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Ping An City, A Cauldron of Ambition
Ping An City, nestled at the border of the northern and southern realms of Ice Heaven Continent, thrived as a hub for cultivators. Though smaller than Ling Wu City, it teemed with life, home to numerous cultivation clans.
Two Fifth-Grade clans dominated: the Yue Clan and the Cao Clan. Decades ago, both bowed to a third power—the Liu Clan.
At its peak, the Liu Clan, also Fifth-Grade, basked in glory, courted by countless factions, poised to ascend to Sixth-Grade. This prestige stemmed from one woman: the Liu Clan's eldest miss, who captured the heart of a formidable man.
His name, resounding across the northern continent, was Luo Po Lei—patriarch of the Eighth-Grade Luo Clan, a Void Refinement powerhouse with dual Ice-Thunder Spirit Roots. To many, he stood among the continent's mightiest, a titan atop its peaks.
Such a man could beckon legions of women with a gesture. Yet, Luo Po Lei fell for the Liu Clan's eldest miss, entranced by her breathtaking beauty.
Their marriage, a spectacle envied by all, catapulted the Liu Clan to new heights, tying them to the Luo Clan's might. Countless women seethed, longing to trade places with the eldest miss, who transformed from mortal to phoenix overnight.
All seemed set for the Liu Clan to dominate Ping An City. But fate had other plans.
Seventeen years ago, the Luo Clan shocked the continent, announcing Luo Po Lei's annulment of his marriage, casting the eldest miss back to her clan. Under society's scornful gaze, she returned, only to perish soon after, broken by grief, or so rumors claimed.
Thus began the Liu Clan's nightmare.
Factions that once fawned over them turned vicious, piling on betrayal. Allies, fearing Luo Clan's wrath, severed ties, some becoming enemies. The Liu Clan's status plummeted.
In a decade, they fell from near-hegemony to a Third-Grade clan, clinging to a sliver of Ping An City's land.
Amid this ruin, the Liu Clan's second miss, Liu Shi Qin, rose as patriarch. At just over thirty, her exceptional talent reached Nascent Soul Late-Stage, staving off annihilation and preserving her clan's remnants.
Liu Clan, A Siege of Arrogance
Today, uninvited guests stormed the Liu Clan's gates, led by a sinister youth of twenty-five, clad in lavish robes—Cao Jin, sole heir of the Cao Clan's patriarch. Behind him stood two Nascent Soul elders, exuding menace.
"Cao Young Master, forgive our lack of welcome," a portly middle-aged man, the Liu Clan's steward, greeted with forced warmth, his eyes hiding disgust.
"Steward Liu, where's your patriarch? Too lowly to greet me?" Cao Jin sneered, deeming the steward beneath his status.
"The patriarch is in seclusion. Please return another time," the steward replied deferentially.
"Seclusion again? Ha, think I'm a child to be fooled with excuses?" Cao Jin scoffed, channeling spiritual energy to kick the steward.
The steward, sneering inwardly at Cao Jin's Foundation Establishment Perfection, dared not resist due to the Cao Clan patriarch's Nascent Soul Perfection. He braced with spiritual energy, absorbing the blow.
"Ugh," he rolled back, pale but resolute. "The patriarch is truly in seclusion. Please wait."
"Hmph, our young master fancies your patriarch—an honor of eight lifetimes. Don't be ungrateful," one of Cao Jin's elders barked, both tasked with guarding him.
"Outrageous!" The commotion drew Liu Clan members, glaring at the trio. Young children even raised fists, naive but fierce.
Cao Jin sneered at the sparse crowd—mostly elders and children. The Liu Clan's youth had fled, unable to endure external oppression, some even betraying their kin.
"Your Liu Clan is pathetic. The Cao Clan has allied with the Yue Clan to rule Ping An City. Your patriarch catching my eye is her grand fortune," Cao Jin gloated. "Kneel and give thanks!"
"Pah! We'd rather beg than let our patriarch marry you!" a young girl, Liu Meng Meng, spat, her innocent eyes blazing.
"Foolish brat!" Cao Jin roared. "Slap her!"
"Take this!" an elder snarled, his Nascent Soul aura erupting, a spiritual palm aimed at Liu Meng Meng's delicate face.
"No!" Liu Clan members roared, eyes bloodshot.
"Die!"
A melodious shout rang out, a terrifying aura shattering the palm. Its momentum surged toward the Cao Clan trio.
The elders yanked Cao Jin back, channeling their full power to counter the aura.
"Pfft!"
Overwhelmed, they staggered back ten steps, faces ashen.
Cao Jin wiped cold sweat, but his bravado flared. "Liu Shi Qin, finally out of hiding?"
"Cao Jin, even your father wouldn't dare act so brazenly. Who gave you the gall to bully my Liu Clan?" a calm, commanding voice replied.
Three figures appeared, led by a woman of ethereal beauty. Clad in simple white robes, Liu Shi Qin's presence stole breath—flawless skin, rosy lips, lithe figure, and soulful eyes framed by willow brows, a mole at her eye's corner enhancing her perfection. Beside her stood two gray-robed elder women, both Golden Core Late-Stage, the Liu Clan's strongest elders.
"Who? My status as Cao Clan's heir, a Fifth-Grade clan!" Cao Jin boasted, his gaze devouring Liu Shi Qin.
