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Demon King Dynasty Seven Great Families caused a great disturbance in the Central Plains. Among the Seven Great Families, the Su Family's Twelve Golden Hairpins shone brightly, infiltrating various noble families and vassal states, disrupting the court's order, and secretly gaining some decision-making power.
In a short time, the Former Han Dynasty was overthrown. While the direct cause of the collapse of the Han Dynasty may not have been solely this, it was certainly related.
Later, the Xiongnu united various forces, rising unexpectedly to invade the Central Plains and shattering the plans of the Seven Great Families, resulting in an unresolvable enmity between the two sides.
This matter traces back over a hundred years!
For nearly a century, the Seven Great Families have never ceased their disturbances and schemes against the Central Plains. In the past year or two, there have been two significant movements: first, the emergence of the Human Book, and second, Su Shiyi cultivating Sky Dragon Bats on the East Sea Blind Man Islands.
The masterminds behind these two events point directly to the Su Family. The fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty over a hundred years is likely to be sealed by the actions of the Seven Great Families.
Whenever there is turmoil in the Central Plains, the Seven Great Families play an indispensable role. They are outsiders whom everyone in the Central Plains wishes to eliminate. The royal descendants hidden in the East Sea, all members of the Sun Family, are enemies of the Seven Great Families.
Now, after more than a hundred years, disciples of the Seven Great Families of the Demon Lord have reignited their ambitions and begun infiltrating various major forces in the Central Plains once again.
They are playing a grand game, casting a wide net. If their personnel embedded within major forces occupy key positions and gain real power, once the opportunity arises, it will be unstoppable.
The seemingly vast Central Plains could fall completely into the hands of the Seven Great Families within a month or two. It might even happen sooner—within half a month or ten days—depending on how effectively they execute their plans.
Time flies. As spring passed into summer, it had been a whole year.
During this time, aside from practicing martial arts and visiting Gate Peak to seek advice from Yin Boqing on some issues regarding Qigong, Lu Chen often sat at the entrance of Empty Mountain Cave, contemplating matters concerning the Seven Great Families whenever he had free time.
The empty mountain remained peaceful with little significant events occurring. Only occasionally did Jiang Jie, Lu Renjia, and Jiang Youdang come by to consult with Lu Chen about methods for cultivating Qigong.
There was no doubt that Lu Chen's mastery of Qigong surpassed theirs, making him a worthy teacher for them. While keeping his own secrets, he generously shared some experiences with them.
Aside from these three individuals, no one else visited Empty Mountain. Even Princess Zhulan had not come by; it made Lu Chen curious about what she might be busy with.
After summer began, temperatures gradually rose. Outside the gate of the Five Element Sect, snow from deep in the mountains slowly melted away, and birds and insects began to appear again as nature revived once more.
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye, and as April ends, we enter May, where the weather has already become particularly hot. The Summer Solstice falls in May, but the exact date depends on the lunar calendar.
The beginning of the Three Hottest Days usually starts in June, sometimes at the beginning of the month and sometimes at the end, also following the lunar calendar.
This year's Summer Solstice is on May 11, while the start of the Three Hottest Days is on June 7. Therefore, entering the Great Gobi around June 7 is most suitable.
Of course, it would be best to return by July 7. The Three Hottest Days only last for a month; otherwise, if a snowstorm hits the Gobi Desert, even if one doesn't encounter problems, it would be impossible to bring out any treasures.
On the morning of May 6, Lu Chen had just finished his training in the back mountain and was walking down the path alone, pondering what Princess Zhulan had been up to lately, as he hadn't seen a trace of her.
With only five days left until the Summer Solstice, it is also the time for the Five Element Sect to select its True Disciples. This event occurs once every thirty years and selects only forty-eight individuals each time.
These forty-eight disciples correspond to forty-eight elders and will form a master-disciple bond. The disciples are fully nurtured by their mentors, paving a broad path ahead of them.
These forty-eight individuals will become the backbone of the Five Element Sect in the future; its main force and even new generation leaders will emerge from among them. Thus, the Five Element Sect places great importance on this selection.
Lu Chen has already been informally designated as a disciple of Yin Boqing due to Master Gu's recommendation and Su Wutong's introduction.
Additionally, there is another matter that Lu Chen is very concerned about: the Renowned List. The Renowned List selects the top eight among the forty-eight True Disciples based on their strength.
All forty-eight True Disciples receive rewards, but those on the Renowned List receive additional prizes. The top-ranked True Disciple on the Renowned List receives even more rewards; this year there is a possibility of receiving gifts from Supreme Master Taihuang, such as elixirs or magical artifacts, which are very tempting.
As Lu Chen walked step by step along the path after finishing his training in the back mountain, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure of a young girl quietly standing at the entrance of the Cave.
