Chapter 24: The coming storm.

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: The coming storm.

Chen Yuan remained seated, his gaze calmly resting on Chen Yan across the table. There was still one thing about him that he found somewhat strange.

Chen Yuan glanced over Chen Yan’s appearance once more.

Silver-black hair, sharp features, and a tall, lean frame. It was the appearance Chen Yuan had possessed when he was in his fifties, back when he was still middle-aged.

Chen Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly.

This appearance could potentially cause trouble.

If someone who had known Chen Yuan decades ago happened to see Chen Yan, they might recognize the resemblance immediately.

Especially those elders who had been in their twenties when Chen Yuan was in his fifties. They would definitely notice it.

Chen Yuan finally spoke.

"Is this appearance fixed, or can you change it?"

Chen Yan looked at him.

"Change it?"

Chen Yuan nodded.

"Yes. If you intend to walk outside, this appearance could become an issue. Someone who knew me when I was younger might recognize you."

His gaze briefly swept over Chen Yan’s face.

"It wouldn’t be good if people started wondering why there are suddenly two people who look like I did decades ago."

Chen Yan remained silent for a few seconds before answering calmly.

"I can change it."

"The appearance isn’t fixed. I can take on any appearance I want."

Chen Yuan’s expression relaxed slightly upon hearing that. He glanced at Chen Yan once more before giving a small nod.

"Then show me."

Chen Yan did not say anything in response.

Instead, he simply lowered his gaze and focused his mind.

The next instant, his body began to change.

His silver-black hair slowly faded into a dull grey, while the sharp features of his face gradually softened. Fine wrinkles appeared across his forehead and around his eyes, spreading naturally across his aging face.

His tall, lean frame also changed, becoming slightly thinner and more stooped.

The transformation happened smoothly, almost as though his entire body were made of soft clay being reshaped by an invisible hand.

Within a few breaths, the man sitting before Chen Yuan was no longer the same person.

An old man now sat across from him, his grey hair falling loosely around his wrinkled face. His slightly hunched posture and weathered features made him appear like an ordinary elderly cultivator.

Only his calm grey eyes remained unchanged.

Chen Yuan looked him over carefully.

He could no longer find even the slightest resemblance to his own middle-aged appearance.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You don’t want to change into a younger appearance like mine?"

Chen Yan glanced at his reflection in the surface of the tea before looking back at Chen Yuan.

"No."

His answer came without hesitation.

"I prefer this appearance."

Chen Yuan was slightly surprised.

"Why?"

Chen Yan calmly stroked his grey beard, seemingly quite satisfied with his new appearance.

"It feels more majestic this way."

Chen Yuan stared at him for a few seconds.

Then the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Majestic?"

Chen Yan nodded with complete seriousness.

"An old man gives off a different impression."

He glanced down at his aged hands before continuing.

"It makes people less likely to underestimate me."

Chen Yuan looked at him again.

The weathered face, grey hair, slightly hunched posture, and calm eyes did indeed give Chen Yan the appearance of an experienced old cultivator.

After considering it briefly, Chen Yuan nodded.

"Fair enough."

He lifted his teacup and took another sip.

"Then keep it."

Chen Yan smiled faintly.

"I intend to."

"As for what you do from now on, you can make your own decisions."

Chen Yan raised his eyes toward him.

Chen Yuan smiled and slowly explained, "You have your own identity now, so there is no need for you to ask me about every little thing."

Chen Yuan paused briefly before adding,

"Just remember one thing. If you intend to do something important, discuss it with me first."

His tone remained calm, but there was a trace of seriousness in his words.

"I don’t want you making a decision that could affect the Family without us discussing it beforehand."

Chen Yan nodded in return.

"I am aware of your worries, but you don’t have to worry about me causing trouble."

He calmly picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"I have no intention of doing anything reckless."

Chen Yuan glanced at him.

"Good."

Chen Yan lowered his cup.

"Instead, there is something we should be preparing for."

Chen Yan looked toward him as he slowly spoke in his hoarse, old voice.

"The arrival of Chen Feng."

Chen Yuan remained silent, his fingers resting lightly against the rim of his teacup as he looked toward the steam rising from the tea’s surface.

Then he spoke.

"A strong figure needs a strong entrance."

Chen Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Just say it straight. No need for these convoluted words."

"There will be a gathering of volunteer forces from among the cultivation families in the city in the coming days."

