"I'm actually back."
Clad in a black robe, Yun Ni looked at the Tianxing City in utter disbelief, his eyes filled with astonishment and excitement.
He was originally the patriarch of the Yun family of Tianxing City. Despite his youth, the Yun family thrived under his leadership.
However, in an unexpected turn of events, Yun Ni vanished all of a sudden- gone without a trace, neither living nor dead was found. Of course, no one understood what had happened more than Yun Ni himself.
He had crossed over to another world.
A world where immortals capable of casually destroying space, and mythical beasts that could swallow mountains and rivers roamed.
In short, it was a world filled with powerful experts and mythical beasts.
In that world, Yun Ni, with his innate talent and perfect integration with the Laws of the Immortal Realm, had advanced in cultivation by leaps and bounds in just over three hundred years, becoming a Lord of a territory and was honored as the War God who defied the Heavens.
Although he made considerable gains there, Yun Ni constantly missed his hometown during these three hundred years.
However, the stronger he became, the more he realised how difficult it was to cross from one world to another.
Yet, just as he temporarily shelved the idea of returning home, fate played an even bigger joke on him.
By some strange twist, he was back.
Back in his original world, the city he grew up in.
And even more bizarre was the fact that despite three hundred years passing in the immortal realm, only two years had passed here.
"Only two years?"
Looking at this familiar place, Yun Ni was consumed by both nostalgia and excitement, yet he did not lose his composure.
After all, the person he is today is far different from who he used to be.
No one knew that beneath his youthful exterior lay the soul of a powerful warrior who had hovered between life and death in the celestial realm for three hundred years.
"Too weak," he lamented.
Step by step, Yun Ni made his way towards his family's estate, his old hometown. However, compared to the celestial realm, the strength here appeared weak, they were not even on the same level.
Facing reality, upon returning home, Yun Ni faced a new issue. His power from the celestial realm had completely vanished, he was back to the strength he had two years ago when he was the head of his household.
However, in comparison to finally being able to return home, this was something Yun Ni was willing to accept.
And he had managed to become a regional lord in the celestial realm in just three hundred years.
Now that he's returned here, he believes he can surpass.
...
Finally, a colossal mansion comes into view in front of him.
The gate was engraved with the word 'Yun Mansion', the two simple and robust words emanated an aura of magnificence, making the whole estate look much grander than before.
Seeing this, Yun Ni felt slightly relieved. It seemed that his family's estate had grown robustly in his absence.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the mansion, even with Yun Ni's calm demeanor, he couldn't help but feel a hint of excitement.
After all, this place held numerous memories for him.
Just as he was about to enter, a seemingly old figure emerged from the main door. At first, Yun Ni didn't pay much attention, but when the man passed by him, Yun Ni's eyes finally lit up.
"Old Fang."
Yun Ni called out softly.
The elder stopped in his tracks, his body trembling involuntarily, quickly turning around.
When he realized that it was indeed him, he was so surprised his eyes were as big as a bull's. Tears uncontrollably slid down his aged face, and trembling, he knelt down.
"Young Master, you have finally returned."
"Yes, I have returned," Yun Ni sighed faintly.
He quickly helped Old Fang to his feet. Old Fang had been his loyal steward during his tenure as the family head, always taking care of both big and small matters.
However, when Yun Ni helped him up, his expression changed dramatically. Because the sleeve of Old Fang's left arm was strangely empty.
"Old Fang, what happened?" Yun Ni grimly asked.
Old Fang's face also drastically changed, stuttering and unwilling to elaborate, as if he was hesitating about something.
"Tell me."
Yun Ni's face turned even darker, making the air around him seem cold.
Old Fang hesitated, and only after hearing Yun Ni's undeniable order did he quickly respond, "Young Master, this is not a good place to talk. Let's go back first and talk there."
"Fair enough."
Yun Ni gave a brief contemplation before finally replying.
Elder Fang hurriedly led Yun Ni towards the Yun family's house. What surprised Yun Ni was that they did not enter through the main door, and they were avoiding others sneakily.
Yun Ni kept his own emotions checked while deep in thought. He had no idea what had happened in the year of his absent, but one thing was for certain; something had happened.
