Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 331 [Ancestor's Decree]

Chapter 325 [The Ancestor's Decree]

If this centenarian venerable one were to discover my identity... it wouldn't be as simple as a reunion with an old friend.

Rather... the secret of his entry into the realm might be discovered!
The only passage between the realm and the real world is the boundary wall!

It's just common knowledge within the realm... Even a saint can only enter or leave the realm by passing through the boundary wall!

The ring in his hand that allows him to secretly enter and exit the realm is unique in heaven and earth!
Even Chen Yan himself sometimes wondered: how did his old lady, who was one of the Venerable Ones of the Domain, obtain that ring?
Based on all the information Chen Yan later learned about the realm, this was something even a saint couldn't do!

Even a sage needs to pass through the boundary to leave the realm, but passing through the boundary is fraught with danger, and once in the real world, he is also likely to encounter danger.

Otherwise, the realm would not have the ironclad rule that "saints cannot cross the boundary"!
The thought that the young man beside him might be an incarnation of the Hundred-Year-Old Venerable made Chen Yan break out in a cold sweat!

If he finds out, my biggest secret...

If this enormous secret were to become known, even a saint would be envious!

I have no choice but to capture myself, skin me alive, tear me apart, and search my soul to find out the secret!
Chen Yan was secretly sweating profusely, but the boy beside him only glanced at Chen Yan before his gaze narrowed slightly, and then a strange look appeared in his eyes.

However, this strange look was not the kind that reveals someone's secrets; rather, it subtly revealed a hint of solemnity, surprise, or even... apprehension.
He took a deep breath, straightened up a bit from his previous lazy sitting position, and his gaze toward Chen Yan gradually became serious.

The young man took a slight breath and said slowly, word by word, "I was blind just now. Greetings, fellow Daoist!"

"Uh..." Chen Yan opened his mouth, and subconsciously said, "Greetings, fellow Daoist."

After staring at each other for two seconds, the young man suddenly pursed his lips as if he were smiling slightly, and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, are you also somewhat interested in this Heaven-Shattering Ceremony?"

Ok?
Chen Yan gave a vague reply, but suddenly realized what was going on in his mind!
He doesn't seem to recognize me!
However, Chen Yan reacted very quickly. After the thought flashed through his mind, he immediately responded and said casually, "If I wasn't interested in the Heavenly Ceremony, why would I have come here?"

After a pause, Chen Yan mustered his courage and looked over, his gaze meeting the young man's eyes without any hesitation: "It's... Fellow Daoist, I didn't expect you to be interested in watching this captivating Heaven-Smashing Ceremony?"

The young man sighed, "I just want to experience more things."

Chen Yan nodded, looking knowing.

At this moment, footsteps came from his side. Without turning around, Chen Yan smelled a faint fragrance, the unique scent of the Blackwood Cave Girl Zhanli.

This cavewoman from the Blackwood tribe always wore clothes that carried the scent of incense commonly used by nobles among the demon race. Chen Yan had grown accustomed to it during their recent travels together.

At this moment, Zhan Li gracefully approached and walked to the other side of Chen Yan, but she did not look at the young man sitting with Chen Yan. As a noblewoman of the Blackwood Clan and an attendant of the Ghost Clan Ancestor, she naturally would not take such an "ordinary rogue cultivator" seriously.

She knelt down beside Chen Yan and whispered, "You've arrived."

After saying that, he leaned over and picked up the teapot and teacup on the table with both hands, poured a cup of tea for Chen Yan, and presented it to him with both hands.

Chen Yan remained expressionless, but felt a slight tension in his heart. He simply shook his head casually, feigning composure.

Zhanli immediately composed himself, put down the teacup with both hands, and adopted a submissive and humble demeanor.

Many independent cultivators around, and even disciples from aristocratic sects sitting in the distance, all looked in this direction—clearly drawn by Zhan Li's figure.

Zhanli was, after all, a cavewoman of the Blackwood Tribe, one of the eighteen tribes of the Ghost Clan, with a noble status and was also at the Celestial Realm!
At the same time, he also carries the aura of being a servant by the Venerable One's side!

In the eyes of these aristocratic families and sects, as well as the lowly rogue cultivators, such people are great cultivators standing on the clouds!
Many people here recognized Zhan Li. Even those who had never seen Zhan Li before could tell from the color of his clothes that he was a noble of the Ghost Clan.

As Zhan Li gracefully walked to Chen Yan's side, he actually knelt down beside him, looking meek and obedient, and even personally served him tea!

