The storm settled, leaving everyone sighing with mixed emotions.
As she walked away, Gu Qingcheng experienced a tempest of turbulent feelings in her heart.
"Hah... men... he... really has changed! If it were the past, he would never have spoken to me like that!"
The more Gu Qingcheng thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and her eye sockets flushed red.
"Qingcheng, that Chen Chang'an is no good! To demand back gifts he gave away a whole year ago—today I've truly seen it all!"
Liu Sisi spoke with indignation. "Don't be sad, Qingcheng. Even if he still has his cultivation, he isn't worthy of you! Only Young Master Jun of the Taichang Sword Domain's sacred land, Jun Wujian, is a match for you!"
Liu Rumeng chimed in from the side, "Sisi is right. You're so beautiful and your aptitude is good. It's a rare blessing that Jun Wujian has taken a fancy to you—it's your good fortune! What on earth is that Chen Chang'an compared to him?"
Liu Sisi nodded slightly.
When she first heard that Chen Chang'an's soul-destiny lamp had extinguished, she had felt a twinge of sadness. Later on, she had merely found herself unaccustomed to losing someone who sent gifts, doted on her, and cared for her.
A month ago, Jun Wujian, a young master of the Jun family—one of the four great clans of the sacred land—had come to the Great Zhou Royal City to select a batch of young disciples to enter the sacred land. All the prodigies of the Great Zhou Academy had to compete in a grand tournament to win the favor of the sacred land.
Moreover... Jun Wujian had also taken a fancy to her and begun pursuing her...
The thought of entering the sacred land made Gu Qingcheng feel somewhat better. Besides, the resources Jun Wujian could provide would surely be better than what Chen Chang'an ever gave...
"Let's go, Qingcheng. We'll go find Young Master Jun and ask him to uphold justice for us! We certainly cannot return the spirit stones Chen Chang'an gave us. Furthermore, we must make Chen Chang'an obediently hand back today's precious sword as well as the treasures you previously returned to him!"
Liu Sisi's eyes darted around as she hatched a brilliant idea.
Gu Qingcheng's eyes lit up, and the gloom in her heart was instantly swept away.
"Sisi, you truly are my best friend. Thank goodness you're here."
Gu Qingcheng said earnestly. After bidding farewell to Liu Rumeng, she hurried off to find Jun Wujian.
...........
The Chen Family.
As the premier family of the Great Zhou Kingdom, the Chen Family's estate was immensely vast.
Inside the main hall of the Chen Family, all the clan elders and family disciples had gathered.
Chen Chang'an's return had everyone filled with boundless excitement.
"As long as he's back, as long as he's back, hahaha! Our Chen Family's young master possesses the bearing of a Great Emperor—how could he possibly have perished so easily!"
Chen Xuantong, the head of the Chen Family, burst into laughter with a face full of gratification. The stone in his heart had finally fallen back into place.
Everyone around him beamed with smiles and shared a deep sense of relief.
For the past year, they had neither eaten well nor slept soundly, all because they were searching for Chen Chang'an. A good many people had even died in the process. Even the nine clan elders had sustained numerous injuries after entering the Demon Burial Abyss.
Witnessing this scene, Chen Chang'an felt deeply moved; he had never expected the Chen Family to treat him with such devotion.
With a solemn expression, he said, "Family Head, my cultivation is completely gone; I am no longer fit to serve as the Young Master of the Chen Family. You should choose another among my younger cousins."
As his words fell, the hall instantly grew quiet.
Before Chen Xuantong could speak, a middle-aged woman beside him widened her eyes in fury.
"Chang'an, you brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?! This position of Young Master is yours, and it will always be yours! No one else has the right to take it!"
She was the senior-most among the Chen Family's elders. Though a woman, she was counted as one of the "Masters"!
Everyone called her Coffin Grandpa.
There were nine Masters in the Chen Family: Eldest Uncle, Second Master, all the way to Ninth Uncle. There were six men and three women, every single one of them possessing heaven-reaching methods and formidable strength.
"That's right! If your cultivation is gone, you can just train again! This old man doesn't believe that with the entire strength of the Chen Family poured into you, we can't restore your former cultivation!"
Ninth Uncle, the one who had brought Chen Chang'an back, spoke in a forthright manner.
"Indeed! The honor and the resources that Chang'an has brought to our Chen Family are far beyond the reach of anyone in the younger generation! On this point, there is no doubt!"
Among the nine elders present, Sixth Uncle, who ranked sixth, also spoke in a deep voice.
He was a refined middle-aged man, but a sharp, chilling glare flashed through his eyes, causing everyone to tremble involuntarily.
"Old Liu is right; I, Old Er, second that!" the scholarly Second Master chimed in.
"Big Brother Chang'an, stop teasing us. None of us has the ability to take your place. Even if you've lost your cultivation, you are still our Young Master!"
