"Stop."
Just then, an angry roar came from afar.
Zhou Hong had already noticed that a group of powerful individuals were arriving. Without even guessing, he knew they must be other elders of the Tianlong Gate, and perhaps the sect leader.
"Sect Leader, save me." The three elders who Zhou Hong had controlled immediately cried out for mercy.
Zhou Hong chuckled. With a thought, the arriving group suddenly began to float as well.
"What's going on?" The arriving group, finding their limbs uncontrollable and themselves floating, all changed color.
"You've come at the perfect time. Accompany the Qiao family to their doom," Zhou Hong said, too lazy to waste more words.
"Who exactly are you?" the Sect Leader of the Tianlong Gate asked fearfully.
"You'll know when you get to hell."
With that, Zhou Hong's thoughts moved, and in an instant, everyone was turned into fragments, scattering with the wind.
Of course, it wasn't just the group before him. The entire Tianlong Gate, in that single moment, turned to ash.
Out of mercy, Zhou Hong did not let them feel any pain. Being turned to ash instantly could be considered his act of kindness.
Yet, in his heart, Zhou Hong still felt no satisfaction. Even killing the people of the Tianlong Gate ten thousand times over would not suffice to make up for the destruction of the Qiao family.
But the Qiao family was already gone. What use was an unfulfilled desire for revenge?
"Sigh!" Zhou Hong could only sigh helplessly and left the subsidiary world, returning to Earth.
Upon returning to Earth, Zhou Hong's powers were not as immense. Only within the subsidiary world could he be like a god, omnipotent.
"Zhou Hong." As Zhou Hong returned to Earth, he received a phone call. It was none other than his father, Qiao Zhenhua, who was in possession of this body. Qiao Zhenhua was considered fortunate; when the Qiao family was annihilated, his family happened to be away. Otherwise, they would surely have died.
"Dad, are you alright?" Zhou Hong asked quickly.
"I'm fine. On the day the family was destroyed, your mother, Ying'er, and I were out. Afterwards, upon learning of the family's demise, we immediately found a secluded place to hide. It was only until now, after seeing you on the news, that we dared to use our phones to contact you."
"It's good that you're all alright." Zhou Hong smiled. The annihilation of the entire Qiao family, with only the parents and sister of this body surviving, was the only solace.
"Zhou Hong, the news on TV just now said you might be... that reclusive master, is it true?" Qiao Zhenhua couldn't help but ask on the phone.
"Heh, the news is already out? Yes, that reclusive master is me."
Upon Zhou Hong's confirmation, Qiao Zhenhua found it hard to believe.
"I have a mastery of disguise. I just wanted to keep a low profile before, so I disguised myself casually," Zhou Hong explained, guessing that Qiao Zhenhua might ask this, and decided to preempt it.
"My heavens."
"Alright, stop being shocked. Where are you? The family home is now in ruins, and I don't know where to go," Zhou Hong said helplessly.
"Don't worry, your mother still has a very large villa. Outsiders have no idea about it. I'll send you the address, come over quickly. We're here now."
Zhou Hong was slightly taken aback, not expecting Liang Hongqin to own a private villa. But it was understandable. Liang Hongqin was responsible for managing the Qiao family's company, so she naturally wouldn't be short of money. Buying her own private villa was quite normal.
"Alright, I'll be right there."
Qiao Zhenhua immediately sent the villa's location via WeChat. Outsiders had no knowledge of whose villa this was. Since the Qiao family was annihilated, they had been hiding there and had not stepped out.
Soon, Zhou Hong arrived at the villa and saw Qiao Zhenhua, Liang Hongqin, and Qiao Ying'er at a glance.
"Zhou Hong." Liang Hongqin, crying, threw herself onto Zhou Hong.
"It's alright, Mom. You're safe now. You've survived great calamity, and there will be great fortune to follow," Zhou Hong said, patting Liang Hongqin's shoulder to comfort her. This good fortune would undoubtedly be brought by Zhou Hong.
"Zhou Hong, we thought you had also been killed by them."
Zhou Hong sneered dismissively, "With their capabilities?"
"Who are they? Will they come again?" Qiao Ying'er asked anxiously. The past two months hiding here had been worse than any COVID quarantine.
"They won't have the chance to come again," Zhou Hong said with a smile.
"What do you mean? You know who destroyed the Qiao family?" Qiao Zhenhua and the other two looked at Zhou Hong in confusion.
"Of course I know. It was the Tianlong Gate from the Kunlun Sub-Realm. Previously, the Changfeng family had someone named Changfeng Tianhe, who was a disciple of the Tianlong Gate. Three elders of the Tianlong Gate seemed to value this Changfeng Tianhe highly. Seeing that he was dispirited, they destroyed the Qiao family to cheer him up."
"How do you know such details?" Qiao Ying'er asked with a look of bewilderment.
"Because I've already been to the Tianlong Gate."
"How is that possible? Didn't you just appear less than an hour ago? The Tianlong Gate is in the Kunlun Sub-Realm. Even if you went, it wouldn't be a short trip, would it?"
"Heh, that's for others. For me, it takes just a thought to enter the Kunlun Sub-Realm."
"Zhou Hong, please, stop being so mysterious," Liang Hongqin pleaded.
"Very well. Today, I will be honest with you. The reason I disappeared for the past three months was because I went to the Kunlun Sub-Realm. Then, I learned that the Kunlun Sub-Realm was a subsidiary world refined by my grandfather in my previous life. And my grandfather and I are of the same lineage, so I inherited the subsidiary world. Now, I only need a thought to shrink the subsidiary world into my body, as if I were carrying it with me."
"Zhou Hong, you're not joking with us, are you?" Qiao Zhenhua and the other two clearly didn't believe him. But it was normal; anyone with a sane mind hearing about a previous life and grandfather would find it unbelievable, unless they were mentally unwell.
"Heh, I knew you wouldn't believe me. But it doesn't matter. I'll take you to the Kunlun Sub-Realm, and you'll understand."
With that said, Zhou Hong instantly brought Qiao Zhenhua, Liang Hongqin, and Qiao Ying'er into the subsidiary world.
Then, Zhou Hong took them on a tour of the subsidiary world. After witnessing Zhou Hong's god-like abilities within the subsidiary world, they had no choice but to believe.
"Well? Do you believe me now?" An hour later, Zhou Hong and the others returned to the villa.
"My goodness, so people really do have past lives," Qiao Zhenhua said in shock.
"Heh, of course. It's just that humans on Earth are like ants on the ground, how could they know so much? By the way, my grandfather in my previous life was an Immortal King in the Immortal Realm."
"Wow!" Qiao Zhenhua and the other two were utterly astonished, as if their entire worldview had been shattered.