Extra: Jiang Fangzhou (Part 1)

After Ye Bufan and the others ascended, Jiang Fangzhou chose to remain on Earth alone, but he had no regrets; instead, he was incredibly happy.

He grew up on the Kunlun Continent and was the eldest son of the Jiang Family, bearing the hopes of the entire Family, always living a tiring life.

But now that he was on Earth, he experienced a completely different life, especially when he and Ouyang Jing met and instantly fell in love, both sinking into the river of love.

The incredibly rich material life, coupled with interesting entertainment and the nourishment of love, made him as happy as an immortal; everything about Ascension and Cultivation was cast aside.

It was precisely because of this that he continuously suppressed his cultivation, preventing the Heavenly Dao from sensing it, living a shamelessly happy life on Earth.

Although Earth was good, it was ultimately not his roots, and enjoying himself so much that he forgot to return could not last too long; moreover, the relationship between the two still needed to be recognized by the Family.

After some time passed, Jiang Fangzhou took Ouyang Jing to the Kunlun Continent, partly for sightseeing and partly to go back and meet his parents, after which they would prepare for their wedding.

Returning to the Kunlun Continent through the passage, he did not rush home but instead took Ouyang Jing to visit all five states, checking off each place where he and Ye Bufan had once fought together.

His current strength was at the Peak of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, which could almost sweep this realm, so he did not need to worry about any danger.

Ouyang Jing, coming to this unfamiliar world for the first time, was also quite fascinated by the pristine scenery and had an extremely enjoyable time.

At this time, a robot rebellion broke out on Earth, but they were completely unaware of it; the two traveled for a full half-year before heading to Tianqiong State.

"Xiao Jing, my home is just ahead."

Standing on a mountain Peak, gazing into the distance, Jiang Fangzhou's heart swelled with emotion.

It was his first return after so many years away from home, and he felt a melancholic shyness as he approached his hometown.

Just as he finished sighing, his expression suddenly changed, and he pulled Ouyang Jing, speeding away into the distance.

The Jiang Family lived in a small city called Ping'an, with a population of about a million.

Jiang Chengzhu, Jiang Fangzhou's father, was a man with a strong sense of Family. From a young age, he greatly valued Jiang Fangzhou, his eldest son, and it was precisely for this reason that he spent his entire fortune, selling off all his previous assets, just to allow his son to achieve something on the path of Cultivation.

Fortunately, his efforts paid off; after Jiang Fangzhou met Ye Bufan, his benefactor, he rose steadily, reaching a height beyond his expectations.

After the Talent Demon Competition, Jiang Fangzhou entrusted someone to bring back ten thousand Spirit Stones, which was not much for a powerful Cultivator, but for a small county town, it was an enormous fortune.

His son had finally made something of himself, and Jiang Chengzhu was overjoyed. He used the money to buy back the ancestral home that had been sold before, and the Family lived very comfortably.

This was secondary; in the entire Kunlun Continent, strength was revered, and upon learning that the Jiang Family had produced a Dragon, the entire Ping'an City looked at their Family with new respect.

From then on, wherever Jiang Chengzhu went, he was the center of attention, treated almost like the City Lord.

Moreover, the Jiang Family, which had previously been deserted, became extraordinarily lively, with countless people visiting daily to give gifts, invite them to meals—in short, showering them with all sorts of flattery.

Jiang Chengzhu was at most a wealthy household before, not a large Family, and he didn't have much experience dealing with such matters. Unable to refuse their enthusiastic hospitality, he accepted them one by one.

However, things are unpredictable, and circumstances suddenly changed. After a long time, Jiang Fangzhou did not return, and even news of him became scarcer and scarcer until he disappeared from the Kunlun Continent. Many people rumored that the Jiang Family's eldest son had died.

Those people flattered the Jiang Family because they valued Jiang Fangzhou's strength and his future, but now that the person was gone, the situation immediately became completely different.

