Chapter 97: Sense of Responsibility

A cultivator at the Spirit Void Peak stepped forward and said respectfully to Chen Jing, "Reporting to the Ancestor, the Shengjian Sect is the same as usual; they have made no moves and seem to have no defenses at all. Sect Master Yan Xiao is idle all day and does not cultivate, and that legendary Master of his has not appeared."

"Oh, this is getting interesting. If it is an 'empty city strategy,' then this Yan Xiao is a bit too bold. But if he says he has no trump cards, he wouldn't be this calm." Chen Jing gently picked up his teacup and took a sip; he was becoming increasingly interested in the Shengjian Sect and Yan Xiao.

"Tomorrow, you will deliver a visiting card and say that my Chen Family has no intention of being enemies with his Shengjian Sect, and that the previous unpleasantness was all due to that brat Weilong's mischief. We are willing to turn hostility into friendship and offer 10,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones as compensation, hoping Yan Xiao will not hold a grudge against my Chen Family." Chen Jing took another sip and said slowly.

"The Ancestor's meaning is..." The Chen Family Chief Offering raised an eyebrow. He had followed this Ancestor since he was young and knew his temperament. Every time he sent someone a gift, it meant he was about to make a move.

First courtesy, then force. This Ancestor had always upheld the principle of caution above all else; even if he wanted to annex them, he would first send a generous gift to test the opponent's bottom line. If he was sure he could swallow the opponent, then the money sent out would still be theirs. If he found he couldn't afford to eat them, then by sending a gift first, since the other party accepted it, they wouldn't go too far, and at the very least, he would have a trump card to save his life.

Back when his Chen Family was attempting to annex a clan stronger than themselves, Chen Jing had used this same trick. Later, when he discovered they were no match for the opponent, he relied on the heavy gifts he had sent out to beg bitterly, which allowed him to save his life.

This time, he was unsure of the Shengjian Sect's strength, but he could not just retreat to Liuyun, so he intended to use the same trick again. This would facilitate a further understanding of the Shengjian Sect, Yan Xiao, and that Master behind him whose existence was unknown.

"Be respectful in your attitude, be meticulous in your actions, and do not make the Shengjian Sect too embarrassed; you must grasp the measure well. If it is confirmed that the Shengjian Sect is just a facade and is playing an 'empty city strategy' with us, then don't be polite—use a strong medicine and hurt them." Chen Jing's hand gripping the teacup exerted slight force, and the water inside the cup immediately boiled. His heart was also churning like the tea water.

He hated the feeling of crisis; whoever made him feel a sense of crisis, he would destroy them.

This was a type of abnormal explosive power, an explosive power born from cowardice.

"Yes, this subordinate will take his leave." The Chief Offering received the order and left.

Chen Jing slowly stood up and sighed slightly. In fact, he was forced into this; news came from Fengxue Silver City that the core disciple Feng Wanqing had been demonized and become an Ice Demon. The Phantom Demons took the opportunity to move in large numbers and launched a fierce attack on Fengxue Silver City.

With internal and external troubles, the more developed a city was, the greater the possibility of being affected. Liuyun County was a major transportation hub leading to Fengxue Silver City, and the level of danger had greatly increased; it was very likely to be looted overnight, making it truly unsafe to live there.

But Luoyue City was different; it was surrounded by mountains on all four sides and had seven Spirit mountains. It was said that these seven Spirit mountains had an extraordinary origin, and by gathering the power of the Seven Spirits, they could activate a huge defensive array. Legend had it that in the ancient era, Luoyue City relied on that powerful array to stand firm and survive until today through the cruel God-Demon wars.

It was just that for some reason, the current Seven Spirits were in a state of decay, and one couldn't even find a decent City Lord or Sect Master.

For the sake of long-term planning, he was determined to obtain Luoxia Mountain. He had to control the Seven Spirits and find the secret of the Seven Spirits. Only then could he survive the coming great war.

He did not know if he was cowardly to the point of worrying about the sky falling, or if he had foresight and knew that a human catastrophe was coming. He always felt that if he did not have a trump card to save his life, he might die in the upcoming great war, and the Chen Family would perish because of it.

"I hope it is all just me overthinking." Chen Jing looked up at the sky. Although he was the number one expert in Liuyun, he knew that there were heavens beyond heavens and people beyond people; for example, Fengxue Silver City and that mysterious and eerie Phantom Demon ancestral land were not things he could reach.

In the garden of the side hall of the Shengjian Sect on Luoxia Mountain, Yan Xiao was still sleeping soundly while sunbathing.

