“Who’s missing? Tigress, Little Five, Fatty……” Ye Lang quickly counted everyone. “Cousin Zhiqing’s here, I don’t think there’s anyone. Dad, are we missing anyone?”


  “Nope, these are all the people who came with us!” said Ye Chengtian.

  “Nope, we aren’t missing anybody! Li Yue, do you want to come with? If you do, I welcome you…… Sha Lan…… I think it’s best you stay,” said Ye lang.

  “I……” Li Yue hesitated, looking at Ye Lang. She was in a difficult situation.

  “What do you mean by that!” Sha Lan glared at him.

  “It’s nothing! But we’re both rivals, you can’t possibly come to my side, can you?” said Ye Lang.

  “Why can’t I? I’m just an alchemist! As long as you teach me alchemy, I will go to your side!” said Sha Lan. Since she said that, she was basically on Ye Lang’s side already as anyone who made such a request would definitely be suppressed or eliminated by the Soaring Sky Emperor.

  “Just come! Why wouldn’t I teach you alchemy? I will, I will teach you! But if it’s anything other than alchemy, it’ll depend on my mood,” shrugged Ye Lang.

  “Why would I want to learn anything other than alchemy?” As Sha Lan spoke, she was already approaching the flying boat. She did not know that some of the technique Ye Lang used wasn’t alchemy, for example the art of making some of his formations.

  “Li Yue, time waits for no one……”


  “No, I still can’t go with you. Why can’t we be from the same empire, why do we all have to be separated into so many countries……” Li Yue shook her head painfully.

  “The same empire……”


  Someone thought of a very desperate plan after hearing Li Yue. But that plan wasn’t impossible if they truly put effort.

  “Alright, we’ll leave then! We’ll meet again!”


  “Wait!”


  Soaring Sky Emperor and Chu Jiu yelled at the same time.

  “What’s the matter? Hurry, my time is precious. I’ve already wasted ten years……” said Ye Lang, preparing to leave.

  “Hey idiot, who did you spend your past ten years with?!”


  “With Zhao Yarou…… Wait, where’s Zhao Yarou?” asked Ye Lang, suddenly realising she wasn’t with him. She wasn’t even on the boat.

  Their head counts all did not include Zhao Yarou because Ye Lang had never counted her in together with his family before.

  “You finally remembered me? MY BELOVED BROTHER-IN-LAW?!” Zhao Yarou sounded very resentful, as if there was a force of hatred stabbing deeply into Ye Lang’s heart.

  “Zhao Yarou, what are you doing over there?” Ye Lang looked towards the angry Zhao Yarou, realising that she was near the emperor and completely surrounded.

  “I was waiting for you to think of me! How dare you forget me?!” whined Zhao Yarou. She had teleported in her own formation circle, coincidentally landing near the emperor and was immediately surrounded.

  “I’m too used to you being next to me, why would I even think that you were gone?” said Ye Lang innocently.

  “Really?” Zhao Yarou’s resentment disappeared like clouds immediately.

  “Cough cough! Little Ye Lang, you see it now. I have Yarou with me. Don’t you think you should surrender?” said the Soaring Sky Emperor.

  “Surrender? What the heck are you talking about? Are you really taking your own daughter hostage to threaten me?” asked Ye Lang, stunned. Although the emperor’s intentions were obvious, it was still a strange dynamic.

  Not just Ye Lang, everyone else found it odd.

  Did this man really just threaten another person with his own daughteR?

  “Your Majesty!” At this moment, Li Yue only recognised Zhao Yarou as her empress. Li Yue’s men immediately started to surround the emperor.

  “Do not move! Li Yue, do not forget that you are a citizen of the Soaring Sky emperor, I am the emperor of Soaring Sky!” roared the emperor in rage. He turned to Ye Lang. “Little Ye Lang, you come down now and join Soaring Sky. I’ll give you whatever you want.”


  “I’m not coming down! Why would I want to join Soaring Sky? What can you give me? I don’t need anything,” said Ye Lang nonchalantly. He did not look afraid, as if he was not worried about Zhao Yarou.

