Inside the Great Zhou Kingdom's royal bedchamber, Chen Changan and Da Huang crouched in front of a tea table, staring motionlessly at the thing on top of it.
"Do you think this is it?" Da Huang asked after staring at it for a long while.
"I don't think so. It definitely isn't," Chen Changan said firmly.
"But why does it look kind of like it? It's just... a little darker." Da Huang shook his head, rejecting Chen Changan's opinion.
"I want to kill someone." A heavy aura of resentment radiated from Chen Changan.
"Who?"
"I'll chop them all down!"
"That's a bit much. You could start by digging up the grave of that descendant of yours in the Chen Family, then chop down the King of the Great Zhou Kingdom."
"If that doesn't make you feel better, you could wipe out his entire family, too."
"There's no need to chop everyone down. The others are innocent." Da Huang gloated from the side.
"Shut up."
"What the hell does this have to do with me? I'm not the one who did it!" Da Huang said irritably.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it all!"
Chen Changan was close to tears. He had imagined all kinds of possibilities, but this was the worst one by far.
The good news was that they had found the Fetal Pearl.
The bad news was that Chen Changan regretted finding it.
The Fetal Pearl really was in the hands of the Imperial Family, and it was right there with the current King of the Great Zhou Kingdom.
But such an important thing—he didn't study it or give it to anyone. He actually carried it around in his hand every day, fiddling with it?
The damn Fetal Pearl was practically polished to a shine!
It was black and greasy, and the sight of it made Chen Changan's stomach turn. How the hell was he supposed to fuse with it? Just looking at it disgusted him!
"You really don't want it?"
"This is important to you. Besides, you don't have to eat it, so what are you afraid of?" Da Huang said dismissively.
As far as Da Huang was concerned, he wasn't going to eat the thing, so what did it matter if it was a little dirty?
"Do you even know what disgusting means?"
"Um... no."
"Forget it. I can't talk to you about this. You'd eat shit."
"Chen Changan, don't slander me! When have I ever eaten shit?"
"When you ate people, did you make sure they'd emptied the shit in their guts first?"
"This..."
"And you're saying you've never eaten shit?"
"Seems... kind of reasonable. So I've eaten shit!"
Da Huang thought it over carefully, seeming to want to savor what shit tasted like.
"Hmm... It digested too quickly. I don't really remember the taste." As he spoke, Da Huang even licked his lips.
"Ugh!"
"You're fucking disgusting!"
Chen Changan couldn't take it anymore either. He drew a deep breath and stopped bickering with Da Huang, turning his gaze to the Fetal Pearl on the tea table instead.
"Damn it, I'm doing it."
From the moment Chen Changan saw the Fetal Pearl, his body had reacted intensely, urging him again and again to fuse with it.
If the Fetal Pearl hadn't looked so nauseating, Chen Changan would have picked it up and fused with it already.
When Chen Changan picked it up, the Fetal Pearl reacted too, turning into a black, greasy streak of light. But this time, it didn't sink into Chen Changan's forehead.
Instead, it entered the area around his heart.
"Whew. My body feels great, and I can absorb spiritual energy again."
"Looks like if I want to keep cultivating, I'll have to find all seven of the remaining Fetal Pearls," Chen Changan said with a smile.
"Come on, hurry up and go. If we wait any longer, that kid Chen Yunxuan won't be able to hold on," Da Huang urged from the side.
He'd been helping Chen Changan search for the Fetal Pearls this whole time and hadn't even gotten a chance to watch the big show outside.
Bang!
Uncle Liu struck Chen Yunxuan back with another palm. The indifference in his eyes had begun to give way to something else.
Was this kid really not afraid of dying? He knew he was no match, yet he kept charging forward?
"You're impressive, both in talent and strength. You far surpass your peers."
"But what's the point of behaving like this?"
"You know you're outmatched. Why keep going?" Uncle Liu asked, voicing the question that had been on his mind.
Chen Yunxuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly smiled at Uncle Liu.
"So what if I'm outmatched?"
"Running away isn't an option for me. Neither is giving up."
"You're stronger than I am, but that doesn't mean I'll give up because of it."
"As long as I'm alive, I'll keep fighting!"
"Until my very last breath!"
Chen Yunxuan's words earned the admiration of many. That was how a cultivator should be!
Without the resolve to charge forward, how could anyone make a name for themselves?
"What a pity!"
Uncle Liu had begun to feel sympathy for him, too. A genius like this truly shouldn't die here.
But the Young Master had given his orders. Uncle Liu couldn't hold back.
"I hope you won't regret the choice you made today."
Before his words had even faded, Uncle Liu struck again. This time, he held nothing back, intending to end the fight right then and there!
But when he saw Uncle Liu attack, Chen Yunxuan suddenly closed his eyes.
Everyone was confused by this. Hadn't he just said he wouldn't give up?
So why was he doing this now? Was he powerless to fight back and simply waiting to die?
The others didn't understand, and Uncle Liu's brows knitted together as well. He had no idea what Chen Yunxuan was doing.
Just as Uncle Liu's attack was about to land, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from Chen Yunxuan's body.
Feeling the strength of that aura, Uncle Liu's expression changed. He hurriedly switched from offense to defense.
Bang!
"How is this possible!"
"What did Chen Yunxuan do?"
"Heavens, is he defying the heavens again? His opponent is in the Divine Ability Realm!"
"Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable!"
Before everyone's eyes, Uncle Liu was sent flying by the aura that erupted from Chen Yunxuan!
Once again, this shattered their understanding of Chen Yunxuan's strength. Some were even beginning to question their own sanity.
Was this damn kid really in the Transcendent Realm?
"Enlightenment!"
"This kid actually entered a state of enlightenment?"
"He can not only break through in the middle of a battle, he can even enter a state of enlightenment?"
"He..."
Entering a state of enlightenment was something countless people dreamed of. But it required insight and a fortuitous opportunity.
Who just entered a state of enlightenment in the middle of a fight?
Just how great was this kid's insight?
Uncle Liu had been sent flying because Chen Yunxuan had just entered a state of enlightenment, and the energy bursting from his body was simply too powerful.
But this force wouldn't last. In other words, Chen Yunxuan, in his current enlightened state, was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
"What a pity. How rare it is to enter a state of enlightenment."
"But in these circumstances, it's no different from seeking death." Uncle Liu let out a helpless sigh.
There was also a hint of envy in his sigh. In all his life, he had never once entered a state of enlightenment.
"Young Master, observing someone in a state of enlightenment can also benefit your cultivation."
"Perhaps..."
Uncle Liu's meaning was clear. If Cheng Yushu could take the opportunity to reflect on what he saw, it might benefit his cultivation. He also didn't want to take advantage of someone when they were down.
Hearing Uncle Liu's words, Cheng Yushu frowned. After a brief hesitation, he decided to strike quickly, lest things drag on and complications arise.
"Uncle Liu, Chen Yunxuan is too much of a prodigy. We can't give him a chance!"
"Kill him!" Cheng Yushu said in a low voice.
Cheng Yushu's words made many people breathe a sigh of relief. They had been afraid he would agree. Once Chen Yunxuan finished his enlightenment, he might turn the tables at the last moment!
"This... I understand."
Uncle Liu nodded helplessly, his gaze at Chen Yunxuan complicated.
"What a pity."
"How many years does the Northern Domain have to wait for a prodigy like this? I never thought he'd die by my hand today."
"You're not qualified to kill him."
The sudden voice stunned everyone. The next moment, Chen Changan appeared in front of Chen Yunxuan with Da Huang, blocking Uncle Liu as he moved to attack!
"This... who is this?"
"Is he from the Chen Family, too?"
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