Chapter 130: Catching Up

"Heh, if we cannot reach an agreement, there is no need to continue. We shall let our blades do the talking." The laughter of the man in the silver robe was arrogant, echoing throughout Luoyang Town.

As the silver-robed man spoke with Elder Ye, Luo Long, the third elder of the Luo family, scanned the members of the Ye family. He leaned toward Luo Sen, who stood beside him, and whispered, "Family Head, Ye Cheng is not here. It seems he escaped us once before, and now our plan to uproot them has fallen short. That boy is a persistent threat."

"Indeed."

Luo Sen frowned, surveying the crowd. Just as Luo Long had said, the Ye family's genius, Ye Cheng, was nowhere to be found.

"No matter. We shall wipe out the Ye family first and capture these few. Once we spread the word, I refuse to believe that boy will not return. We will catch him in a trap and execute him before he can fully mature. That boy cannot escape the palm of my hand." Luo Sen gestured toward Elder Ye and Ye Hong, sneering with malice.

Luo Sen did not bother to lower his voice. Upon hearing this, the complexions of Elder Ye and the others shifted, and they glared with hatred at the invading Luo family.

To them, Ye Cheng was the hope for the Ye family’s resurgence. His talent mirrored that of Ye Shan in his youth; as long as he did not perish, his future in the martial path would be immeasurable. Even if the Ye family were to fall today, as long as Ye Cheng lived, their hope would not be extinguished.

"Hmph, despicable," Ye Zhan spat on the ground in front of everyone, his eyes burning with fury as he stared at the Luo family.

Just as Elder Ye prepared to speak, a voice drifted from the distant horizon: "Is that all your Luo family is capable of? Resorting to such cowardly tactics to deal with me? You overestimate yourselves, and perhaps, you hold me, Ye Cheng, in too high regard."

"Ye Cheng!"

"How did he return?" The voice echoing across the sky of Luoyang Town left the countless Ye family disciples stunned.

"Why did Ye Cheng return at a time like this? Damn it!" Among the disciples stood Ye Ming, his face etched with worry. He had been the closest to Ye Cheng and his sister back in the family, but now, only at the peak of the Blood Qi Realm, he felt powerless to help.

Not far behind him, Ye Wei’s expression was complex. He had once been the top talent of the younger generation, but the gap between them had grown vast. Yet, he felt no jealousy; Ye Cheng’s past act of saving him from Luo Shao’an had changed him entirely.

As the voice rang out, everyone—the Ye family and the invading Luo family alike—turned their gazes toward the sky. A flying skiff approached at breakneck speed. Standing upon it were a youth and a middle-aged man.

"Wang Yang?" The two Gold-robed Protectors of the Blood Fiend Gang narrowed their eyes at the middle-aged man on the skiff. "Why is Wang Yang, the Third Commander of the Nangong family, here? Is the Ye family connected to the Nangong family?"

Having been dispatched to join the Luo family's Great Elder, Luo Huo, before the tournament began, they had missed the selection trials and remained ignorant of the ties between Ye Cheng and the Nangong family.

"Heh, perfect. The Blood Fiend Gang has long held a grudge against the Nangong family, and our leader is eager to weaken them. Since this Third Commander has come alone, we can eliminate him. As a commander of the Nangong forces, his head will earn us a reward from our leader—perhaps even a fifth-grade pill to help us reach the peak of the Origin Realm."

The silver-robed man’s face twisted into a cruel grin. He had not expected to encounter a high-ranking member of the Nangong family.

"Little brother, be careful. Although Wang Yang is at the Great Accomplishment stage of the Origin Realm like us, his combat prowess is not to be underestimated," the gold-robed man cautioned.

The silver-robed man dismissed this with a wave. "Brother, we shall deal with the old man of the Ye family first, then take care of Wang Yang together. It will be child's play."

The gold-robed man considered this and nodded, remaining silent. The two brothers possessed a combined martial technique; once joined, they could challenge even those at the Half-Step Ancient Pill stage. Wang Yang posed little threat.

Meanwhile, the faces of Elder Ye, Ye Hong, and Ye Zhan were grim. They had hoped that since Ye Cheng was not here, the family might survive in his legacy, but his return felt like a sheep walking into a tiger’s den. The Luo family had brought five experts at the Great Accomplishment stage of the Origin Realm, including the Family Head Luo Sen, Great Elder Luo Huo, Third Elder Luo Long, and the two mysterious, gold- and silver-robed figures. Worse, Luo Sen was nearly at the peak of the Origin Realm.

Against them, the Ye family had only Elder Ye at the peak of the Origin Realm, who could at best hold off two of them, and Ye Hong, whose talent was mediocre and who was only at the Initial Accomplishment stage. The situation looked dire.

"Damn it! The boy is too reckless! Why now?" Elder Ye’s face was dark with worry as he watched the skiff descend.

As the crowd watched in shock, Third Commander Wang Yang brought the skiff to a hover a few dozen meters above the ground. He and Ye Cheng leaped down to the Ye family side.

"Grandfather, Uncle, Third Uncle!" Ye Cheng bowed respectfully to the elders who had cared for him since childhood.

"Cheng'er, why did you return at such a time?"

Elder Ye’s expression was anxious. He transmitted his voice to Ye Cheng: "The Luo family has brought foreign reinforcements. We may not survive this. Act according to the situation and preserve your life. The future of our family rests on you."

"Wait, Ye Cheng... your cultivation?" Elder Ye paused, sensing the surging blood energy within Ye Cheng. He was stunned.

"I broke through to the peak of the Blood Qi Realm recently," Ye Cheng said with a smile, though he carefully concealed his true combat strength, wary of the enemies watching nearby.

"What? You’ve reached the peak of the Blood Qi Realm?" Elder Ye, who had been distressed moments ago, now wore a look of utter disbelief.

"Hiss!"

Beside him, Ye Hong and Ye Zhan gasped in unison. Ye Zhan stared at Ye Cheng, his mouth agape. It had been barely over three months since Ye Cheng left Luoyang Town, at which time he had not even reached the Great Accomplishment stage of the Blood Qi Realm. Such cultivation speed was unheard of.

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!"