Chen Yuan turned his gaze toward the distant horizon.

"That will be his entrance."

"Our entrance..." Chen Yan corrected, gesturing with his hand. "With representatives from the other families present, that will be our entrance as well."

His hoarse voice carried a faint hint of amusement.

"Deterrence. Fear. Let the major forces throughout the kingdom become aware of the Chen Family’s existence."

Chen Yuan nodded.

"I know."

He took another sip of tea before continuing.

"And I also intend to ask the City Lord why my Chen Family is being required to send twice the number of people this time."

Chen Yan’s eyes narrowed.

Then a quiet chuckle escaped him.

"You just want to find an excuse to cause trouble for the Imperial Family."

Chen Yuan glanced at him with a soft smile.

"I prefer to call it asking for an explanation."

"Of course."

Chen Yan shook his head lightly, a faint smile appearing beneath his grey beard.

He lowered his teacup and looked toward the distant city.

"The Zhao Family may be domineering, but they aren’t fools."

His expression gradually became more thoughtful.

"They are powerful, but they have accumulated far too many enemies over the years."

Chen Yan’s eyes gleamed with a hint of anticipation.

"I want to see the Zhao Family tear off their masks and confront the Li Family face to face."

Chen Yuan’s lips curled slightly.

"That would certainly make things interesting."

After all, the Imperial Family was not foolish.

They were both intelligent and ruthless, and they would not casually provoke a family with three Foundation Establishment experts simply for the sake of a minor dispute with a smaller cultivation family.

Chen Yuan understood that much.

The Imperial Family might be willing to use the Li Family as a tool, but openly offending the Chen Family was another matter entirely.

The balance of power mattered.

And once Chen Feng arrived, that balance would change even further.

Chen Yan seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. He took another sip of tea before his gaze shifted back toward Chen Yuan.

"Speaking of the technique, there is something I wish to ask."

Chen Yuan raised his eyes toward him.

"What is it?"

Chen Yan’s fingers rested lightly against the teacup as he contemplated his next words. After seemingly finding the right words, Chen Yan slowly spoke.

"There is something strange about my memories."

Chen Yuan’s expression changed slightly.

"Your memories?"

Chen Yan nodded.

"I possess your memories of many things. Your experiences, your understanding of cultivation, the techniques you have practiced, and even your memories of the Chen Family."

His gaze lowered toward his own hands, studying them for a moment.

"But there is nothing regarding the Myriad Flesh Avatar Technique."

Chen Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I remember being created by the technique."

Chen Yan’s voice remained calm.

"But I do not possess the actual details of the technique itself, as if there is a void within the vast space of my memories."

Chen Yuan fell silent.

He had not considered that possibility before.

After all, Chen Yan possessed a portion of his consciousness and was formed from his blood, body, and soul.

It was reasonable to assume that the knowledge contained within his mind would also be inherited. Yet somehow, the Myriad Flesh Avatar Technique was the sole exception. Its knowledge did not seem to appear within Chen Yan’s memories.

Chen Yuan lowered his gaze, thinking carefully about the matter.

"It is indeed strange."

His fingers lightly tapped against the table.

"If the technique is capable of transferring a portion of my consciousness and allowing you to inherit my memories, then there should be no reason for its principles to be excluded."

Chen Yan nodded.

"I thought the same. But it seems that there are many things we don’t have control over."

The two fell silent. The evening wind passed gently around them, stirring the edges of their robes.

After thinking for a while, Chen Yuan’s expression gradually became thoughtful.

"Unless..."

Chen Yan looked toward him.

"Unless what?"

Chen Yuan raised his eyes and muttered in a composed tone,

"The technique itself is bound to me."

Chen Yan’s expression shifted slightly.

"Bound to you?"

"Yes."

Chen Yuan leaned back slightly in his seat.

"Think about it. The Myriad Flesh Avatar Technique is a reward from the system. I suppose it must only be usable by me and no one else."

"The technique may recognize the original soul from which it was cultivated. Since you possess an entirely different soul, even though your soul carries my imprint, the technique itself does not belong to you."

Chen Yan remained silent, feeling that the explanation made sense. He possessed Chen Yuan’s memories, but those memories did not make him Chen Yuan.

He possessed a fragment of Chen Yuan’s consciousness, but that fragment had already grown into an independent soul.

