<h4>Chapter 63 - Blood Saints!</h4>


    All the important members were seated in the Grand Martial Pavilion of the Yang family.


    Everyone had just returned from the outskirts of Baiyang Town. The frightening battle had finallye to aplete end, and all of them felt a weight lifted from their shoulders.


    Although they had gone through a harrowing experience, the Yang family had emerged mostly unscathed. They all knew that this was only possible because of one person. That was why as they sat in the hall, many eyes asionally darted towards a certain teenager sitting quietly in his seat.


    The conflict with the Bai family had been settled and the Yang family had emerged victorious. They had decimated the main fighters of the enemy family, and the rest of the members had fled the town. The young, children, and women were no threat to them, so they knew that the Bai family could be considered destroyed at this point.


    The other powers in the town were aware of the conflict. When they heard about the oue, all of them thought of one person: Long Chen.


    The Bai family had tried to kill them twice, but Long Chen was the reason why the Yang family had emerged victorious. They could even say that if it wasn’t for Long Chen, the whole Yang family would be souls in the afterlife by now.


    The Yang family knew this well, so the way they looked at him today waspletely different from a month and a half ago.


    Long Chen was deeply moved when he saw the gazes filled with reverence and a hint of fear.


    The Yang patriarch, who was sitting at the head of the room, had emerged from his deep thinking. His gaze swept across the room.


    Then it finally fell on Long Chen, and he said, “The Yang family has met two major crises, but we survived them. In fact, we can even say we were unharmed. All of this is only because of one person.”


    The Yang patriarch choked a little as he spoke. Everyone understood the gratitude and emotion that filled him. “He was the one who defeated the Bai youth at the Demon Hunting Tournament, captured them, and saved us when we were poisoned. He defeated Bai Sheng and Bai Li today, even defeating a master at the Human Core Realm, and finally saving all of us once more ...”


    Everyone''s eyes sparkled with tears as he recounted the emotional events, especially Yang Xueqing’s. Her heart had turned fragile after such a horrific experience. She felt much more emotional than everyone else as she looked at the calm teenager sitting opposite her.


    That was her biological son after all. And she used to look down on him.


    But one undisputed fact was that her contempt gave Long Chen huge motivation to be stronger.


    The Yang patriarch nodded at Long Chen. “Chen’er, an old man like me doesn''t even know how to thank you for what you did. I know we mistreated you and your father in the past, yet you were able to move past it all and risk your life for us. To be honest, I’ve never been this moved in my life. All I can say is thank you. There’s no other way to convey my emotions at the moment. The Yang family is your home, and all we can do is try to make up for our past wrongs from today on.”


    The Yang patriarch was speaking from his heart. Everyone else agreed too.


    Long Chen was extremely ttered and smiled hurriedly. “Don’t look at me like that ... I know I’m handsome, but I can’t stand it when everyone looks at me with this much admiration ...”


    His joke made every woman in the group burst into giggles, while Yang Qingxuan and the rest shook their heads with a smile. “Why are you being so smug?! You wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t killed that guy!” mocked Ling Xi in the Ling Xi Sword, who had already woken up by now. However, the look of joy on her face made it obvious that she was happy for Long Chen.


    The Yang patriarch smiled and shook his head. “Chen’er, you’re being so modest that talking about all these things will only make me look emotional. Alright, then I shall talk about something more practical. Now that the Bai family is no longer in Baiyang Town, the town now belongs to us. Destroying the Bai family has brought us great benefits, namely these three Ascension Fruits. Chen’er, you’re the reason these fruits ended up in our hands, so I’ll let you decide what you want to do with them!”


    The Yang patriarch looked at him sincerely, and Long Chen knew he was speaking the truth. He quickly waved it off and said, “Grandfather, you are the patriarch. You should be the one-”


    “Don’t say that, you’re going to make me lose face. If you still see me as your grandfather, you will take these fruits.”


    Then he moved to take the fruits out of the Universe Pouch. Long Chen had no choice but to say, “Alright, then I’ll distribute them now. There are three Ascension Fruits. One is enough for me. Another will be for you, Grandfather. You’re the patriarch, and the Yang family needs to be guarded by a cultivator at the Human Core Realm, so you cannot decline this no matter what.


    Long Chen’s voice was full of resolve. The Yang patriarch nodded, understanding his intentions.


    It was true that he was the only Ninth Draconic Stage cultivator in the Yang family right now. Only he could enter the Human Core Realm within a short time to pull the whole family up.


    “As for thest fruit ...”


    Long Chen’s gaze fell on Yang Qingxuan and Yang Xueqing. His eyes stopped on his mother. He really wanted to give it to her so that she would be stronger and less vulnerable to threats.


    But then he thought about how being stronger also meant being in risky situations more often, so he said, “There are two cultivators at the Eighth Draconic Stage right now, namely Eldest Uncle and my mother. We’ll do it this way: whoever reaches the Ninth Draconic Stage first will get the fruit. What do you guys think?”


