Zhang Lingyue slowly rose into the sky. Her figure stood tall above the Zhang Family Estate. The wind brushed against the hem of her robe, her hair flowing calmly through the air. Below her, dozens of Saint level waves of power from various factions hovered in the surroundings. Each aura weighed heavily upon the air, as if the sky itself were on the verge of collapsing.
She swept her gaze across the leaders of those factions without the slightest hint of fear, then spoke in a flat, composed voice.
"Zhang Wen and Zhang Lin have already escaped. If you want them, then go and search for them yourselves."
The moment her words ended, the auras of several Saints surged violently, pressing down upon Zhang Lingyue with undisguised killing intent. A cold voice rang out.
"Do you think we are fools?"
"Those two children are seeds of a Great Emperor."
"You truly expect us to believe that you would let them go so easily?"
Before Zhang Lingyue could respond, another voice immediately joined in.
"Or was this nothing more than an act? A staged internal conflict to secretly send those two children away."
"And while we are busy hunting them down, you plan to prepare the Zhang Family for escape, is that it?"
Multiple gazes locked onto Zhang Lingyue, filled with suspicion. The surrounding sounds fell silent for a brief moment. Zhang Lingyue did not answer right away. She merely closed her eyes slightly, as if weighing something in her mind, before opening them once more.
"If that is the case, then I suppose…"
Before she could finish her sentence, an overwhelming pressure erupted from another direction.
It was as if the entire sky had been crushed by an invisible hand.
A man dressed in black stepped out from the void itself. The power of a Saint King burst forth from his body without restraint, suppressing everyone present in a single instant.
Many faces turned pale, breathing becoming labored. The man in black spoke in a calm voice, yet one filled with unquestionable authority.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"I am a servant of Young Master Gu Yisheng."
The moment that name was spoken, the atmosphere changed completely.
"Since my young master learned that his younger sister, Gu Lanyue, was bullied by a demonic cultivator, I was ordered to capture that individual alive and bring him back to the Gu Clan."
The black robed man's eyes swept across the surroundings.
"However, as my young master is currently seeking subordinate forces to support him in the future as he contends for leadership of the clan, he has chosen to present you all with a trial."
"This trial is meant to identify factions with true potential."
"Whoever can deliver Zhang Lin and Zhang Wen to me will receive a generous reward from my young master, along with his full support for your faction."
Everyone looked up at the same time.
People of the Gu Clan yet again.
Many present sighed softly within their hearts. Everyone knew full well that Gu Yisheng desired the sacred bone far more than any notion of justice. As for this talk of searching for promising factions, it was nothing more than an excuse. In truth, they simply did not want to stain their own hands.
Seeing that no one had moved, the man in black spoke again, his voice turning icy.
"What are you waiting for…"
In that instant, Saints from the various factions shot forward without hesitation, scattering to search throughout the Silver Feather Dynasty. The sky above the capital was thrown into chaos as countless shadows streaked back and forth.
But before the man in black departed, he turned his gaze toward Zhang Lingyue.
"Except you."
"Zhang Lingyue, come with me."
The eyes of many Saints froze at once. The man in black continued, utterly indifferent.
"Even if those people fail to find the two children…"
"We still have the Zhang Family and their mother, don't we, to use as bait?!"
He lifted his head and smiled with clear satisfaction.
"Or did you not all think of this from the very beginning?"
Those words plunged the sky above the Zhang Family Estate into silence. The Saints from the various factions were thinking the same thing. The Zhang Family was a piece on the board. If they could not capture the two children, they would use the Zhang Family as leverage, forcing the brothers to reveal themselves.
At the same time, within Zhang Lingyue's private residential grounds, inside a tranquil garden, lush trees cast their shadows across the stone paths. Beneath a wooden pavilion, a handsome young man sat calmly, sipping hot tea at his leisure. With his other hand, he picked up translucent grapes and placed them into his mouth unhurriedly, his demeanor relaxed, as if the turmoil of the outside world had nothing to do with him.
Beside him sat Gu Lanyue, the Sacred Daughter of the Gu Clan. She remained silent, her gaze unfocused, as though lost in thoughts too deep to voice.
Before long, Zhang Lingyue's figure entered the garden. Her expression was composed, though a trace of weariness lingered faintly in her eyes.
The young man drinking tea beside Gu Lanyue lifted his head, smiled lightly, and spoke in a familiar tone.
"Mother, how was it? Everything went smoothly, didn't it?"
Zhang Lingyue let out a soft laugh, the corner of her lips lifting slightly.
"Everything is settled, you little rascal."
That young man was Gu Yisheng.
He was Zhang Lingyue's son, the man known as the Lust Demon of the Gu Clan. His smile widened a little as he continued casually.
"Was doing it this way really the right choice, Lanyue?"
