361: Chapter 355 Meeting a Junior Member of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect

"Jiang Tao..."

Chen Zhiwen grit his teeth.

He squeezed those three words out from between his teeth.

The veins on his forehead pulsed slightly.

A nameless rage burned fiercely in his chest.

"What a Vice Mountain Master of the Tianyang Sect!"

"What a 'as long as the hoe is swung well'!"

"He actually dares to try and poach my woman?"

This kind of thing.

If this can be endured, what cannot?

No matter which world it was, the hatred of having one's wife stolen was an irreconcilable enmity.

Although Xiao Linger's attitude was very firm and she had told him immediately.

This also proved the trust between the two.

But the feeling of someone coveting her still made him very unhappy.

Extremely unhappy.

"A Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator, is he?"

"A powerful figure from the Dharma Transmission Peak, is he?"

Chen Zhiwen narrowed his eyes.

A dangerous light flickered in his eyes.

"I've noted down this debt."

"Once I've dealt with the Wan Family and have some free time."

"We'll settle this 'hoe' account properly."

He did not lose his reason due to anger.

On the contrary, his determination to become stronger grew even firmer.

In this world where strength was respected.

If he wasn't strong enough, forget about being unable to protect his territory.

Even his wife might be snatched away.

This was the naked reality.

"Phew..."

Chen Zhiwen exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

He stood up.

He walked to the window, gazing in the direction Xiao Linger had left.

That ice-blue trail had long since dissipated into the clouds.

His gaze gradually softened.

"Linger..."

"Thank you for your honesty."

"And thank you for your steadfastness."

At this moment.

His love for this woman deepened by several degrees.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?

...

After calming his emotions.

Chen Zhiwen did not continue to stay in the quiet room.

Everything that needed to be arranged had been arranged.

Now, he needed to go and see the clansmen at the very bottom.

To see this city that was about to face a storm.

With a flash of his figure.

He left an afterimage where he stood.

In the next moment.

He appeared atop the city walls, hundreds of feet high.

At this time.

Night had fallen.

The sea breeze howled.

Carrying a thick, salty fishy smell, it slapped fiercely against the black rock city walls.

Making a dull, booming sound.

The main city of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was brightly lit.

But atop the city walls, there was an air of solemnity.

Squads of Cultivators wearing standard armor were patrolling along the walls.

Their expressions were tense, and their eyes alertly scanned the sea and the sky.

Chen Zhiwen stood with his hands behind his back.

Standing at the top of a corner tower on the city wall.

Allowing the wild wind to blow his robes, making them flutter loudly.

He just stood there quietly.

As if he had merged with the night.

Without emitting a single trace of aura.

The patrolling Cultivators walked past beneath him, yet they didn't notice an extra person overhead at all.

This was the gap in Realm.

Before a Great Grandmaster, low-level Cultivators were like the blind.

Suddenly.

"Who goes there?!"

A sharp shout broke the silence of the night.

Immediately following.

A flash of cold light appeared.

A Flying Sword, carrying the sound of breaking air, came straight for Chen Zhiwen's face.

Its speed was extremely fast, and its angle was tricky.

Although the power wasn't too strong, this reaction speed was first-rate.

Chen Zhiwen was slightly stunned.

He was somewhat surprised.

Although he had retracted his aura, he hadn't deliberately hidden himself.

Anyone with a slightly keen perception might have discovered a clue.

But someone who could react with an attack so quickly was rare.

*Clang!*

Chen Zhiwen reached out two fingers.

He nonchalantly caught the incoming Flying Sword.

The blade was still trembling violently, letting out a buzzing hum.

But his fingers were as steady as Mount Tai, not moving an inch.

"Come out."

Chen Zhiwen said faintly.

His gaze looked into the shadows not far away.

A middle-aged Cultivator wearing dark red armor stepped out from the shadows.

He was still clutching a Talisman that hadn't been activated yet.

His face was full of shock, anger, and wariness.

"Bold madman!"

"How dare you trespass into the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's restricted city defense area!"

"Surrender now!"

The middle-aged Cultivator shouted sternly.

Although he saw that the opponent had easily caught his Flying Sword and that his strength was unfathomable.

He didn't have the slightest intention of backing down.

Instead, he quietly crushed a transmission Talisman in his hand.

This series of actions.

Was smooth and flowing, without any panic.

Chen Zhiwen saw this and nodded inwardly.

Not bad.

He was a good prospect.

High alertness, calm in the face of danger, and sufficient loyalty.

Using the firelight on the city wall, he saw the man's face clearly.

It looked somewhat familiar.

After searching his memory for a moment, he remembered this person's identity.

Chen Feilong.

A Junior from a branch of the Family.

His Aptitude was mediocre, possessing only a Four-Element Spiritual Root.

After Cultivating for over forty years, he was only at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

He had been responsible for patrol duties in the External Affairs Hall and was a well-known "Daredevil."

"Chen Feilong."

Chen Zhiwen called out his name.

