Chapter 35: The Great Thousand Mirror

"Yes."

Luo Hun nodded with difficulty, "At this moment, the Chen family has probably already been completely wiped out. The Yang family's actions were swift, and the Chen family was too weak to resist. Even if our City Lord's Mansion had intervened, it would have been impossible to defeat the Shadow Poison Sect and the Chen family's alliance so quickly. Yang Qi's methods are comparable to those of a Qi Sect master. If I were to fight him now, I would likely be defeated as well."

He sighed, thinking about the boy he had crippled just a few dozen days ago, who had now become a figure on par with a grandmaster.

The changes were no less than a dream.

"Yang Zhan has advanced to the Qi Sect, and his son is also a figure comparable to a Qi Sect master..." Yan Gufeng was deeply shocked, wishing he could immediately go out and level the Yang family.

But he held back. First, attacking the Yang family now would be without just cause, and the noble families would be in a state of panic. The entire Yan capital would be thrown into chaos in an instant, and other cities, which were watching closely, might also send troops to annex it.

Second, with Yang Zhan achieving the Qi Sect and Yang Qi being "possessed by a thousand-year-old demon," even if the Yan family mobilized all its forces to destroy the Yang family, it would likely result in a thousand enemies killed and eight hundred self-inflicted injuries, a Pyrrhic victory that would not be worth it.

"Mr. Sun, what do you think we should do now?"

Yan Gufeng's anger was almost uncontrollable. He regretted not directly killing Yang Qi on that day, which had now led to this disaster.

"The situation is extremely urgent."

Mr. Sun also stood up, "City Lord, we cannot engage in a direct confrontation with the Yang family now. Otherwise, even if we wipe out the entire Yang family, Yang Qi and Yang Zhan could escape based on their cultivation, leaving behind endless troubles. However, if we do not eliminate them, the Yan capital will soon be under the Yang family's control, and your great cause will be in jeopardy. I will set out immediately to seek help from my sect. Also, these days, the City Lord must remain patient. The Chen family will surely send experts to deal with the Yang family, and the Shadow Poison Sect will not let them off easily. They will buy time for the City Lord by holding back the Yang family."

"Good! The strength of the Yan family is not just this much. Today, I will write letters to call back the experts of the Yan family!" Yan Gufeng slammed the table, "The elders of the Yan family have not yet acted. I did not want to disturb them, but now there is no choice."

"Since that is the case, I will take my leave for now and seek the help of my sect to assist the City Lord in achieving his great cause." Mr. Sun disappeared in a flash.

Yan Gufeng looked deeply in the direction of the Yang family, his killing intent coalescing into swords, axes, spears, and even devilish images behind him.

One command after another was issued from the City Lord's Mansion.

At this time, the two women from the Spring and Autumn Sect in the Yang family's residence had already memorized all the Four Seasons Sword Techniques. Various moves, meridian and qi cultivation diagrams, visualization methods, and techniques for cultivating the soul, as well as how to absorb the essence of the four seasons through breathing exercises, were all deeply etched in the minds of the four Yang family members.

After confirming that they had learned all the Four Seasons Sword Techniques, Yang Zhan retracted his true qi, and the two women collapsed again.

"Father, what should we do with these two women? Keeping them is a hazard. Why not...?" The eldest brother, Yang Yun, said decisively, as if he wanted to kill them to silence them.

"Temporarily imprison them and keep them alive," Yang Qi waved his hand, "Killing them would not be appropriate. We might still be able to extract information about the Spring and Autumn Sect from them. Now that their martial arts are completely crippled, they cannot cause much trouble."

"Alright, the third brother has thought it through." Yang Yun nodded. Now, everything centered around Yang Qi, and even Yang Zhan felt that his son would surpass him in a year or even a few months.

After the two women were taken away, Yang Zhan's eyes shone brightly.

"Qi'er, what exactly did you encounter in the thunderstorm? Just being tempered by the thunder cannot bring you to this realm."

"Father, I have my reasons, but I will tell you everything eventually. The more people know about my secrets, the less beneficial it is for the family." Yang Qi paused for a moment before saying, "I hope you understand, Father."

"Since you have your reasons, that's fine. I just fear that you have been possessed by a thousand-year-old demon. Although your qi cultivation has increased dramatically, in the long run, you will become insane, lose your mind, and eventually turn into a demon, no longer human." Yang Zhan was worried.

Indeed, on the Fertile Continent, there were cases where people were possessed by old demons, gaining great power in a short time but ultimately meeting a tragic end. Yang Qi's current state was identical to being possessed by a demon, and anyone would have their doubts. However, Yang Zhan saw that his speech was clear, his thinking was sharp, and there was no trace of demonic aura, so he did not seem to be possessed by a demon.

"Hmm?" Yang Qi's heart stirred, "Actually, Father could secretly spread the rumor that I have been possessed by a demon to cover up the truth."

"To hide your sharpness and lower others' guard?" Yang Zhan nodded repeatedly, "How about this: I will spread the word everywhere, seeking medicines to suppress demons and evil spirits, without explicitly stating the reason. Let others guess for themselves."

