Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 79: Dinner

The massive dining hall of Xueyu’s Palace was a testament to the Shen Clan’s staggering decadence.

The walls were lined with white jade pillars entwined with golden dragons, and the ceiling was a magical projection of the starry sky, shifting in real-time with the celestial bodies outside.

A long table of polished obsidian stretched across the center of the room, groaning under the weight of hundreds of dishes—spirit-beast meats simmered in medicinal broths, glowing fruits harvested from floating islands, and wine fermented from the nectar of thousand-year-old snow lotuses.

Around the perimeter, hundreds of Shadow Guards stood like silent ebony statues, their presence ensuring that not even a stray breeze would disturb the family’s reunion.

At the head of the table stood the other two pillars of the main line: Leng Shuang and Feng Yuyan.

"Aha! My little nephew is finally here! I missed you so much!" Feng Yuyan’s voice was like a playful bell as she bounced toward Haoran.

She wore a bright, chaotic smile as she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace that smelled faintly of rare herbs and flowers.

Haoran let out a soft hum of acknowledgment, a rare relaxation appearing in his posture. "I missed you too, Aunt Yuyan."

Yuyan broke the hug, her golden eyes sparkling with mischief, only for Haoran to be immediately enveloped in the cold, oppressive aura of Leng Shuang.

The eldest sister’s hug was brief and firm, but it was enough to feel her warmth.

"Welcome back. It has been two long years," Leng Shuang said, her voice devoid of inflection yet carrying a weight that made the floorboards vibrate.

"Yes, I’m back, Aunt Shuang," Haoran replied, dipping his head respectfully.

Leng Shuang released him and turned her gaze toward Ning Xueli, who was standing awkwardly behind Haoran.

The girl felt as though she were being dissected by a surgical blade as Leng Shuang’s emotionless red eyes scanned her from head to toe, peering into her dantian and examining the very marrow of her bones.

"Decent foundation," Leng Shuang remarked, her voice clinical. "With the resources of the Shen Clan and the inheritance you carry, you have a genuine chance of reaching the Supreme Emperor realm if you work hard. But... that is it. Reaching for anything beyond that would be a statistical impossibility if you remain as you are now. Your soul lacks the ’weight’ to transcend the mortal shackles."

Xueli shifted uncomfortably, her fingers twisting in the fabric of her blue dress. "Um... thank you?"

Isn’t Supreme the highest realm anyone can possibly reach? Xueli wondered, her mind reeling.

Her confusion was understandable.

After all, even in the Imperial Capital, knowledge about the Immortal Realm was considered legends, and if it weren’t for the artifacts and legacies left behind by Immortals in their lineage, then the Immortal Realm would’ve just become a myth even for them.

And for the people outside the Imperial Capital, Supreme was basically what they considered a myth, the pinnacle of Cultivation, beings who can truly be called invincible.

After all, Supremes were incredibly rare, and the last Supreme to emerge was the Sword Emperor from three thousand years ago.

But that person was said to have left the Empire and traveled the vast endless wilderness of the Prime Origin Realm.

So for the people in other regions, the term "Immortal Realm" basically refers to the Imperial Capital.

"Alright, enough critique for one morning. Let us eat," Xueyu intervened, her voice smooth as silk as she gestured toward the feast.

Just then, the massive double doors of the hall burst open with a resounding bang.

"I heard my cousin has returned! I, Feng Yanmei, welcome you home!"

The entire room turned toward the entrance.

There, a little girl, appearing to be no older than twelve, marched into the hall with the confidence of an empress.

She had long, vibrant golden blonde hair and piercing golden eyes, and a small, delicate tiara rested atop her head.

Most strangely, a small, fluffy golden chick was nestled perfectly in the center of her hair, chirping contentedly.

"Mei’er," Feng Yuyan smiled brightly, her maternal instincts flaring up as she walked toward the child.

Yanmei pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Mom! Why didn’t you tell me that Brother Haoran had returned!? If it weren’t for Xiao Feng hearing the Shadow Guards talking, I wouldn’t have known until tomorrow!"

The golden bird on her head chirped in agreement, flapping its tiny wings.