"That's right, you will always be our Young Master, and we are willing to follow you for the rest of our lives!"
Dozens of young disciples spoke up one after another.
In every word, it was clear that none of them harbored any covetous designs on the position of Young Master.
Looking at the united crowd in the hall, Chen Chang'an was immensely moved. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by an elderly man.
"Chang'an, say no more about this matter of the Young Master's position. Why don't you tell us instead—where have you been this past year?"
Chen Chang'an looked at the white-haired elder, who emitted a faint aroma of medicinal pills, and bowed respectfully. "Yes, Fifth Uncle."
Then, scanning the eager gazes of the crowd, Chen Chang'an sighed and said, "I entered the Demon Burial Abyss."
The Demon Burial Abyss!
Indeed!
As those three words dropped, the hall fell into absolute silence, every face carrying a look of unsurprised certainty mixed with shock.
"There are tens of millions of coffins inside the Demon Burial Abyss, and it is shrouded in black fog—an absolute forbidden zone. Chang'an... how... how did you get in, and how did you manage to come out?"
Family Head Chen Xuantong wore a look of utter shock, his heart tightening violently.
"Family Head, I don't even know who dragged me in. When I woke up, I found myself lying inside a coffin, and then..."
Chen Chang'an's gaze grew complex. "To my surprise, when I finally came out, a whole year had already passed."
The crowd gasped in astonishment, looking at each other in dismay.
Everyone found it utterly bizarre.
To spend a year inside a coffin and not die?
This... was simply beyond comprehension!
Chapter 4: God-Burial Coffin!
"Damnable!"
Chen Xuantong clenched his fists so hard they cracked, a surge of blazing fury erupting in his eyes.
"Investigate! We must find out which scoundrel dragged Chang'an into the Demon Burial Abyss! Our Chen Family will never let them off; we will grind that villain's bones to dust!"
"Yes!"
Inside the grand hall, everyone shared a common hatred of the enemy, and an oppressive killing intent filled the air.
"Alright, it's rare for the Young Master to return; he needs to rest properly."
At that moment, an extremely beautiful young matron spoke with a gentle expression. Yet, a trace of bone-chilling frost flashed deep within her eyes.
"Indeed, Third Master is right. Let the Young Master go back to his room to rest first."
Several elders quickly nodded, their faces full of concern.
...
And so, amid the caring gazes of the crowd, Chen Chang'an returned to his quarters and locked the door behind him.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and rolled up the sleeve of his right arm.
There... branded clear as day, was a red character: *Mourning*.
"God... Burial... Coffin..."
Chen Chang'an muttered under his breath, pronouncing the three words.
As his words fell, an ancient black bronze coffin, exuding primordial antiquity and a bloody, baleful aura, materialized and hovered before him.
Chen Chang'an stared at the coffin, lost in a daze.
A year ago, he had been ambushed, his bloodline ripped from his body, and then he was cast into the Demon Burial Abyss.
Inside the Demon Burial Abyss, there were countless dens and multitudes of coffins beyond count.
Yet he had defied death. Upon waking, he had encountered countless malevolent souls and bizarre demonic beasts. He had fought those wicked spirits and beasts for three days and nights until his strength was utterly exhausted, ultimately lying down inside a coffin to seek refuge.
Never had he imagined...
Inside that coffin lay a boundless starry universe.
He spent a century within it, yet when he emerged, only a single year had passed in the outside world.
Moreover, his physical body had been completely recast, which was why his cultivation was naturally gone.
Now, he could only start anew from the very beginning.
This place was called the Sacred Martial Continent, where the path of cultivation was divided into: Yellow Martial Realm, Mystic Martial Realm, Earth Martial Realm, Heaven Martial Realm, Heavenly King Realm, Saint Emperor Realm, Saint Monarch Realm, Saint Venerable Realm, Saint Emperor Realm, and God Realm.
Each realm was further divided into ten levels.
Lost in thought, Chen Chang'an glanced at several spatial rings nearby.
Several of them contained the vast majority of the Chen Family's resources, sent to him for his cultivation to help him recover his strength as quickly as possible.
There was also another ring—the one Chen Chang'an had retrieved from Gu Qingcheng.
Inside were hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, wealth he had previously given to Gu Qingcheng for her own use. However, the ring had a barrier that could only open automatically at fixed intervals. A year had passed, and quite a lot of spirit stones still remained inside.
Having spent a century inside the God-Burial Coffin, enduring a hundred years of solitude, his temperament had long since been tempered to absolute clarity and iron resolve.
Looking back on a century ago, he felt his past behavior had been utterly naive.
Furthermore, Gu Qingcheng's true colors had slowly revealed themselves to him over this long river of time.
Upon coming out, he had learned that the Chen Family had exhausted the greater part of their family fortune just to search for him. Therefore, he had decided to retrieve those spirit stones from Gu Qingcheng to compensate his family.
