Unavoidable Crisis

"What kind of Origin Profound Realm's warrior is this? Why is he so poor?" Yun Lintian rummaged through the remains of the masked man, searching for something. He couldn't help but curse when he couldn't find any valuable items on his body.

Yun Meilan looked at Yun Lintian speechlessly. This was the first time she saw him acting like a greedy bandit.

"Let's go, Aunt Meilan." Yun Lintian said while throwing out a fireball at the corpse. Both of them disappeared into the dense forest afterwards.

***

Misty Cloud Sect.

"You lose." In the ice chamber, an elegant woman in snow robes sat across from Yun Qianxue, moving a chess piece across the chessboard.

The woman's countenance could be described as having a heroic beauty. Whether it was her long, sharp eyebrows, prominent nose bridge, or rosy thin lips, everything was flawless. Her curly black hair, hanging freely on her shoulders, added to her charm. She exuded a cold and calm aura, making her appear aloof, transcending the dust of the world. She was the First Hall Master, Yun Ruanyu.

"I don't want to play anymore! You are bullying me, Sister Ruanyu." Yun Qianxue pouted in annoyance. If someone were to see her current appearance, they would undoubtedly be shocked to the core. The dignified and always indifferent Sect Master was capable of acting like a young girl in her youth.

Yun Ruanyu shook her head, a faint smile hanging on her lips. "Your mind is not in the right place. With Meilan by his side, there is no one who could threaten his safety except for Qi Qianxing. You should let go of your worries and relax."

"I know, but I am unable to handle it. I just can't shake off this unsettling feeling in my heart." Yun Qianxue replied, her eyes fixed on the direction of the transmission point.

Yun Ruanyu laughed helplessly at Yun Qianxue's restless demeanor. She changed the topic, asking, "What is the latest situation?"

Yun Qianxue turned her gaze back to Yun Ruanyu and replied, "That despicable Huo has reached an agreement with the Profound Sword Sect yesterday. Heh... They fought each other for a thousand years, but now they are banding together. I guess that idiot surname Ji probably has a hole in his brain."

Yun Ruanyu sighed, "It's inevitable. After all, Qi Qianxing stands behind the Sacred Flame Sect. How could Ji Muchen dare to disagree? This time, I'm afraid we are going to face the greatest calamity since the sect has existed."

A silence descended as both of them fell into deep thought. The impending crisis was inevitable, and they found it difficult to resist. With the alliance of the Qi royal clan, Sacred Flame Sect, Profound Sword Sect, and potentially the Luo clan, the Misty Cloud Sect was now facing the imminent threat of annihilation.

"However, with the Heaven Suppressing Formation, we could hold on for a while. Unless Qi Qianxing takes action himself, I don't think anyone has the ability to break it." Yun Ruanyu broke the silence.

Yun Qianxue shook her head and said, "No matter how powerful the formation is, it cannot last forever… As the sect master, I cannot always hide behind the formation like a turtle and allow them to insult us. Otherwise, how am I going to face our ancestors? During their reigns, no one is allowed to insult us, and it will be the same during my reign." A strong killing intent flashed across her cold eyes while she was speaking.

Yun Ruanyu nodded in agreement. She said with great determination, "You are right... Even if we have to die, we won't let them get what they want."

At this moment, there was a fluctuation occurred around the transmission point, causing Yun Qianxue's eyes to instantly light up. With a flash, her figure appeared before the Transmission Profound Formation near the treasury.

A white light surrounding the formation slowly dispersed, revealing two silhouettes within it. Naturally, they were Yun Lintian and Yun Meilan, who had just returned from their trip.

"Mom, I'm back." Yun Lintian spoke upon seeing Yun Qianxue.

Yun Qianxue moved in to embrace him, wearing a charming smile on her lips. "It's good to see you back. Mom was worried to death."

"Ugh..." Yun Lintian was overwhelmed by a soft sensation. He felt inwardly helpless due to her clingy habit.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Let mom see." Yun Qianxue asked concernedly while her hands moving up and down on his body.

"Mom, I'm fine." Yun Lintian was embarrassed and quickly slipped out of her embrace. As a man, how could he let a woman to molest him freely? He had to be the initiator! However, he didn't dare to retaliate against Yun Qianxue.

Yun Qianxue scanned his body from head to toe for a moment. When she saw a bloodstain on his sleeves, her eyes widened. "Where did this blood come from?" She turned to Yun Meilan and yelled angrily, "Yun Meilan! Give me an explanation!"

Yun Meilan and Yun Ruanyu, who had just arrived earlier, looked at each other speechlessly.

Yun Lintian pulled Yun Qianxue's arm and said softly, "Mom, this is not my blood. It's the enemy's blood. Aunt Meilan killed him, and I touched his corpse while searching for his belongings."

Yun Qianxue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. However, her eyes still fixated on Yun Meilan with dissatisfaction. "Enemy? Which bastard dared to attack my son!?"

Yun Lintian patted his forehead helplessly as he quickly changed the topic, "Mom, it's okay. You see, nothing happened to me. Let's go. I am hungry now."

Only then Yun Qianxue's complexion loosened a bit as she grabbed Yun Lintian and headed to her chamber under Yun Meilan and Yun Ruanyu's gaze.