At last, Elder Fang sneaked Yun Ni back into the Yun family's house, leading him into a side-chamber.
The side chamber used to be Yun Ni's residence, once the most heavily fortified place in the entire Yun family, but now it was deserted. However, the entire side chamber appeared to be quite clean, and completely dust-free. It just looked slightly desolate due to the lack of human presence.
Looking at the clean side chamber, Yun Ni, who had been wearing a grim expression, finally had a slight change in demeanor. He recalled the two maids who served him diligently. Presumably, the cleanliness of the side chamber was attributed to their daily hard work.
However, he had been home for a while now, and the two maids had yet to appear, which took Yun Ni by surprise.
"Elder Fang, where are Hong Yun and Lu Shui?" Yun Ni did not immediately ask about Elder Fang's arm but chose to inquire about the two maids.
Elder Fang's face went through another change. He lowered his head in fear of making eye contact with Yun Ni. His voice wavered and stuttered, failing to get a word out.
Yun Ni's pupils constricted, jolting him back to the emptiness he felt in the side chamber.
Before, the Cold Cloud Guard always ensured his safety, even blocking several assassination attempts from other families with their life.
But now, Cold Cloud was nowhere to be seen as well.
"Master Yuan, where is Leng Yun?" Yun Ni asked again.
Master Yuan, with his head hung down even lower, was entirely prone on the ground without uttering a single word.
"Speak."
Yun Ni barked out a command. His immense aura shook, and the authoritative, indisputable voice traveled into Master Yuan's ears.
The simple word prompted Master Yuan to tremble violently. With tears streaming down his face, he pleaded, "Young master, please don't ask anymore. Please, I beg of you. I'm doing this for your own good."
"So, you're not listening to me anymore?" Yun Ni slowly rose to his feet, his every step pressuring Master Yuan.
"Young master, I...I..." Master Yuan stuttered, fully aware of Yun Ni's temperament. He heaved a sigh before saying, "Young master, whatever you will hear next, please stay calm."
"Speak."
Yun Ni, again, replied with just the one word without any further conversation.
"A year ago, after you disappeared, Yun Yu accidentally came across an inheritance, resulting in a sudden surge in his abilities," Master Yuan said.
"Yun Yu?"
Yun Ni's eyes narrowed. Yun Yu was his cousin. Due to some family relations, the position of the family head could only be occupied by their generation. This Yun Yu had been his biggest contender, who had held a grudge ever since Yun Ni became the family head.
"Go on," Yun Ni commanded.
"Yes, young master."
Master Yuan continued, "After your departure, Yun Yu, due to the sudden leaps in his strengths, swiftly usurped the position of the family head. He now holds every single right of the family under his control."
"Subsequently, they began a major purge against us who are wholeheartedly loyal to you, Young Master Shao."
Upon saying this, Elder Fang timidly glanced at Yun Ni.
However, at this moment, Yun Ni seemed calm on the surface, but his heart was already filled with raging fury. The reason he had not exploded yet was because he did not know how Yun Yu had conducted this major purge on his subordinates.
Nevertheless, he knew that Elder Fang's arm was definitely related to Yun Yu.
Under Yun Ni's pressing gaze, Elder Fang hesitated for a long time before timidly speaking up.
"Leng Yun was forced by Yun Yu under the family command to become cannon fodder, fall into an ambush set by opposing families, and battle for three days and three nights. In the end, the enemies cut off his four limbs and head."
"Hong Yun and Lv Shui were branded as spies by Yun Yu and sold to the green house, their current situation is unknown."
"As for me, I was accused of misappropriating family funds for personal use. They were going to execute me to set an example, but I've been brought up in the Yun family since I was a child, and have been earnestly respectful for decades. Many pleaded for me, which saved me from death penalty. They just cut off one of my arms, but I became the lowest-ranking servant in the Yun family."
After elder Fang finished, he fearfully raised his gaze towards Yun Ni, unable to discern any expression on Yun Ni's face.
Regardless, a severe chill pervaded the room, causing his teeth to chatter, his spine to shiver, and his body to uncontrollably tremble.
