Chapter 117: Witness of the Era (14) |
Wang Yunfei nodded. "A few days ago, during that battle, I gained some insight. My invincible Dao heart solidified, and beneath the Bodhi Divine Tree in the Emperor Palace, I comprehended the Dao and became a Saint."
He spoke lightly, as if it were nothing.
Su Chen knew better. Even in this golden great era, becoming a Saint was rarer than one in trillions—let alone achieving it after only a century of cultivation.
"Brother, I'm entrusting the Wang family to you. With you here, even if I die, the Wang family will still flourish."
Wang Yunfei suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Of course, I won't die. In this great era, I will surely ascend to the absolute peak, and our Wang family will become an Emperor clan!"
Su Chen froze. This was the first time he had seen this side of Wang Yunfei—tinged with melancholy and reluctance, no longer the utterly domineering figure of before.
"Oh, one more thing you should watch out for."
Wang Yunfei seemed to remember something and gave a solemn reminder. "Lately, the Heavenly Profound Domain has been restless. Many prodigies have died without cause. The great powers in the Emperor Palace tried to divine the truth, but found nothing. I'm afraid someone is plotting in secret."
Su Chen nodded, his mind turning. ‘Could it be Zhou Hanchan… or that old monster from the Western Regions?'
After giving his final instructions, Wang Yunfei's expression returned to its former supreme dominance. Accompanied by the followers of the Emperor Palace, he set foot on the Path of Ascension that had stretched across all ages and vanished from the Heavenly Profound Domain into the depths of the starry sky. That path now gathered the pinnacle prodigies of myriad races from this golden great era…
After Wang Yunfei left, Su Chen met Ling Wuya once more. Ling Wuya had survived his battle with Wang Yunfei, but his complexion was poor—clearly shaken by the defeat.
"How could your Wang family produce such a monster?"
Ling Wuya stared at Su Chen, his face full of bewilderment.
He had used every technique at his disposal and still failed to seriously injure Wang Yunfei. Instead, he had been defeated in three moves. Most people couldn't even last one move; those who endured two could be counted on one hand, and three on the fingers of one. Such an opponent had nearly shattered his confidence.
"Brother Wuya, aren't you going to take the Path of Ascension?"
Su Chen was curious. Wang Yunfei had departed, yet Ling Wuya showed no sign of following.
Ling Wuya shook his head. "With that monster on the Path of Ascension, there will only be more monsters, not fewer. If I could defeat Wang Yunfei, perhaps I would still try my luck and set foot on that road… but now I know I have no chance."
He gave a bitter smile. "If I die, I'm afraid the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Land will be finished in this great era."
Su Chen felt helpless. For a seed like Ling Wuya—a future Great Saint—to perish so easily would be far too great a pity. His decision made perfect sense. Prodigies competed fiercely, but life held more than just competition. How many people in this world could truly walk without attachments?
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Even someone as mighty as Wang Yunfei carried a single tether in his heart. Born invincible and burdened with the Emperor Palace's mission, he had no choice but to press forward. That attachment could only be buried beneath his overwhelming dominance.
Ling Wuya returned to the Eastern Wasteland.
Su Chen remained in Central Continent, quietly perfecting his own path. His road was still far from its end.
The Wang family recognized Su Chen's potential. On Wang Yaochen's recommendation, he was named the family's seed—the heir to the next patriarch—and granted access to the clan's full resources.
A hundred years passed in a flash, and many new geniuses emerged. Countless events, large and small, unfolded during that century.
Yet Su Chen clearly felt that the suppression of realms between heaven and earth had loosened further. Cultivation progressed twice as fast as before, and breaking through to higher realms became noticeably easier. In those hundred years, his cultivation advanced to the fourth layer of Nirvana, making him one of the great powers of his generation.
When Su Chen emerged from seclusion, he was stirred by momentous news.
"Our Wang family's geniuses… wiped out to the last one?"
Su Chen furrowed his brow. Over the past century, the Wang family had produced quite a few talents. Though none reached the level of divine or sacred physiques, several Nirvana seeds had emerged. Now they were all gone. These were his foundation. How could he not be furious?
Several months later, Su Chen set out beyond the stars. He had received word: an ancient genius of the Night Owl Clan, ignorant of his own limits, had ambushed the Wang family members while they explored a starry secret realm, slaughtering them and plundering their cultivation resources.
The Night Owl Clan once had a Saint overseeing them. After that Saint fell, they declined from a mighty starry race into little more than roadside vermin.
Half a year later, Su Chen arrived in the Night Owl Clan's territory—a primitive civilization. He showed no mercy. With a sweep of the Dustreturn Sword in his hand, one strike split into ten thousand, razing one stronghold after another to ash.
Finally, a pitch-black humanoid figure appeared, its head resembling an owl's. It wielded an ebony spear and soared into the sky, communicating through divine sense: "Who are you? Why do you massacre my Night Owl Clan?"
Su Chen answered with a single sword. He intended to make these extraterrestrial races understand that even without news of Wang Yunfei, the Wang family's new era still had someone in command.
The two clashed across the starry void.
Three days later, Su Chen severed the Night Owl prodigy's head. In his final moments, the genius revealed why he had targeted the Wang family.
Sealed away for far too long, the Night Owl Clan had lost its Saintly heritage and resources. Desperate to advance further in this great era, he had taken the risk to hunt for treasures—never expecting the Wang family still sheltered a figure like Su Chen.
Su Chen felt a trace of sympathy for the Night Owl genius's plight, but no pity.
After eradicating the clan's prodigies, Su Chen turned back toward the Heavenly Profound Domain. Before he could enter, his sharp senses detected something wrong with the surrounding space. He halted and spoke calmly: "You've followed me this long. It's time to show yourselves."
In the void, killing intent erupted at once. Multiple auras locked onto him from the darkness.
Another battle broke out—this one even more brutal. To Su Chen's surprise, the attackers came from different races, yet every single one possessed strength on par with the Night Owl prodigy he had just slain.
‘Who exactly gathered so many geniuses like this?'
They were powerful, but Su Chen's strength had grown far beyond them over the years. Unleashing his full power, he cut down three in mere moments. Panic spread among the rest. As they tried to flee, Su Chen gave chase across the stars, refusing to let any escape. Only when the last one remained did he learn their origin.
They hailed from deep in the starry expanse, from a formidable power on the Path of Ascension called the God-Slaying Hall. One of its hall masters had been killed by Wang Yunfei. After Wang Yunfei vanished into the depths of the stars, the hall flew into rage. They sought to draw out Su Chen—Wang Yunfei's blood brother—kill him, and force Wang Yunfei to reappear.
Su Chen's expression remained impassive. Without a flicker of emotion, he crushed the final one in his grip.
…