The atmosphere in the hall was extremely solemn.

If Longhu only thought of the first level, "the emperor was killed", then the clan leader Qin Beiwang and the two elders thought of the second level, "a war of succession will break out within Qilin."

Since it was just a civil war within the Qilin clan, the Canglong clan could naturally remain a leisurely bystander. If the time was right, they could even point fingers at the Qilin clan, just like what the Xuanwu clan did to Qi Weihong.

However, after being reminded by the clever Long Long, they quickly thought of the neglected third layer:

Behind these two heirs stand Xizhou and Beizhou respectively.

When Qi Weihuan was in power, the Qilin clan allied with the Xuanwu clan and married the White Tiger clan, but the overall distribution of interests was more inclined towards the Xuanwu clan.

This was not out of his own likes and dislikes, but a continuation of the policy of the previous Qilin clan leader - the reason why Qilin was able to replace Jiaolong was because of its alliance and support with the Xuanwu clan, which was part of the traditional friendship of the Kirin and Turtle Alliance.

However, now that the Qilin Ancestor has chosen the camp of the Queen's illegitimate son, the strength of the White Tiger Qilin Alliance has surpassed that of the Xuanwu side.

From the perspective of the White Tiger clan, defending the queen's legal rights and supporting the illegitimate son's ascension to the throne is an inevitable choice.

Because the interests involved are so huge, as long as they can achieve the final victory, it is not impossible to swallow up all the interests of the Xuanwu clan in the Zhongzhou royal court.

From the perspective of the Xuanwu clan, the losses from defeat were so huge that the possibility of surrendering without a fight was almost zero.

The two sides will inevitably engage in a fight! This is not a civil war within the Qilin family at all!

"I am a foolish junior, and I want to confirm with the three seniors." Long Long continued in a deep voice, "Now, which side is stronger, the alliance between the Qilin Patriarch and the White Tiger Clan, or the camp between the Black Tortoise Clan and Qi Weihong?"

"Of course it's the White Tiger clan." Qin Beiwang answered without hesitation.

Although Queen Lu Ya has a negative reputation within the Qilin clan, it is offset by the positive prestige of the Qilin ancestor. In addition, Qi Weihong has been "on a diplomatic mission" to Beizhou all year round, and his reputation within the clan is not very good. Most people in the Qilin clan must support the White Tiger clan.

The immortal-level strength of Baihu and Xuanwu is not much different. The internal standing of the Qilin clan is the key factor that determines the final victory or defeat.

"Then, wouldn't Xuanwu have thought of this?" Long Long asked without stopping, "If the clan leader is the Xuanwu ancestor, how would he respond?"

This shout was like lightning across the night sky, pushing Qin Beiwang's thoughts even deeper.

Could the Xuanwu clan not have thought of this? Impossible.

The Kirin Patriarch chose to support the illegitimate son, and at the same time strongly characterized the assassination, which made it clear that he was afraid that Qi Weihong had too close a relationship with the Xuanwu clan. In the end, he chose to stand on the side of the Queen and deepen the alliance with the White Tiger clan.

The balance of power was broken, and Qilin had to make a choice between the two. There was no other option - considering the interests of the clan, of course it would choose the weaker one, rather than being dominated or even swallowed up by the stronger one.

So, what will the Xuanwu clan do when they find themselves in a disadvantageous position after discovering their fate?

Qin Beiwang had the answer almost immediately:

Of course, we need to look for external aid from outside the field!

"In your opinion, will the Xuanwu clan seek us or the Yu clan to form an alliance?" Qin Beiwang lowered his voice and asked quickly.

The two elders next to him also gave him a serious, inquiring look, as if they no longer regarded Long Long as a junior, but as a decision-maker who could decide major matters within the clan.

Long Long's answer was also very quick, because he knew that the three dragon elders were already getting nervous. If he continued to keep the secret, it would definitely make them unhappy:

"Clan leader, in the eyes of the Xuanwu clan, where is the leader of our Dragon clan?"

"Of course it is in the imperial capital." Qin Beiwang was stunned for a moment and replied.

As the clan leader, I haven't made any huge political mistakes, so I will definitely still be the one in charge of the Canglong clan, and not the Canglong ancestor who stayed in Dongzhou in the rear - the ancestor would have unconditionally supported my decision!

