"Changqing, you three haven't seen one another for a long time. Have a good catch-up."
Chen Haotian waved his hand, a gratified smile appearing on his face. "As it happens, I still have a few matters to deal with, so I won't disturb you any longer."
With that,
He did not wait for Chen Changqing's response. He turned around and strode away.
However, after taking only a few steps, Chen Haotian suddenly turned back. His gaze fell on Chen Changqing, and the corners of his mouth curved into a meaningful arc. "Boy, if you have any plans from here on, come to me anytime to discuss them."
"The Chen Family has lived in seclusion for a million years. It's time for the sky of the Great Desolate Realm to change."
As his voice fell, purple robes flashed, and he vanished into the void.
Chen Changqing gazed in the direction his ancestor had left, warmth welling up in his heart.
It was all thanks to his ancestor that he could reunite with his parents.
"Father, Mother."
Chen Changqing turned around, a faint smile on his face. "Let's head back first."
"Back?" Qin Mengyao froze for a moment, then seemed to recall something. "Oh, you mean... that cave dwelling?"
Chen Changqing nodded.
A million years ago, when he had seized the position of Divine Son, the Chen Family had bestowed upon him the highest-grade cave dwelling.
It was the cultivation residence belonging solely to him, the Sole Divine Son. Looking across the entire Chen Family, there was no second place that could rival it.
Before sealing the Divine Source, he had personally laid down restrictions. Only he and his parents could open it.
Then,
Chen Changqing smiled faintly and waved his sleeve.
An invisible force lifted everyone into the air. Light and shadows shifted before their eyes, while the void retreated to both sides like flowing water.
The next moment,
A cave dwelling floating above the clouds appeared in everyone's view.
The three of Chen Yuanba stood behind Chen Changqing. When they entered the cave dwelling and saw its interior, they all drew in a sharp breath at the same time.
How was this a cave dwelling?
It was clearly a small world!
The cave dwelling was surrounded by mountains.
The ranges rose and fell like dragon spines, stretching layer upon layer into the depths of the clouds and mist.
Waterfalls hung upside down like the Milky Way, pouring down from cliffs ten thousand zhang high and splashing up water vapor that filled the sky.
The water vapor refracted seven-colored halos beneath the sunlight, illuminating the entire cave dwelling as though it were an Immortal Realm.
Pavilions and towers were scattered in perfect order, their sweeping eaves hidden amid mist-wreathed willows.
Winding corridors followed the water like ribbons, linking the palaces into one continuous expanse.
Farther away, there was even a lake stretching as far as the eye could see. White mist lingered across its surface, and several spirit carps could vaguely be seen leaping from the water, splashing out rings of ripples.
The lakeshore was filled with all kinds of spirit herbs and immortal flowers: thousand-year Purple Spirit Mushrooms, ten-thousand-year Blood Ginseng, Nine-Leaf Soul-Concentrating Flowers...
Any one of them placed in the outside world would be enough to make Saint King Realm experts fight until blood flowed like a river.
Yet here, they grew wildly like weeds...
"Is this the ancestor's cave dwelling?"
Chen Musen stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping across the picturesque scenery. His voice was filled with uncontrollable shock.
He had been born with a Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, and his perception of various spiritual-energy fluctuations far surpassed that of ordinary people.
It was precisely for this reason that he understood the terrifying aspects of this cave dwelling better than anyone.
Just how dense was the spiritual energy permeating the void?
He felt that every breath he took was like swallowing a spirit pill.
And how pure was the Dao rhythm drifting through the air?
Merely standing here brought unprecedented peace to his state of mind, as though even distracting thoughts could no longer take root.
"I heard long ago that the Chen Family possessed a Saint-grade supreme cave-dwelling Dao artifact, one that only the Divine Son could enjoy. Now that I've seen it, it truly lives up to its reputation." (The grades of magical treasures are Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven, Saint, and Emperor. Among them, Emperor-grade Dao artifacts can only be refined by the Destiny Emperor with the aid of the power of the Heavenly Mandate's laws.)
Chen Qingshuang stood with her sword in hand. A rare trace of astonishment flashed across her cool, beautiful face.
This cave dwelling was indeed extraordinary.
A Saint-grade supreme Dao artifact would be considered top-tier even throughout the entire Great Desolate Realm, let alone one of the special type known as a cave-dwelling artifact.
No wonder only the Divine Son had the qualifications to use it.
Leading his parents and the three of Chen Yuanba, Chen Changqing passed through the winding corridors. Along the way, exotic flowers, strange stones, spirit birds, and auspicious beasts could be found everywhere.
After walking for roughly fifteen minutes, they arrived before a palace.
"There are plenty of rooms inside the cave dwelling. Just choose whichever one you like."
Chen Changqing instructed the three of Chen Yuanba.
The three hurriedly acknowledged him.
Then they began choosing rooms in every direction.
