Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The moment Chen Xuan took Su Chang'an's hand and stepped onto the deck, he paused for a moment.

The array patterns on the flying boat were 30% brighter than when it arrived.

Someone reactivated the ship's binding array during the time they were inside the palace.

He didn't look down, nor did he loosen his grip on Su Chang'an's hand. He simply tightened his hold.

They left the emperor's palace and returned here alive.

The airship was quiet. The remaining Chen family guards stood in two rows on either side. They watched the group, but no one dared to utter a sound. Although Chen Xuan had restrained his Great Saint Realm aura, the presence of someone who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood still made the guards feel suffocated.

Chen Xuan released Su Chang'an's hand. He walked to the edge of the deck, gripped the bronze railing with both hands, and looked down at the collapsing imperial palace.

The massive stone pillar collapsed, sending up clouds of dust. The dust rose into the sky, obscuring the view. The ruins that held countless secrets were now completely buried underground.

Footsteps echoed from the second floor of the airship. The sound was steady, each step carrying a specific rhythm.

Chen Daolin, dressed in a purple-gold robe, walked up the wooden stairs to the deck. His gaze swept over Chen Mu and the others, finally settling on Chen Xuan.

Chen Daolin stopped three steps away from Chen Xuan.

He didn't speak first, but tilted his head slightly, as if examining a newly fired piece of art.

His gaze slid from Chen Xuan's wrist to his chest, lingering for a couple of breaths on the spot where the hole had once been dug out.

Then he nodded. "You did very well." He said those five words very softly.

It's like giving a horse a top grade.

This was the first time in fifteen years that he had said these words to Chen Xuan. There was no condescending command, only a simple affirmation.

Chen Xuan turned around. He looked at Chen Daolin. His face was expressionless. There was neither excitement nor anger.

"Chen Tianyou is not dead," Chen Xuan said.

Chen Daolin's eye twitched slightly.

"The bones are under the rubble," Chen Xuan continued.

Chen Daolin didn't ask Chen Tianyou why he hadn't come out, nor did he ask why the bone was under the rubble. He didn't care about the process. He only cared about the result. Chen Tianyou had lost his value without the Supreme Bone.

"You made it out alive," Chen Daolin said. "That's enough."

Chen Xuan didn't speak again. He turned his head and continued to look at the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

He felt that Chen Daolin was pathetic.

Su Chang'an stood next to Chen Xuan, his gaze passing over the railing to the Ji family's warships a few miles away.

A person was kneeling on the deck.

Ji Wuxie. Two elders pressed down on his shoulders, their fingers hooking onto the top of his head.

The screams carried on the wind, but by the time they reached us, they were barely audible.

When Su Chang'an looked again, there was only an empty golden garment left on the deck.

She looked away, feeling a chill in the air.

"Is this what the imperial family is like?" Su Chang'an said.

Chen Xuan didn't look over there.

He kept looking at Su Chang'an.

"It's always been like this," he said.

His tone was flat, but he subconsciously took half a step closer to Su Chang'an.

No one in the imperial family cares what your name is.

They only care about what you have.

Bones, essence, or even life itself. They can be taken at any time, as long as the family needs them.

Chen Daolin also witnessed the scene on the Ji family's warship. He remained expressionless. He turned around and looked at Chen Mu and the other collateral descendants.

"You did a good job in this competition," Chen Daolin said.

Chen Mu and the others were stunned. They never expected that the high and mighty Third Ancestor would speak to them. They usually didn't even have the right to see the Third Ancestor.

"Even collateral branches can produce talented individuals," Chen Daolin continued. "After we return to Zhongzhou, I will open an ancestral hall. Your lineage can take over the family. The family's resources will be tilted towards you."

Chen Mu's eyes reddened. The collateral relatives behind him all knelt down, their knees slamming onto the deck.

"Thank you, Third Ancestor!" Chen Mu shouted loudly, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Chen Mu's knees bent halfway, then stopped.

He thought of Chen Fan. He thought of the fool who swallowed the Soul-Scattering Pill for Chen Xuan.

Chen Fan is still unconscious, and it's unknown whether he will wake up. Does the Third Ancestor's mention of 'taking over the family' include Chen Fan's lineage?

He opened his mouth, but didn't dare ask. Finally, he knelt down. "Thank you, Third Ancestor," he said loudly, but the last syllable was weak.

Chen Daolin nodded. He turned and walked towards the second floor of the flying boat. The hem of his purple-gold robe fluttered in the wind.

Chen Xuan didn't care. He walked over to Su Chang'an.

"Go in and rest," Chen Xuan said.

Su Chang'an nodded. The two entered the cabin.

The cabin was quiet. Chen Xuan sat in a chair, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing. His injuries weren't fully healed yet. There was still residual blood clots in his body that needed to be cleared.

Su Chang'an leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the armrest unconsciously.

A pop-up message appeared in her mind. She glanced at it.

Her favorability rating had long been locked at 100%, but a new line appeared below that she had never seen before: 'Destined Death Tribulation - Redemption Progress: 80%'.

