Several days of filming passed by, surprisingly smoothly. The progress had already reached a quarter of the way, and the entire production would likely be completed within a few months.
Today, a heavy rain made outdoor filming inconvenient, so Yang Xuejian gave everyone a day off.
Yun Fan lay on the large bed, strategizing in his mind on how to deal with the Crown Prince. Leng Ningshuang had already informed him that the Crown Prince had experts by his side.
He was still unsure of the Crown Prince's exact strength.
Therefore, Yun Fan was planning a scheme on how to defeat the Crown Prince and be able to retreat unscathed.
After all, the Crown Prince was in Jinling, and it would be somewhat difficult to completely subdue him.
Just then, Bai Zhilan rushed in.
"Yun Fan, something terrible has happened!"
Bai Zhilan said anxiously.
"What is it?"
Yun Fan thought the Crown Prince or the Qin family had stirred up some trouble again.
He saw Bai Zhilan hurriedly say, "Today, Jiang Xueyan and I went out to buy something, and then people from the Ouyang family kidnapped Jiang Xueyan!"
"What?"
Yun Fan hadn't expected that people from the Ouyang family would kidnap Jiang Xueyan. It seemed that the Ouyang family most likely wanted to avenge Ouyang Shaohui.
"What do we do now? Should I notify the other sisters?"
Bai Zhilan asked Yun Fan, her voice filled with worry.
"No need!"
Yun Fan said, "If this Ouyang family is so blind, then don't blame me for being rude!"
At this moment, he said to Bai Zhilan, "Don't bother them with such a small matter. Let them rest well today. I'll go to the Ouyang family to demand her return!"
"Alright!"
Bai Zhilan nodded, she was very obedient to Yun Fan.
"Do you want me to accompany you?"
"No need!"
Afterward, Yun Fan set off and soon arrived at the Ouyang family.
As one of the four great families, the Ouyang family was located in a prime location in Jinling, and their mansion was extremely luxurious.
There were security guards on duty at the entrance twenty-four hours a day.
Normally, without the Ouyang family's consent, no one could step through the gates of the Ouyang family.
Yun Fan's feud with the Ouyang family dated back to Ouyang Shaohui. Ouyang Shaohui had planned to kill him multiple times but failed, and was instead killed by his subordinate, Tianying.
From then on, the enmity between the Ouyang family and Yun Fan was completely sealed.
The four bodyguards guarding the entrance of the Ouyang family, upon seeing Yun Fan approaching with a grim expression, immediately shouted, "This is the Ouyang family's mansion. Strangers are not allowed to approach. If you do not leave quickly, you will be killed without mercy!"
The few of them stared coldly at Yun Fan, releasing a terrifying killing intent at the same time.
As expected of the Ouyang family, even the guards were Grandmaster experts. One had to admit, it was truly extravagant.
Yun Fan said coldly, "I want to see your family head!"
"Do you have a calling card?"
The few of them asked Yun Fan. As long as Yun Fan had an electronic calling card, they would let him in.
"No!"
"If you don't have one, get lost! If you dare to take another step forward, don't blame us for being rude!"
The few of them threatened Yun Fan.
Yun Fan's expression remained unchanged as he took a step forward.
"You're courting death!"
The few of them instantly attacked Yun Fan, but unfortunately, Grandmaster martial artists were no stronger than ants in front of Yun Fan.
The next moment.
"Ah..."
With screams, the few of them instantly fell to the ground, losing their ability to resist. Even more tragically, they didn't even know how Yun Fan had made his move.
Before one of them fainted, he pressed the Ouyang family's alert bell, and then completely passed out.
Yun Fan ignored them and walked towards the Ouyang family step by step.
At this moment, dozens of people rushed out from within the Ouyang family and attacked Yun Fan directly.
Their faces showed anger. They knew that the Ouyang family was a pillar of Jinling, and no one had ever dared to trespass so brazenly.
Even if the Heavenly Emperor came, he would have to be polite. Even when Yu Shuai incited the anger between the two sides, no one had dared to intrude upon the Ouyang family so arrogantly.
