The Dao of Reincarnation (137-138) (Patreon)

Chapter 137: The Eldest Senior Brother of Falling Emperor Mountain (Two)

Su Chen let out a long sigh. He was the eldest senior brother of Falling Emperor Mountain. The foremost prodigy of the Azure Nether Dao Domain.

Was he truly going to submit to a woman?

No!

Su Chen slowly rose from the lotus platform.

"The Purple Firmament Dao Sect? You think I'll avoid their edge? Fourth Junior Brother, come with me to the Purple Firmament Dao Sect. I'd like to see exactly what game they're playing!"

The wind and clouds shifted abruptly. A hidden sharp sword pierced the sky, its resonant hum stirring every being on Falling Emperor Mountain into sympathy.

In the corner of the lotus platform, the black little loach opened its sleepy eyes. Its two whiskers twitched. It yawned lazily.

"Little Chen's sword dao has improved again. Truly worthy of the Innate Supreme Sword Physique. In that era overflowing with monsters, he would still have stood among the top."

Ji Changkong heard Su Chen say he would bring him along and immediately shook his head frantically. "Cough, cough, Eldest Senior Brother, there's really no need for that! I have complete faith in your strength. A mere Purple Firmament Dao Sect is no match for you at all!"

Su Chen reached out and grabbed him by the collar.

Ji Changkong's face turned ashen with despair.

The black little loach vaguely sensed something wrong. It was prepared to leap from the lotus platform into the pond and flee.

A hand caught it firmly by the tail.

"Senior Long Qiu, you should come along to the Purple Firmament Dao Sect as well."

The black little loach looked utterly defeated.

With one person and one beast in tow, Su Chen tore open space and departed for the Purple Firmament Dao Sect.

Deep in the valley of Falling Emperor Mountain, an old man in hemp robes leaned leisurely against the bamboo pavilion railing. He watched the black spatial rift slowly close.

"Little Chen… all things are fated. Not even half a point is up to man. This day was always coming. It's not that your master doesn't want to help you."

The old man shook his head.

...

Purple Firmament Dao Sect—one of the ten most powerful orthodoxies in the Azure Nether Dao Domain. In a distant era, it had once given birth to a Great Emperor. Though time had passed, its inheritance endured unbroken.

In just a few days, Su Chen arrived from Falling Emperor Mountain at the Purple Firmament Dao Sect.

"Falling Emperor Mountain, Nangong Chen, has come upon an invitation to pay respects."

Su Chen stood in the void. His white robes fluttered gently. His bearing was divine and jade-like. Three thousand strands of hair cascaded like a waterfall, shimmering with starlight as though a river of galaxies flowed through them. He resembled an immortal descended to the mortal world—noble beyond words.

"Nangong Chen… It's Nangong Chen from Falling Emperor Mountain. He actually dared come to our Purple Firmament Dao Sect!"

"That's the man who humiliated Sacred Maiden Lin! Damn scoundrel!"

"Let's all go! Today, we must demand justice for Sacred Maiden Lin!"

"..."

The Purple Firmament Dao Sect erupted into a frenzy.

Rainbow lights streaked across the sky above the sect. The younger generation of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect seethed with righteous indignation.

From within the sect came a light, ethereal voice.

"Everyone, stand down. Let Nangong Chen enter."

Under countless gazes sharp enough to cut him into pieces, Su Chen carried Ji Changkong in one hand and Long Qiu in the other, stepping calmly into the Purple Firmament Dao Sect.

Inside the sect grounds, a woman clad in a crescent-moon daoist robe appeared before him. Her sleeves fluttered as though she might drift away on the wind at any moment. Her ink-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, loosely secured by a single hairpin. Stray strands framed her snow-white cheeks. Her skin was so fine it seemed it might shatter at the slightest touch—an immortal untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

Nearby, a young girl in martial attire was bound to a stone pillar. Yet there was no trace of panic on her face. When she saw Su Chen arrive, her small nose wrinkled slightly, and the corners of her eyes curved upward into crescent moons.

"Eldest Senior Brother, I knew you wouldn't abandon me."

Standing around them were numerous proud prodigies of the Purple Firmament Dao Palace, each radiating an extraordinary presence.

