Unbelievable Combat Power

The spiritual energy of the entire Beiyuan Prefecture was drained in less than a day, leaving the cultivators of the region deeply unsettled.

Nan Xiangtian, the head of the Nan Family—the foremost clan in Beiyuan Prefecture—went straight to the Prefectural Manor.

"Brother Wu, do you know the reason behind this anomaly?"

"Has some powerful figure arrived in our Beiyuan Prefecture recently?"

"If such a person truly exists, please inform me, Brother Wu, so I can instruct my clansmen to act cautiously and avoid offending them."

Seeing Nan Xiangtian's grave expression, Wu Chengfeng, the Prefect of Beiyuan Prefecture, could only offer a helpless bitter smile.

At the moment, he was equally baffled, completely unable to comprehend why the surrounding spiritual energy had vanished without a trace.

"Brother Nan, I truly have no knowledge of this matter."

"I also haven’t heard of any powerful expert visiting our Beiyuan Prefecture."

"Could it be… that a prodigy has been born within our prefecture?" Wu Chengfeng mused with a frown.

"Oh? If that’s truly the case, we must investigate immediately. Whoever caused such a disturbance is destined to become a towering figure in the future. Forming ties early will surely bring great rewards!" Nan Xiangtian said with growing excitement.

"Indeed, whatever the reason, we must get to the bottom of this."

"Let’s investigate together. Whoever finds the answer first will inform the other."

"Agreed."

As Nan Xiangtian and Wu Chengfeng prepared to uncover the cause of the spiritual energy’s disappearance, Liu Mengyan and her companion had yet to leave Beiyuan Prefecture.

The moment the spiritual energy was inexplicably drained, their first thought was of Chen Chang'an, the Ancestor of the Chen Family.

"This is terrifying, Uncle. Just how powerful is Chen Chang'an’s cultivation?"

Liu Mengyan was genuinely frightened now. If the Chen Family’s ancestor held grudges, could the Liu Family escape unscathed?

"Unfathomable. Beyond estimation."

"Not long after we left the Chen Family, the spiritual energy suddenly vanished. Even though we’ve been traveling at full speed and are nearly out of Beiyuan Prefecture, I still haven’t sensed the slightest trace of spiritual energy."

"This means he drained the entire prefecture’s energy in such a short time," Liu Chengfeng said with visible tension.

"Uncle, I don’t understand. Why would he do this? Draining Beiyuan Prefecture’s spiritual energy can’t benefit the Chen Family, can it?"

"Recovering this much energy will take time," Liu Mengyan asked in confusion.

"A warning. In my view, this is his warning to us—and to all of Beiyuan Prefecture."

"Once the anomaly is noticed, investigations will follow, and soon everyone will know: the Chen Family’s ancestor has returned!"

"By then, the news will spread throughout the Great Zhou Kingdom."

"The Chen Family… is laying the groundwork for their resurgence!"

"It seems that soon, the Chen Family will reclaim their position as the Great Zhou Kingdom’s foremost clan—or perhaps…"

"Perhaps what?"

"The Chen Family no longer even cares about the Great Zhou Kingdom."

Liu Chengfeng’s analysis struck Liu Mengyan as entirely plausible.

It had to be so. Otherwise, why would someone like Chen Chang'an orchestrate such an event?

"Ah, if only our Liu Family had an ancestor like that."

"Uncle, do you think there’s still a way to mend relations?"

"Can our Liu Family still cling to the Chen Family’s coattails?" Liu Mengyan asked anxiously.

Hmm?

Hearing this, Liu Chengfeng’s heart stirred. That’s right—why hadn’t he considered this angle?

"We must return to the Liu Family immediately and inform the family head. We can’t let others get ahead of us."

"Hurry, let’s go!"

"Right!"

Liu Mengyan and Liu Chengfeng sped onward, determined to reach the Liu Family as quickly as possible.

Swallow Return City, Chen Family

"Exhilarating!"

