Chapter 5

9th February, in a moor outside Eastcalm City . The sky was gloomy .

2Screech! A bird’s melodious cry rang out . A giant bird bathed in thunder swooped down from the clouds . On its back sat two figures .

Boom!

As the flying bird approached the ground, the entire wilderness trembled as lightning blasted out from its massive wings . Lightning bolts snaked into the distance before dissipating .

Two figures descended from the bird’s back .

One was a middle-aged woman, the other an elderly woman holding a walking stick .

“Junior Sister Huang, you don’t have to accompany me any further now that I’m back in my hometown . Go back,” said the old lady with a smile as she supported herself with the walking stick .

“Sister Meng . ” The middle-aged woman’s eyes welled with tears . Her “Sister Meng” wasn’t this old in the past . Her severe injuries showed her age . However, one could still tell that she had been a beauty when she was younger .

“I’m afraid it will be difficult for us to meet again after this farewell,” said the old woman with a happy sigh . “However, I think I have it okay . At least I can return to my hometown before I die and spend the last few years here . Those who died in battle are nothing but piles of dust . ”

“Sister Meng, just send a letter if you need my help . I, Huang Xiangning, will do my best,” said the middle-aged woman solemnly .

“I’ll do so if it’s needed . ” The old woman smiled . “Alright, hurry back . ”

The middle-aged woman carefully glanced at the old woman before finally jumping onto the avian creature’s back . Soon, the bird flapped its wings and lightning filled the void .

Whoosh .

With lightning and thunder following, the avian creature soared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon .

The old lady watched her companion leave before turning to look at Eastcalm City . She smiled . It’s time to go home . The heavens have treated me well, having allowed me to return to my roots!

Dong!

Ripples surrounded the old lady when she tapped the ground lightly with her walking stick . Numerous ripples spread out in all directions—enveloping a 1000 feet radius .

She held her walking stick as she walked towards Eastcalm City—completely covered by the ripples . Every step she took covered hundreds of feet . Nobody seemed to notice her, even when she walked past some travelling merchants along the way . They continued to laugh and chat .

She arrived at the city gates moments later .

Eastcalm City .

The old woman held her walking stick and stared at the majestic city before her .

This was her hometown—the place she lived when she was young!

1The old woman smiled as she continued to advance . Despite the huge number of people at the gates, nobody saw the old woman—including the guards . It was as if she didn’t exist . She walked through the streets and arrived at the Meng family’s ancestral mansion .

She entered the ancestral mansion .

Many clansmen were patrolling the ancestral mansion, but likewise, none of them could see the old woman .

Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Inside one of the courtyards of the ancestral mansion, a fat elder was drinking in low spirits .

“Pingping, is that some secret drinking I spy?” A voice rang out in the courtyard .

The fat elder shuddered in fear . He looked around and couldn’t help but ask, “Third Sis, is that you? Third Sis?”

A smiling old woman with a walking stick appeared out of thin air in the courtyard .

“Third Sis . ”

The fat elder’s eyes turned red . He was Fairy Meng’s only younger brother . The other family Elders addressed her as “Third Sis” out of practicality . The family clan was too large with its millennium-long history . Many members of the family were separated by a few generations . The fat elder’s name was Meng Yanping, the current clan leader of the Meng family . He was about twenty years younger than Fairy Meng . Therefore, he was brought up by Fairy Meng when he was young . He treated her as both his sister and mother .

In his heart, his sister had always been young, beautiful, and omnipotent . Now, she had aged so much .

“Why are you crying? Am I not living well?” said the old woman with a smile .

“Third Sis, are you really unable to treat your injuries?” asked the fat elder .

“As long as I don’t fight with full strength, I should stay alive for another eight years,” the old woman said calmly . “Humans are affected by sickness and death, and Godfiends similarly have a limited lifespan . What’s there to be sad about? The next few years give me plenty of time to put the Meng family back on track . Did anything happen when news about my severe injuries reached Eastcalm Prefecture?”

“Our family annulled the engagement with the Yun family . It’s the engagement of that little fellow, Meng Chuan,” said the fat elder . “As for the rest, the four Godfiend family clans only engaged in some cheap tricks . They didn’t dare to truly provoke our Meng family . ”

“Yes . Back then, Yun Wanhai wanted to use our families’ engagement as a way to better his family . Now that I’m seriously injured, it’s not surprising that he canceled his engagement . ”

The old lady instructed, “Right, Pingping…”

“Third Sis, I’m already ninety years old . I’m the Meng family’s clan leader . Can you call me by my actual name?” The fat elder couldn’t help but lament .

