Meng Hao looked at all the members of the Fang Clan and introduced himself in an unprecedented fas.h.i.+on. The response to his words was complete and utter silence.

All the clan members looked at Meng Hao, at his unfamiliar face, and the Fang Clan gate behind him. The 30,000-meter beam of light from moments ago had faded away.

Meng Hao was a name they weren’t familiar with, but when it came to Fang Xiufeng, that was a name that had once been the most glorious name in all the Fang Clan, and a name that would never be forgotten. Fang Xiufeng was the eldest son of the direct bloodline, and the number one Chosen of his generation. He had swept easily across all the other clan members of the other bloodlines, and had also suppressed the Chosen of various other sects in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

During that time, Fang Xiufeng was so mighty that he was like a blazing sun in the sky and all others in his generation were like ordinary stars that served only to illuminate him in his splendor.

Furthermore, he ended up marrying an exceptional daughter of the Meng Clan. People came from the Eighth Mountain to attend their cultivator bonding ceremony, turning it into a grand occasion that people from both of those great Mountains and Seas still discussed.

Then Meng Hao was born, which pushed Fang Xiufeng and Meng Li to the peak of fame.

But then, in much the same way that luxury often fades to poverty, everything had changed in the blink of an eye. To the surprise and disbelief of many, Fang Xiufeng’s father disappeared, and then Fang Xiufeng… went to Planet South Heaven to guard it for 100,000 years….

And all of this was for his son, Fang Hao!

He was a boy with a strong bloodline, who had experienced Nirvanic Rebirth at the age of seven. He had a Heaven-defying bloodline, but had been born crippled. During those years, there were many people who believed that Fang Hao was holding his mother and father back.

But now, Meng Hao had returned!

Or perhaps you could say, Fang Hao had returned!

The return of this one individual had prompted the entire clan to emerge to receive him. When he left with his parents, it shook all of Planet East Victory. Then he returned, and similarly shook the entire planet once again.

That was because his return was marked with a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, which immediately vanquished the number one Chosen of the Fang Clan, Fang Wei. His actions swept across all clan members, and made him the focus of all eyes.

After a moment of silence, the clan members erupted into conversation.

“Meng Hao…. He’s Fang Hao! The eldest grandson of the direct bloodline!”

“Heavens! It’s actually him! He’s returned! He’s the kid from years ago who had the strong bloodline and underwent Nirvanic Rebirth at the age of seven! He’s… back!”

When Meng Hao spoke the names of his parents, the direct bloodline clan members in the crowd began to tremble with excitement. 19th Uncle strode forward, staring at Meng Hao. During the past year, he had been wallowing in guilt and self-blame for letting his older cousin down, to the point where he had almost drowned in the negativity. Now that he saw Meng Hao safely returned, and also surging with incredible power, the joy he felt was virtually impossible to even describe.

Laughter rang out as Grand Elder Fang Tongtian walked forward. He looked at Meng Hao and then smiled kindly.

“As long as you’re back, that’s what’s important. It doesn’t matter if your name is Meng Hao or Fang Hao, you are still a member of the Fang Clan, and the eldest grandson of the clan’s direct bloodline!

“I held you in my arms when you were a little kid, you know.” Fang Tongtian laughed heartily, and the kindness on his face was readily apparent. The more he looked at Meng Hao, the happier he seemed.

Behind him were other elder members of the clan, all of whom wore happy smiles on their faces as they approached Meng Hao.

“What a good kid! You must have suffered many hards.h.i.+ps through the years.”

“As long as you’re back, that’s what’s important. Now that you’ve returned to the clan, your future prospects are limitless.”

“Today is a day for great rejoicing! Wonderful! Simply wonderful!”

All the members of the Fang Clan were crying out in joy. In the cultivation world, when it comes to clans and sects, bloodlines and family, while they may be complicated, they are sometimes very simple.

Meng Hao’s return was the subject of great happiness for countless individuals. The previously taciturn middle-aged man was laughing out loud. He stepped forward, looked Meng Hao over, and then sighed deeply.

“Hao’er, I’m your 2nd Uncle. Years ago, your father and I fought in battles together, grew up together, and practiced cultivation together. In fact, you and Wei’er were born only an hour apart. You were virtually born together.

