Chapter 541: Mount Tai collapses before one's eyes without a change in expression, elk spring up on one's left without a blink of the

Chen Province.

"Truly not of the mundane, a genuine anomaly."

The Chen Lord leaned back on a cloud couch, the glowing embers of a cigarette between his fingertips flickering, casting shifting light and shadow over a face that was otherwise unremarkable.

He lit a cigarette, exhaling rings of blue smoke as he watched the three light screens before him.

Within them appeared the figures of the Ji Lord, the Chi Lord, and the Lu Lord.

The Empress of Ji Province lowered her snow-colored lashes, tapping her jade fingers against her throne, and said: "Chen Yan is indeed worth investing in; in many respects, the Great Xia's choice is extremely rational."

The Ji Lord's voice was flat, and though she spoke thus, the corners of her lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.

Chen Yan is a genius, a genius who transcends concepts.

The importance the Great Xia places upon him is also startling.

But if all expectations are cast upon such a youth, in some respects, the Great Xia appears quite naive.

"Has your Chen Province's system determined Chen Yan's strength five years from now?"

The Lu Lord spoke, slowly lifting a cup of tea to take a light sip, his amber pupils reflecting a torrent of data.

"Five years from now..."

The Chen Lord flicked his cigarette ash, a celadon ashtray catching the falling embers.

The Lu Lord had good reason to ask about Chen Yan's strength in five years.

Because the turn of the year is the date the original Five Clans agreed upon to march on the Great Xia.

To annihilate the Great Xia, five years is a major milestone.

"The existence of the Dao of Will makes system detection inaccurate; why not just imagine it in the extreme? Five years from now, Chen Yan will have already ascended to the Eighth Rank and could wield the Xia Lord Sword."

The Chen Lord spoke slowly.

"How is that possible?" The Ji Lord, previously calm in expression, raised her voice.

Ascending to the Eighth Rank within five years?

Do you not know that some people spend a thousand or even several thousand years to ascend to the Eighth Rank?

For Chen Yan to do it in five years is too exaggerated.

"What if he does ascend to the Eighth Rank within five years?" The Chen Lord said quietly, rubbing the space between his brows with a forefinger yellowed by cigarette smoke. "The grand trend cannot be changed by a single Eighth Rank, and there is only one Xia Lord Sword."

A flash of irritation appeared in his eyes.

An irritation for reasons unknown.

For the lords of the four provinces to sit together to discuss a Sixth Rank is, in itself, utterly absurd.

But he could not afford not to discuss him.

The Five Clans must consider the variable that is Chen Yan.

"I still lean toward eliminating the unknown as soon as possible."

The Chi Lord, who had remained silent, said blandly: "This collateral branch of your Chen Clan is the unknown; the will he displays is even stronger than Ice Will. I have even suspected that he is Ice Will."

The Chi Lord looked at the Chen Lord: "Have you captured Ice Will or not?"

The Chen Lord narrowed his eyes: "Ice Will is in the Myriad Forms Tower; my people cannot enter."

The Chi Lord's expression turned cold: "But the Myriad Forms Tower has a teleportation array that can send people out!"

He was clearly somewhat angry; everyone was speculating that the Chen Lord had tampered with Ice Will.

But the Chen Lord had never admitted it.

"Chen Lord, what exactly do you know?"

The Ji Lord also spoke, the peerless empress leaning quietly against her throne, lifting her proud chin: "I only want to confirm now whether that Chen Yan is Ice Will or not."

The Chen Lord's expression tightened slightly; he flicked his hand, and the half-burned cigarette turned to ash.

He pondered for a long time.

Ice Will was still inside the Jin Palace, controlled by the Chen Clan's control machine.

Now, a Creation Realm expert of Ji Province had already climbed to the 135th level of the Jin Palace.

At the latest, they would bring back Ice Will in three months.

But when the Chen Clan controlled Ice Will, two accidents occurred in succession.