  “Aren’t you afraid something will happen to Yarou?” asked the emperor in a low voice, as if he was getting impatient and would hurt Zhao Yarou any moment.

  “What could happen to Yarou?” Ye Lang was the same as always.

  “Don’t think I wouldn’t do it just because she’s my daughter! Men of ambition do not fret over trivial matters!” threatened the emperor.

  “About that…… I do believe you would do it, you’re more cold-blooded than Zhao Yarou. At least she kept you all alive. And you’re willing to kill your own daughter just to rule the world!” said Ye Lang mildly. He wasn’t scolding the emperor but it was more a revelation. He realised there were many kings in history who were the same.

  Li Shimin, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, was also a cold-blooded man who murdered his own brother. However, everyone still called him a great ruler for all the things he had done and his name lived on for centuries.

  If the Soaring Sky Emperor succeeded in unifying the world, as long as he enforced good policies and treated his people well, his name would live on for centuries too. Even if he held his own daughter hostage or even killed her, history would still put him in good light.

  And at that point, it would be hard to say who was in the wrong or right. It was a matter of perspective.

  “And if you do, why aren’t you coming down yet?”


  “Why would I do that? You can try killing your daughter, I’ll watch from up here,” said Ye Lang with a grin, his tone mischievous.

  “I can’t believe you still hate her. You both spent ten years together, is there really not a drop of love?” questioned the emperor. Initially, Zhao Yarou was about to take action but she paused to look at Ye Lang. She wanted to know the answer.

  “There is some love, I think she’s a good sister-in-law. She took care of me well, and I don’t want anything to hurt her. I’m willing to share any burden for her if needed,” said Ye Lang mildly.

  “At least you’re smart about that!” Zhao Yarou whispered softly, looking delighted.

  “Then why aren’t you here? Aren’t you going to share this burden? Or is it all empty talk?” accused the emperor.

  “Why are you still asking questions? As I said, you can try killing her! Do you still not understand me?” huffed Ye Lang.

  Everyone realised that Ye Lang did not actually want him to kill Zhao Yarou, but……

  “Alright, I will kill her!” declared the emperor coldly. He was cornered now. Even if he wasn’t willing, he must still retain his dignity in front of his soldiers.

  When the emperor gave the kill order, when the cold blades all pointed at Zhao Yarou, when everyone who cared about her couldn’t bear to watch, something unexpected happened.

  Boom!

  Boom!……

  “Ahhh!”


  “Ahhh!”
……

  The people who surrounded Zhao Yarou were blown backwards but it did not look like Zhao Yarou had done anything. It looked as if they flew on their own.

  What happened? Why couldn’t I see her move? Is it me who underestimated her abilities or does she have some protective item on her?

  She must have some weapon with her. If it was the former, that means she has attained Tian Heavenly Level now. What is that possible?

  “Ye Lang, she……” Ye Lanyu stared at Zhao Yarou in disbelief.

  “She’s a dangerous person, I’ve said before!” Ye Lang waved his hand.

  “I understand now!” Ye Chengtian also nodded……

  “Go!”


  When inexplicable circumstances occurred, people who did not fully grasp the situation would continue to probe. The people who surrounded Zhao Yarou charged once more.

  The outcome was the same. They were blasted backwards once more. This time, everyone clearly saw Zhao Yarou move. It was now confirmed that she did not have any protective item on her, she merely had terrifying abilities.

  This…… this woman is crazy! How did she become so powerful?!

  With every punch and kick, Zhao Yarou travelled in a very obvious path towards the flying boat. Everyone clearly saw her but no one could stop her.

  Very soon, there was a huge empty space around Zhao Yarou because she had already blasted everyone away.

  Everyone understood what Ye Lang meant. He meant ‘I’d like to see you try killing her! Let’s see if you can! But the answer’s obvious: you can’t!’


  “That’s enough, you’ve had your fun. Hurry up! We don’t have time to play, this is still your dad’s turf!” yelled Ye Lang.

