Chapter 48: The doubt.

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The doubt.

After discussing several more important matters, Chen Yan instructed Chen Haoran to begin sending people to the three Peaks and start the construction.

Chen Haoran naturally obliged.

At the same time, Qingxue asked when Chen Yan intended to depart for the capital.

Chen Yan told her that they would leave once everything that needed to be handled here had been settled, and that he would inform her when the time came.

Afterward, Chen Yuan sent the two back to the ground before turning toward Chen Yan and Chen Feng.

He looked at the newly established Peaks for several breaths before asking,

"What do you two think?"

Chen Feng remained silent for a few breaths, his hand resting casually against the hilt of his ancient sword.

Then he shrugged.

"It doesn’t matter what I think."

"If something is truly wrong, I’ll just draw my sword and cut through the situation."

Chen Yuan looked at him, and in response, Chen Feng calmly stroked his beard.

"Things are usually much simpler when you have a sword."

Chen Yan could only shake his head before shrugging.

"As long as Qingxue isn’t hurt, I don’t really care about anything else."

His expression remained relaxed, but his gaze gradually became more serious as he looked toward the direction of the capital.

"However, we should still pay attention to what’s happening there."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly.

"Because of the Luo Family?"

"Not just them."

Chen Yan folded his arms.

"The well-being of the Great Yan Kingdom indirectly affects our Chen Family as well. If the kingdom becomes unstable, it won’t remain someone else’s problem forever."

He glanced toward the newly established Peaks.

"We can stay out of the affairs of the kingdom as much as we want, but if the situation in the capital deteriorates, sooner or later it will reach us."

Chen Yuan remained silent, his expression gradually becoming thoughtful. After several breaths, he finally spoke.

"We are too passive in this situation."

Chen Yan’s eyebrows rose.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Feng also turned his attention toward Chen Yuan, clearly intrigued by his words.

Chen Yuan did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly turned his back toward them and looked down at the family grounds below.

Numerous members of the Chen Family were already moving between the three Peaks under Chen Haoran’s guidance. Some carried construction materials, while others followed instructions and began preparing the foundations for the buildings that would soon rise upon the mountains.

The sight was peaceful, almost ordinary. Yet Chen Yuan’s gaze gradually became deeper.

"I don’t want to follow the script that this world has to offer."

Chen Yan’s expression changed slightly.

"Meaning?"

Chen Yuan continued looking over the family grounds.

"Why should we wait for the Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom to decide what happens next?"

He paused.

"Why should we wait for the Royal Family to make their move?"

"And why should we sit here wondering whether the Luo Family, the capital, or some other hidden force is plotting something against us?"

Chen Yuan slowly turned his head toward them.

"Why don’t we make our own script instead?"

The words caused both Chen Yan and Chen Feng to fall silent. Chen Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And force the world to follow it."

Chen Feng stared at him blankly, clearly not understanding. Chen Yan, however, did. His eyes widened as the memories and experiences he shared with Chen Yuan began connecting the pieces together.

"Chen Yuan..."

His voice became slightly uncertain.

"You don’t mean that..."

Chen Yuan looked at him.

"If not?"

Chen Yan’s expression changed.

"T-that’s insane, Chen Yuan."

He paused.

"But..."

A grin slowly appeared on his face.

"That’s... much more fun."

Chen Feng looked between the two of them, completely at a loss.

"What are you two talking about?"

Neither answered immediately. Chen Yuan simply turned his gaze back toward the family grounds. Then, in a calm voice, he said,

"Who said we need to fight the Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom because they want us to?"

Chen Feng’s expression became even more confused. Chen Yuan continued,

"Who said we need to fear them?"

His eyes slowly narrowed.

"We can create our own enemies."

The words made Chen Yan’s smile widen. Chen Yuan raised his hand slightly, gesturing toward the vast family grounds beneath them.

"We can create conflicts. We can create enemies. We can create legends."