Initially, those who received the news were still skeptical, but after a few more years, Jiang Fangzhou still did not return, nor were there any letters or Spirit Stones sent back. The Jiang Family then reverted to its previous desolate state, with no more guests visiting.

If it were just that, it would be fine, but after a while longer, some people even started coming to mock them, and some began to demand back the money and goods they had given before.

As a result, even Jiang Chengzhu began to suspect that his son had truly died, feeling both sorrowful and helpless.

Without his son as the backbone, how could he resist those wealthy and powerful people? He could only give whatever they asked for and listen to whatever they said. In a few years, the vast Family fortune was almost completely depleted.

"Dad, when do you think my brother will come back?"

The speaker was Jiang Chengzhu's eldest daughter, Jiang Jinlan; she was a little girl when Jiang Fangzhou left, but now she was a graceful young woman.

"This… who can know?"

Jiang Chengzhu sighed. As time passed, he too began to believe the rumors somewhat.

After all, Cultivation inherently involves struggling against Heaven and competing with others, a life of danger, and falling is a common occurrence.

"Old Man Jiang, get out!"

The father and daughter were talking in the room when the courtyard gate was kicked open. A tall Young man, with his chin raised arrogantly, stood in the courtyard, followed by seven or eight servants.

Upon seeing that person, Jiang Chengzhu's heart sank. This was Zhang Yao, the Young Master of the Zhang Family, the largest Family in Ping'an City. He was a notorious Da Shao within a thousand-mile radius, usually arrogant and domineering, running rampant.

When Jiang Fangzhou first sent back news, the Zhang Family was also very polite to him, even the Zhang Family's Sect Master addressed him as a brother, but now it was completely different.

The Jiang Family was increasingly declining, while the Zhang Family was the exact opposite. It was rumored that their eldest daughter, Zhang Yuting, not only joined the Tianjia Sect but also married the Sect Master's son.

The Tianjia Sect was just a small Sect before, but in recent years, it had somehow gotten incredibly lucky, and its strength had improved dramatically. It was rumored that the Sect Master had become a Void Tempering Realm expert.

As a result, the entire Zhang Family's status also soared, and even the City Lord would politely defer to members of the Zhang Family.

Jiang Chengzhu had a bad premonition; Zhang Yao's visit was likely not for anything good.

But since they had come, he couldn't just hide in the room. Jiang Chengzhu could only sigh and walk out, followed by his wife and three daughters.

"Young Master Zhang, what brings you here?"

Jiang Chengzhu bowed, his face full of flattery. He had no choice; this evil Young Master was truly someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Zhang Yao stood in the courtyard, not even looking at him, his gaze sweeping over the three Jiang Jinlan girls, his eyes filled with greed.

This was understandable; although the three Jiang Family daughters were still young, they were all as beautiful as flowers, known as the 'Three Golden Flowers' of Ping'an City.

"Old Man Jiang, I'm here to collect a debt today."

Jiang Chengzhu frowned, then smiled broadly, "Young Master Zhang, are you joking with this Old Man? Our Jiang Family doesn't seem to have borrowed money from you, do we?"

"Who said collecting a debt must be about borrowed money?"

Zhang Yao pointed back at the two pairs of stone lions standing at the entrance, "These were personally sent by me two years ago. They are made of Heavenly Snow Jade, incredibly rare and valuable."

It turned out that when the Jiang Family was at its Peak, the Zhang Family also came to curry favor, and these stone lions were sent by Zhang Kaizong, the Zhang Family's Sect Master. At the time, unable to refuse the enthusiastic gesture, Jiang Chengzhu accepted them. He never expected the other party to demand them back now.

He quickly said, "These stone lions are completely intact, Young Master, please take them back."

"Is just taking them back enough?" Zhang Yao sneered, "Such fine jade lions have been in your home for two years; you must pay some interest. Is one thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones per year not excessive?"