Chapter 651

Outside the hall, the Fu family's inner fortress was already empty; apart from pools of blood staining the ground, not a single soul remained.

The Fu family's direct-line cultivators had clearly been wiped out entirely, their corpses reduced to ashes.

Yet some cultivators ascended into the sky, hovered briefly above the Fu fortress, and discovered that the ordinary folk and low-level peripheral disciples living in the outer fortress were still alive and unharmed.

They seemed utterly unaware of the upheaval within the inner fortress, continuing their daily routines as if nothing had happened.

It appeared the attacker either despised these people or believed eliminating only the Fu family's direct line was sufficient to erase the Fu clan from existence.

Having witnessed such a shocking transformation, these cultivators dared not linger.

Most of the free cultivators immediately took flight, fleeing far from this place of turmoil.

The remaining few whispered among themselves briefly, then departed one by one.

The annihilation of the Fu family was a matter of immense consequence to every faction, whether friendly or hostile.

Once this news spread, a great uproar was inevitable!

Moreover, two of the Flame Demon Sect's Protectors had perished here. Whether or not the perpetrator was truly a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Flame Demon Sect would surely act!

Their task was to deliver this news to their families and sects as quickly as possible, to gain an advantage in the coming storm or prepare in advance for any possible developments.

But just after the last few cultivators hastily departed from the Fu fortress, several unfamiliar cultivators in green robes arrived late at Mount Zidao.

When they saw the Fu fortress's barriers wide open due to lack of maintenance, they were stunned.

At that moment, the peripheral disciples in the outer fortress finally realized the horror within the inner fortress; the entire Fu fortress descended into chaos.

Seeing the Qi Refining cultivators below shouting and panicking, the green-robed cultivators hovering above exchanged uneasy glances.

The news that the Fu family, the foremost clan of Yuanwu Country, had been exterminated overnight by a mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator spread throughout Yuanwu's cultivation world within days.

All factions in Yuanwu Country were thrown into uproar.

Since two of the Flame Demon Sect's birthday-escort Protectors had also perished, the sect's high elders, enraged and humiliated, dispatched numerous personnel to hunt down the mysterious killer, declaring that their Nascent Soul Ancestor would personally confront this arrogant cultivator who dared defy the Flame Demon Sect. 【70】 web

Yet any astute observer could tell the Flame Demon Sect was mostly posturing—likely nothing would come of it.

After all, according to eyewitnesses, who else but these two Protectors had grown so close to the Fu family and foolishly intervened? They had simply run headlong into the path of a vengeful Nascent Soul cultivator—it was their own misfortune.

Remember, after wiping out the Fu family, the Nascent Soul cultivator simply left Yuanwu Country without a trace. Even if the Flame Demon Sect had greater power, where could they possibly find the killer?

Moreover, once a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul realm, defeating them is easy—but annihilating or trapping them is extraordinarily difficult. Without three or four fellow Nascent Soul cultivators acting together, or deploying a powerful array or barrier, it was unthinkable.

The Flame Demon Sect could never mobilize so many Nascent Soul cultivators merely to avenge two Core Formation Protectors. Even if they wished to, those Nascent Soul elders would never lightly involve themselves in such matters.

Yet even so, the entire cultivation world of Yuanwu Country was shaken by this event.

The spiritual lands, marketplaces, and other interests previously held by the Fu family naturally became the subject of fierce division and realignment among various factions.

But this had little to do with Han Li.

At this time, he did not flee Yuanwu Country as others assumed; instead, several days later, he appeared on an unremarkable, nameless small mountain.

He hovered in midair, bathed in green light, gazing silently at the mist-wreathed mid-slope of the mountain, a faint look of nostalgia on his face.

"Over a hundred years have passed. This place remains unchanged, just as before. Yet if the barriers still stand, has someone else taken possession of it?" He murmured softly, his expression calm.

After using the three-colored Golden Insect swords to annihilate the Fu fortress cultivators, Han Li had flown directly here with the head of the Fu family's patriarch—the nameless mountain where Xin Xin Ruyin had once lived in seclusion.

