Everything Under Control

In the courtyard of the Long Family estate.

The Long Family’s patriarch, Long Aotian, wore an extremely grim expression.

"What? All the spies we planted in the Sword Holding Department have vanished without a trace?!"

Behind him, the cloaked figure known as Shadow bowed slightly, his tone heavy. "Yes, my lord. It is highly likely that Leng Qingqiu has purged them all."

"Hmph!"

Long Aotian snorted coldly, his eyes darkening with malice.

Very well, Leng Qingqiu.

Since you refuse to spare me even the slightest face, then I no longer need to entertain the thought of recruiting you.

His voice dripped with venom. "I’ve heard Leng Qingqiu has a younger sister?"

"Indeed. Her name is Leng Ling'er, and she has inherited the position of Dragon King Palace’s master. She is exceptionally gifted and has... recently broken through to the Grandmaster realm."

Another breakthrough?

Long Aotian’s heart twisted with envy. If he recalled correctly, Leng Ling'er wasn’t even twenty yet.

And yet, she had already reached Grandmaster.

Back in his day, he hadn’t achieved that until he was twenty-four. Now, he had been surpassed by a mere junior.

Shadow seemed to sense his master’s turmoil and quickly added, "My lord, this is only because the world’s spiritual energy has grown denser, allowing a mere girl to seize such advantages. In terms of true talent, no one in this world could surpass you."

Hearing this, Long Aotian felt slightly mollified.

It was true. In his youth, he had been a peerless genius, a prodigy who dominated an entire era.

But...

What did it matter now?

The peak of the Grandmaster realm had once been the absolute limit—no one could advance beyond it, let alone reach the Supreme Grandmaster level.

And even if they did, what then?

In the face of true power, human strength... always seemed so pitifully insignificant.

Long Aotian would never forget that night when he had raged at the heavens, cursing their injustice.

A single disdainful snort from the sky had shattered his cultivation entirely.

From that moment, he had witnessed the terrifying might of the divine. He knew then that humanity was doomed.

Only by joining the ranks of the gods could he... attain eternal life and survive the coming cataclysm.

The ideals and ambitions of his youth had long since withered.

Now, he sought only to survive.

Because he knew—this world would eventually be annihilated by the gods.

Heh... So what if he had to grovel? Long Aotian would become the gods’ most loyal hound!

With the world on the brink of upheaval and the gods descending, he had to prove his worth.

Thus, he issued a cold command. "Dispatch men to capture Leng Ling'er. Her talent is exceptional—she may become the second successful subject for the Demon Weapon experiments!"

There was another thought he kept to himself.

If Leng Ling'er’s transformation succeeded... he would beg the gods to allow his soul to possess her youthful body, stealing her cultivation and gifts for himself!

"Yes!"

The assassin turned to leave, but Long Aotian stopped him.

"Wait. Leng Qingqiu is meticulous. If we act in Jianghai City, she will notice."

"Here’s what we’ll do. Lin Yinyin is close to Leng Ling'er, isn’t she?"

"I’ll grant you control over Lin Yinyin. The rest... you understand."

The assassin accepted the control device Long Aotian handed him and bowed. "Understood."

With a flicker, the assassin vanished.

Long Aotian’s gaze hardened.

Leng Qingqiu, don’t celebrate too soon.

Soon... you’ll relive the agony of losing the few loved ones you have left!

And the Gu Family—how dare they reject my overtures as well?

One after another, they all scorn me!

......

......

Deep within the Forbidden Monster Zone.

"My lord, this is the entirety of Long Aotian’s plan."

A cloaked figure stood respectfully behind Gu Yan.

Had Long Aotian been present, he would have been stunned to recognize this man—his most trusted assassin, Shadow!

"Oh?"

"That old fool plans to move against Leng Ling'er?"

Gu Yan toyed with a silver core in his hand, his voice chilling. "Aside from Ling'er, who else is on his list?"

Shadow replied, "The Leng Family’s public head, Leng Xing'an, and his household... as well as the Gu Family."

Gu Yan nodded slightly before tossing the core to Shadow. His gaze was distant, almost indifferent.

"Understood. Proceed as he instructed."

"Yes, my lord!"

Shadow disappeared in an instant.

Gu Yan opened his palm, tendrils of energy drifting into the air, weaving through spatial rifts.

This would ensure that, at the critical moment, the souls of Leng Xing'an’s family could be transported away.

As long as their souls remained intact, they could be revived later.

In truth, none of the three great families could have imagined...

Every single one of their assassins...

Had long since fallen under his control.

Their every move was laid bare before him.

To harden Leng Qingqiu’s resolve—to ensure she eradicated the three families and cemented her authority—certain key figures had to perish.

Leng Ling'er could not die yet, so...

Leng Xing'an’s household would serve as the perfect sacrifice.

Everything would be fine. The process... would be as painless as falling asleep.

At that moment, a cold presence approached.

Leng Bingning stepped forward, frowning as she took in Gu Yan’s darker, more formidable aura.

"You summoned me?"

"Yes."

Gu Yan didn’t turn around, his tone flat. "Your next task is to infiltrate the Martial Alliance and assist Leng Qingqiu in exterminating the three families."

"If necessary, reveal your true identity to her."

Leng Bingning’s expression shifted. "What are you planning? You want me to leave the Forbidden Monster Zone? Then what about you—?"

Gu Yan cut her off. "What comes next does not concern you."

A wisp of energy coiled around Leng Bingning’s shoulder before fading into her.

Gu Yan’s voice was calm. "If something goes wrong, this will transport your soul to safety."

"When all is said and done, everything will be over."

"If we succeed, everyone will awaken as if from a pleasant dream."

"If we fail... the entire world will be reset and destroyed."

Leng Bingning’s fists clenched tighter the more she listened. Staring at Gu Yan’s back, she gritted her teeth.

"All you’re doing is causing Qingqiu more pain. Why not just tell her the truth?"

"I can’t. Because I know that if Qingqiu learned the truth, she would stand by my side, no matter the cost."

"Isn’t that a good thing?"

Leng Bingning couldn’t fathom his reasoning.

"No. It isn’t."

Gu Yan finally turned, his eyes closed, his voice eerily tranquil. "If that happens, Leng Qingqiu and I will meet the same doomed fate as before."

"Only if we both ascend as the strongest in this world will we stand a chance of survival."

The descent of the gods was imminent.

And he had little time left to grow strong enough to oppose them.

But Leng Qingqiu didn’t have that luxury—there wasn’t enough time for her to grow rapidly.

It was just like the Night King back in the day.

Every time, the gods would eliminate him before he could fully mature.

So, the only way for Leng Qingqiu to break through her limits was to kill him and use his heart’s blood to ascend to the pinnacle of this world’s power.

Of course, before that…

If Gu Yan couldn’t grow strong enough to face the gods, everything else would be meaningless.

The world would be reset, and both he and Leng Qingqiu might be completely erased from existence.

Just as the memories foretold.

This was… the last chance.