Chapter 43: We greet the Ancestors!

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: We greet the Ancestors!

The morning passed quietly within the Chen Family grounds. As usual, the family had already begun its daily routine.

The younger members gathered at the training grounds, practicing their techniques beneath the guidance of older cultivators.

Some were practicing body techniques, such as the Nine Circulation Body Tempering Art, while others sat cross-legged beneath the trees and circulated spiritual energy through their meridians.

The spiritual herb fields were already being tended to, with several family members carefully inspecting the plants and removing weeds from between the rows.

Further away, servants moved between the buildings, carrying food, water, medicinal herbs, and other necessities.

Elders handled the family’s ordinary affairs while the outer family members went about their own work in the surrounding residences and territories.

Nothing seemed particularly unusual.

Meanwhile, within Chen Haoran’s residence, the morning was considerably more peaceful.

A small courtyard surrounded by several flowering spiritual plants sat behind the main residence. A stone path crossed through the center, leading toward a small pavilion where a wooden table and several chairs had been placed beneath the shade.

Chen Haoran stood near the edge of the courtyard with his hands behind his back. His gaze remained fixed on the two figures in front of him.

Qingxue was sitting beneath the shade of the pavilion, while Yue’er played beside her. The little girl seemed completely unaffected by the injuries that had caused everyone so much worry before.

She ran around the courtyard with a small toy in her hands, occasionally returning to Qingxue whenever she wanted to show her something.

Qingxue smiled as she watched her daughter, occasionally reminding her not to run too quickly. Yue’er nodded obediently every time, only to start running again a few breaths later.

A faint smile appeared on Chen Haoran’s face as he watched them.

Yet beneath that smile, his thoughts remained unsettled.

Yue’er passed out on the day she performed the technique in front of him. At the time, he had genuinely feared that something serious had happened to her.

The physician had examined her immediately and told him that her body needed considerable time to recover. Several weeks, perhaps even months.

That was why seeing Yue’er wake up after only three days had been such a surprise. It was far too fast, and even the physician had struggled to explain it.

Haoran lowered his gaze slightly.

She’s completely fine now.

He had checked on her several times since she woke up. She could walk, run, and even play without showing any signs of pain.

The physician had examined her again and again, yet had found nothing wrong. Whatever had caused her unusually rapid recovery, it did not appear to be harming her.

And since his daughter was healthy, Haoran had eventually decided not to dwell on it.

Perhaps it really was a miracle, or it had something to do with the sword technique inheritance she obtained.

His eyes returned to Yue’er. The little girl was now trying to convince Qingxue that she could carry a flower pot that was clearly too large for her.

"Yue’er, that’s too heavy."

"It’s not heavy!"

"You nearly dropped it just now."

"I didn’t!"

"You did."

"I didn’t!"

Haoran quietly laughed, and the sound made both of them look toward him. Qingxue smiled in return despite her frosty expression.

Yue’er immediately pointed at the flower pot.

"Dad! Mom doesn’t believe me!"

Haoran shook his head.

"Then put it down before you actually drop it."

Yue’er hesitated and looked at the pot.

Then she looked back at her father.

"...Okay."

She carefully placed it back on the ground. Haoran smiled again before his gaze slowly drifted toward the ancestral grounds in the distance.

His expression became thoughtful.

The Ancestor was gone yesterday.

He had noticed it after returning from the ancestral grounds. He had been meaning to convey a report from Chen Meilan regarding the information-gathering work concerning Qingxue’s family in the capital, but Chen Yuan was nowhere to be found.

At first, he had assumed Chen Yuan was simply somewhere inside the deeper parts of the family territory. But when Haoran had gone to check the ancestral grounds himself, there had been no sign of him.

The old ancestral hall was quiet. The surrounding grounds were empty. Even the places where Chen Yuan usually spent his time had shown no trace of him.

Where could the Ancestor have gone?

Haoran slowly exhaled.

He’ll return when he wants to. I can’t stop the old man anyway.

His gaze softened again as he looked toward Yue’er and Qingxue. Whatever the Ancestor was doing, Haoran trusted that he had his reasons.

For now, there was no need to worry about it. Yue’er had finally recovered, Qingxue was beside him, and the morning was peaceful.

Qingxue was saying something to Yue’er about the flower pot she had nearly dropped when Haoran suddenly noticed something strange.

The birds in the courtyard had stopped chirping.

