9th February, in a moor outside Eastcalm City. The sky was gloomy.
Screech! A bird's melodious cry rang out. A giant bird bathed in thunder swooped down from the clouds. On its back sat two figures.
Boom!
As the flying bird approached the ground, the entire wilderness trembled as lightning blasted out from its massive wings. Lightning bolts snaked into the distance before dissipating.
Two figures descended from the bird's back.
One was a middle-aged woman, the other an elderly woman holding a walking stick.
"Junior Sister Huang, you don't have to accompany me any further now that I'm back in my hometown. Go back," said the old lady with a smile as she supported herself with the walking stick.
"Sister Meng." The middle-aged woman's eyes welled with tears. Her "Sister Meng" wasn't this old in the past. Her severe injuries showed her age. However, one could still tell that she had been a beauty when she was younger.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to meet again after this farewell," said the old woman with a happy sigh. "However, I think I have it okay. At least I can return to my hometown before I die and spend the last few years here. Those who died in battle are nothing but piles of dust."
"Sister Meng, just send a letter if you need my help. I, Huang Xiangning, will do my best," said the middle-aged woman solemnly.
"I'll do so if it's needed." The old woman smiled. "Alright, hurry back."
The middle-aged woman carefully glanced at the old woman before finally jumping onto the avian creature's back. Soon, the bird flapped its wings and lightning filled the void.
Whoosh.
With lightning and thunder following, the avian creature soared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon.
The old lady watched her companion leave before turning to look at Eastcalm City. She smiled. It's time to go home. The heavens have treated me well, having allowed me to return to my roots!
Dong!
Ripples surrounded the old lady when she tapped the ground lightly with her walking stick. Numerous ripples spread out in all directions—enveloping a 1000 feet radius.
She held her walking stick as she walked towards Eastcalm City—completely covered by the ripples. Every step she took covered hundreds of feet. Nobody seemed to notice her, even when she walked past some travelling merchants along the way. They continued to laugh and chat.
She arrived at the city gates moments later.
Eastcalm City.
The old woman held her walking stick and stared at the majestic city before her.
This was her hometown—the place she lived when she was young!
The old woman smiled as she continued to advance. Despite the huge number of people at the gates, nobody saw the old woman—including the guards. It was as if she didn't exist. She walked through the streets and arrived at the Meng family's ancestral mansion.
She entered the ancestral mansion.
Many clansmen were patrolling the ancestral mansion, but likewise, none of them could see the old woman.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Inside one of the courtyards of the ancestral mansion, a fat elder was drinking in low spirits.
"Pingping, is that some secret drinking I spy?" A voice rang out in the courtyard.
The fat elder shuddered in fear. He looked around and couldn't help but ask, "Third Sis, is that you? Third Sis?"
A smiling old woman with a walking stick appeared out of thin air in the courtyard.
"Third Sis."
The fat elder's eyes turned red. He was Fairy Meng's only younger brother. The other family Elders addressed her as "Third Sis" out of practicality. The family clan was too large with its millennium-long history. Many members of the family were separated by a few generations. The fat elder's name was Meng Yanping, the current clan leader of the Meng family. He was about twenty years younger than Fairy Meng. Therefore, he was brought up by Fairy Meng when he was young. He treated her as both his sister and mother.
In his heart, his sister had always been young, beautiful, and omnipotent. Now, she had aged so much.
"Why are you crying? Am I not living well?" said the old woman with a smile.
"Third Sis, are you really unable to treat your injuries?" asked the fat elder.
"As long as I don't fight with full strength, I should stay alive for another eight years," the old woman said calmly. "Humans are affected by sickness and death, and Godfiends similarly have a limited lifespan. What's there to be sad about? The next few years give me plenty of time to put the Meng family back on track. Did anything happen when news about my severe injuries reached Eastcalm Prefecture?"
"Our family annulled the engagement with the Yun family. It's the engagement of that little fellow, Meng Chuan," said the fat elder. "As for the rest, the four Godfiend family clans only engaged in some cheap tricks. They didn't dare to truly provoke our Meng family."
"Yes. Back then, Yun Wanhai wanted to use our families' engagement as a way to better his family. Now that I'm seriously injured, it's not surprising that he canceled his engagement."
