Chapter 2981 — Who Broke Through?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Looks like the boss broke through after all..." The heart that Zhao Qilei had kept hanging finally settled. If Wei Zhao could break through, then he could count his mission as complete.
"It must be!" Old Master Han nodded. "A surge of true qi on this scale is the sign of breaking through a major rank barrier, not a minor one!"
Minor barriers could produce a similar flow of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy, but it was never this intense—only a breakthrough past a major barrier was this powerful.
And this ripple of true qi had been sensed not only by Wei Zhao's underlings but also by Yu Yi, who had been keeping watch nearby all along. Astonishment spread across Yu Yi's face.
Even when Zhao Qilei had come to Wei Zhao's place earlier, Yu Yi had not been this surprised. He knew Wei Zhao and Zhao Qilei ought to be enemies, and he had indeed wondered why Zhao Qilei had been let into Wei Zhao's villa and still had not come out—but that was puzzlement, not shock.
After all, what became of the Zhao family was none of his concern. The Yu family and the Zhao family had already fallen out, and the Yu family wanted nothing to do with Zhao family affairs. Whether Zhao Qilei had betrayed them or repented made no difference. His only task was to watch over Yu Shu and keep her from harm.
But this surge of true qi genuinely moved him. It was plainly the sign of someone breaking through a major rank barrier. So who in this villa had broken through? Who stood at the threshold of a major barrier?
After turning it over in his mind, the only plausible candidate Yu Yi could think of was Han Tianba. Old Master Han was a formidable expert at the peak of the late Earth rank, and he alone could conceivably break through. But how had he done it? A natural breakthrough?
Heaven-and-earth spiritual energy was exceedingly sparse in the natural world, and the Han family possessed no particularly advantageous resources. So how had he broken through?
Yu Yi could not work it out, though it was hardly bad news for him. As things stood, Wei Zhao's villa now held two Heaven-rank experts: Old Master Han and Old Master Pi.
If the enemy came again, with two Heaven-rank experts holding the line, even an emissary from an ancient sect would have to think twice. And if it came to the worst, there was still himself—a Heaven-rank expert of the hidden Yu family.
Even so, Yu Yi immediately reported to the Yu family's patriarch, Yu Tianxing, that someone in the villa had broken through.
"What? You're saying someone in Wei Zhao's villa broke through? Han Tianba of the hidden Han family?" The old master's tone was one of utter astonishment.
"That's right, Old Master. If I'm not mistaken, it should be Han Tianba. He's the only one in that villa who fits the conditions for a breakthrough," Yu Yi said with a nod.
"What happened in Wei Zhao's villa today?" Yu Tianxing did not take Yu Yi's judgment at face value; instead he countered with a question. The old master was a shrewd man—otherwise the hidden Yu family could never have attained its present standing.
"Today... that's right, Zhao Qilei came today, and he was even allowed into the villa!" Yu Yi answered.
"Zhao Qilei? Didn't he betray Wei Zhao? Isn't the hidden Zhao family Wei Zhao's enemy? What did he come for?" Yu Tianxing frowned. Zhao Qilei being driven off would have made sense, but being allowed inside the villa was strange indeed.
"That I don't know. I was too far away, and from that angle I couldn't see clearly what happened. All I know is that Zhao Qilei came," Yu Yi said.
"Zhao Qilei..." Yu Tianxing nodded. "Hmm... I'm afraid Zhao Qilei's betrayal of Wei Zhao is not so simple. Han Tianba... he shouldn't be able to break through. Wei Zhao is a remarkable man, but his home is no blessed ground for cultivation—how could a breakthrough happen there?"
"Then... what does the Old Master mean..." Yu Yi was briefly taken aback. If it was not Han Tianba who had broken through, then who?