Chen Haotian's voice rang with bold ambition.
A million years.
Ever since they had sealed Chen Changqing away, the Chen Family had closed its gates and withdrawn from the world, vanishing from the Great Desolate Realm.
Over that million years, the world beyond had shifted like wind and clouds. Countless powers had risen and fallen, and countless prodigies had burst onto the scene only to return to dust.
The Chen Family Members, meanwhile, had remained hidden within the Purple Star Domain. Apart from a handful of "Chen Family Walkers" who went out to gather resources and information, scarcely anyone had left.
Now—
Not only had the Immortal Road reopened, but Chen Changqing had created a Divine Ability Method and established the Dao-Comprehension Heavenly Net. Every member of the family possessed an Emperor Scripture, and their strength was no longer what it once was.
With Chen Haotian, their ancestor of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, holding the fort, the Chen Family's foundations were enough to make any power wary.
More importantly, now that the Chen Family had gained so many opportunities, it would need far more cultivation resources than before.
In an age of such splendor, how could they not fight for their share?
"The ancestor is right!"
Chen Changqing paused at his words, then smiled.
That was right!
It was time to venture out and see how the prodigies of this Golden Age differed from those of a million years ago!
In this era, the Immortal Road had reopened, and the White Jade Capital had appeared...
Countless ancient monsters had awakened from their seals of Divine Source, while the prodigies of the present fought for supremacy in this Golden Age.
He was genuinely eager to see how many people in this age—one the ancestor had called "a monstrous age of splendor unseen through all eternity"—could take a single punch from him.
Besides, he had long since mastered every cultivation art and technique the Chen Family possessed. They could offer his Divine Ability Method little more. He needed to grasp more paths of the Dao.
And for one who sought enlightenment, there was no better choice than traveling the world!
Just as Chen Haotian and Chen Changqing finished speaking—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of streaks of light tore through the air. Chen Lingfeng, head of the Chen Family, had arrived with a group of Saint King Realm elders who formed the family's foundation. They had sensed Chen Changqing's breakthrough and come to congratulate him.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Divine Son!"
They cupped their hands and bowed in unison, their voices shaking the clouds. Reverence filled every face.
Chen Changqing might only be at the first level of the Great Sage Realm, but none of them dared look down on him.
After all, Chen Changqing had drained the spiritual energy of the entire Purple Star Domain just to barely break through to the Great Sage Realm.
The power packed into his cultivation at that realm was terrifying to imagine.
Even without using his Divine Ability Method, their ancestor could probably crush and kill Supreme Elders like them with ease through his Great Sage Realm cultivation alone.
Chen Changqing nodded slightly and swept his gaze across the group.
Their auras were steady, and traces of Dao resonance flickered around them. With the dual support of the Emperor Scripture and the Dao-Comprehension Heavenly Net, their cultivation had clearly improved. He was quite pleased.
"You've come at the right time."
Chen Changqing spoke calmly. "The ancestor and I have just discussed it. It's time for the Chen Family to emerge."
Silence fell over the gathering.
Then excitement surged through it, impossible to contain.
An elderly Supreme Elder with white hair and beard trembled. An astonishing light burst from his clouded eyes. "E-emerge? Divine Son, do you mean it?"
Another elder in the prime of his life was so excited his beard stood on end, and even his voice shook. "The day has finally come! A million years! Our Chen Family has lived in seclusion for a million years, and now we're finally returning to the world!"
"Hahaha! I've been cooped up for far too long!"
A fiery-tempered elder threw back his head and laughed. His Peak Saint King Realm aura erupted beyond his control, making the surrounding void hum. "Those so-called Primordial Imperial Clans and Immortal Sacred Lands have probably forgotten the Chen Family's name!"
At that, everyone present nodded in deep agreement.
A million years in seclusion had preserved the Chen Family's bloodline, but it had also cost them countless opportunities. Their old renown had faded.
Now...
The Chen Family had Chen Haotian, an ancestor of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, to hold the fort. It had the one-of-a-kind Evergreen Divine Son, who had created the Divine Ability Method and established the Dao-Comprehension Heavenly Net. Every member possessed an Emperor Scripture...
