Chapter 1027: 750: Clan
Deep in Mountain City, hidden alleys lead to an ancient courtyard.
The courtyard lacks vibrant flowers and beautiful trees, containing only a Martial Arts Arena exuding an austere aura.
An elderly woman with white hair sits cross-legged, breathing deeply, as dark gray and black energy pulses and oscillates around her body.
This woman is known as Chen Shouling, the current Clan Leader of the Chen Clan, and the sole pillar who has cultivated to the fourth layer of the “Cold Centipede Undying Body”.
Chen Shouling gently shook her head:
“How exactly can the fifth layer be achieved?”
She has cultivated diligently for eighty years, refining the fourth layer to perfection, but no matter how she comprehends it, she struggles to reach the fifth layer.
She murmurs inwardly:
“If I achieve the fifth layer, and combine it with the Secret Technique left by the Spirit Ancestor, it will be enough to rival ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators.”
“By then, the situation within the clan might improve greatly!”
The next moment.
A gentle voice suddenly resonated in the vacant space of the courtyard, precisely reaching her ears:
“The ’Cold Centipede Undying Body’ is not cultivated like this.”
Boom!
Chen Shouling froze, her heart tightened abruptly, shocked till her hair stood on end!
This courtyard is the ancestral ground of the Chen Clan, guarded by a warning Array passed down through generations, vigilant and secure.
She suddenly opened her eyes, her body sprang up, tense and turning to face the disturbance.
The air shimmered slightly, and a figure in blue attire quietly materialized.
Chen Hua stood with hands behind his back on a bluestone in the yard, his posture elegant and unworldly, his aura profound and vast like the starry sky or the vast ocean.
Chen Shouling’s pupils contracted fiercely, her heart churned like a raging storm.
She has spent half her life cultivating, encountering worldly powerhouses and Qi Refining Immortal Masters, but never has anyone possessed such transcendent and fearsome aura.
No need for more words, no need for probing, she instantly understood — the person before her must be a tremendously powerful Immortal Master!
At this thought, Chen Shouling dared not be negligent and paid her respects with utmost reverence:
“This old woman, Chen Shouling, greets the Immortal Master!”
Chen Hua nodded slightly, his gaze softly sweeping over the elderly woman.
Through the traces of time and the aged features, he could faintly see a familiar outline in her brows and eyes — resembling the shadow of Chen Ling’Er.
Seven hundred years have drifted by like a fleeting moment.
His thoughts quietly reminisced about the past, the youthful girl who followed him closely, lively and bright-eyed, filled with admiration — scenes floated in his heart.
Chen Hua’s eyes filled with nostalgia, and with effortless calculation, he perceived the cause and effect.
After he left that year, Chen Ling’Er never married, pouring her life’s effort into cultivating the “Cold Centipede Undying Body”.
Ultimately, she perfected the fifth layer and created a Secret Technique, dominating the mundane world, rivals couldn’t match her, truly an era-defining legend!
Under Chen Ling’Er’s leadership, the Chen Clan laid its foundation of prosperity.
In later years, the clan produced numerous cultivators, rising powerfully to become one of the three major founding families of Mountain City, standing as a top noble family.
However, Chen Ling’Er was not content with remaining mundane and focused on developing the sixth layer of the “Cold Centipede Undying Body”.
She eventually suffered a Deviation, her lifespan suddenly cut short, passing away full of regrets at only one hundred twenty years.
…
Years have passed, generations have changed.
The family’s descendants lacked talent, fading away one after another.
Decades ago, a promising cultivator within the clan emerged, but even he perished prematurely!
To this day, what was once a magnificent cultivation family, now it barely retains its former glory.
Chen Shouling alone struggles to support the entire crumbling Chen Clan, resisting the undermining and oppression from major noble families outside.
At this moment.
Chen Hua sighed softly, a strand of pure and brilliant golden Dao Rhyme Spirit Light suddenly formed at his fingertips.
“Rise.”
With a light command, the golden light pierced through the air and accurately entered the forehead of the prostrate Chen Shouling.
Buzz——!!
Instantly, endless pure Dao Rhymes, perfect Cultivation Technique comprehension, and correct cultivation paths surged like a torrent into Chen Shouling’s mind and meridians.
