I alone have my own laws; I start by fabricating myths and legends of mountains and seas.

Chapter 142 Chen Yang Returns to the Mountain and Sea Realm

Boundary between mountains and seas, Wanxiang Island.

A figure staggered slightly as he stepped out; it was Chen Yang. His aura was more composed and restrained than before, and his brows showed less of their usual playfulness and more of a complex contemplation.

Almost simultaneously, several figures sped in from different directions on the island.

"Chen Yang!"

"Brother Chen!"

"You little brat!"

Jiang He, Su Fan, Kong Shizhang, Wang Jianguo, and several colleagues from the Bureau of Foreign Affairs who were usually on good terms with Chen Yang immediately surrounded him, looking him up and down with worry and urgency in their eyes.

"Are you alright? Where did Xia Jie take you? Are you hurt?" Jiang He spoke quickly, her sharp gaze behind her glasses scanning Chen Yang's entire body as if she wanted to give him a full-body scan.

"Brother Chen, you're finally back! I was so worried about you!" Kong Shizhang said as he approached.

Chen Yang grinned and moved his still slightly sore and numb right arm: "I'm fine, I'm alright! That old bastard—"

"Cough, Xia Jie didn't do anything to me."

"What exactly happened? Did he really make you his guide? Where did you go?" a colleague asked urgently.

Chen Yang glanced at everyone and saw the concern in their eyes, which warmed his heart. "I'm fine, I'm perfectly alright. Xia Jie really did let me be his tour guide."

"He didn't take you back to Japan?"

"Are you actually with Xia Jie in real life? Where do you two live in reality?!"

"Yeah! We thought he'd just take you to Xia directly!"

"After he arrested me and took me away," Chen Yang carefully chose his words, "he really just let me lead the way and wander around within China."

"Wandering around?" Jiang He asked, "Where did you go? What did you do?"

Under the urging, expectant, and curious gazes of the crowd, Chen Yang began to speak.

"He didn't go straight back to Japan, nor did he go to any dangerous places or secret caves." Chen Yang sighed. "His first stop was the Great Wall."

"The Great Wall?" Everyone was taken aback.

"Yeah, the section where regular tourists go. He didn't say anything, he just stood there for a long time, looking at the mountains and city walls below. I was holding back my anger and was on guard, but then he asked what the wall was for, and I replied that it was for defense against foreign enemies. He just grunted and said that it would be useless from now on."

"After that, I went to a few more places. I stood by the Yellow River for a while, went to the Erlitou site, and also went to see a movie."

O

"Watch a movie?!" Wang Jianguo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Yes, a war movie. He sat there silently the whole time, and when it ended, he said something like, 'The struggle between mortals is also interesting.'" Chen Yang's expression became even stranger. "He was frighteningly low-key the whole time, concealing his aura, looking like a particularly imposing oddball tourist. The ghostly army didn't even appear; it was like a morning visit to the North Sea and a evening visit to Cangwu!"

Xia Jie, the Xia ruler who slaughtered millions with a wave of his hand and treated human life as worthless, actually only took Chen Yang on an incognito visit to experience modern life.

The contrast is too great!

"Why would he do this?" Kong Shizhang asked in a deep voice. "Given his status and power, it was completely unnecessary."

Chen Yang's excited expression subsided slightly, and he stroked his chin: "I asked him a similar question. He didn't answer directly, he just said—"

He mimicked Xia Jie's cold and authoritative tone: "Why should I need a reason for my actions? I simply take a turn to see the world's fleeting pleasures. Do you really think I'm like those vulgar people, spending my days only knowing how to kill and plunder?"

"I was wondering if Xia Jie would see your potential and try to get you to switch to his Ghost Path! After all, Brother Chen, you are the number one martial artist today, an absolute genius!" someone said.

"Hahaha! After all, geniuses always get special treatment! Obviously, Xia Jie still appreciates me, otherwise why would he make me his mentor?" Chen Yang chimed in.

"When Xia Jie was chatting with me, he said that I'm currently cultivating internal energy, searching for acupoints, and then injecting internal energy, like desperately scooping up water from a small puddle. Then he briefly explained their ghost path to me, saying that I'm only equivalent to a slightly stronger Yin soldier right now, and I'm no match for a ghost general. It seems like he really disapproved of me cultivating the ghost path! But the ghost path seems so petty! Even if that guy made me cultivate it, I wouldn't!" Chen Yang said, as if he had just realized something.

After hearing Chen Yang's account, everyone fell silent. This situation was completely unexpected.

Xia Jie didn't harm Chen Yang. Instead, during their travels, he genuinely discussed martial arts with Chen Yang in a superior manner, almost like a philosophical debate. He even gave Chen Yang some insightful explanations of the ways of the demons!

"What exactly is he trying to do?" someone wondered, completely baffled. "Is he going to scare us first and then offer something in return?"

Kong Shizhang pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps, for him, he just saw some potential in Brother Chen and, in his own way, planted a seed to see what would grow."

Su Fan looked at Chen Yang, his tone carrying a subtle, yet profound, meaning: "Misfortune and fortune are intertwined. This experience may not necessarily be a bad thing for you. But remember, Xia Jie's path and your path are fundamentally different. However, you can learn from each other's approaches; you can use the lessons from others to improve yourself."

Chen Yang nodded: "I don't care about his eerie stuff! But his ideas on fighting and cultivation are worth listening to. Although I felt frustrated this time, I do feel like my horizons have broadened a lot. Now it seems like I've touched the edge of something more vague but also more essential."

He stretched his arms, and the familiar fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes: "I went to Bingzhong Island for the trial first. This time, I mainly just wanted to let you know I'm safe and sound, so don't worry about me! Xia Jie's Ghost Path can also broaden my horizons, but I don't think I'll have much free time during this period. I'll be taking Xia Jie on a trip, so consider it a publicly funded trip."

Chen Yang shook his head, suppressing his complex thoughts, his eyes hardening. "I'm back, and I didn't suffer any losses; in fact, I gained some benefits. That's a fact. Now, let's get back to what we were doing. Tell the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs that I'll complete my report later! I'll report to them personally then! If he thinks he can influence me this way and lead me down the path of demons, he's seriously underestimating me, Chen Yang! I will climb to the top of the world step by step through martial arts!"

As if suddenly remembering something, he said, "I think I'll be quite busy these next few days. I'll be strolling around with Xia Jie during the day, and after I fall asleep, I'll be undergoing trials on Bingzhong Island. I'll contact you again after I see Xia Jie off or after he gets bored and leaves."

Watching Chen Yang leave, Su Fan thought to himself.

Chen Yang, don't let me down. The new chapter of internal energy martial arts truly depends on you, the sharpest blade, to cut through the thorns and brambles and open a new path!

At the same time, he began to ponder the Dao of Heaven and his claim that Chen Yang had opened a new path in martial arts.