Note: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to drop Power Stones and leave a comment to help the story reach more readers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chaos at Liu Clan's Gates
As figures tumbled from the spatial rift, the Liu Clan and Cao Jin's group froze, adopting defensive stances. Any cultivator knew tearing space required Void Refinement prowess.
"Void Refinement among them?" both sides wondered, faces grim, scrutinizing Lan An's group.
The monk, radiating Nascent Soul Perfection, drew the most attention. The two cloaked figures clutching the young man, exuding Nascent Soul Early-Stage, seemed less threatening. Everyone sighed in relief Nascent Soul Perfection was formidable but manageable with Yue Qun present.
The yellow-robed cultivators were dismissed outright. The one-eyed youth, his cultivation obscured, appeared too young to be a threat, likely hiding his aura with an artifact.
Lan An, meanwhile, assessed the standoff, realizing he'd landed in another's battlefield.
"You two alright?" he asked, prioritizing his women, helping them up.
"Never expected such experts. We drank their juice, hehe," Li Zhu Luan giggled playfully.
"Trying to flee?" Bai Su Mei spotted the yellow-robed cultivators slinking away, her Star-Silver Twin Swords flashing toward them.
"Demoness, halt!" the monk, regaining composure, intervened.
"Mercy, fairy! We misspoke!" the yellow-robed group wailed.
"We're from Earth Path Sect, known for good deeds. Forgive us!"
Having tasted Bai Su Mei's sword qi, they knew their folly. Without the monk's aid, they'd be dead.
Bai Su Mei glanced at Lan An for guidance, her rage sparked by their insults to him.
Lan An pondered. Their verbal jabs didn't warrant death. "Hand over all your spirit stones as a lesson," he said, nodding.
The Earth Path Sect disciples, grimacing, complied, knowing it was their only way out.
The monk, witnessing this, snorted but stayed silent. With their grievance settled, he had no grounds to interfere.
"Total: 1,100 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones. Thank you for your mercy," an Earth Path Sect disciple offered a storage ring respectfully.
Li Zhu Luan accepted, her alabaster hand catching Cao Jin's eye, a glint of desire flashing.
The Liu Clan and Yue Qun watched, realizing the one-eyed youth led this group, despite his youth.
Liu Shi Qin stared at Lan An, a sudden panic stirring within her, inexplicable.
"We take our leave," the Earth Path Sect disciples scurried off, eager to reach a teleportation array. Though stripped of spirit stones, they had enough wealth for travel.
One turned back, bowing to the monk. "Thank you, senior, for your aid. May we know your name for future gratitude?"
The monk cursed inwardly. Gratitude? I might not survive this! "No need for thanks. I'd have acted regardless, as beasts aren't benevolent," he said, clasping his hands.
Lan An's trio's eyes glinted coldly.
The Earth Path Sect disciple fled.
"I thought Buddhists saw all beings as equal. You've broadened my horizons," Lan An sneered.
Before the monk could retort, an angry voice cut through: "Leave! We're settling a grudge."
Yue Qun glared, annoyed at their intrusion. Only fear of their origins restrained him.
Lan An nodded. This was their territory, and clan disputes were common. He prepared to leave.
"Single Tail Crossing River!" The monk, seizing the chance, fled. Despite his bravado, Lan An's prior clash unnerved him. Golden sutras glowed on his feet, each step carrying him miles away.
"Running?" Lan An sneered, ready to depart with his women.
Ding! Branch Mission Activated: [Aid Liu Clan]. Reward: One random summon of a female cultivator specializing in techniques. Failure: Lifelong heart demon.
A mechanical voice halted Lan An, his brows knitting. The penalty was severe—heart demons were his least fear, thanks to the Immortal Genesis Scripture etched into his soul. But a system-imposed heart demon? Even the Immortal Genesis Scripture came from it.
Recalling Yan Ruo Xue's near-demise, Lan An checked the mission details: Aid Liu Clan: Cripple Cao and Yue Clans.
Perplexed, he wondered why the system demanded such destruction. Yet, trusting its purpose, he sensed hidden reasons.
"Still here?" Cao Jin barked, impatient. Though curious about Li Zhu Luan's hand, his focus remained on Liu Shi Qin.
Li Zhu Luan and Bai Su Mei glanced at Lan An, puzzled by his pause.
Lan An scanned the crowd, then asked, "Who's from the Liu Clan?"
"Kid, leave! This isn't your fight," Cao Jin snapped.
"Big brother, Meng Meng is Liu Clan! They bullied me," Liu Meng Meng piped up, her voice sweet.
Lan An turned to the adorable girl, then to the white-robed woman holding her Liu Shi Qin. An indescribable feeling surged within him.
He stared, lost in thought.
Liu Shi Qin, equally shaken, met his hollow silver eye, her heart clenching painfully, breathless.
They locked gazes, baffled by the connection.
"Courting death! Third Elder, deal with him!" Cao Jin, out of patience, ordered a middle-aged man.
"Frost Chain!" The third elder nodded, hands weaving seals. Ice spiritual energy formed a spiked chain, stabbing toward Lan An.
"Danger!" Liu Shi Qin, inexplicably alarmed, warned.
"Hmph! Ten Thousand Wood Bind!" Li Zhu Luan retorted, vines surging to clash with the chain.
