Chapter 81: Chapter 81: The Chase
Southern Region.
Huo Yue, Medusa, and Zhu Ziyan were walking into a deep, ancient forest with trees that reaches several thousand feet high.
"Why are we here?" Medusa asked, her voice dripping with the characteristic arrogance of a desert queen who found the humidity of the forest beneath her station.
She crossed her arms over her chest, floating a foot above the damp soil.
Her skin glistened as she glided forward, her legs hovering a feet above the ground, as if to her, touching the dirt was a disdainful act, a chore reserved for those without the strength to defy gravity.
"From what I heard, this place is called the Starlight Spirit Forest," Huo Yue replied, pushing aside a massive, glowing fern. "Apparently, the trees in this forest acts similar to a starlight ores that absorbs the light of stars and reflect them. At night, they reflect the constellations so clearly it looks like you are walking in a sea of stars. It's said to be a very popular tourist spot for those visiting the Southern Region."
"For the strong, maybe," Ziyan whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustle of leaves.
She clenched her fist, trembling, her cat ears twitching at every snapping twig as she thought of the gauntlet of high-level demonic beasts they had navigated just to reach this clearing and couldn't help but shiver.
It was a sobering reality, really, that if Medusa, a genuine Nirvana Rebirth Realm expert, weren't acting as their guardian, they would have already been reduced to snacks for the rank-5 and 6 demonic beasts that prowled the perimeter.
"Also, didn't that tour guide in the last village say a vicious demon was sealed here?" Ziyan added worriedly, her tail fluffing up in anxiety.
"Pssshh!" Huo Yue waved her hand dismissively, flashing a confident grin. "Ziyan, do you actually believe every ghost story a drunken guide tells you? Look at this place, it's so peaceful. There is no way a 'vicious demon' would be sealed in a forest this beautiful. It would ruin the aesthetic."
"I don't know about that," Medusa interjected, her golden eyes narrowing as she came to a halt in mid-air.
Everyone turned toward her and saw her pointing toward a massive, moss-covered boulder that sat in the center of a strangely circular clearing.
The grass around the stone was unnaturally short, and the air felt heavy, as if the oxygen had been replaced by lead.
Curious, they walked closer, their footsteps silent on the soft earth.
Once they arrived a few feet near it, they noticed something at the base of the boulder; a weathered stone tablet, with the characters carved into it glowing with a faint, ominous crimson light:
"Do not press the stone button."
Huo Yue blinked, her head tilting to the side as she turned her gaze toward the center of the massive boulder, where a single, perfectly circular stone button was carved into the rock face.
It looked oddly inviting, smooth and polished by centuries of wind.
"Seriously?" Huo Yue stared at it, her expression deadpan. "Is this a prank? Did that tour guide hike all the way up here just to put this sign here to scare people? It's so... lame."
"This might actually be true. I can sense a malevolent aura sealed deep within the ley lines beneath this boulder," Medusa said, her brow furrowed in a deep frown.
Her instincts as a beast-queen were screaming at her that the rock was merely a lid on a very dark jar.
"Really? I don't believe it." Huo Yue stepped up to the rock, squinting.
No matter how much she circulated her Qi or stared at the grain of the stone, it just looked like a piece of granite to her.
"It's just a rock."
'Master, what do you think?' Huo Yue asked internally, reaching out to the consciousness of Fairy Liu residing within her ring.
'Medusa is correct, little flame,' Fairy Liu's voice echoed in her mind, sounding unusually grave. 'There is a profound resentment trapped beneath that seal. It feels old, probably something from a few thousand years ago. Do not dally here.'
"Seriously?" Huo Yue muttered aloud as she stared at the rock, and then her focus shifted, landing squarely on the button.
Her fingers twitched.
"I wonder..."
She stretched her hand forward, her index finger extending toward the smooth surface of the button.
"Stop it!" Medusa barked, her hand moving in a blur as she lightly slapped Huo Yue's hand away.
Huo Yue frowned at her, her stubborn streak flaring up as she used her other hand, swerving around Medusa's side to try and press it again.
"I said stop!" Medusa snapped, slapping the other hand away.
Huo Yue glared at her, her eyes sparking with a playful but defiant fire. Without warning, she lunged toward the boulder, intending to use her body weight to smash the button.
Medusa was faster.
She reached out and grabbed Huo Yue by the back of her collar, hoisting her into the air like a disobedient kitten. "You brat! How many times do I have to tell you to stop it!? Are you trying to get us killed before lunch?"
"Lemme go!" Huo Yue struggled, kicking her legs in the air. "Medusa, if there is a button, I have to press it! It's basic human nature! I'll feel physically uncomfortable for the rest of the week if I leave here without knowing what it does!"
"You damn brat! Don't you have any sense of danger!?" Medusa roared, shaking her slightly. "There is literally a sign there, a giant stone sign, telling you not to press it!"
"That just makes me want to press it even more!" Huo Yue shouted back, her face pouting. "Who would put a sign telling people not to press a button if they truly didn't want people to press it? That's just bad psychology! Don't they know a cultivator's path is naturally one of rebellion and defying the heavens? Which means, logically, the sign is a test, and it's telling us to press it!"
"Are you an idiot!?" Medusa pulled her back, grabbed her by the shoulders, and forced Huo Yue to look her straight in the eyes. "Tell me, right now, are you actually an idiot!?"
Huo Yue pouted even harder, her lower lip trembling in mock offense. "What kind of Cultivator are you if you don't dare to defy the rules and explore the unknown?"
"That logic doesn't even make any sense! Defying the heavens is about immortality, not pressing suspicious buttons in cursed forests!" Medusa gritted her teeth, her patience reaching its absolute limit.
"It sure does make sense! It's about the spirit of inquiry!" Huo Yue insisted.
Just then, a distinct, hollow click echoed through the silent clearing.
Huo Yue and Medusa both froze.
The air seemed to vanish from the clearing as they slowly turned their heads toward Ziyan.
The cat-girl was standing perfectly still, her face pale, her index finger still resting firmly on the depressed stone button, her cat ears were twitching sporadically in a state of pure panic.
Silence stretched for three agonizing seconds.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Medusa screamed, her aura erupting in a flare of golden light as she lunged forward to snatch Ziyan away from the rock.
Ziyan's eyes welled up with tears as she was hoisted into the air. "I-I'm so sorry! I-I'm a cat! I'm inherently curious and rebellious! You two were arguing about it so much that I just... I couldn't help it! If I'm told not to do something, I want to do it even more! It's an instinct!"