"We can make a performance so convincing that the entire world will believe it."

Chen Feng finally understood that Chen Yuan was not joking. Almost too dramatically, Chen Yuan continued, his voice carrying into the wind.

"Fake histories."

"Fake characters."

"Fake battles."

"Fake enemies."

He lowered his hand.

"And if necessary..."

His voice became quieter.

"Fake world..."

Chen Yan’s breathing stopped for a brief moment. Chen Yuan turned toward the two of them.

"I have the ability to do that."

His gaze was calm, but there was an unmistakable confidence within it.

"The system has already shown me what it can do. I can create ancestors that never existed. I can create their histories, their achievements, their techniques, their legends..."

He paused.

"And once the world accepts their existence, reality itself follows."

Chen Feng stared at him, finally understanding the terrifying implication behind Chen Yuan’s words. Chen Yuan wasn’t talking about deceiving a few people. Instead, he was talking about writing a story and making reality itself accept it as truth.

Chen Yuan looked toward the distant horizon.

"So why should we follow the script that someone else has written for us?"

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"We will write our own."

Chen Yan’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

"And make the world follow it."

"And as such, I think we should make some slight adjustments to our next Ancestor’s appearance."

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of adjustments?"

Chen Yuan looked toward the distant horizon.

"We can’t simply repeat what we did with Chen Feng. If another ancestor suddenly appears with another story about being hidden within the family for hundreds of years, our people will eventually become suspicious."

Chen Feng nodded slightly.

"So what do you intend to do?"

"This time, we create the story to perform before the very world, our own script."

Chen Yuan continued calmly.

"The clues, the evidence, the ancient records, the relics... even the enemies."

Chen Feng’s expression changed slightly.

He already knew how Chen Yan had come into existence, including his ability to alter his appearance and create another identity. Chen Yuan had also explained the nature of the technique to him.

"So you want us to become the enemies?"

"Of course, I don’t think there are better candidates that are good at acting than us."

Chen Yuan laughed, spreading his hand.

"That’s it, I can already see it. I will rewrite the world according to our will."

A month passed quickly, and by then, news of the demonic invasion had spread throughout the entire Great Yan Kingdom.

The invasion was no longer confined to the southern border. Every region of the kingdom had been affected in one way or another.

Some areas had suffered direct attacks, while others had encountered demons that had already infiltrated their cities, cultivation families, sects, and various organizations.

Even regions far from the battlefield had begun receiving reports of strange disappearances, suspicious individuals, and demonic activity.

The southern border remained the most heavily affected region, with city after city falling into chaos as the demonic forces pushed through the weakened defenses.

The imperial army stationed there remained insufficient to resist the Blackmoon Kingdom’s invading army.

Countless cultivators and civilians were forced to flee their homes, while reports of abandoned cities, destroyed fortifications, missing soldiers, and strange creatures appearing among human settlements traveled along every major road.

As the news reached deeper into the kingdom, the atmosphere changed.

Cultivation families began recalling their members stationed outside their territories. Sect leaders ordered their disciples to remain cautious when traveling, while merchants temporarily suspended some of their routes.

Even ordinary mortals began hearing stories of demons hiding among humans, causing many towns and villages to become increasingly wary of strangers.

The Imperial Court soon issued an official statement, confirming that the kingdom was facing a large-scale demonic invasion and that the southern border had suffered severe losses.

The Royal Family declared that the kingdom would not surrender its territory to the Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom and ordered the remaining forces along the southern border to reinforce the defensive lines.

The Imperial Court also admitted that the scale of the invasion had exceeded their previous understanding of the situation and that they had failed to detect the demons that had somehow infiltrated deep into other regions of the kingdom.

One official’s family was caught and sentenced to death to take responsibility for the failure. To most people, it appeared that the family was responsible for allowing so many demons to infiltrate the kingdom, but the other high-ranking officials knew it had been the King’s decision to provide a scapegoat to bear the blame.

