Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Alright, Wan'er, I don't have anything else to do right now. You should go back and rest..."

With his doubts dispelled, Bei Chenlie flicked his sleeve, signaling the other party to step back.

"Yes, Father."

Faced with Bei Chenlie's order to leave, Bei Chenwan didn't waste any words. She immediately curtsied and then turned to leave Chunqiu Hall.

After all, if they continued to stay here, or if Bei Chenlie continued to press them, they might reveal some flaws. It was clearly the best course of action to leave now.

"call...!"

After leaving Chunqiu Hall, Bei Chenwan also breathed a sigh of relief. Her beautiful eyes held a hint of complexity. "Fortunately, Father didn't notice anything unusual, and as for the fact that I replaced Young Master Lu's heart, it didn't leave any trace..."

"However, the demonic energy surrounding Father is growing stronger. If this demonic energy is allowed to continue to grow, even if Father manages to break through the limitations of his physical body and the bottleneck in his cultivation realm, he will eventually become a monster that is neither human nor ghost...!"

As if a thought had occurred to her, Bei Chenwan's hands clenched tightly beneath her sleeves, and she bit her lip lightly. "No, I absolutely will not stand idly by. I must stop all of this...!"

"Young Miss!"

At this moment, a gray-clad servant suddenly darted out from the side and bowed to Bei Chenwan.

"So it's you, kid?"

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Bei Chenwan paused for a moment before asking, "By the way, have you finished the task I assigned you?"

"Uh, to answer your question, young lady!"

The gray-clad servant bowed and scraped, saying, "I have followed your instructions and invited Young Master Duan to the Beichen Pavilion for a chat. Young Master Duan is now inside, awaiting your next instructions, Miss..."

"Very good, this is a reward for you."

Upon hearing this, Bei Chenwan nodded slightly, then took out a low-grade storage ring from her bosom and tossed it to the other person, "Remember, don't tell anyone about Young Master Duan, or I'll take your head!"

"I wouldn't dare...!"

"This humble servant thanks you for your generous gift, young lady!"

The gray-robed servant hurriedly accepted the storage ring, his face filled with fear, but he couldn't hide his joy. After all, the storage ring contained a lot of spirit stones and treasures, enough to mortgage several months' salary!

After tipping the gray-clad servant, Bei Chenwan didn't linger and immediately rushed towards the direction of Bei Chen Pavilion.

...

Beichen Pavilion, third floor

All around was quiet and harmonious, with only Lu Feng quietly drinking tea, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Young Master Lu."

Suddenly, a soft, melodious female voice broke the silence, causing Lu Feng to put down his teacup.

"Miss Wan'er, you've finally arrived! I thought I'd made a wasted trip and been stood up..."

Lu Feng said in a somewhat teasing tone.

Bei Chenwan's pretty face showed slight embarrassment. She immediately curtsied slightly, "Young Master Lu, I'm so sorry...!"

"My daughter is a little late, and I apologize for any shortcomings in our hospitality, Young Master Lu..."

"Hehe, I was just joking, Miss Wan'er, please don't take it to heart."

Seeing that the other party had taken it seriously, Lu Feng grinned, then regained his composure and said, "By the way, Miss Wan'er, what brings you here so suddenly?"

"Or has that old scoundrel Bei Chenlie... uh, your father already discovered our plan?"

"Young Master Lu, please rest assured, there isn't any yet!"

Shaking her head slightly, Bei Chenwan sat down as well, and then slowly said while making tea, "However, due to absorbing a large number of hearts, Father's demonic energy has become increasingly powerful recently..."

"If this continues, the demonic energy emanating from Father will inevitably become uncontrollable, bringing immeasurable annihilation to the Beichen clan and even the entire Lianyun Eighteen Fortresses...!"

"The source of the demonic energy ravaging the entire Lianyun Eighteen Fortresses is indeed related to that old scoundrel Bei Chenlie..."

Upon hearing the other party's words, Lu Feng's face also turned serious, and he thought to himself.

However, there was still one thing he didn't understand.

Demonic energy is derived from the evil thoughts and desires of living beings. To strengthen demonic energy, one must devour evil thoughts and desires, not simply devour people's hearts.

Therefore, Lu Feng was naturally very puzzled by Bei Chenlie's large-scale collection of living human hearts.

"Miss Wan'er, what are your plans next?"