"Exactly!" Huo Yue snapped her fingers, giving Ziyan a bright thumbs up and looking incredibly smug. "See? I told you it was a natural instinct!"
Before Medusa could unleash a string of curses, a deep, grinding sound vibrated through the earth...and then, the massive boulder began to spiderweb with glowing purple cracks.
And, from those jagged fissures, a thick, putrid purple mist began to seep out.
It swirled in the air, gathering mass and density until it formed the towering, phantom image of a purple demon.
Its face was a nightmare of elongated fangs and hollow, weeping eyes, and the moment it appeared, the temperature in the clearing plummeted, and the grass beneath it instantly withered into black ash.
From its aura alone, Medusa could tell the entity was at least at the Peak of the Nirvana Rebirth Realm, and its resentment was dense enough to choke a dragon.
The demon hovered in the air, its gaze fixing on the three women, then, a moment later, it let out a sickening, high-pitched wail that shattered the nearby trees and sent a shockwave of cold through their bones.
Without a second thought, Medusa tucked Huo Yue under one arm and grabbed Ziyan with the other, her body glowing with a frantic light as she ignited her Qi and took to the sky.
"Look what you have done, you fools!"
The demon didn't hesitate as it let out another shriek and surged forward, turning into a streak of purple smoke that trailed closely behind them, its claws reaching for their heels.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Medusa screamed as she wove through the starlight trees at breakneck speed. "Why did I agree to follow you two!? Why did I make that deal with that damn brat!? I should be in my palace, not being chased by a thousand-year-old demon!"
Huo Yue, hanging upside down under Medusa's arm and watching the terrifying demon gain on them, didn't look scared at all.
In fact, she fumbled with her storage ring and pulled out a small, rectangular jade artifact used for capturing images and communications.
She held it up, positioned her face perfectly in the frame with the screaming demon and the panicked Medusa and Ziyan in the background, and flashed a peace sign.
Click.
"Hahaha! I am so going to show this to Haoran when I call him!" Huo Yue laughed, her eyes bright with mischief. "This is going to be the best souvenir ever!"
"DO THAT AND I'M GOING TO FEED YOU TO THE DEMON MYSELF!" Medusa roared, but she only flew faster, the starlight forest blurring into a tunnel of silver and purple behind them.
Chapter 82: Chapter 82: The Departure
Shen Clan, Chu Xueyu's palace.
From the outside of the massive, arched windows of the palace, the floating islands drifted lazily, their waterfalls of liquid Qi sparkling like diamonds.
But inside the palace, the atmosphere was shrouded with the bittersweet tension of a departure.
"You're going to leave already?" Ning Xueli asked, her voice small and laced with a sudden, sharp anxiety.
She reached out, her fingers hovering near Haoran's sleeve before she pulled them back, looking at him with eyes that pleaded for a different answer. "Can't you... can't you take me with you? I've reached the peak of Core Formation! I won't be a burden!"
Haoran turned to her, his expression softening just a fraction, though his gaze remained as steady as a mountain.
He shook his head slowly. "Sorry, Xueli, but my mother was quite adamant. She insisted you stay behind in the Imperial Capital so she can... 'teach' you."
"Oh." Xueli sighed, her shoulders slumping in visible disappointment.
She looked down at her boots, the thought being from the Desolate Eastern Region still clinging to her soul, making her feel even smaller in this realm of giants.
She nodded, however, knowing better than to argue with the decree of the Shen Clan's matriarch.
"Indeed," a voice hummed, appearing like a ripple in a silk curtain.
Chu Xueyu materialized beside Haoran, startling Xueli so much the girl nearly jumped out of her skin.
The Empress stood with a hand resting possessively on Haoran's shoulder, her golden eyes fixed on Xueli with an unreadable depth. "This is an important mission that Haoran must execute alone, little girl. This will also serve as his training and to find opportunities. For you, the resources of the Imperial Capital and the guidance of the Shen Clan are far more beneficial. Consider this a rare opportunity to master that inheritance of yours."
"I... I understand, Miss Xueyu," Xueli stammered, bowing her head.
In the presence of the woman who had forced the heavens to kneel, Xueli felt like a flickering candle standing before a supernova.
Just then, a light, playful laugh echoed through the hall as Feng Yuyan appeared in a swirl of black cherry blossoms, with the Little Ancestor Feng Yanmei trotting beside her.
"Cousin!" Yanmei shouted, immediately charging forward and latching onto Haoran's waist like a golden burr.
She looked up at him with a fierce pout, her golden eyes shimmering. "You're going to leave so soon? We haven't even played 'Hunt the Branch Disciple' yet! We haven't seen a single explosion!"
She had heard from her mother that those branch members are actually planning to beat her cousin, and she wanted to team up with Haoran to hunt them down and teach them a lesson.
And right when she was about to invite him, her mother told her that he will be leaving soon.
"Come now, Yanmei," Feng Yuyan said, though her smile was indulgent as she reached down to pat the girl's head. "Your cousin has a very important task to attend to. Don't be a child, you'll delay his mission."
"But... it's boring when he's gone!" Yanmei pouted, tightening her grip on Haoran's robe.
Besides, it has been two years since she last saw him, and she couldn't even spend a day with him before he leaves again for who knows how long?
Haoran reached down and caressed the girl's hair, his fingers trailing over the golden tiara. "Alright, alright, Yanmei. I promise I'll bring you lots of unique gifts and ancient curiosities once I return. Perhaps even some stabilized star-cores from the burial mounds. So, don't act spoiled now, just keep the palace standing while I'm away."
"Hmm..." Yanmei closed her eyes, leaning into the caress like a pampered kitten.
The touch of this beloved cousin of hers was the only thing that could truly calm her mercurial temper. "Alright. But they better be big gifts! And shiny!"
"Absolutely."
Just then, Chu Xueyu's expression shifted, turning clinical as she looked toward Haoran's shadow. "Qing'er."
In an instant, the shadow at Haoran's feet rippled and rose as the shadow guard emerged from the floor, her black bodysuit absorbing the light of the hall as she knelt with her head bowed in a perfect, rigid posture.
"Mistress..."
"I believe I don't need to repeat myself," Xueyu said, her voice dropping into a register of cold command. "Make sure to keep him safe. If a single hair on his head is harmed by those lower-realm savages or those remnant ghosts of the ancient Saints, do not bother returning."
"I hear and obey," Qing'er replied, her voice as flat and lethal as a drawn blade.
Xueyu nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, let us depart. Leng Shuang has already prepared everything, and she is currently waiting for us in her pagoda."
"Alright, leave it to me!" Feng Yuyan smiled and waved her hand casually.
