As night fell, the last ray of sunlight disappeared behind the mountainside, gently brushing over the glazed tile roof of the Tiger King Palace, which was carved with dragons and phoenixes. The golden light shone brightly, as if the whole world was bathed in a sacred glow.
All around the palace, exotic flowers and rare herbs bloomed in profusion, emitting a faint fragrance that attracted the spirits of the forest to stop and gaze. Some looked up at them, while others whispered among themselves, seemingly anticipating the grand event that was about to take place.
As a melodious bell rang from deep within the palace, the entire Tiger King Palace instantly erupted in excitement.
Tiger Clan warriors, dressed in various magnificent robes, arrived either flying through the air or riding on clouds, their faces beaming with smiles and their eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation for the unknown.
They included branches of the Tiger Clan and powerful individuals who were out guarding their territories. They might not have seen each other on ordinary days, but today, they all gathered together at the invitation of the Tiger King's Palace to celebrate this grand occasion.
Upon entering the Tiger King Palace, one sees a long corridor paved with white jade leading directly to the main hall, with various mythical beast statues on both sides, each with a different shape and lifelike appearance.
They roar or growl, seemingly in resistance against a mysterious force.
At the end of the long corridor, a magnificent golden hall stood majestically, its doors wide open, from which a powerful spiritual energy surged forth, inspiring awe in all who beheld it.
Inside the main hall, the hall was already full of guests. In the center was a high platform with a jade table carved from millennia-old ice. On the table were various rare and exotic fruits and celestial wines, their aromas enticing and mouthwatering.
On the high platform, a middle-aged man dressed in a golden tiger robe, exuding extraordinary majesty, sat upright. He was the Tiger King, one of the most renowned powerhouses in the Ten Thousand Mountains.
With a smile on his face, the Tiger King's gaze swept over the crowd below, and a gentle yet powerful aura quietly spread, causing everyone to fall silent involuntarily.
After speaking, the Tiger King lightly waved his sleeve, and the hall was instantly illuminated with thousands of rays of light.
A series of dazzling spells intertwined in the air, creating magnificent paintings that depicted both the beauty of mountains and rivers and the vastness of the stars and the sea, drawing admiration from everyone present.
A silver-white figure slowly descended from the top of the valley, like a moonlit elf, untouched by dust.
A rare head of white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her skin was as white as snow, and her eyes sparkled with a confident and mysterious light.
She wore a white dress embroidered with golden tiger stripes, and every step she took seemed to tread on stars. As she walked, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, as if even time itself stood still.
"Yinping greets all the elders."
Her voice was clear and melodious, yet dignified, and instantly, the entire banquet hall erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
At the banquet, Hong Yinping not only amazed everyone with her stunning beauty, but what was even more astonishing was that her appearance resonated with the ancestral land of the Tiger Clan, summoning the phantom of the ancient divine beast, the White Tiger.
hovering above the banquet, its immense power caused even the tiger clan's strongest warriors to feel a call and awe from ancient times.
"The pressure of ancestral blood?"
The tiger clan powerhouse sensed the pressure of Hong Yinping's bloodline and vaguely felt a desire to submit and kneel.
This was the oppression from the ancestral bloodline, and even more so, the manifestation of the inheritance deep within the bloodline. The servants of other races were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, trembling and crawling on the ground.
The fear stemming from the suppression of their souls and bloodlines made them uneasy.
"Haha, this is my daughter Yinping. She recently returned to the clan and took human form in the ancestral land a few days ago," Tiger King Honggang said majestically.
"Big brother, didn't Yinping go missing when she was little? How come she's been found all of a sudden?"
This is what Tiger King's younger brother, Hong Chen, asked.
The Tiger Clan has always revered strength; whoever is the strongest becomes the clan leader. This ancestral rule has been passed down to this day and has never changed.
Hong Gang's two sons are only mediocre in talent among the tiger clan, so they will definitely not be the next Tiger King.
The only one with the greatest advantage for the throne is Tiger King's youngest daughter, Hong Eun-pyeong, but Tiger King used to be very arrogant and often took his youngest daughter around to show off.
Therefore, when she was just a month old, Hong Yinping went missing. The Tiger Clan searched frantically everywhere, but found no clues.
If she doesn't return to her clan, the throne of the Tiger Clan will inevitably fall into the wrong hands; this is an unchangeable fact.
However, after many years, the Tiger King found Hong Yinping, dashing the hopes of his clansmen who coveted the throne, which must have left them somewhat resentful.
If the white-haired girl before them were not of the Tiger Clan of the Ten Thousand Mountains, even if her bloodline had reverted to its ancestral form, she would not be able to inherit the throne; outsiders would be expelled.
Tiger King Hong Gang's face twitched slightly. When it came to Hong Yinping's disappearance, he had been beaten quite a bit. Every time, his buttocks would be bruised and bleeding, and he would have to stay in bed to recover from the pain. This was a pain he was unwilling to talk about.
"We were lucky. A few days ago, we found out about Yinping, so my wife brought her back," Hong Gang said proudly.
After he finished speaking, his wife, A-Lian, dressed in a long gown woven from moonlight gauze, slowly entered the hall.
Her long dress was embroidered with delicate tiger stripes, which swayed gently with her steps, as if they were alive.
