Jackals and Wolves

Deep within the palace walls of Luoyang, a solitary lamp shines.

After dealing with worldly affairs, Sima Honglin sat alone in a side hall, with three portraits spread out in front of him.

The women in the paintings are either gentle or radiant, all of them noble ladies from the celestial race of that era.

The Cloud Mist Ye Clan, the Xiaqi Xiao Clan, and the Langya Wang Clan —each clan represents a power capable of dominating a region.

His fingers gently traced the edge of the portrait, his expression calm to the point of indifference.

Ye Capital, Wang Lan should have already finished reading the imperial decree. Regardless of who wins or loses in the struggle between the Cold Qi and the Li Fire, he remains calm and collected.

If Prince of Chen were to perish here, the Heavenly Position Cold Qi in Heaven would be vacant, and it would be just right for him to be brought back to the court.

If Wang Lan were to perish, the Langya Wang Clan would no longer be able to contend with the imperial family.

How could they possibly know that my intention now is not to establish checks and balances, but to consolidate power!

"Supreme."

A soft call came from outside the hall.

Sima Linxun stood with his hands at his sides, a young man of outstanding talent, possessing the air of a nobleman from the imperial family, a prodigy of the Sima clan.

"Is this Linxun? Come in."

"Don't be so formal, just call me Grandfather."

Sima Linxun bowed again and said:

"To show respect to one's superior is the duty of a subject. How dare your grandson presume upon such favor and become arrogant!"

Sima Honglin smiled and pushed the three portraits in front of him, gesturing for him to come closer and look.

"Cloud Mist Ye Clan has a daughter named Qingyi, who is gentle, kind and virtuous. Among the women of the Ye Clan's direct lineage, she is the most outstanding in terms of natural beauty."

She was a first-rate woman, second only to the Ye Clan Baoyu and Ye Jinyu.

"Marrying her would allow me to use the power of the wind element to control the demons and barbarians, and also temporarily stabilize the situation in Jiangnan." He pointed to the first painting, his tone calm.

"The Xiaqi Xiao Clan, whose daughter Xiao Xianwan cultivates the path of Greater Yin, and whose clan controls Xiaqi and the metal path, are prominent figures in the world. The Xiao Clan family Guanzhong, and their power is immense." The finger moved to the second picture.

In the third painting, the woman possessed unparalleled beauty, yet her eyes held a cold, aloof quality. Sima Honglin paused before slowly speaking, "She is from the Langya Wang Clan, the eldest daughter of Wang Dunzhi."

He didn't finish speaking.

Sima Linxun, however, understood a thing or two.

The current master of the Langya Wang Clan is Wang Lan. Yet the Emperor desires Wang Dunzhi's eldest daughter; could it be that something has changed within the Wang Clan?

"Your subject..." Sima Linxun licked his lips, "I leave it all to Grandfather's discretion."

Sima Honglin stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, so faint that it was almost devoid of warmth.

He raised his hand and put the three portraits away, leaving behind only a vague and incomplete sentence.

"Do you think there's a trusted confidant in the clan capable of handling the task of Li Fire?"

Sima Linxun was stunned.

The deep palace was always cold and gloomy, and the wind blowing through the corridors made the lone lamp flicker.

The light and shadow fell on Sima Honglin's face, dividing the meaning into light and shadow.

Sima Linxun looked at the three portraits, pondered for a moment, and then made up his mind. He then answered.

"In my humble opinion, of these three daughters, Lady Wang should be Wang Clan, and the other two should also marry into our Sima Clan... These are the best choices!"

"My son is still greedy... which suits me just fine."

Qingzhou, Langya in the heavens.

Above the sea of clouds, palaces stretched endlessly, shrouded in crimson clouds and rising purple flames. This was originally a sacred land of the Li Fire lineage, but now it was filled with an eerie atmosphere.

Inside the main hall, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air, and dancers swayed their sleeves gracefully.

Wang Dunhua leaned against a jade couch, surrounded by more than ten stunningly beautiful women. Some poured wine, some peeled fruit, and some gently waved silk fans.

The table was piled high with delicacies, and the cups overflowed with fine wine; the extravagant atmosphere permeated the entire hall with a decadent hue.

On either side of the prince sat dozens of cultivators. Some were members of the Wang Clan clan, while others were leaders of various forces in Qingzhou. They too were presented with fine wine and delicacies, but many of them seemed to have no appetite.

Deep within the main hall, a young man, escorted by two armored soldiers, sat upright on a side seat. He had delicate features, but his expression was extremely complex; he was none other than Wang Maohong, who was under house arrest.

"Nephew Maohong," Wang Dunhua suddenly spoke, his voice languid, "Do you find this dance beautiful?"

Wang Maohong did not answer, but simply gazed at his uncle in silence.