"Alright, alright, Mom is sorry. I was just caught up in the excitement," Yuyan said, reaching out to pinch the girl’s cheeks affectionately.

Feng Yanmei’s origin was a closely guarded secret of the trio.

Technically speaking, she wasn’t Yuyan’s biological daughter, at least, not in the traditional sense.

It happened years ago, while Yuyan was out on a casual stroll, she had "accidentally" massacred a minor sect that had annoyed her.

In the aftermath, she found the corpse of a little servant girl, and then, realizing the girl possessed a rare, dormant Brightful Phoenix Sacred Physique, Yuyan’s curiosity was piqued.

Without hesitation, she brought the body back to her laboratory, infused it with her own flesh and blood, and wove an entirely new soul to resurrect her, naming her Feng Yanmei.

Because she shared Yuyan’s blood, the girl was essentially her daughter, and because she was so incredibly cute, she was doted on to an absurd degree.

The "chick" on her head was no ordinary pet, either; it was a Heavenly Phoenix in its juvenile form, a Nirvana Rebirth Realm beast that could incinerate a kingdom if provoked.

This chick, back when it was still an egg, was something that Yuyan stole from Heavenly Phoenix Empire, a vast empire at the same level as the Tian Yuan Empire, located 3 million light-years away, west of the Tian Yuan Empire.

It is an Empire ruled by the Heavenly Phoenix Clan, a clan of true phoenixes.

Of course, Yuyan made sure that she was being discreet, after all, if this was find out, the two empire would surely go to war.

Now, growing up as the "Little Ancestor" of the main line, Yanmei was completely out of control, she was a complete devil that will do anything that she finds fun, consequences be damned.

Six years ago, she had famously used her phoenix fire to cause an explosion that burned off the First Elder’s hair and beard during a tantrum.

And when the First Elder had dared to scold her, causing her to cry, Yuyan had immediately flew into rage and she beat up the peak Heavenly Saint into a pulp before pinning him to the main city walls, completely naked mind you, for an entire year as a "main attraction."

That humiliation was why the First Elder had retreated into seclusion until Haoran’s departure two years.

He dared to come out after hearing someone had awakened a Sacred Physique, so he decided to take him as a disciple, hoping that this disciple would allow him to get revenge on the main line by humiliating Shen Haoran.

"Cousin!" Yanmei ignored her mother and charged toward Haoran, tackling him with a hug and burying her face in his stomach.

Xiao Feng, the little phoenix, took flight and nestled itself comfortably in Haoran’s silver-blonde hair, chirping a greeting.

"Cousin, you brought gifts for me, right? You didn’t forget your favorite little sister in that dusty desert, did you?" Yanmei asked, grinning widely as she looked up at him.

"Of course," Haoran replied, a rare, soft expression appearing as he caressed her hair. "In fact, your new ’Big Sister’ over there brought a very big gift. I heard she once used it to cause an explosion so large it wiped out nearly a million soldiers in a single breath."

"Explosion!? Millions!?" Yanmei’s eyes sparkled like suns as she whipped her head around to stare at Xueli, her jaw dropping in pure, unadulterated excitement. "Is that true!? You made a giant boom?!"

Xueli blinked, caught off guard by the child’s intensity, but eventually nodded. "Um, yes. It was a... very large explosion."

"Awesome! I couldn’t even do that with my fire yet!" Yanmei scrambled over to Xueli, grabbing her hands and jumping up and down. "Show me! Show me! Show me! Can we blow something up right now? The First Elder’s garden is really ugly, let’s start there!"

It was a well-known fact in the Shen Domain: Feng Yanmei absolutely, obsessively loved explosions.

"That will have to wait for later, Mei’er," Xueli said, smiling at the girl’s infectious energy. "For now, we must eat. I have ordered the best Gourmet Hunter of the entire clan to prepare this feast. You wouldn’t want to blow things up on an empty stomach, would you?"

Yanmei paused, thinking it over with the gravity of a philosopher. "I guess not. Food first, fire later! Come on, Sister Explosion! Sit next to me!"

As the family sat down to the feast, the hall filled with the sounds of laughter and clinking jade, but beneath the warmth, the three sisters watched Haoran with pride.