  “Hehe, I understand!” Zhao Yarou grinned mischievously. In a strange flash, she came to Ye Lang’s side.

  “You troublemaker, what the heck were you doing down there for so long?” said Ye Lang.

  “I just wanted to know if my brother-in-law cares about me……” she chuckled.

  Ye Lang completely ignored her and started to prepare.

  “Wait!”


  Someone yelled. It was Li Yue and Chu Jiu.

  “Li Yue, do you want to leave with us?” Ye Lang ignored Chu Jiu and asked Li Yue. If Li Yue chose to speak up now, that meant she wanted to come too.

  “Yeah!” Li Yue nodded. “I don’t want to serve an emperor who doesn’t even care about his daughter. One day he might abandon me! And I’ve always seen Her Majesty as my empress anyway!”


  “Very well, come up then!” said Ye Lang. He didn’t care for the reason, he was just happy to see her.

  “General Li Yue!” shouted Li Yue’s subordinates. They did not want her to leave.

  “You all go ahead with your business, don’t mind me. I’m planning to marry someone in the future, I don’t plan to stay in the military for the rest of my life. This is a good opportunity for me!” said Li Yue with a smile.

  “Uh……”


  “Then we wish you happiness and love, General!”


  “.……”


  “Thirteenth Master, we hope you’ll make Li Yue happy!”


  The cries of farewell took a very strange and wrong turn as Ye Lang became the focus once more.

  “?? What? What has this got to do with me?” Ye Lang asked, confused.

  “It has everything to do with you! You’re the one taking me away!” said Li Yue with a smile, tears falling down her cheeks.

  “Go back then!”


  “.……”


  “Fine, the Soaring Sky’s military is surrounding us already!” Ye Lang instructed Little Zero to bring them back to Ye City.

  “Wait, I have something to say……” yelled Chu Jiu below.

  “Farewell, Chu Jiu! Don’t miss us! Come to Ye City for some tea if you have time, on the house!” Ye Lang ‘s words echoed, the flying boat was already heading towards Ye City.

  “Hey……” Chu Jiu watched him leave helplessly……

  “How powerful is Zhao Yarou? Why can’t I tell her capabilities at all? Did you teach her?” Ye Lanyu looked at the baby in Ye Lang’s arms, then Zhao Yarou next to him. It was very weird to see these three people so at peace.

  “Tian Level. She’s a little more powerful than you all! I taught her a little bit of martial arts,” said Ye Lang.

  “How could you! How could you help a person like her reach Tian Level?!” Ye Lanyu was very annoyed. It was impossible for her to completely forgive Zhao Yarou at the moment.

  “What do you mean, me? She has always been Tian Level, she just hid it very well,” said Ye Lang.

  “What?! No way, you say she has always been Tian Level? How old was she? How is that possible?” Everyone was shocked.

  Everyone could accept it if she had broken through during the ten years with Ye Lang but if she’d attained Tian Level way before the ten years, no one believed it.

  “She’s a madwoman! I already said at the time that she was very dangerous. It wasn’t really because I didn’t want to touch her, she just gave me a very strong sense of danger. So now you all finally believe me! I made the right decision!” said Ye Lang.

  “.……”


  The crowd stared at her in shock, wondering how she grew up. This young lady had done things people could not do in their lifetimes. She was the one who turned the entire world upside down.

  A dramatic way of putting it: she had the world at her mercy!

  “Sweetie, come to mama! Don’t always stick to him, I’ll get jealous! Mama is jealous!” Zhao Yarou ignored everyone else and continued playing with the little baby, who was giggling happily.

  Everyone now merely felt like she was a cute girl-next-door!

  “Yarou, don’t steal my place! If we’re talking about mothers, I should be. You’re just the auntie.” The seventh princess cut in to remind everyone of her existence.

  “No, I don’t want to be an auntie, I want to be a mother too! Sis, why don’t we both marry Ye Lang?” Zhao Yarou looked at the seventh princess longingly, like a little girl begging her sister.

  “Uh…… you’ll have to ask him about that. If he agrees, we’ll do it.”


