The streak of shimmering, iridescent light shot out like an arrow loosed from its string, leaving everyone utterly dumbstruck. Old Meng Five gave a violent start, his jaw dropping impossibly low, hardly able to believe the sight before him!

Was Fourth Sister… coming out?

Had Fourth Sister really broken free of the four sea serpents that quickly, and was now bursting out?

Old Meng Five stood frozen, watching, not daring to make a sound, terrified that everything before him was nothing but a dream — and that if he spoke, the dream would shatter.

Ziqing and Jun Beiyue had likewise come to an abrupt halt, the scene before them completely beyond anything they’d anticipated!

It wasn’t that Jun Beiyue intended to give up on Meng Wanyue — rather, his more immediate concern right now was the Jiao people. He’d planned to wait until the Dream Clan leader had settled matters with them before discussing this further.

But Meng Wanyue’s capabilities had proven utterly beyond anyone’s expectations.

Single-handedly holding off four sea serpents — how had she managed that? The Dream Clan’s people were formidable in sealing techniques, but their martial skill had always been rather ordinary!

For a moment, everyone’s gaze followed that streak of shimmering light as it circled once around Xuyu Peak, finally slowing down — and only then did everyone realize what they were looking at was no longer a streak of iridescent light, but a dagger!

The dagger quickly came to a stop, hovering in midair right before everyone’s eyes!

The Dream Clan leader held his breath, not daring to make a sound, staring intently. The poison-beast world had already fully transformed back into the Qiankun Poison Pouch, and the Liuguang Dagger had burst free — surely that meant Fourth Sister, sealed within the dagger, was about to be released as well!

The Liuguang Dagger hung suspended in midair, its shimmering, iridescent glow pulsing brighter and dimmer in waves. Little Xiong Bao couldn’t help but grip Ziqing’s hand tightly — he was nervous too!

Grandmother was about to come out!

And from the looks of things, Grandmother seemed to be quite formidable!

Well — truth be told, Ziqing was nervous too. While Xiong Bao gripped one of her hands, her other hand gripped Jun Beiyue’s — even tighter than Xiong Bao’s grip on her!

The mother-in-law was about to emerge!

And judging by what they’d just witnessed, this mother-in-law seemed rather formidable indeed — and more importantly, her own son Xiong Bao had gotten this woman into serious trouble not once but multiple times now, and even more importantly, this mother-in-law had had designs on the Qiankun Poison Pouch, intending to use it to cultivate a human-gu!

Soon, the light around the Liuguang Dagger began to dim. Was she about to emerge?

At this, everyone present felt their hearts pounding wildly — only Jun Beiyue remained composed, his expression as calm and stern as ever, watching the dagger silently, his deep, unfathomable eyes giving away nothing of what he might be feeling in this moment.

Just then, Baili Weisheng and Baili Xiaosheng returned as well. Seeing the scene before them, master and disciple both came to an abrupt halt. Baili Weisheng shot Ziqing a somewhat complicated look, but said nothing.

The light around the Liuguang Dagger finally faded away entirely, and the dagger before them now looked no different from any ordinary blade.

Silence fell over everyone — and then, suddenly, a single sound rang out: “Crack!”

In an instant, the dagger burst into brilliant purple light, and before anyone could make out what was happening, everything happened in the blink of an eye — leaving behind only the sharp clatter of the dagger dropping to the ground, jolting everyone back to their senses!

Straightening up, they saw before them a woman of about forty, tall and graceful, her figure elegant and shapely — if not for her dignified, formal updo and richly elegant purple robes, one might have mistaken her, judging purely by her figure, for a young woman in the prime of her youth!

For a moment, everyone stared, dumbstruck — even Jun Beiyue looked somewhat incredulous, his gaze no longer stern but flickering with something like hesitation.

This woman seemed to have appeared from thin air, and she was now bending down to retrieve the fallen Liuguang Dagger from the ground!

Her outstretched hand was smooth and fair, remarkably well cared for. Ziqing instinctively glanced down at her own hands, and immediately thought of an old saying — comparisons are odious, and never more so than now!

