Chapter 62: Uneventful day.

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Uneventful day.

Zhao Tianqiong remained standing beside the table, his eyes fixed on Chen Yan.

The anger that had surfaced earlier had gradually faded, replaced by a heavy silence as he tried to sort through everything he had just heard.

Eventually, he let out a slow breath and returned to his seat. "Fellow Daoist Chen Yan..."

His voice was much calmer now.

"Pardon me for my earlier reaction."

Chen Yan looked at him but said nothing. Zhao Tianqiong rubbed his forehead lightly before letting his hand fall. "Your claims are simply too great. An ancient era returning, forgotten beings appearing again, an Ancient Lord’s tomb that can move from one place to another..."

He gave a small, helpless smile. "For someone like me, hearing all of that at once is rather difficult to accept."

His gaze drifted toward the three people sitting to the side.

Zhao Linger had already lowered her eyes, while Zhao Lianyu sat quietly beside her. Qingxue had also lowered her gaze, listening without interrupting.

Zhao Tianqiong looked at them for a few seconds.

"This involves a secret that seems to stretch back several thousand years, perhaps even further. Even my Zhao Family’s records contain no hint of it."

"If such a thing truly exists, then what we know about the history of this world may be far less complete than we believed."

He slowly shook his head.

"So perhaps my reaction earlier was somewhat understandable."

Chen Yan smiled faintly.

"Your reaction is justified, Fellow Daoist Zhao Tianqiong. You don’t need to apologize."

He leaned back slightly, his expression relaxed once more. "If I were in your position, I doubt I would simply accept such claims either."

His fingers lightly brushed against the armrest. "Besides, I did not come here expecting you to believe everything immediately."

Zhao Tianqiong looked at him.

"Then why tell me?"

Chen Yan’s gaze became slightly more serious. "Because the Royal Family showed sincerity toward our Chen Family first."

He glanced briefly toward Zhao Linger.

"You sent your own daughter to our family, entrusted her with the decree personally, and even sent such a generous gift with her. Considering that, our Chen Family should at least return that sincerity in our own way."

Zhao Tianqiong’s eyes softened slightly. He understood that Chen Yan had not come to demand anything from the Royal Family.

Rather, he had simply decided that if the Royal Family was willing to acknowledge the Chen Family and extend goodwill toward them, then the Chen Family should not hide something this important in return.

The King nodded slowly.

"I understand."

The atmosphere settled again. Chen Yan was just about to speak when Zhao Tianqiong suddenly raised his hand. "Then can our two families work together from now on?"

Chen Yan’s brows lifted.

"Work together?"

He tilted his head slightly, a knowing smile appearing on his face. Chen Yan did not answer immediately, instead waiting for Zhao Tianqiong to explain what he meant.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao Tianqiong, what do you mean by that?"

Zhao Tianqiong leaned forward, both hands resting against his knees.

"If what you’ve explained is true..."

His gaze became firm.

"Then what we are dealing with..."

He paused, correcting himself.

"No. What the entire kingdom will soon come face to face with isn’t simply another invasion of demons, is it?"

Chen Yan’s expression gradually became solemn.

"No."

The single word carried more weight than anything else he had said. Zhao Tianqiong slowly nodded. "Then I’m willing to work together with the Chen Family, if such cooperation is possible."

He looked directly at Chen Yan. "To prepare for whatever is coming."

Chen Yan’s expression didn’t change at Zhao Tianqiong’s words.

He slowly rose from his chair, straightening his slightly disheveled robes before giving the King a calm glance. "I will deliver your words to the other Ancestors of my Chen Family."

"Such a big decision, I wouldn’t dare make it on my own behalf of the family. After all..."

Chen Yan paused. "In terms of seniority, there is someone in the family whom even the other Ancestors have to respect."

Zhao Tianqiong nodded, and he wasn’t disheartened by Chen Yan’s words.

Chen Yan continued, "When the time comes, you should pay my family a visit. We can have a more in-depth discussion then, Fellow Daoist Zhao Tianqiong."

"After all, there are still many things that cannot be explained properly in a single conversation."

Zhao Tianqiong looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"Then I shall look forward to that day."

Chen Yan gave a faint smile.

"Likewise."

He turned toward Qingxue, who was already preparing to leave.

"Let’s go."

The two walked toward the entrance together, leaving Zhao Tianqiong, Zhao Linger, and Zhao Lianyu behind in the quiet chamber.

The door opened on its own, startling the guards standing outside. Before they could say anything, Chen Yan’s figure gradually faded from the hall, taking Qingxue with him.

Within a few breaths, the two had completely disappeared, leaving only Zhao Tianqiong, Zhao Linger, and Zhao Lianyu behind.

