Chapter 588: The Response of Piaomiao Yun Gong

Yan Ran stared at Lin Chen, unsure whether Lin Chen truly knew or was merely saying this to throw him off balance.

Even their imperial family did not know what the reward for the Invincible Arena was.

But if this was deliberate, and he held back while Lin Chen produced no real evidence, he would never recover.

Could Lin Chen really be such a reckless man?

The imperial family had thoroughly investigated Lin Chen’s past and confirmed he was not this kind of reckless person—he would never risk destroying himself just to unsettle him.

Therefore, Lin Chen truly knew the obscure past of the ancestral founder of Piaomiao Yun Gong.

After forming this judgment, Yan Ran still had no intention of speaking; he wanted to see what Lin Chen would say next. Some secrets, once known by too many—even just elders within Piaomiao Yun Gong—would inevitably leak. All he needed to do was deny it outright.

Once he understood this, the faint unease in Yan Ran’s heart vanished, replaced by a cold sneer.

“So you really intend to play the bully to the end.”

Lin Chen also caught the sneer on Yan Ran’s face and could guess what the other was thinking—namely, that after Lin Chen revealed the secret of Piaomiao Yun Gong’s ancestral founder, he would simply keep denying it.

Unfortunately, the secret he had revealed could not be denied.

“Senior, your sect’s ancestral founder once left behind a jade stele. I know what characters are carved upon it.”

“What did you say?”

After Lin Chen mentioned “jade stele,” the old woman’s expression changed: “You know what characters are carved on that jade stele?”

“Yes. After battling your sect’s ancestral founder, I happened to witness a fragment of his past—among which was the moment he carved characters onto that jade stele.”

“Is this true?”

The old woman fixed her gaze tightly on Lin Chen, who nodded firmly: “No falsehood.”

“Very well. Tell me, what exactly is written on that jade stele?”

Lin Chen whispered to the old woman. After several breaths, she spoke: “If what you say is true, I can vouch that you truly met our ancestral founder.”

The old woman’s words left many warriors confused—clearly, Lin Chen had whispered the secret to this Piaomiao Yun Gong elder. Why couldn’t she prove its truth immediately?

“The jade stele left by our ancestral founder is hidden in our sect’s forbidden zone. No one has ever seen it—not even I know what is written upon it.”

The Piaomiao Yun Gong elder seemed to sense the confusion among the warriors and explained directly: “Our ancestral founder once issued a decree: no one may approach the jade stele unless someone who knows its content appears.”

“Is that real?”

A warrior spoke up in doubt: “Could your ancestral founder have foreseen that someone in the future would know the stele’s content?”

“Piaomiao Yun Gong isn’t skilled in divination. Perhaps your ancestral founder told the secret to one person but never informed the sect’s disciples, intending that person’s descendants, if ever in trouble, would come to Piaomiao Yun Gong for help.”

Some warriors voiced doubts; others offered theories—all were fifth-stage primordial experts. Lin Chen scanned these doubters and theorists, understanding that most were likely connected to the imperial family.

Of course, some might simply be trying to curry favor with the imperial family—anyone with sense could see the imperial family was targeting him.

“How ridiculous.”

Before Lin Chen could respond, the Piaomiao Yun Gong elder could no longer hold back, her face flushed with anger: “If your ancestral founder merely wanted someone’s descendant to seek help from Piaomiao Yun Gong, why not simply tell his disciples outright? Why make it so complicated?”

To the old woman, these speculations and doubts were disrespectful to the ancestral founder.

If the founder truly wished to grant protection to a friend or relative’s descendant, his prestige alone would have been enough—he could have issued a simple decree. Which disciple would dare disobey? Why go through such secrecy?

“That’s unclear. Many powerful cultivators have peculiar habits. I’m not disrespecting your ancestral founder—I’m merely stating facts. Who can guarantee Lin Chen didn’t encounter the descendant of the warrior who learned the stele’s content, and heard it from them—or even killed the man and stole the treasure? Such cases are not rare in the martial world.”

By the end, the doubting warrior even sneered. In the martial world, there had been many instances where someone killed another, seized their belongings, and found a recorded jade tablet revealing their secrets.

