Chapter 120 - 117: Who Is the True King of Luoyang City

Dawn broke.

The great storm had raged all night. By morning, not only were there no signs of it abating, but it had grown even more ferocious. A tempest of wind and rain, with thunder crashing overhead.

All of Luoyang City seemed like a water town shrouded in mist and rain, possessing a kind of hazy beauty.

"When Kunlun and the Liu Family were destroyed, I remember it was a rainy day just like this, wasn’t it?"

Within the Yan Family Manor, a second-tier family, a young woman sighed. It was Zhang Yao.

Beside her stood another woman, about twenty years old. She had a graceful, slender figure and delicate skin. Her eyes were like pools of clear water, and her every glance held a certain refined, noble air.

"Maybe he’s not dead."

Yan Shuangying pursed her red lips, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

She found it truly hard to accept that the young man who had once stunned Luoyang and made a name for himself throughout Cyan Cloud Country would die just like that.

"If he wasn’t dead, how could there be no news of him for months?"

Zhang Yao let out a soft sigh. She didn’t want him to be dead either. After all, the young man had done her a favor, guiding her in her cultivation. She had always kept that kindness in her heart.

But realistically, the possibility of Ning Jiang still being alive was minuscule.

"When the new Famous Family List was released a few days ago, even they removed his name. How many people mocked him for being the shortest-reigning top ranker on the list?"

Zhang Yao said regretfully, "Heaven is unjust, letting a genius fall so young. Otherwise, with his talent, he would have surely become one of the top figures in Cyan Cloud Country."

Yan Shuangying fell silent, her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow and melancholy.

"Shuangying, looking at you... you don’t have feelings for him, do you?" Zhang Yao couldn’t help but ask upon seeing her expression.

Yan Shuangying’s pretty face blushed slightly. She then sighed, not trying to hide anything. "A young hero, a peerless genius—what’s so strange about liking him?"

"You’re right. He is a young hero, and quite a few women in Luoyang City admire him. But for me, it’s more admiration. I would never fall for him."

Zhang Yao nodded and said seriously, "He’s just too cold, like some old monster. I’m afraid that even the most beautiful woman would be no different from a pile of dry bones in his eyes. Getting someone like him to develop feelings is as difficult as ascending to heaven. If you like him, I’m afraid it will lead to nothing. It will be unrequited at best."

"I understand everything you’re saying. He really is as you describe—he seems capable of feeling, yet is utterly dispassionate at his core. But that’s precisely what makes him so special, isn’t it?"

Yan Shuangying gave a playful smile, her beautiful eyes like water, completely open and honest.

"Shuangying."

Suddenly, a middle-aged figure rushed in, his expression one of immense shock, as if he had just received startling news.

"Father, what’s wrong?"

Yan Shuangying’s brow furrowed, and she asked angrily, "Is it the Xue Family causing trouble for us again?"

Back then, all the major families close to Kunlun had been suppressed after its destruction. This was true not only for Zhou Lingwei’s Zhou Family but also for Yan Shuangying’s Yan Family.

Although the Yan Family was also a second-tier family, besides the Xue Family, the shadow of the Wang Family loomed behind their oppressors. As a First-Class Noble House, the Wang Family’s word was now law in Luoyang City.

These past few months had not been easy for the Yan Family.

"It’s not the Xue Family." The Yan Family’s Clan Leader, Yan Binghua, a man known for his calm and composure, now had a face full of shock. He said slowly, "The Xue Family is finished!"

Yan Shuangying and Zhang Yao were astonished.

Among the major second-tier families, the Xue Family was one of the top-ranking, with profound strength. How could they be finished?

"Father, what on earth happened? Why are you so panicked?" Yan Shuangying asked hastily.

"Silly girl, your father isn’t panicking. I’m overjoyed!"

Yan Binghua suddenly burst into laughter, a sound filled with immense satisfaction. "He’s back!"

"He?"

Yan Shuangying and Zhang Yao froze.

’Who is this ’he’?’

"Ning Jiang of the White Head Sword Sect!" Seeing the confusion on the two girls’ faces, Yan Binghua enunciated each word slowly.

In that instant, sheer terror appeared on Yan Shuangying and Zhang Yao’s faces.

Those seven words exploded in their ears like thunder.

"Father, what you’re saying... is it true?" Yan Shuangying asked in disbelief, a slight tremor in her elegant voice.

"Hahaha, would I lie to you? Do you have any idea what happened last night?"

Awe appeared in Yan Binghua’s eyes. "In a single night, a total of twenty-eight families—the Zhao Family, the Zhou Family, the Xue Family... all the powers that participated in suppressing Kunlun and the Liu Family—had all of their Innate Realm experts killed! In one night, nearly three hundred Innate Realm experts died!"

"What?"

When this news came from Yan Binghua’s mouth, the two young women were shocked beyond measure.

Yan Shuangying slapped a hand over her mouth, and Zhang Yao’s eyes went wide.

"By now, this news should have spread. Nearly three hundred Innate Realm experts! So many heads rolled in a single night. This Ning Jiang of the White Head Sword Sect is truly terrifying. I bet those who kicked our allies while they were down are now regretting it to their very core."