One was that before Chen Yunyou died, he blew up the signal transmission system of that control machine.

But the news of Chen Yunyou's death, as seen from the Five Clans Ranking, was not worth worrying about.

The other matter was the death of the Ancient Dream Divine Beast.

Had the Ancient Dream Divine Beast truly died or not?

Or had it already been devoured by Zhou Ming of Myriad Forms Island?

The Chen Lord did not know.

But it could be affirmed with high probability that Ice Will was still being controlled within the Jin Palace.

He sighed: "Ice Will is not Chen Yan."

As his voice fell, a cold sneer appeared on the Ji Lord's lips: "You really did tamper with Ice Will."

The Chi Lord and the Lu Lord looked at each other, both falling silent.

"Ice Will is not Chen Yan; that counts as good news," the Ji Lord said slowly. "Chen Yan has mastered a martial technique of the Dao of Will, and his attainments in the Dao of Will may surpass Ice Will's. I heard with my own ears when he said he believes in the Lord of Will."

The Ji Lord's voice fell.

The lords of the several provinces all had their expressions change slightly.

The Lord of Will was an existence even they could not fathom.

The Ji Lord's single sentence seemed to reveal an endless amount of information.

Chen Yan, believes in the Lord of Will?!

Could it be that the more one believes in the Lord of Will, the faster one's own strength in the Dao of Will can soar?

And that Lord of Will clearly also needs faith; otherwise, why build temples everywhere?

Once faith is involved, it is no longer a matter for ordinary martial artists to consider.

Even the likes of Lord Chen must consider that the Lord of Will might truly exist in a dimension they cannot even imagine.

Mysterious, unknown, powerful.

That powerful Dao of Will can even allow a martial artist of will to easily alter the rules of other martial Daos.

Isn't Chen Yan exactly like that?

The atmosphere turned silent.

The lords of the several provinces are, by nature, the pinnacle of the human world.

They have had too much time to look down upon the entire human world.

But the sudden appearance of an existence that might be able to look down on them made them feel an emotion they had not felt for a long time.

That was the feeling of awe towards a Source Realm martial artist when one first enters the path of martial arts.

Or perhaps, the feeling of awe a Creation Realm martial artist has for an Eighth-Rank.

A very strange feeling.

For a long time, no one spoke.

"To eliminate Chen Yan, we must make Chen Yan leave the protection of Great Xia," Lord Chi said, deep in thought.

He clearly did not want to let Chen Yan continue to cultivate.

"Great Xia treats him like a treasure; how can we make him leave Great Xia's control?" Lord Ji chuckled.

"He should be protected by an Eighth-Rank at all times. One Eighth-Rank is not a concern, but if we cannot grasp his location, it is difficult to make a move," Lord Chi pondered.

Chen Yan is, after all, a trouble.

Even the lords of the various provinces need to consider this problem.

What if he grows to the level of Lu Xunyang again? What should be done?

The Five Clans cannot delay any longer.

"Each clan should dispatch one Eighth-Rank to constantly track Chen Yan's location," Lord Chi said.

"My Ji Province cannot spare any; currently, my Ji Province is in urgent need of Eighth-Ranks," Lord Ji said quietly.

"It is not practical. Chen Yan might be secretly sent back to Jin Province; are these Eighth-Ranks supposed to guard him like that?" Lord Chen shook his head.

"How about we invite Chen Yan to participate in the Five Clans Struggle?"

Suddenly, Lord Lu spoke, carrying a hint of a smile.

Lord Chen's expression did not change, but Lord Chi and Lord Ji frowned.

"Great Xia will not agree. If Chen Yan enters the Five Clans Struggle, it is a dead end."

Lord Ji was even amused.

Every clan wants to eliminate Chen Yan, but they must also consider the practical situation.

Great Xia has been protecting Chen Yan and cannot possibly let Chen Yan be exposed to danger.

The Five Clans Struggle is a place where the top Creation Realm experts of the Five Clans will enter.