None of them spoke immediately.

Zhao Tianqiong leaned against the back of his chair, his eyes fixed on the empty space where Chen Yan had stood. Too many thoughts were running through his mind, and sorting through all of them was becoming troublesome.

Eventually, he shifted his gaze toward the two women. "You two have heard enough, haven’t you? And I suppose you know more than I do at present."

The two flinched.

"Tell me what the two of you know."

Zhao Linger exchanged a glance with Zhao Lianyu before briefly recounting what had happened during their journey.

They described the masked cultivator who had suddenly appeared during their crossing of the Great Divide, the strange words he had spoken about the Ancient Lord’s tomb, and the battle that followed.

They also explained how the attacker had used a terrifying golden spear technique and how Chen Yan had been forced to defend the carriage before eventually bringing them safely back to the Imperial City.

Zhao Lianyu added what she had noticed during the confrontation, including the masked cultivator’s strange familiarity with Chen Yan and the Ancient Lord’s tomb.

Neither of them added anything beyond what they had personally witnessed.

Zhao Tianqiong listened without interrupting.

When they finished, he leaned back against his chair again, one hand resting against the armrest.

He remained silent. The chamber gradually became quiet once more, leaving only the faint hum of the concealment formation surrounding the room.

Then, beside the King’s chair, the air suddenly distorted.

A figure quietly emerged from the space itself. He was dressed in a pristine white robe.

A white hood covered his head, while delicate golden lines ran along its edges and disappeared into the folds of his robe, giving him an austere appearance.

Zhao Tianqiong did not turn immediately, since he already knew who had arrived.

"Wuchen..."

The figure lowered his hood slightly, revealing an aged face beneath it. "Zhao Tianqiong."

Throughout the conversation, Zhao Wuchen had been silently eavesdropping from the very beginning.

No matter how discreetly he tried to conceal his presence, Chen Yan had noticed him from the start. However, he had simply shrugged it off, considering it a harmless action.

The two exchanged a quiet glance. In front of them, Zhao Lianyu and Zhao Linger immediately rose from their seats.

"Greetings, Ancestor Wuchen!"

Both cupped their hands and bowed respectfully. Zhao Wuchen gave them a slight nod before turning his attention toward Zhao Tianqiong.

The King gestured toward the empty seat beside him.

"What do you think of the situation so far?"

Zhao Wuchen did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly raised one hand, and several strange, glowing orbs appeared above his palm.

They floated in a loose circle, their surfaces shifting through different colours as though countless lights were moving beneath them. "It’s hard to say, old friend."

"The words spoken by Fellow Daoist Chen Yan were too much for both you and me to take in at once. A warning of an impending doom, of something that would soon come... I’ve never heard of such an ominous history before."

"However..."

His hand moved, and the floating orbs shifted alongside it. His eyes followed their movements, reflecting their changing colours. "The Late Ancestor once practiced a taboo technique to glimpse disasters that might occur in the future."

Zhao Tianqiong’s expression changed slightly.

"Before he passed away, he summoned me and warned me of something that was yet to come."

He lowered his hand slightly, causing the glowing orbs to drift closer together.

"What did the Late Ancestor tell you?"

Zhao Wuchen’s gaze settled on him.

"Beware of the deceiver."

The words fell into the chamber.

Zhao Tianqiong fell silent, his fingers resting against the armrest. After a while, he looked toward Zhao Wuchen again.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you implying that the Chen Family might be trying to deceive us?"

"I don’t know."

Zhao Wuchen shook his head.

"Nor do I have any particular speculation. But I doubt Fellow Daoist Chen Yan would lie about something this important. An unknown High Lord attacked him during his journey here, after all. That alone is already more than enough of a headache."

He closed his palm, and the glowing orbs gradually disappeared.

"A High Lord who operates without any rules..." Zhao Wuchen continued, his expression growing solemn. "Can you imagine how much freedom such a person possesses? There is no telling what he might do, especially if his intentions remain unknown."

Zhao Tianqiong’s brows tightened as he recalled Chen Yan’s description of the masked cultivator.

After some thought, he asked, "Do you know of any records mentioning an Ancient Lord’s tomb?"

Zhao Wuchen fell quiet.

He looked at Zhao Tianqiong, then at the two women standing nearby. Judging by their expressions, they had already heard about the tomb during the masked man’s attack.

"It isn’t difficult to guess what that title means, is it? Especially with the available information at hand that a path that directly pointed to that realm is in there."

Zhao Tianqiong frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Ancient Lord is a title given to a Golden Core cultivator."

For a brief instant, the three of them seemed to lose their ability to speak.

