Chapter 695 504: The Triumphant Asura King_2

Chen Yan led his men out of the courtyard, the ground littered with severed heads and bone ornaments strewn with feathers. Dozens of clan soldiers were moving heads into the courtyard. Chen Yan stepped over the bloodstains, wiped the blood off his left hand, and laughed,

"This man was lustful, actually having twenty-seven concubines and over a hundred female slaves. Despite years of severe drought, he still had so much grain..."

The Dili Family's soldiers on both sides didn't look very good. Chen Yan personally chopped the people in the courtyard into a heap, and even these men felt chilled to the bone. Naturally, no one dared to respond to him. Chen Yan raised his eyebrows and asked,

"Wasn't he supposed to be killed?"

"Certainly... of course he was!"

Dili Youjie responded, already seeing Chen Yan in a new light. He had thought him to be just a sullen youth, but now he realized he was someone with a cruel heart and a ruthless hand, so he silently became more cautious.

Dili Youjie calculated using the list, the nobility of the Great Jue Court had been wiped clean. These generations of cultivators had their bloodlines severed, ensuring that there would be no Qi Cultivators for at least several decades. The Li Family naturally didn't care, as it was more convenient for governance. Dili Youjie felt his scalp tingle with terror and silently felt fortunate.

Chen Yan looked at the troops on both sides and ordered,

"Send someone to set fire to the granaries at both locations... Wait."

Chen Yan's eyes looked sinister as if he was deep in thought,

'The vendetta has been taken up by the Dili Family, and the killing guilt is on me, Chen Yan. It is up to the main family to bestow the favor. If anything is out of place, Li Zhouwei will sneer at my incompetence.'

He looked appreciatively at the pool of blood in front of him and softly said,

"Collect all these things and transport them to the army."

Having said that, Chen Yan kicked aside a beautiful severed head by his foot like he was kicking a gourd and grabbed Dili Youjie, speaking cordially,

"Brother Dili... Ha! General Dili, please accept these items and accompany me to see the Princely Heir!"

Dili Youjie had followed him through a trail of killings, guided by his laughter. How could he trust Chen Yan's facial expressions? Understanding that Chen Yan was a smiling viper, he felt dread and kept bowing repeatedly, following behind him.

Chen Yan wanted him to be afraid. With a satisfied expression, he laughed and said,

"Thanks to the General for shouldering the blame and assisting me in making a thorough clean-up, I've already sent people to spread the word in the city, to exalt the General's might!"

Dili Youjie understood that he had no choice but to carry the burden of killing the All Witches and siding with the easterners, he said fiercely,

"Rest assured, Lord Chen! With these spiritual objects and grain, in just ten days, all the tribes in this city will bow to the Shang Clan, and we can raise an army of five thousand soldiers!"

Chen Yan nodded, stepped past the staircase, and immediately his facial expression changed to one of humility and subservience, the swift transformation stunning Dili Youjie. The youth reminded him,

"When serving by the Princely Heir's side, the General would do well not to harbor any crooked ideas."

Dili Youjie nodded repeatedly, taking a few steps forward in the spacious hall and bowing down with Chen Yan. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a few Cultivators dressed as easterners standing on the other side of the hall.

Chen Yan bowed and said,

"I have cleansed the city."

Above, Li Zhouwei took a slight step down, glanced at Dili Youjie and said softly,

"Dili Youjie... well done, rise."

Dili Youjie quickly stood up, noticing Chen Yan still kneeling unmoved and couldn't help feeling a chill. He looked down to see a pair of embroidered boots approach, and the Princely Heir took the thick silk fabric he was holding in his hands, saying,

"Organize the troops within twelve days; we march to Northern Shanyue."

Dili Youjie silently nodded his head and slowly backed out. Li Zhouwei pinched the Jade Slip in his hand, while Chen Yan was internally feeling as if mountains were collapsing and the earth was splitting, thinking,

'Jade Slip... Spiritual Sense! He's broken through to the Fetal Breathing Fifth Layer of the Yujing Wheel!'

Although he had anticipated being surpassed, he hadn't expected this day to come so soon. Keeping his composure, Li Zhouwei glanced at Chen Yan indistinctly and then turned to look at a young man standing on the side, speaking softly,

"The matters of winning over the hearts of the people and stabilizing the rear will be entrusted to two of the elders."

At the side stood a man and a woman, both Qi Cultivators. The man, dressed in a Taoist robe and looking to be in his twenties, was none other than Li Cheng Huai. The woman appeared a bit older and was the elder sister of the direct lineage, Li Minggong.

Li Cheng Huai bore more resemblance to his mother, Yang Xiao'er, with a somewhat ordinary appearance. He spoke calmly,

"Leave it to me."

Both were in the early stages of Qi Cultivation and would have no difficulty suppressing the area. They bowed slightly and then took their leave.

