"What?" Zhou Hong seemed a little surprised.
"Don't you think about it, the Purple Firmament Empire rules this continent with force. Their royal family will always be the race with the most cultivation geniuses. This is not because their bloodline is truly that good, but because they have obtained the best resources, coupled with some manufactured accidents, assassinations of geniuses, and so on."
Zhou Hong muttered to himself, "No wonder among the top ten in the Young Genius Ranking, six are members of the royal family."
"Zhou Hong, you have now attracted the attention of the empire. Currently, the various princes are vying to recruit you. If you can truly be recruited, perhaps the empire's higher authorities will not immediately move against you. If you refuse their recruitment, then the consequences are predictable."
"Hahaha, hahaha." Zhou Hong let out a laugh of anger. What a predictable outcome.
"Zhou Hong, for the sake of the family, you have to endure some things. Do you know that the current Prime Minister of the empire was also a very strong genius back then? He later assisted the current emperor, and now he is second only to the emperor, with his family flourishing."
Zhou Hong clenched his fists. If things really came to that, Zhou Hong would have no choice but to take action against the royal family. They were forcing him to do this.
However, it had not reached that point yet, and Zhou Hong did not want to take that step. It wasn't for any particular reason, but rather because he had no interest in this small continent. He simply did not want to be the king of the Purple Firmament Continent.
"We'll talk about this later. I need to prepare myself. The assessment for the Ancient Academy begins next month."
"Alright."
Zhou Hong returned to his courtyard.
At this very moment, within the imperial palace of the Purple Firmament Empire, His Majesty the Emperor was discussing something with several ministers. Upon closer listening, it was indeed related to Zhou Hong.
"My esteemed ministers, what do you think of this Zhou Hong?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, this Zhou Hong's talent is indeed extraordinary. Your humble servant believes we must guard against him," one minister quickly said.
"Lord Xiaoyao speaks wisely, but he is also a talent."
"Your Majesty, maintaining the stability of the imperial dynasty is paramount. Your humble servant suggests we eliminate him as soon as possible, lest he achieve something great in the future and become..."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider." Several ministers advised in unison.
Just then, one minister said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should wait a while longer. This Zhou Hong has a great reputation on the Purple Firmament Continent, which is bound to arouse suspicion. Currently, the various princes are competing to recruit him. If Zhou Hong accepts their recruitment, it may not be a bad thing. After all, our Purple Firmament Empire will need a more powerful person to help defend the continent in the future. Now, in the four corners of the Purple Firmament Continent, the Sunset Mountain Range, the Black Dragon Lake, the Southern Mountain Range, many demonic beasts are rising. If our empire does not have a continuous stream of strong reinforcements, one day, the only human habitat on the Purple Firmament Continent will become the lairs of those demonic beasts."
This minister who was speaking was a far-sighted official. The emperor pondered his advice for a moment.
"Lord Liu speaks wisely. Our Purple Firmament Continent indeed needs more strong individuals to defend it, otherwise, the human habitat will only shrink in the future. In that case, let's observe for the time being. I hope he will accept the recruitment of one of the princes soon."
"Your Majesty is wise."
At this moment, another minister said, "Your Majesty, what if this Zhou Hong does not accept any prince's recruitment? I see this person as very ambitious and not someone who would willingly serve under others."
"If that is truly the case, then do not blame the empire for not giving him a chance. Geniuses are acceptable, but geniuses that harm the Purple Firmament Empire are not. Court is adjourned."
Zhou Hong was at home at this moment, unaware that the emperor had convened an imperial court concerning him, let alone that his fate rested on whether he was willing to become a subordinate of a prince. If not, one day in the future, an accident would surely occur, leading to Zhou Hong's demise, leaving the entire continent to sigh with regret. The ordinary commoners would never know the truth.
"Zhou Hong, a prince has come to see you." Just as Zhou Hong was cultivating in his room, a family elder's voice called out from outside.
"Who is it?" Zhou Hong sounded impatient.
"It is His Highness the Ninth Prince. He is already in the family hall."
"Damn it, tell him to get lost," Zhou Hong roared.
"Zhou Hong, do not be disrespectful. The Ninth Prince is among the princes, a relatively talented one. If he becomes emperor in the future, it will be a blessing for many common people."
"Tell him for me that I will not become the subordinate of any prince."
"Zhou Hong, do not act impulsively. The rise and fall of the family all depend on you."
"Alright, I have said what I needed to say. If they dare to bother me again, I will kill a prince," Zhou Hong shouted.
"You!" The elder was startled when Zhou Hong spoke of killing a prince, as if fearing Zhou Hong might impulsively do something of the sort. He quickly said, "Then you continue cultivating, I will handle it."
Zhou Hong felt a wave of annoyance within him. He knew that this matter would eventually have to be resolved.
"Brother Golden Crow, are you there?" Zhou Hong called out in his mind.
"I know what you want to ask me. You have no interest in this small continent, yet you don't want to be harassed by these princes."
"Yes, what should I do? Help me think of a plan. Otherwise, I'll go directly to the emperor. You help me threaten him, and as long as he issues an order, no one will dare to harass me." Zhou Hong said.
"That works too. Since you have no interest in the throne, the best way is to solve it at the source."
"Alright, then I'll go tonight."
That evening, in the middle of the night, Zhou Hong silently entered the imperial palace.
The reason Zhou Hong possessed such great ability to sneak into the palace without alerting the emperor was naturally thanks to the Dark Golden Crow. The Dark Golden Crow helped Zhou Hong conceal his aura, making him like air, entering the palace effortlessly.
Not only that, Zhou Hong even slipped directly into the emperor's chambers.
At this moment, on the emperor's bed, it was shaking. There was no need to guess, the emperor was currently working hard. He seemed completely unaware that there was a man sitting in his room.
That man was Zhou Hong. Zhou Hong looked at the shaking mosquito net and smiled inwardly. This emperor's strength was at least at the late Nascent Soul stage, yet under the concealment of the Dark Golden Crow, Zhou Hong entered his room without him noticing. The Dark Golden Crow was truly too powerful.