A jade hairpin carved from millennia-old ice adorned her hair, exuding a cool and unapproachable nobility.
Ah Lian's beauty was breathtaking; her features possessed both the gentle grace of a woman from Jiangnan and the majesty of a queen, captivating all the creatures present.
She came to Hong Yinping and said with a light smile, "It is a great joy that my daughter Yinping can return home and be recognized by her ancestors. In a few days, Yinping will be conferred the title of Holy Maiden, and the Pig Clan and Bear Clan will be invited to come and watch."
"Hehe, sister-in-law, you're still as decisive as ever. Has Ping'er been to the ancestral hall?" Hong Chen asked with a forced smile.
If Hong Yinping hadn't entered the ancestral hall, there would still have been a chance.
“Of course, Ping’er, show your ancestral mark to your uncle.” A-Lian nudged the white-haired girl and chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Hong Yinping activated her bloodline, and an ancient silver rune appeared between her brows. In an instant, a terrifying pressure filled the hall, causing all the tiger clan experts to tremble and move their bodies.
Those of lower cultivation levels couldn't help but kneel down, while even those above the fifth level could barely steady themselves and control their instinctive fear.
"Her bloodline has awakened!" Hong Chen exclaimed in surprise. He felt the pressure of her bloodline. Hong Yinping's bloodline had not only reverted to its ancestral form, but had also awakened.
Their spirits were somewhat low. Now that they had entered the ancestral hall and gained recognition, it no longer mattered whether the white-haired girl in front of them was really Hong Yinping.
"Alright, Ping'er, calm down." Hong Gang said with a loud laugh.
His face was flushed, clearly the bloodline pressure from earlier had also affected him. If her realm were to break through to the sixth level, probably no one in the entire Tiger Clan would be able to remain stable under her bloodline pressure.
Hong Yinping withdrew her aura, and the runes on her forehead disappeared.
As the pressure from the bloodline dissipated, the atmosphere in the hall returned to what it was at the beginning.
Lin Fan was seated at the guest table and began to enjoy the spiritual fruits and fine wines offered by the Tiger Clan without any hesitation.
While he was enjoying his meal, he noticed that many eyes were on him. They were tiger clan experts and some servants looking him over, clearly curious about this stranger.
This is the first time the Tiger Clan has invited humans to their family banquet.
Besides them, Lin Fan also noticed that Hong Yinping would occasionally steal glances at him, but when he looked over, she would shyly look away.
"Oh no, I guess I'm going to marry a shrew this time!" he thought to himself. As the banquet progressed, he overheard a lot of information, but there were some sensitive things that they didn't say aloud.
After all, Lin Fan is a human, and they are unsure of his situation, so they dare not reveal the Tiger Clan's secrets.
However, their conversation revolved around the coronation ceremony of the saintess a few days later, when they would invite all the magical beast races of the Ten Thousand Mountains to witness it.
"Miaomiao, don't rush. You can go find him after you finish eating." A-Lian noticed her daughter's little thoughts and affectionately patted her head.
She knew about Lin Fan and Hong Yinping's affair. She was the one who sent people to stop the Tiger Clan Ancestor from attacking Lin Fan. Otherwise, given his volatile temper, he might have killed him on the spot.
Hong Yinping lowered her head, her face flushed, and dared not speak.
Hong Gang snorted coldly, feeling very unhappy. His daughter, whom he had finally found, had her heart wandered to someone else. This made him, the old father, really want to hang Lin Fan up and give her a good beating. He just couldn't stand the sight of her.
"Enough, why are you making such a sour face? The child is all grown up and has her own thoughts. If you hadn't gotten drunk back then, Miaomiao wouldn't have been separated from us for so many years."
Ah Lian rolled her eyes at him, thinking that as long as her daughter was back, she could accept anything else.
"Pingmei, this piece of lamb leg smells delicious, you should try it."
Her two brothers picked up roasted lamb leg and some spiritual fruit and placed them in front of her.
Her two older brothers have relatively ordinary talents and are currently at the peak of the fourth rank. It will take them a long time to break through to the fifth rank.
They are still quite clumsy and haven't yet taken human form, so they look a bit silly.
They all wanted to curry favor with their long-lost sister. After all, with her return, she would be the family's darling, and she might even inherit the throne in the future. Cultivating a good relationship in advance would ensure a better future.
"Thank you, elder brother and younger brother!" Hong Yinping picked up a piece of grilled meat, slightly parted her red lips and took a bite. It was really delicious.
She took two bites, then put the food down, pointed at Lin Fan, and indicated that she wanted Lin Fan to try some of the food as well.
Hong Gang's face darkened, his fists clenched, and the veins in his muscles were clearly visible.
The two brothers looked at each other, and seeing their father's expression, they were too frightened to move.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and deliver it!" Hong Gang shouted, grabbing a bottle of sake from the table and taking a big gulp.
The two brothers lowered their heads and hurriedly picked up the plates piled high with food and walked toward Lin Fan.
Hong Yinping's two furry ears twitched. She reached out and grabbed the Tiger King's big hand, saying, "Father, this is delicious."
As she spoke, she picked up a spiritual fruit and held it to Hong Gang's lips.
Looking at the spiritual fruit and his daughter's expectant eyes, Hong Gang's expression softened slightly before he took the fruit and began to eat it.
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