The moment those words fell, Murong Hong's expression shifted abruptly and visibly.
He snapped his gaze toward his second son and asked in a sharp, pressing voice, "How did you come to know about this?"
Before Murong Zhen could reply, Murong Feng on the other side spoke first, saying, "Second Uncle told us. Father, the two old patriarchs are gone. With the Murong family in such a precarious position right now, are you still going to hold to your own judgment?"
Hearing this, Murong Hong, still seated in the head position, swept his gaze over the two of them. His expression was unsettled, wavering between expressions.
Then a flash of cold hardness passed through his eyes, and he said sharply, "I told you both long ago that your second uncle has a twisted character and you should not get too close to him. Yet you refused to listen to me. Keep this up and sooner or later you will bring catastrophe upon yourselves."
Murong Zhen and Murong Feng exchanged a look, then shook their heads. Murong Zhen said, "Father, whether catastrophe comes to us is a separate matter for the moment. Right now, it is the Murong family without the patriarchs to hold things together that faces actual annihilation."
Murong Feng stood with his head raised and gave a slight nod, saying, "Second Brother is right. Setting aside the most extreme scenario, even if the four major families withdraw today because of Bai Changfeng's death and the Murong family manages to cling on a little longer, a battle between us is inevitable no matter what."
"And now that the Murong family has lost the two old patriarchs, what do we have left to fight them with? Not to mention the four families have General Han Cuiyuan behind them. To put it bluntly, I can already imagine what a wretched end awaits the Murong family in that case."
The moment those words fell, Murong Hong sitting in the head seat gave a slight involuntary shudder.
The two of them, Murong Zhen and Murong Feng, also stopped speaking, as though waiting for Murong Hong to make a decision.
After a while, Murong Hong suddenly closed his eyes slowly, let out a sigh, and said, "Do you think I am unaware of where the Murong family stands right now? Even so..."
At this point, Murong Hong paused for a moment, then suddenly snapped his eyes open and looked at the two of them, saying, "The ancestral teachings passed down through generations say clearly that we of the Murong family are 'tomb keepers,' and that thing must never be touched. The consequences would be without end."
Hearing this, Murong Zhen looked at his father, let out a quiet sigh, and said, "Could the disaster of touching that thing truly be greater than the disaster of the Murong family's annihilation? Or is Father truly willing to watch the Murong family be severed in his own hands, and face the ancestors of the Murong line..."
"Enough."
Suddenly, Murong Hong snapped to his feet from the seat, and a terrifying martial Dao aura like the depths of an ocean erupted from his entire frame, pressing downward toward Murong Zhen below.
Murong Zhen, who had been standing upright, immediately bent sharply under the force. The paving stones beneath his feet cracked and crumbled into dust in an instant, and the entire section of floor he stood on sank down by more than an inch.
Murong Zhen's body was bent nearly into a right angle, his internal True Qi cycling at full capacity, but beneath the Heaven-Human pressure, his veins bulged and his blood surged, and still he could not resist in the slightest.
But in the very next moment, Murong Zhen's mind suddenly stirred, and his eyes reversed, instantly igniting with a flame of molten-gold True Fire.
Then, starting from the corners of his eyes, a pattern of deep-crimson lines suddenly surfaced beneath the skin, spreading across his face and body.
The lines blazed like magma surging through the cracks of a fractured earth's crust, spreading to every part of his body in virtually the blink of an eye.
The markings burned with a fierce brilliance, searing along his veins and scorching at his skin, causing the very air around him to tremble and warp with rising heat. The cold sweat that had broken out on Murong Zhen under the pressure of the martial aura evaporated instantly into wisps of white steam.
And at the same time, Murong Zhen, who had been bent nearly double under the crushing aura, began to slowly straighten his body.
The aura now bursting from within him was incomparably stronger than anything he had shown before.
Seeing this, Murong Hong's expression changed drastically. He immediately pulled back the martial Dao aura he had been releasing and said in a shocked voice, "When did you take your second uncle's Sparrow Flame Pill?"
Hearing this, the molten-gold True Fire wavering in Murong Zhen's eyes rolled with wave after wave of heat. He let out a quiet sigh, then clasped his hands toward Murong Hong and said, "Father, it has been over a year now."
At this point, Murong Feng beside him also gave a quiet nod, saying, "From the moment we learned of the old patriarchs' deaths, we made the decision to take the Sparrow Flame Pill. Father need not blame Second Uncle. This was entirely our own choice."
The moment those words fell, Murong Hong looked at his two sons, and his entire frame gave an involuntary shudder.
"You two..."
He simply could not find words for a long moment. His whole being was filled with fury, every muscle and vein visible, yet beneath the rage was an unmistakable undercurrent of profound, bitter grief.
"Murong Fu."
Murong Hong ground out three words through clenched teeth, and a terrifying killing intent surged over his entire frame.
The next instant, he moved, and vanished from the council hall in a single moment.
Seeing this, Murong Zhen and Murong Feng both had their expressions change. They looked at each other and cried out, "This is bad. Father has gone to find Second Uncle."
With that, neither of them hesitated, and they hurried after Murong Hong in the direction he had gone.
When the two of them reached their second uncle Murong Fu's study, they found the entire room enveloped in a terrifying martial Dao aura.
Seeing this, Murong Zhen channeled his True Qi at full force. The markings on his skin blazed to life, and his entire body was covered in the molten-gold True Fire, which nearly left his body in the form of a fire python as he attempted to break through the martial aura blocking the study entrance.
But the martial aura before them was simply too powerful, and even with everything Murong Zhen could bring to bear, he could not move a single step closer to the study.
Murong Feng, seeing this, immediately acted to help his second brother, but they still could not manage it.
Both of them were deeply anxious but had nothing they could do. Before long, the martial aura blanketing the study suddenly dissipated.
The two brothers felt a stir in their hearts and were just about to move forward to see what had happened.
But just at that moment, the study door suddenly opened, and Murong Hong walked out with a deeply dark expression on his face.
Seeing this, both of them could only come to a stop where they were.
At the same time, Murong Hong stepped across the threshold with his hands clasped behind his back, then turned and looked back deep into the study for a long moment.
Then he withdrew his gaze and looked at the two sons before him. For a while, the expression on his face was unsettled and difficult to read.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, saying, "What you said, I have agreed to. But from this moment forward, this matter is handled by me. Neither of you is to see your second uncle again."
With that, Murong Hong waved a casual hand, and a surge of powerful True Qi shook outward, pushing both Murong Zhen and Murong Feng several zhang back from the study.
Then Murong Hong continued, saying, "Go and pass the word now. Whether the four major families withdraw today or not, every member of the Murong family will fight them to the last. Everyone is to be ready."
The moment those words fell, both of them were briefly taken aback. Murong Zhen was just about to speak, but Murong Hong raised a hand to stop him, saying, "There is no need to ask further. After sunset is when we move. Go and tell them at once. Say that the old patriarchs will be taking the field in person."