Chapter 142 - 132: Chen Sha’s Family?

Chapter 142: Chapter 132: Chen Sha’s Family?

The Daoist Leader, much like the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch, was the universally recognized head within the Daoist Sect, holding the authority to issue orders to other Daoist Sect branches.

When Chen Canxuan was alive, he was the undisputed number one figure in the world, and naturally the undisputed number one in the Daoist Sect. His position as the Daoist Leader was well-deserved. The significance of this position lay in situations such as declaring war on other factions on behalf of the Daoist Sect. The Sect Leader of a single Daoist branch naturally lacked such authority. But if the universally recognized Daoist Leader declared war, it proved they represented the entirety of the Daoist Sect.

In a sense, this position was similar to the Emperor of a dynasty. However, the Daoist Sect was not a dynasty. A dynasty had a legitimate line of succession, whereas the Daoist Sect consisted of Martial Arts Sects. A dynasty belonged to one family name, but Martial Arts Sects naturally valued an individual’s martial arts strength and prestige.

During Chen Canxuan’s lifetime, his strength and prestige were unparalleled in the world. But after his passing, the position of Daoist Leader was not a throne after all. Finding a new successor after death did not carry the same immense deterrence. Martial artists only respected strength. It was perfectly normal for allegiances to fade once a person was gone.

Now, Bi Yunxiao proposed that Chen Sha once again take up the position of Daoist Leader, granting him the power to command the Daoist Sect.

The first thought of Jiang Chengzi and the other Great Innate experts of the True Martial Sect was naturally reluctance. They were all among the Four Great Daoist Sects. Who wouldn’t want to lead the entire Daoist Sect themselves? If they acknowledged Chen Sha’s status as the leader, it meant they would have to bow their heads to the Dao Yi Sect all over again and take orders from a young man in his twenties.

Watching Bi Yunxiao finish her piece, Jiang Chengzi and the others fell into silence.

Chen Sha looked at the two of them, gently picked up his teacup, and took a slow sip. Initially, he hadn’t thought about this aspect, but since Bi Yunxiao intended to facilitate it, he naturally wouldn’t object to elevating the Dao Yi Sect’s status to a higher level.

Thus, after taking a sip of tea, he placed the cup on the table and stated calmly, "Long Zaitian of the Demon Sect and I are bound to have a battle. Seeing his current moves to unify the Demon Sect, this battle will absolutely not be just between the two of us. Once this man unifies the Demon Sect, it’s impossible that he won’t make a move against our Daoist Sect.

"This matter is quite simple. If you believe I have the ability to protect the Daoist Sect, then acknowledge me as the leader. If you don’t, I won’t force it. We will remain divided among the Four Great Daoist Sects. When the time comes and the Demon Sect attacks, everyone can just mind their own business."

To put it bluntly, taking on the role of Daoist Leader wasn’t just about sitting high and mighty, arrogantly ordering others around; it also required taking responsibility for the entire Daoist Sect. If he didn’t take the position, Chen Sha only needed to be responsible for his own Dao Yi Sect.

Even if other branches faced invasion from other factions, it wouldn’t have much to do with him. Unless Chen Sha was the kind of magnanimous and forgiving person who never held grudges—which he clearly was not. His self-positioning had always been very clear: he was neither a Saint nor a heroic champion, but a Sect Leader whose goal was to return the Dao Yi Sect to the position of number one in the world.

On this path, the competition between sects was just like that between nations. There was never any right or wrong. Since everyone wanted to become a top-tier Major Sect, they could only rely on their fists and strength to speak for them.

Simply put: if you agree to let me be the leader, I will protect you in the future. If you disagree, that’s fine too, but you will have nothing to do with me going forward. If the True Martial Sect didn’t want Chen Sha to lead the Daoist Sect, it didn’t matter. He only needed to ensure that if the Queen Mother Sect, with whom he had a good relationship, became a target of the Demon Sect, he would immediately go to their aid. As for others, they were beyond his concern.

