"Do not reveal what happened here to anyone, especially the existence of that supreme being!" Lan Canghai looked at the two of them and spoke solemnly.
This ancient cave was far too strange. It was practically a burial ground, yet living beings still existed within it. That left him uneasy.
The supreme being's origins were a mystery. They had no idea which era it had come from. If word got out, they might become entangled in karma and bring a great calamity upon themselves!
Ahead, mountain ranges rose from the earth, like true dragons coiled across the land, magnificent and boundless.
Above the tallest divine mountains, purple light pierced the sky and radiant clouds billowed. Veiled in mist, they exuded mystery and majesty.
They had arrived at the Xu Family.
As they made their way through, they decided to see Xu Mingxuan first.
"What? A marriage proposal?!" Yao Yue had just taken a sip of tea when she abruptly spat it out, flames flashing in her beautiful eyes.
"Who was bold enough to set their sights on me?"
"Look at you, getting worked up again." Xu Mingxuan glanced at her and took a small sip of fragrant tea, looking perfectly composed.
"If someone has to get married, you do it! Or let Xi Yue go. I'm not doing it." Seeing her father act like this, Yao Yue's face darkened, and she spoke angrily.
"Did I say I agreed?" Seeing her reaction, Xu Mingxuan stopped teasing her and spread his hands.
At that, Yao Yue's expression eased somewhat. Then she said fiercely, "Tell me who it was. I'll crush him mercilessly one day!"
"The Jin Family of Yu Yu Heaven. Apparently, an exceptional young genius has emerged in their current generation. He has already entered the Sacred Academy to cultivate. This time, Old Madam Jin came in person, hoping to form a marriage alliance with our Xu Family," Xu Mingxuan said.
"The Jin Family?" Lan Canghai spoke from the side, looking thoughtful. "So it was that clan."
The Jin Family of Yu Yu Heaven was also a family of undying heritage.
Rumor had it that they possessed an ancestral Ancient Scripture that could temper the sinews and bones, rendering the flesh imperishable.
There were also rumors that the clan had extraordinary origins, with roots that might lie outside this world.
But those were only rumors. No one knew how much truth they held.
"A great upheaval is coming. It's only natural that they would seek an ally to join forces with and protect themselves," Xu Mingxuan said.
In this age, everyone with profound cultivation had a vague premonition that the other realm was preparing to return, and that heaven and earth would undergo a tremendous change!
The war in the Border Wasteland continued, growing ever more brutal. The Foreign Realm's offensives were becoming increasingly fierce, and even immortals had taken action, seeking to cross between realms.
Beside them, Xi Yue looked thoughtful. That person had to be Jin Zhan.
It was laughable, really. One person's invincibility was defined by his never making a move.
As long as he never fought, he could never lose, making him an invincible existence.
In a sense, he really did have the makings of a Great Emperor.
But wasn't he supposed to become engaged to Wang Xi? Why had he come to her family instead?
"The Jin Family is indeed powerful, but a marriage alliance with them would be inappropriate. Several clan elders also oppose it," Xu Mingxuan said.
He was not a hidebound man. Sacrificing his own daughter to forge a marriage alliance with an immortal power was something he scorned.
And so the matter ended there. Rebuffed, the Jin Family departed in anger, feeling that they had suffered a tremendous humiliation.
Soon afterward, however, another piece of news arrived: the Jin Family of Yu Yu Heaven had formed a marriage alliance with the Wang Family of Boundless Heaven!
Like a raging storm, the news swiftly swept across the Nine Heavens. Even some ancient immortal sects were deeply shaken.
If the marriage alliance succeeded, the two families would become one united whole, advancing and retreating together to form a force of unimaginable power.
"It's said that these two clans cooperated in the previous epoch, which was how both survived that great war. It seems the rumors were true," someone remarked upon hearing the news.
When the news reached the Xu Family, no one was particularly surprised. They had already anticipated this.
One could only say that the Jin Family truly had a knack for making people sick.
