Chapter 1

Inside the Emperor's Palace.

The divination results from the Heavenly Diviner shocked and unsettled everyone. The image on the divination screen showed a monster with five heads that possessed strength comparable to Emperor Zhou.

It had the cultivation of a Heavenly God Realm!

The crowd was terrified and uneasy, their faces turning grim. No wonder Emperor Zhou said that survival was the only hope. Such a powerful monster coming to Yunshan Realm to hunt was definitely a terrible disaster.

"Judging from Emperor Zhou's attitude, he doesn't seem to intend to suppress this monster actively. Instead, he wants to use it to force open the gate to the Mountains and Seas Realm. In that case, we have to protect ourselves during this time."

Ye Lin analyzed, her eyes filled with helplessness and bitterness.

As a great power of the Divine Power Realm, she was supreme, a powerful figure in any realm of the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Seas. Without the Heavenly God Realm, the Divine Power Realm could suppress all seas, but when the Heavenly God Realm took action, no matter how many Divine Power Realms there were, they were just decorations.

The two were not on the same level of existence.

Just look at Emperor Zhou. He ruled the Great Zhou with his own power, drove out foreign enemies, confronted the Moon Kingdom and other hostile countries, and destroyed many ancient holy lands. The Moon Yao Ancient Land, Great Buddha Temple, Xuan Tian Holy Land, and other ancient forces did not dare to challenge him head-on, which was evidence of his power.

"Everyone, farewell. I have some matters to attend to!" a divine general said with a cupped fist salute, transforming into a stream of light and disappearing.

Since Emperor Zhou wasn't going to deal with the monster, he had to return to relocate his family.

"This old man also has some business to attend to, goodbye~" The Heavenly Diviner squeezed out a smile and hastily departed.

In the main hall, the remaining civil and military officials left with worried expressions.

The lowest of them had the cultivation of a Sage. They all had large families to care for and descendants to settle, so they were even more worried.

Ye Lin looked at the empty hall, with only a few young eunuchs standing in the corners with their hands down. Her beautiful eyes filled with sadness.

She looked back at the empty imperial throne and suddenly felt a sense of abandonment.

She had fought for the Great Zhou and for Emperor Zhou for many years, but when the crisis arrived, Emperor Zhou left, crossing the river of time and space, leaving the terrifying monster to them, so they could seek their own survival.

"Wanting to survive the hunting of a Heavenly God Realm monster is easier said than done!"

Ye Lin sighed in her heart. At this moment, she understood the coldness and ruthlessness of emperors even more deeply. Leaving the Emperor's Palace, her figure transformed into a streak of saber light, piercing through the sky and departing.

Passing by Medicine King City, Ye Lin hovered in the clouds.

Looking down, she discovered that Medicine King City was already a sea of fire and ruins. The once prosperous and magnificent city was gone. Everywhere in the mountain paths and ravines were people fleeing in terror.

The Ximen Marquis Estate in Medicine King City had also disappeared. The dignified marquis estate where she had once been a guest had become a huge pit, as if it had been swallowed whole.

A huge circular formation enveloped Medicine King City. In the center, a phantom divine monument was gradually solidifying.

"This is... the Zodiac Heavenly Monument of the Twelve Divine Kingdoms?!"

Ye Lin was puzzled. How could the Heavenly Monument of the Twelve Divine Kingdoms appear here? Although it was just a phantom, it seemed to reveal other strange things.

"Rumble"

In the sky, dark clouds rolled, and lightning flashed. Among them, a sword light descended like a comet from the Nine Heavens, battling with absolute killing power and a huge blood-colored snake shadow.

Ye Lin recognized that it was Ximen Chuixue taking action.

Ximen Chuixue's sword art supernatural power was undeniably strong. If he unleashed his full power, even Ye Lin herself would have to temporarily avoid his edge. However, at this moment, the blood-colored snake shadow in the sea of thunder was clashing head-on with him. Ximen Chuixue's sword art, known as being able to pierce anything, was unable to kill his opponent, and instead was gradually falling into a disadvantageous position.

The aura of that blood-colored snake shadow was strange and evil. Its ferocious baleful aura formed black clouds, making Ye Lin feel uncomfortable even from a great distance, causing goosebumps to rise all over her body.

It was only a matter of time before Ximen Chuixue was defeated.

Ye Lin hesitated, wondering if she should go and help, but seeing how relaxed the blood-colored snake shadow was in the void sea of thunder, she shook her head and decisively gave up.

Moreover, the Heavenly Diviner divined that this snake-like monster's cultivation was in the Heavenly God Realm, with five heads. Although it didn't seem like a Heavenly God Realm at the moment, and only had one head, she was still very cautious.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard a weak voice in her ear…

"Divine General Ye, please take my clansmen away, and leave behind the last bloodline for my Ximen family!"

It was Ximen Chuixue's voice, with a pleading tone.

Clearly, he was unable to leave and knew his life was about to end. After discovering Ye Lin, he hurriedly transmitted his voice, asking her to take away a group of clansmen in the mountains.

