Chapter 61: The truth.

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The truth.

Zhao Tianqiong did not immediately ask Chen Yan to continue. He understood the hidden implications behind Chen Yan’s words.

Instead, he raised one hand and slowly swept it through the air in a gentle wave.

In the next second, a faint ripple of spiritual energy spread from his palm, so subtle that it was almost impossible to notice. It moved across the chamber before sinking into the walls, floor, and ceiling.

One formation pattern after another emerged beneath the surface, thin lines of light connecting into a complicated network that gradually surrounded the entire room.

Zhao Tianqiong watched the patterns settle into place before making a small adjustment with his fingers. He rotated them clockwise, and a final thread of spiritual energy connected the formation together.

The faint hum that followed lasted only a few breaths before disappearing completely into the air. He slowly lowered his hand to his side and turned his gaze toward Chen Yan.

"That should be enough. Now, no one would be able to listen to our conversation without permission."

Chen Yan looked around the room.

His eyes moved slowly across the walls before settling on the floor beneath him.

"I’ve never thought the King of Great Yan, a High Lord who dabbles in swordsmanship, would be this exceptionally well-versed in the art of spiritual formations."

Zhao Tianqiong glanced at him and gave a quiet laugh. He returned to his seat and adjusted his robe before speaking.

"I wouldn’t go that far, Fellow Daoist. I just know a little here and there. Nothing much."

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

Zhao Tianqiong’s answer was casual, almost dismissive of his own ability. He rested one hand against the armrest and glanced toward the formation surrounding them.

"Compared with a true formation master, I really don’t know much. I only learned enough to protect certain places in the palace. There are many things about formations that I still don’t understand."

"The wonder of formations lies in their ability to resonate with the world. It is a breathtaking art that does not involve the three laws of the heavens."

"Sadly enough, our kingdom has never seen the rise of a third-grade formation master since the Late Ancestor of my Zhao Family passed away."

Chen Yan gave a faint smile but did not pursue the matter. He could tell that the King was being modest, but there was no reason to argue about it.

"Then I suppose there is modesty in everything."

The atmosphere gradually settled.

Zhao Linger sat quietly a short distance away, her hands resting neatly in her lap. Zhao Lianyu remained beside her, her posture straight and composed, though her eyes occasionally moved toward Chen Yan.

Qingxue sat slightly farther to the side, remaining silent like the other two as they waited for the conversation to continue.

At this moment, Zhao Tianqiong leaned slightly forward, resting his forearms against his knees. His voice was quieter than before.

"Now then, what do you wish to discuss with me? I suppose it must be rather important, no?"

Zhao Tianqiong paused, his eyes moving over Chen Yan’s disheveled state despite the smile still lingering on his face.

"And I suppose it must be related to what happened to you, no?"

Chen Yan lowered his eyes for a few seconds, his fingers resting loosely against the arm of his chair as he considered how much he needed to say and how he should begin.

After a while, Chen Yan finally lifted his gaze.

"Indeed it does. Perhaps the heavens arranged it that way to hasten our meeting today..."

He paused, his eyes studying Zhao Tianqiong’s face for a brief moment before he calmly continued.

"Though before anything else, I hope you are prepared to hear everything I am about to say."

"It might sound ridiculous, impossible even, but I do hope you are willing to take it with an open heart."

Zhao Tianqiong looked at him for a few seconds before giving a quiet laugh. He leaned back slightly, one hand resting against the armrest as his expression settled into calm confidence.

"Do not worry. I am not someone who is easily puzzled. As for whether I will believe it or not, it depends on how authentic it might be."

There was no arrogance in his voice. He simply seemed confident that, regardless of what Chen Yan had to say, he could at least understand it.

Chen Yan shifted his right hand over the table, his left hand gesturing through the air as he began.

"There is something I came here to tell you, Your Majesty. It is not something I would normally bring directly to the ruler of Great Yan, nor is it something I would casually mention without being certain that it needed your attention."

He paused briefly, his gaze moving across the room before settling on Zhao Tianqiong again.

"But after what happened on our journey here, I believe remaining silent would be a mistake."

"King of Great Yan, ruler of the central region, I have come today to deliver news of a calamity that will soon descend upon this world on behalf of my Chen Family."

Zhao Tianqiong’s faint smile disappeared as he heard Chen Yan’s serious tone.

"..."

