「Three days later.」

The man who had interrogated him returned. "The Clan Leader wants to see you!"

"Then lead me there quickly!" Ye Fan couldn’t stand another moment in this moldy place.

"Swallow this!" the man said, tossing him a pill.

Ye Fan looked at the dark pellet and immediately asked, "What is this?"

"It’s a special pill refined by our clan. After taking it, you won’t be able to use any martial power for three days," the man explained.

Ye Fan took the pill and swallowed it. Seeing no adverse reaction, the man finally led him out of the cell.

He brought Ye Fan to a large hall. It was a sturdy-looking structure built entirely from wood.

In the hall sat an old man. He was ancient, and Ye Fan was stunned by the sheer power he radiated. This power struck fear into him. Even he, the foremost of the world’s seven great Kings, didn’t possess such an overwhelming force. The old man’s every move exuded the air of a supreme master, making him seem truly unfathomable.

What kind of clan is this? Of the two people I’ve met, one is no weaker than me, and the other is even stronger.

At that moment, the old man spoke. "You are no ordinary person. Your strength is formidable, and you’ve reached a critical point. You could break through from the King level to the Emperor level at any moment!"

Ye Fan was shaken. He gauged my power so accurately. This old man is clearly quite skilled.

So, he said, "I have no interest in this place. Once I find my sister, I will leave and never set foot in this place again!"

"The situation is now beyond your control," the old man replied. "You should leave. Your sister is doing very well, but you cannot take her with you. Doing so would only hold her back."

"Why?" Ye Fan asked.

"Because she is destined to be a figure who will dazzle an entire era," the old man explained. "You cannot take her away. If you do, you will ruin her future. I will permit you to see her once, in secret, but she must not know you are there."

Ye Fan argued, "Perhaps this isn’t the life she wants! You can’t force her!"

"No. She has a mission and a responsibility to bear," the old man stated.

"Alright, let’s put that aside for now," Ye Fan said. "I just want to know, what kind of clan are you?"

"Our lineage is ancient, with origins in antiquity. We are the descendants of the Yanhuang Five Emperors—their purest bloodline. We are known as the Yan Clan."

"And I happen to be the Yan Clan Patriarch. In its golden age, our Yan Clan looked down upon the world, and none dared to disobey. But ever since the last Holy Daughter perished, our clan began to decline."

"Now, this generation’s Holy Daughter has appeared. She can lead our Yan Clan back to its zenith!" the Yan Clan Patriarch declared.

Ye Fan was shocked. Descendants of the Yanhuang Five Emperors... What a powerful origin! In ancient times, the Five Yanhuang Emperors led the Barbaric Race to pacify the world. They made indelible contributions to the development of the Human Clan, and for this, they were revered as the Yanhuang Five Emperors. The Yan Clan was clearly their legacy. Now Ye Fan understood. It made sense that the two people he had met were so powerful.

At this, Ye Fan said, "She’s just a little girl. She can’t bear such a heavy responsibility. Besides, she isn’t from your Yan Clan!"

The Yan Clan Patriarch explained, "Each generation’s Holy Daughter does not come from within our clan. Instead, they are the reincarnations of the previous one, scattered throughout the mortal realm before returning to the Yan Clan to lead us to the pinnacle."

"A full two thousand years have passed since the last Holy Daughter. Now, she has returned. She will lead the Yan Clan to its absolute peak!" The man’s ambition was palpable.

So, Ye Fan asked, "You’re that certain she’s the Yan Clan Saintess?"

"Of course. She earned the recognition of the Divine Beast and became its master. Therefore, she is our clan’s Holy Daughter!" the Yan Clan Patriarch stated with pride.

"Perhaps the Divine Beast was dozing off," Ye Fan suggested.

"Are you questioning the Divine Beast’s judgment?" the old man asked.

Ye Fan quickly shook his head. "I don’t care what her identity is. She is my sister, and I have the right to see her!"

"Fine," the Yan Clan Patriarch conceded. "I will let you see her once, but it must be in secret. If you dare let the Holy Daughter find out, I will kill you, even if you are her brother!"