To Xueli's amazement, the air in the room didn't just move, but was completely tore open as a violent ripping sound echoed, and with it, a tear appeared in space!
Before Xueli could even gasp, the scenery shifted.
The plush carpets and jade pillars of the Palace were gone, replaced by the sterile, awe-inspiring sight of a massive, 13-story golden pagoda that stretched into a sky filled with artificial moons.
This is the 13 Floored Conferred Pagoda, the place where Leng Shuang oversees the development of the twelve realms she ruled.
The first twelve floors represents each realm, while the 13th floor represents her domain that stood above them all.
"Let's go," Xueyu ordered, leading the way into the structure.
As they entered the first floor, the air grew heavy with the scent of incense and the low, rhythmic chanting of hundreds of priests.
At the center of the hall stood a massive, pulsating altar made of Celestial Gold, one of the rarest materials in the universe used to forge Saint Rank Artifacts.
In front of it, were a group of priests all dressed in crimson robes, kneeling and praying with a fervor that suggested their lives depended on every syllable.
Aside from Xueli who was curious about them, the rest ignored them and continued to ascend the spiral staircase.
Xueli noticed that floor they passed was a mirror of the first: an altar, a sea of praying priests, and a concentrated pillar of faith-energy rising through the center of the pagoda.
By the time they reached the 10th floor, the spiritual pressure was so high that Xueli felt as though she were walking through deep water.
And when they finally climbed to the 13th and highest floor, the atmosphere changed.
There was no incense here, only the cold, crystalline silence, as if they stood in a vacuum.
Leng Shuang sat upon a golden throne at the far end of the chamber. She looked nonchalant, almost lazy, her eyes closed as her brown skin seemed to glow with a faint, tyrannical radiance.
As the group appeared, Leng Shuang's eyes snapped open, and the pressure in the room doubled instantly.
She stood up, her red robes billowing like a pool of blood.
"Shall we begin?" she asked, her voice echoing with the authority of the twelve realms she had enslaved.
Xueyu nodded, her face turning solemn. "You can proceed, Sister Shuang."
Leng Shuang nodded as she stepped forward, and with a casual wave of her hand, the walls of the pagoda seemed to dissolve and everything became black.
As far as the eye can see, everyone was an endless, pitch-black void that swallowed the light.
Xueli gripped her own arms, feeling as though she were floating in the center of an empty universe.
Then, the true power of the "Conferred Tyrant" was revealed, her majestic and tyrannical pressure seems to suck out the air out of Xueli's lungs.
Thankfully, it barely lasted a moment as Feng Yuyan and Chu Xueyu both stood in front of them protectively, shielding them from the pressure.
Just then, ten extra arms began to manifest from Leng Shuang's back, growing with a terrifying, rhythmic crackle until she had a total of twelve.
On the palm of each hand, a swirling, miniature galaxy began to appear, each one was a vibrant, spinning disc of billions of stars, representing the twelve actual realms she had conquered and tethered to her own soul.
She extended one of her arms forward—the one holding the galaxy that served as the gateway to the lower realms.
And suddenly, that miniature galaxy expanded, growing until it filled the entire void behind her, like a roaring vortex of celestial energy and ancient laws.
Leng Shuang waved that hand, and a tear appeared in the center of the swirling stars.
"Just enter here," Leng Shuang said, her voice sounding like the grinding of tectonic plates. "This will lead you to the main temple where I am worshipped."
Xueli almost lost her breath at this scene.
Her mind, conditioned by the "small" world of the Eastern Region, was struggling to process the scale of what she was seeing.
For a girl who grew up seeing the most powerful experts only able to cleave mountains or freeze lakes, seeing a woman casually holding entire realms in her palms was a shock so profound she felt as though she were in a fever dream.
'This... is this even a power a human can have!?' she thought, her legs trembling.
"Haoran," Xueyu said, turning to her son. "You must return before the Imperial Academy begins its final student intake. Do not let the distractions of the lower realm or the hunt for your 'father' delay you too long."
Haoran nodded, his golden blonde hair catching the light of the swirling galaxy. "I know, Mother. I will be efficient."
"Haoran, don't go too wild there, okay?" Feng Yuyan added, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Remember, in the lower realms like the Saint Burial Realm, the laws are very fragile. The highest cultivation a mortal can reach there is the Nascent Soul realm, and once they touch the Spirit Ascension rank, they must ascend, so don't go shattering the world's core just because someone annoys you."
"I know, Aunt," Haoran nodded. "I will keep that in mind.'
"Cousin, bring me lots of souvenirs, alright!? Or I'll burn down the kitchen again!" Yanmei shouted, waving her small fists.
"Yes, yes, it will surely satisfy you, you little brat." Haoran smiled at her.
Xueli took a deep, shuddering breath, stepping forward one last time. "Haoran... please. Please take care of yourself. Be careful, okay? I'll be waiting here... studying."
Haoran chuckled softly, reaching out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Xueli. I can handle myself, who do you think I am?"
He then turned toward Leng Shuang and gave a sharp nod before fixing his gaze on the tear in the void.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward into the swirling stars.
Qing'er, silent as ever, followed a half-step behind him, her form blurring as she vanished into the portal.
The moment they entered, the galaxy contracted with a violent snap.
Then, the void dissolved, and the group found themselves standing back on the 13th floor of the golden pagoda.
The extra arms on Leng Shuang's back retracted into her skin, and the tyrannical pressure faded back into a dull, underlying hum.
"My priest will tell when he plans to return." Said Leng Shuang.
Chu Xueyu stood silently at the room, before she let out a long, heavy sigh that seem to carry the weight of a centuries of burden.
"Haoran..." she whispered.
The Empress who had dyed the heavens with blood looked, for a fleeting moment, like any other mother watching her son walk into the unknown.
Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Jiang Chen
The Saint Burial Realm.
For the people living in the new era, it is a prosperous world with countless races thriving, fighting for dominance.
But unknown to them, this was a graveyard of an era long dead, with countless inheritance buried by time, with no one being able to find them.
In the most secluded northeastern corner of this realm lay the Fragrant Flower City, a place known for its resilient flora that bloomed even in the presence of deathly Qi.
At the heart of this city sat the Jiang Clan manor, a sprawling complex of grey stone and weathered jade.
Inside the opulent, yet stiflingly quiet chambers of the young master, a body that had been motionless for hours suddenly convulsed.
Jiang Chen bolted upright in his bed, his lungs burning as he gasped for air like a drowning man breaking the surface of a dark lake.
His eyes, wild and bloodshot, darted around the room, taking in the silk hangings, the incense burner shaped like a coiled serpent, and the unfamiliar mahogany furniture.
