A Series of Unexpected Changes

Yan Yun’s conjecture proved accurate, for at this very moment, within Qifeng City, several cultivators radiating immense power were covertly observing every move of the Yan family in the East City, among them Qingxuanzi, the Sect Master of the Azure Nether Sect.

Qingxuanzi and several other elders of the Azure Nether Sect were seated within a tea house.

Their auras were so meticulously restrained that Yan Lingyun failed to detect their presence.

“Sect Master, will that fiendess truly appear? Surely we haven’t come all this way for nothing?” Wu Ming questioned.

Qingxuanzi shook his head.

“It’s hard to say, but for Yan Yun to suddenly unleash such potent poison cultivation, capable of poisoning even souls, it certainly isn’t her own power. If my suspicions are correct, that fiendess is likely not entirely dead. If it were merely a young practitioner just beginning their poison cultivation, there would be no need for us to mobilize with such gravity.”

Yan Yun and Lin Ao’s cat-and-mouse game continued, yet Yan Yun’s condition steadily worsened.

‘Kid, there’s no time to consider so much; I must act now.’

Seeing the dire situation, Yan Lingyun prepared to forcefully seize control of Yan Yun’s body.

Only by doing so could they possibly turn the tide.

Yan Yun wanted to speak, but her body had already begun to betray her commands.

Lin Ao, meanwhile, wore an expression of a cat toying with its prey.

“Run, then! I’d like to see how long a mere Cavern Heaven Realm cultivator can struggle in my grasp!” Lin Ao sneered, clenching his fist with a cold, sharp voice.

Little did he know, his continued coercion would soon cost him his life.

However, at that very moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The wall to Lin Ao’s right was suddenly shattered by an immense force, and a figure, spear in hand, lunged directly at Lin Ao’s vital point.

This strike was far from weak, bolstered by the power of a Divine Mark Realm artifact. Yet, it merely struck a barrier of fiery, patterned energy that enveloped Lin Ao’s body, unable to advance even an inch.

Lin Ao glanced at the newcomer and smirked.

“Heh heh! Yan Long? Quite a surprise. Have you come to rescue your son?” Lin Ao scoffed.

After his sneer, his gaze turned cold. He seized the spearhead and flung Yan Long backward. Yan Long stumbled several times before regaining his balance, positioning himself directly in front of Yan Yun.

“Lin Ao? Your Lin family is truly despicable! To think that the esteemed Second Master Lin, a Divine Mark Realm expert, would stealthily infiltrate my Yan family’s rear and attack my family’s women and juniors!” Yan Long stated, his eyes grave.

Lin Ao twisted his neck.

“The grudge of a slain son and brother is irreconcilable! I said it last time; this is only the beginning. You’ve arrived at a perfect time. Let me personally send you to the netherworld, right before my son’s eyes!” Lin Ao scoffed, fiery Divine Marks igniting on his body.

Seeing Lin Ao charging, Yan Long immediately shouted at Yan Yun behind him.

“Yun’er, hurry and leave! I’ll hold him off. Tell them I’m going to break my promise again!” Yan Long uttered these words, but despite being a fire-attribute cultivator himself, facing Lin Ao, who was in a higher realm, he couldn’t even withstand a single blow. He was instantly sent flying back by Lin Ao’s power.

Against Lin Ao, a peak Divine Mark Realm expert, the disparity was simply too vast.

“Pfft!” Yan Long flew backward for a distance, then landed on the ground, struggling to regain his footing, but he was already spitting fresh blood, having sustained injuries in their initial exchange.

“You, why haven’t you left yet?” After stabilizing himself, Yan Long saw that Yan Yun hadn’t fled and couldn’t help but cry out again.

Yan Yun, seeing the resolute gaze in Yan Long’s eyes, her expression faltered.

Regardless of how Yan Long had treated her in the past, in this moment, he displayed the responsibility befitting a father.

“Want to leave? Can you even escape?” Lin Ao sneered mockingly, his body erupting in flames, which then consumed the entire passage, trapping Yan Long.

Yan Long could no longer afford such considerations. With a roar, he unleashed his full power, attempting to block the surging flames.

Yet the ferocious power pushed him back repeatedly. From Lin Ao’s expression, it was clear he had no intention of letting him go.

Lin Ao’s power was scorching his body, threatening to overwhelm him.

Behind him, Yan Yun let out a helpless sigh.

In the next instant, a purple poison needle flashed past Yan Long’s face, piercing directly into the flames.

Although Lin Ao, engulfed in flames, immediately sensed the incoming force, its speed was so terrifyingly swift that he had no time to dodge.

Lin Ao watched as a purple light rapidly approached him, but in the next moment, the purple light pierced through his glabella, freezing his expression in place.

“How… how is this possible?” Lin Ao’s pupils rapidly dilated, and his power dissipated in an instant.

He now understood that his own son had perished due to this very power.

Yan Long, witnessing the disappearance of Lin Ao’s power, was also greatly astonished, and immediately looked back at Yan Yun.

Yan Yun, meanwhile, held an attack stance, her expression unreadable as she gazed at Lin Ao, who lay collapsed on the ground.

‘You managed to act somewhat like a father today, at least in front of this junior.’

Yan Lingyun chuckled, watching Yan Long.

Only then did Yan Long recall that Yan Yun’s body still hosted their Yan family’s Old Ancestor.

Yet, just as Yan Long was about to speak, the greatest unexpected event occurred.

