Chapter 2990 — Changing Sides with the Wind

"Good. Very good!" Elder Zhao nodded. "I always suspected there was something wrong with you, which was why I never made you the heir to the position of family head. Instead, I sent you off to the Ice Palace. And now, look at you. Just as I expected, you really are a traitor!"

"Heh. Say whatever you like. My intentions in following Wei Zhao have never changed," Zhao Qilei replied.

"Indeed, say whatever you like. Do you really think that you and that crippled Wei Zhao can exact justice? Neither of you will be leaving this place alive today!" Elder Zhao threw back his head and laughed.

Elder You, Sect Master Jin, and Sect Master Wo also found the situation rather strange. Wei Zhao had been crippled, yet he had come here with Zhao Qilei to exact justice? Wasn't that simply courting death? The two of them certainly did not look like idiots.

So, believing that anything out of the ordinary must have a hidden cause, Elder You, Sect Master Jin, and Sect Master Wo did not step forward or say anything. They merely watched, waiting to understand the situation before making a move.

"Elder Zhao, do you really think the two of us are the only ones who came today?" Wei Zhao spoke up. He snapped his fingers toward the space behind him, and in an instant Elder Pi, Elder Han, Pi Zhifeng, Wu Chengtian, Han Xiaohu, Zhuangniao Qiang, Zhuangniao Pao, and the others all poured into the conference room.

"I was wondering how the two of you could possibly be so stupid. So you brought reinforcements after all. Clever." Elder Zhao gave a cold laugh. "Under ordinary circumstances, if this group of yours came knocking, our Zhao family truly would have no way to deal with you. With an expert of the Heaven Rank like Elder Pi among you, our family would be turned upside down! But you chose the worst possible moment to come here today. Do you know who is sitting in this room? You may not know Zhao Qilei, but surely you know Wei Zhao?"

"So Elder You, Sect Master Wo, and Sect Master Jin are here as well," Wei Zhao said calmly.

"That's right. We are here to discuss the second phase of our plan to deal with you, Wei Zhao. We were just about to go to your home and make trouble, and now you have delivered yourselves to our door. This time, I doubt any of you will be making it back! Since you came here looking for trouble of your own accord, no one on the ancient level could fault us for wiping you out. Elder Pi, Elder Han, you two can die with them as well!" Elder Zhao threw his head back and laughed arrogantly. "Hahahahaha!"

"Oh? Is that so? In other words, Elder You, Sect Master Jin, and Sect Master Wo are all on Elder Zhao's side and intend to oppose us?" Wei Zhao looked toward the three men with a half-smile.

"Naturally!" Elder You, Sect Master Jin, and Sect Master Wo all nodded in reply.

"Oh. Then I suppose I won't be holding back." Wei Zhao suddenly rose from his wheelchair. He circulated the formulas of his inner cultivation method, and the full might of his early Heaven Rank strength burst forth without restraint.

"Gah!" Elder Zhao stared in astonishment.

"What?" Sect Master Jin and Sect Master Wo were both horrified.

Elder You, however, was the quickest to react. He hurriedly said, "Naturally... that is impossible! I haven't finished speaking! I am firmly on Senior Wei Zhao's side. After all, Senior Wei Zhao and my son You Panhu were classmates, and they have an excellent relationship. So I came here today to condemn the Hidden Zhao family's vile act of poisoning Senior Wei Zhao!"

"Is that so? Since when have You Panhu and I had such an excellent relationship?" Wei Zhao asked with a smile, turning toward Elder You.

"How could it not be excellent? Panhu often gave you wonderful treasures. Have you forgotten? The medicine cauldrons, the alchemy materials, and all the rest?" Elder You said hurriedly.

"Oh. Put that way, I suppose it does sound as if we have a good relationship." Wei Zhao nodded. His main purpose in coming today was to seek justice from the Hidden Zhao family. As for the others, he had no intention of making a major issue of them. After all, the You family had the Xuan Dan Sect as its backer, and Wei Zhao did not wish to move against them for the time being.

Tianchan Bian had helped Wei Zhao once, and Wei Zhao had gone straight to kick out the other party's hidden-level forces. No matter how one looked at it, that would have been rather dishonorable.

"Exactly, exactly! That is what I was about to say. Naturally, that is impossible!" Sect Master Wo of the Qianshan Sect hastened to declare. "Our Qianshan Sect has always been on friendly terms with Senior Wei Zhao. We have always been grateful to him for taking in our Wind-Thunder Violet Lightning Beast and relieving us of a tremendous burden. That beast devoured precious natural treasures throughout the day in our sect, and we could do nothing about it. Senior Wei Zhao displayed true righteousness by taking in the spirit beast and lightening our load. So I have come this time, just like Elder You, to condemn the Hidden Zhao family's vile conduct!"

"Exactly. The Golden Bell Sect is the same. I am grateful that Senior Wei Zhao's subordinate killed that old bastard Jin Wudi. How could I have risen to my current position if he had lived? Senior Wei Zhao is my benefactor. I, too, have come to condemn the Hidden Zhao family!" Sect Master Jin hurriedly shouted.

Elder Zhao's face had already changed color. He had now gained a profound understanding of the shamelessness of these three allies of his. What did it mean to trim one's sails to the wind? What did it mean to fawn upon the powerful? These three men demonstrated both to perfection.

"You old bastard, don't even think about washing your hands of this! You were the one who gave us the poison!" Elder Zhao could no longer concern himself with appearances. To drag the three men back into his camp, he had no choice but to tear off all pretense. "And you, Wo, weren't those spirit-beast poisons the ones you gave us? And you, Jin, who was it that just agreed to kill Wei Zhao? You faithless, shameless bastards!"

"Old Zhao, don't slander me with your filthy lies! When did I ever give you poison? Our Hidden You family practices alchemy. We are not poison makers!" Elder You immediately shot back.

"Exactly! You're talking nonsense. If our Qianshan Sect had poison for dealing with spirit beasts, why didn't we use it at the Hidden World's Aristocratic Families Summit?" Sect Master Wo chimed in. In truth, he had not used it at the summit because he had not brought it with him. Even so, it made the perfect excuse for denying the accusation.

"That is complete nonsense! Senior Wei Zhao killed Jin Wudi and helped me rise to power. I cannot thank him enough. Why would I ever go and kill him?" Sect Master Jin snapped angrily.

"You..." Elder Zhao was so furious that he nearly spat blood. If these three had stood at his side, he might still have had some chance of victory today. But now that they had betrayed him outright, how could the Zhao family possibly survive?

When Wei Zhao had been at the late Earth Rank, he could already kill Heaven Rank experts in an instant. Now that he had reached the early Heaven Rank, wouldn't he be even more capable of doing so? Perhaps he could even kill late Heaven Rank experts instantly!