Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 209 [The Sage Bows] (6600)

Chapter 203 [The Sage Bows] (6600)

It's not an "ordinary" spirit beast?

Chen Yan looked at Gu Jinjia.

Uncle, do you want to listen to what you're saying?

Can a spirit beast be associated with the word "ordinary"?
Gu Jinjia lowered his voice: "Although I don't know much, I can be certain that the white beast's origins are extraordinary!"

Chen Yan remained silent, just looking at Gu Jinjia, waiting for him to continue.

"Many years ago, there was a great battle between Snow Cliff Pass and the Ferocious Beast Clan. The battle was fierce. After the battle, Sendai invited a Venerable Saint to come and inspect the area."

That Venerable One had a past relationship with my Gu family, so as the eldest son of the Gu family and a local strongman in Xueya Pass, I naturally served and accompanied the Venerable One.

One night, the Venerable One released his supreme magical power to repair the protective array damaged in the war.

That night, the howl of a white beast echoed through the snowy wilderness. The sound seemed to sense the power of the Venerable Saint and responded with such a commotion.

I was with the Venerable One at the time, and he asked me what that noise was—the White Beast had been outside Snow Cliff Pass for many years and was quite famous among the soldiers and independent cultivators. I told the Venerable One about the White Beast, and then…”

At this point, Gu Jinjia's expression became very strange.

"And then what?" Chen Yan asked.

"The Venerable One remained silent for a long time, seemingly pondering something. Later, looking in the direction from which the white beast's howl came from beyond the pass, the Venerable One actually straightened his clothes and solemnly bowed three times in that direction!"

Chen Yan's expression also became quite interesting.

Should the saint pay homage?
"Did that Venerable One mention anything about the origin of the White Beast?" Chen Yan quickly asked. "For a Venerable One to bow to a Saint, that Venerable One must know something! Right! And after you told the Saint about the legend of the White Beast at Snow Cliff Pass, the Venerable One pondered for a while! He must have been thinking about something!"

"Don't ask anymore, the sage didn't tell me." Gu Jinjia shook his head and said, "I guessed all of this back then."

But what is the status of a Venerable Sage? And what is my status?
Those who do not attain the venerable are nothing but ants!

Don't be fooled by the fact that my Gu family is a prestigious and powerful clan, and that our ancestors included venerable saints—once you reach a position of venerable status, you are considered a saint, and your words become law, in accordance with destiny and the way of heaven!

We only have the right to give instructions from sages, not to ask them questions.

Who dares to ask questions about things that even sages don't speak of? I certainly wouldn't.

Chen Yan looked at Gu Jinjia and shook his head, saying, "I would believe it if others said it, but I don't believe it if you, Gu Jinjia, said it! You, Gu Jinjia, are a bold and audacious person. Even when you are by the side of a sage, you will not become a weakling who dares not utter a word."

Gu Jinjia was stunned for a moment, then gave an awkward smile and said in a low voice, "Alright... I can't hide it from you, I did ask back then."

"And the answer?" Chen Yan immediately became excited.

"The answer is, the Sage slapped me and said I was 'talkative'." Gu Jinjia sighed, "Just because the Sage criticized me for being 'talkative,' the elders in my family found out and judged me as frivolous and disrespectful to the Emperor. As the eldest son, they said I was unfit for important positions..."

They threw me into the Gu family's forbidden area and locked me up for three months, saying it was to toughen me up.

Chen Yan pondered for a moment: "Therefore, Da Bai must have some extraordinary background, enough to make even a Venerable Saint bow to it..."

Gu Jinjia shook his head: "That's all I know. As for the rest, it probably involves the level of saints, which is beyond the comprehension of cultivators at our current level."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted, and he slowly said, "That's why I think it's probably not a good thing for you to bring it into Snow Cliff Pass."

Chen Yan fell silent.

"Putting everything else aside, I heard that Luo Shang came to our Brotherhood looking for you because of the White Beast, right?" Gu Jinjia sneered. "That guy is extreme, obsessed, and unscrupulous. He has coveted the White Beast in the wild many times and even tried to lure it, but he failed."

Later, I had someone from the garrison commander's office warn him, and only then did he restrain himself and dare not plot against the white beast again.

Chen Yan looked at Gu Jinjia: "He's after the White Beast, why did you send someone to warn him?"