Ye Lin turned around and landed on the mountain, quickly finding a group of Ximen family clansmen fleeing in a panic. There were about thirty people, led by five Sages.

Sages were usually dignified and composed, but at this moment, the five Sages were pale with terror, leading a group of people behind them in a desperate escape.

They dared not ride flying magical artifacts, nor dared to fly through the air, because all flying creatures in the void would be killed and devoured. Therefore, they could only travel through the mountain paths and flee.

Ye Lin descended from the sky, startling the group. One of the middle-aged Sages recognized Ye Lin and was overjoyed, hurriedly bowing and saluting, "Ximen Chuiwu greets Senior Ye!"

"Ximen Chuiwu?!"

Ye Lin recognized this middle-aged Sage. When she went to the Ximen Marquis Estate as a guest, she had even given him guidance. At that time, he called himself "Little Wu" and was very humble and polite.

But in reality, he was decisive in killing and held a high position and great power. He was one of the four great pillars of the Ximen family.

Ye Lin asked in a deep voice, "Why did the monster in the sky target your Ximen family?"

She had always been curious. The Yunshan Realm was so big, why did this monster target Medicine King City and the Ximen family in particular?

Ximen Chuiwu's face was sorrowful and sad, with a hint of despair and regret as he said, "Alas, it was all caused by greed!"

"My brother, Ximen Chuixue, indulged an alchemist in snatching the Kylin True Flames from two juniors. He never expected that the father of those two juniors would be a great power of the Divine Power Realm."

"He came to our door and launched an attack without saying a word. My brothers, Ximen Chuiyu and Ximen Chuifeng, both suffered misfortune."

"Seeing that the situation was bad, I hurriedly took the most outstanding group of clansmen out of Medicine King City. I turned back to take more people away, but the Ximen Marquis Estate was swallowed by... by that monster in the blink of an eye. He... he is not human, he is a monster!"

Ximen Chuixue's voice trembled as he recalled the terrifying scene in his mind.

Ye Lin listened in silence. It was not uncommon for powerful forces to bully the weak and seize their opportunities, but before doing these things, they should understand whether the other party had a background.

Clearly, the Ximen family was used to being arrogant and had kicked an iron plate today.

Looking up at the void of Medicine King City, there was still a sword light and snake shadow battling there, but the sword light was becoming increasingly dim, obviously, the first great pillar of the Ximen family, Ximen Chuixue, could not last much longer.

"This place is not suitable for a long stay. Ximen Chuixue asked me to take you to take refuge, come with me!" Ye Lin said. Ximen Chuiwu was grateful to tears and introduced the Sages next to him to Ye Lin.

In addition to two hidden veteran Sages of the Ximen family, there were also three people from other forces.

"Wu Dao Gu from the Moon Yao Ancient Land, Zhao Qishan from the Xuan Tian Holy Land, and the Silent Old Monk from the Great Buddha Temple."

Ye Lin's expression was calm, neither enthusiastic nor indifferent. The Great Zhou and these three great forces had a delicate relationship, and as a divine general, she naturally didn't like them very much.

"Let's leave first."

The three were about to salute, but Ye Lin waved her hand and said a sentence. A streak of profound light wrapped up the group and instantly tunneled away from the ground. This was the supernatural power of the Divine Power Realm, which was much safer than riding a flying magical artifact.

~

Chapter 2

Half a day later, Ye Lin arrived at an ancient town.

It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one official road leading to the outside world. The ancient town seemed very remote and quiet. One could clearly hear the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking, and the tender voices of children reading could also be heard faintly.

"We're here. This is my clan's territory."

Ye Lin manifested her figure outside the town and smiled slightly. With a wave of her hand, a group of people appeared next to her, their faces blank and puzzled. When they heard Ye Lin's introduction, they all revealed expressions of joy and excitement.

"We survived, we finally escaped Medicine King City."

"Thank you, Senior Ye, for saving our lives!"

A group of Ximen family members embraced and wept.

Once upon a time, they were impressive and powerful, driving flying magical artifacts and flaunting their wealth. Beautiful maids followed them, but they never imagined that one day they would be as weary and desperate as stray dogs, and now they were even living under someone else's roof.

Ximen Chuiwu's face was desolate. This once dignified and stern middle-aged man seemed to have aged many years, and his aura was much weaker.

"From now on, the Ximen family will never have its former glory."

He sighed. The Ximen clansmen next to him wept silently when they heard this. Several slightly sensible older children even cried, but only the infants held in their arms were still sucking their fingers and giggling.

Wu Dao Gu, Zhao Qishan, and the Silent Great Monk were about to bid farewell and leave when they suddenly received a message from their sects, saying that in order to protect the sect, the mountain-protecting formation had been activated, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

The three were stunned for a moment, sighed softly, and no longer mentioned leaving.

"Let's go, let's go in and rest for a while before thinking about other things."

Ye Lin said, looking at the town in front of her, her tone relaxed and pleasant, and her eyes were kind.

