The next day, close to noon.
"Young Master, Third Master has sent word, asking you to make a trip to the Liu Family. He says there is an urgent and important matter he needs to discuss with you—an emergency of the utmost urgency."
Star Slave's voice came from outside the door.
"Also, First Master has sent servants to inform you that powerful members of several lineages within the sect have come with their descendants, bearing lavish gifts to pay you a visit. There are also many powerful experts from great sects, old-generation experts from across the continent, and others. They ask that you go over as soon as possible."
Buzz!
Chu Tian opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed within them, and his gaze actually punched two small holes through the wooden door, connecting the inside and outside. Sunlight streamed in from beyond the door and shone upon Chu Tian's body, his skin reflecting a heavy radiance like Chaos Demon Iron.
His body now seemed like a piece of Chaos Demon Iron that had been hammered millions upon millions of times.
"Understood."
Chu Tian replied, rising from the wooden tub and standing before the floor-length mirror.
The boy in the mirror had an immature face, but an utterly incongruous icy gleam flickered in his eyes, wholly at odds with his youthful appearance.
After forging his body through the night and circulating the Chaos Creation True Scripture, Chu Tian had unexpectedly grown another five centimeters. Though still young, he had already reached one meter sixty-five, no different from some shorter adults.
Star Slave entered the room to dress Chu Tian. At the sight of his physique coursing with Chaos Divine Light, her cheeks flushed faintly. She lowered her head and helped him put on his clothes.
"Young Master, where do you plan to go first?" Star Slave asked softly as she fastened his belt.
Chu Tian frowned slightly, considered for a moment, then said, "Leave the social obligations to Father. Tell the servants I'm at a critical stage of cultivation."
"We'll go to the Liu Family first. Since Third Uncle says it's an emergency of the utmost urgency, it must be something important."
Chu Tian understood that this was merely the aftermath of him reaching first place on the Hengtian Earth Ranking. These people had come to congratulate the Chu Family, while also hoping their younger generation could get acquainted with him and maintain relations and friendship with the next head of the Chu Family.
Whether it was the wealthy, powerful clans of his previous life or the ancient lineages of this world, they were all the same—marrying into one another's families, forging ties, sharing resources, and so on.
Previously, because Chu Tianwang had kept a low profile and yielded ground, they had gradually drifted away from these people.
But now, with him, the Chu Family's young master, claiming first place on the Earth Ranking, many viewed it as a sign that the Chu Family's attitude had changed. Naturally, it drew those already friendly with the Chu Family, as well as those wishing to curry favor, to come calling.
As for the powerful experts of other sects and those old monsters, quite a few had naturally come to probe for information and see for themselves just what his Chaos Demon God Body was capable of.
Chu Tian had no desire to deal with such hypocritical, snake-like nuisances that wasted time and energy. He could simply throw them to his father, Chu Tianwang, to handle.
His task was to grow stronger, stronger, and stronger still—to seize every resource and every scrap of destiny belonging to the Sons of Destiny.
"Yes, Young Master."
"This servant will make the arrangements at once."
Not long afterward.
Chu Tian boarded the palace-like carriage Star Slave had arranged. Drawn through the air by nine Nine Blazing Lion Beasts, it swiftly left the sect and arrived at the Liu Family, a hundred li away.
What greeted his eyes was a vast, sprawling estate of palace complexes.
The moment they reached the entrance, a dense stench of blood flooded his nostrils, enough to make one retch.
More than a hundred Law Enforcement Hall experts stood in two lines at the entrance, sabers at their waists and faces as cold as carved statues. Around their feet lay countless scattered corpses, while blood spread into the distance like a small stream.
There were also Liu Family members who had not yet fully died, lying on the ground and continuously letting out faint cries for help.
With a casual sweep of his gaze, Chu Tian saw that more than a hundred members of the Liu Family had been killed at the entrance alone.
Star Slave, who was steering the carriage, went pale. Though she was a death warrior trained by the Chu Family, this was still the first time she had witnessed such a brutal scene.
Chu Tian stepped out of the carriage and glanced around, expressionless. His brows did not even twitch.
He had seen far too many scenes like this.
Compared with the sight of countless heavy cannons firing in unison, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere, this was weaker in visual impact by more than a hundredfold.
