Chapter 89: The Eldest Elder's Outburst

In the canyon where Linley and his companions lived, the morning weather was perfect. On the grassy shore beside the small lake, Qiankun was instructing Linley’s son, Wade, in his cultivation.

Wade was a scion of the Four Divine Beasts clan. After coming of age and undergoing the ancestral temple’s baptism, he naturally became a lower god and possessed a water affinity. Thus, Wade had always devoted himself to the laws of water, but unfortunately, his talent was far inferior to his father’s monstrous gifts. Even after two or three centuries of diligent training, he had yet to reach the level of a mid-tier god. Linley knew that Qiankun was highly skilled in the laws of water, so he was more than happy to entrust his son’s tutelage to him.

As Qiankun smiled and instructed Wade, he suddenly sensed something and looked up. With a ripple through space, a figure shot toward them from the distance, transforming in midair into the First Elder, clad in black robes and a silver mask.

The instant she appeared, the First Elder was enveloped in the aura of her supreme artifact armor, a surging presence that made the very air tremble. She glared at Qiankun, teeth clenched, and with a snort of anger, she flashed forward, launching a heavy punch that made the space around them twist and collapse.

“Wade, get back!” Qiankun frowned and waved his hand, sending Wade flying to safety.

With a muffled boom, Qiankun met the First Elder’s punch head-on. He shuddered and retreated slightly, but then floated swiftly toward her. Taking advantage of her unsteady stance, he grasped her wrist and shouted, “Gaia, what madness has possessed you?”

“Let me go!” the First Elder roared, swinging her other fist toward Qiankun.

Qiankun, quick as lightning, caught her other fist, preventing her from breaking free or continuing her assault.

But then, the First Elder raised her leg and kicked at Qiankun. Her supreme artifact armor was a complete set, including battle boots, and the force behind her kick was no less than that of her gauntleted fists. With such armor, her entire body was a weapon.

“Good grief, are you trying to end my bloodline?” Qiankun exclaimed dramatically, hurriedly releasing her and darting back, narrowly avoiding the kick.

The First Elder grew even more flustered and angry. She muttered “scoundrel” under her breath and immediately lunged at Qiankun again.

“Hey, you’re the one using such underhanded moves, and you call me a scoundrel?” Qiankun protested as he dodged.

The commotion quickly drew Linley and the others. Seeing the First Elder and Qiankun chasing and fleeing like children at play, their expressions grew strange—they wanted to laugh but dared not. Suppressing his amusement, Linley waved for everyone to leave. They had long grown used to such scenes between Qiankun and the First Elder.

After a long chase, the First Elder finally tired, told Qiankun to get out of the Four Divine Beasts clan and that she never wanted to see him again, then flew off.

“Such violence! No wonder no one’s wanted her since her husband died,” Qiankun remarked with a mischievous smile, stroking his chin. Fortunately, the First Elder was too far away to hear; otherwise, she would have chased him down again.

And so, decades slipped by. As for Qiankun’s proposal, Gaisreson neither accepted nor denied him, never giving a clear answer. Judging by the First Elder’s attitude, it seemed Gaisreson had no say over his sister’s affairs.

Yet another happy event occurred in the meantime: Linley’s dear friend Bebe finally married and had a daughter, Ina.

Ina, blessed with the bloodline of a divine beast, easily reached the Saint level upon coming of age. However, becoming a god was no simple matter for her.

Still, Ina possessed remarkable talent and insight. Qiankun was especially fond of this little girl, and for the next few decades, tutoring her became part of his daily routine. Wade couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy—since Ina’s birth, Qiankun had all but neglected him.

One day, while Qiankun was instructing Ina and Wade watched on, a sudden ripple of spatial energy swept over them.

“Hm? This aura... It seems the Eight Great Clans have come to our doorstep. The final battle is about to begin,” Qiankun mused, raising his brows and looking up.

With a faint sound of the air being split, Linley, Delia, Bebe, and the others arrived. Linley said directly, “Big Brother Qiankun, something’s going on. Let’s go check it out!”

Qiankun nodded and took to the sky with Linley and the rest. As they reached the heights above the canyon, they saw a swarm of figures blotting out the southern sky above the Ancestral Mountains. The crowd was so dense it resembled a plague of locusts—tens of thousands at the very least—many of whom were launching attacks at the forests below.

This spectacle alarmed not only Linley and his companions but nearly every member of the Four Divine Beasts clan. Many of the Azure Dragon clan’s people couldn’t help but fly up and gaze southward at the overwhelming scene.

“Stay here and don’t run off. If there’s danger, retreat to the great canyon at once. I’ll go see the clan leader,” Linley instructed Delia and the others, then turned to Qiankun. “Big Brother Qiankun, do you want to come with me?”

Qiankun waved his hand casually. “No need. These are your clan’s affairs; I’d rather not meddle. Besides, your First Elder probably wouldn’t appreciate my help.”

Linley could only nod helplessly to Delia and the others before flying straight toward the end of Dragon Avenue.

The Eight Great Clans had resorted to shameless tactics, building fortresses around the Ancestral Mountains and settling in, hurling incessant insults and provocations at the Four Divine Beasts clan. Many young clan members, unable to contain their tempers, charged out to fight, making for utter chaos. Even those with cooler heads found their anger flaring under such relentless taunts.

It wasn’t only the proud Four Divine Beasts clan—Qiankun himself, an outsider, found it increasingly intolerable. The noise was maddening.

So, despite his initial reluctance to get involved, Qiankun finally left the canyon, intent on finding the heads of the Eight—no, now Seven Great Clans, to urge them to keep their subordinates quiet, rather than buzzing about like flies.

As soon as Qiankun left the canyon and soared out of the Ancestral Mountains, he saw a fierce battle raging atop a vast dueling platform in the distance. The combatants: the First Elder and a Seven-Star Fiend Elder from the Eight Great Clans. The fight ended swiftly—the Seven-Star Fiend lay dead at the First Elder’s hands.

“Gaia, it seems you’re courting death today,” the experts of the Eight Great Clans arrived, voices cold.

“Courting death? I’d like to see which of you can kill me today,” the First Elder replied, her eyes icy, utterly unafraid.

For over ten thousand years, the First Elder had been driven nearly mad by oppression. Her father’s death had left her in agony; her husband perished as the family fled, hunted by other clans. Then, centuries ago, her only son, Fulhan, died—killed by her own hand. The pain and repression in her heart were beyond imagining, but for the sake of her clan, she had endured.

But lately, the Eight Great Clans had become like a swarm of flies—mocking, jeering, pushing the Four Divine Beasts clan to erect massive elemental barriers just to block out the noise. This self-imposed isolation was a source of humiliation. She could bear it no longer; she feared she would lose her sanity.

Kill. Only through slaughter could she vent the grief and fury in her heart.

The First Elder stood tall upon the dueling platform, a trace of blood staining her silver mask. “Who among you will face me? Whoever it is, I will meet them.”