"We have already given you what you wanted. How can you be like this?"
The Old Village Chief glared at them, unable to contain his indignant roar, despite his usual composure.
"Ye Yuan! Looking at you now, I have no desire to even make a move against you."
"How brilliant you were back then!"
"The gates of the Eastern Region were almost opened for you, yet you were too arrogant, provoking countless factions. How could that single academy possibly protect you?"
"And now, reduced to this? Scraping by in a place like this? Do you really think that by handing over the items, we would spare your life?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Even someone who once called himself the Emperor Yuan still harbors such unrealistic fantasies."
Li Dongming let out a loud, mocking laugh, as if venting decades of pent-up resentment.
Feng Wujie, the man in green robes clutching a jade flute, looked indifferently at the Old Village Chief, who was being helped up by the villagers. He couldn't even be bothered to speak; in his eyes, the Old Village Chief was no longer worthy of a second glance. Unlike Li Dongming, a madman who enjoyed venting his grievances, Feng Wujie felt no need for such theatrics. He had lost to Ye Yuan in the past because his own skills were inferior. He held no grudge and had come here only because he was following the sect's orders. After one final, dismissive glance at the man who had once brought light to the entire Eastern Region, he withdrew his gaze.
"Finish what you need to do quickly. We still have to report back."
With that, he vaulted instantly onto the giant spirit beast.
"Heh! Very well," the man in black, Ye Ling, said with a sinister grin. He caught the eyes of Li Dongming and the Black-robed Man, and they shared a knowing look.
Watching this, the Old Village Chief’s expression darkened. He said coldly, "If you dare to do this, don't blame me for fighting to the death!"
"Fighting to the death?"
"With that decrepit, crumbling body of yours? Do you still have the strength for that?"
The three men sneered, full of disdain, intending to slaughter everyone present. They waved their hands, and the hundred disciples who had been waiting in the air for some time leapt down, laughing wildly as they charged toward Ye Family Village.
"You dare!"
The Old Village Chief shouted, an incomparable aura erupting from him. His eyes were as sharp as blades, his long silver hair whipping in the wind. With a wave of his cane, arcs of sword energy surged toward the descending figures.
*Splat.*
The two golden-robed men in the lead were instantly cleaved in two, a rain of blood showering the air. The sight stunned the others. The remaining attackers hovered in the sky, afraid to descend until Li Dongming shouted, "Ye Yuan is at the end of his rope! He no longer possesses his former power. Killing the legendary Emperor Yuan—what an honor this is for you all!"
"Attack! Whoever wounds Ye Yuan shall be rewarded with a hundred spirit crystals!"
Hearing this, the disciples in the air seemed to be injected with adrenaline and dove down once more.
The Old Village Chief’s aura surged, pushing the villagers aside as he stood alone to block the nearly hundred attackers. A gale instantly whipped up as the hundred disciples launched hundreds of different attacks at him. Despite the density of the assault, the Old Village Chief’s thin silhouette stood firm. With his right hand, he unleashed hundreds of sword rays, parrying the incoming onslaught.
However, some of the attacks struck Ye Family Village itself. In an instant, the village was consumed by raging flames, and as the cries of the villagers rose, the place turned into a sea of fire.
"Little Yue! My Little Yue!"
A woman wailed, her daughter having been struck by an stray attack and killed in the flames. It didn't stop there. Men began grabbing weapons to join the Old Village Chief in battle, but it was all in vain. Even the strongest hunter in the village, Ye Tiangang, was casually swept aside by the shockwave and killed. For the others, rushing forward was useless. The scene turned into a slaughterhouse, overflowing with blood and fire.
Encircled and witnessing this, the Old Village Chief was filled with towering rage. He had truly gone berserk. Even though he had lost an arm, it didn't slow him down; every strike claimed a life. Seven or eight men had already fallen by his hand. Yet, the Old Village Chief himself was covered in wounds, his clothes shredded and blood streaming from his body. Ultimately, he was no longer in his prime; this burst of strength was fueled by burning his own life force.
"Get out of the way!"
With a loud shout, Li Dongming and the other two attacked simultaneously, their momentum far more overwhelming than that of the hundred disciples.
"Go and slaughter everyone in this village," Li Dongming commanded.
