Lu Mei Niang descended in her tunneling light, her expression stiffening. She coldly commanded the young girl, "Rong’er, come here at once!"
Yan Rong’s delicate face revealed a trace of panic. She glanced at Xiao Han apprehensively and stammered, "Mother, why—why are you here? Weren’t you—"
Lu Mei Niang sighed and said, "I was rescued by Daoist Zhang from peril. He has shown great kindness to me, which I must repay. If you come to me now, you will still be my daughter."
Xiao Han’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this, secretly lamenting the potential disaster unfolding.
Yan Rong’s face turned pale at her mother’s words. She hesitated for a long while, then finally shook her head, as if making a firm decision. She stepped beside Xiao Han, leaned close to him, and said, "Mother, my heart belongs to Master Xiao. I am already his wife, a woman of the Xiao Family. Forgive your daughter for her lack of filial piety."
Lu Mei Niang’s face turned livid with rage, her chest heaving violently. She pointed a slender finger at her daughter and said, "You—you—if you don’t come over, then I—I will no longer—"
She had intended to declare that she disowned her daughter, yet faced with her own flesh and blood, she could not bring herself to speak the harsh words.
Yan Rong, however, hardened her heart, turned her head away, and said softly, "Mother, just think of me as no longer your daughter."
Xiao Han had initially thought to use Yan Rong to prevent Lu Mei Niang from intervening, but hearing those words, he shook his head and inwardly cursed her foolishness.
Lu Mei Niang felt as if struck by lightning upon hearing this. She placed her hand over her chest and staggered back two steps, her spirit utterly crushed. With a heavy sigh, she said, "Enough. Such a disgraceful child, who does not recognize her own parents—what use is there in keeping her alive?"
She raised her hand and struck. A streak of white qi shot forth, hitting Yan Rong squarely on her forehead. With a sharp crack, she fell motionless to the ground, her life extinguished.
Xiao Han furrowed his brow faintly and stepped aside, adjusting his sleeves as if concerned about blood staining his robes.
He raised his gaze to look at Zhang Yan and said coldly, "So you are Zhang Yan? I presume you’ve come for the Sixty-Year Four-Season Water. But even if you’ve brought overseas demon cultivators for assistance, I fear nothing."
Zhang Yan’s eyes briefly lingered on Xiao Han, discerning the bravado masking his insecurity. He revealed a smirk and turned to Lu Mei Niang, saying, "Lu Demon King, I must trouble you to guard outside the island."
Having killed her daughter with her own hands, Lu Mei Niang’s heart and spirit were unsettled. She nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist, take care. I will wait five li away." With those words, she activated her tunneling light and flew off.
Watching her departure, Xiao Han secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure of facing a Third Realm Hua Dan Cultivator was no trifling matter. Though she had not gone far, being absent from the immediate scene bolstered his courage.
Pointing at Zhang Yan, he shouted coldly, "Zhang Yan, mystical treasures belong to those with virtue! Back when your sect suffered internal chaos, had it not been for the support of several elders from my noble family, the mountain gate would have fallen to ruin. This proves that our noble family is the true backbone of the Mingcang Sect. Thus, the Sixty-Year Four-Season Water rightfully belongs to me. It is not yours to covet. Even if you use others to seize it by force, the tide of fate will overturn it! Let me be blunt—you may wish to reconsider, for I have the protection of a Nascent Soul elder. If you persist, don’t blame me for showing no mercy when sect brothers turn against each other."
Despite his haughty words, Xiao Han harbored deep fear of Zhang Yan. The latter’s reputation was notorious for cutting down rivals across the Six Rivers and Four Islands with a single sword stroke. While Xiao Han dared not act rashly, he hoped his threats might intimidate Zhang Yan into retreat.
Zhang Yan sneered, his eyes fixed on Xiao Han as he said, "I care not for your name or origins. What I know is that we both aim for the Four-Season Water today. If you have the courage, come forth and face me—let us settle this with victory and death!"
His gaze burned brightly, imbued with great power after reaching the Second Level of the God Contract. Each uttered word reverberated like thunderclaps. As he finished speaking, his voice stirred the surrounding seas into resounding echoes. Tens of thousands of herons surged skyward behind him, forming a boundless tempest—his aura overwhelmingly imposing.
Xiao Han’s face turned pale, his feet involuntarily retreating a step.
Zhang Yan pressed forward a step, his voice grave and commanding, "Xiao Han, I ask you—do you dare face me in battle?"
As he advanced, his robe billowed, his battle intent roaring like a storm. Coupled with the raging waves behind him, a monumental force surged forth, aiming directly at Xiao Han.
Overwhelmed by Zhang Yan’s devastating aura, Xiao Han staggered backward several steps. Though he longed to rise to the challenge, something seemed to choke his resolve. His mouth opened, yet no words escaped.
As a direct lineage disciple of a great Xuanmen clan, Xiao Han’s path had been smooth since birth. The long-standing support of elders ensured his cultivation progressed steadily. Having reached the Third Realm of Xuan Guang by the age of twenty-five, he was dispatched to temper himself in the outside world.