Chapter 46:Moving mountains.

Chapter 46: Chapter 46:Moving mountains.

Once the family gathering finally came to an end, Chen Yuan raised his hand.

A gentle wave of spiritual energy spread across the enormous platform, wrapping around every member of the Chen Family.

One after another, their figures began descending toward the ground as Chen Yuan returned them to the exact places they had been standing before the gathering began.

The crimson-golden fireflies slowly scattered into the air, their light fading as they returned to Chen Yuan. The pale-blue spiritual water beneath everyone’s feet disappeared with them, leaving nothing behind.

The enormous sword that had pierced through the heavens also began to fade.

Within a few breaths, the sky returned to normal.

The three ancestors remained suspended in the air above the family grounds, silently watching as the last traces of the sword and fireflies vanished.

Chen Feng looked around.

Then he looked down at the family grounds.

Then he looked at Chen Yuan and Chen Yan.

He scratched his beard.

"So... how are we supposed to bring two more mountains over here again?"

The other two turned their heads toward him.

Silence.

Chen Feng stared back at them.

After several breaths, Chen Yuan sighed.

"It is going to be a rough day."

Chen Yan nodded solemnly.

"A very rough day."

Chen Feng glanced at him.

"It was your idea, Chen Yan. Why are you making that face?"

Chen Yan’s expression immediately became a little bitter.

"I am just disappointed that none of my family members have the same interests as me."

Both Chen Yuan and Chen Feng’s expressions stiffened.

Chen Feng slowly turned his head toward him.

"...Interests?"

Chen Yan nodded.

"Money."

The ancient sword suddenly left its sheath with a sharp shing.

"That’s it, you money freak."

Chen Feng pointed the blade toward Chen Yan.

"Let me cut your tongue."

Chen Yan’s eyes narrowed.

He immediately raised both fists and lowered his stance.

"Bring it on."

Chen Yuan stood between them, staring at the two ancestors who were about to start fighting over something that had happened less than an hour ago.

He sighed.

He had a feeling that establishing the three Peaks was going to be much more troublesome than he had originally expected.

Soon, several dozen miles away from the Chen Family’s territory, the three ancestors stood high above an unfamiliar stretch of wilderness.

The land here was far less developed than the area surrounding the family grounds. There were no large roads cutting through the forests, no villages scattered across the valleys, and no signs of cultivation fields stretching toward the horizon.

Instead, endless mountains covered the landscape, rising one after another beneath the morning sky.

Some were little more than rocky hills covered in trees, while others were enormous peaks that disappeared into the clouds.

Far below, rivers wound through the valleys like silver threads, occasionally vanishing beneath dense forests before reappearing several miles away.

Waterfalls could be seen spilling down the sides of several mountains, their white streams catching the sunlight before disappearing into the greenery below.

The air was noticeably colder here.

A thin layer of mist drifted between the mountains, and birds occasionally emerged from the forest before disappearing among the distant peaks.

Spiritual energy was also somewhat denser than in the surrounding plains, though not enough to make the region particularly valuable to cultivators.

That was precisely why the three of them had chosen this place.

Earlier, the three had been faced with a problem that had sounded surprisingly simple when they first discussed it.

They needed two more mountains.

The mountain where the Chen Family currently resided had already been reserved by Chen Yuan as the Main Peak. It would remain the heart of the family, while Chen Yan and Chen Feng would each require a mountain of their own.

As such, they had come all the way here after the gathering to scout for suitable mountains for the other two.

It was almost as though they were going to the marketplace to buy them.

There were no nearby settlements they needed to worry about, and the mountains were far enough from the Chen Family that moving one would not disturb the people living around their territory.

Chen Yuan stood in the air with his hands behind his back, quietly surveying the landscape.

Chen Feng hovered beside him, his ancient sword hanging at his waist.

Chen Yan stood on the other side, his black bell resting against his waist as he looked toward the distant mountains.

After several breaths, Chen Feng pointed toward a massive peak.

"That one should do."

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes and examined it.

The mountain was tall, but its upper half was narrow and uneven. Several enormous cliffs surrounded its sides, while a deep ravine cut through one section of its foundation.

"Too unstable."

Chen Feng glanced at him.

"It’s a mountain."

"It’s also supposed to become part of our family grounds."

Chen Yan pointed toward another peak farther away.

"That one looks better."

The three turned toward it.

This mountain was considerably larger.

