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The truth lay bare. Though Shui Liu didn't recount every detail, Shui Niang Qing pieced together the grim reality from his words.
Despite bracing herself, confirming her father's death in a grand conspiracy pierced her heart with agony.
Shui Mo Er, deprived of a father's love from birth. Her mother, without support for over thirty years. The Lan Hong Sect's decline, her grandfather's death from grief thinking of it all, Shui Niang Qing's restraint shattered. She raised her Thunder Spear, aiming for Shui Liu's throat, intent on tearing him apart.
"Wait!" Lan An sauntered over with a cheeky grin, plucking the storage ring from Shui Liu's finger and tucking it into his chest.
"Damn you… who are you, you wretched brat?" Shui Liu glared, seething with hatred, yearning to shred Lan An into pieces.
This youth had unraveled his decades-long scheme. Killing Shui Mo Er and Shui Niang Qing for her Strange Water, then secretly assassinating Shui Shuang Hua, would have left "Shui Xiong" to rule the Lan Hong Sect.
As "Shui Xiong," mourning his lost family, he'd bury himself in cultivation, breaking through to late-stage Void Refinement in a mere decade. Subduing the Black Sharks, merging both forces, and with the Dong Ming Merchant Guild as his lapdog—who in Lan Zhou would dare cross him?
A flawless plan, ruined by a comet like Lan An.
Lan An ignored the dying man's venom, vanishing with Speed Shift to snatch Hei Sha's storage ring under his hateful gaze.
"What're you staring at? Coveting my Qing Er? Who gave you the guts?" Lan An spat on Hei Sha's face, his shameless demeanor returning.
Spurt
Hei Sha, powerless and gravely wounded by Shui Niang Qing's strike, lay sprawled. Lan An's taunt provoked a spray of blood.
Ignoring him, Lan An and Little Lion zipped through the Sharks' treasury, looting it bare.
Watching his blatant plundering, surviving pirates gnashed their teeth, helpless to crush this shameless thief.
Finished, Shui Niang Qing fixed Shui Liu with a cold stare. "Ready to die?"
"Haha, lass, I admit defeat this time! But I lost to that brat and the mysterious woman, not Shui Chao, not his son Shui Xiong, nor his granddaughter. You won because you were luckier than me!" Shui Liu laughed skyward, acknowledging his cunning in schemes and strength.
"Proud, are you? The moment the Sect Leader's seat went to my grandfather, you were forever the loser. Recognizing your treacherous nature, our great-grandfather and the late elders chose my grandfather as Sect Leader. Had you taken the role then, today's tragedies wouldn't have happened," Shui Niang Qing sneered.
"Nonsense! Shui Chao got the seat because he was weak, pitied by those old fools! I refuse to accept it!" Shui Liu roared, stung by her words.
"Whether you accept it or not, my grandfather won. He left two heirs—me and Shui Mo Er—while you're reduced to dust, a wandering ghost on the vast sea. Die!" Shui Niang Qing bellowed, thrusting her Thunder Spear downward.
"Kill me? Shui Chao wasn't worthy, and you're nothing!" Shui Liu grinned ferociously, his body swelling rapidly.
"Not good, the old fox is self-detonating!" Ji Ya shouted first, too late to stop him.
The cunning Shui Liu, goading Shui Niang Qing, had secretly gathered energy for self-destruction.
Ji Ya tore open the void, grabbing Lan An and vanishing.
Shui Niang Qing halted her attack, fleeing into space.
"No…" Hei Sha's eyes bulged, too weak to escape.
"Haha, the Black Sharks needn't exist anymore. Be buried with me!" Shui Liu cackled madly.
Surviving pirates paled, some soiling themselves in terror, diving into the sea with faint hopes of survival.
But no.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A late-stage Void Refiner's residual power was unimaginable.
Like a nuclear blast, the Shark lair vanished in a spiritual storm.
"No!" The pirates' anguished screams faded as they turned to ash.
The island crumbled, the sea roiling with tsunamis, swallowing the Sharks' stronghold.
Fire Phoenix dissipated.
All that remained was the boundless sea, flecks of dust drifting, and shattered voids crisscrossing the sky.
Hundreds of zhang away…
Spurt
Lan An emerged, spitting blood, his vitality dimmed.
