Chapter 370: Chapter 78: Struggle of Destiny! Winds Rise in Falling Eagle Gorge_3

"What if the other side doesn’t take the bait?" Ancestor Zhoubo asked.

"If they don’t take the bait even in this situation, once Xiahou City Guard returns from his duties, they won’t dare to make a move for at least three years. After all, the Cloud-piercing Cannon given to me by Xiahou City Guard is not given for nothing." Wang Shouzhe laughed, "And the longer they drag it out, the stronger the Wang Family’s marriage alliance will become. If they delay any further, Beichen Ancestor might succeed in advancing to the Celestial Human Realm. They can’t afford to delay."

"Shouzhe, you’ve really outmaneuvered them." Ancestor Zhoubo sighed with admiration, "If Zhouxuan had your cunning, he wouldn’t have ended up that way."

"Sigh~ I’m left with no choice, it’s all forced upon me." Wang Shouzhe also sighed with emotion, "As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, you’ll fear a rope for ten years. The Huangfu Family is like a venomous snake, lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment. How can the Wang Family live peacefully like this? Instead of constantly guarding against them, it’s better to take the initiative into our own hands."

Wang Shouzhe also felt deeply moved. If not for the heavy burden on his shoulders, he would rather not spend every day plotting and scheming. How nice it would be to cultivate peacefully and play with his children?

Unfortunately, when the tree desires tranquility, the wind will not cease.

In any world, it’s not quiet just because you wish it to be. If you want to truly grow strong, you must actively take control of your destiny.

...

That night.

At the main residence of the Huangfu Family in Changning Guard.

In the study, the luxurious palace lantern embedded with spirit stones emitted a bright white light, illuminating the whole room like broad daylight.

Huangfu Jinhuan sat at the broad ancient wooden desk, opening a secret letter.

The letter was sealed with sealing wax and had a special seal to prevent forgery. The signature was drawn with simple lines outlining the shape of a fish, seemingly some sort of special code.

Huangfu Jinhuan opened the letter with a somewhat casual attitude. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

However, after just a few glances, his eyes lit up, and the more he read, the more excited he became. Moments later, he was so excited that he slapped the letter onto the table and stood up directly.

"Good~ good~ good! A heaven-sent opportunity, truly a heaven-sent opportunity!"

These days, he had been feeling stifled.

The Yin Sha Sect experts and all the branches of the Huangfu Family in secret contact had been eradicated, even the fixed assets of the Qianma Huangfu Family fell into the hands of the Wang Family.

The prestige of the dignified Celestial Human Huangfu Family in Changning Guard plummeted, and former allied forces treated them warily, keeping a respectful distance. Even those Ninth-Grade small families that used to visit frequently were now nowhere to be found.

The main residence gates that once saw a constant stream of guests were now deserted.

All these seemed to indicate that the once-glorious Celestial Human Family was gradually declining.

But who would know that the Huangfu Family still had the power to counterattack? He was just waiting, waiting for the right opportunity to strike back.

Now, that opportunity had arrived.

Huangfu Jinhuan hurried to see Ancestor Hua Ye to report this rare piece of good news. The hidden spies he had painstakingly placed finally proved their worth.

...

Several days later.

It was a dark and windy night.

Below Falling Eagle Gorge, the water flowed rapidly, constantly slapping against the cliff walls, making a "pa pa pa" sound. Cold winds whistled over the cliff tops, their path blocked by treetops and rocky crevices, creating a weeping, ghost-like wailing sound.

Amidst this eerie atmosphere, three masked figures appeared at the top of the cliff that legend said only eagles and falcons could perch upon.

The leader stood with his hands behind his back.

Although masked, his signature red hair unmistakably revealed his identity to even the blind. He was none other than Ancestor Hua Ye of the Celestial Human Huangfu Family.

Clearly, this time his masked disguise was rather perfunctory, or perhaps his heart was filled with confidence. The mask was merely a formality.

