Any other choice

Deep within Fengyu City, at the Liu Family's estate.

The Liu Family occupied a land where spiritual veins converged, their vermilion gates adorned with the faintly glowing totem of a mystical bird under the sunlight. As a clan that cultivated fire-attribute techniques, the pavilions within their estate were suffused with rich fire spiritual energy, a testament to their status as the foremost family in Fengyu City.

Yet, the usual tranquility was abruptly shattered by a frantic figure.

A gray-robed cultivator of the Liu Family, his spiritual energy in disarray, stumbled into the council hall, clutching a communication jade slip riddled with cracks—evidently damaged in his haste to deliver the message.

"Family Head! A disaster has struck!"

The gray-robed cultivator knelt, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Young Master Chengfeng had his core shattered… and Elder Liu Lie… they were killed at Fengyu Sect!"

Inside the council hall, the Liu Family's patriarch, Liu Canglan, sat poised on the main seat, idly twirling an exquisite emerald jade ring between his fingers.

At these words, his fingers froze, and the ring slipped from his grasp, landing with a crisp clink on the white jade table.

His gaze sharpened like a blade as he stared at the gray-robed cultivator, his spiritual energy surging involuntarily, causing the temperature in the hall to spike. "What did you say? Repeat that!"

Liu Canglan could scarcely believe his ears. Liu Chengfeng was his most beloved nephew—a prodigious talent and the future hope of the Liu Family. And now, he had been crippled by a single strike?

As for Liu Lie, he was one of the few Core Formation elders in the Liu Family, a pillar of their strength. Losing him was undoubtedly a devastating blow.

"It's true, Family Head!" The gray-robed cultivator kowtowed frantically. "The news came from Fengyu Sect. Young Master Chengfeng approached two new disciples in goodwill, seeking friendship, but they crippled his cultivation on the spot!"

"Elders Liu Qingyun, Liu Shan, and Liu Lie stepped forward to reason with them, but those two killed them outright! Even the accompanying guards were slaughtered!"

Liu Canglan's face darkened instantly. With a furious slam of his palm, the sturdy white jade table cracked like a spiderweb.

"Fengyu Sect has been allied with our Liu Family for a thousand years! Every year, we supply them with countless spirit stones and materials—how dare they let our clansmen perish within their sect?"

His voice was icy, brimming with towering rage. "What of Fengyu Sect’s elders? Did none of them intervene?"

In his view, the Liu Family and Fengyu Sect were ironclad allies, bound by mutual benefit. The Liu Family relied on the sect’s protection to maintain their dominance in Fengyu City, while the sect depended on the Liu Family’s resources to sustain itself. Liu Family disciples had always enjoyed privileged status within the sect—when had they ever suffered such humiliation?

The gray-robed cultivator swallowed hard, not daring to meet Liu Canglan’s gaze as he spoke in a hushed tone. "Elder Ling Xu… did intervene."

"He intervened? Then why were Chengfeng and Liu Lie still—" Liu Canglan’s tone softened slightly, but before he could finish, the gray-robed cultivator cut in.

"But Elder Ling Xu didn’t act against those two. Instead… he welcomed them courteously into Fengyu Sect’s guest hall and even ordered disciples to attend to them with the utmost hospitality."

"What?!" Liu Canglan abruptly stood up, his spiritual energy erupting violently around him. The tables and chairs in the council hall were instantly flung aside, and the family portraits hanging on the walls trembled noisily.

His eyes burned with furious disbelief as he glared at the gray-robed cultivator. "A member of my Liu Family was beaten to death within the confines of his Phoenix Feather Sect, and instead of seeking vengeance, Ling Xu treats the murderers as honored guests?!"

"Does the Phoenix Feather Sect truly take the Liu Family for some soft, easily bullied weaklings?!"

"What kind of joke is this? What kind of joke?!!"

As his voice thundered, Liu Canglan slammed his fist into a nearby stone pillar. The sturdy column instantly caved in, sending shards of rock flying.

