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The system's voice left Lan An's face frozen, his body momentarily paralyzed. After a few breaths, he regained composure, suspecting an auditory illusion. He swiftly checked the quest details.
Quest Description: [Conquer the Mother-in-Law]
Objective: Win Yan Yue Qi's heart, securing her acceptance into the harem. No time limit. Failure occurs if Yan Yue Qi utterly disdains you.
Confirming its reality, Lan An's expression darkened. This quest was outrageously demanding not due to lack of confidence, but the delicate nature of their relationship. Even if he succeeded, how could he face Hong Lian and Diep Tinh? Unlike Liu Shi Qin, a maiden whose bond posed no conflict with his transmigrated identity, Yan Yue Qi's status as their mother complicated matters. Though her charisma and beauty captivated him, Lan An's rationality held firm—until the system thrust this monumental challenge upon him.
Sensing his turmoil, Jin Ni's soothing voice chimed, "Don't be hasty, Young Master! Every system quest aims for your present and future benefit, and this is no exception."
Lan An frowned, reflecting. Jin Ni's words rang true quests like aiding the Liu Clan or seizing a virtuous wife had proven advantageous. Taking a deep breath to quell his emotions, he muttered, "Fine, I'll play along. Failure means enmity with the Yan Clan, losing Hong Lian and Diep Tinh. Success is the only option."
Failure wasn't an option. Being utterly scorned by Yan Yue Qi would strip him of his pride as a man.
At the battlefield, Yan Yue Qi stood majestic, her long hair dancing in the wind, crimson battle robe tattered yet regal. Behind her, the colossal Divine Sun Crow phantom crackled with lightning, her Thunder Scepter gleaming. Her peerless face radiated heroic valor, a war goddess humbling even the boldest men.
"This power…" Hou Yan's massive face grew grave, staring at the fused golden Alien Fire and lightning, unease gripping him.
"Perfect fusion of lightning and fire? Could it be…" Lang Wang whispered, horrified.
"Thunder-Fire Mysterious Art!" Hou Yan confirmed, inhaling sharply.
"How? Wasn't the Evil Emperor slain by the Ice Mysterious Emperor?" Lang Wang stammered, incredulous.
"The Evil Emperor died, but his art's whereabouts were unknown. It seems it's resurfaced!" Hou Yan gripped his Mountain-Splitting War Axe, eyes blazing with battle lust.
As patriarchs of Eighth-Order clans, neither was a coward. Beasts revered strength; only the mightiest led. Both had survived countless battles to reach their status. The loss of two elders was too grievous to ignore.
"Hmph! So what if you have Thunder-Fire Mysterious Art? Fight!" Lang Wang howled, transforming into his true form—a massive black-furred Earth Wolf, limbs like sky-piercing pillars, clad in armor, red eyes and razor fangs exuding bloodlust.
Raising his claws, a booming voice roared, "Desert Chieftain!"
The ground trembled as Earth Spirit Energy formed a colossal sandstorm, enveloping Lang Wang. As he moved, the storm followed, a grinding vortex shielding and shredding foes. Desert Chieftain, a Mid Heaven-Grade technique, was exclusive to Earth Wolf patriarchs, passed to one per generation.
"Die!" Lang Wang's limbs stomped, space quaking. The sandstorm surged toward Yan Yue Qi, her delicate figure ant-like before his bulk.
Her icy eyes remained serene, occasionally flashing with fire and lightning. As Lang Wang unleashed his full might, Hou Yan roared, feet riding crimson clouds, axe in hand, shouting, "Mountain-Splitting Strike – Fire Monkey Heaven-Suppressing Fist!"
His axe smashed down, molten like volcanic rock, while the Fire Monkey phantom behind him punched, two techniques merging in a cataclysmic assault. Space shattered, an apocalyptic force bearing down on Yan Yue Qi.
"Harmony Palm!" Lan An launched a tri-colored energy beam, hoping to alleviate her burden, piercing toward Lang Wang's charging form.
BOOM
The blast disrupted Lang Wang's sandstorm, slowing him momentarily. "Three fused Spirit Energies?" Yan Yue Qi's eyes flickered with surprise, impressed by her "son-in-law."
But Lan An's Nascent Soul strength was too weak; the Harmony Palm crumbled against the sandstorm, harmless to Lang Wang. "Hmph! After her, you'll beg for death!" Lang Wang sneered, resuming his assault with Hou Yan.
Yan Yue Qi closed her eyes, lips parting softly, "Blazing Thunder Sun Crow Break."
SCREECH
The Divine Sun Crow roared, golden flames erupting, its size rivaling Lang Wang's. Lightning raged within, seamlessly interwoven, flawless in fusion.
Blazing Thunder Sun Crow Break a technique Yan Yue Qi crafted over years after receiving Thunder-Fire Mysterious Art from her daughters, debuted here.
CRASH
Like warring stars, the three attacks collided, a deafening explosion ringing Lan An's ears. He shielded them with Spirit Energy.
CRUMBLE
The Wood Turtle shattered under the shockwave. Lan An flew back hundreds of miles, spitting blood, his face pale.
At the epicenter, Yan Yue Qi retreated hundreds of steps, her battle robe torn, a trickle of blood at her lips, internal injuries evident. Her foes fared worse.