“The most important thing is that you’re back. You’re a member of the Fang Clan, and within our clan, you are definitely Chosen!”

More people crowded around Meng Hao, especially the direct bloodline clan members. They were more excited than anyone else. Meng Hao’s return was a source of incredible inspiration and encouragement. Furthermore, the appearance of the 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam finally gave them hope for their own bloodline.

“Hao’er,” said the Grand Elder, “come. Come here to me, and we can return home together.” The praise and geniality in his eyes were clear.

19th uncle approached and began to introduce everyone to Meng Hao. “Hao’er, this is the Grand Elder. The Patriarchs are all in secluded meditation. Fortunately, the Grand Elder is here to handle clan affairs.”

Meng Hao quickly clasped hands and bowed.

“Junior offers greetings, Grand Elder.”

The Grand Elder laughed; he seemed to be growing fonder of Meng Hao by the minute.

“However, I can’t return to the clan at the moment,” said Meng Hao, sounding a bit embarra.s.sed. In response to his words, everyone stared in shock.

“A few moments ago, somebody stole some of my spirit stones,” Meng Hao continued, sighing. His gaze swept across the group of Outer Sect cultivators who had been guarding East Heaven Gate, lingering for a moment on the cultivator with the black birthmark. In response, a tremor ran through the man, and then he pa.s.sed out from fear.

“How much was stolen?” asked the young man standing next to 19th Uncle, looking excitedly at Meng Hao.

“A million,” Meng Hao replied indignantly.

“Alright, well I’ll take care of it.” The young man licked his lips. “Oh, my name is Fang Xi.” This young man was also a direct bloodline descendant, and was Meng Hao’s younger cousin. [1. Fang Xi’s name in Chinese is 方西 fāng xī. Xi means ‘west’]

The rest of the Fang Clan members started to laugh out loud. The scene that was playing out in front of them was almost like a comedy. Clearly, someone had offended Meng Hao earlier, before they had known who he was. The Fang Clan members viewed the honor of the clan as an important thing, and wouldn’t tolerate that honor being trampled, not even by Outer Clan cultivators who weren’t aware of Meng Hao’s ident.i.ty. Those cultivators had unwittingly committed a grave mistake, and would have to be punished.

Immediately, clan members sprang into action, lining up the ashen-faced guard cultivators and taking them away.

As the cultivator with the black birthmark was taken away, he howled miserably. In his regret, tears streamed down his face.

The Grand Elder shook his head and laughed, then clasped Meng Hao’s hand and led him into the Fang Clan’s gate. The other Fang Clan members followed behind. Light from the gate shot high into the air, and rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions.

Feng Xun stared in shock. As Meng Hao walked off, he turned back and nodded benevolently. Although Meng Hao said nothing, Feng Xun was very moved.

Gradually, all of the Fang Clan members returned to Planet East Victory. A new set of cultivators was brought to stand guard outside the gate. These new cultivators trembled nervously; they knew what fate was in store for the previous guards, and held deep respect and fear for Meng Hao.

Now, they treated the crowds lined up outside the gate with incredible courtesy as they let them through.

**

Back in the Fang Clan, clan members from various bloodlines returned from afar and gathered together in the ancestral mansion for a grand welcoming ceremony.

Compared to the gathering that had been prepared one year before, it was exponentially grander. After all, the previous gathering had been more for show. This time… many people came back of their own volition. They wanted to see for themselves exactly what Meng Hao looked like, this clan member who had a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam.

Roughly half of Planet East Victory was under the Fang Clan’s jurisdiction and was occupied by various auxiliary bloodlines. On this planet, there was no Imperial dynasty, only the Fang Clan.

Regardless of whether it was their mortal cities, or their cultivators, the Fang Clan… was so large and powerful that they eclipsed everyone else. Furthermore, the Church of the Blood Orchid and the Church of the Puppet G.o.d both had deep connections to the Fang Clan.

Of course, the Medicine Immortal Sect was independent, since it had been founded by a Patriarch of the Fang Clan who was still alive, creating a unique relations.h.i.+p.