"So this is the feeling of cultivation?"

Though Chen Chang'an’s session hadn’t been long, he had already experienced a taste of life unlike any before.

No wonder everyone sought to cultivate. Having energy and cultivation within one’s body truly felt extraordinary.

Yet, Chen Chang'an had not intended to stop cultivating—only to find that he could no longer absorb any spiritual energy.

It seemed his body had reached its limit in containing energy.

Pushing open the door, Chen Chang'an took a deep breath, as if the entire world had transformed in that moment.

"Da Huang, what do you think? Am I a prodigy or what?"

"It’s only been a short while, and I’ve already broken through to the first level of the Core Formation Realm. Impressive, no?" Chen Chang'an grinned smugly at Da Huang.

"Well, you did have ten thousand years of accumulation. Breaking through to—"

"Wait, you only reached the first level of the Core Formation Realm?"

"How is that possible?"

Da Huang frowned deeply, scrutinizing Chen Chang'an carefully. It was true—only the first level of the Core Formation Realm?

This didn’t make sense!

The amount of spiritual energy Chen Chang'an had absorbed was immense. How could his cultivation only be at this stage?

"Did you suppress your cultivation on purpose?" Da Huang asked curiously.

"Not at all. The absorbed spiritual energy only allowed me to reach the first level of the Core Formation Realm."

"Moreover, my body seems to have developed another issue. I tried using spirit stones, but I can’t absorb any spiritual energy at all." Chen Chang'an shook his head helplessly.

Bizarre.

Truly bizarre.

Was there anything about this kid that wasn’t completely abnormal?

"Attack me. Let me see how strong you are," Da Huang said after a moment of thought.

"Oh? But you can’t fight back."

"Hurry up, what are you scared of? Even your master couldn’t kill you—do you really think I’d have the ability?" Da Huang snapped impatiently.

"Fine!"

Without another word, Chen Chang'an raised a finger like a sword and slashed through the air. A surge of sword energy shot straight toward Da Huang.

It was fast—and devastatingly powerful.

Though the attack couldn’t harm Da Huang in the slightest, it still left him utterly stunned.

"Freak!"

"You’re only at the first level of the Core Formation Realm, yet that strike was on par with the Transcendent Realm!"

"Do you even realize what that means?"

"Your combat power surpasses your cultivation by two entire major realms!"

"If you ever become an Emperor, who in this world could stand against you?"

"Even your master wouldn’t last a single move against you!"

Hearing Da Huang’s words, Chen Chang'an’s eyes lit up. His master wouldn’t be a match for him?

Wouldn’t that mean he could make her do whatever he wanted?

"What the hell are you scheming now?"

"Don’t you think your master might just lock you up and never let you cultivate again?"

One look at Chen Chang'an’s expression, and Da Huang knew this bastard was up to no good.

"Ah, what a shame. It seems my cultivation can’t progress any further for now," Chen Chang'an sighed in resignation.

"In my opinion, your problem lies with the fetal pearls."

"If you can find the remaining eight, your path to advancement should be smooth from then on."

"Honestly, you’re ruthless. You expelled your own cultivation talent straight from the womb. In all my years, I’ve never seen anyone as bizarre as you," Da Huang mocked.

Chen Chang'an ignored the taunt. Right now, all he cared about was finding the other eight fetal pearls.

The only one he knew of was in the hands of the Great Zhou Kingdom’s royal family!

"Tell me, why didn’t my master ever think to ask the Chen Family about this all these years, despite going through so much trouble?"

"She really suffered needlessly," Chen Chang'an said with a chuckle.

"‘Suffered needlessly’?"

"Chen Chang'an, your master hates nothing more than being called old."

"What’s there to fear? She’s not here right now."

Before the words even settled, Chen Chang'an suddenly shuddered. That familiar sensation sent a jolt through his heart.

Holy hell, what’s going on?

Don’t tell me she’s been following me this whole time?