His voice was gentle, and he no longer masked his appearance.

"Look closely, who am I?"

Chen Feilong was stunned.

The other party actually knew his name?

He instinctively looked closer.

By the light of the torches.

That young, handsome, yet infinitely majestic face gradually overlapped with the portrait hanging in the Family's ancestral hall.

And that aura, as lofty as a high mountain.

That throbbing deep within his Bloodline.

*Thump!*

The Talisman in Chen Feilong's hand dropped to the ground.

His entire body trembled violently as if struck by lightning.

His knees buckled.

He knelt heavily onto the hard stone slabs.

Making a loud thud.

"Old... Old Ancestor?!"

His voice was trembling.

It was both fear and excitement.

"Unworthy Disciple Chen Feilong..."

"Greets the Grand Elder!"

"I didn't know it was the Old Ancestor's arrival and offended your might; I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

He buried his head deep into the ground.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Heavens!

What had he just done?

He had actually used a sword to attack the Family's Old Ancestor?

If this got out, even if the Old Ancestor didn't kill him, the Family's Law Enforcement Hall would skin him alive.

"Ignorance is not a crime."

Chen Zhiwen flicked his wrist.

The Flying Sword held between his fingertips flew back.

It was steadily inserted back into the scabbard on Chen Feilong's back.

Without the slightest error.

"Rise."

"You did very well."

Chen Zhiwen's figure slowly drifted down.

Standing before Chen Feilong.

"As a city defense guard, you must have this extreme state of alertness."

"If everyone were like you, how could the Ten Thousand Swords Sect not flourish?"

This was praise from the heart.

Compared to those high-level officials who flattered him, he appreciated these clansmen who contributed silently at the grassroots more.

Chen Feilong looked up.

His face was full of disbelief.

The Old Ancestor... actually praised me?

No punishment, but praise instead?

His weather-beaten face instantly flushed bright red.

He was so excited he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

"Thank... thank you for the praise, Old Ancestor!"

"This is... this is what this grandson should do!"

Chen Zhiwen looked at his Flying Sword, which already had some nicks in the blade.

Then he looked at the heavily worn armor on his body.

He sighed inwardly.

Branch Family Disciples indeed lacked resources.

Even if they worked this hard, their equipment couldn't keep up.

"Since your alertness is not bad."

"Then this item is bestowed upon you."

Chen Zhiwen gave a casual wave.

A Flying Sword emitting a faint green light hovered before Chen Feilong.

The blade shimmered with flowing light, and its cold air was biting.

At a glance, one could tell it was no ordinary item.

"High Grade Magical Artifact, qingfeng sword."

"I hope you use this sword to guard the Family well."

A High Grade Magical Artifact!

Chen Feilong's eyes bulged.

His breathing almost stopped.

For a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator like him, even a Medium Grade Magical Artifact required saving Spirit Stones for several years.

A High Grade Magical Artifact?

That was a treasure only Foundation Establishment Stage Seniors were worthy of possessing!

This was simply a pie falling from the sky!

"Thank... thank you for the reward, Old Ancestor!"

"This grandson will surely sacrifice himself and swear to protect the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to the death!"

Chen Feilong kowtowed heavily again.

He even knocked a bloody mark onto his forehead, but he was completely oblivious to it.

Chen Zhiwen smiled.

He didn't say anything more.

He patted his shoulder, and with a flash of his figure, he disappeared into the night.

Leaving Chen Feilong alone.

Kneeling on the city wall, holding that qingfeng sword in both hands.

As if he had obtained a priceless treasure.

He looked in the direction Chen Zhiwen had disappeared.

The awe in his eyes was intense to the extreme.

"So this is... the legendary Minor Grandmaster."

Chen Feilong shouted frantically in his heart.

"So young, yet already formed his Nascent Soul."

"With hopes of breaking through to the Great Perfection of Nascent Soul Stage, or even the Soul Transformation Stage."

"He is the most brilliant figure in our Chen Family for thousands of years!"

"Moreover, he is a living legend in this Ten-Thousand-Mile Sea Area!"

In the hearts of these bottom-level clansmen.

Chen Zhiwen was not just an Old Ancestor.

He was a god.

A god who could lead them out of their predicament and towards glory.

"The Old Ancestor is so approachable, and he even personally inspected the city defenses."

"It seems the Family is truly going to make a big move."

Chen Feilong gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

His gaze became firmer than ever before.

"No matter what happens."

"This life of mine, Chen Feilong's, belongs to the Old Ancestor!"

The night wind howled, carrying the salty fishy smell of the seawater.

Atop the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's city walls, the torches fluttered loudly.

Chen Zhiwen looked at Chen Feilong, who was still kneeling on the ground, and a trace of complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

It was the expectation of an elder for a Junior, and also the pity of the strong for the weak.

"Rise."

Chen Zhiwen said softly.

His palm lifted slightly.

A gentle yet irresistible spiritual power arose out of thin air, like an invisible large hand, steadily supporting Chen Feilong's arms.