Before he could respond, Chen Yan continued in the same heavy tone, his voice lowered.

"It is an era when ancient ruins and forgotten inheritances will begin appearing throughout the current world, along with beings that should have disappeared countless years ago."

"I know it might be too much for you to take in, but it is the reality of the current situation. As such, I decided with the other Chen Family ancestors to bring this news to you and warn you of the chaos that is coming."

Zhao Tianqiong stared at Chen Yan, the hall falling completely silent as his eyes narrowed. Eventually, he let out a quiet breath and shook his head.

"And how am I supposed to react to that, Fellow Daoist Chen Yan?"

"Should I nod and believe it right away?"

Zhao Tianqiong smiled at first, but his expression slowly became complicated as he tried to process Chen Yan’s words.

"But I suppose that is not a very funny thing coming from you. So please, let us not joke around, friend. Such a grand claim isn’t something that can be thrown around lightly."

"There is a price for everything, and as such, I would suggest that you consider your words wisely before speaking."

Opposite him, Chen Yan slowly leaned forward, his right hand gesturing through the air as he smiled.

"And why would I joke around at a time like this? I wouldn’t dare bring such news to you purely out of such a useless intention."

His gaze became colder.

"Especially when our carriage was attacked during the journey while we were crossing the Great Divide."

Zhao Tianqiong’s expression changed.

"What are you trying to say, High Lord Chen Yan?"

Chen Yan didn’t wait any longer and immediately explained.

"The one who attacked us was a masked man who was no weaker than either of us."

"What do you think is so valuable that a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator would seek it out even if it meant fighting against me this deep within Great Yan’s territory?"

Zhao Tianqiong hesitated. He knew Chen Yan was trying to lead the conversation toward a revelation.

"Just tell me straight without these riddles, Fellow Daoist Chen Yan."

"Very well."

Chen Yan smiled.

"He is a follower of Decay. That is what our ancestors called them in the ancient records of the Chen Family, the Children Who Strayed From the Light."

"They should have been wiped out thousands of years ago. A group of ancient practitioners who walked the path of the damned."

"And now, one of them has returned and attacked me. I do not know what intentions he possessed or what he wanted from me at the time."

"But one thing is certain. Their appearance means that the great Era of Emergence has begun, an era where the past will converge with the present."

Chen Yan spoke directly without concealing anything anymore. However, he deliberately left one important piece of information aside. That would be for Zhao Lianyu and Zhao Linger to play their part later, when they told others what they had heard.

In front of him, Zhao Tianqiong frowned at these claims and immediately stood. His robe shifted as he turned slightly, his expression no longer carrying even a trace of amusement.

"Nonsense."

His voice was sharper this time.

"Our Royal Family has ruled Great Yan for centuries. We have records going back far beyond the kingdom’s founding, and I have never seen or heard anything like this."

He looked directly at Chen Yan.

"Fellow Daoist, please stop with this nonsense."

Chen Yan did not react to the harshness in his voice. Instead, he watched the King quietly.

Zhao Tianqiong took a few steps across the room before stopping beside the table. His expression remained tense, and his thoughts were clearly moving faster than before.

"Forgotten ruins suddenly emerging? Beings appearing from ancient eras?"

He shook his head.

"If something like this truly existed, how could the Royal Family have no record of it?"

Chen Yan finally spoke.

"It doesn’t matter whether you believe it now or not."

Zhao Tianqiong’s gaze returned to him.

"The fact that we were attacked by one of them isn’t the strange part."

Chen Yan’s voice became quieter.

"What concerns me is what they might know."

The King said nothing, and Chen Yan leaned slightly forward.

"The attacker knew about things that even my Chen Family had only recently begun investigating."

He paused.

"That is why I requested to speak with you directly. Otherwise, I would have settled my own issues first before coming here."

Zhao Tianqiong noticed the hidden piece of information Chen Yan had left undeclared.

The things that even my Chen Family had only recently begun investigating.

His brows furrowed further at that.

"Can’t you see, King of Great Yan, Zhao Tianqiong? Look at me."

And seemingly to notice the man’s doubt, Chen Yan spread his hand, revealing his torn robe and the remaining marks of dried blood.

"If this doesn’t set off your alarm, I don’t know what else would."

Zhao Tianqiong’s expression slowly changed. The anger in his eyes did not disappear completely, but uncertainty had begun to replace it.