“I certainly don’t want him to end up well,” Gu Jinjia said coldly.

"Because of... the time you betrayed your brothers and betrayed your own people?" Chen Yan asked, somewhat curious.

mainly……

Gu Jinjia is no ordinary rogue cultivator.

He is the eldest son of the prestigious Gu family, a powerful clan in the realm!
Given his status, as the eldest brother of the Brotherhood after its founding, why didn't Gu Jinjia kill Luo Shang back then for betraying his brothers and acting like a traitor?
Although Bald Thirty-Nine said it was because Luo Shang had joined the Thunder Cavalry and gained official status, it was difficult to kill him, otherwise he would be judged as a traitor.

However, Chen Yan is not some naive newbie.

Whether in one's own world or in another realm, the so-called rules are merely laws that constrain the majority of ordinary people. For those who truly stand at the top, the constraints of these rules are minimal.

Chen Yan refused to believe that the eldest son of the powerful Gu family, a giant in the realm, could have a Saint Venerable in his family!
Given his status, would Gu Jinjia really be sentenced for killing a lowly officer of the Benlei Cavalry (when the incident occurred, Luo Shang had just joined the Benlei Cavalry and was not yet the current Hundred Cavalry General)?

Since Chen Yan thought this way, he didn't hide his doubts and spoke them frankly.

After listening, Gu Jinjia remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Because Luo Shang came to me to confess his sins and knelt down to swear an oath to Heaven."

Chen Yan's eyes narrowed.

"As everyone knows now, the events of that year were indeed as they are now. Luo Shang and his eighteen brothers fought desperately, acting as bait in the ambush to attract more ferocious beastmen, which ultimately led to the greatest victory."

To attract the ferocious beast tribe, we need to buy time. The longer we delay, the more casualties our eighteen brothers will suffer—time is bought with blood!
That was indeed the case at the time. Luo Shang's sin lay in the fact that he did not tell his eighteen brothers the true situation and plan, but instead tricked them into staying as bait.

"My brothers aren't the garrison troops of Snow Cliff Pass; we're independent cultivators. Independent cultivators have no obligation to fight, no obligation to carry out this kind of mission, and certainly no obligation to die! They don't receive military supplies from Sendai, no salary from the garrison commander's office, no military rations, and no benefits—they have no obligation to die!"

Gu Jinjia gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Do you know what disgusts me most about this matter?"

"Luo Shang lied to everyone? He tricked everyone into staying as bait to die?"

"No! It's not just deception!" Gu Jinjia said coldly, "Everyone I've brought into the Brotherhood, up to you, Wang Chuyi, a total of 135 people, I can say with my hand on my chest that every single one of them is a loyal and righteous man—the only one I misjudged is Luo Shang!"
If Luo Shang had told those eighteen brothers the truth at the time, those eighteen brothers were all true heroes and would have agreed to stay and carry out this mission with a slim chance of survival!

And that was indeed the case. According to the accounts of the four brothers who survived, by the end of the battle, after everyone had discovered the truth, they were in dire straits. But at that time, not one of the surviving brothers deserted, not one retreated in the face of battle; they all fought to the very last moment!
What disgusts me most is that Luo Shang deceived everyone and didn't tell them the truth—as if he were the only one with a great sense of the bigger picture, and that my Brotherhood members were all selfish and self-serving, and that if the truth were told, my Brotherhood members would definitely back down...

Those dozen or so brothers died on the battlefield, yet they had to bear the disgusting suspicion that "if Luo Shang hadn't concealed the truth, they probably would have definitely run away!"

That's what disgusts me the most.

Chen Yan's gaze turned icy: "Why didn't you kill him back then?"

Gu Jinjia's gaze was complicated: "When I learned about it, I once charged into the Thunder Cavalry's camp with only a sword and dragged Luo Shang out of the camp."

The eldest son of the Gu family's eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice, "At that time, he knelt in front of me and confessed everything to me without hiding anything. He also told me that his actions at that time were simply because he judged that only by doing so could he achieve the greatest results."

I was furious and wanted to kill him with my sword. Then, he asked me for a favor.

"Please... what is it?" Chen Yan frowned.

"Do you know the background of Luo Shang?" Gu Jinjia suddenly shook his head and looked at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan shook his head.

