Chapter 133: A Pack of Wolves Hunting a Tiger

"Indeed."

Zhou Changsheng nodded. His status was exalted; to say nothing of Mu Su and Ling Yu, even members of the Zhou clan of lower standing rarely had the opportunity to see him. If not for the sake of Zhou Tian, those two would not even have been qualified to catch a glimpse of the hem of his garment.

Giving a nod toward Zhou Tian, the two men were led away by a servant. This area was the core of the Zhou clan's stronghold, dense with formations; one wrong step could result in being ground to dust.

"Come, sit."

Zhou Changsheng beckoned to Zhou Tian. By now, he had retracted his aura, appearing merely as an ordinary middle-aged man, devoid of that abyss-like, oppressive presence.

Zhou Tian stepped forward. He did not know why, but despite his ability to talk his way out of any situation even when facing the Saint Demon, he felt a trace of unease in his heart at this moment.

"You need not treat me as an outsider. I have spent years abroad and rarely return, so you may not be familiar with me, but there is no need to be nervous." Having lived for countless eons and seen countless people, Zhou Changsheng naturally perceived Zhou Tian's awkwardness and offered this comfort.

Zhou Tian nodded, at a loss for words. He could hardly rush forward, cling to Zhou Changsheng’s legs, and burst into tears.

Zhou Changsheng did not dwell on the subject, knowing such things could not be achieved in a single day. Instead, he asked, "Although that old fellow, the Saint Demon, seems mad and erratic, he is full of schemes. I know not with whom he struck a deal to suddenly strike at our Zhou clan. In recent years, his movements in the Astral Realm have been unusually active, and now he has returned to the Nine Provinces—his ambitions are not small."

"Grandfather, on the way here, he..." Zhou Tian relayed some of the information he had obtained from the Saint Demon to Zhou Changsheng.

Zhou Changsheng listened carefully, then nodded. "He is correct. He obtained the inheritance of a figure from the ancient Buddhist realm named Buddha Wutian. It is a fusion of Buddha and Demon, incredibly bizarre, though the specifics remain unclear to everyone."

*Wutian? And a Buddha?* The title sounded ironically Buddhist to Zhou Tian, who paused in surprise as Zhou Changsheng continued.

"But I did not expect that the one who struck a deal with him might be an ancient deity from the God Realm. Tsk, tsk... It seems the Buddha-relic of Buddha Wutian has fallen into the hands of the God Realm. This is quite interesting..."

Zhou Changsheng’s mind raced. He was not angry that the Saint Demon had dealings with the God Realm; he understood that by revealing such a wealth of information to Zhou Tian, the Saint Demon intended for it to be passed on to him—a gesture of intent that Zhou Changsheng naturally grasped.

Watching his grandfather fall into deep thought, Zhou Tian was a bit bewildered. He could not fathom what was crossing his mind, so he ventured, "Grandfather, what is the situation in the God-Forsaken Land right now? Why are only the three of you here suppressing it?"

From the information he had gathered from Ling Yu's mother, Zhou Tian understood that the ambitions of the ancient gods from the God Realm were likely shocking. Zhou Changsheng and his few companions could never possibly cope with what was about to happen.

"That is a long story, involving many factions, hidden secrets, and a series of conspiracies surrounding a newly discovered world." Zhou Changsheng’s gaze turned distant; it seemed to be a profound secret.

Zhou Tian pricked up his ears, prepared to listen intently.

"It is simply that we are short-handed."

*That was it?* Zhou Tian was stunned. This was the "great secret involving many conspiracies"?

"Haha." Seeing Zhou Tian’s blank expression, Zhou Changsheng laughed heartily.

Zhou Tian felt helpless. These elderly figures always had inexplicable, peculiar habits, though Zhou Changsheng was already much better than the Saint Demon; at least he was not so perverse.

"Do not underestimate that statement." Zhou Changsheng reined in his laughter. "Great factions like ours have accumulated power for countless eons, with countless experts and powerhouses. If we are stretched thin, it means the situation is already extremely critical."

"This newly discovered world is a super-great world. Its level of terror is no less than any of the Ancient Nine Realms. It is essentially a giant quagmire that keeps pulling our people in. Even several of our ancestors have been tied down. If not for the fact that their own world is also facing a great catastrophe, the situation would be even more dire."

Zhou Tian was astonished. He now possessed some knowledge of the Ancient Nine Realms and knew how powerful they were. He had not expected the newly discovered world to have such profound foundations—to be "no less than" the Nine Realms meant it was at least their equal.

"If I had not returned to the Nine Provinces temporarily because of the Saint Demon’s actions, I would likely have been dragged into it as well."

"With the assistance of the world's consciousness, their strength while fighting within their own world is nearly a realm higher than ours."

"Furthermore, there are many factions in the Astral Realm eyeing us like tigers. Those that have already surfaced include the Star Pavilion, the Heavenly God Mountain, and the Abyss Tomb, not to mention those that remain hidden."

Zhou Tian felt his head swelling. Why was the script going so wrong? Based on Zhou Changsheng’s words, it felt as though there were enemies everywhere. The Star Pavilion, the Heavenly God Mountain, and the Abyss Tomb—these names alone sounded formidable; they were clearly factions on the same level as the Zhou clan.

"Why does it feel like we have so many enemies?" Zhou Tian gave a bitter smile. He had developed a sense of belonging to the Zhou clan, and there were many dear friends here; he truly did not want anything to happen to them.

"Enemies? They are not our enemies. Just a few years ago, we even ordered a batch of supplies from the Star Pavilion; how could that be considered enmity? It is merely a matter of interests." Zhou Changsheng sighed.

"The Nine Provinces are comprised of eight great factions. Any one of them, if taken out, would hold some renown in the Astral Realm, let alone if we unite. Although we have many internal contradictions, we generally stand together against the outside world. Many factions view us as a thorn in their side."

Zhou Tian scratched his head comically. He wondered if it would have been better to transmigrate into an ordinary person; the enemies he now faced were all of terrifying proportions.

"Of course, do not worry. We are not universally despised; we still have allies in the Astral Realm, such as the Sword Domain and the Falling Wind Pavilion. Although the Falling Wind Pavilion had some complaints regarding your mother’s matter back then, they would not stand idly by. The situation has not yet reached the point of total desperation."

Zhou Changsheng spoke to soothe him, fearing Zhou Tian might feel pressured, though his tone grew slightly unnatural when he mentioned the Falling Wind Pavilion.

Zhou Tian’s heart stirred. *His mother?* He suddenly recalled that the mother of this body had allegedly been murdered while giving birth to him. When he first learned of it, he had found it strange—who would dare pluck the whiskers of a tiger like the Zhou clan? But as time passed, he had forgotten it, having never lived with her and holding no concrete impression of her.