Chapter 31 - 29: A Chance Encounter with Ye Canghai, the Ye Family Patriarch’s Shock

Chapter 31: Chapter 29: A Chance Encounter with Ye Canghai, the Ye Family Patriarch’s Shock

Early the next morning, tens of miles outside Xingyue City.

Jiang Hao and Gu Qingyan hurried toward the city under the morning sun. Jiang Hao now wore a white robe, his aura completely concealed. The transformation that had occurred within him was so profound that even Gu Qingyan found it unbelievable.

At the exact same time they were heading to Xingyue City, a sudden crisis unfolded.

In a wide, open area several miles away from them, frantic shouts tore through the air. "Xingyue City is just ahead! Stop them! We absolutely cannot let them enter the city!"

"Kill them!"

Dozens of figures tore through the sky, shattering the rare tranquility. At the edge of the horizon, two bedraggled figures fled frantically, sprinting desperately toward Xingyue City with dozens of pursuers hot on their trail.

If Ye Qingxian and Ye Tiannan had been here, they would have easily recognized the fleeing duo. They were none other than the Ye Family Patriarch, Ye Canghai, and a formidable elder of the Ye Family.

"Patriarch, it’s too late. I’m afraid we won’t make it back." The Ye Family elder was covered in wounds, constantly coughing up blood, his eyes filled with despair.

Ye Canghai was in no better shape. The glaring saber wound on his chest was already telling him that even he couldn’t hold on until they reached Xingyue City.

"Third Brother, hang in there. We will definitely make it back," Ye Canghai said, holding a bloodstained three-foot longsword as he tried with all his might to support the elder who had always steadfastly backed him.

However, the old man gave a bitter smile and gave up struggling. "Patriarch, I can only accompany you this far. We failed to get reinforcements. Even if we go back, it will probably be to our deaths. The Ye Family might not even exist anymore."

Hearing the Third Elder’s words, Ye Canghai’s eyes brimmed with sorrow. It was evident that the Third Elder still harbored resentment over Ye Canghai’s past decision. If the Patriarch hadn’t insisted on standing by that piece of trash, the Ye Family might not have suffered this catastrophe.

"It was my fault. I ruined you, and I ruined the Ye Family," Ye Canghai said, slowly closing his eyes as he too completely succumbed to despair.

Several months ago, to protect the Ye Family and Jiang Hao, he had secretly left Xingyue City with the Third Elder to seek help from former friends. Originally, Ye Canghai had expected to return in half a month, or a month at the latest. Unexpectedly, accidents occurred on the way. Not only did they fail to secure reinforcements, but they also encountered Tribulation Cultivators. Fleeing in a panic, the two of them ended up getting lost. By the time they found the direction to Xingyue City again, several months had already passed.

In their eyes, the current Ye Family was likely already facing its doom.

Looking at the guilt-ridden Ye Canghai, the Third Elder gave a miserable smile. "Patriarch, I don’t blame you. Perhaps this is simply the Ye Family’s fated tribulation. Hurry up and go. I can’t walk anymore." Finishing his words, he urged Ye Canghai to flee quickly.

Hearing this, Ye Canghai seemed unwilling to give up and comforted him. "Third Brother, we’ve already made it this far. Don’t give up. Maybe Hao’Er has already met the Divine Pill Pavilion Master and persuaded Tang Xiao of the Tang Family. As long as we haven’t seen the Ye Family’s destruction with our own eyes, there is still hope."

But the moment Ye Canghai finished speaking, the Third Elder gave a self-deprecating smile. "My good brother, do you... even believe that yourself?"

As soon as he said this, Ye Canghai instantly deflated.

Indeed. Did he believe it himself? He hadn’t believed Jiang Hao could pull it off in the first place, which was why he had prepared a backup plan and left the city to seek help. Now, several months had passed. The Qi Family’s Qilin Child had long since emerged from seclusion, and the Ye Family had probably already been wiped from Xingyue City.

Just as Ye Canghai was questioning whether his initial decision had been right or wrong...

WHOOSH!

Dozens of figures rapidly closed the distance, appearing right in front of them.

"Hmph, you reckless old fools! Run! Go on, keep running! Why aren’t you running anymore?"

A dense throng of Tribulation Cultivators loomed before the two men, every one of them sporting a ferocious expression and a cold sneer. The reason this group of Tribulation Cultivators had refused to give up for so long was simply because they coveted the countless treasures and resources Ye Canghai had brought with him when he left Xingyue City. This foundation of the Ye Family was originally meant to be used to seek reinforcements, but unexpectedly, it had become the very thing hastening their deaths.

Already mired in despair, Ye Canghai looked at the Tribulation Cultivators, let out a slow sigh, and completely gave up struggling. The enemy leader was an expert at the Realm of Creation Perfection, whose cultivation base was already a notch higher than his. Coupled with the relentless pursuit and interception by dozens of Tribulation Cultivators, even he was at the end of his rope.

"Does Heaven truly want to destroy my Ye Family?" Ye Canghai roared at the sky, his voice filled with indignation and anger.

