The battle between Yan Zhen and the Lei Zhenyu had been spectacular, far more shocking than any of the previous five matches. From their brutal fist-to-flesh clashes to the collision of their Dharma Heaven Earth Phenomena, it almost seemed like a showdown between High Star Mystic Ancestors.
The Dharma Heaven Earth Phenomenon represented the pinnacle of wielding the Power of Heaven and Earth. It reflected everything a mystic cultivator had learned, condensing it into a single form. If the cultivation method was of high enough grade, it could even stand against the spatial power of a Mystic Venerable!
The Lei Zhenyu had been strong, but he had still fallen to the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire.
Some questioned whether Yan Zhen was truly relying on his own abilities, claiming he only depended on extreme flames. Others countered that mastering an extreme flame was a skill in itself—anyone else wouldn’t even be able to touch one if it were right in front of them.
The argument raged on.
“The Quasi-Saint Son has mastered more than two kinds of extreme flames, but he only used the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire throughout his fight with Senior Brother Lei!”
“That’s because the others wouldn’t have been useful.”
“Bullshit! I looked it up—the one that generates a stone shield is called the Rootless Earth Spirit Fire, ranked tenth on the Extreme Flame List with power rivaling a Mystic Saint expert. You say it wouldn’t have been useful?”
“It’s not that it wouldn’t be useful; it’s that he can’t control two extreme flames at once. Using the Rootless Earth Spirit Fire would have left him passively defending, which is worse than clashing head-on with the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire.”
“Are you blind? In yesterday’s fight with Senior Brother Qing, the Quasi-Saint Son used two extreme flames at the same time! Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire for offense and Rootless Earth Spirit Fire for defense—a perfect combination that left Senior Brother Qing barely able to fight back!”
“In the end, it’s still all about the extreme flames. If I could refine one, I could do it too.”
In the midst of the Seven Peaks Consecutive Battle, Yan Zhen had steamrolled through six straight victories. Finally, some people couldn’t sit still any longer. They began stirring up public opinion and manipulating the narrative, determined not to let him claim the Saint Son position so easily.
“If he’s got the guts, he should fight the final match without using any extreme flames—win with pure strength.”
“Right, right. Extreme flames are external aids. Winning the Saint Son seat with borrowed power won’t convince anyone.”
“They should outright ban the use of extreme flames!”
In the end, it all boiled down to Yan Zhen having joined the Holy Land relatively late. His foundations weren’t deep, and the fact that he had inexplicably caught the eye of the Jialan Fairy—who never took disciples—sparked envy. That was why such idiotic troublemaking could gain traction.
In his previous life, Yan Zhen had cultivated in the Holy Land for three years before dominating the Heavenly Selection Saint Canon and claiming the Saint Son position. He hadn’t dealt with any of this nonsense back then.
But he didn’t care. After all, he wasn’t just a mystic cultivator—he was also a body cultivator and soul cultivator. He simply rarely showed it, since there was usually no need.
Even Senior Brother Lei hadn’t forced Yan Zhen to reveal his full strength yet.
His final opponent, Xiao Fang, the chief disciple of Cloud Immortal Peak, would be the one who required his all-out effort to defeat.
Jialan Peak, Glazed Cave.
Several women had seen the flood of skeptical comments on the Holy Land’s dedicated messaging talismans, and all of them were displeased—especially Long Ying.
At first, she had tried reasoning with them, meticulously refuting their points. But the keyboard warriors spewed nothing but twisted logic, infuriating the royal sister Dragon Maiden until she was snarling and clawing at the air. If Cai Lian hadn’t held her back, she probably would have traced the mystic power fluctuations straight to their doors and beaten the lot of them senseless.
“I’m so pissed!”
Long Ying, in her royal sister form, crossed her arms under her chest, lifting her already ample bosom even higher. It heaved dramatically with her heavy breaths, quite the distracting sight.
“Don’t let me catch them, or they won’t know what hit them!”
