He fell off a cliff but unexpectedly gained a cultivation inheritance.

Two months ago, as Ye Qingxue, arm in arm with Zhang Bufan, walked side by side out of the vermilion gate of the Ye family ancestral home, Ye Dechang, deep within the study, slowly withdrew his gaze from the doorway. His previously gentle expression instantly turned solemn. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his right hand, forming a simple hand seal. A wisp of pale blue spiritual energy swirled around his fingertips, drawing an ancient rune in the air.

"Send a message to Xiao Changfeng," Ye Dechang murmured softly. The runes on his fingertips suddenly lit up, transforming into a streak of light that burst through the study window and sped towards the capital. This communication rune was a common method of exchanging messages between cultivation families. Only cultivators who had reached the Golden Core realm could wield it precisely. Not only was the transmission speed extremely fast, but it also guaranteed the confidentiality of the message; ordinary cultivators simply could not intercept or spy on it.

Ye Dechang walked slowly to the window, gazing at the direction where the runes had disappeared, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. In the past, whenever he sent a message to Xiao Changfeng, he couldn't help but feel a mix of trepidation and respect, speaking with extreme caution, afraid of offending this late-stage Golden Core ancestor of the Xiao family. After all, although the Ye family was a renowned cultivation family, their ranking in the mortal cultivation world was far inferior to the Xiao family. His own cultivation was only at the early Golden Core stage, two minor realms lower than Xiao Changfeng's. Under the cultivation world's principle of respecting strength, he naturally had to voluntarily accept a lower seniority.

But things are different now. Zhang Bufan is not only Ye Qingxue's ex-husband, but they have also remarried. Most importantly, Zhang Bufan is a core disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect and a direct disciple of the Nascent Soul Ancestor Yue Buwei! What kind of existence is the Immortal Sword Sect? It is one of the top cultivation sects in the entire Pangu Realm, and Yue Buwei is a powerful cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage. With such a great-grandson-in-law as his backer, Ye Dechang's back straightened instantly, and any previous awe he had for the Xiao family vanished completely.

In the secluded meditation room deep within the Xiao family ancestral home in the capital city, amidst the dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth swirling like clouds, Xiao Changfeng, who was meditating cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance passing through them. He raised his hand, and a pale blue rune appeared in his palm—a message sent by Ye Dechang.

"Ye Dechang?" Xiao Changfeng raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt in his mind. Not long ago, the two families were discussing the marriage between Ye Qingxue and his great-grandson Xiao Jiulang. Ye Dechang was very respectful at the time and took the marriage very seriously. Why would he suddenly send a message? He exerted a little force with his fingertips, and the runes instantly disappeared. Ye Dechang's voice then rang out in the secluded cultivation room.

"Brother Xiao, there's something I need to tell you." Ye Dechang's voice was calm and indifferent, lacking any of his usual respect. "My great-great-granddaughter, Ye Qingxue, has remarried her ex-husband, Zhang Bufan. The marriage alliance we discussed with Xiao Jiulang is now off."

"What?!" Xiao Changfeng slammed his hand on the stone table in front of him, instantly cracking the hard stone and causing the spiritual energy in the secluded cultivation room to fluctuate violently. His calm expression was instantly replaced by rage, his eyes filled with incredulous fury. "Ye Dechang, what do you mean by that? The marriage alliance was decided jointly by both families; how can you just call it off like that? Are you senile, Ye Dechang, daring to play such a trick on the Xiao family?"

Xiao Changfeng was furious. In his view, the Ye family's marriage alliance with the Xiao family was already a stroke of good fortune, and Ye Dechang should have been grateful. Now, the Ye family had unilaterally broken the agreement, which was not only an insult to the Xiao family but also a slap in the face to him, a late-stage Golden Core ancestor.

"I, Ye Dechang, am not so foolish as to play games with family matters." Ye Dechang's voice remained calm, unaffected by Xiao Changfeng's anger. "Qingxue has already remarried, so she can no longer marry Xiao Jiulang. This matter is not open to discussion."

"No room for negotiation?" Xiao Changfeng laughed angrily, his tone full of threat. "Ye Dechang, have you thought carefully about the consequences of refusing my Xiao family? With the strength of my Xiao family in the mortal cultivation world, suppressing the Ye family would be as easy as turning your hand! Aren't you afraid that your momentary folly will plunge the Ye family into utter ruin?"