"At this moment, does the Xuanwu clan have any way to confirm whether we have already defected to the opposing camp?" Long Long asked quickly again.

"There's nothing I can do." Qin Beiwang also answered quickly.

If the Dragon Clan reached an agreement with the Qilin Ancestor in private, even if the Xuanwu Clan wanted to learn the news through spies, it would be impossible for them to obtain the information on the same day.

"So, if the clan leader is the Xuanwu Patriarch," Long Long gritted his teeth and said, "Will he choose to continue to explore the current position and attitude of the Dragon Clan, or will he go directly to the Nanzhou Feather Clan to form an alliance?"

"I..." Qin Beiwang blurted out, "Of course, we should do both!"

The Feather Clan of Nanzhou will never compromise with the Royal Court of Zhongzhou. The two sides have a long-standing war hatred as well as disputes over territorial interests. The Feather Clan will definitely not give up the opportunity to attack the Royal Court of Zhongzhou.

Therefore, Xuanwu will definitely contact Nanzhou as soon as possible, and at the same time quickly test Canglong's attitude.

As long as Xuanwu and Zhuniao form an alliance, the original strength disadvantage will be quickly equalized, and the two camps can be said to be evenly matched with little difference.

In other words, the attitude of the last force in the Eastern Emperor Realm - Dongzhou Canglong - will be the key to determining the balance of war.

Thinking of this, Qin Beiwang and the two elders looked at each other for a moment and read joy from each other's eyes.

Long Long almost vomited blood when he saw this: How can you be so happy? You don't think you can just sit back and watch and reap the benefits!

"Clan leader!" He didn't plan to continue guiding his thoughts, and could only remind him anxiously, "If even the Southern Province Feather Clan is involved, this will not be a local war! It will be a full-scale war that affects the entire Eastern Emperor Realm!"

"Both camps are already so bloated and huge, and the resources invested in the war must be incalculable, so it is impossible for them to easily compromise and make peace with each other... If our dragon race remains neutral, how do you think the two camps will react?"

Qin Beiwang was silent for a moment, then he broke away from his original train of thought.

Once the two giant camps of Qilin and White Tiger, Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird are formed, the original conservative diplomatic strategy will no longer exist, because they must tear apart and devour all available food around them before the final life-and-death battle, thus racing against time to strengthen themselves.

If you choose not to take sides in this situation, you will inevitably become a victim caught between the two camps!

"Then what do you think we should do?" Qin Beiwang was anxious and asked Long Long quickly.

Long Long: ...

The two elders: …

Even Longhu was a little dumbfounded. Qin Beiwang came back to his senses and suddenly felt ashamed.

As the patriarch, it was reasonable for him to listen to the advice of the younger generation, but what was wrong with him taking the initiative to ask for advice from the younger generation? How shameful!

It’s all because Long Long is so smart that I, the clan leader, trusted him too much. It’s my fault!

Long Long saw the embarrassment on Qin Beiwang's face and immediately said tactfully:

"I am a foolish young man, and I dare not make any comments. However, such an important matter should be decided by the clan leader and the ancestors together."

"That's right!" Qin Beiwang suddenly realized, and then showed an expression of "You are indeed the same as I thought", and said majestically, "Very good, Long Long, you are indeed smart."

“There’s more, clan leader!” Seeing that Qin Beiwang still had time to build the stairs, Long Long was almost powerless to complain, and hurriedly reminded him, “The most urgent thing now is that if we continue to stay in the imperial capital, I’m afraid we will have to form an alliance with the Qilin clan!”

Hmm? Qin Beiwang's body trembled again, and he immediately came to his senses.

Everyone is still in the Qilin clan's territory! If the Qilin ancestor gets angry and captures Long Long to marry him directly, and then announces it to the world, then they will have to form an alliance even if they don't want to!

"No, we have to go quickly!" he said hurriedly to the two elders.

"Of course." The two elders were also speechless.

What's wrong with you, the clan leader? Why are you being bossed around by a junior like Long Long?

However, the incident did happen too hastily. Long Long was able to analyze the entire situation in detail in such a short period of time, and then quickly formulate the highest priority matters. Such political vision is truly amazing.

No matter what, we must protect Long Long and escort him back to Dongzhou safely!