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Outside the Sacred City, four cloaked figures emerged, their silken veils fluttering, raven tresses dancing in the wind, drawing eyes like moths to a flame. Despite their loose robes, their grace and allure shone, a quartet of celestial cranes amidst the mortal throng. The crowd buzzed, captivated by their presence, whispers of divinity trailing their steps.
Two Void Refining gatekeepers, tasked with scrutinizing entrants, exchanged a nod of approval. "Old Seventh, these four are exceptional," one transmitted, his voice tinged with admiration.
"Indeed," Linh Lao Qi replied, his gaze piercing their veils. "One beastkin, three humans—two youths at Mid Nascent Soul, one nearing Spirit Form, another close to Mid Spirit Form. Their potential rivals the Golden Era's prodigies."
"Which power claims them? This enrollment will be a spectacle," the first mused, intrigued.
Unfazed by the crowd's scrutiny, the four women strode into the Sacred City, the gatekeepers' silence confirming their eligibility—none over thirty. Beneath their veils, worry clouded their peerless faces.
"Sister Zi Yin, the recruitment is a month away, yet he's still absent. I'm terrified," Bai Mu Mei's voice trembled, her Mid Silver Lotus aura quivering, barely concealed by her veil.
"Calm yourself," Mu Zi Yin replied, her mature tone steadying the group, though a trace of anxiety lingered. "If he doesn't return by recruitment, we'll teleport to the Palace Tree."
"Take heart, sisters," Liu Shi Qin's voice, clear as a mountain stream, sparkled with relief. "Our bond with him assures me—the unease has faded."
"Truly?" the others gasped, their voices a harmonious blend of allure, elegance, and youth, stirring the surrounding men into a frenzy, yearning to glimpse their faces.
These were Lan An's harem members—Mu Zi Yin, Liu Shi Qin, Bai Mu Mei, and Li Zhu Luan—veiled to temper attention, knowing the Tearless Mask and Shadow Cloak would falter before Void Refining eyes. Academy rules demanded unveiled faces during trials, so they opted for subtle concealment, their auras shielded to deter prying divine senses. Yet their radiance was unmistakable to those who knew them.
"Junior Sister Li?" a hesitant voice called, laced with disbelief.
The women turned, frowning, to see a youth in ornate robes staring at Li Zhu Luan. Her eyes narrowed, a flash of anger and disdain crossing her veiled face. "Mu Jiao!" she snapped.
Mu Jiao, young lord of Spirit Martial City, had indirectly sparked the feud between Mu Hao and Lan An, leading to Mu Hao's demise at Lan An's hands. Though his actions hastened Li Zhu Luan's bond with Lan An, his vile nature soured any gratitude she might have felt.
"Junior Brother Mu Jiao, what's this?" two green-robed youths approached, allies of Mu Jiao, their eyes widening as they recognized Li Zhu Luan. "Junior Sister Li? Weren't you slain with Mu Hao?"
Mu Jiao, Mu Xing, and Mu Ying represented the Heavenly Wood Sect's three slots for the Sacred Lotus Academy. Believing Li Zhu Luan lost, their shock at her presence was palpable, her beauty a lingering dream for many sect disciples.
"Mu Xing, Mu Ying," Mu Zi Yin's voice cut through, cool and commanding, addressing the sons of the sect's Grand and Second Elders, their status second only to the late Mu Hao.
"Fourth Elder?" the two gasped, stunned to see Mu Zi Yin, her Spirit Form aura unmasked, her identity undeniable.
"We've severed ties with the Heavenly Wood Sect," Mu Zi Yin declared, her tone final. "Depart, and let us be strangers henceforth."
Her loyalty to the sect, where she'd grown, was overshadowed by Yun Zhi Ping's betrayal and Mu Hao's depravity. A clean break was her path.
"Indeed, I'm no longer your junior sister," Li Zhu Luan affirmed, dismissing Mu Jiao's past sins, eager to move forward.
"How dare you?" Mu Jiao roared, incredulous. "Without the Sect Master's consent, you can't abandon the sect! Your strength and beauty are its pride!"
"I've cut all bonds with Yun Zhi Ping," Mu Zi Yin stated, silencing them.
"And I'm wed," Li Zhu Luan added, her words a blade to their egos.
Leaving the trio dumbfounded, the four women glided away, their grace unyielding.
"What now, Senior Brothers?" Mu Jiao growled, seething.
"Our strength pales before theirs," Mu Ying said bitterly, his Early Nascent Soul realm no match. "We can't act."