In the past, whenever Xiao Changfeng displayed such an attitude, Ye Dechang would have been so frightened that he would have apologized repeatedly. But this time, the voice that came from outside the secluded room was still Ye Dechang's calm voice, even with a hint of a reminder: "Brother Xiao, I advise you to calm down first. The reason I dare to refuse this marriage proposal is naturally because I have my reasons."

"Confidence? What confidence does your Ye family have?" Xiao Changfeng sneered disdainfully. In his view, the Ye family's strength was nothing compared to that of the Xiao family.

"Qingxue's ex-husband, who is now her husband Zhang Bufan, is no ordinary person," Ye Dechang said slowly, each word clearly reaching Xiao Changfeng's ears. "He is a core disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect, and even more so, a direct disciple of Yue Buwei, the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Immortal Sword Sect. Brother Xiao, do you think that with the Immortal Sword Sect as our backer, my Ye family still needs to fear the suppression from your Xiao family?"

"Immortal Sword Sect... core disciple... Yue Buwei's personal disciple?!" This series of information struck Xiao Changfeng like a bolt from the blue. The anger on his face instantly froze, replaced by deep shock and disbelief. His originally turbulent spiritual energy also became chaotic, causing him to groan involuntarily.

As the patriarch of the Xiao family, Xiao Changfeng had lived for over four hundred years and possessed an extremely deep understanding of the cultivation forces in the Pangu Realm. He had heard of the Immortal Sword Sect's formidable reputation; it truly stood above all mortal cultivation families. No matter how strong a mortal cultivation family was, they were like ants before a secret realm sect, let alone a top-tier secret realm sect like the Immortal Sword Sect. And a Nascent Soul patriarch was a legendary figure, capable of effortlessly annihilating a mortal cultivation family—something he, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, could never contend with.

He finally understood why Ye Dechang dared to so resolutely refuse the marriage alliance, even disregarding his threats. With the Immortal Sword Sect as their backer, let alone the Xiao family, even a coalition of several top mortal cultivation families couldn't harm the Ye family in the slightest. His earlier threat to annihilate the Ye family now seemed like a colossal joke. If he had truly angered the Immortal Sword Sect, it would only be the Xiao family that would be destroyed.

Xiao Changfeng's attitude made a complete 180-degree turn, and his tone instantly became obsequious, even somewhat ingratiating: "Brother Ye, I lost my composure just now, please don't take it to heart. Since Miss Qingxue has remarried with Fellow Daoist Zhang, the marriage alliance is naturally off. It was my Xiao family that was presumptuous."

Just moments ago, he was addressing Ye Dechang respectfully, but now he was calling him "Brother Ye." His previous arrogance had vanished, replaced by utter respect. The cultivation world is indeed this realistic: strength determines status. After learning that the Ye family was connected to the Immortal Sword Sect, Xiao Changfeng no longer dared to show the slightest contempt.

Hearing Xiao Changfeng's change in attitude, Ye Dechang sneered inwardly, but did not make things too difficult for him aloud: "Brother Xiao, you flatter me. The reason I specifically told you about this was to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings later."

"Yes, yes, Brother Ye, you've thought this through very well." Xiao Changfeng quickly echoed, "This matter was not well thought out by our Xiao family, and we will never mention the marriage alliance again."

"That's good." Ye Dechang said calmly. "Also, I want to remind Brother Xiao to keep an eye on your younger generation. Especially that Xiao Jiulang, who has harassed Qingxue many times before, fortunately without any serious consequences. If he dares to do anything outrageous again and provokes Zhang Bufan, I'm afraid not only he himself, but the entire Xiao family will be brought to ruin."

"Brother Ye, rest assured! I will definitely discipline the younger generation strictly and never let them provoke Fellow Daoist Zhang and Miss Qingxue!" Xiao Changfeng hurriedly assured him, his tone tinged with lingering fear. He had no doubt about Ye Dechang's words; with the strength of the Immortal Sword Sect, destroying the Xiao family would be an effortless task.

"That would be best." After saying that, Ye Dechang immediately cut off the communication.

