Escalation

Yan Hui’s entire body was wreathed in flames, for though he possessed dual spiritual roots of metal and fire, his primary cultivation lay in fire-attribute spells.

Flames blazed from his palms, and under his precise control, a formidable fiery tiger materialized before him.

This formidable technique, the materialization of mana into a tangible form, was exclusive to cultivators in the Cavern Heaven Realm.

Around Yan Hui’s body, three spiritual vortexes shimmered, suspended in mid-air.

These vortexes, a distinctive hallmark of the Cavern Heaven Realm, incessantly drew in the ambient power of heaven and earth.

A cultivator in the Heaven-Connecting Realm could, at most, condense twelve Cavern Heavens; the more they managed to gather, the greater their combat prowess.

However, achieving such a feat proved exceptionally challenging, deeply intertwined with one’s innate talent.

“Zhou Hao,” Yan Hui declared, his voice resonating with a deep gravity, “your insidious schemes will never succeed.

The Yan family will never surrender the market — it is utterly impossible.”

This Zhou Hao, the eldest legitimate son of the Zhou family, was himself a formidable cultivator who had similarly condensed three Cavern Heavens.

As a cultivator who primarily focused on wind-attribute mana, the manifestation he summoned was a majestic, greenish-blue eagle.

The eagle and the tiger clashed relentlessly in the air, each collision unleashing wave after wave of thunderous roars.

Meanwhile, Yan Kun found himself locked in combat with a disciple from the Song family, though he was visibly outmatched.

This was because his opponent was none other than Song Zhe, the undisputed strongest among the Song family’s younger generation.

Song Zhe, too, had reached the Great Completion stage of the Cavern Heaven Realm, yet he had only managed to condense two Cavern Heavens.

In contrast, Yan Kun was merely at the Small Completion stage of the Cavern Heaven Realm, but he had remarkably condensed four Cavern Heavens and possessed a rare, single low-grade lightning spiritual root.

He stood as the most gifted individual of the current Yan family generation.

Though his cultivation realm lagged behind his opponent’s, the formidable power of his four Cavern Heavens allowed him to barely hold his own.

Yet, such a struggle could not be sustained indefinitely.

“Truly, you are the most gifted of Qifeng City’s current generation, second only to Jiang Yao,” Song Zhe remarked with a condescending sneer.

“What a pity.

Had you been allowed a few more years to mature, perhaps even Jiang Yao herself would have struggled to suppress you.”

With a swift clap of his hands, a massive golden seal materialized from above, hurtling down toward Yan Kun.

“Profound Gold Seal: Suppress!”

Gazing at the magical seal plummeting towards him, Yan Kun gritted his teeth and swiftly began casting a spell.

Lightning crackled across his form as mana surged and condensed into his palm.

“Rushing Thunder Hand!”

A colossal hand, crackling with overflowing lightning, manifested and slammed forcefully against the descending magical seal.

Though the two forces briefly contended, Yan Kun’s power proved insufficient.

His hand seal fractured instantly, and the magical seal crashed heavily into his body.

“Pfft!” Yan Kun violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood as he was sent hurtling, crashing heavily into a nearby shop, where he lay utterly silent.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Song Zhe descended from the sky, landing directly before the prone Yan Kun.

Before Yan Kun could even stir, Song Zhe delivered a devastating palm strike directly to his abdomen.

“You!” Yan Kun gasped, a searing pain engulfing him as he realized his internal spiritual vortexes had been shattered, and his mana was rapidly draining away.

Song Zhe had intentionally crippled Yan Kun.

“What ‘you’?” Song Zhe sneered, a cruel glint in his eyes.

“Not killing you outright is already an act of mercy.”

Overwhelmed by a surge of anger and agony, Yan Kun immediately lost consciousness.

Just then, a sudden shout pierced the air: “The Yan family’s reinforcements have arrived! Flee, quickly!”

The moment the words left his lips, Song Zhe let out a cold laugh, then spun on his heel and fled.

It was not yet the opportune moment for them to engage the Yan family in a full-scale confrontation.

When Yan Long and the others finally arrived, they were met with a chaotic and devastated market, their hearts seething with indignation.

Without the Lin family’s overt backing, the Zhou and Song families would never have dared to act with such blatant aggression.

As for why the Jiang family had not arrived to offer assistance, it was not for lack of willingness, but rather an inability to intervene.

This was because Lin Yuan, a prominent figure from the Lin family, was presently seated in the Jiang family’s front hall, calmly sipping tea.

