Yingshan City, one of the foremost great cities in the entire Southern Cloud Nation, was vast and boundless, serving as the ancestral seat of the Yingshan Clan.
Within the clan’s inner sanctum, atop a towering snow-capped peak, stood a dozen or so tranquil dwellings—the residence of the Yingshan Clan’s revered ancestor, the Yingshan Matriarch.
“Ancestor,” an elder of the clan respectfully stood before her.
The Yingshan Matriarch sat cross-legged on a massive boulder, gazing down at the sprawling Yingshan Manor below. She shook her head and sighed, “That little one, Xueying, possesses extraordinary talent. What a pity he was forced to be born prematurely after just fifteen years. Had he gestated for a few more centuries, his bloodline would have been far more potent. Truly a waste. By the way, regarding the report about Chan Yu Yanzhen—are we certain she’s the culprit?”
“No.”
The white-haired clan elder bowed respectfully. “We subjected her to an illusionary formation, and within the illusion, she confessed everything willingly. Yet even there, she insisted she was not the killer, claiming it was a conspiracy to frame her.”
“Oh?” The Yingshan Matriarch’s wrinkled face remained impassive.
“There are two possibilities,” the elder continued. “First, she may indeed be innocent. Second, she might have erased or altered portions of her own memories. Once memories are erased, they cannot be recovered or verified.”
For high-level cultivators, erasing memories was no difficult feat. But once gone, they were truly forgotten—even the altered memories would feel real to the person themselves.
“We’ve exhausted all other leads,” the elder added. “Every trail has gone cold, except for those that cannot be verified. The only traces we could confirm were all destroyed by Chan Yu Yanzhen. At present, we lack concrete evidence. We can only infer that there’s a possibility she committed the act and then erased her own memories.”
“As a scion of a Marquis’s family, executing her requires irrefutable proof. Otherwise, only a Marquis or higher can personally intervene,” the elder explained.
Members of noble houses enjoyed privileges.
The Southern Cloud Nation had laws protecting noble scions from arbitrary execution—though those like the Flaming Marquis or the Yingshan Matriarch, holding titles of Marquis or higher, wielded greater authority and could act directly.
“That Flaming brat can’t even manage his own household properly,” the Yingshan Matriarch frowned.
This marriage alliance had been personally arranged by the Flaming Marquis with the Chan Yu Clan.
In the Southern Cloud Nation, there were only three female nobles holding the rank of Marquis or higher. The Yingshan Matriarch shared an exceptionally close bond with the Chan Yu Clan’s ancestor, the Chan Yu Matriarch, akin to sisters. The Yingshan Matriarch had even discussed this marriage with her.
“Chan Yu Yanzhen’s negligence in discipline warrants stripping her of all noble privileges and expulsion from the manor,” the Yingshan Matriarch declared indifferently.
Out of respect for the marriage alliance and her ties with the Chan Yu Matriarch, she showed some leniency.
But expulsion meant Chan Yu Yanzhen would lose her noble status. Though she possessed the strength of a fourth-level Unity realm cultivator, she would be reduced to a commoner. Killing her would be a trivial matter for noble scions. All lands, estates, and resources under Yingshan Liehu’s name would be forever beyond her reach.
“This is for Xueying—to nurture his bloodline. He still holds immense potential waiting to be unlocked,” the Yingshan Matriarch tossed out a storage bracelet. “As for other resources, prepare them according to the standards of a Yingshan Gold Token disciple. Now, deliver it swiftly.”
“Yes,” the elder bowed in acknowledgment.
The Yingshan Matriarch’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. A premature birth yet the strongest bloodline in Yingshan history—she had high hopes. On the Heart Realm Continent, clans stood united.
If a clan found itself unwelcome in one nation, it was common for the entire family to flee and pledge allegiance to another.