Never had he expected that Gu Qingcheng's very first words would be a demand to break off their engagement!
This only served to solidify his understanding of that woman's cold nature.
"Coffin Grandpa, I hope you aren't deceiving me."
Chen Chang'an said indifferently.
"Hmph, over the course of these hundred years, this old Coffin Grandpa shattered your flesh and dispersed your cultivation. Then, I used Chaos Qi to re-condense your physical body, Primordial Qi to forge your essence, spirit, and true spiritual consciousness, the blood of Ancient Demonic Gods to smelt into your bloodline, an eternal endless black hole to become your dantian, and billions of stars to serve as your meridians and bones! All of this was done to forge a Creation God physique for you—you brat had better not be unsatisfied."
As Coffin Grandpa spoke, the coffin lid slowly slid open, revealing a scene inside that resembled a cosmic starry sky.
Chen Chang'an fell silent.
He didn't know if the words spoken by the spirit of the coffin before him were true, but at present, he had no other choice—he could only believe!
After all, the Chen Family had treated him with such unwavering loyalty; he refused to let them down!
With that, he dumped all hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, along with the entirety of the resources provided by the Chen Family, straight into the coffin.
"The God-Burial Coffin swallows the four seas, suppresses the eight wastes, forms a universe of stars within, and can smelt all living things, burn eternity, and refine the heavens..."
From within the coffin came words from the coffin spirit that shook billions of living souls.
This caused Chen Chang'an's mind to tremble violently.
What an overbearing declaration!
Hum!
At that moment, a roaring sound echoed from inside the coffin, and waves of formidable fluctuations rippled outward, causing Chen Chang'an's expression to shift slightly.
Soon, from the mouth of the God-Burial Coffin, all the resources Chen Chang'an had just tossed in—whether pills, weapons, or magical treasures—were rapidly melted down.
They transformed into the most primitive elemental spiritual energy, forming wisps of white mist that drifted slowly out, entered Chen Chang'an's mouth, and were swallowed by him, sinking into his dantian to nourish his entire body.
Hum! ! !
Chen Chang'an's aura surged violently!
Stepping from a mortal physique into the Martial Dao!
Level 1 Yellow Martial Realm...
Level 2 Yellow Martial Realm...
Level 3 Yellow Martial Realm...
...
Level 10 Yellow Martial Realm...
Level 1 Mystic Martial Realm...
...
Level 10 Mystic Martial Realm...
When it reached Level 10 of the Mystic Martial Realm, Chen Chang'an's breakthrough finally halted.
He opened his eyes, and a flash of chaotic energy crossed them, radiating a terrifying glow.
He had jumped twenty levels in a single breath!
"This... is simply too mind-boggling."
Chen Chang'an exclaimed in shock.
Having spent a century tempering his iron will inside the God-Burial Coffin, even he was profoundly shaken at this moment.
"Tsk tsk... getting excited over merely reaching the Mystic Martial Realm? What a narrow-seen kid."
An aged, teasing voice drifted from within the God-Burial Coffin.
"Brat, if you want to level up as fast as possible, you can kill more people! Throw their corpses inside to be smelted! Or toss in more heavenly treasures—any living, spiritual object will do."
"Once this old Coffin Grandpa refines them, all their energy will be converted and transferred to you, allowing you to grow strong rapidly."
The words of the God-Burial Coffin filled Chen Chang'an with sudden joy, which was quickly replaced by deep confusion.
"Coffin Grandpa, why did you choose me? What on earth... do you want from me?"
Chen Chang'an asked skeptically.
"Tsk tsk... Out of tens of millions of coffins, you happened to lie right into this old man's embrace—perhaps this is fate!"
"Or, if you prefer, you can call yourself the Son of Destiny!"
Listening to Coffin Grandpa's voice, Chen Chang'an fell silent.
After a moment, he stopped dwelling on it.
As he was right now, he was still far too weak. Only once he grew to a certain degree of strength would he be able to uncover more of this world's secrets.
Over the past century, the God-Burial Coffin had painted a picture of a vast and magnificent world for him, vastly broadening his horizons.
And so, Chen Chang'an crossed his legs and began to cultivate, focusing on consolidating his newfound realm.
————
Just as Chen Chang'an returned to his room to cultivate, inside the Chen Family head's chamber, the nine clan elders and Family Head Chen Xuantong had gathered together.
Everyone exchanged glances, but a heavy weight lifted from all their hearts.
"Family Head, thank goodness the Young Master is alright. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known how to proceed with our plans, and whether it would have affected our path to becoming gods."
Second Master spoke with a bitter smile.
Chapter 5: Money is meant for showing off to women!
Chen Xuantong nodded. "Thankfully, the Heavenly Dao sent us a message, telling us that this was Chang'an's destined tribulation as well as his fortune! It told us to wait patiently; otherwise, every single one of us would have gone mad this past year!"
