138: Chapter 138 A Temporary Farewell to the Imperial Clan: My Target is the Central Plains, All to Save Her!

"Chener! Wait!"

Just as Xu Chen was about to tear through the void and rush recklessly toward Central Province, a large, calloused hand pressed heavily onto his shoulder. That palm was broad and powerful, like an immemorial divine mountain pressing down, forcibly halting his rampaging figure.

It was his father, Xu Changsheng.

This head of the Xu Family, who usually seemed a bit unreliable and only knew how to humblebrag, now had a face filled with an unprecedented gravity and composure.

Xu Changsheng merely rested his hand lightly on his son's shoulder, yet it carried an Ultimate Imperial Might that transcended the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Even though Xu Chen was already a Quasi-Saint, he was as immobile as a young child before this power.

"Anxiety leads to chaos! The Dan Tower is hundreds of millions of miles from here; even with a Quasi-Saint cultivation, crossing the void would take several days. Liuli's current state cannot withstand any agitation; her life force must be stabilized first!"

Xu Changsheng said in a deep voice, then turned to look toward the forbidden grounds deep within Hall of Eternal Life, bowing respectfully toward the void with a voice like a resonant bell:

"I request the Ancestor to act and utilize the 'Divine Source of Years'!"

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, an ancient sigh that seemed to span the river of time slowly echoed from the depths of the forbidden grounds. Following that, a rift opened in the void, and a palm-sized crystal, amber in color and appearing to seal fragments of flowing light within, broke through space and hovered above Jiang Liuli.

"Divine Source of Years..."

The women and elders present all gasped in unison.

This was one of the core foundations of the Imperial Clan Xu.

Even a Great Emperor whose lifespan was nearing its end could delay the dissipation of their life force if sealed within it; it possessed the heaven-defying effect of nearly freezing time. Usually, it was only used when the family faced total annihilation and needed to seal away peerless geniuses or ancestors to wait for future generations.

Now, for a daughter-in-law and two unborn children, the Xu Family brought it out without hesitation.

"Seal!"

Xu Changsheng gave a low shout, his hands forming hand seals.

That piece of Divine Source instantly melted, turning into a golden liquid that gently wrapped around the unconscious Jiang Liuli layer by layer.

As the Divine Source covered her, Jiang Liuli's originally pained and distorted expression gradually smoothed out, as if she had fallen into the deepest of sweet dreams. The two Dao Embryo vortices in her belly, which had been violently draining her life force, were also forcibly paused by this power of years.

"Phew..."

Seeing this, Xu Chen's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, but the sense of urgency in his eyes did not fade.

"Young Master, although the Divine Source is powerful, it can only seal her for one month."

Old Yao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead nearby, instructing at a very fast pace:

"Within one month, the power of the Divine Source will gradually dissipate. If the Young Master has not brought back the 'Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill' by then, the backlash will be ten times more fierce than it is now; even a Great Golden Immortal would find it hard to save her!"

"One month..."

Xu Chen clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The journey was long; even using the family's fastest teleportation array, a round trip would consume many days. The time left for him to settle things with the Dan Tower and obtain the divine pill was less than twenty days.

Time was tight; there was no time to lose.

But Xu Chen forced himself to calm down. He knew well that saving someone was like fighting a fire, but he dreaded reckless courage even more. A place like the Dan Tower was the holy land for the world's alchemists; if he barged in by force, there was a high probability he would mess things up.

"Old Yao."

Xu Chen took a deep breath, turned around, and stared at Old Yao with eyes like torches.

"I want all the intelligence regarding the Dan Tower, especially about that 'Alchemic Dao Fairy' Liu Hanyan. Every detail, tell me now."

"Knowing oneself and the enemy is the only way to strike true."

Hearing this, Old Yao did not dare to be negligent, quickly organizing his thoughts and saying in a heavy voice:

"Young Master is wise. That Dan Tower is a transcendent power in Central Province, controlling seventy percent of the world's pill circulation with extremely wide connections. Even if a Great Emperor visits in person, they must show some respect, so seizing it by force is the worst strategy."

"As for that Liu Hanyan..."

Old Yao paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face, seemingly having quite a headache over this person.

"She is a peerless genius of the Dan Tower who appears once in ten thousand years, hailed as the 'Alchemic Dao Fairy'. This woman's personality is extremely eccentric—cold, aloof, and immune to both soft and hard tactics. Her alchemy depends entirely on her mood; if she's in a bad mood, she won't refine even if the Heavenly King himself comes. If she's in a good mood, she'll even save a beggar on the street."

"Furthermore, she hates two things most in her life: one is people flaunting martial force in front of her, and the other is people wasting medicinal ingredients. On the Young Master's trip, remember not to use force, otherwise, it will only be counterproductive."

"Immune to soft and hard tactics? Alchemy depends on mood?"

