Long River Eternity

After hearing Chu Tianxiao's words, Lin Ding instantly felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. This meant that he had to be cautious in every move he made in the future. Even a casual curse word could be imitated by his admirers, with disastrous consequences.

"It seems I have to be careful with what I say and do at all times." Lin Ding said with a wry smile, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"Not only you, everyone has to remain vigilant. With the increase in reports, everyone in our stability team has their own admirers, even Xiao Hao is no exception, it's just that you have the most admirers." Chu Tianxiao lazily threw himself on the sofa, picked up an apple and took a bite, with a look of helplessness on his face.

"But blocking the road like this isn't a solution. How are we going to go out in the future?" Lin Ding came to the window and looked at the crowds outside the community through the gap in the curtains. There was a hint of worry in his tone and his brows were furrowed.

"If you need to travel in the next few days, Tianshu Pavilion will send a special car to pick us up. Don't be so sad all the time." Liu Xianxian gently pulled Lin Ding over, pressed him back on the sofa, gently smoothed Lin Ding's frown, and explained patiently.

"Just wait until this wave of heat passes. Today, Tianshu Pavilion has officially recognized the strength of our stabilization group and will soon issue the first official mission. Then we won't be surrounded when we leave Zhongzhou City." Chu Tian smiled and seemed relaxed, and also spoke to comfort him.

"Did Minister Zhan reveal what the first mission is?" Lin Ding asked curiously, with anticipation glittering in his eyes.

Chu Tianxiao shook his head, a hint of regret in his tone: "No. He only came once on the first day we returned to check on your injuries. Envoy Yang was powerless to do anything about it, and he was even more helpless. He then returned to Tianshu Pavilion to study the follow-up plan. I have been communicating with him by phone about the report these days."

Lin Ding pondered for a moment and continued, "During the few days I was unconscious, did anything happen in other parts of Jiuzhou that was reported to Zhongzhou City?"

Chu Tianxiao thought about it, then shook his head: "It seems not."

After a while, Chu Tianxiao suddenly patted his thigh and whispered, "By the way, although nothing major has happened in the past few days, there was indeed an incident that was kept secret by Tianshu Pavilion some time ago. Later, some rumors came out, but I don't know whether it is true or not."

"What news?" Lin Ding asked doubtfully, feeling a little uneasy.

"Do you remember that Zhan Tianqiong sent Mo Qingchen to support Haizhou?" A hint of mystery flashed in Chu Tianxiao's eyes.

Lin Ding was stunned for a moment, then he remembered the mysterious white man with wings and asked hurriedly, "Is there an accident in Haizhou?"

"It's not clear whether something happened in Haizhou, but I heard that Mo Qingchen returned to Zhongzhou City with serious injuries some time ago, and then fell into a coma. I don't know whether he is awake or not." Chu Tianxiao's voice was low and mysterious.

"I remember that Mo Qingchen is also a master of the Tianji realm. How could he be seriously injured?" Wei Wu, who was originally fighting with Feng Hao for snacks, interrupted in surprise, his eyes full of shock.

Chu Tianxiao waved his hand dismissively and said casually, "Ah, they are indeed cultivators in the Tianji Realm, but many ministers' realms are simply raised by relying on powerful forces behind them and using special means. I used to think they were very powerful, but it wasn't until I saw your fierce battle with Cang Hu that I realized how weak their strength really is. After all, the only one who can truly be called a strong person in the Tianji Realm is probably Zhan Tianqiong."

"Is there a powerful force behind the Minister?" Wei Wu's curiosity was instantly piqued. He moved closer to Chu Tianxiao, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Tell us more!"

"How could the ministers of Tianshu Pavilion possibly sit firmly at the pinnacle of power in Jiuzhou without the support of a powerful faction?" Chu Tianxiao adjusted his sitting posture slightly, his expression becoming serious. He continued, "The most obvious example is Zhan Tianqiong's Zhan family. Currently, across Jiuzhou, one-third of the city lords or city defense leaders are from the Zhan family."

