"Zhou Hong, come with me to the family hall. The Emperor has sent someone to invite you," Dugu Shuang said, quickly getting dressed.
Zhou Hong asked with a confused expression, "I have no connection with him. Why would he invite me?"
"We'll know when we go and see."
Zhou Hong also quickly got dressed and accompanied Dugu Shuang to a grand hall of the Dugu family. Inside the hall, a eunuch-like figure was waiting. The patriarch of the Dugu family was also present, accompanying him. It seemed this eunuch was a trusted confidant of the Liuli Empire's Emperor, someone not to be offended lightly.
Zhou Hong roughly assessed that this eunuch-like figure's strength was at least at the late stage of the Soul Transformation, if not the early stage of Body Integration.
"Hello, I am Zhou Hong," Zhou Hong said as he entered the hall.
The eunuch-like figure looked at Zhou Hong and said with a womanish laugh, "Hello, you are the renowned Zhou Hong. Indeed, a hero of a young age."
"No need for pleasantries. What do you need me for?" Zhou Hong did not appear very enthusiastic. After all, he was not from the Liuli Empire, and a eunuch by the Emperor's side was not qualified to warrant such warmth from Zhou Hong.
"Daoist friend Zhou Hong, it is my great pleasure to meet you. I am Eunuch Chen, a eunuch by the side of Emperor Liuli Mao Ning," he said.
"Oh, oh," Zhou Hong nodded.
"His Majesty heard that the genius Zhou Hong from Taigu Academy has arrived in our Liuli Empire and is extremely pleased. He wishes to make your acquaintance and invites you to the palace for a chat."
Zhou Hong inwardly scoffed. If he was so pleased and wanted to make his acquaintance, why didn't he come himself? Why send a eunuch to deliver the message? This lack of sincerity meant Zhou Hong had no interest in meeting this Emperor.
Given Zhou Hong's renowned genius status, few cultivators across the entire Tianyang Continent were unaware of him. A mere emperor of a middle-tier empire was the one who should be trying to curry favor with Zhou Hong. If Zhou Hong were to eagerly rush to the imperial palace, wouldn't that be beneath him?
"Daoist friend Zhou Hong, please," the eunuch said, making a gesture of invitation. He hadn't expected Zhou Hong to refuse and likely assumed, from his usual experience, that no one in the Liuli Empire dared to refuse the Emperor's invitation.
"Please what? Go where?" Zhou Hong asked, feigning a frown.
"To the imperial palace. Didn't I just say that our Liuli Empire's His Majesty greatly admires you and wishes to invite you to the palace for a meeting?"
"I'm sorry, I'm busy now. Please tell your Emperor that we can discuss it another day," Zhou Hong refused.
"Ah!" The eunuch was taken aback for a moment, but then he quickly recovered and chuckled, "Very well, I shall return to the palace to report."
After the eunuch finished speaking, he left. The moment he stepped out of the hall, his expression darkened, and he thought to himself with disdain, "Good for you, Zhou Hong. You don't even take His Majesty's invitation seriously. You are too arrogant."
After the eunuch left, Dugu Shuang quickly asked, "Zhou Hong, why did you refuse? He is the Emperor of the Liuli Empire, after all. He heard you arrived in the Liuli Empire and wants to invite you to the palace. Why not give him some face?"
"Yes, Zhou Hong. Should I call Eunuch Chen back?" Dugu Baitian also chimed in.
"Heh, it's not that I'm being arrogant. Perhaps in your eyes, the Emperor of the Liuli Empire holds an extraordinary status, high and mighty. But I am not from this country. In my eyes, he's just an emperor. If he were truly so sincere about getting to know me, why didn't he come himself instead of sending a eunuch to relay the message? What is he trying to prove? You tell me, is my fame across the Tianyang Continent higher or lower than his?"
"It's definitely much higher. How many people across the entire Tianyang Continent know of him as Emperor, while you are an idol to countless cultivators."
"Exactly. So, if he wants to visit me, he should come with sincerity. Perhaps, considering he's an emperor of an empire, I might deign to speak a few words to him. For him to expect me to visit him at the imperial palace? He must be dreaming."
"Alright," Dugu Shuang and Dugu Baitian said no more.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, a meticulously laid trap was in place. To eliminate Zhou Hong, almost all the strong cultivators of the Liuli Imperial family had been mobilized.
However, all they saw was Eunuch Chen returning alone.
"Eunuch Chen? Where is Zhou Hong?" the Emperor asked, rushing up to Eunuch Chen upon seeing him.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Hong did not come."
"How could that be? Did you not tell him it was my invitation for him to be my guest?"
"I did, but his expression was filled with arrogance, as if you were not on his level and he expected you to come to him personally. In short, he acted as if he didn't take you seriously at all."
"Hmph, how utterly audacious! I am, after all, the ruler of a nation, and I sincerely invited him as my guest. He dares to disregard me like this." The Emperor of the Liuli Empire snorted with anger. It was unclear what kind of face he had to say this, sincerely inviting Zhou Hong, when he had clearly set a trap. Fortunately, Zhou Hong hadn't taken his invitation seriously, or he would have fallen into the trap.
"Your Majesty, what shall we do now?" another powerful figure asked, stepping forward.
"What else can we do? Continue the invitation until he enters this place."
"But judging by his demeanor, unless you personally go to invite him, he will not come."
The Emperor gritted his teeth and said, "Once the arrow is released, there is no turning back. I must go personally."
At this moment, another middle-aged man stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the arrow has not yet been released. After all, he still doesn't know we intend to kill him. If we stop now, there is still time."
"What? Are you going against the imperial family?" the Emperor frowned.
"Your Majesty, I am also part of the Liuli family. Of course, I wish for our Liuli imperial family to control the empire forever. However, Zhou Hong has not expressed any support for the Dugu family. To think of eliminating him without even meeting him... what if we fail? He is, after all, a genius who has shaken the entire continent. If we fail and he escapes, our entire imperial family will face eternal damnation."
"Enough, my decision is made." The Emperor ignored the dissuasion and insisted on eliminating Zhou Hong. In fact, the Emperor harbored a secret thought that no one knew.
The Emperor's body was already aging, and there was no hope for further breakthroughs in his cultivation. He could only live day by day.
Therefore, the Emperor suddenly had an idea: if he could take over Zhou Hong's body, would there be a different future?
At least, after possessing Zhou Hong's body, his lifespan would be extended.
Even if changing bodies posed obstacles to his future cultivation, he had no hope for advancement anyway, so obstacles were not a concern.