Chapter 394: Forging the Position of a Divine General from a Mountain of Corpses and a Sea of Blood

Chen Qi's expression was shifting; despite his usual air of a transcendent being with the bones of an immortal, he was momentarily stunned.

"Great Elder, are you still unaware?"

The Golden-Armored Giant was also incredibly surprised; the matter of Chen Yan slaying Lu Xuanzhi was a major event, and basically every clan knew of it.

He recounted it in full detail.

He even described the great battle in Xiaoyang City with exceptional clarity.

"The significance of this battle is too great. This Biochemical Martial Dao might be a major trump card of the Lu family; I never expected it to be revealed just like this."

The Golden-Armored Giant sighed:

"Even so, it still couldn't defeat the Immortal Body. Chen Yan's foundation is terrifyingly deep; he actually fought a Fifth-Order with a Fourth-Order, and the key is that Lu Xuanzhi was also a heaven-gifted prodigy.

Perhaps the number of times he broke through the limits of his realm in the Extreme Forging Realm and the Unity Realm is unimaginable."

The Golden-Armored Giant was deeply moved; he was even frightened. Those heaven-gifted prodigies of the Chen clan who usually held their noses in the air were all silent for a long time after hearing of Chen Yan's battle record.

"Great Elder, do you think Chen Yan really condensed two hundred and sixteen Extreme Forging Patterns? If it's true, that's too unscientific.

But if he hadn't reached that, his combat power wouldn't be this strong, right, Great Elder?"

As the Golden-Armored Giant spoke, he discovered that the usually steady Great Elder Chen Qi was actually lost in thought.

Chen Qi's entire face was somber. He pondered continuously until, finally, he suddenly let out a low roar:

"Idiots!"

He was cursing Deacon Hu.

It was absolutely that Deacon Hu hadn't investigated clearly before reporting to him!

If Chen Yan couldn't even pass the hurdle of Chen Xiyuan, how could he have achieved that level?

Rallying public grievances to kill Lu Xuanzhi.

Questioning Zhang Ting, obtaining military support, and counter-killing a Sixth-Order.

Every step Chen Yan took landed right on Chen Qi's heart.

Chen Qi's entire body radiated a brilliant white glow as he pointed a finger at the void to contact Deacon Hu.

After a long while, Chen Qi fell silent; he contacted Chen Xiyuan again.

He still couldn't reach her.

Chen Qi's breath hitched.

"Damn it!"

He roared out, and a violent aura spilled forth.

Boom!

Moments later, a towering pillar of water erupted from the sea, shooting straight into the firmament.

"Great Elder, you..." The Golden-Armored Giant was shocked; it was his first time seeing the Great Elder so furious.

The sky-filling spray scattered, white fragments falling into the sea.

Chen Qi closed his eyes and gave a bitter smile:

"Chen Yan, I underestimated you."

Deacon Hu was dead, and Chen Xiyuan was also dead.

Chen Qi shook his head, never expecting that he would be taught a lesson by a young man he had never even met.

Although he didn't know what had happened in between, Chen Qi could roughly guess that Chen Yan had played these two to their deaths.

What "unable to pass the beauty hurdle"?

Chen Yan had not only calculated against Chen Xiyuan but also against Deacon Hu.

These were not the key points.

The key was that the military of the Xunyang faction supported Chen Yan, and the people of Xiaoyang supported Chen Yan.

Chen Yan had obtained a powerful power base in Qinzhou.

If the Chen clan still wanted to call Chen Yan back, it would be as difficult as ascending to the blue sky.

Chen Qi felt some regret; whether Deacon Hu and Chen Xiyuan lived or died was not important.

On the contrary, the deaths of these two had tested Chen Yan's immense value.

What was important was not the Immortal Body, but Chen Yan himself!

This person was incredibly important!

Everything he had done was perfect to the point of perfection!

If such a person returned to the Chen clan, he would surely reach a position like his own and become one of the pillars of the Chen clan!

However, Chen Qi vaguely saw that terrifying figure holding a lightning spear.

Terrifying like a god of slaughter!

That was a glimpse of the future; the Lightning Strike Treasure Land would attract such an existence, and even Chen Qi was not sure if he would encounter danger.

Therefore, Chen Qi left Xiaoyang City.

Chen Qi's expression was somewhat somber.

And it was at this moment.

Splash...

Countless water droplets in the sky condensed, turning into a blurred human figure.