Strictly speaking…
The four Black Fiend Nations were originally part of the ‘Summerwind Ancient Nation,’ one of the six great ancient powers. Over the eons, through two great wars, some clans broke away, carving out their own territories. Others, forced to flee due to conflicts, sought refuge elsewhere.
Thus, clans spared no effort in nurturing their geniuses, investing heavily even in unborn heirs. Yet in such vast families, black sheep were inevitable.
“Let us see.”
“Let us see how long it takes Xueying to reach the Unity realm,” the Yingshan Matriarch mused. “That will reveal the true potential of his bloodline.”
…
“Get out!”
“Set foot in this manor again, and you’ll be struck dead on the spot.”
Chan Yu Yanzhen stood frozen outside the gates of the Flaming Marquis’s estate, her eyes hollow with despair. Once wed into the Yingshan Clan, she had ceased to be a Chan Yu and became Yingshan. Now, stripped of her status and cast out, she was but a commoner.
Everything was gone. All of it.
“I didn’t do it. I truly didn’t,” she murmured. “I’m innocent.”
She had erased and altered her own memories to escape death. Now, even she believed herself blameless—framed.
“Mother.”
Outside the gates, two men stood with their attendants.
Chan Yu Yanzhen turned. “My sons… I—I am innocent.”
“Mother, we know,” the elder son said through gritted teeth. “But that bastard Xueying has the entire Yingshan Clan fawning over him. Even the Marquis sides with him. Let the little whelp bask in his glory—what does bloodline matter? Strength isn’t guaranteed. When I become a Marquis, I’ll slaughter him myself and avenge you.” The younger son remained silent.
The elder, already a fourth-level Unity cultivator, had the right to such boasts. The younger, still a nascent Void God, lacked the confidence.
“Mother, I’ve arranged lodging for you. Come, let us endure. We’ll see how far that bastard goes—he may take ages just to reach the Unity realm,” the elder spat.
“Zhong Fu, I… Ah, forget it. The entire Yingshan Clan favors Xueying.” Though seething with hatred, Chan Yu Yanzhen knew her place. Stripped of noble standing, she tread carefully.
…
Time flowed like a river. Dongbo Xueying paid Chan Yu Yanzhen no mind—to him, even becoming a Marquis was trivial. His true goal was the realm of a Cosmic Deity.
Cultivation was all that mattered.
Fifteen hundred years passed in the blink of an eye—a mere fortnight in the life of a cultivator.
…
Flaming Marquis Manor.
Dongbo Xueying sat in a blossom-filled courtyard, a book in hand, warmth suffusing his body. “The ancestral spirit liquid gifted by the Yingshan Matriarch truly nourishes the bloodline. My Void bloodline has grown dozens of times denser, making cultivation far smoother.”
Initially, his bloodline had been pitifully thin—normally, such a lineage wouldn’t merit cultivation.
Yet…
The ‘Void’ of the Heart Realm Continent bore striking similarities to that of the Chaos Void. Cultivation here was inherently easier. Coupled with his Void God soul, his progress far outstripped his time in the womb. With his bloodline as a reference and the peerless technique *Twelve Forms of the Southern Cloud Sage*, Xueying had mastered the third form in just fifteen hundred years—attaining strength comparable to the fifth level of the Star Tower, or the fifth tier of the Divine Palace.
At this level, he could have awakened into the Unity realm long ago.
“No rush.”
“Though I aim to present myself as a prodigy, my ‘premature birth’ already draws attention. Breaking through in just over a millennium would be too fast. Best to wait until nearly ten thousand years… Say, eight thousand.” Dongbo Xueying pondered, drawing from countless texts to craft a plausible breakthrough timeline.
He had no desire to shine too brightly, lest suspicions of ‘reincarnation’ arise, inviting some supreme expert to probe his memories with illusions.
“My son! My son!”
A boisterous voice rang out as a beaming man hurried over, radiating cheer.
Dongbo Xueying sighed inwardly.
Ah, Father… His sire, Yingshan Liehu, was truly one of a kind.
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