Most warriors present felt this possibility was slim, yet it could not be entirely ruled out—perhaps Lin Chen had known this secret for a long time and was now using the opportunity to reveal it.

“That’s impossible!”

The Piaomiao Yun Gong elder snapped: “The forbidden zone where the jade stele is stored was sealed by a master of Qianji Sect’s array arts, personally arranged by our ancestral founder. To open the array, one must know the stele’s content—no matter how powerful, even a Myriad Phenomena expert cannot breach it.”

“As for how our ancestral founder knew someone in the future would learn the stele’s content—it’s because he once consulted a senior of Qianji Sect for a divination. Qianji Sect still has records of this event, which can be verified.”

With the Piaomiao Yun Gong elder saying this, there could be no deception.

“Then it’s truly strange—what was your ancestral founder’s purpose in arranging this?”

After a long silence, a mocking voice emerged from the crowd. The Piaomiao Yun Gong elder immediately glared: “What? Is a secret of Piaomiao Yun Gong something you have the right to demand an explanation for? Who the hell are you?”

The words were harsh. The middle-aged man in the crowd flushed crimson—he was a fourth-stage primordial expert. When had he ever been spoken to like this?

But the woman was a Piaomiao Yun Gong elder, backed by the entire sect—one of the twenty-four supreme sects of Yan Emperor’s realm. He dared not fully offend her.

He had merely hoped to seize this chance to flatter the Sixth Prince. If the Sixth Prince noticed his performance and remembered him, it could be his opportunity.

Opportunism…

It was the common mindset of many warriors who had voiced doubt. As for whether Lin Chen had cheated, it meant nothing to them.

…

“Since you all doubt, I’ll no longer hide it. Lin Chen just told me the ancestral founder carved four characters on the jade stele: ‘Water Flows, Channel Forms.’ I will return to our sect immediately to verify. If it truly reads these four characters, anyone who doubts may come to Piaomiao Yun Gong to inspect it themselves.”

Upon hearing the elder’s words, Yan Ran’s expression darkened for the first time. He asked coldly: “Are you vouching for Lin Chen?”

For the first time, Yan Ran’s tone carried a hint of threat—he could no longer sit still. The elder’s attitude was too strange.

Logically, this matter had nothing to do with Piaomiao Yun Gong. As an elder, she must have seen the imperial family was targeting Lin Chen. If she wished to avoid being dragged in, she could have easily refused. Yet she acted as if blind, willingly stepping into this mess.

“If the stele’s content matches what Lin Chen said, not only will I vouch for him—entire Piaomiao Yun Gong will stand behind his words.”

Facing Yan Ran’s threat, the Piaomiao Yun Gong elder showed no hesitation. Her answer sent shockwaves through the entire plaza.

The elder’s words meant she intended to stand with Lin Chen against the imperial family—she was intervening directly.

The imperial family’s authority in Yan Emperor’s realm was unquestionably supreme. But Lin Chen was backed by Canglan Sect, the Flower Clan, and now Piaomiao Yun Gong—all top-tier powers in Yan Emperor’s realm.

With three top-tier powers vouching for Lin Chen, the weight of their support was immense. Public opinion among Yan Emperor’s martial cultivators would no longer tilt toward the imperial family.

Yan Ran’s face had turned black as storm clouds. After Canglan Sect, now even Piaomiao Yun Gong refused to give him even a shred of respect.

This was human nature.

When the imperial family was strong, it commanded the entire realm—and not a single supreme sect dared defy it. Now, each one had begun nursing other ambitions.

“Very well. I shall await your final report.”

Yan Ran’s voice carried a thread of fury. He thought deeper: this elder’s disrespect was not to help Lin Chen—it was likely a signal to the Dongfang family.

The Piaomiao Yun Gong elder said nothing in return and immediately withdrew from the Tongtian Tower plaza.

“Lin Chen, what connection do you have with Piaomiao Yun Gong?”

Teng Wangshan could no longer hold back—he whispered to Lin Chen. The elder’s defiant stance toward the imperial family had surprised him.

Vouching for Lin Chen? Defying the imperial family?