Everyone nodded after hearing this. Indeed, Zhan Qitian, the mayor of Nanshan City, was a member of the Zhan family's branch. However, Chu Tianxiao's next words were like thunder, shocking everyone present.

Chu Tianxiao's lips curled up slightly, a smile spreading across his face as he slowly spoke, "But the Zhan family ranks almost at the bottom among all the big families. The Zhan family was founded by Zhan Tianqiong with his immense strength, but it was only a hundred years old. Its foundation is simply incomparable to those truly big families. The so-called city lords and city defenses are nothing more than security guards in the eyes of those truly big families. No one is willing to take over, which is why the Zhan family has taken advantage."

"What kind of family is this that possesses such powerful strength? Are the people in their family more powerful than Zhan Tianqiong? Are there strong people in the Tianxuan realm?" Lin Ding asked in astonishment, with an incredible light flashing in his eyes.

He originally thought that Zhan Tianqiong was already the strongest man at the top of Jiuzhou, but he didn't expect that this world actually hid an unknown and powerful existence.

Chu Tianxiao shook his head slightly, his tone revealing uncertainty: "I have no way of knowing whether there are strong people in the Tianxuan Realm, but what is certain is that their background is unfathomable. Even Zhan Tianqiong dare not easily provoke the descendants of those families. They act low-key and secretly control the operation of Jiuzhou."

Wei Wu frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "Since they are so secretive, how did you get this information? Isn't it just some gossip from somewhere?"

Chu Tianxiao raised his finger and shook it gently, a faint smile on his lips. "The top three experts on the Heavenly Ranking are from three of these mysterious families. Over the years, the top three spots on the Heavenly Ranking have always been occupied by their descendants. The news about the hidden families actually came from bits and pieces of information that were accidentally revealed by those younger generations of practitioners. After years of accumulation, we have pieced together what we know today."

"The top three on the Heavenly Ranking? I only remember that the third one was named Jiang Yueying, and I don't know the rest." Lin Ding fell into deep thought, with a hint of doubt in his tone.

"Jiang Yueying is the strongest disciple of this generation of the Jiang family," Chu Tianxiao continued. "The second is Yao Tianzheng from the Yao family, and the first is Ji Cangsheng from the Ji family. Rumor has it that Ji Cangsheng has broken through to the Tianji realm, but no one has seen him take action recently, so everyone's knowledge of his strength is still just hearsay."

"Ji family?" Lin Ding frowned slightly, a wave of surprise in his heart, and then he thought of Ji Xuanyuan, the leader of the ancient Yang Sect. Could there be a connection between the two?

But more than 200 million years have passed, and the inheritance is so long that it is really unbelievable. Lin Ding shook his head and gave up this whimsical idea.

"What's wrong? Do you know anything about the Ji family?" Chu Tianxiao noticed Lin Ding's reaction, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes.

"No." Lin Ding waved his hand quickly, then asked, "Are these three the strongest families in Jiuzhou now?"

"That's basically it." Chu Tianxiao nodded seriously. "However, there are a few mysterious families, such as the Qi family, the Zhang family, and the Liu family. However, their foundations are not as strong as these three. They rank slightly lower." He then leaned in slightly, his tone low and mysterious. "I've heard that there's an even more secretive family that rarely sends disciples into the world. Rumor has it that that family's foundation is even deeper than these three, and their strength should not be underestimated."

Everyone listened intently. As Chu Tianxiao lowered his voice, a tense atmosphere began to fill the air. Wei Wu couldn't help but whisper, "What's the surname of this family?"

Chu Tianxiao paused for a moment, his eyes swept over Feng Hao who was concentrating on eating fruit, and finally uttered only one word: "Feng."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at Feng Hao in shock. Even he himself was stunned. He put down the fruit in his hand and cast a look of doubt and confusion.