If it were a few hundred years, Liu Mengyan felt she could still contend with it.

But ten thousand years... what kind of concept was that?

The Great Zhou Kingdom didn't even have such a long history; it had only been established for nearly a thousand years.

Ten thousand years... wouldn't that make him an old, undying monster?

Was this someone the Liu Family could oppose? Even the Great Zhou's imperial family probably wouldn't dare to act rashly, would they?

Liu Mengyan and her companion didn't dare to think, nor could they imagine, just what level of power Chen Changan had reached.

After all, this was a realm they had never touched, or even heard of.

"Get up, all of you."

"I never thought the Chen Family would have fallen to such a state."

Hearing Chen Changan's words, everyone from the Chen Family felt a sense of shame.

Chen Changan looked over at Liu Mengyan and her companion. Seeing how nervous they were in his presence, he couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Relax, I won't kill you."

"As for this contract... you won't be taking it with you today."

"Just wait. In a while, someone from my Chen Family will pay you a personal visit and deliver it to you!"

"Scram!"

Chen Changan had no cultivation, but his act was utterly convincing, leaving Liu Mengyan and her companion terrified.

Not daring to hesitate for a moment, they bowed to Chen Changan before hastily leaving the Chen Family estate.

"You did well just now, kid."

"Your courage is commendable, but aren't you afraid that being tough without the strength to back it up could cost you your life?"

Chen Changan directed this question at Chen Yunxuan.

Chen Yunxuan hadn't expected the Ancestor to actually praise him, and his heart filled with excitement.

"To answer the Ancestor, I was betting that the Liu Family wouldn't annihilate the Chen Family."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"The Liu Family is currently one of the three great families of the Great Zhou Kingdom, so they naturally care a great deal about their reputation."

"Quite a few people are still aware of the relationship between the Chen and Liu families."

"The Liu Family can pretend they never knew the Chen Family, but they won't move against us."

"Otherwise, they would be branded as treacherous opportunists who kick a man when he's down."

"Annihilating the Chen Family would be meaningless to them. At most... they would only kill me," Chen Yunxuan said with a smile.

Seeing that Chen Yunxuan wasn't just talking tough for the sake of it, Chen Changan nodded in satisfaction.

"You're not afraid of death?"

"I am!"

"But I can die; the Chen Family cannot be humiliated!" Chen Yunxuan declared, his voice firm as iron.

Chen Yunxuan's words brought looks of gratification to the faces of the Chen Family members; they were more than satisfied with their Young Master.

"Hahahaha!"

"Well said."

"Don't worry. With me here, no one will dare to humiliate the Chen Family, and you won't die!" Chen Changan's domineering words earned him a look of utter contempt from Big Huang, who was standing to the side.

*With you here? What damn use are you?*

*You put on a good act, but if something really happens, won't you still have to rely on me?*

"Yes, with the Ancestor here, our Chen Family... will surely reclaim what we have lost," Chen Zhengyuan said excitedly.

"Not me. You must rely on yourselves."

"It's inconvenient for someone of my status to act, lest people accuse me of bullying the young."

Chen Changan was making an excuse in advance. After all, with his meager abilities, what could he possibly do out there? He knew nothing, except how to take a damn beating—no one could kill him!

"But... Ancestor, the Chen Family right now..."

"Don't worry. With me here, it's only a matter of time before your strength improves."

"Thank you, Ancestor!"

Chen Changan's words excited everyone.

"The rest of you may leave. You two, stay. I have something to discuss with you."

"Yes, Ancestor."

After the other Chen Family members had left, Chen Changan kept the father and son pair, Chen Zhengyuan and Chen Yunxuan, behind.

"Ancestor, what is it you wish to discuss?" Chen Zhengyuan asked curiously.

"If I recall correctly, the Chen Family wasn't in the Great Zhou Kingdom back then. You were at least a million kilometers from here. How did you end up in this place?" Chen Changan asked, puzzled.

"Sigh. After you left, Ancestor, the Chen Family did experience a period of glory, but we slowly began to decline."

"Eventually, we had no choice but to migrate to this Great Zhou Kingdom. We had intended to rest and recuperate, but we never expected..."

Chen Zhengyuan sounded helpless. The Chen Family's continuous decline was something no member wished to see.

"Sigh. Never mind, let's not dwell on the past."

"Here are some things. You decide how to allocate them."

Chen Changan had already prepared some items in advance. He casually tossed a spatial ring to Chen Zhengyuan.

When Chen Zhengyuan saw the contents of the spatial ring, he was completely stunned!

"Th-these... what grade are these spirit stones?"

"High-grade, and a portion are supreme-grade."

"What?"

"These are all high-grade spirit stones? And there are even supreme-grade ones?"

"This is... this is too much, isn't it?" Chen Zhengyuan's voice trembled with excitement.

"Father, is it a lot?"

"A lot? There are at least a hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones in here. You tell me if that's a lot!"

"What? A hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones? And that's the minimum?"

At this, Chen Yunxuan was also dumbfounded.

One must understand that in the Great Zhou Kingdom, most cultivators used low-grade spirit stones. Even mid-grade spirit stones were considered extremely precious.

A hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones was simply unimaginable, to say nothing of supreme-grade ones!

However, the spatial ring didn't just contain spirit stones. There were also numerous high-level cultivation techniques and martial arts, and even some heavenly treasures that Chen Zhengyuan didn't recognize!

With these resources, the strength of the Chen Family members would soar in a short period of time!

"Yunxuan, among the younger generation of the Chen Family, your talent is quite good. Are you interested in cultivating with me from now on?"

Huh?

*Cultivate with the Ancestor?*

"Ancestor, I'm willing! I'm willing!"

Chen Yunxuan wasn't a fool. Cultivating with the Ancestor was something countless people could only dream of. Who would refuse?

"Good. You may leave for now. Come find me tomorrow."

"Yes, Ancestor."

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Chen Changan's return filled the Chen Family with vitality. Chen Zhengyuan hastily arranged for the best living quarters to be prepared for him.

"Ancestor, given the Chen Family's current circumstances, please make do with this for now."

"We have wronged you, Ancestor."

Although the small courtyard Chen Zhengyuan had arranged wasn't large, the scenery was pleasant. If he were to really compare, Chen Changan felt it was much better than the place he had lived in with his Master.

After all, Mu Yunyao had only arranged a simple wooden cabin for Chen Changan, and he had lived there for a full ten thousand years!

It wasn't that Mu Yunyao was stingy; she herself lived very simply and saw no issue with it.

"It's fine. This place is very nice," Chen Changan said with a faint smile.

"As long as you are satisfied, Ancestor."

"By the way, Ancestor, I have something else here. It was left behind by a forefather of the Chen Family."

"The forefather left an ancestral decree that if you were to return, Ancestor, this item must be delivered into your hands."

Hm?

*Left by a forefather?*

*And it was specifically left for me?*

"What is it?" Chen Changan was also a little curious.

Chen Zhengyuan took out a jade box from his spatial ring—the one he had just retrieved from the Chen Family's secret vault—and handed it to Chen Changan.

Chen Changan took it and opened it, discovering a crystal-clear, translucent bead resting inside.

As for what material it was made of, Chen Changan couldn't quite tell.

"Hm? What is this?"

Suddenly, Chen Changan discovered that his body seemed to have a strong connection to the bead.

In all his ten thousand years, Chen Changan had never felt anything like it!

"What exactly is this thing?" Chen Changan asked with a frown.

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan