"The Twelve Sun Empire is an Earth-lower tier empire," Yang Liangyu explained. "We have one Sun Collapsing cultivator and around ten Sun Refining cultivators in the entire empire. All of them come from the three prominent clans: the Hei clan, the Wu clan, and the Yang clan. The Yang clan sides with my older brother, while the Hei clan and the Wu clan support my younger brother."

Liu Xing pinched his chin. Earth-lower tier was respectable. With that many Sun Refining cultivators and one Sun Collapsing expert, they stood a good chance of eliminating the spirit beasts. The problem, however, was the division into two warring factions.

He asked Yang Liangyu how many Sun Refining cultivators sided with her older brother. The answer was five, with the remaining five backing the younger brother.

"What about the Sun Collapsing cultivator?" Liu Xing pressed.

Yang Liangyu bit her lip. "The grand elder has already left. The truth was, he was friends with my grandfather and loyal to the empire primarily because of him. He promised my grandfather he would protect the empire, but after my father's death at the hands of my younger brother, the elder decided to leave. The last thing he did was send me and my grandmother away from the castle."

Liu Xing rubbed his temple. This empire suffered from terrible luck. Their sole Sun Collapsing cultivator had departed just as the empire teetered on the brink of annihilation. He judged the empire's chance of survival as slim and shrinking by the minute. The best he could do now was inform both factions about the bloodline-stealing spirit beasts and hope they saw reason.

Yang Liangyu sighed. "In the past, my younger brother was so sweet. He always smiled and played with his wooden sword. Who would have thought greed would blind him enough to kill our father? Fate is cruel indeed."

He couldn't imagine her position. Not only had her father and the woman she considered her grandmother died, but her younger and older brothers were now fighting—and all of this had happened in a single day. Hell, the day had barely even started. She seemed sad and tired now, yet he suspected she was numb inside. Later, when things calmed down, the grief would likely hit her like a wrecking ball.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Liu Xing said.

"It's all right. I'm happy to be alive," she managed a small sad smile. "Without you, I would have suffered humiliation before dying horribly. So, thank you again."

"You're welcome." he replied, then continued, "Where do you want to go now? I assume since your younger brother sent those three to kill you, you'll side with your older brother?"

"Indeed. I need to go to the Yang clan compound. I don't know if my older brother is still alive. The last time I saw him, they were in the midst of battle. But he's wise. If he lost, he would definitely retreat to the clan compound. There's a good chance he's already there." She paused. "While my older brother was stronger yesterday, it seems that's no longer the case today."

"All right," Liu Xing nodded. "I'll escort you there."

His goals were twofold. He needs to ensure Yang Liangyu's safety and meet with the older brother's faction to warn them about the spirit beasts. Afterward, he planned to approach the younger brother's faction. While he doubted he could resolve their conflict, he could at least act as a mediator, pushing for a truce. The empire was in peril. If they remained preoccupied with killing each other, their home might be ruined by the time their squabble ended.

"Thank you," Yang Liangyu bowed her head, and Liu Xing nodded in return.

***

The Yang clan compound was nearby, requiring only a two-hour journey. It sat on undulating terrain, the ground rising and falling in gentle hills as if waves were frozen beneath the earth.

Upon their arrival, Yang Liangyu was greeted with smiles and relieved expressions. News of the emperor's death had already spread, and fear about what might follow gripped the clan.

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Upon learning that Liu Xing was from the Purple Moon Clan, the clan members bowed deeply. They offered him a spacious room and plentiful food, apologizing that the clan patriarch and elders were currently occupied with urgent matters.

A simple inquiry to the servant bringing his food revealed they had all gone to assist Yang Jinyan, the first prince. As Liu Xing settled in, he detected the presence of a Sun Refining cultivator within the compound. The servant explained this elder was erecting a protective barrier around the compound and would remain until certain it was secure.

Now, Liu Xing sat in the garden, his gaze fixed on the shimmering energy barrier visible in the air. He crossed his arms, feeling impatient. His secondary reason for coming here was to speak with prince Yang Jinyan, but with the prince still absent, Liu Xing wondered if he should first approach Yang Lihuo's—Yang Liangyu's younger brother's—faction.