This was her home, and the place where her family was located. She had grown up here since she was a child.

The families of other divine generals or important figures were all in luxurious cities or built their own ancient castles, but her family was the only one in a remote mountain valley.

After she became a divine general of the Great Zhou, she did not develop more cities, and still allowed her family to continue living here as if in seclusion.

"Senior Ye's clan's territory is also a place of outstanding people!"

Ximen Chuiwu exclaimed. His eyes were bright. He was at the peak of the Sage Realm, and his strength was much stronger than Wu Dao Gu and the others. He could see at a glance that this town surrounded by mountains was not simple.

On the surface, it looked like a remote and poor place, but upon closer inspection, it was not only a feng shui treasure land, but also a gathering place for spiritual veins in all directions. The town was filled with auspicious air, and there were visions of dragons and phoenixes in the sky.

On the ground, terrible formations were intertwined. Every grass and tree contained hidden killing intent. The power of the formation was everywhere.

But these scenes could not be seen without a certain level of cultivation.

At least Wu Dao Gu and the others did not see it. After Ximen Chuiwu's reminder, the three of them stared and observed for a long time before they noticed a clue, but they could not help but gasp.

"The formation here is not inferior to our Moon Yao Ancient Land!"

Wu Dao Gu exclaimed.

Zhao Qishan and the Silent Great Monk nodded in agreement. As expected of the clan's territory of a great power in the Divine Power Realm, it was indeed not simple.

Ye Lin didn't care about the flattery of the younger generation. She smiled slightly and said, "Let's go! Let's go into the town. Even if that monster wants to do evil, it will target those ancient cities and big places. My place is a remote corner, so it's much safer."

Ximen Chuiwu nodded in agreement.

Wu Dao Gu and the others were worried, not knowing whether their sects were safe, but when they thought that their ancient lands and holy lands all had old ancestors of the Heavenly God Realm sleeping, they felt much more at ease.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

"The Old Ancestor is back..."

As soon as Ye Lin entered the town, the clansmen selling goods and setting up stalls on the roadside happily shouted. The street patrol team also came forward to pay their respects. Although everyone's expressions were respectful, they were more friendly.

Obviously, Ye Lin, the Old Ancestor, had a very high status in the family, but she was very gentle and did not have a sense of aloofness.

Ximen Chuiwu sighed in his heart. In his Ximen family, the clan members' status and rank were strict, divided into core clan members, direct descendants, internal clan members, external clan members... The rules of three, six, and nine grades made everyone in the Ximen family work hard, and they would not be as easygoing as Senior Ye.

The buildings in the town were very old, but there were teahouses, taverns, and various shops and warehouses, as well as many foreign cultivators exchanging spiritual herbs and refining materials here. It was not as prosperous as a big city, but it was not deserted.

After just a few steps, an old man with white hair came with a cane.

Ximen Chuiwu frowned slightly, because this old man was also a Sage, and an ancient Sage at that, named Ye Batian. He seemed to have seen the other party fighting with a strong man when he was a child. He was a ruthless character.

He didn't expect that he was also a member of the Ye family.

"Welcome home, Old Ancestor."

Ye Batian said tremblingly, glanced at the people behind Ye Lin and was slightly surprised, but he didn't ask much. Instead, he smiled and said to Ye Lin, "Old Ancestor, we have relatives visiting."

Ye Lin was surprised and said, "Oh, who is it?"

She was now more than a thousand years old. Naturally, those who could be said to be relatives by Ye Batian were relatives related to her. There weren't many of them left, and most of them had already passed away.

Ye Batian whispered, "It's your Third Cousin."

Ye Lin was stunned, "My Third Cousin... the Blood Demon Woman from the Blood Demon Sect? Wasn't she abducted by a villain?"

Most of her cousins had already fallen, and now only her Eldest Cousin and Third Cousin were still alive.

The Eldest Cousin had married into the Chaotic Star Sea, and the Third Cousin had entered the Blood Demon Sect and became the Blood Demon Woman, but she mysteriously disappeared seventeen years ago. It was rumored that she was abducted by a villain who impersonated a strong man of the Angel Clan. She had investigated for a long time but found no clues, and had no choice but to give up.

She didn't expect that after so many years, this Third Cousin would suddenly return on her own and find her clan's territory.

Ye Lin felt strange in her heart, but when she thought that the other party was still alive, she couldn't help but feel a burst of joy.

She didn't have many relatives, and even fewer who she could confide in. This Blood Demon Woman, who was seven hundred years younger than her but was her cousin, happened to be very close to her.

"Let's go, quickly take me to see her!"

Ye Lin said with a smile. Ye Batian hurriedly led the way, and Ximen Chuiwu and the others followed behind.

He heard Ye Lin chatting and laughing with Ye Batian, while urging him to settle himself and the others, and prepare an idle manor for them to live in. Ximen Chuiwu breathed a slight sigh of relief. The other party was still very hospitable and not too distant.