Chapter 340 : A Distant Clan's Secret Heritage

The man gritted his teeth and spoke, then forced himself to step forward and fly towards the distance.

They had only flown a dozen or so Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] when a wave of dizziness and disorientation struck them, sending them plummeting from the sky.

"Who are you, to dare trespass upon Green Chariot Mountain?"

As the brother and sister finally managed to regain their senses, they found a black-robed man standing before them. His bearing was extraordinary, his features strikingly handsome and noble.

He merely stood there, yet he exuded a strange, compelling aura that made one feel he was unapproachable.

A single glance was enough to make them both feel somewhat dazed. The elder brother was the first to react, quickly bowing low and speaking.

"We pay our respects to the Patriarch."

"This humble one is Void Cosmos Chen, and this is my clan sister, Void Spirit Chen. We are Elders of the Chen Immortal Clan from Bright Prefecture in Qi Nation. We have come seeking the Chen Clan of Green Chariot Mountain."

"The Chen Clan of Qi Nation?"

Kael Chen's eyes flickered slightly as he activated his Jade Spirit Eye [a mystical technique for spiritual perception] to examine the two. Continue your cultivation journey at audio–novel.com.

Upon seeing it, he let out a soft exclamation of surprise and looked at Void Cosmos Chen. "The Blazing Sun Dominating Void Art," he said. "Where did you obtain this method?"

Hearing this, Void Cosmos Chen revealed a look of pleasant surprise, speaking with evident excitement.

"This cultivation art is the secret, non-transmissible heritage of my Chen Clan."

"I see."

Kael Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke calmly. "Wait here for now."

After instructing others to receive the two guests at Guest Greeting Peak, Kael Chen flew directly to the Hinter Peaks of Green Chariot Mountain. There, he found the two individuals playing chess by the cliff's edge.

At that moment, beside the Old Patriarch, Seraphina Chen was pouring tea for them. This elder sister from the Nian Generation had long since exhausted her natural lifespan. However, she later consumed three Spirit Apricot [a rare fruit that extends a cultivator's lifespan], extending her life by nearly a century.

Seraphina Chen's innate talent was not particularly strong, and her breakthrough to Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] came relatively late. Furthermore, in recent years, most of the clan's mundane affairs had fallen upon those with lower potential like her who had reached Foundation Establishment. Consequently, she was one hundred and eighty years old when she first attempted to assault the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation].

Yet, her connections within the clan were extensive. With the support of several Violet Sanctum Patriarch [powerful cultivators at the Violet Sanctum realm] like Lior Chen, Silas Chen, and Kael Chen, she attempted the breakthrough three times in succession. Relying sheerly on abundant resources, she had only recently managed to break through into the Violet Sanctum Realm.

Kael Chen glanced at Seraphina Chen, giving a calm nod of acknowledgment, before turning his gaze to the two Golden Core True Person [a title for cultivators who have formed a Golden Core, the fourth major realm].

Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the Chen Clan] saw Kael Chen arrive. He set down the chess piece in his hand, a gentle smile gracing his features as he spoke, "Kael, you've come as well."

"Now, of the clan's Nian Generation [the generation of cultivators bearing the 'Nian' character in their names], only you three remain. It is truly rare for you to gather together like this."

As he spoke, Old Patriarch let out a sigh tinged with melancholy.

Unbeknownst to them, over two centuries had passed. The cultivators of the Nian Generation had dwindled to a mere handful, like a few stray cats left in an alley.

Originally, the clan's Nian Generation had also included Remembrance Truth Chen, Remembrance Seal Chen, and Remembrance Void Chen. Sadly, Remembrance Void Chen had perished years ago during Mordecai Lin's act of mutual destruction [a desperate final attack meant to kill the enemy at the cost of one's own life].

Remembrance Seal Chen had fallen in battle within the Demon Cave [a cavern infested with malevolent demonic entities]. Only Remembrance Truth Chen had lived a long life, surpassing two hundred years of age.

Unfortunately, the reason Remembrance Truth Chen had achieved Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] at the age of sixty-one was because he had consumed a first-grade Spirit Apricot [a mystical fruit that can extend a cultivator's lifespan] gifted by Verdant Void Chen.

In the end, having missed one opportunity to consume a Spirit Apricot, Remembrance Truth Chen ultimately found his Vitality [the innate life force and longevity of a cultivator] insufficient. He recklessly attempted to burn his remaining Vitality in a desperate bid to break through to the Violet Sanctum Realm [the third major realm, where one opens a mystical palace within their dantian], and perished in the attempt.

One could say his fate was both made and unmade by the Spirit Apricot. The gap of twenty years of lifespan became the greatest regret of his final days.

After Remembrance Truth Chen passed away in meditation [a cultivator's peaceful death at the end of their natural lifespan], the cultivators of the Nian Generation were reduced to the three individuals now present.

It is the cultivators of the 'Worthy', 'Thinking', and 'Ancestor' generations who have truly caught the wave of the clan's meteoric rise. These three generations are now in their prime, brimming with youthful vigor and vitality, with a substantial number of cultivators still present. Among them, many hold the hope of breaking through to the Violet Sanctum Realm [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a mystical palace within the dantian].