Wang Dunhua didn't mind and waved for the dancers to leave. The music stopped, and the hall fell silent. He slowly rose, picked up his wine cup, and raised it to the crowd below.

"Gentlemen--"

Before he could finish speaking, a hoarse, angry shout suddenly came from outside the hall.

"You beast!"

The palace doors burst open with a roar, and an elderly man with white hair strode in. He wore a fiery immortal robe, with the clan emblem of the Langya Wang Clan embroidered on his chest. His face was gaunt, and his eyes were like lightning.

Behind him, a dozen clan elders filed in, each with a somber expression.

The dancers were terrified and turned pale, retreating in all directions.

"Ninth Grand Uncle." Wang Dunhua put down his wine cup, his smile unchanged.

The old man completely ignored his greeting, pointed at him, and his voice shook the entire hall. "Your father is like a dragon, your brother like a tiger! How dare you disgrace your ancestors, forget your roots, become a tool for others, slaughter your own family, and serve as a lackey for others!"

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of everyone present.

The old man grew angrier with each word, his hair and beard bristling. "So what if you attain the Golden Core, so what if you ascend to the Heavenly Position? You are still subject to the Sima Clan, nothing more than a maidservant! Indulging in women, extravagant and unrestrained, indulging in empty talk and despising practical matters—the reputation of Langya is ruined by your own hands!"

The hall was deathly silent.

All eyes were on Wang Dunhua.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. The laughter was soft, but it made the temperature in the hall drop by three degrees.

"That is very easy."

He turned to Wang Maohong, his tone light as if he were telling an amusing story, "Nephew Maohong, can you guess what your uncle is up to?"

Wang Maohong closed his eyes. He sensed a change in the energy within the hall, and a chilling heat was slowly emanating from Wang Dunhua's body.

"Uncle, you are the epitome of purity in Langya." His voice was hoarse. "Li Fire delights in eliminating evil, not in whipping the living."

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Wang Dunhua burst into laughter. In that laughter, all his past pretense was stripped away, revealing his true, ruthless nature.

"My uncle sought the extreme of Yang, saying to Xia, 'The true path is difficult to attain. Now, the opportunity to achieve the Way has already been ushered in a heretical path.'"

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve.

There were no screams.

There was no bloodshed.

Those stunning beauties who were just dancing gracefully, those concubines who were just pouring wine and peeling fruit, vanished into nothingness in the same instant.

Before they could even show a look of horror, they collapsed like melting wax figures, turning into streams of pure energy that flowed into Wang Dunhua's body like swallows returning to their nests.

The fragrance lingered, but the person was gone.

In the entire hall, only the remnants of their silk robes lay scattered on the ground, proving that they had once existed.

Wang Dunhua took a deep breath, his expression as calm as if he had just finished drinking a cup of tea.

I have abstained from lust.

As soon as he finished speaking, heavy footsteps came from outside the hall.

The elders froze on the spot for a moment.

Step, step, step.

Those were not the steps of ordinary soldiers, but the perfectly synchronized steps of Dao Soldiers clad in their Li Fire armor.

With each step, the entire hall trembled.

The palace gates were wide open, and looking out, one could see countless armored soldiers lined up densely in the plaza outside the palace.

They were clad in crimson armor, with flame patterns engraved on the plates.

Those patterns were not decorations, but genuine Li Fire Dao patterns, which were now flickering with the warriors' breaths, exhaling scorching waves of heat.

The same flame burned in everyone's eyes—a loyalty tempered by the Dao, which had long since extinguished personal will, leaving only pure fighting spirit.

Three thousand [Fire Qi Tiger Guards], the Dao Soldiers of the Langya Wang Clan.

The lowest level Foundation Establishment, while the highest level is nearly a hundred Purple Mansion.

This is the foundation of the immortal race, this is the power passed down for thousands of years.

The armored soldiers all raised their heads and looked towards Wang Dunhua in the hall.

In the next instant, three thousand people knelt down simultaneously. The sound of their armor clashing was like muffled thunder, shaking the glazed tiles on the roof of the palace.

"I am willing to die for my Lord!"

The voices of three thousand people merged into a torrent, soaring straight into the sky.

Wang Maohong opened his eyes and looked at his uncle. He suddenly realized that he had never truly known the person in front of him.

"My father is like a dragon, and my brother is like a tiger." Wang Dunhua stood with his hands behind his back, his voice slowly spreading in all directions, also responding to what his Ninth Grandfather had just said.

"In this world, they have all misjudged me. I will surely lead the Wang Clan to even greater glory."

He stepped out of the hall, stood on the jade steps, and looked down at the three thousand elite guards.

"Today we raise an army, and our first act will be to seize the resources and wealth of Qingzhou as offerings."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth from his body.

