C1774 To Crush the Whispers

Both individuals were seasoned cultivators who had reached the Solar Spirit level, masquerading as independent practitioners from their respective sects. In a mere moment, they were utterly obliterated!

Those who had been covertly monitoring Thylethlume from a distance were stirred into a frenzy by Yu Yuan's sudden appearance. They were equally stunned by his swift action, quickly coming to a realization:

It was the remnants of the Thunder Sect and the Ethereal Void Sect who harbored malicious intent, deliberately slandering the Yu family with the aim of causing them harm.

"Ah! There's more!"

Yu Yuan flashed a wide grin, not even needing to wield the Titanblade, as he turned his attention to several Spirit Walk cultivators who were stealthily withdrawing from Thylethlume.

"Soul Separation!"

A divine voice imbued with the intricacies of the Path of the Soul rang out, compelling the souls of four cultivators from the Thunder Sect, Ethereal Void Sect, and Abyssal Dawn to emerge from their Mindscape, laying bare before the gaze of the mighty.

"Shatter!"

In an instant, the spectral forms vanished, disintegrating into dust before the eyes of all present.

The physical forms of the Spirit Walk cultivators collapsed, limp and lifeless, as their souls were extinguished, severing their vital essence.

To Yu Yuan, cultivators of the Spirit Walk and Solar Spirit realms were as insignificant as ants, their lives and deaths hinging on a mere flick of his finger.

Dispatching such cultivators was now as effortless as slaughtering chickens or dogs, requiring no more than a puff of breath.

Whoosh!

Gao Qin from the Chamber of Commerce arrived posthaste. Landing swiftly, he bowed deeply before speaking, "My apologies, this was an oversight on our part. We never anticipated that the remnants of the Thunder Sect would vent their fury upon Thylethlume."

Gao Qin offered his sincere apologies, a hint of fear still lingering within him. He was genuinely concerned that any mishap in Thylethlume might provoke Yu Yuan's wrath.

As Gao Qin stood before Yu Yuan, his mind wandered back to their initial encounter on Celestial Isle. Those memories were as clear as day, yet Yu Yuan had ascended to great heights, becoming one of the towering figures of this world and beyond.

Even Nie Qingtian himself might not have been able to make Han Miaoyuan take a step back, but Yu Yuan accomplished it!

"Little..."

In front of the pavilion, Jin Rourou excitedly released Yu Jue's hand. She opened her mouth to call out Yu Yuan's name, but suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

She had heard it clearly: Yu Yuan had called her mother, and he hadn't denied her!

Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that the misunderstandings and criticisms directed at the Yu family suddenly seemed insignificant.

Yu Jue took a deep breath, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and declared, "The Old Master was right. No matter who he was in the past, in this life, he is Yu Yuan!"

"He is our child!"

Yu Jue's voice grew stronger, and he stood taller, as if newfound confidence surged through him.

Yu Yuan, renowned throughout the Everlands and beyond, was their child—the very one who had once been lost and confused, causing Jin Rourou to shed countless secret tears.

"Yes, he is our child!" Jin Rourou echoed, her voice choked with emotion.

"Nonsense!"

Yu Cen, not one to mince words, slapped his thigh and charged toward Yu Yuan, exclaiming, "You actually believed those jesters' words! Haha, my grandson has returned. Now, all of you, open your eyes and see for yourselves whether he is truly my grandson!"

"Grandfather!"

To acknowledge him, Yu Yuan, disregarding the delegates from the Chamber of Commerce, called out to the old man, "Please, wait a moment!"

In a flash, as if by magic, he appeared before Yu Cen, halting the old man's forward momentum, and declared, "I have never forgotten who I am! My name is Yu Yuan, and regardless of the past, I am your grandson, Yu Yuan!"

"Good! Very good!"

The old man gripped his hand tightly, his laughter booming with relief, "How others misunderstand or view us doesn't matter to me! I've never doubted you, not once! My only complaint is that you've been too busy, too thoughtless to come home."

Yu Yuan, his face etched with remorse, admitted, "I was wrong."

"Go on, see your parents! Hurry, now!" Yu Cen urged, his eyes wide and his mustache bristling with impatience.

"Okay."

With no further hesitation, Yu Yuan strode past the elder and paused before the couple, who were clasping hands and looking utterly bewildered. He then bowed deeply and said, "I have been absent for many years and am deeply remorseful for not returning the love you've shown me."

He reflected on the elder's words upon awakening and how his parents had braved the Frozen Hellscape to seek out rare items that might bring his soul back to peace.

His heart was heavy with guilt.

