I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Yanling Fortress, a hundred miles away.

The sixth floor of Feiyun Pavilion.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the core hall of the Yan family was heavy and oppressive, with an undercurrent of unconcealed tragedy and determination.

Dozens of core members of the Yan family gathered here, most of them at the Foundation Establishment stage or above.

The red-haired old man at the head of the group was none other than Yan Changkong, the pillar of the Yan family and a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

The old man was tall and imposing, with a dignified face and fiery red hair, but deep within his hawk-like eyes churned anxieties about the fate of his family and a hint of barely perceptible humiliation.

He glanced around the hall at the faces—some young, some weathered, some resolute, some fearful—and his gaze finally settled on a stunningly beautiful young woman with an ethereal and graceful air.

The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with skin as white as snow and features as beautiful as a painting. She was the Yan family's once-in-a-century genius with a heavenly spiritual root, and was hailed as the greatest hope for the Yan family's future rise - Yan Ruyan.

She stood there quietly, her posture upright and her temperament aloof. Even in the face of a family upheaval, she tried her best to remain calm. However, her slightly clenched hands and the trace of confusion deep in her eyes betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

"Ancestor, all direct descendants, core inheritors, and important resources have been inventoried."

The routes and rendezvous points for the phased evacuation have been arranged. Once things are settled at Qixia Peak, we can proceed in batches, as agreed with the Ghost Spirit Sect, and quietly leave the Yue Kingdom!

A refined-looking, fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged monk stepped forward and respectfully reported.

He was just a mortal.

But he was the strategist of the Yan family.

"Um!"

Yan Changkong slowly nodded, his gaze sweeping over Yan Ruyan, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolute determination.

He took a deep breath, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable authority, resounding throughout the hall:

"As you all know, my Yan family and the seven factions of Yue have long been outwardly united but inwardly divided. Continuing to be confined to Yue is nothing more than waiting for decline."

Today is the day when my Yan family completely breaks away from the Yue Kingdom, and the entire clan joins the Ghost Spirit Sect to seek a new opportunity for rise! This move may be risky, but it is a do-or-die gamble, a fight for a future for our descendants! Once the blood sacrifice at Qixia Peak is completed, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect will…”

Before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened!

"Ugh—!"

A piercing, extremely short scream suddenly burst from Yan Ruyan's mouth!

Everyone in the hall looked on in horror, only to see that Yan Ruyan, who had been standing perfectly fine just moments before, had lost all color in her face, replaced by a deathly pale gray.

Her clear, cold eyes suddenly widened, her pupils dilating rapidly, as if she had seen something incredibly terrifying, or as if an invisible force had gripped her throat and soul!

"Thump!"

Without any warning or struggle, this proud daughter of the Yan family, whom they had painstakingly nurtured, suddenly collapsed to the ground, her breath gone and her life extinguished!

"Yan'er?!"

"Miss Ruyan?!"

"What's going on?!"

The hall erupted in chaos!

Exclamations of surprise, cries of grief, and incredulous questions filled the air.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events; things happened too fast.

Too bizarre.

"Yan'er—!!!"

Yan Changkong's eyes widened in fury as he abruptly stood up from his seat, unleashing a violent surge of Core Formation spiritual pressure.

He moved swiftly and appeared beside Yan Ruyan, his fingers trembling as he reached out to examine her.

Immediately, the Yan family patriarch, who had weathered many storms and was known for his iron-fisted approach, revealed a look of heart-wrenching shock, anger, and bewilderment on his face.

Dead? Really dead!

Without warning, his soul and body were annihilated!

How is that possible?

With Yan'er's Foundation Establishment cultivation, although not top-tier, there was absolutely no way she could be killed so silently and instantly right under the nose of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator like him!

"The Curse of Life and Death..."

It's the backlash of the Curse of Life and Death!

The middle-aged Confucian scholar Xuan Ye's face turned deathly pale.

His voice was dry and trembling.

His eyes were filled with fear and despair.

Previously, in order to avoid being abandoned after joining the Ghost Spirit Sect, the Yan family reached an extremely strict alliance with the three members of the Ghost Spirit Sect.

One of the core elements is that the three most outstanding direct descendants of the Yan family—including Yan Ruyan with the Heavenly Spirit Root, Wang Chan, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, and the Li brothers, their two Core Formation guards—each established a "Life and Death Curse"!

This curse is incredibly powerful, binding the souls and essence of both parties together, making them live and die together.

Once the curse is cast, if one party dies, no matter how far apart they are, the other party will inevitably be affected by the backlash of the curse.

At best, it severely damages one's cultivation and destroys one's foundation; at worst, it causes one's soul to dissipate and one to die on the spot!