"Patience," Mu Xing urged, his voice low. "The Sect Master instructed us to join Young Master Heng's faction in the Academy. He'll reclaim justice for the Heavenly Wood Sect."
Young Master Heng, a Heng Clan prodigy, had forged a renowned faction within the Academy over a decade. The Heavenly Wood Sect had allied with him, ordering Mu Jiao's trio to seek his protection. In the Academy, survival demanded alliances, as competition spanned generations, with seniors crushing freshmen unless shielded by a faction.
Lan An and Yan Yue Qi gazed into each other's eyes, his filled with tenderness and devotion, hers shimmering with satisfaction, a misty allure softening her regal pride. Violet-Gold Flames wreathed them, their sparks caressing their forms like loyal subjects, crowning them as sovereigns of fire.
The flames danced, merging and parting at their whim, a seamless unity reflecting their bond. Each now wielded both Different Flames, capable of fusion or separation, a miracle too perilous to reveal. Should word spread, even the Yan Clan would crumble before hidden titans' greed. They vowed to wield only their original flames unless dire necessity demanded otherwise.
Yan Yue Qi's allure had ripened, her presence laced with Immortal Qi from the Dragon Immortal Sacred Canon, a subtle yet profound boon for her ambition to ascend the Immortal Realm. Their jade-like bodies, entwined in flawless harmony, pulsed with newfound vigor, forged by the flames and the Immortal Genesis Scripture.
Lan An's body cultivation soared to Fourth Revolution, rivaling Nascent Soul titans, while Yan Yue Qi, newly a Body Cultivator, reached Third Revolution. Their spiritual cultivation surged—Yan Yue Qi teetered on the cusp of Perfect Void Refining, a mere breath from breakthrough, while Lan An's Blazing Star Cauldron, now Violet-Gold, doubled in grandeur, his aura matching Late Nascent Soul.
"Again," Yan Yue Qi purred, her fingers tracing his face, her bloom still embracing him, a sultry hum escaping her lips. "Push me to Perfect Void Refining."
"Time's short," Lan An chuckled, stroking her silken hair. "Such a leap isn't swift." Her relentless pursuit of power amused him, yet the System's silence signaled the Conquer the Mother-in-Law quest remained unfulfilled.
"I care not," she huffed, wrapping her arms around his neck, her waist swaying enticingly. "I crave bliss." Dual cultivation's rapture had ensnared her—pleasure paired with progress, an irresistible allure.
"Call me husband, and I'll indulge you," Lan An teased, kneading her silken peaks, his voice a playful challenge.
"Dream on!" Yan Yue Qi snapped, her lips pursed. "I'll never wed you."
"Why not? Your pride scorns worldly judgment," Lan An pressed, puzzled.
"Hmph, sharing a husband with my daughters or all the women in the heavens means nothing to me," she declared, her voice icy. "But I'll bow to no man weaker than I. That day will never come."
Her arrogance, forged over centuries, permitted affection but not submission. Lan An's fire stirred, his voice bold. "Within ten years, I'll surpass you."
"Delusion," she scoffed, her centuries of cultivation dwarfing his claim. She wouldn't stagnate, awaiting his rise.
"Dare to wager, Madam?" Lan An grinned, his eyes glinting.
"How so?" she asked, their embrace a tender debate, akin to lovers' whispers.
"In ten years, if I eclipse you, you'll wed me alongside Hong Lian and Qing Ni, obeying my every word," Lan An vowed.
"Absurd!" Yan Yue Qi snorted. "And if you fail?"
"Your choice," he replied, brimming with confidence.
"Agreed," she smirked, plotting his humbling. Ten years, a blink for cultivators, promised her victory.
"Time to sate your bloom," Lan An growled, claiming her fiery lips, their tongues entwining in a fervent dance. Below, their union reignited, a symphony of gasps and moans echoing through the barrier.
Two days later, the Sun Crow phantom screeched, its wings dissolving as the barrier faded. Predatory eyes gleamed, the beast horde poised to strike.
"Eight days, and this cursed barrier weakens!" Hou Jun licked his lips, eager to slay the humans within.
"Soon," Lang Tong growled, sensing the cooling barrier, his hunter's instinct keen.
Hou Ling and Bat Qiang's eyes blazed with anticipation.
"Full assault!" Lang Tong, Hou Ling, and Bat Qiang roared, unleashing the horde.
Beasts surged, their roars shaking the earth, claws and fangs bared for Lan An and Yan Yue Qi. The pair exchanged a smile, their eyes alight with Violet-Gold Flames, a torrent of fire erupting to meet the onslaught…