Although the figure was blurred, it radiated an indescribably powerful might.

"Greetings, Master!"

The Golden-Armored Giant trembled and hurriedly bowed.

Chen Qi also bowed slightly:

"Master Chen."

"Great Elder, I can guess pretty much what you are thinking."

The water-figure spoke, its voice ethereal.

As the master of the Chen Clan, he clearly also knew the value of Chen Yan.

Chen Qi trembled and nodded:

"I do indeed regret it; if I had been willing to take the risk back then, I could have brought Chen Yan back.

Now, I fear Chen Yan has become completely entangled with the Xunyang Faction."

Chen Qi sighed softly, Lu Xunyang, even though you are no longer here, how can you still have such a massive influence?

"Since the Great Elder has sensed the crisis, it is good that you returned; if you had gone out into the world, then my Chen Clan would have lost a supreme powerhouse."

The water-figure laughed softly:

"The Xunyang Faction is not strong; Zong Huang and Lin Yu have taken their powerful forces to the Forbidden Land of Ancient Gods.

The core combat strength of the Xunyang Faction is left with only Zong Heng and Tan Yishi."

Chen Qi nodded:

"But I cannot go and forcefully bring Chen Yan back; doing so would not only fail to bring back a heaven-gifted prodigy, but would instead sow the seeds of disaster."

Master Chen sighed softly:

"Great Elder, do not worry; this Cloud Dream branch is something the Xunyang Faction cannot protect.

Chen Yan was never treated well by the Xia Clan; as a top scorer in the imperial examinations, to be given only a Morning Star-grade gauntlet is no different from an insult—a heaven-gifted prodigy must not be insulted."

Master Chen's voice was calm:

"Now that the Xia Clan is actively seeking an alliance through marriage with Lu Province, and Chen Yan has killed the son of Lu Province, becoming an enemy of Lu Province, it is even more impossible for the Xia Clan to protect him."

Chen Qi nodded; he had also thought of this point.

Chen Yan's current situation is indeed dangerous.

That little Sovereign of the Xia Clan is diligent in governing, but is too young and has too short a lifespan; it is impossible for them to have the boldness to do anything else.

Next year, the Sovereign of Great Xia should be replaced.

"Then should I go and bring Chen Yan back now?" Chen Qi asked.

"No."

Master Chen spoke:

"Let this Chen Yan suffer a bit first; favors that come too easily will only be taken for granted by him.

Let him understand that only the Chen Clan is his future; only in this way will he harbor loyalty toward my Chen Clan."

Chen Qi was stunned; he felt somewhat displeased in his heart.

Master Chen is skilled at probing the human heart, but sometimes he is a bit too deliberate.

But he did not refute, because what Master Chen said was indeed correct.

"Great Xia..." Master Chen laughed softly:

"That little Sovereign actually came up with this marriage alliance ploy, but they are still too young."

He shook his head:

"Without great courage, one can never achieve great things."

…………

"Executed Lu Xuanzhi?"

"Well killed!"

"To kill him by leveraging the momentum of the world—this is the act of a hero!"

A burst of loud laughter echoed through the Sovereign's Mansion, followed by a series of coughs.

Two faint black veins began to appear on the young Sovereign's face, which could not be suppressed by medicine.

It represented that death was slowly eroding their life.

But Xia Qi did not care; at this moment, a sharp light appeared in their eyes:

"I ultimately underestimated General Yan; their talent and wisdom fill me with admiration!

It is a pity that I also have the heart of a martial artist, but my natural aptitude is too poor, and I have no future."

Xia Qi shook their head and gave a bitter smile.

Inside the room, Xia Hanzhou nodded, feeling somewhat surprised.

Ever since Xia Qi met with Chen Yan, they had valued Chen Yan to the extreme.

"The problem now is the matter of the marriage alliance between Lu Ming'an and Princess Shao'an.

The original plan was to lure the powerhouses of the Lu Clan and forcibly detain them in Great Xia, to hold the reins of Lu Province."

Xia Hanzhou frowned.

The matter of the First-Rank General Star was a situation where multiple things were proceeding simultaneously.

That is to say.

Chen Yan achieves the First-Rank General Star.

The Xia Clan and Lu Province form a marriage alliance.

Chen Yan wields his sword to purge the Alliance of Noble Families.

And the mobilization of troops from Iron Province to the borders of Ji Province!

