Become a king right from the start, beginning with receiving rewards from all the heavens.

Save yourself!

These two words seemed to have a magical power, instantly drawing everyone's attention to the young man who had spoken!

Yes, this is the holy son of our clan, and he is regarded by the world as one of the eight young masters of a noble family!

The so-called Eight Young Masters of the Aristocratic Families are the eight most outstanding young talents among the aristocratic families of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Eight of the most outstanding young people who are all under 100 years old and unmarried!

"Lin'er, feel free to speak your mind," the Emperor Taizu said in a deep voice from the head of the table.

The oppressive atmosphere still filled the main hall!

Shi Donglin took a deep breath, suppressing the reluctance in his heart, and then looked up at everyone.

"My esteemed ancestors, we now have only one path left!"

"That means they deliberately wiped out the Zhang family members they had rescued!"

These words immediately created an extremely tense atmosphere in the entire hall!

Everyone stared in shock at the holy son of the clan; some were filled with anger, while others seemed to be deep in thought.

However, no one dared to speak.

The reason why the Zhang family's branch in Riyue Prefecture was saved was because the ancestors of this branch had once married into the Shi family!

However, due to fierce competition within the aristocratic family, this branch of ancestors gradually declined and eventually moved to Riyue Prefecture.

The woman the Shi family arranged to marry was a former legitimate daughter of the clan!

In other words, there is a trace of the Shi family's bloodline in this branch of the family!

"We actively wiped out the Zhang family branch..." the Shi family patriarch muttered to himself.

His expression revealed no emotion; he simply closed his eyes and muttered to himself.

Suddenly, the ancestor of the Shi family opened his eyes, and a beam of light pierced through the air, shattering the space in front of him!

"For the sake of our family's legacy, we have no other choice!"

"I know that after this incident, the reputation of the Shi family will plummet!"

"But compared to the survival of the family, reputation is no longer important!"

"Take action tonight and announce to the public that we have discovered remnants of the Zhang family and have taken the initiative to wipe them out!"

When it comes to ruthlessness, who can compare to an immortal who has lived for tens of thousands of years!

"Alright, everyone, go and get ready!"

"Lin'er, stay a moment!"

After everyone left, Shi Guanlan showed a trace of fatigue. As the ancestor of the clan, he was all too aware of the crisis his family was facing at the moment.

If you're not careful, you might become the next target to be eliminated.

"Lin'er, what are your thoughts on King Ren?"

Shi Donglin remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Emperor Taizu, I believe that Prince Ren is the most suitable candidate for Emperor Xia!"

"From the perspective of the entire Great Xia Dynasty, his actions of destroying aristocratic families, killing members of the royal family, and eradicating the Reincarnation Palace were largely for his own benefit."

"But part of it is also to purge the empire of its malignant tumors!"

A malignant tumor? Shi Guanlan couldn't help but chuckle; the description was indeed incredibly accurate.

Aren't powerful families just a cancer on the imperial dynasty? They unite with hometown associations in various states and control the imperial examinations.

This has essentially blocked the path for ordinary people to rise in society!

As the founder of a prominent family, he was certainly aware of all these issues.

"Then what do you think of the future fate of our family?" Shi Guanlan couldn't help but ask again.

A hint of sadness flashed across Shi Donglin's face. "Grand Ancestor, if Prince Ren ascends the throne, our aristocratic family has no future!"

"Nowadays, wise people have long seen from King Ni's every move that he hates the nobility and dislikes the aristocratic families."

"Even the forces in the cultivation world hold a higher place in his heart than our group."

"Because the major powers in the cultivation world, compared to groups like us, truly speak with strength, and at least they will cultivate cultivators among the common people."

"And we, these groups, monopolize various resources through our status and power, stifling the dynasty's vitality!"

Shi Guanlan's expression was also not good at this moment. "Then what do you think we should do?"

...

"Emperor Taizu, I can't think of a good solution, because we are a powerful family, and a change in one aspect can have far-reaching consequences."

"Even if we betray our class and join Prince Ren, we still need him to accept us!"

The pessimistic tone made the atmosphere in the hall very oppressive!

...

Outside the city of Sun and Moon at night, the moon's reflection illuminates the clear waters of the boundless lake.

However, this beautiful scene was ruined by the sounds of killing from dozens of miles away!

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out in the sky above Sun and Moon City.

"Our Shi family has discovered the remnants of the Zhang family in Fengming Prefecture, and we have come tonight to wipe them out!"

These words deeply shocked all the forces in the state capital!

Everyone was shocked by the Shi family's decisiveness and ruthlessness!

"As expected of a prestigious family, there's a reason they've endured for tens of thousands of years!"

...

"Heh, the Shi family timed things perfectly; they've narrowly escaped disaster this time!"

...

"What a pity..." Everyone knew why this divine sense was a pity!

...

The pressure is now on the Sima family of Lingwu Prefecture!

The fact that the Shi family rescued a branch of the Zhang family was no secret among the major powers in the city!

They never expected the Shi family to be so decisive and ruthless!

That very night, the news spread like wildfire!

Just as dawn broke and Xia Zhaoyan finished his cultivation, he received this message.

"Your Highness, the news has probably spread throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty by now!"

"The Shi family's reputation has plummeted this time!"

Early in the morning, Mu Wenhan arrived at the Prince's residence to report the news.

Xia Zhaoyan was somewhat surprised by the Shi family's decisiveness, but only slightly.

"That's fine too. I never planned to take action against the Shi family right now anyway."

"Since they've taken care of the Zhang family remnants themselves, it saves us the trouble of doing it ourselves."

Having dealt with the Lu family, Xia Zhaoyan knew that nothing could be accomplished in one step.

Although the powerful families combined are no match for him now, they are still related to the stability of the imperial court.

They monopolized the imperial examination system for tens of thousands of years, and a large number of officials in the imperial court and local areas were their people.

If the powerful families are really pushed to the brink, they might resort to a fight to the death. Where will Xia Zhaoyan find so many suitable officials in such a short time?

"Keep a close eye on the Sima family in Lingwu Prefecture and see how they react."

"If they don't know what's good for them, I wouldn't mind taking action against another powerful family!"

After Mu Wenhan left, Xia Zhaoyan summoned the women.

"I am about to offer another sacrifice. You all guard the palace for me."

Upon hearing this, the women became serious and patted their chests, promising not to let any living thing in.

This left Xia Zhaoyan speechless. Good heavens, weren't they afraid of causing a stir in the Prince's mansion?

He took a deep breath, suppressed the heat in his heart, and turned back to his cultivation room.

The women behind her exchanged smiles, but Wanwan suddenly sighed.

"Sigh... I have a feeling we're going to have a few more sisters!"

In fact, the group knew very well that Niou was not the kind of man who was lustful.

Otherwise, all the female cultivators who have already emerged from the heavens would be living in the royal palace now!

To this day, he has only had these four women by his side!

But as a woman, who would want their man to be surrounded by beautiful women?

...

Inside the cultivation room, Xia Zhaoyan's mind stirred, and his soul immediately appeared in the system space!