Inside the secluded cultivation room, Xiao Changfeng slowly lowered his hand, the fawning smile on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a gloomy expression. He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his heart filled with lingering fear and anger. He was terrified that he had almost provoked the Immortal Sword Sect because of the marriage alliance, bringing annihilation upon the Xiao family; he was angry that Xiao Jiulang had repeatedly harassed Ye Qingxue, and if Ye Dechang hadn't reminded him, he would still be in the dark; and he was even angrier that he had just lost face in front of Ye Dechang.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Xiao Changfeng roared in a low voice, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "If it weren't for that wretched brat Xiao Jiulang, how could such a mess have arisen!"

He could no longer concentrate on his seclusion. With a wave of his right hand, a golden communication rune flew from the seclusion room, heading straight for the courtyard of Xiao Feng, the current head of the Xiao family. The message contained only a few simple words: "Bring Xiao Jiulang to my seclusion room immediately!"

In the front courtyard of the Xiao family, the patriarch, Xiao Feng, was handling family affairs. When he saw the message rune sent by the patriarch, a sense of doubt arose in his heart. The patriarch always devoted himself to seclusion and would never be easily disturbed unless there was something of great importance. Could it be that something urgent had happened to the family? He dared not delay for the slightest and immediately got up and walked towards Xiao Jiulang's courtyard.

Xiao Jiulang was currently practicing his martial arts in his courtyard. He was dressed in a white training uniform and wielded a long sword, its sword energy surging, giving him a rather imposing air. As Xiao Feng's youngest son, Xiao Jiulang possessed the best cultivation aptitude among the younger generation of the Xiao family. At only thirty years old, he had already reached the peak of Qi Refining, far surpassing his peers. Because of this, Xiao Feng doted on him immensely, unconditionally fulfilling all his demands from a young age. This fostered his arrogant, domineering, and self-centered personality.

"Jiulang, stop practicing. The Ancestor has sent a message for you to come to the secluded cultivation room with me immediately," Xiao Feng said as he entered the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiulang slowly sheathed his sword, a hint of impatience on his face: "What does the ancestor want with me? I haven't finished practicing yet." In his view, he was the family's genius, and even the ancestor shouldn't disturb his practice at will.

"The Ancestor has given the order; how dare you delay!" Xiao Feng frowned, his tone becoming stern. Although he doted on Xiao Jiulang, he still held the Ancestor's authority in high esteem.

Seeing his father's anger, Xiao Jiulang, though displeased, dared not disobey the patriarch's orders and could only reluctantly follow Xiao Feng towards the secluded cultivation chamber deep within the clan. Along the way, he secretly wondered if the patriarch's sudden summons was about the marriage alliance with the Ye family. If so, perhaps the Ye family had relented. Thinking this, a smug smile appeared on his face; that woman, Ye Qingxue, would ultimately not escape his grasp.

A dozen minutes later, Xiao Feng brought Xiao Jiulang to the door of the secluded cultivation room. Xiao Feng straightened his clothes and respectfully called out to the room, "Father, your son Xiao Feng has brought Jiulang to pay his respects."

"Come in." Xiao Changfeng's deep voice came from the secluded room, his tone carrying a hint of suppressed anger.

Xiao Feng pushed open the door and entered, followed by Xiao Jiulang. The moment he stepped inside, Xiao Jiulang felt a powerful pressure wash over him, causing him to shiver involuntarily. His smug smile instantly froze on his face. He looked up at Xiao Changfeng and saw that the ancestor's face was terrifyingly grim, his eyes fixed on him like sharp swords, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"Old... Ancestor..." Xiao Jiulang felt a chill run down his spine and stammered.

"Bang!" Xiao Changfeng slammed his hand on the stone table and shouted angrily, "You wicked child! Do you know your crime?!"

The sudden shout startled Xiao Jiulang, who quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet Xiao Changfeng's gaze: "Grandfather, your grandson... your grandson doesn't know what mistake he has made."

"Don't you know you're wrong?" Xiao Changfeng laughed angrily. "You've harassed Ye Qingxue of the Ye family multiple times. Isn't that what you've been doing?"

Xiao Jiulang was startled, not expecting that his ancestor knew about this. He secretly glanced at his father beside him and saw that Xiao Feng was also looking at him with a serious expression, so he braced himself and said, "Ancestor, I just like Qingxue and want her to be my Daoist partner. I didn't mean to harass her."

