Heaven-Defying Combat Power

The spiritual energy of the entire Northern Plains Commandery had been drained dry in less than a day, leaving its cultivators deeply troubled.

Nan Xiangtian, the Family Head of the Nan Family, the foremost Lineage in Northern Plains Commandery, went straight to the Prefect's Mansion.

"Brother Wu, do you know the cause of this phenomenon?"

"Has some great figure arrived in our Northern Plains Commandery recently?"

"If such a person truly has come, please inform me, Brother Wu, so I can instruct my clansmen to proceed carefully and avoid offending them."

Seeing Nan Xiangtian's grave expression, Wu Chengfeng, the Prefect of Northern Plains Commandery, could only offer a helpless bitter smile.

He was equally baffled. He could not understand why the surrounding spiritual energy had suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Brother Nan, I truly know nothing about this matter."

"I have heard nothing of any powerful expert arriving in our Northern Plains Commandery lately."

"Could it be that some talented youngster was born within Northern Plains Commandery?" Wu Chengfeng said with a frown.

"Oh? If that is truly the case, then we must investigate it thoroughly. Anyone capable of causing such a disturbance will surely become a towering giant someday. If we win them over and befriend them early, there will certainly be rewards in the future!" Nan Xiangtian said, somewhat excitedly.

"Indeed. No matter what it is, we should investigate it clearly."

"How about this? You and I investigate together. Whoever finds the answer first will notify the other."

"Alright."

Nan Xiangtian and Wu Chengfeng prepared to investigate the reason behind the vanished spiritual energy. Meanwhile, Liu Mengyan and Liu Chengfeng had yet to leave Northern Plains Commandery.

The instant the spiritual energy was inexplicably drained away, Liu Mengyan and Liu Chengfeng's first thought was of Old Ancestor Chen, Chen Changan.

"Terrifying... Uncle, just what level has Old Ancestor Chen's cultivation reached?"

Liu Mengyan was genuinely afraid now. If Old Ancestor Chen bore grudges over even the smallest slight, could the Liu Family escape disaster?

"Unfathomable. Impossible to measure."

"Not long after we left the Chen Family, the spiritual energy suddenly vanished. We have been traveling at full speed and are already close to leaving Northern Plains Commandery, yet I still have not sensed the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy."

"This means that he drained all the spiritual energy from the entire Northern Plains Commandery in such a short time." Liu Chengfeng's face was filled with tension.

"Uncle, I do not understand. Why would he do this? Draining Northern Plains Commandery of spiritual energy should not benefit the Chen Family either, should it?"

"With so much spiritual energy gone, it will likely take some time to recover." Liu Mengyan asked in confusion.

"A warning. In my view, this is a warning to us, and likewise a warning to Northern Plains Commandery."

"Such a disturbance in Northern Plains Commandery will surely be investigated, and in the end, people will learn that Old Ancestor Chen has returned!"

"By then, the news will spread throughout the entire Great Zhou Kingdom."

"The Chen Family... is building momentum for its rise!"

"It seems that before long, the Chen Family will reclaim its position as the foremost Lineage in the Great Zhou Kingdom. Perhaps even..."

"Even what?"

"The Chen Family does not care about the Great Zhou Kingdom at all."

Liu Chengfeng's analysis struck Liu Mengyan as exceedingly reasonable.

So that was it. Otherwise, why would someone like Chen Changan need to make such a spectacle?

"Alas, if only our Liu Family had such an ancestor."

"Uncle, do you think there is still a way to make amends?"

"Do we still have a chance to cling to the Chen Family's great tree?" Liu Mengyan asked worriedly.

Hmm?

At those words, Liu Chengfeng's heart stirred. Right—why had he not thought of that?

"We must return to the Liu Family at once and tell the Family Head about this. We absolutely cannot let others get ahead of us."

"Quick, let's go!"

"Alright!"

Liu Mengyan and Liu Chengfeng traveled at full speed, striving to return to the Liu Family in the shortest possible time!