The leaves of the spiritual plants had become completely still.

Even the faint breeze that usually passed through the courtyard seemed to disappear.

Haoran’s brows slowly furrowed as he turned his gaze toward the sky.

Nothing seemed different?

The sunlight was still shining through the clouds. The mountains surrounding the family grounds remained peaceful, and the distant sounds of cultivation could still be heard.

Haoran remained still for another few breaths. Even after that, nothing happened. He finally relaxed slightly. Perhaps the strange silence had only been his imagination.

He turned away from the sky and began walking toward Qingxue and Yue’er. However, he had taken only two steps when Yue’er suddenly looked past him.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

Yue’er pointed toward the sky.

"What’s that?"

Haoran’s expression changed, and Qingxue’s eyes followed the direction of her daughter’s finger. For a few breaths, neither of them spoke.

High above the Chen Family grounds, something enormous could be seen in the sky. At first, it was difficult to make out.

It seemed like a strange shadow hanging high above the clouds, partially concealed by the morning light.

Haoran narrowed his eyes.

"What... is that?"

Qingxue slowly stood up.

"I don’t know."

The strange object remained motionless, but then Haoran’s eyes widened as the faint outline slowly became clearer. It wasn’t a cloud, a mountain, or some enormous spiritual beast.

It was a sword.

A sword so enormous that Haoran’s mind struggled to comprehend its actual size. Its blade extended vertically through the heavens, disappearing beyond the highest layer of clouds.

The surface of the blade reflected the morning sunlight, appearing almost like a pillar of silver stretching from the earth toward the sky.

Yet that was only the blade.

Far above the Chen Family grounds, where the enormous hilt rested, something even more astonishing surrounded it.

An ocean of crimson-golden light filled with countless Flaming Fireflies surrounded the sword’s hilt, so numerous that their individual forms could no longer be distinguished.

From the ground, they looked like an enormous sea of stars suspended in the sky. But another ocean had formed alongside them.

Water.

An endless expanse of pale-blue spiritual water spread around the hilt, flowing in a vast circular formation. The two techniques intertwined.

Crimson-golden fireflies drifted across the surface of the water while streams of spiritual water passed between them, creating an enormous circular disk around the sword.

It was so large that it seemed to cover a portion of the heavens itself.

Haoran stared upward.

His mouth slowly opened.

"What... in the world?"

Qingxue stood beside him, her expression equally stunned. Before either of them could say anything else, the world around them suddenly blurred.

Haoran’s pupils contracted.

"What?!"

He instinctively reached for Qingxue, pulling her closer while his spiritual energy surged through his body. Qingxue reacted just as quickly, grabbing Yue’er and drawing the little girl into her arms.

Then the scenery around them suddenly blurred and disappeared, the courtyard and stone path beneath their feet vanishing in an instant as the ground itself seemed to fall away, followed by a chorus of startled screams erupting from every direction.

"AHHH!"

"What happened?!"

"Where are we?!"

"Don’t move!"

"Grab the children!"

"What’s happening?!"

Haoran felt his stomach drop as though his body had suddenly been thrown from a great height. His spiritual energy immediately gathered beneath his feet, instinctively preparing to stabilize his body in midair.

But before he could even activate a technique, his feet touched something solid.

His body jolted slightly as he suddenly realized that he was standing on something solid, causing Haoran to freeze before slowly looking around in confusion. He wasn’t standing on the ground or a building. He was standing in the sky.

As his eyes widened, he slowly looked down.

Below his feet stretched an enormous expanse of pale-blue spiritual water. It wasn’t falling, nor was it behaving like ordinary water.

The vast ocean remained suspended in the heavens, its surface flowing in slow, graceful currents while countless crimson-golden Flaming Fireflies drifted between the waves.

The water and fireflies intertwined beneath them, forming an enormous circular platform that stretched so far into the distance that Haoran couldn’t see its edge.

And he wasn’t alone.

Hundreds of figures had appeared across the enormous disk.

Then hundreds became thousands. One after another, Chen Family members continued appearing throughout the sky.

Inner family members.

Outer family members, elders, younger disciples, and servants all appeared across the vast sky, each one looking around in confusion at their sudden surroundings.

Even those who had been tending the spiritual herb fields only moments ago had suddenly found themselves standing in the heavens.

Some had fallen onto their knees, while others stood frozen with pale faces.

