Chapter 640: The Path of the Future

"I, Qi Fan, have long known of the Divine General's name and have held deep respect for a long time; it is a profound regret that I have not had the chance to meet and speak with you.

I know the Divine General wishes to use your own great power to quell the chaos of this great age, yet the Dao is long and distant, and it must surely use thousands of bones and blood as its steps; I hope the Divine General will not let our life and death weigh on your mind."

Chen Yan stood upon a shattered land, the words from that letter involuntarily surfacing in his mind.

At the moment he was closest to death, it was the content of this very letter that surfaced in the depths of his mind.

Thousands of bones and blood as steps?

Chen Yan's heart felt heavy; he was determined to have the best of both worlds, determined for everything to go as he wished.

But in the end, he still failed to do so.

He was already the Master of Will; why could he not achieve a true balance?

The Master of Elements told him that sacrifice was necessary.

The Master of Tempering also told him that it was impossible to have both.

Was the Master of Tempering powerful?

Ten thousand years ago, the human race was on the verge of extinction, and the Ancient Gods were invincible in the world; that situation was far more tragic than it is today.

That the other party could rise to power, one could not say they were not powerful.

Yet such a person caused the death of their own son, hunted down their own granddaughter, and caused their descendants to be afflicted by the Imperial Calamity for generations.

Was it helplessness?

Or had they already compromised?

Chen Yan's expression was incredibly somber.

Had he not done enough?

He had broken his limits time and time again, forced himself time and time again, and entered dangerous situations time and time again.

Was it still not enough?

He did not want others to live and die fighting for him.

He did not want to see Qi Fan, even after becoming a corpse, still having to hold back Chi Xue for him.

Why must people be like this?

Why must the human world be like this?

Beside him, Ke Qingxuan and the others noticed Chen Yan's current expression, and everyone's heart trembled slightly.

Lu Jingqiu gazed at Chen Yan's handsome profile, her eyes flickering, and with a thud, she knelt down.

She buried her head very low, and with reverence, with emotion, and with sorrow, she spoke to Chen Yan:

"Thank you, Divine General, for saving our lives!"

Beside her, the other two Creation Realm cultivators of Great Xia also knelt down directly:

"Thank you, Divine General, for saving our lives!"

The three of them were originally meant to be like Qi Fan, dying at the very beginning in the Dark-Devouring Mother Nest.

Because of this battle, they had survived.

Yet the middle-aged man and the white-haired old man who had followed Chen Yan from the start had died.

Zhang Chao looked at Chen Yan at this moment with an excited expression.

The next moment.

Thud!

He knelt down:

"The weight of a person lies in their righteousness!

If one lives without righteousness, it is as light as a goose feather!

This is what Brother Qi Fan told me from the very beginning; Brother Qi Fan died without regrets!

Please, Divine General, do not blame yourself!"

His voice was resonant; he had seen through Chen Yan's emotions.

Chen Yan never usually revealed his emotions to the outside world.

All along, he had possessed a mindset and will far beyond his actual age.

It was as if Chen Yan could see through the human heart, gaze upon every corner of the world, and understand the myriad states of life.

But today, Chen Yan's emotions had finally leaked out.

Ke Qingxuan gazed at him, various indescribable emotions surfacing in her heart.

Chen Yan was actually blaming himself.

What did Chen Yan have to blame himself for?

He had already defeated an Eighth-Order Ancient God Beast and shattered a Second-Order Domain.

In this world, who would say he was lacking?

Ke Qingxuan prepared to kneel, but suddenly sensed she was being controlled by an invisible force and could not kneel down.

Along with her, Zhang Chao and the others were also controlled by this force and stood up.

Chen Yan remained standing before Qi Fan, making no move.

Zhang Chao and the others' expressions trembled, suddenly recalling Chen Yan's words.

He did not want to be above ten thousand people, but for all living beings to be equal.

In an instant, that emotion surged even more violently.

Zhang Chao bowed, performing a deep salute toward Chen Yan.

Ke Qingxuan, Lu Jingqiu, and the others also saluted Chen Yan.

On a certain hilltop a thousand meters away.

Yin Qingshuang looked at Chen Yan from afar, bowing respectfully from a thousand meters away.

Beside her, one after another, the Creation Realm experts of Great Xia bowed down, their expressions filled with awe.

Zhang Ting watched quietly, his expression dazed for a moment, his eyes complex to the extreme.

This was the peerless heaven-gifted genius who had risen from Qingshan.

Standing there, he was already a Great Xia Heavenly God General who surpassed all divine generals throughout history.