As he chose, Chen Yuanba excitedly muttered things like, "Cultivating in seclusion here will definitely let one advance a thousand li in a day," and, "Following the ancestor was indeed the right choice!"
Meanwhile—
Qin Mengyao entered through the main gate. As her gaze swept across the familiar scenery, her eyes reddened once more of their own accord.
Not a single blade of grass or tree here had changed, as though the million years had never passed.
She withdrew her gaze and impatiently took Chen Changqing's hand. Her voice carried both heartache and urgency. "Changqing, hurry and tell Mother what you went through all these years. That Immortality Divine Ability... that heaven-defying method—how exactly did you comprehend it?"
In her view, for her son to possess such earth-shaking abilities, he must have endured countless hardships beyond ordinary people's imagination.
Hearing this, Chen Changqing merely shook his head lightly.
"Mother, there's no need to worry."
"Actually, like you two, I only awakened from the Divine Source not long ago."
"As for that Divine Ability Method..."
"I merely happened to have some insight when I awakened, and comprehended it naturally."
Qin Mengyao froze.
Chen Zhian froze as well.
He had only just awakened from the Divine Source, yet he had directly comprehended such an outrageous method? One that could directly grant someone a million years of additional life?
This... this sounded far too fantastical.
Chen Zhian hurriedly pressed him. "Changqing, is your Divine Ability Method truly without any consumption when used, just as you said?"
Having cultivated until now, he knew deeply that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
The more powerful the cultivation techniques and spells, the more terrifying their consumption. This was an immutable iron law of the cultivation world.
Yet when Chen Changqing had restored his and his wife's blood vitality and increased their lifespans by a million years, there had genuinely been not the slightest expenditure of true essence or fluctuation of laws. This had completely exceeded his understanding of cultivation.
Looking at his father's expression, Chen Changqing could not help laughing.
"Father, the Divine Ability Method truly has no consumption."
"This method is completely different from the cultivation system of the Great Desolate Realm..."
Chen Changqing explained the general situation of the Divine Ability Method.
After pausing for a moment,
He continued, "Since you're interested in this, I'll preach the Dao to you now. Perhaps you'll be able to comprehend one or two Divine Abilities from it."
As soon as he said this,
Before Chen Zhian and Qin Mengyao could react, the three Chen Yuanba had been choosing rooms hurriedly slipped over.
The three exchanged a glance, then sat cross-legged at the entrance almost in unison.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized—quick and efficient.
As for choosing rooms? They had long since cast it beyond the Ninth Heaven.
What could be more important than listening to Chen Changqing preach the Dao?
Seeing the impatient looks on the three men's faces, Chen Changqing merely smiled faintly and did not mind.
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao..."
The familiar Dao voice gradually echoed through the cave dwelling.
This time, Chen Changqing explained the essence of the Divine Ability Method more thoroughly and delved into even finer details.
An hour later!
Chen Changqing stopped preaching.
Qin Mengyao slowly opened her eyes. Her face held both delight and a trace of frustration. "Changqing, the Dao you taught was indeed profound beyond compare. Just now, Mother felt several times as though she was about to grasp something, but the moment I opened my eyes, I forgot everything again."
Chen Zhian nodded as well and said with a bitter smile, "Father was the same. It clearly felt as though I was only one step away, yet somehow I could never take it."
Hearing this, Chen Changqing already had his conclusion.
His parents' talent and comprehension could indeed only be considered ordinary. Without the aid of an opportunity, they would probably find it difficult even to comprehend a Lesser Divine Ability.
That was normal enough.
His father, Chen Zhian, and his mother, Qin Mengyao, had been diligent back in the Chen Family a million years ago, but their Root Bone and comprehension ultimately fell a notch short of true heavenly geniuses.
Before the sealing, both of their cultivations had only been at the Transcendent Realm, just like his.
Even among the Chen Family's Supreme Elders in the Saint King Realm, only a scant dozen or so had been able to comprehend Divine Abilities after listening to him preach the Dao.
His parents' comprehension was ordinary. It was only natural that they had failed to comprehend a Divine Ability on the spot.
"It's just that..."
Chen Changqing's brows drew together slightly as he pondered inwardly.
He had already granted his parents a million years of lifespan, so there was no need to worry about longevity.
But if they could not comprehend a Divine Ability, his parents would ultimately have no choice but to follow the orthodox cultivation path of the Great Desolate Realm, and their combat power would be far weaker.
"What can I do to help Father and Mother cross this threshold?"
Chen Changqing's brows furrowed slightly.
His terrifying comprehension, accumulated over a million years, began to operate with unprecedented efficiency at this moment.
His thoughts flashed like lightning, his ideas surged like a tide.
In the blink of an eye,
A spark of inspiration suddenly flashed through Chen Changqing's sea of consciousness.
"Words Become Law... can it directly increase comprehension?"
Before you continue