Chapter 89 Journey to Youzhou
Night as dark as ink, stars scattered like grains of sand.
In the distant ancient tree branches, a slender figure stood silently. Moonlight like water outlined her delicate features—it was Chen Chang'an's... avatar.
Her eyes, cold as distant stars, now reflected the two brothers laughing and talking by the bonfire.
Seeing the long-absent clarity in Han Yu's eyes, her lips unconsciously curved upward.
She had indeed been troubled by Han Yu's situation these past days.
Though his destiny value was maxed out, Han Yu's talent was truly mediocre. Especially when compared to his heaven-defyingly talented martial siblings, he appeared particularly inadequate.
Han Yu was meticulous and rarely expressed his feelings outwardly. Even when feeling dejected, he maintained an indifferent facade.
That he could open his heart to Xiao Chen showed how deeply the senior brother had earned everyone's trust.
"Indeed..." she murmured softly, her voice dissolving in the night wind, "Xiao Chen is well-suited to be the senior brother."
The mountain breeze stirred her snow-white robes.
As for why she appeared here...
It must be said, ignoring the physical and psychological discomforts, this avatar was indeed quite useful.
Having tasted the rewards from "Youth's Journey," Chen Chang'an naturally thought of another [3/4] achievement—I Am Destiny.
If the reward from "Youth's Journey" significantly boosted his combat power,
Then "I Am Destiny" was the true foundation for his future survival.
Thus, even the lazy Chen Chang'an finally dispatched his newly acquired avatar to search for the final achievement fragment... no, the Child of Destiny.
Unlike the previous avatar that weakened with every step and had delays, this one needed to go as far away as possible!
Of course, "far" didn't necessarily mean crossing to the other end of Xuan Ying Continent.
Chen Chang'an's target this time was Youzhou—bordering Qingzhou, also located in the southwest.
She took one last look at the harmonious scene, tapped the branch lightly with her toes, and drifted away like a snowflake.
Under the moonlight, only a few falling leaves spiraled slowly downward.
...
Youzhou, located at the southwestern edge of Xuan Ying Continent, was the most mysterious of the Thirteen Prefectures.
Here, perennial gray mist shrouded the land, sunlight was scarce, and the earth appeared desolate.
Mountains rose like knife-carved sculptures, jagged and steep without a blade of grass. Deep within the dark canyons, occasional mournful wind howls echoed like ghostly wails, sending chills down one's spine.
Further west lay the legendary Death Abyss—the domain of the Ghost Clan.
No living beings existed there, only endless darkness and decay.
And the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave within Youzhou was said to connect to the deepest depths of the Death Abyss. Yin energy permeated the air, ghostly mist swirled, and merely approaching it made one feel their soul being eroded.
Naturally, no one had ever verified this rumor.
But one thing was certain—whether human cultivators or other races, anyone who entered the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave never emerged again!
Thus, the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave ranked among the Ten Forbidden Lands of Xuan Ying Continent!
Youzhou was sparsely populated. Occasional villages mostly housed reclusive cultivators or ancient families who had guarded the land for generations. They lived in seclusion, shunning contact with the outside world. Rumors even suggested some villages had been infiltrated by the Ghost Clan, with living coexisting with the dead without realizing it...
This was the boundary between life and death, one of the most dangerous places in Xuan Ying Continent.
And at this moment, in a secluded courtyard of an ordinary cultivation family in Youzhou—the Jiang family.
Dim daylight filtered through the window lattice. Jiang Che sat on the bed, his gaze vacant.
Suddenly, he trembled violently. The once bewildered eyes abruptly cleared, as if a dusty pearl had been wiped clean, radiating sharp light.
"I... remember now..."
Memories flooded like a tide—he had been a prodigy from the Upper Realm. At the critical moment of breaking through to the Saint Realm, he was betrayed by his most trusted childhood sweetheart!
She brought that beast-faced man to break through his seclusion, striking a fatal blow when he was weakest!
Under their joint assault, he ultimately perished with regret, his soul scattering into nothingness!
Fortunately, a primordial jade pendant he had unintentionally acquired earlier, at the instant his soul dissipated, actually helped preserve a trace of his true spirit. It fell into the Ghost Domain, drifting for countless years before finally reincarnating into human form!
Though he didn't know how long he had languished in the Ghost Domain.
If that man was still alive, he must have achieved the Saint Realm by now!
Especially—
"Ji Yunshu..."
Jiang Che clenched his fists tightly, nails digging deep into his palms. Blood seeped out, yet he remained oblivious.
That face he once loved to the core of his being now held only bone-deep hatred!
But soon, he forced himself to calm down.
"The current me... is too weak."
This body only possessed early Object Control Realm cultivation, barely enough for self-preservation.
According to his memories, the Jiang family now faced imminent destruction—for offending someone they couldn't afford to provoke, several families were jointly suppressing them. Clan resources were depleted, young geniuses fell one after another, and the entire family was like a dying candle in the wind,随时 ready to be extinguished.
"The priority is to survive..."
Jiang Che took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions.
He had to endure, had to lie dormant.
The experience and technique memories from his peak Human Immortal Realm still remained. Given time, one day...
"Knock knock knock."
Suddenly, knocking interrupted his thoughts.
"Young Master Che, the Clan Head summons you to the Council Hall." A respectful yet pity-laden voice came from outside the door.
Jiang Che's eyes darkened.
...
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