The Demon Hunter and a Panorama of Cangyuan Realm

In the study of Meng's mansion near Jinghu Lake.

After practicing the saber all day, although mentally excited, the depleted internal energy and tired body forced Meng Chuan to rest. He also went to the study to start his daily routine—drawing.

A paperweight pressed down the paper, and a beautifully crafted palette was placed nearby, filled with various high-quality pigments.

Meng Chuan was drawing with great concentration.

Since childhood, Meng Chuan had loved drawing.

Perhaps it was because his mother was skilled in painting and taught her son to draw. This was his favorite activity as a young child. A three or four-year-old child could draw for three or four hours straight, forgetting to eat, not feeling tired at all, with paint all over his body, still smiling happily. His mother once said, "My son has exceptional talent and will surely become the top painter in the world, with a painting worth a thousand gold coins."

Born into the Meng family, with loving parents, life was carefree.

However, when he was six years old...

That great calamity resulted in the deaths of over ten thousand people, and his mother passed away.

Under the desperate protection of his parents, he escaped back to Dongning City. From then on, he focused on cultivation, but he still spent an hour every day drawing. While drawing, he forgot the fatigue from his training and even felt like he was back in his childhood, with his mother guiding him in his drawings, his mind incredibly calm.

Now fifteen years old.

Having drawn for over a decade and studied under several masters, he had already surpassed them in skill. His mother was right; his talent was indeed exceptional, at least higher than his talent for saber techniques.

But what use was it?

Even the most skilled painter couldn't kill demons.

"Rat-a-tat." There was a slightly urgent knock at the study door.

"Hmm?"

Meng Chuan looked outside with suspicion, "Normally, no one disturbs me while I'm drawing. What's going on?"

He put down his brush and opened the door. His father, Meng Dajiang, was standing outside. Usually, he was all smiles, but today his expression was serious.

"Chuan'er, quickly come with me to the ancestral home," Meng Dajiang said.

"Okay."

Meng Chuan didn't hesitate and immediately followed his father outside. "Dad, why have you been going to the ancestral home so often recently?"

"Nothing," Meng Dajiang didn't elaborate.

"Then why am I going to the ancestral home now? Is there something happening?" Meng Chuan asked again. As a junior, he only visited the ancestral home three to five times a year at most.

Meng Dajiang glanced at his son and said, "It's about your engagement to Yun Qingping. The Yun and Meng families have discussed and decided to cancel the engagement."

"Cancel the engagement?" Meng Chuan was surprised, "Dad, why suddenly cancel the engagement?"

"Are you reluctant?" Meng Dajiang looked at his son.

"No," Meng Chuan quickly shook his head, "I only see Yun Qingping once every few months, and our personalities don't match. Canceling the engagement is good for me."

At just fifteen years old, Meng Chuan didn't understand love.

To him, Yun Qingping was just a somewhat familiar, slightly spoiled little sister, nothing more.

"That's good to hear. The Yun and Meng families have both agreed to cancel the engagement," Meng Dajiang said, "When we get to the ancestral home, just listen and don't say much."

"Yes," Meng Chuan nodded in agreement.

...

The Meng ancestral home was located in the western part of Dongning City, occupying a vast area, with over two thousand clan members living inside. Walking from the south to the north along the central axis would cover about half a kilometer.

Of course, the foundation of the Meng family was in the countryside, where people formed fortified villages to protect themselves from demon threats. Each fortified village housed several thousand people, and it was common for the same clan to gather in one village. The Meng family, having flourished for a thousand years, had three large fortified villages, with a total of over ten thousand clan members. In Dongning City, there were several other large families of this stature.

The uniqueness of the Meng family lies in the existence of deities and demons.

Naturally, it immediately became one of the five most prestigious divine lord families in Dongning City.

"Presbyter."

"Presbyter."

The ancestral residence was meticulously ordered, and some patrolling clan members, upon seeing Meng Dajiang and his son, respectfully bowed to Meng Dajiang and addressed him as 'Presbyter'.

Meng Dajiang, ranked among the top three in strength within the Meng family, was still relatively young and had a slim chance of becoming a divine lord. He was the designated next clan leader.

"Hmm?"

Meng Chuan followed his father into the reception hall.

The hall was already filled with people on both sides—one side was the Meng family, the other the Yun family—but the atmosphere was clearly tense. Meng Chuan could see that the expressions of his Presbyters were mostly grim.

"Brother Dajiang has arrived," Yun Fu'an stood up and said with a smile, "Did you bring the marriage contract as well?"

"I brought it," Meng Dajiang nodded slightly.

Yun Fu'an smiled and said, "The other Presbyters have no objections to dissolving the engagement. Brother Dajiang, you have no objections either, do you?"

Meng Dajiang stood there, smiling faintly, "If both families are willing, marriage is a good thing. If not, it's better to dissolve the engagement early. Here is the marriage contract."

As he spoke, he took out a rolled-up marriage contract from his chest and handed it to Yun Fu'an with both hands.

After receiving it, Yun Fu'an unfolded it carefully, examining the names and handwriting. He nodded slightly; it was indeed the original marriage contract. The handwriting of the two ancestors could not be forged.

"Yun Fu'an, please tear up the marriage contract here directly," a bald, thin Presbyter from the Meng family spoke up.

"Haha, are you worried that I'll take it back and use it at a critical moment to force Meng Chuan to marry my daughter?" Yun Fu'an laughed, "Rest assured, I wouldn't do such a shameless thing!"

With that, "Rip—" Yun Fu'an tore the marriage contract in his hand.

"I've torn the marriage contract, and everyone here saw it clearly. Are you reassured now?" Yun Fu'an smiled, sweeping his gaze across the Meng Presbyters present, "Then I won't stay any longer."