In an instant, he recalled the moment he first saw the other's name on a file.

It felt as if a thousand or ten thousand years had already passed since that day.

He bowed down and performed a deep salute toward Chen Yan.

The world fell silent.

Yu Ming had already arrived, standing together with Chi Yuexi and Yu Qing.

They watched this scene from afar, the emotions in their hearts complex beyond measure.

Chen Yan was of the Chen clan, one of the Five Clans.

Yet, he was completely different from Lu Xunyang.

Back when Lu Xunyang became a divine general, how many people questioned, doubted, distrusted, and disrespected him?

But Chen Yan was not like that at all.

Great Xia trusted him fully.

The Creation Realm experts of Great Xia were completely in awe of him.

Can you imagine the great boldness of the late State Master, who began preparing the general-bestowal ceremony for Chen Yan the moment he finished his college entrance examination?

What kind of trust and expectation was this?

This was a mentor, and also a soulmate.

From the moment Yu Ming saw that after Qi Fan died, he would rather turn his physical body into a puppet than let Chi Xue pass.

A question suddenly appeared in Yu Ming's mind.

With a Chen Yan like this, could the Five Clans truly stop him?

At the same time.

Chen Yu arrived as well.

She was not too far away, but her own Immortal Will had undergone a change midway, forcing her to stop and perceive it.

Coupled with the fact that although she had advanced to the Sixth Rank, her speed was still far inferior to the peak of the Creation Realm, she arrived late.

Therefore, she saw this scene.

She saw the scene of her elder brother standing quietly with his back to everyone, while the other Great Xia Creation Realm experts bowed to him.

In a daze, her elder brother's back became unprecedentedly towering and noble in the depths of her heart.

She heard the young man standing under the dark night speak softly:

"Follow me to march; if we do not break the Five Clans, we shall not return to Great Xia."

His voice was very soft, yet it carried an indescribable, surging power that spread downward.

"Yes!" Ke Qingxuan replied hurriedly.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

One after another, clanging and solemn voices rose, threatening to tear through the night.

Immediately, Chen Yan looked into the distance.

In that space, Yu Ming was also watching Chen Yan from afar.

Meeting Chen Yan's gaze, Yu Ming felt a tremor in his heart, as if a cold spear had pierced into his soul.

Such intense majesty.

Yu Ming cursed inwardly.

But soon, Yu Ming still flew toward Chen Yan:

"Yu Ming of the Yu clan, greets the Great Xia Heavenly God General."

As soon as his voice fell, Yin Qingshuang and the others had already formed a surrounding formation, encircling Yu Ming.

Chen Yan waved his hand, and only then did Yin Qingshuang and the others withdraw from their combat state.

If Yu Ming had come with hostile intent, he would undoubtedly be courting death.

Yu Ming chuckled and sat directly on the ground, saying:

"King Xia Yue once met with the Lord of Yu Province in secret."

"I know." Chen Yan nodded; Xia Hanzhou had told him about this matter.

At that time, Chen Yan was still cultivating at Moshan Pass in Ji Province.

Because of the appearance of the Lord of Will, the Yu Lord took the initiative to contact Xia Hanzhou.

Xia Hanzhou did not go to Yu Province, but instead held a meeting with the Yu Lord on the ocean.

This was thanks to Chen Yan entering Ten Thousand Phases Island under the name of Ice Intent; when Xia Hanzhou first found the Yu Lord, the Yu Lord did not refuse, but instead signed a contract with Xia Hanzhou.

At the time, the Yu Lord had not realized one thing: that Xia Hanzhou was actually a rogue politician.

In necessary situations, Xia Hanzhou would not care at all about his dignity as King Xia Yue.

Yu Ming looked at Chen Yan, a trace of complexity appearing in his heart as he continued:

"The Yu clan has never wanted to be bound by the conflict between the Five Clans and Great Xia.

Because the Yu Province understands one thing: that even if Great Xia perishes and the Five Clans' plan is successfully executed, the surging malice within the world will be suppressed."

"But one day, the Ancient Gods will still awaken."

Yu Ming paused, and he swept a glance behind him.

Yu Qing and Chi Yuexi were still very far away, not approaching at all; when they looked at Chen Yan, there was still intense fear and apprehension.

If Chen Yan had truly slain an eighth-rank Ancient God Beast, then the strength of his combat power would be beyond what ordinary people could reach, would it not?

"The goal of the Yu Clan has always been the sea of stars, but our clan has sent troops to explore the universe many times, yet none have had any news since."

Yu Ming's eyes sank:

"Once or twice is understandable, but ten times, over ten times, is simply incomprehensible.