The old lady instructed, "Right, Pingping…"
"Third Sis, I'm already ninety years old. I'm the Meng family's clan leader. Can you call me by my actual name?" The fat elder couldn't help but lament.
"Oh, alright, alright. I won't embarrass you," said the old woman with a smile. "Meng Pingping, gather all the Clan Elders to the Blazing Fire Hall. I want to meet them."
"What Meng Pingping? My name is Meng Yanping," the fat elder mumbled as he quickly went to gather the Elders.
His sister was like his mother who had brought him up. She protected him and allowed him to come this far.
Hearing his elder sister call him "Pingping" made Clan Leader Yanping walk with a bounce in his step.
…
The Meng family's ancestral mansion, the Blazing Fire Hall.
Only the most important matters regarding the family clan would reach here. The area around the Blazing Fire Hall was heavily-guarded today.
In the main hall.
Fairy Meng stood there with her walking stick. She looked at the plaque in the hall: "Blazing Fire."
The clan leader and the elders all stood respectfully, not daring to make a sound.
In terms of age…
Fairy Meng was 112 years old this year. She was the oldest in the family. In terms of strength, Fairy Meng had become a Godfiend at 35. She had protected the Meng family for nearly eighty years and the Meng family had flourished for eighty years. There was no doubt about the prestige she held in the Meng family. With a single order, many clansmen would not hesitate dying.
After staring at the words "Blazing Fire" on the plaque for a long time, Fairy Meng turned around. Her gaze swept across all the Elders present. All the Elders bowed nervously.
"Are there any talents in our Meng family's younger generation, ones who have a chance of becoming a Godfiend?" inquired Fairy Meng. Although the Meng family had been rooted in Eastcalm Prefecture for more than a thousand years, it had only produced two Godfiends. One was Patriarch Yushan from five hundred years ago, while the other was Fairy Meng. Their eras allowed the Meng family to reach its peak. What Fairy Meng wanted the most was…
To be able to nurture a third Godfiend in the history of the family clan.
Initially, she could have patiently searched for a suitable junior worth nurturing. However, time was of the essence, and she could only choose from whoever was available.
"Dajiang is quite talented. He figured out the saber's secret technique at 19 and gained insights into Saber Force at the age of 30. Now, he's only 47-years-old. There's a sliver of hope for him to become a Godfiend," said a bald elder.
"Dajiang?"
Fairy Meng looked at the Meng Dajiang.
"Aunt." The plump Meng Dajiang immediately bowed.
"Have you condensed your core?" asked Fairy Meng.
Meng Dajiang shook his head.
Fairy Meng frowned. To not condense a core at age 47 made his chances of becoming a Godfiend very slim.
"What about the young ones?" pressed Fairy Meng.
"Among the young ones, three of them are not bad," said Clan Leader Meng Yanping immediately. "Meng Zhu is 23 this year and at the Impervious realm. He is in the midst of military service at Qinyang Pass. He figured out the secret technique at 19. And there's Meng Wenying. She's 16 and she achieved Greater Mastery of a top-notch sword art at 12. There's also Dajiang's son, Meng Chuan. He is 15 this year, achieving Greater Mastery of a top-notch saber art at 13. Meng Wenying and Meng Chuan are both young, but they haven't figured out the secret technique yet."
Fairy Meng fell silent.
Meng Zhu had only figured out the secret technique when he was 19. This was very late for those becoming Godfiends! This was because it was unknown when he would gain insight into "Force." By the time that happened, the chances of him becoming a Godfiend became even more distant.
Meng Wenying and Meng Chuan; one was 16, while the other was 15. Time was tight, and they had yet to grasp the key secret technique.
Even if she wanted to choose from second best, they couldn't be considered as good.
"All of you can go back," said Fairy Meng coldly. "For the next few years, the juniors of the entire family clan will receive better nurturing. This is an important matter for the family clan. Nothing else supersedes this in importance. Before I die, I want to see a seedling who has a chance of becoming a Godfiend."
Clearly, she didn't see any outstanding seedlings. All she could do was spread the net, hoping for the nine to twelve-year-olds to become geniuses.
"Yes," the clan leader and the elders replied in unison.
"This matter involves the rise and fall of the family, so there's no room for delay. If anyone were to siphon off the benefits while this happens, they will be punished as per the family's rules." After Fairy Meng said that, she walked out with her walking stick.