“Oh, alright, alright . I won’t embarrass you,” said the old woman with a smile . “Meng Pingping, gather all the Clan Elders to the Blazing Fire Hall . I want to meet them . ”

“What Meng Pingping? My name is Meng Yanping,” the fat elder mumbled as he quickly went to gather the Elders .

His sister was like his mother who had brought him up . She protected him and allowed him to come this far .

Hearing his elder sister call him “Pingping” made Clan Leader Yanping walk with a bounce in his step .

…

The Meng family’s ancestral mansion, the Blazing Fire Hall .

Only the most important matters regarding the family clan would reach here . The area around the Blazing Fire Hall was heavily-guarded today .

In the main hall .

Fairy Meng stood there with her walking stick . She looked at the plaque in the hall: “Blazing Fire . ”

The clan leader and the elders all stood respectfully, not daring to make a sound .

In terms of age…

Fairy Meng was 112 years old this year . She was the oldest in the family . In terms of strength, Fairy Meng had become a Godfiend at 35 . She had protected the Meng family for nearly eighty years and the Meng family had flourished for eighty years . There was no doubt about the prestige she held in the Meng family . With a single order, many clansmen would not hesitate dying .

4After staring at the words “Blazing Fire” on the plaque for a long time, Fairy Meng turned around . Her gaze swept across all the Elders present . All the Elders bowed nervously .

“Are there any talents in our Meng family’s younger generation, ones who have a chance of becoming a Godfiend?” inquired Fairy Meng . Although the Meng family had been rooted in Eastcalm Prefecture for more than a thousand years, it had only produced two Godfiends . One was Patriarch Yushan from five hundred years ago, while the other was Fairy Meng . Their eras allowed the Meng family to reach its peak . What Fairy Meng wanted the most was…

To be able to nurture a third Godfiend in the history of the family clan .

Initially, she could have patiently searched for a suitable junior worth nurturing . However, time was of the essence, and she could only choose from whoever was available .

“Dajiang is quite talented . He figured out the saber’s secret technique at 19 and gained insights into Saber Force at the age of 30 . Now, he’s only 47-years-old . There’s a sliver of hope for him to become a Godfiend,” said a bald elder .

“Dajiang?”

Fairy Meng looked at the Meng Dajiang .

“Aunt . ” The plump Meng Dajiang immediately bowed .

“Have you condensed your core?” asked Fairy Meng .

Meng Dajiang shook his head .

Fairy Meng frowned . To not condense a core at age 47 made his chances of becoming a Godfiend very slim .

“What about the young ones?” pressed Fairy Meng .

“Among the young ones, three of them are not bad,” said Clan Leader Meng Yanping immediately . “Meng Zhu is 23 this year and at the Seamless realm . He is in the midst of military service at Qinyang Pass . He figured out the secret technique at 19 . And there’s Meng Wenying . She’s 16 and she achieved Greater Mastery of a top-notch sword art at 12 . There’s also Dajiang’s son, Meng Chuan . He is 15 this year, achieving Greater Mastery of a top-notch saber art at 13 . Meng Wenying and Meng Chuan are both young, but they haven’t figured out the secret technique yet . ”

Fairy Meng fell silent .

Meng Zhu had only figured out the secret technique when he was 19 . This was very late for those becoming Godfiends! This was because it was unknown when he would gain insight into “Force . ” By the time that happened, the chances of him becoming a Godfiend became even more distant .

Meng Wenying and Meng Chuan; one was 16, while the other was 15 . Time was tight, and they had yet to grasp the key secret technique .

Even if she wanted to choose from second best, they couldn’t be considered as good .

“All of you can go back,” said Fairy Meng coldly . “For the next few years, the juniors of the entire family clan will receive better nurturing . This is an important matter for the family clan . Nothing else supersedes this in importance . Before I die, I want to see a seedling who has a chance of becoming a Godfiend . ”

Clearly, she didn’t see any outstanding seedlings . All she could do was spread the net, hoping for the nine to twelve-year-olds to become geniuses .

1“Yes,” the clan leader and the elders replied in unison .

“This matter involves the rise and fall of the family, so there’s no room for delay . If anyone were to siphon off the benefits while this happens, they will be punished as per the family’s rules . ” After Fairy Meng said that, she walked out with her walking stick .