The Great Ruler

“Delivering myself into their hands?” Mu Chen looked at Qing Shuang, who was looking angrily at him, and smiled. He then replied calmly, “My mother has protected me for so many years. I will not do such a silly thing.”

“You know that, do you!? The Budur Territory is the headquarters of the Budur Ancient Clan. You are only a Complete Earthly Sovereign. Given your strength, any elders here can capture you!” Qing Shuang shouted as she stared at Mu Chen.

Previously, she had risked her life to warn Mu Chen so that he would hide himself and not let the Budur Ancient Clan discover him. However, Mu Chen had come to the Budur Ancient Clan, which caused her to fume with anger.

“If any elder were to deal with me, he would not be able to capture me.” Mu Chen smiled.

“You!” Qing Shuang furrowed her brows, and it was apparent that she thought Mu Chen was presumptuous. However, before she could continue, Mu Chen took half a step forward, and suddenly, a horrifying aura burst out from his body, causing the space around him to shake.

Qing Shuang was shocked and looked at Mu Chen in amazement. Although Mu Chen had released his horrifying aura only for a split second, due to the distance between them, she had felt it strongly. The grandeur that Mu Chen possessed was way beyond that of any of the elders in her clan.

“You… have you stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level?” Qing Shuang widened her eyes and looked at Mu Chen in disbelief. When she met Mu Chen a year ago, he was still a Complete Earthly Sovereign. In only a year, he had managed to cross over the barrier that had deterred many geniuses and had stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level! His cultivation speed was amazing! He must have had lots of talent and opportunities in order to reach this level!

As a member of the Budur Ancient Clan, Qing Shuang was well aware of the difficulties of stepping into the Heavenly Sovereign level. Although the Budur Ancient Clan had a strong foundation, it was similarly difficult for any of them to step into the Heavenly Sovereign level.

Even Xuan Luo and Mo Xin, who were the leaders of the younger generation in the Xuan lineage and Mo lineage, had just managed to come near to the Heavenly Sovereign level with all the grooming they had received from the Budur Ancient Clan. They did not even know when they could cross the barrier and truly become Heavenly Sovereigns. However, Mu Chen had overtaken them and become a Heavenly Sovereign. Qing Shuang found it unbelievable.

“I had a breakthrough by chance with the help of some opportunities,” Mu Chen said calmly.

Qing Shuang was taken aback, and after a long while, she came back to herself and looked at Mu Chen with mixed emotions. She knew that if the Budur Ancient Clan knew about it, there would be a great commotion.

All the people had regarded Mu Chen as a perpetrator. They felt that without support from the Budur Ancient Clan, even if Mu Chen was talented, he would not be able to achieve much. However, these people had been slapped in the face. Even without support from the Budur Ancient Clan, the perpetrator had surpassed those geniuses that they had painstakingly groomed…

“However… even though you have stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level, you should not have come to the Budur Ancient Clan!” Qing Shuang said as she took a deep breath. A Heavenly Sovereign was indeed overbearing, but to the Budur Ancient Clan, it was not enough to cause them to show any fear or respect for Mu Chen. After all, the Budur Ancient Clan had a strong foundation, and even a God Grade Heavenly Sovereign dared not mess around in the Budur Territory, let alone a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign.

“I know what I am doing,” Mu Chen said as he nodded.

When Qing Shuang saw Mu Chen’s calm look, she knew that there was no point in talking to him. She sighed and turned around to lead the way to a quiet courtyard.

“Can I tell Elder Qing Xuan about you?” Qing Shuang asked Mu Chen after settling them in.

Mu Chen thought for a while and then nodded. When Qing Shuang saw his response, she heaved a sigh of relief and left.

After Mu Chen saw that Qing Shuang had left, he turned to face Ling Xi and Long Xiang and said, “Over the next few days, we shall stay in the room until the Contest of the Lineages begins.”

This place belonged to the Budur Ancient Clan. If Mu Chen was discovered, he would be inviting unnecessary trouble. Although he had the help of the Endless Fire Territory and Martial Border, it would hinder him from achieving his objective.

Ling Xi and Long Xiang nodded. They had stayed in the Budur Ancient Clan for some time, and they knew how strong its base was. Since they were now in the lion’s den, they had to be extremely careful.

After passing on instructions to Ling Xi and Long Xiang, Mu Chen moved his body and appeared in one of the stone pavilions in the courtyard. He sat cross-legged and looked up at the sky. Spiritual light glittered in his dark eyes as several spiritual seals were reflected in them. To the rest of the people, the sky in the Budur Territory was filled with vast, pure spiritual energy. However, to Mu Chen, he could see a huge array hidden in the void. The array was the Budur Ancient Clan’s Fortify Clan Grand Array. It was so mysterious that even given Mu Chen’s attainment as a Spiritual Array Ancestral Master, he found it profound.

