After Gu Lanyue obtained what she wanted from the secret realm, the Gu Clan's flying ship departed immediately. It did not look back even once.
But just before leaving, Gu Lanyue paused at the edge of the flying ship. Her figure in white robes reflected a faint glow beneath the sky. Her gaze swept indifferently over the people below before she spoke in a calm voice, as if discussing a trivial matter.
"I know you are angry and dissatisfied with what has happened. But do not forget this."
Her voice was not loud, yet it was clear enough for everyone to hear.
"That demonic cultivator possesses a sacred bone."
The surrounding atmosphere froze, as if time itself had been halted.
"You may have lost many cultivation geniuses to that demonic cultivator, but with that single bone, you can create geniuses far superior to those who died."
The leaders of the various factions closed their eyes helplessly. Gu Lanyue curved her lips into a faint smile.
"Do not be afraid. If anyone dares to criticize your actions, the Gu Clan will take care of them for you."
Those words were like blades, stabbing deeply into the hearts of many. Soon after, the Gu Clan's flying ship moved gracefully, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.
From just those few words spoken by Gu Lanyue, no one cared anymore whether the accusations against Zhang Lin were true or false.
There was only one thing everyone knew for certain.
Zhang Lin truly possessed a sacred bone, and that alone was enough.
Not long after, Zhang Lin, as if having accepted his own fate, immediately contacted Zhang Wen and activated a warp stone to return to the family.
At that time, Zhang Wen was overseeing the excavation of the Zhang Family's spirit stone mine deep within the mountains. A cool breeze swept through the area, the mine echoing with the sounds of picks striking stone. Then, within his sleeve, a communication droplet suddenly trembled.
That clear, translucent droplet was a communication tool used only between him and Zhang Lin. Even Zhang Lingyue had never known of its existence.
With just a few sentences, Zhang Wen understood everything.
His heart clenched tightly, yet his mind grew unnaturally calm. He did not hesitate. He abandoned all his duties and set out to return to the capital at once.
But on the way back, he did not travel unprepared.
In secret, he laid out escape routes, prepared hiding places, and arranged paths of retreat for himself. Every step toward the capital was not merely a return to confrontation, but preparation for survival.
He took longer than usual to arrive. And when he finally reached the capital, the sight before him confirmed all his thoughts.
Outside the Zhang Family Estate, forces lay in ambush in nearly every corner. Shadows moved cautiously, pressure spreading throughout the area. The moment the Zhang Family Estate showed even the slightest unusual movement, every force present was ready to erase it instantly.
Back to the present.
Zhang Wen, who had just fully regained his awareness, slowly gathered the memories surging chaotically through his consciousness. Yet no matter how hard he tried, certain fragments of the past remained blurred, like thin mist. Portions of his childhood memories were missing, broken beyond repair.
He was uncertain about the true origin of this body.
But he was certain about one thing.
The younger brother in his arms, Zhang Lin.
The memories of growing up together, of living side by side in their youth, were all strikingly clear.
Before his thoughts could even settle, a voice echoed through the hall.
"Zhang Wen. Are you listening to your mother?"
Zhang Lingyue's voice was icy cold, the pressure within it pressing down upon Zhang Wen without the slightest attempt at concealment.
"Hand Zhang Lin over to me. Do you truly intend to bring the Zhang Family to ruin?"
Those words rang out clearly, like a heavy hammer smashing into the hearts of everyone in the hall.
Zhang Wen slowly lifted his head and looked toward the woman seated upon the position of clan leader. His eyes were calm. There was no fear. No hesitation.
From the remaining memories of this body, he understood something with absolute clarity.
The relationship between him and Zhang Lingyue was not that of true mother and son by blood.
They were merely distant relatives, descendants of the same ancestral line of the Zhang Family.
After his cultivation stepped into the Spirit Formation realm, he had become able to sense the bloodline flowing within his body. And the clearer that sensation became, the more brutal the truth revealed itself.
His bloodline and Zhang Lingyue's were vastly distant.
Zhang Wen lowered his gaze to the body of Zhang Lin in his arms, then lifted his head once more, meeting Zhang Lingyue's eyes directly without avoidance. His voice sounded calm, yet carried an unmistakable chill.
"You want to take my brother's bone for the benefit of the clan."
He paused briefly, then continued in a voice that grew even heavier.
"Or is it for some other purpose of yours?"
In that instant, the atmosphere within the hall changed completely.
Saint level cultivation erupted from Zhang Lingyue's body, bursting forth beyond control. A vast wave of power pressed down like tens of thousands of mountains crashing together.
Her eyes were cold to the point of numbness. Her slender hand lifted, then struck through the air.
One hundredth of her true power shot straight toward the two brothers, her intent undisguised. She meant to cripple them on the spot.
But before that wave of power could strike, a translucent sphere of water suddenly appeared.
It tightly enveloped both Zhang Wen and Zhang Lin. Silent currents of water swirled, and in the next moment, their figures were swallowed entirely by the sphere.
In the blink of an eye, both vanished from the hall.
Boom!!!!
The shockwave from the unleashed power, striking without a target, caused the Zhang Family Estate to tremble violently. Stone floors shattered into fragments, debris scattering in all directions. The Zhang Family elders within the hall were left stunned, at a complete loss for what to do.
Zhang Lingyue gazed at the ruined ground. Her eyes narrowed slightly as silence enveloped the hall.
She drew a deep breath, then murmured softly within her heart. Her voice was so faint that almost no one could hear it, yet it carried an order that could not be defied.
"Dispatch the Black Crow Secret Unit of the Zhang Family. Hunt down the two of them."
Inside the hall, all the Zhang Family elders fell into a daze.
The Black Crow Secret Unit was no ordinary force. They were the shadows the Zhang Family used to handle every kind of dirty work. Assassination. Poisoning. Spreading rumors. For them, there was no right or wrong. Only results mattered.
The moment Zhang Lingyue issued that command, the hearts of many elders trembled.
Some interpreted it as Zhang Lingyue deliberately leaving a path of escape for the two children, staging a conflict for appearances. Others, however, felt a chill seep into their bones. The scene from moments ago was still vivid in their minds. The strike Zhang Lingyue had unleashed carried no hesitation. Even if she had not used her full strength, the killing intent she released was unmistakable. She had truly intended to destroy both of them.
The sound of breathing within the hall grew heavier. Each elder interpreted that order in their own way. No one dared to ask questions. No one dared to voice an opinion.
And just as that hesitation lingered, Zhang Lingyue raised her head. Her cold eyes swept across the hall before she shouted in a frigid voice.
"Hurry up. What are you waiting for?"
With just those words, all the elders jolted. They immediately moved without delay. No one dared to hesitate. One figure after another vanished from the hall in haste.
When everything was settled, Zhang Lingyue turned around, preparing to return to her residence. But before she could take more than a few steps, a voice rang out from outside the estate.
"Zhang Family, hand Zhang Lin over."
The voice boomed like thunder crashing through the sky.
In that same instant, dozens of Saint level auras appeared, hovering motionless around the Zhang Family Estate. Vast power pressed down from every direction. The sky above the capital trembled. Storm winds howled in chaos, as if the heavens themselves were watching.
The pressure was so intense that several elders turned pale, their hearts pounding uncontrollably.
Zhang Lingyue halted her steps. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, then slowly opened them again. Calm returned to her gaze, as if everything remained firmly under her control.