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Lan An clenched his teeth, stifling a groan as three daggers lodged in his abdomen. With a flicker of will, he activated Speed Shift.
Whoosh
He materialized behind the three ambushing Bat Clan assassins, suppressing his agony. Harmony Palm surged, condensing furiously.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
The tri-colored energy beam erupted, obliterating the bats to ash, its momentum carving through space, shattering layers and wiping out over a hundred Fire Monkeys in its path.
"Damn you!" Hou Ling, grappling with the Blood Fiend Corpse, roared in fury at the carnage.
HURK
Lan An gritted his teeth, yanking out the daggers, blood spurting. The blades were poisoned, but his Purple Heart Burning Void Flame, a bane to vile toxins, neutralized it. Immortal Genesis Scripture whirred, his four cauldrons absorbing ambient qi, slowly sealing the wounds.
His face drained, he deflected Hou Jun's arrow with a Fire Spirit Pellet, muttering, "If it comes to it, I'll retreat to the Spirit Realm Pearl. But first, I'll kill enough to vent this rage!"
How could he not be livid? A mere clash with the Lone Horn Eagle King had spiraled into this—beasts coveting his treasures, leading to catastrophic losses and enmity. The Fire Monkey, Earth Wolf, and Bat Clans were now sworn foes; there was no turning back.
Yan Yue Qi, pressed against his back, inhaled his masculine sweat and blood's metallic tang, stirring unfamiliar emotions. A Yan Clan prodigy, proud and ambitious, she'd never experienced such fierce protection. "Not bad," she murmured, eyes half-closed, cheek resting on his back, fearless despite their dire straits.
"He's wounded! All in!" the three commanders bellowed. The beast horde surged, intent on tearing Lan An apart.
"Ten Thousand Forest – Sand Tomb!"
Facing the onslaught, Lan An unleashed his area-of-effect skills. Forests and sand tombs began forming mid-air, poised to trap the beasts, when two roars interrupted, "Heaven and Earth Manifestation!"
Hou Jun and Hou Xiu swelled to a hundred zhang. Hou Jun drew his bow, Hou Xiu brandished his trident, smashing Lan An's constructs.
BOOM BOOM
Heaven and Earth Manifestation, a Heaven-Grade skill, obliterated the Earth-Grade Ten Thousand Forest and Sand Tomb before they fully formed. The beasts, emboldened, unleashed relentless attacks.
Wood Turtle blocked some, but the sheer numbers overwhelmed it. Earth Bear, if sentient, would've died countless times, yet it tore through foes tirelessly. Fire Phoenix was entangled by Bat Qiang, unable to aid. Blood Fiend Corpse, pinned by Hou Ling, faltered.
Lan An was cornered. Another Harmony Palm felled scores of beasts, but his defiance only fueled their frenzy, eyes bloodshot, heedless of death to drag him down. Despite culling a third of their forces, their numbers remained daunting.
"Damn it, the Spirit Realm Pearl it is!" he thought, preparing to warn Yan Yue Qi. But her pale lips parted, whispering, "Sun Crow Barrier!"
A radiant golden pearl appeared in her hand, tossed above them.
SCREECH
A majestic Divine Sun Crow's cry echoed, forming a blazing golden dome, its phantom flickering, sealing them from the world. Beasts lunging at their prey slammed into it.
Sizzle sizzle
Those touching the barrier incinerated instantly, not even ash remaining. Fire Phoenix, Wood Turtle, and Earth Bear dissipated, severed from Lan An. The Blood Fiend Corpse stood motionless, uncontrolled.
The battle paused. "What the hell is this?" Hou Jun and Hou Xiu cursed, thwarted at the brink of victory.
"A powerful barrier, temporarily isolating us," Lang Tong, in human form, observed. "How long does it last?" Bat Qiang asked, sensing even Sixth-Order beasts couldn't breach it.
"Not long. It's a one-use item. We wait," Lang Tong sneered, licking his lips. "They're caged birds, fish in a barrel, doomed to die," Bat Qiang agreed, wings twitching with bloodlust. Killing a human genius and powerhouse thrilled his beast instincts—especially since Lan An slew his brother, Bat Jie.
"The losses are too great. If we don't kill them, I can't face the clan!" Hou Ling growled, eyeing charred corpses and rubble. The others nodded grimly.
"Set up camp around the barrier! Ensure they don't slip away!" the commanders ordered, encircling it tightly, not even an ant could escape.
Inside the Sun Crow Barrier, Lan An gently set Yan Yue Qi down, channeling Spirit Energy to stabilize her. He assessed the dome—forged from Sun Crow Void Flame, yet cool within. "This barrier, from the Sun Crow Relic, lasts ten days," she said weakly.