"Like her? You don't deserve it!" Xiao Changfeng shouted angrily. "Do you know who Ye Qingxue's husband is now? Do you know that what you did almost brought disaster to the entire Xiao family?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng was also startled and quickly asked, "Father, what exactly is going on? Does Ye Qingxue's husband have some kind of background?" He only knew that Ye Qingxue had an ex-husband named Zhang Bufan, but he had never paid any attention to him, thinking he was just an ordinary mortal.

Xiao Changfeng took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and recounted the contents of Ye Dechang's message in detail: "Ye Dechang just messaged me saying that Ye Qingxue has remarried her ex-husband Zhang Bufan and refused the marriage alliance with our Xiao family. More importantly, that Zhang Bufan is a core disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect, and also a personal disciple of Yue Buwei, the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Immortal Sword Sect!"

"The Immortal Sword Sect...a direct disciple of the Nascent Soul Ancestor?!" Xiao Feng's pupils contracted sharply, his face showing disbelief, and his body trembled involuntarily. As the current head of the Xiao family, he understood better than Xiao Jiulang what the Immortal Sword Sect and the Nascent Soul Ancestor meant. They were beings that the Xiao family could never afford to offend!

Xiao Jiulang looked bewildered. Although he had heard of the Immortal Sword Sect, he didn't have a clear understanding of its true strength; he only thought the name sounded impressive. He raised his head and said defiantly, "Ancestor, he's just a disciple of a sect! Our Xiao family is so powerful in the mortal cultivation world, are we afraid of him? At worst... at worst, we can just kill him and take Ye Qingxue back."

"How dare you!" Xiao Changfeng abruptly turned to look at Xiao Jiulang, his eyes blazing with fury. "You wretch! Do you know what you're saying? What kind of existence is the Immortal Sword Sect? A Nascent Soul Ancestor could wipe out our entire Xiao family with a flick of his wrist! And you actually dared to try and kill his personal disciple? You're simply courting death!"

Xiao Changfeng grew angrier as he spoke, took a step forward, and slapped Xiao Jiulang hard across the face.

"Slap!" A crisp slap echoed in the seclusion room.

Xiao Jiulang was spun around on the spot after being hit, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his cheek instantly swelling up. He covered his face, looking at Xiao Changfeng in disbelief: "Ancestor, you actually hit me?" From childhood to adulthood, he had always been the family's precious darling. Not to mention the ancestor, even his father Xiao Feng had never been willing to hit him.

"A beating you is too lenient! If it weren't for your reckless behavior, our Xiao family wouldn't have almost fallen into such a dangerous situation!" Xiao Changfeng said angrily. "Let me tell you, from today onwards, you are not allowed to take a single step near Ye Qingxue, and you are absolutely forbidden from causing trouble for Zhang Bufan! Otherwise, not only you, but the entire Xiao family will be implicated! At that time, even I won't be able to protect you!"

Xiao Feng quickly stepped forward and bowed to Xiao Changfeng, saying, "Father, please calm down. It's all because I failed to discipline him properly that Jiulang made such a mistake. Rest assured, I will definitely discipline him strictly in the future and never let him do anything out of line again."

Xiao Changfeng gave Xiao Feng a cold look: "You know that's good! Xiao Feng, I'm warning you, this matter concerns the life and death of the family. If you continue to spoil him and indulge his reckless behavior as before, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Yes, yes, I understand, I will remember it." Xiao Feng nodded hurriedly, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead. He was filled with lingering fear. Fortunately, Ye Dechang had informed him of Zhang Bufan's identity in time; otherwise, if Xiao Jiulang had done something outrageous, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Xiao Jiulang stood there, covering his face, his heart filled with anger and humiliation. He couldn't understand why his ancestor and father were so afraid of a mere sect disciple. Ye Qingxue was supposed to be his Daoist partner; what right did Zhang Bufan have to steal her away? He secretly resolved to make Zhang Bufan pay the price, to take Ye Qingxue back, and to thoroughly ravage her, venting his anger and humiliation.

But he knew he couldn't show it now. The patriarch's authority was undeniable; to contradict him now would only result in harsher punishment. He could only lower his head, feigning obedience, his voice tinged with grievance: "Grandson...Grandson knows he was wrong, and will never dare to do it again."

Seeing that he admitted his mistake, Xiao Changfeng's expression softened slightly, but he still said sternly, "Remember what you said today! Get out!"