Its slopes stretched for several miles, covered in thick forests and scattered with enormous rocks. A broad plateau occupied the summit, while several smaller ridges extended from its sides.

A river flowed around its base, forming a natural boundary between the mountain and the surrounding wilderness.

Chen Yuan studied it for a while.

"This one is suitable."

Chen Feng nodded.

"It’s large enough."

Chen Yan looked toward the distant summit.

"And the terrain is relatively stable. We can build on it without having to reshape the entire mountain."

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.

"You’ve already started thinking about construction?"

"Someone has to."

Chen Yuan ignored their exchange and looked down at the mountain.

"Then let’s move it."

Chen Feng looked at the enormous peak below.

"Do we actually have a way to move something this large without destroying it?"

Chen Yuan smiled faintly.

"We do."

He raised one hand.

A single crimson-golden firefly appeared above his palm.

Then another, and then dozens more appeared.

In the blink of an eye, an enormous swarm of crimson-golden fireflies emerged around him, their warm light spreading through the surrounding sky.

Chen Yan reached toward the black bell hanging at his waist.

Chen Feng looked at him.

"You’re using the bell?"

Chen Yan nodded.

"I think it will be more useful for this than simply trying to lift the mountain."

He gently struck the bell.

Clang.

The sound spread across the wilderness.

But unlike an ordinary bell, its sound did not simply travel through the air.

Visible spiritual waves rippled outward from Chen Yan, spreading across the landscape like enormous circles moving across the surface of a lake.

The waves passed through the mountain.

The trees trembled.

Loose stones shifted.

The entire peak seemed to resonate with the bell.

Chen Yan raised his hand slightly and struck the bell again.

Clang.

This time, the spiritual waves gathered around the base of the mountain instead of continuing outward.

Chen Feng looked down.

"You’re going to lift it with spiritual waves?"

"Not exactly."

Another ring.

Clang.

The waves became denser.

They gathered beneath the mountain, forming an enormous invisible foundation that spread across its entire base.

Chen Yuan immediately understood what Chen Yan was doing.

"You’re distributing the force."

Chen Yan nodded.

"If we tried to lift the entire mountain with raw spiritual energy, its own weight would cause the foundation to collapse. The spiritual waves will spread the force evenly."

Chen Feng looked at the mountain.

"So we’re not really lifting the mountain itself."

"We are."

Chen Yan glanced at him.

"We’re simply making sure it doesn’t tear itself apart while we do it."

Chen Feng nodded slowly.

"That makes sense."

Chen Yuan looked at the mountain and smiled.

"After all, it’s easy to destroy something. Moving it without destroying it is the difficult part."

Chen Yan nodded, and Chen Yuan raised his hand further.

The crimson-golden fireflies immediately began gathering beneath the mountain.

Soon, a vast crimson-golden ocean stretched beneath the entire mountain, its countless lights moving like a living sea.

Chen Yan struck the bell again.

Clang.

Another layer of spiritual waves surged beneath the mountain.

The entire peak trembled as the roots of the trees began pulling free from the earth, causing the surrounding soil to crack.

Several streams flowing down the slopes suddenly spilled into the air as the mountain’s foundation began separating from the ground.

Chen Yuan immediately redirected the water with his spiritual energy, guiding the streams safely away from the villages and settlements far beyond the mountain range.

Chen Yan continued ringing the bell.

Clang.

Clang.

Each sound sent another wave beneath the mountain, reinforcing the invisible foundation.

The mountain slowly began to rise.

At first, only a few inches.

It rose several feet, then dozens more, until the ground beneath it finally broke apart with a deep rumble and the enormous mountain began floating in the air.

Chen Feng stared at the sight.

"So we’re actually doing this."

Chen Yuan glanced at him.

"You sound surprised."

"I was expecting us to spend half the day figuring out how."

Chen Yan gave the bell another gentle ring.

Clang.

"Fortunately, I figured it out."

Chen Feng looked at him.

"You just wanted an excuse to use that bell."

Chen Yan smiled.

"Perhaps."

Chen Feng shook his head.

Chen Yuan simply raised his hand.

The mountain began moving slowly, very slowly, through the air.

Chen Yuan controlled the crimson-golden fireflies beneath one side while Chen Yan maintained the spiritual waves supporting the other. Together, they kept the enormous mass level as it began traveling through the sky.

Chen Feng drew his ancient sword.

