In the end times, many children bring more blessings. I pick up a goddess every day.

It turns out... after leaving the Li family's base... Wang Kun didn't go far... but instead lay in ambush nearby—he knew Liu Yang would most likely make his move first... so he had been keeping a close eye on the Li family's base... when he heard the sounds of battle coming from within... he immediately led his cultivators to provide support... arriving just in time for a crucial moment in the battle...

"Wang Kun! How dare you betray me!" Li Hong's eyes were filled with shock and anger when he saw the Wang family cultivator... He hadn't expected that Wang Kun had seen through his plan all along... and even set up an ambush...

"Betrayal?" Wang Kun sneered... "You were the one who plotted against my Wang family's territory first... colluding with the rogue cultivators of Black Wind Valley... I was just protecting myself! Today... you and your Li family... will all pay the price for your ambition!"

The Wang and Li family cultivators instantly clashed... The Wang family excelled at alchemy... their cultivators not only possessed solid cultivation levels... but also carried various pills with them... taking one frequently during the battle... their spiritual energy recovered extremely quickly; while the Li family cultivators, though numerous... were demoralized—they already harbored resentment towards the collusion with Black Wind Valley... now, seeing the Black Wind Valley leader killed... and the Wang family leading reinforcements... they had no will to fight... and began to retreat...

Taking advantage of the situation, Su Qingyao released a wide-ranging ice-elemental spiritual power, freezing the plaza into an ice surface. The rogue cultivators of Black Wind Valley, already hesitant to retreat, found themselves even more unsteady on the ice, and many slipped and fell to the ground, whereupon the Wang family cultivators seized the opportunity to subdue them.

"Li Hong...surrender!" Liu Yang, wielding the Yin-Yang Sword, walked step by step towards Li Hong... At this moment, Li Hong was all alone... surrounded only by a few loyal cultivators... who were no match for him at all...

Li Hong watched Liu Yang relentlessly closing in... then glanced at the chaotic battle around him... a flicker of despair crossed his eyes... He knew the tide had turned... if he were captured... not only would he lose his position as head of the Li family... but he would also be executed by the other families of Qingyang City... "You want me to surrender? Not so easy!" A ruthless glint flashed in Li Hong's eyes... suddenly he channeled all his spiritual energy... the cyan longsword in his hand gleamed with dazzling light—he actually intended to self-destruct his spiritual energy... to perish together with Liu Yang!

"Not good!" Wang Kun's expression changed drastically... He wanted to stop it, but it was too late...

Liu Yang's eyes narrowed... He hadn't expected Li Hong to be so reckless... He immediately activated the "Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Unity Technique"... gathering all the Yin-Yang spiritual power in his dantian in front of him... forming a pale golden spiritual power shield... At the same time... he took off the Ice Spirit Pendant from his waist... and infused it with a wisp of spiritual power—the Ice Spirit Pendant instantly released three layers of ice shields... superimposed on the spiritual power shield...

A deafening boom resounded... Li Hong's body unleashed a terrifying shockwave of spiritual energy... The bluestone bricks on the plaza shattered... The surrounding cultivators were blasted away... Liu Yang's ice shield and spiritual energy shield simultaneously lit up... forcefully blocking the shockwave's attack—two layers of the ice shield shattered... Cracks also appeared in the spiritual energy shield... But ultimately, it protected him and Su Qingyao behind him...

As the smoke and dust cleared... Li Hong's figure had vanished... leaving only a huge crater in the ground... He had self-destructed his spiritual power... leaving no trace of his body...

With Li Hong's death, the Li family cultivators completely lost the will to resist and surrendered one after another. The rogue cultivators of Black Wind Valley were like frightened birds, trying to escape the Li family's territory, but they were surrounded by layers of Wang family cultivators and had no way to escape.

"Listen up, everyone! Lay down your weapons... and you will not be killed! Those who resist... will be killed without mercy!" Wang Kun stood in the center of the square... and shouted loudly... his voice resounded throughout the entire camp like thunder... The remaining Black Wind Valley rogue cultivators looked at each other... and finally laid down their weapons... and slumped to the ground...

