Of course, over the past century, the Ice Spirit Clan had risen to prominence—but not through the glory of its ancestors.
In the Extreme Southern Land stood the Master of the Martial Border, Martial Ancestor Lin Dong.
The Ice Spirit Clan had been reduced to a mere backdrop for Martial Ancestor, the dual Saint Grade powerhouse hailed alongside Flame Emperor Xiao Yan as one of the Great Thousand Twin Heroes. It had suffered a merciless beating.
Martial Ancestor had come from a Lower Plane called the Heavenly Profound Continent.
During an attack by a force under the Alien Demon Race, a minor clan from beyond the borders whose only Heavenly Sovereign was the Nether Demon Emperor, Martial Ancestor's wife, Ice Master Ying Huanhuan, had fallen.
Who could have guessed that this Martial Border Matriarch had been born into the Ice Spirit Clan, one of the Primordial Clans of the Great Thousand World?
The Ice Spirit Clan possessed the Ice Spirit Tablet, an unparalleled holy artifact passed down from the ancient era.
Whenever a member of the royal bloodline was born, a wisp of their soul was placed inside the tablet.
If their true body later perished away from home, that remnant soul could be used to bring them back to life—a heaven-defying method.
Naturally, the requirements were harsh and the restrictions numerous.
Martial Ancestor had broken through the void and descended into the Great Thousand World. He immediately went to the Ice Spirit Clan to retrieve his wife's soul.
But the clan's Heavenly Sovereign, the Ice Spirit Ancestor, not only refused him in the harshest terms but also summoned three friends of equal standing to back him up: the War Emperor, Old Man Snow Demon, and Venerable Dragon.
At the time, the young War Emperor was vaguely hailed as the foremost figure among his generation in the Great Thousand World. He, too, had a weakness for women and was exceptionally lustful. He actually asked the Ice Spirit Ancestor to hand over Ice Master's soul.
How could the Master of the Martial Border, who had always loathed evil as if it were his sworn enemy, tolerate that?
When Martial Ancestor flew into a rage, the whole world was shaken!
He fought four Heavenly Sovereigns alone, charging into the Ice World single-handedly and turning the entire Ice Spirit Clan upside down. Its Ancestral Land, peaceful for hundreds of thousands of years, was thrown into utter chaos.
First, he defeated the Ice Spirit Ancestor, a Late Spirit Grade powerhouse, and destroyed three peerless divine abilities.
Then he overpowered Old Man Snow Demon and Venerable Dragon, two veteran powerhouses.
After retrieving his wife's soul, he chased the young War Emperor—who had been hailed as a future Saint Grade powerhouse and had no idea when to quit—like a dog for a whole month before finally letting him go.
If the War Emperor hadn't been so desperate to revive his beloved wife, he would likely have died long ago.
To avoid Martial Ancestor, the War Emperor, after attaining the Dao, didn't dare set foot in the southern borderlands of the Great Thousand World. He fled straight to the Western Heaven Continent in the Extreme Western Land and founded the Western Heaven War Hall.
As for the Ice Spirit Clan, which Martial Ancestor had used as a stepping stone to "make his name in a single battle," its attitude did a complete one-eighty. What it did next was downright shameless.
It simply passed the position of Ice Spirit Clan Chief to the Martial Border Matriarch, Ice Master Ying Huanhuan.
Over the years, as Martial Ancestor Lin Dong attained dual Saint Grade status and became famous throughout the Great Thousand World, the Ice Spirit Clan—which had been showing signs of decline—had benefited as well and gradually recovered its strength.
If you can't beat them, join them. Nothing wrong with that!
--
The mysterious king who appeared in the north looked like a young boy.
He had plain features, a sturdy build, and a calm, impassive expression. He was powerfully built and brimming with strength.
His skin had an eerie, pale-yellow hue, and he looked like withered wood. He seemed exceptionally mysterious—and extremely dangerous.
Mu Kui, a prodigy of the Wood Spirit Clan and one of the famed peak eighth-grade kings of the Spirit Road.
The Wood Spirit Clan wielded the power of wood by nature. With an ancient bloodline and a long legacy, it stood alongside the Fire Spirit Clan, Wind Spirit Clan, and Ice Spirit Clan as one of the Primordial Clans.
