Heavenly Gang Bifeng Pool

Two months later, deep within the Azure Nether Mountain Range, at the Azure Luan Ancestral Land.

Giant trees towered into the clouds, reaching the heavens above a dense, lush green forest. Azure luan often perched high in their branches or darted back and forth among them.

Atop a giant tree that reached the clouds, an Azure Nether Wind barrier had formed out of thin air. Beyond it lay the palace of the Azure Luan royal family, the heart of their domain.

Clear luan cries rang out, drawing a rustling chorus from the leaves. The faint fragrance of grass, trees, and morning dew lingered on every side.

Daylight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering in fragments as shadows shifted with the mist. All around was tranquil, like a paradise of immortals.

Qing Lingxi was hiding in a secluded corner.

Her eyes, like azure glass, reflected the misty expanse of the Azure Nether Mountains. Breathing in the fragrance of the grass and trees, amid the peaceful years and tranquility untouched by the din of war, she initially let a faint smile curve her lips from time to time, while a trace of resentment, too slight to notice, lay hidden in her heart.

"You were the ones who abandoned me first..."

Then Qing Lingxi stirred the Demon Power within her. The two illusory azure plumes that flickered in and out of sight among her hair nearly solidified. She spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood, and the phantom of an azure luan soared into the sky. A clear cry rang out in the air, shaking the ancestral land as azure light blazed.

Before long.

A middle-aged woman hurriedly flew out through the Azure Nether Wind barrier. She had a full figure and was quite attractive.

But her face was unapproachable, with a touch of meanness and fastidiousness beneath its sternness.

She spotted Qing Lingxi at once, and a trace of apprehension flashed in her eyes.

"Eldest princess, why have you come back...?" There was no pity in Third Elder Luan Qingyu's eyes, and her words even carried a hint of reproach.

Seeing this, Qing Lingxi seemed to abandon her former pride and knelt before the elder.

Sobbing in fear, she recounted how she had been captured by the Xie Clan and subjected to every humiliation, and how the two elders had given their all and fought to the death.

Then she had escaped by sheer luck.

At first, Third Elder was full of doubts about Qing Lingxi's account and did not believe a word of it. But then she thought better of it.

She is the eldest princess, after all... The Demon Race has always placed great importance on bloodlines. Since she is alive, no matter how little favor she enjoys, she is still royalty. I am only an elder; it is not my place to overstep and deal with her.

Besides, Her Highness Lingyue already has the situation firmly in hand. Qing Lingxi probably cannot stir up much trouble. After some time has passed, I can report this to First Elder and let her decide what to do.

These are troubled times. Leave it for now and consider it an act of kindness.

"Since you have returned, rest and recuperate. The Wang blood inheritance is close at hand. Do not disturb Her Highness Lingyue."

"Yes..." Qing Lingxi lowered her head and nodded, hiding the chill in her eyes.

Qing Lingxi was lodged in a secluded palace of the Azure Luan royal family. In name, she was recuperating; in truth, she was under house arrest, with azure luan guards posted all around.

At midnight.

Qing Lingxi slept peacefully in the side palace.

With the ancestral land bolstering her, Third Elder swept her vast Divine Sense back and forth, examining everything carefully ten times.

Only after finding nothing amiss did she withdraw.

Another half hour passed.

Qing Lingxi slowly rose. Within her, the pale azure and dark red of the Dao Seed of Fate were intertwining more intensely, giving off power that made her whole body grow slightly hot.

At midnight, outside the Azure Nether Mountain Range.

Ye Jinyu had brought a hundred Ye Clan elites, thirty of them at the middle or late stage of Foundation Establishment, while most of the rest were at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

Accompanying them were another three thousand cultivators from among Rogue Cultivators, minor lineages, and sects.

Seventy percent of them were at Qi Refinement Perfection; the remaining thirty percent were all at Foundation Establishment.

Every one of their eyes shone scarlet with greed.

"Young master, this woman's hatred may be genuine, but she is still of another race... What if she deceived us and returned to her clan to lay a net of heaven and earth for us?"

"If we fail to take it tonight, our losses will be severe, young master."

"It is of no consequence. I do not employ those I distrust, and I do not distrust those I employ."

"Besides, the Azure Luan Clan of this realm is favored by heaven and earth to begin with, and it also accords with the image of our clan's [wind] attribute. It can be nurtured."

"Moreover, I have no wish to incur more killing karma. Would it not be better to choose a worthy clan leader for the Azure Luan Clan?"

"I have a feeling that my fortuitous opportunity lies in the Heavenly Gang Bifeng Pool."

Ye Jinming held a ledger, tallying the Spirit Stones, pills, other resources, and various expenses for this operation, while quietly offering advice at Ye Jinyu's side.

Ye Jinyu sensed the guidance of the Heavenly Cauldron of Fate within him.

The time had come. Now was the moment to accomplish great deeds and seize treasures.

He slowly opened the Azure Nether Jade Glass Fan in his hand. A thousand supreme-grade Spirit Stones set into the Autumn Evolution Dao Profound Robe shone brilliantly, continually supplying Spiritual Qi to activate a Purple Mansion spirit treasure that concealed their presence from the Azure Luan Clan.

"Everyone."

Ye Jinyu kept his voice low, but its tone was clear.

"Ahead lies the Azure Luan Ancestral Land, home to Bifeng, a rare treasure of heaven and earth. This is something my Ye Clan must obtain. Anyone who fights their way inside will be rewarded with a thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones. Anyone who captures a Foundation Establishment azure luan alive will receive a bottle of Foundation Establishment pills."

