Another Monster

At the critical moment, Chen Chang'an and Da Huang finally appeared.

The sight of this man-and-dog duo left the crowd utterly stunned.

After all, such a pairing was quite rare!

"It's him!"

"It's him!"

At this moment, both Liu Chengfeng and Liu Mengyan's expressions changed drastically.

Wasn't this the very same Chen Family Ancestor they had seen at the Chen Family that day?

He was here?

He had actually followed them here?

"Who? Who is he?" the Liu Family Head asked gravely.

"Back at the Chen Family, he was the ancestor Chen Zhengyuan spoke of."

"Chen Chang'an!"

Liu Chengfeng's voice boomed, whether out of sheer terror or not, his words were practically roared.

"Chen Family Ancestor?"

"What's going on? The Chen Family has an ancestor?"

"Holy shit, I remember now! Back when the Chen Family first arrived in the Great Zhou Kingdom, they mentioned having an ancestor who was taken away by a powerful expert."

"Yeah, yeah! Now that you mention it, everyone dismissed it as the Chen Family boasting. If they really had such an ancestor, why would they come to a place like ours?"

"Could it be that this man truly is the Chen Family Ancestor? But he looks barely older than Chen Yunxuan!"

"And his cultivation… Core Formation Realm, First Level?"

The appearance of the Chen Family Ancestor was explosive news. Everyone scrutinized Chen Chang'an, whispering among themselves.

Cheng Yushu was also baffled. Since when did the Chen Family have an ancestor?

And he didn’t seem all that impressive, did he?

Aside from being absurdly handsome, he gave off no sense of threat whatsoever.

Ignoring the murmurs, Chen Chang'an turned his gaze toward Chen Yunxuan.

Chen Yunxuan's performance had pleasantly surprised him.

The reason he had let Chen Yunxuan face this alone wasn’t just because he had gone to retrieve the fetal pearl—that wasn’t the real reason.

For Chen Yunxuan to truly grow, he needed to face crises on his own.

Tempering wasn’t just talk; it required real experience.

"My apologies, everyone."

"My junior from the Chen Family might need to borrow some of your time."

"If you’re not in a hurry, please wait." Chen Chang'an smiled faintly.

"You’re the Chen Family Ancestor?" Uncle Liu frowned, unsure how to react.

"Is there a problem?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.

Seeing how utterly unbothered Chen Chang'an was, as if none of them mattered, Uncle Liu hesitated, glancing at Cheng Yushu for guidance.

Cheng Yushu’s mind was in turmoil.

He had just come here representing the Cheng Family as a guest—why was he being dragged into this mess?

The Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom paid no attention to Chen Chang'an, his focus entirely on Da Huang.

A talking dog!

This had to be that legendary talking dog!

What should he do?

What could he possibly do?

Rely on the Cheng Family?

No, the Cheng Family couldn’t be counted on.

The Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom glanced at Cheng Yushu and saw the unease in his expression.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

The situation had escalated beyond reconciliation. He refused to sit idle.

If the Cheng Family wouldn’t act, he would have to take matters into his own hands.

"Give the order. Mobilize the 200,000 troops outside."

"First, eliminate Chen Yunxuan. Then deal with that Chen Family Ancestor and the yellow dog."

"No matter what it takes, swarm them. I refuse to believe he can slaughter 200,000 men in one go."

Left with no choice, the Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom resorted to sheer numbers.

Even if they couldn’t kill the Chen Family Ancestor, taking down Chen Yunxuan would at least be some consolation.

Otherwise, the entire royal family would be wiped out for nothing.

"Uncle Liu, let’s go."

Cheng Yushu’s sudden words only solidified the Lord’s resolve to fight to the death.

So, Cheng Yushu really intended to wash his hands of this.

For the Cheng Family, there was no need to invite unnecessary trouble. If the royal family fell, they could always install a new ruler for the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Cheng Yushu and Uncle Liu’s departure heightened the tension in the air.

Da Huang glanced at Chen Chang'an. "You’re just letting them leave?"

"What else? They’re Yunxuan’s opponents. Let him handle them himself."

"I’m too strong. It wouldn’t be fair if I intervened." Chen Chang'an chuckled.

Hearing this, Da Huang shot him a look of disdain.

Too strong? Sure, Chen Chang'an’s combat prowess was monstrous, but he had only just begun cultivating—his cultivation was merely at the Core Formation Realm, First Level.

In terms of raw power, he wasn’t a match for Uncle Liu. He just couldn’t be killed, that’s all.

"Did you see that?"

"Yeah."

"Holy shit, the dog talked?"

"Hallucination. Must be a hallucination. Dogs can’t talk!"

"Maybe it’s mutated?"

"Good point. That dog is a mutant!"

Da Huang’s human speech left everyone dumbfounded. Most didn’t even consider the possibility of him being a high-level spirit beast.

In their limited understanding, such creatures didn’t exist.

Truly, ignorance was bliss.

"I don’t care if you’re the Chen Family Ancestor or just a Core Formation Realm First Level fraud."

"And I don’t give a damn why that dog of yours can talk."

"But today, the royal family will not let you leave here unscathed."

"Even if we die, we’ll drag you down with us!"

The Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom’s sudden outburst took everyone by surprise.

With the Cheng Family gone, why was he suddenly so bold?

Unless…

"Oh no, the Lord is planning mutual destruction!"

"Damn it! How did a simple engagement banquet turn into this?"

"Let’s get out of here before we’re caught in the crossfire!"

"Yeah, hurry! It’s now or never!"

The guests finally remembered to flee, but it was too late.

The 200,000 troops outside the palace had long been ready, awaiting the Lord’s command to strike.

"He seems to be underestimating you," Da Huang remarked with a grin.

"I think he’s underestimating you," Chen Chang'an replied nonchalantly.

"Huh. Fair point."

"But just so we’re clear, I won’t intervene unless absolutely necessary. This is your show."

Da Huang was perfectly content to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Where was the fun if he got involved?

"Fine, I’ll handle it."

"But keep things under control for me. Don’t let them cause trouble."

"Let’s see how effective this second fetal pearl is!" Chen Chang'an said with a smile.

"No problem."

Chen Chang'an smiled faintly, then activated his cultivation technique. In an instant, the surrounding spiritual energy surged like a tidal wave, rushing once more into his body.

"What's going on?"

"This… where did all the spiritual energy suddenly disappear to?"

"It's him! He's actually cultivating?"

"What? He’s really cultivating? Does that mean… he truly is only at the first level of the Core Formation Realm?"

"At this point, it seems so!"

"But the speed at which he’s absorbing spiritual energy is absurd! It feels like in just a blink, all the spiritual energy in the entire capital has vanished!"

"Terrifying!"

"A monster… another monster has appeared!"