"This person was able to intrude on our territory and kill twelve prisoners without making so much as a sound. Even I wasn''t able to sense a thing. Whoever this ''Lord of the Abyss'' is, he is undoubtedly dangerous. But I don''t understand one thing: What did he gain from killing those prisoners? They were already on death row. It just feels so random," Adriana raised her concern.


    "Regardless, I don''t care why he killed those twelve prisoners. He invaded my place, and he is going to get punished for what he has done," Adriana said coldly.


    As the great Hailstorm Clan''s matriarch, she couldn''t just ignore this incident. This Lord of the Abyss invaded her territory right under her nose. This made this person her direct enemy.


    Moreover, a stranger invading her territory was a huge blow to her pride. As a celestial dragon, her pride had no bounds, and she would not let this go without making a fuss.


    If the other clan leaders heard about this, wouldn''t she become a laughing stock?


    She had to capture this person and make them pay. It was only reasonable she would do that to recover her pride and peace.


    Sam, hearing her cold declaration, felt a chill run down his spine. Only he knew that he was the Lord of the Abyss, and that his grandmother was unknowingly talking about killing him.


    Suppressing his expression, Sam asked, "S-So, Grandma, do you need my help with catching this person?"


    "That is so sweet, dear, but it''s my job to catch this bastard. Just focus on your cultivation and get stronger. That''s the best help you could do at this moment," Adriana said with a small smile as she marveled at how good-looking her grandson was. Sёarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She wasn''t immune to his charm either, but she was strong enough to hide her desire from showing on her face.


    "Mother is right, son. This is the clan''s business. You don''t have to bother yourself with this. I don''t want you putting yourself in danger," Helena told Sam in a serious tone.


    Sam nodded, "Don''t worry, Mom. I will always try to stay away from trouble."


    He was only saying that because he had to. But in reality, even his mother knew that he probably wouldn''t run from trouble.


    "Here," Adriana waved her hand, and three scrolls flew out of her storage ring and landed on her hand. Then she handed them to her grandson.


    "I heard from your aunt that you already have both Qi and body cultivation methods. These three scrolls contain two sage-grade techniques and one Great sage grade technique, which I created myself. Learn them, and if you need any pills or resources, you can take as much as you want from the clan''s storage room."


    Sam took the scrolls and put them in his storage ring.


    "I also prepared a place for you to cultivate peacefully. There are eleven peaks in the White Jade Mountain behind the Ancestral Manor. You can occupy the seventh peak. The spiritual energy in the mountain is quite dense and perfect for cultivation, and whatever phenomenon or manifestation you might incur would be hidden from the city.


    Of course, from the ancestral manor, we can see if you do cause it, though."


    Some time later.


    Sam''s white dragon wings with crimson patterns flapped as he gracefully landed on the seventh peak of the snow-covered White Jade Mountain.


    The moment he entered the peak, he felt several eyes looking at him, observing him with interest. "Looks like I''m not alone on the mountain."


    He didn''t mind them and went inside the cave. On the other side of the cave, he arrived at a spacious circular area filled with warm water coming out of the little holes in the cave''s walls.


    At the center of the water body was a circular solid structure made of a single rock. There was also a big white-colored mat placed on it, easily fitting more than a dozen people sitting cross-legged to cultivate, given the dense spiritual energy inside the cave.


    "Unlike the outside of the cave, the temperature in here is not too hot and not too cold. It feels perfect," Sam muttered, satisfied with his grandmother''s arrangement.


    He looked around and went towards the stream of water. He could see the faint steam emanating from the water as he gently dipped his hand in. "Hot water inside a cave on a snow-covered mountain. This feels good."


    He sat on the mat and took out the three scrolls from his storage ring.


    These scrolls contained two sage-grade techniques and one great sage-grade technique. Sage-grade techniques, as the name suggests, were created by sages. They were undefeated and unsurpassable techniques, and only other sage techniques or higher-grade techniques could hope to surpass them.


    And here was Sam, holding three of those techniques in his hand.


