42: Chapter 42 Heavenly Decree

By the time Chen Yuanji returned to the Demon Emperor Palace, it was already evening. Su Xiaohu was standing at the entrance, and upon seeing him return on horseback from afar, she dashed toward him. Lu Yao followed behind her, running a bit slower, but her face was also adorned with a smile. The two girls reached the Wuzhui Horse one after the other and looked up at Chen Yuanji on its back.

“Brother Chen! Did you win?” Su Xiaohu's eyes were sparkling.

“I won.” Chen Yuanji dismounted and handed the reins to a nearby guard.

“I knew Brother Chen would definitely win!” Su Xiaohu jumped up, her tail swaying behind her.

Lu Yao didn't say anything; she just looked at the wounds on Chen Yuanji's body. His robes were torn, the webbing between his thumbs and index fingers had split, and there were dried bloodstains at the corners of his mouth. She bit her lip, turned, and ran toward the backyard of the Demon Emperor Palace to get medicine from the old woman.

Granny Hu walked out of the main hall, glanced at Chen Yuanji, and then at Bai Xue behind him. “Where is Zhou Xuanji?”

“He fled,” Chen Yuanji said. “He's heavily injured and won't recover for at least half a year.”

“Half a year.” Granny Hu nodded. “That's enough.”

Her gaze fell upon the golden medallion in Chen Yuanji's hand, and her pupils constricted slightly.

“A heavenly order? You obtained a heavenly order from Zhou Xuanji?”

“He used it to attack me, but it didn't kill me, so I snatched it.” Chen Yuanji handed the heavenly order over. “Granny Hu, do you recognize this thing?”

Granny Hu took the heavenly order and examined it several times, her expression turning solemn. “The heavenly order is a core secret treasure of the Tiandao Sect. Each heavenly order is sealed with a portion of the power of the Tiandao Sect's successive Sect Masters, equivalent to a full-strength strike from a Tribulation Transformation Realm expert.” She looked at Chen Yuanji. “You're truly lucky to have survived an attack at the Tribulation Transformation Realm level.”

Chen Yuanji touched the martial gods heart in his chest. It was the martial gods heart that had helped him block most of the damage; otherwise, that strike would have been enough to take his life.

“Can this heavenly order still be used?”

“Yes, but it requires Yuan Qi to activate.” Granny Hu returned the heavenly order to him. “You don't Cultivate Yuan Qi, so you can't use it.”

Chen Yuanji took the heavenly order and tucked it into his robes. He couldn't use it, but Shen Wuchang could. With Shen Wuchang at the Early Stage of the Void Tempering Realm plus a heavenly order capable of unleashing a Tribulation Transformation Realm strike, they could handle it even if the Tiandao Sect sent another Void Tempering Elder. Lu Yao ran back carrying a medicine box and pulled Chen Yuanji to sit on the steps to bandage his wounds. Her touch was very light and her movements were skillful; she had clearly handled the injuries of her clansmen often back in the tribe.

“Brother Chen, don't go alone next time.” She kept her head down, her voice muffled. “What would I do if you died?”

Chen Yuanji didn't speak, but simply patted her head. Su Xiaohu squatted nearby, resting her chin on her hands as she watched Lu Yao bandage Chen Yuanji. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes. She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but seeing Lu Yao so close to Brother Chen made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Xiao Hu, come here.” Chen Yuanji beckoned to her, and Su Xiaohu shuffled over, squatting on Chen Yuanji's other side.

“Have you two been practicing your skills properly during this time?”

“Yes!” Su Xiaohu blurted out. “Granny Hu said I'll be able to awaken my second tail in another two months!”

“I've practiced the Drilling Fist.” Lu Yao also looked up. “The one you taught before you left, Brother Chen. I've already mastered it.”

Chen Yuanji nodded and pulled the martial gods heart from his robes. The two girls' eyes widened. The martial gods heart emitted a golden glow in the twilight, and every throb carried a low sound, like a war drum or a heartbeat.

“This is the martial gods heart I found in the Middle-layer Ruins of the Mist Forest.” Chen Yuanji looked at them. “Once I Breakthrough to the God Realm, I won't need it anymore. At that time, I'll give it to you.”

