“...” Naran stared at the girl, speechless. He realized, very quickly, that continuing this conversation with her was a terrible idea.0 He was not quick with words, never had been. And the young woman before him? She was cunning, sly, a spirit in human skin. The more he said, the deeper she would drag him in.0 So Naran drained the last of the direwolf milk, then reached out to hoist her up again.0 However, Meng Xingxian was faster, already straddling the back of a massive two-headed direwolf. She scooted forward, patted the space behind her, and smiled. “Come on up. This kind of beast is barely worthy of being your mount. Everything is falling into ruin around us…but we’ll only grow stronger. One day, when this land gives birth to a three-headed direwolf, that will be the mount you truly deserve.”0 “I’m not riding.” Naran growled.0 “You already are. I’m already carrying your child,” Meng Xingxian said, kicking her pale feet playfully through the snow. “Instead of regretting it, why not come with me? Go see the ignorance of men, how their fear is born from short-sightedness.1 “You’ve shut your eyes, plugged your ears, and refused to see the world as it really is. So how can you be sure that we aren’t heading in the same direction?” Then she covered her mouth with a giggle. “Such a child.”0 “YOU!” That word child set him off like a spark to dry wood. He roared with rage, his massive golden axe swinging up in fury.0 But Meng Xingxian only tilted her head, then caressed her belly again. Her eyes smoldered like silk threads dipped in wine, full of daring and death-defiance.0 When Naran said nothing, she twisted her hips slightly, the blood-streaked silver veil clinging to her curves, and shot him a provocative glance. 0 “What? Scared?” she asked with a smile.0 “Of course not!” he snarled back, leaping up and grabbing the silver-veiled Wolfmother into his arms as he mounted the two-headed beast.0 Meng Xingxian guided the direwolf forward at a slow, steady pace, then spoke softly, “I have great respect for the Sunmother’s firstborn, your father. Because without him, you wouldn’t exist. And I know he’ll be proud of the man you’ve become.”0 “Hmph.” Naran found those words strangely satisfying.0 But then Meng Xingxian continued, “It’s just a shame…the land you and your father protected is destined to collapse. What a pity.”0 He snapped back instantly, “That’s impossible!”0 She said nothing at first, then asked gently, “Do you know why this land has remained safe for so long?”0 Naran raised his golden axe. His meaning was clear. Power. Of course, it was strength that kept this land alive.0 Meng Xingxian nodded. “You are powerful. That’s true. But it’s not enough to protect this land forever. Once you step beyond these borders, you’ll see for yourself. There are people out there who could kill you. Some could even kill your father. And in the future, there will be more.”0 “Why?” Naran growled.0 Meng Xingxian looked ahead, her voice steady. “Have you heard of the Grand Union of Yin and Yang?”0 “I’ve heard of it.”  He nodded.0 “Well, it’s happening. Out there, the forces of Yin and Yang are converging. The more intense that fusion becomes, the more terrifying beings it will give birth to. Eventually, those people will surpass you, surpass everyone on this land. They’ll come here, and when they do, they’ll butcher your tribesmen, enslave your family.”0 She paused, her voice catching slightly. “And me… I’ll become some powerful stranger’s plaything.”0 She placed a protective hand over her belly. “And the child growing inside me will be born a slave. Generation after generation…never ending.”0 Meng Xingxian, this girl who claimed to be Empress among Wolfmothers, now looked small and fragile. Like a trembling blade of grass in a storm, speaking her deepest fears to the towering tree beside her.0 “It won’t be long. You’ll live to see it,” she said softly. “By the time that day comes, you’ll be old and fading. That great Khagan’s Axe, once the symbol of your glory, your pride, you won’t even be able to lift it anymore. Your descendants will take your place in battle…and in death. And you? You’ll sit and watch. You’ll witness every shame and suffer humiliation without end."0 Then, without mercy, she began to describe those humiliations in detail.0 As she spoke, she felt Naran behind her begin to burn. Not just physically, but in soul. His body, his spirit, igniting.0 Meng Xingxian smiled and whispered, “If you think I’m lying, go see for yourself. Compare the world now to what it was 20 years ago…”0 “No need.” Naran’s voice was low and grim.0 He had been