Half an hour later.
At the Ye Family estate.
The previously dim Ye Family estate was now brightly lit and bustling with noise.
"What’s going on? Why did Ye Xuan summon us to the main courtyard the moment he returned? Did something big happen?"
"Probably. Otherwise, why would they wake us up with gongs and drums in the dead of night?"
"Sigh, I was just having a wonderful dream. Ten peerless beauties were unrobing and waving at me. Just as I was about to pounce, I was woken up! Having such a beautiful dream interrupted means whatever is happening tonight definitely isn’t good."
The Ye family members chattered amongst themselves as they hurried toward the main courtyard.
At this moment, Ye Xuan, Ye Zeyun, Ye Yizhou, and the other core figures were already gathered in the courtyard.
"Ye Xuan, almost everyone is here. What exactly required such an emergency assembly? Could it be that the Niu Family found out you robbed their tribute carriage?" Ye Zeyun asked softly.
"They didn’t find out about that," Ye Xuan replied calmly. "When I made my move that day, I made sure there was no one around. But that’s not important. What is important is that the Niu Family is currently leading an army of ten thousand men straight for Hongtu Town. They are coming for our Ye Family."
What?
Although Ye Xuan spoke plainly, the news nearly made Ye Zeyun jump out of his skin in sheer terror. Ten thousand men—what kind of concept was that? The Niu Family definitely wasn’t bringing ordinary mortals; they were all powerful Cultivators. It was highly likely they were an army of ten thousand experts at or above the Strong Spirit Realm. Had every decent Cultivator in Niu Family Town turned out in full force?
As Ye Zeyun stood frozen in shock, Ye Xuan addressed his clansmen.
"I know summoning you all overnight has caused a lot of panic," Ye Xuan said. "You’re all probably guessing if the Ye Family has run into another major crisis. I won’t keep you in suspense. To tell you the truth, our family is facing an existential disaster!"
An existential disaster.
His words echoed through the night. Any lingering sleepiness among the Ye family members vanished instantly, replaced by a jolt of stark clarity.
"Patriarch, what’s going on? Can you explain clearly?"
"Did we offend the Niu Family? Is it because I beat up Niu Dali?" Ye Wen’s voice rang out, laced with obvious guilt. He thought he shouldn’t have listened to Ye Xuan back then. Although slapping Niu Dali’s face had felt incredibly satisfying, the retribution had finally arrived.
However, Ye Xuan responded with a domineering air. "What does the Niu Family count for? Since I dared to offend their people, I’m not afraid of offending the family itself. My original plan was to either destroy the Niu Family or force them to submit to our Ye Family."
His declaration sent an uproar through the crowd. None of them had expected Ye Xuan to harbor such massive ambitions.
Someone asked in confusion, "If you aren’t afraid of the Niu Family, then why did you say we’re facing an existential disaster?"
"That’s right, Patriarch! What’s going on?"
Ye Xuan shook his head slightly. "Man proposes, but heaven disposes. Actually, when we wiped out the Fang Family, I considered the possibility that there might be survivors."
"Survivors from the Fang Family? Who?"
"But all of their experts are dead. Even if someone survived, they shouldn’t pose a threat to us, right?"
The Ye family members remained puzzled. Was a remnant of the Fang Family truly a greater threat than the Niu Family?
Ye Xuan waved a hand to signal for quiet before continuing. "The one who survived from the Fang Family is Fang Lian."
"Fang Lian! Now that you mention it, we didn’t see her corpse when we destroyed them that day. But her cultivation isn’t high. How could she possibly threaten our Ye Family?"
"She found herself a good man," Ye Xuan said, shaking his head. "Her man is a young master of the Ning Family."
"The Ning Family? Who are they? I’ve never heard of them."
"Are they very powerful?"
Given the Ye Family’s current standing, it was only natural that they wouldn’t know of the Ning Family.
"In truth, I’m not very familiar with them either," Ye Xuan said solemnly. "I only know that the Niu Family is merely a subordinate faction to the Ning Family."
HISS!
Gasps of horror rippled through the crowd. In that instant, they finally understood why Ye Xuan had called this emergency meeting. A power that could force even the Niu Family to bow their heads—just how terrifying must they be?
"Patriarch, what do we do? We can’t even afford to provoke the Niu Family, let alone the much stronger Ning Family!"
"Patriarch, why don’t we run away quickly before they get here?"
"Yes! As long as the Cyan Mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. The Kingdom is so vast; the Ning Family’s reach can’t possibly extend everywhere. As long as we leave their territory and stay far away, they won’t be able to find us."
At this moment, the Ye family members were already prepared to flee.
Ye Xuan glanced at his panicked kin. "My original plan was to lead you all away tonight," he said, a hint of indignation in his voice. "But... I just can’t reconcile with it! Even though the heavens are working against my wishes, I truly don’t want to admit defeat like this. Because I won’t necessarily lose!"
"I won’t necessarily lose." Ye Xuan’s powerful, resonant voice echoed ceaselessly around the courtyard.
Beside him, Ye Zeyun and Tang Long exchanged astonished looks. Did Ye Xuan not plan to run?
"Ye Xuan, you can’t act recklessly," Ye Zeyun couldn’t help but interject. "If the Niu Family is merely their subordinate, it proves that the Ning Family’s power is absolutely massive. You are definitely not their match."
Hearing this, a smile unexpectedly crept onto Ye Xuan’s lips. It was a bizarre, almost eerie smile. Ye Xuan seemed... excited!
"Grandpa, I know the opponent is strong, but for some reason, the stronger the enemy, the more I want to fight! The blood in my veins feels like it’s boiling."
As he spoke, a terrifying battle intent erupted from his body. Having awakened the Blood of the War Dragon, his thirst for battle surged to the heavens!
As a Cultivator, what was the point of fighting weaklings or weak families? Besides, bullying the weak was always the behavior of cowards. Only by challenging the strong, by taking on a power that others deemed invincible, could his Dragon Blood truly reach a boiling point.
The Ning Family was exactly that kind of power.
"This aura, this aura... Frenzy Spirit Realm! Ye Xuan, you’ve advanced!" Ye Zeyun stammered, so dumbfounded he could barely speak.
What else could such a powerful aura be if not the Frenzy Spirit Realm? Heavens! How long had it been? Ye Xuan had actually broken through to the Frenzy Spirit Realm. Just ten days ago, his cultivation was only at the 7th Layer of the Strong Spirit Realm. This advancement speed was simply too fast!
Furthermore, how did he find a Small River Vein? Could it be that he had stolen a Frenzy Soul Crystal from the Niu Family? Even if he had, it shouldn’t have been this smooth, right?
At this moment, it wasn’t just Ye Zeyun who was astonished; even Tang Long’s eyes were wide as saucers, clearly stunned by Ye Xuan’s raw talent. Then, his eyes lit up. Ye Xuan’s advancement meant that he could absolutely rescue Xin’Er. Therefore, Ye Xuan couldn’t die. If he died, who would save Xin’Er for him?
Meanwhile, within Ye Xuan’s Sea of Consciousness.
The Dragon Capturing Cauldron suddenly released a brilliant golden light. A Golden Dragon broke free, soaring and circling above the Sea of Consciousness. The Golden Dragon’s eyes were initially closed, but suddenly, they snapped open. As if sensing it, Ye Xuan’s body trembled slightly. He could feel it—the Golden Dragon was acknowledging his battle intent.