Chapter 44: The Destined Son-in-Law (6) |
Xia Yingyue returned to the Water Cloud Sect to continue her cultivation. She took Xia Chenfeng and several other promising young talents from Green River City with her.
Fang Bubai had also chosen not to join any sect. Thanks to Su Chen's deliberate efforts, the two men—who had once clashed—now shared a bond forged in life-and-death danger. They addressed each other as brothers.
Fang Bubai asked, "Brother Mu, you're really leaving the Great Yan Dynasty?"
Su Chen nodded. "I have something I need to do outside the dynasty first. After that, I plan to join the Profound Origin Sacred Land."
In this life, Su Chen's ambitions went far beyond simply claiming Li Shenhua's inheritance. The Profound Origin Sacred Land itself was his true target.
A sacred land represented the ultimate dream for every martial prodigy in the world. If someone placed a peerless beauty on one side and the chance to enter a martial sacred land on the other, no cultivator would hesitate for even a moment. No matter how stunning the appearance, in a thousand years it would be nothing but dry bones.
Hearing Su Chen's grand aspirations, Fang Bubai felt a surge of admiration and longing. He, too, dreamed of entering a sacred land. Unfortunately, the great secret he carried meant he was destined to walk alone.
"The roads of the martial world are long. Until we meet again."
Su Chen dusted off the seat of his pants and bid Fang Bubai farewell. He was leaving Green River City, leaving the Great Yan Dynasty, to seek out the foundations he had left behind in his previous life.
Fang Bubai spoke with utmost seriousness.
After Su Chen departed, the old grandfather emerged from Fang Bubai's body. He gazed in the direction Su Chen had gone and said, "To think a small place like Green River City could produce such a character."
His tone carried genuine admiration. Heroes filled the world in countless numbers. All of them harbored lofty ambitions, striving to cross the river of fate. After today's parting, who knew when they would cross paths again?
Su Chen returned to the Xia residence. He paid his formal respects and bid farewell to Xia Hongcai.
"Children grow up and must eventually leave their parents' side. Just like young birds spreading their wings to soar toward wider skies."
Xia Hongcai's heart filled with a complex mix of emotions. Xia Yingyue, Xia Chenfeng, and now Su Chen—all three had left Green River City.
At dawn, bathed in the first rays of sunrise, Xia Hongcai stood at a distance and watched Su Chen's figure gradually fade into the morning light. Only when the silhouette vanished completely did he turn and walk back to Su Chen's former room.
On the table lay a few items. Xia Hongcai picked them up. Written across the top in bold, dignified strokes were four characters: "Heavenly Yang Thunder Control True Art."
Xia Hongcai was instantly captivated. Unable to resist, he opened the manual. Then… he became completely immersed. It was not until the sky began to darken that he finally snapped out of his trance. This technique far surpassed anything he had ever encountered. If word of it ever leaked, the entire Xia family would be wiped out overnight.
"Chen'er…"
Xia Hongcai carefully stored the manual away and murmured, "Thank you… It is our Xia family that owes you."
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye since Su Chen left the Great Yan Dynasty. Throughout that time, he had deliberately suppressed his cultivation, refusing to break through. Having once experienced the immense boost granted by a purple-grade Spirit Vein, he preferred to spend extra time cultivating rather than settle for anything of inferior quality.
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Finally, after six long months of frugality and effort, he had saved enough money for the journey to the Heavenly Origin Dynasty.
Without delay, he set out at once. It took another half year of travel before he finally returned to the Heavenly Origin Dynasty and reached the place where he had sat in meditation and passed away in his previous life.
One hundred and thirty years had elapsed since his death. In that span, Li Xuanbing of the Profound Origin Sacred Land had broken through to the Profound Connection Realm and become a king. Later, Li Xuanyuan had drawn upon the dynasty's national fortune and advanced to the Profound Connection Realm in a single leap.
Su Chen felt a deep sense of gratification. The other nations that had once survived were now unified under the efforts of Li Xuanbing and Li Xuanyuan. The thirteen dynasties had merged into one, elevating the Heavenly Origin Dynasty to its golden age.