He turned his gaze toward Gu Lanyue and spoke with curiosity.
"Why didn't you just kill them and seize the sacred bone directly? Wouldn't that have been much simpler? Why go through all this trouble with false accusations, or sending those weak Saint level factions to hunt them down?"
Gu Lanyue did not answer right away.
In her eyes, it was as if time itself had frozen. A translucent blue holographic screen appeared before her, something no one else could see. At the same time, a notification echoed within her consciousness.
[Zhang Lin has severed ties with the Zhang Family. Plundering the luck of a Son of Destiny. Villain Points gained: 1,500]
Gu Lanyue stared at those words. Her eyes narrowed instantly.
"System, are you insane?"
She muttered inwardly.
"He has already cut ties with the Zhang Family. That was practically his main source of resources, wasn't it?!"
"Why are these ridiculous Villain Points of yours so low? The previous Sons of Destiny never gave so little. Are you cheating me?"
A cold, emotionless electronic voice rang out within her consciousness.
[Host, the calculation is correct. The system is not cheating.]
The voice paused briefly before sounding again.
[Would you like to see something more interesting]
Gu Lanyue frowned.
"What is it"
In the next instant, the holographic screen shifted.
[Zhang Lin has severed ties with the Zhang Family. Luck value increased by 100,000]
Gu Lanyue's eyes widened. She exclaimed without restraining herself.
"Did I just run into a treasure… or a block of divine iron…"
…
…
Within a colossal forest where sunlight could barely penetrate, ancient trees towered into the darkness, their crowns disappearing overhead. Massive roots sprawled across the ground like giant serpents, twisting and coiling through the earth. The forest floor was uneven, blanketed in dark moss and glowing fungi that released thin layers of mist drifting close to the ground. The air was cold and damp, carrying the stench of blood mixed with the scent of ancient soil buried for thousands of years.
This was the Ancient Beast Forest.
A land where spiritual sense was devoured and almost all forms of communication were rendered useless. Deep within the darkness, the roars of beastly creatures echoed without end, like warnings to any intruder that this vast forest was their domain.
A black colored stream wound through rocky channels. Its waters reflected no light, with only shifting shadows moving beneath the surface. Strange rock cliffs stacked upon one another in layers, some forming deep caverns, others opening into bare stone clearings covered in claw marks and fang scars.
This was a boundary even Saints were unwilling to tread lightly.
For in the deepest reaches of this forest lay the territory of a half Emperor level beast.
The Golden Ape King, sovereign of the Ancient Beast Forest.
Beneath an ancient tree whose trunk was as wide as a city wall, Zhang Wen carefully laid Zhang Lin's body down. The boy's breathing was faint and shallow. Fresh red blood still soaked his clothes. Without hesitation, Zhang Wen took out healing medicine and fed it to his younger brother, then slowly guided streams of water aligned qi into the battered body.
Though his memories had awakened, the memories bound to Zhang Lin were unnaturally clear. They were not merely fragments of the past, but emotions carved deep into his being. No matter the reason, he could not abandon this child.
Then suddenly.
A chilling killing intent slashed toward them like a blade.
A low roar echoed through the undergrowth.
Graaahhh
Several dark shadows burst out from the darkness. Dozens of black wolves at the Nascent Soul level closed in from all directions. Their green eyes glowed coldly. White fangs dripped with saliva. The pungent stench of beast blood assaulted the senses.
Zhang Wen slowly raised his head. His expression did not change.
He lifted his hand lightly. Water aligned qi circulated around his body, then split apart in an instant. Three water clones formed, standing in a line. Their eyes were just as calm and cold as the real body.
The beast wolves roared in unison and lunged forward.
The first clone stepped ahead. Water condensed around its arm, forming a translucent blade. With a single slash, one wolf was cleaved cleanly in two. Blood splashed onto the ground before dissolving into misty energy.
The second clone twisted its body, evading a bite from the side, then thrust its hand forward. Water qi transformed into several short spears that shot out, piercing straight through the heads of two wolves at once. A broken howl rang out before their bodies collapsed lifelessly.
The third clone neither advanced nor retreated. It stood firm, then stamped the ground. Water erupted beneath its feet in a surging wave. Wolves that leapt toward it were blasted away midair, bones shattering as they flew.
The remaining wolves tried to regroup and surround them again, but their movements slowed. The water clones moved in perfect coordination, seamless and precise.
Water blades severed throats.Water spears pierced hearts.Surging waves crushed bone.
The roars gradually fell silent, one by one.
Before long, the corpses of dozens of wolves lay scattered across the ground. Blood seeped into the soil, quickly swallowed by the forest itself, as if the battle had never occurred.
The three water clones dissolved back into fine droplets. Zhang Wen turned his gaze back to Zhang Lin, his expression solemn and heavy.