Pastoral Cloud Ballad: Any News of Him

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why?"

"Old Qi, we treated you like a brother, but you treated us like fools? Is this how you treat your brothers?"

"Old Qi, I misjudged you. I never thought you were this kind of person."

"Fine, fine. Now I see your true character. Old Qi, you’re something else."

Qi Shiyuan was on the verge of tears. He never expected that after Chen Chang'an reaped the benefits, he would sell him out.

"Everyone, listen to my explanation."

"This is all Chen Chang'an framing me! It’s all lies!"

"Oh, so he’s framing you, huh?"

"Then answer me this—did you already know Chen Chang'an’s true strength beforehand?"

"Well… yes, I did."

"Good, at least you admit that. Then let me ask you this—did you know that each of his breakthroughs requires an insane amount of resources? That’s true, isn’t it?"

"Uh… yes, I knew that too."

"So, the reason you tipped us off was to drag us down with you, right? You didn’t want to suffer alone—am I wrong?"

"I…"

"Don’t bother explaining. It’s useless. If Chen Chang'an hadn’t exposed you, would you have kept lying to us? Treating us like idiots?"

"Thankfully, Chen Chang'an has integrity and couldn’t stand your scheming. Otherwise, we’d never have known the truth."

"Look at Chen Chang'an, then look at yourself. How did you become like this?"

What the hell?

What’s going on?

Back in the day, you didn’t describe Chen Chang'an like this! Now he’s the righteous one, and I’m the villain everyone hates?

"Forget it, no point wasting time on him. Let’s go back and gather resources for Chen Chang'an."

"Damn, I’ve never seen anyone need so many resources just to break through to the peak of the Celestial Immortal Realm."

"Ugh, this is going to bleed us dry."

After securing first place on the Heavenly Proud Rankings, Chen Chang'an received the resources everyone had bet against him and immediately went into seclusion.

However, Chen Chang'an wasn’t stingy—he shared some with Da Huang and Little Earthworm, letting them cultivate alongside him. As for Yi Tuo, its cultivation method was unique and didn’t require these resources, so it received nothing.

Meanwhile, across the Nine Great Immortal Clans of the Primordial Immortal Domain, discussions about Chen Chang'an had begun to spread.

"Clearing all ninety-nine floors in less than an hour?"

"Interesting. So, he’s taken my first place?"

When Ye Beixuan heard the news, he was stunned at first—then he laughed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. It was the anticipation of finally having a worthy rival.

Ye Beixuan had long believed that among the younger generation, no one could match him. The loneliness was suffocating. Others might call it arrogance, but only he understood—he needed motivation, something to push him further.

And now… that person had finally appeared.

"Chen Chang'an… a good name."

"Tell the Ye Clan that I’ll personally meet this Chen Chang'an. No underhanded tricks."

"Oh, and find out where he is." Ye Beixuan smiled.

"As you command, Young Master."

——

Little Cloud Heaven

Mu Clan

"Father!"

"Did you hear?"

"Have you heard the news?"

"My god, Chen Chang'an is insane! In such a short time, he’s already claimed the top spot on the Heavenly Proud Rankings!"

"And his record is even more ridiculous than Ye Beixuan’s!" Mu Yunhai exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course I heard. Why are you so worked up? You’ve dropped to third place now," Mu Tianye said with a frown.

"Huh? Shouldn’t I be excited?"

"Isn’t he one of us?"

"Where’s my sister?"

"Does she know about this?"

"If she finds out, she’ll be thrilled, right?"

"Father, how much longer are you going to keep her locked up?"

"Look, now that Chen Chang'an’s talent is this monstrous, can’t you let her go?" Mu Yunhai asked helplessly.

"You don’t understand a damn thing. Am I locking her up? I’m giving her time to focus on cultivation!"

"Those years she wasted in the Profound Realm set her back. She needs to make up for lost time."

"Your sister’s talent far surpasses yours. If she hadn’t run off to the Profound Realm back then, she would’ve secured a spot on the Heavenly Proud Rankings long ago."

"Instead of worrying about her, worry about Chen Chang'an."

"By climbing the rankings, he’s exposed himself. The Wang Clan… they’ll come for him soon."

The Wang Clan?

"Father, that Wang Zhiwei—is he still holding a grudge?"

"A nobody like him dares to challenge Chen Chang'an?"

"The number one on the Heavenly Proud Rankings—he should think twice, shouldn’t he?"

"Unless he’s not afraid of Chen Chang'an wiping out the entire Wang Clan once he ascends?"

Mu Yunhai had no respect for Wang Zhiwei. The man was just an older cultivator who’d scraped together some strength over time—barely noteworthy within the Wang Clan.

"Hard to say."

"It depends on how broad-minded the Wang Clan is."

"But one thing’s certain—Chen Chang'an has caught the attention of the other eight clans now."

"That kid… he’s truly a freak. His rise is even faster than I imagined."

Mu Tianye hadn’t expected Chen Chang'an to reach such heights so quickly after arriving in the Primordial Immortal Domain.

Was this what they called the Chosen One? Soaring straight to the top without any obstacles?

"Father, can I go see my sister?"

"I want to tell her the news," Mu Yunhai asked.

Mu Tianye studied him for a moment before sighing. "Fine. But make it quick. Don’t disturb her cultivation."

"Got it. I’ll head over now."

For Mu Yunyao, Mu Yunhai had been born long after she left the Primordial Immortal Domain. By the time she returned, he was already the second-ranked prodigy on the Heavenly Proud Rankings.

The two had no shared history, yet this younger brother was inexplicably affectionate toward her—perhaps it was just the bond of blood.

"Sister, I’ve come with good news!"

Hearing Mu Yunhai’s voice, Mu Yunyao was taken aback. "What good news could you possibly bring me?"

"Heh heh."

"Sister, you’re so smart—guess what it could be?"

The moment he said it, Mu Yunyao’s heart skipped a beat.

Chen Chang'an!

"You have news about Chen Chang'an?"

"Yes!"

"Sister, it’s about him!"

"Number one on the Heavenly Proud Rankings—Chen Chang'an!"