Saying this, he walked out, followed by other Yun family members.

As he passed by Meng Chuan, Yun Fu'an stopped and looked at him with a smile, "Nephew Meng, remember this clearly: from now on, you and my daughter Qingping are no longer connected."

"Yes, no longer connected," Meng Chuan replied.

Only then did Yun Fu'an nod and leave with his entourage.

Meng Dajiang watched Yun Fu'an leave, his brow slightly furrowed. Calmly, he instructed, "Chuan'er, the engagement is dissolved. You should go back first. Your father still has matters to attend to here."

"Yes," Meng Chuan glanced at the Presbyters and obediently left.

Boom~~~

The hall doors closed, and the large hall, illuminated by thick candles, remained bright.

"How outrageous, how outrageous!" The bald, thin Presbyter slammed his cane on the ground, the sound sharp.

"They say they're consulting with us, but in reality, we have no choice. Should we have the nerve to push for the marriage?" A dark Presbyter sneered, "If we dared to make a scene at the Yun family, we'd probably be slapped to death by the Yun ancestor!"

"Dissolving the engagement is also a good thing. If we really used the engagement to force the Yun family into marriage, would it be effective? It would only make the Yun family resentful. Marriage is meant to be a mutual support; if it turns into enmity, there's no point. In fact, for our Meng family, this engagement is a minor matter; third elder sister's injury is the major issue that shakes the foundation of our family!" An elegant Presbyter looked at the fat Presbyter at the top, "Clan Leader, is there really no way to heal third elder sister's injury?"

The fat Presbyter frowned, "In a couple of days, Divine Lord Meng-- my third elder sister will return to Dongning. We'll discuss it then."

Meng Dajiang listened by the side, his brow tightly knit.

The pillar of the Meng family was on the verge of collapse, and the Presbyters were all worried.

The Meng family kept the news confidential, known only to the Presbyters. After all, if it spread, the tens of thousands of clan members would be in panic, leading to unnecessary troubles.

Currently...

The higher-ups of the other four divine lord families mostly knew the news, but they did not spread it, fearing that some blind youngsters might provoke the Meng family. After all, 'Divine Lord Meng' was still alive! Even if she were to die, she had divine lord friends. However, as long as they didn't go too far, those divine lord friends wouldn't intervene.

Without a divine lord, the Meng family couldn't take on many important duties. Unable to bear the burden, they naturally couldn't enjoy many privileges.

Responsibility and power are equal.

In this world, from ordinary mortals to divine lords, no one can escape their responsibilities.

Ordinary people, once reaching the realm of cleansing the marrow, regardless of gender, must serve in the military for five years at the age of twenty! Only about half manage to survive. Yet, people still strive to reach the realm of cleansing the marrow because if they are too weak, they have no value in military service. According to the imperial rules, those who don't serve in the military are not allowed to engage in many professions. They can only live at the bottom, leading the most pitiful lives.

Divine lords, on the other hand, are the backbone of humanity. Every divine lord spends their life fighting and protecting, and even when they return home to rest, they must guard their hometown cities.

Thus, divine lords are dazzling and noble, and their families can also flourish. But if a divine lord dies and can no longer take on important duties, the family must step down from significant positions.

Meng Chuan returned home as the sky was turning dark.

"Chuan, come sit and eat together. I heard you and Uncle Meng went to the ancestral residence, and I thought you wouldn't be back for dinner today," Liu Qiyue was sitting there drinking porridge and eating flatbread. Meng Chuan sat opposite her, and a maid brought a bowl of porridge, which Meng Chuan drank, but he seemed distracted.

"Why aren't you saying anything after coming back? What happened?" Liu Qiyue asked.

"Oh."

Meng Chuan came to his senses and casually said, "The Yun family and my Meng family discussed and decided to dissolve my engagement to Yun Qingping."

"Dissolve the engagement?" Liu Qiyue's eyes lit up.

"Yes, just now, the marriage contract was torn up on the spot," Meng Chuan nodded.

Liu Qiyue carefully observed Meng Chuan and asked, "Why, are you sad about dissolving the engagement? You're even spacing out while drinking porridge?"

"No," Meng Chuan quickly shook his head, "Qingping and I don't get along, you know that. This dissolution makes her happy. I feel relieved too. It's a good thing for both of us, so why would I be sad?"

"Then why are you spacing out?" Liu Qiyue pressed.

"I feel something's off," Meng Chuan frowned, "The engagement was set by the two ancestors. Even if they came to dissolve it, the Yun family should have sent their 'Yun Family Trio' together. That's the basic respect for my Meng family. But this time, only the fifth-ranked, least significant Yun Fu'an came alone. It seems a bit disrespectful to my Meng family. That's the first suspicious point."

"Second, in the hall, the expressions of the clan leader and the Presbyters were very bad. But they held back the entire time. When have the clan leader and Presbyters been so patient?"

"Third, Yun Fu'an usually fawns over my father and the others, with a very low posture. Today, he was much more brazen. What gave him the confidence?"

"Most importantly, there must be a reason behind dissolving the engagement. What exactly is the reason that even the engagement set by the two ancestors was dissolved?"

Meng Chuan looked at Liu Qiyue, "I guess either the Yun family has found a big backer! Or it's due to something in my Meng family."

Liu Qiyue was a bit surprised: "Chuan, I didn't realize you could think so much?"

"Just some wild guesses. Since my father didn't tell me, he must have his reasons," Meng Chuan smiled.

"The one whose engagement was dissolved can still smile. Hurry up and eat your flatbread," Liu Qiyue laughed and urged.

"Eating flatbread, eating flatbread," Meng Chuan immediately picked up the flatbread and started eating heartily.