The outfit of that Fu Zhen was nothing! Before, it was just me, and with one reach, I could snatch that Profound Pill and immediately flee back to the Silver City of Wind and Snow. The purpose of this trip was to achieve great success! Instead, I let myself be fooled by that fellow's trickery! I said to myself, how could any master possess so many brilliant lights of profound energy? This scroll, it defies reason—how could I have fallen for it?! I truly am the number one great fool! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Alas! Just as the Third Elder was lamenting his folly, the assembled masters, the Divine Profound experts, were thrown into chaos, each watching Ying Bokong as if facing a mortal enemy, terrified that this Eagle God would suddenly depart. If he truly exerted his full movement technique and fled with the Profound Pill, no one could catch him—even Shi Changxiao could only watch!

Shi Changxiao let out a roar of furious contempt, suddenly leaping into the air. Like a dragon soaring through mist, a crane dancing in the highest heavens, he descended with overwhelming sharpness, charging like a violent gale. "Tailless Eagle! Didn't you want a fight? Let's settle this now! Fight!" As his form plummeted, the raindrops in the air were driven away in all directions by his surging power, scattering like iron pellets, striking faces and bodies, causing a dull sting! Shi Changxiao's towering figure, suspended mid-air, seemed to transform into a thousand-armed, thousand-legged demon god, intent on shattering the world as he crashed down!

Ying Bokong roared with laughter, tucking the Profound Pill—that unexpected windfall—into his robes amidst the fray. "Excellent timing!" He spread both arms and swept upward like a wild hawk. His sturdy frame shot forward like an arrow, his unbound, raven-black hair suddenly flying loose and high. In this posture, he appeared as if dominating the world! The two supreme beings had finally engaged in a formal, head-on confrontation!

Fei Mengchen, the Six, Three, and Nine Elders of the Silver City of Wind and Snow, the six Heavenly Profound masters accompanying Shi Changxiao, and the ten disciples following Lei Wubei, all launched themselves skyward at that moment. Figures flashed wildly, strong winds surged outwards, all converging on one central point: Ying Bokong! Ying Bokong chuckled heartily and roared, "Good! This is exhilarating!" Holding nothing back, he suddenly exploded with power. His black cloak was instantly rent apart by his own surging profound energy, torn fragments scattering away. Ying Bokong's long hair stood straight up, aimed at the firmament—he was unleashing his full strength!

“…” “…” “…” “………………,” “………………,” … The Jun Family.

Guan Qinghan walked toward her small courtyard, her mind heavy, replaying the events of the day. It felt like a dream—a path through desperation, only to be instantly filled with happiness and contentment. Although her father had abandoned her for the greater good, she still had this Third Uncle, this junior brother-in-law; what was there to fear? As Mo Xie had said, honor and disgrace are greater than heaven; what matter is life or death? Is Blood Soul Villa truly so unconquerable? Even if it were, what is death but the end of all great matters? If one does not fear death, what else in this world is there to be afraid of!

"I never expected that fellow to possess such heroic mettle. In this respect, he truly lives up to being a scion of the Jun family! He is certainly comparable to his elder brother, Jun Moyou. Heh, he is indeed a blood relative of the Juns. Ah, if Elder Brother Moyou were still here today, I believe he would have made the same choice as Mo Xie. I have no doubt about that." Guan Qinghan mused, feeling for the first time that this Jun estate, even after losing Jun Moyou, remained so endearing and intimate. Guan Qinghan failed to notice that, this time when she thought of Jun Moyou, the pain and heart-shattering anguish she usually felt were strangely absent. It felt distant. Lost in thought, Guan Qinghan almost walked straight into someone.

A robust figure stood at the entrance of her small courtyard. The visitor was Guan Qinghan’s biological father, Guan Dongliu! Guan Dongliu stood there in the pouring rain, his clothes completely soaked. It was impossible to tell how long he had been standing there. His stern face betrayed an unusual, deep sorrow. His eyes were fixed on Guan Qinghan, on his daughter, and for a long time, he could not speak a single word. Guan Qinghan stared blankly at her father, uncertain how to begin. Both father and daughter remained silent, enveloped in an odd stillness.

Perhaps only a moment passed, or perhaps a long time, before a sliver of light from the illusion within the courtyard slanted across Guan Dongliu’s head. Guan Qinghan suddenly felt a pang of sorrow as she noticed that his hair, at some point, had become faintly speckled with white. Recalling scenes from her childhood when her father held her while playing, Guan Qinghan’s heart softened. The usually cold expression on her face melted away, and she finally spoke, quietly, "Father..."

"Qinghan, do you... resent me?" Guan Dongliu looked at his daughter. The heavy rain streamed down his head, yet he made no move to wipe it away. Guan Qinghan shook her head blankly, a sudden emptiness in her heart. "I do not resent you," Guan Qinghan whispered, her voice light as a dream. "Father is certainly my father, but first and foremost, he is the head of the Guan family. The survival of the thousand-plus people under the Guan banner rests entirely on your shoulders. Your daughter knows and understands your difficulties."