The universe is not the way out; the human race must still seek a glimmer of survival within this human realm."

Chen Yan looked at Yu Ming indifferently:

"Just say what you want to say."

Yu Ming paused, pursed his lips, and said:

"The Yu Lord and the Xia Moon King of your noble nation have an agreement: as long as you can dominate the Five-Clan Struggle, Yu Province will withdraw from the Five Clans and join Great Xia.

Using the Dao of Will as a foundation, we shall seek a new way out for the human race."

His voice was low, yet it carried a force as heavy as a thousand gold, staring fixedly at Chen Yan:

"And I, Yu Ming, will first represent myself in withdrawing from the struggle against Great Xia, and will not be an enemy to your side.

As for the other martial artists of Yu Province, I will go to lobby them and persuade them to withdraw from the battle against Great Xia in advance."

After he finished speaking, Yin Qingshuang and everyone else were stunned, looking at Yu Ming in disbelief, and then a bright light emerged in their eyes.

If it were like this.

Then the resistance their group encountered within the Five-Clan Struggle would be greatly reduced.

Originally, the agreement between the Yu Lord and Xia Hanzhou was to be realized only when the Five-Clan Struggle ended.

But Yu Ming had seen Chen Yan's extraordinariness and his strength, so he represented himself in ending the struggle with Chen Yan early.

"Yu Ming, you can only represent yourself!"

Behind them, Yu Qing suddenly shouted.

Yu Ming's actions clearly went against the Yu Lord's decision.

"A general in the field is not bound by the orders of his sovereign." Yu Ming spoke, sweeping a glance at Yu Qing:

"Eldest Miss, without me, you wouldn't know how many times you would have died."

Yu Qing's face turned black, and she stopped talking.

Chen Yan, however, looked at Yu Ming quietly.

The other party withdrawing from the struggle was actually also a method of self-preservation.

"Can you guarantee that you alone can persuade all the Creation Realm experts of the Yu Clan?" Chen Yan asked.

Chen Yan remembered very clearly.

The leader of the Yu Clan's Creation Realm experts was not Yu Ming, but a martial artist named Yu Laiwei.

That person seemed to be the son of the Yu Lord and the orthodox representative of the Yu Clan side.

Yu Ming's expression stiffened:

"I will do my best; if I cannot persuade them, you may kill them!"

After Yu Ming finished speaking, he raised his head, and a fierce look appeared within his eyes:

"Before the survival of the race, even if an eighth-rank or ninth-rank dies, it is not important!"

He gritted his teeth; one could imagine just how much determination he had made when he chose this path.

Chen Yan watched Yu Ming and said:

"Since that is the case, accept the Heart-Questioning Stele."

Yu Ming stiffened, then nodded, and he pointed to Chi Yuexi and Yu Qing:

"They will also leave with me."

Chen Yan stopped talking and left directly.

Yu Ming's expression changed slightly, and Ke Qingsuan, who was at the side, said: "I will handle the subsequent matters."

Yu Ming glanced at Chen Yan's departing back and nodded.

Soon, Chen Yu came to Chen Yan's side:

"Brother."

The little girl looked up at Chen Yan, her eyes sparkling.

Chen Yan touched Chen Yu's head and smiled faintly.

His figure flickered as he charged into the magma.

Strands of thunder power overflowed from Chen Yan's body, spreading throughout the entire magma.

Soon, pieces of flashing thunder were pulled back by Chen Yan.

The Ten-Thousand Prison Nether Thunder had been directly shattered by a single strike from the Dark-Devouring Mother Tree.

However, as a Divine Seed, the Ten-Thousand Prison Nether Thunder would not die like this.

Soon, Chen Yan repaired the Ten-Thousand Prison Nether Thunder with thunderous Qi and blood.

"Continue to create new Magnetic Storm Thunder Prisons." Chen Yan issued the order.

The Ten-Thousand Prison Nether Thunder flicked its thunder-tongue and then left.

Soon, Chen Yan found Zhang Ting and the others, letting Zhang Ting and the others clean up the battlefield and search for resources within the Dark-Devouring Mother Nest.

He waited until the three of them, Yu Ming, had left.

Only then did Chen Yan finish his tasks and rest.

A long time passed.

The suppression of the Blood Qi path by the Dark-Devouring Mother Nest, as well as the suppression suffered by the Heavenly God Armor, had all been lifted.

At this moment, nearly six hours had passed since the end of the battle.

One could imagine just how terrifying the suppression methods previously unleashed by the Dark-Devouring Mother Tree truly were.

This is an eighth-rank Ancient God Beast.