The others nodded slightly.
Chen Xuantong looked across the room and sneered, "It seems we've kept too low a profile lately, leading some people to think they can disregard our Chen Family. Starting today, anyone who dares to strike from the shadows, bully the weak, or provoke our family's young master... will be shown no mercy under any circumstances! No matter who they are!"
"Understood!!!"
The nine clan elders roared in unison, their momentum soaring to such heights that even the space around them warped.
This was far beyond the Heavenly King Realm that outsiders believed them to be, but rather...
"By the way, Family Head, the Young Master is going to the Gu Family in three days to break off the engagement! But according to our intelligence, that Jun Wujian is currently at the Gu Family. What attitude should we adopt toward that fellow?"
An elder spoke up, a mocking curve playing at the corner of his mouth.
"What other attitude could there be? Whatever the Young Master says, we do! Anyone who refuses to accept it, we beat until they do!" Chen Xuantong said coldly.
"Understood!"
The group nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Ninth Uncle stepped forward. "Then let Eighth Uncle and me tag along. We'll go meet those two old fellows from the Taichang Sword Domain!"
"Heh, very well!"
Eighth Uncle stepped out and nodded slightly. He was a refined middle-aged man carrying a sword wrapped in cloth strapped across his back, giving him a calm and steady presence. Yet, as he spoke, his eyes brimmed with sword light.
"Family Head, who would have thought that after returning a year later, the Young Master has become so sensible? Knowing that our family is facing hardships, he went directly to reclaim the resources he gave to Gu Qingcheng—something this old man never expected."
Chen Second Master spoke with a face full of gratification.
"Mm, quite right."
Chen Xuantong agreed with a nod. "Still, we must put on a show of struggling a bit, so he understands the difficulty and remains driven—we mustn't let him turn into a spoiled prodigal son."
The clan elders exchanged knowing glances and smiled.
————
Meanwhile, at the Gu Family estate.
Everyone in the Gu Family was bending over backward to curry favor with a single young man: Jun Wujian.
In the main hall, Jun Wujian sat in the seat of honor, his gaze disdainful and aloof, looking down upon everything.
Hearing Gu Qingcheng's tearful complaints, he spoke with contempt, "Qingcheng, rest assured. If that Chen Chang'an dares to show his face in three days, this young master will make him kneel on the ground and kowtow in kowtowing apology!"
Hearing Jun Wujian's words, everyone in the hall instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Qingcheng's father, Gu Qingshan, laughed ingratiatingly, "Qingcheng, why aren't you thanking Young Master Jun quickly? If not for Young Master Jun, we probably would have been bullied to death by the Chen Family!"
"Understood, Father."
Gu Qingcheng offered a sweet smile and performed a graceful, dipping bow toward Jun Wujian. "Thank you, Young Master Jun. This humble woman will never forget your great kindness."
"Heh, Qingcheng, you're too polite. Your affairs are my affairs! To bully you is to bully me!" Jun Wujian narrowed his eyes, walking slowly forward to gently take Gu Qingcheng's delicate hand as he spoke with a warm tone.
"That's right, Qingcheng. Surely you understand Young Master Jun's feelings by now? You mustn't let down his kind intentions."
Liu Sisi chimed in from the side, her face full of suggestive implication.
As her words faded, Gu Qingcheng lowered her head in bashful modesty.
This left Jun Wujian itching with desire, desperately wanting to taste her sweetness, though regretfully there were far too many people present.
"Ahem... Hahaha, Sisi is right!" Seeing the ambiguous atmosphere between the two, Gu Qingshan was overjoyed. "If Young Master Jun has taken a fancy to my Qingcheng, once she breaks off her engagement with the Chen brat, I will make the decision and marry my daughter to Young Master Jun!"
Hearing this, everyone around beamed with radiant smiles.
Gu Qingcheng lowered her head even further, muttering, "Oh my, Father, why would you suddenly bring that up!"
With that, she shyly grabbed Liu Sisi and hurried off with quick, hurried steps.
As they left, Liu Sisi's gaze locked with Young Master Jun's in a meaningful, lingering exchange across the air...
Watching Gu Qingcheng depart in bashful shyness, the crowd burst into hearty laughter.
However, Jun Wujian wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes, sneering inwardly: *Want to marry into my Jun family? What a pipe dream! Still... playing with her for a bit wouldn't hurt, especially since it looks like she's still a virgin... Chen Chang'an, you treated her so well you didn't even take her maiden blood—what a pathetic fool!*
Though he thought this way in his heart, the words Jun Wujian spoke aloud were entirely different.
"Being able to take Qingcheng as my bride is the greatest honor of my life! However... this young master still needs to spend more time cultivating our relationship with Qingcheng first, lest I startle the beauty."