Chapter 479: Rebirth

**Misty Forest Prefecture**

Misty Forest Prefecture was the ancestral home of the Yu family and the most fertile land in the entire Moon Lake Mortal Realm. At its peak, it supported 560,000 people, but decades later, only 220,000 remained.

The terrain here was flat and the land fertile, truly a vast, rich plain. Unfortunately, after the Yu family lost Yu Mugao's discipline, the status of ordinary mortals plummeted completely, and most of the land and mines fell into the hands of the clan elders and outsiders.

An Zheyin flew in on the wind. Although he was already an old man, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

This was understandable. His life had been full of ups and downs. First, he broke through, destroyed the Ji family, and had a prodigy son, rising to the peak of his power. Then, Yu Mugao and Yu Xiaogui wiped out his clan and killed his son, forcing him to hide and barely survive in a mortal family's home.

Finally, he joined the Li family. He achieved repeated breakthroughs, reformed himself, and married and had children again. Now, he was actually stepping back onto the Yu family's land with a large group of cultivators. Sixty-seven years felt like a dream, bringing tears to his eyes.

"Jingming... although I'm leveraging the Li family's power, I've truly returned this humiliation... In a few more years, I will repay this blood feud, one by one!"

He murmured,

"You were still far-sighted..."

His prodigy son had sent him into a secret passage, repeatedly urging him to go to the Li family. An Zheyin had always felt it was walking into a trap, but eventually, he came to accept it, and even felt fortunate.

Misty Forest Peak slowly appeared before him. Several flying Yu family cultivators were stopped at the edge. An Zheyin swaggered closer, head held high, hands behind his back, deliberately silent, stopping directly in front of the grand formation.

He glanced at it and chuckled,

"I didn't expect this."

From within the silver-white grand formation, an aged voice spoke, sounding very humble:

"Greetings, Senior An... May I ask the purpose of your visit? The Three Families' Oath is still fresh in our minds... This might not be appropriate!"

An Zheyin was about to speak when, unexpectedly, a muffled groan came from within the formation, followed by an incredulous scream. He stared, dumbfounded, as the Yu family's main formation opened with surprising ease.

A person flew up from below, holding out a complex and mysterious formation disk with both hands, and respectfully announced:

"This humble one is from the Mount Chi clan. I respectfully welcome the esteemed presence of the immortal clan. The Yu family's grand formation is here; the Grand Elder, Yu Muli, has been slain by this humble one!"

The Jade Court Guards exchanged bewildered glances, all somewhat speechless. An Zheyin paused, stunned, then, without a word, descended on the wind.

The person from the Chi family, still holding out the disk with both hands, followed behind him. As the group descended, there were a full twenty-two Qi Condensation cultivators among the Jade Court Guards, which was more than the number of Yu family members standing on the mountain peak.

An Zheyin, in front of all the Yu family members, took out the Six-Stone Cloud Disk and sneered:

"The Yu family conspired to harm our family master back then. Now, retribution has fallen upon Yu Muxian. One might imagine him to be a heroic figure; we send this spiritual artifact to be buried with his body, so he doesn't end up without a trace of his remains."

As soon as he uttered these words, Li Wushao, dressed in black robes and following behind, silently rolled his eyes. He and An Zheyin had explored the lake's mineral veins together in the past, sharing a certain camaraderie, and he knew An Zheyin well. He thought to himself:

"He probably learned that line somewhere. This simpleton doesn't have the sophistication to come up with it himself..."

Yet, Li Wushao remained highly cooperative. His expression was grim, and several shadows flickered back and forth beneath his black robe. His Foundation Establishment cultivation aura surged forth, making the opposing Yu family cultivators simultaneously take a step back in shock.

For a moment, everyone was terrified. No one even dared to take the dilapidated Six-Stone Cloud Disk from his hand. This wasn't out of sorrow for Yu Muxian, but out of fear that their backing had collapsed and that the Li family was now overwhelmingly powerful.

An Zheyin maintained his imposing posture. He gave a commendatory glance to the Chi family member beside him. The group then flew up on the wind, drifting away and vanishing into the sky, simply leaving as if nothing had happened.

The moment he left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They all collectively turned their gazes to the Chi family member holding the formation disk, their expressions varied.

The Chi family member paused, his expression unchanged. He then grandly walked back into the courtyard, and, smiling, cupped his hands toward the person standing in the center, kindly saying:

"So, Yu Muxian is dead... Family Master... how could you have known and not reported it!"

These words made Yu Chengyi, who was in the center, look displeased. Yu Chengyi was already middle-aged, and his cultivation was still mediocre. Suppressing his anger and fear, he whispered:

"What are you talking about, Guest Elder Chi...? I knew nothing about this matter, so how could I have failed to report it?"

As he finished speaking in a low voice, someone rushed up from below, looking terrified, and hastily said:

"Family Master! Family Master! Guest Elder Lu is supporting the Third Young Master and has occupied the outer immortal mountain!"

Both Guest Elder Chi and Yu Chengyi's expressions changed drastically. They exchanged troubled glances. Then, another person rushed up, shouting:

"Family Master... Several affiliated families outside... have all started fighting!"

Yu Chengyi's face was grim. He looked at Guest Elder Chi and whispered:

"Senior Chi, given the current situation... only by joining forces can we protect ourselves..."

As An Zheyin flew away, his heart was filled with emotion. He turned back and swept his gaze over the scene, wanting to say something, but a lump formed in his throat, and he couldn't speak.

Li Wushao glared at him. He chuckled sheepishly, then dejectedly rode the wind away. As he flew over a forest, he seemed to suddenly remember something and said awkwardly:

"Senior, I'll go down for a moment."

Li Wushao didn't bother to respond, merely nodding slightly. He then watched An Zheyin descend on the wind, landing in a courtyard filled with orange trees.

Years ago, he had passed through and hidden here. He vaguely remembered receiving a bowl of duck soup from the mortal couple who lived there. He still recalled the taste, and couldn't resist landing to investigate.

However, he found the house dilapidated, covered in dust and cobwebs. An Zheyin mused to himself:

"Having received the piece of gold I gave them, they must have moved to the city to live comfortably."

He didn't want to keep that gloomy Hook Serpent waiting any longer. As he was about to leave, his spiritual sense swept over the area, and he suddenly stopped, kicking open the main gate.

"Boom!"

As he kicked open the door, the scene inside quickly revealed itself. Dust was everywhere, weeds grew rampant, and several wild rabbits darted through the courtyard. An Zheyin strode in, startling a flock of birds.

Several hoes lay scattered in the courtyard, and there was a small but deep pit, as if something had once been buried there.

He pushed open the kitchen door. A skeleton lay on the stove. The skeleton was relatively small, with its hands wedged in a stone crevice. The flesh had long rotted away, but an iron lock still hung on the window.

An Zheyin said nothing. He turned and entered the inner room. Another skeleton lay on the bed. The entire bed frame had rotted away. This skeleton was larger, scattered across the floor, its spine broken into several sections, bearing marks of a blade.

An Zheyin silently walked out of the courtyard. He waved his sleeve, and the entire courtyard instantly collapsed. He rose on the wind, his expression turning terrifying.

He led his people away without a word. Li Wushao, observing from the sky, understood, and remained silent.

Though An Zheyin had achieved a partial revenge today, he felt no joy. His cheeks drooped, like an old dog's, and his eyes were dull. He flew all the way into the mountains, and only after entering the formation did a single sentence escape his lips.

"What a damned world!"

***

**Author's Note:**Special thanks to Market Rain for becoming a patron!Adding another chapter to revisit the foreshadowing from Chapter 206.