Chen Feilong only felt his body lighten, and he involuntarily stood up straight.

"Thank you, Old Ancestor!"

His voice trembled with excitement, and his hands tightly gripped the qingfeng sword he had just been bestowed, his knuckles turning slightly white from the effort.

"This sword, although sharp, is ultimately just an external object."

Chen Zhiwen's gaze was deep as he looked at Chen Feilong's weather-beaten face.

He exhorted him with earnest words:

"You are now at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage, only one step away from Foundation Establishment."

"Rather than pinning your hopes on a Magical Artifact, it is better to Cultivate diligently and polish your Heart-Nature."

"Only by knocking open the door to Foundation Establishment and casting your Dao foundation can you be considered to have truly stepped across the threshold of the cultivation world."

"Otherwise, a hundred years from now, you will still be but a handful of yellow soil."

These words were spoken very heavily.

And very realistically.

The cultivation world was incomparably cruel; the Qi Refining Stage was merely an immortal in the eyes of Mortals, but in the eyes of true Cultivators, they were still ants.

Only with Foundation Establishment, when one's Lifespan doubled, did one have the qualification to fight for that sliver of heavenly opportunity.

"Feilong will keep the Old Ancestor's teachings engraved in his heart!"

"Even if my body is smashed to pieces, Feilong will surely not fail the Old Ancestor's high expectations!"

Chen Feilong bowed again.

The fire of an unprecedented fighting spirit burned in his eyes.

This was not just because of a High Grade Magical Artifact.

It was also because the Old Ancestor's care and recognition had ignited the flame in his heart that had originally been about to go out.

"Go."

"Guard this wall well."

Chen Zhiwen nodded.

He didn't say anything more.

His figure swayed slightly.

Like a wisp of green smoke, he dissipated into the night.

When Chen Feilong looked up, there was already no one before him.

Only that biting sea breeze was still howling in his ears.

He gazed at the empty night sky and gripped the sword in his hand tightly, as if he were gripping his entire future.

...

At this time.

Deep within the clouds thousands of feet above the Ten Thousand Swords Sect city.

Chen Zhiwen stood suspended in the air.

His feet were treading on a mass of faint cloud Qi.

Overlooking this sleeping giant city below.

The lights were like beans, like a scattering of stars.

It seemed peaceful and serene, but in reality, undercurrents were surging.

"The path of cultivation is full of unpredictable changes."

Chen Zhiwen sighed silently in his heart.

Having lived two lives, he knew the cruelty of this world better than anyone.

"Although I am now a Nascent Soul Cultivator."

"On this own little patch of land of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, my word is law, and I possess a certain amount of freedom."

"But this bit of strength is still not enough to be significant when placed in the entire Eastern Continent, or even the entire cultivation world."

"Above Soul Transformation, there is Void Refining; above Void Refining, there is Body Integration..."

"Every step is an insurmountable gap."

"With the slightest carelessness, one's Dao will end in death."

This sense of crisis spurred him on at all times.

Making him not dare to have the slightest slackness.

This was also the reason why he wanted to personally set up a grand formation late this night.

He wanted to protect his existing achievements.

Protect this city, protect the people in this city, and even more, protect his hard-won cultivation path.

"Rise!"

Chen Zhiwen gave a low shout.

He gave a wave of his large sleeve.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Sixteen dazzling purple lights shot out from his cuff.

Those were sixteen small and exquisite Formation Flags.

On the surface of the flags, intricate thunder patterns were embroidered, with electric arcs faintly jumping, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of destruction.

This was the Formation Flag he had painstakingly refined—the Extreme Intent Heavenly Thunder Formation.

It was a fourth-grade High Grade killing formation.

"Go!"

Chen Zhiwen's hands formed incantations.

His fingers danced like butterflies through flowers, leaving behind trails of afterimages.

The sixteen Formation Flags instantly expanded rapidly in the wind.

Transforming into sixteen sky-propping giant pillars, they respectively sank into the Void Realm, occupying the sixteen directions of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect city.

*Hum—*

The Void Realm vibrated slightly.

A purple light screen invisible to the naked eye quietly enveloped the entire city.

But this was not enough.

A sharp light flashed in Chen Zhiwen's eyes.

His Divine Sense instantly connected to the city's original protective formation—the Illusionary Light Seven Source Formation.

"With the two formations combined, it will be impregnable."

He gave a light tap with his finger.

That originally gentle Illusionary Light Seven Source Formation seemed to have its Soul injected.

As the light flowed, it actually merged perfectly with the purple thunder light of the Extreme Intent Heavenly Thunder Formation.

One for defense, one for attack.

One for illusion, one for destruction.

Complementing each other, their power doubled.

"In this way, even if a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator comes to attack, they shouldn't hope to break through this turtle shell anytime soon."

Chen Zhiwen nodded with satisfaction.

But he did not relax his guard.

His gaze turned towards the six important towns outside the city.

Those were the outer defense lines of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and also the gathering places for resources.