Chapter 28

"Who dares to intrude on the Nie family’s territory?"

"Stop right there!"

Just as Nie Tian was deep in thought, the angry shouts of Nie Nanshan and Nie Kan suddenly came from a distance.

Li Fan’s expression changed slightly, as if he knew that the abnormality here had caught the attention of a powerful figure.

"Scram!"

A delicate voice echoed from afar, and soon after, a figure in fiery red suddenly descended.

It was a beautiful woman dressed in a red dress, her beauty as vibrant as fire. Her earrings, the heart-shaped pendant around her snow-white neck, and the bracelets on her fair arms all emitted different hues of precious light.

She was already exceptionally beautiful, and with the adornment of these precious accessories, she exuded an even more noble and graceful aura.

"Li Fan?" The fiery red-clad beauty, upon standing still, immediately spotted Li Fan of the Lingyun Sect, and couldn’t help but smile, "Why are you here?"

"This is the Nie family’s territory! The Nie family is a subordinate clan of our Lingyun Sect, so it’s quite normal for me to be here," Li Fan huffed, displeased. "The Nie family isn’t your An family. What brings you here, An Shiyi, disregarding the interception of the master?"

"An Shiyi?" Nie Tian was slightly taken aback and instinctively looked at the beautiful woman in red.

Having lived in Black Cloud City for many years, he naturally knew about the powerful figures of the three major families in Black Cloud City. These three families were the An family, the Nie family, and the Yun family.

In recent years, with the weakening of the Nie family, the Yun family had clearly become the strongest, ranking second among the three major families in Black Cloud City.

However, the An family had always been the most powerful family in Black Cloud City, and the Spirit Treasure Pavilion within the city was managed by the An family.

Like the Lingyun Sect, the Spirit Treasure Pavilion was also a powerful sect of cultivators, and the An family was the representative of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in Black Cloud City.

Legend had it that the An family became the representative of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in Black Cloud City because of the An Shiyi standing before him.

It was said that this woman held a key position in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, not only possessing extraordinary strength but also being adept at handling affairs, having made many contributions to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion and earning the favor of its leader.

Since she rose to prominence in the An family and became a favorite in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, she had rarely returned to Black Cloud City in recent years.

The sudden appearance of this once prominent figure in Black Cloud City left Nie Tian secretly amazed.

"Little brother, do I look good?"

Noticing Nie Tian’s gaze, An Shiyi deliberately ignored Li Fan’s question and suddenly smiled, giving him a flirtatious wink.

Nie Tian, who was about to step out from the pile of rocks, was taken aback. He looked at An Shiyi seriously and grinned, "Sister, if I ever get married, I’ll marry someone like you."

"Hehe!" An Shiyi laughed, her body trembling with amusement, "What a sweet mouth! When you grow up, if I’m still unmarried, I’ll marry you."

"Deal!" Nie Tian readily agreed.

Nie Donghai looked at Nie Tian in a daze, finding it both amusing and exasperating, as if he thought Nie Tian was being too frivolous.

"Rascal!" Nie Beichuan grunted.

"Miss An!" Li Fan reminded, "You haven’t answered my question!"

An Shiyi still didn’t look at Li Fan but instead pulled out a crimson dagger from her waist pouch and casually threw it to Nie Tian, smiling coquettishly, "Here, it’s for you!"

As the crimson dagger flew over, it was suddenly enveloped in flames.

Nie Tian didn’t dare to catch it, watching as the dagger landed and the flames extinguished before he picked it up. He winked at An Shiyi and said, "Thank you for the token of your affection, sister!"

"Hehe! What an interesting boy!" An Shiyi’s eyes sparkled with amusement. She then turned her head and said to Nie Donghai, "Consider this dagger as compensation for my intrusion into the Nie family."

Nie Donghai’s face darkened, and he shook his head, saying, "I am no longer the head of the Nie family."

"Oh." An Shiyi nodded lightly and muttered in a voice that Nie Beichuan could clearly hear, "After all the scheming, someone finally got what they wanted. Too bad, I don’t think they’ll hold that position for long. Their heart isn’t big enough…"

"What do you mean?" Nie Beichuan demanded angrily.

An Shiyi glanced at him, her lips curling in disdain, and said slowly, "I mean, under your leadership, the Nie family will likely never rise again."

"You!" Nie Beichuan was so angry that he sputtered, but he seemed to be wary of An Shiyi’s status and didn’t dare to act rashly.

"Alright, no more jokes." An Shiyi frowned and finally looked at Li Fan, speaking seriously, "Some things can’t be hidden. The intense spatial fluctuations and the dazzling spatial rifts I saw from a distance are clear signs. The spatial magnetic field here is clearly abnormal, and an unstable spatial chaos zone is likely forming."

"What does the formation of a spatial chaos zone mean? We both know the implications."

"Your Lingyun Sect wants to monopolize it, but exploring it with the strength of one sect won’t be easy."

"Everyone who sees it should have a share. The Spirit Treasure Pavilion will also be involved!"

An Shiyi stated firmly.

"This is the Nie family’s territory! The Nie family belongs to our Lingyun Sect, and since the spatial chaos zone appeared here, it should belong to us!" Li Fan declared resolutely.

