Published: February 12, 2025
At this moment, Cloud Summit had changed somewhat since Ye Zhongming's departure.
The most noticeable change was that the defense array had been shut down. The King of Cloud Summit noticed this as soon as he returned. However, he said nothing.
Apart from that, most places remained unchanged, especially the familiar faces that made Ye Zhongming feel incredibly warm and relieved. Perhaps the shutdown of the defense array was only temporary, just for maintenance or upgrades.
The cheers of the Cloud Summit warriors spread from a localized area to the entire villa; if one wasn't deaf, they would definitely be able to hear it even from the deepest parts of the underground laboratory.
Ye Zhongming jumped down from the earth yellow pill and was the first to walk through the main gate of the villa.
Standing in front of him was Xia Lei, accompanied by a group of core members, her eyes shimmering with warmth. She first assessed her man and then stepped forward to give him a fierce embrace.
“Your days of guarding a lonely post are over from today.”
A barely audible whisper reached Ye Zhongming's ears, causing him to feel both amused and helpless.
Following Xia Lei, Liang Chuyin and Miya also came in for a warm hug, expressing their longing.
Then came the playful Little Tiger and others, all wanting to give Ye Zhongming a hug, even the usually serious Guangyao joined in, which made Ye Zhongming feel both happy and helpless.
After everyone had their fun, more commotion ensued when Le Da Yuan arrived.
Ye Zhongming was surrounded by people, and as he looked around, he felt a hint of confusion but said nothing. After a while, when the excitement of meeting calmed down, he and the core members returned to his villa.
The leadership of Cloud Summit gathered here, except for those who were not home.
“Where's Sister Hong?”
As soon as everyone settled down, Ye Zhongming raised the question that was on everyone's mind.
Some core members were indeed absent, but this should not have included Liu Zhenghong and Le Da Yuan! Unless permitted by Ye Zhongming, the two would not be allowed to leave the villa freely. Usually, if one of them went out, Ye Zhongming would personally accompany them along with a main battle team and a red dress guard. If Ye Zhongming was busy, at least two main battle teams and two avoidance squads would be sent for their safety, along with a strong core member.
But now, although some core members were absent, the strongest among them like Xia Lei, Liang Chuyin, Mo Ye, Little Tiger, Guangyao, and Shengyuan were all present. So who was protecting Sister Hong's safety?
Ye Zhongming was sure that Liu Zhenghong had gone out; otherwise, she would definitely have appeared.
The King of Cloud Summit was serious because Le Da Yuan and Liu Zhenghong could almost be considered the foundation of this place besides him.
Xia Lei sighed, “Sister Hong is indeed not here, but don’t worry, she’s fine… should be fine.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhongming's worried heart eased a little; he knew Xia Lei was very reliable. If she said everything was fine, it likely was. However, the addition of “should be fine” made Ye Zhongming’s expression darken instantly.
“Let me explain.”
Le Da Yuan took over the conversation, rubbing his hairline that was receding even after becoming an eight-star evolver. He said, “Old Liu went out with the Yama Tree.”
“The Yama Tree has awakened?” Ye Zhongming raised his eyebrows.
“Yes.” Le Da Yuan nodded affirmatively. “It successfully evolved to the ninth level.”
Ye Zhongming pressed his fingers against the chair but said nothing.
He was well aware of the current situation in Cloud Summit. The awakening of the Yama Tree evidently did not bring about any surprises; Cloud Summit was safe and sound, and that life form, which yearned to become human, did not resort to extreme measures despite its power reaching the top tier.
Of course, Ye Zhongming had anticipated this situation when he left and had discussed many strategies with Liu Zhenghong and Xia Lei, though he wasn't sure if they had been applied.