The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Though Jin Tianlu was often unreliable in day-to-day matters, in key moments, he truly came through.

He had stubbornly forced his way through the sea of people and powerful figures surrounding the Trial Tower, personally escorting Fang Hao back to his residence. In doing so, he had done Fang Hao a massive favor.

Once the door was closed and Fang Hao was placed on the bed, Jin Tianlu exhaled deeply, took a sip of water, and grumbled angrily:

"Phew… Those bastards were ready to tear you apart. Good thing I was there."

He headed for the table, but the moment he sat down, he jumped up again.

"Damn it! Who took my underwear?!"

There'd been too many people crowding around them from the tower all the way home. They had been enveloped in a crush of humanity every step of the way.

Hearing that, Fang Hao wanted to laugh—but lacked even the strength. Every muscle in his body still throbbed with tearing pain. His mind was hazy, his spirit and flesh both utterly exhausted.

Jin Tianlu understood his condition. After muttering and cursing a bit more, he finally said:

"Alright, you rest. I'll come back in a few days."

Even with the old guardian of the tower helping, and with Jin's supply of healing elixirs, Fang Hao had pushed himself far too hard.

It would take at least a few days before he could speak normally again. Walking would take even longer. Full recovery would take a long time—unless he had access to supreme-grade medicinal pills or divine herbs.

Not long after Jin Tianlu left, Fang Hao drifted off—or more accurately, lost consciousness.

While he slept deeply and peacefully, Zhen Tian City, and even the entire Mingyue Immortal Dynasty, was in complete upheaval.

News of someone reaching the ninety-ninth floor of the Trial Tower spread across the dynasty's cities—within just one hour.

"Is this for real? Didn't they say no one's reached the ninety-ninth floor in hundreds of thousands—maybe even a million—years?"

"Well, now someone has."

"I heard he came from some border town—no background, no family."

"Heavens! That's a true heaven-defying genius!"

"Every major faction will be desperate to recruit him now."

"You should've seen the scene! The Trial Tower was surrounded by layer after layer of people. Even some reclusive big names came in person."

"They say anyone who reaches the ninety-ninth floor not only gets rewards from the Immortal Dynasty, but also a guaranteed slot in the Ancient Battlefield."

This event was so monumental that even remote border towns like Qilan City were abuzz within half a day.

In the streets and alleys, everyone was talking about it.

After all, Fang Hao had first appeared in Qilan City. It was considered his hometown.

When a place produces a great figure, the locals naturally want to talk about it with pride.

"What? That guy's from Qilan City?!"

"Didn't you know? I bet on him during the Hundred City Selection Tournament!"

"I always thought he was destined for greatness! Guess I was right!"

"Tsk tsk… Who would've thought a dragon like that could come from a little place like ours?"

"A dragon? He is a real dragon now!"

"I remember he used to come to the tavern a lot. If I'd known he was this powerful, I'd have struck up a conversation or two!"

At his home, Wu Yuqi had been frozen in shock for half an hour after hearing the news.

His emotions went through several waves—first disbelief, then embarrassment, and finally outright fear.

He remembered how he'd once tried to get Fang Hao to follow him.

Now, the thought made him want to find a hole to crawl into and die.

Even worse, he hadn't exactly treated Fang Hao kindly. Would Fang Hao hold a grudge?

Wu Yuqi grew more and more anxious.

He knew that someone like Fang Hao didn't even need to personally act against the Wu family. Just one sentence, and legions of people would eagerly destroy them to curry favor.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became.

In the end, he braced himself and went to see City Lord Liu.

After hearing his concerns, Liu chuckled.

"You don't need to worry about that. Fang Hao is a man of grand ambitions. He doesn't concern himself with petty grudges."

Liu spoke tactfully.

What he really thought was that someone like Fang Hao probably never even noticed Wu Yuqi to begin with.

There was no hatred—just utter indifference.

After receiving repeated reassurance, Wu Yuqi finally calmed down and left the city lord's manor.

Liu gazed in the direction of Zhen Tian City, filled with emotion.

"I thought I had already overestimated his potential… turns out, I still underestimated him."

He felt fortunate for how he'd treated Fang Hao in the past.

Even if Fang Hao forgot, if he remembered—that relationship might prove useful one day.

"Oh, right… there's one more thing."

Liu's thoughts turned to the Guan family, who had once been at serious odds with Fang Hao.

Unlike Wu Yuqi, whose conflict was superficial, the Guan family had done much worse.

They'd first stationed men outside Fang Hao's inn, trying to silently assassinate him.

Then they bribed Yin Dongkai and his companions to kill him inside a small world.

Those two incidents had completely burned their bridges. No one would forget something like that.

Now that Fang Hao was rising like the sun, just a single word from him could erase the entire Guan family.

Liu didn't dispatch anyone—he went in person.

But by the time he arrived, he was already too late.

The Guan family was gone.

To be precise—their key members had vanished. The side branches, servants, and lesser staff remained, completely unaware of what had happened.

"Well… they were fast," Liu muttered helplessly.

The moment the Guan family got wind of the news, the patriarch didn't say a word. He gathered the important members and assets and fled Qilan City immediately.

They didn't even have time to sell off properties or liquidate businesses.

He feared that if he delayed even a little, the entire Guan family would cease to exist.

At that moment, they were already millions of miles from Qilan City—and still didn't dare stop.

They didn't even risk using teleportation arrays, instead relying on flying ships and mounts to race along remote, obscure routes—traveling day and night.

As for where they were going? They had no idea.

They only knew one thing—get as far from the Mingyue Immortal Dynasty as possible.

In truth, it wasn't just the Guan family or the former Pill and Artifact Sect.

Every group that had once made an enemy of someone who later rose to power chose to flee immediately.

Why?

Because they assumed the other party would seek revenge.

If they themselves would retaliate, they believed others would too.