Chen Yan is only a Sixth-Rank; even if he can deal with Ji Chuxi, it is still a dead end.

"Great Xia does not have the guts," Lord Chi said indifferently.

Lord Lu chuckled: "I am worried that the current momentum of Great Xia is also a problem."

Public sentiment.

It is very important.

The Five Clans have a great advantage over Great Xia.

But even with an advantage, they would not truly abandon public sentiment.

The Battle of Prodigies.

Chen Yan alone stole all the limelight.

For Great Xia, that is a matter of immense glory for the entire nation.

But for the Five Clans, especially for Ji Province, it is like being stuck in a quagmire, unable to lift their heads under the pressure of Great Xia.

Lord Chen nodded; he somewhat understood what Lord Lu meant.

Time passed slowly.

Above Chuli Pass.

Chen Yan, with his black hair draped over his shoulders, slowly stood up.

A million armored soldiers lined up like a dragon behind him, and blood-colored battle clouds surged.

His eyes were calm; at this moment, they were no longer as clear as those of a youth in his teens, but instead as deep as an abyss.

He draped on a red robe, radiating an aura of looking down upon the world.

The aura revealed vaguely made the world tremble in fear.

Countless emotions emerged from the earth and were perceived by Chen Yan one by one.

His life was constantly folded and constantly expanded.

He had felt the emotions of too many people and had also experienced the memories of many people.

He appeared to be only eighteen, but it was as if he had already experienced several lifetimes of reincarnation, like a deity holding the thoughts of all living beings.

The Dao-Enlightenment Ten Thousand Forms Seed radiated brilliance, helping Chen Yan perfect his own techniques.

The moment the 【Technique】 character's holy fruit ripened was the moment a new martial technique was born.

【Control Decay - Holy Condensation Primordial】!

This will be, in the true sense, a martial technique of the Will.

At this moment, the million-strong army watched him with awe.

Hundreds of millions of living beings gazed at him in shock.

Even the Eighth-Rankers of Ji Province were wary of him from far away.

This should not be a pressure that someone who had just entered the Sixth Rank could bring.

Chen Yan took a step, and ripples of the void appeared beneath his feet.

It is time to declare war on the Five Clans.

And it was at this very moment.

Boom, boom, boom!!!

The firmament suddenly darkened!

Heaven and earth changed; a black river, as if flowing out from a tear in the void, poured down from above the firmament.

The moment the pitch-black giant river appeared, the world was astonished.

It was like an ancient river of malice, intending to suppress and kill the entire human world.

But Chen Yan only watched quietly; he could distinguish that this was merely a phantom projection.

Inside Moshan Pass, Xia Hanzhou also narrowed his eyes, and immediately, a surge of killing intent erupted in the depths of his eyes.

A thin, tall figure stepped across the pitch-black river; his eyes were narrow and long, his lips very thin, giving one a very cold and powerful feeling.

"Chen Clan... Third Elder, Chen He,"

Someone on the ground exclaimed in shock.

The next moment, in another part of the sky, a mass of mist as black as ink suddenly condensed, rising in curls from a crack in the sky, gradually gathering into rolling black clouds that blotted out the sun.

Within those black clouds, there were faint, looming demonic shadows, as if countless vengeful spirits were roaring.

A black-robed figure appeared beside Chen He.

"Chi Province Second Great General, Chi Yuan,"

Someone recognized the newcomer and cried out in alarm.

Chen Yan, however, frowned as he watched; these were two phantom projections.

Immediately following, Chen Qi, Chi Xun, and Ji Hai also appeared.

These were three Eighth-Rankers who had come in their true forms; they appeared beside Chen He and Chi Yuan, their expressions varied.

And within the void, one after another, strange phenomena emerged.

The distant horizon was lit up by a brilliant seven-colored light, celestial music drifted, a strange fragrance assailed the nostrils, and countless flower petals drifted down like snowflakes.