"Little Junior Sister, don't forget about me too!"

Ji Changkong hurriedly tried to make his presence known.

Su Chen released his grip.

Caught off guard, Ji Changkong kissed the ground intimately.

Long Qiu watched with malicious glee—only to find Su Chen had let go of him as well.

"Ow—Little Chen, can't you show a little respect to this old dragon?"

Long Qiu extended a claw to rub his aching back, inwardly grumbling that the younger generation really had no manners toward him anymore.

When Lin Wantang saw Su Chen arrive, a faint ripple finally stirred in her usually still-as-water eyes.

Su Chen smiled lightly. "Congratulations, Sacred Maiden Lin, on breaking through to the Nirvana realm."

Lin Wantang did not reply. She simply stared at him until even Su Chen's scalp began to tingle.

No matter how many lifetimes passed, women remained terrifying creatures.

One of the powerful prodigies of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect finally spoke.

"Nangong Chen, the world calls you the number one prodigy of the Azure Nether Dao Domain in ten thousand years. I, Chu Hao, challenge you! Whether you truly deserve that title has yet to be acknowledged by me!"

Su Chen glanced at the self-proclaimed Chu Hao, expression indifferent and utterly calm.

"Chu Hao? My apologies. I've never heard of you."

Chu Hao's eyes flashed with purple runes. In the next moment, a colossal figure materialized behind him.

"Today, you will remember the name Chu Hao!"

Facing the suddenly transformed Chu Hao blocking his path, Su Chen casually flicked his wrist. A palm as white and flawless as jade swept outward.

Chu Hao was slapped away like a fly, turning into a streak of light that vanished into the distance.

"Thunder Physique. Slapping it really does give a numbing tingle."

Su Chen muttered to himself, completely nonchalant.

The prodigies of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect paled instantly. Chu Hao ranked among the top talents in their sect. Yet now he had been swatted aside as casually as one might swat an insect. Could the legendary Nangong Chen truly be this powerful?

Chapter 138: The Eldest Senior Brother of Falling Emperor Mountain (Part 3)

"You are no match for Nangong Chen!"

Lin Wantang gazed at Su Chen. She vaguely sensed his cultivation had advanced once again.

"Senior Brother, so powerful!"

Bound to the pillar, Xiao Qianling watched Su Chen display his might and couldn't help shouting in excitement.

Lin Wantang's cold gaze swept over. Xiao Qianling's small face immediately crumpled.

The fearless little demoness who made the entire Azure Nether Dao Domain tremble was actually subdued by Lin Wantang.

Su Chen held back a laugh. "Lin Wantang, what will it take for you to release my Little Junior Sister?"

Lin Wantang's face remained icy. "I want you to marry me."

Su Chen looked at the stunning woman before him—cold as moonlight, like a lunar goddess descended to earth—and shook his head. "I'm sorry. My heart is devoted to the dao."

Lin Wantang's tone carried unwillingness. "Nangong Chen, if your heart is truly devoted to the Dao, why did you come here at all?"

Su Chen felt helpless. In truth, he hadn't wanted to come either.

The other prodigies of the Purple Firmament Dao Palace wanted to step forward and speak up for their Sacred Maiden. But when they remembered Chu Hao being swatted away like a fly, they swallowed their words.

Lin Wantang extended her hand. A jade sword pressed against Xiao Qianling's slender neck.

"Nangong Chen, if you can leave the Purple Firmament Dao Palace unscathed today, from this moment forward, there will be no connection between us. But if you cannot leave, you must accept my arrangement."

Su Chen felt truly helpless. He finally understood why Nangong Chen had fled the wedding and hidden himself at Falling Emperor Mountain. This woman was terrifying.

Still, he had to bring Xiao Qianling back to Falling Emperor Mountain.

The air froze.

One after another, the prodigies of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect stepped forward.

Such a grand formation.

Long Qiu dragged Ji Changkong behind a massive mountain peak of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect to hide.

"Good grief… If I were Little Chen, I'd just marry that madwoman. He wouldn't even be losing out."

Long Qiu patted his chest and grumbled.

Ji Changkong nodded deeply in agreement.

"Senior Long Qiu, do you think Eldest Senior Brother can hold off all the geniuses of the Purple Firmament Dao Palace by himself?" Ji Changkong asked curiously.