However, he was not trying to understand the secret of the Fortify Clan Grand Array. He only wished to feel the familiarities in this spiritual array. He spent the whole afternoon surveying it. After the sun had set, the dazzling look in his eyes dimmed, and the spiritual light in his eyes dissipated.

“It is indeed so…” He muttered to himself and had a strange look in his eyes. As he had surveyed the spiritual array, he noticed that there were flaws in the Fortify Clan Grand Array. These flaws were well hidden. However, as Mu Chen was familiar with this means, he could sense the flaws vividly. If he had guessed it correctly, it must be the work of his mother.

“Eh?” As Mu Chen was thinking about this, something caught his attention. He looked at the courtyard and saw that the space was fluctuating. Suddenly, a figure appeared. It was a beautiful lady in a green top. She looked elegant, and apparently, she was Elder Qing Xuan, whom Mu Chen had met before.

“Elder Qing Xuan gets wind of things so quickly,” Mu Chen said with a smile as he looked at Elder Qing Xuan.

Elder Qing Xuan stared at Mu Chen, and suddenly, she moved and appeared out of nowhere behind him. She threw out a gentle blow, and her palm turned into a crystal light as she hit Mu Chen. This blow seemed effortless but when it landed, the stone pavilion collapsed. The surrounding space shook and was about to burst as well. When the palm’s wind blast came down on Mu Chen, he looked calm. Just as it was about to land on him, he waved his sleeve casually against the palm’s crystal wind blast.

Bang!

A deep sound resounded in the void, but Mu Chen remained still. However, Elder Qing Xuan’s body shook, and she moved back several steps. The space under her feet started to crack.

When Elder Qing Xuan managed to stabilize herself, she did not strike again. She looked at Mu Chen with mixed feelings and said, “I did not believe Qing Shuang when she told me about it. You have truly stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level.” Having said that, she looked pleased. However, she immediately sighed and said, “Even so, you should not have come here.”

“The Budur Ancient Clan has caused my mother and I to be separated for so many years. Why should I not be here?” Mu Chen said flatly and cold light glittered in his eyes.

Elder Qing Xuan smiled wryly and said, “Even though your mother has the strength of a God Grade Heavenly Sovereign, she is unable to contend with the Budur Ancient Clan. You are only a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign. What can you do?”

“Although the Budur Ancient Clan is powerful, I don’t think they can be so lawless in the Great Thousand World,” Mu Chen replied calmly and showed no sign of fear.

Elder Qing Xuan was stunned at first but immediately shook her head helplessly. She took it that Mu Chen had spoken in a fit of anger. Although the Budur Ancient Clan could not behave lawlessly in the Great Thousand World, they were able to treat Mu Chen in this manner.

After hesitating for a while, Elder Qing Xuan asked, “What is your plan?”

When Mu Chen heard her question, he was shocked. He then looked at Elder Qing Xuan, and his face became more gentle. He asked, “Are you willing to help me?”

Elder Qing Xuan looked sad and replied, “Your mother is my sister, after all. However, as our Qing lineage is on the decline, and our power has weakened with the Xuan lineage and Mo lineage suppressing us, there are many things that we are unable to do.

“Back then, we were unable to protect your mother. Now, I cannot watch you being captured by them. If that happens, our Qing lineage will be doing your mother and grandfather a disservice.”

Mu Chen was silent for a while. He already knew that the Qing lineage had flourished in his grandfather’s hands. The Qing lineage had stood out from the different lineages and had become the strongest lineage in the Budur Ancient Clan. However, after his grandfather passed on, his mother was unwilling to head up the lineage and left the Budur Ancient Clan. She then met his father and gave birth to him. This had enraged the clan and caused her to be imprisoned until now.

“Can you tell me about the Qing lineage’s situation?” Mu Chen asked.

Although the Qing lineage was on the decline, if he could get it back on track, it might be a form of assistance to him. Mu Chen was not a presumptuous person. He had no intention of contending with the Budur Ancient Clan based on his strength alone.

When Qing Xuan heard his question, she smiled bitterly and said, “The situation is worse than you can imagine. If we do not perform well in the Contest of the Lineages, our position as the strongest lineage will be taken away from us, and we will become just one of the lineages…”

Mu Chen frowned. Has the Qing lineage become so pathetic? “What is this Contest of the Lineages about?”