Blue Phoenix

Everyone present sensed the change in Hui Yue, and while his old friends knew why, the Gods were unaware of what was going on.

"These black-cloaked figures are known as Crusaders. They are the henchmen of An He." Hui Yue said with a quiet voice and the Gods all suddenly felt hatred well up within them. They had never met this An He before, but seeing his actions against the Laws, their seniors, and the fact that he had tricked the young masters was enough for them to wish to shred him to pieces.

"What should we do now?" This God asked curiously, but Hui Yue just smiled. He formed an arrow from Ancestral Worldpower and with a flick of his finger, he shot it at one of the Crusaders. In an instant the arrow slammed into the back of the head of the unsuspecting Crusader. The body under the cloak disintegrated into dust as the robe fell to the ground. In less time than it took to blink, all that was left was a cloak laying on the road.

The other Crusaders instantly stopped and turned to look at Hui Yue and his followers. The tense atmosphere was quickly noticed by everyone in the area, and an audience started gathering. This audience blocked the escape route of both Hui Yue's group, but also the Crusaders. After a second, a sinister smile appeared on Hui Yue's face.

"Kill them all." He said while he created more arrows from Ancestral Worldpower.

Unlike Wu Wei, these arrows did not release any energy ripples. As a God Hui Yue no longer leaked any of his energy because he could fully control it. At his level it was easy to ensure that no ripples appeared.

For the audience which was gathering up, Hui Yue's words were ironic. His attack did not seem to carry any force behind it, yet he had still ordered his friends to kill these Crusaders. Everyone knew that Crusaders were untouchable; they were an unkillable existence. No one knew exactly where they came from and why they were here, but their strength was overpowering to the extreme. This was a fact acknowledged by all the major families. To go against these Crusaders was the same as throwing away their lives.

Knowing what the people around him were thinking, Hui Yue snorted derisively as he flicked his fingers again and again shooting one arrow after another at the Crusaders. An He might have created these Crusaders from Saints, but that was all they were, Saints. Hui Yue had already stepped into the realm of Gods, and it was not hard for him to instantly turn these Crusaders into dust on the ground.

Seeing that these Crusaders did not just die and collapse on the ground, but turned to dust, the jeering people were instantly silenced. They were unaware that the reason they had turned to dust was not due to Hui Yue's attack being too strong but because the Crusaders had been dead for a long time already. Everyone suddenly felt fear towards Hui Yue and his group of experts as they slowly started to back away.

"Change of plans." Hui Yue sighed. "Since we encountered the Crusaders we had no other option than to kill them, however, killing them has caused us to become wanted criminals. Let’s leave the city and head straight to my parent's place."

Having said that Ancestral Worldpower erupted from all the Gods. Wrapping itself around each one of his friends and with a stomp on the ground they all took to the skies. Soaring to the heavens, they left behind a group of shocked individuals in Riluo City. All of them stared into the sky where those terrifying individuals had long since vanished.

"We will deal with all the Crusaders when we have managed to become the Crowned Sovereign of this world." Hui Yue sighed. "An He has had four thousand years to entrench himself in this world so it is only natural that it will take us time to deal with everything."

Hui Yue was not discouraged that the world currently viewed him as a criminal or a murderer. After four thousand years it was only natural that An He had become as awe-inspiring as he currently was.

The flight to his parent's village was swift with their current speed but as they approached Hui Yue felt stunned. The village had grown remarkably; there were no longer any worn down houses as everything was rebuilt. Now there was quite a bit more activity in the village but is was still as remote as ever.

Around the village, a palisade fence had been built to keep unwanted visitors away, and at the back, this palisade fence was being changed into a stone wall. As they neared, they could hear constant sounds of activity from within the city. The sound of hammering drummed through the air, and the cheerful sounds of children playing could be heard alongside chattering voices.

In the outskirts of the village there was a field where a large group of youngsters were gathered. In front of these youngsters was an older man who was shouting orders. Listening to them, Hui Yue instantly understood that this man was instructing the children in martial arts.

Landing on the ground a bit away, Hui Yue looked at this village with a stumped expression on his face. It was not just him, but all his friends who had been here before were all greatly shocked. This place looked nothing like the old village they knew.

"How could they afford this?" Hui Yue mumbled to himself but deep inside he was excited. Excited that his family and the villagers no longer needed to live dreadful lives.

"Halt!" Just as they landed and were about to enter the village, they were stopped by a voice filled with authority. A group of guards whom Hui Yue had never seen before were blocking the road in front of him.

