Her husbands had only just stabilized their cores at the base level of this realm. If an Upper Realm tracker, or the forces following him, found their location before they could adapt to the new cultivation ceiling, the camp would be completely vulnerable.

"He is moving fast," Lin Wan noted, her expression turning into a cold, calculating mask. "If he can trace the regional friction, so can the high clans. We cannot stay on this open plateau for long."

[Exactly,] Weiwei agreed. [The moment the cubs finish their rest, we need to pack the heavy equipment into the space and move inland toward a populated beast city. We need a crowd to blend in and mask the unique energetic output of the triplets before the skies get crowded.]

Far above the middle continent, past the shimmering layers of the higher atmosphere, the grand stone gates of the Divine Feline Alliance palace stood cold and imposing against the celestial sky.

Wang strode down the massive white stairs, his silver-furred white leopard tail swishing behind him with an aggressive, thunderous rhythm that made the nearby guards drop to their knees in absolute terror.

His crimson eyes burned with a dark, suffocating intensity, his raw Nascent Soul pressure warping the very air around his magnificent, towering frame.

Behind him, Elder Shen hurried to keep up, his hands trembling violently as he held the glowing remnants of the ’Primordial Void Lock. "P... Patriarch! The rift parameters are stable, but the spatial friction below is—"

Wang stopped dead in his tracks.

His long, silver-tipped ears twitched sharply. His gaze dropped to a small crevice in the carved stone steps right near his boots.

There, trapped against the white marble, was a single, metallic grey feather, its razor-sharp tip catching the light of the upper sun.

Wang reached down, his claws extending slightly as he picked up the feather. He brought it to his nose, and the moment the sharp, pungent avian scent hit his hyper-sensitive senses, his entire body went rigid.

The memory of the avian beastman hovering around Lin Wan’s lower coordinates flashed through his mind, triggering a massive, uncontrollable wave of defensive, primal jealousy.

His ancient bloodline flared violently, his crimson eyes turning completely blood-red as a terrifying pressure erupted from his core, cracking the marble steps beneath his feet.

"That bird beastman was here," Wang growled, his voice a low, guttural vibration that shook the stone pillars of the palace gates. He turned sharply, his massive hand shooting out to grip Elder Shen by the front of his robes, lifting the elder completely off the ground.

His face was inches away, his fangs bared in a look of fury as realisation dawned on him "He bypassed my border guards. He tracked her coordinates before I could descend. He is hunting my female!"

"Patriarch! Mercy!" Elder Shen gasped, his face turning pale as the suffocating pressure crushed his lungs. "The avian prince must have used an ancient boundary node! We didn’t detect the crossing!"

"Open the rift completely!" Wang roared, slamming Elder Shen back against the stone pillar. His chest heaved with a raw, terrifying possessiveness. The thought of another male touching Lin Wan or standing near his cubs drove his alpha instincts into madness.

"I don’t care about the regional laws anymore! Open the path to the Middle Realm right now! If that avian touches a single hair on her head, I will paint the northern skies with his blood and tear his wings from his spine!"

"Immediately! Right away!" Elder Shen screamed, scrambling toward the altar as the vanguard of the feline palace rallied behind their furious king, their weapons catching the cold light of the higher heavens.

The paths of the universe were converging with absolute, terrifying speed.

Deep within the jagged, frozen northern ridges of the Middle Realm, Wei Xiang sprinted across a narrow ice ledge. His massive steel-grey wings tore through the mountain winds, the razor-sharp tips slicing the air with an audible whistle.

He stumbled slightly, coughing up a small trace of blood onto the white snow, a direct result of the intense spatial strain from crossing the regional layers.

But his golden eyes did not waver. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his teeth gritting in pure, unyielding determination as he sensed the faint, fresh shift in the wind currents toward the south.

"I am close, Wanwan..." he whispered fiercely, his body blurring into a streak of grey light as he launched himself over the deep chasm, refusing to slow down by even a single second.

