Protect Our Patriarch

……

Just as Wang Shouzhe was earnestly advising his son.

Cao Youqing, standing nearby, seemed deeply moved as well.

Her expression gradually turned serious, and she bowed to Wang Shouzhe, saying, "Master Wang Shouzhe, I will remember your wise words today. After your death, I, Cao Youqing, will strive to change my personality and no longer give my enemies any opportunity."

"Wang Shouzhe, don't think that a mere commander can protect you. You have no idea how powerful a prodigy from the Saintly Land, someone in the later stages of the Celestial Realm, truly is! Today, I owe you a debt for your blunt advice, and I can only repay you by granting you a whole corpse."

"Sigh, Celestial Maiden Youqing, look at you, getting self-righteous and talking to yourself again." Wang Shouzhe shook his head "disappointedly" and then turned to Wang Zong'an, saying, "Using personality analysis to predict the opponent's next move can only serve as a reference for strategy. To truly anticipate the enemy, you must focus more on actual intelligence. As the saying goes, make bold assumptions and carefully verify them; know yourself and your enemy, and you will always be victorious."

"Yes, I understand, Father."

Wang Zong'an responded weakly, thinking to himself: What's the use of understanding so much if you never give me a chance to practice?

"Stay sharp." Wang Shouzhe scolded softly, "Remember everything I'm teaching you now and understand it thoroughly. Otherwise, how can I trust you to guard the Qingluo Garrison?"

Wang Zong'an was stunned for a moment before he realized, and he was so moved he almost cried.

Finally, finally, he, the young clan leader Zong'an, had the chance to take charge and lead. He, the young clan leader Zong'an, was about to rise!

He immediately became spirited and joyfully bowed to Wang Shouzhe, "Thank you, Father, for entrusting me with this important task."

"Don't be too happy just yet. After this matter is settled, you will stay at Qingluo Garrison and learn from Lord Wei how to build and manage the place."

"Yes, Father."

As the father and son exchanged questions and answers, Wei Wenxun also smiled and said, "Master Wang Shouzhe, rest assured. The young clan leader is steady and intelligent and will surely become a great asset in the future, becoming your true right-hand man."

While Wang Shouzhe was planning his son's long-term future, Cao Youqing couldn't bear it any longer.

"Wang Shouzhe, you are quite good at stalling for time." She gradually lost control of her anger and said, "But I've lost my patience. Today, you..."

Unexpectedly.

Before she could finish her sentence, a series of charming laughs rang out, "Hehe~ Celestial Maiden Youqing, you are truly too naive."

Cao Youqing was startled and only then noticed a graceful figure appearing on the sea surface near the reef island.

Her face was veiled, making her features indistinguishable, but her plain white long dress stood out against the vast blue sea and sky, looking exceptionally pure.

She walked slowly on the void, her figure swaying gracefully, exuding an indescribable charm.

With her appearance, the waves on the sea seemed to be brushed by an invisible force, becoming much quieter and gentler.

Hmm?

Wang Zong'an and Wei Wenxun looked at her, their expressions somewhat bewildered.

Who is this celestial maiden? Why have they never seen her before?

However, although they didn't recognize her, Cao Youqing did immediately. Her beautiful eyes turned cold, and she shouted sternly, "It's you! Tianyan, what are you doing here? Could it be..."

"Look at what you're saying~~ This Qingluo Sea isn't your property, so why can't I be here?"

Celestial Maiden Tianyan glanced at her, but her attention wasn't on her at all. Instead, she looked at Wang Shouzhe, bowed gracefully, her charming eyes filled with a mix of reproach and longing, "Young Master Shouzhe, it's been almost twenty years since we last met. Your elegance surpasses the past, and your demeanor is even more dazzling."

Wang Shouzhe slightly cupped his hands and said politely, "The celestial maiden's grace is also far beyond before. Over the years, I have been grateful for the intelligence you provided in secret."

"Tianyan Celestial Maiden? This... this... so Father has never severed contact with Tianyan Celestial Maiden?" Wang Zong'an's expression changed slightly, looking at Wang Shouzhe with both worry and admiration.

He knew about Celestial Maiden Tianyan from his nephew, Shi Hai.

Shi Hai had vividly described how Celestial Maiden Tianyan was infatuated with his father, how she persistently pursued him, wanting to become his concubine.

Mother had often thrown fits over this, frequently dragging Father to Shuiyue Pavilion to carry out "domestic violence." This Celestial Maiden Tianyan...

"Is this the young clan leader Zong'an?"

As Wang Zong'an's thoughts wandered, Celestial Maiden Tianyan's gaze fell on him, praising, "As expected of Young Master Shouzhe's child, equally handsome and dignified, exceptionally heroic."

Her gaze was like that of a stepmother looking at an outstanding stepson, filled with both joy and pride, as well as a touch of "benevolence."

Wang Zong'an shivered under her gaze and hurriedly bowed, "Zong'an greets Celestial Maiden Tianyan."

Seeing them start chatting about family matters, Cao Youqing almost exploded with anger.

She glared coldly at Celestial Maiden Tianyan and interrupted angrily, "Tianyan, have your Tianque been watching me all this time? No wonder... no wonder every one of my actions has been calculated by Wang Shouzhe."

"But there's one thing I still don't understand. Although I dislike that girl Luo Yuqing, I have to admit her 'Dawn' is quite capable. How did you infiltrate 'Dawn' and grasp my movements?"

