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News reached Elder Hou and others in the New World half a day later....

At this time, Elder Hou and his group, who were in Northern Wolf City’s netherworld waiting for reincarnation, received the message, and their expressions were all incredibly solemn, especially Elder Hou, who nearly ground his teeth as he said, "The timing couldn’t be better!"

These old foxes could easily see through all the coincidences, couldn’t they?

At this very moment, they were at the cusp of reincarnation, with each having already chosen their soon-to-be families.

For instance, Elder Hou, with his strong spirit and even higher status, naturally deserved to be allocated from among the top bloodline families of the Northern Wasteland, specifically a legitimate second son from the Zhou Family of the Celestial Wolf.

Howling Moon Sky Wolf, the Northern Yan Country’s ace family that produced four generations of top marshals, was the most renowned military deity family of Northern Yan.

With their formidable bloodline, they had repeatedly stood on equal grounds with the top families of the Central Plains.

In the entire Northern Wasteland, they were renowned.

Now, this family’s legitimate bloodline had only one slot, and Elder Hou was naturally determined to claim it.

At such a time, could he possibly give up the chance to go back and handle the grand situation?

For the first time, Elder Hou found himself in a great struggle!

Years of political experience told him that if he didn’t handle this well, the family structure of the Federation might be completely shattered; at the very least, it would split into two factions, with at least half the forces likely to join Chen Qing’s side.

This was the trap Chen Qing had set this time.

Unless they, the old guard, went back now, with their prestige, they could quickly rally those fence-sitting juniors and forcefully suppress the likes of Xuu Min and others.

Then some comfort could be given to the rest. Although the rift would definitely still exist, at least it could be temporarily held together.

However, one side’s gain would be another’s loss; if they returned now, the slots they vacated would be taken by others. Who would be willing to give up?

The elders exchanged glances, their eyes filled with calculations...

Elder Hou knew that if he were to make the sacrifice, the other old geezers would surely find a way to take advantage. If he suggested letting the younger generation take over and have their generation wait for the next opportunity, would they agree?

Everyone knew the answer: they wouldn’t!

Sacrifice, sacrifice, it’s always for others to make sacrifices.

Giving up the best chance for ascension to maintain the family’s grand situation was something one would most effectively persuade others of, but when it came to oneself.

.. everyone here was at their zenith, and if they had really been willing to sacrifice, they wouldn’t have reached this point.

"Elder Hou... What do you think..." one of the elders asked, looking at Elder Hou who had yet to go to the reincarnation pool.

Elder Hou turned to Zhang Zhengyuan, "What does Elder Zhang say?"

Zhang Zhengyuan couldn’t help but laugh. What did that mean? Did he still expect him to go back and take charge?

Yes, Zhang Zhengyuan certainly had that clout, but why should he?

He had brought almost all his direct descendants with him, with no intention of leaving any forces behind in the Federation. He had taken a do-or-die approach, and now they wanted him to go back? Why should he?

"If Elder is willing to go back and take charge at this time... we are willing to..." The others quickly caught on, but Zhang Zhengyuan interrupted them before they could finish.

"Enough!" Zhang Zhengyuan cut them off: "This old man has been there before. I grew up eating cakes as a child, but at this age, my teeth are no longer good enough to eat them. I’ll be going first."

He didn’t want to say more and with a wave of his hand said, "Hurry up, what are the young ones waiting for? Don’t you see how scarce slots are?"

With that, he walked straight to the reincarnation pool, not looking back, and stepped in with his eyes closed.

"Hey... Elder Zhang!"

Several of them were wide-eyed, but several Wandering God Judges immediately glared over, "Do not disrupt the order, or you will bear the consequences!"

"This... this..."

A group of old men clenched their teeth, their faces ashen.

Elder Hou shook his head with a smile. That old geezer, still as disagreeable as ever...

In truth, he also knew that the least likely to be persuaded here was none other than Zhang Zhengyuan.

He was the only one who had broken away from the control of the top families in the past millennium and yet had not created his own family.

Many people thought him foolish at first, but now it seemed otherwise; without any burdens, he could leave so freely.

"Elder Hou, then we..." the others looked at Elder Hou, probing.

Elder Hou shook his head, "The tide has turned, brooding is pointless."

He had seen it clearly by now, what would it accomplish to forcibly summon people back?

To suppress by force would only reveal the cracks that had already appeared. Could they stand guard there for the rest of their lives?

Rather than being constantly apprehensive, it was better to be decisive. Now that the main houses had staked their strength on this, it was time to make firm decisions....

With that thought, he no longer hesitated. Following behind Zhang Zhengyuan, he stepped into the Reincarnation Pool.

Chen Qing, watching from a distance, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With the choices these old fellows had made, the situation on the Federation’s side was set in stone. If these old timers had insisted on going back to guard their families, it would have been a difficult situation to handle this time.

Come next spring, war would surely break out.

Chen Qing had a premonition that this war would not be a series of small skirmishes like before.

Once the war chaos began, it might well turn into a prolonged conflict.

It was not only a matter of keeping up with the current military needs but also making future preparations.

The Emperor of the Siao Family held the fate of the Central Plains, and despite the current lack of unity, he was, after all, the human emperor, occupying the Central Plains’ fate.

Outstanding individuals favored by fate would subconsciously gravitate towards him, and the accumulation of Yin Spirits by the Ghost Domain over the years would be incessant.

United, they would become a second version of the strongest war machine.

He needed more high-potential offspring to replenish his troops, and players were an excellent choice. Nearly every player had potential that was not too low; roping the majority of players into his fold was a must-do.

However, due to this, he must have completely earned the deep wariness of Elder Hou and the others.

He had broken their absolute control over the Federation, and they would certainly not let things lie.

With such a large influx of new players, this world’s strongest Emperor and the Ghost King working together, along with the old guild players from ancient times eyeing him like tigers, the future of this world was unpredictable.

But Chen Qing felt that in such a chaotic situation, that person behind the scenes would likely start making moves, right?

-----------------------------------------------

With the complete relinquishment by the older generation, the outcome of the coup was without question.

The noble families collectively compromised, beginning with the restructuring of the council.

Several grassroots-born generals were elected to the council to jointly redraft the laws of the Central Federation.

Secondly, it was announced that the so-called disassembly program restrictions would be abolished. Anyone entering the Virtual World would no longer be fitted with a disassembly program, no longer subject to such electronic shackles enslaving humanity.

Third, the admission quota to the Virtual World was reassessed, and a large-scale examination was organized. Entry into the Virtual World would no longer depend on qualifications, honors, or identity, or any other chaotic criteria.

Purely literate and martial prowess will determine the first batch of candidates eligible to enter the world, and this selection would be open to the entire Central Federation!

As soon as the news came out, the entire Federation was abuzz.

People outside wondered what had happened to the Central Federation.

But with the spies from the Western Federation thoroughly purged in the last war, getting information in the short term was difficult, and they, having just suffered a major defeat, did not dare to make rash moves, and could only anxiously watch from the sidelines.

As for the populace within the Central Federation, they were ecstatic.

Many knew that even with this completely fair and open selection, the slim chance of a million slots would likely not include many of them, but at least now there was hope, something to look forward to.

Instead of numbly listening to a bunch of good news that had nothing to do with them.

Where there’s joy, there’s also sorrow. After the no-argument conditions of the grand literary and martial election were announced, the two most hurt groups voiced harsh protests.

One was the offspring of the families relying on the Zhou Family’s benefits, led by Old San Hou; the other... was the notoriously infamous School Tyrant Faction of the Central Federation!