Chapter 87 - 86: Appearance.

Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Appearance.

Three days passed before a piece of astonishing news spread throughout the eastern reaches of the Eastern Region, and even the entire kingdom.

Near Jade River City, a strange phenomenon had occurred.

A once-desolate plain, long regarded as little more than an empty stretch of land, had been transformed overnight into a field of flowers.

The sudden change was simply too conspicuous to go unnoticed.

Within a short period, the news had reached the surrounding cities, attracting the attention of nearby sects, cultivation families, and various forces.

Spies were dispatched to investigate, while the larger powers began gathering information of their own.

What they discovered only deepened their suspicions.

The field of flowers stretched for kilometers across the land, covering the desolate plain that had existed there for generations.

And as the spies continued their investigations, they gradually uncovered a number of local legends associated with the area, many of which had been carefully planted by Chen Yueran’s hidden schemes.

Those stories, combined with the sudden appearance of the flower field, were enough to set the major forces on edge.

Some suspected the emergence of an ancient inheritance.

Others wondered whether a hidden cultivator had established a secluded residence nearby, while a few more ambitious individuals began considering the possibility that an ancient ruin had resurfaced after remaining buried for countless years.

Whatever the truth might be, almost every major force in the Eastern Region began paying attention to Jade River City.

Yet, somewhat unexpectedly, even after another two days had passed, not a single major force had dispatched an expedition team to explore the newly transformed plain.

The initial excitement had spread far and wide, but it seemed to have dissipated just as quickly, leaving behind an unusual silence.

Of course, the reason was not particularly difficult to understand.

Everyone was waiting for someone else to make the first move.

The Eastern Region was no longer the same as it had been before.

With the Chen Family now recognized as the new ruling power of the region, no other force dared to act recklessly without first considering the consequences.

The flower field might have been an opportunity to obtain an extraordinary inheritance, but it could just as easily become the beginning of a conflict with thay ’family’.

After all, the Chen Family possessed three High Lords.

Such a force was not something the ordinary sects and cultivation families could afford to provoke.

Even among the major powers, few would be willing to risk offending the Chen Family.

Thus, despite their curiosity and growing unease, the various forces continued to observe from a distance, quietly gathering information while waiting for the Chen Family to make its intentions known.

For several days, the situation remained unchanged.

Everyone was waiting for the Chen Family.

Some expected an elder to arrive and inspect the area, while others believed the family would dispatch a small expedition team to investigate the flowers.

Such an approach would have been reasonable, allowing them to assess the situation.

However, when the Chen Family finally made its move, it did so in a manner that nobody had anticipated.

It began with a sudden change in the atmosphere.

The wind sweeping across the plain abruptly weakened, and the revitalized spiritual energy in the surrounding area began to tremble.

Several cultivators stationed nearby immediately raised their heads, sensing an immense pressure descending from the sky.

"What is this... Feeling?"

"My body... is feeling weird... "

"What’s happening?"

Before they could determine its source, three overwhelming auras erupted above the flower field.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Their spiritual pressure descended upon the land like an avalanche, spreading without the slightest attempt at concealment.

The ground trembled beneath the invisible weight.

Loose stones rolled down nearby hillsides, trees bent as their branches creaked under the pressure, and dust rose from the surrounding roads before being pressed back against the earth.

Across the plain, countless flowers bowed simultaneously, their stems bending beneath the immense force until the entire field seemed to ripple like a sea of blossoms.

Even the animals inhabiting the surrounding forests fled in panic.

For the cultivators nearby, the impact was far more immediate.

Several spies felt their spiritual energy falter, their concealment techniques collapsing as they struggled to withstand the pressure.

Some dropped to their knees, while others braced themselves against trees or rocks, their faces turning pale as they fought to maintain their composure.

The three auras were so overwhelming that merely remaining in their vicinity had become a struggle.

Then, three figures appeared high above the plain as the clouds above the heaven vacated apart from the middle.

The first to appear was as an elderly man dressed in a simple cultivator’s robe.

His white hair fell over his shoulders, as his gaze directed toward the flower field below.

It was Chen Feng.

Beside him stood Chen Yan, his figure exuding a formidable presence.

His expression was composed, and his gaze swept across the surrounding landscape, seemingly taking in every movement within his field of vision

The third figure stood slightly apart from them.

Chen Yuan wore his usual robes, his expression calm as he looked across the vast plain.

He possessed no extravagant ornaments or conspicuous weapons, and his appearance seemed almost ordinary compared with the immense auras surrounding him.