"Kid, no matter who you are, if you dare to trespass into my Ouyang family, even the Heavenly Emperor cannot save you!"
A steward of the Ouyang family shouted at Yun Fan. He possessed the strength of the Postnatal realm.
Yun Fan remained silent, but it was clear that his anger was written all over his face.
"Attack!"
A group of people immediately attacked Yun Fan.
Unfortunately, in the face of Yun Fan's absolute crushing power, all their efforts were in vain.
Wherever Yun Fan passed, there was no one who could withstand him.
The steward, seeing this, had a bad premonition. He hadn't expected this kid's strength to be so powerful.
At this moment, he could only grit his teeth and charge forward reluctantly.
"Die!"
Unfortunately, as soon as he reached Yun Fan, he was struck in the body by Yun Fan.
"Pfft!"
The steward spat out a mouthful of blood and lost his fighting ability.
At this moment, Yun Fan grabbed him and asked, "Where is your family head?"
In fact, he had only used twenty percent of his strength in that move. Otherwise, this steward would have died.
The steward stubbornly said, "Hmph! I won't tell you!"
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, his arm was instantly crushed by Yun Fan.
"Ah..."
The steward let out a scream, cold sweat streaming down his face. He hadn't expected Yun Fan to be so decisive.
"You have two choices: either lead the way, or die!"
Undoubtedly, the steward was scared, so he chose to lead the way. He knew that if he continued to be stubborn, he would surely die.
Who would have thought that the moment the two of them were about to leave, four people would block their path?
"Four protectors, save me!"
The steward begged frantically.
Yun Fan looked and realized that all four of them possessed the combat power of the peak Postnatal realm, which was very formidable.
It seemed that the Ouyang family, being one of the four great families, had a truly terrifying foundation.
"Who dares to be captured?!"
They stared coldly at Yun Fan.
They were the mainstays of the Ouyang family and usually did not get involved in ordinary matters. But today, the Ouyang family was on the verge of being wiped out.
Therefore, their killing intent towards Yun Fan was immense.
Yun Fan said coldly, "You are not qualified to make me surrender! Those who block me die!"
They ignored his warning. They were peak Postnatal realm experts. Although they were not a unified force, this lineup was enough to instantly kill many peerless experts.
"Attack!"
The four of them attacked together, preparing to instantly kill Yun Fan.
But at this moment, Yun Fan also made his move. As soon as his unrivaled power was unleashed, the four of them felt an immense pressure.
"Half-step Innate!"
The four of them gasped. No wonder Yun Fan dared to charge into the Ouyang family alone; he had the backing.
Half-step Innate experts were indeed the ceiling of worldly combat power.
At this moment, Yun Fan had already killed his way into the midst of the four of them, and a world-shaking battle ensued.
The four of them attacked together, and their immense power spread out, but unexpectedly, Yun Fan's strength was even more terrifying.
With just one move, he sent one person flying, and then the other three were thrown into disarray. One had to know that with their strength, they could contend with peak War God experts.
Unexpectedly, they were so pathetic in front of Yun Fan. As expected, within ten moves, the four of them were defeated by Yun Fan.
The heavily injured four looked at Yun Fan with unwillingness.
At this moment, Yun Fan was like a man entering an uninhabited land, killing gods who blocked him and buddhas who blocked him.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
At this moment, a round of applause sounded, and everyone's attention was drawn to this person.
Upon seeing this person, the four of them immediately felt relieved because the arrival was none other than the Ouyang family's second strongest expert, Ouyang Canyue.
Ouyang Canyue was over forty years old, in his prime. However, he was already the Ouyang family's second strongest expert, second only to the family head, Ouyang Mingyue.
It could be said that Ouyang Canyue was an undeniable presence in the Ouyang family and was deeply trusted by Ouyang Mingyue.
After all, Ouyang Mingyue had been busy with his closed-door cultivation for many years, and Ouyang Canyue handled all the major and minor affairs of the Ouyang family.