He and Xin Xin Ruyin and Qi Qi Yunxiao had once been companions. Now that he had avenged them both, he intended to offer the Fu patriarch's head here as a brief memorial—finally bringing closure to this matter.

But he never expected Xin Xin Ruyin's former residence appeared occupied by other cultivators; a flicker of suspicion rose in Han Li's heart.

After a brief pause, Han Li descended and flew straight toward the mountain's barrier.

With his current cultivation and array expertise, this barrier could not possibly hinder him in the slightest.

Standing before the mist, Han Li calmly flicked his five fingers; several differently colored spell seals flashed and vanished into the barrier.

The mist churned and spontaneously split open a narrow passage.

Han Li immediately transformed into a green streak and shot through it.

Moments later, the mist vanished, and Han Li stood before a set of weathered bamboo pavilions.

It was precisely the old residence Xin Xin Ruyin had built with her own hands.

Gazing at the large and small bamboo houses, now faded to a deep yellow, Han Li's face darkened with the melancholy of returning to a place where all was familiar, yet all was gone.

At that moment, a woman in her forties emerged from one of the bamboo houses. Her features were still graceful, and she emitted a faint spiritual energy—merely a low-level Qi Refining cultivator of the third or fourth tier.

Yet as Han Li looked at her, he frowned slightly—her face stirred a faint sense of familiarity.

"Ah! You… who are you? How did you get in here?" The middle-aged woman, spotting Han Li standing before the house, gasped in alarm, her face turning pale. She fumbled at her waist and pulled out two crimson talismans, her gaze filled with hostility.

But this was natural.

Anyone who believed their home was utterly secure and impossible to breach would be shocked and wary if a stranger suddenly appeared.

Moreover, with her low cultivation, she could not discern Han Li's true level—but even so, she sensed his magic power was unfathomably deep, and her wariness doubled.

"Huh? Master, are you… Master Han? Master Han Li?" Just as Han Li was about to ask about her origins, she suddenly studied him again, then cried out in delighted recognition.

Han Li froze, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. After a moment's thought, he suddenly asked:

"Are you related to Xiao Mei from long ago? Your face bears a striking resemblance to hers."

Han Li gazed at the woman with a gentle, amiable expression.

"Xiao Mei? Oh, you mean my grandmother! She passed away decades ago. My family currently resides in Miss Xin's former dwelling." Upon hearing Han Li utter her grandmother's name, the woman confirmed she had not mistaken him and immediately bowed deeply in reverence.

"You're Xiao Mei's descendant? I never imagined—back then, a little girl with yellow hair has become a grandmother herself." Hearing her words, Han Li did not doubt them, only sighed with a wry smile.

"But how do you know me?" Han Li remained puzzled.

"My grandmother once painted a portrait of you. I grew up staring at that painting, so I recognized you at once." The woman blushed slightly, a touch embarrassed.

"Oh? A portrait? I never knew of this. Could you show it to me?" Han Li's surprise vanished, replaced by curiosity.

"Of course. But Master, please come inside first. I'll fetch the scroll." The woman stepped aside, respectfully inviting him in.

Han Li hesitated briefly, then entered the bamboo house without refusal.

The interior was not elegant or refined, but exceptionally clean and tidy; Han Li nodded slightly in approval.

After seating himself on a bamboo chair, the woman hurriedly brewed a pot of fragrant tea.

Though inferior to the spiritual tea Xin Xin Ruyin once cultivated, it was still fragrant and remarkable.

Seeing Han Li take a sip, the woman excused herself and stepped outside to retrieve the scroll.

Han Li casually extended his spiritual sense, instantly monitoring every move she made.

He saw her walk directly toward a distant, secluded pavilion.

Inside the first floor, the pavilion was empty.

But on the second floor, Han Li immediately saw a long, dark wooden table. On it, side by side, lay two weathered black memorial plaques, inscribed with the names Qi Qi Yunxiao and Xin Xin Ruyin.

Seeing them, Han Li's heart sank; memories of their voices, smiles, and faces rose unbidden—yet both had been gone for many years.

The woman bowed respectfully to the plaques, then pulled a scroll, about a foot long and cylindrical, from a hidden compartment beneath the table. She hurried down the pavilion and rushed back to Han Li's bamboo house.

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