183: Chapter 183 A stunningly beautiful woman with a fiery figure! The mother of the chosen one…

Xuanyuan Qianqian crashed into Zhou Liangan's solid chest, a sourness rose in her nose, and tears almost spilled out.

She raised her head and glared viciously at Zhou Liangan, her eyes filled with resentment and hatred, "Zhou Liangan, I curse you! I curse you to die a horrible death!"

Zhou Liangan looked at her Face, which had become even more captivating due to anger and fear, and desire and killing intent intertwined in his heart.

He lowered his head and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, said coldly right by Xuanyuan Qianqian's ear: "Curse me? That depends on whether you have the ability. From now on, you are my slave. Your body, your Soul, will all belong to me."

Having said that, he didn't wait for Xuanyuan Qianqian to react before slamming his palm onto the top of her head.

A gentle but irresistible force surged into Xuanyuan Qianqian's body, instantly sealing her Meridians and Cultivation.

Xuanyuan Qianqian felt her whole body go limp, and she no longer had a shred of strength.

She collapsed into Zhou Liangan's arms, her eyes filled with despair.

She knew she was finished.

Zhou Liangan held the limp Xuanyuan Qianqian in his arms, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful smile...

The Ye Family Ancestral Grounds were located on an ancient planet brimming with Spiritual Qi.

The entire planet was shrouded in a pale golden energy barrier; outside the barrier were surging nebulae and passing interstellar spaceships, while inside were lush green hills, babbling brooks, and ancient architectural complexes with flying eaves and upturned corners built against the mountains, everywhere exuding the majesty and weight of a veteran meritorious Family.

The afternoon sun filtered through the branches and leaves of the thousand-year-old cypresses, casting mottled light and shadows on the bluestone path.

Incense smoke curled in the ancestral hall, and the spirit tablets of the Ye Family's ancestors were neatly arranged on the black sandalwood offering table; the topmost position, which should have been reserved for Patriarch Ye Cangxuan, who had only recently achieved a Breakthrough to the Enlightenment Realm, was still empty at this moment.

Patriarch Ye Yangyun sat on a pear-wood armchair in the side hall, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of his teacup.

Just then, a flurry of hurried, almost panicked footsteps came from afar, breaking the tranquility of the ancestral grounds.

The footsteps grew closer and heavier, as if someone were running with all their might, and even the bronze bells hanging under the corridor were shaken until they chimed.

Patriarch Ye Yangyun's brows knitted into a frown, and obvious displeasure appeared on his Face.

The Ye Family Ancestral Grounds had strict rules, especially near the ancestral hall, where loud noises and running were strictly prohibited.

Who was so ignorant of the rules that they dared to act so unseemly here?

He put down his teacup with a "clatter," and a few drops of tea splashed onto the smooth tabletop.

The next second, a young man wearing Ye Family Disciple attire rushed in. He was running so urgently that he nearly tripped over the threshold upon entering, staggering several steps before steadying himself against the door frame.

His hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead, his Face was covered in sweat and dust, his originally neat clothes were torn in several places, and there were bloodstains on his knees.

Most shocking of all were his eyes, which held a kind of bone-deep fear and despair, as if he had just crawled out of Hell.

"What is the meaning of this frantic behavior! Where are your manners!" Patriarch Ye Yangyun said with a straight Face, using the dignified tone of a Family head, "How do I usually teach you? Stay calm when encountering matters; do not change color even if Mount Tai collapses before you! What on earth happened to make you this terrified?"

The Ye Family Disciple raised his head, saw Patriarch Ye Yangyun, and his lips trembled, unable to say a word for a long time.

He gasped for air, his chest heaving violently, as if he were trying to cough up his lungs.

After a long while, he squeezed out two words in a voice that was trembling uncontrollably: "Dead... dead..."

"Dead?" Patriarch Ye Yangyun was stunned for a moment, then the gloom on his Face vanished, and he stood up from his chair abruptly, a gleam of wild joy instantly erupting in his eyes.

He laughed heartily, his voice filled with satisfaction and vengeance: "Great! Finally dead! I knew that the little bastard who killed Feiyu could never escape the Old Ancestor's grasp! The Old Ancestor is truly mighty! I bet he couldn't even take one move from the Old Ancestor!"

Patriarch Ye Yangyun became more excited the more he spoke; he walked quickly to the Ye Family Disciple and patted his shoulder hard: "Good lad, you've rendered a great service! Tell me quickly, how did the Old Ancestor slaughter that little bastard? Did you bring back his head? I want to hang his head on the Ye Family gate for three days to let everyone know the consequences of offending our Ye Family!"