The Blazing Thunder Sun Crow Break's dominance shattered Hou Yan's Mountain-Splitting War Axe, cracking it, his molten armor gone. His arm turned to ash, skin peeling, half his face exposing skull, flames and lightning ravaging his wounds. Blood drenched his crimson fur. Unable to endure, he knelt, Heaven and Earth Manifestation dissolving, the Fire Monkey phantom vanishing, gasping for breath.
Lang Wang lay supine, roasted flesh stench filling the air, his sandstorm gone, black fur burned off, a bald wolf gasping his last breaths.
"Forcing me to go all out, you can die proud," Yan Yue Qi declared, raising her Thunder Scepter to finish Hou Yan.
CLANG
A metallic clash rang out. A spatial rift opened beside Hou Yan, three silver-furred, elderly Fire Monkeys emerging, their Sixth-Order auras pressing forth. Their varied weapons blocked Yan Yue Qi's strike.
"Elders?" Hou Yan rasped, enduring his agony.
"Patriarch, we're here!" the three Fire Monkey elders said, warily eyeing Yan Yue Qi.
"Yan Matriarch, show mercy! We can't defeat you, but we'll self-detonate together. You won't die, but you'll be gravely injured!" the eldest, Hou Yi, a Sixth-Order Late-Stage elder, warned. His aura was weaker than Hou Yan's, his potential exhausted, but his resolve to save the patriarch was firm.
"You dare threaten me?" Yan Yue Qi's eyes remained cold. Their self-detonation could harm her, but she loathed ultimatums.
"Madam, let them go. I'll settle accounts with the Fire Monkey Clan personally in the future," Lan An's voice reached her, standing beside his "mother-in-law."
The elders, suppressing rage, scoffed at him, deeming the youth arrogant. "Scram!" Yan Yue Qi barked.
"Thank you, Yan Matriarch!" The elders, clasping hands, tore space and fled with Hou Yan.
Yan Yue Qi approached the dying Lang Wang, her Thunder Scepter raised to end him. Suddenly, a rift opened, a massive wolf claw wreathed in a sandstorm snatching Lang Wang's body.
"No! Lang Sha, you'll die horribly!" Lang Wang's anguished, furious cry echoed.
"Haha, big brother, you've led too long. Time for me to take over! Thanks, Yan Matriarch!" a gleeful laugh resounded from the void.
The sandstorm shredded Lang Wang's body and soul, a Sixth-Order Late-Stage patriarch slain.
"The Earth Wolf Clan has a rule: whoever kills the patriarch, under any circumstance, claims the title," Yan Yue Qi murmured coolly.
Lan An's heart jolted. Such a brutal, carnivorous race enforced harsh survival laws, compelling patriarchs to stay vigilant and grow stronger.
"Lang Sha, likely the Earth Wolf Clan's Great Elder, is also Sixth-Order Late-Stage," Yan Yue Qi mused, eyes flickering. Humans, she noted, could be as ruthless as beasts, just more cunning and insidious.
"Come with me!" She grabbed Lan An's collar, intent on leaving, but tossed him aside again, her brows furrowing as a distant pressure stirred her instincts.
"Hahaha, Thunder-Fire Mysterious Art! The Evil Emperor's heir is formidable. Time to settle old debts!" A sinister laugh echoed from the void, a figure swiftly appearing before them.
Chapter Title: "Harem's Champion, Echoes of the Evil Emperor"
The newcomer's aura was chilling, space trembling under his presence. Clad in a black robe embroidered with icy blue patterns, his face was obscured by a hood, but his eyes gleamed with malevolent frost. A Seventh-Order Early-Stage cultivator, his power rivaled Yan Yue Qi's, yet carried a sinister edge.
Lan An's White Moon Soul-Seizing Eye activated, sensing danger. This man's connection to the Evil Emperor hinted at a deep grudge. Yan Yue Qi's grip on her Thunder Scepter tightened, lightning crackling.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice icy.
The figure chuckled, "A remnant of the Ice Mysterious Emperor's lineage, here to reclaim what's owed. Your Thunder-Fire Mysterious Art belongs to my ancestor's foe. Hand it over, or perish."
Yan Yue Qi's eyes narrowed. "A descendant of Bing Xuan? You're centuries late to claim anything. Leave, or join these beasts in death."
The man's laughter grew colder. "Bold words, Yan Matriarch. Let's see if your art matches your arrogance. Ice Sovereign's Wrath!"
A blizzard erupted, space freezing, ice spears materializing to pierce Yan Yue Qi. She countered with Blazing Thunder Sun Crow Break, the Divine Sun Crow clashing with the ice, steam hissing as elements collided.
Lan An retreated, using Phantom Charm Wander Step to avoid the fallout. "Jin Ni, who is this?" he asked.
"Likely Bing Xue Han, a reclusive descendant of the Ice Mysterious Emperor. His clan, the Bing Clan, waned after their ancestor's fall, but he's revived their legacy. He's after the Thunder-Fire Mysterious Art to restore their dominance," Jin Ni replied.
Lan An's mind raced. This fight could complicate his quest. Supporting Yan Yue Qi was crucial to earning her favor. He readied his Big Dipper Bow, aiming a Fire Spirit Pellet-enhanced arrow to harass Bing Xue Han, careful not to overstep.