Yan Binghua was full of vigor. "Our chance has come! We’ve been so miserably suppressed by the Xue Family these past few months. Now that Ning Jiang of the White Head Sword Sect is back, everything will change."

Yan Shuangying and Zhang Yao looked at each other, speechless.

’Has that young man finally become a hawk, spreading his wings to soar?’

’The sword hidden in its Sword Scabbard is finally showing its edge to the world!’

The storm was brewing again.

The skies over Luoyang City were about to change!

"Of those families, only the Wang Family remains. A battle between him and the Wang Family is inevitable. Come on, let’s go watch," Yan Binghua said impatiently.

...

"Mother, it’s still so early. Where are we going?"

A girl of fifteen or sixteen had been woken up by her mother at the crack of dawn. She rubbed her drowsy eyes, still dazed and obviously not having slept well.

This pampered young lady was clearly reluctant to be woken up so early. If her mother hadn’t forcefully pulled her out of bed, she would have surely slept until the sun was high in the sky.

"Silly girl, the person you’ve always admired is back!"

"Ah!"

The girl cried out. Something clicked in her mind, and the drowsiness in her eyes was instantly replaced by delighted surprise.

「At the same time.」

「In another family’s home.」

"Xiang Fei, who are you dragging me to see in such a hurry?"

A beautiful woman asked this from her bed.

Her name was Kang Chu. She wasn’t a native of Luoyang City but had come from a small family called the Kang Family in Golden Cauldron City. Not long ago, she had married into the Xiang Family.

The Xiang Family was a second-tier family in Luoyang City and a local power in its own right. Xiang Fei himself was even a candidate for the Ten Great. They had met elsewhere and, despite living in different cities, had ended up getting married.

"That person is back! Luoyang City is about to be thrown into chaos again!"

"That person? Who?"

"The true top ranker of the Famous Family List!"

"The current top ranker of the Famous Family List is that person from Golden Cauldron City... Don’t tell me you mean the one from the previous list?"

Kang Chu realized something at that moment and jumped out of bed in shock.

Since marrying into the Xiang Family, she had often heard her husband speak of a man named Ning Jiang. Her husband was a Sword Cultivator and deeply admired this Ning Jiang.

Because of this, when the new Famous Family List was released, her husband had been quite dismissive, stating bluntly that Ning Jiang was the true number one, and the current person on top didn’t count at all.

"That’s right. It’s him!"

Xiang Fei looked up, his eyes filled with admiration and respect.

"So what if he’s back? The Wang Family is in charge of Luoyang City now, right? If he’s back for revenge, he can’t possibly do it all by himself, can he?"

Kang Chu frowned. No matter how powerful that young man was, did he have three heads and six arms?

Although she hadn’t been married into a Luoyang City family for long, she knew the situation. The Wang Family was the king of Luoyang City.

"Ignorant," Xiang Fei said, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Kang Chu was about to retort angrily when Xiang Fei’s next words stunned her into silence: "In a single night, he swept through twenty-eight families and killed nearly three hundred Innate Realm experts!"

Kang Chu was dumbstruck!

「In yet another family’s home.」

Several figures burst out the door.

"Hurry! If we’re late, we’ll miss the show! This is a major event that could change the entire landscape of Luoyang City!"

"Heaven really played a huge joke on us. He actually didn’t die!"

...

The entire city of Luoyang was in an uproar. Countless people were in shock.

Overnight, he had killed the Innate Realm experts of twenty-eight families. Nearly three hundred people dead, heads rolling—how terrifying was that?

The first moment they heard the news, they couldn’t believe it.

But as more and more reports flooded in, they all confirmed the same thing: it was all true!

He was back!

The man they all thought was dead had returned!

And upon his return, he had immediately slaughtered twenty-eight families. His methods were vicious, his killing merciless. It was simply appalling.

At this very moment, if one were to look down from the sky,

they would see a spectacular sight. On the streets from every direction in Luoyang City, massive crowds of people had appeared. They were packed together like a dark tide, desperately rushing toward the city center.

A torrential downpour fell from the sky, but no one cared.

Even if they were soaked to the bone, they paid it no mind.

The scene looked as if a great calamity was at hand, with people fleeing for their lives, afraid that if they were too slow, they would perish in the disaster.

"I never would have thought his strength could improve so terrifyingly in just a few short months. The old Patriarch of the Xue Family was already starting to condense Gang Yuan, wasn’t he? And he was killed, too."

"Based on the rumors, his current strength might have reached the Innate Limit. I think you could call this... the return of the king, right?"

Someone in the running crowd offered their opinion.

The return of the king!

Those four words were indeed a fitting description for the Ning Jiang of today.

"Don’t forget, the Wang Family is the current king of Luoyang City, their power immense. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot hold two tigers. There can only be one king of Luoyang City," someone else said slowly.

A battle between Ning Jiang and the Wang Family was inevitable.

This fight could not be avoided.

And this fight would decide—who was the true king of Luoyang City!