The Fang Clan ancestral mansion was essentially a huge city, and served as the capital city of the Fang Clan. It was situated next to an ocean, and was the location where the innumerable bloodlines of the Fang Clan would come to gather. It was filled with extravagantly decorated palatial buildings and numerous paG.o.das that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

In the past, only the direct bloodline had occupied the ancestral mansion, but in recent years… as the direct bloodline declined, some areas had been occupied by an auxiliary bloodline. Now, the direct bloodline only controlled about half of the entire ancestral mansion. In fact, signs pointed to that auxiliary bloodline eventually coming to be considered the main branch.

The welcoming ceremony for Meng Hao’s return was an affair attended by tens of thousands of clan members, who were now gathered in the central square in the middle of the ancestral mansion. To Meng Hao, it looked vaguely similar to what he had seen in the illusory Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

The ground was paved with green stone slabs, and numerous spell formations could be seen, which emanated incredible pressure. To Meng Hao, it almost felt as if an enormous ocean were covering everything and weighing it down.

The buildings he saw in all directions were luxurious, and it was as if an enormous sect that could shake all of the Ninth Mountain and Sea had suddenly revealed a tiny portion of itself to Meng Hao.

Yet, all of it was really just the tip of the iceberg. There were further layers of power that Meng Hao couldn’t even sense with his cultivation base. All he knew was that it was impossible for him to even imagine how many Fang Clan members there were on Planet East Victory, and that wasn’t even mentioning the Outer Clans or other cultivators who had been specially bestowed with the surname Fang.

Altogether… it was a staggering number of cultivators.

Furthermore, the people who had appeared earlier outside of East Heaven Gate were only the most ill.u.s.trious members of their various bloodlines.

The Grand Elder presided over the welcoming ceremony, and introduced Meng Hao to many clan members. After sacrifices were made to the ancestors, he gave Meng Hao a command medallion and numerous other trifles. After that, he led Meng Hao to the Fang Temple in the ancestral mansion.

The temple was enormous, and from the outside, resembled some enormous beast sitting there cross-legged. Inside was a coliseum-like structure, with ten thousand seats arranged in concentric rings. At the moment, more than half of those seats were occupied by various elder members of the clan. All of them looked on with sparkling eyes, and had cultivation bases so profound that Meng Hao couldn’t a.s.sess them.

Grand Elder Fang Tongtian sat up in the front, his gaze as bright as fire as he looked at Meng Hao standing in the middle of the temple. There were many other clan members seated nearby, including his 2nd Uncle, as well as an old man covered with wrinkles, who gazed piercingly at Meng Hao as he measured him up. That old man… was Fang Wei’s paternal grandfather, the same old man within whom killing intent toward Meng Hao had flickered earlier.

There were other clan members seated in the area. Most of them were young, and among their number, Meng Hao caught sight of Fang Donghan, who looked at him and smiled. [2. Back on Planet South Heaven, Fang Donghan was the first person to guess that Meng Hao was Fang Hao, which was in chapter 822. He helped him escape the ambush in chapter 824, and also made an interesting comment about Fang Hao in chapter 826]

Meng Hao also saw Fang Xiangshan. When she saw him looking at her, she trembled and lowered her head. She obviously still remembered everything that had happened on Planet South Heaven [3. Fang Xiangshan was the girl he was chasing when his parents and the people from the other clans showed up. Those events began in chapter 831 and went on for a few chapters after that]

Many Chosen from the Fang Clan were there, including a young man in a white robe, with skin as smooth as jade. He was the young man who had been practicing cultivation earlier in the Immortal’s cave deep under the ancestral mansion. Currently, he sat in a seat, surrounded by a group of over a hundred cultivators roughly his age.

One of the young cultivators near him was Fang Yunyi! [4. Fang Yunyi was beaten up by Meng Hao for not addressing him properly in chapter 832]

Fang Yunyi gave Meng Hao a venomous stare, then leaned over and whispered something into the ear of the young man in the white robe.

Actually, that young man had no need for the entourage. Comparing their energy to his was like comparing the darkness of night to a raging fire. He seemed like a wolf in the middle of a flock of sheep, and was someone anyone would recognize at a single glance.

This was the previous number one Chosen in the Fang Clan, Prince Wei… Fang Wei!