Hearing Zhou Ting's words,

Zhou Huai did not feel much shock in his heart.

Instead, he had a feeling of "as expected."

Looking at it this way, this Mr. Duan is quite extraordinary.

He not only knows what kind of Divine Artifact exists in the ruins.

But he didn't take it himself, and instead generously told the Zhou Family.

That is a Divine Artifact.

Zhou Huai has witnessed the power of a Divine Artifact; it is definitely not something ordinary equipment can compare to.

Relying on the Heaven-Suppressing Seal, he had the opportunity to kill so many Hell-level BOSSes.

Such powerful equipment.

That Mr. Duan actually didn't want to make it his own at all.

There is definitely a problem here.

If this Mr. Duan really is his mother's brother,

Then could he also be from the ruins world?

If the Dawnbreaker Guild was really established by him, then what was his purpose in recruiting so many top Classer?

Zhou Huai pondered inwardly.

It seems it is necessary for him to find a Avatar to sneak into the Dawnbreaker Guild and take a look.

To see what those lunatics are thinking about all day long.

Zhou Ting looked at Zhou Huai.

He originally thought this eldest grandson would show a shocked expression upon hearing these earth-shattering secrets.

But Zhou Huai's face remained calm throughout, only lowering his head slightly with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

This kid's composure is unexpectedly deep.

Zhou Ting sighed inwardly.

Seeing this, Zhou Huai raised his head to look at him again and asked, "What happened later?"

Zhou Ting fell back into memories, his voice hoarse, "Later, that man told us the specific location of the Divine Artifact and the method to obtain it. At that time, he also gave us a small box, which was said to be used to deal with the guardian of the Divine Artifact."

Zhou Huai suddenly understood.

So the box Zhou Feng used back then to Seal the soul of the blue general was given by Mr. Duan.

No wonder he could sense a binding power similar to his own on it.

Zhou Ting continued, "In order to obtain that Divine Artifact, we had to frantically recruit manpower, tricking Classer from Donghai City and surrounding cities into our Radiant Alliance, letting them enter the Secret Realm to explore and by the way collect various materials."

"However, the strength of these Classer is ultimately too low. Even if the number reaches thousands, they still cannot contend with the exotic beasts in the ruins. At that time, I realized that if the Zhou Family wants to obtain that Divine Artifact, we have to cooperate with major aristocratic families and need high-end combat power."

"The first target chosen was the Liu Family. As for what happened later, you probably already know. After learning that there is a ruins beneath Donghai City, the Liu Family agreed very readily. To dispel our concerns, they were even willing to marry Liu Yuru to us. From then on, the Zhou and Liu families were tied to the same boat."

"I know their purpose is to obtain that Divine Artifact. They use us, but how are we not using them? After all, the method to obtain the Divine Artifact has always been firmly grasped in our hands. Ultimately, the only one who can obtain that Divine Artifact is our Zhou Family."

Zhou Huai nodded, then said, "Actually, I still have one question."

"Since you have already obtained the Divine Artifact, what happened later? Why did so many people in the Zhou Family die? Even Zhou Feng, who had just obtained the Divine Artifact, died."

"What is going on with those people from Sakura Country?"

Hearing Zhou Huai's consecutive questions, Zhou Ting's expression instantly dimmed.

That pair of turbid eyes that had just regained a hint of luster were once again swallowed by dead silence and despair.

He let out a long sigh, that breath seeming to drain the last trace of angry in his body.

"Inviting wolves into the house... It's me... It's me who harmed the Zhou Family..."

The old man's voice was hoarse, every word like a blood clot squeezed from the depths of his throat.

"In these years of cooperation with the Liu Family, I gradually noticed something was wrong."

"Many rare materials produced in the ruins disappeared through the Liu Family's channels."

"It wasn't until a year ago that I found out those materials were all sent to Sakura Country."

A miserable smile appeared on Zhou Ting's face.

"I took the evidence to question the Liu Family; they were quite straightforward and directly showed their cards to me."

"Only then did I know that the Liu Family... had long defected to Sakura Country."

Speaking of this, Zhou Ting's voice began to tremble uncontrollably.

"They told me that nowadays Sakura Country is powerful and has long coveted Daxia, and invasion is only a matter of time."

"This is the general trend, and those who know the times are wise men."

"The Zhou Family has been operating for a hundred years through many bumps, and only in my generation has it gradually grown, about to become a towering tree."

"I... how could I be willing to let it die prematurely just like that?"

He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Zhou Huai, as if seeking a trace of understanding, or as if defending himself.

"So... I learned from the Liu Family and also wanted to pledge allegiance to Sakura Country."

Zhou Huai expressionlessly looked at him, with not a shred of fluctuation in his heart.

Seeing that Zhou Huai did not speak, the expression on Zhou Ting's face became increasingly painful, eventually turning into a shrill, bitter smile.

"Ridiculous... Truly ridiculous..."

"I only thought about the development of the Zhou Family, but long forgot my backbone as a Daxia person, and even forgot the insatiable greed and bone-deep ruthlessness of the people of Sakura Country!"

"Until they raised their butcher knives and slaughtered the members of the Zhou Family one by one, did I suddenly wake up!"

"What I brought in was not a backing, but a group of vicious wolves that eat people without spitting out bones!"

As he spoke, Zhou Ting burst into tears of old age once more.

He suddenly raised his hand.

Slap!

A crisp sound.

He fiercely slapped himself in the face.

"I deserve to die!"

Slap!

Another slap!

"I am the sinner of the Zhou Family!"

He looked like a madman, sometimes wailing loudly, sometimes laughing neurotically, slapping his already swollen old face one slap after another.

That appearance made people inexplicably heartbroken looking at it.

Everything that needed to be understood had already been understood.

Zhou Huai also had no mood to chat with him more.

He turned his wheelchair, turning his back to the old man who was collapsing in remorse.

"Uncle Fu, let's go."

Uncle Fu looked at Zhou Ting's miserable appearance, a trace of unbearable pity flashing in his eyes.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end it only turned into a helpless sigh.

He silently walked behind Zhou Huai and pushed the wheelchair.

The wheels rolled over fallen leaves, making a rustling sound as they went further and further away.

Behind them, only the old man was left alone, and that heart-rending wail echoed in the quiet courtyard, lingering for a long time.

That night.

The servant of the Ye Family brought food and came to the courtyard as usual.

The courtyard was quiet, without the heart-palpitating wails of the daytime.

The servant breathed a sigh of relief and pushed open the ajar courtyard door.

"Old Master Zhou, it's time to eat."

No one answered.

The servant walked into the courtyard with some doubt, his gaze subconsciously casting towards the bare old locust tree.

The next second.

Clatter!

The dinner plate in his hand fell to the ground in response, and the food spilled all over the floor.

The servant's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of a needle tip, and all the blood drained from his face.

His legs went soft, and he collapsed onto the ground with a thud, making a strange rattling sound in his throat, his fingers trembling as they pointed forward.

Under the moonlight, the withered and thin figure of the old man was hanging on the thickest branch of the old locust tree.

The body swayed gently with the night wind.

A pair of turbid old eyes widened round, staring fixedly in the direction of the Imperial Capital.

Dying with everlasting regret.