    The Yang family naturally didn’t have any objections to his decision.


    The safety of their family was the most important matter at hand. They didn’t really care who was the one who would be stronger. After two major crises, all the Yang family members were finally united and their sense of unity was stronger than ever.


    The Yang patriarch looked at the skies outside the door, now slowly turning bright red. The colors of dusk shone beautifully. “When the sun rises tomorrow morning, the Yang family shall be truly reborn ...” The Yang patriarch envisioned a brand new family emerging within Baiyang Town. This family would not only have a master at the Human Core Realm, but also an extraordinarily talented prodigy.


    With the Yang patriarch as the pir and Long Chen’s immense potential, the Yang family felt secure.


    However, while they were all basking in the joy of having a peaceful future, Long Chen’s brows were furrowed. Now that they had distributed the Ascension Fruits, he knocked on the table and said mildly, “Everyone, the person who died in the Deste Mountains, Xue Yuanzi, was one of the Eight Grand Protectors of Yuanling City’s Blood Saints ...”


    Yang Qingxuan’s expression changed with this thought. He probed, “Xue Yuanzi must’ve snuck to Baiyang Town in secret if he wanted the Ascension Fruits. In that case, they wouldn’t know we killed him, right?”


    The Yang patriarch’s brows were knitted once again. He shook his head. “If a person as powerful as a Grand Protector dies, they will definitelyunch an investigation. Since Xue Yuanzi was close with the Bai family, they will naturallye to Baiyang Town to investigate. And many people know what happened here ...”


    The rest of the family paled once again when they heard him. The rxed atmosphere grew tense once more.


    Yang Qingxuan smiled bitterly and shook his head. “What an eventful fall it has been for the Yang family. Father, do you know anything about the Blood Saints?”


    The Yang patriarch answered solemnly, “The Blood Saints might not be well-known in a gigantic ce like Yuanling City, but they are notorious in our region. They say that the Blood Saints have Eight Grand Protectors and Four Sect Elders. They’re all at least at the Human Core Realm, and the Four Sect Elders are at thete Human Core Realm. ording to rumors, the Great Priest of the Blood Saints is at the terrifying Earthly Core Realm!”


    When he finished, the whole family drew sharp breaths. Even Long Chen looked pale. <i>It was already extremely difficult to deal with the Bai patriarch and Xue Yuanzi. If we face the Blood Saints, a small family like ours will stand zero chance. I may have been able to save the Yang family today, but will I be able to do it again?</i>


    <i>I am not confident against an initial Human Core Realm cultivator, much less a person who has reached thete Human Core Realm. And I dare not even think about the Earthly Core Realm! Is this it for the Yang family? </i>Yang Chen looked up at Yang Lingqing and Yang Xueqing. He had sworn to protect them both.


    Looking at them gave him confidence. Or rather, the huge responsibility he had set for himself forced him to pull himself back up. <i>No, I cannot watch them die right before my eyes. If that happens, I might as well die ... </i>The weight on his chest grew a few times heavier once more. The moment he thought of the phrase “Earthly Core Realm,” a sense of helplessness rose within him, then his fighting spirit was roused. <i>No matter what happens next, I will do my best. If they must destroy the Yang family, they will do it over my dead body!</i>


    Long Chen had made his decision. He was now the strongest fighter in the Yang family, so he could not stand down!


    Morale was low as they thought about the Blood Saints. Even Yang Qingxuan could onlyfort himself by repeatedly telling himself that the Blood Saints might not find out that the Yang family killed Xue Yuanzi.


    The Yang patriarch was not so na?ve. He knew the notoriety of the Blood Saints. If those vicious folks found out it was the Yang family, then the fate of their family would not be mere destruction.


    <i>I must reach the Human Core Realm as soon as possible. If the Blood Saints find out about us, I must send Chen’er and the young ones away even at the cost of my life. With Chen’er’s potential, he’ll be able to make the Yang name proud and avenge us!</i>


    The Yang patriarch’s eyes filled with resolve with this train of thought.


    That was when the silent Long Chen suddenly spoke. Everyone looked up, wondering what he would say.


    Long Chen had recalled the information he had learned from Chen Xiongzhou and Feng Mingyang at the Burning Heavens Mountain Range. “The Blood Saints are far away in Yuanling City, so it will take some time for them to first find out about us. I don’t think the first people they send after us will be too powerful, so if Grandfather reaches the Human Core Realm, we should be able to cope.


    “Most importantly, the Lingwu family in Yuanling City frequently recruits youths from other families into their own. Since I have some potential, I should be able to be a member of their external family. I’ll then be considered a true member of the Lingwu family, and I’m sure they’ll be able to offer us greater protection. Also, going to arge ce like that will give me more room to grow. That is why I have decided to go to Yuanling City!”