Of course, like the Ice Spirit Clan, this clan had only been powerful in the past. It currently had no Saint Grade giant to lead it; otherwise, it would have long since joined the ranks of great divine clans like the Mohe and Futu.
Rumor had it that Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy had its eye on Bing Qing and Mu Kui, the two prodigies of the Primordial Clans, and was in close talks with their respective clans over a major exchange of benefits.
Liu Qingyun, the peerless prodigy whom Azure Heaven Spiritual Academy had invited from the superpower behind him, hadn't taken part in the Spirit Road Selection and had never shown his face. He was an exceptionally mysterious figure.
--
"Look, King Wen! King Wen, Wen Qingxuan is here!"
"She comes from the North Desert Wen Clan, a superpower. The higher-ups at Ten Thousand Phoenix Spiritual Academy already picked her as a seeded candidate. She'll be promoted to chief as soon as she enrolls."
Amid a flurry of whispers, the last heavyweight king on the Spirit Road—more or less—arrived at the Black Demon Forest, unwilling to be left out.
A group of beautiful young women, each with a different figure, appeared with a woman at their head.
The graceful figure in front wore golden armor and had a particularly slender frame.
Her dark hair fell like a waterfall to her hips, and her full breasts were striking.
Her elegant, form-fitting battle armor gleamed with golden light, wrapping around her shapely, tall figure and accentuating her seductive curves to perfection.
A pair of long, straight, rounded legs extended from beneath her battle skirt. Their lustrous sheen was as warm as polished jade, making it impossible to look away.
"Gulp."
For a moment, countless men were captivated by that dazzling, graceful figure. Their faces flushed as they swallowed again and again, unable to help themselves.
"Hehehe, so everyone got here early~"
The slender, alluring figure landed with a beaming smile.
She crossed her long, jade arms over her chest, making her ample curves look even fuller. The charming gesture sent even more men howling and set their hearts racing.
--
"Hmph, what an annoying woman!"
The girl in red stood atop the treetops and looked down at her somewhat flat chest. Comparing it to the woman's ample figure, she grumbled in discontent.
A girl who was still growing couldn't compare with a mature, alluring big sister.
"Brother, tell me. Is that woman Wen Qingxuan pretty?"
Wu Yingying turned to him, her gaze faintly hostile.
"Child, why don't you include yourself in the question?"
The burly Wu Ling stood with his arms crossed and patted his younger sister's head. In the manner of a gentle elder, he earnestly advised her, "Be confident. Find your courage."
"All right, then. Which of us is prettier, me or Wen Qingxuan?"
Wu Yingying was deeply moved. She lowered her head shyly.
Her brother really did love her after all.
"Who else could it be? You're my own flesh-and-blood sister, born of the same mother."
Wu Ling answered without a second thought. "Of course Wen Qingxuan is prettier!"
"Thanks, Bro—"
The girl in red had been about to thank him, ready to share a tender moment of "brotherly love and sisterly respect," when the smile on her lovely face abruptly froze.
Killing intent surged all around her.
"Wu Ling, why don't you just die!!!"
Wu Yingying's aura grew colder. She swung around and punched her brother hard in his soft stomach, making the completely unprepared man double over like a shrimp.
If she still had even the slightest shred of reason left, she would have taken the God-Tier Giant Crescent Blade in her hand and split the wretch in two.
"Little sister, little sister, we're out in public. Please, at least save your big brother some face."
Wu Ling clutched his aching stomach, feeling as if his insides had been churned into a storm.
Seeing the crowd turn to look at the shout, he knew he'd lost all face. He hurriedly begged for mercy and promised her all sorts of benefits.
After making several attempts to appease her, he finally got the girl in red to give up on splitting him open right there.
You brat. Don't you have any idea?
Don't ask next time. If you do, the other girl's prettier!
Wu Ling gave a light cough and resumed his solemn pose, putting on the airs of an unparalleled expert.
But deep down, he felt terribly wronged.
P.S. The setup's done. Next chapter, it's time to get down to business and take care of everyone on the Alliance's side.
Before you continue