In an instant, countless shocked and astonished gazes shot towards them from all around!

"Who is that?"

Does anyone know this boy's identity?

"He actually deserves to be served by a noble of the Ghost Clan?"

"Fellow Daoist, please be quiet! Do not make a fuss! That female cultivator is no ordinary person!"

"Hush! That is a noblewoman from the Ghost Clan, a great cultivator at the Celestial Realm, and the Cave Maiden of the Blackwood Tribe!"

"To serve as a cave maiden? That...that person, um, that one, isn't an ordinary rogue cultivator, is he?"

"Could he be the direct descendant of some powerful cultivator?"

For a moment, many people around whispered among themselves.

Chen Yan vaguely heard these surprised conversations. Although he was uneasy, he could only put on a calm and composed appearance, sitting there and accepting Zhan Li's submissive demeanor.

Only this boy beside me...

He remained calm and composed, showing no sign of surprise whatsoever.

It seemed that in his eyes, this so-called noblewoman of the Ghost Clan, a great cultivator of the Celestial Realm, or a servant under the Ghost Clan Ancestor, was all the same.

Despite these identities, kneeling and serving Chen Yan was, in the boy's eyes, nothing more than a normal act.

It is only natural and right, and this is how it should be.

Chen Yan suppressed his inner turmoil, glanced at Zhan Li calmly, and slowly asked, "Is there anything else?"

"I wouldn't dare, it's just that seeing you sitting here, I..."

"If there's nothing else, you can go down now," Chen Yan waved his hand.

Zhan Li looked respectful, his eyes showing no sign of displeasure, and he bowed his head and said softly, "Yes."

After speaking, she slowly stood up, bowed to Chen Yan again, took three steps back, and then turned and slowly walked away.

The young man beside him glanced at Zhan Li's retreating figure and sighed softly, "Is this the most outstanding young member of the Ghost Clan this generation? I think she's the Cave Maiden of the Blackwood Tribe? The one who's on par with that prodigy from the Gu family in the north?"

Chen Yan nodded calmly: "It's her."

The young man shook his head, his tone indifferent: "Seeing is believing. After seeing you today, you are far inferior to that Gu family girl."

Chen Yan smiled and said, "Oh?"

"I met that girl from the Gu family once when she was young. She is truly a rare talent. What is especially rare is that her talent and physique are particularly compatible with the Gu family's own combat cultivation path. Back then, I made a bet with a fellow Daoist from the Lanjiang River, saying that this girl would be able to break through to the Celestial Realm before she was at most twenty years old."

Now it seems that the girl from the Gu family was just as I expected.

"This ghost clan woman, I've heard, has a great reputation, but just now, her demeanor and composure were far inferior to that of the Gu family's woman. Her reputation is undeserved."

Chen Yan had already adjusted his mindset and was calm and composed. He said, "The Ghost Clan had a bad year, so they always had to push some people out to put on a show for outsiders."

The young man nodded and smiled, "What you say makes sense, fellow Daoist. But a fake is a fake. If we were to meet that Gu family woman head-on in the future, I'm afraid we would be completely outclassed, and it would be even more embarrassing then."

Chen Yan said in a relaxed tone: "That's a matter for the Ghost Clan. Why should Fellow Daoist Bai Sui bother with other people's affairs?"

The phrase "fellow Daoist who is a hundred years old" was deliberately uttered by Chen Yan to test the other party.

Upon hearing this, the young man raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly unsurprised that Chen Yan had discovered his identity, and said with a wry smile, "That's not fair."

"Ok?"

"I have experienced the mortal world and taken many forms, but I have a problem: I always like to use this appearance. It is not surprising that you can see through my true form at a glance."

"Fellow Daoist, you've used magic to conceal your true form, making it impossible for me to discern your identity. That's rather unfair."

After a pause, the young man's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of something interesting: "How about I make a bet with you, fellow Daoist? I'll guess which old friend you are in real life. If I guess right, you'll lose one of my bets."

Chen Yan felt a pang of panic, but his face remained as calm as a rock: "How long do you want to guess? If you're going to guess for ten or a hundred years, then it's no fun."

"If I can't guess the answer after today's match, then I'll consider it a loss."

Chen Yan pondered for a moment: "What is the stake?"

The young man laughed and said, "Consider it a favor I owe them. If we ever hit it off in the future, I'll use this bet to repay the debt."

