176: Chapter 173 Travels

From Grandmaster to Great Grandmaster, and now on the verge of touching the Late-stage Grandmaster, such speed is simply unheard of and unseen!

Even those Prodigies from the ancient era are likely no better than this.

Gratified by the clarity of his Dao Heart.

Not obsessed by power, not arrogant due to battle records, always able to clearly recognize his own shortcomings, and find the path to Breakthrough most suitable for himself.

This is the true heart of a powerhouse!

After a long time.

Chen Heng let out a long sigh.

"Good."

He only said one word.

But this one word carried the weight of a thousand jun.

"Go."

A heartfelt smile appeared on Chen Heng's face, and that wrinkled face seemed to relax at this moment.

"With me here, the Great Xuan will not fall into chaos."

"You only need to... go walk your own path."

"I really want to see how far you can go. And what brilliant light our lineage can bloom with because of you."

Chen Zhiwen nodded heavily.

He did not say anything more, just bowed slightly to Chen Heng.

Then, he turned and left.

Watching that tall, straight back disappear outside the palace gate, Chen Heng's cloudy eyes slowly closed.

"Integrating protection into the Hegemonic..."

"This little guy's future... even I can't see through it anymore..."

A leisurely sigh echoed inside the ancient palace, lingering for a long time.

Fifth Princes Residence.

When Chen Zhiwen's figure appeared silently in the study, five ghost-like figures had already been waiting there for a long time.

They stood quietly in the shadows, blending with the darkness, without the slightest aura leaking out.

As if they were originally part of the darkness.

They were the five leaders of the Dark Web: Leng Feng, Leng Yue, Leng Ming, Leng Zhu, and Leng Tu.

"Your Highness."

Seeing Chen Zhiwen appear, the leader, Leng Feng, knelt on one knee, and the other four followed suit in unison.

Their voices were cold and hoarse, devoid of the slightest emotion.

"Rise."

Chen Zhiwen sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping calmly over the five.

"Is something the matter?"

"Yes."

Leng Feng stood up, concise and to the point.

"The five of us have all touched... that threshold."

As his voice fell, the air in the study seemed to freeze at this moment.

That threshold!

Naturally, it referred to the threshold from the Peak Grandmaster to the Great Grandmaster Realm!

A flash of understanding crossed Chen Zhiwen's eyes.

These five were originally the top existences in the Grandmaster Realm, each possessing the terrifying strength to kill those in the same realm.

They had spent years walking on the edge of life and death, and their accumulation had long since reached the extreme.

Now, after witnessing that earth-shattering battle between Chen Zhiwen and the Five Northern Sea Demons, their minds had been greatly impacted, leading to insights and thus touching the opportunity for a Breakthrough, which was only reasonable.

"Very good."

Chen Zhiwen nodded, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"How long will it take?"

"At the shortest, three months; at the longest, half a year."

Leng Feng replied.

"The five of us will definitely enter the Great Grandmaster Realm!"

His tone carried an absolute confidence and an unwavering determination.

This is the Dao of the assassin!

If one strike fails, flee a thousand miles.

Without absolute certainty, they would never try easily.

Once a decision is made, it is a fight to the death!

"Go."

Chen Zhiwen waved his hand.

"Within the Imperial Dynasty, I have left behind countermeasures; you can rest assured and go into seclusion."

"I look forward to the day you emerge from seclusion."

"Yes!"

The five bowed again, without a single word of unnecessary nonsense.

The next moment, their figures, like ink dropped into water, quietly merged into the shadows and disappeared.

Arriving without sound, leaving without a trace.

The study returned to silence once again.

Chen Zhiwen sat alone for a long time.

The Old Ancestor's life extension is in sight, and the five, Leng Feng and the others, are about to Breakthrough to Great Grandmaster.

The Foundation of the Great Xuan Dynasty is becoming more stable and powerful at an unprecedented speed.

The chess pieces he placed are one by one playing their due roles.

All of this is to cope with the coming... catastrophe!

Remnant Clan!