"I don't know." Long Qiu shook his head helplessly. "During this recent closed-door cultivation, I saw Little Chen's sword dao improve again. But this time the Purple Firmament Dao Sect clearly has no intention of letting him leave. Since an ancient freak has unsealed himself and appeared in this era…"

The sky darkened. Countless beams of divine light scattered, blotting out sun and moon.

Ji Changkong rode on Long Qiu's back. Man and beast poked their heads out curiously to watch the battlefield.

Broken bodies lay scattered everywhere.

Powerful prodigies of the Purple Firmament Dao Palace lay defeated, faces filled with bitter smiles.

Among them, the strongest one had even his upright hair sliced off; his feathered robe hung in tatters.

The ancient freak Long Qiu had mentioned—the one revived within the Purple Firmament Dao Palace—now stared at the palm print on his chest, doubting his entire existence.

Long Qiu's expression lit up with joy. "Little Chen actually has this kind of strength. Looks like he's stepped into the Dao Entry realm. As expected, this dragon teaches well."

Ji Changkong: "..."

Su Chen arrived beside Lin Wantang, who knelt on one knee, unable to rise.

"I, Nangong Chen, am devoted solely to the Dao."

He stepped past her, raised his hand, and a single sword cleaved through the chains, freeing Xiao Qianling.

Xiao Qianling's face bloomed with joy. "Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother!"

Without the slightest reluctance, Su Chen took Xiao Qianling and departed gracefully.

Behind him came Lin Wantang's voice.

"Nangong Chen, from this day forward, there will be no connection between us!"

...

Su Chen let out a soft sigh in his heart.

Nangong Chen truly had no room in his heart for romantic attachments—only the relentless pursuit of the Dao.

In that case, severing all ties was perhaps for the best.

Seeing this, Ji Changkong and Long Qiu hurriedly left their hiding spot behind the mountain peak and caught up with Su Chen. The three of them departed the Purple Firmament Dao Sect without looking back.

Inside the grand hall of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect, an elder watched the direction in which Su Chen and the others had left, puzzled. "Sacred Lord, are we really letting Nangong Chen leave so easily?"

The Purple Firmament Sacred Lord sighed. "This was merely childish squabbling among the younger generation. Since the Nangong boy has no intention toward Wantang, cutting the thread of affection early is better for both him and Wantang."

The elder looked skeptical, muttering inwardly: Sacred Lord, at least put down the Purple Firmament Sword in your hand first.

Several times he had suspected the Sacred Lord would lose control and simply cleave Nangong Chen in two with a single strike. After all, everyone in the Purple Firmament Dao Sect knew just how much the Sacred Lord doted on his daughter.

In truth, it was exactly as the elder suspected. If not for that old dragon's presence, the Purple Firmament Sacred Lord would never have allowed Su Chen to walk out so easily today.

...

Back at Falling Emperor Mountain, the old man in hemp robes was genuinely surprised. His eldest disciple had actually returned completely unscathed.

"Severing romantic ties, devoting oneself wholly to the dao, and cutting off all entanglement… it doesn't seem like a bad choice."

The old man smacked his lips thoughtfully.

On Falling Emperor Mountain, Su Chen looked at Xiao Qianling with visible helplessness.

"Little Junior Sister, from today onward, you are not allowed to leave the mountain until you reach the Nirvana realm."

His tone left no room for argument.

Xiao Qianling stuck out her delicate pink tongue. Knowing Su Chen was serious, she could only reluctantly accept her fate.

Ji Changkong, upon hearing this, couldn't help but snicker. Seeing Little Junior Sister confined brought him secret delight.

"And you, Fourth Junior Brother—you're the same as Little Junior Sister. No leaving the mountain until you break through to the Nirvana realm."

Su Chen intended to strangle any future trouble in the cradle.

Ji Changkong froze.

Xiao Qianling laughed gleefully at his misfortune.

Fourty thousand years had now passed since Fang Bubai's ascension. The path of cultivation would only grow more difficult from here. Not everyone would have the fortune to obtain enough Divine Sources to survive until the next great era. He—Su Chen—in this life would devote himself entirely to the Dao!