I'm leaving, not dying.

"I'm leaving, not fucking dying!"

"What's the meaning of all this?"

"And you, why are you wiping your tears?"

Chen Chang'an was utterly exasperated by the scene before him. He was merely departing—was all this really necessary?

Did the Ye Family have to make such a grand spectacle out of it?

Every single member of the Ye Family had gathered, their gazes fixed on Chen Chang'an as if they were attending a funeral.

I came here to save you all, and this is how you treat me?

"Brother Chen, it's... it's just that we can't bear to see you go," Ye Beixuan explained awkwardly.

"Cut the crap."

"I've only been here a few days. How could we have developed such deep feelings?"

"Brother Chen, you’re mistaken. Your actions saved our Ye Family. Such a tremendous debt of gratitude can’t be measured by time."

"Enough, I don’t have the patience for this."

"And all of you, stop crying. How depressing is this?"

Chen Chang'an couldn’t stand it any longer. The atmosphere wasn’t a farewell—it felt more like they were sending him off to the afterlife.

"And you three, laughing your asses off, huh?"

"Want me to cut off your allowance?"

Da Huang and the other two were grinning so smugly that it was downright shameless. Nothing pleased them more than seeing Chen Chang'an uncomfortable.

But his threat instantly wiped the smiles off their faces.

"Big Bro!"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood with laughter. It was all for your sake!"

"Yeah, yeah! Godfather, you’ve got to understand our good intentions!"

"Exactly! We weren’t laughing at you—we were easing the tension. Didn’t want you to feel awkward!"

Perfect.

The Three Stooges had learned to lie with a straight face.

"Let’s go!"

Chen Chang'an couldn’t be bothered with them any longer and turned to leave the Ye Family without another word.

As they watched him depart, Ye Xun and the others were filled with emotion.

"Ancestor, between him and Chen Tian from back then, who do you think was stronger?" the Ye Family head asked curiously.

Compared to Chen Tian?

From the moment Chen Tian entered their awareness, he had been invincible.

The Nine Great Immortal Clans had investigated him but found little information. They only knew he hadn’t been in the Ancient Immortal Domain for long.

His subsequent actions were baffling—completely unpredictable, as if he acted on whims, yet also with deliberate purpose.

But one thing was undeniable: Chen Tian’s strength was unmatched. No one in the Ancient Immortal Domain could rival him.

Now, there was Chen Chang'an—equally monstrous, with terrifying growth speed.

The Nine Great Immortal Clans first learned of him through the Heavenly Proud Rankings.

At the time, Chen Chang'an was only at the Golden Immortal Fifth Level. Yet, in just a few decades, he had reached the peak of Immortal King, with combat power rivaling an Immortal Emperor.

If he ever broke through to Immortal Emperor, he might even surpass Chen Tian.

"It’s hard to say."

"Both are prodigies. There’s no way to determine who was stronger."

"It’s all speculation—Chen Tian has been gone for far too long."

"But I can’t shake the feeling that there’s some hidden connection between them."

"Ah, whatever it may be, Chen Chang'an’s rise is a blessing for humanity."

"With the demonic tribes preparing to return, perhaps only he can lead us out of this crisis."

"Chen Tian once annihilated the Demon Realm. Chen Chang'an... can do the same," Ye Xun said solemnly.

The Ye Family members nodded in agreement. The demonic tribes were advancing aggressively, and the Ye Family had already steeled themselves for a desperate fight.

But Chen Chang'an’s appearance had changed everything.

"We can’t afford to slack off either."

"From now on, every member of the Ye Family must be thoroughly vetted. Not a single demonic spy can remain among us."

"Starting today, the Ye Family will enter seclusion. Everyone must focus on cultivation."

"When the demonic tribes launch their full-scale invasion, we cannot be the ones dragging everyone down," Ye Xun commanded coldly.

"Yes, Ancestor!"

After leaving the Ye Family, Chen Chang'an headed straight for the Xiao Yun Heaven, where the Mu Family resided.

As he traveled, he suddenly frowned.

"This place... Have I been here before?"

The surroundings felt oddly familiar, though he was certain he’d never visited.

"Big Bro, the Zhou Family!"

"This is where we first arrived after ascending to the Ancient Immortal Domain!"

"It’s the Zhou Family’s territory!" Da Huang exclaimed in surprise.

The reminder clicked for Chen Chang'an. No wonder it looked familiar—this was his first stop in the Ancient Immortal Domain.

Who would’ve thought? Before even reaching the Mu Family, he’d stumbled back into the Zhou Family’s domain.

"Big Bro, should we pay the Zhou Family a visit?"

"Maybe ask about the situation back in the Tai Xuan Realm?"

How is the Tai Xuan Realm doing these days?

Chen Chang'an had been away from the Tai Xuan Realm for quite some time now, and he couldn’t help but wonder how those youngsters like Chen Yunxuan were faring.

"Alright then."

"There’s no need to rush anyway."

Chen Chang'an nodded and decided to first visit the Zhou Family to get a sense of the current situation.

After all, the Zhou Family was a clan with a Supreme Immortal expert among its ranks—otherwise, it wouldn’t have qualified to serve as a vassal to the Mu Family.

Since this was the Zhou Family’s territory, finding their whereabouts wouldn’t be difficult with a little inquiry.

"Hmm?"

"Such a familiar aura!"

"Who is this…?"

Zhou Yuanxiong suddenly sensed a presence that felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, but for a moment, he couldn’t quite place who it belonged to.

Though he couldn’t recall the identity of the visitor, the familiarity of the aura compelled Zhou Yuanxiong to personally step out to investigate.

The moment he laid eyes on Chen Chang'an, Zhou Yuanxiong froze in shock.

"Chen… Chen Chang'an?"

"What brings you here?"

"Wait!"

"Your cultivation level?"

The last time he had heard news of Chen Chang'an, it was about him claiming the top spot on the Heavenly Pride Rankings. Yet, how many years had passed since then? His cultivation had already reached the peak of the Immortal King realm?

Chen Chang'an’s sudden appearance was utterly unexpected for Zhou Yuanxiong. Had he come because he’d learned about Chen Yunxuan and the others?

"Patriarch Zhou, it’s been a long time indeed."

"This time, I’m actually on my way to the Mu Family and decided to stop by for a visit."

"By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask—after I left through the teleportation array back then, did the Wang Family really not show up?" Chen Chang'an inquired.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuanxiong was momentarily taken aback. He had come all this way just to ask that?

"They truly didn’t appear. I’m not sure what exactly happened."

"At the time, I thought the Wang Family was about to arrive, which was why I urged you to leave in such a hurry."

"Why do you ask?" Zhou Yuanxiong asked, puzzled.

Chen Chang'an chuckled and shook his head. He simply wanted to verify whether Wang Tiangang’s words back then had been true—and it seemed they were.

"There’s one more thing I came here for."

"How is the Tai Xuan Realm doing these days?"