By now, the two of them had long lost their combat capability. It was absolutely impossible for them to escape from the hands of these Tribulation Cultivators.

After his roar, Ye Canghai lowered his longsword, clearly resigning himself to his fate. Even then, however, he was still muttering to himself, "Did I really make the wrong choice back then? Was I really wrong?"

Whether he had made the wrong choice or not, he might never get an answer. At this moment, Ye Canghai only prayed that Jiang Hao had truly achieved everything and preserved the Ye Family. But that was too difficult; it was practically a fantasy. Even though Hao’Er was an Alchemy Master, with only three low-grade Fusion Pills, he probably wouldn’t even get to see Bai Wufeng’s face.

"You old bastards made us chase you for months, but it’s all ending now. You can die." The leading Tribulation Cultivator sneered, immediately raising his bloodstained broadsword and hacking down fiercely.

Seeing this, the two men ceased their pointless resistance. They closed their eyes one after another, quietly awaiting the arrival of death.

However, in the nick of time...

SWISH!

A longsword shot through the air, tearing through the void with boundless Sword Qi before violently stabbing into the ground between the two sides.

Terrifying Sword Qi rippled outward, sending dust flying and forcing the dozens of figures to retreat again and again.

"Damn it, who is it?"

The leading Tribulation Cultivator was instantly enraged. Steadying his stance, he looked forward but saw nothing—only a longsword standing upright between the two groups, emitting a continuous humming sound.

Sensing this, Ye Canghai and the Third Elder also opened their eyes to look.

At that moment, from the boundless void above, a youth in white descended from the sky, his back to the two of them. He landed beside the longsword, confronting the dozens of Tribulation Cultivators.

Simultaneously, the group of Tribulation Cultivators caught a clear look at the youth’s face. It was Jiang Hao himself. But how could this group of Tribulation Cultivators, who lived in the shadows, possibly recognize Xingyue City’s number one piece of trash? In their eyes, the newcomer was a handsome youth with a dense aura, giving off a terrifyingly formidable impression.

"An expert!"

The moment the youth descended from the sky, the leading Tribulation Cultivator’s pupils narrowed, treating him as a deadly enemy. Based purely on intuition, he was certain that the other party was an absolute expert—and not just any ordinary expert.

"Who are you, sir? How dare you interfere in our business?" The leading Tribulation Cultivator furrowed his brow, gripping his sharp blade tightly, but he didn’t retreat. As the saying goes, birds die for food, and men die for wealth. How could they so easily give up a fat piece of meat that had finally reached their mouths?

However, facing the leading Tribulation Cultivator’s question, the youth completely ignored him. Instead, he slowly raised his eyes, which were brimming with killing intent.

The next moment, the youth waved his hand, and with a SHING, the longsword on the ground flew up and fell into his grasp. Without any unnecessary words, he casually swung his sword.

"You’re courting death!"

Seeing Jiang Hao swing his sword, the leading Tribulation Cultivator instantly flew into a rage, fiercely attacking with a slash of his broadsword. In an instant, the terrifying power of the Realm of Creation Perfection wreaked havoc.

"Young hero, watch out!" Ye Canghai and the Third Elder called out instinctively.

But the very next second...

BOOM!

The instant the Sword Qi and the broadsword collided, the latter snapped with a sharp crack. The terrifying Sword Qi swept through as if there were no obstacles, and the sheer aftershock sent the Realm of Creation Perfection Tribulation Cultivator flying.

The Tribulation Cultivator shot backward like a cannonball, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood. He instantly crashed into a swathe of his subordinates and slammed heavily into the ground dozens of meters away. His body stiffened, and he died on the spot.

"What?"

RUSTLE!

This sudden turn of events instantly stunned all the Tribulation Cultivators. They stared blankly at their boss, who had been slain with a single strike, before turning back to stare at Jiang Hao as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes filled with terror.

"A... A Unity Realm expert! He... He’s a Unity Realm expert! Run!"

The moment these words were spoken, the dozens of Tribulation Cultivators paled in shock. Terrified to the extreme, they fled in panic like stray dogs.

Watching this scene, Ye Canghai and the Third Elder were so shocked they could barely speak. A powerful Cultivator at the Realm of Creation Perfection—killed with just one strike? Slain as easily as chopping vegetables? Moreover, looking at the figure’s back, it was clearly incredibly young, looking to be no older than sixteen or seventeen.

"U... Unity Realm?" The Ye Family’s Third Elder, beside Ye Canghai, was also pale with shock.

Someone capable of killing a Realm of Creation Perfection Cultivator with a single strike was undoubtedly a Unity Realm expert. Furthermore, the aura of that strike just now had unmistakably belonged to the Unity Realm.

But since when did such a heaven-defying figure appear in the Earth Realm of Xingyue City? Such a young Unity Realm expert was simply shocking.

For a moment, both Ye Canghai and the Ye Family’s Third Elder breathed heavily, staring blankly at the young man’s back.