Then hurry up and kill me, I don't care!

"Patriarch, Shen Lang has been brought back!"

At this very moment, as He Xiufei hurried toward the City Lord's Mansion, Shen Lang's clone was also brought back to the Zhou family estate by the Fourth Elder.

Looking at Shen Lang's handsome face and thinking of how his son had not even been left with an intact corpse, Zhou Huai'an flew into a rage and barked on the spot, "Why bring him here? Cut off his head immediately as a sacrifice to my son Hao!"

What the hell?

Hearing Zhou Huai'an's furious words, Shen Lang could not help but curse inwardly. He had arranged for his clone to come to the Zhou family precisely to trigger the system's recycling function and make a massive fortune in advance. Now, before gaining anything, he was about to be beheaded—how could he possibly tolerate that?

Feigning panic on the spot, he shouted, "Don't kill me! I have a way to make your Zhou family become the emperors of the Great Qin at a minimal cost!"

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the council hall shifted abruptly.

However, Zhou Huai'an did not believe his words at all and said quite bluntly, "Did you not hear me say to take this little bastard away and dispose of him?"

The Fourth Elder's expression flickered, not daring to hesitate.

Shen Lang also grew angry. "Old bastard, if you dare to kill me, your Zhou family can just wait to be swallowed up!"

"Audacious!" Zhou Huai'an wanted to flare up and torture Shen Lang.

Yet the Great Elder narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a lingering tone, "Patriarch, just how long do you plan to indulge in your grief and rage?"

Hearing this abruptly, Zhou Huai'an looked at the Great Elder with displeasure and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Now that Zhou Hao is dead, and you have vented your madness, shouldn't we start considering the future of the Zhou family?"

Upon hearing this, many of the elders in the council hall nodded one after another. In the past, with a prodigy like Zhou Hao in the Zhou family, they felt that whatever Zhou Huai'an said was right. But now, Zhou Hao was dead. Their notion of relying on Zhou Hao to make a name for themselves in the Blood Demon Sect and elevate the Zhou family's status was no longer realistic. They had to make other plans!

Zhou Huai'an was no fool; naturally, he could tell that the Great Elder harbored ulterior motives. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you really believe this fellow Shen Lang can come up with a way to help our Zhou family become the emperors of the Great Qin?"

"He is, after all, a puppet groomed by Nalan Yanran. What harm is there in listening to him?"

"Very well!"

Zhou Huai'an took a deep breath, his gaze cold as he looked at Shen Lang. "Speak. What method do you have to make our Zhou family the emperors of the Great Qin at a minimal cost?"

"I said it before—if I tell you, will I not have to die?" Shen Lang asked, his face cold as he stared at Zhou Huai'an.

Zhou Huai'an slammed his palm onto the table and roared, "Impudent! You have no qualification to bargain with this old man!"

"If you don't speak up immediately, I will make you wish you were dead!"

"Then hurry up and kill me. I don't care anymore!" Shen Lang replied flatly, effectively lying flat.

"You dog, do you think I wouldn't dare?" Seeing that Shen Lang still dared to threaten him, Zhou Huai'an rose to his feet in a fury, preparing to finish Shen Lang off.

Yet the Great Elder blocked his path once again. "Patriarch, it's death either way. Why on earth would anyone tell you their secrets?"

"You—" Zhou Huai'an wanted to say more, but before the words could leave his mouth, a cold voice echoed from outside the door, "Huai'an, haven't you caused enough trouble?"

Hearing this voice, Zhou Huai'an's expression changed drastically in an instant.

Shen Lang's heart also skipped a beat. So the Zhou family truly possessed a cultivator in the Soul Formation stage. It seemed that when he wreaked havoc in the Zhou family later, he must prioritize recycling the most valuable items first!

Just as Shen Lang was contemplating how to stir up trouble, Zhou Botong, the ancestor of the Zhou family, spoke up again. "As the patriarch, you should take the family's interests as your primary duty, rather than acting on impulse and emotion!"

"Your current state makes you no longer fit to remain as patriarch."

"Let the Great Elder temporarily take over your duties!"

Hearing these words from his ancestor, Zhou Huai'an subconsciously wanted to offer an explanation. Yet when the words reached his lips, he found himself unable to utter them. For he knew well enough himself that he had indeed been somewhat reckless regarding the matter of Zhou Hao. Realizing that he had lost miserably this time, he seemed to age twenty years in a single instant.

With a respectful bow toward the direction from which the voice had emanated, he said, "Huai'an understands!"

With that, Zhou Huai'an walked out of the council hall in dejection, looking like a frost-bitten eggplant.

After he left, the Great Elder smilingly seated himself in the patriarch's chair. He chuckled at Shen Lang, saying, "I know you have suffered grievances, so as long as you work for our Zhou family, I can spare your life."

"However, whatever you say must be worth your life. Do you understand my meaning?"

Shen Lang had voluntarily applied to come to the Zhou family precisely to use his clone to recycle the family's treasures and accumulate grudge points. Seeing that the Great Elder of the Zhou family was presenting him with such an opportunity, he naturally would not let it slip away.

"I understand, I understand!"

"Good. Then let me ask you, what did you mean earlier when you said you could help our Zhou family become the emperors of the Great Qin at a minimal cost?" The Great Elder asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I said it before—if I tell you, I won't die, right?" Shen Lang brought up the condition again.

"Of course!"

"No matter what, you are considered an imperial commissioner personally appointed by Her Majesty, and you are also the grandson of the Defender-General. We do not have any irreconcilable hatred between us; why would we want to kill you?"

Hearing the Great Elder's reasoning, Shen Lang had to admit that this fellow was much harder to deal with than Zhou Huai'an. However, the death trap he had laid for the Zhou family was already complete. Even with a new patriarch, the Zhou family could never revive.

Therefore, Shen Lang feigned seriousness and said, "Actually, if you don't kill me, I can steal the divine artifact and bring it to you. All you need to do is give me a few spiritual stones so I can leave the Great Qin!"

"Oh?" Hearing this, the Great Elder's eyes lit up instantly.

He knew that obtaining the divine artifact meant gaining the qualification to participate in the candidates' trial. But now, with the involvement of Zhao Tianba and the Wu family, there was no telling how fierce the bidding war for this divine artifact would become. For the Zhou family, which had backed themselves into a corner, this was truly a war they could not afford to fight.

If Shen Lang could acquire the divine artifact for them, wouldn't the Zhou family obtain it without any effort at all? Furthermore, his performance in this matter would firmly cement his position as patriarch.

However, being a deeply cunning veteran, this reason alone was not enough to make him fully trust Shen Lang. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "How can you make me believe that you can steal the divine artifact from Nalan Yanran?"

"The Fourth Elder should have seen how Nalan Yanran treats me. She trusts me deeply!"

Hearing this, the Great Elder immediately looked toward the Fourth Elder.

Recalling the emotional state Nalan Yanran had displayed when he took Shen Lang away, the Fourth Elder nodded quite seriously. "Nalan Yanran's feelings for this brat do run deep!"

Seeing the Fourth Elder confirm this, the Great Elder smiled. "Very well. I will send you back right now, and you must bring me the divine artifact immediately!"

"However, before you go, you need to swallow this Soul-Devouring Pill."

"If you fail to bring the divine artifact within seven days, your soul will suffer the torment of a thousand cuts. No problem with that, right?"

Looking at the Great Elder's sinister expression, Shen Lang nodded quite seriously. "No problem at all!"

"Only..."