To be honest, where would Chen Yan really dare to gamble, or where would he really want to gamble?

But at this moment, he was pretending to be someone else, while the person beside him was a genuine Venerable Saint—even if it was an incarnation, he was still a Saint!
He clearly misunderstood his own identity!

Chen Yan was afraid of revealing his weakness, so how could he dare to refuse?

He smiled calmly and nodded with feigned profundity: "Then let's do as you say, fellow Daoist. If you can guess my true form, I will lose a bet to you, how about that?"

“Alright, it’s a deal.” The young man smiled faintly. “Given our status, there’s no need for any oaths or vows. The bet is settled, so that’s settled.”

How could Chen Yan possibly dare to make any Heavenly Dao oaths in front of this Sage? He didn't even dare to fluctuate a trace of his magic power!
"Since it's just a guess, I won't ask you for any valuable information. But... since you're here, you must have an avatar or a fake identity that you use to the outside world, right?"

"And you, Fellow Daoist, who is a hundred years old? What is your current identity?"

"Lu Kang, a rogue cultivator from Luochuan." The young man stretched out a finger and casually wrote the two characters "Lu Kang" on the coffee table, then wiped them away without leaving a trace with a flick of his sleeve.

They came and went without a trace, leaving the coffee table looking brand new.

Chen Yan was naturally not surprised that this venerable saint possessed such abilities.

The problem is, he doesn't have it himself!

"I am Zhao Shanhe, an outer disciple of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Harmony Sect."

Upon hearing this, young Lu Kang's eyes flickered. He glanced at Chen Yan and chuckled, "You actually used the identity of a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Joyful Union Sect... Hmm, then you must not be Fellow Daoist Xiang Shan, otherwise, this identity would be too easy to expose."

After a pause, the young man suddenly smiled and said, "You speak cautiously and reservedly. Judging from this personality, could you be that person from Dongchuan Lake?"

How could Chen Yan know which saint in the realm was "that one in Dongchuan Lake"?
However, he remained expressionless, but glanced at the young Lu Kang and shook his head, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you can't ask that question."

He chuckled softly: "There are only so many people in total. If you ask them one by one, maybe you'll get the right one after ten or eight. But that's not guessing; it's all based on luck, which is really boring."

“That’s true. Well then, I’ll only ask you three times at most.” Young Lu Kang smiled nonchalantly.

“Okay, I’m not the one from Dongchuan Lake.” Chen Yan said quickly, “That’s the first question. You have two more chances.”

Young Lu Kang wasn't annoyed and smiled, "Alright, then I'll ask you a second question: Are you the one from the foot of Yin Yang Mountain?"

"No," Chen Yan shook his head.

Young Lu Kang lowered his head and thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Alright, I dare not answer the last question rashly. I'll ask you later."

However, despite saying that, he only sat for less than two minutes before looking up at Chen Yan and smiling, "I've got it. Now I'll ask you the third question. But for the third question, I won't guess the name directly. I'll ask you something, you tell me the answer, and then I'll tell you the name, is that alright?"

Chen Yan remained calm, slowly picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "Okay."

"But are you sure, fellow Daoist? This is your last question. After you ask, you must say my name. If you say it wrong, you will lose."

Young Lu Kang laughed and said in a low voice, "Have we met anywhere else recently?"

Chen Yan's heart pounded!
He pretended to lower his head in thought, then gently exhaled: "Yes."

Chen Yan dared not lie—to lie in front of a sage would likely allow the other party to detect any fluctuations in his aura or even his destiny.

If you want to hide something from a sage, you can keep it to yourself, but you must never lie to his face!
Otherwise, even the slightest fluctuations in one's aura, especially changes in one's fortune, would be detected by the opponent.

When Chen Yan spoke with the boy, he spoke ambiguously, saying little but never a lie.

The boy's eyes lit up!
He suddenly took a deep breath: "Your tone of voice and mannerisms... huh?"

His expression suddenly hardened, and even his face became more cautious: "You, if I've seen you recently... you wouldn't happen to be the Heavenly Net Earthly Venerable in person, would you?"

Earthly Lord?

Chen Yan smiled and looked at the young Lu Kang: "You lost."

Although Lu Kang guessed wrong, he was not angry. On the contrary, after Chen Yan denied that he was a "Heavenly Net and Earthly Venerable", he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well, this clone of mine is just too impulsive and restless. I used up all three opportunities in one go, and I guessed wrong all of them."