A deep, dark light flashed in Chen Zhiwen's eyes.

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

Outside the window, the night was like ink, with stars dotting the sky.

The ten thousand lights of the capital converged into a brilliant galaxy, reflecting the stars in the sky.

These fireworks of the Mortal World, the peace of this land...

Chen Zhiwen's gaze became incomparably gentle.

He reached out his hand, as if wanting to embrace these lights.

"I will... protect all of this."

A whisper dissipated in the night wind.

The next day, early morning.

The sky was slightly bright, a ray of morning light pierced through the clouds, gilding this ancient, majestic city with a faint golden glow.

The gates of the capital opened slowly.

Carriages and pedestrians flowed endlessly, a scene of a prosperous and flourishing age.

A young man wearing coarse linen clothes, with an ordinary face and an ordinary aura, mixed into the crowd leaving the city and walked slowly out of the city gate.

He carried a simple knapsack on his back and a wine gourd hanging at his waist; he looked like a scholar preparing to travel far for his studies.

Ordinary, plain, completely unremarkable.

No one noticed him.

And no one knew that this seemingly ordinary young man was the Chen Zhiwen who now shocked the entire Desolate State and made countless people tremble in awe!

He did not disturb anyone.

No farewells, and no send-offs.

Just like that, he quietly walked out of the city where he had lived for nearly twenty years.

Walking out of the city gate, Chen Zhiwen turned back and took a deep look at the towering city walls, and behind the walls, the magnificent palace complex.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, seeing the withered figure in that ancient palace, and the ten thousand lights in that quiet residence.

After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and turned around.

A look of relief appeared on his face.

He did not look back again, took a step, and walked firmly towards the north, step by step.

His figure gradually merged into the flow of people on the official road, and soon, it could no longer be distinguished.

Like a drop of water merging into a river.

The road north is long and indefinite.

Chen Zhiwen did not use any cultivation, nor did he use any movement techniques.

He was like a true Mortal, using his feet to measure this vast land.

Traveling at sunrise, resting at sunset.

When thirsty, he drank a sip of mountain spring water.

When hungry, he found some wild fruits.

When tired, he found an ancient tree, used its roots as a pillow, and fell into a sound sleep.

He walked through bustling towns, watching the noise and the endless stream of carriages and horses.

He also passed through desolate ancient roads, listening to the roars of tigers and the cries of apes, and the wind whistling like a crane's call.

He saw wealthy men in bright clothes, spending thousands of gold just to win a beauty's smile.

He also saw ragged beggars fighting with wild dogs for a cold steamed bun.

He saw newborn babies in their mothers' arms letting out their first cries, their eyes full of curiosity about this world.

He also saw elderly people at the end of their lives, surrounded by their children and grandchildren, taking their last breath, their eyes full of attachment to this world.

All these things in the Mortal World were like vivid scrolls slowly unfolding before his eyes.

His heart, in this walk through the Mortal World, was constantly washed and settled.

His heart, which had become somewhat sharp and hegemonic because of power, gradually became rounded and peaceful.

The aura on his body also became more and more restrained, more and more ordinary.

From a sharp sword with exposed edges, wanting to cut through the sky, it gradually turned into a stubborn stone hidden in the deep mountains, having weathered the wind and rain.

The sword is attack.

It is hegemonic, it is to destroy everything.

The stone is defense.

It is heavy, it is to bear all things.

He seemed to have grasped something.

That trace came from Wang Ming's guidance, came from his reflection on the Hegemonic Sword Domain.

Attack and defense are not absolute opposites.

The most extreme attack is the best defense.

And the most solid defense can also nurture the most fierce attack!

Combining hardness and softness is the true Dao.

In Chen Zhiwen's eyes, the look of enlightenment grew stronger and stronger.

The Hegemonic Sword Domain within his body, during this experience in the Mortal World, began to undergo a wonderful, indescribable change.

That pure Sword Domain, full of the will of destruction and annihilation, seemed to have gained a trace of... Mortal aura.

Gained a trace of... the will to protect that belongs to the Mortal World.