Chapter 5

On the ninth day of the second month, in a desolate wilderness outside Dongning City, the sky was overcast.

"Ah." A melodious bird call echoed, and a massive bird, enveloped in lightning, swooped down from the clouds. Two figures were seated cross-legged on its back.

"Boom!"

As the bird approached the ground, lightning surged from its vast wings in all directions, causing the entire wilderness to tremble. Lightning snakes darted about and then dissipated.

At this moment, the two figures descended from the bird's back.

One was a middle-aged woman, and the other was an old woman with a cane.

"Little Sister Huang, I have arrived, I have returned to my hometown. You should go back," the old woman with the cane said with a smile.

"Sister Meng." The middle-aged woman's eyes were brimming with tears. Her "Sister Meng" had not been so aged before, but the severe injuries had made her look much older. However, from her appearance, one could still faintly see that the old woman had been a beauty in her youth.

"This parting may mean we will never meet again," the old woman sighed with a smile. "But I am fortunate, at least I can return to my hometown and spend the last few years of my life here. Those who died in battle have truly become nothing but a pile of yellow earth."

"Sister Meng, if there is anything you need my help with, just send a letter. I, Huang Xiangning, will do my utmost," the middle-aged woman said solemnly.

"I will ask if I need anything," the old woman smiled. "Now, go back quickly."

The middle-aged woman carefully looked at the old woman, and finally leaped back onto the bird's back. Soon, the bird flapped its wings, and lightning spread through the air.

Whoosh.

Carrying lightning and thunder, the bird quickly soared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon.

The old woman watched her companion leave, then turned to look at Dongning City with a smile. "It's time to go home. To be able to return to my roots, the heavens have been kind to me!"

"Thud."

The old woman's cane lightly tapped the ground, and ripples spread out, enveloping a hundred paces around her.

She held her cane and walked toward Dongning City, each step covering dozens of paces. Even as she passed by pedestrians and caravans on the road, they seemed not to notice the old woman, continuing to chat and laugh.

After a moment, she arrived at the city gate.

"Dongning City."

The old woman, leaning on her cane, looked at the magnificent city before her.

This was her hometown! The place where she had lived as a young girl.

The old woman smiled and continued forward. The people at the city gate, including the guards, did not see the old woman. She seemed to not exist in this world, and thus entered the city, walking through the streets, and arrived at the ancestral home of the Meng family.

Entering the ancestral home.

Many clan members were patrolling, but they could not see the old woman.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck." In one of the courtyards of the ancestral home, a fat old man was drinking alone.

"Pingping, are you drinking secretly?" a voice echoed in the courtyard.

The fat old man was startled and looked around, saying, "Third Sister, is that you? Third Sister?"

In the courtyard, an old woman with a cane appeared out of nowhere, smiling at him.

"Third Sister."

The fat old man's eyes turned red. He was the only younger brother of "Meng Xian姑." Although other elders in the clan also called her "Third Sister," it was because the clan was so large, with a history of over a thousand years, and many clan members were several generations apart. The fat old man's name was Meng Yanping, the current clan leader of the Meng family. He was nearly twenty years younger than Meng Xian姑, so she had taken care of him as both a sister and a mother when he was young.

In his heart, his third sister had always been so young, so beautiful, and so capable, but now she had aged so much.

"Why are you crying? I'm still alive, aren't I?" the old woman smiled.

"Third Sister, can your injuries really not be treated?" the fat old man asked.

"As long as I don't engage in fierce battles, I can still live for seven or eight years," the old woman said calmly. "People have birth, aging, illness, and death, and even gods and demons have their limits. There's no need to be sad. In the next few years, I will properly arrange for the Meng family. Has there been any reaction from Dongning Prefecture since the news of my severe injuries was spread?"

"The Yun family has terminated the marriage agreement with our Meng family, specifically the marriage of Meng Chuan," the fat old man said. "As for the others, the four great god and demon families have only made small moves and dare not truly provoke our Meng family."

"Indeed, when the marriage agreement was made, Yun Wanhai also wanted to rely on the power of our Meng family. Now that I am severely injured, it is normal for him to terminate the marriage of the younger generation."

