Past Events

On Mingyun Main Peak, in the cave abode of the third elder, Ye Zhanshan.

Ye Jinming and Ye Jinxuan knelt before Ye Zhanshan and recounted everything that had happened today, one detail at a time.

After hearing them out, Ye Zhanshan remained silent for a long while before sighing. "Jinming, Jinxuan, I trust you both understand the cause and effect behind this."

"I... of course I understand!" Ye Jinming said in a low voice.

"Father came in a rage today and left disappointed. How could that not have been the True Lord's way of informing us? I'm no fool."

"That Anlan is arrogant, but he's only the young lord's pawn. The young lord is the one who truly wanted to establish his authority. Today, Jinxuan suffered this injury in my place."

"And Xu Feng also appeared and intervened in time. Presumably, that was another warning..."

Ye Jinxuan said as well, "I made Anlan lose an arm. Presumably, most of the young lord's anger should have subsided, and the cause and effect our branch sowed back then can be considered settled."

"Alas... they're all old debts from years past... this old face of mine still commands a little consideration from my elder brother. My sons know when to advance and when to retreat... presumably, for the sake of our bonds as brothers of the same clan, he wouldn't have acted this way either." Ye Zhanshan nodded, speaking with some self-reproach.

"Father, you've done so much for the clan. How could the Ancestor not know? So what if I became this stepping stone? I believe the young lord isn't entirely unreasonable either."

Seeing Ye Zhanshan blame himself like this, Ye Jinming comforted him.

"That Ye Anlan is only from a collateral branch, yet he has earned such nurturing and appreciation from him. It can only be to set an example for the clansmen, buying bones for a thousand gold pieces to win their hearts.

"Besides, our relationship is much closer, and our hearts are utterly sincere... if we offered him our loyalty, I imagine that would be just what the Azure Nether Ancestor wants."

Ye Jinxuan said, "I feel the same."

Seeing this, Ye Zhanshan's eyes filled with relief.

It was time to tell them a few things.

He recalled some events from years past.

"My sons are so clever... that brings your father great comfort."

"Where in this world is there a clan that prospers forever? The Ye Clan has attained its present glory only because its people stood united and overcame hard times together, while our generation shouldered a little more and endured humiliation."

"Back then, my elder brother, Ye Zhanqiu, vanished for ten years as he sought Lesser Yin and broke through to form his core. Now, how resounding his prestige is! He ascended to the heavenly seat and held Jiangnan in check, and even the Sima Clan had no choice but to congratulate him.

"Countless tales of it have circulated throughout Cangxuan. But how could we, his own brothers, not know the dangers?"

"When he attained the Dao, the Sima Clan's two True Lords joined forces with the Chen Clan of Guandong, who held the office of Grand Chief Arbiter and governed the mountains, and the Xie Clan, of the marsh attribute."

"The two clans acted together, using vast water-element power to conceal all the Lesser Yin in the world. The True Lords of the three clans used great Divine Abilities to bring spring to Huainan and the Central Plains for ten consecutive years, spreading rain across the land and moving mountains to suppress Jiangnan. There was no autumn, winter, or summer under heaven."

"Every image of harvest and concealment was locked away in Guixu in the Eastern Sea. They consumed blood food and formed ties with the dragon race and demonkind to keep it suppressed."

"With Huangchu, the Golden Crow, hanging in the sky, and the Greater Yang falling, from south to north, the spiritual atmosphere of heaven and earth fell into chaos. They wanted Zhanqiu to die while proving [Autumn]."

"The Sima Clan ruled the world. How could we dare contend with them? Back then, our Ye Clan locked Azure Gate and sealed Yunlan, unable to appear in the world."

"The Ruin Realms under our command fell into chaos, and loyal cultivators died unnatural deaths. Trouble was stirred up, and the great Ruin Realms under the Ye Clan's rule split into independent territories and refused to submit. The heavenly mandates and destinies of the Ruin Realms rose in its wake. How was it not the immortal clans of the world looting a burning house, raising gu and cultivating Dao Ginseng..."

At this point, Ye Zhanshan's breathing grew heavy, and he clenched his fists tight.

"I had no choice but to endure, no choice but to play the muddlehead. Sixth Brother had no choice but to take office in Yangzhou and become a subject of the Sima Clan. The other brothers either went to the Southern Frontier to slay demons or raced about the Ruin Realms to the point of exhaustion... only then did we gain a moment's breathing room..."

"The Azure Nether Ancestor risked grievous injury and joined forces with the Xiao Clan's True Lord, and we incurred a debt of gratitude to the Wang Clan. Only then... was there a sliver of hope. That was how our elder brother's fortune ran, and heaven also favored the Ye Clan."