It truly was time for the Chen Family's name to resound throughout the Great Desolate Realm once more.
On that day!
A single voice shook the entire Great Desolate Realm.
Above the Purple Star Domain,
a figure in purple stood suspended in the air.
Chen Haotian stood in the void with his hands behind his back. He made no attempt to conceal the aura of the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor Realm at its peak, releasing it like a blazing sun suddenly rising.
That vast pressure swept across the six directions and eight wilds, surging outward from Purple Star in every direction.
Every star domain was shaken!
Countless cultivators looked up at once, staring in horror toward the Purple Star Domain.
Some weaker cultivators felt their legs go soft merely from the aftershock of that pressure. They nearly dropped to their knees.
"I am Chen Haotian of the Chen Family, a Longevity Imperial Clan."
Chen Haotian's voice boomed like Nine-Heavens Divine Thunder. Bearing the singular majesty of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, it pierced layer after layer of space and spread across the entire Profound Yang Dao Domain.
The sheer dominance of his aura made the elders who formed the foundations of the various powers blanch.
"Today, the Chen Family reopens its gates and formally emerges into the world!"
As his words fell,
purple light blazed around Chen Haotian. A dazzling rainbow of purple qi burst from his body, piercing the starry heavens and stretching for untold hundreds of millions of miles.
Within that purple qi, countless Great Dao runes could faintly be seen swirling. Each radiated a proud will that could suppress the ages.
That was the might of the Peak Quasi-Emperor Realm!
With no Great Emperor abroad and no Supreme in sight, it stood at the highest realm, far beyond all others!
At that moment!
Be they ancient divine dynasties, Immortal Sacred Lands, primordial descendants, or powers hidden from the world, all sensed that undisguised Quasi-Emperor pressure.
Just as the Chen Family had loudly announced the closing of its gates a million years ago,
Chen Haotian now chose an equally bold way to proclaim its return.
After a brief silence,
the entire Great Desolate Realm erupted.
In a star domain ruled by an ancient clan,
an old man shrouded in chaotic mist slowly opened his eyes within an ancient divine hall suspended high in the heavens.
His gaze pierced layer after layer of space toward the Purple Star Domain. After a long silence, he let out a low sigh.
"The Purple Star Chen Family has emerged after all."
Beside him, a middle-aged man clad in golden armor knitted his brows. "Ancestor, the Chen Family first triggered several strange phenomena across heaven and earth, and now it has emerged with such fanfare. There must be more to this than meets the eye."
"Far more."
The old man shook his head, a keen light flashing in his clouded eyes. "That man just now was at the peak of the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, his vitality blazing like the midday sun. With strength like that, he would rank among the foremost even in a Primordial Imperial Clan."
He paused, then added, "And I fear he may not be the only trump card the Chen Family holds."
At the same time,
within the Eclosion Divine Dynasty,
a middle-aged man in dragon robes sat high upon a nine-dragon throne in an ancient hall as imposing as a celestial palace. Dragon qi rose around him. He was the divine emperor of the Eclosion Divine Dynasty.
He toyed with a jade talisman in his hand, a faint smile playing at his lips.
"The ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor Realm. Not bad."
He tossed the jade talisman aside and said evenly, "But if they think one Quasi-Emperor is enough to gain a foothold in this Golden Age, I'm afraid they've underestimated it."
Below him, a white-haired old minister cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, the Chen Family has spent a million years in seclusion and has now chosen to emerge. Should we keep a close eye on them?"
"A close eye?"
The divine emperor chuckled. "All the Chen Family has to rely on is that legendary Evergreen Divine Son. The Chaos Body from a million years ago—the ruthless man who fought until the prodigies of a hundred races dared not utter a word."
He rose and looked out over the endless stars beyond the hall, his hands clasped behind his back. A glint of amusement crossed his eyes. "But times have changed."
"The prodigies of this era are nothing like the ones from a million years ago."
Before you continue