Old Mu and Lian Dashuang might have gone to help at the tavern; business has been booming there recently, and they have been quite busy. With both of them absent, Princess Zhulan was left waiting at the entrance without anyone to greet her.
Seeing Princess Zhulan waiting for him, Lu Chen quickened his pace. He wanted to ask her how her preparations for going to the Great Gobi were coming along. Although it was still early for that trip, Lu Chen couldn't shake off his anxiousness and felt an urgent need to know about it. Now that Princess Zhulan was here, it was a perfect opportunity to inquire.
"Lu Chen, did you just finish your training? I need to talk to you," Princess Zhulan said as she stood at the Cave entrance, looking directly at Lu Chen. Her expression didn't show urgency but carried an odd feeling.
"Um? What's the matter? I was just about to ask how your preparations are going," Lu Chen said as he walked over and welcomed Princess Zhulan into the Cave. The question needed no explanation; Princess Zhulan would understand.
"You don't need to worry about that. I've already prepared the horses outside the mountain gate, and I've arranged for other supplies to be gathered. We can just ride over when the time comes," Princess Zhulan replied as they entered the Empty Mountain Cave together.
Hearing this from Princess Zhulan, Lu Chen felt much more at ease and nodded, saying, "That's good. By the way, is there something you wanted to discuss? You seem a bit off."
Princess Zhulan furrowed her brow and looked directly at Lu Chen. "I heard that you and Yuan Jia are going to fight to the death at Martial Arts Peak. Is that true?"
Lu Chen fell silent for a moment, not expecting her to come looking for him about this matter.
"At first, I heard some of my fellow disciples whispering about it, and I thought it was just a rumor. But seeing your expression, it seems like it's true," Princess Zhulan said with a somewhat stern and serious tone.
"What's wrong? Are you worried about Yuan Jia?" Lu Chen glanced at Princess Zhulan, who had a serious look on her face.
"Are you joking right now? Do you know who Yuan Jia is? Do you know who is backing him?" Princess Zhulan asked.
"Isn't he from the Sui Mo Kingdom's Yuan Family?" Lu Chen countered.
"Yes, he is indeed from the Sui Mo Kingdom's Yuan Family. I thought you didn't know. Since you do know, why would you challenge him?" Princess Zhulan showed her concern.
Lu Chen smacked his lips and replied, "These disciples from the Seven Great Families all have ulterior motives against our Central Plains. I just want to teach him a lesson and show them who's boss. Besides, Yuan Jia is truly arrogant and too full of himself."
Thinking back to what happened in the tavern a few months ago made Lu Chen feel angry. If it weren't for his concerns about the Five Element Sect, he would have dealt with Yuan Jia right then and there.
Princess Zhulan pursed her lips and said, "This will definitely stir up trouble within the Five Element Sect. The elders and higher-ups will find out, and I'm afraid it will be detrimental to us."
Princess Zhulan was worried that the Five Element Sect would take notice of Lu Chen, which could lead to his past being exposed. If that happened, it would be disastrous.
Lu Chen waved his hand and said, "I have already planned for this, nothing will go wrong. The election for True Disciple is about to begin, and everyone in the sect is talking about it. No one will pay attention to what is happening between Yuan Jia and me. I scheduled the decisive battle for after the Summer Solstice for this very reason. Once the True Disciple is established, I will deal with him properly. After the battle, we will be ready to enter the Great Gobi."
Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back inside the Cave, having everything meticulously planned.
"Are you saying that we will set off right after the battle?" Princess Zhulan asked, slightly surprised.
Lu Chen remained silent, not responding, which was an implicit agreement to her suggestion.
"Yuan Jia is incredibly powerful; his Qigong cultivation shows a trend of being the strongest among the Sixty-First Generation Disciples. Even Tu Youdong admits he is not his match. How confident are you in defeating him?" Princess Zhulan's tone turned worried.
"The strongest?" Lu Chen scoffed coldly and said, "Among the Sixty-First Generation Disciples, there are countless strong individuals hidden like dragons crouching in the grass. Yuan Jia may not necessarily be the strongest."
Among those Lu Chen had seen, Di Wanren beside the Crimson Lotus Princess was a Qi Gong Master, and there was also Sang Tuling wielding the Azure Steel Sword. As for Yuan Jia being labeled as the strongest among the Sixty-First Generation Disciples, Lu Chen expressed skepticism.
Lu Chen did not directly answer Princess Zhulan's question but smiled lightly and said, "What? Are you worried about me, Princess?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Zhulan's face flushed slightly; she felt both amused and exasperated. She exclaimed, "What time is it now? You still have the mood to joke around? How confident are you in dealing with Yuan Jia?"
Lu Chen replied, "Not much confidence at all; I only have a thirty percent chance!"
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