After listening, Xu Chen did not frown; instead, the corners of his mouth curled into a meaningful arc.

"In other words, she is a pure 'Alchemy Nut'."

In this world, as long as one is human, they have weaknesses.

For a genius with this kind of 'technical geek' attribute, wealth, power, and martial force might be like dirt, but there are some things that are fatal temptations they cannot refuse.

"Since she's an alchemy nut, then it's easy."

With a thought, Xu Chen's divine sense swept through his system space.

When he emptied the treasuries of the Dragon and Phoenix clans earlier, he had picked up quite a few good things along the way.

"Found it."

In a corner, he discovered a sealed jade box containing a wisp of golden flame.

That was a trace of the origin of the "Nirvana Golden Flame" he had unexpectedly obtained in the Phoenix Clan's ancestral land. Although it was just a remnant flame, it was the origin fire of a legendary divine beast; for an alchemist, its attraction was definitely greater than an Imperial Weapon.

Besides this, Xu Chen silently called out to the system in his heart.

"System, open the mall."

"Exchange for a copy of the ancient lost 'Supreme Passionless Pill' remnant recipe, the complete and restored version."

[Ding! Consumed 10,000 Family Contribution Points!]

[Exchange Successful: Ancient Pill Recipe—'Supreme Passionless Pill' (Complete Version) has been stored in the system space.]

Looking at the ancient jade slip that had appeared in his hand, the confidence in Xu Chen's eyes returned.

This pill recipe had long been lost in the alchemy world; it was said that Liu Hanyan had once offered a reward to the whole world to repair it. Now that he held the complete version in his hand, he didn't believe that "mermaid" wouldn't take the bait.

"The bait is prepared; it's time to set out."

Having made all the necessary preparations, Xu Chen finally turned to look at the group of wives and concubines behind him.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside Hall of Eternal Life was solemn.

"Husband."

Su Qingge stepped forward and draped a cloak engraved with defensive Imperial Runes over Xu Chen's shoulders, her movements gentle yet firm. She didn't cry or wail, but instead displayed the composure a primary wife should have.

"I'll handle things at home; go with peace of mind."

"As for Sister Liuli, I will lead Ningbing and the others to take turns guarding her; I won't let anything go wrong. I will also take good care of Dabao and Nianxue."

Xu Chen squeezed her cold but firm hand and nodded.

At this time, Luo Hongyi, with her bulging belly, walked over. She gave a cold snort and directly pulled out a pitch-black ancient mirror radiating a sky-toppling demonic qi from her storage ring, thrusting it into Xu Chen's arms.

"Take it."

"This is the Demon Gate's 'Heavenly Demon Heart-Protecting Mirror'; it can block a full-strength strike from a Quasi-Emperor. Although those old alchemy fogies at the Dan Tower aren't much in terms of combat power, they have wide connections and many bodyguards. If you barge in, a fierce battle is unavoidable."

At this point, Luo Hongyi's eyes grew slightly red, but she deliberately put on a fierce look, saying through gritted teeth:

"If you dare to die out there, this Empress will take the child in my belly back to the Demon Domain and seal the mountains! From then on, the child will only know their mother and not their father, making you a lonely ghost even in the underworld!"

Although her words were still harsh, Xu Chen could hear the deep love and panic behind them.

"Don't worry."

Xu Chen put away the heart-protecting mirror and reached out to pinch her tsundere face, his gaze tender.

"I haven't heard the child call me 'Dad' yet; king yama wouldn't dare take me."

After bidding farewell to the women, Xu Chen finally looked at his parents and bowed solemnly.

"Father, Mother, I leave the home to you."

"Go ahead! Don't lose the Xu Family's face!"

Ji Wushuang, with red eyes, waved her hand.

Xu Changsheng handed over a jade slip engraved with a complex star chart.

"These are the coordinates for the family's Starry Sky Teleportation Array leading to the border of Central Province; it will save you more than half the journey. Once you're there, be careful in everything. If you truly encounter trouble you can't solve..."

Xu Changsheng paused, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

"Then send word back! I'll launch all nine of the Xu Family's Imperial Warships! I don't believe I can't level that broken tower of his!"

"No need."

Xu Chen straightened up, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc, his eyes filled with a chilling killing intent.

"For something like saving my wife, I'll do it myself."

"If they show respect, then so be it. If they don't..."

"I don't mind letting this Central Province change its alchemic holy land!"

With that, he no longer hesitated.

Xu Chen activated the teleportation jade slip in his hand, and his entire being was enveloped in a brilliant starlight.

Boom!

On the plaza outside the hall, space shattered with a roar. A pillar of light piercing through heaven and earth rose up, carrying Xu Chen's figure as it instantly soared into the sky, turning into a meteor that streaked across the night sky, rapidly fleeing toward the distant direction of Central Province.