177: Across two realms, father and son reunite!

For a moment, whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

"Why is there still no response after so long? Did it fail?"

"Shut up! How could the Family Head possibly fail?!"

"But... I feel like the Family Head looks very strained."

Xu Linger stood at the edge of the altar. As the person closest to Chen Xu, she could feel that pressure most intuitively.

She saw her Revered Master's seated body trembling slightly.

That was a sign that his Spiritual Qi and Divine Sense were being pushed to their absolute limit.

She wanted to go up and help, but with her meager cultivation, if she were to rashly intervene now,

she would be instantly crushed into dust by the backlash of that terrifying Formation.

"You must succeed..."

Xu Linger prayed silently in her heart, her hands clasped together.

At this moment, Chen Xu's consciousness had become somewhat blurred.

Such cross-realm searching was indeed a bit of a stretch for an Early Void Refining Stage Cultivator.

Even with the Formation diagram and top-tier Materials provided by the System, in terms of raw power,

he was, after all, not yet a Body Integration Stage Great Expert capable of tearing through the boundary of the realm at will.

Just as he was about to lose his grip and was preparing to temporarily give up,

suddenly!

At the very edge of his Divine Sense, deep within that chaotic and disordered darkness, a faint ripple—

so weak it was almost negligible—gently pulsed.

That ripple was very special.

It did not belong to the Void Realm, nor did it belong to the Spirit Realm.

It carried a kind of mortal, mundane Aura, and more importantly,

it carried a resonance connected to Chen Xu's own Bloodline!

That was... the Aura of the Chen Family Bloodline!

It was the Aura of the Heaven-Reaching Tower!

"Found it!!!"

Chen Xu snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light flashing within them.

He had no time to think; all his remaining Spiritual Qi surged out in that instant without reservation.

"Tai Xu Positioning! Open the Realm Gate! Connect for me!!!"

BOOM—!!!

The beam of light that had been swaying wildly suddenly stabilized, then violently pierced toward that direction.

It was like a red-hot iron rod punching through a thin sheet of paper.

The resistance at that moment was astonishingly great, as if the entire Heaven and Earth were rejecting this connection.

But Chen Xu did not retreat in the slightest; he gripped the Formation Plate tightly with both hands,

and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the core of the Formation.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of shattering rang in everyone's ears, and it echoed between the two realms.

Immediately following that, the black vortex in the center of the light gate suddenly stopped rotating.

In its place was a transparent light curtain undulating like water ripples.

The light curtain gradually became clear, and the originally blurry scene began to take shape.

On the periphery of the plaza, Chen Daoxuan's eyes widened.

He looked at the image within the light curtain in disbelief.

That was... a familiar mountain peak.

Although the mountain was not as majestic as those in the Spirit Realm, and the Spiritual Qi was not as dense as it was here, the grass and trees, the pavilions built against the mountain, and that group of people standing on the mountaintop plaza,

staring at the sky in a daze...

"That is... Dao Chu?!"

Chen Daoxuan's voice cracked.

He pointed at the middle-aged man leading the group in the image and exclaimed.

That's right, what was appearing in the image was none other than the current acting Family Head of the Chen Family in the Lower Realm.

Chen Xu's son, Chen Daochu!

And at this moment, in the Lower Realm,

Chen Daochu, who had been presiding over the Family's morning cultivation, was also stunned by this sudden celestial phenomenon.

Just a moment ago, the cloudless sky had suddenly split open with a huge gash.

A magnificent silver beam of light descended from the sky, directly enveloping the entire Family plaza.

Just as everyone thought it was a disaster from the heavens and were preparing to fight to the death,

within that beam of light, a massive projection had slowly emerged.

In the image was a giant city a hundred times more magnificent than the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the person sitting cross-legged in mid-air,

who, despite his pale face, remained as majestic as a god.

"Fa... Father?!"

Chen Daochu rubbed his eyes, and the long sword in his hand clattered to the ground.

The thousands of Chen Family disciples behind him were in an uproar.

"It's the Family Head! The Family Head has manifested!"

The Chen Family members of two worlds, separated by the endless Void Realm and the impassable barriers of the planes, had, at this moment, miraculously reunited.

In the Tianxuan City plaza, Chen Xu looked at the silly son in the image who was moved to tears,

and finally, a look of relief appeared on his face.

It worked.