"Jinning, Jinyu," Ancestor Hua Ye looked down at the production base within the gorge, with a tinge of heat and disdain in his voice, "According to the intelligence, the Wang Family’s marriage alliance’s secret production base is annually guarded by one of the alliance’s Spirit Platform Realm cultivators in rotation. The current guard is Chen Junyao of the East Port Chen Family."

Ancestor Junyao was the second ancestor of the East Port Chen Family. Being relatively young, he hadn’t even reached the mid-stage Spirit Platform Realm. In the eyes of ordinary people, he was already a formidable ancestor.

But in the eyes of Celestial Human Families, a mere initial stage Spirit Platform Realm cultivator was not worth mentioning.

No wonder Ancestor Hua Ye spoke with disdain.

He continued, "Besides him, Wang Shouzhe is secretly here to oversee things. This is a heaven-sent opportunity. First, you must subdue Wang Shouzhe, then capture some key production stewards to temporarily control the production base and extract the manufacturing secrets of foreign cement and foreign glass as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Ancestor."

The other two masked elders replied solemnly.

Their hair was grayed, and their voices carried the tone of those in their twilight years, seemingly older than Ancestor Hua Ye.

These two elders, one named Huangfu Jinning and the other Huangfu Jinyu, were of the "Jin" generation of ancestors in the Celestial Human Huangfu Family.

Celestial Human Families are distinct from Eighth and Ninth-Grade families.

The foundation of an old Seventh-Grade Noble Family is incredibly terrifying and unfathomable.

These two Jin-generation ancestors were of the same generation as Huangfu Jinyuan, who split off to establish a family in Qianma Town.

They were once pillars of the Celestial Human Huangfu Family, with Huangfu Jinning even serving as the patriarch for decades.

However, they were now old, with only ten to twenty years of lifespan left, and no hope of reaching the Celestial Human Realm, so they had long since retired to become clan elders.

Under normal circumstances, they would enjoy their remaining years within the family until their life expired.

This is the normal cycle of a Celestial Human family.

Considering a Celestial Human Realm cultivator has a lifespan of nearly four hundred years, under usual circumstances, a Celestial Human family rotates through their Celestial Human Ancestors about every two hundred years.

Aside from a few fortunate direct descendants, the vast majority do not have the qualifications to become Celestial Human Seeds, nor even have the opportunity to strive for the Celestial Human Realm.

Even someone with superior talent like Huangfu Jinyuan had no choice but to branch out, laboring all his life, ultimately without a chance to attempt the Celestial Human Realm.

Instead, it was Beichen Ancestor of the Changning Xu Family who was incredibly lucky and found the opportunity to attempt the Celestial Human Realm.

"Jinning, Jinyu," Ancestor Hua Ye gazed at the starry sky, expressing with a sigh, "I know you’ve both felt somewhat aggrieved in your lives. If the Huangfu Family were a Purple Mansion family, you might have had the chance to become Celestial Humans."

If raised from childhood as Celestial Human Seeds, both Huangfu Jinning and Huangfu Jinyu would each have a thirty percent chance of entering the Celestial Human Realm.

As for the deceased founding ancestor of the Qianma Huangfu Family, Huangfu Jinyuan, he would have had a sixty to seventy percent chance, nearly on par with Ancestor Hua Ye back in the day. But amidst the grand tides of destiny, what does it all matter?

"But the path to the Purple Mansion is not ordinary. Now, an excellent opportunity lies before the Huangfu Family, and you must strive for a chance for future generations."

"We understand, Ancestor." Huangfu Jinning and Huangfu Jinyu replied with determined expressions, eyes ablaze, "For the future of the Huangfu Family, we will do our utmost and not betray Ancestor’s trust."

"Go~" Ancestor Hua Ye waved his hand lightly, his tone calm and confident, "We have the advantage of preparation, and with this Ancestor overseeing."

"This matter will succeed."

As these words fell.

"Boom!"

Beneath Falling Eagle Gorge, a torrent crashed against the cliff, splashing seven to eight feet high.

...