Thousands of miles to the south, on the high plateau, the morning air remained quiet.

Lin Wan walked back to the center of the camp, her expression perfectly calm, her posture upright and unyielding.

She sat down on a wooden crate near the crackling fire pit, accepting a bowl of roasted meat that Long Zhan handed her with a bright, adoring smile. Xiao Rui and Xiao Jue crawled over, their soft white heads resting against her knees as they looked around curiously at the foreign trees surrounding them.

Qin Mo sat directly behind her, his large hand resting protectively against the back of her waist, his presence a solid, freezing shield against the world.

Lin Wan looked down at her children, her fingers gently stroking Xiao Chen’s soft ears. Her gaze drifted toward the distant horizon, where the clouds were beginning to churn with an unnatural, heavy darkness.

She knew the peaceful morning was an illusion. She knew a storm was coming from two different directions, an obsessed avian hunter from the north and a furious leopard king from the heavens above.

But as she felt the steady, protective warmth of her husbands surrounding her, her dark eyes hardened into solid ice. She was the absolute head of this family, and no matter what forces descended upon this realm, she would lead them to conquer it completely.

...

The packing was nearly done. The heavy walls and fences had been taken down and put back into the storage box, leaving the plateau looking as empty and wild as it did before they arrived. But before the family could start moving down toward the city, the three triplets started a small fight at Lin Wan’s feet.

Xiao Chen was bouncing on his tail, his ears flat against his head as he bit the edge of Lin Wan’s long silk dress with his tiny front teeth. "Mother, please! You said once we left the lower world we could see the real shops! There are flying wagons down in the valley, and big shiny towers!"

"We want to see everything now!" Xiao Rui added, rolling onto his back and slapping at a passing butterfly with a loud baby cry. Even the usually quiet Xiao Jue was sitting near the boxes, his golden eyes fixed on the distant road with a very curious look.

Now that the heavy air of the lower world was gone, the boys were bursting with energy.

Lin Wan opened her mouth to tell them to behave, but the moment she shifted her weight, another bad wave of dizziness hit her head.

The heavy air of the Middle Realm seemed to twist inside her stomach, bringing a sudden, sharp sickness that made her catch her breath. Her face turned very pale, and her fingers tightly gripped the nearest wooden box to keep from falling over. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Lanying, who was fixing the straps on the big bags, saw this right away. Her gentle eyes filled with quick understanding. She stepped forward smoothly, keeping her presence calm as she got between Lin Wan and the loud cubs to give her some space.

"They have been cooped up inside the house for months, Wanwan," Lanying said softly, a warm, reassuring smile on her handsome face.

She reached down and picked up the bouncing Xiao Chen, easily making the cub happy by scratching the spot right behind his leopard ears. "Since you are feeling sick from the new air, let me take the kids down to look around the border town. I know the local markets well enough to keep them safe, and it will give you time to rest and get used to the place without three fluffy snowballs taking up your focus."

The triplets instantly let out loud cheers, their tails wagging hard against Lanying’s clothes. Lin Wan swallowed the tightness in her throat and gave Lanying a firm, thankful nod. "Keep the tracking devices on. Do not stay out past sunset."

"I understand," Lanying smiled, already herding the excited cubs down the mountain path.

Before the dust from their departure could even settle, Long Zhan walked over from the edge of the plateau where his warriors were waiting.

The Dragon beastman adjusted the heavy leather straps across his chest, his purple eyes flashing with a sudden, serious focus.

"Wanwan, the scouts I sent to the eastern ridge just sent a signal," Long Zhan said, his deep voice shaking the air. "There is a local gang trying to block the main path we need for the wagon tomorrow. I have something to deal with down there before we can move our things. I am taking my men to clear the path right now." He leaned down, pressing a quick, hard kiss against her forehead before turning around. "Qin Mo, guard the area. I will be back before dark."