It really worked.

This step had finally been taken.

"Dao Xuan."

Chen Xu spoke calmly, but his tone carried a sense of boldness.

"Here! Father!"

Chen Daoxuan, who had been trembling with excitement, appeared instantly beneath the altar.

"Prepare yourself."

Chen Xu pointed to the light gate connecting the two realms: "Call your brother over. I've acquired too many good things during this procurement, the warehouses here are overflowing. It's just the right time to send some down to let them broaden their horizons."

"Also, tell those little brats down there to Cultivate diligently."

"I have already paved the road for them. In the future, whoever has cultivation too low to climb up, don't call themselves my, Chen Xu's, offspring!"

"Yes!!!"

Chen Daoxuan's response was filled with excitement!

He knew that from this moment on, the Chen Family was completely different.

To hell with the Tianyu Holy Land, to hell with the overlords!

As long as they were given time, the Chen Family, with the complementary resources of two worlds,

would sooner or later poke a hole in this sky!

However, just as the Chen Family was immersed in the celebration,

high in the sky tens of thousands of miles away,

two streaks of light, moving like meteors, suddenly stopped.

The tracking compass in Black Fiend's hand was vibrating frantically, its needle spinning like crazy,

pointing firmly toward the north and refusing to budge.

"Such intense spatial fluctuations!"

White Fiend turned his head abruptly, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of mist,

locking onto the distant direction of Tianxuan City.

"This isn't some small-scale teleportation; this kind of fluctuation... it has even torn the boundary of the realm!"

Black Fiend licked his lips, the greed in his eyes instantly surging tenfold.

"The tai xu realm stone! The tai xu realm stone must have been activated! And that old thing must be up to something incredible!"

"This is a heaven-sent Opportunity!"

The two looked at each other, seeing the madness in each other's eyes.

If they could seize a spatial Formation of this level and offer it to the Holy Land—or even if they didn't offer it to the Holy Land,

even if they kept it for themselves, the value would be immeasurable.

"Go! Full speed ahead!"

"Even if we have to slaughter everyone in that territory, we must get our hands on that item!"

BOOM!

The two streaks of light erupted once more, their speed doubling, carrying a biting murderous intent,

as they charged straight toward Tianxuan City.

...

As time passed, in the central plaza of Tianxuan City,

the silver beam of light that reached the heavens and the earth finally stabilized.

The center of the massive light gate rippled slowly.

Chen Xu stood before the light gate, retracting his Aura,

but his gaze remained fixed on the light gate with some urgency.

"Hum—"

Accompanied by a low hum, the water ripples of the light gate bulged outward.

Immediately after, a foot clad in a black brocade boot stepped out from the void,

landing steadily on the plaza of Tianxuan City.

Following closely behind was a middle-aged man in black robes.

This person had a refined appearance, with traces of Chen Xu's features in his brow.

Only, at this moment, those eyes—usually profound—

were filled with irrepressible excitement and trepidation.

It was none other than the current acting Family Head of the Chen Family in the Lower Realm, Chen Daochu.

Behind him, shadows flickered one after another.

A full seven or eight of Chen Xu's descendants, along with several core Elders with exceptional talent, filed out.

As soon as they landed, before they could even see the surrounding scene clearly,

their bodies swayed involuntarily.

The gravity of the Spirit Realm, which far exceeded that of the Lower Realm, and the dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the air, felt like an invisible mountain,

instantly pressing down on this group of people who had just crossed the realm boundary.

"Is... is this the Upper Realm?"

Chen Daochu took a deep breath, feeling pure power surging into his lungs through his nasal cavity.

The Bottleneck that had kept him stuck at the Early Nascent Soul Stage actually showed signs of loosening at this very instant.

But he quickly suppressed the shock in his heart and looked up ahead.

His gaze passed through the layers of spiritual mist, and at a glance, he saw the man in green robes standing with his hands behind his back,

looking at them with a smile.

That familiar face, even without deliberately releasing any Aura, still felt like a towering mountain, causing everyone present to feel a sense of looking up at a great mountain.

"Thud!"

Without any hesitation, Chen Daochu knelt heavily on both knees, his voice choked with emotion, yet it resounded throughout the entire plaza: "Unfilial son Chen Daochu, pays respects to Father!"

"Pay respects to the Old Ancestor!"

