In a corner of the [Immortal Star Continent], an elegant woman with long dark hair and black eyes stood at the top of a mountain with a cold face. Her figure was elegant, and her temperament was that of an expert.
Even when her strength was that of a Unification Realm Cultivator, her body rippled with incredible strength and energy far beyond normal cultivators at her same realm.
In the distance, the woman could see a city with a large castle in the middle. This city was a mortal city, governed by a royal family that controlled the surrounding area of about 500 kilometers. It was a small territory, but for a power without powerful immortal experts, it was quite sizable.
Of course, the resources of these lands were lacking, and the energy purity here was incomparable to most places. Even if an immortal passed by, they wouldn't give a second look at this area.
The elegant woman glanced at the city, feeling tension rise in her heart. "After so long… I am here."
Memories of the past flashed in her head. Her childhood, her family, and eventually… her tragedy.
While thinking back, her eyes became somewhat nostalgic, and she closed her eyes, feeling deep inside her soul. 'Master… where are you?'
That fateful day, the day when she was supposed to end her own life, was something she remembered fondly. She remembered that wild boar charging at her, her life flashing before her eyes, only for a meteor to fall from the sky and splatter the beast.
Then, inside the crater, she saw the most beautiful woman in the world. The way she confused her with a mortal, how she followed her, how she trained her, and taught her incredibly precious techniques…
She couldn't help but feel tightness in her chest. "Master… Little Feixue misses you."
It had been decades since her Master left the [Star Immortal Sect], and just a few years later, the sect was inexplicably disbanded. At that time, Luan Feixue didn't know what happened. However, she later encountered one of the elders and knew what happened.
It seemed that her Master was targeted by some large factions, and to avoid being implicated and used by her enemies, they had to disband. Luan Feixue couldn't help but feel worried. 'Master… I hope you didn't encounter a calamity.'
Just imagining her proud and gorgeous master being trapped by someone was enough to make Luan Feixue's heart seize as her anger and anxiety rose in parallel with each other. Her eyes darkened. "If I ever learn that someone dared to defile you…"
Shaking her head, Luan Feixue jumped from the top of the mountain, her body free-falling as her blue-colored robe fluttered wildly with the wind. While falling, she summoned a large broadsword below her feet. With practiced elegance, she landed on the sword and, in the next moment, she flew straight toward the large, mortal city like a beam of light.
It didn't take long to arrive at the entrance. She was stopped by two Body Modification Realm guards, but they looked at her respectfully. After all, only Unification Realm and above could use swords to fly through the sky, while only Dantian Spiritualization Realm cultivators could fly with ease without any external aid.
Luan Feixue's method of flying made her a powerhouse for this zone of the continent.
"Senior, it is prohibited to fly through the city. Please, be magnanimous and walk in."
Luan Feixue glanced at them coldly, her dark eyes showing no trace of emotion.
When the guards started to become anxious, she placed the broadsword on her back, attached with a simple string that could snap in case she needed to draw it. Her foot touched the ground, and she walked forward.
"Ah… senior. You need… identification…"
Luan Feixue ignored them and then activated her movement technique. "[Heavenly Constellation Steps, First Sky: Pegasus Gallop]."
A faint image of a Pegasus appeared around her, and then, Luan Feixue blurred and disappeared into the city, leaving the two guards behind somewhat helpless.
Meanwhile, in the palace, a man sat on the throne, his expression solemn. He was hearing his vassals speak about the state of the kingdom.
"King, our lands to the north are being attacked. We need to send reinforcements before they collapse."
"King, there is a drought in the east. Please, open the treasury to fund relief and help the population."
"King, there are signs of rebellion in the south. Please send the imperial army to quench these rebellious citizens!"
"King, there is a scarcity of fertile lands to the west after the war that occurred four years ago. At this pace, a famine might strike the land."
The man listened, and the more reports arrived at him, the more annoyed he became. "I've been ruling these lands for decades. How come there were not as many problems when the previous Luan family governed!? Are people rebelling!?"
The informant from the south twitched his lips. "K-King, the people in the south…"
"I heard you!" The King interrupted, his face irritable. After slaughtering everyone from the Luan family in a coup, he thought that his Dan family would live in endless luxury. And that was the case for the first decades.
However, the rampant abuse of power from the new royal family led to many structures erected by the previous ruling family collapsing. Moreover, their forces took a very harsh hit in the confrontation with the Luan family, leaving them looking like a toothless tiger. While they had the strength to suppress common jackals, much of their lethality was gone.
