"Du Gu Shuang, does your family have any quiet courtyards or villas?" Zhou Hong asked, looking at Du Gu Shuang.
"Of course,"
"Very well, take me to see one."
Du Gu Shuang said with some worry, "Are you really going to meet with the royal family's powerhouses alone tomorrow?"
"Of course."
"But...!"
"Enough with the buts, I know what I'm doing."
Du Gu Shuang was helpless. Although worried, she didn't ask further.
Led by Du Gu Shuang, Zhou Hong arrived at a small villa. Zhou Hong immediately began his preparations.
In this small villa, within a large hall, Zhou Hong set up a formation. Zhou Hong's current formation skills were even stronger than before. Tomorrow, the members of the royal family, as soon as they entered this hall, would invisibly inhale Zhou Hong's poison gas through every pore, making it ten times more potent and effective than oral administration.
After completing all preparations, he waited for them to fall into his trap tomorrow.
No more on this for now. Swiftly, the next day arrived. Early in the morning, Zhou Hong sent a servant from the Du Gu family to the imperial palace to deliver a message, asking the emperor to go to a small villa in the northeast corner of the Du Gu family's estate, where Zhou Hong would be waiting for everyone.
Upon receiving the message, the emperor was very excited and seemed to be looking forward to it. He immediately brought almost all the powerhouses of the royal family, totaling forty to fifty people.
After waiting for about half an hour, Emperor Liuli arrived with forty to fifty members of the royal family.
"Hahaha, Zhou Hong, I didn't expect you to keep your word," the emperor said with a fake laugh, seeing Zhou Hong standing at the entrance of the villa to greet them.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor, and all the seniors," Zhou Hong also bowed respectfully with feigned sincerity.
"Zhou Hong, there's no need to be polite."
"Esteemed seniors, please enter the hall to talk," Zhou Hong gestured, then led the way into the hall.
"Good," The emperor winked at some of the family powerhouses by his side, then followed them into the hall.
As soon as everyone entered the hall, Zhou Hong activated the formation. Unbeknownst to them, poison gas began to subtly seep into their bodies through their pores.
Zhou Hong chuckled and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor, esteemed seniors, please be seated. I am honored that you think highly of me and wish to hear me impart some of my cultivation insights."
The emperor and others slightly curled their lips, as if silently thinking, "Who the hell wants to hear your cultivation insights?" However, it wasn't the time to act yet. After all, once they made a move, they had to ensure it was foolproof. They felt that the biggest uncertain factor was the Du Gu family.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou Hong, have the seniors of the Du Gu family not come?" the emperor asked probing.
"No, why would they? I've already communicated with them. There's no need for them to join the excitement today."
"That's good," The emperor nodded and immediately gave a signal to an old man beside him.
The next second, that old man revealed a fierce look and snorted, "Zhou Hong, you won't be leaving this door today."
"Esteemed senior, what do you mean by that? Weren't you all here to meet me, admire my cultivation genius, and ask me some questions?" Zhou Hong feigned ignorance.
"Hahaha, ask your sister! Humph," the emperor also sneered. In such a confined hall, with so many experts from the royal family, he didn't believe Zhou Hong could escape. Even if the Du Gu family's powerhouses heard the news and rushed over, they would be confident they couldn't save Zhou Hong. Moreover, the Du Gu family only had one cultivator in the early Integration stage, which was no match for them.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, what are you laughing about again?" Zhou Hong asked, feigning confusion. He was currently standing facing the back door, allowing him to dash out at the fastest speed at any moment. Of course, this was assuming the poison hadn't taken effect yet. If it had, it wouldn't matter whether he went out or not.
"Zhou Hong, although your cultivation talent is strong, you ultimately lack experience. Seeing how cooperative you've been, I'll be direct with you. Associating with the Du Gu family is a grave offense to my royal family. You will surely die today."
"Is that so?" Zhou Hong was too lazy to pretend anymore and sneered. He noticed that the weaker members of the Liuli royal family were already starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Otherwise, do you think you could still escape today? Although I know you are an unparalleled genius, no matter how talented you are, under the encirclement and pursuit of forty to fifty of us, I don't believe you can truly defy fate."
"Why would you do this? Just because I know Du Gu Shuang?" Zhou Hong found it hard to believe it was merely such a trivial reason.
"Hmph, since it's come to this, I'll tell you the truth. I've taken a liking to your body," the emperor said directly. After he spoke, the royal powerhouses behind him were slightly surprised, seeming to understand now why the emperor was so insistent on eliminating Zhou Hong.
"I'm not a woman, what do you want my body for?"
"Hmph, don't talk nonsense with me. I'm old now, and my lifespan is only a hundred years at most. There's no hope of advancing further. It's better to switch to a body of unparalleled genius, and perhaps I can have another chance. What do you think, Zhou Hong?" the Emperor said with a cold smile.
"Hahaha, that's a good idea. Since there's no future anyway, why not seize my body? It's indeed a brilliant plan."
"In that case, surrender now. Resistance is futile. In such a confined space, you absolutely cannot escape," the emperor said confidently and signaled. A dozen powerhouses surrounded Zhou Hong.
"Why should I surrender? You're the ones who should surrender."
"You're facing death, and you still dare to speak like this." The emperor and others were somewhat unable to comprehend.
"Do you think that I, Zhou Hong, have survived until now purely by the grace of heaven and so-called talent? Wrong. I, Zhou Hong, was originally an insignificant ant, and I fought my way here step by step," Zhou Hong smirked.
"Your Majesty, stop wasting words with him. Dispose of him immediately," one of the old men said.
"Good, lest there be any unforeseen complications. Attack now," the emperor commanded.
Everyone wanted to rush forward. However, just as they were about to exert their strength, they suddenly felt weak and collapsed. If they hadn't exerted force, it might not have acted so quickly. The moment they used their strength, it erupted.
"What's wrong with you all?" The emperor's expression changed drastically as he saw the royal family members falling one after another.
"Your Majesty, I don't know why, but suddenly we feel weak all over, and it seems very uncomfortable." More than twenty people who had already fallen clutched their necks in pain.