"Indeed, I also think highly of them,"

"Then Patriarch Fang, what about their marriage?"

"There's no rush. It's not that I'm in a hurry; I have no objections. I can suppress any dissent from the clan, and I have the sole authority to decide my daughter's marriage. Let it happen naturally. We'll see what they both think. When they want to get married, they can."

"That's true. As long as the children are happy, and you, Patriarch Fang, don't object, everything will be fine."

"Object? And then wait for Wan Lei to become a great power, destroy my Fang family, and then snatch Xiao Yu away?" Old Fang let out a cold snort.

"Do you really think I don't watch plays? They all depict it: many exceptionally talented youths fall in love with rich young ladies, only for the girl's family to object. Then the protagonist shouts, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west; do not bully a poor young man.' They then cultivate desperately, encounter endless opportunities, kill anyone who stands in their way, and finally achieve a heroic comeback, becoming an unparalleled king, destroying the family that once looked down on them, and snatching away the heroine to create a romantic legend. These stories are all overused. Hmph, I won't let such a thing happen to my family. I'll break the mold and simply agree."

"Hahahaha."

"Hahahaha..."

The two laughed heartily. Old Fang suddenly sent a telepathic message to Wan Hongxin.

"Brother Wan, that was just a joke. I don't object to them for two reasons. Firstly, my daughter genuinely likes Wan Lei. When she's with him, she's truly happy. She never used to smile from childhood to adulthood. The first time I saw her laugh was at the Wan Jiao Ranking. At that moment, I decided that as long as Wan Lei can make my daughter happy, and as long as he is also sincere towards her, even if he were a cripple, I would agree."

"Patriarch Fang is very considerate." Wan Hongxin also sent a telepathic message. He knew that what Old Fang was about to say next was truly confidential, otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to telepathy.

"Secondly, I feel that Wan Lei might be able to revive the glory of the Thunder Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Wan Hongxin's eyes widened, but he quickly regained his composure. His expression remained unchanged as he continued to send his message.

"Patriarch Fang, since you are so candid, I won't speak as an outsider. It's well-known in the Lei Feng Realm that the six great families all guard against the Wan family, fearing that another Thunder Emperor might seek revenge for the annihilation of their clan in the past. Brother Fang, you are deeply concerned for your beloved daughter, and I understand your agreement to their marriage, but why would you anticipate a Thunder Emperor emerging from the Wan family?"

"Brother Wan, for the sake of our future in-laws, I won't hide anything from you. Great chaos is about to descend upon the Lei Feng Realm."

"Great chaos?"

"Yes. The old pavilion master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion calculated the heavenly secrets years ago and predicted that the Lei Feng Realm would face a great tribulation in the coming years. Afterward, Xuan Dan and Ming Ji went to Qishan Commandery. They left almost immediately after I did. Following that, they brought back disciples: one named Sui Xiaohang, and the other Tian Suanzi. I've observed these two; they are insignificant. The people they truly sought out should be Wan Lei."

Wan Hongxin took a deep breath. "Yes, back then, Lei'er told me about their meeting with the Xuan Ming Elders, but I didn't know about any great tribulation."

"Do you think that given their status, they would condescend to associate with a young man of great potential in a remote, desolate place? Giving him elixirs and magical treasures? There are so many young prodigies in the Lei Feng Realm; can they befriend them all? Their Heavenly Secrets Pavilion has already calculated that the one destined to face the tribulation is in that Qishan Commandery. This matter was originally the highest secret of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, known at most to the pavilion masters of the Four Great Heavenly Pavilions. However, I saved Ming Ji's life hundreds of years ago. In return for that life-saving grace, he hinted at this matter to me."

"But that doesn't represent anything, does it? It's just a prophecy."

"The signs of great chaos are already apparent."

"You mean... the Demon Race?"

"Yes. The Lei Feng Realm has enjoyed peace and prosperity for so many years, and suddenly a powerful race we've never encountered before appears. A casual small squad from them has two Tribulation Transcenders and dozens of Mahayana cultivators, followed by a Demon Lord comparable to an immortal. Who knows how powerful this race truly is? They came once, and who's to say they won't come again? We were lucky; the two children delayed them, allowing us to destroy their teleportation channel. However, there is still a powerful Tribulation Transcending demon that we can only suppress, not kill. With great chaos imminent, the Lei Feng Realm needs a savior. Such a person must possess exceptional talent and be favored by destiny. Whether the other five families will act foolishly, I don't know, but I won't make the same mistake as Qi Zu. By severing the Wan family's heritage back then, they caused the strongest lineage in our Lei Feng Realm to decline. How foolish!"

Old Fang's words were somewhat heretical. Qi Zu was the founder of the Fang family, Fang Qi, the second disciple of the Thunder Emperor. However, he only dared to say this to Wan Hongxin because Wan Hongxin was from the Wan family and wouldn't harbor any good feelings towards one of the participants in the destruction of the Wan family.

"Wan Lei and Xiao Yu both have excellent talent and grow very quickly, showing some resemblance to protagonists. Coupled with the prophecy from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and the actions of the Xuan Ming Elders, I will take a gamble. I will stake my bet that Wan Lei can become the next Thunder Emperor and save the Lei Feng Realm. My Fang family can then also claim merit for supporting the dragon, and when the new Thunder Emperor retaliates for the blood feud from fifty thousand years ago, they might spare my Fang family."

"I believe Lei'er knows what he's doing."

"Alas, it's a pity. If Wan Lei possessed the Innate Thunder Body, and if he could successfully cultivate the Thunder Emperor's Art, I would be even more convinced."

"Alas, I wish that too."

Wan Hongxin's heart tightened, and he gave a slight smile. However, he was connected to Old Fang's divine sense, and this subtle emotional fluctuation was keenly perceived by Old Fang. Old Fang smiled meaningfully and remained silent.

"He succeeded!"

"My heavens, Wan Lei actually succeeded!"

While Old Fang and Old Wan were chatting, exclamations suddenly erupted from the crowd. The two exchanged a look of surprise.

"Brother Wan, how long have we been talking?"

"About five minutes."

"Hiss... This kid's mastery of formations has actually reached this level? He might be able to rival the阁主 (Pavilion Master) of the Heavenly Array Pavilion."

"Let's hurry over and take a look."

Old Fang and Old Wan, leading their retinues, pushed through the crowd. The formation they saw was gradually dissipating. As the formation vanished, the scene within was fully revealed. It was a solitary great door. The door was made of bronze, with a very ancient design. The doorframe outside consisted of two stone pillars, and at the top of the stone pillars was a stone plaque. The plaque read, "World of Light."

"This is called the World of Light? Don't fool me with your fancy words; there's nothing but darkness here. It's all pitch black; where is the light? The entire Terror Forest is gloomy."

"Exactly. It's all dark; where is the light? The entire Terror Forest is gloomy."