As the fissure appeared, Grandpa’s face instantly changed. He turned back to stare intensely at the fetus suspended in the amber, murmuring, “Impossible… How can this be? The Kunlun Fetus has cracked!”

Seeing his look of utter panic, I guessed something detrimental to him must have just occurred.

Grandpa gently stroked the Kunlun Fetus, then turned to * and me, his voice sharp and accusatory, “It must be you two; you’ve brought something here that should never have been here!”

and I exchanged a glance, and then * looked pointedly at my trouser pocket.

I knew exactly what he meant; it had to be the Qiming Pearl I was carrying, which was somehow affecting the Kunlun Fetus.

No wonder the girl in white had said the bead in my hand was the key to stopping Grandpa. We were still so far away, yet the Kunlun Fetus had reacted already.

While we were talking, Da Xiong and Mu Yun had already exchanged several rounds of blows.

Though Da Xiong fought fiercely, Mu Yun possessed a superior swiftness in advancing and retreating. For Da Xiong, who lunged forward wildly without any precise technique, hitting Mu Yun was proving incredibly difficult.

Conversely, Mu Yun, relying on the bizarre, tongue-like weapon he wielded, had a much greater attack range than Da Xiong. Every time Da Xiong’s rush missed its mark, Mu Yun’s tongue would whip out, tearing gashes across Da Xiong’s skin until he was covered in seven or eight bleeding wounds, causing him to grimace in pain.

patted my shoulder and said, “I know what this Kunlun Fetus is; it is the ultimate Yin object in the world, utterly terrified of light and warmth. Keep that Qiming Pearl safe; I’m going to help Da Xiong.”

With that, * drew his military knife and charged forward. His movements were more agile than Da Xiong’s, and he immediately engaged Mu Yun, effectively distracting him.

However, Mu Yun’s right hand was no trivial weapon; whenever Da Xiong closed in for an attack, that hand would intercept and push him back. Furthermore, while grappling with *, Mu Yun could still spare the effort to strike at Da Xiong.

Frankly, I hadn't anticipated Mu Yun being this formidable; caught in a vicious exchange between two fighting masters, they were currently locked in a stalemate.

Just as I watched with mounting tension, Grandpa shouted from a distance, “Nie Chuan, are you carrying the Qiming Pearl?”

I looked at him, thinking that engaging him in conversation would surely put me at a disadvantage. After all, he was my grandfather, and I was his grandson. If he used the excuse of filial defiance to order me to hand over the Qiming Pearl, I wouldn't be able to withstand it, considering that my parents had instilled in me from childhood that filial piety comes first.

So, I considered my options, deciding not to answer Grandpa directly. Instead, I offered a cheerful smile and said, “Grandpa, please stop now. There’s still time for everything.”

Grandpa stamped his foot, pointing at me and cursing, “You unfilial grandson! Not answering me, are you? Very well, I have a way to make you answer.”

With that, Grandpa reached into the pocket of his blue Zhongshan suit and pulled out a handgun, pointing it directly at me.

I frowned deeply and asked, “Grandpa, are you trying to kill me?”

Grandpa scoffed, replying, “That’s right. There’s no point in keeping an unfilial grandson like you alive.”

Truthfully, I never imagined Grandpa would point a gun at me. Even though, in the eyes of others, Grandpa had committed countless wrongs and was a complete villain, a disruptive force, in my heart, he was still just my grandfather. Everything I had done up to this point was to make him see reason.

Holding this conviction, I resolved that if Grandpa truly intended to kill me, I would not evade it. He raised my father, and my father raised me; without Grandpa, there would be no Nie Chuan today. If he now regretted having me as a grandson and chose to destroy me himself, that was his prerogative.

So, I closed my eyes and said, “Grandpa, even now, I still respect you. Everything I’ve done was to prevent you from doing something foolish. If you truly mean to kill me, I will not move away.”