However, facing Patriarch Ye Yangyun's excitement, the Ye Family Disciple showed no joy at all.

The expression on his Face became even more painful; he shook his head vigorously, and tears finally couldn't help but stream down.

"No... it's not that... Family Head..." His voice was choked with sobs as he said intermittently, "It's not Zhou Liangan who is dead... it is... it is the Old Ancestor... the Old Ancestor is dead..."

"What did you say?"

The smile on Patriarch Ye Yangyun's Face froze instantly, as if someone had poured a basin of sub-zero ice water over his head, chilling him from head to toe.

He stared blankly at the Ye Family Disciple, his eyes wide as copper bells, as if he had heard the most absurd thing in the world.

"Say it again!" Patriarch Ye Yangyun's voice rose sharply, carrying a tremor of disbelief.

"Family Head, the Old Ancestor is dead!" The Ye Family Disciple finally couldn't help but cry out, "The Old Ancestor had a life-and-death duel with Zhou Liangan at the central dueling arena on Tianxuan Star, and as a result... as a result, he didn't even last three moves... and was slaughtered by that Zhou Liangan... his Divine Soul was destroyed... not even a wisp of his remnant Soul remained..."

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Patriarch Ye Yangyun took a step back, stumbling, and nearly fell to the ground. He pointed his finger at the Ye Family Disciple, his Face instantly turning as pale as his opponent's, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, streaming down his cheeks incessantly.

"You are lying to me, right? You must be lying to me!" Patriarch Ye Yangyun's voice was hysterical, "Who is the Old Ancestor? He is a powerhouse of the Nirvana Realm! He is the stabilizing pillar of our Ye Family! What is that Zhou Liangan? A nobody, a callow youth! How could he possibly kill the Old Ancestor? And in less than three moves? How is this possible! You must have made a mistake!"

"Family Head, I am not lying to you, what I said is the absolute truth!" The Ye Family Disciple cried, "I was at the scene of the dueling arena and saw it with my own eyes! It wasn't just me; representatives from all the major powers of the Human Alliance were at the scene, and tens of thousands of people saw it!"

Next, the Ye Family Disciple told Patriarch Ye Yangyun everything that happened at the Tianxuan Star dueling arena in detail.

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan's aura was discovered by Zhou Liangan, and the two sides agreed to a duel.

Once the news got out, all of Tianxuan Star was abuzz.

A first-stage Enlightenment Realm challenging a Nirvana Realm to a life-and-death duel was something rarely seen in a hundred years.

Powerhouses from major Star Domains, Family representatives, chamber of commerce leaders, and even Elders from some reclusive Sects all rushed to the Tianxuan Star central dueling arena, wanting to witness this massacre firsthand.

However, after the duel began, what happened shocked everyone.

The entire process of Zhou Liangan slaughtering Patriarch Ye Cangxuan truly took only three moves, lasting less than ten seconds in total.

The dueling arena instantly fell into a deathly silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone had their mouths wide open, staring blankly at the young figure in the center of the arena, unable to believe their eyes.

It took a full minute before someone reacted, emitting sounds of gasping.

"Now, the entire Human Alliance is in an uproar." The Ye Family Disciple wiped the tears from his Face and continued, "Everyone is inquiring about who this Zhou Liangan really is. Some say he is the successor of some ancient Sect that has been in seclusion for ten thousand years, some say he is the Reincarnation of the ancient Reincarnation Emperor, and others say he obtained the legendary samsara dao coffin Legacy. But no one knows his true origin, and no one knows what he will do next. Now all major powers have issued the highest ban, strictly forbidding their Disciples from having any conflict with Zhou Liangan, for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves."

Patriarch Ye Yangyun stood there blankly, listening to the Ye Family Disciple's words, as if his Soul had been drained away.

His mind was blank, his ears were buzzing, he couldn't hear anything, and he couldn't think of anything.

The Old Ancestor was dead.

That stabilizing pillar who had sheltered the Ye Family for over a hundred years, that Old Ancestor he had always thought was omnipotent, had actually been slaughtered by a young man in his twenties in less than three moves.

Moreover, that Zhou Liangan had also declared that he would trample the Ye Family and leave no living thing behind.

How could this be?

How could this be!

Patriarch Ye Yangyun's body began to tremble uncontrollably, cold sweat on his forehead flowed more and more, dripping down his chin onto the ground, wetting a patch of bluestone.

He felt that his sky had collapsed, the whole world was spinning, and under his feet it felt like he was stepping on cotton—soft and limp, without any strength.