Unlike the infighting in other families, these two brothers in the Ouyang family were surprisingly united.
At this moment, Ouyang Canyue sneered at Yun Fan, "As expected of someone who stirred up a storm in Jiangnan, your strength is indeed formidable!"
Then, he changed the subject, "But you are so brazenly killing your way through my Ouyang family, do you think my Ouyang family has no one?"
Ouyang Canyue was very angry. He hadn't expected this kid to be so lawless, not even respecting the Ouyang family.
With Yun Fan's actions today, it was tantamount to declaring war on the Ouyang family. It had been many years since the Ouyang family had suffered such humiliation.
Yun Fan said, "You know very well why I came to your Ouyang family. Hand over the person, or I will flatten your Ouyang family today!"
"How dare you..."
Ouyang Canyue shouted, "Kid, don't think you can be lawless just because you've done a few big things. You should know that there's always someone stronger. If you dare to provoke my Ouyang family today, your blood will surely splatter on the spot!"
Yun Fan said coldly, "I don't want to waste words with you. If you don't hand over the person immediately, don't blame me for being rude!"
Instantly, a killing intent locked onto Ouyang Canyue.
Ouyang Canyue trembled. From the strength Yun Fan displayed, he could actually suppress him steadily.
He was certain that Yun Fan's strength had reached the peak of Half-step Innate.
Such strength, without his elder brother's intervention, was enough to sweep through the entire Ouyang family.
After all, he was only at the Half-step Innate realm, still a distance away from the peak of Half-step Innate. No wonder Yun Fan was so fearless.
At this moment, he shouted at Yun Fan, "Kid, you are too arrogant. We tolerated it when you killed my nephew, Ouyang Shaohui. Now you want to kill others in my Ouyang family. Do you really think you are invincible?"
"My Ouyang family is one of the four great families. If you continue to be presumptuous, I only need to make one call, and the other families will come to help! No matter how strong you are alone, can you be stronger than the four great families combined?"
Ouyang Canyue knew that his elder brother would not come out of seclusion for the time being, and with his own strength, he couldn't suppress Yun Fan. Therefore, he resorted to threatening Yun Fan with the other three great families.
But Yun Fan showed no fear in his eyes. "Is that so? Your Ouyang family is truly despicable. Ouyang Shaohui was killed by me. You can settle the score with me directly. Why did you kidnap an innocent person?"
If the Ouyang family had dealt with him, it would have been understandable. But they had kidnapped Jiang Xueyan, an innocent person. This had ignited his anger.
Ouyang Canyue was stunned.
"Kid, what nonsense are you talking about? My Ouyang family has a noble status and would not stoop to such despicable tactics. Please do not slander my Ouyang family again!"
Ouyang Canyue was very angry. He hadn't expected Yun Fan to attack the Ouyang family with such a despicable excuse; it was truly shameless.
"Slander?"
Yun Fan sneered, "Your Ouyang family kidnapped my friend Jiang Xueyan. Is that also slandering you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ouyang Canyue was instantly dumbfounded. When had they kidnapped Jiang Xueyan? As the deputy head of the family, how could he not know?
Could it be that someone from below had kidnapped her?
It seemed unlikely. Firstly, the Ouyang family had strict rules. Secondly, before his elder brother went into seclusion, he had instructed him not to trouble Yun Fan even if Yun Fan killed Ouyang Shaohui.
He would settle the score with Yun Fan after he came out of seclusion. Under these two premises, he couldn't believe that anyone would dare to kidnap Yun Fan's friend.
"Hand over Jiang Xueyan, and I will spare your Ouyang family's lives!"
Yun Fan shouted, waking up Ouyang Canyue, who was deep in thought.
Ouyang Canyue gnashed his teeth in hatred. This kid was simply disregarding the Ouyang family and making such wild claims.
But he knew that with his current strength, he couldn't defeat Yun Fan, so he calmed down.
"This might be a misunderstanding. I am in charge of the Ouyang family's affairs now. I can swear that my Ouyang family did not kidnap your friend!"
