Chapter 8: Today I'll Beat Every Last One of You. Come at Me Together.

Yale Family Shrine!! One terrifying aura after another descended. Spiritual power surged like a tide, and the winds and clouds churned in response. The Yale family had nine branches, and nine grand elders. Every one of them stood above the Severing Way‑Sovereign Realm. More than that. The foundation of any single branch of the Yale family was no weaker than an Immortal Sect or the Gromme family. Yet ever since the previous clan lord, Kingsley Yale's father, wandered the heavens, the nine branches had never managed to choose a single leader all could submit to. This time, with the Divine Son ceremony, if someone could claim the seat of Divine Son, the Yale family would surely reclaim the prestige of Eternal Yale Family. "Hm." At that moment, starlight suddenly flared within the Yale Family Territory. One star after another rose into the sky, illuminating the vault of heaven. A young man in silver-white battle armor strode forward, his features cold and resolute. He stepped on a river of stars, dazzling beyond measure. Callahan Yale, the Ninth Sequence of the Yale family, bearer of the Stellar Dao Body. "Heh. Callahan, looks like your cultivation has improved again." Before Callahan's feet even touched down, a warm, modest laugh drifted from a distant palace hall. Another young man appeared, dressed in gray and holding a feather fan. He smiled and shook his head, elegant and unhurried. Around him, a thread of golden spiritual energy rose and sank, evolving into mountains, rivers, sun, and moon. It was profound beyond comprehension. Eighth Sequence of the Yale family, Owen Yale, born with righteous qi that repelled all evil. "Chirp!" Soon after, two more of the Yale family's sequences arrived at the shrine, and the atmosphere in heaven and earth boiled over. One of them carried the phantom of a great phoenix above her head. Her face was clear and beautiful, and her bearing was aloof. She was the Seventh Sequence, Thea Yale, of the Ancient Phoenix Bloodline. The other was a gaunt young man with a gloomy expression. One of his arms radiated a blinding, brilliant holy glow. Sixth Sequence of the Yale family, Wilson Yale, born with a Sacred Bone. Each of them carried a fearsome reputation across Holy Dominion Land, standing above the holy sons of Immortal Sects and the inheritors of great teachings. Yet within the Yale family, they could only rank from the Sixth Sequence downward. "Hm." A tremor of Dao sound suddenly shook the air. Lotus after lotus of the Great Dao slowly bloomed, pouring out endless divine radiance. Kingsley Yale appeared in white, gentle as jade, walking out from the depths of the Yale Family Territory. In that instant, the world fell silent. All sound vanished. Everyone stared at the youth in white, hair bound neatly, his immortal visage peerless. In their eyes swirled a thick mix of awe and dread. First Sequence of the Yale family. Kingsley Yale!! The Yale family's most monstrous genius had stepped onto the immortal path at three, formed his spirit palace at ten, and by eighteen had already reached the Ninth Layer of Soul Sea, an unrivaled prodigy. His realm might not have been the highest among the sequences, but his talent and speed of cultivation left the elders and ancestors of the Yale family stunned into admiration. "Pyrean Ancient Dynasty, Empress Gu arrives." At the same time, a deep shout rang out beyond the Yale family. A bell tolled, and the heavens seemed to dim. "Hm?" The Yale family members narrowed their eyes and looked up. Their gazes tightened sharply. A figure in red descended with graceful ease, landing within everyone's sight. Her pale, indifferent immortal face was so stunning it seemed inhuman. Her hair was coiled into a neat bun. Her phoenix eyes ran deep, her nose was straight as carved jade, and every line of her carried an inborn elegance and nobility. Daniella Greaves stood in midair, sleeves fluttering. Her aura was detached and otherworldly, yet threaded with a frightening imperial majesty. She was solitary, absolute. Her expression remained calm, but her heart surged with endless waves. The halls, the mountains and rivers, even every blade of grass in this place, felt familiar to the bone. In her previous life, she had adored Kingsley Yale, loved him to the marrow, and often came to the Yale family. Grandpa Drew Yale had treated her wonderfully, always gifting her spirit treasures and divine materials, caring for her in every possible way. But the Pyrean Ancient Dynasty lay in the Celestial Arcane Realm, and its foundation still fell short compared to Eternal Yale Family. From beginning to end, Kingsley Yale had been cold to her. The colder he was, the harder Daniella trained, desperate to earn his acknowledgment. That humility did not please him. It only made him loathe her more. Only at the very end of her life did Daniella finally understand. This Divine Son of the Yale family had been using her all along. Using her talent. Using her background. Climbing, step by step, to the peak of Holy Dominion. And on their wedding night, he had even used a demonic art to devour her body and soul alike, achieving the summit of the immortal path. "Daniella, why did you come?" As Daniella's thoughts drifted, Kingsley Yale suddenly appeared before her. His voice was gentle, just like the first time they met. "Hm?" For a brief instant, warmth rose in Daniella's chest. Daniella. Such an intimate way to address her, the acknowledgment she had once dreamed of. But the thought shocked her into a cold sweat. Her face gradually hardened. "I was passing by the Yale family, so I came to see Grandpa Drew." Before she could finish, Kingsley Yale reached out and lightly took her hand in his palm. "Hm?" Daniella's whole body stiffened. A flush climbed her cheeks like sunset clouds. In both her past life and this one, she had never been intimate with any man. Especially Kingsley Yale. He had always kept an unbridgeable distance from her. Yet today, with the Divine Child Battle at hand and the grand elders of the nine branches and countless clan members all present, he had taken her hand of his own accord. It felt unreal. Daniella stared into his deep, ink-black Double Pupils, and her Dao heart trembled. Before all eyes, hand in hand. It was the respect and recognition she had once begged for and never obtained, and also the deepest scar carved into her Dao heart. *Could it be… he's discovered the secret on me?* Daniella drew a slow breath, forcing herself to steady. Until she fully understood Kingsley Yale's purpose, she could not afford to trust this Divine Son of the Yale family again. Otherwise, her end might be even more miserable than in her previous life. "Daniella, I'm happy you came." Kingsley Yale's expression stayed warm, as if he had not noticed anything amiss. He walked with her toward the shrine, stopping before the grand elders and elders of the Yale family. Together they looked like an immortal couple descended to the mortal world, stirring envy in all who watched. "Heh. Empress Gu." Drew Yale nodded with a light smile. At last, he understood why Kingsley Yale had refused to break off the engagement. With Daniella Greaves's beauty, she truly lived up to the name of the greatest beauty in the Three Thousand Wayrealms. A pity her cultivation was ruined. Otherwise, she and Kingsley Yale would have been a perfect match made by heaven. "Clan Lord Yale, honored grand elders." Daniella's immortal face was cool. Without drawing attention, she slipped her hand free from Kingsley Yale's grasp and bowed slightly. "Since Young Lord Kingsley Yale has arrived, the Divine Child Battle begins." Romeo Yale, grand elder of the Yale family's Second Branch, stepped forward. His voice was low and heavy. "Young Lord Kingsley Yale, you understand the rules of the contest for Divine Son, yes?" "Yes." Kingsley Yale nodded lightly, his face showing little emotion. Nine branches. Nine sequences. To become the Divine Son of the Yale family, one had to defeat the other eight sequences, or win their submission and support. "Then, Young Lord Kingsley Yale, please." Romeo Yale retreated to the side, yielding the entire palace square to him. In an instant, every gaze in the Yale family fixed on the First Sequence. Kingsley Yale's eyes swept across Callahan Yale, Owen Yale, and the rest. Then, on his handsome face, a warm, brilliant smile appeared. "Fighting one by one is boring," he said softly. "Come at me together."