Eastern Divine Immortal Domain. The Mu Clan.
In the council hall, the Mu Clan’s first ancestor, Mu Cangtian, held a letter in his hand, his expression shifting between dark and light.
Below, the Mu Clan’s senior members buzzed with discussion.
“This Yunxi, what was she thinking? We allowed her to stay at the Heavenly One Immortal Sect so she could marry the imperial son as his wife. How could she debase herself and become his maidservant?”
“Yunxi is a standout among the younger generation in our Mu Clan. Across the Eastern Divine Domain, she counts as a prodigy of her age. Back in the clan, she was clever as ice and snow, refined and elegant, with the pride befitting a genius. But how… after just a few days at the Heavenly One Immortal Sect, does she lose all sense of propriety and agree to become Jiang Wuhen’s maidservant? This is nothing short of shaming our clan!”
“Men’s words are a pack of lies. Yunxi has been well-behaved since childhood. She must have been sweet-talked by Jiang Wuhen into this foolishness.”
“Jiang Wuhen did this to Yunxi and still had the nerve to write our Mu Clan a letter about it!”
“Provocation! This is pure provocation!”
“We implore the ancestor to go to the Heavenly One Immortal Sect and discuss this with the empress. Either give our Mu Clan an accounting, or have Jiang Wuhen give Yunxi proper status!”
“We implore the ancestor!”
The crowd spoke in unison.
Mu Cangtian regarded them, his gaze calm.
“Besides this letter, the imperial son also sent some things in Yunxi’s name…”
Mu Cangtian said evenly.
“Sent things? What does he mean by that? Is he insulting the Mu Clan?”
“Our Mu Clan may not match the Heavenly One Immortal Sect, but we are a first-rate family with tens of thousands of years of heritage. Who needs his scraps!”
“A few things to shut our Mu Clan’s mouths? Not a chance!”
“I, Mu Ze, would rather starve to death, die out in the wilderness, or leap from the ancestral mountain than accept a single thing from Jiang Wuhen!”
As righteous fury filled the hall, Mu Cangtian sighed softly. A gift list landed in his hand.
With a wave of his great hand, several lines of bold text rose from the list:
Three volumes of heaven-grade cultivation techniques. Ten volumes of heaven-grade martial skills. Thirty volumes of earth-grade martial skills and cultivation techniques combined. Three bottles of dragon peng precious blood. Ten types of treasure arts. One million spirit crystals. Three thousand purple origin crystals…
In an instant, the great hall fell deathly silent.
These resources were enough to establish a second-rate power on the Desolate Ancient Continent.
Even for the Mu Clan, a first-rate family with a great emperor anchoring them, this would push their strength to the next level.
A moment later—
“Oh my, the imperial son is far too generous, sending such magnificent gifts! How could we possibly accept… Ancestor, everyone, please continue your business. This old man will go verify everything and move the imperial son’s gifts into the Mu Clan treasury right away!”
“I suddenly feel the imperial son must have had some unavoidable circumstances that drove him to this…”
“Send word to Yunxi at once! Tell her she must serve the imperial son wholeheartedly. She can’t let pride cost us the money!”
“You greedy, conscienceless lot! How can you say such shameless things? The imperial son is so kind and generous. How could our Mu Clan be petty? That… is just one maidservant, Yunxi, really enough? Ancestor, how about this: you discuss it with the empress and send my daughter over too, to serve as the imperial son’s maidservant!”
“Oh my, how fragrant!”
The crowd’s about-face was exactly as Mu Cangtian had expected.
His expression remained composed as he regarded them with a calm smile. “As for the maidservant matter, Yunxi explained it in her letter. It’s simply a way for the imperial son to give our Yunxi a legitimate identity to stay by his side. It’s nowhere near as degrading as you imagine.”
“The imperial son is benevolent and has shown our Mu Clan such favor. Naturally, we Mu Clan are not ones to take without giving back.”
“Yunxi mentioned in her letter that the imperial son seems intent on visiting the Yaoguang Sacred Ground in the coming days. That place is a maelstrom of warring powers. The imperial son’s trip may carry risks.”
“This old man intends to stay hidden in the shadows and ensure the imperial son’s safety. This is the Mu Clan’s small token of gratitude.”
“While this old man is away, all of you… must make good use of the resources the imperial son bestowed to strengthen the Mu Clan’s foundations…”
Hearing this, everyone nodded.
“We will follow the ancestor’s orders to the letter!”
With that, Mu Cangtian had already vanished from the council hall.
…
High in the sky.
Nine jade flood dragons radiated imposing grandeur, pulling the magnificent Jade Emperor Carriage. Wherever it passed, auspicious clouds bloomed in its wake.
Seated on a jeweled throne within the Jade Emperor Carriage, Jiang Wuhen savored immortal tea, enjoying the gentle press of Mu Yunxi’s soft, delicate hands kneading his shoulders. His gaze settled on a Heavenly One Divine Guard in silver armor before him.
This person’s name was Nanpo, captain of this hundred-strong squad of Heavenly One Divine Guards. His strength had already reached the reincarnation realm.
Nanpo stood respectfully before Jiang Wuhen, holding an organized jade slip in his hands.
“Imperial Son, according to the intelligence gathered by the shadow guards, this Lin Chen is a descendant of the Lin Clan under the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty. His talent was originally unremarkable. Seven years ago, for unknown reasons, he came upon an ‘ancient heavenly talisman,’ refined it, and gained control over the power of the heavenly talisman.”
“Since then, he has risen like a legend. The last battle recorded in these materials shows him already able to defeat an opponent at the eighth layer of the divine martial realm using the power of the heavenly talisman.”
“Furthermore, this Lin Chen and Your Highness… share a certain history…”
Nanpo reported the organized intelligence to Jiang Wuhen.
Jiang Wuhen raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? A history with me?”
“I don’t recall that name at all…”
Jiang Wuhen said with interest.
Nanpo smiled.
“Your Highness never dealt with this Lin Chen directly. But…”
“Imperial Son, do you still remember Lin Xiaotian of the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty?”
“Seven years ago, the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty held a clan tournament and invited our immortal sect’s experts to observe. At that time, Your Highness had just finished fusing the supreme bone within your body using the precious blood of eighty-one fierce beasts. You needed a battle to harmonize the supreme bone and supreme blood to peak condition, so you accompanied the first elder.”
“As it happened, Your Highness got carried away at the tournament and didn’t hold back the power of the supreme bone. You crippled Lin Xiaotian outright.”
“This Lin Chen… is Lin Xiaotian’s son…”
Hearing this, Jiang Wuhen frowned.
This plot, this setup…
The déjà vu was overwhelming!
But it also cemented Jiang Wuhen’s conviction that Lin Chen was indeed a son of fortune.
With this development, reconciliation between us is impossible. If it must be a fight to the death, then the legend of Lin Chen, this son of fortune, is destined to end here and now…
Jiang Wuhen murmured to himself, a cold, ruthless gleam flickering in his deep eyes.
Just then, Nanpo slowly turned to look into the distance, his gaze growing grave.
“Imperial Son… we’ve reached the Yaoguang Sacred Ground.”
“However, quite a few vermin are blocking our path into the sacred ground.”
Nanpo’s tone was calm, but beneath that still-water gaze, killing intent simmered.
Jiang Wuhen rose slowly and smiled coldly.
“Give them ten breaths to cease fighting and clear the path.”
“After ten breaths, the Jade Emperor Carriage will enter the Yaoguang Sacred Ground. Anyone who is not of the Yaoguang Sacred Ground and comes within a hundred zhang of the Jade Emperor Carriage… dies. No exceptions.”
