Chapter 336 Enemy at the Door

"An... Ancestor?"

Chen Sixuan stood rooted to the spot, her heart pounding like a drum. Suddenly, realization dawned upon her.

Just then, Eldrin cast a few glances at Chen Nianxu, his brow slightly furrowed. "How did you end up in such a wretched state?"

Chen Nianxu was over 20 years older than Eldrin (Person Name), and by all accounts should have had a dozen or so years of lifespan remaining. Yet now, his vital energy had withered and decayed, having already reached the very end of his allotted years.

Chen Nianxu let out a bitter laugh, his face ashen as he said, "This was inflicted by my enemies."

It turned out that after Chen Nianxu had broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm, he came to the Kingdom of Ji and established a Foundation Establishment immortal clan by claiming a spiritual mountain. Over the past 100 years, he had managed to accumulate some wealth, and the clan now possessed a spiritual mountain of its own and over a 100 Qi Refining cultivators.

He simply did not wish to attract the covetous gaze of a powerful immortal clan over a single spirit mountain. Yet overnight, the Chen Clan of the Ji Kingdom was nearly eradicated, leaving only Chen Nianxu to flee with Chen Sixuan in desperation.

Though he had managed to escape with his life, Chen Nianxu had suffered a fundamental injury during the great battle, depleting his vital essence almost entirely. Now, he was merely clinging to his last breath.

"Alas."

Eldrin (Person Name) let out a soft sigh and shook his head noncommittally.

He gazed into the distant void and spoke calmly, "Your troubles have arrived."

Not good.

Chen Sixuan rose to her feet in terror, hastily turning to Eldrin (Person Name) and urging, "Ancestor, we must flee! The Wang family's influence is immense—we cannot confront them head-on. Let us escape while we still can!"

While they were speaking, several figures flew over from the distant sky.

Among the group, all were Foundation Establishment cultivators, with their leader being a powerful Foundation Establishment expert who had already broken through the first level of the Violet Mansion.

After arriving before this spiritual mountain, the leader sneered coldly and said, "Chen Nianxu, I know you're here. Come out and meet your doom!"

"You—"

Seeing his enemy seek him out, Chen Nianxu’s face twisted with hatred.

He gritted his teeth and couldn't help but exclaim, "Nearly all the cultivators of my Chen Family have been slaughtered by you people. I have already reached the end of my lifespan—must you still carry out such extermination?"

"Hmph."

The leader sneered coldly, his expression icy as he declared, "If we don't pluck the weed by its roots, it may grow into a calamity 1 day."

"Every last soul of your Chen family bloodline, this old man shall spare none."

Eldrin listened for a moment before realizing the Wang family was the most powerful Foundation Establishment clan within 10 1000 miles. The man leading the group was none other than the Wang family patriarch.

This man, Wang Minghe (Person Name), had already opened up 50% of his Violet Mansion's spiritual pathways. No wonder he acted with such unbridled arrogance.

Witnessing several Foundation Establishment Elders storming in, Chen Sixuan (Person Name) by her side felt her death was imminent, a trace of despair flickering across her face.

Her gaze fell upon Eldrin. These 2 individuals were beyond her comprehension, yet their cultivation aura seemed even more formidable than her clan’s revered ancestor. Perhaps they held the key to his survival.

At that very moment, the Wang family members in the sky grew impatient. Wang Minghe sneered coldly as he summoned his magic treasure to assault the spiritual mountain's protective formation.

This spiritual mountain merely possessed a first-grade spirit vein, utterly incapable of withstanding the assault of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. In just a few moves, its mountain-protecting formation was shattered.

The Wang Family’s Foundation Establishment expert charged into the spirit mountain, exhilarated. But before he could even catch his breath, his eyes fell upon Eldrin and Lyra.

With just a single glance, their hearts skipped a beat and they hastily dropped to their knees.

Wang Minghe trembled with fear, his face full of terror as he said, "I pay my respects to the 2 Elders."

Patriarch...

