Ancestral Grounds!

Qi Yue said in a trembling voice, "Grand Elder, even if I had the gall of a dog bold enough to swallow the heavens, I would never dare deceive you!"

"You must believe me!"

"Hmph!"

Ye Huaixian snorted coldly.

Then he looked at the black-clad man beside him and said, "Shigu, I'll give you two hours to find the murderer who killed Ye Tian!"

"As you command!"

The black-clad man named Shigu immediately cupped his hands.

After Shigu left, Ye Huaixian glanced at Qi Yue, Qi Taicang, and the others. "You may rise!"

The moment Qi Yue, Qi Taicang, and the others heard this, their faces lit up with excited smiles.

"Thank you, Grand Elder!"

They immediately rose together and cupped their hands.

Afterward, Ye Huaixian and the people behind him followed Qi Yue and the others toward the Qi Family estate.

The Xu Clan.

The Ancestral Grounds.

Before a lush green bamboo grove stood a cave dwelling built from golden rock. A formation seemed to have been laid outside it.

At that moment, Xu Qingyang and Xu Qingying stood with their hands behind their backs, gazing at the cave dwelling and silently wondering what the Ancestral Grounds were actually like.

"Qingying, the Ancestral Grounds should be inside this cave dwelling, right?"

Xu Qingyang spoke calmly.

"Yes!"

Xu Qingying nodded at his words.

Then Xu Qingying opened her palm. A Formation Jade Token appeared in her hand, flickering with a dim glow.

Whoosh!

With a flick of Xu Qingying's palm, the Formation Jade Token landed in the formation slot outside the cave dwelling.

Boom!

As a ray of formation light rose, the formation blocking the cave dwelling immediately vanished.

"Brother, let's enter the Ancestral Grounds!"

Xu Qingying glanced at Xu Qingyang and smiled.

"All right!"

Xu Qingyang replied.

Soon, they passed through the cave dwelling and arrived outside a village brimming with springtime vitality. On a massive stone tablet, two large characters spelled out "Desolate Village."

"Surely this isn't our Xu Clan's Ancestral Grounds?"

Xu Qingyang scanned the village's surroundings, seeming somewhat unable to believe it.

In his mind, since the Xu Family had produced someone as extraordinary as his father, the Desolate Sky Sword Master, its Ancestral Grounds had to be truly exceptional.

"This should be our Ancestral Grounds!"

Xu Qingying spoke with an awkward smile.

When she first saw Desolate Village, she had thought she had come to the wrong place.

Xu Qingyang said, "Qingying, let's go inside and take a look!"

But Xu Qingying shook her head. "Grandfather only told you to go inside. He didn't allow me to enter!"

"I should leave now!"

With that, Xu Qingying turned and left.

Xu Qingyang sighed, then slowly walked into Desolate Village. An old man in blue robes stood there with a crowd of men and women, young and old, all looking at him excitedly.

"Greetings, young master!"

Just as Xu Qingyang was about to greet them, however, the blue-robed elder and everyone else bowed to him.

Xu Qingyang froze for a moment, but soon recovered and smiled. "You're my clansmen!"

"Yes!"

The blue-robed elder nodded. "Young master, my name is Xu Laoxi. I am the chief of Desolate Village!"

At this, Xu Qingyang seemed to think of something. "Village chief, has Desolate Village's name been changed before?"

Xu Laoxi smiled at his question. "Young master, you're truly remarkable. You guessed it at a glance!"

"Desolate Village was indeed renamed. It used to be called Xu Village. Only after your father, the Desolate Sky Sword Master, rose to prominence and shook the Holy Domain with his might was Xu Village renamed Desolate Village!"

Desolate Village.

It was renamed because of Father!

Not bad at all...

Xu Qingyang smiled.

A little while later.

Xu Qingyang followed Village Chief Xu Laoxi and the others toward the ancestral house.

Meanwhile, in the Xu Clan's council hall, Xu Juren's expression turned grim when he learned that the Nanyang Ye Family's Grand Elder had not only arrived in Heavenly Martial City, but was also staying with the Qi Family.

The elders were all discussing something in hushed voices.

Suddenly, Xu Qingying walked in and looked at Xu Juren. Xu Juren asked, "Qingying, has your brother entered the Ancestral Grounds?"

"He has!"

Xu Qingying replied.

"Good!"

Xu Juren smiled at her answer. "You may go."

"Yes!"

Xu Qingying immediately took her leave.

Then a man in green robes appeared in the hall. Looking at Xu Juren, he called out, "Father, the Ye Family's Grand Elder, Ye Huaixian, is a ruthless man who kills without blinking. Nothing good will come of opposing him!"

At these words, fury flooded Xu Juren's face. He glared at the green-robed man and snapped, "Xu Yi, you're my son and the Desolate Sky Sword Master's own younger brother. How can you be so cowardly?"

"A mere Grand Elder of the Nanyang Ye Family has frightened you this badly?"

Xu Yi gritted his teeth, then steeled himself and said, "Father, do you think I want to be like this?"

"If my elder brother were still here, I'd want nothing more than to slap the Ye Family's Grand Elder to death!"

"But my elder brother fell in the Holy Domain over a decade ago. Our Xu Family's foundations simply cannot compare with the Nanyang Xu Family's!"

Xu Juren ground his teeth in fury at this, but the elders nodded in agreement.

"Shut up!"

Xu Juren roared, "Xu Yi, all you mean by that is that you want me to hand over Yang'er in exchange for the Xu Family's safety!"

"You're truly naive! Since someone like Ye Huaixian wants to kill Yang'er to avenge Ye Tian, how could he possibly fail to tear us out by the roots?"

At these words.

Xu Yi fell silent.

The elders fell silent.

A little while later.

A fierce light flashed in Xu Juren's eyes. "Ye Huaixian may be strong, but our Xu Clan is not without the strength to fight!"

"Don't forget, the Desolate Sky Sword Master left us a trump card!"

Hearing this, everyone's faces once again lit up with excited smiles.

They then followed Xu Juren to the Battle Tower outside the Xu Clan estate, activated the Clan-Protecting Formation, and waited for Ye Huaixian and his companions to come attacking.

The Qi Family.

Inside the hall, Ye Huaixian sat on an iron chair, leisurely sipping tea in complete contentment.

To save his own life, Qi Yue had taken out treasures he had cherished for a hundred years and presented them to Ye Huaixian.

Naturally, Ye Huaixian refused none of the treasures Qi Yue offered.

I hope this Grand Elder of the Ye Family will spare me and the Qi Family for the sake of the treasures I've given him!

Qi Yue thought to himself.

Just then, Shigu appeared in the hall. He looked at Ye Huaixian and cupped his hands. "Grand Elder!"

"How did the investigation go?"

Ye Huaixian asked.

Shigu fell silent for a moment, then said, "According to the reports, after killing Ye Tian, the murderer left the name White Tiger King in the room!"

"But I don't think anyone called White Tiger King exists at all. Xu Qingyang must have made the whole thing up!"

Ye Huaixian said, "It seems it really was Xu Qingyang!"

"I truly cannot understand how he became so formidable in just a few short days!"

"Could it be because of that fortuitous opportunity he possesses?"