He looked at his hands—they were thin, pale, and lacked the calluses of a swordmaster who had practiced for centuries.
"W-What... What happened?" he croaked, his voice cracking. "Didn't that bitch Leng Shuang kill me? I felt her hand crush my heart... I felt my soul tearing..."
In that instant, a spike of agony lanced through his brain as memories that weren't his own surged forward like a tidal wave, drowning his consciousness in the mundane life of a stranger.
Saint Burial Realm...
Fragrant Flower City...
The Jiang Clan, a second-rate power clinging to its past glory...
The young master, Jiang Chen... a known wastrel and a disappointment to his lineage...
The man gripped his head, his teeth bared in a snarl that slowly morphed into a manic, disbelieving grin.
"I... I actually transmigrated?! Ha, haha," Jiang Chen's laughter started as a low, raspy chuckle before erupting into a full-throated roar that shook the dust from the rafters. "Hahaha! Heaven blessed me! I, Jiang Chen, am still alive! The cycle of reincarnation failed to claim me!"
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his mind racing with a lethal clarity as the image of the three sisters—the indifferent Chu Xueyu, the morbid Feng Yuyan, and the tyrannical Leng Shuang—burned in his mind like a brand.
"Haha, you three bitches," he hissed, his eyes glowing with an unholy light. "You didn't expect this, did you? You thought you could harvest me like a crop and discard me after you're!? Just you wait and wash your necks, I will cut them off for you and offer them to the heavens so you can repent for your sins! Especially you, Chu Xueyu... my 'beloved' wife."
In his past life, Jiang Chen had been the ultimate pride of the Tian Yuan Empire.
He was a once-in-a-millennium genius who had reached the Heavenly Saint Realm at the tender age of eight hundred.
His rise had been so meteoric that the Shen Clan, the undisputed hegemons of the Prime Origin Realm, had sought to bind him to them, with Chu Xueyu, the Matriarch herself, coming to him to propose a marriage.
He had walked into that union with pride, thinking he had reached the pinnacle of the world, but instead, he had walked into a slaughterhouse.
On his wedding night, before he could even touch the hem of her robe, he was paralyzed after he was hit by an attack, and found Feng Yuyan and Leng Shuang hiding in the shadows.
He remembered the cold gaze of Feng Yuyan as she smiled while tearing off parts of his flesh and blood, and even forcing him to watch.
He remembered the agonizing sensation of Chu Xueyu reaching into his chest to rip out his Heavenly Sword Dao Bone, the source of his martial supremacy.
And he remembered Leng Shuang's indifferent face as she ended his life and even tear apart his soul.
He really thought he was going to die, but never did he expect that his soul can still survive and take over the body of this man!
"...Everything I had was stolen by those three sisters," he whispered, his fingers digging into the silk sheets until they tore. "My blood, my bone, my very dignity. One day, I will take it all back, with interest."
He tried to stand up, but his knees immediately buckled, forcing him to sit back down.
He frowned, feeling the pathetic, sluggish flow of life force in his new body as he checked his body, "Twenty-two years old, and still stuck at the 7th Stage of the Body Refinement Realm? How pathetic."
This isn't just a lack of talent, this is tragedy!
Scanning the memories of the original host, he realized this level had only been achieved through the forced consumption of countless expensive pills and rare herbs.
The original Jiang Chen was a "trash" master who had bloated his foundation with impurities just to keep up appearances.
But, it's alright. With his knowledge, he can still turn this body into a genius, after all, he was at the peak of Heavenly Saint Realm before he died, just half a step away from reaching Supreme Emperor realm.
He crossed his legs in a meditative posture and decided to carefully observe his body to assess the damage.
He also intended to purge the dregs of the pills from his meridians and see if the body was even capable of holding the high-level techniques he remembered.
But as he cast his divine sense inward, he hit a wall.
Deep within the abyss of his dantian, hidden behind nine layers of ancient, subconscious seals, lay a dormant power so immense it made his previous Heavenly Saint cultivation feel like a guttering candle next to a sun.
It was a void—a bottomless, silent vacuum that seemed to eat the light of his internal vision.
"This... no, it can't be!" Jiang Chen's heart hammered against his ribs. "Formless Void Divine Physique!? This body actually possesses such a terrifying physique!?"
The Formless Void Divine Physique was a legend among legends, a Divine Physique born at the very dawn of the universe's creation—it was a power on the same cosmic tier as the Infinity Dragon God Physique, the very physique that Chu Xueyu stole and implanted to Haoran.
According to the ancient records he had scoured in the Shen Clan's restricted library, this physique, once mastered to the stage of Perfect Integration, granted the user Absolute Defense.
It was said that the user could stand in the heart of a Heavenly Tribulation and feel only a summer breeze, with no Dao, Qi, nor even Supreme Artifacts could pierce the void that surrounded them.
It also grants immunity to poisons, curses, petrifications, spiritual attacks, and mental interference!
Jiang Chen even remembered that there was a story of a previous owner who fought twelve Supreme Emperors simultaneously and walked away without a single scratch on his robes.
"This... ha, haha!" He threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing through the manor. "Ha... hahaha! I lost my Heavenly Sword Dao Bone, a mere sliver of terrestrial power, and in exchange, the Heavens have given me a power destined to supress this era! Truly, the heavens favor the righteous!"
Just then, the heavy oak door of his room creaked open and a middle-aged man with a weathered face and eyes full of weary concern walked in.
Jiang Chen immediately masked his aura, sliding back into the persona of the weak young master.
He stared at the man and sensed that his cultivation was only at 4th Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
In this lower realm, that was a respectable level, but to the soul of a Heavenly Saint, the man felt like a flickering ember.
According to his new memories, this was Jiang Hei, his father and the current head of the Jiang Clan.
At sixty-five years old, he had spent his life trying to protect his "trash" son from the wolves of the city, and even from those of the same clan.
"Dad," Jiang Chen said.
The word felt like lead on his tongue; after all, he was nearly a thousand years old, so to him, this sixty-five-year-old man was practically a newborn, a descendant many times removed.
Jiang Hei stared at his son, searching his face and let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. "I... I thought you would be far more heartbroken, Chen'er. After Ling Luochen arrived with those elders yesterday and broke your engagement so publicly... I feared you would do something rash. But it seems you are fine."
'Engagement?' Jiang Chen dug through his mind. 'Ah, yes. Ling Luochen, the "Golden Swan" of the Fragrant Flower City.'
She had been his fiancée since childhood, and they can be said to have good relationships, but two years ago, she had been accepted as a personal disciple by an elder of the Conferred Pagoda, and her cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Gathering Realm.