"You made a wise decision to prevent her from accompanying him on the trip. Otherwise, the capital city would turn upside down because of her by now." Yun Ruanyu said gently.

Yun Meilan: "…"

"Let's go. Tell us what you got." Yun Ruanyu beckoned. The two of them walked toward Yun Ruanyu's chamber direction.

***

"So, he tried to make you serve his clan and even sent someone to kill you? Hmph! What a good Luo clan!" Yun Qianxue's expression turned cold upon hearing Yun Lintian's narration. An intense killing intent flashed across her eyes. The surrounding temperature seemed to drop significantly, causing Yun Lintian to shiver slightly.

Yun Lintian hurriedly patted her hand and said, "Mom, calm down. You don't have to be angry with them. They are not worthy. Come, let's eat." He then used chopsticks to pick up a vegetable and put it in her bowl.

Yun Qianxue's knitted brows loosened slightly. She asked, "Are you sure you still want to take part in this Blazing Sun Mythical realm? Once they see you again, I don't think they will let you go easily. No, Mom forbade you to go."

Yun Lintian took a sip of water before he replied, "I have to go, Mom. You have to believe in me. I have a solution to deal with them. Let alone Luo Kun, even if there were ten of him, I don't think they could do anything to me. You should know about that. Besides, it's not like I'm going alone."

Yun Qianxue shook her head and said, "I understand that you can use a profound formation to handle them effortlessly, but you can't depend on it all the time, can you? What if they caught you by surprise? How would you find the time to set up a formation?"

Yun Lintian nodded and said, "Well, what you said is correct. However, Mom, my ability to conceal is not as weak as you think. Although I cannot conceal my presence from those in the Spirit Profound Realm, I have no difficulty in dealing with anyone in the Essence Profound Realm. If you don't believe, we can try after this meal." He was confident in his ability to conceal himself. After all, he had been training under the guidance of Yun Meilan for several years.

Yun Qianxue stared at him for a while, until she was finally convinced and said, "Alright, Mom won't stop you anymore. However, you have to practice with me every day from now on."

"Deal." Yun Lintian accepted with a smile.

Meanwhile, in another distant chamber, Yun Meilan, Yun Ruanyu, and Yun Qingrou were gathered around an ice table, accompanied by two other individuals. One was a petite woman with short shoulder-length hair. She was Yun Huanxin, the Third Hall Master. Another person was a plump woman with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She was the Fourth Hall Master, Yun Lingwei.

"Hurry up! Sister Meilan. Tell us about it." Yun Lingwei urged, her hand continuing to stuff pastries into her mouth, causing her cheeks to bulge like a gluttonous baby. Her large, round eyes stared at Yun Meilan without blinking.

"Hey! Fatty Fourth! Aren't you preparing for a breakthrough? Why did you suddenly come out?" Yun Huanxin asked, annoyed. Her small hand tried to grab the pastry on the ice table, but she was slower than Yun Lingwei.

Yun Lingwei turned to Yun Huanxin. "Do I have to tell you, Flatty Third?" She replied with a smirk. She then glanced at Yun Huanxin's chest, and her smirk widened.

"Are you looking for death, Fatty Fourth!?" Yun Huanxin's face darkened. A terrifying light flashed across her clear eyes.

"Enough, you two. Seriously, why do both of you have to quarrel every time you see each other?" Yun Ruanyu reprimanded Yun Huanxin and Yun Lingwei, causing them to shut their mouths. However, they continued to chew on their pastries.

On the other hand, Yun Qingrou smiled without a care, as she had already become accustomed to both of them. She looked at Yun Meilan and said, "Now, please tell us the news, Sister Meilan."

Everyone turned to Yun Meilan as she replied, "Qi Qianxing is currently in seclusion. The rumor said that he is about to make another breakthrough."

When Yun Meilan's voice fell, the expressions of everyone in the chamber immediately became solemn. Originally, they thought they could resist Qi Qianxing, but now it seemed impossible. If Qi Qianxing managed to break through to the middle level of the Ruler Profound Realm, the entire sect would become like lambs waiting for him to slaughter.

Yun Meilan continued, "Ji Muchen and his son appeared in the capital city yesterday. He went to propose marriage to the second princess."

"Che... He wants to join the Qi clan?" Yun Lingwei snorted disdainfully. Among the Hall Masters, she held a deep grudge against Ji Muchen, the Sect Master of the Profound Sword Sect. In the past, Ji Muchen killed her junior sister, who was her closest companion, during their expedition to the mythical realm. She vowed to take revenge, but her strength was slightly inferior to his. She had not been able to achieve her goal until now.

"Lintian has formed a connection with Yang Gouming's children. They owed him a big favor." Yun Meilan further stated.

Everyone was surprised upon hearing this. They were curious about how Yun Lintian managed to do that.

Seeing everyone looking at her eagerly, Yun Meilan explained, "In order to obtain Heavenly Yin Iron from the Yang clan, Lintian established a treatment stall in their territory. Coincidentally, Yang Chen, the son of Yang Gouming, was defeated by Luo Kun from the Luo clan, and his Profound Vein was destroyed. His older sister, Yang Mengli, came to Yun Lintian and asked him to help Yang Chen. In the end, Lintian successfully restored his Profound Vein."

"What!?" All four Hall Masters exclaimed loudly in unison.