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Lan An clenched his teeth, stifling a groan as three daggers lodged deep into his abdomen. With a flicker of will, he activated Speed Shift.
Whoosh—
He reappeared behind the three ambushing Bat Clan assassins, suppressing his agony as Harmony Palm condensed with furious intensity.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A tri-colored energy beam erupted, vaporizing the bats into ash. Its unstoppable momentum tore through space, shattering layers and annihilating over a hundred Fire Monkeys in its path.
"Damn you!" Hou Ling roared, grappling with the Blood Fiend Corpse, fury blazing at the devastation.
Hurk—
Lan An yanked out the daggers, blood spurting freely. Poison coated the blades, but his Purple Heart Burning Void Flame, bane to all toxins, swiftly purified it. The Immortal Genesis Scripture whirred, and his four cauldrons absorbed ambient qi, gradually sealing his wounds.
His face pale, he deflected Hou Jun's arrow with a Fire Spirit Pellet, muttering coldly, "If it comes to it, I'll retreat to the Spirit Realm Pearl. But before that—I'll kill enough to vent this rage!"
How could he not be furious? A simple clash with the Lone Horn Eagle King had spiraled into this chaos—beasts coveting his treasures, leading to catastrophic losses and hatred. The Fire Monkey, Earth Wolf, and Bat Clans were now sworn enemies; there was no turning back.
Pressed against his back, Yan Yue Qi inhaled his scent—a mix of blood and sweat—stirring emotions she had never known. A proud Yan Clan prodigy, she had never been protected so fiercely."Not bad," she murmured faintly, cheek resting on his back, eyes half-closed yet fearless amid danger.
"He's wounded! All in!" the three commanders bellowed. The beast horde surged, intent on tearing Lan An apart.
"Ten Thousand Forest – Sand Tomb!"
Lan An unleashed his area-of-effect skill. Forests and sand tombs began forming mid-air, but two roars shattered his focus—"Heaven and Earth Manifestation!"
Hou Jun and Hou Xiu swelled to a hundred zhang tall, one drawing his bow, the other swinging his trident, smashing through Lan An's constructs.
BOOM! BOOM!
The Heaven-Grade skill obliterated his Earth-Grade formations before they could solidify. The beasts, emboldened, surged with renewed ferocity.
Wood Turtle blocked some attacks, but sheer numbers overwhelmed it. Earth Bear, mindless yet unyielding, tore through enemies relentlessly. Fire Phoenix was entangled by Bat Qiang, unable to assist, while Blood Fiend Corpse, restrained by Hou Ling, faltered.
Lan An was surrounded. Another Harmony Palm felled scores of beasts, but his resistance only incited further frenzy. Though he culled a third of their forces, the horde still seemed endless.
"Damn it… the Spirit Realm Pearl it is!" he thought grimly, preparing to warn Yan Yue Qi—when her pale lips parted and whispered,"Sun Crow Barrier!"
A radiant golden pearl appeared in her hand and shot skyward.
SCREECH—
The cry of a divine Sun Crow echoed as a blazing golden dome enveloped them, sealing them off from the world. Beasts that lunged forward slammed into it—
Sizzle… Sizzle…
—and were incinerated instantly, leaving no ash behind. Fire Phoenix, Wood Turtle, and Earth Bear faded, their connection to Lan An severed. The Blood Fiend Corpse froze, motionless.
The battlefield fell silent.
"What the hell is this?" Hou Jun and Hou Xiu cursed, furious at the thwarted victory.
"A powerful barrier—temporarily isolating them," Lang Tong observed coldly."How long does it last?" Bat Qiang asked, sensing even Sixth-Order beasts couldn't breach it."Not long. A one-use relic," Lang Tong sneered. "They're caged birds now—fish in a barrel, waiting to die.""The losses are too great. If we don't kill them, I can't face the clan!" Hou Ling growled."Encircle it. No one escapes!" the commanders ordered, forming a deadly ring around the barrier.