The crowd behind him knelt down in unison, each of them with tears of excitement on their faces.

Although it hadn't been long since they parted,

it felt like half a century had passed.

Ever since Chen Xu ascended, although the Family dominated the Lower Realm, they had lost their anchor.

Everyone felt empty inside.

Now, they had finally returned to the shelter of this great tree.

Chen Xu looked at the children and grandchildren kneeling on the ground, his heart—which had been tempered to be as hard as iron through his ruthless cultivation in the Cultivation World—

rippled at this moment.

He drifted down slowly, not using any magic power, but personally reached out his hands to help Chen Daochu, who was kneeling at the very front, to stand up.

"Good, good."

Chen Xu patted Chen Daochu's shoulder, his gaze lingering for a moment on the few strands of new white hair at his temples.

His tone was gentle: "You've worked hard during this time."

A simple "you've worked hard" was enough to make Chen Daochu, the hegemon who ruled the Lower Realm, instantly redden his eyes.

Tears flowed uncontrollably.

"It wasn't hard, Father... As long as I can see you and Big Brother again, everything is worth it!"

Chen Daochu wiped away his tears, laughing and crying at the same time.

At this time, Chen Daoxuan, who had been waiting on the side, also walked up quickly, and the two brothers looked at each other,

then hugged each other tightly.

"Dao Chu!"

"Big Brother!"

At this moment, there was no distinction between immortal and mortal, only the purest bond of blood.

On the periphery of the plaza, Ba Dao hugged his demon blade, watching this touching scene, and clicked his tongue: "Usually I see the Family Head killing without blinking, I didn't expect him to have such a tender side, truly a rare sight."

Beside him, Xu Linger looked at this big Family with envy, secretly vowing in her heart,

that she must work harder in her cultivation to truly integrate into this warm and powerful Family.

...

That night, the City Lord's mansion was brightly lit.

An unprecedentedly grand banquet was held in the main hall.

The long tables were filled with delicacies unique to the Spirit Realm.

The loin meat of a Rank-5 Yao Beast was sliced into pieces as thin as cicada wings, melting in the mouth.

The spiritual wine brewed from ten-thousand-year-old Vermilion Fruit emitted an intoxicating aroma.

Even just a single whiff could increase one's cultivation progress by several days.

As for these items, let alone eating them, this group of "bumpkins" from the Lower Realm had never even seen them before.

Even a Supreme of his realm like Chen Daochu couldn't help but feel a bit at a loss when looking at the plate of spiritual fruits emitting misty radiance before him.

"Don't be reserved; you are home now that you have arrived here."

Chen Xu sat in the main seat, raised his wine cup, and laughed loudly: "Although these spiritual foods are highly nourishing, your Physical Bodies have not yet been cleansed by Spiritual Qi, so you must not eat too much. Just taste a little of each."

Only then did everyone dare to pick up their chopsticks. For a time, the sound of cups clinking filled the great hall, and the atmosphere became extremely lively.

After three rounds of drinks and tasting the dishes,

Chen Xu set down his wine cup, and the noise in the great hall gradually subsided. Everyone knew that the reminiscing was over, and it was time to talk business.

"Dao Chu."

Chen Xu turned his gaze toward his second son, "Tell me, how is the situation in the Lower Realm during this period?"

Chen Daochu immediately stood up, adjusted his robes, and reined in his initial excitement.

In its place was a powerful sense of confidence and capability.

He stood in the center of the great hall, took out a Jade Slip from his robes, presented it with both hands, and said in a resonant voice:

"Reporting to Father, since your Ascension, this child has strictly followed your teachings to reorganize the Family and consolidate our power."

"Our Chen Family Cultivators have brought their entire territory under the Chen Family banner."

"The former site of the Heavenly Sword Sect has now been expanded into the ancestral grounds of the Chen Immortal Clan. On this foundation, we annexed the original ten Sects and established the only Holy Land for the Cultivation World—the Longevity Alliance."

At this point, Chen Daochu paused, his tone carrying a hint of pride:

"Now, throughout the entire continent, only our Chen Family reigns Supreme! The mortal world honors our Chen Family as royalty, and the Cultivation World reveres our Chen Family as the ancestor!"

"As for the Family's strength..."