If her hands alone looked like that, what about her face?

She slowly straightened, slowly raised her head, and instantly everyone present held their breath — little Xiong Bao realized his own palms had gone completely damp.

Slowly, slowly, she finally lifted her face fully!

Her face — though it bore the marks of time — carried an indescribable beauty, the kind of gracious, gentle beauty that held a certain unspoken charm between her brows, so captivating no one could look away!

It could only be said — Jun Beiyue’s remarkable good looks must have come almost entirely from this woman.

Meng Wanyue lifted her gaze and looked around at everyone present, showing little surprise, only offering a faint smile, her willow-shaped eyes and gentle brows radiating a quiet, warming power!

“You all… this is the Dream Clan, isn’t it?”

As she spoke, she frowned slightly in mild confusion, studying each person present in turn — everyone still too stunned to react.

Finally, her gaze landed on Old Meng Five, and her delicate brows furrowed even further, as though something had just occurred to her.

Then, realization dawned, and she cried out in surprise, “Fifth Brother!”

At these words, Old Meng Five finally snapped back to his senses, closing the distance in a single bound, wrapping both hands around Meng Wanyue’s shoulders, his old eyes instantly clouding with tears, too overcome to speak, only nodding, nodding, and nodding again!

“Sister, you… it’s really you!”

Meng Wanyue, equally overwhelmed, pulled him into a fierce embrace. “Thirty years, and you’ve changed so much… I almost didn’t recognize you!”

Hearing this, Old Meng Five’s eyes welled with hot, excited tears, and he repeated over and over, “Fourth Sister, you’ve changed too, but even if you were reduced to ashes, I’d still know you!”

Old Meng Five and Meng Wanyue had always been the closest among the siblings, close in age, and Old Meng Five, weak and vulnerable since childhood, had always been under Meng Wanyue’s protection. The bond between this brother and sister was something no one could shake.

Meng Wanyue, too, was overcome with emotion, wiping at her tears again and again. Glancing around at everyone present, she suddenly seemed to remember something and asked anxiously, “What’s going on here? You… you all already know the secret of the Qiankun Poison Pouch?”

Watching the siblings’ tearful reunion, everyone else finally began to recover as well. Meng Duo’er’s delicate brows remained tightly knit, unable to shake the feeling that this voice — Meng Wanyue’s voice — sounded remarkably, eerily similar to that sharp, warning voice she’d faintly heard while gripping the Liuguang Dagger inside the Xuyu Tower’s barrier.

If that were truly her, it would mean Meng Wanyue, even while sealed inside the Liuguang Dagger, had somehow been aware of everything happening outside! And yet, looking at her now, she seemed to know absolutely nothing about any of it at all!

Meng Duo’er remained suspicious, but she thought no further on it — after all, even she hadn’t heard the voice clearly within the Xuyu barrier, and couldn’t be certain it hadn’t simply been her imagination.

Meng Wanyue was, after all, her fourth aunt. She couldn’t very well level a false accusation against her.

Old Meng Five, likewise unable to determine whether Meng Wanyue knew or didn’t know what had happened outside, quickly gave her a rough summary of the entire course of events. Meng Wanyue’s brows knitted tighter and tighter as she listened, and finally, her gaze settled on Jun Beiyue!

Old Meng Five, overjoyed, immediately made the introduction. “Fourth Sister, you recognize him, don’t you? This is your son — Beiyue!”

Watching his mother study him so intently, it had to be said — Jun Beiyue’s gaze softened considerably, his lips even parting slightly as if pressed thin with emotion.

Blood truly did call to blood! There had been a time when he’d believed his birth mother had died — died giving birth to him, died because of him — and that guilt, that longing, had always remained buried deep in his heart.

And now, the person he’d once believed he could never see again in this lifetime was standing right before him!

“…Son…” Meng Wanyue called out to him, hesitant and careful, and with that heavy, weighted word, a single clear tear slowly slid down her cheek…