"Trouble?"
Chen Jiuyang looked at Ou Bokuan calmly. "What trouble?"
"Sect Leader Chen, the news of your appearance at Wudang has been brewing for days and has reached the ears of those with intentions."
Ou Bokuan's expression was complicated. "Currently, Wudang Mountain is filled with people from the Immortal and Martial realms of the Dragon Kingdom."
"Someone wants to challenge Sect Leader Chen."
"Challenge me?"
A slow smile spread across Chen Jiuyang's face. "I am rather curious, who is it."
With his true name imprinted, he wondered who dared to challenge him. Among the martial artists of his generation, no one could.
On the surface of the Dragon Kingdom, only Emperor Yan carried the banner of martial arts.
Within the martial arts world, the major aristocratic families could at most seal cultivators at the early Venerable realm in their secret realms, as once laws were involved, they could no longer be sealed in slumber.
Unless it was a place like the forbidden zone of the Chongming Sea.
Most likely, it would be an Immortal cultivator at the peak of the Void Returning stage, or a cultivator at the half-step Dao Integration stage.
Ou Bokuan spoke, "There are two. One is the Grand Elder of the Chen family from Shu Mountain."
"The other is a sealed prodigy from the ancient times of the Pei family, a forbidden aristocratic family."
"That's all I know."
The Grand Elder of the Chen family from Shu Mountain?
Oh, that would be at least at the Void Returning stage.
Chen Jiuyang's expression remained smiling. "Where are they?"
"Please follow me, Sect Leader Chen."
...
Outside the Wudang Mountain sect.
The four directions were gathered.
They could be broadly divided into three forces.
One faction consisted of ancient forbidden aristocratic families, many of whom were connected to one of the Nine Forbidden Zones. They maintained a neutral stance, not interfering in any secular affairs. Even the Five Great Sacred Lands and the Demonic Dao had an unspoken agreement to not encroach upon each other.
The second faction was the six major sect forces, primarily from the Demonic Dao, numbering in the thousands. Even if the remaining five sects sent people, it was to support the Demonic Dao and to gauge Chen Jiuyang's strength.
The third faction was led by the Five Great Sacred Lands, comprising righteous sects and aristocratic families.
The three major forces each occupied a direction.
The atmosphere was heavy, with a sense of impending doom.
This was a dire situation for both the righteous and demonic paths.
The Human King system and the Sword Bearer system had collapsed, with foreign cultivators causing disturbances. Many Human Kings had already perished, and even the Five Great Sacred Lands had powerful figures who were killed or severely injured.
As for the Demonic Dao, Chen Jiuyang was involved in the struggle for the Saint Path. If a war between the Saint and the Pseudo-Saint broke out, who would coordinate the front lines?
Yet, at this critical juncture, Chen Jiuyang, the Sect Master of the True Demon Sect, imprinted his true name, shocking countless people, but strangely, he did not continue the struggle for the Saint Path. Instead, he inexplicably came to the Wudang Mountain library to read.
The varied reactions from all sides had agitated too many people.
This led to the current situation.
Both sides, with tacit understanding, did not choose to engage in direct combat. Instead, they allowed the Chen family of the Five Great Sacred Lands to come forward and deal with Chen Jiuyang. This way, they could control the overall situation.
However, only Chen Jiuyang himself knew that he was not planning any grand strategy. He simply wanted to go out for a stroll, take his women out for some relaxation, retrace his martial arts path, observe the art of war, and perfect his own great path.
This was the consequence of holding a high position; every action would be scrutinized and overanalyzed by many.
Currently, with the changing tides, the Chen family intended to act against Chen Jiuyang, yet they did not breach Wudang Mountain.
The Chen Jiuyang of today was not the Chen Jiuyang of the past.
Just a few years ago, Chen Jiuyang was merely an ordinary Human King, completely disregarded by the Five Great Sacred Lands. His wife's family could be killed, and his wife and children could be abducted.