"Aren’t you afraid of making her angry?" Ye Fan challenged.

"Angry?" The Yan Clan Patriarch sneered. "You think too much. If I kill you without her ever knowing, why would she be angry?"

Ye Fan nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Can you be any more despicable? I thought I was shameless, but compared to this old bastard, I’m a complete amateur!

"Cut the crap," he said. "Take me to see her."

The Yan Clan Patriarch then led Ye Fan to the edge of a courtyard filled with rare flowers and exotic plants. Inside, they saw the peerless Alice. Amidst the blossoms, her stunning beauty seemed to have shed its last traces of youthfulness, replaced by an aura of calm elegance.

Ye Fan was about to call out when the Yan Clan Patriarch’s hand clamped around his throat. "Behave yourself!" he hissed.

This is the first time I’ve been threatened like this and been completely unable to retaliate. Ye Fan was speechless. He swore to himself that sooner or later, he would teach this old man a harsh lesson.

For the moment, Ye Fan remained calm, his mind racing. How can I get Alice to notice me? If she sees me, I can meet with her properly.

The Yan Clan Patriarch said, "Alright, that’s enough. The Holy Daughter is about to fuse with the Divine Power of the Five Emperors and cannot be distracted. You need to leave now! If you stay here and disrupt the fusion, the consequences for her will be devastating!"

Ye Fan was unwilling to leave. He felt something was wrong with Alice being here and knew he had to do something. So, he suddenly cried out, "OUCH!"

The Yan Clan Patriarch was enraged. He knew Ye Fan was trouble, but he hadn’t expected him to reveal himself this way. Just as he was about to restrain Ye Fan, he saw that Alice had already turned to look in their direction.

The Yan Clan Patriarch shot Ye Fan a venomous glare, but Ye Fan paid him no mind. So what if you’re a crafty, despicable old fox? I have my own ways of dealing with you.

When she saw Ye Fan, Alice couldn’t believe her eyes.

"Yezi!" she exclaimed in shock.

"Alice!" Ye Fan called back.

Alice rushed over, threw her arms around Ye Fan, and kissed his cheek soundly. "Yezi, I’ve missed you so much!" she said excitedly. "I knew you would come for me! But why did you take so long?"

"That’s because I was locked up in—"

"AHEM!" The Yan Clan Patriarch coughed loudly. Ye Fan quickly changed his tune. "It’s because I ran into some unpleasantness along the way. Besides, the important thing is that I’m here now, right?"

That was a close call. I almost blurted out the embarrassing truth about my imprisonment. Of course, he wasn’t staying quiet to save the Yan Clan Patriarch any face; it was purely a matter of his own pride. He cared a great deal about his reputation.

Alice huffed at him. "Well, I’m glad you’re here. Do you have any idea how crazy these old guys have been driving me?"

Ye Fan chuckled. "Don’t worry. I’m sure they just have your best interests at heart."

"But this isn’t the life I want!" After all, Alice was a little Witch. How could she ever adapt to such a tranquil existence?

The Yan Clan Patriarch was inwardly fuming. It wasn’t us driving her crazy! Her arrival has driven all of us half to death! Ever since she got here, our lives have been chaos. It’s a misery beyond words. But what could he do? Alice was their Yan Clan Saintess. Even he, the Clan Leader, had to treat her with the utmost respect.

"Great Elder, you may be excused," Alice said.

"Yes!" the man responded.

At that point, only Ye Fan and the old man were left.

The old man asked him, "Who are you, really? What is your purpose?"

Ye Fan replied, "I’m just an ordinary person, here only to find my sister."

Hearing the word "sister," the old man relaxed. His greatest fear was that Ye Fan had come looking for his wife, as the Holy Daughter must be pure and unsullied. No man in this world was worthy of the Holy Daughter.

In truth, what he didn’t know was that there are sisters by blood and sisters by oath—and Alice was, in fact, Ye Fan’s sworn sister.