Yet he keenly sensed that something was wrong.
Even if Chu Tianyun wanted to vent his anger on the Liu Family, he should not have arrived and immediately begun such a slaughter. By the sect's rules and procedures, it would not have been difficult to destroy the Liu Family.
Something unexpected had likely happened.
"Little Tian, it's an emergency of the utmost urgency. Let's talk as we walk."
Chu Tianyun's expression was grave as he strode out of the estate. Bloody water splashed beneath his feet, and terrifying killing intent and murderous aura filled his eyes. He directly took Chu Tian and flew toward the depths of the Liu Family.
"I won't waste words. This matter is of great importance. Your Third Uncle has not yet reported it to your father or the sect. I wanted to hear your opinion first."
With a solemn expression, Chu Tianyun said, "Your Third Uncle led men into the Liu Family to search it, and discovered that your fiancée Liu Yun's Innate Dao Body was forged. The Liu Family deceived our Chu Family."
Chu Tian's heart jolted.
This was something that had never appeared in the original plot he knew. Following the vine to find the melon, he had unexpectedly unearthed such hidden truth.
As his words fell, they landed before a thousand-meter-tall palace in the deepest part of the Liu Family.
Around the palace, the ground had been dyed dark red with blood. A thick bloody stench struck their faces. One could imagine that a battle a hundred times more brutal than the one at the entrance had taken place here, and that the Liu Family's resistance had been fierce.
A terrifying pressure still lingered in the heavens, mixed with Chu Tianyun's aura. Chu Tianyun must have personally acted to kill the Liu Family's strongest experts.
"Little Tian, Little Tian, you're here!"
At that moment, a beautiful middle-aged woman in an ornate, low-cut palace dress suddenly began wailing loudly at the entrance. She shouted at the two Law Enforcement Hall disciples restraining her, "Let go! Let go of me! My son-in-law is here—you're finished!"
She was Liu Yun's mother, Luo Yushan.
Ever since he was young, Chu Tian had treated Luo Yushan with great respect. Whenever he came to the Liu Family, he called her Auntie.
"A forged Innate Dao Body?"
Chu Tian frowned slightly and followed Chu Tianyun into the palace. Hearing the shouting, he casually lifted his eyes and glanced over. Liu Yun, a budding beauty, stood beside Luo Yushan. The other people around them had disheveled clothes or wounds and bloodstains on their bodies, but only her snow-white dress remained spotless and intact.
As the possessor of an Innate Dao Body, and with the Chu Family not having proposed any cancellation of the engagement, no one naturally dared touch even a single hair on her head.
When Liu Yun saw Chu Tian appear, she seemed slightly startled. Then a flash of anger passed through her eyes. Her lips puckered in grievance before she gave a soft snort and turned away, seemingly waiting for Chu Tian to come over to her of his own accord.
In the past, even if she and Chu Tian had some unpleasantness between them, Chu Tian would take the initiative to reconcile with her early the next morning.
But this time, he had waited so long before coming to apologize to her, and had even allowed her family to suffer such tremendous losses. It was too late.
Liu Yun decided to leave Chu Tian hanging for a while.
Girls might mature earlier and understand things sooner than boys.
But she did not understand the gravity of the matter.
"Third Uncle, Innate Dao Bodies are born of heaven and earth, naturally aligned with the Dao Principles of heaven and earth. Can something like that be forged?"
As Chu Tian asked, he merely cast a glance at the mother and daughter before withdrawing his gaze. Even when he passed beside them, he did not look at them again. With a solemn expression, he entered the palace with Chu Tianyun.
The forged Innate Dao Body had never existed in the original plot. Perhaps there was some deeply buried secret behind it.
Liu Yun's little face turned pale. In a daze, she raised a hand toward Chu Tian's retreating back, as if trying to grasp something. Her mouth opened as though she wanted to speak.
But Chu Tian's figure had already vanished into the palace.
The palace gates were shut by the Law Enforcement Hall disciples as well.
Liu Yun felt terribly wronged.
She had clearly been ready to apologize. As long as Chu Tian took the initiative to speak to her and gave her a way down.
Why?
Why would Chu Tian not even look at her properly anymore?
Before you continue