In the Chengming generation, their talents seemed somewhat mediocre, but after twenty or thirty years, most had succeeded in Qi Cultivation and gradually took charge of various peaks. After all, they were educated strictly from a young age, and most turned out to be quite capable.

Li Zhouwei waited for several individuals to depart before finally turning his attention to Chen Yan. He paced over to this man and said in a low voice,

"Stabilize the clan soldiers and settle the restless hearts."

Chen Yan slowly raised his head, meeting his gaze, the youth softly said,

"The news from home, Guest Elder Kongheng has already reached Qingdu, and it won't be long before troops are dispatched to Northern Shanyue."

Chen Yan was greatly excited, he briskly exited the hall, straightened up, and walked out with a lofty stride, one hand on the sword at his waist, his black armor clinking, betraying the excitement of its wearer.

But he had only reached the front of the great hall when he saw three figures standing quietly before him. The young leader's demeanor was extraordinary, as if he had been nourished by wind and snow, his eyebrows like swords and eyes like stars, he nodded his head as he looked at him.

The Daoist-robed youth behind him had slightly pale lips and calm eyebrows and eyes, which seemed to hold a smiling intention, his body radiating a golden light.

The last was a monk with narrow eyes, his gaze lowered, revealing no emotion. Chen Yan broke out in a cold sweat and, cleanly and neatly, fell to his knees with a thud, his head pressing tightly against the floor as he humbly said,

"Greetings to the three esteemed ancestors!"

"Chen Yan..."

Li Xijun quietly observed him, his five jade-white fingers resting on the sword handle tightened slightly, he thought to himself,

"This man... has become even more cunning and insidious over the years... Shedding the impulsiveness of a child... difficult to grasp, fortunately, he is half of the senior line's blood, it's just a pity that his surname is not Li."

"Such a person, if he were of the direct lineage of the Zhouxing generation, the princely heir would have almost no worries left! Chen... can also be reluctantly used."

Li Xijun gently raised a hand to help him up, speaking softly,

"Good! Following the Donghe Clan Elder in practice, you've made some progress. Wait till you return from the northern campaign, come to Jade Court Peak to see me, I will teach you some swordsmanship!"

Chen Yan felt a mix of joy and anxiety in his heart, yearning for the swordsmanship but also feeling uneasy near Li Xijun, but he had no words of refusal, and nodded his head as if granted a great honor, then quickly retreated.

Li Xijun stepped onto the stone steps and asked Kongheng,

"Mage, what do you think of this child?"

Kongheng hurriedly waved his hand and replied,

"I dare not speak too much, he seems to be a smart boy."

The three had just entered the main hall, where not a soul was present. Li Zhouwei was sitting upright, as if waiting for their arrival, and stood up to come forward, saying with clasped hands,

"Greetings to all the esteemed ancestors."

Li Xijun first looked at Kongheng, who had no particular reaction, then said to Li Zhouwei,

"Wei'er, there's no need to hide, let the mage have a look."

Li Zhouwei's eyes suddenly brightened, the Talisman Seed within his Qi Sea moved gently, quickly turning to a dark golden color, layer upon layer connecting in a golden hue.

Kongheng casually looked up, his gaze like scorching iron seared a mark, the hands within his sleeves clenched tight, and he turned his head away.

Li Xijun let Li Zhouwei get up but kept a close eye on Kongheng, noticing the latter's narrow eyes tremble twice, as if holding back something. Li Xijun introduced,

"This is Guest Elder Kongheng."

"Greetings to the Guest Elder!"

Li Zhouwei asked softly while Kongheng quickly responded with a salute, saying,

"The monk has seen Surname Ming Bright King before, no need for such courtesies, you flatter me too much!"

Li Zhouwei raised an eyebrow, but Li Xijun, with hands clasped behind him, took a step forward without seeming surprised, speaking softly,

"I ask the mage to clarify."

Kongheng's already small eyes were nearly squinting shut as he spoke softly,

"The Princely Heir appears to have the body of Mingyang... yet it doesn't seem quite right. This monk does not dare to say more. The inheritance of the Mingyang Path is within the Buddhist sect of mine, known as 'Surname Ming Bright King', hence... I speak thus."

"'Surname Ming Bright King'?"

Li Xijun frowned, but saw Kongheng turn somewhat pale. He calmed himself for several breaths before saying,

"I see the Princely Heir... as if he is the reincarnation of Surname Ming Bright King! Yet his nature is peaceful... it is indeed... contrary to common sense! It must be due to too strong a bloodline!"

He lifted his head and sighed,

"Moreover, the aura is obscure and indescribable... If it weren't for my Ancient Cultivator heritage, and since Surname Ming Bright King also has a Taoist lineage in Liaohe, it would otherwise be impossible to discern!"