“Give it to us?” Su Xiaohu and Lu Yao said in unison.

“Yes. You both have Yao Race Bloodlines, and the power of blood and qi within the martial gods heart will help your cultivation.” Chen Yuanji put the heart back into his robes. “But not now. If I gave it to you now, you wouldn't be able to withstand it.”

The two girls looked at each other and nodded heavily. That night, Chen Yuanji sat on the roof of the Yaofeng Pavilion, looking at the stars. Shen Wuchang climbed up carrying two jars of wine and handed him one.

“Kid, you defeated Zhou Xuanji today, but the Tiandao Sect won't let the matter rest.”

“I know.”

“Then what are your plans next?”

Chen Yuanji took a sip of wine and remained silent for a moment. “I'm going to the Zhongyuan Region.”

Shen Wuchang's hand jerked, and wine spilled out. “Are you crazy? The Zhongyuan Region is the Tiandao Sect's home base. Aren't you just going there to die?”

“Zhou Xuanji is heavily injured, so the Tiandao Sect won't make any big moves for a short while. This is my only chance.” Chen Yuanji looked at the wine jar in his hand. “Besides, there's someone I want to find in the Zhongyuan Region.”

“Who?”

“The Jiang Clan of the Seven Ancient Clans.”

Shen Wuchang fell silent. He knew Chen Yuanji's background. His mother was a direct daughter of the Jiang Clan who was hunted by her Family. She fled to Great Yan and died during childbirth after giving him life. The yuan pulse in Chen Yuanji's body wasn't naturally useless; it had been sealed by the people of the Jiang Clan.

“You're going to break the Seal?”

“Yes.”

“Is your current strength enough?”

Chen Yuanji thought for a moment. “Peak Gang Energy, Half-Step Divine Realm, equivalent to the Peak of the Faxiang Realm to the Early Stage of the Void Tempering Realm. The Jiang Clan is one of the Seven Ancient Clans, with Old Ancestors in the Void Tempering or even Tribulation Transformation Realm. If I go now, it's still not enough.”

“And yet you're still going?”

“That's why I need to improve first.” Chen Yuanji stood up. “Going to the Zhongyuan Region isn't to charge into the Jiang Clan, but to find opportunities. With the Tiandao Sect, the Seven Ancient Clans, and the various Imperial Dynasties, the powers in the Zhongyuan Region are complex. Only in a place like that can I find the turning point to become stronger.”

Shen Wuchang looked at him and suddenly laughed. “You kid, you're sounding more and more like an old veteran of the Jianghu.”

Chen Yuanji didn't laugh. He looked into the distance, his gaze deep. “Elder Shen, why do you think there's so much conflict in this world?”

Shen Wuchang was stunned for a moment, not expecting him to ask such a question. “Because of the human heart.” Shen Wuchang also stood up. “The human heart is never satisfied; its desires are like a bottomless pit. Once they have Yuan Qi, they want Divine Abilities. Once they have Divine Abilities, they want a Faxiang. Once they have a Faxiang, they want Void Tempering. Once they have Void Tempering, they want Tribulation Transformation. Once they have Tribulation Transformation, they want Creation. They are never content.”

“What if one day everyone is content?”

“Then this world would no longer be this world.” Shen Wuchang patted his shoulder. “Kid, don't think so much. Fight when you should fight, kill when you should kill. If you think too much, you won't get far.”

Chen Yuanji nodded and stopped speaking. The night wind blew, making their robes flutter loudly. In the distance, toward the Demon Emperor Palace, the light was still on in Su Xiaohu's room. Lu Yao's room was next door, and her light was also on. Neither of the girls was asleep; they were both waiting for him to return.

Chen Yuanji returned the wine jar to Shen Wuchang and turned to walk down the stairs. “Tomorrow, I begin cultivating.”

Shen Wuchang watched his back and murmured, “This kid is looking more and more like Old Man Xuan.”

He tilted his head back and drained the wine in the jar, then casually tossed the empty jar off the roof.

“Smash!” The wine jar shattered on the ground. In the distance, a few dogs barked, and then everything returned to silence.