"I will help," Yang Liangyu said with conviction. "I will become stronger and help you, brother."

"Thank you," her brother whispered. "With you comes a small candle of hope. You're very lucky to have escaped the castle unharmed."

"Yes, it's all thanks to Liu Xing."

His appearance had been so timely that Yang Liangyu thought fate might have sent him to save her. But she knew that wasn't the case. While it was fortunate for her to meet him, the reason he had come here was because of another threat ravaging her empire.

"That guy is impressive, and I think he can help us," her brother said, pointing to the side.

Yang Liangyu, whose focus had been entirely on her brother, now turned her head. When she saw the fight happening in front of the clan compound, her eyes widened. She finally felt the tremors traveling from the battlefield, heard the loud thuds from their exchange, and felt the strong wind rustling her hair.

Liu Xing was fighting, and his opponent was terrifying. It looked like a giant black dog, but it wasn't. It had long arms that, when whipped around, formed wind blades flying so fast she couldn't see them. When they hit the ground, long gashes formed. When the wind blades struck the barrier, it shimmered for a moment and trembled as if hit by a large boulder.

Moving around the abomination was Liu Xing. He moved so fast he looked like a blue blur. Sometimes flashes of lightning flared, and when that happened, the abomination would pause for a moment. Occasionally, explosions pushed the abomination back, and sometimes it took a step back as if punched by Liu Xing.

Watching their fight was like seeing lightning battling an ancient horror.

"He is... impressive," Elder Yang Zhaoyan suddenly said, and all eyes turned to him.

Elder Yang Zhaoyan had a mild temperament. He was always level-headed. Whether faced with disaster or celebration, he remained as calm as still water. His temperament matched his barrier techniques, and with his talent, he had become one of the few elites in the Yang clan and the Twelve Sun Empire. Hearing him praise someone was as rare as seeing a giant fish fly.

"Elder, isn't he a Lock Opening cultivator? How can he move like that?" her brother asked, releasing his embrace and walking toward the elder. She followed behind him.

"Yes, he is a Lock Opening cultivator, sixth stage."

Hearing this, her brother, herself, and her clan members—who had been watching the fight as if seeing a master Sun Refining cultivator in action—gaped in astonishment. Yang Liangyu herself knew that Liu Xing was only a stage higher than her, but she, like everyone else, had assumed he was masking his true cultivation level. After all, she had seen with her own eyes that he had killed a Core Splitting cultivator. And now, he was fighting something that her brother and his two retainers couldn't defeat.

"The Purple Moon Sect is different from our clan and empire. They only accept the best of the best into their ranks. By my estimate, Liu Xing is only around twenty, which means he's younger than all of you."

Yang Liangyu was nearly forty and was considered young in her clan. Only her younger brother was younger than her, and he was also twenty.

"Moreover, he's equipped with some pretty strong treasures," the elder added.

"How strong is he?" her brother asked.

"He is a little unbalanced, but I estimate if he fought me, I would win, but it would not be swift."

Hearing this, her brother's eyes widened, as did Yang Liangyu's.

"That's absurd!" her brother exclaimed. "While I know cultivators from great sects are always stronger than others in the same realm, the gap is too wide to cross."

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"And yet, you and your retainers fled from that thing, while he can fight it equally. Don't be ashamed, prince. He is not only more talented than you but also more talented than me." He said it so calmly, as if stating a simple fact.

The elder turned his head toward her. "We should thank the heavens that you, my princess, stumbled upon him and brought him here. He has proven himself an ally of the Yang clan, and his background will make it easier for us to call for help from the Purple Moon Sect."

Her brother nodded. "If he fights alongside us, then he is one of us. Especially in these dire times."

"Prince, bring everyone inside. While this fight is interesting, we know what the outcome will be. Use this time to think. You are our future emperor, and you need to make decisions about the path we must take from now on. We cannot let Yang Lihuo or that demonic cultivator rampage in our empire. You need to come up with a plan."

