Chapter 118 - 102: That Boy Is Back, The Whole City Goes Wild

Chapter 118: Chapter 102: That Boy Is Back, The Whole City Goes Wild

Gu Qingyan suddenly let out a soft scoff, her beautiful eyes slowly turning toward a certain direction. It was pitch black there, with nothing visible, yet she had sensed something. Obviously, Gu Qingyan had detected that familiar aura.

The Concealment Art Jiang Hao used came from Gu Qingyan in the first place. He could evade everyone else’s perception, but he could not escape the Young Master of the Divine Pill Pavilion, who knew this Secret Technique inside out. Gu Qingyan’s unusual reaction caused countless eyes to turn toward that same direction. For a moment, Ye Qingxian’s breathing grew rapid; she had already guessed what it was.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long.

WHOOSH!!!

In the endless night sky, a figure slowly emerged, rapidly approaching from a distance at an inconceivable speed. In just a brief moment, that white-robed figure appeared within everyone’s line of sight.

"Jiang Hao! It’s Jiang Hao!"

"Hao’Er? It really is Hao’Er."

"Little fool?"

When Jiang Hao’s figure appeared in the sky above the Ye Family, everyone shuddered in shock. Especially Ye Qingxian—even though she was mentally prepared, her delicate body couldn’t help but tremble when she actually saw that familiar face.

Jiang Hao didn’t hesitate and immediately landed. However, he had concealed all of his aura, making his cultivation level completely imperceptible.

"Little fool, is it really you?" Ye Qingxian looked at the man she dreamed of day and night, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

Looking at her beautiful figure after eight long years, endless emotions surged in Jiang Hao’s heart. As he gazed at the young woman whose body had become somewhat frail, his memories seemed to be pulled back to the past. He saw the figure who had silently protected him for three years. Recalling her silhouette from that night—desperately clutching poison as she bid him farewell—Jiang Hao swallowed hard. "It’s me, Qingxian. I’m back."

The moment those words left his mouth, the young woman, already in tears, threw herself into his embrace. Eight years. Eight years of waiting and longing seemed to erupt all at once in this single moment. Watching the two tightly embrace, no one dared to interrupt them. It wasn’t until a long while later that they finally parted.

"Miss Gu, thank you." When Jiang Hao saw Gu Qingyan standing there, his eyes filled with gratitude. The very fact that she was here explained everything; there was no need for further words.

Seeing that he had only just noticed her, a hint of a bitter smile clearly flashed in Gu Qingyan’s beautiful eyes, but it quickly faded. "You shouldn’t have come back. Did you not trust me?"

Jiang Hao shook his head and said sincerely, "It’s not that I didn’t trust you, Miss Gu. It’s just... I wanted to take one last look at the only family in this world who cares about me." He was afraid—afraid that if he didn’t return this time, he might never see them again. The Cultivation Realm was cruel and ruthless. He could fall in battle at any given moment, and Jiang Hao didn’t want to leave behind any regrets.

Hearing this, Gu Qingyan sighed helplessly, her tone still laced with worry. "Are you prepared to fight your way out? You should know that the moment you stepped inside, you lost any chance of retreat." Only Gu Qingyan knew just how severe the situation was outside Xingyue City’s Earth Realm right now.

Jiang Hao, however, offered a tragic smile. "Do I even have a way out?" After obtaining the legacy of the Ancient Dynasty ruins and acquiring the Chaos Sword Embryo, how could there possibly be any retreat?

"Then what do you plan to do next?" Gu Qingyan asked mildly. She was clearly looking further ahead than anyone else present.

Following her voice, Jiang Hao slowly looked out into the boundless darkness. Instead of despair, he seemed relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Since there is no retreat, I will carve out a path of blood. Since ancient times, a path to survival has never been found by hiding." Since there was no way out, he would carve a path of blood.

As soon as he said this, Gu Qingyan’s eyes instantly filled with boundless admiration. "I certainly wasn’t wrong about you." After saying that, she spoke no more.

On the other side, Ye Tiannan and Ye Canghai were somewhat agitated.

"Hao’Er?"

Hearing this familiar call, Jiang Hao slowly turned to look at the two men. The current Ye Canghai was much more hunched and aged, having already stepped into his twilight years. Even Ye Tiannan had gained countless white hairs.

"Uncle Ye, Grandmaster Ye, Hao’Er has returned," Jiang Hao said, bowing deeply to the two of them.

"Good, good, good. It’s good that you’re back." With Ye Tiannan supporting him, Ye Canghai walked up to Jiang Hao and gently stroked his now-resolute face.

Meanwhile, as this grand reunion played out in the Ye Family, countless eyes hidden in the veil of night surrounding the Ye Mansion naturally witnessed the scene. These people were hiding all around the Ye Family; they were clearly informants sent by various factions of the Eastern Domain to keep an eye on them. Not only were they guarding the inevitable routes, hoping to strike first, but they were also afraid that the white-robed figure might slip past their blockades and enter the city unnoticed.

"Is it him?"

"It’s him, no doubt."

"It’s him, that’s the boy! I saw him with my own eyes in the ancient ruins. I’d recognize him even if he turned to ash."

"Does that mean the thing on his back is that terrifying Sword Embryo wreathed in Chaos Qi?"

"Send the message out immediately! Tell the Patriarch and all the peerless prodigies that Jiang Hao has entered the city."

In an instant, countless figures quietly departed, scattering toward the surroundings of Xingyue City’s Earth Realm.

Not long after.

"What did you say? He entered Xingyue City?"

"Impossible. The entirety of Xingyue City has been isolated. How did he get in?"

"We saw it with our own eyes. We watched him enter the Ye Family Mansion."

Xingyue City’s Earth Realm exploded in an uproar. Upon learning the news, countless factions madly rushed toward Xingyue City, terrified that if they were a step too late, the legacy of the Ancient Imperial City would fall into someone else’s hands.

In less than a quarter of an hour.

BOOM!!!

Countless terrifying auras instantly engulfed all of Xingyue City, each one more horrifying than the last. This shocking, sudden change completely alarmed the city.

"What’s going on? What terrifying aura fluctuations!"

"Why did so many dreadful coercions suddenly surge around Xingyue City?"

Feeling the vast auras flooding into the city like a tidal wave, the entirety of Xingyue City instantly boiled over, acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Just as everyone was at a loss for what to do, thunderous voices echoed through every corner of the city in the very next moment.

"Everyone in the Ye Family, listen well! Hand over Jiang Hao, and you may be spared from death."

"Jiang Hao... I truly didn’t expect this brat to dare return to Xingyue City!"

"Hahaha, Jiang Xiaoyou, hand over the Chaos Sword Embryo and the legacy of the Ancient Imperial Race. Those are not things you can monopolize."

"Jiang Hao! If you don’t want to become the public enemy, surrender everything you’ve obtained! Otherwise, you will not escape death today."

RUMBLE!!!

As rolling coercions blotted out the sky and swept forward, voices from all sides detonated across the city. For a moment, all of Xingyue City’s Earth Realm was stunned. Countless Cultivators in Xingyue City stood completely dumbfounded. After a brief silence, it was as if a magnitude-twelve earthquake had struck this Earth Realm.

"Jiang Hao has returned?"

"That boy from back then? He’s come back to Xingyue City?"

"What did you say? He... he’s back?"

When they learned that the person from eight years ago had returned, the entire city erupted into an uproar. Countless Cultivators were horrified, and towering waves of shock surged in their hearts.