"Hey, I’m talking to you! If you want to enter the town, pay the toll. If not, back off and don’t block the people behind you."
A gatekeeping disciple shouted coldly.
"An ant, yet so noisy!"
Liu Ruoxi’s eyes suddenly turned icy. Without any warning, she blew the gatekeeper’s head into pieces.
Then, instead of riding her crane, she transformed into a Dao Light and charged straight into the Ye Family Main Town.
Not long after she left, the Wide-Backed Bird appeared on the horizon.
Ye Xuan grew increasingly anxious. He looked at the setting sun in the distance, remembering all too clearly that the Ye Family had been annihilated under this very same sunset.
"Xuan’Er, what’s wrong? Why is your forehead covered in sweat? Are you really in that much of a hurry?" Gongsun Yanran’s voice called out.
Before Ye Xuan could answer, Ye Ling’Er suddenly cried out.
"Brother, isn’t that light coming from our Clan Protection Grand Array?"
Ye Xuan looked closely, and his Tonglong instantly contracted.
In his line of sight, a cyan light had indeed appeared.
Channeling his Spiritual Qi into his eyes, he saw clearly that this cyan light had taken the form of a snake.
The Ye Family had activated the Clan Protection Grand Array.
"Wide-Backed Bird, go faster! Faster!"
Meanwhile, at the Ye Family.
Ye Zeyun glared at Liu Ruoxi, who was standing outside the Ye Family Main Courtyard, and said coldly, "I don’t know who you are, but anyone who kills in my Ye Family only has one path: death!"
As soon as his voice fell, the cyan snake in the sky descended.
However, Liu Ruoxi shattered the cyan snake with a single punch!
She had broken the Array using pure brute force.
"What! Impossible!"
"Who is this woman? She actually broke our Clan Protection Grand Array with one punch!"
The Ye Family was struck with terror.
TAP TAP TAP.
The sound of footsteps echoed.
Like a Demon King, Liu Ruoxi stepped into the courtyard. With an arrogant and disdainful look in her eyes, she scoffed, "Ants will always be ants."
All of this was playing out exactly like the future Ye Xuan had foreseen.
"Faster... hurry up!" Up in the sky, Ye Xuan was burning with such impatience that he wished he could fly himself. At this rate, they wouldn’t make it in time.
He had already spotted a fairy figure appearing above the courtyard.
This was Hua’s Martial Technique!
Next, Hua was going to die. To protect him, she would die even before the rest of the Ye Family.
"Xuan’Er, Ling’Er, hold onto my legs." At that moment, Gongsun Yanran’s voice rang out.
She immediately underwent her Beast Soul Transformation. Her arms shifted into giant wings, and her entire body seemed to grow much taller.
The next moment, with a loud SWISH, Gongsun Yanran tore through the air. She moved as fast as a bolt of lightning.
Gongsun Yanran’s strength was absolutely greater than a level-four Beast, and her flight speed was dozens, if not hundreds, of times faster.
Back in the Ye Family Main Courtyard.
Liu Ruoxi said with slight surprise, "To think such a powerful Martial Technique would appear in a small town?"
As soon as she spoke, she shattered the fairy figure with a single punch.
Hua spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and stumbled backward. Before she could even regain her balance, Liu Ruoxi materialized right beside her.
The next moment, the mask shattered, and Hua’s face was reflected in Liu Ruoxi’s eyes.
The sight frightened Liu Ruoxi into immediately jumping back. She wondered how such a hideous woman could exist in this world, feeling as if the sight had truly blinded her eyes.
This creature deserved to die!
A terrifying killing intent enveloped Hua, rendering her completely immobile.
Hua knew she was going to die at the hands of this woman. She thought, "Young Master, when we came down the mountain, I secretly swore that I would work harder than ever to ensure no one could hurt you. But it seems I have failed.
"Goodbye, Young Master.
"Father, Mother... Nong Ying is useless."
Opposite her, Liu Ruoxi raised her hand from afar. Her Spiritual Qi formed a massive hand that clawed toward Hua’s head.
Hua had no way to resist. Her body was completely locked down by Liu Ruoxi’s aura, leaving her unable to move an inch.
"No! Hua!"
The Ye Family gnashed their teeth, but they were powerless to help.
Under the full force of Liu Ruoxi’s killing intent, they couldn’t move either, their legs feeling completely weak.
Just as Hua was about to be killed, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.
The next moment, a loud BOOM echoed.
Dirt and dust flew into the air. The courtyard was instantly filled with a thick cloud of smoke, completely obscuring everyone’s vision.
"What happened? I think I saw a streak of light fall from the sky."
"Grandpa, I think we can move again!"
The Ye Family exchanged bewildered glances before a junior member suddenly spoke up.
"Grandpa, could it be that the Patriarch has returned!"
Hearing this, Ye Wen and the others quickly nodded in agreement.
"It must be our cousin who’s back! Whenever the Ye Family is in danger, he always returns to save us! This time is no exception."
"Grandpa, look! There’s someone in the smoke!"
Right then, in the courtyard, although the dust hadn’t settled, silhouettes were indeed visible. There wasn’t just one—there were four in total.
As the smoke gradually cleared, Ye Xuan and the others came into view. The bolt of lightning from earlier had actually been them plummeting from the sky at incredible speed.
His mother’s all-out flight had allowed them to make it just in time. She had used her own body to block Liu Ruoxi’s attack.
"It’s the Patriarch! It really is him!"
"The Patriarch is back!"
The Ye Family threw their arms up and cheered, completely sweeping away their previous tension and despair.
But soon after, someone voiced a concern. "This woman is so strong. Is the Patriarch a match for her?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man slapped himself twice across the face. "How can I doubt the Patriarch? Since he made it back, he will absolutely be able to protect us!"
Amidst the Ye Family’s excitement, Ye Yizhou’s body began to tremble.
"That silhouette... That silhouette!" He reached out, pointing at where Gongsun Yanran was standing.
He was all too familiar with this figure. He had dreamed about her on countless nights. There was no mistake. It was absolutely her.
"Yanran," Ye Yizhou yelled out hoarsely.
Having just landed, Gongsun Yanran finally turned around. By now, she had already retracted her Beast Soul Transformation. Looking at Ye Yizhou, her eyes grew slightly red, but a beautiful smile graced her lips.
"Yizhou, I’m back."
"Yanran, it really is you!" Ye Yizhou was overwhelmed with excitement. He wanted to walk toward her, but found that he couldn’t even move his legs. He just stood there, smiling like a fool.
"Yanran!"
"Yanran!"
The Ye Family had also recognized the woman’s identity, their expressions full of shock.
"Everyone, it’s been a long time. But please give me a moment; we can catch up later," Gongsun Yanran said before turning to look at Ye Xuan.
At this moment, Ye Xuan had gone over to Hua’s side and gently said, "Hua, it’s alright now."
"Young Master... You’ve returned." Hua’s voice was a mix of joy and shame. She was joyful because her Young Master was back and she wouldn’t have to die. But she felt ashamed because she was useless, forcing her Young Master to save her once again.
"Hua, step back for now." In that instant, Ye Xuan’s body unleashed a terrifying wave of killing intent!
He was actually engulfed in lingering fear. If he had come back even a few minutes later, this woman would have used an extraordinary Thunder Talisman to wipe out the entire Ye Family.
"Okay." Hua nodded and retreated to where the Ye Family stood.
Only then did Ye Xuan turn his head to glare at Liu Ruoxi, his eyes completely cold and merciless.