The heavy oak doors of the Southern wing creaked open, and the atmosphere shifted instantly. Outside, the air was thin and frantic; inside, it was thick with the scent of sandalwood and a weightiness that felt like the bottom of a deep, silent ocean.
Lin Fei stepped into the garden, his white hair settling as the supernatural winds died down. His four women were gathered near the central koi pond. Shuyin and Shulan rose immediately, their faces etched with the stress of the day's strange phenomena. Mei stood a few paces back, her hands clasped nervously over her apron, while Lan Yue remained seated, her sharp eyes tracing the new, jagged lines of power in Lin Fei's aura.
Lin Fei walked past the elder sisters and stopped directly in front of Mei. The young maid lowered her head, ready to offer a servant's greeting, but Lin Fei's hand was already under her chin, gently forcing her to look him in the eye.
"No more bowing," he said, his voice resonant and calm. "You carry my blood. From this breath, you are a pillar of this house."
Mei's eyes shimmered with tears, and a collective gasp went through the garden. By elevating the maid, Lin Fei wasn't just changing a rank; he was rewriting the laws of the estate.
"The reflection was correct," Lin Fei mused internally, his mind glancing back at the silent, golden characters only he could see. "Her pregnancy is the most advanced. The roots of my new life are sinking deep into this soil."
He reached out, placing a palm over the abdomen of each woman in turn. Using the Saint Demonic Dragon Body, he sent a pulse of warm, white energy through their meridians. He didn't just check their health—he was weaving a protective shroud around the four lives growing within them. To him, they were no longer just wives and a consort; they were the foundation of his future throne.
THE BREAKING OF THE CLAN
The moment of peace was shattered by the sound of heavy boots. The courtyard gate was kicked open as Second Elder Lin Hu stormed in, flanked by a dozen armored enforcers. His face was twisted in a mask of greed and wounded pride.
"Lin Fei! The Family Head has tolerated your eccentricities long enough!" the Elder roared, his 8th-stage Qi Condensation flaring in an aggressive red mist. "You hide secrets while the clan's influence wanes? Hand over the manual for that body art, or we will take it from your corpse!"
Lin Fei didn't turn around. He stayed focused on Shuyin, his thumb tracing her cheek.
"4th Stage Qi Condensation," he thought, a cold irony flickering in his mind. "In my past life, I wouldn't have even used a finger to crush a bug like this. But with this body... let's see how the Saint Demonic Dragon handles mortal steel."
"I gave an order," Lin Fei said aloud, his voice dropping to a subsonic growl that made the water in the koi pond vibrate. "The Southern wing is a Forbidden Zone. No one crosses the threshold."
"I am your Elder!" Lin Hu screamed, drawing his broadsword. "Your orders mean nothing!"
He lunged.
Lin Fei moved. It wasn't a human movement; it was a flickering displacement of space. One moment he was standing by his wives; the next, he was inches from the Elder's face.
The air grew frigid. Lin Fei's right hand shot out like a strike of lightning, seizing the Second Elder by the throat. White scales erupted across Lin Fei's knuckles and forearm, gleaming with a terrifying, pearlescent light.
"Elder?" Lin Fei whispered, his eyes narrowing into golden, vertical slits. "You think a title gives you the right to bring steel into my nursery?"
Lin Hu tried to circulate his 8th-stage Qi, but the moment his energy met Lin Fei's hand, it was smothered. The Saint Demonic Dragon Body didn't just resist energy—it dominated it, treating the Elder's power like flickering candle smoke.
CRACK.
Lin Fei didn't kill him, but he applied enough pressure to shatter the Elder's collarbone and sever the connection to his dantian. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed the 8th-stage master through the air. Lin Hu hit the stone wall with a sickening thud, falling unconscious.
The enforcers froze, their weapons trembling. They looked at Lin Fei—a 4th-stage junior who had just discarded an 8th-stage Elder like common trash.
"Take him," Lin Fei commanded, his voice echoing with the weight of a mountain. "Tell the Family Head: the Southern Courtyard is no longer part of his domain. If he wishes to speak with me, he can kneel at the gate and wait for the sun to set."
As the guards scrambled to drag their broken leader away, Lin Fei turned back to his family. The white scales receded, but the aura of a Sovereign remained. He was still at the 4th Stage, but he had just declared war on his own bloodline to protect the one he was building.