When fortune came, heaven and earth lent their strength, and Cangxuan's providence bestowed its favor...

He looked at Ye Jinming and Ye Jinxuan, his gaze complicated. "Today, Ye Anlan came with a letter of challenge, but True Lord Qiuran tore it up... presumably, the True Lord has already gone to Qingyu to teach that boy Ye Jinyu and knows these stories..."

As he spoke, Ye Zhanshan could not help showing a look of longing.

"It isn't that I'm unwilling to let you compete for this position. The truth is, the Ancestor used [Wind]-attribute providence to make a calculation and reached a conclusion: Jinyu is a person whose fate is hard to divine, one who bears great providence and a great destiny."

"He is the one who can lead the Ye Clan to its peak, the person chosen by heaven in our Ye Clan's present generation."

"Since ancient times, some have rejoiced while others have grieved. Who could fail to yearn for the seat of Cangxuan's ruler? Who could suppress the ambition to climb one level higher?"

As he spoke, Ye Zhanshan's presence poured out. It had surpassed the Purple Mansion Peak, crossing that barrier. His Divine Ability had already reached a subtle level, and he could borrow the power of [Autumn].

False Core...

The sharp edge and vigor of his youth seemed to have returned.

A youth in fine clothes on a spirited steed, heaven itself had given him leave to be unrestrained.

"Didn't the Sima Clan also make a wager before they could preside over this magnificent world? Too many people died back then.

"I, Ye Zhanshan, who survived, can now stand beside the True Lord and share in his renown... my bearing remains as splendid as ever!"

"I'm telling you two this so you'll know how good it is to be young, and that you must also understand your responsibilities," Ye Zhanshan said solemnly. "At the end of the year, you must help the young lord win the Lineage's loyalty and unite its people.

"Remember, the Lineage only needs one wolf to lead the pack now."

"And that wolf has already been chosen."

"You are the key to this endeavor. If it succeeds, everyone from top to bottom must be united."

Hearing this, how could Ye Jinming and Ye Jinxuan fail to grasp their father's deeper meaning? They kowtowed and said in unison, "We too are children of the Ye Clan, with Azure Nether's blood flowing in our veins."

"True men should be like rivers flowing into the sea and make a resounding name for themselves. How could we be so shortsighted?"

"The Ye Clan's Nine Heavens Azure Nether in the Cangxuan Ancient Realm, its awe-inspiring might over Yunlan-how could we let it all be destroyed?"

"This is that letter of challenge. Take it..."

With that, Ye Zhanshan handed the second letter to the two of them.

In a waterside pavilion at the temporary palace in the Qingyu Realm.

Ye Jinyu cast his hook into the lake. Watching the ripples spread, he let the faintest hint of a smile touch his lips.

The Zhao sisters stood quietly behind him, though waves surged in their hearts.

Beneath the surface of the lake, a fish finally approached the bait tentatively.

Ye Jinyu moved his wrist slightly, and the fishing rod trembled.

"It's taken the bait."

The autumn wind gathered without a sound, and a desolate stillness fell over heaven and earth, as though everything had frozen. With a movement of divine sense, the world changed around them. Living beings felt an instant of trembling fear, terror gripping their hearts like a crushing weight.

"Jinyu, do you know what you did wrong?"

Ye Jinyu naturally understood the whole sequence of events.

He was no longer in the temporary palace, but in a world filled with the colors of autumn.

At some point, a figure had appeared suspended overhead, seated upright in a lofty position.

His words held neither joy nor sorrow, and his expression was cold and indifferent.

It was none other than his father, Ye Zhanqiu.

Seeing him, Ye Jinyu remained unhurried.

He merely stretched out a hand, and a wisp of black-and-white spiritual light appeared in his palm, faintly suggesting the cycle of yin and yang. Bifeng swirled within his body, forming wisps of profound, dark wind, and his eyes were full of vigor and confidence.

"I know I was wrong, but I won't correct it."

"In the future, no matter what, I should show my elders a little more consideration."

"I acted too hastily, and my methods were crude. Fortunately, Father and Grandfather covered for me.

"I didn't know before, but I've always believed that putting a little pressure on people's hearts and testing them is a good thing."

"Besides, I also need a few whetstones to test myself against.

"Though I was born to a noble status, as for the people close to me...

"Rather than having them bound to me by power and various other factors... I prefer to win them over with my own hands and conquer them personally."

The corners of Ye Zhanqiu's mouth lifted slightly, then quickly settled again.

Jinyu's cultivation seemed to have advanced once more.

An open and upright path. Not bad.

Knowing he was wrong but refusing to correct it was also the mark of a ruler.

My son truly is chosen by heaven.