Then, just yesterday, she broke off her engagement with Jiang Chen.
This broke his heart and in anger, drowned himself with alcohol and drugs and eventually passing away, allowing Jiang Chen to possess his body.
Still, the Conferred Pagoda huh?
In this world, it was known as the undisputed hegemon of the Saint Burial Realm, a power that claimed to have direct links to the upper realms.
But Jiang Chen, being from the upper realm, knew that it is Leng Shuang's primary tool for gathering faith and resources in this lower realm.
It is her hands and feet.
He looked at his father, his expression turning cold and determined. "Dad, there is no need to worry about a cheap, ungrateful girl like that. Thirty years East, thirty years West. One shouldn't bully the young and poor just because they lack a head start. One day, I will trample her under my feet, and she will realize that the 'Conferred Pagoda' she worships is nothing more than a tomb I have yet to close."
Jiang Hei stared at his son, stunned by the sudden, terrifying authority in the boy's voice.
A moment later, he let out a boisterous laugh, his pride swelling. "Hahaha! Indeed! That is how my son should act! Let the swallow fly; the dragon will eventually claim the sky! What a good lad!"
Jiang Hei patted his shoulders, "Alright, your old man still has something to do, so just rest."
As Jiang Hei walked out, Jiang Chen remained seated on the bed, his eyes turned toward the window, looking past the city walls toward the distant, towering peaks outside the city.
"Chu Xueyu, Feng Yuyan, Leng Shuang..." he whispered, "... wait for me. I am coming back."
Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Master And Disciple
Saint Burial Realm.
Conferred Pagoda.
At this moment, the air at the summit of one of the pagoda's peak was thin and perpetually cold, a sharp contrast to the humid, floral heat of the Fragrant Flower City in that unknown corner of the world.
Here, the Conferred Pagoda, the undisputed sovereign of the Saint Burial Realm, held its court.
The architecture here was a testament to a power that did not belong to this world; soaring spires of black obsidian and white jade that seemed to pierce the very veil of the sky, anchored by ancient formations that hummed with a low, bone-deep vibration.
Currently, in a small, secluded pavilion perched on a jagged outcropping of rock, a beautiful young woman sat in a deep meditative trance.
She wore a black robe with an entirely open back.
And engraved upon her pale skin was a complex, tribal tattoo in pitch-black ink, its lines writhing like living shadows.
This was the mark of the "Asura's Descent", a forbidden cultivation technique that few dared to tread, found by her teacher in some ancient ruins.
You can only start practicing this Cultivation Technique when you are still at the Body Refining realm, as practicing this would completely reforge the practitioner's body and gave them a special physique comparable to a Sacred Physique - The Descending Asura Demonic Physique.
Once cultivated to its peak, this physique would give the practitioner an unparalleled combat power, capable of summoning an avatar of an Asura that can suppress hell and hold the heavens.
Cultivating this technique also comes at a cost, as the user would always be bombarded with evil thoughts, an impulse to slaughter, nightmares, and insomnia.
If they cannot resist the urge to slaughter, they will surely fall into the demonic path and be punished by the heavens.
However, the benefits of this technique also outweighs the cons. Two years ago, she was merely a 9th Stage Body Refining realm expert, and now, two years later, she is already at the Foundation Establishment realm, on the verge of breaking through to the peak of the realm!
Around her, wisps of malevolent, purple-black Qi flickered like dying embers, swirling in a miniature cyclone that centered on her heart.
The spiritual pressure in the pavilion began to rise, the stone floor cracking under the weight of her breakthrough.
Then, with a sudden, violent burst of power that sent a shockwave rippling through the mountain mist, the woman finally broke through the bottleneck!
She snapped her eyes open, revealing a pair of blood-red pupils that shimmered with a predatory light.
She stood up, her movements fluid and lethal, a cold smirk touching her lips. "Finally... the 9th stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. One more step, and I shall touch the threshold of the Core Formation."
"Congratulations, Ling Luochen," a cool, ethereal female voice sounded from behind her.
The young woman, Ling Luochen, was momentarily startled—her senses were sharp, yet she hadn't detected a single footfall.
She quickly turned around, and instantly the lethal light in her eyes was replaced by a mask of deep reverence as she cupped her hands and bowed low. "Master."
Standing at the entrance of the pavilion was a woman who looked like she was carved from moonlight.
She had long, bluish-silver hair that cascaded down her back like a frozen waterfall, and she wore a pristine white robe that seemed to repel the very dust of the earth.
This was Shangguan Mu'er, one of the Seven Great Elders of the Conferred Pagoda, and a peak Nascent Soul Realm expert and was one of the ten most powerful beings in the entire Saint Burial Realm.
"Amongst the younger generations of our Pagoda, you are certainly the most talented," Mu'er said, her voice devoid of flattery, stating it as a cold fact. "I believe that even in the Upper Realms, where the stars are closer and the Qi is pure, you could still be called a genius of your era."
Indeed, while Luochen might not be considered a top-tier "Child of Luck" in the Central Region of the Prime Origin Realm, her talent was sufficient that she would have been snatched up by the Great Clans of the Eastern or Southern Regions in a heartbeat.
"It is all thanks to Master's teachings and the resources of the Pagoda," Ling Luochen said, her voice humble. "Without Master, I would probably still be struggling in that backwater place, tied to a useless contract with a waste of a man."
Mu'er stared at her for a long moment, her gaze unreadable. "It is all due to your own efforts, Luochen. I, as your master, merely provides you the path, but you are the one who had the heart to walk it. Most would have crumbled under the pain of that tattoo."
Indeed. Even Mu'er was actually surprised when Luochen persisted until the end and she successfully Cultivated that thing.
Luochen didn't say anything more, her mind briefly flickering to the memory of Jiang Chen—the "trash" she had discarded.
But she shook her head, after all to her, he was now a shadow in a mirror she had already broken, nothing worth remembering.
She looked back at her master. "Master, is there something you need? You rarely visit me during the midday sun."
Mu'er nodded, her expression turning uncharacteristically solemn. "A distinguished guest is coming. A guest of such magnitude that the Head of the Pagoda has personally come out of his three-hundred-year seclusion. All the Great Elders are currently preparing for their arrival. You are my only disciple, so you should come with me and witness this event."
"A distinguished guest?" Luochen tilted her head, her brow furrowing in genuine confusion.
In her mind, there was no one in the entire Saint Burial Realm that the Conferred Pagoda would consider a "distinguished guest."
Even the Emperors of the Great Empires and the Sect Leaders of the ancient Sacred Lands would have to wait at the mountain gates for days just to catch a glimpse of an Elder.
