The atmosphere in the Lu Palace changed in a heartbeat.

  Within seconds of my scream, my six siblings appeared. They didn't walk; they shattered space to get there.

  Yueran was the first. She grabbed Li’er’s wrist, her eyes turning a terrifying, glowing white. "Forbidden Black-Thorn Curse," she hissed. "It’s designed to be slow. To cause pain for weeks before it hits the heart."

  Tianhao’s aura exploded, the sky over Luòtiān turning a dark, bruised purple. "Who?" he asked, his voice a low vibration that made the palace walls crack.

  I stood there, looking at the scratch. My siblings were looking for an enemy to fight, but I was looking at the source. My Space Root allowed me to see the "string" of the curse. It led North. Past the borders. Straight to the Zhou capital.

  "The Zhou," I said. My voice was calm. Too calm.

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  My siblings stopped. They looked at me. They had never heard me speak without the "Goo-goo ga-ga" or the lazy drawl.

  "Xian-er?" Lingshu whispered, looking at me with wide eyes.

  "They touched my family," I said, looking at the sky. I could feel the Tian Empire watching from above. I could feel the Qin Chenfeng staring from his training grounds.

  I reached out my hand. For the first time, I didn't suppress my Qi. I didn't try to look like a "Dense Bronze" body.

  The ground beneath us turned to liquid gold. The Origin Dao Body fully manifested. A pillar of white light shot up, piercing through the clouds and hitting the very firmament of the Divine Realm.

  "I wanted to be lazy," I whispered, the power flowing through me like a sun. "I wanted to sleep. But if I can't sleep because of you... then I guess I'll just have to make sure you never wake up again."

  "Siblings," I said, turning to them.

  They all stood at attention. Even Tianhao, the eldest, felt a shiver of true fear—and pride—looking at me.

  "Give me the forces you’ve been hiding," I commanded. "Lingshu, I want the Zhou’s economy collapsed by tomorrow morning. Chenyi, I want their spies turned into double agents. Tianhao, get the army ready. We aren't going for a 'draw'."

  "What are we going for, Little Brother?" Tianhao asked, a savage grin spreading across his face.

  "Total Liquidation," I said, the "Shark" in my eyes flashing.