Hearing Chen Sha lay things out so plainly, Jiang Chengzi grew even more silent.

Acknowledging the Dao Yi Sect’s status as the Daoist Leader again meant they would be subjected to its restrictions, but it also meant they would receive support in times of trouble. However, did Chen Sha possess the same ability as his father? If they recognized Chen Sha’s position, would they be able to rival a unified Demon Sect?

As if seeing through Jiang Chengzi’s thoughts, Chen Sha spoke slowly, "Sect Leader Jiang might as well wait and see if I truly have the qualifications and ability. At the very least, before the Demon Sect unifies, you still have time to carefully consider it."

Jiang Chengzi gave Chen Sha a deep look. "Could you give this old Daoist three days?" He indeed needed to weigh the pros and cons, especially at this critical juncture with the Demon Sect’s threat gradually closing in.

Hearing this, Chen Sha replied, "Very well. Zhengyi, go prepare a few guest rooms in the temple. Let Sect Leader Jiang and the three Elders stay here for a few days while we await his answer. There are plenty of empty rooms in the temple."

Qii Zhengyi bowed respectfully, then turned to Jiang Chengzi. "Sect Leader Jiang, please come with me."

Jiang Chengzi stood up and gave Chen Sha a slight bow. "I will certainly give Sect Leader Chen an answer in three days."

Watching Jiang Chengzi and the other three leave the main hall, Bi Yunxiao withdrew her gaze and turned to Chen Sha. "Child, why give him three days? Since you’ve already subdued Jade Emperor Mountain, with your current Cultivation, you only need to apply a little pressure and he would have no choice but to recognize your status as leader."

Chen Sha shook his head with a smile. "Why pressure him? People who submit only through threats will harbor resentment in their hearts, and they might even stab you in the back in the future. I’m not begging for his acknowledgment, nor am I bullying him into it. I’m just letting him weigh the pros and cons himself. Only after making a choice on his own will he have no regrets."

Bi Yunxiao looked in the direction Jiang Chengzi had left and smiled faintly. "Jiang Chengzi... He shouldn’t have the courage to resist the combined forces of the Six Demonic Paths with only the strength of his single sect. I believe he will make the right choice."

"We’ll know in three days; let’s leave it at that," Chen Sha said. He couldn’t help but look at the Daoist Child beside Bi Yunxiao, expressing his doubt. "Instead, I was rather curious when Elder Bi entered the room. As far as I know, the Queen Mother Sect rarely accepts male disciples."

The Daoist Child being discussed smiled slightly. "Sect Leader Chen, I just look a bit immature on the outside. In reality, I am already twenty-three years old this year."

Chen Sha said apologetically, "So it is a Senior Brother."

Bi Yunxiao chuckled. "My Queen Mother Sect indeed rarely takes in male disciples. However, Chang Xi is different from others. Nephew Chen should also know of my Queen Mother Sect’s defining Martial Arts, the *Cyan Crow Skill*. It consists of three volumes: the Celestial Phase, the Earth Phase, and the Human Phase."

Chen Sha nodded. "I know a little about it."

The Queen Mother Sect worshipped the Ancient Divine Spirit, the Queen Mother of the West. Legend had it that the Queen Mother of the West had a Three-legged Cyan Crow by her side, which served as her messenger. It possessed the abilities to observe the heavens, survey the earth, and read people. Every day, it would fly out and return to report the events occurring in the Mortal Realm to the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother Sect’s *Cyan Crow Skill* was a miraculous martial art created based on this concept. While called a martial art, in truth, only certain sections within the Human Phase recorded the Queen Mother Sect’s exclusive martial art, the *West King Scripture*. Beyond that, the three volumes of the *Cyan Crow Skill*—Celestial Phase, Earth Phase, and Human Phase—were actually secret techniques for observing the qi mechanics and feng shui of heaven, earth, and nature.