To the people of this world, the Conferred Pagoda was not just a sect; it was the proxy of the heavens.
After all, for the top experts of Saint Burial Realm, the War of Conquest hundreds of years ago, where the Conferred Pagoda had challenged the world and completely suppressed them, was still fresh in their mind.
"They are a guest from the Upper Realm," Mu'er said, her voice dropping to a whisper as if the words themselves might invite a lightning strike.
"The Upper Realm!?" Luochen exclaimed, her composure finally shattering as her heart hammered against her ribs.
Although it had been an open secret among the people of the world that their organization was a branch established by powers from the "Heavens" above, this was the first time in documented history that a direct descendant or envoy from the Upper Realm would actually descend to visit this shattered world.
Mu'er nodded slowly. "The ancestors who ascended to the Upper Realm centuries ago have already sent word through the Void Mirror. They say the one who will descend has a very special and important identity. So important, in fact, that they gave us a terrifying warning: if even a single strand of his hair is missing when he returns, we might have to say goodbye to the Saint Burial Realm."
"So exaggerated!?" Ling Luochen cried out in disbelief. "To destroy an entire world over a single person?"
Mu'er shook her head, a trace of fear flickering in her eyes. "It is not an exaggeration, Luochen. You are still young. And you think a peak Nascent Soul expert like me is the pinnacle because I can incinerate several kingdoms with a single attack. But those from the Upper Realms... they operate on a scale we cannot comprehend. To them, this realm is but a garden, and we are merely the insects tending to the weeds."
Indeed, although they didn't know the specifics, they were correct to be afraid.
If Leng Shuang, the Tyrant Empress, decided to clench her fist in the Imperial Capital at this very moment, the resulting spatial collapse would instantly crush the entire Saint Burial Realm into a singularity.
Mind you, the realm was the size of a galaxy, but to a Heavenly Saint like her, a galaxy was just a marble.
Even a peak Profound Saint like Qing'er, who followed Haoran, could swallow every single stars of this realm with her shadows if she so desired.
"Prepare yourself," Mu'er said, turning away to look at the swirling clouds beneath the peak. "Cleanse your Qi and put on your most formal robes. If you can catch the eye of such a person, it might be your only opportunity to leave this graveyard and truly see the stars. A single word from them could change your destiny forever."
With that, Mu'er's form blurred into a streak of white light, and she vanished, heading toward the main pagoda.
Ling Luochen was left alone in the pavilion, the wind whistling through the open arches.
Her brows were furrowed in deep thought, her fingers tracing the tribal tattoo on her back, and a cold, ambitious fire began to burn in her blood-red eyes.
"A guest from the Heavens..." she whispered.
She couldn't help but think about her future.
If nothing else happened and she remained here, with her talent, she would surely reach Spirit Ascension Realm and ascend to the upper realm.
But, due to the scarce resources of this world, that might take hundreds of years if she is lucky, but by then, she would probably already be too old and would not be valued by the forces up there.
She does not want that. Ling Luochen believes that her talent was not inferior even to those geniuses in the upper realm, she doesn't want to be buried here in the dust!
That's why, no matter what, she must take this chance!
She turned and walked into her private chambers to prepare, her face set in a mask of absolute determination.
Chapter 85: Chapter 85: The Arrival and The Willow Tree
Saint Burial Realm.
Conferred Pagoda.
At this moment, the atmosphere within the Main Hall of the Conferred Pagoda was so heavy it felt as though the gravity itself had been multiplied ten-fold.
This hall, a masterpiece of architectural arrogance, was built from ancient stones that whispered the history of the Saint Burial Realm's subjugation.
Now, that history was about to witness a new, terrifying Chapter.
All Seven Great Elders, the pillars of power who held the fate of millions in their hands, were lined up with military precision.
Among them, Shangguan Mu'er stood with her head bowed, her bluish-silver hair shimmering like moonlight against the polished floor.
Beside them were the high-ranking deacons, sect protectors, and the crème de la crème of the younger generation.
Ling Luochen, positioned among the elite disciples, felt her heart hammering against her ribs.
Her blood-red eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the massive golden altar at the center of the hall as the air around the altar began to distort, humming with a frequency that made the very marrow of her bones ache.
Just then, a pillar of golden light, purer than anything seen in this realm, descended from the heavens.
It pierced through the roof of the pagoda as if the solid stone were nothing more than parchment.
The light was so blindingly radiant, carrying a divine pressure so immense, that even the Nascent Soul elders were forced to close their eyes and shield their faces.
As the radiance slowly began to dim, retreating into a soft, pulsating glow, the hall fell into a silence so absolute that the flickering of the torches sounded like thunder.
Standing upon the altar were two figures who seemed to have been carved from the very essence of the stars.
The central figure was a handsome young man with golden-blonde hair that seemed to catch and hold the light.
He was draped in a black robe of such exquisite craftsmanship that the golden dragon designs embroidered upon it appeared to be breathing, their eyes glowing with a faint, sentient light.
Behind him stood a woman who looked like a shadow brought to life, her long black hair framed a face of porcelain coldness, and her red eyes held the indifference of an eternal void.
She wore a black, sleeveless bodysuit that hugged her form like a second skin, exuding an aura of a warrior of such caliber that this world had never seen.
A beat passed, just a single heartbeat of collective realization, and then, as if pulled by a single string, the Seven Great Elders, the Sect Head, and every single person in the massive hall dropped to their knees.
The sound of their bodies hitting the floor echoed with a rhythmic thud of total submission.
Haoran stood on the altar, his hands clasped behind his back as he observed everything.
His gaze was not that of a visitor, but of a sovereign inspecting a dusty corner of his attic as his eyes scanned the room, peeling back the layers of everyone's cultivation as easily as one might read an open book.
Just as his Aunt Yuyan had warned him, the "powerhouses" here were tragically limited; the highest ceiling was merely the Nascent Soul Realm.
To him, they were like ants arguing over who was the tallest. And in the Imperial Capital, they will be nothing more than the lowest bottom feeder, probably working like a slave with a salary barely enough to feed them.
However, his sweeping gaze came to a sudden, sharp halt as it landed on two particular women.
The first was the woman with the bluish-silver hair kneeling among the elders.
To any other observer, this Shangguan Mu'er was definitely a peerless human beauty at the peak of her cultivation.
But Haoran's eyes, tempered by the bloodline of the Shen Clan, saw the truth beneath the flesh at a glance.
She was not human, or rather, she was no longer human, but a demon.
What's more, a demon with such a pure bloodline.
'She probably received an inheritance of a Demon King,' he noted internally.