"Quick! Stand up!"

Jin Rourou swiftly took his arm, pulling him to his feet. She examined his face from every angle, finding delight in every feature.

"It's good that you're back, so good," Yu Jue murmured softly.

"Yuan."

"Brother!"

Yu Wei, Yu Lili, Yu Feifei, and the others hurried over to greet him, staring in disbelief, half-fearing this was yet another figment of their imagination.

The old man had announced Yu Yuan's return before, but it wasn't the first time.

Yu Yuan, now a legend in the Everlands, had been spoken of endlessly by the elder. Each time word spread of Yu Yuan's sightings in the Everlands, the elder would declare that Yu Yuan was on his way home.

Once, twice, three times, but Yu Yuan never reappeared at the Yu family home.

Gradually, everyone grew desensitized and skeptical, believing that upon awakening as Hong Qi, Yu Yuan had forsaken his Yu family identity.

Moreover, Yu Yuan had risen to prominence within the Boulderdawn, commanding the Dragon Slaying Stage and wielding the Titanblade, mingling with sect leaders and leaving his family feeling somewhat inferior.

They had come to believe that Yu Yuan had outgrown the Yu family, that he no longer cared about his identity in this lifetime.

But in this moment!

Witnessing Yu Yuan kneel before his parents and offer a heartfelt apology, they came to a sudden realization: Yu Yuan hadn't forgotten the old ties to the Yu family, nor had he intended to neglect his identity in this life.

The young man simply didn't know how to confront his parents or express his emotions, which had led him to avoid them.

"Old Master, the Young Master has returned."

Qin Yun also emerged, glancing at the lifeless remains. The seasoned servant, now a Solar Spirit, let out a disdainful snort and said, "I had only just visited the Moonfall Sanctuary, and they dared to show up in Thylethlume. Their audacity knows no bounds! But fear not, Old Master. Whether it's the Merchant Association or the Boulderdawn Sect, everyone knows the Young Master holds the family in high regard."

He gestured towards the Merchant Association and Moonfall Sanctuary, scoffing lightly, "These two sides? There are individuals secretly safeguarding the Yu family. They refrained from acting only because they detected the young master's return."

Yu Cen was taken aback. "There are people protecting the Yu family from both sides?"

Qin Yun nodded with a smile, casting a glance at Gao Qin who had hurried over, and said, "No need for apologies. The Merchant Association has senior cultivators watching over the Yu family by order of your Association Leader. They're on guard against the likes of the Thunder Sect's remnants and the petty crooks from the Ethereal Void Sect."

Relieved by this, Gao Qin replied, "That's a relief. You really had me worried."

"Young Master..."

Qin Yun's gaze, filled with complexity, rested on Yu Yuan as he spoke with his parents. After a brief pause, he shared, "In his past life, the young master seemed to be an abandoned orphan, devoid of any familial affection. He knew his time was short, so he shied away from forming attachments, resulting in no conclusion to his relationship with Ms. Ji."

"This led to his cultivation going awry and a drastic change in his temperament, making him even more reluctant to get close to others."

"He's never known familial love, and his childhood memories are a blur, so he doesn't know how to face his parents and instinctively avoids them. Several times, he watched you from a distance at Moonfall Sanctuary, too afraid to approach."

"Had it not been for your complaints, he might have continued to hesitate and stayed away."

"Yet, he has done so much for the Yu family. It was Lord Taishi's recognition of this fact that led him to hold the Yu family in such high regard, sending over the plant essence."

"It wasn't to curry favor with Youyu or to court the Bloodbrawlers, but simply because the young master is a member of the Yu family, with his heart always set on his kin!"

Qin Yun disclosed the hidden truth, expressing his insights and the rationale behind Taishi's actions.

"I can vouch that Boulderdawn Sect's concern for the Yu family stems solely from Yu Yuan, not from Youyu of the Bloodbrawlers," Gao Qin declared solemnly to Yu Cen, the scattered cultivators nearby, and the visiting dignitaries from the major empires. "Our Chamber of Commerce feels the same way!"

"It's really like this," someone muttered under their breath.

"I never imagined that the God of Medicine, Hong Qi, would hold the Yu family in such high regard even after his awakening!"

Another onlooker, observing Yu Yuan kneeling before Yu Jue and Jin Rourou, remarked with emotion, "This moment shatters all the rumors and slander. I'm convinced that from this point forward, no one will question Yu Yuan's loyalty to the Yu family again!"

Indeed, actions speak louder than words. Yu Yuan's return and his subsequent actions had effortlessly dispelled the rumors.

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