Several younger disciples were desperately grabbing onto the people beside them, while a few cultivators had already drawn their weapons from instinct alone.

An elderly clan member looked down at the enormous expanse beneath his feet before hurriedly looking back up.

"I... I’m not falling?"

"No."

Another cultivator carefully shifted his foot. The pale-blue water beneath him rippled gently.

He immediately froze again.

"It can support us..."

Around them, the panic slowly began to settle as the Chen Family members realized that nobody was actually falling.

Haoran’s breathing gradually steadied.

He looked toward Qingxue.

She was still holding Yue’er tightly against her chest, her expression tense as she carefully examined their surroundings.

"Are you alright?"

Qingxue nodded.

"I’m fine."

Her eyes lowered toward Yue’er.

"Yue’er?"

The little girl blinked several times before looking around.

Then she pointed downward.

"Mom... we’re flying."

Qingxue’s expression became complicated.

"Yes."

Yue’er looked toward the enormous ocean of spiritual water beneath them.

"...Are we supposed to be scared?"

Haoran almost laughed despite himself.

"I don’t know."

He turned his gaze toward the surrounding Chen Family members.

Everyone had been gathered here, not merely the cultivators, but every member of the Chen Family, whether they were mortal or not.

Haoran’s expression slowly became serious as he realized that this wasn’t an accident. The Ancestor had deliberately gathered the entire Chen Family.

Who else could it be?

His gaze moved across the enormous disk until it finally reached the center. There, above the colossal sword’s hilt, three figures stood silently, surrounded by countless crimson-golden Flaming Fireflies.

Haoran’s eyes immediately settled on the figure standing in the middle.

There was no mistaking him.

"The Ancestor..."

"What is he doing?"

Chen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm as he looked down upon the gathered Chen Family.

But then Haoran’s gaze shifted toward the two figures standing beside him.

His brows slowly furrowed.

He had never seen either of them before.

One was a tall, lean man with silver-black hair, sharp features, and a pair of calm grey eyes.

He stood quietly beside Chen Yuan, his expression composed as though the enormous sword and the thousands of people beneath him were nothing worth reacting to.

The other figure was equally unfamiliar.

A man stood with an ancient sword at his side, his cultivator’s robe moving gently in the spiritual wind.

One hand rested casually near his sword while his other stroked his beard, giving him the appearance of an old swordsman.

Haoran’s expression became increasingly puzzled.

Who are they?

And judging from the reactions around him, he wasn’t the only one reacting this way. Whispers gradually spread through the gathered family members.

"Who are those two?"

"I’ve never seen them before."

"Are they cultivators from another family?"

"How could they stand beside the Ancestor like that?"

Haoran remained silent, his eyes fixed upon the three figures. Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Could they be...

Haoran didn’t dare finish the thought.

His eyes remained fixed on the three figures standing above the enormous sword. Around him, the same confusion had already spread throughout the Chen Family.

Nobody knew who the other two men were. Yet neither man stood behind Chen Yuan. Instead, they stood beside him as though they belonged there, which indicated that their status was equivalent to Chen Yuan’s.

Chen Yuan’s eyes moved across the thousands of faces before him, taking in their confusion, concern, and awe as they stared at the scene above the clouds.

Slowly, he raised one hand, and the countless whispers scattered throughout the crowd faded one after another until the entire sky became silent.

His gaze gently swept across the gathered Chen Family members before he spoke, his voice calm and reassuring.

"Do not be alarmed, children of my Chen Family. I know that you must have many questions after being brought here so suddenly, but there is no need to worry. I summoned all of you today because there are some matters that I believe every member of our family should know."

He paused, allowing the family a moment to settle down before continuing.

"Yesterday, while most of you were carrying on with your ordinary lives, something happened in Blue Cloud Mist City."

The relaxed expressions of several elders immediately changed.

Chen Yuan continued in an even tone.

"Some of you may already know that a group of our clansmen was sent there under the leadership of Chen Guanshan. What they did not know was that the city had already been infiltrated by demons."

A murmur immediately spread through the crowd.

"Demons?"

"Blue Cloud Mist City?"

"What happened there?"

Chen Yuan raised his hand again, and the voices quickly faded.

"The City Lord, Zhao Mingyuan, his advisor, Sun Qian, and several cultivation families within the city were all demons who had concealed themselves among humanity for many years."

The atmosphere became heavier.