"This village is closed to visitors. Please be on your way!" The man said with hostility in his voice causing Hui Yue to frown slightly. Had these changes happened because new people had taken over the village? Had his family suffered without him knowing anything?

"I grew up in this village." Hui Yue said slowly. "My father is Hui Guang, and my mother is Hui Lifen.. Where are my parents?"

Although the guard was incredibly hostile towards him, Hui Yue knew that the village had never invited in strangers. After a bandit attack that had happened when Hui Yue was at the academy, they had become even more on guard towards the outside world than before. For what reason was there now strange new guards?

"You’re Hui Yue?" The guard asked, with disbelief in his eyes. The man said while looking at the blue eyes and white hair of the youngster in front of him. "Stay here!" He ordered before he gestured for another set of guards to come forward. "Pick up Master Hui and have him come to the gates immediately. No matter what he is doing, tell him that it can wait. Some youngster calling himself Hui Yue has appeared."

The moment the guard spoke, these two men who had arrived looked at Hui Yue with veneration before they quickly nodded their heads and rushed into the village. Hui Yue felt a lot more comfortable hearing that his father was called Master Hui. It meant that he was still part of this village and thus also had a decent life.

Suddenly, the village was filled with much more noise than before. People were cheering, some were yelling, but everyone was rushing towards the city entrance. Hui Yue could not help but feel slightly alarmed by this. It was a horde of excited people who wished to catch a glimpse of Hui Yue who had just returned home after years of never being here.

Some of the people who arrived at the city gates Hui Yue instantly recognized. There was the young grandchild of the Village Elder, someone whom he had played with a few times before. This young man was no longer the child Hui Yue remembered him to be, instead, he was now a grown man. On his side was a beautiful woman whom Hui Yue recognized from the time he had lived in the village. She was a farmer's daughter and had worked her entire life in the fields, yet now there were no signs of hard work on her hands, and the clothes she wore were made from the finest silk.

"Little Yue!" Someone called out, and a large man appeared in front of him. Seeing this middle-aged man, Hui Yue felt tears well up in his eyes. His father looked similar to how he had when he had left the village all those years ago, but white hair had appeared in his black hair.

When his eyes landed on Hui Yue, a large smile broke on his lips. He went towards him in large strides before he embraced his son in a long, familiar hug. This show of affection stunned everyone present, both the villagers and Hui Yue's friends, but no one stopped it.

"Little Yue!" Another voice called out, and his mother appeared from within the shadows of the city wall. Her steps were hurried, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her little baby had finally returned home!

Hui Yue was overwhelmed with emotions. These people were his parents! They had lived a harsh life but everything they had was given to him so that he could live the life he had dreamt of. Although they had worried about him, they had never asked for him to come back home and look after them. They had never asked for him to give up his dream to live a life like theirs.

"Master Hui, this is your son Hui Yue?" The guard from before asked. Although he by now already had an answer, he needed to get a direct reply from the father who soundlessly nodded his head.

Freeing himself from his father's embrace, Hui Yue soon after found himself in his mother's arms instead. He felt as if he were a small child again, being held in these secure arms that were filled with the most tender love of all.

While Hui Yue and his parents were busy feeling nostalgic, Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long were both incredibly nervous and held each other's hands. How were they going to be introduced? Although they had met Hui Yue's parents before were they going to approve of them? Especially Sha Yun was worried because she was not a human but a snake-woman; her heart was beating rapidly.

Hui Yue could sense their nervousness and released himself from his parents, took a step back and took Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long's hands in his own. "Mother, Father these are your daughters in law." He said calmly, but he did not give them time to reply. Instead he pointed at all the others behind him, "These are all my friends. Each and every one of them is strong beyond belief and their loyalty knows no bounds. Please treat them as you would treat me."

"We are here for an important purpose." Hui Yue continued. "But we are also here to visit family. Please, we have had a long and exhausting journey and would like to rest a little." He said apologetically and his father instantly nodded his head. "This way." He said as he led everyone into the village.

The trip through the village truly displayed just how different this place was compared to how it used to be. Every building was constructed within the last few years, and the stone wall around the village was well underway.

The village head's house had turned into a proper mansion, and Hui Guang led his family straight to this mansion where he had Hui Lifen prepare some rooms for the guests.

"Please rest at ease." He said with a smile on his face. "We will host a banquet tomorrow night to celebrate that you all have arrived, but tonight, please do not hesitate to rest. You can move anywhere as you see fit, and if you have any questions then you are free to seek me out. I will answer them as well as I can."