Ninja World:The Heavenly Emperor Returns

Qingshui City, Yushu Street.

Shen Lian walked among towering skyscrapers, his vast cultivation base as a Jingtianweidi completely restrained and sealed. Even his divine sense was fully withdrawn into his body.

At a glance, he appeared no different from any ordinary passerby.

Beside him was only Xuan Ba.

The other five slaves, acting under Shen Lian's orders, had already left Earth, crossing the starry universe to hunt down the hidden stronghold of the golden giant race.

For Shen Lian, since he had returned to Earth, he might as well take care of the matter once and for all—completely eradicating the golden giants from this segment of the Fang Yu Universe.

Those five slaves all possessed Quasi-Emperor level cultivation. Though they showed deep reverence for Shen Lian, speaking respectfully and behaving as though weak before him, each one of them was a terrifying existence.

To deal with a golden giant clan was, for them, easier than eating or drinking.

"Your Majesty Liandi, did you grow up here?"

Xuan Ba looked around with curiosity and asked with a spark in his eyes.

It was his first time witnessing the technological development of this version of Earth, and it left him feeling oddly amazed.

"Yes."

Shen Lian nodded as he glanced around.

This was indeed where he had grown up.

He still remembered a time when there were no towering buildings. Instead, there were winding alleys and narrow paths lined with low bungalows.

During summer nights, the residents of those hutongs would bring out their bamboo chairs, fan themselves with paddle fans, and sit under the dim glow of the old street lamps, chatting casually to escape the heat.

Children would dash about the alleys like wild things, laughing and playing, chasing one another under the faint yellow light.

By the time he returned home, his back would be soaked with sweat, always drawing a round of scolding from his parents.

The neighborhood was full of warmth. Whenever someone cooked something delicious in the evening, they would bring it out, set extra bowls and chopsticks, and warmly invite neighbors to share in the meal. Laughter always echoed around those dinner tables.

Beep!

A car horn snapped Shen Lian out of his memories.

The winding alleys of old had transformed into wide, four-lane roads.

The bungalows of his youth had become towering high-rises and sprawling buildings of steel and glass.

Traffic bustled, and the flow of people seemed endless.

It all seemed better.

But none of it felt like home.

"Time is the most ruthless of all."

Shen Lian shook his head.

This Earth, though familiar in name, was utterly unfamiliar to him in spirit.

So he decided—he would visit the ancestral house, wait for the five slaves to return, and then leave Earth behind, returning to the grand world from whence he came.

---

The Shen Family Ancestral Home

A lone bungalow nestled among skyscrapers.

Among all the modern high-rises, the dilapidated old house looked completely out of place. Its walls were peeling, seemingly ready to collapse at any moment.

So old was it that the locks on the door were covered in layers of red rust.

Two faded door guardians—Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao—still hung there, their outlines all but erased by time.

This was the Shen family's ancestral home.

And in all of Qingshui City, not a soul dared tear it down.

Because the order came directly from Old Madam Shen—Shen Man herself—that this house must remain.

The Shen family was one of Qingshui City's undisputed powerful clans.

And Shen Man? A legendary figure in the city's business world.

"Qingqing, back then our Shen family wasn't doing well. Your great-grandfather and great-grandmother were just ordinary workers in a coal factory. The whole family placed all their hopes on your uncle and grandfather."

"Your uncle and grandfather were talented and intelligent. He excelled in his studies since childhood. He had already passed the college entrance exam and was about to become the first university student in our family."

"In those days, college students were rare. Nothing like the numbers you see today."

"He was our pride."

Inside the ancestral house, Shen Man lit three sticks of incense before the ancestral shrine, which honored her parents and Shen Lian. With Shen Qingqing's help, she placed the incense reverently before continuing to tour the house, reminiscing aloud:

"But then, your uncle and grandfather disappeared—just like that. As though he had evaporated into thin air. No trace, no clue. Gone."

Shen Qingqing held her grandmother's arm gently and listened in silence.

It wasn't the first time she'd heard this story, but she always listened patiently when her grandmother spoke of Shen Lian—her uncle and grandfather.

"Grandma, you really couldn't find him?" she asked softly.

Shen Man's eyes took on a faraway look as she smiled faintly.

"We tried everything. Called the police. Put out missing person notices. Even the whole neighborhood helped us search."

"But we spent an entire month scouring Qingshui City. We combed through every street, checked every surveillance feed, every station. Nothing. Not a single clue."

She paused for a moment.

"Later, as I entered university and started a business, the Shen family gradually rose in status."

"But we never found him. Your great-grandfather and great-grandmother passed away still holding on to that regret."

"Deep down, we all know… after so many years, if he hasn't been found, he must be gone. But we still held onto a sliver of hope."

"We believed that unless we saw the body, unless we knew for sure, we couldn't give up. As long as your uncle and grandfather never reappeared, we would never stop looking."

"Do you know why I've kept this ancestral home all these years? Because I fear that if your uncle and grandfather do come back one day, he might not recognize this city anymore."

"If this house is gone, how will he find his way home?"

"So long as this house stands, he'll know—home is still here."

Shen Man, already quite old, now seemed visibly weary. Her bones could no longer support her as they once had.

Fatigue spread across her aged features.

"Qingqing, I'm tired. I'll head back to rest. You stay and clean up the ancestral home."

"Alright, Grandma. Go ahead and rest. I'll return once I'm finished cleaning up the place."

Shen Qingqing nodded gently.