Still, the delay offered time to think, weigh his options, and calm his nerves.

A nearby pond filled with koi fish caught his eye. Liu Xing grabbed a handful of rice and began tossing grains into the water one by one. Watching the fish swim, he tried to sense the qi flowing through the compound. The Yang clan was large, the compound sprawling like a small town. Numerous houses, resembling tiny castles with gleaming wood, colorful gardens, and sturdy pillars, dotted the landscape, connected by roads and bridges crossing small streams.

The clan was full of cultivators, with several dozen at the Lock Opening realm and several at the Core Splitting realm. Feeling this concentration of qi, he briefly considered if the clan alone could perhaps take down one of the snake-limbed spirit beasts, but he quickly dismissed the thought. The beasts worked together, and most Lock Opening cultivators lacked the means to injure them.

As he tossed rice into the koi pond, he inhaled and exhaled deeply and rhythmically, trying to quell the anxiety gnawing at him. Besides the looming threat of the spirit beasts, his mind kept reminding him he was in a race. He feared falling behind, especially after consuming all his Diamond Pills. Currently, his treasures consist only of the Flute of Serenity, the Red Lotus Staff, the Ethereal Pearl, and the Thunderstrike Gauntlets.

"Calm down," Liu Xing muttered to himself. "Anxiety won't help."

He considered cultivating to absorb the bullets acquired from Wei Gang, hoping it might soothe him, but decided against it. While the compound seemed secure, it didn't feel entirely safe. He opted instead to continue thinking while observing the swimming fish.

After several hours spent by the pond rearranging his thoughts, he finally established his priorities.

The most critical task was dealing with the sixteen spirit beasts. He felt a measure of responsibility and was determined to see them subdued. Only after that could he resume his quest for treasures. But he also set a time limit. He would spend three days attempting to unite the two warring factions—or at least broker a truce—to fight the spirit beasts. If the deadline passed and he remained stuck, unable to make progress, he would leave. He would travel to a neighboring country, contact his sect, and organize subjugation teams there.

He would then persuade them to return to this empire and eliminate the spirit beasts as quickly as possible, and after all of that, he would resume his race to retrieve the treasures.

He nodded, feeling slightly better with a backup plan in place. For now, he had to do everything within his power here. While leaving was his fallback, he didn't want this empire razed by those spirit beasts.

The sun was at its zenith when a commotion broke out outside and shouts echoed through the compound. "Young master is coming soon!" mingled with anxious cries of "The enemy has come!"

Hearing the shouts, Liu Xing ran toward the noise. He saw servants scurrying about and mothers clutching their children, their urgency suggesting an approaching storm they needed to shelter from.

Liu Xing stopped a man in maroon clothes, a cultivator at the Lock Opening realm's first stage. The servant's clothes were dirty, his black hair disheveled, and his hands caked with mud; Liu Xing recognized him from earlier, he was working on a pond in a public garden.

"What's happening?" Liu Xing asked.

"An order from Elder Yang Zhaoyan!" the man replied breathlessly. "He said everyone below the Lock Opening realm's fifth stage must evacuate to the shelter. You're our esteemed guest Liu Xing, right? Do you want me to guide you there?"

Liu Xing deduced Yang Zhaoyan must be the Sun Refining cultivator securing the compound. He noted the name in his mind and focused on the main issue. An evacuation order for the weaker members meant an attack was likely imminent. Had Yang Lihuo decided to strike his own clan?

"Esteemed guest?" the servant asked again, waiting.

"No, you go ahead," Liu Xing said. "I want to see what this is about."

He activated his Lightning Cloak and sprinted toward the compound's main gates. Upon arrival, he saw several dozen cultivators standing ready, arranged neatly in five rows of six. The men wore red robes adorned with golden embroidery, most carrying swords strapped to their backs, though a few wielded spears, and one hefted a massive double-edged axe.

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