Zhennan Pass

After the auction ended, Chen Daoxuan and Chen Xianhe left the auction house together.

Along the way, Chen Xianhe was despondent and silent.

Not knowing what had happened, Chen Daoxuan found it difficult to comfort him and could only quietly stay by his side.

By the time the Cloud-Treading Beast Cart arrived before the Rainbow Sound Flying Sword Shop,

Chen Daoxuan gently reminded him, "Thirteenth Uncle, we're here."

"Oh, we're here?"

They had only gone to the auction house, yet Chen Xianhe looked as though he had aged considerably, a faint air of twilight lingering in his eyes.

It took three days before the despondent Chen Xianhe finally recovered.

"Daoxuan, I've made you worry these past few days."

Inside the shop, Chen Xianhe forced a smile at Chen Daoxuan and said this.

Seeing Chen Xianhe take the initiative to speak to him for the first time in three days, Chen Daoxuan hurriedly put down what he was doing and said with relief, "Thirteenth Uncle, as long as you're all right, that's what matters!"

At this, Chen Xianhe nodded.

While helping Chen Daoxuan sort through the shop's affairs, Chen Daoxuan asked casually, "Thirteenth Uncle, how did our Chen Family come to bear a grudge against the Ye Family of Cangzhou City?"

By all rights, the Ye Family was the foremost family in Cangzhou, and their ancestor, Ye Wudao, was an immensely renowned Golden Core cultivator.

How could such an overwhelmingly powerful cultivation family, one even the Zhou Family dared not provoke, become enemies with the tiny Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island?

Yet upon hearing this, Chen Xianhe grew agitated once more. He drew a deep breath and slowly calmed himself before saying in a low voice, "You've heard of the Zhennan Pass Battle between Myriad Star Sea and Cloud Country fifty years ago, haven't you?"

As a Cangzhou cultivator, how could Chen Daoxuan not have heard of the famed Zhennan Pass Battle?

But from Chen Xianhe's tone, it seemed there was another hidden truth behind that battle.

As one of the seven great Immortal Cities established by the Qianyuan Sword Sect in Cloud Country, Zhennan Pass had always served to hold the southern front line of Cloud Country.

Yet fifty years ago, this famed Immortal City had actually been lost due to a defeat in battle.

It had to be said that this was a tremendous blow to the Qianyuan Sword Sect and the cultivators of Myriad Star Sea, who had been singing triumphant songs all the way for four hundred years.

Because of this, the Cangzhou cultivators who formed the main defensive force had often had their backs stabbed by cultivators from other provinces whenever they traveled through Myriad Star Sea.

After Chen Daoxuan recounted what he knew of the Zhennan Pass Battle, Chen Xianhe let out a scornful laugh.

"Utter nonsense!"

Mockery filled Chen Xianhe's face. "Everything you know was propaganda put out by the Qianyuan Sword Sect. The true Zhennan Pass Battle was nothing like what you described, because..."

Chen Xianhe paused. "Because fifty years ago, this old man was one of the soldiers defending Zhennan Pass!"

As he said this, a flash of pain passed through Chen Xianhe's eyes.

"Back then, the Xuan Qing Dao Alliance formed by the Xuan Yang Sect and Qing Hui Dao Sect mobilized an army of cultivators and launched a surprise attack on Zhennan Pass.

"They dispatched nearly a million cultivators of every rank. Under the command of five Golden Core True Persons, they attacked Zhennan Immortal City!

"And at that time, our side had only one Golden Core cultivator stationed in Zhennan Immortal City—the Ye Family Old Ancestor, Ye Wudao!"

At the mention of Ye Wudao's name, Chen Xianhe became agitated again.

Only after a long while did he continue, "Even if the enemy had five Golden Core True Persons and an army of a million cultivators, Zhennan Immortal City also had more than a million cultivators, as well as the city-protecting grand formation. Even if we could not defeat them, holding out until reinforcements arrived would not have been a problem at all!"

As he spoke, Chen Xianhe's voice grew pained once more. "But that cowardly Ye Wudao actually feared the might of the enemy's five Golden Core True Persons and abandoned the city to flee!!!"

