C1773 The Yu Family's Expectations

In the Serpent Spine Mountains, the plant essence flowed like a verdant ribbon through the picturesque peaks, nurturing the flora to thrive remarkably. Rare spiritual herbs and fruits here have drawn innumerable unique individuals to this place.

The fall of the Blightwood gave rise to a new Serpent Spine Mountains, thanks to Taishi's sweeping gesture.

Now, the Serpent Spine Mountains cradled the newly established Thylethlume Town, the later-formed Chamber of Commerce, and the longstanding Sacred Hands, forming a tripartite presence.

In front of a Thylethlume building, the slender Jin Rourou clutched the hand of the statuesque Yu Jue. Anxiety etched her delicate face as she whispered, "Will he still recognize us?"

"He will," Yu Jue assured her with a noble bearing, his voice tender. "After all, we are his parents in this life. He's done so much for us. Without his help, your soul and body could never have reunited, and I would still be confined to Dragon Lake. It's just that he is still the God of Medicine, Hong Qi, and I'm unsure how he'll face us."

"What's troubling you?" Hong Qi demanded, eyeing them sharply and gesturing toward Jin Rourou. "Without Yu Yuan, would the Sacred Hands have ever nominated you as their sect master? And if our Yu Family weren't in the Serpent Spine Mountains, would Taishi have blessed this land with such abundant plant essence?"

Pride radiated from the old man as he spoke with a flushed face, "I've reached the Spirit Walk state. Ying Zi has become a Solar Spirit cultivator with the Forgeroses! Rou Rou, you're the sect master of the Sacred Hands, and Yu Jue is in the late period of the Lunar Spirit, soon to advance to the Spirit Walk!"

"And Yu Lili, Fei Fei, and the others, aren't they all surpassing their peers?"

"Our cultivated medicinal herbs are coveted by empires far and wide! Even the sects from the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea are extending olive branches, eager to reserve our herbs in advance. Isn't all this due to that young man's assistance?"

"Would Taishi have bestowed such a great blessing upon the Serpent Spine Mountains without him? The Chamber of Commerce and everyone in the mountain range have prospered thanks to our association!"

The elder tightened his grip and declared, "Regardless of who he was in the past, he is now my grandson, your son! It was for his sake that you were imprisoned by the Skyblight Cult and Dragon Lake! All your struggles and sacrifices have finally paid off!"

Near Thylethlume, members of the Sacred Hands and the Chamber of Commerce nodded in agreement.

Cultivators from the vicinity kept a watchful eye on the developments from a distance.

Is Yu Yuan returning?

Upon receiving the Yu family's signal, cultivators from various countries, initially in the area to seek remedies from the Sacred Hands or to acquire goods from the Chamber of Commerce, naturally converged on Thylethlume.

They were all eager to witness this legendary figure for themselves.

Yet, there were skeptics among them, doubting the Yu family's announcement, recalling past claims of Yu Yuan's return that never materialized.

Sadly, Yu Yuan had never made it back to Thylethlume before.

"The Yu family's days of fortune are likely numbered."

Perched atop an ancient tree a kilometer away, an observer gazed towards Thylethlume and huffed, "The Yu family owes its stature to their forebear, Yu Xi, now known as the God of Ghosts, Youyu. Taishi and Boulderdawn courted favor with the Bloodbrawlers, which is why they bolstered the Yu family's rise. I doubt Yu Yuan plays a significant role in this."

"I am the Dark Deity, Hong Qi, merely reborn into the Yu family by chance. Hong Qi is notorious for his callousness; why would he care for the insignificant Yu family? It's well-known that in his final days, he was solely devoted to perfecting poison pills. His own sect grew discontent with his reckless killings. The Order of Healing, unable to tolerate him, facilitated his reincarnation."

"A man of such stature is unlikely to hold familial ties dear."

A man clad in a plain white robe, sporting a long beard, and devoid of any clear sect insignia was speaking loudly.

"I've heard that Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian and the resurrected God-King Jihui from the Land of Terror have joined forces. Tan Xiaotian has openly expressed his discontent with Youyu. Recently, there was a disturbance in the Land of Terror, resulting in the death of many ghosts and spirits. It seems to me that Youyu, out of fear of Tan Xiaotian, has fled to extraterrestrial realms to escape the trouble."

"If the Boulderdawn Sect has indeed sided with Tan Xiaotian, it's likely they'll abandon Youyu. Naturally, they won't continue to protect the Yu family members either."

"Hehe, looks like the Yu family's days of prosperity are numbered. Jin Rourou will likely be compelled to relinquish her role as the sect master of Sacred Hands."

"Hong Qi is now among the elite in the Everlands; he wouldn't bother visiting Thylethlume. If he had the time, he wouldn't have delayed for so long without a single return visit."

The man's face was alight with schadenfreude, his voice booming as if he feared going unheard.

Following his tirade, many from the great empires and noble families, who had come in search of medicine and artifacts, pieced together the fragmented information they had heard and began to believe his claims.

They all suspected that Yu Yuan's previous warmth towards the Yu family was only because his memories had not yet returned. Once he remembered he was Hong Qi, the God of Medicine, his attitude towards the Yu family cooled. Otherwise, why hadn't Yu Yuan visited Thylethlume even once during his returns to the Everlands? After all, the Moonfall Sanctuary was just a stone's throw from the Serpent Spine Mountains—wouldn't it have been easy to drop by?

