Chapter 181: Murong Yun's Advance

Sikong Zhen smiled faintly. "Since you have agreed, Priest, please set up the altar and begin the ritual immediately."

"I cannot do it right now. The Divine Statue of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity was shattered by my wretched disciple. You will have to wait for me to repair the Statue first. Besides, the medicinal effects of the Three-Leaf Longevity Spirit Grass will not take effect the moment I consume it. Let us do this: come back in five days."

Sikong Zhen frowned in displeasure. "Priest, I already told you. The Royal Family takes this matter very seriously!"

Taoist Priest Xuanqing huffed, his beard twitching as he glared. "What the hell is the use of taking it seriously? I said five days, and I mean five days! If I cannot fully absorb the medicinal effects, what happens if my lifespan runs out and I die halfway through the divination?! You do not want to come up empty either, do you?"

"In that case, I will return in five days. I hope you keep your promise, Priest. Otherwise..." Sikong Zhen trailed off, but the threat in his tone was obvious.

"Yes, yes, I know. Five days is five days."

After Sikong Zhen left, Taoist Priest Xuanqing stared at the Three-Leaf Longevity Spirit Grass in the box and began to fret. He needed a countermeasure. He absolutely could not go through with the divination. Pride, the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, was the divine envoy of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, and Lust was that wretched disciple, Jun Wushang. Strictly speaking, he was on the same side as the Seven Deadly Sins.

The Lord Divine Envoy's establishment of the Seven Deadly Sins must have been authorized by the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity. As the Sovereign's most devout believer, Xuanqing would not betray him even if it killed him.

He wanted to ask the Lord Divine Envoy, Su Mu, what he should do, but Su Mu had gone to the Nightmare World and had not yet returned. For now, all Xuanqing could do was stall for time.

...

...

Inside a private residence of the Murong Family.

Murong Yun was smashing everything in the room. Precious vases, porcelain, and invaluable art pieces—he hurled them all to the floor, shattering them to pieces.

He vented his rage for a long time. Finally, he sat heavily on the sofa with a dark expression, grabbed a bottle of liquor, and wildly poured it down his throat.

"Bitch! Bitch! A lowly illegitimate daughter, a piece of trash born to a slave! How dare she!"

Smash!

The liquor bottle was shattered to pieces as well.

Lately, Murong Yun had been living in utter frustration. Ever since Murong Zhuo died, he had thrown himself into the fight for the family estate. He worked himself to the bone, waking earlier than the roosters and going to bed later than the dogs. He rushed about every day pulling strings and building connections, barely even making time for women.

Yet despite all his efforts, the seat of the family head was slipping further and further away from him. And the one causing all of this was that damn illegitimate daughter!

Murong Mengli!

Murong Zhuo had once declared that whoever found the Eye of Gold would be the Murong Family's next heir. And Murong Mengli had found it. Though Pride had snatched it away, she had still technically succeeded. Coupled with the fact that she dared to confront Pride head-on while everyone else cowered in fear, she had salvaged a sliver of dignity for the Murong Family.

The calls for her to become the heir were growing louder by the day because she held the moral high ground.

Especially after Pride's final evaluation: "To think the Murong Family isn't entirely made up of trash. You have a lot of courage."

That was an appraisal from a Gold Tier expert—one who dared to risk universal condemnation by publicly executing a noble. As Pride's infamy skyrocketed, Murong Mengli's reputation rose with the tide.

Rumors were even spreading through the streets, claiming that the Murong Family had no real men left, leaving a mere woman like Murong Mengli to carry the banner.

She was the remarkable woman who had survived a direct confrontation with the Empire's greatest criminal, Pride.

Tabloids pumped out all sorts of inspirational drivel about her: despised by her father and bullied by her brother, the glorious counterattack of the illegitimate daughter.

When everyone looked down on you, you were the one who proved them wrong.

Even more outrageously, there was a headline reading: "Forbidden Love: I Fell in Love with My Father's Killer."

But no matter how absurd the gossip got, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Murong Mengli had cemented herself as the favored candidate for the family head.

The reality matched the rumors. No one knew better than Murong Yun just how massive an advantage Murong Mengli currently held.

Reputation aside, she had also secured Sikong Zhen's support by quietly promising him a massive chunk of the Murong Family's assets.

Every time he thought about it, Murong Yun flew into an uncontrollable rage. That damn bitch! She wasn't even the family head yet, but she was already selling off their assets. In truth, he had secretly approached Sikong Zhen himself, gritting his teeth to promise him a cut of their businesses. Sikong Zhen hadn't even batted an eye at his offer. Murong Yun later found out why: Murong Mengli's offer had been ten times his!

To secure her position, Murong Mengli was practically giving away half the family's fortune. He simply did not have that kind of ruthless resolve.

But none of those were the deciding factor. No matter how high her reputation soared or how much money she threw around, she ultimately had one fatal weakness: she was not a Transcendent.

On what grounds could an ordinary human compete with him, a Silver Stage 2 Transcendent?

But that weakness had vanished today. Murong Mengli's bloodline had finally awakened. She had unlocked the Murong Family's Silver Law, Wind Shadow Speed, vaulting her straight into the ranks of a Silver Rank 1 Transcendent!

That was exactly why he was so furious today. He could not fathom how this damn bitch had such incredible luck, awakening her bloodline at the most critical moment to patch up her final shortcoming.

Murong Yun knew perfectly well that, barring any accidents, he was finished.

Fortunately, an accident had presented itself.

He sat in silence on the sofa for a long time before finally dialing a number on his phone.

"I agree to join you."

A hoarse laugh crackled from the other end of the line. "A smart choice. If Murong Zhuo had been as smart as you, he never would have died like that."

A long while later, a blood-red silhouette materialized out of thin air before his eyes. The figure solidified at a visible pace, ultimately resolving into a handsome young man in a burgundy suit.

The man held a wine glass containing a dark red liquid that emitted the pungent stench of blood.

He looked down at the gloomy Murong Yun, a wicked smirk curling the corners of his mouth. He downed the fresh blood in one gulp, a look of sheer intoxication washing over his pale face.

"As expected. A virgin's blood is always the sweetest."

Murong Yun looked up, his bloodshot eyes flashing with the madness of a man pushed into a corner.

"Can you really help me become the family head?"

The man in the red suit scoffed disdainfully. "Is your only ambition to become the patriarch of a minor noble clan in this small city? With our help, you should set your sights much further. You should be like your father. You should return to the Imperial Capital—return to the center of power in the Chiyan Empire!"

"Cut the fucking empty talk. The Imperial Capital is for later. Right now, I just want to know if I can become the family head!"

The contempt in the red-suited man's eyes thickened. "By joining us, not only will you become the family head, but you will also gain a limitless lifespan! Slowly, you will come to understand just how fragile humans are. Only the Blood Clan is the ultimate superior race!"

Murong Yun sneered. "You Blood Clan from the Blood Moon Empire are always flaunting your racial superiority. If you are so damn superior, then why is the Longyuan Empire the world's number one empire instead of your Blood Moon?"