As a cultivator, the King didn't really care for the mortals' well-being. However, without mortals, the number of cultivators that could be born in the lands would become even more scarce than it already was.
With their forces crippled by the previous battle, they needed to replenish them. Otherwise, they might receive the same treatment they delivered to the Luan family from some random dog.
The strongest person in this place was the King's father, an old cultivator of the Level Three Dantian Spiritualization Realm. He was in his twilight years. However, anyone with his strength could easily suppress dozens, if not hundreds, of average peak-level Unification Realm cultivators.
King Dan rubbed the throne with his finger. Being someone who had brought down an entire ruling family, he couldn't be someone without brains. So, after thinking for a bit, he spoke his thoughts.
"Send a few scouts to learn the number and top strength of the army invading the north. Hire a few water-attributed cultivators to help revitalize the rain cycle in the east. Take 10% of the imperial army and send General Dan Ran down there. With his Level Three Unification Realm strength, he should be enough. As for the famine problem, order the earth-attributed cultivators of the alchemy tower to give it a look."
"Yes, King Dan."
When they retreated, his eyes turned cold. He spoke to the air. "Follow the dignitary from the south. Try to see if he is in cahoots with anyone and trying to split my army."
Five shadows flashed out of the throne room. Then, he extended his hand to the side, and a scroll appeared in his hands. Opening the scroll, his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand… Why is this [Fate Scroll] showing an increasingly dark color for the fate of my family? It was bright white when we decided to attack the Luan Family. Is anyone messing with my family's fate?"
Being a ruling power carried several hidden benefits, like Karmic Luck and Great Fate. Only others with similar Karmic Luck and Fate could challenge those ruling without encountering unexpected pitfalls.
Of course, there were exceptions to these rules. After all, most Heavenly Rules only applied to average cultivators. Those with real strength could often ignore many of the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao.
Meanwhile, Luan Feixue used a large veiled hat to walk around the city. Her figure was valiant, the greatsword on her back giving off an imposing aura to the mortals around the city.
"...Bleak." That was Luan Feixue's assessment of the previously called Luan Imperial City. While her family had not led these lands exemplarily, they at least managed to avoid poverty for most of the population.
However, the city's aura of decadence was now palpable. Her Spiritual Sense entered a house, and she could hear a small-time noble abusing someone. A few streets down, a starving man was being beaten up by a bunch of youths while they laughed. Even if Luan Feixue wanted to intervene, there were too many tragedies occurring at once for her to be able to do anything.
"Sigh…" Luan Feixue had come to the city to take revenge. She wanted to deal with the Dan Family that sent her to the pits of despair and almost forced her onto a road of no return. That feeling was still plenty strong in her heart. However, there was now a hint of doubt after seeing the broader world that her master allowed her to witness.
"What happens after I deal with them?"
She placed herself in a situation of victory. The first feeling was satisfaction and peace of mind after taking revenge. There was no sense of emptiness, just peace. However, that was at a personal level.
Now, without a ruling family, these lands would fall into chaos. Nobles trying to vie for power, merchants taking advantage of the situation to make a profit, good-hearted heroes trying to rise only to be crushed by larger powers… famine, war, death… everything would follow the fall of the Imperial Family like a house of cards being tipped by a foot.
"Unless… I take charge as the queen."
However, she felt that the second she decided to become the Queen of these backwater lands, her destiny with her master would be forever cut. That notion flipped her stomach to the point that she almost gagged out of nausea.
Luan Feixue loved Yasenia like a child did her pampering mother. As royalty, Luan Feixue received a very limited amount of familial love. She was a princess, raised by maids, instructed by imperial teachers, and rarely interacting with her parents.
It wasn't until she found Yasenia, and the Dragon Woman showed her boundless motherly love, that Luan Feixue understood what the love of a mother truly was. Just recalling those times she was embraced by her master and kissed on the cheek made her bad mood dissipate like mist in the morning, giving way to warmth like no other.
With that in mind, she opened her eyes and chuckled. "My Master is a dragon, a species known for their arrogance, wisdom, strength, greed, and selfishness. How can I be anything less than that? I am my Master's disciple! I'll take revenge, and then cut mortal ties with this country. My fate with this country ends when the Dan Family's last member meets their death."
When she spoke aloud, looking up at the sky, she felt a pair of arms hugging her from behind, a sweet floral scent enveloping her, while her body sank into a softness that put to shame even the finest cotton bed.
"Well said, my pretty Feixue."