Liu Xing lay on the cool ground and sighed. The area around him appeared barren—no white trees, no greenery, no plants. Yet, he knew this place had once been a white bone forest, the ground now turned inside out.

"I almost died," Liu Xing muttered.

His breath and heartbeat gradually stabilized. While fear still lingered, relief washed over him. His plan to use the statue of a woman had apparently succeeded. He wanted to lie down and sleep, to regain his strength and qi. Yet, time was a luxury he did not possess. Threats capable of annihilating the Twelve Sun Empire remained, and he needed to report this to the emperor and his sect.

Still invisible, Liu Xing got up and began to run. He did not dare use his shield, afraid the spirit beasts might still be nearby.

As he ran, he considered the Xia clan. For a moment, he thought about visiting them to deliver news of their elder's death, but he decided against it. While they deserved to know about Xia Juetian's demise, a visit would be time-consuming. They would learn of their elder's death eventually. Hopefully, they would not be too upset, though he doubted that outcome.

An elder's death was always significant.

***

The Xia clan compound was located far from Second Gray Cloud City. Green peaks encircled it, their main compound nestled on the widest summit. The buildings looked old and dignified, as if the clan had stood for a thousand years. And indeed, it had, though comparing the current Xia clan to its once-mighty state was like comparing a tiger to a rabbit.

On one of the peaks, a girl in a purple robe walked to the edge of a cliff. Silky black hair framed her face, and piercing blue eyes seemed to see through every deception, and she wielded a thin black sword in her right hand. As she moved, the green grass and colorful flowers around her began to freeze.

Yan Yu looked down at the Xia clan compound. Servants bustled about, tidying the garden, cleaning roofs and floors, and sweeping stairs leading to the main gate as if their lives depended on it. She stepped off the cliff and began to fall. The peak was quite high, with white clouds drifting below. Controlling the air and water vapor, she glided through the air, descending directly into the main compound.

As she fell, she calmed her heart and readied her blade. The race had come at an opportune time. As a regressor, she possessed considerable knowledge of the future, and she intended to use it to her advantage.

She remembered this event from her sisters' stories. At this time in the past, she had already been scouted by her master and was still striving to gather qi to take her first step as a cultivator, and she remembered stories of nations and sects being destroyed by the conflicts this race had ignited. She vividly remembered her sisters' stories about a demonic cultivator who had risen to power and was controlling a terrifying spirit beast with a thousand arms and a thousand faces, possessed a thousand bloodlines, as well as a thousand techniques.

As her feet touched the ground, all the servants eyed her before rushing inside. Their reaction was understandable. Even though her face remained calm, anyone could discern the intensity in her eyes, the shadow darkening half her face, and the hostile aura she projected toward the Xia clan. Yan Yu gripped her black blade so tightly it felt as if a normal sword would have frozen and shattered.

Several dozen guards quickly surrounded her. They were weak. While some had reached the sixth stage of the Lock Opening realm, their foundations and cultivation were pitiful. Even if they cultivated for a thousand years, they would never reach the Sun Refining realm.

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She expected them to attack. After all, she had barged into their clan uninvited. But as they observed her, some eyes flickered with respect and fear, as if they recognized her as a disciple from a great sect. This was surprising, considering that while the Purple Moon Sect and this compound were not geographically distant, the proper path between them was long and winding, threading through hostile mountains and dangerous forests.

She stood aloof in the center of the circling guards. She eyed each of them, contemplating how easily she could slaughter them all. Then, a man rushed from the clan, parting the guards, and stood across from her.

"A Purple Moon Sect disciple," he said, eyeing her with suspicion but not outright hostility. "Are you a friend of Liu Xing?"

Hearing that name, Yan Yu's eyebrow rose slightly. So Liu Xing had already arrived? The man was fast, but what was his connection to the Xia clan?

She chose not to answer. Instead, she inquired about the person she intended to kill. "Where is Xia Weiyuan?"

After her question, the man in front of her frowned. His eyes sharpened, veins bulged on his temple, and his nostrils flared. "To think I almost believed the Purple Moon Sect was respectable. I was wrong! No, I was right from the start! You people from the great sects are always despicable, and that bastard Liu Xing is too cunning! He knows Xia Weiyuan's worth, and now the great sect comes knocking at my door!"

Inwardly, Yan Yu felt surprised. She wondered what Liu Xing knew about Xia Weiyuan. But ultimately, it held no importance. She had a single purpose in coming here, and she would fulfill it.

She noticed movement at the back of the crowd and located her target. The child wore yellow clothes and hid behind a guard, appearing as shy as could be. His complexion was pale and weary, bruises marked his face. Seeing him, Yan Yu could not suppress her killing intent. The air around her plummeted in temperature, and the ground beneath her feet began to freeze.

Yan Yu's eyes remained fixed on Xia Weiyuan, who trembled like a newborn deer. She compared him to the Xia Weiyuan she remembered. That man had been tall and muscular, with proud eyes and an arrogant demeanor, always ensuring the world knew of his supposed superiority. One of her sisters had been raped and murdered by him, and another had died as he sat on her chest and beat her face relentlessly. These memories made her blood boil. This boy was the younger version of the man who had allied himself with her former scum fiancee, making him one of the people she hated most. This boy looked innocent now, but she knew the terrible acts he would commit later. Moreover, his bloodline was potent, capable of piercing truth and predicting the future. Killing him was a certain way to cripple the Heavenly Thunder Sect's future alliance.

"Xia Weiyuan, I have come to take your life," she declared coldly.

"You're courting death!" shouted the man across from her. As he shouted, Yan Yu suddenly recalled an old man with white hair and deeply wrinkled skin. He had been pitiful and disgusting, always justifying Xia Weiyuan's actions. He had praised him for raping women and encouraged him when he annihilated other clans. He was the one who had taught him the deadly techniques he used to assert his dominance.

That old man's face overlapped with the youthful and weak cultivator before her, and Yan Yu realized this was Xia Yongzhi, the man responsible for raising Xia Weiyuan into the vile man hated by enemies and allies alike—except for those cut from the same cloth.

"Xia Yongzhi, prepare to die," she stated calmly.

"Guards, attack!" he shouted.

All the guards, some wielding spears, some flashing talismans, and others barehanded, lunged at her. Seeing this, she flicked her thin black sword. Instantly, dozens of ice flowers materialized around her. Each flower transformed into an elegant ice arrow, complete with intricate engravings. She seized control of these arrows, infused them with more qi, and willed them to attack.

The arrows shot through the air instantly. Each arrow aimed for an enemy's forehead. Some guards widened their eyes, attempting to dodge or deflect the projectiles, but her arrows were too fast and too strong. Spears meant to deflect them shattered, and the arrows lodged themselves in heads. Moments before, dozens of guards had encircled her. Now, they all lay on the ground, pools of blood gushing from head wounds. Each of the dead men had wide eyes, as if in disbelief at their sudden demise.

Only Xia Yongzhi remained standing, because she had not yet attacked him. Xia Yongzhi did not deserve the mercy of a swift death like his guards. No, he would writhe in pain before he died.

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