“A bunch of insignificant clowns. Ignore them,” Yan Zhen said calmly as he munched on a fire honey peach. “After this is over, we can have the Enforcement Team from Thunder God Peak investigate. We might even root out a Demon Domain hidden agent or two.”
“Who’s behind it?” Cai Lian asked. “The Ye family, or Spirit Mountain Ancestor’s faction?”
“Both are possible, but I lean toward the former.”
“Why?”
“Spirit Mountain Ancestor’s faction is too vast for petty tricks like this. Ye Long, on the other hand, lost his position as Grand Elder to the Yu Shizun. His grandson Ye Qingtian was defeated by Long Ying and lost his spot as chief disciple. They’re desperate for revenge but out of options, so they’re resorting to dirty little schemes.”
“So, how do you plan to deal with the Ye family?”
“Let the people from Thunder God Peak handle it… We shouldn’t seek to destroy them, but if they persist in their folly, annihilation is all that awaits!”
Yan Zhen leaned back, adopting the relaxed posture of a true boss.
“Once Big Aunt and Little Aunt advance to the Mystic Venerable Realm, we can position the Yu Family to replace the Ye family and claim one of the elder seats.”
The Yu Family currently topped out at Nine Star Mystic Ancestors, which didn’t qualify them for elder positions. Few clan members cultivated or worked on Rain God Peak; their power base remained centered in the Holy Land Academy. The Family Head Yu Lu’s ambitions were limited to weighing the Inner Academy against the Outer Academy.
But that was his previous life. Now, the Yu Family’s core cultivation method had no more bottlenecks. The three Rain sisters advancing to Mystic Venerable was only a matter of time.
Once they had a Mystic Venerable powerhouse, part of the Yu Family could settle on Rain God Peak while the rest stayed in the Holy Land Academy. They could secure more resources, and it would ease things for the Yu Shizun as well.
Mentor Yu Xuan and Aunt Shui Bailan both brightened at this, their beautiful eyes lighting up.
“Looks like you’ve had this planned out for a while, Yan Zhen.”
My sister-in-law will definitely be thrilled to hear it.
Yan Zhen chuckled and stood, moving to sit between them. He draped an arm around each one’s shoulders.
“After all, I’ve basically poached everyone close to her. I owe her a gift in return.”
The two women blushed faintly and made a token struggle before obediently nestling into his embrace.
“You rascal~ Taking advantage and acting innocent.”
“You don’t even know what she thinks yet. What if she’s mad? You’ll have to make it up to her properly.”
They were teasing him about posing as a live-in son-in-law to win affections, then running off with the Yu Family’s heir and its pillar of strength!
He rubbed his nose and promised, “Don’t worry. Even if Mother-in-Law wants to beat me, I won’t lift a finger in defense.”
Yet the two women couldn’t help thinking that Sister-in-law might also—
How awkward!
After spending some time with them, Yan Zhen returned to his cave dwelling. With the Holy Lord Master not yet arrived, he immediately slipped into the Fire Refining Starry Sky to find the Beautiful Female Master. He recounted the battles of the past two days, then indulged in some intimate cuddling to replenish his energy after the fierce fights.
Because it was a special period during the Seven Peaks Consecutive Battle, Chen Xi silently permitted her precious disciple’s antics and fed him until he was fully satisfied.
Just as the master and disciple were lost in their tender affections, a portal ripped open in the room’s space. The white-haired, white-robed Jialan Fairy stepped out gracefully on lotus steps. Her platinum dual pupils radiated compassion for all living beings, like a holy mother of light walking the mortal world.
“Hm?”
Jialan Fairy immediately noticed the room was empty, save for a crystal pendant strung on a red cord hovering above the bed.
“Has Yan’er entered the Fire Refining Starry Sky?”
She murmured to herself. With the eyesight of a Mystic Saint expert, she pierced through layers of space to peer into the pendant.
In the endless starry sky, at Heavenly Pillar Plaza, on the central altar atop the plaza—and upon that altar, the loving master and disciple.
More precisely, she was nourishing him.
Jialan Fairy froze, an unprecedented emotion surging within her heart. Some primal instinct was slowly awakening.
“Yan’er…”