The battle finally ended... The Wang family cultivators began clearing the battlefield... counting the prisoners and spoils of war; Su Qingyao walked to Liu Yang's side... looking at his somewhat pale face... and asked worriedly, "Master... are you alright? Did the shockwave hurt you?"

Liu Yang shook his head...sheathed the Yin-Yang Sword...and smiled, "It's nothing...I have the Ice Spirit Pendant and the Yin-Yang Spiritual Shield...it just consumed some spiritual energy...I'll be fine after a short rest..." He looked at the scene in the plaza...and breathed a sigh of relief—Li Hong was dead...the rogue cultivators of Black Wind Valley had been captured...this crisis in Qingyang City...was finally resolved...

Wang Kun walked up to the two men... looking at Liu Yang... his eyes filled with admiration: "Young friend Liu... if it weren't for you today... my Wang family would probably have been wiped out... Qingyang City would have fallen into the hands of Black Wind Valley... you not only killed the Black Wind leader... but also forced Li Hong to self-destruct... this strength and courage... are truly admirable..."

"Senior Wang, you flatter me..." Liu Yang said, cupping his hands in greeting. "I was only trying to protect myself... If it weren't for your trust in me and your joining forces with me... Qingyao and I alone wouldn't have been able to break this deadlock..."

Wang Kun smiled and nodded... then his expression turned serious: "Li Hong is dead... the Li family is leaderless... the situation in Qingyang City needs to be stabilized... I plan to report today's events to the City Lord's Mansion... and at the same time summon the other families... to discuss the follow-up arrangements... Young friend Liu... you possess the Ice Thunder Token... and are a key figure in quelling this crisis... you should participate in this matter..."

Liu Yang pondered for a moment... then nodded and said, "Alright... but I hope that you, senior, can make public the matter of the Black Wind Valley rogue cultivators colluding with the Li family... so that the cultivators of Qingyang City know the truth—I don't want anyone else to be misled by the rumor that 'Liu Yang killed Zhao Qian'..."

“That’s natural…” Wang Kun said… “I will personally clarify the rumors…and clear your name…Besides, the Ice Thunder Token is the Zhao family’s token…Now that the Zhao family is weak…you possess the Ice Thunder Token…and have such strength…perhaps you can gain the City Lord’s approval…and become the new representative of power in Qingyang City…”

Liu Yang didn't care about that... He was more concerned with improving his cultivation level and exploring the deeper levels of the "Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Unity Technique"... However, he also knew that establishing a foothold in Qingyang City would benefit both him and Su Qingyao's cultivation—at least they would have a safe cultivation environment and sufficient resources...

Afterwards... Wang Kun arranged for his cultivators to escort the prisoners to the City Lord's Mansion... while sending someone to notify the other families to come for a meeting... Liu Yang and Su Qingyao followed Wang Kun... to the Wang family's residence to rest—after a great battle... they needed to recover their spiritual energy as soon as possible... while awaiting a reply from the City Lord's Mansion...

Inside a guest room at the Wang family's residence... Liu Yang sat cross-legged on the bed... circulating the "Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Unity Technique"... absorbing the spiritual energy in the room... The Yin-Yang spiritual power slowly rotated within his dantian... repairing the spiritual power consumed in the previous battle... while also continuously refining it—after the battles with the Black Wind leader and Li Hong... his control over the Yin-Yang spiritual power had improved further... getting closer and closer to the stable realm of the early Golden Core stage...

Su Qingyao sat to the side, also silently cultivating. Having broken through to the late Foundation Establishment stage, she hadn't yet been tested in actual combat. Today's battle had given her considerable experience, and she was more proficient in using ice-type spiritual power. Especially when cooperating with Liu Yang in battle, she learned how to protect herself while providing maximum support to her teammates. This would greatly benefit her future cultivation path.

As evening fell... Wang Kun sent someone to inform Liu Yang... the City Lord's Mansion had received the news... City Lord Zhao Tianlei had decided to hold a council meeting at the City Lord's Mansion the next day... inviting all the heads of families in Qingyang City... as well as Liu Yang... At the same time... the City Lord's Mansion also sent a message... expressing their appreciation for Liu Yang's actions in quelling the Black Wind Valley rebellion... and hoping to see him at the council meeting...

