Chapter 512: Half-Step Heavenly Realm

[ 1st Stage Dragon Perception ]

The pressure alone crushed down on everyone present. The weight of it nearly reassembled a heavenly realm cultivator’s oppressive might, but not nearly as strong.

"Half-step Heavenly Realm battle power..." Li Chengyuan whispered in disbelief. "Incredible."

Even Li Qin was stunned—but she kept her composure. Battle power alone didn’t decide everything. Skill, techniques, control—

Before the thought could finish, Li Lian moved.

Xiao Hei, with her animalistic instincts, sensed danger, so she quickly leapt back, but it was too late.

Chains burst from the air, snapping shut around Xiao Hei’s body and locking her in place.

Holding the other end of the chain, Li Lian stared down at her coldly.

"Just you wait till Fang hears about this," Li Lian said sharply.

"Hmph," Xiao Hei huffed, struggling. "You started it."

In the next moment, the heavy jade doors behind them burst open.

A powerful presence surged outward as the Patriarch of the Li Family Clan strode into the courtyard, his aura restrained but unmistakably vast. His sharp eyes swept across the fractured stone, the lingering shockwaves in the air, and the tense figures frozen mid-motion.

Then he saw them.

Li Lian—standing straight, Dragon Perception still faintly echoing through her Qi. And Xiao Hei—small, fierce, her Divine Realm aura barely contained, claws still out.

The Patriarch halted.

For a brief moment, the courtyard fell into absolute silence.

Li Lian reacted first. She withdrew her Qi instantly and stepped back, cupping her fists deeply.

"Patriarch."

Li Qin, Li Chengyuan, and the surrounding spectators followed at once, their voices aligning in unison.

"Greetings, Patriarch."

Xiao Hei blinked, then begrudgingly mimicked the gesture—awkward, but sincere enough.

The Patriarch studied them closely.

He already had a rough understanding of Xiao Hei’s strength. For someone so young to possess Divine Realm battle power was nothing short of astonishing. But what truly caught his attention was something else.

Li Lian had suppressed her.

Cleanly. Quickly. Without excess force.

The Patriarch’s gaze lingered on her for a long breath before he finally spoke. Half-step Heavenly Realm battlepower was typically a realm of strength only the most exceptional Divine Realm could ever possibly strive to achieve. However, Li Lian’s base cultivation was merely at the early stages of the Profound realm. Controlling this level of strength should’ve been impossible for her.

"It has only been a few months since we last saw you," he said slowly, his voice carrying calm authority. "Yet you have already grown to this extent. Your potential is truly frightening."

Li Lian lowered her head slightly. "Thank you, Patriarch."

Only then did the Patriarch’s attention shift.

His gaze fell upon the serene figure drifting just behind Li Qin—a woman whose presence felt ancient, heavy, and impossibly distant. Though her appearance was calm, there was a weight about her that made even seasoned elders draw shallow breaths.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Ancestor Li Xianyu stepped forward.

"This one greets the current Patriarch of the Li Family Clan," she said gently. "My name is Li Xianyu."

The Patriarch’s pupils contracted, before looking at Li Qin as if for confirmation.

"It’s true, father. She is an ancestor of our Li Family clan."

His breath caught for the briefest instant before he clasped his fists and bowed deeply.

"...Ancestor, welcome."

Li Xianyu inclined her head faintly in acknowledgment.

The Patriarch straightened, then swept his gaze across everyone gathered—Li Lian, Li Qin, Li Xiang, and Xiao Hei, the cracked courtyard. At last, he turned toward the great jade doors of the Patriarch’s Hall.

"Come," he said simply.

"Let us go inside."

Meanwhile, on their way to one of the military camps they had been assigned to, Xiao Fang briefed Xun Wei on everything he had learned during the meeting the night before.

When the conflict involving the Song Family Clan was mentioned, Xun Wei’s expression hardened. More than anyone, she wanted to take part in this war. The Song Family had annihilated her clan when she was still a child—this was not merely a campaign to her, but a reckoning. She wanted nothing more than to slaughter as many members of the Song Family Clan as she could.

"Ah—right, I almost forgot," Xun Wei said suddenly, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice. "There’s something I wanted to give you."

She stepped forward and extended her hand.

"Qiuyan gave me this soul crystal yesterday," she continued. "It contains a multi-layered defensive formation."

Resting in her palm was an empty soul crystal—clear and cool to the touch.

Xiao Fang raised his head slightly as if to ask her a question, but she already knew what he was thinking.

"It took me almost a full day to learn it," she answered.

Xiao Fang hummed.

He had more than enough soul stones to refill it, but he didn’t know how much time he had.

He curiously connected the crystal to his soul sea then began to study it closely. Instantly, the inscriptions came to life, forming and churning within him. A clear visual demonstration unfolded before his senses.

The first layer formed.

Then the second.

Then the third.

"More than 9 inscriptions... Earth-Grade,’ he assumed.

Finally, a barrier took shape.

’So strong,’ he thought. Not even profound realm attacks should be able to break it.’

But it wasn’t over.

The formation multiplied, then Xiao Fang’s brows became knitted.

Although the same combination of inscriptions were used, there were over 20 of them now. He couldn’t imagine the level of concentration one would need to maintain a formation of this size.

’This is almost as complex as my Heavenly-Grade soul crystal,’ he thought.

Finally, another layer of the barrier manifested. It was stronger, larger, and far more intimidating.

’Incredible,’ Xiao Fang thought in shock.

Just from the look of it, he could tell it would take everything he had just to break it.

’Ordinary Divine Realm strength wouldn’t even be able to scratch it.’

Before he could finish the thought, a final formation appeared, overlapping the first two.

’Another layer?’

Three layers now stood together. When the final barrier settled, it radiated an immovable power. Even if Xiao Fang struck it with everything he had, he doubted he could leave a scratch.

’Could this be...’

As if confirming his suspicion, the Earth-Grade soul stones he tested on it produced almost no reaction at all.

This was now the 2nd Heaven-Grade soul crystal in his possession, but he had only nine Heaven Grade soul stones.

According to Yu Qiuyan, it took anywhere between 3-9 soul stones to refill a soul crystal of the same grade. His Heaven-Grade Attack Formation was more than half filled, but there was no telling how many soul stones the defense formation would consume.

After a long moment, Xiao Fang exhaled softly.

"Thank you, Wei’er."

He couldn’t deny how valuable the formation would be, especially for the war.