Xiao Feng quickly pulled Xiao Jiulang along, bowed to Xiao Changfeng, and then hurriedly left the secluded cultivation room.

Stepping out of the secluded cultivation room and away from Xiao Changfeng's oppressive aura, Xiao Jiulang could no longer contain himself. He abruptly shook off Xiao Feng's hand and angrily exclaimed, "Father! Why did the Ancestor hit me? He's just a disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect! What's there to be afraid of! I must kill Zhang Bufan and take Ye Qingxue back!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Feng's face darkened as he shouted at Xiao Jiulang, "You wretched child! You still haven't learned your lesson! Do you know how terrifying the Immortal Sword Sect is? Don't even mention a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator like you; even the entire Xiao family is no match for the Immortal Sword Sect! If you dare to cause trouble for Zhang Bufan, you'll not only get yourself killed, but you'll also implicate your entire family!"

Xiao Jiulang remained unconvinced: "Father, isn't our Xiao family very powerful in the mortal cultivation world? Surely we can't even defeat a disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect?"

"The power of the mortal cultivation world is utterly worthless before the secret realm sects!" Xiao Feng was furious, raising his hand again to slap Xiao Jiulang, but seeing Xiao Jiulang's swollen cheek, he ultimately held back. He took a deep breath and said in a heavy tone, "Jiulang, you must remember, the secret realm sects and the mortal cultivation families are simply not on the same level. A core disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect has the entire sect behind him, including a Nascent Soul ancestor. Our Xiao family cannot afford to provoke them, and we absolutely must not provoke them!"

"I don't care! I must get revenge!" Xiao Jiulang remained stubborn. "Father, arrange for some experts to kill Zhang Bufan and take back Qingxue. I promise I'll listen to you from now on!"

"You're hopeless!" Seeing that he was still so stubborn even at this point, Xiao Feng could no longer suppress his anger and slapped him hard, knocking Xiao Jiulang to the ground. This slap was even harder than the one Xiao Changfeng had just given him, and Xiao Jiulang lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

"In the past, we allowed you to run rampant in the mortal world because the Xiao family's strength was enough to easily deal with you." Xiao Feng looked down at Xiao Jiulang, his tone icy. "But the secret realm sects are not entities our Xiao family can afford to offend! If you dare to have such thoughts again, don't blame me for disowning you as my son!"

Xiao Jiulang lay on the ground, blood flowing more and more from the corner of his mouth. His anger grew stronger, but he felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. He knew that his father was truly enraged this time and would never indulge him as he had before.

Seeing his disheveled state, Xiao Feng felt a pang of pity, but remembering the ancestor's warning and the safety of the family, he had no choice but to harden his heart: "From today onwards, you will go to the family ancestral hall to reflect on your actions. Without my permission, you are not allowed to step out of the ancestral hall! You may come out again when you have truly understood!"

After saying this, Xiao Feng ignored Xiao Jiulang and turned to the two family guards who had rushed over behind him, ordering, "Take him to the ancestral hall and keep him under strict guard. No one is allowed to visit him!"

"Yes, patriarch!" Two guards rushed forward, lifted Xiao Jiulang from the ground, and walked towards the family ancestral hall.

Supported, Xiao Jiulang turned back to glare fiercely at Xiao Feng's retreating figure, his eyes filled with venom: "Father, you wait! I will make Zhang Bufan pay! I definitely will!"

Upon hearing his words, Xiao Feng paused slightly, a hint of disappointment and helplessness flashing in his eyes. He knew that Xiao Jiulang's character was already formed, and making him truly repent wouldn't be easy. But he had no other choice but to lock him up, hoping that he could reflect on his actions in the ancestral hall and understand the consequences.

At this moment, after cutting off communication with Xiao Changfeng, Ye Dechang looked once again at the gate of the Ye family ancestral home, a relieved smile on his face. With Zhang Bufan's connection, the Ye family could not only escape the pressure from the Xiao family, but might even be able to advance further in the future with the help of the Immortal Sword Sect.

Zhang Bufan, far away, was naturally unaware that his identity had quietly resolved a crisis between the Ye and Xiao families, nor did he know that Xiao Jiulang harbored deep hatred for him. At this moment, he was accompanying Ye Qingxue, heading towards their hometown.