"Family Head... Family Head, are you okay?" The Ye Family Disciple looked at Patriarch Ye Yangyun's devastated appearance and couldn't help but ask cautiously.

Patriarch Ye Yangyun did not answer him. He just stood there blankly, and after a long while, he suddenly came back to his senses.

He grabbed the Ye Family Disciple's collar, his eyes bloodshot, and roared in a hoarse voice: "Impossible! That little bastard must have used a dirty trick! It must be! He must have used some despicable and shameless means to luckily kill the Old Ancestor! Otherwise, how could he possibly be the Old Ancestor's match!"

"Family Head, there was no dirty trick, really no dirty trick!" The Ye Family Disciple said with a bitter Face, "There were tens of thousands of people watching at the time, and there were even notaries from the Human Alliance supervising the whole process; the entire process was open and aboveboard. That Zhou Liangan just relied on his strength to slaughter the Old Ancestor in three moves."

Patriarch Ye Yangyun released the Ye Family Disciple's collar, staggered back a few steps, and slumped onto the pear-wood chair behind him.

He held his head in his hands, groaning in pain, his shoulders shaking incessantly.

It was over, everything was over.

The Old Ancestor was dead, and the Ye Family's greatest backing had fallen. Now, that god of slaughter, Zhou Liangan, was coming to trample the Ye Family in three days.

Could it be that all three hundred members of the Ye Family were going to die with the Old Ancestor?

The more Patriarch Ye Yangyun thought, the more afraid and desperate he became.

He raised his head, looking at the spirit tablets of the ancestors in the ancestral hall, and tears finally couldn't help but flow down.

"Ancestors above, Disciple Ye Yangyun is unfilial; I failed to protect the Ye Family and let the Ye Family fall into a catastrophe. Disciple has failed you, failed the ancestors of the Ye Family!"

Just as Patriarch Ye Yangyun was sinking into despair and pain, a flurry of gentle footsteps came from outside the door.

A woman wearing a pale purple long dress walked in slowly.

She was about thirty years old, her skin was fairer than snow, her eyebrows were like a painting, and her long, jet-black hair was coiled into a simple bun, pinned with a white jade hairpin.

Her figure was graceful, and her every move exuded the charm of a mature woman and a dignified, elegant temperament.

Most rare was the look in her eyes, calm as water, as if even if the sky were falling, it wouldn't make her feel the slightest panic.

She was Patriarch Ye Yangyun's wife, the mistress of the Ye Family, Bing Yunyu.

Bing Yunyu walked up to that Ye Family Disciple, waved her hand at him, and said in a voice that was soft yet carried an unquestionable power: "Alright, you may leave first. There is nothing left for you here. Remember, whatever you heard and saw today must rot in your stomach. You are not allowed to tell anyone, including your parents, wife, or children. If a single whisper leaks out, you will be dealt with according to Family law."

The Ye Family Disciple felt a heavy burden lifted, nodded quickly, and said respectfully: "Yes, Matriarch. I understand. I will absolutely not tell anyone."

After speaking, he carefully backed out and closed the door to the side hall behind him.

Only Patriarch Ye Yangyun and Bing Yunyu were left in the side hall.

Bing Yunyu walked to Patriarch Ye Yangyun's side and said in a gentle tone: "Yangyun, don't be like this. The matter has already occurred, and being sad won't help. What's most important now is to find a way to solve the problem and protect the lives of our Ye Family members."

Patriarch Ye Yangyun raised his head, looked at Bing Yunyu, his eyes filled with despair and helplessness. He grabbed Bing Yunyu's hand and said in a hoarse voice: "Yunyu, did you hear it all? The Old Ancestor is dead, killed by that Zhou Liangan in just three moves. And that Zhou Liangan even declared he would come to flatten the Ye Family, leaving not even a chicken or dog alive. We are finished, the Ye Family is finished!"

"Who says we are finished?" Bing Yunyu crouched down, looked into Patriarch Ye Yangyun's eyes, her Face still wearing a faint smile, and said in a firm tone: "Yangyun, do not panic. Things have not yet reached the point of no return; we still have a chance."

"A chance? What chance do we have?" Patriarch Ye Yangyun said with a bitter smile, "Even the Old Ancestor was no match for that Zhou Liangan, who else in our Ye Family can stop him?"

"Who says we have to fight him head-on?" Bing Yunyu said, "Have you forgotten? Our Ye Family is a Meritorious Family conferred by the Human Alliance, and we have a Meritorious Stele. According to the Basic Law of the Human Alliance, no force or individual is allowed to attack a Meritorious Family without authorization; otherwise, it is to be an enemy of the Human Alliance and will Face the full suppression of the Human Alliance fleet. No matter how powerful that Zhou Liangan is, does he dare to oppose the entire Human Alliance?"

