73: The interests of the three major forces are tied together, and Ye Huang's attitude

Leaving Zuoqiu, Long Aotian arrived at the Imperial City of the Eternal Leaf Dynasty in less than a day.

This was the largest and most populous city Long Aotian had ever seen, with a population exceeding one billion, equivalent to ten royal cities.

Standing at the foot of the city, looking up, the city walls were over thirty meters high; they were truly tall and massive.

He genuinely wondered why the Imperial Family of the Eternal Leaf Dynasty, with nothing better to do, built such towering city walls.

Was it merely for grandeur and spectacle?

Shaking his head, Long Aotian dismissed these useless thoughts, but it was indeed beautiful, truly awe-inspiring.

"Entry into the city, fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

The city guard spoke to every person entering the city like a wooden figure.

"..."

Long Aotian didn't waste time, waving his hand to pay fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones and walking in.

Entering a royal city required five Low-Grade Spirit Stones, three of which were divided among the Three Great Cultivation Families in each royal city, and the remaining two went to the City Lord's Mansion to be submitted to the Imperial Family.

Long Aotian also understood the distribution of profits for the fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones required to enter the Imperial City: the Imperial Family directly received ten, and the remaining five were divided among the Five Great Cultivation Families of the Imperial City, namely: Shi, Lei, Duan, Huyan, and Baili, not including the Ye Family of the Eternal Leaf Dynasty Imperial Family.

The Five Great Cultivation Families of the Eternal Leaf Dynasty and the Imperial Family Ye Family were not on the same level of power; the Imperial Family Ye Family was one of the two major powers of the Eastern Desolation, comparable to the Cloud Palace.

"It's been a long time since I've seen my aunt. I wonder if the Hua Family has been troubled by the Shi Family because of the animosity between the Long Family and the Shi Family?"

Thinking of this, Long Aotian's brows couldn't help but furrow slightly.

The Hua Family was Long Aotian's maternal grandparents' Family.

His mother, Hua Buwan, was the daughter of Hua Jinzhuan, the Clan Chief of the Imperial City's Hua Family. Besides the Five Great Cultivation Families in the Imperial City, there were other smaller cultivation families, and the Hua Family was one such Family, stronger than a royal city's cultivation Family but weaker than the Imperial City's Five Great Cultivation Families.

Hua Jinzhuan had six children.

They were:

His eldest maternal uncle Hua Xing, his second maternal uncle Hua Bei, his mother Hua Buwan, his eldest maternal aunt Hua Bujin, his second maternal aunt Hua Buxie, and his youngest maternal aunt Hua Buqi.

Currently, the Hua Family Chief was Long Aotian's eldest maternal uncle, Hua Xing.

Long Aotian's irreplaceable position as the Young Lord of the Long Family was partly due to the Hua Family, which was even stronger than the Long Family.

Hua Jinzhuan truly doted on his grandson, Long Aotian.

Many times, Long Aotian was not raised by his parents, but by his maternal grandfather, who sent his three maternal aunts to look after him.

Therefore, these three maternal aunts were not just equivalent to half a mother to Long Aotian in terms of blood relation, but also half a mother emotionally, having raised him from childhood.

It was precisely because of the extremely strong relationship between the Long Family and the Hua Family, and Long Aotian's feelings for the Hua Family being almost as strong as for the Long Family, that he was more concerned about the Hua Family's safety.

"With the Imperial Family present, I believe the Shi Family shouldn't be so presumptuous!"

Although he thought this, Long Aotian still released his Divine Sense.

His Divine Sense, covering an area of five million li, couldn't encompass even one-tenth of the entire Imperial City, but it just happened to cover the Hua Family.

"Grandfather, uncles, and aunts are all doing well!

Hmm?

My grandfather's Family actually has two Spirit Division Realm Experts?

Terrifying!

No wonder the Hua Family is safe. The Shi Family only has three Spirit Division Realm Experts on the surface. These two Spirit Division Realm Experts must be the Hua Family's hidden power, right?

Although the Hua Family can't contend with the Shi Family and wouldn't dare to be like the Long Family, willing to risk everything to pull the emperor down, nor would they incur the Shi Family's wrath because of the Long Family, revealing their trump cards is still enough to make the Shi Family not dare to easily move against the Hua Family!"

Long Aotian thought to himself.

The Shi Family was not Long Aotian; they couldn't silently eliminate Spirit Division Realm Experts by stacking a dozen or so Level 6 Void Maelstrom Arrays. The commotion from a battle between Spirit Division Realm Experts would be immense, and acting within the Imperial City would be a great disrespect to the Imperial Family.