A Demon King, that is a classification of a demon at the same level as a human Heavenly Saint Realm expert.
And due to a demon's superior physical strength almost at the same level as a demonic beast and innate self-regeneration, they are even considered to be far more superior than an average human cultivator.
In the upper realm where the qi was vast and with abundance of resources, she could touch the Spirit Ascension realm within a decade, maybe even less.
But in this "trash" environment, it would likely take her a century of painstaking effort.
Then, his eyes shifted to the girl with the pink hair and the daringly open-backed robe.
At that moment, Ling Luochen felt a chill wash over her as those golden eyes locked onto hers.
In that split second, Haoran saw the tribal tattoo on her back not as art, but as a testament to her dedication and will.
He can see that she was in the middle of a brutal, self-inflicted transformation, forging her mortal marrow into that of a demon.
'Interesting,' he mused. 'To attempt such a thing in a world with such low-grade Qi... if she survives the forging, her body will rival a Sacred Physique.'
But his interest was fleeting, after all in the grand tapestry of the universe, they were still just minor curiosities.
He had come for a purpose this time, not to admire them.
"Who is the current head of the Conferred Pagoda?" Haoran's voice was calm, yet it carried a weight that made the air in the hall tremble.
The silence was broken by an old man at the front of the line who stood up with trembling limbs, his face pale as he cupped his hands in a gesture of absolute respect. "It is me, Young Master from the Divine Realm. I am Xu Xiaojun. I humble myself before your presence."
Haoran stared at the old man for a moment, his silence more terrifying than a shout.
Finally, he gave a curt nod. "Good. I have no time for pleasantries. I want you to mobilize every resource, every spy, and every disciple under the Pagoda's banner. I am looking for a specific person. Find them, and your Pagoda shall be rewarded. Fail me, and...well, I don't have to say anything more, do I?"
Xu Xiaojun blinked, a flicker of fear and confusion crossing his aged features, but he didn't dare ask for a reason.
He bowed until his forehead touched the floor. "I will do my best, Young Master. The Saint Burial Realm shall be turned upside down if that is what it takes."
*
*
*
Meanwhile, countless miles away from the opulence of the Pagoda, in a corner of this realm that time seemed to have forgotten, lay Stone Village.
It was a place of simple farmers and rugged hunters, far removed from the politics of the "immortals."
In the center of the village stood a single, gnarled willow tree, with its branches were long and weeping, sweeping the ground.
Under the shade of this ancient tree, a small child sat on a flat stone.
He was no older than eight, with messy golden-blonde hair and deep black eyes that held a wisdom far beyond his years.
He was currently preoccupied, holding a small wooden bowl and drinking beast's milk with great concentration.
Suddenly, the air around the willow tree shimmered as the branches shook violently as if caught in a sudden gale, though the air remained still.
And then, a woman materialized from the trunk of the tree.
She wore a simple green robe, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders, her green eyes were wide with a sudden, piercing dread.
Her form was illusory, flickering like a candle flame in a draft, a sign that her physical body was either distant or severely damaged.
The child paused, milk dripping from his chin, and looked up at the flickering woman. "Master? Did something happen?"
The woman didn't answer immediately, and instead, she was staring toward the distance, toward the far away mountains where the Conferred Pagoda sat.
A deep, cold frown etched itself onto her beautiful face.
'This feeling... that oppressive, deplorable presence.... Has a descendant from that clan actually descended here? Have they finally found me after all these centuries?'
Her mind flashed back to the catastrophe five hundred years ago, where she had been a legend in her own right, an ordinary willow tree that had achieved the impossible—gaining consciousness and cultivating all the way to the Heavenly Saint Realm.
She had been on the verge of breaking through to the Supreme Emperor realm when she had appeared.
Feng Yuyan.
The woman from the Shen Clan had hunted her not out of malice, but out of cold, scientific curiosity.
To Yuyan, a sentient plant at the Heavenly Saint level was nothing more than "research material" to be dissected and analyzed.
Of course, she does not want to be experimented on, so she fought back, byt the battle had been short and brutal, and she was no match against one of the strongest beings in existence.
To survive, the willow had been forced to burn her very origin, shattering her cultivation and fleeing into the spatial cracks, eventually falling into this lower Saint Burial Realm to hide in this tiny village.
She looked down at the boy, her gaze softening with a mix of affection and terror. 'I hope they haven't discovered my location. If that person is truly from that clan... then the war I tried to escape is coming to this front door.'
"Master?" the boy asked again, tilting his head.
"It is nothing, little one," she lied, her voice a hollow whisper. "Finish your milk. We must begin your training early today. The sky is changing."
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Discussions
The sun hung low over Fragrant Flower City, casting long, dark shadows across the grey stone walls of the Jiang Clan manor.
The air here was thick with the scent of blooming night-jasmine and the faint, metallic tang of spirit-iron being forged in the distant artisan district.
Within the manor's corridors, a sudden silence followed the footsteps of the young master.
Jiang Chen walked with a newfound gait—measured, noble, and possessed of a gravity that seemed to distort the air around him.
The servants, who once scuttled away to avoid a random lashing or a verbal berating, now felt a different kind of fear.
It wasn't the fear of a petulant child with power, but the instinctive dread of a prey animal sensing an apex predator.
They huddled in the corners, their whispers dying in their throats as he passed.
But Jiang Chen ignored them all, after all to a man who had once stood at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Saint Realm, the opinions of mortal servants were less than the buzzing of gnats.
He reached the heavy, iron-wood doors of the Patriarch's office and gave a sharp, perfunctory knock before pushing his way inside.
The room was dimly lit, smelling of old parchment and stale tea.
There, Jiang Hei, the head of the clan, sat behind a desk cluttered with ledgers and jade slips, his hair was disheveled, and deep bags hung beneath his eyes, which were bloodshot from lack of rest.
He looked less like a powerful Foundation Establishment expert and more like a man drowning on dry land.
"Father?" Jiang Chen's voice was calm, but it held an underlying resonance that made Jiang Hei snap his head up.
"Chen'er?" Jiang Hei looked up and forced a weary smile, trying to straighten his robes. "What brings you here so early? I... I thought you were resting. Don't push yourself, okay?"
"No, Father," Jiang Chen said, stepping closer to the desk. He didn't sit, but he stood with his hands behind his back, his presence filling the room. "What happened to you? You look as though you haven't slept for the past two years."
Jiang Hei sighed, his shoulders slumping as he rubbed his temples with trembling fingers. "It's nothing you need to worry about, son. It's just... administrative fatigue."
