Chapter 85: The Roar of Cloud and Thunder

At this moment, Ye Ming too was faced with a choice. If he acted now, all his years of effort would be for naught; his entire family would have to leave Taijing, a result he could not bear to see. Ye Ming even sensed the shadow of a Sage behind this affair—clearly, the Sage not only wanted him gone from Taijing, but from the whole of Greater Taijing.

Watching the golden-armored warrior draw his sword, Ye Ming turned to glance at his wife. Dongmen Meng's eyes were filled with unwavering resolve. At this point, there was only one path left...

Kill them all!

Ye Ming understood his wife's gaze and sighed softly. Even if this hadn’t happened today, it would have come sooner or later. This had nothing to do with the children—only that they now had to flee Taijing, and it would be hard on them.

Slowly, Ye Ming extended his right hand, palm poised as if grasping a sword.

In that instant, a surging power gathered between heaven and earth. The ground throughout Taixi County trembled ever so slightly, and clear skies rapidly filled with gathering stormclouds.

The golden-armored warriors halted mid-charge, terror etched beneath their helms, for they found themselves utterly immobilized, the pressure too immense to withstand!

Thunder boomed across the heavens, lightning crackled in tandem, and the world seemed to teeter on the brink of apocalypse.

Ye Kun and Ye Qin gazed at their father’s back, recalling the playful face he wore on ordinary days. Now, their father stood like a mountain before them, shielding them from wind and rain.

This was their father—a man who would give up everything for his family!

Ye Li, looking at Ye Ming’s silhouette, suddenly thought of his own father. His eyes grew misty. His father had always been stern, so different from this one; yet both were men willing to lay down their lives for their kin.

Yan Mu’er too found herself missing her father. According to her master, he had been a man of deep loyalty and feeling. Though she had never met him, she felt proud to have such a father.

Dongmen Meng gazed at the man before her with gentle eyes—willing to follow him even into the Yellow Springs.

Ye Ming’s expression remained calm. His eyes held no murderous intent, yet he seemed to stand supreme in all the world.

“I, Ye Ming, once wished for a peaceful life. Unfortunately, people like you would never let it be, not even after all these years! Since you choose death, then as Yama today, I shall grant it!”

Thunder crashed again and again.

A flash of white light flickered through the dark clouds. All eyes turned skyward as a beam of white brilliance pierced the heavens, descending with overwhelming force.

It landed squarely in Ye Ming’s palm.

Ye Yang, Yan Chengtian, and Dongfang Kua’s faces twisted with greed, their eyes fixed upon the sword in Ye Ming’s hand.

What kind of sword was this?

It had no blade, no hilt, no scabbard, yet its shape was unmistakably that of a sword, formed entirely of white mist, with arcs of lightning coiling across its surface.

Tong Ge stood stunned, whispering in disbelief, “Cloud Thunder Roar!”

Tong Ge had only ever heard of it in academy lectures. Throughout the Xuan Yue Continent, there were legendary divine swords of cataclysmic power. No one knew how many existed, but it was said that possessing even one was enough to stride unchallenged across the land. Never had there been word of such a sword in Taijing!

Yet the Cloud Thunder Roar in Ye Ming’s hand matched his teacher’s description perfectly—how could Tong Ge not be shocked? He suddenly realized why Yan Mu’er was so devoted to the bald man—she must have learned his secret!

Damn it!

Ye Kun and Ye Qin gaped in awe. Dad... was this not the ultimate display? That pose, that grandeur—it was incredible! They idolized their father all the more, knowing they had much to learn from him on the path of such bravado.

Ye Li, too, realized that both his own father and this one shared another trait: they relished the grand gesture. He couldn’t help but wonder what sparks would fly if the two ever met.

And that sword!

It surpassed anything he had ever known—could this be one of the legendary weapons his father had spoken of?

Clearly, the Xuan Yue Continent had already exceeded their understanding; the situation was truly thorny.

Ye Li was utterly awed by the Cloud Thunder Roar in Ye Ming’s hand—for not a single weapon he owned could compare in might.

“Ye Ming! Hand over the Cloud Thunder Roar! It is the Ye family’s ancestral treasure! You have no right to wield it!” Ye Yang barked, his covetous gaze barely concealed. With such a sword, he could rival even the Sages!

Dongfang Kua shook his head with a bitter smile. “No wonder it was never found—the sword can be hidden in the very sky!”

“Ye Ming! Surrender the Cloud Thunder Roar and your life will be spared!” Yan Chengtian shouted harshly. From the day he plotted to use his own daughter, it was clear in his heart that the sword outweighed any filial bond.

Ye Ming turned to Ye Yang and spoke quietly, “Ye Yang, you call this the Ye family’s? But I won it with my own life! You brothers wish to take it for yourselves—and as for you two, I truly worry for your intelligence! If I wished, I could take the Sage’s head as easily as yours... what a colossal joke!”

“Ye Ming! Once again you insult the Sage! Today, nothing you say will clear your name!” Yan Chengtian growled, his confidence wavering.

Ye Ming raised the Cloud Thunder Roar before him, his voice cool: “Since the day I obtained this sword, this is only my second time using it. If I could, I’d rather never draw it at all. Today, I want you to understand one thing—whatever I, Ye Ming, set my mind to, no one can stop me! Not even the heavens!”

The Cloud Thunder Roar in his hand seemed to sense its master’s fury, growing ever more tempestuous. Sword energy surged, light flared, and the very air of Taixi County thickened with the scent of death.

Should Ye Ming truly unleash the sword’s power, not a soul in Taixi County would survive.

Ye Li swallowed hard. So this was a legendary weapon—its mere presence was terrifying enough. If it were truly unleashed...

Yet Ye Yang’s face showed no fear, only unbridled greed, especially at the sight of the divine sword revealed.

“Ye Ming! Whether you surrender it or not, today you will hand it over!”

Ye Ming replied quietly, “Brother, I saved you back then, not to kill you now.”

“Don’t pretend at mercy! I can’t stand that sanctimonious face of yours! All talk of virtue, yet you never used the divine sword. Does the Ye family’s glory mean anything to you?”

Ye Ming offered no further explanation, only murmured, “Each man has his own path.”

“To hell with that! The sight of your face makes me sick!” Ye Yang drew his sword, its ringing cry echoing in everyone’s ears.

“Void Shield!”

But just as Ye Yang was about to strike, a voice rang out. Before Ye Ming, a massive, transparent shield materialized, the aura it exuded proof of extraordinary mastery of the Dao.

Ye Ming furrowed his brow slightly. To invoke such a formidable spell without incantation, with such ease—there was only one person in all Taijing capable of this.