Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

A fierce wind howled outside the Ghost Spirit Gate, and dark clouds filled the sky. Yan Yunshan led a thin, bony spirit horse, walking unsteadily along the main path paved with bluestone. He was dressed in rough linen, and with each step he left a faint bloodstain on the stone pavement.

Following behind, Yan Ruyan was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, but also covered with a plain white mourning cloth, tightly holding a pitch-black jade urn containing ashes.

Those were Wang Chan's "relics".

"Halt! Who goes there and dares to trespass on the forbidden grounds of the Ghost Spirit Sect!" A sharp shout came from mid-air, and two Ghost Spirit Sect disciples dressed in black armor flew in, their spears pointed directly at Yan Yunshan's throat.

Yan Yunshan didn't look up or say anything. He just trembled as he took out a blood-stained token from his pocket. It was a token that Murong Fan had left him. It was engraved with the Ghost Spirit Sect's secret symbols. The Ghost Spirit Sect always recognized tokens, not people.

"I am Yan Yunshan, the lord of Yan Family Fortress... and I have come with my daughter Yan Ruyan to mourn the death of Young Master Wang Chan..." Yan Yunshan's voice was hoarse and tinged with sobs, giving people a sense of deep-seated weariness and loss.

The two disciples exchanged a glance, a hint of confusion and fear flashing in their eyes. They naturally recognized Yan Yunshan and knew that their young master had gone to Yan Family Fortress to "propose marriage." But the pitiful state of the father and daughter left them stunned and at a loss.

"You just said, what happened to the young master?" a disciple asked sharply, snapping out of his daze.

Yan Yunshan took a deep breath, then suddenly knelt down, his forehead slamming heavily against the stone slab with a muffled thud: "Young Master... Young Master... he was ambushed by the traitors of the Seven Sects of Yue! The Blood Spirit Formation was broken, and to protect my daughter, Young Master was torn to pieces by those hypocrites' swords, his life extinguished!"

"What?!" The two disciples were shocked and immediately summoned more guards to lift Yan Yunshan and his daughter up. "Come with me! The sect leader is in the main hall discussing matters. Go and tell the sect leader yourselves! If you utter a single falsehood, we will surely tear your souls apart and refine your spirits!"

……

The main hall of the Ghost Spirit Sect was gloomy and oppressive. In the center of the hall, an old man dressed in a black robe with a withered face sat on a throne of white bones. He was Wang Tiansheng, the sect leader of the Ghost Spirit Sect.

At this moment, he exuded a chilling aura, like a frozen snow mountain that would immediately avalanche if he got angry.

Below, dozens of Core Formation stage elders stood in neat rows on both sides, their eyes sharp as knives, staring intently at Yan Yunshan and his daughter kneeling in the center of the hall.

"Yan Yunshan, how dare you, Yan Family Fortress! You betrayed our sect, colluded with the Seven Sects, and murdered our young master!" An elder on the left suddenly stood up, pointing his finger at Yan Yunshan's nose and angrily shouting, "The Blood Spirit Formation was set up on your Yan Family Fortress's territory, and Young Master Wang Chan's accident happened in your Yan Family Fortress. Now that the formation has been broken and our young master is dead, you say it was because of a sneak attack by the Seven Sects? I think it's clearly your Yan Family Fortress that betrayed us for profit, secretly colluding with the Seven Sects to murder our young master!"

"Yes! There are many suspicious points in this matter! The Yan Family Fortress must provide a satisfactory explanation!"

"Hand over Yan Ruyan! Let her enter the forbidden area of ​​my Ghost Spirit Sect to find out the truth!"

In an instant, the crowd became enraged and restless, and it looked like they were about to start a fight.

Yan Yunshan trembled all over, his back soaked with cold sweat. He knew this was the most crucial moment; "If I answer even one wrong word, both father and daughter will surely perish here today."

Just then, Yan Ruyan, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly moved. She slowly stood up, her movements elegant and resolute. She didn't look at the clamoring elders, but went straight to the center of the hall, knelt before Wang Tiansheng at his desk, and bowed respectfully to him.

"Uncle Sect Master," Yan Ruyan's voice was cold yet unusually firm, "There is something I originally intended to report to you after the funeral. But now that the elders are questioning the loyalty of Yan'er and her father, I can't worry about that anymore, so I can only... tell you in advance."

Wang Tiansheng, already deeply grieving the loss of his son, slightly raised his eyelids, his eyes wide with anger: "What is it?"

Yan Ruyan took a deep breath and slowly lifted the mourning cloth covering her body, revealing her still flat stomach. She raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, yet carrying a poignant beauty that seemed to accept her fate without fear.

"This is a very difficult thing to say. For my late husband's sake, I have disregarded all social norms and etiquette. I must make it clear now that the young master and I have been intimate several times. Now, Yan'er is carrying the young master's child."

The entire room fell silent.

Even Wang Tiansheng sat up abruptly, a look of shock flashing in his eyes.

Yan Ruyan took out the "Spirit-Nourishing Pearl" that she had prepared long ago from her bosom—it was obtained by Murong Fan through a sacrifice at the altar, and it contained a trace of extremely weak, yet incomparably pure, Ghost Spirit Sect bloodline aura.

