Chapter 340 2 100 Years, Time Like Smoke

The man gritted his teeth and strode forward, flying toward what lay ahead.

They had only flown a dozen or so miles when a dizzying vertigo seized them, sending them tumbling from the skies.

"Who are you, to dare trespass upon Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location)?"

The siblings finally snapped out of their daze, only to find a black-robed man standing before them—a figure of extraordinary presence with strikingly handsome features.

He simply stood there, yet an enigmatic aura radiated from him, evoking an unapproachable distance.

With just a single glance, both of them felt their minds grow dazed. It was the elder brother who snapped back to his senses first, immediately dropping to his knees in reverence as he spoke.

Greetings, Ancestral Master.

"I am Chen Xuhuan, and this is my younger sister Chen Xuling. We are elders of the Chen Immortal Clan from Mingzhou in the Qi Kingdom. We have come seeking the Chen lineage of Verdant Chariot Mountain."

Chapter 1 The scorching sun blazed like fire. On the official road, dust swirled and danced in the air. A young man of 16 or 17 years stood by the roadside, gazing toward the distant horizon. His eyes held a depth that belied his youthful appearance. "1 100 years have passed..." "The Qi Kingdom (Location) Chen Clan?"

Kael's eyes flickered slightly as he activated the Jade Spirit Pupils to examine the 2.

He let out a soft exclamation of surprise upon seeing it, his gaze fixed on Chen Xuhuan as he asked, "The Lieyang Lingxu Art—where did you obtain this technique?"

Hearing this, Chen Xuhuan’s face lit up with astonishment, and he exclaimed with fervent emotion.

"This cultivation art is the Chen Clan's untold secret."

"Oh."

Kael's eyes narrowed slightly as he stated calmly, "You all stay here and hold your position."

After having the 2 guests received at the Welcoming Peak, Kael flew straight to the back mountains of Verdant Chariot Mountain. There he found 2 individuals playing chess at the cliff's edge.

The old clan leader was accompanied by Chen Seraphina (Person Name), who was pouring tea for the 2. This elder sister of the Nian generation had originally nearly exhausted her lifespan, but after consuming 3 spirit apricots, she had gained nearly a 100 additional years of life.

Chen Seraphina (Person Name) possessed no exceptional innate talent and had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage relatively late. Compounded by the fact that most of the clan's trivial affairs had fallen upon those with lower potential like her, it wasn't until she was 1 100 and 80 years old that she made her first attempt to impact the Purple Mansion.

However, she possessed extensive connections within the clan. With successive support from several Purple Mansion elders—Lior (Person Name), Chen Silas (Person Name), and Kael (Person Name)—she forcefully attempted the Purple Mansion breakthrough 3 consecutive times. Ultimately relying on immense resources, she had only recently managed to break through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Kael cast a glance at Seraphina Chen, offering a composed nod of acknowledgment before turning his gaze toward the 2 Golden Core Elders.

The old clan leader noticed Kael’s arrival and set down the chess piece in his hand, a faint smile gracing his lips as he spoke, “Kael, you’ve come as well.”

"Now only 3 of you remain from the Nian generation of our family. It is truly rare for you all to gather together."

The old clan leader spoke, a trace of regret coloring his expression.

Before anyone realized it, over 2 100 years had passed, and only a handful of Eldrin-generation cultivators remained.

Originally, the Chen Clan's Nian generation still had 3 members: Chen Nianzhen, Chen Nianfeng, and Chen Niankong. Unfortunately, Chen Niankong perished due to Mordecai's (Person Name) mutually assured destruction that year.

Chen Nianfeng fell in battle within the Devil's Cave, while only Chen Nianzhen lived an exceptionally long life, surviving for over 2 100 years.

It was a pity that the reason Chen Nianzhen had managed to build his foundation at the age of 60-1 back then was because he had consumed a first-order spirit apricot given by Chen Qingxu.

In the end, having missed 1 opportunity to consume the Spirit Apricot, Chen Nianzhen ultimately suffered from insufficient vital energy. Yet, he recklessly burned his remaining vitality in a desperate attempt to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm, only to meet his demise.

1 could say his success was due to the Spirit Apricot, and his failure likewise. The 20-year gap in lifespan became his greatest regret on his deathbed.