Young Lu Kang sighed, "Fine, then I'll admit defeat. So, what is your true identity?"

Chen Yan smiled faintly: "I only said it was a bet, but I didn't say that if you lost, I would definitely tell you the correct answer. I'll tell you next time we meet."

goodbye?

Let's never see each other again!
Chen Yan smiled bitterly to himself.

"Very well." After all, the young Lu Kang was an avatar of a saint. Although this avatar was unruly, the original body still had the composure. Seeing Chen Yan say this, he nodded and replied, "I lost a bet to you, fellow Daoist."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and gently stroked the table, and an oval-shaped jade tablet appeared on the table.

"This clone of mine will be traveling for another hundred years or so. If you see my true self and want me to fulfill the bet, just hand over this jade tablet to my true self."

Chen Yan smiled slightly, said nothing, and slowly picked it up and put it into his sleeve.

Just then, the surrounding conversations suddenly fell silent!
Chen Yan and the young Lu Kang both stopped talking and looked up at the due north direction.

Two nobles from the ghost clan had already arrived at the two prayer mats placed at the very front!
The man on the left is a gaunt old man with dark skin but bright eyes. His short shirt, worn by the demon race, is embroidered with brightly colored patterns.

The person on the right caught Chen Yan's eye!
Damn it?

Kid!

Sword Cultivator in the East Sea!

Chen Yan looked at this young man and immediately knew that this was the real swordsman from the East Sea, not the fake good-for-nothing he had encountered before.

However, Lu Kang, the young man beside him, sighed softly, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

"It's strange that Donghai has such a menacing aura. It seems there's going to be some bloodshed here today."

Upon hearing Lu Kang's whisper, Chen Yan's expression remained unchanged, but his heart pounded.

The gaunt old man above slowly spoke: "Everyone, I am Muya, the clan elder in charge of the sacrifices of the Blackwood Clan. Today, I am here on the orders of the Yama King of our clan to explain to you all the matters concerning the grand ceremony of striking the heavens tomorrow."

However, there is another important matter at hand. The man beside me is the Sword Master under my clan's ancestor, who has come by the ancestor's decree to explain something to you all.

At this point, the old man slowly took a step back, letting Donghai stand in front of him, and even bowed slightly.

His action quickly caught the attention of the disciples from the aristocratic families and sects present.

Soon, the disciples of the aristocratic families and sects took the lead and stood up one after another, followed by the rogue cultivators who were not very familiar with these etiquettes.

Chen Yan and the young Lu Kang, along with the others, could no longer remain seated.

Among the crowd, a disciple from some unknown noble family took the initiative to bow and loudly proclaimed, "We greet the Sword Master! We respectfully receive the decree of the Sage!"

With him taking the lead, the others also bowed and loudly echoed, "We respectfully accept the decree of the Sage!"

Caught in the crowd, Chen Yan bowed and greeted the others, deliberately glancing at the young Lu Kang.

But they found that this sage was also bowing and bowing without any concern, as if he didn't mind at all.

Hmm, is this guy a histrionic personality?

Donghai stood there with a cold expression. After everyone had finished bowing, he spoke, his voice still sounding as old-fashioned as Chen Yan remembered.

"I don't like to talk much, so I'll just say it directly."

Those whose names I am about to call, please come forward.

After a pause, Donghai slowly uttered the first name: "Jiang Liu!"

As soon as the word was uttered, one person in the crowd raised his head, his expression showing a mixture of solemnity and restrained panic.

And coincidentally, the person whose name was called, Jiang Liu, was the very one who had led the first bow to the East Sea!
The man, dressed in the robes of a powerful clan or sect, had a complex expression. He took a deep breath and, still speaking respectfully, said, "I don't know what name the Sword Master called me..."

Donghai said coldly, "Come out and stand to the side. I will speak to you after I have read all the names."

As Chen Yan was filled with curiosity, he heard a faint sound in his ears, which was none other than the young Lu Kang transmitting his voice through magic.

"Donghai is going to kill someone."

Chen Yan was taken aback, then heard Lu Kang continue, "...He was already gathering killing intent as he spoke. Hmph, I even corrected three moves of the first sword technique this guy learned when he was young, so I'm very familiar with how he gathers killing intent."

He was gathering his killing intent; once the list was read aloud, he would likely make his move.

kill?
Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat!
However, when Donghai slowly uttered the second name...

"Lu Kang".

Chen Yan: "..."

Young Lu Kang: "..."

·
(End of this chapter)