  “What? Me? Of course that’s not going to happen! I would never marry a madwoman like you!”


  “Shut up!”
……

  Time flew quickly when they were having fun. Everyone was ecstatic to see Ye Lang and Zhao Yarou return, plus Li Yue joining their side. This was the outcome everyone had wanted most. Perhaps it was even better than anticipated.

  Time slipped by and two days later, the flying boat arrived at Ye City. They were greeted with cries of celebration from the entire city, including Third Brother and Seventh Brother, who had been waiting for a very long time.

  When they saw Ye Lang, everyone became very emotional.

  However, they could not celebrate for long.

  They had anticipated this but not so soon!

  “Eh? Did the sky just turn dark?”


  The entire city was confused. It was a sunny afternoon and it wasn’t time for sunset yet. Why was the sky darkening? They looked up to see an unforgettable sight.

  Hordes of airships filled the sky. They bore sigils that announced they were from the Soaring Sky Empire. They had surrounded the entire Ye City with an abrupt invasion.

  It was too soon! Ye Lang’s flying boat had just arrived!

  “This is magnificent! If these airships could be used for civilians, it would improve the lives of countless people,” said Ye Lang as he looked at the sky calmly.

  “How do you have time for such revelations?! Think of something!!” said Third Brother.

  “Think of what? They’re probably just passing by,” said Ye Lang.

  “.……”


  “I’m going to have a heart attack talking to you. I’ll let you sit on my head if they’re just passing by,” huffed Third Brother.

  “If they’re not passing, what are they doing here? You think they’re here to attack us?” said Ye Lang.

  “Not think, they ARE coming to attack us!”


  “That’s not possible, there’s really no strategic advantage to this place. They wouldn’t spend so much resources on attacking us,” said Ye Lang, still clueless.

  “With you here, it is VERY strategic! And it is a must to take us down!” said Third Brother.

  “Am I that important?”


  “VERY IMPORTANT!”


  Everyone yelled at the same time to answer his mutters.

  “If that is the case, Third Brother, go prepare to defend. I fear they might force their way in. My defenses are strong but it cannot hold against so many of them,” said Ye Lang, looking at the airships in the sky.

  “How long can we hold?”


  “With so many airships, about two days,” said Ye Lang. “We should just run. Our lives are more important!”


  “.……”


  Everyone fell silent, not because of such ‘unvaliant’ words but also they marvelled at his defenses being able to hold for two days. Two days against an entire horde of airships was a remarkable feat.

  They were also sure Soaring Sky could not launch a full attack lasting two entire days. There was hope that they could hold up.

  Of course, they must consider Ye Lang’s suggestion too. Their lives were more important. If they were alive, they could start anew anytime in the future.

  “I don’t think we’ll be able to run! I believe the entire Soaring Sky’s power is focused on us now. Even the troops invading Vermilion Bird have been directed here. I think the entire empire has surrounded us,” said Seventh Brother with a frown. He had a report in his hand. The situation must be dire for him to say that.

  “No way, Ye City must be very important to him.” Third Brother was also astonished. No one would want to believe the entire empire’s military was here.

  Seventh Brother shook his head. “It’s true. This is a message from Vermilion Blood. They mentioned Soaring Sky’s attacks have subsided greatly on their side and they realised Soaring Sky only left behind a small portion of soldiers as a ploy while their main force was nowhere to be found. Before this, I would’ve wondered what Soaring Sky was up to but now, there’s no need to overthink matters. The Soaring Sky Emperor is just insane, and he’s crazier than Zhao Yarou!”


  “Hmmph!” Zhao Yarou bristled. Seventh Brother shuddered.

  “Dig a tunnel! Run!” Ye Lang yelled very simple instructions.

  “.……”


  Just as everyone was speechless, a voice rang from the skies. It was a warning for Ye Lang.

  “Little Ye Lang, I know you always have a way to escape. But while you can run, can the rest run too? This time, I am here to slaughter the city. I do not care who they are, I want them all dead! It will be the same no matter where they run!”


  Everyone in the city paled in fear!