Ouyang Canyue explained to Yun Fan.
"Hmph!"
Yun Fan snorted coldly, "You say you didn't kidnap her, so you didn't? Do you think I would believe you?"
Clearly, Yun Fan didn't believe Ouyang Canyue's character, or rather, he didn't believe the character of the four great families.
For example, he had ended the internal strife between the four great families and the ruling powers. However, the four great families did not show gratitude; instead, they all wanted to kill him.
If it weren't for him, the internal strife between the four great families and the ruling powers would have already begun, and countless people would have died.
Ouyang Canyue was almost infuriated to death. He had explained so clearly, but Yun Fan still didn't believe him. He was speechless.
"I've explained everything that needs to be explained. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. If you don't believe it, then go in and search. If you find your friend, I will let you deal with me!"
He explained to Yun Fan with a firm attitude.
"Alright! You said it yourself!"
Afterward, Yun Fan stepped into the Ouyang family, with Ouyang Canyue following closely by his side.
In the blink of an eye, Yun Fan had been searching for half an hour but had not found Jiang Xueyan. Of course, during this time, he had been secretly observing Ouyang Canyue's expression.
He found that this person did not seem to be lying. Could it be that he had made a mistake?
"Kid, you've practically searched my entire Ouyang family. If you still can't find your friend, then you must give my Ouyang family an explanation!"
Ouyang Canyue said to Yun Fan angrily.
But Yun Fan calmly replied, "Why the hurry? We haven't finished searching yet."
Saying this, Yun Fan was about to step into a quaint room.
But at this moment, Ouyang Canyue blocked his path.
"This is my Ouyang family's ancestral hall. It is sacred and inviolable. You cannot enter!"
Ouyang Canyue shouted at Yun Fan.
But Yun Fan said, "What if my friend is locked up in there?"
"Absolutely impossible! Only direct descendants of my Ouyang family can enter this ancestral hall. What makes your friend so important that she would be locked up in the ancestral hall!"
Ouyang Canyue cursed angrily.
Let alone whether Jiang Xueyan had been kidnapped by the Ouyang family, even if they had, they wouldn't have locked her up here.
At most, they would find a basement or, if conditions were better, just lock her in a room. He felt that Yun Fan was going too far.
"I'll know if she's locked up in there after I see for myself. Move aside!"
Yun Fan shouted. Ouyang Canyue's confidence was clearly lacking. It wasn't that he was truly harboring ill intentions, but he was suppressed by Yun Fan's imposing aura.
"Unless you step over my dead body!"
Ouyang Canyue resolutely refused to back down. If he let Yun Fan in now, how could the Ouyang family maintain its dignity in the future?
Moreover, he was also a Half-step Innate realm expert. Combined with the many experts of the Ouyang family, they should be able to fight Yun Fan to a draw.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Yun Fan took a step forward and rushed in with extreme speed. Ouyang Canyue didn't even have time to react, and the ancestral hall door was already open.
"Scoundrel!"
Ouyang Canyue was furious. He immediately followed him in.
However, the moment he stepped into the ancestral hall, he was dumbfounded.
Not for any other reason, but because there was a person lying in the ancestral hall at that moment. This person was Jiang Xueyan, wearing the same clothes she had on before she was kidnapped.
She lay quietly on the ground, as captivating as a sleeping beauty.
It was evident that she had been knocked unconscious and then thrown here.
Yun Fan quickly approached Jiang Xueyan and, upon finding that she was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, he turned to Ouyang Canyue and shouted, "Ouyang Canyue, what do you have to explain?"
Ouyang Canyue was bewildered. He had no idea what was going on either! His first thought was a frame-up.
Someone had framed the Ouyang family. But the Ouyang family had strict security, and it was difficult for outsiders to infiltrate.
Yet, the person was right in front of him. Now that there was both human and physical evidence, even he didn't know how to explain it!
"This... this might just be a misunderstanding!"
Ouyang Canyue stammered.
