Did the Chen Family Obtain a Secret Treasure

"Da Huang, has my master arrived?"

Seeing Chen Chang'an's nervous expression, Da Huang merely gave him a disdainful glance.

"Weren’t you acting all high and mighty earlier? Now you’re scared?"

"All I can say is, your master hasn’t come."

"But..."

"Given your master’s abilities, it wouldn’t be hard for him to check in on you occasionally and see how you’re doing."

"So, kid, you’d better be careful." Da Huang’s dog face was full of mischief.

"I do need to be careful. Though I won’t die, my master has plenty of ways to make life miserable." Chen Chang'an nodded with lingering fear.

"Alright, I won’t keep you. That kid from your Chen Family is coming."

"By the way, why are you training him?" Da Huang asked curiously.

"The Chen Family and I share the same roots. This generation needs someone to carry the weight."

"I can’t stay here forever—that’d be too boring."

"He’s the right fit."

"So that’s it. I knew you weren’t the type to settle down quietly."

"Go on, I’ll take a nap."

After Da Huang left, Chen Chang'an waved toward the door and said, "Come in."

"Yes, Ancestor!"

Chen Yunxuan was also filled with shock. He never expected that the dog following Chen Chang'an could speak human language.

After all, even ordinary demonic beasts couldn’t do such a thing, let alone a dog.

With reverence, Chen Yunxuan approached Chen Chang'an. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t resist asking, "Ancestor, were you... talking to it just now?"

"Oh? You mean Da Huang?"

"Indeed, we were having a conversation. Don’t underestimate him—he’s no ordinary dog." Chen Chang'an said mysteriously.

Not an ordinary dog? Then could it be...?

"Ancestor, what is Da Huang?"

"The King of Dogs."

Huh?

Hearing this, Chen Yunxuan’s lips twitched. So... he really wasn’t an ordinary dog!

Da Huang also heard Chen Chang'an’s words, but it couldn’t be bothered to respond. It simply turned its head away, pretending not to hear, and went back to sleep.

"Let’s get to business."

"Among the younger generation of the Chen Family, your talent and potential are the best."

"Starting today, you’ll train under me."

"Based on your performance yesterday, I’ve decided to teach you the Emperor-tier cultivation method—the Supreme Tyrant Body Art."

Earth-tier cultivation method?

Not Heaven-tier, but still decent.

Chen Yunxuan had no idea that this "Emperor-tier" was not the same as "Earth-tier."

As Chen Chang'an imparted the technique, Chen Yunxuan realized it was far more profound than he imagined.

"Ancestor, is this really an Earth-tier technique?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"It feels... even more profound than a Heaven-tier technique. How is that possible?" Chen Yunxuan asked in astonishment.

"Hmm..."

"Could it be that this Emperor-tier technique isn’t the ‘Earth’ of ‘Earth and Heaven,’ but the ‘Emperor’ of ‘Great Emperor’?"

The Emperor of Great Emperor?

Emperor-tier?!

Chen Yunxuan was so shocked that he froze like a statue.

In the entire Great Zhou Kingdom, no one likely even knew what an Emperor-tier technique was—such knowledge was beyond their reach.

In fact, most wouldn’t even understand what a Great Emperor was.

But the Chen Family was different. They had once been glorious, so some secrets were still passed down within the family.

Such as the existence of top-tier Emperor-tier techniques!

"No need to be surprised. I don’t deal in low-grade things."

"Train well. This generation of the Chen Family will rely on you."

These words from Chen Chang'an filled Chen Yunxuan with excitement.

He had entertained such thoughts before, but hearing them from the Ancestor himself carried a different weight.

It meant the Ancestor had high expectations of him.

"With the Ancestor here, I dare not overstep." Chen Yunxuan said nervously.

"My strength is too great, and my seniority too high. It wouldn’t be fitting for me to intervene directly."

"In that case, I swear to work hard and never disappoint you, Ancestor."

"Good. That’s the right attitude."

Chen Yunxuan threw himself into rigorous training, and the entire Chen Family followed suit, diving into a frenzy of cultivation.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

In that time, the Chen Family’s overall strength had skyrocketed, advancing by leaps and bounds!

"What arrogance from the Chen Family!"

"Who do they think they are? Do they really believe they’re the top family in Swallow Return City, ruling unchallenged?"

"How dare they shut their doors and refuse to receive guests, even snubbing our two families?"

Swallow Return City had three major cultivation families. Among them, the Xu and Ning Families were the local powers, while the Chen Family was an outsider.

Though they had managed to settle in the city, the Chen Family was the weakest.

And since the Xu and Ning Families were allied by marriage, they often oppressed the Chens.

A family they could once crush at will had now closed its doors for a full month, refusing even their envoys. How could they not be furious?

"Tell me, what exactly happened in the Chen Family a month ago?"

"Have you heard of any newborns in the Chen Family recently?" The Head of the Xu Family frowned.

Newborns?

"I know the Chen Family well. There haven’t been any pregnant women there in the last two years—no newborns." The Head of the Ning Family shook his head.

If not a newborn, then what caused this sudden change?

Chen Zhengyuan breaking through? Impossible!

Given his talent and the Chen Family’s resources, he couldn’t possibly be the reason.

"First, an anomaly appeared at the Chen Family’s estate. Then they shut their doors for an entire month."

"What could possibly make them act like this?"

After a pause, the two family heads exchanged glances, their confusion slowly turning into excitement.

"Treasure!"

They spoke in unison.

"Exactly! The Chen Family must have obtained some incredible treasure!"

"That’s why they’ve been so bold as to disregard our two families."

"Damn it, why did it take us so long to realize?!"

Regret!

The two family heads were filled with regret for not figuring it out sooner.

If it really was a treasure, a whole month had already passed—was it even still there?

"Brother Xu, I think... we still have a chance!"

After a moment of contemplation, the Head of the Ning Family looked at the Xu Family Head with burning eyes.

"Oh? What makes you say that, Brother Ning?"

"I believe what the Chen Family obtained isn’t something like a top-grade pill."

"It’s more likely to be a weapon or an artifact that aids cultivation."

"Given their recent behavior, I’d say the latter is most probable."

"That’s why they’ve shut themselves away, refusing all visitors."

"The treasure must be gathering all the surrounding spiritual energy, which the Chen Family is using to boost their cultivation."

"It has to be!"

"Brother Xu, if our two families can seize this treasure, in time, we might even secure a place in Beiyuan Prefecture."

"Who knows? We could even make a name for ourselves in the Great Zhou Kingdom!" The Ning Family Head said excitedly.

Upon hearing the analysis from the Head of the Ning Family, the Head of the Xu Family also grew excited.

He found the other's reasoning quite convincing—if they could obtain such a treasure, wouldn't it be a tremendous boon?

"However..."

"The Chen Family has possessed this treasure for a month now. Their strength has likely improved by this point. Seizing it won't be easy," the Head of the Xu Family said with a frown.

"What is there to fear? Even after a month, how much could the Chen Family possibly have grown?"

"With our two families joining forces, why should we fear a single Chen Family?"

"That makes sense. Gather our men and strike swiftly to avoid unexpected complications."

"Agreed!"