He took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the rage boiling inside him, yet his gaze only grew darker and more sinister.

He was well aware that Ling Xu, as the Phoenix Feather Sect’s Grand Elder, was no reckless fool. For him to act so unusually, there must be hidden reasons behind it.

But Ling Xu was at least at the Spirit Transformation Realm. Just who were these two cultivators that could make him so wary?

As Liu Canglan seethed with fury and suspicion, a steady ripple of spiritual energy suddenly emanated from outside the council hall. A streak of crimson light tore across the sky before landing gracefully in the courtyard of the Liu Family estate.

The light dispersed, revealing Feng Tian, clad in a golden-red daoist robe, walking forward with an aura so serene it instantly calmed the agitated spiritual energy caused by Liu Canglan’s wrath.

The Dao Comprehension Realm!

The Liu Family guards immediately bowed in reverence. Liu Canglan, too, forced down his anger, though his expression remained grim as he regarded Feng Tian.

"Sect Master Feng arrives just in time. Could it be you’ve come specifically to give my Liu Family an explanation?"

Feng Tian paid no mind to Liu Canglan’s cold tone. Stepping into the council hall, his gaze swept over the wreckage before he sighed softly. "Patriarch Liu, this matter is complicated. I’ve come today precisely to clarify the full context."

He motioned for Liu Canglan to sit, then took a seat himself before speaking slowly. "The two who killed Elder Liu Lie and the Liu Family disciples go by the names Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang. Though barely past twenty years of age, they are already genuine Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators."

"What?!" Liu Canglan shot to his feet, his eyes wide with shock. "Spirit Transformation Realm at twenty? Impossible! Even the most prodigious geniuses of the Tianxuan Continent could never reach such heights at that age!"

It had taken Liu Canglan nearly a thousand years of arduous cultivation to reach the late-stage Spirit Transformation Realm—a level most cultivators could only dream of in their entire lifetimes. And yet, these two were already there in their early twenties?

Feng Tian nodded solemnly. "I, too, found it hard to believe at first. But I later sensed their spiritual energy firsthand—there was no deception."

"Such talent… Across the entire Tianxuan Continent, aside from those ancient, unfathomable Holy Lands with legacies spanning tens of thousands of years, no other force could possibly nurture geniuses like them."

"Therefore, it’s highly likely those two are connected to a Holy Land."

"And even within a Holy Land, cultivators of their caliber would be exceedingly rare."

The words struck Liu Canglan like thunder. In an instant, he understood why Ling Xu had been so wary of Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang.

The power of the Holy Land is incomparably formidable. Just dispatching a single elder would be enough to effortlessly crush ordinary sects and families. If the Liu Family had truly offended the Holy Land, the entire clan would likely face utter annihilation.

With this thought, the fury in Liu Canglan's heart instantly dissipated, replaced by deep apprehension.

Noticing this, Feng Tian continued, "Patriarch Liu, it's not that Fengyu Sect is unwilling to stand up for the Liu Family, but the origins of these individuals are simply too great—we cannot afford to provoke them.

"Today, I came not only to inform you of this but also to make a request."

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Liu Canglan looked at Feng Tian. "Sect Master Feng, speak plainly."

"Those two came to Fengyu Sect to borrow the teleportation array to the Donghua Divine Continent. However, the Liu Family controls the only teleportation array in Fengyu City that leads there. I hope you will prioritize the greater good and allow Ye Chuan and his companion to use it temporarily."

Feng Tian spoke earnestly, "If we can take this opportunity to befriend these two geniuses who may hail from the Holy Land, it would bring countless benefits to both the Liu Family and Fengyu Sect, with no drawbacks whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, Liu Canglan fell into deep contemplation.

Lending the teleportation array meant swallowing the humiliation of his clansmen's deaths. But refusing could enrage Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang—and if they truly had the backing of the Holy Land, the Liu Family might not even survive the consequences.

His gaze shifted to Mo Chenzi, his expression complicated.

"Do I... even have a choice?"