Chapter 326: The Conspiracy.

At the time, all their thoughts had been on He Long, which was why they’d staged the rescue. Now that they had a moment to think, the men immediately shifted their focus to the youth who had controlled the Ice and Fire Flame Dragon.

"Big Brother, that boy!" one of the middle-aged men, addressed as Third Brother, asked.

The most level-headed black-robed guard shook his head. "This isn’t the time to talk about that. We’ll sort everything out after the Crown Prince awakens. Second Brother, Third Brother, you two come with me to fetch some water. I’ll help wipe the Crown Prince down. Fourth Brother, you watch over the Crown Prince."

The two middle-aged men who were called immediately acknowledged the order and prepared to follow their Big Brother out of the wooden hut. But just then, He Long, lying on the bed, let out a painful groan and slowly opened his eyes...

The Fourth Son of the Zhou Family, who had been standing guard, was the first to notice. "Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, look! The Crown Prince is awake!"

"He’s awake?"

The eldest brother exclaimed in surprise and immediately turned back. When he saw He Long’s dazed and unfocused eyes, his heart couldn’t help but ache. The four of them had watched He Long grow up since he was a child. In their eyes, he was like their own son. Seeing the young prince in such a state, the four men instantly added the entire Xuanling Empire to their list of enemies.

These four were none other than four of the National Guardian Elders of the Celestial Eagle Empire. Though only four of the twelve National Guardian Elders, they were renowned figures in the Celestial Eagle Empire. Those familiar with them called them the four brothers of the Zhou Family. Each was an expert at the Martial Emperor Realm. The strongest, the Eldest of the Zhou Family, had reached the realm of a Ninth-Ring Martial Emperor many years ago. The Martial Artist Realms of the other three were all above that of a Fifth-Ring Martial Emperor.

"COUGH, COUGH..." He Long coughed violently. The slight movement tore open some of his newly healed wounds, and the dried blood at the corners of his mouth became fresh once more.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

This time, He Long was finally fully awake. He looked around and asked in confusion, "Where is this? Why am I here?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

His voice was incredibly weak. Zhou Da waved a hand in front of He Long’s face to get his attention, then pulled down his own mask. "Crown Prince, do you know who we are?"

He Long’s vision gradually cleared. When he saw the man’s face, he was astonished. "First Uncle! What are you doing here?"

That very shout pulled at his wounds again, making him grimace in pain.

"Crown Prince, now take a look at who we are."

The other three black-robed guards pulled down their masks, revealing their rugged faces. He Long turned his head, and upon seeing the three of them, he was stunned. His eyes gradually turned red. "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, why are you all here?"

He Long felt incredibly wronged. In the Celestial Eagle Empire, he was one of the top geniuses of the Martial Dao. He was pampered and privileged within the Empire; no one dared to talk back to him, and no one could bully him. But something like this had happened just after he arrived in the Xuanling Empire as an exchange student. It was all the fault of one person—Mu Chen!

To prevent He Long from aggravating his internal injuries while speaking, Zhou Da infused a strand of pure Primordial Power into his body to protect his damaged organs. "How could we not come?" he said. "The Emperor ordered us to come protect you and ensure your safety. But as soon as we arrived, we ran into this. Crown Prince, can you tell us what exactly happened?"

The other three Zhou brothers also looked at He Long with serious expressions. They, too, wanted to know why the Crown Prince, who had been here for less than a day, had ended up fighting with students from the Xuanling Empire and returned in utter defeat.

He Long looked at the four of them and said angrily, "It all started with that bastard named Mu Chen..."

At this point, He Long recounted everything that had happened since his arrival in the Xuanling Empire, holding nothing back. Although He Long was hot-headed and arrogant, he wasn’t one to twist the truth, so the story he told was exactly what he had experienced.

After hearing his story, the four Zhou brothers frowned. Zhou Da said softly, "Crown Prince, you were indeed in the wrong at the beginning. Who told you to call them a Low-class Empire in front of so many people and then slap someone without a second thought? If you wanted to slap someone, you should have waited for us to get here first."

"Exactly," Third Son Zhou said. "Think about it. If someone came to our Celestial Eagle Empire alone and started badmouthing our empire and our people, what would you do?"

He Long seemed to listen to the four Zhou brothers. He said, somewhat ashamed, "I know I was wrong, but they shouldn’t have ostracized me like that. I’m an exchange student, after all."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family continued, "Hmm, this matter is both serious and not serious. But for the Crown Prince, an exchange student, to nearly lose his life after just half a day in the Xuanling Empire... we absolutely cannot let this go. That kid’s name is Mu Chen, right? Heh, I really didn’t expect someone so talented to exist in a tiny place like the Xuanling Empire."