"This bead..." A knowledgeable elder on the right exclaimed in surprise, "It is indeed the 'Blood Spirit Bead,' a treasure reserved only for the direct descendants of the Ghost Spirit Sect! Only a fetus with royal blood can activate this bead!"

Yan Ruyan held the bead high, and under the dim light of the hall, the bead emitted a faint red glow, breaking the tense and silent atmosphere.

"Yan'er knows she deserves to die for failing to save the young master's life, but the young master's bloodline must not be severed!" Yan Ruyan cried, tears streaming down her face. "To protect the child in my womb, my father exhausted the Yan Family Fortress's savings accumulated over the years, bribing spies from the seven sects. The Yan Family Fortress appeared devastated (in reality, it was all a facade; General Yan Yun had used up his family's wealth to recruit people, playing a trick of secretly advancing his own forces), and risked his life to escort me here. If the sect leader doesn't believe me, he can kill my father and me, but the young master's only bloodline... will be severed."

"Yan'er knows she deserves to die for failing to save the young master's life, but the young master's bloodline must not be severed!" Yan Ruyan cried, tears streaming down her face. "To protect the child in my womb, my father exhausted the Yan Family Fortress's savings accumulated over the years, bribing spies from the seven sects. The Yan Family Fortress appeared devastated (in reality, it was all a facade; General Yan Yun had used up his family's wealth to recruit people, playing a trick of secretly advancing his own forces), and risked his life to escort me here. If the sect leader doesn't believe me, he can kill my father and me, but the young master's only bloodline... will be severed."

Wang Tiansheng was both shocked and silent. He slowly stood up and walked down the steps one by one, each step heavy.

Yan Yunshan lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to breathe.

Wang Tiansheng walked up to Yan Ruyan and took the "Spirit-Nourishing Pearl" from her. He closed his eyes, probed it with his divine sense, and sensed that faint yet familiar aura. His expression shifted between light and dark.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, a complex emotion flashing across them. There was sorrow for losing his son, suspicion about Yan Family Fortress, but above all, he valued the continuation of that bloodline.

"Child..." Wang Tiangu's voice was low, "Are you sure this is Chan'er's?"

"Yan'er is willing to stake her life on it!" Yan Ruyan slammed her forehead heavily on the steps, and blood instantly streamed down her forehead.

"Good...good!" Wang Tiangu suddenly laughed, his laughter cold and wild. "Seven factions! What a Seven factions! They killed my son and broke my formation! But they couldn't take away my grandson, Wang Tiansheng's grandson! The bloodline that Chan'er protected before her death, I must nurture it well to make up for my regrets towards Chan'er and to compensate for what I owe you and your son!"

Wang Tiansheng slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the elders who had just been shouting below, his eyes sharp and filled with murderous intent: "From this day forward, Yan Ruyan is the young master's wife of my Ghost Spirit Sect! Anyone who dares to question the child in her womb is an enemy of me, Wang Tiansheng! All of Yan'er's privileges will be equal to those of the young master when he was alive."

"Yes!" the elders replied in unison, bowing their heads.

Wang Tiansheng turned around, looked at Yan Ruyan, and his gaze softened: "Ruyan, you've suffered. Since you're pregnant, stay at the Ghost Spirit Sect to recuperate. As for Yan Family Fortress..."

He looked at Yan Yunshan on the ground, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Lord Yan, I heard that you squandered your fortune to send away your daughter, to protect the bloodline of my Wang family? Yan Family Fortress is now in ruins. Please forgive any misunderstandings I may have made earlier!"

Yan Yunshan was secretly delighted, knowing he had passed this hurdle. He quickly kowtowed, "For the sect leader, for the young master's bloodline, I would give up everything, even go through fire and water, without hesitation!"

"Very good!" Wang Tiangu nodded in satisfaction. "Since you've given away all your family fortune, you probably can't hold onto that land in Yan Family Fortress anymore. Why don't you... submit to my Ghost Spirit Sect and become one of our 'Guardian Elders'? What do you say?"

Yan Yunshan's heart pounded. This was exactly the result he wanted! He seemed to have lost Yan Family Fortress, but in reality, he had gained real power over the Ghost Spirit Sect!

"I... am willing to serve the sect leader like a dog! I am willing to fight against those seven sects to the end!" Yan Yunshan kowtowed heavily to the ground, his forehead dripping with blood.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!... Good! Good! Good..."

Wang Tiansheng laughed loudly, and with a flick of his sleeve, a gust of wind lifted Yan Yunshan and his daughter: "Send down the order for a three-day grand banquet! I want the entire Yue Kingdom to know that my Ghost Spirit Sect has a worthy successor!"

Outside the main hall, the cold wind continued to blow. In the gloom, Yan Ruyan's lips curled up slightly, forming a cold arc.

Murong Fan's grand strategy is unfolding step by step, culminating in a decisive victory! He intends to reshape the landscape of the cultivation world in Yue Kingdom through a war between the righteous and demonic forces, ushering in unprecedented peace and prosperity.