It seems like one event.

It is actually four events.

These four things proceeding at the same time have shocked the world and altered the situation of the world.

Chen Yan killing Lu Xuanzhi was an accidental situation.

It cannot be said to be wrong, but it was, after all, something outside the plan.

Xia Qi nodded:

"A truly great plan is never immutable; it is multifaceted and can accurately seek the best outcome!"

Xia Hanzhou looked at Xia Qi, smiling and nodding.

Xia Qi, the child he watched grow up, was a perfect State Ruler.

Even more brilliant than the State Rulers of the previous few generations!

The world thought his life was short, merely a transitioner between the previous State Ruler and the next.

They were all wrong; Lu Xunyang going to the Forbidden Land of Ancient Gods was also to seek a chance of survival for Xia Qi to live a few more years.

Because Lu Xunyang also saw Xia Qi's extraordinariness.

What a pity.

"I think this matter still needs to be discussed with General Yan," Xia Qi said with a smile.

"Good, I have the same intention."

Soon, the two contacted the Grand Minister.

Within a circular light screen, Chen Yan's figure appeared.

"Greetings, State..." Chen Yan was about to salute.

"Don't!" Xia Hanzhou hurriedly waved his hand, speaking somewhat unnaturally:

"Chen Yan, you are a First-Rank General Star; you need not bow to a King!"

Xia Hanzhou pursed his lips.

This was a Master of Martial Dao!

A Master of Martial Dao who researched a way to eradicate malice!

What was he, Xia Hanzhou?

A resentful Prince who personally pushed his lover into the Forbidden Land of Ancient Gods?

Xia Hanzhou still had some self-awareness.

From the very beginning, he had never viewed Chen Yan as a junior.

This was a titan of Martial Dao who would stand on equal footing with the Xia Lord in the future.

Xia Qi looked at the Xia Moon King in surprise; he was sharp-minded, and at this moment, he was also incredibly astonished.

It was the first time he had seen the Xia Moon King treat others with such approachability.

Inside the light screen, Chen Yan carried a smile:

"What is the reason for the State Ruler and the Xia Moon King seeking me out?"

Xia Qi quickly told Chen Yan the whole story from beginning to end.

"Is that so?" Chen Yan nodded:

"The great kindness shown to me by the Xia Moon King and the State Ruler makes me feel flattered, and such kindness also makes me feel secure in many situations."

Chen Yan's voice was resonant, yet it left Xia Hanzhou and Xia Qi stunned.

Chen Yan continued:

"Until today, I felt the emotions of the great world and finally understood a principle."

"Understood what?" Xia Qi asked.

Yet they saw the handsome-faced youth smile:

"As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should unremittingly strive for self-improvement; only by searching along the long, winding road can one fathom the truth of the Dao.

The name of First-Rank General Star should be honored by me, not me being honored by the First-Rank General Star."

Chen Yan's eyes were brilliant.

Since the First-Rank General Star was something he was bound to obtain, there was no need to worry about it.

What Xia Qi worried about was undoubtedly caring for his emotions; after all, his identity as a First-Rank General Star had not yet been made public, and perhaps he would be looked down upon by the world.

But had the world ever looked down upon him?

The people of today were all stirred with inexplicable excitement because of him.

Xia Qi was slightly dazed, watching Chen Yan and nodding.

The Xia Moon King, however, thought much more.

He was pondering whether Chen Yan's ability to pioneer Martial Dao was related to his own state of mind.

"Xia Moon King, I have a favor to ask," Chen Yan asked.

"Speak," Xia Hanzhou hurriedly said.

"My Fist Intent has reached the Ninth Grade, and my Spear Intent the Eighth Grade, but I have never grasped the opportunity to reach the True Realm."

Chen Yan sighed lightly:

"I even suspect I have no talent in this regard and would like to ask for your advice.

What methods are there to comprehend the True Realm?"

This was what Chen Yan was vexed about.

After all, he had heard before that some people were promoted directly to the True Realm after comprehending a Fifth-Grade True Intent.

But Chen Yan had not comprehended the True Realm at all.

Even though his Fist Intent was Ninth Grade, it could not compare to a Fist Realm; if he fought a True Realm expert, he would fall into a great disadvantage.

Xia Hanzhou was speechless.

Chen Yan had entered the Dao for only a few months, with Ninth-Grade Fist Intent and Eighth-Grade Spear Intent, and here he was complaining to him that he had no talent?