The Celestial Phase volume dealt with the rotation of astronomy and star signs. The Earth Phase volume covered the layout of geography and feng shui. The Human Phase volume, aside from the *West King Scripture*, also contained secret techniques for reading a person’s facial features and Life Chart.

Bi Yunxiao stated directly, "Chang Xi is the most outstanding individual my Queen Mother Sect has seen in hundreds of years. He is only a year older than Nephew Chen, yet he has already mastered the secret techniques of the Cyan Crow Three Phases."

Chen Sha was surprised. "He has mastered all Three Phases?"

He turned his gaze to this ordinary-looking Little Daoist Child. It was said that even disciples of the Queen Mother Sect who devoted their entire lives to studying the *Cyan Crow Skill* might not master even one Phase after seventy or eighty years. For this Senior Brother to actually master all Three Phases—he immediately understood why Bi Yunxiao kept him by her side. Such an inheritor was absolutely the precious treasure of the Queen Mother Sect. Even if he wasn’t a woman, what difference did it make?

The Daoist Child named Chang Xi, seeing Chen Sha sizing him up curiously, couldn’t help but smile and ask, "Would Junior Brother Chen be interested in letting me read your facial features and destiny?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sha chuckled and shook his head. "It’s best if we don’t. Once someone knows the Mandate of Heaven, it becomes difficult for them not to believe in it. To this day, I only believe in my fists."

Chang Xi didn’t insist, speaking softly, "Actually, Junior Brother Chen’s facial features are very peculiar. I might not necessarily be able to read anything from them. Even if Junior Brother Chen wanted to ask me about your future trajectory, I wouldn’t have a way to answer."

Bi Yunxiao sounded surprised, "Oh? You actually can’t read Nephew Chen’s facial features?"

Chang Xi shook his head. "Junior Brother Chen’s facial features are of a type I’ve never seen before. The art of physiognomy has no effect on him. At most, I can only see the fortunes of some people connected to him converging onto him..."

As he spoke, he slightly raised his head to look above Chen Sha and added, "From these fortunes connected to him, only one thing can be discerned... That is, in three to five days, Junior Brother Chen will reunite with a relative."

Chen Sha raised an eyebrow. "Reunite with a relative?"

The only person in this world who could be called his relative was his mother, Yun Shouxuan. He was indeed preparing to go to the Celestial Demon Sect to visit her. If this counted as physiognomy and fortune-telling, then it was indeed accurate.

Chang Xi smiled helplessly. "I can only see this much. My knowledge is still shallow after all. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of Junior Brother Chen."

"Not at all." Chen Sha smiled and offered a cup of tea to Chang Xi as a toast. Afterward, he chatted with Bi Yunxiao for a few moments and arranged a place for the two of them to rest. During this time, perhaps out of an unspoken agreement, neither Chen Sha nor Bi Yunxiao actively brought up the matter of the marriage contract.

In a flash, three days passed.

Chen Sha counted on his fingers. There were still about twenty days left before the Emperor served his full sentence and was released from prison. However, just as he was preparing to take this opportunity to enter the Cosmic Light Fragments to cultivate again, Yuu Miaolian walked in. She informed him that there was another visitor at the gates of the Jade Capital Temple.

"Who is it?" Chen Sha asked.

Yuu Miaolian replied, "The visitors are in a carriage and haven’t shown their faces. They only had their accompanying servant knock on the door, saying they came from the Yuan Country, and... and they said..."

She hesitated before adding, "They are two of your relatives."

Chen Sha raised an eyebrow. "My relatives?"

A thought flashed through his mind as he remembered what Chang Xi had said about reuniting with a relative soon. He had originally thought it referred to him going to the Celestial Demon Palace to visit his mother. He hadn’t expected... that it actually referred to these mysterious visitors outside the temple?

"I’ll go out and take a look."

As he stepped out, Chen Sha also scoured his memory for any other relatives he might not know about. After pondering back and forth, he thought of a possibility...