"The Jiang Family of the Nine Heavens?"
Jiang Che's eyes narrowed slightly. From the detailed records of the Nine Heavens provided by the Destiny Seekers' Association, he had learned much about the inner workings of that realm.
The Jiang Family was a leading powerhouse among the Nine Heavens—a reclusive super clan.
Their ranks overflowed with formidable experts, earning them the title of the "Longevity Family."
Though Jiang Che had never witnessed the might of the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family firsthand, the reverence in the records spoke volumes.
Bear in mind, these records were compiled by members of the Heaven Pavilion within the Destiny Seekers' Association.
"Che'er, you're right—it's the Jiang Family of the Nine Heavens! Their ancestral graves started spewing smoke again a few days ago~~~ That Jiang Tiedan is back!"
Jiang Yunhuang was practically giddy with excitement.
He was now sitting pretty, having learned from Jiang Tiedan that the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family seemed to hold the Blue Star's Jiang branch in high regard.
This was as good as a done deal, wasn't it?
Their Jiang Family had connections in the Nine Heavens—able to leech off their ancestors above and their grandson below. Life couldn't be sweeter!
"Did he come because of the spiritual energy resurgence?" Jiang Che asked.
"Exactly. The Nine Heavens' Jiang Family is deeply invested in Blue Star's spiritual revival. They've already located and secured all the spatial rift nodes. Our Jiang Family's forbidden land connects to the Eastern Azure Heaven, one of the Nine Heavens, with over thirteen thousand spatial rifts leading to our ancestral altar. Every single one is now under their control."
"So we don’t have to worry about other cultivators from the upper realm emerging from our altar. If anything... the only ones stepping through will be from our Jiang Family."
Jiang Yunhuang's words made Jiang Che raise an eyebrow. The Nine Heavens' Jiang Family had once again shattered his expectations.
Though the Blue Star Jiang Family's ancestral altar had only one entrance, it was linked to over ten thousand spatial nodes leading to the Eastern Azure Heaven.
And the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family's influence was so vast that they could pinpoint every single rift?
From what Jiang Che knew, each of the Nine Heavens encompassed three thousand domains, with each domain composed of three hundred and sixty provinces. Finding every spatial node in such an expanse was like searching for a needle in the ocean.
Yet this only proved how seriously the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family took Blue Star.
Jiang Che stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Grandfather, I suspect the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family has ulterior motives. In fact, the entire upper realm might already be scheming around the spiritual energy resurgence..."
Jiang Yunhuang fell silent at his words.
He wasn’t a fool either. Though the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family and the Blue Star branch were connected, their ties were tenuous at best.
After all, would a mighty dragon spare a second glance at an ant?
As much as it pained him to admit, compared to the Jiang Family of the Nine Heavens... they were nothing but insects.
"That Jiang Tiedan left me a cultivation manual called the 'Tyrant Heaven Art.' The name alone sounds like trash, so I didn’t bother practicing it—figured it might be a trap. Che'er, you wanna take a look?"
Jiang Che scoffed. The Tyrant Heaven Art? Just the name screamed low-tier garbage!
He didn’t believe for a second that the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family would share anything truly valuable.
Anyone who’d read enough fantasy novels knew the hierarchy:
"Art" < "Canon" < "Method" < "Scripture"...
"Don’t bother. Stick to the 'Human Emperor Scripture.'"
Jiang Che cultivated the original Human Emperor Scripture, and with over a billion people in the nation practicing its derived version, it was like having a billion spiritual batteries fueling his progress.
Without lifting a finger, Jiang Che had already broken through to the early Shattering Heaven stage in Dao cultivation!
Meanwhile, his ancient martial arts had reached the late Shattering Heaven stage through dual cultivation.
His overall strength wasn’t far behind Jiang Yunhuang’s. With a little special effects magic, he could even simulate the aura of a high-tier Nirvana stage expert—more than enough to hold his own in the Nine Heavens.
"Che'er, if the Nine Heavens' Jiang Family really sends people down in the future... they might not outright kill us, but they’ll definitely act high and mighty. Should we give them a little 'welcome'? I’ve got plenty of lethal artifacts now—enough to wipe out a few Transcendent-stage experts without breaking a sweat..."
Jiang Yunhuang rubbed his hands eagerly. Ever since Jiang Che had supplied him with deadly tools, he felt invincible.
Hell, he was even entertaining the idea of "righteously exterminating" his ancestors. If they were gone, wouldn’t that make him the ancestor?
Jiang Che: "......"
His grandfather really had no filter. Maybe he should hand over the villain role to him?
......
After hanging up, Jiang Che headed straight for the South Sea.
At his current Shattering Heaven stage in dual cultivation, flying thousands of miles in a day was child’s play.
Soon, he arrived at the coastal waters near the South Sea.
Closing his eyes, Jiang Che activated his Divine Listening ability.
Instantly, the thoughts of every living being within dozens of kilometers flooded his mind.
Back when he was a Grandmaster, this skill could only pick up whispers within a few kilometers. Now, it had evolved beyond mere eavesdropping—it could discern the truth of all things.
Of course, Jiang Che’s god-tier special effects still reigned supreme.
Though Divine Listening could unveil truths, it couldn’t penetrate his illusions.
His gaze swept across the coastline, where military forces were stationed at regular intervals.
The seawater bore a faint pink hue, its surface littered with corpses. Since the spiritual resurgence—especially after the underwater gate awakened—many of the nation’s sea creatures had undergone terrifying enhancements, some even developing advanced intelligence.
"Damn, I was just holed up at home for a few days, and it’s turned into this?"
Jiang Che was the type to lose himself in comfort. When at home, his phone stayed on silent mode while he went full "Master Chef"—stir-frying dishes from every cuisine, day and night, for at least three days straight.
[Husband, it wasn’t just three days. Last time, you stayed in for a full week.]
Mo Lianxing’s voice chimed in helpfully from the soul-nurturing ring.
Jiang Che: "......"
Ahem. He was just making sure no one felt left out, right?
Mo Lianxing couldn’t help but laugh at his flustered reaction. In the half-month she’d spent by his side, she’d rarely seen him caught off guard.
"Husband, I sense an immense concentration of spiritual energy—comparable to when Ruoxu opened the altar gate."
Mo Lianxing spoke up voluntarily.
She’d fully embraced her slacker lifestyle by now. Over the past two weeks, she’d swiped another premium spirit stone from Jiang Che’s stash.
More importantly, Jiang Che could accelerate her cultivation!
Even in her soul form, she was on the verge of touching the threshold of the half-step Creation stage. In her past life, reaching the true Creation stage would’ve taken millennia of grueling effort.
Jiang Che’s dual cultivation techniques were downright terrifying. She was starting to fear she’d become dependent on him—wealthy, handsome, absurdly capable, with a powerhouse background. In the Nine Heavens, he’d be the ultimate young master!
Jiang Che’s way with women was just that ruthlessly effective.