Xiaoxiao.

"...Well, although it wasn't explicitly stated, I estimate..." The man glanced at Liu Xuan's expression and continued, "I estimate that the other party has no intention of forming an alliance."

He had expected this. But hearing the result with his own ears still left him somewhat disappointed: "Alright, you can go now!"

"Subordinates resign!"

With his last hope dashed, Liu Xuan hesitated for a moment.

He didn't know whether he should lower himself and take the initiative to negotiate with the four reclusive families, or do what Kuang Zheng and the others and rely on his own abilities.

Normally, he wouldn't hesitate at all.

The Ten Great Sects are not places that just anyone can reach, let alone have to condescend to ask them for help.

This is simply unimaginable.

But right now is the unparalleled opportunity of the Vermilion Fruit appearing in the world. Don't you see that even the Tower of Heaven organized an alliance immediately? Isn't it all for the sake of having a greater chance of winning in the future competition?

It now appears that Yang Lin and Yun Mengze had actually reached an agreement in secret long ago, possibly even before the Five Factions Alliance.

It's true what they say: one wrong step leads to another.

But if I were to actually lower myself to actively seek an alliance with the five major families, I simply couldn't get past that mental hurdle.

He was the city lord of Baidi City and the leader of one of the ten major sects in the world.

Although the four major families are quite powerful, they are still a step behind the ten major sects.

I had already taken the initiative to show goodwill, but the other party still raised the price on the spot.

To expect the dignified lord of a city to personally negotiate is simply a sign of utter disrespect.

They are different from Kuang Zheng, who has almost disappeared in recent years.

But his strength is undeniable. Back in the day, which of the ten major sects didn't suffer a loss at his hands?

How can a second-tier power like the four major families compare to them?

However, if I don't go, the alliance will definitely fail.

In this situation, they are outnumbered and outgunned.

Leaving aside Liu Xuan's hesitation and indecision.

The four major families had actually been planning this for a long time, but others were unaware of it.

For a moment, Liu Xuan was filled with countless thoughts.

Meanwhile, in a seven-courtyard building to the right of the left hall of the Broken Blade Sect, a closed-door meeting was underway.

At this time, warriors in tight-fitting clothes were guarding all parts of the courtyard, and there were sentries every three steps and five steps outside the hall where the meeting was held.

The area is well-equipped with both overt and covert sentry posts, and small teams of three to five people are stationed at various high points, including rooftops and corner towers, to maintain a tight watch.

With such tight defenses, not even a fly could get close, let alone a person.

The meeting had reached its climax, and even the guards who were more than a hundred meters away could still faintly hear the arguments coming from inside the hall.

However, the distance was too far, and the sound was extremely muffled, making it impossible to hear the specific content.

Those standing here were all direct descendants of the four great families. Despite their curiosity and the pampering they received from their elders, not one of them dared to approach the hall.

They knew perfectly well that the matters discussed by the heads of various families in the secret chamber were not something they could eavesdrop on.

The debate continues.

"No matter what, we can't be the ones to stick our necks out. We'll just focus on participating in the competition and ignore everything else." The speaker was Jiang Qiankun, the head of the Jiang family, whose Five-Strand Braid Technique was quite famous in the martial arts world.

"That's true, but the Tower of Babel specifically requested that the four of us be the referees. How can we refuse?" Song Qingsong knew that protecting himself was the best option at this moment, but who would dare to disagree with the Tower of Babel's request?

As the head of the Song family, his first consideration is the succession of the family business.

Although the Vermilion Fruit is good, offending the Tower of Babel would have unimaginable consequences.

Apart from Chunyang Temple, who in the world dares to confront the Tower of Babel head-on?

If they dared to refuse, the Tower of Babel would surely make those four families history.

That's why Song Qingsong acted this way.

"But Kong Fantai, the head of the Kong family, was unwilling to accept this. He angrily said, "If we agree to the Tower of Babel's demands, wouldn't that mean our four families are withdrawing from the competition for the Vermilion Fruit? This is unacceptable! How many years have we been suppressed by the Ten Great Sects? Now that we have finally waited for this unparalleled opportunity of the Vermilion Fruit appearing in the world, how can we just give it up?"

The Confucius family has always produced brave men. The Confucian School's Seventy-Two Sticks emphasize the principle of breaking through immense force.

Therefore, not only are his martial arts skills incredibly powerful, but he also has a fiery temper.

Kong Fantai's words were exactly what everyone was most unwilling to accept, but the problem was that the situation was beyond their control. The abbot of the Tower of Babel, Wuse, personally sent someone to deliver the message.

If anyone dares to ignore this, the Tower of Babel will ensure that none of the four great families see the sun rise tomorrow.

Don't assume that just because they talk about being compassionate, they are great philanthropists.