The old woman instructed, "By the way, Pingping..."

"Third Sister, I'm already ninety and the clan leader. Can you call me by my name?" the fat old man said.

"Oh, okay, okay, I'll give you that respect," the old woman smiled. "Meng Pingping, go and gather all the elders in the Fire Hall. I want to see them."

"My name is Meng Yanping, not Meng Pingping," the fat old man muttered but quickly went to gather the clan elders.

His sister had been both a mother and a sister, raising him.

Protecting him, helping him reach where he is today.

Hearing his sister call him "Pingping," Clan Leader Meng Yanping felt more energized as he walked.

******

In the Meng family's ancestral home, the Fire Hall.

Only the most important matters were discussed here. Today, the Fire Hall was heavily guarded.

Inside the hall.

Meng Xian姑 stood with her cane, looking up at the plaque on the wall that read "Fire."

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

In terms of age...

Meng Xian姑 was 112 years old, the oldest in the clan. In terms of strength, she had become a god or demon at the age of 35, protecting the Meng family for nearly eighty years. The Meng family had flourished for eighty years, and her authority within the clan was unquestionable. A single command from her would have many clan members willing to die without hesitation.

After looking at the plaque "Fire" for a long time, Meng Xian姑 turned around, her gaze sweeping over the elders, who all bowed slightly, looking tense.

"Are there any talented young members in our Meng family who have the potential to become gods or demons?" Meng Xian姑 asked. Although the Meng family had been rooted in Dongning Prefecture for over a thousand years, it had only produced two gods or demons: one was the old ancestor Yu Shan from five hundred years ago, and the other was Meng Xian姑 herself. During their times, the Meng family had reached its peak. What Meng Xian姑 most hoped for was...

To cultivate a third god or demon in the clan's history.

Originally, she could have patiently and slowly searched for suitable successors, but now time was too short, and she had to choose from the limited options.

"Da Jiang has high talent, comprehending a secret technique at the age of nineteen and a sword momentum at the age of thirty. He is now forty-seven years old and has a chance to become a god or demon," a bald, thin old man said.

"Da Jiang?"

Meng Xian姑 looked at Meng Da Jiang, who was standing nearby.

"Aunt." The fat Meng Da Jiang bowed.

"Have you condensed a core yet?" Meng Xian姑 asked.

Meng Da Jiang shook his head.

Meng Xian姑 frowned. At forty-seven years old, not even having condensed a core, the hope of becoming a god or demon was very slim.

"What about the younger generation?" Meng Xian姑 asked.

"There are three who are quite promising," Clan Leader Meng Yanping said. "Meng Zhu is twenty-three years old, at the Wu Lou realm, serving in the Qinyang Pass. He comprehended a secret technique at the age of nineteen. There's also Meng Wenying, a girl who is sixteen years old and mastered a top-tier sword technique at the age of twelve. And there's Meng Chuan, Da Jiang's son, who is fifteen years old and mastered a top-tier knife technique at the age of thirteen. Meng Wenying and Meng Chuan are young, but they have not yet comprehended secret techniques."

Meng Xian姑 was silent.

Meng Zhu, comprehending a secret technique at nineteen, was already too late for becoming a god or demon. It was uncertain when he would comprehend "momentum," and becoming a god or demon would be even more distant.

Meng Wenying and Meng Chuan, at sixteen and fifteen years old, respectively, had very limited time, and they had not even mastered secret techniques.

She wanted to choose from the limited options, but there was no good choice.

"You all go back," Meng Xian姑 said coldly. "In the next few years, the entire clan must intensify the cultivation of the younger generation. This is the top priority for the clan, and all other matters are secondary. Before I die, I want to see a promising candidate who has the potential to become a god or demon."

Clearly, there were no outstanding candidates, so she had to cast a wide net and hope that some talented individuals would emerge among the eight- or nine-year-olds and those around twelve years old.

"Yes." The clan leader and the elders all responded in unison.

"This matter concerns the rise and fall of the clan, and there can be no slack. If anyone embezzles, they will be punished according to clan law." Meng Xian姑 finished speaking and walked out with her cane.