A woman dressed in rainbow-colored feather garments walked out with graceful steps; she moved her lotus-like steps and appeared before Chen Yan.

That was Ji Yanqing, the older sister of Ji Yannan.

"Great Xia Divine General, a seventeen-year-old Divine General, tsk tsk."

Ji Yanqing's pair of eyes carried an innate charm; she looked at Chen Yan with great interest, then shifted her gaze to look at Chen Yu not far away.

Chen Yu's expression changed slightly, feeling as if she were being stared at by a venomous snake.

Within her consciousness space, Ji Yannan's expression turned gloomy, looking at his own sister with ruthlessness.

High in the distant sky, San Jin's expression also turned ugly.

That was her mother.

And at this moment, strange phenomena were still emerging.

Light was swallowed, space was twisted, and all sorts of strange phenomena condensed.

One after another, the phantom projections of powerful figures appeared, shaking heaven and earth.

Even though most were only phantom projections, as they scattered across the Qiong Heaven, that endless sense of oppression surged over.

The entire Chuli Pass fell into a deathly silence; all the living beings of Ji Province looked up, first stunned, then ecstatic.

These were the Eighth-Rankers of the Five Clans, all Eighth-Rankers; not many had come in their true forms, most were just phantom projections descending.

But those that had already appeared numbered more than twenty.

Every Eighth-Ranker was a supreme combat power of the human world, a pillar of support, a towering existence who could change the firmament with a flip of their hand.

And these were the Eighth-Rankers of the Five Clans!

In an instant, the pressure brought by Chen Yan vanished.

The entire Chuli Pass erupted into a frenzy.

This was power!

This was the true power of the human world!

An absolute gap!

The pressure of the Eighth Rank merely leaked out, and it made people submit, not daring to lift their heads.

They laughed loudly.

It was as if all the fear that had been pressed out by Chen Yan over these past few days dissipated in this instant.

Someone pointed at Chen Yan, laughing wildly until tears streamed from the corners of their eyes.

Do you see?

This is the power of the Five Clans!

This is the true power of the world!

You, a Sixth-Ranker, no matter how many times you break through your realm, you cannot defeat a single finger of an Eighth-Ranker!

The million-strong Great Xia army stood in the clouds, watching nervously at this moment.

They were also human, also living beings, and also had families; facing the Eighth Rank, they would also tremble.

Some young soldiers could not stop their bodies from trembling, their faces turning pale.

Feeling the fear from the bottom of their hearts, they each dared not speak.

However, within the great army, someone's eyes instantly turned blood-red, their breathing accelerated, and they roared with almost every ounce of their strength at this moment:

"Enemy attack!"

The next moment!

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!!!"

Roars that shook the heavens resounded through the world, and the blood-cloud condensed by the million-strong army pressed outward.

But Chen Yan, situated amidst all the Eighth-Rankers of the Five Clans, slightly raised his hand.

He looked around at the Eighth-Rankers in the surroundings, his expression calm, his cold and stern eyes filled with indifference.

He is Chen Yan.

He is also a Heaven-Defying Prodigy.

He is a Great Xia Divine General.

And also...

The Lord of Will!

Living beings are his foundation.

If he viewed this moment as Chen Yan, he would certainly be nervous.

But if he views this moment as the Lord of Will, this is just a group of...

Insects that only dare to face him when gathered together.

He once fought side-by-side with the Lord of Blood Qi, and he once discussed the Dao with the Lord of Horizontal Refining.

He once trusted Lu Xunyang mutually, and was also entrusted with everything by Xia Weimin's thousand-year wait.

Which one of these is not more formidable than the Eighth-Rankers present?

As his single hand was raised, the next moment, the million-strong army, who were red-faced and furious, seemingly about to charge forward in an instant, fell silent.

The Military Guards, each looking at his back, all revealed expressions of awe at this moment.

Even if Mount Tai collapses before them, their expression does not change; even if elk frolic on their left, their eyes do not blink!