The Sun Crow Relic, where she claimed Sun Crow Void Flame, held treasures, but only the flame and this barrier caught her eye. After over two decades, it proved vital. "Ten days? How much strength can you recover, Madam?" Lan An asked, concerned.
Void Refining Late-Stage cultivators often secluded for months or years. Ten days was a blink. "At best, Nascent Soul," Yan Yue Qi replied coolly.
Lan An's mouth twitched at her calm. "Aren't you afraid of death, Madam?"
"What's to fear? I only regret unfulfilled wishes," she sighed softly. "What wishes?" he probed, intrigued.
"To be the world's strongest, ascend to the Immortal Realm, and conquer all directions," she declared, her weakened form radiating valor.
Lan An's eyes gleamed with admiration—a true powerhouse, no wonder the system issued such a daunting quest. Her pride sparked curiosity about Hong Lian and Diep Tinh's father. "What was their father like?" he asked boldly, a pang of jealousy stirring.
"Why ask about him?" she replied indifferently. "I'm curious what kind of man could win a proud woman like you," Lan An said frankly, cultivators often spoke their minds, scheming detrimental to their path.
"Him, marry me? Laughable!" Yan Yue Qi scoffed, her pride unshaken. Lan An's heart skipped, sensing a shocking secret. "Didn't you birth Hong Lian and Tinh Nhi?"
"Of course I did," she said casually, a strange urge to unburden her secrets rising, perhaps due to impending death. "Care to share, Madam?" Lan An crouched beside her, curiosity burning.
"As their man, you may know," she began. "From youth, I aimed to lead the Yan Clan, using it to conquer the world."
Lan An nodded, awed by her ambition. "But to become matriarch, I needed supreme strength and a family with heirs," she continued.
"Fair conditions," Lan An agreed, family fostering maturity for leadership. Then, stunned, he blurted, "Political marriage?"
"Exactly. To claim the matriarch's seat, I wed Yan Ruo, a third-generation elder, Early Void Refining, as a facade to appease the clan," she said coldly, having coerced Yan Ruo into silence.
"So Hong Lian and Tinh Nhi are yours and Yan Ruo's?" Lan An pressed urgently. "I birthed them unconventionally," she said, eyes distant. "Hong Lian came from a Conception Pill, a Heaven-Grade elixir crafted by a master alchemist friend. After taking it, I conceived her."
"The pill required rare ingredients, including male essence. I used Yan Ruo's, so he's technically Hong Lian's father," she added, amused by Lan An's shock.
"Holy—cultivator artificial insemination?" Lan An thought, reeling. If Earth's mortals achieved it, why not this immortal world? "And Tinh Nhi? Same method?" he asked, itching to know.
She shook her head. "Yan Ruo died when Hong Lian was barely one. We explored the Sun Crow Relic together. He tried to kill me while I refined Sun Crow Void Flame, coveting it, but his strength fell short, and I slew him."
"Greed," Lan An sighed, likening Yan Ruo to betrayers like Yin Zhi Ping. If Hong Lian learned this, how would she feel? "He tried to kill me. Should I have spared him?" Yan Yue Qi snorted, her charm dazzling.
"And Tinh Nhi? Another man?" Lan An asked, anxious. "I planned only for Hong Lian. Tinh Nhi was an accident after drinking Life Spirit Water," she recalled.
"Life Spirit Water?" Lan An blinked, confused. "Ever wonder why Tinh Nhi, my daughter, has Wood and Wind Spirit Roots, unlike Yan Clan's Fire?" she asked.
"True, she should have Fire," Lan An nodded. "On Hai Zhou Continent, the Elf Queen Nation, all-female, uses Life Spirit Water to sustain their race. Women drinking it conceive daughters, once per lifetime," she explained.
"You drank it and birthed Tinh Nhi?" Lan An scratched his head, the tale bizarre. "So what? Visiting Hai Zhou, I accidentally drank their Life Spirit Water, birthing Tinh Nhi," she shrugged.
Lan An fell silent, understanding the system's quest. This woman, so proud she used marriage as a shield and birthed children without men, was a formidable challenge to conquer. "That's the story. Ten days from now, I'll self-detonate to give you an escape chance. Care for my girls," she said, sitting cross-legged, maternal love shining.
Moved, Lan An's eyes flashed, goading her, "Don't you want to be the strongest, ascend, and conquer? Ready to die now?"
"What's your point?" Her brows furrowed, hope flickering—she knew he wasn't asking idly. "I have a way to restore your strength, even advance it, in ten days!" he declared, pounding his chest confidently.
"How?" Her chest heaved with excitement, eyes locking onto his. Lan An took a deep breath, summoning courage, meeting her peerless gaze squarely. "Dual cultivate with me."