“Patriarch Jiang,” Lin Yuan began, his face etched with an arrogant superiority, “the Jiang family, though fallen from its former glory, still counts itself among the descendants of royalty.

Surely, you shouldn’t act with such disregard.

How can your esteemed young lady, with her astonishing talent, be permitted to marry a mere mortal?

I believe your venerable family ought to give this matter serious reconsideration.”

Jiang Yuan’s expression darkened considerably.

“Brother Lin,” Jiang Yuan replied, his tone firm, “my Jiang family has repeatedly declared that Jiang Yao will not be married off to an outsider.

Even if emissaries from the royal family were to arrive, our stance would remain unwavering.”

Unlike the Yan family, the Jiang family possessed the inherent authority to adopt such an unyielding stance.

Yet, even with their strength, the Jiang family would be reluctant to instigate a direct confrontation with the Lin family unless absolutely unavoidable.

Lin Yuan merely scoffed, a cold, dismissive sound.

“Hmph! Since Patriarch Jiang remains so obstinate, I see no need to waste further words.

Farewell.”

With that final remark, Lin Yuan simply turned and departed.

The moment he was gone, a servant from the Lin family swiftly informed Jiang Yuan of the Zhou and Song families’ assault on the Yan family.

“What? Despicable and shameless!” Jiang Yuan exclaimed, leaping to his feet and rushing towards the Yan family estate.

****

Meanwhile, in a room within the Yan family compound, a noblewoman lay prostrate over Yan Kun, weeping uncontrollably.

“My son, my precious son, what has happened to him?” the noblewoman wailed, turning to Yan Long.

“My lord, you… you must save Kun’er!”

Yan Long’s heart bled for his son, yet he found himself utterly powerless.

At least with his current abilities, he was incapable of repairing Yan Kun’s shattered Qi Sea.

“I… I will go and implore Father to come out of seclusion immediately.”

Yan Long could only place his desperate hope in his own father.

Just then, a figure swiftly darted into the room; it was Yan Yun.

Having learned that her brother had been grievously wounded by Song Zhe of the Song family, she had rushed over without a moment’s delay.

“Big Sister, Big Brother, how is Second Brother?” Yan Yun asked anxiously upon her arrival.

Yan Hui and Yan Xia simultaneously shook their heads, their expressions grim.

Though Yan Kun had always seemed to delight in bothering Yan Yun, his actions were, in truth, more akin to playful teasing.

The moment she arrived, Yan Kun’s mother, the Second Madam, seemed to find a sudden outlet for her pent-up rage.

“Yan Yun, you—what are you doing here?” the Second Madam shrieked.

“Get out! Get out of my sight! It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, how could my son have ended up like this? How could our family have become embroiled in a feud with the Lin family?”

The Second Madam, standing at the doorway, suddenly erupted into a torrent of furious curses directed at Yan Yun.

The vitriol made Yan Yun’s head buzz, her thoughts momentarily scattered.

Had this happened in the past, her immediate reaction would undoubtedly have been to retort, ‘What does this have to do with me?’

Yet, as her gaze fell upon Yan Kun, lying unconscious and seemingly lifeless on the bed, she found herself utterly speechless.

“Second Mother,” Yan Hui interjected, swiftly restraining the Second Madam, “what does this have to do with Yan Yun?

No matter how furious you are, you cannot simply accuse someone without cause.”

Such is human nature: when faced with a significant upheaval, people inevitably seek to deflect blame.

Indeed, many within the Yan family at this very moment shared the Second Madam’s mindset, convinced that the entirety of their misfortune stemmed from Yan Yun.

Yan Yun’s greatest perceived flaw, in their eyes, was simply having been born into the Yan family.

Beyond that, could she truly be faulted for anything?

After a quick glance at the pale-faced Yan Kun, Yan Yun clenched her fists, then slowly retreated from the room.

‘A shattered Qi Sea,’ Yan Lingyun’s voice echoed in Yan Yun’s mind, ‘this is a grave predicament.’

The Second Madam’s harsh scolding, however, had the unintended effect of jolting Yan Yun awake.

A wave of profound remorse washed over her; she had known, before anyone else in the Yan family, that the Lin family was orchestrating this attack.

But she had remained silent.

If she had thought of a way to deal with it at that time, she felt that things would not have developed to this point.

“Old Ancestor, tell me, what should I do?” Yan Yun asked, her gaze sharpening after a moment of silence.

She could not wait any longer; to delay further would surely mean more than just Yan Kun suffering harm.