Chen Daochu glanced at the Spirit Realm Guards emitting terrifying Auras surrounding them. Although he felt somewhat inadequate by comparison, he still straightened his back:

"Thanks to the Heaven-Reaching Tower you left behind, as well as the massive amount of resources, the Family has experienced explosive development over the past six months."

"Now, there are thirty-six Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators in the Family! The number of Golden Core Stage Cultivators has exceeded eight hundred! There are countless Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, numbering in the tens of thousands!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall was shocked.

Badao, who had been drinking on the side, crushed the wine cup in his hand with a "crack."

He widened his eyes, looking at Chen Daochu as if he were a monster: "Goodness... thirty-six Nascent Souls? Eight hundred Golden Cores? This number..."

Even Zhao De, who was in charge of Artifact Refining, had his mouth wide open.

They had originally thought that in a place as barren of Spiritual Qi as the Lower Realm, it would be the limit if a few Nascent Souls could emerge.

They hadn't expected the Chen Family's foundation in the Lower Realm to be so terrifying!

Although the Nascent Soul Stage was nothing in the Spirit Realm, this base number was simply too large.

If these tens of thousands of people were all brought to the Spirit Realm and underwent Spiritual Qi infusion, even if only one-tenth could achieve a Breakthrough to Soul Transformation.

It would be a terrifying force capable of sweeping through the surrounding areas!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Chen Xu repeated the word "good" three times, unable to hide the smile on his face.

What did he lack the most?

It was not top-tier combat power; with him around, the sky wouldn't collapse.

What he lacked was the core strength, a sufficient population base!

Tianxuan City was fine, but including the Zhao Family team brought over initially, it was only a hundred people at most.

A huge city appeared empty and deserted, and many industries could not operate.

But now, Chen Daochu had brought him a huge talent pool!

"Dao Chu, you have done very well, far exceeding this father's expectations."

Chen Xu stood up, his gaze burning: "The development of my Tianxuan City is slow, and the biggest constraint is the lack of manpower. Now that the two realms are connected, this problem will be easily solved!"

"Combined with the countless Opportunities and resources I obtained a few days ago."

"As long as we bring up the clansmen from the Lower Realm in batches, with the old leading the new, I am confident that within a hundred... no, fifty years, my Chen Family will surely become a true hegemon of this Spirit Realm!"

Hearing his father's affirmative evaluation and grand blueprint, Chen Daochu's heart was also surging with hot blood.

However, he was not carried away by this joy.

Chen Daochu hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting back and forth between Chen Xu and his Elder brother, Chen Daoxuan.

Finally, he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind.

"Father, Big Brother... there is one thing this child does not understand."

The atmosphere in the great hall tightened slightly.

Chen Daochu furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice: "Father, during the time you Ascended, what exactly happened?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the few Lower Realm Elders who had just arrived also pricked up their ears.

This was also the question they were most worried about.

Chen Xu's expression darkened slightly. He did not answer directly but instead looked at his eldest son.

"Dao Xuan, you tell your younger brother about it."

Chen Daoxuan sighed, set down his wine cup, and the smile on his face disappeared.

In its place was a touch of bitterness and anger.

"Second Brother, others think that Ascension is ascending to the Spirit Realm to continue the Immortal path!"

Chen Daoxuan shook his head self-deprecatingly: "But the reality is not like that!"

Then, he recounted the experiences of everyone after their Ascension.

From crossing the Ascension passage only to fall directly into the mine pit of the Tianyu Holy Land;

To how Father rose up to kill, slaying the supervisor Lin Feng, and leading everyone on the run.

Surviving with difficulty in the wilderness and establishing Tianxuan City...

Each and every event left the people from the Lower Realm dumbfounded, their bodies turning cold.

After all, while it sounded easy, if they had taken one wrong step, they would have stepped into an abyss of eternal doom.

"What?!"

A hot-tempered Lower Realm Elder slammed the table and stood up, furious: "This Tianyu Holy Land is simply bullying people too much! Treating Ascenders as slaves? What kind of shitty Holy Land is this!"

Chen Daochu's face was also livid, his fists clenched tightly.

He never expected that Father and Big Brother would have experienced such a perilous beginning in the Upper Realm.

If it weren't for Father's heaven-defying means, this elite group of the Chen Family would have long since become dry bones in that mine pit!

"Fortunately..."

Chen Daochu took a deep breath, as if remembering something, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped from his back.

A trace of lingering fear flashed in his eyes.