"In this battle, should anyone render a great service to my Ye Clan..."

Ye Jinyu paused, then spoke each word distinctly.

"I shall grant that person a Purple Mansion spirit item. With my Ye Clan's reputation as guarantee, no one in Cangxuan will dare seize it!

"Regardless of origin or background, all who survive may enter my Yunlan to cultivate and become affiliates of my Ye Clan. Should any die, my Ye Clan will provide for their lineages and families, and can also offer some care to their sects."

At once, heavy breathing filled the crowd.

Rogue Cultivators were the boldest, the most protective of their lives, and also the most ruthless people in the cultivation world.

We cultivators contend with heaven, contend with earth, and contend with others.

What we contend for is carefree longevity and the mighty power of Divine Abilities. Who could refuse a fortuitous opportunity before them?

Many cultivators from minor lineages and small sects also fought and killed in silence for the sake of their descendants, struggling to win them a future and resources.

A Purple Mansion spirit item was a supreme treasure in Cangxuan, enough to make Foundation Establishment cultivators risk their lives and turn lineages against one another in murderous feuds!

Even if they could not use it themselves, its value if sold could not be measured in Spirit Stones.

Moreover, the immortal clan's promise gave them a final safeguard.

"We are willing to die in your service, young master!"

"Kill!!!"

The three thousand cultivators' fighting spirit soared. Spiritual Qi and spells of every sort surged forth, some jumbled, some profound, their presences varying in strength.

The three thousand cultivators poured forth like a swarm of locusts. Some rode the wind or flew on swords; others rode beasts or controlled artifacts. For a time, the sight was magnificent, stirring heroic spirit.

They charged straight toward Azure Nether Mountain.

Ye Jinyu, however, did not move.

He said to Ye Anlan and Ye Jinming beside him, "As planned, lead the men in a frontal assault and create chaos."

"Then, young master, you..."

Ye Jinyu looked deep into Azure Nether Mountain, where a soft radiance shimmered, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"I am going to meet the Xie Clan's legitimate daughter... and discuss some cooperation."

Ye Jinyu immediately turned into a gentle breeze and vanished from where he stood.

At the site of the Bifeng Heavenly Gang Pool.

It was a vast underground cavern, more than a hundred zhang high and several hundred li across.

At the center of the cavern was a pool a thousand zhang in diameter. Its contents were not liquid, but azure Gang winds condensed until they were nearly solid!

The wind spun, gathered, and exploded within the pool, producing a deep rumble like thunder.

Blue-gray Wind Sha rose from the surface. Whenever a stray wisp of wind escaped and swept across the cavern wall, it left a gash several feet deep.

At the center of the pool, where the currents were densest, strands of origin power, dark azure and nearly black, were faintly taking shape, giving off a tearing force that made the heart tremble.

That was Bifeng, the furious wind of heaven and earth. It clouded the soul, blew in through the crown of the head and into the six viscera, passed through the Dantian and pierced the nine orifices, until bone and flesh wasted away and the body came apart.

A raised white-jade platform stood beside the pool, covered in ancient wind-attribute inscriptions and all manner of Azure Luan Clan patterns.

A girl in white sat cross-legged upon it. She looked about fifteen or sixteen, and her features were seven parts like Qing Lingxi's, though she appeared younger and more delicately pampered.

Azure radiance surrounded her, resonating with the Bifeng Qi in the pool. In her palm, an azure feather of dazzling brilliance took shape, unmistakably the purest symbol of Wang blood.

Sensing the presence of her bloodline, the Gang winds in the pool immediately grew lively. Several wisps of wind wound around her wrist, and she absorbed them with ease.

She was Qing Lingyue, the heir to Wang blood chosen by the Azure Luan Clan.

Below the platform, First Elder Luan Mi sat in meditation with her eyes closed. The pressure of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage enveloped the entire place, with traces of Bifeng faintly swirling around her.

Her strength and cultivation far surpassed those of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator.

The Dao foundation she had forged, [Bifeng Nether Abyss], ranked among the best even among Cangxuan's Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Thirty-six Azure Luan Royal Guards also stood like statues, their presences joined as one.

Suddenly-

"Report!!!"

An Azure Luan clansperson stumbled in, dropped to their knees, and urgently reported, "First Elder! The fiends of Cangxuan are attacking Azure Nether Mountain! Most of the forest outside the mountain has fallen, and Third Elder is retreating in defeat! She requests your support, First Elder!"

Luan Mi opened her eyes. A deep, mysterious light flashed through them, and azure Wind Gang howled without cease as she said angrily,

"Who is it?! Have the people of the Xie Clan of Cangxuan attacked again?"

"Didn't we already send Qing Lingxi to them?! Shouldn't they all have died?! Why has the Xie Clan come again?"

"These people of Cangxuan truly have no honor!"

Just then, the girl in white on the platform suddenly spoke, her tone cool and carrying a touch of haughty reproach.

"First Elder, I fear elder sister did not die, and has even returned... I can feel it."

"How did you handle things?!"

"If she did not die... For the sake of the bond between sisters, would you be willing to take elder sister's bloodline, First Elder, and let me... become more perfect...?"

The girl in white pinched the azure feather in her hand. A trace of hatred flashed in her eyes, along with some annoyance and madness.

At her words, First Elder's lips curved slightly, revealing a cruel smile.

"Since Your Highness Lingyue commands it, how would I dare disobey?"