Chapter 299: Do You Dare To Go?

Li Xiaofei stared at the man before him, shocked.

If it weren't for the fact that this figure looked exactly like Tan Zhenwei, his soon-to-be father-in-law, Li Xiaofei would never have connected him to the man he knew. The sheer pressure and starforce aura emanating from him made it hard to reconcile this person with the one he was familiar with.

"What’s going on here?" asked Li Xiaofei. His instincts were on high alert, heightening his vigilance.

It feels like I stumbled upon a dark secret; like catching someone in an illicit act. Will I be silenced for it?

The man in front of him, once his future father-in-law, now seemed like a stranger.

But Tan Zhenwei remained calm and asked, "What do you want to know?"

Li Xiaofei’s first instinct was to say, "I don’t want to know anything."

After all, the more you knew, the more likely you were to die. This was a timeless truth proven by countless novels and movies. But considering that this situation involved Tan Qingying, he felt the need to at least understand what was going on.

"Uncle Tan, what’s with the mask?" Li Xiaofei asked carefully.

Tan Zhenwei casually gestured, issuing a mental command. In an instant, the tide of star beasts turned, surging madly in the direction Kuramaki Kazuki had fled.

"The mask? It has a name, Breath of the Wilderness. It belongs to the Wilderness Free Sect and is an alchemical treasure reserved for the Sect Leader," Tan Zhenwei explained without hesitation. "When it’s worn, it can alter one's aura and allows one to communicate with star beasts and plants, among its many unique abilities."

Li Xiaofei hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then why... why do you have it, Uncle Tan?"

Tan Zhenwei smiled faintly and replied, "What do you think?"

"War spoils?" Li Xiaofei ventured.

Tan Zhenwei shook his head amusedly. "Someone as smart as you shouldn’t offer such a foolish answer."

Li Xiaofei was left speechless, but he saw no other way forward.

"Uncle Tan... are you a member of the Wilderness Free Sect?" He asked directly.

Tan Zhenwei nodded. "Yes, I am the Sect Leader of the Wilderness Free Sect's Northwest Division in Great Xia."

He admitted it! Just like that, he admitted it.

Li Xiaofei's mind raced, stunned by the revelation.

"This is... quite unexpected news," Li Xiaofei smiled bitterly.

Tan Zhenwei asked, "How much do you actually know about the Wilderness Free Sect?"

Li Xiaofei answered truthfully, "Only what I've learned from textbooks—that it's considered to be the ultimate evil by the Star Council. They’re branded as traitors to humanity and insane terrorists."

Tan Zhenwei didn’t offer much explanation. He simply said, "Hearing is deceiving."

Li Xiaofei added, "I’ve also heard that the Wilderness Free Sect colluded with the Jiepeng Empire, and that the star beast tide attacking Liuhe Base City was partly orchestrated by your sect."

"That’s correct," Tan Zhenwei admitted easily. "The sect did cooperate with the Jiepeng Empire to attack Liuhe Base City."

Li Xiaofei found himself at a loss for words. The Tan Zhenwei he once knew had been a model leader—compassionate, just, and incorruptible.

But the man before him now was a commander of countless star beasts, possibly the mastermind behind the Yinji Moon Fox, and had just admitted that the attack on Liuhe Base City, which led to the deaths of thousands of citizens and soldiers, had been orchestrated by his organization. He was responsible for the loss of nearly ten thousand lives.

The stark contrast between the two sides of Tan Zhenwei was overwhelming.

Tan Zhenwei sighed. "Since you're the one asking, I will explain—this once."

He then asked, "Do you know why the Bull Demon died at your hands?"

"Ah?" Li Xiaofei was taken aback.

Tan Zhenwei spoke calmly, "The Bull Demon died because I wanted him dead. Otherwise, with the strength of the Wilderness Free Sect, it wouldn’t have been difficult to protect him at a critical moment."

Li Xiaofei still didn’t quite understand.

Tan Zhenwei continued, "I had him killed because he disobeyed my orders. The Jiepeng Empire instigated matters, and he acted on his own during the attack on Liuhe Base City, doing more than he was instructed."