After all, the kingdom could not have no one to blame for so many losses.

They needed someone to take the fall.

But among all the reports spreading throughout the kingdom, one city quickly became the center of everyone’s attention.

Blue Cloud Mist City.

Unlike the other cities along the southern border, Blue Cloud Mist City had not simply fallen to the demons.

The demons had already been inside.

They had infiltrated the city for decades, taking control of important positions and even infiltrating several cultivation families. They had secretly constructed a formation capable of connecting the city directly to the Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom.

Then three High Lords had crossed through it.

And the most incredible thing happened.

The city had survived, and the story spread rapidly.

People talked about the Imperial Envoy who had fought against the demons. They talked about the three terrifying High Lords that had appeared above the city.

But above all else, people began asking the same question.

Who had stopped them?

The answer soon spread throughout the kingdom.

The Chen Family.

A family that had previously been almost unknown outside its region had suddenly revealed three High Lords.

Three High Lords had appeared in Blue Cloud Mist City and annihilated the invading demonic forces.

The news was so shocking that even cultivators who had never heard of the Chen Family before began remembering the name. The major families in the capital were shaken, and even the Imperial Court had to summon everyone back to discuss it.

Within only a few days, the Chen Family went from an insignificant cultivation clan to one of the most discussed families in the kingdom.

Rumors began spreading everywhere.

Some claimed the Chen Family had hidden its strength for centuries.

Others believed the family had secretly produced several powerful ancestors.

Some even claimed that the Chen Family possessed an ancient inheritance that had allowed them to rise so quickly.

Nobody knew the truth.

And in the capital, the Imperial Court could no longer pretend that it was merely another small cultivation family.

The Chen Family had officially entered the sight of the kingdom’s highest powers.

Deep within the capital stood the Imperial Palace, its enormous halls occupying an entire section of the city behind layers of defensive formations.

At the heart of the palace was the Imperial Throne Hall.

The massive doors slowly opened, revealing hundreds of officials already waiting inside.

They stood in orderly rows beneath towering golden pillars, with military commanders on one side and civil officials on the other, while representatives of the four great cultivation families stood closer to the front.

The atmosphere was unusually solemn.

At the highest point of the hall, upon the elevated throne, sat the King of Great Yan, Zhao Tianqiong.

He was a tall, broad-shouldered man in his early fifties, with long black hair streaked faintly with silver and sharp golden-brown eyes.

A dark crimson imperial robe embroidered with a coiling golden dragon covered his body, while a simple jade crown held his hair in place, giving him an imposing presence without appearing overly extravagant.

Several members of the Royal Family stood nearby, including the First Prince, Zhao Mingde, the Second Prince, Zhao Wenrui, the Third Prince, Zhao Yucheng, and the Fourth Prince, Zhao Hongyuan.

The two princesses, Zhao Ling’er and Zhao Xinya, stood behind them.

Among the highest-ranking figures of the kingdom stood representatives of the four great cultivation families.

The Ye Family.

The Lin Family.

The Su Family.

And the Qin Family.

At the center of the hall stood a single man dressed in the dark robes of an Imperial Court official, holding a sealed document with both hands.

The doors behind him slowly closed.

For several breaths, nobody spoke.

Then an elderly eunuch standing beside the throne stepped forward and raised his voice.

"All officials, representatives of the great families, and commanders of the Great Yan Kingdom..."

His voice echoed throughout the enormous hall.

"Bow before His Majesty, the High Lord of the human race."

Every official immediately lowered themselves.

"We greet His Majesty!"

The unified voice shook the hall.

Zhao Tianqiong slowly raised one hand.

"Rise."

Everyone stood.

The eunuch returned to his position, while the official standing in the center of the hall stepped forward and lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, the representatives of the great families and the officials of the Imperial Court have gathered as ordered."

Zhao Tianqiong looked down from his throne.

"Begin."

The official slowly opened the sealed document.