He had waited for the system to upgrade until the flowers had withered, but he had never received the news he wanted.

"System, come out. Tell me, what exactly happened to Qingxue?" Yan Xiao felt restless and uneasy in his heart, vaguely sensing that something bad had happened.

"Owner, don't disturb me if there's nothing wrong. Without the upgrade, I'm running out of extra memory to talk nonsense with you. I only just realized that chatting with you generates so much system trash that it can't even be cleaned up. I truly regret it now!" the system replied lazily.

"Hmm?" It was rare to see this unlucky kid not roasting him, and Yan Xiao was a bit unaccustomed to it.

"Hey? I'm asking you, did something happen to Qingxue? So many days have passed; even if the internet speed were slow, games like PUBG and Honor of Kings would have updated several times, right? This system should have finished updating too!"

Yan Xiao complained. Other people's systems were all cool and domineering, existences that could hang the sky. Why was it that when it came to him, even its own upgrade was restricted?

His dantian was full of Spirit Qi that wouldn't dissipate, making him feel bloated. It made him afraid to cultivate, for fear that one careless move would cause him to self-destruct.

These past few days, he had been listless; apart from the Fear Value from daily tasks, he couldn't be bothered to deal with anything else.

"I don't know either. Some information has been coming through intermittently from Qingxue's side, but I don't know if it's a bad signal or a system malfunction; the reception is incomplete, and the system cannot make a correct judgment," the system replied weakly.

"You're just a piece of junk," Yan Xiao said in disappointment.

"It's because you're too stupid, so the system has been led astray by you, alright?" the system scolded.

"I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to encounter such a Peak Grade system," Yan Xiao shook his head and sighed.

"Too lazy to talk nonsense with you and waste my memory. A friendly reminder: a large group of experts from the Chen Family is coming to Luoxia Mountain. You'd better think about how to deal with it!" The system mimicked Yan Xiao by yawning and lazily went back to sleep.

"It seems the Chen Family is coming for real this time." Yan Xiao put on his Sunglasses and locked onto the Chen Family group.

His mood suddenly became heavy.

"Someone come, pass on my order: all Shengjian Sect disciples are to return to the safe zone; no one is allowed to go out." Yan Xiao waved his hand and activated the Mountain Protection Array.

With the Chen Family mobilizing so many people this time with such great momentum, Yan Xiao had to retreat from their sharp edge and temporarily turtle up inside the array.

Seeing that golden Mountain Protection Array, it went without saying that everyone knew the Shengjian Sect must have encountered danger.

Feng Jingting, Feng Chen, Luo Ying, Luosang, and others walked out of the main hall one after another and came before Yan Xiao, their expressions quite solemn.

"Husband, is it the Chen Family who has come?" Feng Jingting asked.

"Yes. What must come will eventually come. Facing a great cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm, are you afraid?" Yan Xiao nodded and looked at the Shengjian Sect disciples as he asked.

"Not afraid." Wang Dazhu was the first to speak.

The other disciples looked at each other, timid and hesitant. By this moment, they already knew that there was no old immortal on Luoxia Mountain, and that Sect Master Yan Xiao's so-called Master was just a facade.

"If you are afraid, leave now; I, Yan Xiao, will definitely not stop you." Thinking of Tingxue, who had gone missing, Yan Xiao felt cold in his heart, and he couldn't help but feel angry toward those timid disciples who had ulterior motives.

"Master, we are not leaving." Wang Dazhu took the lead and shouted loudly.

"That's right, our lives were given by Master; we will not leave Master." Ma Xiaoyun was filled with righteous indignation.

Although Ma Jianyang and Nangong Erhu did not reply, they still stood firmly by Yan Xiao's side, expressing their loyalty.

Seeing his few disciples, the two beauties behind him, and Elders like Luosang, Luo Cang, Luo Hai, and Luo Tian, a trace of warmth suddenly arose in Yan Xiao's cold heart.

No matter how cold and realistic this world was, he still had family and friends behind him; he was not fighting alone.

At this moment, his heart was brimming with tears, and he thought, "I still have Qingxue, I have you all; I am not alone."

At this moment, he had a sense of belonging in this strange world. He could no longer be sluggish and irresponsible—for Qingxue, for Jingting, for Luo Ying, for... these people around him who cared about him.

He roared toward the sky: "Those who want to leave, leave immediately; I, Yan Xiao, swear I will never stop you! But those who stay are my brothers, my family! When we break through this predicament one day, I will surely lead you to break through the nine heavens and reach the peak of that legendary immortal world!"