That was pure Yang fire light, intense, violent, and domineering.

Within the radiance, the cycle of the four seasons could be faintly seen, finally settling on the height of summer. Lightning danced within the radiance, spiritual energy surged like a tide, and a vast divine might awakened within him.

At this moment, all five Divine Ability of the Purple Mansion were fully realized.

It seemed as if something in the world was responding to him.

That was the call of the Heavenly Position.

"The world should sing my praises."

Wang Dunhua looked up at the sky, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"It is said--[Summer Vast Mysterious Blazing Heaven]."

The bodies of the reprimanding elders suddenly cracked open in disbelief, then transformed into streams of nourishment that entered Wang Dunzhi's body.

"Guards, prepare a sacrifice for my brother! Then sacrifice his own son!"

Suddenly, a rain of fire began to fall from the sky.

This is not ordinary fire; it is the Li Fire.

Crimson, purple-gold, and pure white flames of all colors fell from the sky, like a grand yet tragic funeral.

They pierced the sky, leaving long trails of flame, turning half the heavens a ghastly crimson.

That was an omen of a fire falling from the Li Fire.

Langya Li Fire Heaven, Wang Lan, fell.

Almost at the same moment, the sky in the direction of Ye Capital also suddenly darkened.

The blizzard suddenly stopped, then swept back at an almost frenzied speed.

Each snowflake disintegrates into primordial Cold Qi as it flies backward, then dissipates into the world.

The snowstorm has stopped.

It wasn't that someone caught them, but that they lost their support.

A very faint layer of frost suddenly rose between heaven and earth, as if the heavens were mourning for someone.

That's a sign that the Cold Qi has lost its master.

Cao Zijian, the Prince of Chen, died.

Two celestial phenomena appeared simultaneously.

Throughout the entire Cangxuan Ancient Realm, all cultivators above the Purple Mansion level felt that tremor.

Two True Lord- level beings perished at the same moment, causing the very origin of heaven and earth to mourn and disrupting the spiritual order.

Ye Capital.

This world that has been sealed off.

The snowstorm has stopped, but the world has not yet regained its clarity.

Wang Lan lowered his head, staring at his disintegrating body.

The source of the Li Fire was being drawn from every inch of his skin and every Root Bone, transforming into countless fireflies-like sparks that drifted towards the sky.

Those sparks were reflected in his pupils, like a silent firework display.

"Years ago, I traveled from Qingzhou Langya to Luoyang... An elder once gave me, a son of the Wang Clan, a prophecy." His voice was soft, as if he were talking to himself, "The one who will become a calamity for the world in the future."

"My brother's (Wang Dunzhi's ) adopted son, Wang Yan, was held hostage by the Xiao Clan due to the Wang Clan family's situation..."

"Cultivating the fire element of the Five Elements, becoming a master among all cultivators, a role model for all." Wang Lan raised his dissipating hand, gazing at the last embers of Li Fire in his palm, "Trapped in Ye, amidst endless snowstorms..."

The embers flickered, like a candle dying in the wind.

The once mighty and arrogant Langya Li Fire Heaven was now nothing more than an old man trapped in the wind and snow.

His Daoist robe began to burn, starting from the hem, turning into ashes inch by inch.

The ashes were not black, but pure white—the cleanest ash left after the Li Fire had burned everything away.

He recalled the crimson clouds above Langya Heaven, the flames that erupted when his clansmen practiced their Divine Ability, and the high spirits he felt when he took over the Heavenly Position of the Li Fire Lord that year.

What will become of the Wang family's sons?

He didn't want to think about it anymore.

The Li Fire the sky suddenly vanished.

Wang Lan's body completely disintegrated, turning into a final handful of white ash that fell onto the streets of Ye Capital.

The moment the white ash hit the ground, the ground trembled slightly, as if something had been buried deep in the soil.

Buried beneath Li Fire and earth.

Above the horizon, a very faint, earthy-yellow light flashed and disappeared.

The light was hidden very deeply, appearing only for a fleeting moment the instant Wang Lan fell before disappearing into the void without a trace.

An aged voice echoed in the void, carrying a hint of regret and a touch of calculation.

"What a pity."

The voice paused, then let out a soft chuckle.

"But it's alright."

In the void, a whisk could be faintly seen swaying gently. It was Law Treasure of the Great Peace Temple, containing the Incense and Fire Prayer Power accumulated over countless years. At this moment, it was slowly turning, pointing at the boy standing amidst the ruins in Ye Capital.

Cao Huan raised his head.

In his eyes, he saw the white ash filling the sky, the dissipating snow, and a gleaming, earthy yellow light gathering.

"Boy, today, the Wei Imperial House rises again, and you are the new emperor!"