Chapter 212: 212- Fang Clan Meeting [2]

None of the elders present believed her. Not a single one.

...Well, almost because Fang Tian did. Against all reason, against the weight of the royal edict itself, he believed her words without hesitation.

But he was the only one.

Everyone else exchanged glances heavy with resignation.

In their eyes, the proud matriarch had slipped into delusion, clinging to hope where there was none.

A collective sigh rippled through the hall.

At the very least, they consoled themselves with the fact that both she and Fang Tian had reached the Nascent Soul Realm.

Delusional or not, their strength was real, and with it, the Fang Clan still had a chance to endure.

Their silence was heavy, almost suffocating. None of them voiced it aloud, but the thoughts were the same, echoing quietly in every heart.

Patriarch Fang Yuan had been a Nascent Soul master, unmatched in his generation.

And yet, even he was devoured by a Saberfang. It had been a full week since that incident . No word, no signs of a miraculous return.

The conclusion was bitter and undeniable.

The matriarch had turned widow too soon.

They pitied her, pitied the stubborn hope burning in her eyes, pitying the way she still spoke his name as though he might step back into the hall at any moment.

It was cruel, they thought, but reality was reality. Fang Yuan was gone. And all that remained was her grief, raw and unwilling to let go.

Lin Zhaoyue didn’t bother wasting breath trying to convince them.

Explaining that Fang Yuan still lived, that he was beyond their reach would change nothing in their eyes.

After all, the Saberfang had been under her control from the very beginning, and Fang Yuan himself had already stepped into the Hollow Spirit Realm.

In truth, he was untouchable. Invincible.

She reached out and gently brushed Fang Lian’s hair, a tender smile on her lips.

Fang Chen, however, could not hold back. His voice was careful, edged with urgency.

"Matriarch... it is the Imperial Family who has declared war. They command the Divine Ice Sect, whose sect master is a peak Nascent Soul expert."

Lin Zhaoyue’s gaze remained calm, her tone unshaken.

"And I stand at the high Nascent Soul realm. I can take her."

The elders stirred, exchanging uneasy glances. Fang Chen pressed on, his words quick.

"But she is not alone. The other two sects will not stand idle. They will move."

Lin Zhaoyue only smiled, soft, unhurried, as though she spoke of a spring breeze rather than impending war.

"Fret not. Everything is within control. Even Heaven itself would not be able to save them from the calamity awaiting should they dare march upon our clan."

The hall fell silent. The elders were utterly flabbergasted, caught between awe and disbelief.

Where did such impossible confidence come from? They could not see what she saw, nor grasp the depth of her certainty.

To them, it was madness dressed in poise. And yet, in her smile, there was not the faintest trace of doubt.

Lin Zhaoyue’s hand stilled as she smoothed down Fang Lian’s hair.

Her gaze shifted from the girl to the gathered elders, her voice turning brisk.

"Now that we’re finished with that matter, how about you all make use of the cultivation caves and begin your preparations?"

She withdrew her hand, straightened, and then tilted her chin toward Fang Lian. "You too. Go to my chamber. I’ve prepared a special formation just for you."

The words carried across the entire hall. Every elder heard them, but Lin Zhaoyue showed no care for their opinions.

Instead, she let her eyes sweep deliberately across the room, pausing on each elder one by one.

"This child is going to be my daughter," she said, her tone imperious yet almost playful. "So of course I will spoil her. Why don’t you all spoil your own with the resources you have?"

A stunned silence followed. Elders blinked, caught between outrage, disbelief, and shame, while Fang Tian, off to the side, very nearly burst into laughter.

For a fleeting moment, he swore he saw the shadow of his brother in her, the same fearless arrogance, the same unshakable will to put family above all else.

And at that very moment, Fang Yuan was traversing the depths of the forest, his figure moving in tandem with the Saberfang pack.

The great beasts had chosen their path northward, and he, without hurry or protest, decided to follow along.

From the eastern ranges they crossed into colder winds, pressing toward the shadowed expanse of the northern Dark Forest.

He frowned slightly. What was it about that accursed place that drew them? He had never understood its peculiar pull.

It was in there, months ago, that fate had entangled him with Lin Zhaoyue.

It was there, too, that he first encountered the Saberfangs, when he had been far weaker, forced to flee for his life before their crushing might.

And then there was Du Juan who swore she had hidden a rare herb within that treacherous forest to heal her sister.

All threads pointed north again, as though the forest itself was a loom weaving his path.

And now, as the Saberfangs drove forward, it was once more their destination.

Perched atop the massive beast, Fang Yuan’s gaze roamed the wilderness. Every other creature of fang and claw gave way.

From dire wolves to shadow-panthers, none dared linger near, the forest seemed to bend around the Saberfangs’ advance, parting like water before a prow.

Just then, his gaze caught something impossible.

A mountain... moved.

For a heartbeat Fang Yuan’s eyes refused to believe what they saw.

The colossal shape rose, earth and moss cascading from its flanks, as if the very land had awakened.

Was it a beast disguised as a mountain?

Or a beast truly large enough to be a mountain?

His mind faltered, refusing coherence.

For all his composure, Fang Yuan found his thoughts sluggish, stunned into silence by the sheer immensity of the creature before him.