The journey to the front lines did not happen all at once.
Under General Li Huxin’s banner, they moved from one subsidiary clan to the next, stopping briefly at each stronghold along the way. Orders were delivered, banners unfurled, and cultivators—young and old—answered the call.
Some came out of loyalty.
Some out of ambition.
Others because this was the only chance they would ever get to step onto a real battlefield.
Each stop added more men to the growing force behind them.
By the time they reached Li Huxin’s assigned military camp, the column stretched long across the plains—armored cultivators, spear units, scouts, and reserve forces from dozens of subsidiary clans. Many were not Li Family clansmen at all, but powerful individuals who had sworn temporary military service.
There were six major camps in total, each commanded by a general of the Li Family Clan. Of them all, Li Huxin’s camp was the closest to the front lines—the one most likely to see blood first. And everyone here knew it.
The camp itself was massive. Rows of tents stretched across the open ground.
There were many powerful cultivators here—Refiniment realm, Core Realm, even a few in the Profound Realm.
Yet Xiao Fang could tell that hardly any of them had ever seen war.
Their Qi was sharp but untested. Their killing intent was practiced, not proven. Many were young cultivators with bright eyes and restless ambition, hoping this conflict would be the moment their names entered the records of the Li Family Clan.
Li Huxin’s camp was where reputations would be forged—or shattered.
.
.
.
Li Lian arrived at the camp shortly after, but she wasn’t alone.
Beside her walked Xiao Hei, hands clasped behind her head, eyes wandering lazily across the vast military grounds. To anyone else, she looked like a bored young woman that was being dragged somewhere she didn’t want to be—but the faint pressure leaking from her body caused nearby cultivators to instinctively give her space.
The moment they entered the outer perimeter, sentries straightened.
"Miss Li."
"General Li’s daughter."
Even though Li Lian was Li Huxin’s illegitimate child, she had recently gained the most fame after becoming the Matriarch Shi Lan’s direct disciple.
The Black Paradise sect was the best sect in the entire province, while most only dreamed about becoming a disciple of that sect, one could only assume that Li Lian was a peerless genius to become the Matriarch’s one and only direct disciple.
Whispers followed in their wake—some respectful, some curious, some wary. Li Lian ignored them all and headed straight for the command pavilion.
Just before reaching it, Xiao Hei suddenly halted.
Her ears twitched.
"...Oh," she muttered.
In the next instant, her body blurred—and vanished.
Li Lian clicked her tongue. "That girl..."
She knew she wouldn’t have gone far, so she ignored her for now before heading inside.
...
Inside the command pavilion, Li Huxin stood over a large stone table carved with terrain lines and troop markings. Several officers were present along with his children, quietly debating supply routes and formation spacing.
When Li Huxin sensed Li Lian, he looked up immediately.
Seeing their father’s reaction, the others looked to the door as well, then they saw her.
"If it isn’t Li Lian," one of Li Lian’s half-siblings commented.
"Long time no see. Have you gotten any stronger since we last saw you?" Li Lian’s half-brother commented as well.
Li Lian ignored their words and approached her father directly.
"Father," Li Lian greeted, cupping her fists.
His stern expression softened—only slightly. Li Lian had always been his most rebellious child, so their relationship had never been good.
"You came quickly," he said. "Good, we’ll need your strength."
Li Lian stepped closer. "I’ll help any way I can."
Li Huxin nodded approvingly before gesturing toward the eastern markings on the map.
"The Song Family Clan has been pressing forward faster than expected. Their vanguard is aggressive, probing our outer defenses. They’re not committing fully yet—but they’re testing us."
"They’re looking for weakness," Li Lian’s elder half-brother interjected.
"Exactly," Li Huxin replied. "They want to force us into a premature engagement before our alliance with the Gao Family is finalized."
"How sure are we that it will even get finalized?" Li Lian asked.
Li Huxin shook his head slowly, "Regardless if they join us or not, our clan is ready for anything they throw at us."
"So our objective?" Li Lian asked.
"Delay," Li Huxin said without hesitation. "Bleed their scouts. Break their momentum. Force them to expose their hand before a full-scale clash."
"And if they push anyway?"
Li Huxin’s jaw tightened. "Then this camp becomes the shield."
Before Li Lian could respond, a light scoff came from behind.
"Well, well," a woman’s voice drawled lazily. "Talking strategy already?"
Li Lian didn’t turn.
Her elder half-sister stepped forward, arms crossed, eyes flicking between Li Lian and the stone war map.
"Crazy Lian, did you hear?" she said, using Li Lian’s old childhood nickname. "A cripple asked for your hand in marriage in front of the Patriarch and the generals." She raised her sleeve, poorly hiding a mocking smile. "It seems our little sister really has no luck with men."
Several officers shifted awkwardly, pretending not to hear.
Li Lian remained expressionless.
"That’s enough," Li Huxin said coldly.
His gaze never left the map, but the authority in his voice froze the pavilion.
"I personally requested that the Patriarch place that boy under my command," he continued. "So as long as he is in this camp, I expect every one of you to treat him with respect."
The pavilion fell into silence.
At his words, Li Lian’s heart skipped a single beat.
"He’s here?" she asked, unable to fully hide the interest in her voice.
Li Huxin finally allowed a faint smirk. "Yes. Southern inner perimeter. Red tent. You can’t miss it."
His tone carried the faint amusement of a father revealing a secret to his daughter. Although their personalities often clashed, he never once stopped trying to be a good father to her.
Li Lian immediately turned.
’So that’s where Xiao Hei ran off to,’ she thought.
"Where do you think you’re going?" her elder half-sister snapped, stepping into her path. "Father hasn’t dismissed us yet."
Li Lian scoffed.
In the next instant, a wave of Dragon Perception Qi surged outward.
Her elder sister was blasted backward, her Profound Realm cultivation completely overwhelmed by Li Lian’s Half-Step Heavenly Realm battle power. She stumbled and fell hard onto the stone floor.
The other siblings watched in shock as they felt her dragon’s roar shaking their hearts.
"This—"
Some had their jaws dropped, some had their teeth clenched, and others simply stood in complete disbelief. It hadn’t even been half a year since they last saw Li Lian, but for her to increase her battlepower that much in such a short period of time should’ve been impossible.
Even Li Huxin found it difficult to believe.
Walking past her elder sister now, Li Lian looked down at her with a domineering gaze.
"If Father wants me to stay, he’ll tell me himself," Li Lian said coldly.
Her elder sister shot an indignant look toward Li Huxin, clearly expecting him to intervene.
Instead, Li Huxin spoke calmly.
"Lian’er, wait."
Li Lian paused at the pavilion entrance.
"Tell Fang to report to the main courtyard shortly," he said. "Team divisions will begin in an hour."
Li Lian turned, cupped her fists respectfully, and nodded.
"Understood."
As she left, her sister muttered bitterly,
"Try not to get him killed."
Li Lian didn’t slow her step.
As she exited the pavilion, Li Lian heard a familiar voice coming from her soul sea.
"Quite the family you got there."
Li Lian didn’t need to ask who it was.
It was Li Xianyu—her ancestor—who had witnessed the entire exchange while resting within her soul sea.
All her life, her half-siblings had carried themselves as if they were superior—never letting her forget that, in their eyes, she wasn’t worthy of being called their equal. Because of that, Li Lian had never once regarded them as true family.
"Yeah," she replied quietly, "the less I have to deal with them, the better."