After hitting a wall with the Xu Family, they turned straight to its rival, the Wang Family, and even reached an agreement to unite.
"Looks like that so-called genius of the Jin Family is going to marry Wang Xi," Yao Yue said, curling her lip.
She and Wang Xi were at odds, each viewing the other as an enemy. Naturally, she could not bear to see things go well for Wang Xi.
After all, the Jin Family's genius had been spoken of as almost divine, with seemingly no one capable of matching him.
"Heh, how do you know that genius of the Jin Family isn't just an empty name?" Xi Yue smiled faintly, her tone flippant.
Naturally, she scoffed at it all. It was merely the Jin Family building momentum for him, hoping to mold him into a leader of the younger generation.
They had even ordered him not to fight, all to preserve his legend of invincibility.
At the thought, she almost laughed aloud.
Hearing her tone, Yao Yue grew suspicious. "Huh? An empty name? From the way you're acting, do you know some secret?"
"No. I was just saying whatever came to mind," Xi Yue denied.
Some things would lose their fun if she said them aloud.
To be honest, she also wanted to see Jin Zhan fight the Fearless Lion to a draw. The expressions on the Jin Family's faces would surely be spectacular.
After all, the Jin Family was no flock of innocent birds either. One day, there would have to be a reckoning.
As for the Wang Family... they were snakes and rats sharing the same nest. There was nothing more to say.
Over the following days, the disturbances gradually subsided, and no other major events occurred.
Xi Yue also cultivated rapidly. With no trivial matters to distract her and boundless resources at her disposal, her progress was swift.
"The Kun Peng Precious Technique truly is extraordinary."
During this period, not only had her cultivation improved, but she had also found time to practice the Kun Peng Precious Technique.
This was the first Precious Art of the Ten Fiends she had obtained. She had to admit that it was incomparably profound. Truly comprehending it would take considerable time.
A pair of golden wings appeared behind her, bearing mysterious black markings. These were Kun Peng wings, manifested through her runes.
This also meant that she had gained an initial grasp of the Precious Art.
It was astonishing. This was not some Precious Art of a pure-blooded ferocious beast, but a genuine Precious Art of the Ten Fiends. That she could grasp it in such a short time was almost unimaginable.
Her wings unfurled. The left was like supreme yin condensed into ink, cold and unfathomably deep; the right was like supreme yang melting into gold, blazing and dazzling.
The energies of yin and yang flowed between the wings, faintly carrying an ancient divine might.
With a gentle beat of her wings, she tore through the sky in an instant, leaving a black-and-white divine rainbow in her wake.
In a single instant, she crossed several li.
When she landed, the golden wings behind her dissolved into golden light. Satisfaction appeared on Xi Yue's lovely face.
There was a reason Kun Peng was known for the greatest speed under heaven. At this speed, hardly anyone at the same level could match her.
Moreover,
This was also a supreme divine art of slaughter, capable of commanding yin and yang and possessing unfathomable power.
"It's a pity I don't have the Original True Explanation. Otherwise, my cultivation would advance even faster."
It expounded the mysteries of the Great Dao through the simplest primordial runes between heaven and earth. It could be called the mightiest method in existence; no scripture could compare to even a fraction of it.
Although it circulated widely, those versions were ultimately only rubbings. How could they compare to directly studying the Primordial Rune Bone?
At that thought, she could not help laughing.
She really had become fixated. How could everything possibly be perfect? Being born into an illustrious family of the Nine Heavens was already something countless people could only dream of. What more could she unreasonably demand?
She had now opened seven heavenly grottoes. Counting the time, she was only a little over eight years old. It was truly astonishing.
"Let's set a goal: break into the Spirit Transformation Realm before ten." Xi Yue's face remained calm, without a ripple of emotion.
Was that arrogant?
Extremely!
Even in the Nine Heavens, talents like that were few and far between, scarcely ever seen.
But for Xi Yue, it seemed genuinely achievable, and not all that difficult.