Who could he go to for justice?

"The simplest way to comprehend the True Realm is through battle, a battle of life and death!"

Xia Hanzhou spoke up:

"Most of the people I know who have comprehended the True Realm stepped across its threshold during battle."

Chen Yan's eyes flashed.

A battle of life and death.

This was actually extremely suitable for him.

Moreover, the Myriad Prison Nether Thunder also required Chen Yan to slaughter; the more Chen Yan slaughtered, the stronger the Myriad Prison Nether Thunder became.

On the other hand, Chen Yan had now found a way to condense the 【Break】 character Saint-Breaking Fruit.

This would inevitably require battle.

The 【Break】 character Saint-Breaking Fruit could make any single Saint-Breaking Fruit increase a hundredfold.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity!

Chen Yan dared not imagine what would happen if he obtained one hundred 【Blood】 character Saint-Breaking Fruits.

That would be enough to directly forge his divine body and step into the Law True Realm of the Qi and Blood path.

Or perhaps one hundred 【Power】 character Saint-Breaking Fruits.

Even Chen Yan felt a bit excited.

He wanted to kill, he wanted fame!

He prepared to take the Aristocratic Family Alliance as his target.

Although he was thinking this, his expression remained calm as water, and he was still earnestly listening to the teachings of the Xia Moon King.

Xia Hanzhou stroked his chin and continued:

"Actually, there is an even more brutal method."

"Please speak, Xia Moon King."

Xia Hanzhou became spirited:

"Superposition; constantly superimposing your own fist intent in an instant. When the fist intent is superimposed to a certain degree, that is the Fist Realm."

"For example, my initial Spear Realm was superimposed thirty-three times; one spear thrust meant thirty-three spear thrusts."

"By now, I have comprehended the Spear Soul; in an instant, ten thousand strands of spear intent erupt!"

Chen Yan's expression changed slightly.

Superimposing true intent sounds simple, but it is extremely difficult to do.

Punching once a second and punching twice a second are fundamentally different.

The first punch can achieve one hundred percent output, but the second might not even reach fifty percent.

Let alone thirty-three times in an instant.

If he could truly master the superposition of thirty-three fist intents in an instant, then killing a Level 6 beginner would be like slaughtering a dog.

The conversation ended.

Chen Yan was alone in his cultivation room.

Boom—!

Chen Yan threw two punches in an instant, and two rings of air waves exploded.

"Not right; the power of my first punch isn't even as good as a single punch."

Chen Yan pondered.

If he purely pursued the number of punches, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

He felt that the Xia Moon King was bluffing him.

"Superposition of fist intent?" Chen Yan murmured, activating the Word Realm, his mind beginning to operate at high speed.

Hum, hum, hum!

Fist shadows appeared on Chen Yan's body, and the force of horizontal pushing surged continuously.

"Perhaps it is the rigidity of my thinking that prevents me from fully understanding."

Chen Yan murmured, throwing punches continuously.

Just like that, Chen Yan cultivated until nightfall and had some initial success.

Afterward, Chen Yan took out the corpse of Lu Xuanzhi.

Inside this corpse was a treasure that even Chen Yan felt was incomparably precious.

The Kun Secret Glazed Thunder.

It was the bloodline talent of the Lu clan and also ranked nineteenth on the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects List.

Its greatest characteristic was its terrifying destructive power and defensive power.

A Divine Seed is, in itself, a heaven and earth spiritual object.

Yet the bloodline of the Lu clan people could inherit this terrifying thing.

If Lu Xuanzhi's Kun Secret Glazed Thunder had reached the Bright Moon grade, then it would have been Chen Yan who was in danger.

Chen Yan exerted his Qi and Blood, beginning to extract the Kun Secret Glazed Thunder from Lu Xuanzhi's body.

Crackle!

The golden electric light was slowly extracted by Chen Yan.

Chen Yan circulated the 【Illusion Ripple Abyss Domain】 and began to gradually absorb it.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

Inside Chen Yan's body, the Xun Thunder began to fuse with the Kun Secret Glazed Thunder, constantly blending and mutating!

Chen Yan's body also began to flash with terrifying electric light, a mix of gold and pitch-black, illuminating the entire cultivation room.

Within the Saint-Breaking Realm, strands of ink-colored light flames representing elemental energy emerged.

