But what Chen Shi needed was just a moment, to give Chen Tang and his mother the chance to leave the city safely.
"At this moment, I suppose all these spies, the Guard Army, the Divine Mechanism Camp, and the Observatory have already reported layer by layer, alarming the higher-ups of the Thirteen Families."
Chen Shi watched the wooden carriage disappear outside the city, thinking, "From now on, I will be the hostage of the Chen Family."
He turned around with the Black Pot and returned.
Those servants and maids who ran until they were breathless suddenly awoke, completely unaware of why they appeared here.
Chen Shi did not immediately return home. Instead, he wandered with the Black Pot, allowing more spies to see him, showing that he had not left the Western Capital.
"Regrettably, the time was too short, the minor Heavenly System was not fully established, or else sending off my parents would not have been so troublesome." He thought to himself.
The minor Heavenly System connecting the Fifty Provinces of the West Bull New Continent requires a person in each province who can activate the Heavenly Court Token. However, Chen Shi’s students are going to various places to take office and haven’t arrived yet. Yu Tiancheng’s crafting of the Heavenly Court Token has just begun to send out. The minor Heavenly System also hasn’t started to test the distance limit.
Therefore, Chen Shi must stay, as a hostage.
To the world, the Court is the Court, but to the Thirteen Families, the Thirteen Families are the Court.
Even if the father and son possess cultivation to reach the heavens and earth, they cannot fight against the entire Court, not to mention the True King Nine Palaces suppressing the fate of the West Bull New Continent!
At this moment, inside the West Capital City, all kinds of spies, the Guard Army, the Divine Mechanism Camp of the Inner City, and everyone from the Observatory were already in a panic, all rushing to the Wenyuan Pavilion.
A moment later, the thirteen major officials of the Cabinet gathered in the Wenyuan Pavilion. Before the thirteen officials could discuss, they first relayed the news to the Sect Masters of the Thirteen Families.
After the message was delivered, Yan Xianzhi, Xia Canghai, and the other thirteen major officials quieted down, waiting silently for the messages returned from each Great Family.
Clusters of Thousand-Mile Communication Talismans floated silently in the air, emitting golden light in the flames.
Before long, the first voice came from the flames.
"Chen Tang and his wife have left, where is Chen Shi?"
"Replying to the Sect Master, Chen Shi is still in the Western Capital."
"Chen Tang indeed has a ruthless heart, leaving Chen Shi as a hostage. Keep an eye on him, don’t let him escape. Also, see Chen Tang off, don’t make things difficult for him, but don’t let him underestimate the Thirteen Families."
A majestic voice came, "You are permitted to open the Upper Realm, give him a bit of a shock. Tell him that if he doesn’t behave, the Thirteen Families will not spare him lightly."
Chen Tang sat on the wooden carriage, looking at his dazed wife leaning there, his heart felt complex, filled with countless emotions.
The wooden carriage gradually accelerated, getting faster and faster, soon overtaking other carriages, various talismans on the carriage body lit up, and the Hua Gai automatically opened, a piece of Heavenly Palace shone down, enveloping them.
Clouds grew under the wooden carriage’s wheels, lifting it off the ground, flying high into the sky, wind, thunder, fire, and electricity formed beneath the wheels, traveling with lightning all the way forward.
Chen Tang felt warmth in his heart. Although Chen Shi often rode the carriage, he never activated these talismans on the wooden carriage, making people think this carriage could not fly, just so today he could arrange for them to leave the Western Capital far behind.
The wooden carriage rose higher and higher, faster and faster, heading rapidly toward East Mountain ahead.
At this moment, Chen Tang felt something in his heart, turned back to look toward the Western Capital, and saw nine beams of Immortal Light rising from the ground, reaching into the sky.
It was the lights of Wen Hua, Wu Ying, Hua Gai, Central Extreme, Wenyuan, East Pavilion, Justice, Prudence, Jianji, the nine Immortal Palaces, the Western Capital’s deterrence to him!
Chen Tang nervously grasped the box, looking up at those nine beams of light. He saw the light revolving, splitting open the sky, revealing a glimpse of another world.
Big Tripods stood upright in the sky, incense smoke curling like clouds and mist, forming a rosy cloud. Behind the rosy cloud were radiant Divines, some standing, some sitting cross-legged, their expressions solemn and majestic.
Gods everywhere, a boundless sight.
Chen Tang’s face changed drastically, the wooden box in his hand seeming to weigh unimaginably heavy.
Since ancient times, countless heroes and talents have supported their families’ rise, prospered at times, trying to replace the Thirteen Families, yet none succeeded.
Now, he knew the reason.
A voice sounded, reaching Chen Tang’s ears.
"From the fall of the True King Era to this day, six thousand years have passed, the Thirteen Families a Sect Master every fifty years, nearly two thousand Sect Masters born. Their Void Great Realm merged into this sky, forming the Upper Realm. Generations of ancestors like Gods, absorbing the incense of the world."
Yan Xianzhi stepped forward, smiled, and said, "Lord Chen Tang, I come under the command of the Sect Master, inviting you to behold the foundation of our Thirteen Families."