After Chen Nianzhen passed away in meditation, only 3 Nian-generation cultivators remained before their eyes.

However, the cultivators of the Xian, Si, and Zu generations caught the rising tide of the clan’s ascent. Now, these 3 generations are in their prime, vibrant and flourishing, with a great number of cultivators among them. Many hold the promise of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Eldrin also felt a touch of melancholy. Over the years, with Lyra by his side and cultivators like the Old Patriarch, Lior, Chen Qingwan, and Kael remaining close within the family, he hadn’t immediately noticed the gradual thinning of those around him.

Chen Nianzhen and the others were not particularly close to Eldrin. In truth, he felt more kinship with clansmen like Chen Nianyang and Chen Nianyong—elder cousins who had passed away after reaching the end of their mortal spans many years prior.

Looking back now, he realized that many familiar faces around him had long since changed.

"Alas."

Eldrin (Person Name) let out a soft sigh as he turned his gaze toward the sea of clouds at the cliff's edge, then to the ancient tree beside him. A faint melancholy settled in his heart.

He still remembered those days when he would breathe in the Primordial Purple Qi by this cliff every day, painstakingly accumulating his own foundation.

He still remembered that day before this very cliff, Chen Qingyuan lay back in his recliner beneath this tree and met him for the last time.

2 100 years had passed, like smoke in time.

Time flowed by like rushing water, and in the blink of an eye, 2 100 years had passed.

Now he remained in the prime of youth, yet those departed souls of old might have already wandered through the mortal dust for several lifetimes.

He was still among the living, but what could he possibly do about it?

Though unspoken, Eldrin had long anticipated this in his heart.

Percival's remaining lifespan was dwindling. If he failed to break through to the Golden Core Realm, even consuming a Life Extension Pill would likely grant him merely 2 sexagenary cycles.

Varen was over 2 100 years old when he broke through to the Violet Mansion realm. Now, 1 100 and 40 years had passed since then. Having already consumed a Life-Extension Pill, he estimated he had only about 70 years left to hold on.

Last time they met, Varen had told Eldrin that there was no hope for him to form the Golden Core, and it was no longer necessary to waste resources on cultivation.

He instructed Eldrin to save up his annual salary of 5,000 spirit stones, intending to exchange them all for 5 Elements Treasure Crystals in the future, hoping to nurture several more Zifu cultivators for the Wei Clan.

In truth, throughout the entire Border Province, aside from cultivators at the Violet Mansion realm and above, Eldrin could scarcely find any remaining acquaintances from his generation. Even among the many familiar Violet Mansion Patriarchs of bygone years, most had already undergone seated transformation.

Suppressing the sigh in his heart, Eldrin turned his gaze to the old clan leader, a sense of urgency once again weighing heavily upon him.

Even a Golden Core cultivator spends their entire life racing against their own cultivation, with a lifespan stretching no more than a 1000-some years.

Only by becoming a Nascent Soul True Lord and attaining a lifespan of 3 1000 years could 1 navigate with ease. If augmented by longevity treasures and the Nirvana Reincarnation Art, 1 might even live to witness his ascension to immortality.

Mid-tier Golden Core.

"Only a mid-grade Golden Core offers a fair chance of forming a Nascent Soul."

Having made a silent resolution in his heart, Eldrin turned his gaze to Kael before asking with a gentle smile.

"What brings you to seek us out?"

"Hmm, there is indeed 1 matter."

Kael nodded pensively, then spoke after a moment's contemplation. "There's someone outside claiming to be from the Chen Clan of Qi Kingdom. It appears they might share some connection with our Chen family."

"Oh?"

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly. Ever since the Chen family rose to prominence, countless cultivators and clans bearing the Chen surname had been devising ways to establish connections with them over the years.

They tried every possible excuse to claim ties—be it the Chen Clan's ancestral lands, the bloodline of Chen Clan cultivators, or any other pretext they could latch onto.

Alas, upon closer investigation, most turned out to be completely unrelated. Even if some Chen clansmen had left descendants outside, why would they not have brought them back to the family themselves?

However, since Kael had personally sought them out this time, the situation was likely different from the usual.

Sure enough, Kael nodded calmly and said, "The Solaris Ascendance Art he cultivates is said to be an ancestral heritage method."