Ji Ya and Shui Niang Qing fared little better, blood trickling from their lips, faces deathly pale.
Though they fled swiftly, the late-stage Void Refiner's detonation rippled through the void, injuring them significantly.
"Thank you!" Shui Niang Qing turned, bowing sincerely to Ji Ya.
Though unaware of Ji Ya's true face, even using her appearance, Shui Niang Qing's sharp mind knew Ji Ya had saved Shui Mo Er earlier and defeated Shui Liu, averting catastrophe for the Lan Hong Sect.
"No need. I did it for him," Ji Ya said coolly, glancing at Lan An.
"Darling, you worked hard!" Lan An took Ji Ya's hand, stroking it gently.
"I secretly dealt with the Dong Ming Merchant Guild's top brass in the first two days. On the third, I scouted the Sharks' lair," Ji Ya said, brushing her hair with a smile.
At the Heavenly Mechanism Secret Hall, she'd mastered covert assassinations, and with her enhanced cultivation, the Guild's peak Divine Transformation experts were no match.
Unlike the formidable Duo Bao Pavilion, not all merchant powers were so fearsome.
"I'm proud of you!" Lan An nodded vigorously.
He'd tasked her with assassinating the Guild's leaders, especially Dong Ming Zhe, to vent his anger. Ji Ya hadn't disappointed.
"The Guild's wealth was vast. My storage ring's space is limited, so I took only a portion," Ji Ya said, offering her ring to Lan An.
"Keep it for our future use. The Sharks' loot is enough for the Lan Hong Sect," Lan An replied.
Ji Ya nodded, glancing at the slightly awkward Shui Niang Qing, suggesting, "I need to heal."
Her injuries were minor, mostly spiritual power depletion. Unlike Lan An's near-infinite reserves, she needed recovery—and space for him and Shui Niang Qing.
Since pledging herself to him, Ji Ya indulged him fully, just as he'd risked all to save her in the Wu Yuan Continent.
Kiss
"Your reward!" Lan An leaned in, kissing her lips, then whisked her into the Spirit Realm Pearl.
Shui Niang Qing's cheeks flushed, as Lan An had kissed Ji Ya in her likeness.
"She's truly formidable!" Brushing aside embarrassment, Shui Niang Qing said sincerely, feeling her own cross-realm prowess paled beside Ji Ya's.
"Haha, my precious wife—how could she not be amazing?" Lan An laughed, beaming with pride.
A strange glint flickered in Shui Niang Qing's eyes. She met his gaze. "With such an outstanding wife, why pursue me?"
Lan An looked into her eyes, earnest. "Because I'm greedy and selfish. I want to love and cherish all of you, not let another man take my place."
Her heart stirred, recalling his tender care on the ship. She quickly changed the topic. "What should we do with the Dong Ming Merchant Guild? Exterminate them?"
Lan An shrugged. "Not everyone in the Guild is as vile as the Sharks. If the Lan Hong Sect can absorb them, do so. No need for slaughter."
Shui Niang Qing nodded, planning to consider this back at the sect.
Ding, Branch Mission [Annihilate Black Sharks] completed. Host receives one Soul Technique Summon and one Bloodline Summon! The System's voice echoed in his mind.
Lan An smirked. Branch missions were always straightforward. But the Epic Mission [Conquer Mother-in-Law] and Legendary Mission [Five Elements World] gave him a headache.
"Lass, is that you?" A woman's anxious shout rose from the sea.
Shui Niang Qing and Lan An looked down.
Over twenty Dolphin Warships approached, Aunt Hua at the lead ship's bow, laughing and crying, waving.
Lan Hong Sect cultivators stood solemnly, ready for war.
Lan An and Shui Niang Qing exchanged glances, chuckling wryly, descending.
"Mother, why mobilize the entire sect?" Shui Niang Qing asked, her heart easing at seeing her beloved mother, softening the pain of her father's loss.
"We noticed the Sect Leader vanished suddenly. Madam was worried, deciding to fight the Black Sharks to the death. En route, someone tossed the Young Master onto our ship!" Elder Fu said, his nose stinging.
"Sister, Brother Lan An!" Shui Mo Er stepped forward sheepishly, scratching his head, unaware of his rescuer's identity.
