Chapter Forty-Four: Ye Wushuang Returns Home

The capital of the Dayong Empire!

Li Wei sat upon the dragon throne, flanked by ministers arrayed on both sides. Li Yuanyuan approached the Golden Luan Hall, then came before Li Wei and cupped her hands in respectful greeting. Li Wei rose and returned the gesture.

“Greetings, Retired Emperor!” the ministers knelt and bowed in unison.

With a grand wave of her hand, Li Yuanyuan summoned a surge of spiritual energy that lifted the ministers to their feet. “My lords, rise! I am no longer the Empress of Dayong. From this day forth, I shall no longer concern myself with the affairs of the court. Previously, the Sword Sect, the Tianyuan Sect, and the Changle Sect conspired to seize Dayong’s spiritual fields and mineral veins. Thankfully, my royal uncle refused their offer, or else Dayong would have surely been annexed. Now that he has been punished, let us close that chapter. My blood ties with the Dayong royal family are severed henceforth. Should any member of the Li clan conspire treacherously again, they shall bear the consequences!”

With those words, Li Yuanyuan vanished from the hall. Li Wei’s heart was a whirlwind of emotions; he knew he had overstepped this time. Otherwise, the entire Dayong Empire would have been doomed.

The ministers wished to persuade Li Yuanyuan, but she had not given them the opportunity. Now, they harbored resentment toward the new ruler and refused to flatter her. Seeing their silence, Li Wei asked if anyone had matters to report. If not, they were dismissed.

Though the ministers wanted to voice the ongoing internal strife that still plagued Dayong, learning of Li Wei’s actions silenced them all. Reluctantly, Li Wei dismissed them and then summoned General Wu Guanzhong, commander of the Jinwu Guards. “General Wu, despite your illness, immediately proceed to the major cities to quell the unrest among the noble families. Those who resist shall have their clans wiped out!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Wu Guanzhong accepted the order and departed.

Elsewhere, in Ye Tian City.

Disciples of the Morning Light Sect were gathering here. Onlookers did not know why these sect members had come, but a shared intuition told them that something momentous was about to unfold in Ye Tian City.

At the forefront of the army stood four figures, each clad in the Morning Light Sect’s disciple robes: Jiang Qian, Qin Tian, Hu Linger, and Ye Wushuang. Suddenly, Li Yuanyuan appeared, followed closely by the four fragrances of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Jiang Qian frowned in displeasure. “Junior Sister Li, you’re so slow! If you’d been another fifteen minutes later, we would have stormed Ye Tian City already!”

“Apologies to all senior brothers for keeping you waiting!” Li Yuanyuan bowed apologetically. She could have left without bidding farewell to Li Wei or the ministers, but she felt compelled to warn her royal uncle and the court, lest she feel unsettled.

“Now that Junior Sister Li has arrived, Brother Ye, what is our next move?” Jiang Qian turned to Ye Wushuang.

Ye Wushuang nodded. “Thank you all for your support. I am deeply grateful. For now, wait outside the city. I will go alone to the Ye family. If I encounter trouble, I will send word.”

Naturally, Jiang Qian and the others agreed. This was Ye Wushuang’s personal matter; their interference could only hinder him. Ye Wushuang then entered the city alone and visited the Ye family. Those within still believed he was the same worthless fool who had lost his Supreme Bone.

“Oh? Ye Wushuang, the useless brat dares to return to the family? The Ye family now is not what it was when you left. Young Master Ye Lintian has activated the Supreme Bone and risen to the third level of the Royal Extremity Realm. Given time, he may even break into the Saint realm. And you? Are you still stuck in the Heavenly Spirit Realm?”

“A loser is a loser. I suggest you leave quickly, or you won’t leave the Ye family with anything good.”

Two Ye family guards taunted Ye Wushuang mercilessly. Although angered, Ye Wushuang refused to waste energy on such lowly fools; they were not worth his ire. Ignoring their jabs, he strode confidently into the family compound. The guards, seeing his disregard, stepped aside and watched as he swaggered onward.