Now, it began to make sense to Li Xiaofei. Tan Zhenwei hadn’t intended to cause so much destruction to Liuhe Base City. But the Bull Demon went rogue, overstepping his bounds, which had led to unnecessary and avoidable casualties during the beast tide’s assault on the city. That was why Tan Zhenwei had forced the Bull Demon to face Li Xiaofei in battle outside the city, using Li Xiaofei to remove this unpredictable element.

After thinking it over, Li Xiaofei chose to believe him. Yet, there were still many lingering questions in his mind.

"Why did the Wilderness Free Sect cooperate with the Jiepeng Empire to attack the city?" he asked.

Tan Zhenwei said, "To completely dismantle the Jiepeng Empire's ambitions to occupy Liuhe Base City and infiltrate the Northwest Administrative Region. It would also draw out the families who have already surrendered, so they can all be wiped out in one fell swoop."

As he said this, a faint trace of self-mockery and sadness appeared in his eyes. Ever since the spatial transmission channel known as the Eye of the Northwest had appeared, the Jiepeng Empire could easily send forces into the heart of Great Xia, infiltrating the entire Northwest Region.

They had seized this opportunity and aggressively expanded their influence. Since Liuhe Base City was the closest to the Eye of the Northwest, it became their primary target. Armed with advanced New Martial Arts surgery and abundant resources, the Jiepeng Empire enticed countless Great Xia Saints and noble families to cooperate. These families abandoned Liuhe Base City and started treating it as a mere testing ground. They were willing to sacrifice the city’s millions of residents as bargaining chips in their negotiations with Jiepeng.

The internal strife between the old martial arts and new martial arts factions within Great Xia caused many key figures to hesitate, leaving them slow to react. Jiepeng's plan had been on the verge of success.

At this critical moment of life and death, the only force actively resisting was the Wilderness Free Sect, a group branded as terrorists. How tragic. Fortunately, Tan Zhenwei’s plan was nearing its conclusion. The net was about to close. The unexpected appearance of Li Xiaofei was a complication, but not an unwelcome one.

"Since you're here, come with me," Tan Zhenwei said.

"Where are we going?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Tan Zhenwei flicked a finger. A massive Red Magpie star beast, with wings spanning over twenty meters, swooped down and landed in front of him before bowing low. Tan Zhenwei swiftly leaped onto the back of the Red Magpie.

"You'll know once we get there," Tan Zhenwei said, casting a glance at Li Xiaofei. "Do you dare?"

"Why wouldn’t I?" Li Xiaofei responded, leaping onto the Red Magpie’s back as well.

The Red Magpie let out a long cry and spread its wings. It smoothly and quickly soared into the sky. Standing on the magpie’s back, Li Xiaofei felt a sense of wonder, like a celestial being riding a crane.

Looking down, he saw the star beast horde below, roaring as they surged eastward like a massive tidal wave. The sight was spectacular.

After a moment of reflection, Li Xiaofei asked, "Uncle Tan, did you know the Jiepeng forces would try to assassinate you on the way?"

Tan Zhenwei replied calmly, "It wasn’t the Jiepeng people; it was members of the Tan family."

"The Tan family?" Li Xiaofei was stunned. "Why would your own family try to kill one of their own?"

"Because if I return, I will become the new head of the family. But there are some in the Tan family who have long coveted that position," Tan Zhenwei explained.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Who is it?" Li Xiaofei asked. "That guy, Tan Tianwei?"

"He’s not qualified," Tan Zhenwei replied dismissively.

"Then who?" Li Xiaofei pressed, eager to know anything related to Tan Qingying.

Tan Zhenwei's gaze grew distant for a moment before he spoke. "The elders. The ones who control the real power in the Tan family. They've been eyeing the position of family head for years. They can't allow someone like me, who's been away for so long, to return and take control. I’m a threat to them."

Li Xiaofei felt a surge of tension, knowing that these powerful family members were not just political rivals; they were potential enemies. Since Tan Qingying was part of the same family, the stakes were higher than ever.

"What about Qingying? Is she involved in any of this?" Li Xiaofei asked, his concern evident.

Tan Zhenwei’s eyes softened at the mention of his daughter. "No, she’s been kept out of this mess. For now. But once the power struggle begins in full, no one in the family will be safe, not even her."

Li Xiaofei clenched his fist and said, "Then we need to stop them, for her sake."