"You have suffered," Guan Dongliu sighed deeply, lowering his head sadly. Then, he raised it again, his eyes filled with pain, yet resolute. "Qinghan, do you know? While I have failed you, regarding the two calamities that befell you—if I had to live through them again, I, I would..." Guan Dongliu's gaze was deep, his eyes conveying immense suffering, as if he were locked in intense internal struggle. But finally, the words broke free: "I, I would still make the same choice! As the head of the Guan family, perhaps in your eyes, I will never be a good father in this life. But I..."

Guan Qinghan shook her head in agony. "Don't say it, don't say any more." Suddenly noticing her father was soaked, she hurried to say, "Father, why don't you come inside so we can talk." "No, let's stay here. Standing in the rain helps me clear my head. Perhaps if I went inside, I wouldn't know how to say what needs to be said!" Guan Dongliu offered a bitter smile. "Regarding the matter of Blood Soul Villa... Heh, perhaps speaking of it now is useless. But you are the one involved, and I must make you understand." Guan Qinghan turned her face, visibly exhausted, and sighed inwardly. "Please speak, Father."

"At that time, after receiving the letter from Blood Soul Villa, several elders in the clan simultaneously advised me to agree to their terms," Guan Dongliu confessed, his eyes pained as he looked up at the sky, avoiding his daughter's pale face. "Their reasoning was simple: we could not afford to provoke Blood Soul Villa. But if you married into it, becoming Li Tengyun’s woman, our Guan family would gain ties with Blood Soul Villa. This would not only be harmless but would be a monumental boon for the family." Guan Qinghan bit her lip, letting out a soft hum, extreme anger suddenly flashing in her eyes. Her expression immediately turned icy cold again.

"Even within our own home, opinions were sharply divided. Qingbo has always been ambitious, aiming to dominate the Southeast, and strongly urged me to agree," Guan Dongliu frowned deeply, his voice low. "Qingyue and your mother, however, insisted on disagreeing. Your mother—she cried herself to sleep every day over this matter..." Guan Qinghan's delicate frame trembled; tears instantly flooded her eyes, and her shoulders hitched.

"Later, Blood Soul Villa put forward another condition," Guan Dongliu gazed into the distance. "They proposed that if our Guan family could secure the marriage for the Young Master of Blood Soul, they would agree that, apart from the status of the main wife, all other treatment would be equal to that of the main wife. Moreover, they promised to allow Qingbo to become a disciple under the Supreme Master Li Jue Tian..." When this heavy bargaining chip was played, the entire Guan household collapsed completely!" Guan Dongliu’s tone held an indescribable sense of sorrow. "And so, I took Qingbo and Qingyue and rushed to Tianxiang City overnight. You know what happened after that..."

"What I still don't know is what I truly am in the eyes of the family—a piece of merchandise? Or perhaps a bargaining chip?! Whoever offers more to the Guan family, is that who I belong to?!" Guan Qinghan laughed mournfully. "Back when the engagement between the two families was set, I had no objections whatsoever! After all, Elder Brother Moyou was a heroic figure; marrying him was no disgrace to me. Furthermore, it was the family's decision—I had little choice. In the three meetings I had with Moyou afterward, he was heroic, bold, and possessed a fierce, warm heart—truly a suitable match for a young woman. I was relieved, and even grateful to the family for arranging this marriage for me." Guan Dongliu seemed to know what she was about to say and lowered his head.

"But later, Moyou died for his country; he was a hero! Yes, someone worthy of my entire life's fidelity! But at that time, in my heart, I was already prepared to remain a widow for Moyou. I was even preparing to persuade you, my mother, and the clan elders; yet, it was then that the elders informed me that the family had unanimously decided that Guan Qinghan must remain a widow for the Jun family's eldest young master! Their reasoning: we could not lose the support of a family like the Juns! As a daughter of the Guan family, you must make sacrifices for the Guan family!" Guan Qinghan gave a scornful laugh. "When they forced me then, perhaps they didn't fully realize that in my own heart, I had already made the same commitment they mentioned. However, I did it for my own husband, while they treated me as a gamble, a tool to maintain relations between the two families! For that, I felt only genuine humiliation!"

"Humiliation! When a young woman’s most beautiful dream is shattered, even her right to remain a widow becomes an item of exchange for profit!" Guan Qinghan said with suppressed fury, "To this day, with the substantial support of the Jun family, the Guan family has firmly established itself. Father, look into your heart: in these past years, in business, in martial strength, or anything else, has there been a single aspect not heavily supported by the Jun family? And now that their wings have hardened, another force, stronger than the Juns—Blood Soul Villa—seeks a marriage alliance, and the elders in the family immediately flip their position? Vigorously demanding that I marry into them again?? Father, is there any logic to this in the world? Have they considered that this young woman was already forced into a marriage once? That she is already the wife of another man? Moreover, the wife of the entire family's benefactor! Are they really going to sell out their benefactor's wife like this? And they have the nerve to force her?!"