"Do you know? Right before everyone's eyes, he actually used his life-saving trump card and abandoned Zhennan Immortal City!"

Hearing this, Chen Daoxuan's fists clenched involuntarily.

"Poor Zhennan Pass's million cultivators. In the end, they could not withstand the fierce assault of the enemy's five Golden Core True Persons. Zhennan Pass was breached, and more than a million Cangzhou cultivators were killed or captured!

"Of the thirteen cultivators of our Chen Family's Immortal generation, only I survived by clinging to life. As for the others, not even their bones could be found. We could only place cenotaphs of their clothes and caps in the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall!"

As he spoke, tears the size of beans slid from Chen Xianhe's reddened eyes.

Hearing such a secret for the first time, Chen Daoxuan said indignantly, "When something as disgraceful as fleeing before the enemy happened, did the Qianyuan Sword Sect not intervene?"

"Intervene?"

Chen Xianhe shook his head. "Do you know why such a massive fortress as Zhennan Immortal City had only Ye Wudao, a single Golden Core cultivator, stationed there?"

Hearing this, Chen Daoxuan seemed to realize something.

Previously, Zhennan Pass had always been the fortress where the Qianyuan Sword Sect and Cloud Country saw the fewest battles.

In other words, being stationed in this Immortal City not only carried little risk but also allowed one to reap a great deal of battle merit.

It was impossible for Ye Wudao to have secured such a lucrative post without someone backing him.

He had even chosen to guard Zhennan Pass alone in order to claim all the battle merit for himself.

But who could have imagined that the Xuan Qing Dao Alliance would choose to launch a surprise attack on Zhennan Pass?

Sure enough.

Chen Xianhe explained grimly, "Ye Wudao's biological father is the Qianyuan Sword Sect's Third Elder, a famed Nascent Soul True Lord!"

Hearing this, Chen Daoxuan finally understood the full chain of events behind the fall of Zhennan Pass.

Chen Daoxuan opened his mouth, then sighed. "Even so, if the Qianyuan Sword Sect did not kill Ye Wudao, weren't they afraid the cultivators on the Cloud Country Battlefield would lose all morale?"

"Morale?"

Chen Xianhe shook his head. "How could you ask such a naive question? Do you think the Qianyuan Sword Sect commands the cultivators of Myriad Star Sea through morale?"

At this, Chen Daoxuan suddenly understood.

Indeed, the Qianyuan Sword Sect controlled the cultivators of Myriad Star Sea not through morale at all, but through naked, undisguised profit.

For Rogue Cultivators who wished to obtain cultivation resources and advance to Foundation Establishment or even higher realms, the Cloud Country Battlefield was the best path.

Before profit, what did one fleeing Golden Core cultivator matter?

As for fairness, righteousness, and the grievances of those Cangzhou cultivators who had died in battle, who would care?

What could not be achieved even on Earth in his previous life was even less likely to exist in this cruel cultivation world.

Thinking of this, Chen Daoxuan fell silent.

Looking at Chen Xianhe's weathered face, he secretly swore in his heart that if he ever achieved success in cultivation, he would definitely seek justice for the twelve cultivators of the Chen Family's Immortal generation and for Thirteenth Uncle, who had been tormented by hatred all these years!

"Afterward, the Qianyuan Sword Sect publicly declared that Zhennan Pass had been lost due to a defeat in battle. But in their hearts, all Cangzhou cultivators knew that it had never been a defeat in battle. It was Ye Wudao fleeing in fear of battle!"

Chen Xianhe shook his head. "Enough. After hearing this today, treat it as though you had a dream. Don't keep it in your heart. The Ye Family is not someone we can afford to provoke!"

As he spoke, Chen Xianhe could not help mocking himself. "Perhaps the Ye Family does not even know that on some small island in Guang'an Prefecture, they have an enemy like us."

Hearing this, Chen Daoxuan could not help feeling bitter.

Perhaps the most painful thing in life was to regard someone as a mortal enemy, only to find that in your enemy's eyes, you were not even a crawling insect.