He soon arrived at his uncle’s residence and shouted loudly inside, “Ye Lintian, come out and face your death!”

Ye Lintian was with his concubine, engaged in intimate play, when Ye Wushuang’s intrusion shattered the mood. Irritated, he reluctantly dressed and emerged. Seeing Ye Wushuang, he sneered, “I thought it was some dog barking at my door—didn’t expect it to be you, the worthless Ye Wushuang. Are you looking for death?”

“If not for your Supreme Bone, I would have let Father deal with you. But you dare return and court death? Heaven has a way out, but you refuse it; hell has no door, yet you walk right in. Fine! Since you’re here, you won’t be leaving today!”

“Guards! Break this fool’s limbs and toss him into the mass grave to feed the wild dogs!”

Four family retainers rushed in and surrounded Ye Wushuang. He met their advance with a cold glare. “Are you sure you want to lay hands on me?”

Retainer A said, “Ye Wushuang, you left the family just fine. Why come back? Don’t blame us for being ruthless—your failure is to blame!”

Retainer B added, “That’s right! We didn’t want to fight you, but you’re so obstinate. If you die, it’s your own fault!”

Ye Wushuang laughed coldly. “Your fault, huh? If you want to be Ye Lintian’s lackeys, don’t expect me to show mercy.”

Ye Lintian, growing impatient with the guards’ hesitation, barked, “What are you waiting for? Disable him!”

The four retainers, all at the peak of the Heavenly Spirit Realm, launched an assault, confident they would easily cripple Ye Wushuang. But the battle quickly revealed their ignorance and weakness. Ye Wushuang withstood their attacks, then with a single punch each, sent all four crashing to the ground. Their cultivation ruined, they were no better than mortals now, staring at Ye Wushuang in horror, realizing they had been the fools all along.

Ye Lintian scowled, “Useless! All of you are useless!”

Then he turned to Ye Wushuang. “Impressive. I didn’t expect that after losing your Supreme Bone, your power would not only remain but increase. I underestimated you. In that case, I will deal with you personally!”

With that, Ye Lintian cast off his cloak and attacked. Their fists collided, flesh striking flesh, neither gaining the upper hand for a time. After a short while, Ye Lintian’s spiritual energy was depleted by more than half. His eyes widened in shock; he never imagined Ye Wushuang, despite losing the Supreme Bone, could match him blow for blow. He thought, if left unchecked, this man would be a calamity.

Determined, Ye Lintian revealed his trump card: suddenly, a third eye opened in the center of his forehead. It was a single eye, clouded as if with cataracts, yet it unleashed a powerful spiritual assault like invisible sound waves. If the opponent’s spiritual sense was weak, they could be severely injured—or, if unlucky, their spiritual awareness could be extinguished, leaving only a soulless corpse. This third eye was the legendary “double pupil,” albeit the lowest-grade gray variant. When fully cultivated, it significantly enhanced one’s strength.

Exposing this eye meant Ye Lintian intended to kill his cousin outright. What he did not expect was that Ye Wushuang’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Royal Extremity Realm, and with the Heavenly Dao Fist technique bestowed by Liao Chen, his combat power rivaled a fifth-level Saint. Moreover, though the Heavenly Dao Fist excelled in fist techniques, it also greatly enhanced spiritual awareness, rendering Ye Lintian’s gray double pupil ineffective.

Only now did Ye Wushuang understand why the family had allowed his uncle’s branch to seize his Supreme Bone. Although the Supreme Saint Body was formidable, without sufficient refining resources, even one with such a body could not reach the Emperor Realm. Ye Lintian’s double pupil was innate, requiring far fewer resources than Ye Wushuang’s Supreme Body. After deliberation, the family resigned themselves to abandoning Ye Wushuang.

Of course, beyond resources, another key reason was that Ye Wushuang’s parents were no longer part of the family, leaving no one to advocate for him. These circumstances culminated in the brutal extraction of his Supreme Bone, leaving him to suffer in silence with no one to turn to.