The Old Village Chief tried to intervene, but Ye Ling and the others blocked his path.
"Ye Yuan, we are your opponents. Let’s see how much strength you really have left!"
Without the Old Village Chief to block them, the hundred disciples moved through the village as if no one were there. Every swing of a blade brought with it the death of a villager.
"No! Brother Ye Gang!"
"My son! My son!"
"Child, come back! Don't go!"
"Oh, Heavens, open your eyes! What sin has our Ye Family Village committed to deserve this?"
"Ye Teng, let's fight them! We can't let the Old Village Chief face them alone. Even if we die, we'll take one of them with us!" a brawny man roared, charging wildly with a large saber. But it was useless; these men’s cultivation levels were far higher than those of the villagers. Despite this, the village men continued to charge forward without fear. The village became a hell of blood and fire, filled with the painful cries of children, the desperate roars of men, and the heart-wrenching wails of women.
"Ah—!"
The Old Village Chief was frantic, his cane lashing out wildly at the three men as he tried to break free to save his people. But it was futile. The three kept retreating as they fought, playing with him and leaving wound after wound on his body.
Finally, the Old Village Chief reached a decision. Looking at the carnage in the village below, his eyes filled with tears. He had lived here for decades and had long since regarded the villagers as his own kin. How could he not be enraged by this wanton slaughter?
Just as the three closed in again, the Old Village Chief roared. Seizing a fleeting opportunity, he gathered the last of his spiritual energy and launched his final, most powerful strike.
"What!"
"Ye Yuan still has this much power?"
The three were shocked, scrambling to unleash their own ultimate attacks, but it was too late.
*Rip—*
A deep, bone-crushing gash appeared across the chests of all three men. After delivering the blow, the Old Village Chief fell straight to the ground, tears welling in his eyes.
"Old Village Chief!"
The survivors ran to his side, weeping as they lifted him up.
"Old Village Chief, please, say something! Old Village Chief!"
The Old Village Chief looked at the weeping villagers gathered around him. His lips trembled slightly. "I'm sorry... I have brought this upon you all."
"No, Old Village Chief, it's not your fault! It's those animals who brought this calamity upon our Ye Family Village. They slaughtered the innocent—they deserve to die a thousand deaths!" the man holding him cried out.
The Old Village Chief’s blood-stained lips moved as if to say something else, but in the end, no sound came out. His clouded eyes turned toward the sky, the world around him slowly blurring. In his final moment, he seemed to see his grandson’s innocent smile. Ensuring that the boy was safe had been his greatest wish.
"Grandpa, come and tell me a story!"
The Old Village Chief smiled faintly. "Alright, I'm coming... I'm coming."
...
"Old Village Chief! Old Village Chief...!!!"
"The era of Ye Yuan is over!" Li Dongming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, clutching his chest in pain, yet he felt immensely relieved. He wanted to laugh out loud, but the pain in his chest made that impossible.
Finally, he waved his hand again.
Ye Family Village was completely consumed by a sea of fire!
...
Meanwhile, Ye Hun and Ye Feng had reached Qingyun Town, but they had arrived too late; the shops were already closed. They had no choice but to find an inn for the night. They were completely unaware of what had happened to Ye Family Village.
A night passed. When Ye Hun woke up in the morning, Ye Feng had already left. Ye Hun wasn't surprised, as Ye Feng had told him yesterday that he needed to head back early for morning cultivation. He couldn't imagine the consequences of being late on his first day.
Ye Hun, however, was in no rush. He washed his face, ate breakfast, and changed into the clothes the Old Village Chief had prepared for him in his pack. He then hoisted his bag and set off for the bank.
He arrived at the bank to find that, unlike the locked doors of the previous day, people were coming and going in a steady stream. After waiting for quite some time, it was finally his turn. He politely handed the small handbook and half of a jade pendant to the clerk.
"Sorry for the trouble," he said. "I'm here to collect something."
The clerk took the items and left, returning shortly with a small wooden box, which he handed to Ye Hun.
For some reason, as Ye Hun took the box, he felt a strange urge to open it, as if something inside were calling to him. In the end, he held back; he knew better than to go through a senior's belongings carelessly.
"Many thanks," Ye Hun said. He tucked the box into his bag and left.