watching. Though his path seemed cut off from the outside, that was only surface-level. Through his eldest sister Tang Nian and his own agents, he had access to vast information networks.0 Everything he’d learned was pointing to the same truth. The number of powerful cultivators was exploding. And their limits, what once was impossible, were now being shattered.0 It was all happening because of the so-called Grand Union of Yin and Yang.1 Everything she described…Naran could already imagine it. That day, that future, was real. It was coming—0 No, he thought. It won’t come.0 He was Jen’gal Naran, born of fire and fury, and his life had only just begun to burn. How could he possibly allow that day to arrive?0 “If the world insists on destroying the people I love,” he said, his voice like cracking stone, “then we’ll destroy the world first.”0 Meng Xingxian leaned in close to his ear, whispering the very thought he had just spoken aloud, her tone gentle, seductive, dangerous.0 She turned and wrapped her arms around his thick, powerful arm.0 “With me by your side, we’ll become unstoppable. Together, we’ll devour the Central Plains, dismantle the ghost domains one by one, and restore true order to the world. Our loved ones…our children…will live in peace. In a world worth living in. What do you say?”0 “...” Naran was silent for a moment, thinking. Then he asked, “How do you plan to do it?”0 “First, we need the beasts. I’m waiting for the appearance of a stronger breed, three-headed direwolves.” Meng Xingxian’s eyes lit up.3 “Then, we need soldiers. I want warriors who can ride those beasts. Live with them, eat with them, become one with them. And then…train them using the secret arts of the Central Plains. Once they’re fully bonded with the wolves, we’ll have a force no one can stop. And leading them… will be you.” 1 She took a breath, then continued. “Lastly, we need you. Your body is overflowing with Yang energy. That’s what makes you powerful. But pure Yang can’t last, it burns too quickly. That’s why your life is so short.”0 She sighed. “Originally…you could’ve lived for thousands of years. Tens of thousands, even longer. And the key to that…is to give birth to Yin from within your Yang.”0 “How?” Naran asked. “How do I give birth to Yin?”0 Meng Xingxian’s voice dropped low. “A ghost domain.”0 “A ghost domain?” he repeated, puzzled.0 “You have to destroy one,” she explained. “When a ghost domain collapses, it releases an immense surge of Yin energy. With the right cultivation technique, you can absorb that Yin into your body, let it remain inside you, then use your Yang energy to compress and merge it.4 “Once fused, you’ll take on a sliver of a ghost’s traits. From there, you’ll break through fourth rank…and reach third rank, achieving the Earth Soul Realm,” she explained slowly.1 “The Earth Soul Realm has five sub-realms—0 The most update n0vels are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 Lonely Yang Births Ghost Artifact. Ghost Body Conceals Diamond Heart. Then, Grey Body, Black Body, and Azure Body.”0 Meng Xingxian looked up at Naran with a sly smile. “Khagan, Cloudpeak Province doesn’t have any particularly strong ghost domains. Which makes it…perfect for your first try. So, what do you say? Want to give it a shot?”1 The two-headed direwolf strode forward, its massive paws crushing frost and snow beneath it. All around, tens of thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of giant direwolves marched in lockstep, forming a vast, terrifying tidal wave of fur and fang.0 And at the heart of that living wave sat Naran, for the first time, placed squarely on the center stage of the future.0 But his mind was still turning, still caught in thought. How much longer could he afford to think? Because deep down, he knew—this wasn’t just deception. It wasn’t merely seduction. Maybe…just maybe, it really was the only path forward.0 “You don’t have to decide right now,” Meng Xingxian said softly, almost tenderly. “We still have time.”0 “But not too much,” she added gently. “For now, let me show you the first method of Earth Soul cultivation. Once you see it clearly, you’ll understand what it means to step into the first stage, Lonely Yang Births Ghost Artifact.”0 A long silence followed.0 Then Naran muttered, “Fine.”0 “I knew you’d say yes!” Meng Xingxian beamed. “Because you were never meant to be ordinary. You’re destined to become a beacon in history, a legend so bright your father will shine even brighter just because he sired you! When he lies beneath the earth, and looks down from the heavens…he’ll be proud of what you’ve done.”2