Chapter 145: Leaving the Ruins, Returning Home—A Stirring Heart Near Familiar Grounds
by SurroundedbyBooksThe six remaining cultivators stood frozen in place.
Wang Teng’s eyes flicked around, and he once again shouted,
“Your Majesty?! Are you still there? You haven’t given me my reward yet!”
But no answer came.
The shadow had truly vanished.
Its final remnants of energy had been spent in answering Yu Xian’s two questions—revealing rough directions for his master and his enemy.
Suddenly—
RUMBLE…
The ground began to tremble.
Everything around them began to fade rapidly into illusion.
The six were stunned, their faces blank with confusion.
Before they could react, they vanished.
From the center outward, the entire ruin city collapsed and dissipated.
That city… had never truly existed.
Long ago, in a time when the continent still had Nine Provinces, this place had already fallen and been destroyed.
Everything seen was illusion, held together only by the obsessive will of a once-mighty king and the lingering resentment of ancient corpses and armored puppets buried deep underground.
Now, with the king’s final obsession released, the illusory ruin built by sheer will finally dissolved—
After enduring for over a hundred years…
As Yu Xian stepped out of the main palace, he felt the tremor immediately.
He turned and watched the palace rapidly dissolve into nothingness.
A final voice echoed through the world:
“Never kneel… never kneel… never… kneel…”
Never kneel.
Those two words reverberated in Yu Xian’s sea of consciousness.
His expression grew solemn before his body vanished from the spot.
Darkness engulfed him—the force of teleportation.
In the next moment, light burst before his eyes. He steadied himself and quickly looked around.
A stone wall appeared before him; behind him was a forest, and beyond the wall came the sounds of chatter.
Yu Xian frowned and leapt several meters back—only then recognizing the wall before him.
It was one of the outer walls of the ruined city.
He had been teleported to a remote corner of the ruin’s exterior.
The underground ancient ruin was truly over now.
This journey into the ancient past had taken more than ten days. He had learned numerous martial techniques—knowledge he would polish and refine in time.
He had obtained a strange yellow crystal of unknown origin.
But most importantly—he had gained a direction.
Both his master… and his enemy… were to the west.
Even though the west was vast, he now had a path to pursue.
And so, he would begin gathering clues.
No matter how long it took, he would find his master.
As for revenge…
“The living matter more than the dead. The present more than the past.”
That was what his mother had taught him.
So he would find his master first, and only then seek vengeance.
His gaze flickered as he looked toward the fading city and murmured:
“Never kneel, huh…? You didn’t need to say it.
In this world, besides my late mother Yushu and my master…
I will kneel to no one.”
He exhaled lightly.
There was no longer any reason to remain in the ruins.
And Yu Xian could feel that this ancient ruin… would likely never open again.
The old king’s will had dissipated.
It seemed Yu Xian was the one that king had waited a hundred years for—
Opening the ruin dozens of times…
Just to tell him: never kneel.
“What a stubborn ghost…”
Yu Xian shook his head, turned, and swiftly left the ruins.
Raising his hand, he summoned—
The Cloud Heron cried out joyfully and appeared.
It had been pent up too long.
The other spiritual beasts in his pouch were nearly going mad.
But that no longer mattered.
Yu Xian had recently gathered a variety of materials.
All the spirit beasts—except the Cloud Heron and the Phoenix Cat—would soon be refined into pills.
Mounting the heron, Yu Xian soared eastward.
His master was in the west—
But he flew east.
Because he had another destination first:
Home.
He wanted to return…
Just one last time.
After that, he would go west and never look back—
Until he found his master.
The Cloud Heron soared through the skies.
Years ago, Quan Dao had taken Yu Xian to Baiyun Sect using a powerful magical artifact.
Even with Golden Core cultivation, they had flown half a night—
Covering tens of thousands of miles.
A distance that would take a mortal years to cross.
But for the current Yu Xian, it was no longer far.
He passed through the Zhangxu Kingdom, entered Zhangxu’s Yuta Prefecture, then to Annan County.
Finally, he followed a winding road, his emotions complex, until distant mountains came into view—
Nestled within them—
Grand Elm Village.
His heart trembled.
Near home, the heart grows timid.
Yu Xian was no exception.
He pursed his lips and took a deep breath.
Withdrawing all spiritual energy, he made himself indistinguishable from a normal person and walked quietly down the road toward the village.
It was summer.
Terraced fields on the mountains thrived with crops.
The ground, though dry, seemed nourished—clearly enough rainfall this year.
Yu Xian’s lips curled into a soft smile.
“A good harvest this year…”
Dressed in flawless white robes, Yu Xian stood out starkly.
The village hadn’t changed in five years.
The people rose at dawn and rested at dusk, hunting, farming, raising chickens and dogs—day after day, year after year.
Yu Xian, with his ethereal robes untouched by dust, tall stature, and sword at his waist, seemed utterly out of place.
As villagers returned or emerged from their homes, they all stopped and stared in awe.
Who was this dashing young man?
A wealthy noble’s son?
Why had he come to Grand Elm Village?
Yu Xian looked at the familiar faces—his eyes warmed.
They were still here… still alive.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
A familiar, raspy cough rang out.
An elderly man, stooped and leaning on a cane, approached from the village interior.
Stopping three meters before Yu Xian, he bowed slightly.
“Young master, may I ask why you’ve come to our Grand Elm Village?
I am the village head. If you have any need, I’ll answer as best I can.”
Yu Xian swallowed hard, his throat tightening.
He spoke softly:
“Grandpa Sun… it’s me. I… I’m Yu Xian.”
“Yu Xian?”
The old man froze.
He stared hard at the young man.
Yes, five years was the time when a boy becomes a man.
But those eyes—those bones—
“Ah! Y-You… you’re little Xian’er!?”
“Yes! It’s me, village head!”
The old man hurried closer, squinting.
Then, suddenly—
“It’s him! It’s little Xian’er! He’s back!”
Joy burst across his wrinkled face.
“Where have you been, child!? It’s been five years!
Everyone thought you’d vanished!”
Yu Xian stepped forward and gently supported the old man’s arm.
“Grandpa Sun… it’s me. I left to wander the world.
And I’ve only just returned…”
“Wandered, did you?”
The old man’s face lit up.
“Good! That’s good! The young must brave the world!
Only by wandering can you make something of yourself!
Look at you now—fine robes, a sword at your waist!
You’ve truly become someone! Wonderful! Wonderful!”
Yu Xian smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“I’ve… managed to make a little something of myself.”
“Come, come, come—into the village!”
The old man laughed heartily, turning and calling out:
“Go! Tell everyone! Little Xian’er has returned in glory!!”
The villagers’ eyes lit up with joy.
“You’re little Xian’er!? You made it big!?”
“Haha! Just wait—we’ll tell everyone!”
Yu Xian could only nod and laugh:
“Thank you, uncles, thank you, aunts.”
Grand Elm Village wasn’t big.
With just a few messengers, the entire place erupted with joy.
Five years ago, Yu Xian had disappeared without a word.
Most thought he’d died somewhere far from home.
Yet now… he returned, dressed in white robes, sword at his side—
A nobleman reborn.
The villagers murmured in admiration and pride.
“He’s from our village, you know!”
Yu Xian walked deeper into the village, seeing familiar faces gather all around.
His heart felt warm, and the smile on his lips was pure and genuine.
How long had it been since he felt this kind of joy?
“Little Xian! Where have you been these five years!?
Do you know how worried I was!?
Why didn’t you tell me before you left?!
How could you just disappear like that?!”
Suddenly, a voice shouted—half-angry, half-tearful.