Chapter 139 Going Home

The golden light at the center was unexpectedly not blinding at all; instead, it grew increasingly soft, allowing one to vaguely discern that the center was a golden figure radiating a pure, warm glow. This figure possessed an extra pair of arms compared to ordinary people, each holding an indistinct object. Beneath its feet rested a tuft of pristine white clouds as it drifted down into the mortal world, resembling an immortal descending from the heavens!

He raised his hand and pointed a finger. Instantly, the rotting corpse was obliterated, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.

"An immortal?" Li Xintian's pupils contracted slightly, his heart pounding violently as he muttered, "No... this aura..."

"Wait!"

The figure emitted a resounding and profound voice that defied gender, yet compelled one to submit and bow in reverence, as if gazing upon a true deity.

"Esteemed benefactor, why not stay? This sovereign can take you to the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace, where your youth will never fade and you shall live eternally, blessed with endless treasures and devoid of all worries! Come quickly!"

As the golden figure spoke, it slowly extended its hand. Its fingertips seemed to traverse space, drawing so close that Li Xintian felt as though he could touch them by simply reaching out.

"Who are you? Why are you putting on a divine facade? Release my people at once!"

Li Xintian dared not make any rash moves against the figure, as the safety of Hu Qiuyan and the others remained unknown.

The river god apparently had not anticipated such a reaction from Li Xintian. A slight look of surprise crossed its face before it slowly withdrew its hand, uttering with a trace of regret, "What a pity..."

"A pity that your intended prey has slipped through your fingers? Just a mere monster, yet you dare to masquerade as a deity?"

"A monster?" The golden figure chuckled. "I am a righteous deity revered by the masses; how could I be a monster? Look at you instead—abandoning your physical body in spirit form while bewitching mortals! You must be an evil ghost reincarnated! Watch as I capture you and subject you to interrogation!"

By the time the voice reached its conclusion, the ethereal immortal aura had vanished entirely, replaced by the greedy and bloodthirsty shrieks of evil spirits. The beams of golden light shifted in color, transforming into something resembling a rusted iron cage that tightly trapped the two individuals inside.

Li Xintian's heart sank. He realized that since its enticements had failed, the entity intended to drop all pretexts. Moreover, because the entity held hostages, he could not recklessly unleash his Immortal-Slaying Blade just yet.

The figure's multiple arms twisted, and the objects it held in its hands plummeted to the ground. Li Xintian then saw clearly that one of them was a bloody, severed human head. Despite being detached from a body, its tongue and lips were still writhing as it hovered in mid-air, hurtling straight toward him with astonishing speed!

channeling his righteous energy, Li Xintian abruptly reached out and grabbed the head out of thin air. With a firm squeeze of his fingers, the head instantly exploded, turning into a billow of black smoke that quickly dissipated!

However, this was merely the beginning.

"Prepare to meet your doom!"

The golden figure let out a strange laugh as dozens upon dozens of human heads rained down from the sky, carrying an obnoxious, putrid stench and a dense aura of blood. Screaming frantically, they lunged forward, eager to devour the living human before them.

In the span of a split second, the oppressive murderous intent rushed toward him like a tidal wave, making him feel like a solitary leaf tossed upon the waves, ready to be swallowed whole at any moment.

Li Xintian gazed expressionlessly at the oncoming monsters, standing firm like an unyielding mountain, utterly devoid of fear.

He closed his eyes slightly, and the speck of light within his sea of consciousness suddenly burst into brilliance. Instantly, a terrifying, tangible aura erupted from within his body. The surrounding cage of golden light suffered a violent impact, emitting faint, crumbling sounds of imminent collapse!

With a single punch, the countless human heads wailed in agony as they shattered and dissolved into nothingness. The few remaining stragglers trembled violently, not daring to advance even an inch.

"Hmm?"

The golden figure abruptly halted in mid-air, staring in bewildered disbelief at the strange figure below.

This was an unexpected development he had not foreseen.

"Where did this terrifying aura come from? Could this fellow have been playing the pig to eat the tiger all along?! No... this is righteous energy!"

Although Li Xintian had undergone changes earlier, the entity had only considered him slightly troublesome, someone who could be easily dealt with using a few tricks.

Yet, coupled with this abruptly manifested strength, the outcome became truly unpredictable.

Such an aura was enough to make even him retreat three paces. Had he known that Li Xintian possessed an Immortal-Slaying Blade, he likely would have fled for his life long ago.

"Well? Shall we have a fight? Or are you going to release my people?"

Li Xintian raised his head, gazing indifferently at his opponent. In his eyes, the other party was nothing more than an ant that could be crushed at whim. However, out of necessity—since he had yet to see Hu Qiuyan and the others—he relied entirely on his righteous energy.

"Are you referring to them?"

As the figure spoke, Hu Qiuyan, Ding Jieyun, and several servants materialized.

"Release them, and you take your bridge of logs while I walk my sunny path."

Li Xintian confirmed that it was indeed Hu Qiuyan and Ding Jieyun, and that the servants were all flesh-and-blood humans.

For now, Li Xintian wished to avoid a direct conflict with the entity.

"Very well. Since they are the prey you have set your sights on, this sovereign shall return them to you."

Naturally, the entity was unwilling to risk mutual destruction in a life-or-death battle at this moment.

As the entity retreated, the cage-like golden light crumbled and dissolved into the air. The human heads rapidly decomposed into waterweed-tangled skeletal remains, dropping into the muddy puddles on the ground in silent obscurity.

