Targeting the Chen Family.
In the Southern Domain.
Who dares?
Upon hearing ’Chen Zhixing’s’ reply, Chen Tianchen twitched at the corner of his eye, instinctively assuming that the recent disturbance in the Ziwei Divine Prohibition was due to his troublesome nephew stirring up mischief again.
Then he heard the next words of the Demon Suppression Thought.
"There might be something happening at the foot of the mountain soon, so it would be best, Fourth Uncle, if you could bring the clansmen outside back to the mountain for refuge."
Is there really an enemy?
Hearing Chen Zhixing’s words, Chen Tianchen became serious, hesitated for a moment, and then explained: "The clansmen near Linjiang City can be withdrawn, but next month is the time to deliver goods from the major Spirit Stone Veins, and a batch of herbs from the Little Mang Mountain’s northside meant for Clarity Pill concoction will mature in a few days. These matters require supervision."
"You can have the Dark Guard take over." The Demon Suppression Thought responded with a smile.
The answer given was very much in the interest of the Chen Family. If the Dark Guard died, then they died—after all, they didn’t bear the Chen name.
But it wasn’t humane.
Whether it’s spirit stones or spirit medicine, these were channels only Chen Family members could involve themselves in. Every bit of it was the mountain’s branches’ heritage spanning over a thousand years. How could they let someone not bearing the Chen name, like the Dark Guard, get involved?
"That won’t do..." Facing his nephew’s fanciful ideas, Chen Tianchen could only smile wryly while keeping a cautious watch.
This was to prevent Chen Zhixing from conceiving the notion of using outsiders like the Dark Guard to replace his family in these businesses.
The Demon Suppression Thought was not surprised by this response; it lazily remarked, "Anyway, I’ve informed you in advance. By then, if too many people die, don’t tell the main body that I didn’t warn you. Well, Fourth Uncle, I need to return to deal with the Great Demon within the Divine Prohibition. If you have any issues, feel free to go handle them first."
Chen Tianchen: "???"
What was happening? Was the Chen Zhixing before him not the main body?
As he saw ’Chen Zhixing’ step back, the whole person merging into the Ziwei Star, a small amount of cold sweat appeared on Chen Tianchen’s forehead.
It really wasn’t the main body!
Recalling the rumors within the clan regarding the Ziwei Star at the back mountain over these days, Chen Tianchen felt a chill down his spine.
"This kid Zhixing..."
...
Ziwei Star is haunted!
This was the rumor that had been spreading internally within the Chen Family for the past two years, and it was propagating at an uncontrollable rate. By the time Chen Tianchen reacted to handle it, the rumor had almost spread throughout the entire Linjiang City.
Such as:
"The bell ringer appearing every morning."
"The human face growing inside the stone."
"The fire dragon with a human head."
"The door ghost with nine heads."
"The horrifying scream inevitably echoing at midnight from the Ziwei Mountain Main Peak..."
"The incessant sounds of ancient battlefield skirmishes over the past two years..."
One by one, piece by piece, they were irrefutable, presenting undeniable evidence.
These were the strange occurrences appearing on Ziwei Mountain in recent times, which eventually led to the mountain being considered an ominous place. The rumor was that the Ziwei Chen Family was about to face disaster, hence the manifestation of ghosts and spirits!
In response, Chen Tianchen only issued prohibitions against spreading rumors within the family.
But it was to no avail.
Even after informing them that these phenomena were all Chen Zhixing’s acting, some still persisted in calling it ’ghostly manifestations.’
Some even went as far as to claim these events were the result of Chen Zhixing defying the will of heaven, bringing divine retribution upon the Chen Family!
Otherwise, how could a normal person manifest such eerie phenomena through performance...
Helpless.
Exhausted.
This was Chen Tianchen’s mindset as he sat in the position of patriarch.
He was already planning to hand over the position to Chen Zhaosheng in a couple of years, retire, directly leave Ziwei Mountain, find a scenic place to live in seclusion, and no longer deal with family matters.
Let these two brothers do as they please.
After all, their parents were still around to oversee matters, so it wouldn’t come to the point of the Chen Family falling apart.
Hmm.
The reason Chen Tianchen hadn’t stepped down immediately was that he was worried the methods of these brothers were too fierce!
Having studied at the Celestial Saint Palace, Chen Zhaosheng truly aimed to develop the Ziwei Chen Family into a sect’s holy land, with a singular focus on meritocracy—anyone capable could occupy family resources, regardless of the Chen name!
As for Chen Zhixing.
Considering the bizarre events atop the mountain, Chen Tianchen felt that Chen Zhixing’s presence was even less suitable for the Chen Family than Chen Zhaosheng.
Though Chen Zhaosheng might cause upheaval, at least it was within human competition, requiring merely a redistribution of resources, and his realm was merely the Nirvana Third Layer, unable to stir up major trouble.
But Chen Zhixing was too frightening.
Ziwei Divine Prohibition.
Instantaneous Creation.
These were clearly extraordinary Divine Techniques, yet in Zhixing’s hands, they didn’t seem to be within human capability.
"Ever since Ancestor Tianyuan left, this household has increasingly lost the semblance of a noble family."
Ultimately, Chen Tianchen decided to heed Chen Zhixing’s advice and summon all Chen Family members within the Jiangzhou territory back to Ziwei Mountain.
Certain crucial positions would be temporarily filled with house-born children of the Chen family.
There was no other way.
Compared to the Dark Guard, which was mostly composed of outside cultivators, using house-born children nurtured by the branches to temporarily fill these positions would be more acceptable to these clansmen, as they were under their own supervision. It would prevent issues when reclaiming power later.
In this regard, Chen Zhaosheng was quite satisfied.
Regarding Chen Zhixing’s message for Fourth Uncle about the Celestial Spider people coming to Jiangzhou soon, Chen Zhaosheng merely listened with a smiling face, like a smiling tiger.