"Zhou Hong, where have you been?" The patriarch rushed forward, a look of reproach on his face as Zhou Hong entered the family compound.
"Patriarch Grandpa, I went to the Sunset Mountain Range."
"How could you be so reckless? What if something had happened to you? You are the family's foremost genius, and the family's future rise depends on you," the patriarch scolded angrily.
"Heh, no need to worry about me. Oh, right, I had some luck in the Sunset Mountain Range and found some spiritual herbs. I've also broken through to the late stage of Fusion myself." Zhou Hong, having obtained so many spiritual herbs, naturally wanted to contribute some to the family, as everyone there had treated him well.
"Late stage of Fusion? How is that possible? You've only been gone for less than two months. How could you possibly break through from the early stage of Fusion to the late stage in such a short time?"
"Just check my aura, and you'll know my cultivation level." Zhou Hong immediately released his imposing aura.
The patriarch of the Zhou family immediately sensed the aura emanating from Zhou Hong.
"Indeed, it's the late stage of Fusion. Heavens, at your young age, to reach the late stage of Fusion is unprecedented on this Purple Heaven Continent." The Zhou family patriarch felt as if he were dreaming.
"Hahaha," Zhou Hong laughed heartily.
Just then, a servant came to report.
"Patriarch, people from the Nalan family are here again."
Zhou Hong heard the servant's report and asked with a hint of confusion, "Could it be that Nalan Yunzhu has come to break off the engagement again?"
"I'm not sure. Arrange for them to wait in the reception hall."
The patriarch quickly said, "Zhou Hong, let's not worry about this for now. Let's go to the reception hall."
Zhou Hong nodded, a flicker of doubt in his heart. He wondered why the Nalan family had come this time. Zhou Hong remembered the last time he had a rendezvous with Imperial Consort Yang at the Temple of Imperial Grace, and Nalan Yunzhu had seen them. He wasn't sure if her visit today was related to that.
Without further thought, Zhou Hong immediately followed the patriarch to the family hall.
Indeed, upon reaching the family hall, several elders from the Nalan family, along with Nalan Yunzhu, were already waiting. However, besides the Nalan family members, there was also a stranger—a young man of ordinary appearance but with a strong aura. Zhou Hong wondered who he was.
As Zhou Hong walked into the reception hall, the eyes of the Nalan family members immediately shifted to him. Especially the stranger, whose gaze held an air of condescension, clearly looking down on Zhou Hong.
"Zhou Hong, we heard you were back, so we hurried over," Nalan Yunzhu said.
"Your noses are quite sharp. You found out I just got home?" Zhou Hong chuckled.
Nalan Yunzhu retorted angrily, "Who do you think has sharp noses? Who are you calling names?" Nalan Yunzhu could easily tell that Zhou Hong was implying they were like dogs.
"Alright, Zhou Hong, don't be rude. Regardless, you are still engaged to Nalan Yunzhu, so you must not be disrespectful to the Nalan family," the Zhou family patriarch admonished Zhou Hong.
"Yes, Patriarch."
"Esteemed Nalan family relatives, what brings you here today? Please speak your minds," the Zhou family patriarch said, glancing at the Nalan family elders.
"Patriarch Zhou, since you've asked, we'll be direct. We have come today to formally break off the engagement with Zhou Hong," one of the Nalan family elders said with a smile.
The people of the Zhou family were not surprised at all.
"Esteemed Nalan relatives, didn't you say last time that you wouldn't break off the engagement? Zhou Hong even wrote a letter of engagement termination, which you tore up. Why are you breaking it off again this time?"
"Afterwards? We discussed it again at home, and we still want to break off the engagement."
"Very well, the decision is yours to make," the Zhou family patriarch nodded. He had initially intended to mention that Zhou Hong had now broken through to the late stage of Fusion and that getting into the Archaic Academy was only a matter of time, with a guaranteed spot within the top 1000, making him far superior to Nalan Yunzhu. However, the words caught in his throat, and he didn't say them. This matter, apart from the patriarch, was not known to anyone else yet.
"Oh, by the way, you probably don't know that Zhou Hong has a good relationship with Imperial Consort Yang from the palace, do you?" At this moment, an elder from the Nalan family suddenly spoke.
"What do you mean? How could Zhou Hong know Imperial Consort Yang? Are you joking?" an elder of the Zhou family asked doubtfully.
"Oh, we just heard," the elder from the Nalan family didn't elaborate further, but the implication was clear. They wanted to warn Zhou Hong. If Zhou Hong dared to reveal anything about his encounter with Nalan Yunzhu, they would, in turn, expose his connection with Imperial Consort Yang.
Zhou Hong chuckled. How could he not understand their intentions? No wonder they suddenly wanted to break off the engagement. Now that they had leverage to threaten Zhou Hong, they were no longer afraid of him tarnishing Nalan Yunzhu's reputation.
"Zhou Hong, you and Nalan Yunzhu, despite your engagement, have always maintained proper conduct, haven't you?" an elder from the Nalan family asked pointedly in front of the stranger.
"What are you trying to do?" Zhou Hong twitched his lips slightly.
"Nothing much. We just want to make it clear to this young gentleman from the Archaic Academy. Oh, right, we haven't introduced him to you all yet. This young gentleman is Nalan Yunzhu's classmate at the Archaic Academy. His name is Liang Sicong, from the Golden Wheel Continent. When he was admitted to the Archaic Academy, he ranked among the top 3,000. Now, he has already reached the middle stage of Fusion. He and Yunzhu had quite a good relationship at the Archaic Academy. He has personally come to visit our Nalan family this time. We brought him here so that he can personally hear you say that you and Nalan Yunzhu have never crossed the line, that you are both pure."
The elders of the Zhou family looked at Zhou Hong with some confusion. Why would the Nalan family openly say such things? Did they have some leverage over him?
"Haha," Zhou Hong burst into laughter. What leverage! Unfortunately, the power Zhou Hong possessed now meant he wasn't afraid of an emperor. He could summon the Ten Great Demonic Beasts of the Sunset Forest at any time. While they might not be able to defeat the emperor, the emperor might not be able to kill Zhou Hong either.
However, Zhou Hong clearly didn't want to cause trouble so quickly. After all, the emperor of the Purple Heaven Empire was quite powerful. Even if Zhou Hong himself wasn't afraid, his entire family would likely have to flee for their lives.
"What are you laughing at?" The stranger suddenly roared at Zhou Hong.
Zhou Hong's gaze turned cold, and he said with a warning tone, "Speak to me with respect."