But Yun Fan said, "Now that things have come to this, you're telling me it's just a misunderstanding?"
"Then what do you want?"
Ouyang Canyue became angry. As the deputy head of the Ouyang family, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Yun Fan said, "You should be thankful that my friend is fine. Otherwise, I would annihilate your entire Ouyang family!"
Such arrogant demeanor, combined with Yun Fan's unrivaled strength, even made Ouyang Canyue tremble.
If this weren't the Ouyang family, one of the four great families, he might have fainted from fear.
"On your own?"
Ouyang Canyue roared at Yun Fan. The people of the Ouyang family rushed over from behind, clearly indicating that a great battle was about to begin.
Especially Ouyang Canyue. Although Yun Fan was aggressive, he could not back down. If he backed down today, he would have no face to live on.
Moreover, he was also a Half-step Innate realm expert. Coupled with the many experts of the Ouyang family, they should be able to inflict mutual damage on Yun Fan.
Yun Fan, holding the unconscious Jiang Xueyan, walked forward step by step. The people of the Ouyang family retreated one after another.
Just as both sides were at each other's throats, a voice called out.
"Wait a moment!"
Everyone turned to look and saw that it was the Ouyang family head, Ouyang Mingyue, who had appeared.
"Family Head!"
Everyone quickly bowed to Ouyang Mingyue.
Ouyang Mingyue said, "All of you, step down!"
"This..."
Everyone also wanted to step down, but if they did now, wouldn't it be equivalent to being afraid of Yun Fan?
"Didn't you hear my elder brother? All of you, get out!"
With Ouyang Canyue's shout, everyone quickly retreated.
At this moment, Yun Fan looked at Ouyang Mingyue and realized that this family head's strength was indeed formidable. As expected of the Ouyang family head.
Yun Fan preliminarily estimated that this person had possibly already stepped into the Innate realm. Jinling was indeed a place where hidden talents abounded.
At the same time, he had underestimated the four great families. It was no wonder they could contend with the ruling powers. With such strength, they indeed had the qualifications.
"Elder brother, this kid is too much of a bully. He absolutely cannot be spared!"
Ouyang Canyue gritted his teeth and said.
"Did you really kidnap his friend?"
Ouyang Mingyue asked back.
"Elder brother, we really didn't! You must believe us!"
Ouyang Canyue was on the verge of tears. This frame-up had been perfectly orchestrated.
"Alright, you may withdraw."
"Yes!"
Ouyang Canyue quickly withdrew. Only two people remained here, along with the unconscious Jiang Xueyan.
Ouyang Mingyue glanced at Yun Fan and then said sincerely, "You look so much like him, so much like him!"
"Hmm?"
Yun Fan was confused in his heart. Of course, he knew what the other party meant. It was nothing more than saying he looked like his father, Long Aotian.
It was just that he had thought this should have been a secret, known by very few people. But from the current situation, it seemed that many people knew the inside story.
Ouyang Mingyue said to Yun Fan, "Young friend, it is indeed someone who framed my Ouyang family for this matter. But since things have come to this, it is my Ouyang family's negligence in defense. Therefore, whatever compensation you want, just ask, and my Ouyang family will compensate you in full!"
Yun Fan hadn't expected this old fellow to be so agreeable.
Therefore, he immediately said, "No need for compensation, but I hope your Ouyang family will fully cooperate with me in investigating the real culprit!"
"Good, I will arrange for Canyue to fully assist you in the investigation and restore our Ouyang family's innocence!"
Ouyang Mingyue immediately agreed.
At this moment, he asked Yun Fan again, "Are there any other conditions?"
"No more!"
Yun Fan said directly.
Then, he was about to leave with Jiang Xueyan in his arms, but Ouyang Mingyue said, "Young friend, can we chat?"
"Alright!"
Yun Fan agreed. Perhaps he could get more clues from Ouyang Mingyue, so he agreed.
At this moment, he said to Ouyang Mingyue, "Although I killed your son, he deserved to die!"