The Hua Family had two Spirit Division Realm Experts. Even if three Ancestors of the Distraction Realm from the Shi Family were dispatched, they might not be able to eliminate them, unless they used their hidden power.

However, was hidden power so easily used?

Once a Mahayana Realm Expert was exposed, the first forces to be displeased with the Shi Family would be the Cloud Palace and the Imperial Family.

The Cloud Palace and the Imperial Family publicly claimed their strongest power was only the Mahayana Realm. If your Shi Family exposed a Mahayana Realm Expert, did you intend to become the third major power of the Eastern Desolation?

Or were you trying to force out the Tribulation Transcendence Realm Experts of the Cloud Palace and the Imperial Family?

It could be said that using Mahayana Realm hidden power would definitely displease the Cloud Palace and the Imperial Family with the Shi Family. To ensure their status as Eastern Desolation giants, they would have to expose their Tribulation Transcendence Realm hidden power.

Furthermore, not only would the Cloud Palace and the Imperial Family be dissatisfied with the Shi Family, but the other four Great Cultivation Families of the Imperial City and the Three Great Cloud Sects would also have to expose their Mahayana Realm hidden power.

At that time, it wouldn't be impossible for the Shi Family to be ganged up on by the displeased powerful forces.

This was also why the Shi Family sought strong alliances with the Cloud Palace, the Imperial Family, and the Fire Cloud Sect, sending daughters and seeking marriages—another layer of reason.

With the Cloud Palace, the Imperial Family, and the Fire Cloud Sect, even if the Shi Family exposed its Mahayana Realm hidden power, while it might incur dissatisfaction from various powerful forces, no force would dare to gang up on the Shi Family because of it.

"Hmm?

The Shi Family actually has five Mahayana Realm Experts?

What exactly is going on?

Didn't Shi Xiaodan say the Shi Family only had three Mahayana Realm hidden experts?

One Mahayana Realm Third Revolution Stage!

Two Mahayana Realm Fifth Revolution Stage!

One Mahayana Realm Seventh Revolution Stage!

One Ninth Revolution Peak of the Mahayana Realm!"

The Shi Family's location was also relatively close to the city gate, just within Long Aotian's Divine Sense coverage. Long Aotian couldn't help but use his Divine Sense to probe the Shi Family's strength.

It turned out that it was better not to probe; once he did, he couldn't help but gasp, and his brows furrowed into a deep ' river' shape.

There were actually five Mahayana Realm Experts?

One of them was even at the Ninth Revolution Peak of the Mahayana Realm, just a step away from the Tribulation Transcendence Realm?

Was Shi Xiaodan's intelligence wrong?

Or was there another hidden reason?

At this moment, these five Mahayana Realm Experts were discussing something. The former Shi Family Clan Chief Shi Tianjing, the current Shi Family Clan Chief Shi Youse, and the Shi Family Head Shi Gandang were all present. Long Aotian couldn't help but perk up his Divine Sense to listen carefully.

Soon, Long Aotian learned the identities of these five Mahayana Realm Experts.

One Mahayana Realm Third Revolution Stage was named Shi Ruhuo, the Third Clan God of the Shi Family.

One Mahayana Realm Fifth Revolution Stage was named Shi Rulin, the Second Clan God of the Shi Family.

One Mahayana Realm Seventh Revolution Stage was named Shi Rufeng, the First Clan God of the Shi Family.

Another Mahayana Realm Fifth Revolution Stage was named Wan Chuan, a Grand Elder of the Fire Cloud Sect.

The strongest Mahayana Realm Ninth Revolution Peak Stage Expert was named Ye Wen, a God Protector of the Nation of the Eternal Leaf Dynasty.

The issue these individuals were discussing was the Shi Family's repeated requests for marriage to them, seeking strong alliances.

Wan Chuan, the Grand Elder of the Fire Cloud Sect, agreed to marry his granddaughter to Shi Jing, Shi Gandang's eldest son, but on the condition that the cultivation resources of the Shi Family's second ancestral nest in the White Emperor Mountain Range must be shared with the Wan Family.

The Shi Family agreed!

From the Imperial Family's side, the Imperial Family was willing to marry its Seventh Princess to Shi Youse, the great-grandson of Shi Rufeng, but the precondition was that the three Mahayana Realm hidden experts of the Shi Family must serve the Imperial Family for a hundred years, acting as God Protectors of the Nation for the Eternal Leaf Dynasty.

To this, the Shi Family also agreed!

At this point, the Fire Cloud Sect, the Shi Family, and the Imperial Family had basically completed their interest binding. The Shi Family thus achieved its strategic goal of deterring powerful enemies through strong alliances.

All three parties were overjoyed.

But there was one person who witnessed this process who was not happy.

If he was unhappy, the consequences would be very serious...