"That's best. At least many people who are hostile to me will wait for the demonic influence to take effect before making a move, not realizing that with time, my cultivation will only grow higher. Once I break through to the eighth level of qi cultivation, even Qi Sect masters will not be able to threaten me." Yang Qi thought this was a good strategy.

"Father, we need to prepare. In a few days, the Chen family's elders and their branches outside the city will likely launch a large-scale attack on our Yang family. You should write a letter and ask the elders to return to take charge of the situation," Yang Yun said immediately.

"No need," Yang Qi immediately stopped him, "The elders are in deep cultivation. We don't need to disturb them. We can handle the current situation. The Chen family's elders are probably just old Qi Sect masters. I will intercept and eliminate them on the way, and they won't be able to cause much trouble."

"Is that so? That's best!" Yang Zhan said with surprise and joy, "Intercepting and eliminating the Chen family's experts without anyone knowing will buy us time. The Yan family already knows about our attack on the Chen family and is likely preparing, but they are hesitant. I know Yan Gufeng very well. He has already mobilized experts to act against our Yang family, waiting for the final confrontation between our Yang family and the Chen family. Intercepting the Chen family's experts will confuse the Yan family and buy us time."

"This matter, Father, you should go with the third brother," Yang Yun said.

"No need. Father should stay to guard the residence, ensuring everything is secure," Yang Qi waved his hand, "I will go alone to intercept them. First, it will be good practice for me, and second, it will prevent the Yang family from being left vulnerable and being attacked. With a Qi Sect master like Father guarding the residence, who would dare to attack us? Even Yan Gufeng would have to think twice."

"Good! I, Yang Zhan, have raised a fine son. Qing Luo, have you seen? Your son will soon surpass me." Yang Zhan let out a long cry.

Qing Luo was Yang Qi's mother, who disappeared right after giving birth.

She did not die but went out to cultivate. Yang Qi's mother was an extraordinary woman who, after a year of marriage with Yang Zhan, gave birth to Yang Qi and then left.

As for Yang Yun and Yang Hualong, they were not born to the same mother as Yang Qi. They were born to Yang Zhan's previous wife, making the three brothers half-brothers. However, they had a very good relationship and did not engage in the internal conflicts common in many families.

"Father, what exactly happened to Mother? Where is she now? I have never seen her since I was born. When I was young, every time I asked you, you said you would tell me when my cultivation was high enough. Now my cultivation is comparable to a Qi Sect master. Is it time to tell me the truth?" Yang Qi asked urgently.

He had been missing his mother for a long time.

It had been a mystery to him since childhood.

"Your mother..."

Yang Zhan's face showed bitterness, and he hesitated, "She is involved in a great secret. Our connection has already ended, and we only had a year together. I have always been unwilling to mention it because I feared that her secret would bring great disaster to our Yang family. Your mother's identity is not trivial. Qi'er, when you break through the realm of qi cultivation and enter the legendary Life Seizing Realm, possessing the ability to snatch life from heaven, I will tell you who your mother is."

"Alright."

Yang Qi took a deep breath, "If Father is unwilling to say, it must be a serious matter with its own reasons. I will strive to cultivate and advance to that legendary realm."

"Father, isn't that requirement too high? On the Fertile Continent, Qi Sect masters can cultivate, but we have never seen any supreme experts in the Life Seizing Realm," Yang Yun said.

"Because until the Life Seizing Realm, everyone is just an ant among the masses. Qi Sect masters are just slightly stronger ants," Yang Zhan said with a bitter smile, "Knowing too much as an ant is not necessarily a good thing."

"Alright, Father, I will go now to intercept the Chen family's experts on the road." Yang Qi moved to leave.

"Wait." Yang Zhan quickly stopped him, "Leave the 'Great Thousand Mirror' you are holding. It's better to test its effects before you go."

Yang Qi then realized he was still holding the Chen family's treasure, the Great Thousand Mirror.

The disciples of the Spring and Autumn Sect had said it was a Nine Heavens Divine Jade. Yang Qi still did not understand the true power of the Great Thousand Mirror.

He waved his hand, and the mirror flew into Yang Zhan's hands. The Yang and Chen families were old rivals, and Yang Zhan must have known about this treasure and its effects.

"Good mirror, good mirror." Yang Zhan caressed the mirror's surface, sending a stream of true qi into it.

Subsequently, images of the four seasons appeared on the mirror, and a figure slowly emerged, continuously practicing sword techniques: spring rain, summer thunder, autumn frost, winter snow.

This was the Four Seasons Sword Technique they had just learned, now being practiced in the mirror.

The figure in the mirror was Yang Zhan.

At that moment, Yang Zhan stood as if he were in a dream, his soul seemingly entering the mirror's world to practice the Four Seasons Sword Technique.

After a long time, he came back to his senses, retracted his true qi, and the figure in the mirror disappeared.

"Powerful. This mirror allows one's consciousness to enter the mirror for cultivation by inputting true qi, completely simulating the experience. It can assist in cultivation, allowing one to try various cultivation methods without fear of going astray."