The techniques stalemated.
"Burst!" Li Zhu Luan shouted, her vines exploding, shattering the chain.
"Heart Unity Sword Art, First Form: Dual Swords Converge!" Bai Su Mei seized the offensive. Her Star-Silver Twin Swords formed an X, slashing at Cao Jin with blinding speed.
Cao Jin's repeated insolence had enraged her. As a beast, her instinct to protect Lan An—her beloved—was fierce.
Cao Jin paled. Spoiled and propped up by elixirs, his Foundation Establishment Perfection lacked combat experience. "Fourth Elder, save me!" he screamed, terrified.
As the fourth elder moved to block, Yue Qun shoved him aside, sensing danger in the sword qi despite Bai Su Mei's Nascent Soul Early-Stage aura.
"Blazing Hands!" Yue Qun roared, twin fiery arms forming above, crushing the X-shaped sword qi.
Sizzle!
Relieved, Yue Qun thought the flames had won.
Behind her veil, Bai Su Mei smirked confidently.
"Too late!" Yue Qun roared, sensing peril.
The sword qi pierced the flames, weakened but relentless, hurtling toward Cao Jin.
"Aaah!"
An arm flew, landing with a thud amid Cao Jin's screams. Blood splattered his terrified face.
The third elder had blocked the qi, sacrificing his arm to save Cao Jin. A Nascent Soul cultivator, maimed in an instant.
"Impossible!" Yue Qun's face twisted. How could a Nascent Soul Early-Stage's sword qi be so potent? His eyes gleamed greedily. "Upper Earth-Grade technique, it must be!"
For Fifth-Grade clans, Lower Earth-Grade techniques were their limit. He couldn't fathom the Heaven-GradeHeart Unity Sword Art.
"Amazing, sister! Almost as good as Patriarch-sister!" Liu Meng Meng clapped, unfazed by the gore.
Bai Su Mei's delicate hands, wielding swords, betrayed her femininity despite her veil.
"Kill them, Yue Qun! Slaughter them!" Cao Jin howled, his sanity fraying, shaken by the near-death.
"The situation's bad. We retreat and consult our patriarchs and Old Master Cao," Yue Qun said calmly, sensing the tide turning with Lan An's group.
Lan An, regaining focus, suppressed his questions about Liu Shi Qin. To fulfill the mission crippling the Cao and Yue Clans he resolved to eliminate their fangs here.
"Patriarch, can we trust them?" a Liu Clan elder asked Liu Shi Qin.
"Trust them. We must," she replied, chest heaving. As a leader, she relied on logic, but Lan An's presence shattered her reason, instinct guiding her now.
"Retreat? Kill them!" Cao Jin screamed at Yue Qun.
Yue Qun cursed his ally's stupidity. With Liu Shi Qin and Lan An unengaged, victory was uncertain. Yet, trusting reinforcements would arrive, he stayed.
The Liu Clan's hall lay in ruins from unleashed techniques, but none cared.
"Truc Loan, protect the Liu Clan. Patriarch Liu, fight with us," Lan An said, nodding to Liu Shi Qin.
"Agreed," the women nodded. Li Zhu Luan herded the Liu Clan together, shielding them.
"Go, sister!" Liu Meng Meng tugged Li Zhu Luan's leg, cheering.
Li Zhu Luan chuckled, ruffling her hair.
Liu Shi Qin flashed to Lan An and Bai Su Mei's side, standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
"Hmph, think the Cao Clan defenseless?" a cold snort echoed. Three figures descended.
A middle-aged man resembling Cao Jin—Cao Han, Cao Clan patriarch, Nascent Soul Perfection. Beside him, two white-haired elders: Cao Lie, Cao Clan's great elder, and Yue Hai, Yue Clan's great elder, both Nascent Soul Late-Stage.
"Father, Great Elder, kill them!" Cao Jin raved, pointing at Lan An's group.
Lan An's eyes glinted, his Earth Battle Boots glowing faintly.
Whoosh!
A strange sound rang out. The crowd blinked, and Lan An vanished.
"No!" Cao Jin's eyes bulged as Lan An appeared beside him, sneering.
Grinning like a devil, Lan An conjured a Wood spiritual pellet in his palm, slamming it into Cao Jin's chest.
Like a black hole, it drained Cao Jin's spiritual energy. Lan An seized his neck like a chicken.
Whoosh!
Another odd sound, and Lan An reappeared beside Bai Su Mei.
Silence, absolute silence.
The crowd gaped, stunned, unable to process the event.
It happened too fast Cao Jin, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was now a limp rag in Lan An's grip.
"What… how?" echoed in their minds. Even Li Zhu Luan and Bai Su Mei stared, puzzled.
They knew Phantom Charm Wander Step was swift, leaving afterimages. But this was ghostly no trace, no warning.
Lan An smirked at their shock. His four cauldrons Heavenly Wood Cauldron and others hummed, restoring the thirty percent spiritual energy drained by his move.
"No wonder it's a Spirit-Grade movement technique," he mused. At Four Cauldrons, he'd mastered Phantom Charm Wander Step's second layer: Speed Shift.
Holding the pale, writhing Cao Jin, Lan An faced Cao Han, whose face was thunderous, and grinned wickedly. "How should he die?"