"All right," he nodded, then ordered everyone to gather in the meeting hall. A few moments later, everyone had gone, and only she and the elder remained.

"Are you telling the truth, elder?" Yang Liangyu asked.

"All of that is true, yes. You should know my reputation."

She nodded. Her father sometimes talked about the clan. The emperor couldn't lead the Yang clan, so the clan leader position fell to his cousin, her uncle. Yang Liangyu remembered her father complaining about him. He had said that his cousin felt like a snake trying to bury its fangs in his neck, and that it would be better if Yang Zhaoyan became the clan leader. Yang Liangyu had thought her father was just kidding at the time—after all, he had said it with a smile—but perhaps he had been serious.

Still, she wanted to test his reputation herself. "Then tell me, elder. Do we have hope of regaining the empire?"

The elder turned his head toward Liu Xing, who was still fighting the abomination. Some of the abomination fur was now scorched, while one of its long ears had been cut off and turned into a snake trying to bite Liu Xing.

"To be honest, this empire is like a sinking ship," the elder said. "If what the prince said is true, then there are no more people in the capital. They've all been turned into the same kind of abomination as that." He gestured with his chin toward the spirit beast. "Even if we successfully defeat Yang Lihuo and Wei Yi, we'll need to rebuild our little empire from scratch. And without the presence of the grand elder at the Sun Collapsing realm, it will be hard. There's also the threat of invasion from our neighboring nations, and seeing our forces, they would likely succeed in seizing our empire."

Yang Liangyu clenched her hands so hard her palms turned white. All of that was true. And yet, she wanted it all to be a lie. She wondered what would happen if she could turn back time. What would she do to prevent all of this?

Yang Liangyu shook her head. She couldn't think like that. The future was bleak, but it was no excuse for her to daydream about changing the past. She needed to focus and do the best she could right now, and the only logical thing to do was to become stronger. If she had power, she would be more useful. She decided right then and there that she would be stronger, wiser, and smarter, so that she could be more helpful to the empire, to her brother, and to her clan.

"Still, there's a small hope," the elder suddenly added.

Hearing this, her heartbeat quickened. "Truly?"

"Yes," the elder nodded. "We need to make that guy our strong ally." He pointed at Liu Xing. "In the event that Yang Lihuo and Wei Yi are already dealt with, we need strong backing to deter our enemies from making a move."

Yang Liangyu first thought that the elder overestimated Liu Xing. While he was from the Purple Moon Sect, he was only an outer disciple. True, his position was strong enough that he could make an emperor bow to him, but he didn't have any real power as a deterrent. Still, she realized that Elder Yang Zhaoyan wasn't thinking about the immediate future, but perhaps hundreds of years from now. Liu Xing was talented, and with his abilities, if fate allowed it, he would be a powerhouse later in life. Perhaps even an elder.

"You understand what I mean," the elder added.

Yang Liangyu bit her lip. She understood. The elder wanted her to seduce him. Perhaps even bear his child. If she had his child, then he would be tied to her and the Yang clan.

She observed Liu Xing as he moved left and right and up and down. He flashed like blue lightning, creating explosions that rattled her ears. Though she couldn't follow his movements precisely, Yang Liangyu realized Liu Xing consistently attacked the abomination's forehead. It seemed he was trying to soften it, perhaps break through its defense. The five heads previously on its forehead were now reduced to one; the other four lay on the ground with wide, lifeless eyes.

As she watched the fight, Yang Liangyu inhaled deeply. Thinking about manipulating him felt wrong. After all, he was a man who had helped her without asking for repayment. He had even helped her bury her grandmother. She owed him, and yet here she was, contemplating how to use him.

Still, she knew she needed to do what was necessary to become strong and help the empire. If that meant seducing him, then so be it.

As the thought crossed her mind, color bloomed in her pale cheeks. Her heart began racing, not with anxiety, but with a pleasant, hopeful feeling. A small smile formed on her lips as she gazed tenderly at the blue blur circling the abomination. Yes, she thought, it was a good idea. For the empire, as well as for herself.

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