A thunderous explosion resounded, and the aura around Long Zhanguo surged into the sky. He fixed his gaze on Xiao Tiance and said, "Zhou Fei, from the reclusive sect in the southeast of the Great Xia Nation, has not been involved in the Zhou family's affairs! Moreover, Zhou Fei has been aiding us in battle over the years. Lord of the Temple of the Gods, Lord Xiao, if I personally plead for him, would you allow him to leave?"

The moment Long Zhanguo spoke, everyone present in Qianjiang City dared not make a single move, not even to breathe. This was a confrontation between two titans—a true clash of heavyweight figures.

Facing Long Zhanguo, whose combat power was immeasurable, Xiao Tiance also stood up. Simultaneously, he wiped the smile from his face and coldly responded, "What if I say no?"

Long Zhanguo's eyes narrowed, and his aura exploded once again. Although he had already known Xiao Tiance's true identity in his heart, at this moment, in front of others—especially since Xiao Tiance had not yet officially returned to the Dragon Nation—they were still equals, king to king. Some things had to be said and done as they should be.

At this point, Wan Tianxue saw the clash of auras between Long Zhanguo and Xiao Tiance and realized that a fight might break out. He quickly shouted at the Zhou family members, "Do you want the Zhou family to be completely annihilated? Who is Zhou Fei's father? Quickly sever ties with Zhou Fei! Expel him from the family!"

At Wan Tianxue's roar, Zhou Tianzheng, the fifth elder of the Zhou family standing behind Zhou Zhenghao, hurriedly, with tears in his eyes, shouted at Zhou Fei, "You unfilial son! You were already expelled from the Zhou family! The Zhou family's matters have nothing to do with you, and there's no need for your false sympathy! Get out! Get out!"

Zhou Tianzheng continued to shout, "You unfilial son! Our Zhou family has committed many heinous crimes over the years, but none of them have anything to do with you! Today's situation is of our own making! Even if we are exterminated, we accept it willingly! Now get out of here! Get out!"

Zhou Tianzheng knew that he was finished and that the Zhou family was also finished. But Zhou Fei was his son, and he was his lifelong pride. Just as Long Zhanguo had said, Zhou Fei was truly someone who had remained untainted despite the corruption around him. From a young age, he had detested the actions of the Zhou family, and the achievements he had earned in the Southeastern War Department over the years were entirely his own, with no connection to the Zhou family.

Although Zhou Tianzheng was angrily reprimanding Zhou Fei, his eyes were filled with blessings. After shouting at Zhou Fei, he directly slashed his own throat and committed suicide. He didn’t want his existence to force his son into a difficult situation. As long as he died, Zhou Fei would have no more ties to the Zhou family.

"Ah!" Zhou Fei let out a mournful cry. He knew exactly how many heinous deeds his father had committed over the years. Today, even though he had arrived early, he had stayed away because of this very reason. It wasn’t until he saw the Zhou family on the brink of annihilation and his father near death that he rushed in to try to save them. But now, his father was dead. And nearby, the top powerhouse of the Dragon Nation was about to confront the Lord of the Temple of the Gods on his behalf, while the Temple of the Gods' four Heavenly Kings and dozens of god-level warriors were also present. Long Zhanguo was in extreme danger.

Thinking of this, Zhou Fei suddenly dropped to one knee and shouted at Long Zhanguo, "Senior! Leave! Don’t put yourself in danger for me!"

After shouting, Zhou Fei turned to Xiao Tiance and yelled, "Lord Xiao! One must take responsibility for their actions! I know that the Temple of the Gods has been helping the Great Xia Nation all these years! Today, I, Zhou Fei, will take my own life! Please, Lord Xiao, do not harbor any resentment toward the Great Xia Nation!"

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After shouting, Zhou Fei immediately took out a dagger and aimed it at his own throat. But just as he was about to pierce his throat and draw blood, the dagger was suddenly knocked out of his hand.

Zhou Fei looked at the dagger that had flown out of his hand in bewilderment, then turned to Xiao Tiance. Xiao Tiance also looked at him and said with a faint smile, "Did I say I wanted to kill you? Hmm?"

Zhou Fei was stunned, confused. Wasn’t he a member of the Zhou family? Could Xiao Tiance really let him go?

At this moment, Long Zhanguo looked at Xiao Tiance with a smile, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "Kid, you're pretty good, very understanding. Thank you."

"Pfft!" Xiao Tiance couldn't help but roll his eyes at Long Zhanguo and disdainfully said, "Don't flatter me. Zhou Fei is not like the rest of the Zhou family. I'm not a bloodthirsty killer—why would I want to kill him? Do you think I'm just out here killing people for fun?"

The next moment, Long Zhanguo said something that shocked everyone present. This time, it wasn't just the people of Qianjiang City who were stunned, but also the powerful figures from the Temple of the Gods, as well as the bewildered Zhou Fei.

Long Zhanguo looked at Xiao Tiance with an extremely complex expression and said, "Kid, I'm sorry. You've been wronged all these years. This time, don’t leave when you come back. I'll entrust the Dragon Nation’s War Department to you from now on. We all know what happened back then. I was just a step too late. Kid, I'm sorry. Come back; the Dragon Nation needs you."

"Uh..."

"What? What did you say? What did you say? I don't understand. We're not even that close—don't joke with me, okay?" Xiao Tiance looked at Long Zhanguo in utter shock. What was wrong with this old marshal? Why was he suddenly saying these things?

Everyone present was dumbfounded, while Long Zhanguo smacked his forehead, opened his mouth slightly, and said three words to Xiao Tiance: "Xiao Zhantian!"

At that moment, Xiao Tiance understood. It turned out that Long Zhanguo had already uncovered his true identity. Naturally, he also knew all about the incident involving the Xiao family in Yanjing six years ago.

The next moment, Xiao Tiance's eyes reddened as he asked Long Zhanguo, "S-Senior, y-you went there six years ago?"

Long Zhanguo took a deep breath, his eyes also moistening. He nodded heavily and then forcefully patted Xiao Tiance on the shoulder, saying, "Yes, I went, but I'm sorry, I was just a step too late! Kid, I'm sorry. I didn’t take care of you."

Xiao Tiance’s eyes reddened further. This was the deepest secret in his heart, something he hadn't even told Gao Weiwei. After a long silence, Xiao Tiance forced a bitter smile and said, "It's okay. It's all in the past. And one day, I'll go back and seek justice myself, to reclaim what’s rightfully mine! And that day is not far off, is it?"

Long Zhanguo nodded and said to Xiao Tiance, "Kid, I'll be waiting for you in Yanjing!"

After speaking, Long Zhanguo suddenly seemed to recall something, and his body froze. The next moment, he took out a black dragon-patterned ring from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Tiance, saying, "This ring was sent by the Third Elder. He also asked me to tell you that when you return to Yanjing, look him up for a chat. He’s prepared some excellent tea and is waiting to enjoy it with you."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tiance asked in confusion, "The Third Elder? Does he know me?"

Long Zhanguo smiled mysteriously, nodded, and said, "Yes, he knows you, and you know him too. I won’t say any more; you'll understand when you see him."

Xiao Tiance nodded, suppressing the doubts in his heart, and carefully kept the black-gold dragon-patterned ring in his pocket.

What Xiao Tiance didn’t know was that this exchange between him and Long Zhanguo, the top powerhouse of the Great Xia Nation, had completely stunned everyone in Qianjiang City. Shen Qingtian, in particular, was utterly shocked and couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Xiao Tiance—just who is he, really?!