Swallowing the Stars: Only in my later years did I come to the life-spending panel.

One month later, at the Zhou Family Manor, in the martial arts training ground.

Three figures stood in the air above the martial arts arena. Zhou Mu stood with his hands behind his back, his aura contained.

On his left and right stood his eldest son, Zhou Pojun, and his bodyguard supervisor, Mo Yan, respectively. The former was sharp and ruthless like a drawn blade, while the latter was as steady as a mountain and as deep and enduring as the earth's veins.

Behind the three were three generations of Zhou family members, core guards, and former subordinates who had rushed back from various places. No one made a fuss or acted rashly; all eyes were focused on Zhou Mu.

Zhou Mu's sharp gaze swept across the entire area. Without a lengthy pre-battle declaration, he simply raised his spear, pointing it at Kyoto: "Let's go!"

……

Kyoto Base City, Royal Family.

The council chamber has been lit up for more than 30 days. In the past month, the Wang family has made full preparations: increasing security density, recruiting mercenaries to supplement high-level combat power, and even starting to sell off assets, transferring 30% of resources and family elites to overseas bases through secret channels.

In just thirty days, half of the hair of Wang Jie, the head of the Wang family, had turned white.

But Zhou Mu remained completely still, and the pressure from this silence was even more terrifying than the blade before him!

Every morning, the first thing the Wang family members did upon waking was to check if Zhou Mu had arrived at their door. Every evening, they were both grateful to have lived another day and terrified that tomorrow might be the end.

Some members of the tribe with poor mental resilience even suffered mental breakdowns under the immense, invisible pressure.

"Has Councilor Tuoba agreed to mediate?"

"I've agreed." Wang Jie's voice was tired and hoarse. "The condition is all of the Wang family's shares in the HR Alliance, as well as the ancient willow heart from the family treasury."

The council chamber was completely silent.

Everyone knows this is like cutting flesh to feed a tiger, but compared to being exterminated by Zhou Mu, cutting flesh is better than cutting off one's head.

Will Zhou Mu... agree?

No one answered; perhaps the Wang family already knew the answer in their hearts.

……

The next day, at noon.

The sky above the Wang Family Manor suddenly darkened.

As if sensing something, the patriarch Wang Jie got up and rushed out of the council hall, looking up at the sky.

Then, as if his spine had been removed, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

In the sky, a figure stood with his hands behind his back, with two people standing behind him. He didn't even deliberately release any killing intent; just by standing there, it was as if he weighed down the entire sky.

Not far away, a line of heavy transport planes bearing the Zhou family crest were slowly but irresistibly advancing toward the Wang family manor.

Zhou Mu looked down at the extremely luxurious manor at his feet.

Back then, he advanced to the level of an invincible war god and was invited to a banquet as a special envoy of the Chinese military in Beijing. With the overwhelming power of a dragon crossing the river, he forced the Wang family to take the initiative to wipe away all past grievances.

Now he has returned, but this time to settle everything with the Wang family.

Zhou Mu didn't speak, but raised his right hand and pressed down lightly with his five fingers.

In an instant, the world changed dramatically.

A deep purple domain, a hundred meters in diameter, descended from the sky, crashing to the ground with an intent to crush everything.

As the domain enveloped the area, the ground of the Wang Family Manor began to crack, and the flowerbeds, rockeries, and even pavilions and towers creaked under the invisible pressure.

All the Wang family members within the domain were suppressed and forced to kneel on the ground. Several warriors at the God of War level recruited by the Wang family tried to stand up and draw their weapons to resist, but under Zhou Mu's sweeping gaze, they were crushed by the suddenly intensified pressure in just one exchange, spitting blood and flying backward.

At the same time, the purple color in the area grew increasingly intense, as if it were brewing something.

"Zhou Mu!!!!

Wang Jie's roar was drowned out by the thunder.

boom!!!!!

Just as the brewing thunderbolts were about to strike fiercely, about to crush the entire council hall into dust...

"That's enough!"

A dignified male voice rang out.

In the next instant, a jet-black battle blade seemed to emerge from the void, its edge colliding with the lightning and shattering it, scattering into countless arcs of electricity.

Zhou Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Behind the blade, a tall figure slowly emerged. The man was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, with a cold and stern expression, and his brows exuded the majesty and indifference of someone who had long held a high position.

Tuoba Wu.

A second-tier planetary-level figure, a councilor of the War God Palace of the Huaxia Kingdom, and the pillar of the Tuoba family in Kyoto.

Behind him, another elderly man with white hair, dressed in military uniform, also appeared.

Jia Yi, a second-tier interplanetary agent, is the founder of Huashan, the strongest special department in the Chinese military.

"Zhou Mu." Tuoba Wu sheathed his sword, his tone indifferent: "That's enough."

Zhou Mu looked at him, but did not stop there. The deep purple domain continued to spread throughout the Wang family manor.

"Councilor Tuoba," Zhou Mu said in an equally indifferent tone, "this is a matter between me and the Wang family, and has nothing to do with you."

"The Wang family has initiated negotiations through the War God Palace, which I believe you are already aware of. Because it involves planetary-level powerhouses, the First Speaker ordered me to mediate. Both you and the Wang family are considered top-tier combat forces in our country. Now that the monster forces are becoming increasingly powerful, every bit of combat strength is invaluable."

Tuoba Wu said, "The Wang family is willing to pay a price that satisfies you: resources, industries, territory, and even the people who handled this incident."

"As long as you name your price, they'll agree to it, and that's the end of the matter."

Tuoba Wu continued:

"As someone who's been there, I suggest you accept the mediation. You've just broken through, and you need more time to consolidate your realm, instead of bullying the weak and wiping out entire clans at the drop of a hat."

Zhou Mu did not answer immediately; he lowered his eyes to look at the dilapidated manor at his feet.

Wang Jie knelt on the broken bluestone floor, with the trembling clan elders behind him.

A month ago, they hired Gracie, who led two fully armed teams on a long-distance raid on the Zhou family manor.

They wanted to take advantage of his advanced age and death to kill him, as well as his entire family.

Unfortunately, they did not succeed.

Now he's coming to take their lives!

"Member Tuoba"

Zhou Mu's voice was calm and devoid of any emotion.

"Both of us rose up during the Great Nirvana, and I have heard about your deeds."

"Seventeen years ago, during the beast tide in Kyoto, you single-handedly defended the East Gate with your sword, slaying fourteen lord-level monsters in battle and successfully repelling the beast tide, saving the lives of tens of thousands of people. I admire you for that battle."

When Tuoba Wu heard Zhou Mu talk about his proudest achievement, his somewhat angry expression softened slightly.

"Forty years ago, I achieved the strength of an invincible war god and was ordered to guard the Jiangnan base city, which was still under construction. A level one beast tide broke out, including more than twenty lord-level monsters and even two king-level monsters."

"In that battle, we fought a bloody war against the beast tide for over forty days before finally repelling them. More than 100,000 of our garrison troops perished!!"

"After the war, I established the Zhou family and took in the widows of the fallen soldiers, treating them as my own children and raising them as my own nephews and nieces."

"but......"

"Where were you when I was old and near death, when the Wang family sent people to exterminate my clan and indiscriminately slaughter my family members?"

"Now that I'm going to get revenge on them, you're jumping out to mediate?! You want me to back down?!"

Zhou Mu drew his Chasing Blade spear, its chilling tip pointing at Tuoba Wu, and roared, each word distinct and forceful:

"you"

"match"

"吗?"

! ! ! !