Zhou Family’s Second Brother smacked his lips and said, "Tier Jumping, and across a Great Tier at that. He also possesses the power of Primordial Power Materialization, a strange Pupil Technique, and a powerful Spiritual Treasure Soldier. What kind of immense fortune must one have to possess so many heaven-defying special abilities?"

"It is strange indeed," the Zhou Family’s Fourth Son said with sudden understanding. "Could he be a genius that the Xuanling Empire has secretly poured immense resources into cultivating? No wonder the Xuanling Empire has closed itself off and cut ties with the Outer Realm since the last imperial competition. So they were trying to build something in secret."

"This Mu Chen must be eliminated," the Eldest of the Zhou Family said gravely. "Right now, as a Five-Ring Martial Spirit, he can already use Tier Jumping to challenge the Crown Prince, who wields a Spiritual Treasure Soldier. What about in two years? He will definitely be a dark horse in the imperial competition. By then, the Xuanling Empire will have truly turned the tables."

"Right, First Uncle! That’s exactly what I was thinking, which is why I brought out the Thunder Dragon Spear. Wait, First Uncle, where is my Thunder Dragon Spear?" He Long suddenly remembered something. Just as he lost consciousness, he seemed to hear a sharp crack. ’Could it be...’

The Eldest of the Zhou Family sighed. "Crown Prince, the Thunder Dragon Spear has been broken... Fortunately, the break wasn’t at a critical point, or else this Spiritual Treasure Soldier would have been destroyed."

He Long’s heart skipped a beat. ’Just as I thought. That kid’s Spiritual Treasure Soldier is extremely bizarre. I suspect it might have already surpassed ordinary Spiritual Treasure Soldiers. It can not only attack but also defend and control. More importantly, it can even activate a Spiritual Treasure Soldier’s Secret Technique! Otherwise, how could the mighty Thunder Dragon Spear have been broken?’

The Eldest of the Zhou Family nodded, his expression grave. "You’re right. Mu Chen must be eliminated, but not now. Crown Prince, you must understand that you are still severely injured. If we all go to assassinate Mu Chen, how can we guarantee your safety? And that’s a secondary concern. The main issue is that although the Xuanling Empire is a Low-class Empire, its proximity to the Demon Beast Forest means it’s under constant attack by Beast Tides. Furthermore, they receive no aid from any Dynasty. Their survival depends on killing Magical Beasts in exchange for vast resources and temporary peace. Just think, how could a Low-class Empire so rich in combat experience not produce a single powerful expert?"

"Although your three uncles and I are all above the Fifth-Ring Martial Emperor realm, if the Xuanling Empire possesses a Martial Venerable Level expert, we would have to go all out just to have a chance of killing Mu Chen. You already alerted the enemy during the day. As long as the people of the Xuanling Empire still value this kid, Mu Chen, now is not the best time to act. He’s most certainly being protected in secret right now."

Zhou Da paused for a moment before continuing, "Crown Prince, your injuries are still very serious. How about this: we’ll settle here for a month. During this time, we will send one person out each night to scout the Xuanling Imperial Academy. If there’s any sign of trouble, we’ll remain hidden. You focus on healing. Once they let their guard down, we’ll strike with all our might and kill Mu Chen in a single, fatal blow. The chances of success would be dozens of times higher than they are now."

The three Zhou brothers nodded in agreement. "Crown Prince, First Uncle is absolutely right. This is the best plan. If we go now and fail, it will be extremely difficult to kill Mu Chen in the future."

After listening to the four of them, He Long suddenly felt he had been too impulsive. He said, ashamed, "My four uncles are far more experienced. I was too reckless."

The four Zhou brothers smiled. "Crown Prince, you mustn’t say that. Since you are so talented in your Martial Artist Cultivation, you are clearly a person of extraordinary intelligence. You are just young. Once you’ve matured a bit and experienced more, you will naturally become more level-headed. You still have a long road ahead of you."

He Long nodded with a determined expression. "My four uncles, don’t worry. I will definitely grow up quickly."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family said, "Alright, Crown Prince, you should get some rest. Leave the rest to us. Third Brother, your Body Technique is the best among us. Go and investigate tonight to see if anyone is guarding Mu Chen. If there is, don’t go again. We’ll scout again in a month to avoid alerting the enemy."

Third Son Zhou acknowledged the order, and his figure instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke, vanishing from the small wooden hut. The remaining three Zhou brothers also dispersed to handle their assigned tasks.

But in a corner unknown to them, a shadow flickered behind the wooden hut. It spoke in a voice only it could hear, ’So this is the important matter the Young Master mentioned. I must report back immediately, or the consequences will be dire.’

With that, the shadow flickered a few times in the darkness and vanished completely, as if nothing had ever happened...