"Father, it is truly fortunate that you and Big Brother were able to escape. And..."

Chen Daochu looked at Chen Xu, his expression becoming exceptionally solemn: "Now it seems that the decision this child made back then was the right one."

"What decision?"

Chen Xu raised an eyebrow, keenly sensing something.

Chen Daochu swallowed his saliva and said in a deep voice: "Not long after you Ascended, Father, the sky of the Lower Realm... tore open again."

"What?!"

This time it was Chen Xu and Chen Daoxuan's turn to be shocked.

"It opened again?"

Chen Xu's eyes instantly became sharp as knives: "What happened? Tell me in detail!"

Recalling the scene of that day, Chen Daochu still had lingering fears:

"That day, the Immortal Ascension Gate that had closed opened again without warning."

"This time, the commotion was even greater than when you Ascended, Father."

"From that Immortal Gate, no guiding divine light descended; instead, a vast voice came out."

"That voice claimed to be an Immortal Envoy from the Upper Realm, saying that in recognition of the Chen Family Old Ancestor's merit in Ascension, they were specially issuing an imperial decree to bring all the remaining Chen Family clansmen up to the Upper Realm to enjoy blessings..."

Speaking of this, Chen Daochu sneered: "At that time, many people were very excited and couldn't wait to ascend immediately. Even the Cultivators outside our Family were so excited that they all demanded to be taken along for the Ascension!"

"But I remembered the instructions Father gave before leaving—there is no free lunch in the world; if something is abnormal, there must be a Prodigy. Father had just left, and they wanted to take the whole clan immediately? If there really was such a good thing, why didn't Father send a message personally? Instead, it was his so-called Immortal Envoy who sent the message?"

"Therefore, I activated the Clan Protection Formation you left behind, forcibly sealed the ancestral grounds, and refused that so-called 'Ascension.'"

"When that voice saw that I refused, it became angry from embarrassment and later tried to forcibly seize people, but it was finally repelled by the Heavenly Dao rules of the Lower Realm, and only then did it have to retreat."

After hearing Chen Daochu's narration, the entire great hall fell into silence.

Everyone felt a chill rising from their soles directly to their skulls.

Enjoy blessings?

That was going to their deaths!

Combined with the experience Chen Daoxuan just mentioned, the truth was already ready to emerge.

Chen Xu slowly narrowed his eyes, murderous intent overflowing from the slits.

The surrounding air seemed to solidify at this moment.

"What a Tianyu Holy Land, what a way to cut weeds and eliminate roots."

Chen Xu sneered: "Lin Feng was killed, and we escaped. Since they couldn't find anyone, they thought of going to the Lower Realm to capture my clansmen."

"This is an attempt to capture you and bring you up as hostages to force me to submit!"

If Chen Daochu had been greedy for that so-called "Immortal Ascension Opportunity" back then and had stepped into that gate with his clansmen.

Their fate now would likely be hanging on the torture rack of the Tianyu Holy Land, becoming a bargaining chip to threaten Chen Xu.

"Good methods, truly good methods!"

Chen Xu laughed in extreme anger, and the jade wine cup in his hand instantly turned into powder: "A dignified Holy Land actually acts so despicably, not even sparing the mortals of the Lower Realm!"

He turned to look at Chen Daochu, his eyes full of approval: "Dao Chu, you have done very well! If not for your caution, my Chen Family would likely have suffered a disaster of annihilation!"

Chen Daochu lowered his head and said: "This child just kept Father's teachings in mind and dared not be the slightest bit slack."

"This matter is not over."

Chen Xu stood up, and the terrifying Aura of the Void Refining Stage on his body erupted like a volcano, shaking the great hall with a rumbling sound.

"Since they are so arrogant, naturally, I cannot spoil them!"

"This Tianyu Holy Land is pressing step by step, and they even dared to scheme against my Family..."

"If I cannot eradicate their Dao lineage, I, Chen Xu, swear I will not be a man."

With the complete stabilization of the cross-realm teleportation array, Tianxuan City ushered in an unprecedented period of high-speed explosive growth.

The once empty and deserted streets were now filled with a bustling crowd.

The light gate connecting the two realms almost never stopped from morning to night.

Every few hours, a batch of Cultivators from the Lower Realm would step onto this legendary land of the Spirit Realm, filled with trepidation and longing.