My Descendants Are My Power

Outside Stonelake City.

The sprawling vines that Amelia had conjured days ago with her Celestial Botanical Technique had vanished from the sky, leaving behind only a carpet of withered tendrils on the ground.

High above, amidst a toxic, pale-green miasma that obscured both sight and the perception of prime spirits and Competent Force alike, Hudson hovered.

He scanned his surroundings.

He had been battling Isaac and Amelia for days.

Isaac, newly ascended to Basic Mastery, was a fifth-rank like Brody, but still far weaker than Hudson.

Yet, to Hudson's surprise, Isaac and Amelia, the extraordinary apothecary, had managed to hold him at bay for so long.

They were a truly troublesome pair.

Amelia's divine arts were strange.

Hudson couldn't fathom what kind of heaven-defying technique she cultivated.

Her endless vines could even temporarily bolster Isaac's cultivation.

And then there were her pills and strange elixirs, ensuring Isaac remained a persistent thorn in Hudson's side.

A figure flickered within the poisonous fog, moving with such speed that it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Isaac.

That naturally gifted child cultivated a heaven-sent technique that allowed him to command lightning, making him a deadly and elusive opponent.

And then there was his Heavenly Fire.

A single touch could spell doom, for even ordinary water couldn't extinguish its mystical flames.

"How much longer can you two last?" Hudson boomed, his voice laced with amusement rather than concern.

"You can't defeat me. Did you really think a century of preparation would be enough to challenge us? What do you have that can possibly stand against us?"

"So you found our weakness. Did you really believe we wouldn't understand ourselves?"

"You may have prepared for a hundred years, but so have we!"

Isaac's youthful voice, sharp with anger, cut through the miasma.

"Hmph, look at you, acting all high and mighty even though you've lost contact with your precious projections."

"And what of it?"

The sudden turn of events had taken Hudson by surprise, just as it had every other projection.

For a moment, panic had gripped him.

But that moment had passed.

Hudson threw back his head and laughed.

"That Miles, he actually thought he could help you destroy us. How naive."

"Let me share some good news with you. Miles is dead. He sent messages to all those factions, relying on his reputation to expose our projections in Sunshine Mansion. We can no longer gather our forces there to crush you Blackwoods."

Amelia's brow furrowed at his words.

Hudson continued, his voice like a predator savoring the anticipation of a kill.

"Unfortunately for you, the moment you Blackwoods stepped foot in Sunshine Mansion, you walked into a trap. We've been ready for you."

"I imagine you Blackwoods, with your supposed influence, sought help, didn't you?"

"Radiant Sky Grotto?"

"DruidsMike?"

"The Divine Hall Edge Hall, with its newest member, the Celestial Star Swordmaster?"

Hudson fairly vibrated with smug satisfaction.

"What about Cloudview County? Duke Phillips? Duke Walker? Or those new allies the Azure Cloud has gathered over the years?"

"None of them are coming! You're alone, with no one to turn to. Here in Sunshine Mansion, you Blackwoods are nothing but trapped prey!"

His words rang with chilling truth.

Every faction he had named was facing its own crisis.

Deep within Radiant Sky Grotto, General Owen, having received the Blackwoods' message and rushed back from the demon realm border, stood before the Grotto Master, a portly, middle-aged man who barred his way.

The same excuses, the same pleas for Owen to mind his own business.

Far away, in the Divine Hall Edge Hall, an elder toyed with the storage ring on his pinky finger.

He glanced at the message sword that had arrived from afar and sighed.

"Such a pity. A perfectly good psychic vein, wasted like this. Am I, an elder of the Divine Hall Edge Hall, supposed to risk my neck for a mere guest?"

The message sword crumbled to dust, denied even the chance to be seen by the other elders.

In Cloudview County, the Blackwoods' ancestral home...

Over the past century, countless individuals had sought refuge in the Azure Cloud, fleeing trouble in the Emerald Empire.

Among them, Daoist Holy Flame was the most renowned.

Everyone knew that a Basic Master resided within the Azure Cloud, though he kept a low profile, rarely revealing himself.

Today, however, he had come to Duke Phillips' mansion, accompanied by the forces he had quietly gathered over the years.

Within the mansion, the Azure Cloud army stood ready, alongside Duke Phillips' own elite forces.

They were preparing for a battle, though the exact nature of the conflict remained unclear. Your adventure continues at empire

Duke Phillips' ancestor, a Basic Master himself, sat meditating on a cushion.

He frowned as Daoist Holy Flame approached.

"Daoist Holy Flame, shouldn't you be cultivating in your Divine Flame Grotto? What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Elder Jaxon, when I first arrived in the Azure Cloud, you assured me that I was free to go wherever I pleased, with the exception of Glory City. I'm merely here to reminisce with an old friend. Surely, there's no need for such suspicion."

Daoist Holy Flame, his aged face framed by a crimson robe, glanced at the flicker of weakness in Elder Jaxon's prime spirit.

"Did you sustain those injuries facing that unknown expert all those years ago, Elder Jaxon? Have they healed after all this time? You mustn't push yourself too hard."

Elder Jaxon remained silent for a moment before replying coldly.

"What did they offer you to stop me? I'll admit, you hold the advantage today. Tell you what, split your reward with me, and I'll turn a blind eye."

"Well..."

Daoist Holy Flame's lips twitched.

"Very well."

In the heart of the Blackwoods' extended family...

Duke Kenneth of Walker Mansion had gathered with Daoist Leon, Patriarch Ralph, and even Jimmy, the Blackwoods' old friend from the Oracle Chamber in the imperial city.

They had all received the Celestial Star Swordmaster's message.

Nathan and Lucas had returned, and they were battling the Heavenly Path in Mount Kylin within Sunshine Mansion.

The mystery that had haunted them for over a century was unraveling.

They felt no fear in standing with the Blackwoods against this seemingly insurmountable foe.

Had they not faced such challenges before?

They believed that together, the people of the Azure Cloud could overcome any obstacle, scale any mountain.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om