"Infiltrate 'Dawn'?" Celestial Maiden Tianyan smiled, "Our 'Tianque' and 'Dawn' have always been mutually hostile and guarded. It's not easy for you to infiltrate our Tianque, and it's naturally not easy for us to infiltrate your Dawn."

"However, your Cao's Clan from Longyuan Commandery is different. From top to bottom, it's like a sieve. It's much easier for our Tianque to infiltrate Cao's Clan. By taking down a few key figures in your Cao's Clan, we can naturally grasp Celestial Maiden Youqing's movements, hehe~"

Cao Youqing's expression turned extremely ugly.

So, the ultimate cause of failure was still within the Cao's Clan. As Wang Shouzhe said, the Cao's Clan was internally flawed...

However, things had reached this point, and Cao Youqing had no room to retreat.

For her sake, for the Cao's Clan, the Ancestor was being besieged by three Purple Mansion Realm experts and was likely doomed.

Today, she must kill Wang Shouzhe to redeem herself. Only then would Young Master Ce step in to protect the Cao's Clan. In the future, when she advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm, she could revive the Cao's Clan!

"Wang Shouzhe, you must die today." Cao Youqing's gaze grew serious, and as profound energy surged, threads of lightning intent began to gather around her. Her tone was stern, "Tianyan, if you dare to interfere, I will kill you too!"

With that, she drew her sword, and her aura suddenly soared.

A towering phantom suddenly appeared behind her, with an eagle head and human body, wearing mysterious robes, and its massive wings seemed to carry lightning, exuding wave after wave of majestic pressure, domineering and fierce, like a thunder god descending to the mortal world.

This phantom was naturally the Dharma Aspect she activated after her bloodline awakened to the spiritual body.

"Boom!"

With the appearance of the Dharma Aspect, the violent lightning intent surged from her body, converging into a sword.

The [Purple Sky Thunder Sword] was the orthodox inheritance of one of the nine branches of the Saintly Land, the Purple Sky Thunder branch. Cao Youqing, with her exceptional talent, was one of the outstanding figures in this branch. After advancing to the Celestial Realm, she had even activated the Thunder Spirit Body, making her strength formidable.

At this moment, with her full power unleashed, purple lightning surged, and the thunderous intent roared, giving a sense of heavenly thunder descending, as if it were the might of the heavens.

"What a strong Purple Sky Thunder Intent!"

Celestial Maiden Tianyan's eyes froze, realizing she had underestimated the renowned "Celestial Maiden Youqing."

Lingyun Holy Land was a place teeming with strong individuals and numerous prodigies. Standing out in such an environment was far more challenging than in a local academy. Given that Cao Youqing had made a name for herself with her prodigious talent, how could her strength be simple?

Immediately, she dared not be careless and said, "Young Master Shouzhe, please retreat. I will hold her off."

With that, she flashed and stood in front of Wang Shouzhe.

At the same time, her aura surged, and with profound energy stirring, her skirt fluttered like an immortal.

At some point, she had put on a pair of finger guards, as delicate as refined silver, intricately detailed, with fine inscriptions exuding a strong magical artifact aura.

As her fingers moved, plucking the air, an invisible force seemed to be stirred, emitting a series of zither-like vibrations. Amidst the heavy zither sounds, the space in front of her twisted, forming an invisible yet tangible shield.

"Using the sky as a zither, and the Dao as the melody, what a move [Heavenly Sound Shield]! Tianyan, you are indeed a remnant of the 'Heavenly Sound branch'!"

Cao Youqing's eyes grew serious, but then a purple lightning flashed in her eyes, and her arrogance soared to the sky, "I don't care who you are. Under my Purple Sky Thunder Sword Intent, everything will vanish!"

"Break for me!"

With a delicate shout, the powerful Purple Sky Thunder Sword, like the might of the heavens, slashed towards Tianyan and Wang Shouzhe.

The powerful and terrifying sword intent seemed to want to shatter the heavens and earth.

"Boom~~!"

In the deafening roar, the powerful sword intent fiercely collided with the Heavenly Sound Shield.

In an instant, the twisted space forming the Heavenly Sound Shield caved in, and web-like cracks quickly spread across the shield formed by the invisible force.

"Young Master Shouzhe, retreat quickly! I can't hold her off for long!"

Celestial Maiden Tianyan's face turned pale, and a drop of cold sweat unknowingly slid down her forehead.

She hadn't expected Cao Youqing's progress to be so rapid, her strength even higher than the previous intelligence. Despite being in the later stages of the Celestial Realm, she almost couldn't block Cao Youqing's sword!

"Don't worry, Senior. My father must have another plan." Wang Zong'an said calmly. Knowing his father, the more critical the moment, the more backup plans he would have.

Otherwise, his father would never have brought him here to witness this.

After all, his father often said that it was the elders' responsibility to support the family's development, and the younger generation only needed to focus on their cultivation.

Sure enough.

As Wang Zong'an finished speaking, a familiar figure suddenly appeared.

Her steps were light, and as she walked on the void, each step seemed to tread on the nodes of space.

With her lotus-like steps, waves of spatial ripples spread rhythmically in all directions, shaking one's heart!

"Mother, Mother..."

In that split second, Wang Zong'an's heart trembled.

No way? This time, Father's backup plan was too ruthless, bringing Mother as the backup.

This, this, this, this is going to be a big deal!

……