A 【Origin】 character Saint-Breaking Fruit began to grow slowly.

However, the progress of this growth was far too slow.

Time passed slowly.

It was not until noon the next day that the two types of thunder slowly merged together.

Chen Yan's thunderous Qi and blood quality also reached the peak of the Morning Star Grade B.

But that 【Origin】 character Saint-Breaking Fruit had not fully matured.

Instead, it reached seventy-six percent.

It actually failed to grow out.

Chen Yan sighed inwardly.

After the Saint-Breaking Tree advanced, the difficulty of fruit growth increased significantly.

The 【Blood】 character Saint-Breaking Fruit was still easier to grow.

One just had to go rob someone.

Heaven knows how many precious medicines the Aristocratic Family Alliance still has hidden away.

However, the boost this cultivation session brought to Chen Yan was by no means small.

The Blazing Secret Flowing Thunder was a divine seed after all, and its characteristics had been absorbed by Chen Yan.

Using thunder, the combat power of Chen Yan's single spear strike was terrifying to the extreme.

By exerting his full Qi and blood combat power along with the Word Realm, Chen Yan could completely blow up the head of a Tier 6 early-stage expert with one spear strike.

"I hope more people from the Lu Clan come."

Chen Yan murmured.

The corpses of the Lu Clan members were simply natural elemental precious medicines.

The only pity was that there were no more time seeds.

Otherwise, Chen Yan could have grown up in an extremely short period of time.

Following that, Chen Yan took out a metal plate engraved with characters.

On it, amidst the dense, interconnected characters, profound tempering truths emerged.

【Tempering the Vast Firmament】!

A Bright Moon Grade A tempering breathing technique.

Chen Yan read it through in one breath.

Breathing techniques of the 【Heaven Patrol】 path all shared one characteristic: they were extremely arduous to cultivate, but they could alter one's physical aptitude.

Fortunately, Chen Yan had already cultivated 【Heaven Patrol】 to the Divine Entry level, so cultivating 【Tempering the Vast Firmament】 could be considered the most suitable choice.

Chen Yan attempted to circulate the 【Tempering the Vast Firmament】 breathing technique.

Boom!

Inside Chen Yan's body, countless gales suddenly roared, and his entire physical body was buffeted by these gusts of wind, shaking continuously.

"Roar!"

Chen Yan let out a low roar, and a storm erupted from his mouth, bombarding the cultivation room incessantly.

"It truly lives up to being Bright Moon Grade A."

Chen Yan sighed inwardly; if 【Tempering the Vast Firmament】 could be mastered, the power it could unleash would be more than five times that of the Divine Entry level 【Heaven Patrol】.

More importantly, 【Tempering the Vast Firmament】 was actually an enhanced version of 【Heaven Patrol】.

There would be no abrupt conflicts.

Golden light emerged in Chen Yan's eyes.

After killing Lu Xuanzhi, Xiaoyang had fallen into a terrifying silence over the past two days.

But the more it was like this, the more it meant that a monstrous change would occur later.

He could almost foresee the arrival of a heaven-shaking battle.

But he did not want to be a passive combatant; he wanted to take the initiative.

"Hoo!"

Chen Yan gasped heavily; as he cultivated 【Tempering the Vast Firmament】 to the extreme, blue veins bulged on his skin, as if a force capable of shaking the heavens was brewing within his flesh and blood.

"Saint-Breaking Tree, break the limit for me!"

Chen Yan roared inwardly.

Even though his body was in immense pain, he still threw a punch with a boom.

Crackle.

At this moment, he slightly opened a corner of the great array sealing the Ten Thousand Prisons Nether Thunder.

Crackle!

Rolling ink-colored thunder bombarded Chen Yan's physical body, instantly tearing open countless bloodstains, which then began to slowly recover.

Chen Yan wanted to forge a steel body with thunder.

This was the fastest, yet also the most exhausting method.

Amidst the excruciating pain, Chen Yan threw a punch.

Dual fist intent superimposed!

Boom, boom!!!

Vibration, eruption, terrifying resonance!

Within the Saint-Breaking Realm, orange light representing power, cyan light representing physique, golden light representing technique, and white light representing intent surged incessantly!

Cultivate!

Become stronger!

A position of Divine General bestowed by others has no meaning!

A rolling murderous intent erupted from the depths of Chen Yan's eyes.

He would forge his own position of Divine General with a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.