Chapter 59: Killing Zhao Changsheng
"Oh, my dear lords, you have finally arrived!"
The second aunt shrieked at the top of her lungs, "You couldn't have come at a better time! That Zhao Changsheng is a disgrace to our Huangfu family. He ran off before, and now that he's just returned, he's creating absolute havoc here, boasting that he wants to take over everything belonging to the family and completely disregarding us elders!"
"That fellow is truly audacious! Clearly, your Huangfu family issued a strict order forbidding Zhao Changsheng from ever setting foot on this land again, yet he actually dared to return! He simply has no respect for you at all!"
The middle-aged man from the Huangfu family frowned slightly, his cold gaze filled with disdain as he looked at the second aunt's ugly display of sycophancy, but he asked indifferently, "Oh? Where is this Zhao Changsheng now?"
Hearing this, the second aunt felt a surge of joy, believing that the Huangfu family had taken the bait. She quickly raised a hand and pointed toward the direction of the grand hall. "He's right inside, my lord! For this brat to oppose the Huangfu family is sheer arrogance and utter folly. You must kill him immediately to eliminate any future trouble. From now on, our branch of the Huangfu family will follow your lead in all things!"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, wishing the Huangfu family would strike right away and tear Zhao Changsheng into a thousand pieces.
Meanwhile, a few Huangfu family servants standing nearby could no longer bear to watch. Although they were usually timid and cautious, they were deeply ashamed of the second aunt's shameless behavior at this moment.
One of the young footmen couldn't help muttering under his breath, "Mistress, how can you be so cruel? No matter what, the young master is still a member of the Huangfu family. Aren't you pushing him straight into a fire pit?"
Upon hearing this, the second aunt spun around fiercely, glared at the footman with venomous eyes, and raised her hand to deliver a sharp slap across his face.
"You death-seeking wretch! Is it your turn to speak here? If you dare to run your mouth again, I'll deal with you as well!"
Clutching his bruised cheek, the footman dared not utter another sound.
Immediately afterward, the second aunt turned back to look at the middle-aged man.
This middle-aged man was a deacon of the main Huangfu family.
Hearing her words, a flash of sinister malice crossed the deacon's face. He let out a cold huff and said, "That Zhao Changsheng actually has the dog's courage to return. Does he really take the Huangfu family for pushover?"
With that, he gave a grand wave of his hand, signaling the guards behind him to follow. The group surged toward the inner courtyard of the Huangfu family estate like a pack of ravenous wolves, looking entirely eager to apprehend Zhao Changsheng.
However, before they could take more than a few steps across the threshold of the Huangfu family gates, Ye Xinghe made his move.
Without shifting his posture, he merely lifted his foot slightly and tapped it lightly against the ground.
This seemingly ordinary action, however, triggered a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering tsunami of spiritual energy.
With the sole of his foot as the center, ripples of spiritual energy radiated rapidly outward like a dense spiderweb.
The dust on the ground was whipped up into pillars of earth.
The Huangfu family guards bore the brunt of the shock. Feeling an overwhelming force akin to Mount Tai pressing down upon them, their bodies instantly lost control and were violently lifted into the air.
Some of the guards were flung dozens of feet away, crashing heavily onto the ground and creating deep craters, the sound of their bones snapping clearly audible.
Others crashed miserably into the walls along the path, shattering the bricks behind them.
Clutching their injured bodies, they lay groaning on the ground in agony.
Seeing his men so easily batted away by Ye Xinghe, the Huangfu family deacon felt a surge of incandescent rage flare up within him, burning away the last shreds of his rationality.
"You madman! You are truly blind and ignorant to dare oppose the Huangfu family! Today shall be your day of death!"
The captain roared at the top of his lungs, gripping a massive broadsword with both hands and lifting it high. The blade caught the glaring daylight as he charged furiously toward Ye Xinghe.
Following that, he slammed his feet hard against the ground and lunged forward, borrowing the momentum to close the distance.
Ye Xinghe merely scratched his ear with an air of casual indifference, a look of annoyance crossing his face as he muttered softly, "So noisy."
Then, he parted his lips slightly and exhaled a gentle breath.
This seemingly insignificant breath, however, was imbued with his boundless and majestic spiritual energy.
In an instant, an invisible gale of spiritual energy howled forth, transforming in the bright daylight into an intangible giant dragon that swept overwhelmingly toward the guard captain.
The guard captain felt an unstoppable, mountain-toppling force engulf him once more. Before he could make any reaction, his entire body was rapidly enveloped by the immense spiritual energy, and he was sent flying backward like an arrow released from a taut bow.
He traced a pathetic arc through the air before slamming with a deafening crash directly into the main gates of the Huangfu family estate.
The sturdy and heavy doors were instantly flattened by the tremendous impact.
For a moment, absolute silence descended upon the scene. Everyone was deeply awed and terrified by Ye Xinghe's astonishing, world-shaking power.
The members of the Huangfu family stood off to the side, their previously arrogant expressions now replaced by undisguised dread.
The second aunt was so terrified that her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, her jaw hanging slack.
This... this man was even more terrifying than Zhao Changsheng!
Realizing the situation had taken a drastic turn for the worse and that his men had been severely crippled by Ye Xinghe in a single blow, the Huangfu family deacon panicked completely.
Burning with anxiety, he quickly reached to his waist and pulled out a specially crafted whistle. Entirely pitch-black, it was an emergency signaling device used exclusively by the Huangfu family.
The deacon brought the whistle to his lips and, mustering every ounce of strength in his body, blew a series of sharp, piercing, and highly penetrative notes.
The whistle blast instantly tore through the sky, echoing endlessly among the mountain forests surrounding the Huangfu estate.
At that moment, Huangfu Yu, who was patrolling nearby, felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing the signal.
Huangfu Yu immediately ordered his subordinates to follow him and rushed toward the Huangfu family estate.
Before long, Huangfu Yu arrived at the scene.
The sight before his eyes caused his eyes to widen in utter disbelief.
He saw his men lying scattered across the ground in disarray.
The squad of guards, usually so imposing and majestic, was now in such a miserable state.
"What on earth is going on here? Who did this?!" Huangfu Yu roared at the top of his lungs, his voice strained with fury.
Ye Xinghe stood calmly with his hands clasped behind his back, looking completely unperturbed.
Noticing Huangfu Yu's frantic and enraged appearance, he raised his head slightly, gazed at Huangfu Yu with a tranquil expression, and spoke without haste.
"I did it."
His voice was not loud, yet every single word was crystal clear.
It felt like a thunderclap striking on flat ground, exploding directly in Huangfu Yu's ears.
Hearing those words, Huangfu Yu instinctively looked up.
When he recognized that the person standing before him was none other than Ye Xinghe, the fury on his face instantly froze, replaced entirely by a profound and bone-deep dread.
How could he possibly forget how the Huangfu family had been utterly routed by Ye Xinghe during their clash at the Sacred Land, leaving the clan's reputation in ruins?
How could he not know just how terrifying Ye Xinghe truly was?
In an instant, all of Huangfu Yu's arrogance vanished. His legs turned to jelly, and he nearly dropped straight to his knees.
To steady himself, he hurriedly reached out to grab a nearby pillar, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying as his voice trembled.
"So it is Senior... Senior Ye. What brings you..."
"We failed to go out and welcome you with the respect your grand arrival deserves!"
At this moment, he looked nothing more than a tail-wagging lapdog, completely stripped of the haughtiness of a Huangfu family scion.