Gu Jinjia slowly said, "He was originally a rogue cultivator. He had an older brother who was much older than him. His brother raised him from childhood and taught him cultivation. His brother was also a rogue cultivator, without any sect or school. Later, he went out of Xueya Pass to hunt ferocious beasts and eventually died outside the pass."

After his elder brother died, Luo Shang came to Xueya Pass and became a rogue cultivator. He was not greedy for money, did not like wine, and did not like women. He lived like an ascetic. His only wish was to kill the ferocious beast race.

He was willing to do anything to kill the ferocious beastmen—his mind was completely consumed by hatred.

He knelt before me and begged me, saying that after his brother died, he swore an oath to cut off a thousand heads of the ferocious beast tribe in his lifetime.

So he told me that in that battle, he deceived his brothers as bait, resulting in the deaths of more than ten brothers, and that others were to blame.

He only asked if he could live for another ten years—he only asked for ten years.

Within ten years, as long as he had beheaded a thousand members of the Beast Clan, he would immediately return to the Brotherhood and commit suicide before the memorial tablets of his brothers.

If he doesn't manage to cut off a thousand heads in ten years, he will return to the Brotherhood and commit suicide when the ten years are up.

He made a solemn oath to Heaven in front of me.

As he spoke, Gu Jinjia said with a wry smile, "My mind was also in a state of confusion at the time. I didn't know what to do for a moment."

This person's mind is clouded by an obsession with revenge; he's become someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Chen Yan fell silent.

Gu Jinjia remained silent for a long time before whispering, "That day, I don't know what happened. The sword was already at his neck, but I still didn't stab him."

My mind was a mess, but in the end I agreed to his terms, promising him either ten years of my life or a thousand heads of the ferocious beast race. If either condition was met, I would wait for him to return, confess, and commit suicide.

Chen Yan felt...

This is incredible!
He looked at Gu Jinjia, unsure how to comment on the matter.

It felt like someone had stuffed a lump of shit in my mouth.

"What are you thinking, looking at me like that?"

“I’m thinking… that Luo Shang is a vengeful bitch—he wants to avenge his brother, and he’s free to die a hundred or a thousand times, but why should he use other people’s lives to help him get revenge? What else can this kind of person be but a shameless bitch?”

Chen Yan sneered, staring into Gu Jinjia's eyes: "And you, you're an idiot." Gu Jinjia was stunned for a moment, then slapped himself and shook his head, saying, "I actually regretted it later. My mind was too confused at the time, and it was probably the first time I had encountered something like this—besides, the Ferocious Beast Clan is our mortal enemy. Since he promised to commit suicide, he'll only live for ten more years."

Ten years of lifespan is nothing more than a drop in the ocean for a cultivator.

Moreover, if he could kill more members of the ferocious beast tribe, I felt it wouldn't be such a bad thing. I... I actually agreed to it in a moment of confusion.

After I agreed, I essentially made a vow to Heaven. Therefore, although I felt remorseful in the years that followed, I couldn't bring myself to harm him.

Confused!
Chen Yan sighed.

She secretly glanced at Gu Jinjia.

No wonder this uncle couldn't compete with Gu Xiaoniang for the position of heir to the Gu family!
Not to mention the difference in their cultivation talents, Gu Qingyi was weaker in cultivation level.

This very act has exposed their true nature.

Insufficient moral character!
What would happen if Gu Qingyi were in this situation?
Knowing Gu Qingyi's personality, I don't care what kind of revenge you have, you killed my brother, so you just die!

It cleaved it in two with a single stroke!
Screw your obsession! If you have an obsession, heal yourself!

Can't be cured? Die!

Don't you dare harm others!
And what's with this vow to cut off a thousand heads of the ferocious beast race!

What's wrong with you? You're acting like you're doing something pretty tragic, even though you're the one who did such a shameless thing?
If I want a thousand or two thousand members of the ferocious beast race to die, I won't go and kill them myself.
What oath do you need to make here?

—Although Chen Yan and Gu Qingyi had only spent a few months together, he guessed that if Gu Qingyi were in this situation, she would definitely do it this way!

Gu Jinjia, as observed on the battlefield, was cunning, ruthless, and decisive in killing.