It's probably stuck.

The palace collapsed, the bones are no longer needed, but the knot in my heart is untied.

We've overcome all the hurdles we needed to overcome.

What exactly is blocking the remaining 20%?

The Chen family of Zhongzhou, and this flying boat.

What else is waiting for him?

Su Chang'an turned off the system panel. She leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping on the wooden armrest, making a clicking sound.

She needed to find out what the remaining 20% ​​was. She couldn't let Chen Xuan die.

She went through so much trouble to raise this boy, no one can touch him.

Chen Xuan opened his eyes. He looked at Su Chang'an. He stood up and walked to Su Chang'an's side.

"You're worried," Chen Xuan said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Su Chang'an raised his head. "Zhongzhou is not a good place."

"I know," Chen Xuan said. "The Chen family didn't send me back with good intentions. Chen Daolin's eyes held a calculating look."

"Then why are you going back?" Su Chang'an asked.

"Some debts need to be settled face-to-face," Chen Xuan said. He touched his chest. There had once been an empty space there, but now it was filled. "What they owe me, I don't want anymore. But I owed them my life, and I've already repaid that. This time when I go back, I'll only do one thing."

"What is it?"

"Smash the Chen family's plaque," Chen Xuan said calmly.

Su Chang'an smiled. She stood up and patted Chen Xuan on the shoulder.

"Okay," Su Chang'an said, "I'll hand you the hammer."

The flying boat has two floors.

Chen Daolin entered the deepest secret room.

The room was dark, with no lights on. Only the patterns on the walls emitted a faint glow.

A person sits in the shadows.

Chen Daolin walked over and sat down opposite the man.

"He's out," Chen Daolin said.

The person in the shadows moved slightly. He was wearing a gray Taoist robe.

Li Changgeng, the patriarch of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect.

"I saw it," Li Changgeng said. His voice was dry and harsh.

"Chen Tianyou is ruined," Chen Daolin said. "His Supreme Bone remains in the ruins. The Chen family has lost a chosen one."

Li Changgeng was not surprised. "That bone was never meant to be kept. Something forcibly pieced together will crumble sooner or later."

Chen Daolin looked at Li Changgeng. "Do you still stand by what you said before?"

"Of course," Li Changgeng said. "Chen Xuan's foundation in Dao is already complete. He is now the best vessel, ten thousand times better than Chen Tianyou."

Chen Daolin looked at Li Changgeng. "With Chen Xuan's current strength, are you sure your formation can trap him?"

Li Changgeng sneered. "What is Ji Wushuang? Just a piece of trash built up with resources. Chen Xuan's sword intent is indeed strong, but he has weaknesses."

"What weakness?"

"Emotion," Li Changgeng said. "He cultivates the Supreme Emotionless Technique, yet he enters the Dao through emotion."

Chen Daolin remained silent for a moment. His fingers traced across the table.

"That woman is very strange. I can't see through her cultivation level," Chen Daolin said.

"A nine-tailed celestial fox," Li Changgeng said. "I'm all too familiar with her aura. She used a secret technique to conceal her cultivation level, but it couldn't fool my eyes."

Chen Daolin frowned. "She'll get in the way. Chen Xuan listens to her a lot."

"She won't live long." Li Changgeng stood up. He walked to the window of the secret room and looked at the sky outside.

"The scheme in Zhongzhou is already set up," Li Changgeng said. "Once Chen Xuan steps into the Chen family's ancestral land, he will never be able to leave. The grand formation has been activated. He cannot escape."

Chen Daolin stood up. "I hope you're not lying to me. The Chen family has even used the resources of our ancestral land for this plan. The Chen family cannot afford to lose this opportunity."

"I never lie." Li Changgeng turned his head. His eyes gleamed in the darkness. It was an almost insane obsession. "I only want that woman's soul."

Li Changgeng said, "Chen Xuan's physical body and cultivation belong to your Chen family." Chen Daolin did not nod immediately.

He looked into Li Changgeng's eyes. "What do you want her soul for?" Li Changgeng smiled. The smile was stiff, as if the muscles in his face had forgotten how to move. "When you took Chen Xuan's bones, did you ask what they were for?"

The two stared at each other for three breaths.

Chen Daolin was the first to withdraw his gaze. "Then let's each get what we need." He stood up and walked out, stopping at the door. "Li Changgeng, you'd better make sure your formation can trap him. The Chen family can't afford a second chance." "And you'd better also make sure—" Li Changgeng's voice came from the darkness, "that once we reach the ancestral land, your men won't hold back."

The door closed. Neither of them turned around.

Li Changgeng stood by the window. He looked down at the deck below.

Chen Xuan's cabin was down below.

"Master," he said softly, "we'll see each other soon."

The airship is launched.

The massive bronze ship pierced through the clouds and flew towards the Central Continent.

The snowstorms of the northern regions were left far behind.

The clouds were thick, blocking out the sunlight.

Central Continent.

The real trouble has only just begun.