Suddenly, a clear voice resonated through Qifeng City.

“Heavenly Poison Maiden, you’ve finally made your move! To think that several World Realm experts joined forces to besiege and kill you back then, yet failed to utterly destroy you. But today, you and your successor shall find no escape!”

This voice was accompanied by an infinite oppressive might. Simultaneously, an enormous Dharma Idol tore through the dark clouds, appearing above Qifeng City.

More than one Divine Venerable cultivator had appeared; there were eight of them. Eight Divine Venerables had completely surrounded Qifeng City and jointly set up a powerful sealing formation.

These individuals, once they decided to act, unleashed nothing short of absolute killing moves.

‘Dharma Idols! These are Divine Venerable experts! Heavens, eight Divine Venerable experts! What is happening to Qifeng City?’

Upon hearing the voices from outside, Yan Lingyun let out a bitter laugh.

‘Kid, it seems this must be the Lin family’s ultimate trump card. Eight Divine Venerables, truly they think highly of my current state.’

Although Yan Lingyun had only used a trace of her power earlier, it had unfortunately been detected by these individuals.

Yan Yun had not anticipated such an outcome. She had believed everything was within her expectations, yet unforeseen changes continued to arise.

‘How can this be? Is this, is this my destiny? Am I still unable to alter the final outcome?’ This scene reminded Yan Yun of the dream she had that night, where she was discovered in the Yunhua Sect and besieged by numerous Divine Venerable experts.

While the current situation was slightly better, in truth, it was actually worse, for she was too weak at the moment. Even with Yan Lingyun’s help, it would be impossible to contend with eight Divine Venerables; even one would be difficult.

The eight Divine Venerables radiated immense divine might, causing both the Yan and Jiang families to fall into despair.

“Hahahahaha! It seems this old man won his gamble; heaven ultimately sided with the Lin family!” Lin Xiong also appeared, laughing wildly as he watched the eight Divine Venerables besiege Qifeng City.

In his eyes, the Yan and Jiang families, along with Yan Yun, who had killed his brother, would not escape their doom today.

However, the one who had speculated that Yan Yun might be hidden within the Yunhua Sect was not Lin Xiong, but Lin Mo.

When he had visited Lin Mo at the Yunhua Sect, Lin Mo had told him upon his departure that the progress of poison cultivation within the Yunhua Sect was too rapid. She suspected that a certain individual might be hiding there.

For her to make such a claim, she must have had her reasons, and it was not difficult to guess; at the very least, the possibility was high.

Therefore, to be safe, Lin Xiong had immediately contacted those sects who had harbored a mortal enmity with Yan Lingyun in the past.

Under the pressure of the eight Divine Venerables, the fighting in the East City was forced to cease. The people from the Zhou and Song families smiled.

“Hahahahaha, it seems we are the ones who will have the last laugh! Yan Hua, your Yan family is finished!” The Zhou family’s Old Ancestor let out a complete sigh of relief.

Yan Hua and the others also felt utter despair. A single Divine Venerable was enough to flatten their Yan and Jiang families, let alone eight Divine Venerables.

“How could this be?” The Yan family members, facing the Divine Venerables, couldn’t muster even a shred of fighting spirit.

Having spoken, one of the eight Divine Venerables raised their colossal Aspect hand and reached down towards the Yan family’s location where Yan Yun was.

This move was powerful enough to blot out the sky and sun.

Yan Lingyun also prepared to fight these individuals to the death.

However, at this moment, another unforeseen change occurred. A force even more terrifying descended from the heavens, instantly batting away the Divine Venerable’s hand. Not only that, but the other Divine Venerables were also forced back a distance by this sudden power.

Immediately following, an even more colossal and sacred Dharma Idol, accompanied by a silver-haired woman, descended from the sky, landing directly in the center of the eight Divine Venerables.

Her mere appearance suppressed these eight Divine Venerables, and snow began to fall from the sky, instantly dropping Qifeng City’s temperature to zero degrees.

Wherever these snowflakes touched, the air froze. Qingxuanzi and the other Aspects were also frozen, unable to move.

They immediately looked at the newcomer, and upon seeing her, their pupils contracted.

“Fairy Yunxia, the previous Sect Master of the Yunhua Sect?”

“Senior Yunxia, what is the meaning of this?” Qingxuanzi immediately demanded.

Fairy Yunxia swept her gaze over the group.

“Qingxuan, must your millennia-old grievances bring calamity upon the younger generation?” Fairy Yunxia narrowed her eyes.

However, another sect master immediately spoke up, “Senior Yunxia, my Shenxiao Sect was a major power in Jiang Country for a thousand years, yet the Poison Maiden slaughtered several Divine Venerables, causing us to decline into a second-rate sect. How can such a profound hatred go unavenged? Moreover, that Heavenly Poison Maiden is clearly not entirely dead; we just sensed extremely strong soul power fluctuations. She is hidden within Yan Yun’s body.”

Indeed, such a grudge was troublesome to deal with.

At this moment, Yan Lingyun, sensing Fairy Yunxia’s aura fluctuations, paused slightly.

‘It’s actually this girl?’

She had already recalled the profound connection between Fairy Yunxia and herself.

Fairy Yunxia, being at the peak of the Divine Venerable Realm, could be considered an invincible existence in the lower realms.

Her appearance introduced another variable into this crisis.

But could Fairy Yunxia alone persuade these eight Divine Venerables to retreat?