He sat in a teahouse, listening to the storyteller recount the tale with animated gestures and a proud chest.
"Everything traces back to the extraordinary vision of our Grand Ancestor. Had he not ended the tyranny of the Heavenly Wind Dynasty, we would still be mired in endless war, mere specks of dust in a chaotic age. How could we ever witness such a prosperous era?"
"People say Grand Ancestor forced his father aside and killed his brother to seize the throne. Yet time has proven his merits outweigh his faults. Alas, Grand Ancestor has vanished without a trace. If only he were still with us, how mighty would our Heavenly Origin Dynasty have become?"
One clan, three kings. What unparalleled glory.
Su Chen gave a wry smile. Such a scene, they would never live to see. Because their Grand Ancestor had died—right here in the mountain range, not far from the city. Cause of death: a cultivation mishap that nearly resulted in possession by another soul.
Su Chen left the city and entered the mountains alone. Guided by the memories etched into his soul, he arrived at a sheer cliff. Without hesitation, he leaped off the edge. As he formed a series of hand seals, a flash of silver light streaked past. His figure vanished.
When he opened his eyes, a peach-blossom paradise unfolded before him. Beneath an ancient, towering tree sat a skeletal figure clad in tattered white robes—nothing but white bones arranged in meditative posture.
This was the first time Su Chen had laid eyes on his own corpse from the previous life. A thousand complex emotions surged in his chest. He carefully removed the items from the remains. These were the foundations he had left behind for this life. Among them was a purple-grade Spirit Vein. He had chosen it with utmost care.
It came from a young Thunderflame Flood Dragon—a Spirit Vein wreathed in blue thunderflames, radiating terrifying, destructive power. Back then, to hunt down and kill that juvenile Thunderflame Flood Dragon, he had camped in the Thunderflame Domain for a full thirty years, exhausting every ounce of strength and cunning.
Su Chen refined the Thunderflame Flood Dragon Spirit Vein. Behind him, the phantom of the creature materialized. A serpentine body wreathed in blue thunderflames, crowned with a pair of curved dragon horns crackling with electricity. Its tail gleamed like a sword, arcs of lightning dancing along its length. The majestic form coiled in the air, exuding an oppressive aura of dominance.
"Truly powerful. Paired with the Heavenly Yang Thunder Control True Art, its might could rival some king-grade techniques!"
Su Chen rejoiced inwardly. The Thunderflame Flood Dragon was indeed a supreme variant beast—capable of matching Void Refining Realm cultivators upon reaching maturity. Its power was extraordinary.
Three months later, Su Chen emerged from seclusion. His cultivation had broken through to the Spirit Vein Realm and advanced straight to the sixth layer in one continuous surge. The secret realm was on the verge of collapse.
Su Chen buried his former body with proper rites, then departed.
Another half year passed as he raised his cultivation to the first layer of the Spirit Sea Realm. Then he set out for Eastern Martial City to enter the Eastern Martial Secret Realm.
The Eastern Martial Secret Realm was the king-grade realm from his previous life—the very place where he had left behind the token capable of summoning the entire Li Clan.
Centuries had passed. The token had become little more than a legend. Countless geniuses had come and gone empty-handed. Yet the tale of the Eastern Martial Secret Realm continued to spread far and wide. Every three years, it drew hordes of prodigies brimming with hope. Major powers also sent representatives to try their luck.
The Heavenly Origin Dynasty welcomed the spectacle. Since the token was already considered a myth, the influx of visitors brought substantial revenue to the imperial treasury. Why not profit from it?
When Su Chen arrived at the Eastern Martial Secret Realm, the area was already packed with young geniuses from every major faction. Many had reached the Spirit Sea Realm at remarkably young ages. He blended in with the crowd and entered the secret realm alongside them.
At that same moment, in the imperial capital of the Heavenly Origin Dynasty, Li Xuanyuan suddenly turned his gaze toward the ancestral temple. A beam of light shot straight through the clouds.
Li Xuanyuan's eyes widened. He murmured in disbelief, "The token left behind by Grand Ancestor… has appeared!"
The legend had come true.