Chapter 85: One Sword
On the other side, the Plant Spirit Clan members who followed Xiao Chen into the valley felt their vision blur. They saw a figure suddenly appear silently before them.
The person wore a cyan long gown, black hair casually tied up, with a handsome face. At first glance, he seemed like an ordinary scholar, but the moment he stood still, the entire world seemed to fall silent for an instant.
Then they saw Xiao Chen's eyes light up as he stepped forward: "Master!"
At the word "Master," the Plant Spirit Clan members trembled inwardly. The clan leader stiffened, not daring to lift his head, and directly prostrated himself, his forehead nearly touching the ground.
The other clan members knelt in unison, holding their breath, fearing to disturb this legendary existence.
The valley fell silent, with only the rustling of wind through grass and trees and Xiao Chen's soft whispers explaining the situation to his master.
After the explanation, Chen Chang'an glanced at the kneeling crowd and sighed softly.
The sound wasn't loud, yet it reached every ear clearly. Though it carried no pressure, it made the Plant Spirit Clan members' hearts pound like drums and their backs turn cold.
Shuang'er knelt among the crowd, secretly raising her eyes, but only glimpsed the hem of that cyan robe before quickly lowering her head again.
—This is the first on the Heaven Ranking?
—That Saint Venerate who, upon emerging, suppressed the Grand Emperor of Great Zhou?
Her fingertips trembled slightly, filled with both reverence and awe.
Just as Chen Chang'an pondered how to handle this situation—
A soft chime sounded in his mind:
[Epic Series Achievement Discovered: Youthful Journey [4/4]]
Youthful Journey (Part Four): Iron shoulders bear the world's way, a single hand shields the humble and weak.
Complete the Youthful Journey series achievement to receive Tashan Jade (elevates the rank of one supreme immortal technique).
His eyes lit up, and he nearly burst out laughing.
What a fine disciple!
Moments ago, he'd been troubled by these Plant Spirit Clan members Xiao Chen brought back. Now he wished he could rush over and kiss Xiao Chen fiercely.
The final Youthful Journey achievement had delivered itself to him this way.
The Plant Spirit Clan members suddenly seemed endearing in his eyes.
All they wanted was protection. Outside the valley stretched endless forests—couldn't they just find a place to settle?
They could even plant other spiritual rice and vegetables. The system's sign-in rewards had grown tiresome after centuries.
As for Yuehua Pavilion?
What difference existed between Heaven and Man Realm cultivators and mere chickens and dogs?
Moreover, while he could easily protect them now, once Xiao Chen matured, there would be others to take over.
He only wondered if Ji Hongli would object—perhaps Xingcai could speak to her master about it.
In mere breaths, Chen Chang'an's thoughts raced through countless considerations.
In short—first secure the achievement that's already at hand!
He was about to agree when—
Rumble!!!
Above the firmament, a massive, entirely crystalline white flying vessel broke through the clouds. Its sky-obscuring shadow instantly enveloped the entire valley.
Mysterious runes flowed across the vessel's surface, reflecting dazzling cold light under the sun, resembling a moving immortal palace.
At the bow stood a middle-aged man in a purple-gold cloud-patterned robe, hands behind his back.
His face was stern, true yuan surging like an abyssal sea around him. His slightest gesture stirred the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Those sharp eyes swept the ground, instantly grasping the situation.
"Hmph!"
After roughly guessing what had occurred, he snorted coldly. His gaze swept across the crowd, ignoring the aura-less Chen Chang'an before settling on the highest cultivator, Elder Yao. He demanded coldly:
"You have audacity! To intercept what belongs to my Yuehua Pavilion!"
The Plant Spirit Clan members paled instantly. Shuang'er's slender fingers unconsciously clenched Xiao Chen's sleeve.
"Intercept?"
He disliked hearing that.
Chen Chang'an's eyes narrowed slightly as his body slowly ascended. "My disciple neither steals nor robs. The Plant Spirit Clan is no one's property. Where does this accusation of interception come from?"
Seeing the young man before him—who lacked any strong aura, resembling an ordinary mortal scholar—the Yuehua Pavilion elder's eyes flickered.
He had assumed the Longevity Realm elder here was in charge, but had misjudged.
This person showed no cultivation fluctuations yet could stand in mid-air. For a moment, he couldn't gauge his depth, wondering if it was some kind of aura-concealing spiritual artifact.