That's because there's no conflict of interest between them. Once there is a conflict of interest, they'll show you what a fierce and wrathful being is!

As one of the ten major sects and the true top power on Penglai Planet, how could we possibly outwardly comply while inwardly defying them?

“Brother Kong is right, how can we give up the Vermilion Fruit?” said Chen Nianhe, the head of the Chen family.

The Chen family's Drunken Immortal Fist is unpredictable and difficult to fathom.

Jiang Qiankun was reluctant to part with the Vermilion Fruit, but the most important thing right now was how to get through the current predicament: "What you're saying is obvious to me, but what about the Tower of Babel?"

"What are we going to do? Just deal with it!" Kong Fantai roared.

Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Song Qingsong quickly said, "Everyone, calm down. The most important thing right now is what we should do next. We need to find a solution as soon as possible. I know you're all angry, but time waits for no one!"

Seeing that the three were drawn to him, he continued, "Brother Jiang is right, we can't afford to mess with the Tower of Babel. But it's normal for Brother Kong and Brother Chen to be unwilling. No one would be willing to give up such a thing, it's the Vermilion Fruit. It's a treasure that can help you ascend to heaven in one step, who would be willing to give it up? But if we don't give up, we need to find a way that can both satisfy the Tower of Babel and prevent us from being eliminated prematurely."

It turns out that the four families had long been closely connected, and the four family heads had already sworn brotherhood, but in the eyes of outsiders, they had always existed independently.

It's clear that anyone with real ability has some skills; they're not as simple as they seem.

"That sounds nice, but what's your plan? Tell me about it," Kong Fantai complained.

Song Qingsong paid no attention to Kong Fantai's complaints. Instead, he kept everyone in suspense and said, "I do have a preliminary idea, but I don't know if you brothers would like to hear it."

Upon hearing that there was a solution, Chen Nianhe's eyes lit up. He exclaimed, "My dear second brother, what time is it? You're still joking around! Tell me your solution quickly!"

"That's right, that's right. Second brother, tell us quickly, tell us quickly!" Kong Fantai exclaimed happily.

Seeing that he had captured the attention of the three family heads, Song Qingsong stopped keeping them in suspense.

So he said, "Actually, the solution is very simple: 'go with the flow'."

"To blend in with the world? What does 'blending in with the world' mean?" Kong Fantai asked, puzzled. Jiang Qiankun and Chen Henian also looked confused.

Song Qingsong explained, "The so-called 'mingling with the world' means that we all join the Tower of Babel."

Upon hearing this answer, Kong Fantai's face was full of disdain: "I thought it was some brilliant plan, but it turns out to be such a foolish and idiotic move. If they could join, wouldn't they have joined long ago? Would they still be here now?"

Kong Fantai, still not satisfied, continued to mock, "You know Baidi City, right? It's one of the top ten sects, and it has a pretty good relationship with the Tower of Babel and the Valley of Freedom. They wanted to join too, but they were completely ignored. If they can't even get into Baidi City, do you think we're more powerful than Baidi City?"

"That's right, Second Brother keeps making stupid moves," Chen Henian complained.

Jiang Qiankun knew Song Qingsong was quick-witted and would never come up with such an unreliable idea. Moreover, he vaguely sensed something amiss, so he probed, "Second brother is referring to the Tower of Babel, not the Five Factions Alliance. Is that right?"

Upon hearing this, Song Qingsong laughed loudly and said, "You understand me best, brother!"

He continued, "That's exactly what I'm thinking. If we join the Tower of Babel, we'll become part of it. Then they naturally won't make us act as referees anymore. After all, we're only a step below the Ten Great Sects. Joining them would be a significant help to them. Making us act as referees would be a waste of our talents."

Upon hearing that he was to become someone else's disciple, Kong Fantai immediately jumped up in anger: "No way, I absolutely disagree. You surnamed Song, I usually respect you and call you Second Brother. But if you want to take me to someone else, humph! Don't even think about it!"

"That's right, Song Qingsong. If you want to lick someone else's boots, then go ahead. Even if I don't want the Zhu Guo, I, Chen Henian, will never become some kind of monk!" Chen Henian shouted, jumping up and down.

Although Jiang Qiankun was also feeling uneasy, he could only keep advising him from the side, thinking of their years of friendship, "Third brother, fourth brother! Calm down, let's hear what second brother has to say first."

"What else is there to say? Wasn't what he just said clear enough? He, Song Lao Er, is going to be someone else's grandson, and he even wants to take us with him!" Kong Fantai said angrily.

“That’s right, brother! What time is it, and you’re still thinking about him?” Chen Henian chimed in from the side.

Seeing that things had taken a turn for the worse, Song Qingsong quickly said, "Third brother, fourth brother, you've misunderstood. Let me finish what I have to say first, then you can start cursing!"