"Mother, these years were hard on you!" Shui Niang Qing ignored the puzzled crowd, embracing her mother.
Not seeing "Shui Xiong," Shui Shuang Hua guessed the outcome, tears streaming as she sobbed in her daughter's arms.
She'd endured too long.
The sect's elders exchanged confused looks, clueless.
"Miss, where's the Sect Leader? Did he sneak off to save the Young Master?" Elder Fu couldn't help asking.
Shui Niang Qing took a deep breath, saying softly, "We'll discuss it back at the sect."
A week later…
Shui Niang Qing's revelation rocked the Lan Hong Sect's elders.
After deliberation, they and Shui Niang Qing decided to conceal Shui Xiong's decades-old death and Shui Liu's treachery.
A Sect Leader lured and killed, with the sect deceived by a traitor for over thirty years, was no glory.
It would also tarnish Shui Shuang Hua's reputation, despite her innocence, as gossip would spread.
Thus, they announced to the world: Sect Leader Shui Xiong heroically sacrificed himself to save his son, Shui Mo Er. Eldest Miss Shui Niang Qing crushed the Black Sharks' leader, Hei Sha.
All other credit went to Lan An, from mysteriously breaking seals to valiantly battling nine hall masters.
In the battle, Young Master Lan An "discovered" the long-lost True Sea Scripture in the Sharks' treasury, returning it to its rightful owners. After a millennium, no one questioned its presence there.
Hei Sha, driven to self-detonate, buried the notorious pirate band.
Shui Liu and Ji Ya were omitted from this narrative.
The announcement shook the Lan Hong Sect. Shui Xiong's sacrifice for his son became legendary, a heroic saga even in death.
Lan An and Shui Niang Qing became a golden couple in the sect's eyes, admired by countless disciples.
With the True Sea Scripture recovered, accessible to elders and disciples, and the Sharks' vast resources, the Lan Hong Sect's revival was near.
The tale spread beyond the sect, sweeping across the sea regions.
Despite losing its leader, the Lan Hong Sect's prestige soared.
Many began probing into the young master named Lan An.
In a courtyard…
Shui Mo Er sat glumly in a corner, reeling from treating a traitor as his father for thirty years, never knowing his true father.
Shui Shuang Hua, visibly lighter, wiped a tear, consoling herself. "This ending is satisfying. Your father wasn't a great Sect Leader, but he was a good husband and father. Seeing the Lan Hong Sect today, with you both grown and the traitor vanquished, he'd smile from the afterlife."
Shui Niang Qing, ever resilient, had calmed over days. She looked at Shui Mo Er sternly. "Don't disappoint us! I'll hold the Sect Leader's seat for you. When you reach Void Refinement, I'll pass it on."
Shui Mo Er took a deep breath, nodding firmly, vowing to focus on cultivation.
"Take it and train. Break through to Void Refinement soon, so my Qing Er doesn't wait too long!" Lan An, lounging lazily, yawned and tossed a jade pendant at Shui Mo Er's head.
"Who's yours?" Shui Niang Qing shot him a sidelong glance.
Shui Shuang Hua smiled through her tears.
"Big Brother, this…" Shui Mo Er stared in shock at the pendant, brimming with Water essence and sharp sword qi, stammering.
"A low-grade Spirit Scripture, Water Sword Sky-Rending Scripture. Like it?" Lan An asked casually, having bought it with Prestige Points earned from his brazen sea stunt.
Shui Shuang Hua, Shui Niang Qing, and Shui Mo Er jolted. A Spirit-grade technique? Even low-grade, it was…
"Big Brother… too precious… I can't…" Shui Mo Er's breath quickened. Craving strength, he'd be lying if he wasn't tempted.
Shui Shuang Hua and Shui Niang Qing exchanged stunned glances. They suspected Lan An's background was formidable, but tossing out a Spirit-grade technique was outrageous.
"Don't look at me like that. I trust you as family, so I'm giving you such a high-grade technique," Lan An said, seeing Shui Mo Er's hesitation.
Shui Mo Er gazed at the scripture, then at his sister biting her lip. His eyes twinkled, and he grinned at Lan An. "Thanks, Brother-in-Law. Your little brother-in-law won't be polite!"