Putting aside his doubts, Lu Feng looked at Bei Chenwan across from him again, his tone somewhat tentative.

After all, the other party's private invitation to Beichen Pavilion was clearly more than just a casual chat over tea.

"Young Master Lu, to be honest...!"

"At first, I intended to persuade my father to turn back from the dead and stop killing, but in the end I failed and was instead controlled by his witchcraft..."

Bei Chenwan's face darkened.

"I know that."

Lu Feng nodded.

The other party took a deep breath and continued, "Not only that, the frequent disappearances and murders of the Beichen clan in the past, as well as the so-called 'lone star of calamity,' were all man-made disasters, and they are all inextricably linked to Father..."

"I know that too."

Lu Feng shook his head slightly, then grinned, "Miss Wan'er, let's get straight to the point. We're all in the same boat now, and whatever you decide to do in the end, I will support you..."

"Young Master Lu, I...I want to unite the power of the other three major families and then eliminate the source of the demonic energy within my father in one fell swoop...!"

Seeing the other party's statement, Bei Chenwan stopped keeping them in suspense and immediately said with a solemn expression.

"Join forces with the other three major families?"

Lu Feng raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Um..!"

Bei Chenwan nodded and said, "The meeting of the four clans will be held in about five days. At that time, the high-ranking officials of the four clans will gather in the Cloud Hall to discuss the succession of the next leading clan."

"Although the demonic energy surrounding my father is growing stronger, making it difficult for ordinary martial artists to withstand or even get close, as long as we unite with the heads of the other three families, we will surely be able to suppress the demonic energy surrounding my father. At the same time, the crisis facing the Beichen Clan and the Eighteen Fortresses of Lianyun will also be successfully resolved...!"

"This girl actually plans to rely on the power of the other three major families?"

After hearing Bei Chenwan's idea, Lu Feng did not immediately express his opinion, but silently thought to himself, "This is exactly what they mean by inviting a wolf into the house..."

"Miss Wan'er, since you've made your decision, I have no choice but to follow suit. After all, we're on the same side now..."

Composing himself, Lu Feng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Bei Chenwan once more, then grinned.

Although he wasn't optimistic about the other party's plan, there was no better way to remove the demonic energy from Bei Chenlie's body at the moment!

As for Lu Feng's only concern, it was that the other three major families were all eyeing the leadership position of the Beichen clan. If the demonic energy on Beichen Lie's body was cleared, the leadership position of the Beichen clan would most likely be lost.

...

Time flies, and another five days have passed.

The long-awaited meeting of the four tribes was also held as scheduled.

Lianyungang Eighteen Forts, Yunxia Hall

The scene was filled with scattered figures, a tense atmosphere, and the occasional bursts of heated debate could be heard outside.

"My fellow brothers, this is my opinion. As for the leadership of the eighteen fortresses of Lianyun, in the end, it will still be up to our Beichen clan...!"

His gaze swept over everyone, and Bei Chenlie stroked his long beard, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

"What did you say?!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingyun was the first to lose his composure, immediately standing up to retort, "Bei Chenlie, I was only giving you face during the meeting in the Cloud Mist Hall a few days ago. Don't push your luck!"

"Whether it's comparing the number of clansmen or overall strength, how can your Beichen clan compare to our Xie family? Even if our Xie family isn't chosen as the leading clan, this position will never be monopolized by your Beichen clan...!"

Xie Lingyun looked indignant and pointed at Bei Chenlie, who was sitting in the main seat opposite him, and scolded him. He had clearly stopped pretending.

"Brother Xie is right."

"That's what I think too...!"

As for Niu Baizun, the head of the Niu family, and Song Qiannan, the head of the Song family, they also expressed their opposition, clearly not agreeing with Bei Chenlie's statement, and also wanting to compete for the position of the leading family.

"Those damned old bastards...!"

Seeing the three clan heads join forces to force him to abdicate again, Bei Chenlie's face darkened and his killing intent surged.

"No, this is terrible! Something awful...!"

Just as tensions were about to escalate, a panicked cry came from outside the hall.

The next moment, a young guard stumbled and scrambled into the Cloud Hall, then knelt before Bei Chenlie, who sat on the main seat opposite him, his expression filled with fear and unease. "Reporting to the Clan Chief! Something terrible has happened!"

"Young Master Mu, no... Young Master Mu... he... he... he's dead!"

The young guard was deathly pale and spoke incoherently.