But when faced with major events, it seems that he becomes somewhat weak-willed!
“Luo Shang came to find you, he must be after the white beast in your possession.” Gu Jinjia frowned and said, “This man is stubborn. He’s willing to do anything as long as it helps him kill more ferocious beasts. I don’t think he will give up his idea of ​​taking the white beast easily.”

Chen Yan sneered and recounted his encounter with Luo Shang after leaving the training hall. Then he said, "He has indeed not given up, but Brother Jinjia, I am not you. If he dares to use any tricks against me, I will turn on him immediately. When it's time to kill, I will not hesitate."

Gu Jinjia shook his head: "He wouldn't dare to harm you. When he made the Heavenly Oath back then, one of the oaths was that he would never do anything to harm the Brotherhood again in his lifetime."

If he breaks his oath and dares to use any means against you, he will immediately suffer the backlash of Heaven and die a horrible death.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan felt relieved—the oath of Heaven was no joke; it was more effective than anything else.

However, he wouldn't really let his guard down completely.

Even if Luo Shang doesn't personally target Da Bai, it's possible he could incite others to steal his Da Bai—after all, in this madman's eyes, anything is acceptable as long as it helps kill more ferocious beasts.

"If anyone other than Luo Shang has designs on your White Beast, just tell me. Within Snow Cliff Pass, my name, Gu Jinjia, still carries some weight. If anyone in the Immortal Army dares to seize my brother's private property, don't blame me for turning against them."

After Gu Jinjia finished speaking, he let out a sigh of relief: "Actually, that's all I wanted to tell you today. I know you brought the white beast back, so I wanted to reassure you. However... it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Leaving the white beast at Snow Cliff Pass will still attract attention. It would be best to take it away from here."

Chen Yan smiled.

"I originally planned to leave Snow Cliff Pass. Now that I've finished making corrections and rested enough, I've exchanged all the bounty and bought everything I wanted. I'm just about to leave the pass and go hunting again."

This time I plan to venture deep into Badlands and make a big splash.

This trip will likely take quite a while; we probably won't see each other again anytime soon.

In fact, Chen Yan was lying.

He didn't plan to go back to Badlands; instead, he planned to go home.

I'm just making an excuse to go back this time, and I don't know when I'll be back next time.

Going to the Badlands is a long journey, deep into the forest to hunt, and it's common for it to take several months at a time.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinjia frowned and asked, "You want to... go to Badlands Mountain?"

Chen Yan nodded.

Gu Jinjia said solemnly, "The situation is not right now. I heard from the scouts that the Beast Clan is making large-scale mobilizations. The spies sent by Sendai to the Beast Clan in the Badlands Mountain have also been reporting that many villages and tribes of the Beast Clan are drawing warriors."

The next major battle is probably just around the corner.

Going to Badlands at this time would be far too dangerous for you!

After a pause, Gu Jinjia advised, "If you don't want to stay at Xueya Pass, I'll give you a letter of recommendation. You can go to a major city inside the pass and take refuge for a few months. It won't be too late for you to come back after the war is over."

Chen Yan smiled and politely declined, saying, "Fortune favors the bold. I'll take Da Bai with me. In the wild, Da Bai is very perceptive, and if I'm careful, we won't encounter too much danger."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Chen Yan, and knowing that Chen Yan was cunning and ruthless, almost exactly like himself in this respect—the two of them had truly experienced this firsthand when they fled together for their lives.

Given Chen Yan's cunning and ruthlessness, he should be able to avoid death on Evil Earth Mountain, as long as he doesn't court death.

`
The next day, Chen Yan had just gotten up in his room and was petting the cat, Da Bai, when he heard Ruyi call out from outside, "Brother Chu Yi, someone is looking for you."

Chen Yan walked out of the room and followed Ruyi to the front hall, where he saw that the manager of the alchemy workshop had come to visit him in person.

The Spirit Pill I requested has arrived!
Chen Yan immediately went with the shopkeeper to the alchemy workshop, readily paid the balance, and obtained a Spirit Communication Pill in a jade bottle.

The jade bottle was also engraved with magic array runes, surrounded by vital energy, used to lock in the medicinal power of the pills so that it would not dissipate.

Chen Yan could tell at a glance that this thing was not simple... It might not be considered a treasure in the realm, but in the real world, it could be used as a magic weapon.