"City Lord Zhao Tianlei?" Liu Yang's heart skipped a beat... He had heard of Zhao Tianlei's name before—Zhao Tianlei was the city lord of Qingyang City... His cultivation had reached the late Golden Core stage... He was the strongest cultivator in Qingyang City... And also a senior member of the Zhao family's collateral branch... After Zhao Qian's death... the reason the Zhao family wasn't completely wiped out... was largely due to Zhao Tianlei's protection...

"It seems tomorrow's council meeting... won't be so simple..." Liu Yang muttered to himself, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes... He wanted to see... just what kind of person this City Lord of Qingyang City was... and what arrangements he would make for him and the Ice Thunder Token...

Su Qingyao walked to his side...and said with a smile, "Master...no matter what happens tomorrow...I'm here...and we now have Senior Wang's support...as well as the Yin-Yang spiritual power and the Yin-Yang sword...even if we encounter danger...we can handle it..."

Looking into Su Qingyao's determined eyes, Liu Yang felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, saying, "Alright... With you here, I'm at ease... Tomorrow we'll go to the City Lord's Mansion together... to see how this council meeting will decide the future of Qingyang City..."

As night deepened... the Wang family's residence returned to calm... but other parts of Qingyang City... were in an uproar over the news of the Li family's destruction and Black Wind Valley's capture—cultivators were discussing this sudden turn of events... and the cultivator named "Liu Yang"... some admired his strength... some were curious about his origins... and others coveted the Ice Lightning Token in his possession...

All of this... Liu Yang had foreseen... He knew... pacifying Li Hong and Black Wind Valley... was only the first step in establishing himself in Qingyang City... Next... he would need to face more challenges... solve more troubles... but he was not afraid—with Su Qingyao's companionship... with the aid of the "Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Unity Technique" and the Yin-Yang Sword... he was confident that he could gain a foothold in Qingyang City... and even forge his own path of cultivation...

The next morning...sunlight bathed Qingyang City...Liu Yang and Su Qingyao changed into clean clothes...accompanied by the Wang family cultivators...and headed towards the City Lord's Mansion...located in the center of Qingyang City...a magnificent architectural complex...two stone lions stood at the entrance...appearing majestic and solemn...

At this moment... a number of family heads had gathered at the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion... Upon seeing Liu Yang... they all cast curious glances at him... Wang Kun quickly stepped forward... and introduced Liu Yang to everyone... When they heard that Liu Yang was the cultivator who had killed the Black Wind leader and forced Li Hong to his death... surprise and admiration flashed in everyone's eyes... and their gazes towards Liu Yang became even more solemn...

"Young friend Liu... I've long admired your name..." A middle-aged man in a purple robe stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I am Sun Hao, the head of the Sun family... Yesterday, thanks to young friend Liu's intervention... the peace of Qingyang City was preserved... I, Sun, am deeply grateful..."

"Senior Sun, you're too kind..." Liu Yang returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "I only did what I was supposed to do..."

The heads of other families also stepped forward to greet Liu Yang... In an instant... Liu Yang became the focus of everyone's attention... Su Qingyao stood beside him... a faint smile on her face... her eyes full of pride—she knew... her master's strength and courage... were worthy of everyone's respect...

Just then... the gates of the City Lord's Mansion slowly opened... and an elderly man dressed in a blue brocade robe walked out... The old man had white hair and beard... yet he was vigorous... and his body was surrounded by faint fluctuations of late-stage Golden Core spiritual energy... It was none other than the City Lord of Qingyang City... Zhao Tianlei...

Zhao Tianlei's gaze swept over the crowd... finally landing on Liu Yang... a hint of approval flashing in his eyes: "You're Liu Yang? Not bad... to have such strength and courage at such a young age... truly rare... Come in with me... the council meeting... should begin..."

Liu Yang nodded...and together with Su Qingyao, Wang Kun, and the others...followed Zhao Tianlei into the City Lord's Mansion...a council meeting concerning the future of Qingyang City...was about to begin...and Liu Yang's fate...would also undergo a new turning point at this meeting...