Chapter 209: Father and Son

City of Radiance.

City Lord's Mansion.

"City Lord, we received a letter from a mysterious person. It appears to be addressed to you." A guard rushed in and bowed as he spoke.

Ye Zong probed the letter with his Soul Power, confirmed there was nothing amiss inside, then opened it. Clear handwriting met his eyes, and a cold light suddenly flashed through Ye Zong's gaze — because the handwriting belonged to Ye Han.

"Father, after I left the City of Radiance that day, I thought long and sleepless thoughts. In truth, from the moment I returned to the City of Radiance, I knew I could never obtain the position of City Lord. During my training, my master put his life on the line to protect me, and his fate remains unknown. He was the only elder in the Wind Snow Family willing to support me. Without his protection, even if you wished to pass the City Lord's seat to me, it would be no use. I refused to accept it! Though my foster father has treated me well, I had no other choice. To have Ziyun, I would not hesitate to destroy the entire City of Radiance. Because the moment you brought me to the City Lord's Mansion and I laid eyes on her, I knew — in this life, she would be my wife!"

"Though I failed, after arriving at the Dark Guild, I discovered an entirely new world — the Nether Realm. The most powerful force here is not the Dark Guild. The Dark Guild's Demon Lord is nothing more than so-so. Many great families here possess Demigod-level powerhouses."

"Does my foster father know what a Demigod is? They are Legendary-peak powerhouses who command the infinite power of Laws — existences second only to gods."

"I have earned the esteem of the Sorcerer Ghost Family. The Sorcerer Ghost Family has expressed great interest in the City of Radiance. If my foster father is willing to bring the entire City of Radiance to surrender, he will surely become the Sorcerer Ghost Family's foremost figure beneath the Family Head. What is a trivial City of Radiance? Why cling to it? Perhaps my foster father himself will even step into the Demigod realm! If my foster father refuses, then the Sorcerer Ghost Family's powerhouses will descend upon the City of Radiance, and not a blade of grass will survive. I urge my foster father to consider carefully."

Reading this letter, Ye Zong slammed his palm down on the table, veins bulging along his arm. His eyes burned blood-red.

To be betrayed by someone you had held in high regard and trusted — the taste was almost unbearable. It was like a knife being gouged cruelly into one's heart. He had treated Ye Han as his own flesh and blood, yet never expected him to be so cold-blooded. With Ye Zong's intelligence, how could he fail to see that the Sorcerer Ghost Family had most likely been lured here by Ye Han himself?

Ye Han was more vicious than the Dark Guild, which had sought to monopolize the City of Radiance!

Thinking of the crisis now looming over the City of Radiance, Ye Zong's heart ached as though twisted by a knife. This was all because he had misjudged a man. He had believed Ye Han merely to be calculating and deep. He never imagined the boy harbored a traitor's heart and had betrayed the City of Radiance.

He had no idea where that kid Nie Li had gone. Ye Zong suddenly realized that ever since Nie Li had left, there was no longer a single person he could consult on strategy. When Nie Li was around, Ye Zong had practically wanted to beat the brat senseless — but after Nie Li had been gone for a while, Ye Zong found himself missing the boy more than he would have thought.

As City Lord, even the closest of his retainers, like Ye Xiu, treated him with utmost deference. There was always a certain distance. Only Nie Li never gave a fig for his status as City Lord. The boy was always defying him, yet paradoxically, it made him feel a certain warmth.

"Ye Zong." A deep, commanding voice rang out.

Hearing that authoritative tone, Ye Zong's eyes lit up. He looked up at the towering figure standing at the entrance of the great hall — aged, yet still magnificent — and hurried over with delight.

"Father, you've returned?" Ye Zong bowed respectfully. He had been at his wit's end, and Ye Mo's arrival gave him a pillar to lean on.

"Mm. I came back together with my granddaughter's husband." Ye Mo nodded.

Granddaughter's husband? Which granddaughter's husband? A strange expression crossed Ye Zong's face. Then he saw someone step out from behind Ye Mo and smile at him. "Father-in-law, it's been a while." Nie Li stretched his limbs. The air of the City of Radiance was so much better than that cursed Nether Realm — it was enough to make one drunk with pleasure.

The moment he saw Nie Li, Ye Zong's face immediately darkened. He said in a low voice, "You brat — what exactly did you say to my father?"

Ye Zong's expression might have been enough to frighten anyone else, but it didn't faze Nie Li in the slightest. Nie Li shrugged. "Everything."

Ye Zong could practically picture how Nie Li must have spun his silver tongue in front of Ye Mo. For all he knew, even Ye Mo had been charmed by the boy. Ye Zong straightened his expression, about to scold Nie Li.

Then Ye Mo let out a cold snort beside him and spoke in a deep voice: "Ye Zong, only when a family is at peace can all things prosper. Going around with a long face toward your own family — what kind of behavior is that?" Ye Mo's commanding aura made Ye Zong's heart tremble slightly.

After all, the person Ye Zong had feared most since childhood was Ye Mo. Even after becoming a Legendary powerhouse himself, that bone-deep reverence could never be changed.

"Yes, Father." Ye Zong didn't dare talk back to Ye Mo. He quickly assented and stood respectfully to the side.