He then happily bought a batch of pills in the alchemy room, spending almost 99% of the more than 20,000 coins he had earned before leaving satisfied.

Back at the fraternity, Chen Yan declined Gu Jinjia's invitation to a farewell party—he really didn't want to be surrounded by dozens of "brothers" and forced to drink again.

That same day, Chen Yan packed his things, took Da Bai, left the Brotherhood, passed through Xueya Pass, and headed west!

Once outside the pass, Chen Yan immediately led Da Bai into the safe zone. The further away from Xueya Pass they were, the thinner the spiritual energy between heaven and earth became.

Chen Yan didn't dare to actually leave the safe zone. He only stopped to observe his surroundings when he was far enough away from Xueya Pass. After confirming that no one was spying on him, he took out his ring.

Come back home!

·
Gui Geng was carrying large and small bags out of the garage back door. As soon as he stepped into the yard, he suddenly felt an aura that seemed to directly suppress his soul!
Old Mountain Tortoise suddenly felt a chill run through his body. His instinctive reaction was to drop the bags of household supplies he had bought and collapse to the ground!

The turtle butler trembled, feeling a suppression that seemed to come from the depths of his blood, making it difficult for him to breathe. It was as if a mountain had crashed down on his back, and he couldn't utter a single word!
When he was finally able to raise his head, he saw his young master Chen Yan standing in front of him, looking at him with a strange expression on his face.

And in the young master's arms, there was a snow-white ball of fur... um? A kitten?
“I said, Gui Geng, I often go out, but I’ve never seen you greet me with such great courtesy when I come home.”

Chen Yan shook his head helplessly and reached out to pull Gui Geng up from the ground.

Gui Geng was in a daze. He stared at Chen Yan for a couple of seconds, and then his gaze suddenly fell on the white cat in Chen Yan's arms.

"The bloodline of the Ancestral Demon?!"

Upon hearing Gui Geng's outburst of those four words, Chen Yan's eyes flickered. He then hugged Da Bai tighter in his arms and whispered, "Don't talk nonsense."

Gui Geng was taken aback, and then saw Chen Yan carrying the cat and quickly walking into the villa.

Upon entering the villa, Chen Yan placed the shrunken-looking Big White on the ground, squatted down, and stared at it for a moment...

"You're a spirit beast, you're a saint bowing, and you have some kind of demon bloodline... What exactly are you?"

He reached out and gently flicked Da Bai's head, but Da Bai stretched and then rubbed against Chen Yan's feet.

"Stop acting cute. Since you can shrink, could you change your appearance a little too? You're the size of a cat now, but you actually look like a tiger."

"Or, why don't you change again? Get even closer to the cat shape?"

Big White raised its head, swayed in place, and then its form changed instantly. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a cat, and its original tiger and leopard appearance was no longer visible. However, its fur remained pure white, without a single blemish.

Chen Yan thought for a moment and smiled, “Since you can understand what I’m saying, then I’ll make another request… Could you tone down your aura and the imposing presence of that bloodline that scared that old tortoise to his knees just now?”
There's that annoying old man living next door; I don't want him to figure out what's going on with you.

Da Bai nodded, swayed a little, yawned, and jumped into Chen Yan's arms, refusing to move.

However, Gui Geng had already walked in from behind. Although he looked trembling, he was still walking quite steadily.

"Where is the ancestral demon bloodline? Young master, why can't I sense it?"

“You were hallucinating just now. Remember that! This is the truth!” Chen Yan turned around and reminded Gui Geng.

Gui Geng's expression was strange, and he said with a wry smile, "Young Master... if it really doesn't work, you could at least make up a lie to fool me. Forcing me like this feels very disrespectful to this old turtle!"

Chen Yan waved his hand: "What are you carrying in your hand?"

“Miss Lu Sisi doesn’t like to go out, so now I drive out to the supermarket every two or three days to buy food and clothing supplies for the family.”

Chen Yan noticed that there were some fruits and vegetables in one of his left pockets, and nodded.

But then something suddenly occurred to me: "You drove out to buy groceries? No! You don't have a driver's license, do you?"

"Driving is nothing. I can even cultivate myself. Driving is a piece of cake." Gui Geng smiled and said, "Don't worry, young master. I'll avoid traffic police when I encounter them on the road."

·
(End of this chapter)