325: Meeting the Ancestor! That's quite a grand affair!

The moment he stepped into the Nine Heavens Palace, Su Chen felt as if he had stepped from the noisy mortal world straight into a tomb of eternal slumber.

All sounds, light, and even Spiritual Qi fluctuations were completely stripped away and devoured the instant they passed through the invisible doorway.

A heavy aura, ancient and weathered, almost condensed into substance, surged toward his Face.

This was not Spiritual Qi, but a unique "Dao Field" formed by the settling and blending of countless powerful Law energies over millions of years of solitary time.

Su Qi Elder, who was following behind Su Chen, felt his Dao Body sink. His Great Sage Peak cultivation was like a flickering candle in the wind before this aura, and his Dao Heart trembled uncontrollably, as if he might be crushed into submission at any moment.

In contrast, Su Chen strolled leisurely as if returning to his own backyard, even clasping his hands behind his back and eagerly starting an internal critique of the surrounding "decorations."

[Tsk tsk, not bad. This internal space is much larger than it looks outside. They must be using Spatial Folding Technology, right?]

[What are these paintings hanging on the walls? They look like ghost talismans, completely devoid of artistic sense. Their taste is worrying.]

[Holy cow, are these floor tiles made of void immortal gold? That's too wasteful! If I pried one piece off, it would be enough for Spring Flower, that spendthrift woman, to lose at the card table for several years!]

[Huh? What is embedded in that pillar over there? Dragon Soul Jade? And it's ten thousand years old? What a waste of natural resources! If I took this apart to line the edge of my precious rocking chair, wouldn't its class instantly crush any damn Imperial Throne?]

As Su Chen walked, he mentally criticized the luxury of the Nine Heavens Palace, acting exactly like a bumpkin landlord who had just entered the city and was calculating how to empty the place out.

When Su Qi Elder saw his calm and composed appearance, the last bit of worry in his heart vanished, leaving only profound admiration.

As expected of His Highness the Divine Son!

Facing the pressure of the "Dao Field," which even Earth Immortal Old Ancestors must treat with solemnity, Your Highness actually treated it as nothing!

This state of mind, this bearing—not to mention the younger generation—even they, the Elders, could only look up to him!

Passing through a long corridor paved with starlight, the two arrived at an extremely spacious great hall.

At the end of the great hall, several enormous seats carved from Ten-Thousand-Year Divine Wood were placed.

A figure was seated upright in one of the chairs.

The moment Su Chen and Su Qi stepped into the great hall, a profound gaze landed upon Su Chen!

That gaze carried scrutiny, astonishment, and even a trace of... dread, which he himself had not noticed!

Although he was in the Nine Heavens Palace, everything that happened just now on the Martial Arts Field had been imprinted into his Sea of Divine Thought, not missing a single frame!

Especially the "Law Heaven and Earth" that Su Chen displayed at the end—that supreme Divine Might, which completely surpassed the Laws of this realm, caused even him, an Old Monster who had lived for nearly a million years, to feel a tremor originating from the Origin of his Divine Soul!

"Su Qi greets the Eighteenth Ancestor!"

Su Qi Elder dared not show the slightest negligence; his knees softened, and he immediately knelt down to perform the Great Kowtow Ceremony.

However, Su Chen remained standing there with his hands behind his back, not even lifting an eyelid, as if he hadn't seen that great deity, and instead busied himself looking up at the ceiling of the great hall.

[Hmm? Is that a Star Dipper Diagram carved on the ceiling? And it has an automatic rotation function? Interesting. It's just that the brightness is too high; it's a bit dazzling. Thumbs down.]

The white-haired Old Ancestor on the seat slowly looked over.

His eyes were gentle and profound, seeming to contain the birth and death of stars and the rotation of the Universe.

He looked at Su Chen, a warm smile appearing on his Face. His voice sounded as if it traveled across eternal ages, yet it clearly rang in Su Chen's ears, making people unconsciously feel close to him.

"You are Su Chen, right?"

"Child, come before me. There is no need for excessive ceremony."

Only then did Su Chen retract his gaze and lazily glance at him.

[Oh, the main person has spoken. This old man looks quite benevolent; he doesn't seem like he's going to cause me trouble.]

[Then it must be time to hand out rewards! With such a grand display, there must be a lot of rewards, right?]

Su Chen's mental abacus clicked loudly. As he started walking, he quickly drew up a list in his mind.

[As for Immortal Artifacts, three to five pieces should suffice. I can't use too many, and finding a place to put them is troublesome.]

[Top-Grade Spirit Stones? They should give me at least a hundred to eighty billion, right? After all, I went all out just now to save the situation and ensure the Family's harmony and stability!]

[Also, various Heaven And Earth Treasures and Divine Pills and Wondrous Medicines—they should deliver a few cartloads, right? My two Maidservants recently complained that their skin was a bit dry. I need to replenish their moisture so they can be plump and fair; only then will I have Face when I take them out.]

He walked up to the Eighteenth Ancestor, happily calculating in his mind.

Then... under the gaze of Su Qi Elder, whose eyeballs nearly popped out in shock, Su Chen naturally looked around, found the empty chair closest to the Old Ancestor, and plopped down, crossing one leg over the other.

His posture was more casual than if he were in his own home.

Inside the great hall, a dead silence instantly fell.

Su Qi Elder felt his heart stop beating, almost suffering a myocardial infarction on the spot.

Oh, His Highness the Divine Son! My dear Ancestor! That is a seat reserved for the Old Ancestors when they convene! How could Your Highness just sit down there?!

The Eighteenth Ancestor stared at Su Chen's audacious appearance, momentarily stunned, then broke into a wry smile.

He had lived for nearly a million years and had seen arrogance and pride, but this was the first time he had met a junior who... played outside the conventional rules.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, and the smile on his Face grew even warmer.

"Child, I know you must have many doubts in your heart."

"Such as your background and your Origins."

"I summoned you here today precisely to tell you everything, exactly as it is."

Hearing this, Su Chen uncrossed his legs, straightened his body, and finally showed a look of "interest" on his Face.

[Oh? Time for a story? Fine. After the story, it'll be time for rewards. Standard procedure, I get it.]

[I'm listening.]

Seeing that Su Chen finally adopted a "proper posture," the Eighteenth Ancestor felt slightly relieved. A trace of incredibly distant recollection and sorrow flashed in his eyes.

He slowly began to narrate the Family Secret that had been sealed for millions of years and concerned the survival of the entire Xuan Yuan Su Family.