Lingjin City, Lingxiao Observatory.
An elderly man dressed in Hundred-Family Garb, his hair and beard streaked with white, stood quietly under a ginkgo tree with a basket of herbs on his back. Though he was old and had spent years wandering, most who ca to pray recognized him, nodding in greeting with expressions of deep respect. Clearly, he was a figure of great renown and esteed virtue.
Though past seventy, he brimd with vitality. His deanor was gentle, his complexion rosy, and his black eyes would occasionally flash with a brilliant sparkle. A sharp aura seed to emanate from him. Like an old steed in the stable that still aspires to gallop a thousand miles, this elder had been a fierce figure thirty years ago, one who road the lands and silenced powerful families with his might. Perhaps tired of the constant fighting, he had retreated into the Taoist way and founded Lingxiao Observatory.
He'd had his share of glory in the first half of his life and lived carefree in the second. His descendants showed great promise, their future achievents boundless. For the elder, this life was enough; he had no regrets. Even if he were to die in a foreign land, he would do so with a smile.
"Qin Hao," the elder said, gazing into the distance at the young Taoist priest standing beside him, "what are your thoughts on the one who granted you two levels of cultivation?"
Qin Hao, whose ethereal temperant seed untouched by the mundane world, said without hesitation, "Heroic and righteous. He's a truly significant figure."
"Heroic and righteous indeed." The elder nodded. "Thirty years ago, this old Daoist visited the Chen Royal Family. At the ti, their clan's character and values were excellent, setting them apart from other royal families. The clan leader back then was Chen Yang's grandfather."
At this, the elder sighed deeply. It was a stark contrast to the Chen Clan of today, whose morals had decayed, who had fallen to colluding with the other royal families and would kill even their own kin without batting an eye.
"Since he gave you two levels of cultivation and now finds himself in trouble, how could I, Chu Yushan, simply turn a blind eye?" The elder walked to the ginkgo tree and took the reins of a small, head-shaking donkey. "Look after Lingxiao Observatory. This old Daoist is off to Cangyun City."
As the elder descended the steps, a gentle breeze stirred, causing his wide sleeves to billow like a dragon in flight.
"Chen Yang is a good man who has guarded our lands for over a decade. You are not free to bully him so. I, Chu Yushan, cannot stand by and watch!"
Whether to repay the debt for the two cultivation levels or simply because he detested the conduct of the royal families, he had to make this trip. Even if the chances of survival were slim, he had to go to Cangyun City. He had to ask those so-called royal families what right, what audacity they had to execute a great hero who had rendered ritorious service to the nation. When he was guarding the country's gates, his blood staining the yellow sand, what were you doing? When he was expanding the borders, planting the war flag in the Barbarian Capital, what were you doing then? Such bullying cannot be tolerated!
DONG!
Qin Hao personally struck the great bell, a send-off for his grandmaster. At that mont, the ancient capital of Lingjin City trembled. Chu Yushan, the founder of Lingxiao Observatory and a fearso figure from three decades past, had returned from his wanderings to reenter the mortal world. The deep, lodious toll of the bell reverberated throughout Lingjin City like a thunderous wave.
"Chu Yushan is headed for Cangyun City! What is his current level of strength?"
"The real question is, who is he going for? The royal families?"
Within the royal palace of Lingjin City, Old King Qin Lie stood on the Qin Family's Point Commanding Platform. Looking toward Lingxiao Observatory, he clasped his fists and bowed three tis. "I, Qin Lie, thank you, Elder Chu."
Those familiar with Chu Yushan's character knew exactly for whom he was going to Cangyun City.
Passing a remote mountain temple, Chu Yushan tied up his donkey and went inside. After about the ti it takes to drink a cup of tea, the old Daoist erged with an old monk, and together they headed straight for Cangyun City.
「 ... 」
Just yesterday, Yang Hu had been complaining about the sweltering heat, saying he felt like he was about to lt. But today at noon, thunderclaps suddenly split the clear sky. Dark clouds roiled in, and in less than half an hour, a heavy downpour began. The heat finally dissipated, and a long-awaited coolness filled the city.
However, the murderous atmosphere hanging over Cangyun City did not diminish with the rain. On the contrary, as the three-day deadline given by Tang Yunxing approached, the air grew even more oppressive. Powerful experts had begun to answer the call of the Southern Pole and Chen royal clans. In just two days, this faction, led by the two royal clans, had beco a juggernaut, a force of overwhelming power.
In contrast, Chen Yang stood alone, without any support, completely isolated.
"What a joke! Didn't they say this forr Supre Martial Commander could rally a hundred responses with a single call? His influence was supposed to be imnse, yet two days have passed and not a single soul has shown up for him."
"Chen Yang, take a word of advice from , Qiu Hanqing! Just accept your fate and obediently kneel before the royal families. If you do, I might even put in a few good words for you, grant you a quick death."
A palpable killing intent perated Cangyun City. The various powers waited in silence. The Martial Departnt and the five Martial Districts were quiet. However, the Martial Guard from Hanyun Valley, raised by Chen Yang himself, would certainly not stand idly by. Despite being under strict orders not to act, when the ti ca, the eight hundred thousand good n led by the Jingnan Prince would surely intervene.
The Elders' Court was deathly still. In the vast council hall, the Great Elder and Jin Zheng sat facing each other in a heavy, wordless silence. anwhile, Wu Xing was conspicuously absent.
About an hour later, a sudden gust of wind intensified the downpour. Trees swayed violently, and many people rushed to close their windows. At that very mont, a piece of news arrived.
"This old Daoist, Chu Yushan, may only be at the sixteenth rank, but I've always hated arrogant trash. I will fight shoulder to shoulder with Chen Yang."
The crowd was stunned.
"This old monk, Jingkong, having recently broken through to the sixteenth rank with power that could pierce mountains and rivers, reenters the secular world today to support the Supre Martial Commander."
The city was in an uproar. Just monts ago, they were saying Chen Yang was all alone, and now two top-tier experts had erged out of nowhere? The news struck like a clap of thunder, shaking Cangyun City to its core. Countless people were dumbstruck, their minds in chaos. Two sixteenth-rank experts were indeed a remarkable force. Even the two Elders from the Elders' Court were startled. This conflict has actually drawn out so of these reclusive old masters?
「 ... 」
At the sa ti, a white-robed old man released a hunting falcon from his arm, letting it soar into the sky and circle high above. The old man raised a wine gourd, took a large swig, and then looked up. His figure was imposing, exuding an air of immortal grace.
The rain stopped.
As he took a step forward, the water-laden branches of the trees around him suddenly burst into full bloom. A riot of purples and reds appeared as a sweet fragrance wafted in all directions.
"This humble one, Murong Fei, is at the seventeenth rank and will fight alongside Chen Yang."
With but a thought, he had made the flowers bloom—Blossoming Heavenly Martial. He was an Emperor of the Firmant.
"What?! Even a seventeenth-rank Emperor of the Firmant has been drawn out?"
"Just what kind of charm does Chen Yang possess?"
In this splendid land, there was no shortage of powerful experts, n of integrity and righteousness. Anyone wishing to wantonly humiliate a forr hero of the nation had better weigh their own strength first.
For a mont, all of Cangyun City fell so silent one could hear a pin drop. The Southern Pole and Chen royal clans were utterly speechless.
Particularly Qiu Hanqing, the young master of the Qiu Family, who cowered and shivered in his temporary residence.
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