The Great Ruler

When Mu Chen heard the chirpy laughter, the spiritual light beside him dissipated. A petite girl appeared beside him.

She was dressed in a simple black top and pants, which revealed her small waist and slender legs. She had tied up her hair in a ponytail, and as she moved about, she looked very young and vibrant.

She also looked quite beautiful and had a ready smile on her face. Her eyes looked witty, and when one looked at her, he felt refreshed and happy. This girl was Lin Jing.

“Did you sneak out?” Mu Chen teased her as he looked at her happily.

“No, I didn’t!” Lin Jing made a face at Mu Chen as she took a step backward.

Then, the spiritual light behind her dissipated, revealing another person. When Mu Chen and the rest looked at this person, they were shocked. After taking a second look, their expressions became even more weird.

This person was robed in white and had long, beautiful hair. His face was so beautiful, it looked like a fairy’s face. However, when one took a closer look, he would notice that this charming person was really a human!

“This is Uncle Diao. He is my father’s sworn brother.” Lin Jing grabbed ahold of the handsome man’s arm and smiled. She then winked at Mu Chen and the rest as she asked, “Isn’t he beautiful?”

When Mu Chen and the rest heard her words, they felt embarrassed and did not know how to respond.

When the handsome man heard what Lin Jing had said, his mouth twitched. If it had been someone else who had made this remark, he would have scolded the person.

However, he could not bear to scold Lin Jing, so he simply glared. It was apparent that he pampered her.

“Hohoho, you must be the Second Chief of the Martial Border, Mr. Lin Diao!” Yao Chen said, while smiling at the handsome man.

When Mu Chen heard this, he was shocked. It had been rumored that the Second Chief of the Martial Border was from the Lower Planes. Apparently, he was formerly a Mink Demon, but after he came to the Great Thousand World, he had evolved and become a Sovereign Divine Beast. As such, his strength was comparable to that of a God Grade Heavenly Sovereign!

“Greetings, Elder Yao. I am Lin Diao.” The handsome man cupped his fist and became less standoffish when he saw Yao Chen.

He then turned to look at Mu Chen. After sizing him up, he said, “You must be Mu Chen.”

“Greetings, Elder Lin Diao.” Mu Chen nodded.

“You are indeed outstanding. No wonder Lin Dong, who is so particular, thinks so highly of you.” Lin Diao complimented Mu Chen.

He could tell that Mu Chen had a strong foundation. He could clearly see that, although Mu Chen was only a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign, in the future, he might become a high-level God Grade Heavenly Sovereign.

“We have received the message that you sent to us. When there is a need, the Martial Border will definitely give you our support,” Lin Diao said.

At this moment, Yao Chen smiled warmly and said, “If there is a need, Endless Fire Territory will help you as well.”

When Mu Chen heard this, he nodded. His trip to the Budur Ancient Clan would be filled with danger. Although he had stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level, if he could not agree to satisfactory terms with the Budur Ancient Clan and had to fight them, he might not be able to handle it alone.

Thus, one month before he headed to the Budur Ancient Clan, he had sent messengers to the Martial Border and the Endless Fire Territory to ask them to help him secretly. He had done so to protect himself, just in case the Budur Ancient Clan did not follow the rules.

“Thank you. I owe you both a favor.” Mu Chen thanked Lin Diao and Yao Chen with a bow.

Previously, the Flame Emperor and the Martial Ancestor had each given him a token for protection as a sign of their appreciation to him for saving Xiao Xiao and Lin Jing. Since Mu Chen had already used them, he owed them each a favor for asking for their help now.

“You are now qualified to owe others for favors now.” Lin Diao was very direct as he spoke to Mu Chen and smiled.

After all, not everyone could ask the supreme powers like the Martial Border and the Endless Fire Territory for help. However, as Mu Chen had stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level at such a young age and could become a God Grade Heavenly Sovereign in the future, he had the prerequisites that were required.

When Mu Chen heard this, he nodded and said, “In the future, if there is a need, I will definitely do my best to help you.”

When Ling Xi and Long Xiang saw the scene before them, they heaved sighs of relief. They finally understood why Mu Chen had taken the risk to come to the Budur Ancient Clan. With the support of the Endless Fire Territory and the Martial Border, they would not have to be afraid that the Budur Ancient Clan would disregard their reputation and oppress them by force.

Ling Xi was pleased as she looked at Mu Chen. She had not expected that the young boy, who used to be at the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy, would have ever come so far!

He could even ask the two supreme powers in the Great Thousand World for help! With the help from the Martial Border and the Endless Fire Territory, the Budur Ancient Clan would not dare step out of line!

“Since everyone is here, let’s get ready to go into the Budur Territory,” Elder Yao said with a smile.

The crowd heard him and nodded. They then flew toward the center of the square, where the attendant who was in charge of receiving the guests hurriedly came up to them and provided them with a grand spiritual vessel.

After all, the Endless Fire Territory and the Martial Border were on par with the Maha Ancient Clan in terms of their status in the Great Thousand World. Moreover, from certain aspects, even the five ancient clans were wary of the Flame Emperor and the Martial Ancestor, who were the two supreme powers that were guarding the Great Thousand World.