"Greetings, Patriarch! Greetings, Elders!" Liu Clan members saluted, revering Liu Shi Qin as their beacon.
"Shi Qin-jie, he bullied me!" Liu Meng Meng, spared, clung to Liu Shi Qin's leg. Orphaned at nine by her father's desertion, she was cherished by the clan.
Liu Shi Qin pinched her cheek fondly, then eyed Cao Jin coldly. "Whatever your status, the Liu Clan isn't your playground. Leave."
"Ha, Liu Shi Qin, ignorant of your plight? Nascent Soul Late-Stage impresses no one," Cao Jin mocked.
Liu Shi Qin frowned, unease stirring. Though the Cao and Yue Clans oppressed them, they'd never been so brazen. Her Nascent Soul Late-Stage could challenge Nascent Soul Perfection, and in desperation, her self-destruction could raze half Ping An City. This deterred outright aggression—until now.
"Leave," she said, cradling Liu Meng Meng, waving dismissively.
"Haha, even the Yue Clan wouldn't dare speak so to our young master," an elder sneered.
Liu Shi Qin's unease deepened. Her sharp mind clicked. "Old Master Cao?"
Clap, clap, clap.
Cao Jin applauded mockingly, laughing maniacally. "Brilliant, Liu Shi Qin! Worthy of being my future wife. Ten points! My grandfather broke through, becoming a Spirit Transformation powerhouse!"
The Liu Clan paled, Liu Shi Qin's face whitening. She knew Spirit Transformation's terror. Against Nascent Soul Perfection, she could fight; against Spirit Transformation, even self-destruction was futile.
"Scared? The Yue Clan and five Fourth-Grade clans have sworn allegiance to us. Be proud as the first Third-Grade clan we annex!" Cao Jin licked his lips, lusting after her beauty, rivaling tales of the eldest miss who won Luo Po Lei.
"Annex us? In your dreams!" a Golden Core elder scoffed, recalling the Cao Clan's past groveling.
"Patriarch, fight! I'll hold them off for your escape," a hunched Liu Clan elder vowed, tears in his eyes.
"Your talent's been stifled protecting us. Escape, and in a century, avenge us!" others urged.
"No chance," a mocking voice interrupted. Another group arrived, led by a gaunt man with a catfish mustache—Yue Qun, Yue Clan patriarch.
"Yue Qun, you're the Cao Clan's lapdog now?" Liu Shi Qin sneered.
"Ha, the wise follow heaven's will. A Spirit Transformation in the Cao Clan is divine mandate. I merely obey," Yue Qun said grandly.
"Well said, Uncle Yue! I'll put in a good word with Grandfather," Cao Jin praised.
"Thank you, Young Master," Yue Qun bowed, inwardly lamenting his role as a lackey. Before Spirit Transformation, his Nascent Soul Perfection was but prey.
"Shameless!" Liu Clan members cursed, despair rising. Against Spirit Transformation, they had no escape.
"Yue Qun, marrying Cao Jin is every woman's dream in Ping An City. Don't squander fortune," Yue Qun sneered, secretly relishing and resenting pushing Liu Shi Qin into another's arms.
"Dream on! I'd die before letting our patriarch marry that beast!" Liu Clan elders roared. Cao Jin's debauchery was infamous.
"Fight them!" Liu Meng Meng waved her tiny fists.
"Fight!"
The Liu Clan roared, their loyal remnant brimming with courage, cowards long gone.
Liu Shi Qin's eyes misted, her heart swelling at their devotion. Her years of sacrifice weren't wasted.
"Sister, grow strong quickly. The Luo Clan is mighty, but Xiao Nan needs your rescue. The Liu Clan's future rests with you," she whispered inwardly. "We go first…"
Her spiritual energy surged to its peak. Eyes blazing, she shouted: "Want the Liu Clan to kneel? Go to hell! Ice Flash Shadow!"
Her alluring form vanished, replaced by an ice statue, reappearing beside Cao Jin.
"Cao Jin, watch out!" Yue Qun roared, unleashing Thunderbolt Palm. A fiery orb of Fire Spirit Energy hurtled toward Liu Shi Qin.
Sensing lethal danger, Liu Shi Qin paused her attack, inhaling deeply. Spiritual energy flooded her mouth: "Tempest Roar!"
A massive whirlwind erupted from her lips, engulfing the fiery orb.
Boom!
The fireball shattered, exploding in a deafening blast, disorienting onlookers.
"Hmph!" Liu Shi Qin and Yue Qun grunted, poised to clash again.
Crack, crack!
A strange sound halted them. All eyes turned to the collision's epicenter, where space began to fracture.
Liu Shi Qin and Yue Qun gaped. Nascent Soul power couldn't shatter space—not even Spirit Transformation could.
Under bewildered gazes, the rift widened, forming a doorway.
Thud, thud, thud!
Eyes widened, jaws dropped, faces twitched as figures plummeted from the rift like sacks.
One, two… nine.
After nine thuds, the rift sealed shut.
Lan An shook his head, regaining clarity, still clutching two soft, fragrant bodies. Surveying the tense standoff, he flashed a dazzling grin, teeth gleaming.
"Greetings, all! Quite the lively scene!"