Eldrin Chen felt a pang of melancholy. Over these years, with Exquisite Jiang by his side and the presence of closer kin within the clan like the Old Patriarch, Lior Chen, Verdant Grace Chen, and Kael, he had not immediately noticed the gradual thinning of familiar faces around him.

His relationship with figures like Remembrance Truth Chen was not particularly close. In truth, when he thought about it, elder clansmen like Remembrance Sun Chen and Eternal Remembrance Chen, who had passed away in meditation many years ago, felt closer in kinship.

Only now, looking back, did he realize how many familiar faces had already been replaced.

"Alas."

Eldrin Chen sighed softly. He turned his gaze to the sea of clouds at the cliff's edge and the ancient tree beside him, a profound sense of solitude settling in his heart. This content originates from http://www . audio-novel.com. Please respect copyright.

He still remembered the days when he would come to this very cliff daily, diligently inhaling and exhaling the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a rare and potent form of dawn energy beneficial for cultivation], painstakingly accumulating the foundation of his power.

He recalled that day, right before this cliff, Verdant Destiny Chen reclined in his chair, leaning against this very tree, for their final meeting.

Two hundred years. Time flows like smoke.

The years rush by like swift water, and such a vast stretch of time has now passed.

Though he remained in the bloom of youth, those departed friends of old had likely already walked several lifetimes within the Mortal Dust [the mundane world of mortals, separate from the realms of cultivation].

But what of those who still lived?

Though unspoken, Eldrin Chen had long harbored this premonition in his heart.

Percival Pan's lifespan was nearly exhausted. Without a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified core of spiritual power], even consuming a Longevity Pill [an elixir that extends a cultivator's natural lifespan] would likely grant him less than a century more.

Varen Wei had broken through to the Violet Sanctum [the second major realm of cultivation] in his two-hundreds, and now one hundred and forty years had passed since then. He had already consumed three Second Rank Spirit Apricot [a spiritual fruit that extends lifespan, of the second grade], which granted one less Sixty-Year Cycle [a complete cycle of sixty years] of lifespan compared to a Third-Rank Spirit Apricot [a higher-grade version of the lifespan-extending fruit]. He likely had only around seventy years remaining.

During their last meeting, Varen Wei had already confided in Eldrin Chen that he held no hope of breaking through to form a Golden Core [the solidified spiritual core formed at the Golden Core Realm], and thus it was pointless to waste further cultivation resources.

He had urged Eldrin Chen to save the five thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] from his annual stipend, to eventually exchange them all for Five Elements Treasure Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the balanced essence of the five fundamental elements], hoping to nurture a few more Violet Sanctum Cultivator [a cultivator who has reached the Violet Sanctum Realm] for the Wei Clan.

In truth, searching across the entire Border Province, aside from cultivators at the Violet Sanctum realm and above, Eldrin Chen could scarcely find any peers from his generation left. Even many of the Violet Sanctum Patriarch [a clan elder who has reached the Violet Sanctum Realm] he once knew had mostly passed away in meditation.

Suppressing the sigh in his heart, Eldrin Chen looked towards the Old Patriarch, and a renewed sense of urgency weighed upon him.

Even for a Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a Golden Core], a lifetime is merely a race against one's own cultivation, lasting no more than a thousand years at most.

Only by becoming an Infant Soul True Lord [a cultivator whose nascent soul has matured into a true spiritual lord, granting a lifespan of three thousand years] could one navigate the path with true ease. If further augmented by Life-Extending Treasure [a rare artifact that can prolong a cultivator's natural lifespan] and the Nirvana Tribulation Transmigration Art [a profound technique for rebirth and transcending tribulations], one might perhaps live to see the day he ascends to immortality.

"A Middle-Tier Golden Core [the intermediate stage of the Golden Core cultivation realm, representing a solidified and potent spiritual core]," he stated.

"Only with a Middle-Tier Golden Core does one possess a significant chance of achieving the Infant Soul [the nascent soul stage, a major breakthrough in cultivation]."

Having silently made his decision, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze to Kael Chen and asked with a gentle smile.

"What brings you to seek us out?"

"Indeed, there is a matter," Kael Chen nodded, pausing thoughtfully before continuing. "A visitor has arrived from outside, claiming to be from the Qi Nation Chen Clan [a branch of the Chen family located in the Qi Nation]. It seems they may have some connection to our own Chen Clan."

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly. Ever since the Chen Clan had risen to prominence, various cultivators and families bearing the Chen surname had been finding all manner of ways to establish ties.

Claims of being the ancestral homeland of the Chen Clan, assertions of shared bloodlines with Chen Clan cultivators—every conceivable pretext was employed in the attempt to forge a connection.

Alas, upon final investigation, most proved to have no connection whatsoever. Even if a Chen Clan cultivator had left behind a bloodline in the outside world, why would they not bring their descendants back to the clan themselves?

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

Indeed, Kael Chen nodded calmly and stated, "The cultivation art this person practices is the Blazing Sun Dominating Void Art, claimed to be a legacy passed down through their ancestors." Find thousands of chapters at audio - novel . com.