A thin layer of sword intent spread from the blade and covered the mountain. The loose rocks along its slopes stopped shifting, and the trees stopped swaying as violently.

Even the soil remained firmly attached to the mountain.

Chen Feng looked at the enormous peak.

"I suppose I’ll handle anything that starts falling."

"Good," Chen Yuan said.

The mountain continued across the sky.

Far below, people began noticing the enormous shadow moving across the land.

A farmer working in his field suddenly stopped.

His hoe slipped from his hands as he slowly looked upward, his eyes widening at the sight above him.

A mountain was flying through the sky.

He stared at it for several seconds before bending down to pick up his hoe.

He stopped halfway and looked back up, only to find the mountain still there, prompting him to mutter, "...I really need to stop drinking that cheap rice wine."

A woman hanging clothes outside her home heard him.

"What are you talking about?"

The farmer pointed upward without saying anything.

She looked.

Her hands froze.

"...Dear."

"Hmm?"

"I think our mountain is flying."

The farmer nodded slowly.

"I know..."

They stood there for several seconds, not knowing how to react to the scene.

The three continued moving the mountain toward the Chen Family’s territory, completely unaware of the conversations their actions had caused below.

After some time, the familiar land surrounding the Chen Family’s grounds finally appeared in the distance.

Chen Yuan slowly reduced the speed.

Chen Yan stopped striking the bell.

The final clang echoed across the wilderness.

The spiritual waves beneath the mountain gradually weakened, but they did not disappear completely.

Chen Yuan’s crimson-golden fireflies continued supporting the enormous mass as it slowly descended.

The Chen Family’s Main Peak stood in the distance.

Beside it was the empty land where Chen Feng’s Swordheart Peak would be established.

Chen Yuan guided the mountain toward it, while Chen Feng kept his sword intent spread across the entire peak. At the same time, Chen Yan maintained the spiritual waves beneath its foundation.

Slowly, carefully, the mountain descended.

Then its foundation touched the earth.

BOOM!

A tremendous tremor spread through the surrounding land.

Dust surged outward as the trees shook violently and the nearby family grounds trembled beneath everyone’s feet, but the mountain remained intact.

Chen Yuan waved his hand.

The crimson-golden fireflies dispersed into the air before returning to him.

Chen Yan lowered his bell as the remaining spiritual waves faded away, while Chen Feng sheathed his sword and said, "One down."

Chen Yan looked toward the remaining empty space.

"One more to go."

The second mountain was chosen from another part of the same wilderness, and this time, the process took them less time.

Chen Yuan summoned his crimson-golden fireflies while Chen Yan raised his black bell and repeated the same method, sending spiritual waves through the mountain and gathering them beneath its foundation.

Chen Feng reinforced the mountain with his sword intent, and together, the three ancestors slowly lifted the enormous peak into the sky.

By now, some of the villagers below barely reacted. One old farmer looked up as the mountain passed overhead.

"Another one."

His wife stood beside him.

"Do you know what’s happening?"

"No."

"Should we be worried?"

The farmer thought about it for a moment before shaking his head with a wry smile.

"If the high immortals wanted to destroy us, I don’t think they’d bother carrying the mountain so carefully."

Eventually, the second mountain reached the Chen Family’s territory.

It descended on the right side of the Main Peak this time.

BOOM!

Another tremendous tremor shook the earth. Dust rolled across the surrounding fields before gradually settling.

The three floated above the newly established Peaks, with the Main Peak standing in the center, Chen Feng’s Swordheart Peak to one side, and Chen Yan’s future Peak on the other.

Chen Feng finally nodded with a smile as he rubbed his beard.

"Not bad."

Chen Yan looked over the three mountains.

"Once we build the structures, roads, and halls, it’ll look much better."

Chen Feng glanced at him.

"Of course you’re already thinking about construction costs."

Chen Yan looked completely serious.

"Someone has to. But don’t worry, I will borrow some money from Haoran and Guanshan for it."

Chen Yuan looked at the three mountains, then at the family grounds below.

"It looks like we have quite a lot of work ahead of us."

Chen Feng sighed.

"More than I expected."

Chen Yan’s expression suddenly brightened.

"Especially the businesses."

Chen Feng immediately looked at him.

"Don’t start."

"I haven’t said anything."

"You were about to."

Chen Yuan sighed quietly.

The three ancestors remained suspended above the newly established Peaks, already realizing that moving the mountains had probably been the easiest part of building them.