Inside the Sun Crow Barrier, Lan An gently set Yan Yue Qi down, channeling Spirit Energy to stabilize her. He examined the dome—its golden flames burned fierce outside, yet within it was cool as moonlight."This barrier, from the Sun Crow Relic, lasts ten days," she said weakly.
Lan An nodded solemnly. "Ten days? How much strength can you recover, Madam?"
"Barely to Nascent Soul," she replied coolly.
Lan An's brow furrowed. "Aren't you afraid of death, Madam?"
"What's there to fear? Only unfulfilled wishes," she sighed softly."What wishes?" he asked, intrigued.
"To become the world's strongest, ascend to the Immortal Realm, and conquer all realms," she said, her weakened form still radiating valor.
Lan An's eyes gleamed with admiration. No wonder the system deemed her quest so difficult. His curiosity turned to her past—especially Hong Lian and Xīng'er's father."What kind of man could win a proud woman like you?" he asked boldly.
"Him? Marry me? Laughable." Yan Yue Qi scoffed.Lan An's heart skipped. "Didn't you give birth to Hong Lian and Xīng'er?"
"Of course," she replied lightly, the urge to unburden herself rising—perhaps from the nearness of death."Care to share, Madam?" Lan An crouched beside her, curiosity burning.
"As their man, you have the right to know," she began. "From youth, I sought to lead the Yan Clan and use its might to conquer the world."
Lan An nodded, impressed."But to become matriarch, I needed absolute strength and a family with heirs," she continued."Reasonable conditions," he agreed. Then his eyes widened. "A political marriage?"
"Exactly. To claim the matriarch's seat, I married Yan Ruo, a third-generation elder, Early Void Refining. A façade to appease the clan," she said coldly.
"So Hong Lian and Xīng'er are yours and Yan Ruo's?""I birthed them unconventionally," she said, eyes distant. "Hong Lian was conceived through a Conception Pill, a Heaven-Grade elixir crafted by a master alchemist. The pill required rare ingredients—including male essence. I used Yan Ruo's, so he is technically her father."
"Cultivator artificial conception…?" Lan An thought, stunned. "And Xīng'er?"
She shook her head. "Yan Ruo died when Hong Lian was barely one. We explored the Sun Crow Relic together. He tried to kill me while I refined the Sun Crow Void Flame, coveting it—but I killed him instead."
"Greed destroys all," Lan An sighed. "If Hong Lian knew this…"
"He tried to kill me. Should I have spared him?" Yan Yue Qi snorted, her charm dazzling even in weakness."And Xīng'er?" Lan An asked cautiously."I planned only for Hong Lian. Xīng'er was… an accident, after I drank Life Spirit Water."
"Life Spirit Water?" Lan An blinked."Ever wonder why Xīng'er, my daughter, possesses Wood and Wind Spirit Roots, unlike the Yan Clan's Fire?""True, she should have Fire," Lan An nodded."On Hai Zhou Continent lies the Elf Queen Nation, an all-female race. They use Life Spirit Water to reproduce. Any woman who drinks it conceives a daughter—once in her lifetime."
"So you drank it and gave birth to Xīng'er?" he asked, amazed."Yes. During my visit to Hai Zhou, I accidentally drank it," she said with a faint shrug.
Lan An fell silent, finally grasping the system's intent. This woman—so proud she used marriage as a façade and gave birth without men—was a true challenge to conquer."That's my story," Yan Yue Qi said softly. "Ten days from now, I'll self-detonate to buy your escape. Care for my girls."
Moved, Lan An's eyes blazed. "Don't you wish to become the strongest? To ascend? To conquer? Are you ready to die now?"
"What are you implying?" she frowned, hope flickering."I have a way to restore your strength—and even surpass it—within ten days!" he declared, voice resolute.Her eyes widened. "How?"Lan An drew a deep breath, meeting her gaze unflinchingly.
"Dual cultivate with me."