"Silence! Who let this cur in to spread lies about the Yu family?"

Yu Cen, who had achieved the Spirit Walk level, had heard the man's words from afar. Enraged, he leapt and landed atop a building in the town center. "You must be a stooge for one of those five factions, right? Yu Yuan is my grandson, and he always will be! He would never disown us!"

"Haha, recognize you? Recognize all of you?"

The man pointed at Yu Cen and the many incensed members of the Yu family. "Do you really think you're worthy? I am Hong Qi, the God of Medicine, the face of Boulderdawn, a person of great importance that everyone watches! What significance does the Yu family hold? And who are you to think that he would still see you as kin upon awakening?"

"A bunch of delusional fools, truly believing he's still Yu Yuan, your grandson and son? Utterly laughable!"

A female cultivator, unmarked by any sect or family crest, spoke up with biting sarcasm: "Frankly, I don't believe Youyu, the God of Ghosts, had any particular regard for the Yu family either. It was merely because the Boulderdawn Sect wanted to honor Youyu that your family got to enjoy any prestige."

"As for the spiritual energy of the plant essence in the Serpent Spine Mountains, I believe it was Lord Taishi who, unable to find a more suitable place nearby, reluctantly bestowed it upon this land."

"The Yu family is so full of themselves, thinking they received special favors because of Yu Yuan's presence."

"Hehe, the Yu family is nothing more than a group of dreamers, living in a fantasy."

A man and a woman, alternating with each other, continuously ridiculed the Yu family members, pushing Yu Cen to the brink of fury.

Yet, it was true that Yu Yuan hadn't visited Thylethlume in recent years.

"Is it really so?"

Below, in front of the building, Jin Rourou's face was etched with grief and acidity as she clung to Yu Jue's arm, gazing at him with desperate hope.

Yu Jue could only shake his head, unable to muster any words of solace.

Because even he was uncertain.

With a whoosh, the bearded man soared into the air, clutching a jade ruyi. A luminescent green light poured from his sleeve into the jade ruyi as he looked down at the seething Yu Cen with a smirk. "I'm merely stating facts. Your anger is futile. The Yu family is too weak; you truly don't deserve to occupy this bountiful land."

"What do you intend to do?!" Yu Cen bellowed in rage.

"I'm going to destroy a few medicinal gardens and see if anyone from Boulderdawn is willing to stand up for you. Hehe, actions speak louder than words, after all."

He laughed heartily as he brandished the jade ruyi in his hand, casting beams of luminescent green light, intent on obliterating the nearby medicinal gardens.

"Solar Spirit!"

"He's a Solar Spirit!"

As someone sensed the surge of his spiritual energy, their face paled slightly, and they immediately shouted in alarm.

The woman who had been echoing his sentiments turned her gaze coldly toward the Yu Family members, her eyes brimming with murderous intent. "Your parents? Hehe, they should all meet their end in Thylethlume!"

Boom!

A thunderous roar emanated from within her, as thunder balls coalesced in her elixir field. She locked onto Jin Rourou with her soul consciousness, ready to obliterate both body and soul in one fell swoop.

"I—I have a bad feeling about this."

Jin Rourou, who was merely at the Lunar Spirit level, was gripped by an instinctive dread, sensing an imminent disaster.

Yu Jue also sensed trouble, his eyes darting around in a frantic search for the hidden danger.

"It's okay."

In the next instant, a figure materialized out of nowhere beside the caustic woman. "Ah, a remnant of the Thunder Sect."

He gently placed his hand on the woman's Golden Sanctum, his little world, and with a radiant smile, he remarked, "You enjoy harnessing the power of thunder, refining it round after round before unleashing it, don't you? Hmm, and you dare target my mother. Did you think I, Yu Yuan, was dead?"

"Yu Yuan!"

The woman let out a terrified scream, straining to separate her soul from her body, ready to abandon her mortal coil.

But.

Her soul was firmly anchored in her sea of consciousness, suddenly gripped by a force that squeezed it tightly and thrust it into her elixir field, where it had been brewing for a long time. It was now amidst the many thunder balls she had refined.

She experienced the deepest despair and fear as she watched the thunder balls detonate within her Golden Sanctum, obliterating her soul in an instant.

Puff!

Lightning and thunder consumed her form. Her elixir field burst first, followed by her entire body and Solar Spirit, exploding into a shower of blood and shards of lightning, leaving her unequivocally dead.

"Yu Yuan!"

"Yu Yuan has really returned!"

"Is that really Yu Yuan?"

Nestled among the mountains, onlookers from the Sacred Hands and other nearby sects who had been keeping a watchful eye on the Yu family's town could not contain their excitement upon spotting the figure. They erupted into exclamations of disbelief.

To everyone's surprise, Yu Cen had been right. Yu Yuan, the name on everyone's lips, had indeed arrived in Thylethlume!

"Oh, so you hail from the Ethereal Void Sect. That explains it."

With a sidelong glance, Yu Yuan caught sight of the man clutching the jade ruyi, who was making a desperate attempt to flee. With a carefree smile, he taunted, "Where do you think you can escape to, between heaven and earth?"

A crimson sword light shot from his fingertip, reducing the man from the Ethereal Void Sect to a cloud of blood mist.

Both his body and spirit were utterly annihilated.

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