"Do not lie to me, Father," Jiang Chen countered, his tone brooking no argument.
Jiang Hei stared at his son, startled by the sheer authority in his voice.
Silence permeated the room for a while before Jiang Hei let out a long, shuddering breath and gestured toward the ledgers.
"It's the Ling Clan. Ever since Ling Luochen was accepted as a personal disciple by that Elder of the Conferred Pagoda, her family has gained access to alchemy recipes and resources we can't even dream of."
Jiang Hei rubbed his temple, once again feeling the headache of being completely suppressed.
"They have begun flooding the market with pills, elixirs, and artifacts of a quality Fragrant Flower City hasn't seen in centuries. Due to that, our shops are basically empty, and our long-term partners are breaking their contracts to sign with the Lings. We've taken massive losses in the past two years, and just two weeks ago, they released an even better pills, completely suppressing our business. At this moment several of our primary medicine halls are on the verge of bankruptcy."
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed as a faint, murderous aura leaked from his body, causing the temperature in the room to drop.
'Those Ling Clan fools truly had a way to court their own death! Not only did they humiliate the Jiang bloodline by publicly severing an engagement set by the ancestors, but they were now attempting to starve the clan out of existence!'
In the world of cultivation, a clan without business was a clan without spirit stones, and a clan without spirit stones was a clan without a future.
"I see," Jiang Chen murmured. "No wonder they acted so arrogantly. They believe that with the Pagoda as their backing, they can simply erase us from the city's history."
"They are succeeding," Jiang Hei whispered.
"Father, tell me," Jiang Chen asked, leaning over the desk. "What are the most popular items sold in this city? What do the common cultivators and the small sects scramble for?"
Jiang Hei blinked, confused by the sudden shift to commerce. "It... it used to be the Blood Nourishing Pill for the Body Refining realm and the Spirit Essence Pills for the Qi Gathering Realm. Those were our bread and butter. But the Ling Clan has introduced Iron Body Pills and Qi Enhancing pills. They are far more potent, and they claim the impurities are lower by twenty percent. No alchemist in our clan knows the refinement process for such high-grade recipes.*
Jiang Chen rubbed his chin, 'Iron Body Pills? Qi Enhancing Pills? I haven't heard of them before. Must be an original local pill created here.'
But it doesn't matter. He doesn't believe that people of this lower realm can create pills better than those in the upper realm.
In a world like the Saint Burial Realm, where the quality of Qi was degraded, even the simplest recipe would appear divine.
"Father, I need you to gather some materials for me," Jiang Chen said. "I need Jade Spirit Grass, the blood of a Body Refining Fierce Beast, some Eastern Star Moss, and Blue Silver Lily. Also, get me a sample of those Iron Body and Qi Enhancing pills from the Ling Clan's shop."
Jiang Hei stared at his son, his mouth agape. "Chen'er, those herbs are easy to find—they are common weeds that grow on the outskirts of the city. But what use do you have for them? You aren't an alchemist."
"That is a secret for now, Father," Jiang Chen said, his golden eyes flashing with a predatory light. "Just trust me. Within three days, I will give you a surprise that will make the Ling Clan's 'high-quality' pills look like rabbit droppings."
Not an alchemist? In his past life, he was a genuine Rank 9 Alchemist, and that was because he didn't focus much on Alchemy as much as he focused on Cultivation.
But even then, this level is enough to completely supress the best alchemist in this world.
Jiang Hei looked at his son, seeing a man he didn't recognize—a man who radiated an absolute, crushing confidence.
For the first time in months, a glimmer of hope sparked in the Patriarch's tired eyes.
*
*
*
Countless miles away, atop the soaring spires of the Conferred Pagoda, the air was vibrating with the frantic energy of a hive.
Elders and core disciples were scrambling across the mountain peaks, their Qi flaring as they mobilized every spy network and divination array at their disposal.
The "Divine Guest" had given a single command, and in the Conferred Pagoda, his word was the law of the universe.
Ling Luochen stood on a balcony overlooking the Great Plaza, her blood-red eyes fixed on the horizon as her heart was racing with a mixture of ambition and a strange, cold dread.
She thought to Shen Haoran's orders, and how je was looking for someone named Jiang Chen, specifically, a "trashy young master" from the outskirts who had suddenly undergone a radical change in personality, as if he had become a completely different person.
Ling Luochen's mind immediately flickered to the face of the man she had just humiliated.
Jiang Chen of Fragrant Flower City. He was the definition of a "trashy young master", and he lived on the outskirts.
But... had he changed? When she had broken the engagement, he was the same as always, although he felt humiliated, he endured and just smiled at her flatteringly.
After all, even a trash like him knew not to offend the Conferred Pagoda.
'Could it be him?' she wondered. 'No. It's impossible. How could a waste from a backwater city be known to a god from the Upper Realms?'
But the rewards for finding the correct target were rumored to be enough to allow someone to ascend directly to the Spirit Ascension realm.
In the face of such a prize, even a "What if?" was worth the risk of her life.
She turned and sprinted toward her Master's courtyard, her blue robes snapping in the wind.
There, she found Shangguan Mu'er standing beneath a flowering plum tree, her bluish-silver hair drifting in the spiritual breeze.
"Master!" Luochen cried out, dropping to a knee.
Shangguan Mu'er opened her eyes, the Nascent Soul pressure causing the petals of the plum tree to freeze in mid-air. "Luochen? Do you have some questions regarding your Cultivation?"
"No, not for now. Master, I believe I have found the person Young Master Shen is looking for," Luochen said, her voice trembling with excitement. "My former fiancé, Jiang Chen of the Jiang Clan in Fragrant Flower City. He fits the name, the location, and the reputation of a wastrel."
Shangguan Mu'er frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Luochen, do you realize the gravity of what you are saying? If we bring a common trash before the Young Master and waste his time, he could erase this entire mountain in the blink of an eye."
Luochen bit her lip, remembering the chill that had run down her spine when Jiang Chen had looked at her. "Master, the Young Master himself said it didn't matter if we were wrong, as long as we brought him everyone who met the criteria. He said he would 'sort them out' himself."
Shangguan Mu'er stood in silence for a long minute, the only sound being the distant chime of the pagoda's bells.
Finally, she nodded.
"Very well," Mu'er said, her eyes turning toward the central palace where the golden light had descended. "If this is your intuition, we shall pursue it. Let us go and inform the Young Master. If you are right, Luochen, your path to the stars is already paved in gold."
As they walked toward the Main Hall, Ling Luochen gripped her hands into fists.
She didn't know why a god wanted a worm like Jiang Chen, but she would be the one to hand the worm over.