The four-on-one assault was a surgical execution of power. The Great-Grandfather's Coiling Dragon Rod—a weapon vibrating on the edge of divinity—smashed Wu Jie's artifact-grade staff aside like a twig. With a thunderous roar, the rod descended like a celestial nail, driving the Monarch deep into the earth.
Qian Gu Dongfeng and Han Tianyi moved with practiced precision, pinning the Monarch's limbs with Level 9 Sealing Spirit Tools. The final, brutal stroke came from Yuan En Zhentian. With a punch that shattered space itself, he drove the Coiling Dragon Rod through Wu Jie's torso, effectively "quartering" the demon while leaving him just enough life force to be studied. The threat was neutralized, but at a staggering cost to the landscape.
A Debt Cloaked in Dread
Yuan En Zhentian stood amidst the ruins of his territory, his magnificent attire tattered. As he looked at the three Limit Douluos from the Spirit Pagoda, his gratitude was poisoned by a chilling realization:
If the demons hadn't arrived, what would this much firepower have been used for? Was this "birthday gift" actually an invasion force in disguise?
The Great-Grandfather, sensing the Titan's spiraling paranoia, chose radical honesty. He revealed Qian Gu Zhangting's divination. The truth—that a teenager's vision had summoned this army—was so absurd that it could only be believed in a world ruled by soul power.
Zhentian bowed deeply, moved by the explanation. "I am deeply grateful. If the Spirit Pagoda ever needs the Yuan En family, no matter the difficulty, I will lead my people to your aid."
The Calamity at Home
The moment of peace was shattered by a breathless messenger. The truth of the "Demon Gate" had been traced back to Ye Hui, the Patriarch's own daughter-in-law. Even worse, the young Clan Chief, Yuan En Tiandang, was in a violent standoff with his own clansmen to protect his wife.
Zhentian vanished, reappearing in the clan territory like a vengeful god. A single, crisp slap echoed through the halls as he struck his son.
"Kneel!" Zhentian roared. "Not before me—before the people who suffered this calamity because of your blindness!"
Tiandang knelt, but his eyes were filled with desperate, frantic love. "I will make amends for her! Father, please... don't hurt her!"
Zhentian ignored him, his heart a battlefield of regret. He entered the room where Ye Hui was bound, his mind flashing back to the moment he first discovered her "Evil Soul" nature. He should have killed her then. But now, there was a granddaughter. There was a legacy.
The Oracle's Quiet Observation
From the shadows of the corridor, Qian Gu Zhangting watched the tragedy unfold. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. He knew that Zhentian's "regret" was the perfect soil for his final move.
The Yuan En family was broken, indebted, and terrified of their own bloodline. They were ready for a "miracle" that only the Spirit Pagoda—and the Ice God Pearl—could provide.
Next Chapter: The Purification — Zhangting's Deal with the Titan.
Expert Guide: Yuan En Zhentian is currently at his most vulnerable, torn between his duty as a leader and his love for his family. Should Zhangting offer to "cure" Ye Hui immediately to cement the alliance, or should he let the tension simmer so that the Yuan En family feels even more desperate when he finally reveals his solution?