"Your Majesty, the latest reports from the southern border are worsening. The Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom continues to maintain a large presence beyond the border in the southern region, and several cities have already been abandoned after repeated attacks. Our remaining forces are struggling to hold the defensive lines, but as the days pass, our defensive lines are retreating deeper and deeper."

"How many soldiers remain?"

"Less than we originally estimated, Your Majesty. We have suffered heavy casualties over the past month, and several reinforcement groups have yet to arrive."

The official hesitated before continuing, clearly not daring to state the exact number.

"If the southern region’s defenses are to be held, we will need at least another five hundred thousand soldiers, along with additional cultivators from the various sects and families to hold the current line."

"The enemy’s Foundation Establishment cultivators outnumber ours by nearly ten to one. If we don’t send more high-end forces, we may completely lose the southern border within the next year."

A minister immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, sending another five hundred thousand soldiers to the southern border would severely weaken our defenses in the other regions. We have already received reports of demonic infiltrators within several cities. If we move too many forces south, those regions may become vulnerable."

The military official turned toward him.

"And if we do nothing, there may soon be no southern border left to defend. Then it would be your region next to be invaded."

The hall fell quiet.

Zhao Tianqiong did not immediately respond. Instead, he looked toward another official.

"What of the western region?"

The official stepped forward.

"The situation in the western region has stabilized somewhat, Your Majesty. Several cities were attacked earlier this month, and two smaller cities reported demonic infiltrators within their governing organizations. However, there have been no major attacks for several days."

Zhao Tianqiong’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What of the central region?"

"Similar, Your Majesty. There are still reports of suspected demons being discovered among the population, but the large-scale attacks have suddenly stopped."

"And the northern region?"

"The same."

The official lowered the report slightly.

"Except for the southern border, where the Blackmoon Demonic Kingdom’s main army continues to advance, the demonic forces in nearly every other region have either withdrawn or drastically reduced their activities."

The hall grew quiet, and eventually, the representative of the Su Family stepped forward.

"Then there is something I do not understand."

He looked toward the officials.

"If the demons have suddenly retreated from almost every region except the southern border, why?"

In response, an official from the Zhao Family suddenly spoke, his expression becoming more solemn.

"Perhaps this is connected to the battle that took place at the southern border many years ago."

He turned slightly toward the throne, his voice carrying a hint of admiration.

"His Majesty personally entered the battlefield alongside the Royal Family’s Ancestor, Zhao Wuchen, the Imperial Court’s High Lord, Guo Tianming, and the Ye Family’s Ancestor, Ye Cangyuan. The four High Lords confronted the four demonic High Lords directly and, after a fierce battle, managed to severely injure one of them before forcing all four to retreat."

He lowered his head respectfully.

"Even among the High Lords, such a battle is rarely witnessed. His Majesty and the other three Ancestors stood against four demonic High Lords and drove them from the battlefield, demonstrating the strength of our kingdom’s greatest cultivators."

He paused before continuing.

"Although that battle happened many years ago, the demons may have remembered the consequences. With their four High Lords having once been defeated and driven back by our strongest human cultivators, it is possible that the demons in the other regions chose to retreat before our High Lords could take action against them again."

The Zhao Family official glanced at the reports in his hands.

"Perhaps they feared that continuing their advance would draw the attention of His Majesty and the other High Lords of our human race, leaving their forces exposed to another devastating defeat."

The representative of the Imperial Court, who had remained silent until then, finally stepped forward. He looked toward the official who was speaking before turning his gaze toward the rest of the hall.

"So you aren’t going to credit the Chen Family for the demons’ retreat?"

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere inside the Throne Hall changed.

The casual murmurs that had filled the hall disappeared.

The representatives of the four great families became silent, while the officials standing nearby instinctively straightened their backs.

Even the princes and princesses behind the throne turned their attention toward the Imperial Court representative.

The man’s expression remained calm, but his words had clearly struck at something everyone present had been carefully avoiding.