The courtyard, already scarred from the earlier clash, sank into a suffocating silence.
Cracked stone spread in chaotic patterns. Dust still drifted through the air where Xuanyuan Zhen had been hurled through a wall. Xuanyuan Han and Xuanyuan Chen lay nearby, faces pale, twisted in agony, clutching their shattered Qi Seas.
Their cultivation paths… completely severed.
Then—
The air shifted.
Not gradually.
But as if the sky itself had lowered.
BOOM!
A crushing force descended.
The courtyard trembled violently as a figure landed. The impact alone sent cracks spidering across the ground like shattered glass.
Xuanyuan Bei.
The Patriarch of the Xuanyuan Clan.
His gaze landed on Xuanyuan Han's broken body.
For a moment, silence.
Then something inside him broke.
"Han'er…"
His voice was low. Heavy. Controlled—but trembling beneath the surface.
Xuanyuan Han forced himself to speak, lips shaking.
"Father… my Qi Sea… it's gone…"
Those words landed like a blade.
Xuanyuan Bei slowly raised his head.
His eyes locked onto Xuanyuan Zhen.
No hesitation.
No question.
Only certainty.
"You did this."
Xuanyuan Zhen did not deny it.
But he also did not get the chance to respond.
BOOM!
A terrifying surge exploded outward.
Nascent Soul pressure swept across the entire courtyard like a storm descending from the heavens. The sky dimmed. Spiritual energy around him warped violently.
Several disciples collapsed instantly.
Even elders struggled to breathe.
Xuanyuan Bei lifted his hand.
A massive palm of condensed spiritual power formed above him—distorting the air, bending light itself.
No warning.
No restraint.
He struck.
The palm descended like a collapsing mountain.
Xuanyuan Zhen's eyes sharpened.
He understood instantly.
This was not something Foundation Establishment could contend with.
Not even peak Foundation Establishment.
But retreat had never existed in his vocabulary.
Purple-golden qi erupted from his body.
His Ancient Saint Body surged with sacred vitality, while the Heavenly Tyrant Body released a domineering heat that twisted the air around him. His purple-golden blood roared like boiling magma through his veins.
He raised both arms.
And met the strike head-on.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The collision detonated across the courtyard.
Stone exploded outward. The ground fractured in all directions. Entire sections of the courtyard wall collapsed.
Xuanyuan Zhen's body was blasted backward like a broken spear.
He smashed through a wall.
Then into the ground beyond.
Dust rose thick into the air.
Silence followed.
For a heartbeat, nothing moved.
Then—
Xuanyuan Zhen coughed.
Blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
His organs screamed in pain. His bones felt cracked, as if crushed under a divine hammer.
And yet—
He was alive.
That fact alone caused several elders' pupils to shrink.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator surviving a direct strike from a Nascent Soul Patriarch…
That defied logic.
Xuanyuan Bei stepped forward again, expression colder than before.
"You still breathe."
His palm rose once more.
"This time… die properly."
The second strike descended—
"Xuanyuan Bei!"
A voice like thunder split the sky.
A streak of light descended from above.
Grand Elder Xuanyuan Ming landed between them.
His aura erupted instantly, blocking Xuanyuan Bei's killing intent.
The air between them twisted violently as two Nascent Soul powerhouses collided.
Xuanyuan Bei's expression darkened.
"My son has been crippled."
Xuanyuan Ming remained calm.
"And whose fault is that?"
A cold silence hung in the air.
Then—
"Move."
"Like hell."
BOOM!
Their auras clashed again.
Spiritual energy tore through the courtyard like lightning striking earth. Palm techniques and sword intent collided mid-air, distorting space itself.
To the surrounding disciples, it looked like gods were fighting.
Xuanyuan Zhen slowly pushed himself up from the shattered ground.
Pain radiated through his body.
But his gaze never wavered.
Nascent Soul…
That level of power.
Still far above him.
But not unreachable.
His eyes darkened slightly.
"I will reach that level."
The battle above ended after several exchanges.
Neither side won.
Neither side fell.
Only silence remained.
Xuanyuan Bei withdrew first.
But before leaving, his gaze swept over Xuanyuan Zhen one last time.
Cold.
Absolute.
Then he turned—and vanished.
But his killing intent remained behind like a storm that had not yet passed.
Silence returned.
Xuanyuan Ming turned to Xuanyuan Zhen.
"You've made a powerful enemy."
Xuanyuan Zhen wiped the blood from his lips.
"I know."
The Grand Elder's gaze deepened.
"Xuanyuan Bei will not let this go. If he cannot move openly, he will use others."
A pause.
Then—
"Xuanyuan Hao."
The name carried weight.
Xuanyuan Han's elder brother.
A genius of the younger generation.
Xuanyuan Ming continued:
"If he moves… your situation will be far more dangerous than today."
Xuanyuan Zhen said nothing for a moment.
Then—
A faint smile appeared.
"Let them come."
Xuanyuan Ming studied him.
Then chuckled softly.
"You really are like your father."
At that name—
Something flickered in Xuanyuan Zhen's eyes.
He asked quietly:
"What was he like?"
Xuanyuan Ming fell silent.
Then spoke, almost reverently:
"Invincible."
The word carried weight beyond sound.
"In an era where the clan was declining… when enemies surrounded us from all sides…"
"He rose."
"Xuanyuan Wudi never lost."
"Not once."
"To the outside world, he was a war god."
"To us…"
A pause.
"He was hope."
Xuanyuan Zhen listened.
Then asked:
"What happened to him?"
Xuanyuan Ming exhaled slowly.
"No one knows."
"Some say he went to suppress ancient fiends beneath hell itself."
"Others say he left this world entirely."
"And some…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…say he died."
The Grand Elder looked directly at him.
"If you want the truth…"
"You must first become strong enough to seek it."
The wind passed through the broken courtyard.
Xuanyuan Zhen stood still.
His path was already filled with enemies.
But somewhere beyond the horizon…
The truth about his father awaited.