Chapter 176
This Is the Plan
General Dugu intervened at the critical moment and imposed his authority upon the battlefield, forcibly extinguishing the flames of conflict between everyone. His objection was not open to discussion, and with a single word, he ended the chaos.
The First Prince and his followers withdrew to their position, their faces clouded with suppressed anger and frustration. Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan and Arthur returned to their residence calmly, as though what had happened had been nothing more than a passing incident.
Zhuo Fan spent his time reassuring everyone, checking on the injured and calming hearts, until he received a direct summons from General Dugu.
Standing before the general, Zhuo Fan spoke calmly and respectfully:
"I heard you wished to see me, General."
General Dugu smiled faintly and began speaking. A lengthy discussion unfolded between the two men, its purpose clear from the beginning: recruiting Zhuo Fan into the military. The general spoke of power, the future, and the greater good, while Zhuo Fan listened in thoughtful silence.
But after much back and forth, the general finally stopped. With the eye of a seasoned commander, he had realized that recruiting Zhuo Fan would not bring only benefits—it could also upset the balance in ways that outweighed any advantages.
"And what about Arthur?"
the general suddenly asked.
Zhuo Fan hesitated for a moment before replying,
"Brother Arthur... hmm, honestly, I don't really know what he would consider appropriate."
'Just tell him I'm not interested.'
A calm, low voice echoed within Zhuo Fan's mind, overwhelming the area with a fleeting burst of divine sense.
Zhuo Fan's eyes widened.
He immediately released his own divine sense, but could not find the slightest trace of Arthur anywhere nearby.
'Where are you, you bastard?'
At that moment, a lazy reply reached him.
'I'm on top of the room right now. Tell him I don't want to enlist... I won't be staying here much longer.'
Arthur appeared lying atop the roof of the very room where General Dugu and Zhuo Fan were standing, staring lazily at the sky.
For a moment, Zhuo Fan did not know what to think.
Questions crowded his mind.
'How did Arthur reach this level of power?
How was he able to hide his presence from me completely?
And where does he intend to go if he says he won't be staying here much longer?'
Finally, Zhuo Fan spoke calmly.
"It seems my brother shares my opinion, General."
'The deadline is approaching... I don't have much time left.
I've already spent more time in this world than I should have.'
Arthur sighed quietly while remaining stretched out upon the roof, gazing at the endless blue sky above him.
---
One day later...
The Family War officially began.
The families stepped forward one after another amid the noise of the crowd and the turbulence of emotions.
First came the Seven Royal Families.
Then the Imperial Gate.
And finally...
The Luo Clan.
The injured Yun Hai stepped forward, supported by his sister as she helped him stand after their name was announced.
Murmurs spread throughout the audience.
Their gazes were filled with contempt and mockery.
After all, the young master was injured...
and weak in their eyes.
But suddenly—
A booming demonic aura swept across the arena.
A twisted crimson aura surged through the battlefield, silencing voices and forcing everyone into silence.
Zhuo Fan stepped forward.
The Soaring Demonic Dragon.
A small, gentle smile appeared on his face, yet it was enough to plant fear within countless hearts.
But that was not all.
While everyone's attention remained fixed on Zhuo Fan, another figure stepped forward from behind him.
A person without an aura.
No visible power.
No suffocating pressure.
Only apparent weakness...
accompanied by a strange dignity.
Calmness and composure, as though they had been born with him.
A handsome young man with long black hair flowing behind his back.
But what truly drew attention...
were his eyes.
One black eye, like a starless night.
The other red, twisted like the depths of a silent hell.
He wore a dark black kimono adorned with elegant crimson patterns.
And on his face...
was a small, gentle smile.
One that somehow felt unsettling.
Arthur stepped forward.
No one could recognize him or even take him seriously.
In the audience's eyes, Zhuo Fan alone was enough to destroy everything.
Who would care about someone as weak-looking as him?
But the Seven Royal Families...
were not like the audience.
They knew Zhuo Fan.
They knew his cunning, his strength, and how dangerous a scheming devil he was.
But they also knew who was even more terrifying than him.
The one who had played with the Seventh Elder like a child.
The one who had driven him into madness.
The one who had slaughtered all of his disciples before his eyes.
The one who had forced him to torture his favorite disciple with his own hands.
The one who had killed the Second Prince without any effort.
And the one who had shaken the empire with overwhelming force.
The Seven Royal Families knew Arthur...
better than anyone else in this place.
People had given Zhuo Fan the title of the Soaring Demonic Dragon.
As for Arthur...
they had named him the Demonic King of Hell.
Zhuo Fan stepped forward to begin the battle—
but Arthur stopped in front of him.
"What?"
"Ah, brother... did you forget?"
"Forget what?"
"In our last fight... I was the one who won."
"In your dreams. If Gu Santong and the others hadn't interfered, I would have killed you."
"Fine, fine, you can have that. But I want to fight. It's been a long time since I've fought with my full strength."
"But they're just weak bastards."
Zhuo Fan waved dismissively toward the other families.
"And who cares? Let me go, and I'll follow your plan at the next location without argument."
Zhuo Fan thought for a moment before smiling and placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"Fine... have it your way. But I want you to do the following. It's important for building the family's reputation..."
Zhuo Fan began explaining his plan to Arthur.
Arthur smiled with calm indifference and nodded.
Zhuo Fan stepped down from the arena with a faint smile.
Ning'er asked anxiously:
"Brother, why did you step back? Why did you leave Brother Arthur alone?"
Zhuo Fan smiled calmly.
"Little Ning'er... do you really think your Brother Arthur is weak?"
"???"
"Just watch quietly."
At that moment, two figures stepped forward, surrounded by dense dark auras.
"Arthur, you foolish bastard!"
"We're here to kill you!"
Arthur looked at them seriously, yet he did not recognize them at all.
"Alright... I can accept that."
Then he added honestly,
"But first... who are you?"
He sighed before pointing toward his opponents in the arena.
"Let me fight these little fellows first, then I'll come back to you. What do you think?"
The two men smiled.
Behind them, two old men stepped forward, carrying the same terrifying aura that had frightened the spectators.
The four of them stood there, waiting.
Arthur smiled as he looked at everyone.
Then he raised his voice, directing his words toward the arena...
and specifically toward the First Prince's side.
"Alright... this is the plan."
---
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