As Mu Chen and his companions were following behind them, they enjoyed the special treatment that the Endless Fire Territory and the Martial Border received as they entered the grand spiritual vessel. As the people looked at them with envy, the spiritual vessel shot up into the sky and headed for the spatial door that was in the distance.

The speed of the spiritual vessel was extremely fast, so in just a few minutes, they had already reached the spatial door. The spiritual vessel then exuded a spiritual light and slowly went through the door.

When the spiritual vessel passed through the spatial door, there seemed to be a strong force scanning them. The power was so great, even Yao Chen and Lin Diao were shocked and their gazes froze.

This is the Budur Ancient Clan’s Fortify Clan Grand Array! Mu Chen noticed it as well, and as he looked at the space, he felt a great spiritual array, which seemed to be protecting the space. He recognized this due to his attainments as a Spiritual Array Ancestral Master.

The Fortify Clan Grand Array was so powerful, he knew that it must have been set up by a God Grade Heavenly Sovereign. Hence, it would be tough to break through the array.

Different means have been used to set up this Fortify Clan Grand Array. Apparently, the Budur Ancient Clan members have been perfecting it! Mu Chen shut his eyes in order to sense the Fortify Clan Grand Array. After a while, he was taken aback, as he had noticed some familiarities in the array.

This must be my mother’s work! She must have taken part in perfecting the Fortify Clan Grand Array! Moreover, it is still fresh, which means that she must have done it not too long ago!

As Mu Chen realized this, his eyes glittered. Then, after a long while, he smiled weirdly. He then withdrew his sensory power in order to avoid being found out.

When the spiritual vessel entered the spatial door, the scene before them changed drastically. It was as if they had entered another world. Pure spiritual energy filled the area and created different sights.

“The heart of the Budur Ancient Clan is indeed amazing!” Mu Chen exclaimed when he saw it. Even the Ancient Celestial Palace could not be compare to the Budur Territory!

But, this could not be helped. This was because the Ancient Celestial Palace was set up by the Heavenly Emperor, and after he passed on, no one took care of it. Hence, it had started to look quite run-down over the years.

However, the Budur Ancient Clan had been maintaining the Budur Territory for many decades. So, it naturally looked much better than the Ancient Celestial Palace.

The spiritual vessel went across the space, and after about 15 minutes, it started to slow down. Mu Chen and the rest noticed this, and they lifted up their heads to look ahead of them.

There, they saw towering mountains that were linked to one another. Huge black towers were situated upon them. There were even several ancient halls among them. The entire area was filled with the ancient aura.

When their spiritual vessel reached the region, several streamers from one of the black towers dashed toward them and appeared on the spiritual vessel.

“Greetings, Elder Yao and Mr. Lin Diao, I am Kong Kong from the Budur Ancient Clan.” The person who was standing at the forefront was an elder.

He had black hair on one side of his head and white hair on the other side. He had an unique aura and a strong oppression exuded from his body. Apparently, he was a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign.

When Yao Chen and Lin Diao saw him, they nodded to acknowledge him. Mu Chen looked at Elder Kong Kong, then turned to look behind him. He was shocked when he saw a lady looking at him, her eyes wide open.

Qing Shuang… Light flashed across Mu Chen’s eyes when he saw the lady. Apparently, he had not expected to meet Qing Shuang amid the Budur Ancient Clan.

“You are our honored guests. We will get you settled in and let you rest for a while.” Kong Kong was extremely polite toward Yao Chen and Lin Diao and smiled warmly at them.

He then turned to look at Mu Chen, who was behind them, and asked, “I don’t find this friend here familiar… Do you have an invitation?”

“He is our friend. He has come with us to watch your ceremony,” Yao Chen said with a smile.

When Kong Kong heard this, he nodded and smiled, but this smile did not look as warm as the previous one. Since Mu Chen did not have an official invitation card, Elder Kong Kong presumed that he must be from an ordinary force.

“Gentlemen, please follow me.” Kong Kong turned around and led the spiritual vessel into a towering mountain.

There were many courtyards that had been built in ancient styles all around, and the environment was very peaceful. Apparently, these structures were used to receive honored guests.

“Qing Shuang, bring these three guests to the lower court,” Kong Kong told Qing Shuang as he turned around.

Apparently, he would attend to Yao Chen and Lin Diao personally. As for Mu Chen and his companions, who he deemed to be of inferior statuses, he was not interested in attending to them. Upon hearing his instructions, Qing Shuang nodded and led the way.

After Mu Chen nodded at Yao Chen and Lin Diao, he caught up with Qing Shuang, then followed her, together with Ling Xi and Long Xiang. After they passed through the courtyard, once there was no one around, Qing Shuang stopped walking and turned to look at them.

She looked at Mu Chen with a furious expression on her face, then asked, “Why did you come to our Budur Ancient Clan? You are courting your own death! You are delivering yourself right into their hands!”

…