“Xiao Chuan! Are you insane? Get out of the way, he’ll actually shoot!” Da Xiong yelled back while still locked in combat with Mu Yun.

I kept my eyes closed and called back loudly, “He is my grandfather. If he wants to kill me, I cannot hide!”

After saying this, I fell silent, waiting for Grandpa to pull the trigger.

But after waiting for more than ten seconds, Grandpa showed no sign of firing.

I slightly opened my eyes and saw Grandpa still holding the gun up, but his face was ashen, and the hand gripping the weapon was shaking violently.

“Grandpa?” I called out softly.

Grandpa slowly lowered the handgun and managed a bitter smile. “Nie Chuan, if you don’t hand over the Qiming Pearl, I will kill myself right here to show you!”

He then swung the muzzle of the gun and pointed it at his own forehead.

To be honest, I didn't fear death, but the thought of Grandpa killing himself filled me with dread. If Grandpa actually died, I would blame myself for the rest of my life, feeling I had caused his demise.

“Grandpa! Don’t be rash! I’ll give it to you…” I slowly reached into my trouser pocket and pulled out the Qiming Pearl, which was emitting a faint glow. I felt utterly defeated, realizing that in the end, I couldn't win against my grandfather.

“Xiao Chuan, have you lost your mind? For the sake of your pathetic filial piety, do you not care about those innocent people on the ground anymore! I misjudged you entirely!” * roared at me then.

“*, stop talking. Do you think I want this? But what choice do I have now…” I raised the Qiming Pearl in my hand, turning my face toward *, but this was just a diversion; I had already planned my move.

As I turned my head to look at Grandpa, I simultaneously hurled the Qiming Pearl in my hand with all my might.

At that moment, Grandpa had lowered his gun, watching in sheer horror as the Qiming Pearl arced through the air, heading straight for the Kunlun Fetus.

When the Qiming Pearl struck the amber with a sharp crack and instantly dissolved into a million fragments of powder, I surged forward in three quick steps and tackled Grandpa to the ground.

To tell the truth, I hadn't wanted to do that; Grandpa was already elderly, and such a tackle might have injured him. But at that moment, I couldn't afford to hesitate. As I pinned Grandpa down, I snatched the gun from his grasp.

“The Kunlun Fetus!” Grandpa’s head wrenched to the side; his expression was one of utter agony as he stared at the amber object.

I turned my head to look as well. Where the Qiming Pearl had disintegrated, the entire Kunlun Fetus was instantly engulfed in a layer of white flame, and thick white smoke began to billow up instantly.

I let out a long breath, thinking that finally, it was over. With the destruction of the Kunlun Fetus, Grandpa’s plan must be ruined. That object was certainly the key to reviving the Great Tree.

Indeed, as the Kunlun Fetus burned, the Great Tree’s heartbeat ceased entirely, and everything returned to stillness. Moreover, the people kneeling around us one by one turned into grayish dust and collapsed. Clearly, Mu Yun was one of the resurrected beings controlled by Grandpa, which explained his invulnerability.

Mu Yun, who had been struggling against Da Xiong and *, suddenly let out a shrill, miserable scream. His entire hand began to melt into ash-black grains, and gradually, his whole body dissolved into dust.

and Da Xiong let out a collective sigh of relief and looked at me, their gazes filled with elation.

Was it truly over just like that?

I felt that victory had come too easily, but upon reflection, we had already endured so much tribulation; achieving this result was a hard-won success.

Looking at everything that had turned to ash and smoke, I was suddenly struck by a bizarre sense of unreality, as if separated by time and space.

After perhaps a few seconds, Grandpa, still pinned beneath me, was pale as death, his expression radiating absolute despair.

Seeing him like that, I let out a sigh. All the meticulous planning he had undertaken—perhaps spanning ten years, perhaps decades—had been utterly ruined in an instant. It was truly heartbreaking. Though I couldn't grasp why he had done it, I could certainly understand his immense sorrow.