"I know. If he hadn't repeatedly tried to kill you, he wouldn't have died. His death at your hands is not unjust!"
Ouyang Mingyue replied with a smile.
But Yun Fan didn't know what this old fellow was up to. In any case, he didn't believe that Ouyang Mingyue would let it go so easily.
Even if the other party was an Innate realm expert, Yun Fan was not afraid at all, so he didn't care whether the other party would retaliate against him.
At this moment, Ouyang Mingyue said to Yun Fan, "Regarding your origins, I know a little, and perhaps you already know."
"Therefore, the matter I want to discuss with you today is not this!"
"Then what is it?"
Amidst Yun Fan's confusion, Ouyang Mingyue got straight to the point, "Do you want revenge and take back everything that belongs to you?"
"What do you think?"
Yun Fan glanced at the other party and said nothing more.
Ouyang Mingyue clearly understood his answer and said to Yun Fan, "I understand. But relying on you alone, you cannot take back everything that belongs to you, nor can you deal with the Ye family! Although your strength is immense!"
"So what do you want to do?"
Yun Fan didn't play coy and directly asked.
Ouyang Mingyue said, "I want to cooperate with you!"
"Cooperate?"
In Yun Fan's opinion, the other party seemed somewhat ridiculous. The four great families were united. Now, he wanted to bring down the Ye family, and Ouyang Mingyue wanted to cooperate with him to deal with the Ye family.
It was simply too laughable.
"I know you might have many questions. Why do I want to deal with the Ye family?"
Ouyang Mingyue said, "Before my Ouyang family rose, we received help from your father, Long Aotian. If I help you, it's equivalent to repaying a favor!"
"Ouyang Family Head, you don't need to beat around the bush. Just state your purpose directly!"
In any case, Yun Fan would not believe his lies.
Seeing that his lie was exposed, Ouyang Mingyue felt a bit awkward. He then said to Yun Fan, "That is part of the truth. The other part is that the Ye family has the suspicion of annexing my Ouyang family, so I can only strike first!"
"What?"
Yun Fan was stunned. He only knew that the Ye family was the head of the four great families, but he didn't know that the Ye family intended to annex the Ouyang family.
Ouyang Mingyue said, "The Ye family's strength is far beyond your imagination. Even if the three great families combined, they might not be a match for the Ye family!"
"Is the Ye family really that strong?"
Yun Fan asked curiously.
"To be precise, it's not the Ye family that's strong, but Ye Ji!"
Ouyang Mingyue said helplessly. As fellow family heads, he was far inferior to Ye Ji.
"Especially last time when my four great families fought with the ruling powers, the Ye family did not participate at all. I suspect that the Ye family might be waiting for us three families and the ruling powers to be mutually damaged before they come out to pick up the scraps!"
Hearing this, if what he said was true, it was indeed astonishing to Yun Fan. He wasn't the only one who wanted to pick up the scraps.
There was also Ye Ji, the Crown Prince, and others. It seemed that he had only resolved the third task, but in reality, he had only scratched the surface.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I've never liked cooperating with others!"
Yun Fan directly refused. He was not used to cooperating with others, let alone with an old fox like Ouyang Mingyue.
He might even be tricked by the other party.
"Since we've said all this, you don't need to refuse right away. You can consider it first!"
Ouyang Mingyue was not in a hurry.
Yun Fan said nothing, but holding the unconscious Jiang Xueyan, he left the Ouyang family. Although the Ouyang family disliked Yun Fan's arrogant demeanor, they had no choice but to tolerate it due to his superior strength.
Not long after leaving the Ouyang family, Jiang Xueyan woke up.
"Are you alright?"
Yun Fan asked with concern.
Jiang Xueyan's face was grave as she said, "Why am I here?"
"This is a long story. Who kidnapped you? Do you have any clues?"
Yun Fan asked tentatively.
Jiang Xueyan gritted her teeth and said, "I don't know who kidnapped me, but I know that this matter is inseparable from Bai Zhilan!"
"What?"