Yan Gui City, Chen Family

"Excellent!"

"So this is what cultivation feels like?"

Though Chen Changan's cultivation session had not lasted long, he had experienced a flavor of life unlike any other.

No wonder everyone wanted to cultivate. Once energy and cultivation resided within one's body, one truly became different.

Unfortunately, Chen Changan had not intended to stop cultivating, only to discover that he could no longer absorb any spiritual energy.

It seemed the energy his body could contain had reached its limit.

Pushing open the door, Chen Changan took a deep breath. It felt as though the entire world had changed at that moment.

"Da Huang, what do you think? Am I a Super Genius?"

"It has only been a short while, and my cultivation has already broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm First Layer. Impressive, right?" Chen Changan asked with a smug grin.

"You can count this as ten thousand years of accumulation. Being able to break through to..."

"Wait, your cultivation only broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm First Layer?"

"How is that possible?"

Da Huang knitted his brows tightly and carefully scrutinized Chen Changan. He really was only at the Nascent Soul Realm First Layer?

That made no sense!

Chen Changan had absorbed such an enormous amount of spiritual energy. How could he be only at the Nascent Soul Realm First Layer?

"Did you deliberately suppress your cultivation?" Da Huang asked curiously.

"No. The spiritual energy I absorbed was only enough for me to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm First Layer."

"And it seems my body has developed another problem. I tried using spirit stones, but I could not absorb any spiritual energy at all." Chen Changan shook his head helplessly.

Strange!

Truly strange!

Why was there not a single normal thing about this brat?

"Attack me. Let me see how strong your combat power is." Da Huang said after thinking for a moment.

"Oh? Then you cannot fight back."

"Get on with it. What the hell are you afraid of? Even your master could not kill you. Do you think I have that ability?" Da Huang said impatiently.

"Alright!"

Chen Changan did not waste words. Using his finger as a sword, he flicked it forward, sending a streak of Sword Qi charging straight at Da Huang.

It was incredibly fast and immensely powerful.

Though its power could not harm Da Huang in the slightest, it still gave him quite a shock.

"Freak!"

"Your fucking cultivation is only at the Nascent Soul Realm First Layer, yet the power of that sword just now was comparable to the Transcendent Realm!"

"Do you understand what that means?"

"Your combat power surpasses your cultivation by two major realms!"

"If you become a Great Emperor, who in all the world could stand against you?"

"Even your master probably would not be able to withstand a single exchange with you!"

Hearing Da Huang's words, Chen Changan's eyes lit up. Even his master would not be a match?

Would that not mean he could make his master do whatever he wanted?

"What the hell are you thinking, brat?"

"Aren't you afraid your master will confine you and prevent you from cultivating for the rest of your life?"

One look at Chen Changan's expression told Da Huang that this bastard was up to no good.

"Alas, what a pity. At present, it seems my cultivation cannot be raised any further." Chen Changan sighed helplessly.

"In my view, your problem lies with these Fetal Pearls."

"If you can find the remaining eight Fetal Pearls, there should be no further problems with your path of advancement."

"You really are ruthless, brat. You cast out your talent for cultivation while still in your mother's womb. I have lived for so many years, yet I have never seen anyone as peculiar as you." Da Huang mocked.

Chen Changan did not mind Da Huang's mockery. What he wanted most now was to find the other eight Fetal Pearls.

The only one whose whereabouts he currently knew was in the hands of the Great Zhou Imperial Family!

"Tell me, after all the painstaking effort my master went through over the years, why did she never think to come to the Chen Family and ask?"

"She has really suffered, that old lady." Chen Changan said with a smile.

"Old lady?"

"Chen Changan, your master hates it most when people call her old."

"What is there to fear? Master is not here."

Before his voice had even faded, Chen Changan suddenly shuddered. That familiar sensation made his heart jolt.

Fuck, what is going on?

Could Master have been following me the entire time?