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Patriarch Ye Yangyun's eyes.

That is right, how could he have forgotten this! The Ye Family is a Meritorious Family and has the protection of the Human Alliance! Even if that Zhou Liangan is powerful, he wouldn't dare to openly violate the laws of the Human Alliance, right?

But soon, the light in his eyes dimmed again. He shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Yunyu, you are too naive. The title of a Meritorious Family is built on the Foundation of strength. In the past, when the Old Ancestor was still alive, no one dared not to give our Ye Family Face, and no one dared to touch a hair on our Ye Family. But now that the Old Ancestor is dead, our Ye Family has become a piece of fat meat without any protection, and everyone wants to come up and take a bite."

"Just think about it, over these years, how many people have we offended by relying on the Old Ancestor's prestige and the title of a Meritorious Family? The Li Family in the east, we seized their Purple Crystal Mining Star; the Wang Family in the south, we suppressed them for twenty full years; and those small families we stepped under our feet, which one of them doesn't hate us to the bone? Previously they feared the Old Ancestor and dared not do anything to us. Now that the Old Ancestor is dead, do you think they will let go of this opportunity to kick us while we are down?"

"Moreover, that Zhou Liangan even dared to kill the Old Ancestor and destroy his Divine Soul; would he really fear the laws of the Human Alliance? Since he dared to declare that he would flatten the Ye Family in three days, he must be fearless. When he really comes, would the Human Alliance offend a super expert capable of killing an Enlightenment Realm expert in three moves just for us, a declining Ye Family? I doubt it. Perhaps they would even be happy to see it happen and take the opportunity to divide up the Ye Family's assets."

Upon hearing this, the smile on Bing Yunyu's Face faded slightly. She was silent for a moment, nodded, and said: "What you say makes sense. The title of a Meritorious Family may not necessarily protect us. However, we have other ways."

"Other ways? What ways?" Patriarch Ye Yangyun asked quickly, as if grabbing onto the last straw.

Bing Yunyu stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lush green mountains and the murmuring stream outside, a complex light flashing in her eyes. She was silent for a long while before slowly saying: "Yangyun, do you remember? Half a month ago, envoys from the Xuanyuan Star Domain came; they wanted to buy our ancestral star."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Patriarch Ye Yangyun stood up abruptly from his chair, his eyes wide, looking at Bing Yunyu in disbelief, "Yunyu, what do you mean? You want me to sell the ancestral star?"

"Yes." Bing Yunyu turned around, looked at Patriarch Ye Yangyun, nodded, and said in a serious tone, "This is currently the only way to protect the Ye Family."

"No! Absolutely not!" Patriarch Ye Yangyun refused without a second thought, his emotions becoming abnormally agitated, and his voice rising sharply, "The ancestral star is the root of our Ye Family! It is the place where our ancestors of past generations are buried! It is the Foundation that our Ye Family has inherited for three thousand seven hundred years! If I sell the ancestral star, how will I have the Face to see our ancestors? How can I Face the descendants of the Ye Family? If this matter gets out, our Ye Family will be laughed at by the entire Human Alliance for a thousand years! We will become the eternal sinners of the Ye Family!"

"I know what the ancestral star means to us." Bing Yunyu's voice remained calm but carried an unquestionable power, "But Yangyun, now is not the time to talk about backbone. Backbone cannot be eaten as food, and it cannot save the lives of our Ye Family members. If we do not sell the ancestral star, when Zhou Liangan comes, we will all die. By then, the ancestral star will still be occupied by others, the ancestral tablets will be smashed, and the ancestral graves will be dug up. That would be true unfilial piety, and that would be the true eternal sin."

"But..." Patriarch Ye Yangyun wanted to retort, but was interrupted by Bing Yunyu.

"There are no buts." Bing Yunyu said, "Yangyun, calm down and think carefully. As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood. As long as we are still alive, the Ye Family still has a chance to make a comeback. If everyone is dead, then everything is gone. If the ancestral star is lost, we can find another planet to rebuild the Ye Family. But if the people are gone, the Ye Family will truly disappear completely."

"Moreover, what kind of place is the Xuanyuan Star Domain? Their strength is far above our Ye Family. As long as the Xuanyuan Family is willing to protect us, let alone one Zhou Liangan, even ten Zhou Liangans would not dare to touch a hair on our Ye Family."

