Divine & Bizarre: Increasing Points to Invincibility-Chapter 1038 - 293: A Vicious Plot

Meanwhile, within the Shangwu Dynasty, numerous Family Heads of elite families gathered urgently, sensing something unsettling about the unfolding events.

Although these top-tier families often clashed on normal days, they naturally chose to band together in the face of a crisis that could impact them all.

Of course, this did not mean they were united. Once the crisis was over, they would resume their conflicts, almost ferociously.

At this moment, all the gathered Family Heads were the eminent ones, each at the pinnacle of power, managing families renowned throughout the Dynasty.

Surprisingly, there were over twenty such prominent Family Heads present. Considering these were only the elite, if one were to include the first-tier, second-tier, and even lesser-known families, their numbers would easily exceed several thousands.

Of course, those from the lower-tier families were not qualified to participate in such a meeting. Only the elite families were involved.

Among those present, the Bai Family Head of the Imperial City was also there, and he was the first to break the silence by saying, "What is everyone’s take on this matter? The Imperial Court claims that Daoist Fan Wu from Qiulong Temple killed the Emperor. But is that truly the case?"

This question indeed shattered the silence. Another elite Family Head said, "If not so, what else could it be? Looking over the vast Imperial City, how many could possibly threaten our current Emperor other than that Qiulong Temple’s Fan Wu?"

An old man, with a somewhat bald head, stroked his beard and frowned, "I too sense something fishy. I’ve secretly had people tailing Daoist Fan Wu from Qiulong Temple, and that man did not vanish at any point. How could he possibly assassinate the Emperor?"

"Ha, perhaps he knows some mystical ability, like creating a doppelgänger, an entity as powerful as himself. Thus, he could dispatch it to assassinate the current Emperor."

"How could there be such an outrageous technique? Fan Wu from Qiulong Temple is already formidably powerful. If he had such a technique, wouldn’t that be even more inconceivable? Who in the world could stand against him?"

"Are you suggesting that the Imperial Court is lying, that the cause of the Emperor’s death isn’t as they stated? Even the National Master confirmed this cause of death. Are you saying you don’t believe even the National Master?"

"What if the National Master has been deceived as well?"

"It’s difficult to say!"

As they hotly debated, suddenly, a discordant voice arose.

The speaker pointed directly at the Bai Family Head of the Imperial City, "Someone from my family, present at Qiulong Temple with Fan Wu, claims to have seen a familiar face, apparently the legitimate youngest son of the Bai Family, Bai Sheng."

This speaker, focusing on the Bai Family Head, continued, "So, how would you explain this, Bai Family Head? If it’s true that Daoist Fan Wu from Qiulong Temple assassinated the Emperor, could it be that the Bai Family was involved, associating with him?"

The Bai Family Head, his eyes murky, fixed his gaze on this individual, and spoke, "What evidence do you have that the person you saw was indeed my legitimate youngest son?"

The accuser fell silent, having no concrete proof.

The room fell into silence once again.

Each person harbored different thoughts; some calculated how to preserve their family’s power if the Emperor indeed had passed, while others deliberated on which faction to support in the upcoming storm to ensure their family’s interests.

Some even contemplated leveraging their family’s power to deal with Fan Wu from Qiulong Temple.

Indeed, even these elite families found it hard to resist the temptation promised by the Imperial Court. If anyone managed to claim the life of Fan Wu from Qiulong Temple, not only would their family’s reputation soar, but they would also receive substantial rewards, potentially doubling their family’s influence.

Among them, the Bai Family Head felt the most conflicted.

He had long been aware that someone resembling his legitimate youngest son, Bai Sheng, was with Daoist Fan Wu from Qiulong Temple. Since his youngest son, Bai Sheng, was indeed not currently at the Bai Family home, their situation would be quite awkward if it truly was Bai Sheng.

Was he to claim Bai Sheng was no longer connected to the Bai Family?

Could he say that whatever Bai Sheng did was unrelated to them?

Neither statement would likely be believed by anybody.

At least, the Bai Family Head thought, if he were the Crown Prince, he definitely wouldn’t believe such explanations.

...

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

"How can they be so shameless? An Emperor passes away, and they dare pin such a huge blame on Daoist Priest Fan, all based on nonsense. Plus, how come so many people believe such absurdity? Don’t they find this far-fetched nonsense too outrageous?"

The speaker, astonishingly Yun Jiuqing, was visibly grinding his teeth in anger, "Could it be that whatever that so-called National Master says is blindly believed? By pinning this on Daoist Priest Fan, could they be attempting to incite massive hate towards him?"

"Despicable! Shameless! Could such behavior really be expected from a dynasty’s Imperial Court? Both the National Master and the Crown Prince surely harbour malicious intentions. If their malice were to be spilled, it could fill oceans."

Yun Jiuqing continued his fierce critique vehemently.

They all knew very well that the late Emperor was definitively not killed by Daoist Priest Fan.

Xing Fengzi, with a grave expression, commented, "It seems someone wants to use this hatred to strike against Daoist Fan Wu. If the populace believes the Imperial Court’s words, then Daoist Fan Wu will be opposed by the entire world."

"The Emperor is a crucial figure for the dynasty. What a venomous scheme... And why so coincidentally did the Emperor pass at this time? Is it really just a coincidence that was exploited, or was it deliberately orchestrated?"

Yun Jiuqing’s eyes widened, "Deliberately orchestrated? Could it be that the Emperor was indeed assassinated, not having died a natural death?"

"..."

...