be hard to find any trace of our target. Why don't we... split up to cover more ground?"
"Young Master Feng... we can't do that!" Huo Wanchong immediately objected, trying to dissuade him. Even if he knew that Young Master Feng was aware of the problem with Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyin, he still didn't dare let him go off on his own.
After all, Huo Feng's strength was plain to seeâhe was merely a Tier Nine Sword King. Any expert from the Divine Power Realm could slay him with ease!
"Indeed, Young Master Feng. A person of your standing shouldn't expose himself to needless danger," Huo Wanyu added from the side.
When Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyin heard Xu Luo's suggestion, their hearts filled with a honeyed sweetness. For them, this was a godsendâthe perfect opportunity falling right into their laps.
They had just been wondering how to tie up the three nuisancesâHuo Wanchong, Huo Wanyu, and Huo Wanhuaâand now Huo Feng himself was suggesting they split up.
However, Huo Wanchong and Huo Wanyu's refusal caused a dark glint to flash in the eyes of Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyin.
This time, they only planned to deal with Huo Feng.
As for the three from the "Wan" generation, they had no intention of moving against them. After all, none of them were weak. If it came to a life-or-death struggle, they might not necessarily win.
Besides, once Huo Feng was dead, these three from the "Wan" generation would surely side with them, as long as they weren't fools.
Otherwise, they would have to bear immense responsibility for his death!
Huo Jinyin and Huo Jinshan had even concocted the cause of Huo Feng's death: an unfortunate encounter with Beidou's Eighth Star, who attacked and killed the weakest member, Huo Feng, injured two of them, and then fled...
For them, Beidou's Eighth Star was the perfect scapegoat.
'These two old fools... If they keep this up, then fine... we'll just ambush and kill them! We can pin their deaths on Beidou's Eighth Star, too!' Huo Jinshan thought, glancing at Huo Jinyin.
They locked eyes, each seeing the other's intent, and then exchanged a meaningful glance.
Xu Luo shook his head. "What danger could there be in a place like this? How about this: Huo Jinyin can come with me. The other four of you can split into two groups. Huo Wanchong and Huo Wanyu, you two go together. Huo Wanhua, you go with Huo Jinshan. We'll regroup every thirty li. Surely there's no problem with that?"
Both Huo Wanchong and Huo Wanyu looked at Xu Luo with concern, not understanding why Young Master Feng was deliberately putting himself in harm's way.
A flicker of understanding seemed to dawn on Huo Wanhua. He glanced at Xu Luo, whose face was calm and smiling.
Huo Wanhua nodded. "In that case, we'll do as Young Master Feng arranges!"
"Sigh... Alright, then." Huo Wanchong sighed. To this day, he had no idea what methods Young Master Feng might have to protect himself.
As for fighting back... Huo Wanchong didn't believe Huo Feng had it in him. Huo Jinyin was a powerhouse at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Power Realm!
Within the Divine Power Realm, each layer represented an enormous gap in strength, to say nothing of the fact that Huo Feng and Huo Jinyin were separated by an entire major realm!
It was an utterly insurmountable gap!
'Unless... Young Master Feng has other arrangements!' Huo Wanchong thought of Huo Feng's stunningly beautiful mother and had a sudden realization. 'That must be it! Otherwise, he would never place himself in such a perilous position.'
Huo Jinyin's current mood could only be described as ecstatic. He hadn't originally planned to betray Huo Feng. After all, traitors... earned a terrible reputation in the family. Practically no one would ever place their trust in such a person again.
But he couldn't withstand Huo Jinshan's persuasion. At the same time, Huo Lin had not only given him assurances but also offered him immense benefits!
That was what finally made Huo Jinyin decide to throw in his lot with Huo Lin.
Following Huo Feng offered no future, but following Huo Lin... that was another story entirely!
"Huo Lin is the Patriarch's own grandson! Think about it! How could the Patriarch possibly hand his position over to that failure, Huo Feng? The man is thirty years old and hasn't even stepped into the Divine Power Realm. How is someone like that qualified to compete for the Patriarch's seat? Forget being the Patriarch... he isn't even qualified to be an Elder!"
These were the words from Huo Jinshan that had truly swayed Huo Jinyin.
'That's right... how could the Patriarch possibly pass his seat to an outsider?' Huo Jinyin saw the family's political landscape clearly. He knew that for years, everyone had viewed Huo Lin as a powerful contender for the future Patriarch.
"There's no need to worry. This place is deserted. I believe if Beidou's Eighth Star is hiding here, he'll just run the moment he sees us!" Xu Luo said with a smile.
"In that case... Young Master Feng, please be careful. If anything happens, shout immediately. We'll be there as fast as we can!" Huo Wanchong urged one last time.
"Alright!" Xu Luo nodded.
Huo Jinyin and Huo Jinshan's eyes flickered. It seemed they had realized that Huo Wanchong and the others weren't as clueless as they'd thought.
'Hmph, so what if they know? We're not the only ones who want Huo Feng dead this time!' Huo Jinshan sneered inwardly.
Then, the six split into three groups and departed. Huo Wanchong and Huo Wanyu took one path; Huo Wanhua and Huo Jinshan took another; and Xu Luo went with Huo Jinyin.
After they separated, Xu Luo and Huo Jinyin ambled along, making idle chat. Without batting an eye, Xu Luo began to sing praisesâabout himself.
"Jinyin, you have no idea. That Beidou's Eighth Star, Xu Luo, is truly a brilliant, mighty, and majestic figure. And by the way, he's incredibly handsome! I've never seen anyone better looking!"
"Young Master Feng, you're not so bad yourself. No need to build up another's reputation at your own expense," Huo Jinyin replied, somewhat distractedly.
"Sigh. I know I'm handsome, but compared to that Xu Luo, there's still a considerable gap. I'm even a little jealous of him..." Xu Luo said with a wide smile.
"Heh, is that so? A man as outstanding as Young Master Feng has no need to be jealous of anyone. In the future, won't the Huo Family be yours anyway?" Huo Jinyin said.
"It will be difficult! That Huo Lin fellow has deep roots, and he's quite exceptional himself. To be honest, I don't feel very confident competing against him," Xu Luo sighed theatrically, then looked at Huo Jinyin. "But now that I have you all by my side, I finally have the confidence to put up a fight!"
Huo Jinyin let out a soft sigh. He raised his head and looked at Xu Luo with a smirk. "Young Master Feng... really, why bother fighting for this at all? Wouldn't it be better to just be a decadent young master, living a life of leisure until you die?"
Xu Luo looked up, feigning confusion, and stared at Huo Jinyin. He then furrowed his brow. "Jinyin, what kind of talk is that? What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? Haha! My dear Young Master Feng, can it be that you still don't understand? Sigh, I truly despair for you. I'd call you a fool, but you somehow managed to curry favor with the Old Ancestor. Yet I can't call you clever... you couldn't even see through such a simple trap. It's really quite a disappointment!" Huo Jinyin finally tore off his mask, a cold sneer on his face as he looked at Xu Luo.