The Yan family originally intended to use this as their most important bargaining chip to ensure that the Ghost Spirit Sect would hesitate to abandon or betray the Yan family.

"The Curse of Life and Death backlash... Wang Chan is dead?"

"Wang Chan is dead? How is that possible?"

An elder of the Yan family exclaimed in shock.

"Doesn't he have two Core Formation seniors from the Li family as his personal guards? And Qixia Peak has laid an inescapable trap."

With the cooperation of my Yan family, how could a mere thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators from Yue possibly kill him?

"Unless... unless the seven sects of Yue Kingdom have already discovered our plan and secretly sent high-level cultivators, or even..." Another elder's voice trembled, and he dared not continue, but everyone understood what he meant—Nascent Soul cultivators!

The thought of facing the wrath of the seven sects of Yue Kingdom, or even the personal attack of a Nascent Soul cultivator, sent a chill down the spine of the entire hall.

Although the Yan family's plan was kept secret, if the seven factions had truly discovered it and made prior arrangements, then today they wouldn't be surrendering as a whole clan, but rather walking into a trap, waiting to be wiped out! Yan Ruyan's death may very well only be the beginning of disaster!

Yan Changkong's face turned ashen.

The shock, anger, and heartache I felt earlier have now been replaced by a tremendous sense of crisis and deep unease.

He stared intently at Yan Ruyan's gradually cooling corpse on the ground, then suddenly looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of Feiyun Pavilion.

"Investigate! Contact Qixia Peak immediately! No... activate the emergency plan..."

All clansmen, disperse immediately according to the second evacuation plan and leave Linzhou as quickly as possible! Hurry!!!

Yan Changkong practically roared as he gave the order, his voice tinged with anxiety.

Wang Chan died, and the Curse of Life and Death backfired.

This is not just a simple loss of a talented young talent.

This also means that the foundation of their alliance with the Ghost Spirit Sect may have undergone a dramatic change.

This also foreshadows the possibility that unpredictable and deadly dangers may strike at any moment!

The Yan family, the oldest and most prestigious cultivation family in the Yue Kingdom, had just taken the first step in their rebellion when they were struck by such a bizarre and devastating blow. Their future was instantly shrouded in thick fog and blood.

……

at the same time.

In the desolate sky far from Yanling Fort.

Han Li was still immersed in the shock brought by Zhou Yuan's "luxurious" and mind-blowing four-shot Thousand Blade Technique, and his mind was even a little blank. However, Zhou Yuan, as the core of the event, did not hesitate in the slightest.

The golden aftershocks of the sword light had not yet completely dissipated, and the lingering stench of blood and the hissing of sword energy still echoed in the air.

Zhou Yuan's figure moved like a ghost.

His divine wind boat flashed with light and instantly arrived at the place where Wang Chan had fallen.

His gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the swirling blood mist and scattered fragments of magical artifacts, his divine sense precisely locking onto an inconspicuous dark red bag.

Zhou Yuan rolled up his sleeves.

A gentle surge of magical power flowed out, precisely capturing the storage bag in its hand.

He didn't have time to investigate.

Without even glancing back at Han Li, who was still in a daze, his internal mana had already been fully restored thanks to the frantic replenishment from his equipment slots.

He suddenly activated the Divine Wind Boat, and this exquisite flying artifact, crafted from the tail fin material of a black dragon, unleashed an unprecedented speed.

They changed direction without hesitation and sped off in the southeast, away from Yanliang Mountain and heading straight for the Huangfeng Valley sect!

"Oh no! Wang Chan is dead; his two Core Formation guards will probably find out in an instant!"

Han Li was awakened by the sharp whistling of the Divine Wind Boat cutting through the air, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Wang Chan's identity was extraordinary. Her demise might have been sensed by the Li brothers who were protecting her, and two enraged Core Formation cultivators would have chased after her with hatred... Han Li didn't even dare to imagine that scene!

He could no longer care about the shock and doubt in his heart, and almost used both hands and feet to frantically pour the remaining magic power into the blue flying boat under his feet.

They also changed direction and fled desperately in a direction slightly different from Zhou Yuan's, as if they wanted to use every ounce of their strength.

At this moment, no amount of camaraderie or curiosity can compare to the importance of escaping for one's life!

Zhou Yuan's Divine Wind Boat was already far faster than Han Li's ordinary flying boat, and with his mana recovery being almost limitless, he could maintain his maximum speed without any worries.

Several hours later, he had left Han Li far behind, by who knows how many miles.

They sped along at breakneck speed.

however.

Just as Zhou Yuan was flying over a hilly area, preparing to bypass a treacherous mountain peak ahead, his powerful divine sense "saw" the scene on the other side of the mountain in advance—

A group of about thirty cultivators was flying rapidly in his direction!

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