The bottleneck accumulated from decades of bitter cultivation was thoroughly broken at this moment!
The shackles of the fourth layer, stagnant half a lifetime, instantly crumbled!
Boom boom boom!
The gray-black blood and energy around Chen Shouling surged, transformed into thickly condensed Undying Gang Qi, her flesh, bones, blood, and fascia layers transformed, reshaped, and sublimated.
In mere moments, she completely broke through the shackles and firmly stepped into the fifth layer of the “Cold Centipede Undying Body”!
She seemed reborn, her aura vigorous and profound, her physical resilience overwhelmingly terrifying, surrounded by the ultimate mundane Undying Dao Rhymes.
“I’ve broken through! I’ve really reached the fifth layer!!”
Chen Shouling felt immense joy, trembling with excitement, promptly bowing heavily in gratitude:
“Thank you, Immortal Master, for granting the Dao! Your rebuilding grace, I’ll never forget it!”
After calming down, Chen Shouling’s thoughts rapidly turned, her eyes focused on the Immortal Master who understood her family’s supreme technique thoroughly and effortlessly guided her breakthrough, prompting a bold assumption.
She raised her eyes, cautiously speaking:
“The Immortal Master knows my Chen Clan’s ’Cold Centipede Undying Body’ thoroughly; could you be… Ancestor Chen Hua?”
Upon hearing this, the air in the courtyard instantly became still.
Chen Hua’s eyebrows relaxed, revealing a faint smile:
“To think, after seven hundred years, my name still echoes in these earthly lands.”
Boom!
Chen Shouling’s mind resonated powerfully, her body trembled intensely, tears welled up, nearly fainting from excitement!
It was him!
It really was him!
It is the ancestor the Spirit Ancestor spent her life waiting for, instructing generations of clansmen to remember, hoping for his return — the ancestor who went on a quest for immortality!
Her eyes reddened, voice choking, bowing deeply:
“Ancestor! It truly is you!”
“The Spirit Ancestor’s dying wish was to pass down your name through generations, hoping that one day you, the ancestor, would return in triumph to this homeland!”
Upon hearing this, Chen Hua’s heart was a mix of emotions, many feelings surged, ultimately only a sigh was uttered.
“Let’s go, take me to see them, offer them incense!”
“Yes!”
Chen Shouling quickly rose, wiped away her tears, respectfully leading the way.
Passing through old alleys, moments later, the two arrived at the forbidden ancestral graveyard behind the mountain.
The place was lined with lush pine and cypress, stone tablets stood tall, incense smoke faintly drifted, silent and solemn.
Old tombstones quietly stood, the three at the front were the most ancient and massive.
The first was Uncle Chen Si’s tomb; the second was Spirit Ancestor Chen Ling’Er’s grave; the last was the empty tomb of Chen Hua’s parents.
Seven hundred years of wind and rain have eroded the tombstone inscriptions, making them mottled and faint, yet still standing firm.
Chen Hua stepped forward alone, standing before the tombstones, gazing silently.
The world has changed dramatically, people and things are different, his former friends have returned to earth, he alone pursued the path of immortality, transcending time.
Chen Hua’s gaze was distant, murmuring to himself:
“Seven hundred years have passed, I have returned.”
From the moment he embarked on the cultivation journey, holding memories of transmigration, he consciously severed earthly ties, separating the mortal and immortal worlds.
During the long cultivation years, he never contemplated returning to these mundane lands.
Only now, as he is about to seek gold and confirm the Dao, with an uncertain fate, he returned without regrets.
After a while, Chen Hua’s nostalgia faded, he raised his hand and brushed the air, two items quietly floating before Chen Shouling.
The first was a three-foot clear-bladed Flying Sword, its blade bright and pure, its Spirit Light restrained.
The second was an ancient Jade Token, its patterns mysterious, its texture smooth.
“This sword can protect the Chen Clan’s peace for a hundred years, guarding against minor threats.”
“This token is reserved for the clan’s future.”
“In the future, if the Chen Clan has exceptionally gifted descendants, they can use it to seek cultivation heritage.”
Chen Shouling’s hands trembled as she received the two treasures, kneeling and bowing:
“I shall obey the Ancestor’s decree!”
Raising her head again, Chen Hua’s figure had already dissipated into the world.
…