But the current Chen Jiuyang was the Sect Master of the True Demon Sect. At the young age of twenty-eight, he had imprinted his true name. His status, position, and power were incomparable to his past.
For these reasons, the three major forces chose to wait obediently and peacefully outside the Wudang Mountain gate.
"They're here."
Someone whispered.
"Creak—"
The great gate of Wudang Mountain opened.
Chen Jiuyang, clad in a black robe adorned with nine dragons, stepped out leisurely. He exuded no aura, appearing like an ordinary mortal, unlike the past Chen Jiuyang whose every move could bring immense pressure.
Yet, his every gesture flowed with an intangible Dao rhythm, drawing deep contemplation from onlookers.
"Perfect aura."
"Return to simplicity."
"True name imprinted, confirmed!"
As Chen Jiuyang appeared, countless gazes fell upon him, scrutinizing him. Then, numerous people whispered amongst themselves.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
The thousands of people from the True Demon Sect immediately knelt on one knee and shouted respectfully.
Among them, only his three women remained standing.
Chen Jiuyang nodded slightly and smiled at his women.
Then, his gaze settled upon the factions of the Five Great Sacred Lands and the forbidden aristocratic families.
Chen Jiuyang's voice was calm, not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears:
"I was taking my women out for a stroll, to see the magnificent landscapes of our Dragon Kingdom. I didn't expect everyone to grace me with such a grand assembly, as if preparing for a major battle."
"If this news spreads, we will undoubtedly be ridiculed by powerful figures from other nations."
"..."
Chen Jiuyang said this, but who would believe him?
A great cultivator at the fourth layer of the Venerable realm at the age of twenty-eight, the Sect Master of the True Demon Sect, coupled with Chen Jiuyang's past deeds – who could believe he was so innocent? Who could underestimate him?
No one responded to Chen Jiuyang's words.
"Honestly, no one believes me. The hearts of men are not what they used to be," Chen Jiuyang said with a smile, then his gaze calmly fell upon the faction of the Five Great Sacred Lands.
"I heard that a Grand Elder from the Chen family of Shu Mountain wishes to challenge me. I am curious about the reason."
Chen Haofeng, the Grand Elder of the Chen family from Shu Mountain, wearing the ceremonial robes of a sacred land, with an aged and solemn appearance, slowly stepped forward and looked at Chen Jiuyang. "Chen Jiuyang, you are a descendant of the Pure Yang Great Immortal of our Shu Mountain Chen family, yet you have joined the Demonic Dao, disgracing our ancestors. I, Chen Haofeng, representing the Shu Mountain Chen family, ask you one last time today."
"As long as you are willing to repent, abandon the Demonic Dao, and sever ties with it, returning to the Shu Mountain Chen family, we will overlook your past actions."
"Otherwise, I will cleanse the family today!"
The smile on Chen Jiuyang's face remained unchanged. He even applauded and said, "Well said."
"And overlook past actions."
"The hypocritical righteous path is indeed hypocritical, speaking so nobly."
"If you want me to return to the Shu Mountain Chen family and abandon the Demonic Dao, it's possible, and simple."
"Return my wife, Yao Zixuan, and return the lives of the thousand-plus members of my wife's family, the Yao family."
"Can you do that?"
The expressions of the people from the Five Great Sacred Lands turned grim, their inner feelings unknown.
To be honest, the higher-ups of the Five Great Sacred Lands had been planning for the ascension plan for a long time, and it was not something they could influence.
But this was karma. While the ancient Grand Elders of the Five Great Sacred Lands ascended, they left behind the consequence that was Chen Jiuyang.
"Return your wife, Yao Zixuan, and our Shu Mountain Chen family can make that promise."
"However, we are powerless regarding the deceased mortals."
The Chen family of Shu Mountain actually changed their tune. To win over Chen Jiuyang, they uttered such words.