Like a new seed that had taken root on its own, a new life that was identical yet different from the material from which it had originated.

The connection between them was deep, but they were no longer the same existence.

Chen Yuan slowly nodded.

"It is likely that the technique is soul-bound."

"Meaning only you can use it?"

"That is my current conclusion."

Chen Yuan’s expression remained calm.

"Unless I can uncover some hidden principle within the technique, there is no reason to believe you can cultivate it simply because you were created through it."

Chen Yan considered this for several breaths before nodding.

"Then that explains why I possess the memory of being created by the technique, yet not the technique itself."

Chen Yan gave a slight nod.

"I understand."

A brief silence followed. Then Chen Yan’s gaze returned to Chen Yuan.

"The Myriad Flesh Avatar Technique. Are you capable of creating another avatar?"

Chen Yuan fell silent, his gaze lowering as his expression became slightly more contemplative.

"Not at present."

"My comprehension of the Myriad Flesh Avatar Technique remains too shallow. Although the knowledge of the technique has been engraved within my mind, understanding its principles is not the same as mastering them."

"I have yet to determine whether the technique permits the creation of multiple avatars, nor do I know whether there are other restrictions that have yet to reveal themselves."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"For now, I can only deepen my understanding of the technique and gradually uncover the answer."

Chen Yan’s expression remained composed as he considered Chen Yuan’s words.

"Then there is no need to force the matter."

He lifted his teacup and took another measured sip.

"If the technique truly permits the creation of multiple avatars, we will discover it in due time."

In the distance, beyond the walls of the Chen Family, the lights of Blue Cloud Mist City still flickered beneath the night.

The gathering of the cultivation families was approaching.

And with it, the name of the Chen Family would soon reach places it had never reached before.

Chen Yuan’s gaze lingered upon the distant city.

The quiet days of the Chen Family were coming to an end.

Several days passed, and the morning of the departure finally arrived.

The sky above the Chen Family residence was still painted in the pale colors of dawn.

Thin strands of mist lingered between the mountains, slowly drifting through the trees as the first rays of sunlight began to spill across the distant peaks.

At the entrance of the Chen Family residence, more than twenty clansmen had already gathered.

Some stood in small groups while others remained alone, their weapons and belongings already prepared for the journey.

Most wore simple expressions, but the occasional movement of their eyes betrayed the uneasiness that lingered within them.

Beyond the family gate, a long, winding path descended from the mountain.

On both sides of the path stretched vast fields, extending far into the distance beneath the morning sky.

Rows upon rows of crops grew across the land, their green leaves still covered with droplets of morning dew.

The sight was peaceful, almost too peaceful for a morning when more than twenty men were preparing to leave their home and loved ones to head toward a battlefield.

"I heard nearly a quarter of the southern region has already fallen."

An old man spoke quietly.

"Several cities have already been abandoned. Some were evacuated before the fighting reached them. Others..." He paused. "The defenders were overwhelmed."

The group fell silent.

After a few breaths, one of them finally spoke.

"How did it become this serious?"

"The Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom has been quiet for centuries. Border conflicts have always existed, but never on this scale."

"No one knows why. Those wretched creatures only see us as food. It’s a miracle that we’ve managed to survive this long."

The old man tightened his grip around his walking stick.

"All we know is that the front line has become a meat grinder. Millions die every day..."

No one spoke after that.

They had all heard similar reports through the Chen Family’s information channels.

The previous batch of volunteers had suffered heavy casualties.

Their bodies could not even be retrieved because the fighting had been too fierce for anyone to approach.

And now, it was their turn.

Their gazes lowered.

"We are old," one of them finally said, his voice carrying a faint trace of resignation. "And I suppose death isn’t something unfamiliar to us anymore."

He lowered his gaze toward his weathered hands.

"I have never actually fought before. I spent most of my life as a consultant for our merchant group."

A quiet laugh escaped him, though there was little humor in it.

"But I cannot bear to see my child go there. Nor can I bear to see someone of his age sent to such a place."

The others looked toward him.

None of them said anything.

They understood.

After a brief silence, the first old man spoke again.

"Dying for the sake of an unknown future..." He gave a faint smile. "I suppose it isn’t too bad."

His eyes moved toward the distant mountain path.

"If our lives can be traded so that the younger generations of our family can continue living, then perhaps it is a worthwhile trade."