Zhao Linger’s eyes widened, while Zhao Lianyu’s composed expression finally showed a hint of disbelief. Even Zhao Tianqiong, who had already heard so much from Chen Yan, couldn’t help but straighten in his seat.

"Golden Core..."

He repeated the words quietly.

Zhao Wuchen nodded.

"That is what the title means. It’s rather obvious, no?"

The three exchanged glances, and a troubling possibility began to take shape in their minds.

The Chen Family was searching for the Ancient Lord’s tomb and the masked cultivator had been searching for it as well.

’To survive whatever is coming, we need to find the tomb.’

’A path that points directly to the Golden Core realm lies inside it.’

Zhao Tianqiong’s thoughts returned to Chen Yan’s earlier warning.

The masked cultivator had spoken of finding the tomb as though it were the only way to survive the approaching calamity. The Chen Family must have discovered something about it as well, or else the attack would make little sense.

Were they pursuing the same goal? And if so, what exactly did they know about what was coming?

Zhao Wuchen suddenly broke the silence.

"I will visit the Chen Family."

Zhao Tianqiong turned toward him.

"You will?"

"I will go and speak with them personally. You don’t need to come. Stay here and continue managing the kingdom."

"B-but..."

Zhao Tianqiong began to object, but Zhao Wuchen raised a hand.

"We cannot be certain when that masked cultivator might appear again, nor do we know which side he belongs to."

His gaze shifted toward the glowing orbs that had vanished from his palm. "Until we understand more, the Royal Family cannot afford to leave the capital unguarded."

"And do not fear. Our Royal Family isn’t any weaker than the Chen Family. They are not the only ones hiding secrets."

Meanwhile in the eastern region, somewhere deep beneath the earth, Chen Yuan and Chen Feng had finally completed the excavation of an enormous underground area.

What had once been a narrow cavern buried deep beneath the earth had expanded into an enormous hollow space, stretching nearly ten kilometers from one end to the other.

Its ceiling was so far above the ground that even Chen Yuan, with his powerful spiritual sense, needed to look carefully to grasp the full scale of the excavation.

The surrounding stone walls were uneven in some places, clearly the marks of repeated strikes and the occasional deep cut left by Chen Feng’s sword.

Large sections of rock had been removed entirely, leaving behind broad passages and open spaces that connected the different parts of the underground area.

There was no natural light here. Only a few crimson fireflies floated through the darkness, illuminating the newly excavated ground and the two figures standing at its center.

Chen Yuan looked around, then slowly withdrew his spiritual sense.

"That should be enough."

Beside him, Chen Feng lowered his sword. He had spent much of the work cutting through the stubborn layers of rock, while Chen Yuan used his spiritual energy to move the broken stone away.

Even for two cultivators of their strength, excavating such a vast area had taken considerably longer than expected.

Chen Feng glanced toward the distant walls.

"Nearly ten kilometers underground, and you still intend to make it larger?"

"Of course not. This is already enough."

"And next, we will need innocent actors to take part into our grand story."

Chen Yan looked over the vast underground space, his gaze lingering on the maze of passages they had yet to carve out.

Chen Feng turned toward him, resting one hand on the hilt of his sword.

"For what?"

"To lay the groundwork and build up enough credibility for this place to materialize early. After all, we wouldn’t want to present an empty tomb to the world’s eyes in the later stages, no?"

Chen Feng glanced at the empty cavern, then back at Chen Yan.

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Chen Yichen, and the other two. The three genius of our clan, it is time for them to rise."

Chen Feng frowned at Chen Yuan’s words, "What do you intend to do with those three, Chen Yuan?"

Chen Yuan smiled, gently waving his hand as he moved another huge chunk of rocks on the ground, "I don’t know whether you’ve heard of the term Children of Heaven."

"You?"

Chen Feng’s expression changed. His eyes widened slightly as he stared at Chen Yuan. Then, seemingly understanding his intention, his face turned horrified.

"You’re not thinking of..." He paused, his voice lowering. "Tampering with the will of Heaven? Is that your purpose?"

Chen Yuan looked at him calmly.

"We’ve been tampering with the will of Heaven for a long time, Chen Feng."

Chen Feng fell silent.

"And yes, I intend to turn these three children into them."

Chen Yuan’s gaze returned to the one of the drifting flaming fireflies.

"Children blessed by Heaven."

Chen Feng stared at him, unable to hide the unease on his face. He had thought Chen Yuan was merely planning to give the three youngsters an opportunity to grow stronger. But this...

"Chen Yuan, do you understand what you’re proposing?"

Chen Yuan smiled.

"Of course."

He raised his hand, and a faint crimson firefly drifted between his fingers.

"After all, if Heaven is going to choose its children..."

His smile deepened.

"Why shouldn’t we choose them first?"