"Hmph!" Kong Fantai was still furious, but he didn't curse anymore.

Upon seeing this, Song Qingsong quickly said, "Third brother, fourth brother, you've misunderstood. What I meant was that we join the Tower of Babel as guest elders, not as disciples. As long as we have the status of guest elders, we can get out of our current predicament, and once we are free from these constraints, we can do our best to seize the Vermilion Fruit."

"But how can we get the Tower of Babel to accept us as guest elders?" Jiang Qiankun revealed the key point. Although Kong and Chen did not speak, they were listening intently.

"It's actually quite simple. We just need to relinquish the position of family head to the next generation. That way, we'll be free from the ties of the family and the identity of the family head, and the Tower of Babel will naturally be happy to accept it. After all, we might be able to do a lot for them!" Song Qingsong said.

Upon hearing this, the three fell into deep thought.

This method is indeed feasible, but I still have some doubts about actually giving up the position of head of the family.

Although the change of power is a natural law, who can give up everything in their hands without any nostalgia?

Even though the successor is someone I'm closest to, it's still not me.

Furthermore, when it comes to the transition between generations, it's not just about replacing one position.

People and things associated with this position will be replaced; this is what is meant by "a new emperor, a new court".

Once the roles are reversed, the days of absolute authority are gone forever.

For those of them who were already in positions of power, it wasn't that simple.

However, if they didn't do this, they would have to withdraw from the struggle for the Vermilion Fruit, which was equally unacceptable to them.

Because the pursuit of ultimate power is their lifelong goal.

The three of them were immediately caught in a dilemma.

This was truly a difficult decision, so Kong Fantai turned to Song Qingsong for help: "Uh... um, second brother, is there any other way?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Henian quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, that's right. Second Brother, you're quite clever; do you have an even better idea?"

Hearing their words, Song Qingsong understood. He knew what they were planning, but he didn't expose them.

So he asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is something the problem?"

Kong Fantai stammered, "Uh, uh, it's a good idea, but... but..."

For a moment, I didn't know how to say it.

Chen Henian was scratching his head in frustration.

Seeing that it was about time, Song Qingsong said, "I suppose you two are worried that your younger generations won't be able to shoulder the responsibilities of the family?"

“Yes, yes, yes. The child is still too young. You haven’t experienced much and don’t know how to manage a household,” Kong Fantai said repeatedly.

“Yes, yes, Third Brother is right,” Chen Henian replied.

Song Qingsong didn't expose him, but instead patiently guided him, saying, "Actually, you're overthinking it. Think about what the purpose of our trip is?"

After hearing this, Kong Fantai confidently replied, "Of course it's for the Vermilion Fruit."

Song Qingsong continued, "Third Brother is right. The Vermilion Fruit is our true goal. With the Vermilion Fruit, we can become like Peng Zu, Zhang Sanfeng, or even Lü Chunyang. At that time, the entire Penglai Planet will be ours. When that day comes, will we still care about a small position as the head of the family?"

Kong Fantai and Chen Henian were both deeply confused by what Song Qingsong said: "That's right. What do we care about the position of family head after we have obtained the Vermilion Fruit? The world is ours."

"No, no. We've all joined the Tower of Babel. Even if we get the Vermilion Fruit, doesn't that mean we belong to the Tower of Babel?" Unlike Kong Fantai and the others, Jiang Qiankun felt that he had found a loophole in the plan, and a huge one at that.

"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Kong Fantai and Chen Henian felt their hearts sink.

"Hehehe... If we really get it, will he still have a chance to take the Tower of Babel?" Song Qingsong said confidently.

Hearing this, Jiang Qiankun suddenly realized: "So what my second brother means is that even if we merge into the Tower of Babel, it's just a pretext. We are still ourselves. If we obtain the Vermilion Fruit, it will naturally belong to us."

Song Qingsong laughed and said, "That's exactly right!"

Kong Fantai and Chen Henian felt their brains couldn't keep up, and said with eyes full of admiration, "Second Brother, you're awesome!"

"Hahaha..." The four of them burst into laughter.

Everyone was very satisfied with the plan, but when Song Qingsong looked at the other family heads, there was always something else in his eyes.

The loud laughter could be clearly heard by all the nephews and nieces outside the door, who were all puzzled: they were arguing fiercely just now, how come they're laughing now? Is the world of the family so casual?

The plan was finalized, but will things develop as they expected?

After a long time, both Liu Xuan and the four clan heads suddenly flew out of the room. After looking around to make sure no one was in the shadows, they flew back into the room.

This was repeated three times before stopping. Everyone seemed very cautious, as if they were worried that their actions would go unnoticed.

It seems contradictory, as if they are doing all this just to put on an act.

The same scenario played out repeatedly between different forces, everything was both strange and bizarre...