"Xintian, you've come to save us."

Only Hu Qiuyan could see Li Xintian; to Ding Jieyun and the servants, he remained invisible.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Don't scare us."

Watching Hu Qiuyan speak to empty air, Ding Jieyun trembled all over.

"All of you, leave this village immediately. There is more to this place than meets the eye. We can talk once we are safe."

Li Xintian harbored immense apprehension toward the village as well. Having no idea what had transpired here, his only recourse was to have Hu Qiuyan, Ding Jieyun, and the servants evacuate.

"Let's go, let's get out of here quickly," Hu Qiuyan said, knowing that the others could not see Li Xintian.

Li Xintian did not leave immediately. He waited until Hu Qiuyan, Ding Jieyun, and the servants had cleared the village boundaries before transforming into a streak of rainbow light to return to his physical body.

After Li Xintian's departure, a giant turtle surfaced in the river. Its eyes tracked Li Xintian's leaving path before it slowly submerged and swam away.

Once Li Xintian and his group had departed, the Creek Village was enveloped in dense clouds and mist, trapped within a loop where the same day repeated endlessly.

Meanwhile, Hu Qiuyan and Ding Jieyun returned to the caravan, where they exchanged warm, comforting greetings.

"Let's go, leave this place. We cannot linger here any longer."

Having returned to his physical body, Li Xintian stepped out of the carriage and spoke.

In the wake of this ordeal, Li Xintian instructed Hu Qiuyan to walk at the front while he took up the rear of the caravan, casting one final, lingering look back at Creek Village.

"Creek Village, I will be back."

Li Xintian muttered to himself inwardly. He knew the village harbored secrets, but with so many people in their party, it was unwise to act rashly and investigate further right now. He mounted his horse and fell in behind the caravan.

Out of fear and worry that accidents might happen, Li Xintian used his righteous energy to shield the caravan throughout the journey, averting any bizarre incidents. Within a month, they returned safely to Shuiwen County.

"Why have the people from the Li Mansion all come outside the city? Is some VIP arriving?"

"You don't know? The eldest young master of the Li Mansion has returned from the capital this time! I heard he even brought back a stunningly beautiful woman. They're here to welcome them home."

"Oh, so that's how it is. It's the eldest young master, no wonder. They must be looking forward to holding a grandchild soon, eh?"

"Of course, that's why the Li Mansion turned out in full force."

"Still, everyone from the capital followed the eldest young master all the way back to Shuiwen County."

The onlookers murmured amongst themselves, exchanging comments.

"Master, look! The eldest young master is back!" shouted one of the servants upon catching sight of Li Xintian on horseback.

"Good! This brat has finally figured things out, haha!"

Li Qizong stroked his beard and laughed heartily, unable to conceal the broad smile on his face. He had received a letter from the capital days ago, but hadn't been entirely certain.

"Wait, don't scare the girl. Tian'er has finally managed to bring a young woman home," Chen Shuxia chimed in from the side.

"Right, right, right. We'll let madam arrange everything," Li Qizong said with a smile.

"Father, Mother, your son has returned."

Before Li Xintian even reached the city gate, he spotted Li Qizong, Chen Shuxia, and his younger brother, Li Shangyun. He dismounted from his horse and affectionately ruffled Li Shangyun's hair.

"It's good that you've returned safely," Li Qizong said, nodding approvingly.

"Eldest brother," Li Shangyun greeted upon seeing Li Xintian return.

"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law (Father, Mother)," Li Qizong and Chen Shuxia also went forward to greet Chen Linqing and Huo Wanping.

"Let's hurry back to the estate. There are too many people here, and blocking the road isn't good," Li Xintian said upon seeing that nearly the entire household had turned out.

Li Qizong agreed, and the entourage headed back to the Li Mansion.

Upon returning home, Li Xintian checked the character for "righteousness" (正) he had left behind before departing and found it undisturbed, which finally set his mind at ease.

Servants had already begun carrying luggage into the mansion.

"Cousin, it's been ten years. You've grown so tall!" Chen Yuanwen exclaimed when he saw Li Shangyun, flashing a grin as he reached out to ruffle his hair.

Dodging Chen Yuanwen's claws, Li Shangyun retorted, "Cousin, why did you have to come along too?"

"Wasn't it your brother who said we couldn't stay in the capital any longer? Even your grandparents, uncle, and sister-in-law all moved to Shuiwen County," Chen Yuanwen said with an awkward smile, pulling back his hand.

"Oh, then I'm done for."

Li Shangyun knew all too well what Chen Zishan was like and had suffered no shortage of torment at his hands. Though Chen Linqing and Huo Wanping were relatively lenient, Chen Yuanwen always tried to emulate his older brother Li Xintian's disciplinary methods toward him.

"What's there to worry about? I'm the one who has it worse! You know how your mother treats me." Hearing Li Shangyun's words, Chen Yuanwen lamented Chen Shuxia's strictness toward him as well.

"Good brothers in misery!"

Li Shangyun and Chen Yuanwen blurted out simultaneously.

"You two, what are you whispering about over there? Why aren't you going to help arrange where the luggage goes?" Seeing the two of them bonding over their shared plight, Chen Shuxia sharply reprimanded them.

"Yes, Mother!"

Li Shangyun and Chen Yuanwen obediently scurried off to tend to the arrangements.