"Furthermore, the Xuanyuan Family has long coveted our ancestral star. They know that beneath our ancestral star lies a rare High Grade Spiritual Vein, as well as ruins of an Emperor Venerable from the ancient era. Therefore, they are willing to offer very generous conditions: not only will they provide us with permanent protection and ensure the safety of everyone in our Ye Family, but they will also give us one hundred Medium Grade Spiritual Stars, as well as all the Cultivation resources we need to rebuild the Ye Family. Such conditions are unprecedented."

Patriarch Ye Yangyun fell silent. He lowered his head, his hands tightly clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh, blood flowing down between his fingers, dripping onto the ground, blooming into eye-catching blood flowers.

He knew that everything Bing Yunyu said was correct. The current situation no longer allowed him to talk about backbone, nor did it allow him to hesitate. Selling the ancestral star, although he would be mocked and would be failing his ancestors, at least it could save the lives of the Ye Family members and at least it could allow the Ye Family's incense to continue. If he didn't sell the ancestral star and Zhou Liangan really arrived, the Ye Family would completely disappear from this world, not even leaving a trace behind.

However, the four words "sell the ancestral star" were like three great mountains, pressing down on him until he couldn't breathe. He was the head of the Ye Family, and his responsibility was to protect the Ye Family and protect the ancestral star. Now, he had to personally sell the ancestral star, to sell the Foundation that the Ye Family had inherited for three thousand seven hundred years. How could he accept this?

Bing Yunyu watched Patriarch Ye Yangyun's painful struggle and said in a gentle voice: "Yangyun, I know you are suffering, and I am suffering too. But we have no other choice. For the sake of the more than three hundred members of the Ye Family, for the sake of the Ye Family's future, we must do this. Our ancestors in heaven will understand us."

After a full ten minutes, Patriarch Ye Yangyun slowly opened his eyes. There was no longer the despair and helplessness from before in his eyes; instead, it was replaced by a cold determination and bone-deep hatred.

He gently pushed Bing Yunyu away, wiped the tears from his Face, took a deep breath, and said in a hoarse voice: "Alright. Let's do as you say. Sell the ancestral star and seek the protection of the Xuanyuan Family."

Upon hearing this, a relieved smile appeared on Bing Yunyu's Face. She nodded and said: "That's great, Yangyun. I knew you were a reasonable person. I will go make arrangements now, have the envoys from the Xuanyuan Family come over, and we will sign the agreement today."

"Wait." Patriarch Ye Yangyun called out to her.

"What is it? Is there anything else?" Bing Yunyu asked with confusion.

A cold chill flashed in Patriarch Ye Yangyun's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said word by word: "Protection is not enough. I want the Xuanyuan Family to help us kill Zhou Liangan. I want that little beast's head to pay tribute to the spirits of the Old Ancestor and Feiyu in heaven."

Bing Yunyu looked at the hatred in Patriarch Ye Yangyun's eyes, was silent for a while, nodded, and said: "Alright. I will bring up this condition to the envoys from the Xuanyuan Family. I believe that as long as we are willing to sell the ancestral star to them, they will definitely agree to this condition. After all, killing a Zhou Liangan is just a simple task for them."

"No." Patriarch Ye Yangyun shook his head and said, "I want to talk to the envoys from the Xuanyuan Family about this matter personally. I want to make it clear to him Face-to-Face; I want to watch with my own eyes as Zhou Liangan dies at the hands of the Xuanyuan Family. Only then can I relieve the hatred in my heart."

"Alright." Bing Yunyu nodded and said, "Then I will go prepare now, and then accompany you to meet the envoys from the Xuanyuan Family. They are currently staying at the VIP building at the foot of the mountain."

Patriarch Ye Yangyun did not speak. He walked to the center of the ancestral hall, looked at the tablets of the ancestors of past generations on the altar table, and bowed deeply three times.

"Ancestors above, Disciple Ye Yangyun, today, in order to preserve the incense of the Ye Family, I am forced to sell the ancestral star. The Disciple hereby swears that the humiliation of today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future. One day, I will lead the Ye Family to reclaim everything that belongs to us. If I violate this oath, may I be destroyed by heaven and earth!"

After speaking, he straightened up, his eyes filled with cold killing intent and firm determination. He turned around and said to Bing Yunyu: "Let's go. We are going to meet the envoys from the Xuanyuan Family."

Bing Yunyu nodded, followed behind Patriarch Ye Yangyun, and walked out of the side hall.

Inside the villa on Tianxuan Star.

Xuanyuan Qianqian...

PS: The picture is of Bing Yunyu.