    For common people and ordinary cultivators, sage-grade techniques were rarer than anything. Cultivators who were talented might possess sage-grade techniques inherited from their sect, family, or clan, especially if they were prodigies.


    As the true heir of the Hailstorm clan, Sam naturally inherited his clan''s resources and sage-grade techniques.


    Sam opened and unfurled one of the scrolls. It looked plain and normal, with no visible writing on it.


    Sam invoked his spiritual energy, causing it to burst from his body. As his spiritual energy interacted with the seemingly ordinary scroll, the scroll started to vibrate.


    Various Dao patterns emerged on the scroll as it floated in the air before his eyes. The empty scroll transformed, and words appeared written in dark red color.


    It was a sage-grade technique, "The Hundred Mountains Palm."


    This palm technique belonged to the Hailstorm clan and had the power to bring forth the weight of a hundred mountains with a single palm. However, only a sage could unleash the full potential of this technique. Currently, Sam could maximize at least 30% of its sage-grade power.


    "Let''s get started then," Sam smiled as he activated his Mystic Voidheart Harmonic Physique, his innate ability Rumination Clarity, and began gaining insights into the technique.


    ...


    While Sam was immersed in gaining insights into the three sage-grade techniques, the Hailstorm clan''s matriarch and the others were preparing to greet some unexpected guests.


    "Respected matriarch, the King of the Lumin Dynasty, Shun Fulmine, the queen Sakura Fulmine, and their only daughter, Princess of the Lumin Dynasty are here to see you," the guard announced, bowing respectfully.


    "Lumin Dynasty, huh? I wonder what they want," Adriana mused.


    "Bring them to the guest room and serve them something to drink," Adriana instructed the guard before heading to the outer area of the ancestral manor.


    "Both the king and queen came in person along with their only daughter? It seems King Shun is desperate to acquire support from us," Ava remarked.


    "Why would the great King Shun of the great Lumin Dynasty need support?" Helena asked curiously.


    "As you guys already know, the Lumin Dynasty was backed up by the Fulmine clan. Three months ago, the Fulmine clan''s current head and his younger brother had a disagreement, and this disagreement grew into an argument. Then, the clan itself split up between the current head and the younger brother," Adriana explained.


    The current king of the Lumin Dynasty was the son of the current head of the Fulmine clan, while his younger brother was from the branch family. Unbeknownst to the older brother, the younger brother had been amassing support from various forces in hopes of acquiring the Fulmine clan for himself.


    When a small disagreement occurred, the younger brother seized the opportunity and rebelled against the older brother, almost succeeding in acquiring the entire clan. However, the older brother was not to be taken lightly.


    "Let me guess, after the clan itself broke into two, the younger brother wants to take this chance to take over the Lumin Dynasty from his nephew, by getting support from noble clans from the Azure Dragon continent," Lorraine snorted.


    If the younger brother took over the entire Fulmine clan, he would also dethrone the current king of the Lumin Dynasty.


    "What''s your stance on this matter, Mother? Are you going to support the Fulmine clan''s head or his younger brother?" Helena inquired.


    Whoever succeeded to the throne, it wouldn''t affect the Hailstorm clan significantly, but it presented a great opportunity to gain benefits by using this conflict. Throughout history, war and conflict were always a chance for those who observed from the sidelines to reap rewards.


    "I have not decided yet," Adriana replied.


    She needed to consider this carefully. As one of the major forces in the Azure Dragon continent, she possessed great authority and power. For thousands of years, the Lumin Dynasty had been a good neighbor and a valuable ally to the Hailstorm clan, and King Shun had always given the Hailstorm clan respect.


    Just these reasons alone inclined her to support the current head of the Fulmine clan. However, in war, feelings didn''t matter.


    As the Hailstorm clan''s matriarch, she would only think about her clan''s well-being and her own benefit.


    ...


    [A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones. And if you absolutely loved it, you can even contribute a Golden Ticket. Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much! - Arigato! ????]