"It's... it's nothing really," An Zheyan stammered, withdrawing his hand awkwardly, a sheepish expression crossing his face as he spoke.
"A few days ago, while you were in seclusion, I sent some members to assist the Li Family on behalf of the Yu Family... I may have indulged in a bit too much wine and spouted some nonsense."
After saying that, he waved his hands hastily and forced a smile on his face, adding, "But rest assured, everyone present at the time was trustworthy and loyal. They won't breathe a word of it!"
"Spouted some nonsense?!" An Jingming interrupted, disregarding his father's attempt to explain further. His expression betrayed his unease as he murmured, "You didn't tell the others about my achievements in cultivation, did you?"
An Zheyan froze for a moment before a crestfallen expression appeared on his aged face. Observing his father's reaction, An Jingming immediately knew that he had hit the nail on the head. He immediately lost his temper and flew into a rage.
"Father, surely, you understand the gravity of this situation?!" he hissed through his clenched teeth.
An Zheyan bowed his head in shame like a child. Before An Jingming could erupt in anger further, they felt the mountain's grand formation shaking.
An Jingming glanced up sourly and noticed a gray-clothed figure floating outside the formation. The figure was looking at the pavilion below calmly with chilling indifference.
"An Jingming, get your ass out here!" Yu Mugao's voice cut through the air, which was tinged with annoyance. His carefully laid plans to strike at the Li Family had been compromised, leaving behind a trail that would inevitably lead back to the An Family. He anticipated that the Li Family would inevitably turn to the An Family for explanations—if not outright accusations.
Yu Mugao had already prepared his pawns and devised a scheme. All they were waiting for was the arrival of the Li Family's representatives. However, to his surprise, Li Xuanfeng had managed to uncover the traces and had even assassinated Master Jiang and Yu Muyuan.
With the Li Family suddenly quiet, Yu Mugao realized he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. Crafting a pretext, he aimed to shift some of the blame onto the Li Family.
"This person has conspired to murder the young head of the Li Family... The Yu family, entrusted by the Li family, vows to bring this person to justice. There are witnesses to support this," Yu Mugao declared in a deep voice.
Finishing his statement, Yu Mugao muttered to himself, "This won't be enough to take over the An Family... We can only settle this before the Li Family reacts. Eliminate An Zheyan and An Jingming, and pick a puppet leader within the An Family. Their influence will serve to distort the truth and deceive others."
Accustomed to such machinations, Yu Mugao wasted no time in devising his next moves. He glanced down toward the pavilion below where An Zheyan and An Jingming stood, visibly bewildered.
An Zheyan's disbelief boiled over as he exclaimed, "The Li and Yu families?! What is the meaning of this?"
An Jingming, however, wore a resigned expression and let out a sigh.
"Father, if we do not tread carefully, we risk becoming casualties... How loyal do you think the remaining people of our family are? Both families have likely infiltrated our family thoroughly... The seeds you planted long ago may have sprouted into traps for us. By drawing attention like this, I surmise either Li Xuanxuan or Li Xuanfeng is dead."
"T-That's...!" An Zheyan faltered, rendered speechless momentarily. After a moment of silence, tears welled in his eyes.
With a remorseful slap to his own face, he declared through clenched teeth, "This is the doing of Yu Mugao. Leave me be! I will handle this! So long as you survive, the An Family still has hope."
An Zheyan grasped An Jingming's hand, his voice tinged with desperation as he urged, "Didn't you ask me to construct a secret passage leading out of the mountain before? Go now! Leave these outsiders to me... you must go..."
Sweat beaded on his brow as he placed all his hope for the future on An Jingming, showing little regard for his safety.
An Jingming, however, shook his head solemnly in response. "Father... it's too late. Can't you see? It's not just Yu Mugao who seeks me out... Yu Xiaogui and the others are probably also watching from afar with Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators waiting outside. There's no escaping this. The Yu Family will never be at ease unless I'm dead."
The defensive formation of the mountain rumbled ominously, and panicked voices filled the air as footsteps drew nearer. An Jingming slammed his foot down, causing the doors in the pavilion to seal shut one by one, emitting a radiant golden glow.
"Family Head! The Yu Family is attacking us! Family Head!"
"Family Head...! Save us, please!"
An Jingming had meticulously inscribed formations during the construction of the pavilion, unaware that they would one day serve to barricade his own kin.
The people outside the pavilion cried and wailed while they slapped on the doors desperately, hoping to gain entrance. From the other side of the door, palm prints could be seen pressed against the door screens.