Chen Sixuan's (Person Name) expression shifted slightly. Though she had anticipated this outcome to some extent, she couldn't suppress a flicker of pleasant surprise in her heart.

Although she had suspected that her family’s ancestor might have some extraordinary background after meeting the 2, she never imagined it would be so astonishing.

At this thought, she immediately knelt to the ground and said with a choked voice, "The Wang family slaughtered over a 100 of my clansmen. This is an irreconcilable vendetta. I beg you, Ancestral Elder, to uphold justice for our Chen Family in consideration of the bloodline we share."

Bloodline.

Upon hearing this, the Wang family members all revealed expressions of despair.

He never could have imagined that the bloodline of the Wang family was actually connected to these 2 terrifying entities before him—a truth he found utterly unbearable to accept.

"Do you have any last words?"

Eldrin (Person Name) spoke with utter tranquility, as if recounting the most mundane of matters.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators trembled in fear. Wang Minghe (Person Name), knowing full well that his actions would inevitably lead to dire consequences, gritted his teeth fiercely. In a flash, he mounted his sword and fled into the distance.

"Everyone, flee for your lives."

"Scatter and flee for your lives! That may be our only chance of survival."

Watching the several Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Wang family flee in desperation, Eldrin’s eyes narrowed slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed several sword auras that tore through 10 1000 zhang of void as they pursued their targets.

With several agonized screams, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Wang family were all slain in a single strike.

Watching his foe fall, Chen Nianxu felt no surprise. Though he had long since left Chu Kingdom, he had still heard of this clansman’s fearsome reputation over the years.

He coughed weakly twice, glanced at Chen Sixuan, then turned his gaze toward Eldrin.

"My greatest wish in this life is to be reinstated in the clan registry, to atone for past transgressions and return to the family fold."

"Yet my lifespan has been exhausted, and I can no longer await that day."

He pulled Chen Sixuan close, tears streaming down his weathered face as he implored, "Regardless of what transpired back then, this child is innocent. I beg you to let her name be restored to the clan registry—this is my final wish."

A few days later, Eldrin and Lyra emerged from the Spirit Mountain.

Chen Sixuan’s eyes were red and swollen from crying as she followed behind the 2, cradling an urn of ashes.

Chen Nianxu departed in the end. He had yearned for his homeland all his life, yet was forever barred from entering Bianzhou by Eldrin's decree.

Now that his lifespan had been exhausted, only a handful of ashes would be brought back to his clan. He would be laid to rest in the ancestral tomb without an engraved stele—thus did dust return to dust.

Eldrin returned to the Ji Continent Trading Post, for the Grand Barter Fair of Jizhou was finally about to commence.

As was customary, the Ji Clan personally hosted the Exchange Convention of Ji Continent, typically held at the Ji Zhou Pavilion within the Ji Continent Trading Post (Location).

That day, Eldrin and Lyra arrived at the Jizhou Pavilion, only to discover nearly a 100 Golden Core cultivators gathered within.

Among these individuals were some familiar faces, such as Yan Zi Ji, the Taiwu Zhenren of the Cangqing Immortal Sect, and the Qian Patriarch of the Cangqiong Sword Sect.

As they arrived, Yan Zi Ji strode over on her long legs. She cast a glance at Eldrin (Person Name), then teased Lyra (Person Name) with a playful smile.

"It has been mere decades since we last met, yet your little man has made remarkable progress in his cultivation. It seems in just another 100 years, he might catch up to you and me."

Lyra's beautiful eyes flickered as she said with a smile, "Then you must devote yourself to cultivation."

"Greetings, Fairy Zi Ji." Eldrin (Person Name) nodded calmly in acknowledgment.

After exchanging a few greetings with the others, Eldrin's gaze swept over those present.

This trade gathering was exceptionally lively, with over 40 Golden Core cultivators from Ji Province in attendance. 1 could say a significant portion of the Ji Clan's Golden Core experts from the entire Ji Province had gathered here.