"They had been preparing something beneath the city for a very long time. A formation capable of connecting Blue Cloud Mist City directly to the Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom."

Several elders’ faces turned pale. Even Chen Haoran and Qingxue’s faces turned pale as she hugged Yue’er tightly against her chest.

Chen Yuan’s expression remained calm.

"If that formation had been completed without interference, the demons of the Blackmoon Kingdom would have been able to enter the heart of Great Yan without needing to break through the southern border."

The younger members who had been whispering earlier fell completely silent. Even the mortal members of the family could understand what those words meant.

Everyone understood the gravity of those words. It was an invasion, not at the border, but deep within the kingdom itself.

Chen Yuan continued.

"When the formation was activated, the demons revealed themselves. The Imperial Envoy sent by the Imperial Court, Zhao Lianyu, fought them and attempted to destroy the formation, but the situation quickly escalated beyond what a single Foundation Establishment cultivator could handle."

His gaze became slightly more solemn.

"Three High Lords from the Blackmoon Kingdom crossed through the formation."

A collective gasp passed through the Chen Family.

High Lords.

Those two words alone were enough to make even the older cultivators understand the severity of what had happened.

"Three Peak Foundation Establishment demons entered Blue Cloud Mist City."

Chen Yuan paused.

"And at that point, the hidden strength of our Chen Family could no longer remain hidden."

His gaze slowly moved toward the two men standing beside him.

"The three of us took action."

The family became completely silent.

Chen Yuan’s voice remained steady.

"We fought those three High Lords and stopped the invasion before they could advance any further into Great Yan."

He did not go into detail about the destruction, nor did he exaggerate what had happened during the battle. There was no need.

The colossal sword behind him, the ocean of Flaming Fireflies, and the three figures standing above the entire family already served as proof that something extraordinary had happened.

"The demons were destroyed."

"The formation was destroyed."

"And Blue Cloud Mist City survived."

Chen Yuan lowered his hand.

"However, there was one consequence that I could no longer avoid."

His gaze passed over the family.

"After that battle, there was no longer any reason for the three of us to remain hidden."

The crowd slowly began to understand, and Chen Yuan looked toward the two figures beside him.

The crowd remained silent. Nobody spoke. Nobody seemed willing to break the silence first.

Chen Yuan turned slightly toward the man standing on his right.

"Many of you have never seen him before."

The silver-black-haired man slowly stepped forward.

He did not release any spiritual pressure, nor did he deliberately reveal his cultivation.

There was no need. His calm grey eyes simply passed over the thousands of people below, taking in the younger generation, the elders, the servants, and even the mortals who had been brought here.

His expression remained composed.

There was something about the way he stood that was hard to put into words. He didn’t look like a guest or someone trying to prove himself. He simply stood there as though this was exactly where he belonged.

After several breaths, he finally spoke.

"You have no reason to be nervous."

His voice was calm, carrying naturally across the enormous platform made out of water and crimson fireflies.

"I have no intention of asking anything from you."

A few of the younger members exchanged glances, and the old man continued.

"For many years, I have remained within the shadows of the Chen Family. I rarely appeared before the family, and when I did, there was no reason for most of you to know who I was."

His gaze briefly settled on several of the older members.

"Some of you may have encountered me before without realizing it. Others may have passed by me without ever giving it a second thought."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"That was how it was meant to be."

The crowd remained attentive.

He spoke without trying to make himself sound important. There was no need to raise his voice or choose his words carefully. He simply spoke as someone who had lived long enough to know that his presence alone was enough.

"I have watched this family grow for many years."

"I have watched children become cultivators. I have watched cultivators become elders. I have watched some of you succeed, while others failed and had to begin again."

"Most of you simply did not know that someone was watching."

A few elders lowered their heads instinctively, and the silver-black-haired man folded his hands behind his back.

"That was not because I considered myself above you. There are times when an ancestor serves his descendants better by remaining unseen."

His eyes became slightly softer.

"If every generation knew that someone stronger was always standing behind them, they would eventually learn to depend upon that person."

"And a family that cannot stand on its own cannot truly become strong."

The words caused several of the older cultivators to exchange thoughtful glances. He continued in the same calm tone.

"But the Chen Family is no longer the same family it was before."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Chen Yuan.

"Yesterday proved that."

He turned back toward the crowd below.

"So the time has come for you to know that you were never alone."

The silver-black-haired man fell silent before simply stepping back to his original position beside Chen Yuan. Yet the effect of those few words was far greater than any grand declaration could have been.