Nevertheless, the spiritual pressure he released was equally overwhelming, merging with the other two until the entire region seemed to fall beneath the weight of their combined presence.

A spy hiding behind a rocky outcropping stared at the three figures, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Th-Three High Lords..."

His companion immediately turned toward the sky.

The moment he recognized the figures, his face drained of color, and he instinctively lowered his head.

They were the Chen Family’s three Ancestors!

The news spread rapidly among the spies stationed throughout the surrounding hills and forests.

Some hurriedly activated their communication talismans, desperate to report what they had witnessed, while others abandoned their hiding places and retreated toward the nearest settlements.

Farther away, representatives of several cultivation families felt the same pressure reach their temporary residences.

Conversations stopped abruptly, tea cups trembled on their tables, and several elders rushed to the windows to look toward the distant plain.

Their expressions changed the moment they felt the immense pressure from the distant land.

"What... In the world?"

All three Ancestors had come in person.

The implications were impossible to ignore.

Whatever secrets lay beneath the flower field, the Chen Family clearly considered the matter important enough to warrant the personal attention of its three most powerful figures.

For the surrounding forces, the decision to investigate the plain had suddenly become far more complicated.

Across the Great Yan Kingdom, messages were dispatched, and previously considered plans were hastily revised.

Meanwhile, the three figures remained suspended above the flower field.

Chen Yuan lowered his gaze toward the countless blossoms.

The reactions of the surrounding forces were entirely within his expectations.

Chen Yuan gazed at the endless sea of flowers below, a faint smile gradually appearing on his face.

Now, it’s time to shine...

Before he could make another move, Chen Feng was to act first as he suddenly turned his head toward a seemingly empty stretch of sky several hundred meters away.

His expression remained, but his eyes had narrowed, "Since you’ve been watching us for so long, why don’t you come out?"

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, yet it carried clearly across the flower field, reaching every corner of the surrounding area.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

The wind continued to sweep across the flowers, and the three figures remained suspended in the air.

However, the cultivators hiding in the distance immediately held their breaths.

Someone had been hiding here all this time?

Just as the thought crossed their minds, the space in front of the three Ancestors began to distort.

A dark silhouette emerged from the distortion, its movements unhurried, almost leisurely.

The figure wore a long black robe that concealed most of its body, while a hood cast a deep shadow over its head.

The only visible feature was a pale crying mask, its expression permanently frozen between sorrow and a silent, unsettling smile.

The figure did not immediately speak.

Instead, it stood in midair with its hands behind its back, allowing the hem of its black robe to flutter in the wind.

The crying mask tilted slightly toward Chen Yan.

"It’s been awhile, Chen Yan... "

"It’s you... "

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes toward the masked man, but before he could say anything else.

"Is this how the Chen Family welcomes its guests nowadays? I had heard that the Eastern Region had acquired a new ruler, but I didn’t expect its people to be so eager to bark at every passing stranger."

His voice was strange, neither particularly deep nor high, and the mask made it difficult to determine his age.

Chen Yan’s expression remained unchanged, although the spiritual pressure surrounding him grew heavier.

The masked figure seemed entirely unconcerned.

"Still, I suppose I shouldn’t expect too much from someone who merely follows behind the others. The one who ran like a rat when the slightest inconvenience came to him."

His gaze lingered on Chen Yan for a moment before moving toward Chen Feng.

The change was subtle, but those watching from afar could sense it.

The arrogance in his posture diminished slightly, replaced by a degree of caution.

He had been willing to provoke Chen Yan, but he clearly understood that Chen Feng was not someone he could dismiss so casually.

"Chen Feng, the Swordsman of the Leaf. I’ve heard quite a bit about you."

Chen Feng regarded him without responding.

The masked man gave a soft chuckle, though the sound lacked the carefree quality of his earlier words.

"But I must admit, I didn’t expect to encounter someone of your standing here. It seems the Chen Family has taken a greater interest in this place than I initially thought."

"It seems the situation will get out of control by the looks of it."

Then, at last, his attention shifted toward Chen Yuan.

And for the first time since his appearance, the masked man fell silent.

Chen Yuan had not moved. He remained suspended in the air, his expression calm, seemingly uninterested in the exchange that had taken place.

Yet the moment the masked figure looked at him, the air around them seemed to become heavier.

The man’s shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Behind the crying mask, his gaze lingered on Chen Yuan for several moments.

When he finally spoke again, his voice had lost some of its mocking edge, "To think someone as ancient as you would appear in person..."

He paused, his gaze shifting toward the vast flower field below.

"It seems this tomb is indeed extremely valuable."