But thoughts of the Plant Spirit Clan's value overwhelmed caution, greed eclipsing prudence.
He had long coveted the Plant Spirit Clan.
Yuehua Pavilion was founded as alchemists, complementing the Plant Spirit Clan perfectly. If they could seize them during Great Zhou's collapse, even without a Saint Realm, their mastery of alchemy could make Yuehua Pavilion a top power across the entire Xuan Ying Continent.
"Whatever Yuehua Pavilion desires becomes property!" the man declared arrogantly. "Our sect stands on the path of alchemy. We currently lack medicine slaves to cultivate spiritual herbs. The Plant Spirit Clan is clearly destined for us!"
However, before Chen Chang'an could respond, the words "medicine slaves" ignited fury among the Plant Spirit Clan members.
Even Xiao Chen didn't know that "medicine slaves" touched upon their traumatic past. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Plant Spirit Clan had been medicine slaves to a top sect, enduring miserable lives.
After that sect was destroyed by Great Zhou, they gained independence, surviving under Great Zhou's protection until now.
Those who have tasted freedom would never willingly return to captivity!
At this moment, the Plant Spirit Clan leader's eyes nearly split open as he roared: "The Plant Spirit Clan would rather face extinction than become slaves!"
The clan members echoed his cry, their voices shaking the heavens.
Seeing this, Chen Chang'an sneered: "It seems your proclaimed destiny isn't recognized. Therefore..."
He patted the sword at his waist. "I believe you share a deeper connection with this."
The Pavilion Master, seeing events spiraling out of control, finally lost patience. A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Seeking death!"
As his words fell, his true yuan surged like raging waves. The terrifying pressure of a peak Heaven and Man Realm cultivator crushed down upon the Plant Spirit Clan.
Instantly, sand and stones flew through the valley, even the air solidifying.
The Plant Spirit Clan members were about to be suppressed.
But the next moment—
"Cough."
A light cough suddenly rang out.
The pressure sufficient to crush mountains dissipated like a spring breeze.
Chen Chang'an stood with hands behind his back, not even his robe stirring.
The Pavilion Master's pupils contracted sharply, his face grim.
To dispel his pressure so effortlessly—this person's cultivation likely surpassed his own!
"You... who are you?" the Pavilion Master's voice tightened as he forced composure. "Why oppose Yuehua Pavilion?"
Chen Chang'an smiled faintly: "My identity is unimportant." He slowly drew the sword at his waist, its blade gleaming coldly under the sun. "Here's the deal: if you can withstand one strike from me, I'll no longer interfere."
"Arrogance!"
As a sect master, being so dismissed enraged the Pavilion Master. His purple-gold robe fluttered despite the windless air. "Those are your words!"
Yet inwardly he rejoiced. The opponent would never expect his life-bound treasure specialized in defense! Even if the other's cultivation truly exceeded his own, breaking it in one strike would be impossible.
"Very well." Chen Chang'an nodded. Without hesitation, he casually swung his sword.
The sword seemed utterly ordinary—no sweeping sword energy, no true yuan fluctuations, like a beginner's practice motion.
The Plant Spirit Clan members exchanged bewildered glances. Even Xiao Chen looked puzzled.
However—
In the Pavilion Master's eyes, this sword was terrifying to the extreme!
He saw the entire heaven and earth twist and shatter under this blade. Sun, moon, and stars dimmed.
Before the sword arrived, his protective true yuan shattered inch by inch. Even his soul trembled under this sword intent.
"No—!"
The Pavilion Master howled in despair, desperately summoning his life-bound treasure, the Frost Sky Mirror.
The mirror's brilliance surged, yet it exploded violently upon touching the sword light.
The sword light swept past. The Pavilion Master stood frozen.
A breeze blew by. His crown suddenly split in two, a strand of black hair drifting down.
"I... I'm still alive?" The Pavilion Master trembled, touching his neck, his face filled with disbelief.
Chen Chang'an had already sheathed his sword. "Since you haven't harmed anyone, this strike only severs three hundred years of your cultivation. Begone."
Only then did the Pavilion Master realize that his true yuan, painstakingly cultivated for millennia, had fallen to the mid-stage Heaven and Man Realm!
This seemingly ordinary sword had instantly severed two minor realms of his cultivation.
In that instant, he understood—the identity of the person before him was now unmistakable.
Though he didn't know which one it was.
He dared not ask further. With a bitter smile, he even bowed before daring to turn his flying vessel and flee in panic.
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