Most of the An Family members were slackers—mere Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators. Apart from An Zheyan and An Jingming, none of them had even managed to condense the Jade Capital Chakra. Naturally, they were too weak to breach the formation. Thus, they could do little but cry and curse outside. Even so, their voices were barely audible amidst the chaos.
An Zheyan collapsed to the ground with a whimper, slapping himself vehemently in regret. The force drew blood from the corners of his mouth and knocked two of his teeth out in the process. Through tears, he lamented, "It's all my fault! My selfishness, my greed, my indulgence in pleasures... It has brought this upon you, upon us all..."
An Jingming's tears flowed freely as he sank to his knees, cradling An Zheyan's plump, tear-streaked face.
"I will carve a path through them... you should leave through the secret passage. Yu Mugao's gaze is fixed on me. Father, there's still a chance for you to escape..." he told An Zheyan as if he were his father instead.
An Zheyan's trembling legs betrayed his resolve as he struggled to articulate a response. Finally, he managed to choke out, "Where... should I go?"
"To the Li Family," An Jingming replied, tears mingling with determination in his eyes, "I think I understand what's going on now... Time is running out, we can't keep talking here."
With a firm grip, he lifted An Zheyan to his feet. His heart was heavy with sorrow as he said, "Father, you must stop drinking and abstain yourself. Always speak wisely, and protect yourself. Do not dwell on revenge... and consider having a few more children."
BOOM!
A thunderous boom echoed through the air as the An Family's grand formation shattered. An Zheyan winced and dashed toward the rear of the pavilion while wiping away his tears.
An Jingming watched his father disappear into the secret passage before turning away. With a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips and tears streaming down his face, he removed his jade crown, allowing his dark locks to spill freely over his shoulders. His once serene demeanor gave way to a fierce resolve.
He removed a dharma sword from the wall, secured it to his waist, and tightened his clutch on his jade axe. He heard the jingle of the golden bracelet around his wrist.
He slowly descended the staircase, pushing open the courtyard door. Before him lay a scene of carnage, blood staining the ground and heads rolling before the steps.
"Yu Mugao of the Yu Family."
The young man before him bore a fierce countenance, wearing a white headband that covered his forehead. He was staring at An Jingming like a ferocious wolf.
An Jingming scrutinized him carefully while Yu Mugao returned the stare with cold indifference. An Jingming did not resort to pleading for mercy or begging for him to spare his family.
Instead, he introduced himself.
"An Jingming of the An Family."
With his jade axe raised, An Jingming charged forward. Yu Mugao simply watched as one of the Yu Family's Qi Cultivators of the eighth heavenly layer came forward from behind him, blocking An Jingming's jade axe with his dharma sword.
A loud metallic clang rang out when the weapons collided against each other. The Qi Cultivator recoiled from the impact, taking a step backward. An Jingming turned the direction of his jade axe, prompting Yu Mugao to raise an eyebrow.
Another figure emerged from behind him, a peak Qi Cultivator, repelling An Jingming's jade axe with his dharma sword.
"Your progress in cultivation is impressive to be able to keep up or maybe even surpass the peak Cultivator by a margin," Yu Mugao remarked with a sigh, his tone laced with amusement.
"Had you not been born into the An Family and were given another hundred years to cultivate, I'm sure you'd make a name for yourself among the three sects and seven gates..." he drawled.
An Jingming offered no reply. Instead, he took a step back and swung his jade axe again, grappling with the two Qi Cultivators from the Yu Family. Despite holding his ground against them, he found himself unable to break the stalemate even after a series of exchanges.
Anxiety began gnawing at him. With Yu Xiaogui's absence, he resolved to push through regardless of mana expenditure and rose into the air.
Before he could make another move, a figure cloaked in gray appeared before him. With his white sideburns and smooth hands akin to jade, the man stood silently with his eyes closed.
"Yu Xiaogui," An Jingming addressed him, calmly tying his jade axe around his waist and then cupping his fist.
He then drew his sharp white dharma sword and positioned the blade against his own neck. The razor-sharp edge sliced through the black hair cascading over his shoulder, and the severed strands fell to the ground.
"A great man will inevitably meet other heroes in the world, just as a river will eventually merge with the sea. Although one may strive to touch the clouds with ambition, he is ultimately dragged down by his clan..."
With a swift motion, blood splattered everywhere as he beheaded himself, leaving his headless body collapsing onto the ground.
Yu Xiaogui's eyelids fluttered briefly as he lifted the corpse with his mana and inspected it carefully.
"Even the most extraordinary beings are not beyond mortality... to think such a genius would meet such an end," he remarked softly.