Eventually, one of the older clansmen finally gathered enough courage to speak.

"Ancestor..."

The man’s voice trembled slightly, hesitating. Chen Yan turned his gaze toward him.

"Yes?"

The elder swallowed.

"What... should we call you, Ancestor?"

A faint smile touched Chen Yan’s lips.

"Chen Yan will do."

The elder immediately bowed and said, "Ancestor Chen Yan."

Several others followed suit, their voices quickly joining in as they called out,

"Ancestor Chen Yan."

"Ancestor Chen Yan."

The name gradually spread through the crowd, no longer carrying the confusion it had moments ago.

Chen Yuan then turned toward the other figure. The old swordsman had remained silent throughout the exchange.

He had not shown the slightest impatience while thousands of people stared at him. His sword rested quietly at his side, and one hand remained near its hilt while the other slowly stroked his beard.

Chen Yuan looked toward the family.

"There is another one. Some of you might recognize him from a particular sword."

Chen Feng lifted his eyes. For a moment, he simply looked down at the descendants gathered before him. His gaze lingered slightly longer on the younger cultivators carrying swords within the crowd, and he seemed slightly pleased.

Then his eyes moved toward the enormous sword beneath him as a faint smile appeared on his weathered face.

"It seems the family has grown considerably..."

His voice was deeper than Chen Yan’s, carrying the roughness of age without sounding weak. A few of the older swordsmen instinctively straightened when they heard it.

Chen Feng slowly rested his hand against the sword at his waist.

"I left a sword behind many years ago and entrusted it to my wife. I never expected that it would remain with the family for so long, much less become the inheritance you see today."

His gaze returned to the family.

"You do not need to know everything about me today. There will be plenty of time for that."

"What matters is that you understand one thing. The sword inheritance was never meant to belong to one person."

Several of the younger cultivators looked at one another.

"It was left behind for the Chen Family."

His hand left the hilt.

"Those who possess talent may walk further. Those who possess less may walk slower. Some may never become great swordsmen at all."

He looked toward the younger members.

"That does not mean they have no place within the family."

His eyes moved across the crowd.

"You are all descendants of the same family. So cultivate according to your ability, live according to your own path, and when the time comes for the family to stand together, remember where you belong."

The old swordsman fell silent. For the first time since appearing in front of the entire family, a trace of warmth entered his otherwise weathered expression.

"For my name... You may call this old man Chen Feng."

He glanced toward Chen Yuan.

"As for the rest..."

"Your old ancestor has already said enough. There is no need for me to repeat him."

A few members of the family couldn’t help but smile. Even Chen Yuan’s expression shifted slightly. Chen Feng stroked his beard again and stepped back beside the other two.

For several breaths, nobody moved.

The thousands of Chen Family members looked at the three figures above them, as though they were still trying to understand what they had just heard.

Some of the younger members looked at the elders beside them, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Even the older clansmen seemed hesitant.

They had spent their entire lives knowing which ancestors were recorded within the ancestral hall, and now they were suddenly being told that two more had been watching over them all along.

The silence stretched across the enormous platform.

Then an elderly clansman slowly lowered himself to one knee.

His movements were not hurried. He simply looked up at the two unfamiliar faces for several breaths before lowering his head.

"We greet the Ancestors!"

His voice was old and slightly trembling, but it carried across the surrounding silence. That single voice seemed to break the hesitation holding everyone in place.

One person knelt.

Then another.

An elder beside him lowered himself to the ground, followed by the younger cultivators behind him. The outer family members soon followed as well, and even the servants who had never stepped into the ancestral hall found themselves kneeling alongside the cultivators.

The sound of thousands of people moving at once spread across the enormous platform.

Cloth brushed against the spiritual water.

Knees struck the surface.

Weapons were placed aside.

Heads lowered.

Within only a few breaths, the Chen Family that had been standing in confusion moments ago had completely bowed before the three figures above them.

"We greet the Ancestors!"

The voices began separately at first, some louder than others, but they soon gathered into a single overwhelming chorus.

"We greet the Ancestors!"

The voices echoed through the heavens. Even the mountains surrounding the Chen Family seemed to carry their greeting farther into the distance.

Chen Haoran lowered his head among the crowd, Qingxue beside him doing the same while holding Yue’er close.

Around them, every member of the Chen Family had bowed.