"The Nie family is also part of Black Cloud City. Since it appeared in Black Cloud City, the An family should have a share too!" An Shiyi argued.

At this moment, Nie Tian, who had left the pile of rocks and was holding the dagger given by An Shiyi, had already come to Nie Donghai’s side.

Nie Donghai ignored the argument between Li Fan and An Shiyi, instead pulling Nie Tian aside and asking in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

He didn’t ask where Nie Tian had been, only if he was alright, clearly showing his concern for Nie Tian.

"Grandpa, I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m fine," Nie Tian whispered.

Nie Donghai nodded and didn’t say anything more, refocusing his attention on Li Fan and An Shiyi.

"Master Jiang!"

"Master has arrived!"

At this moment, the respectful voices of Nie Nanshan and other members of the Nie family came from outside.

Upon hearing that Jiang Zhisu had arrived, An Shiyi immediately stopped arguing with Li Fan, her expression becoming serious.

"Master is here. Think carefully before you speak," Nie Donghai whispered, hinting at something.

Nie Tian nodded in understanding.

A few seconds later, Jiang Zhisu, dressed in green, appeared in Nie Tian’s line of sight, accompanied by Nie Nanshan.

As the head of the Lingyun Sect, Jiang Zhisu looked to be around forty, with an ancient face and a calm demeanor, as if nothing could ruffle him.

"An family’s girl, you’re here too," he said calmly.

"Hello, Uncle Jiang," An Shiyi, in his presence, reined in all her sharpness, appearing dignified and virtuous. "I happened to be in Black Cloud City these past few days. When I sensed the spatial anomaly in the Nie family, I came to check the situation."

After a moment’s thought, she added, "I didn’t know your disciple Li Fan was here. I was worried that the Nie family might not understand the dangers of the spatial anomaly and suffer heavy casualties, so I came to help."

"Fortunately, the spatial chaos zone hasn’t fully formed yet, and the worst didn’t happen."

Jiang Zhisu nodded after hearing her explanation, "I heard what you said earlier. If this place truly is a spatial chaos zone and it fully forms, the Lingyun Sect will certainly invite the Spirit Treasure Pavilion to join us."

"Thank you, Uncle Jiang," An Shiyi bowed in gratitude and then smiled at Nie Donghai, "I’m sorry for the disturbance."

With that, she winked at Nie Tian and left without another word.

It seemed she was waiting for Jiang Zhisu’s promise, and once she received it, she left the Nie family premises on her own.

"Tell me everything you saw," Jiang Zhisu said, looking at Li Fan.

Li Fan didn’t hide anything, clearly recounting all the abnormalities he had witnessed in the Nie family.

After he finished, Jiang Zhisu closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Nie Tian and said, "This child stays. The rest of the Nie family members, step back for now."

Upon hearing this, Nie Donghai and his two brothers bowed slightly and left, each with their own thoughts.

"Child, I heard you disappeared for ten days. Where did you go during those ten days?" After they were completely gone, Jiang Zhisu looked at Nie Tian and asked gently.

"Ten days ago, a similar spatial crack appeared. I was sucked into one of those cracks..." Nie Tian took a deep breath and answered seriously.

"Sucked in?" Jiang Zhisu’s eyes gleamed with interest. "What did you see? How did you return?"

"I saw a sky full of light, like countless meteors flying past me," Nie Tian described, as if he was in a dream, his face filled with wonder. "It was like being in a beautiful dream, with fragmented light and colorful meteors flying by. I felt like I was there for a long time, yet it also felt like just a moment."

"Then, for some reason, I flew out and returned to the Nie family."

"I didn’t realize that ten days had passed so quickly. It’s so strange."

Nie Tian’s face was full of confusion, as if he still didn’t understand what had happened to him.

Jiang Zhisu looked at him, listened to his story carefully, and nodded after a while, saying softly, "Alright, go find your grandfather."

Nie Tian, somewhat awkwardly, mimicked Nie Donghai’s earlier gesture, bowing to Jiang Zhisu before leaving.

"Master, do you think the child was telling the truth?" Li Fan asked.

"Lie," Jiang Zhisu’s expression remained unchanged.

"Does that brat dare to lie to you?" Li Fan said angrily. "I’ll call him back!"

Jiang Zhisu shook his head, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, as if he also thought Nie Tian was quite bold. "Whether it’s true or not isn’t important. What’s important is that something extraordinary did happen to him here."

"How can we proceed without knowing the truth?" Li Fan said indignantly.

"If it’s truly a spatial chaos zone forming, it will gradually become evident. If not, it’s... the child’s own anomaly," Jiang Zhisu stroked his chin, thinking for a moment, and added, "I actually hope the anomaly is from him."

"What?" Li Fan was puzzled.

"Someone from the back mountain has taken an interest in him. He will eventually be part of our Lingyun Sect. If the anomaly is from him, once he becomes a disciple of the Lingyun Sect, it will belong to us," Jiang Zhisu explained with deep meaning. "For the time being, you will stay at the Nie family and keep an eye on any further anomalies."

"Understood."

...