Chapter 317 - 314: Departure
"Mother, it must have been many years since you’ve seen Grandfather and Uncle, hasn’t it?"
"How about we go stay in Dawan Village for a little while in a couple of days?"
"The Ancestor has already decreed that place to be mine. From now on, it will be my personal domain."
"You could go and have a look as well, Mother."
Back at the manor,
Shen Changchuan didn’t beat around the bush and spoke directly to his mother, Han Yue’er.
"Did... did something happen?"
Han Yue’er immediately sensed that something was amiss and asked in a gentle voice.
"Yes, there has been an unexpected development."
"I imagine you would have heard about it soon enough anyway. The Great Madam’s nephew came and issued a challenge to the entire younger generation of the Shen Clan, causing quite a stir."
"I have a bad feeling about this. Besides, Tian Nan City is ultimately too far from the Dragon Cloud Sect. If something happens later, I won’t be able to respond in time. It’s better to be closer. Dawan Village is near the Dragon Cloud Sect, and far enough from Tian Nan City."
"What are your thoughts on the matter?"
Shen Changchuan pondered for a moment before frankly stating his thoughts.
In truth, Shen Changchuan had been entertaining this idea even before the incident with Zhou Lingyun.
Tian Nan City was, after all, too far away.
If something were to happen,
for example, if that Great Madam, Zhou Yi, were to go mad one day and decide to cause trouble, sending a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator to assassinate his mother, Han Yue’er...
...he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
Since his mother didn’t seem to have any particular attachment to the Shen Family Mansion, it was better to just have her move to Dawan Village for a while.
"Is that so? Then let’s go."
"It’s true, I haven’t seen my father in many years. I wonder how he’s doing..."
"And it’s about time I saw the outside world again..."
Upon hearing this, a light flickered in Han Yue’er’s eyes.
She seemed to drift away, lost in thought.
She hadn’t seen her father in years.
Moreover,
it seemed she had barely stepped outside since entering the Shen Family Mansion.
Many years ago, when she was still a girl doted on by her father, she had dreamed of growing up to be a sword-wielding heroine, wandering the Martial World.
But alas,
’How ironic life is...’
The thought flashed through Han Yue’er’s mind and was gone, and she quickly returned to the present.
"So, Changchuan, when do we leave?"
"As soon as possible. Let’s wrap things up here in the next two or three days and leave, to avoid any unforeseen complications."
"Alright. The affairs of the manor can be temporarily entrusted to a reliable steward. However, I have a few close attendants I’d like to bring with me. Is that okay?"
"Of course, Mother. If you need more time, delaying for a few days is no problem..."
The "close attendants" his mother, Han Yue’er, mentioned...
...were actually the maids who had served her for many years.
Though they were called maids,
after so many years together, they were as close as sisters.
Seeing that chaos was about to descend upon the Shen Family, Han Yue’er naturally couldn’t bear to leave those close to her behind.
To this,
Shen Changchuan raised no objections.
Although their grandfather Han Qinhu, their uncle, and the rest of the Han Family were in Dawan Village...
...it would still be good for her to have a few familiar faces to talk to.
Not long after,
the manor sprang into action,
beginning preparations for their departure.
Time flew by.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Within those three days,
the story of how Zhou Lingyun had effortlessly crushed the younger generation of the Shen Clan on the arena stage, as well as the bold words he’d spoken, had already spread throughout Tian Nan City,
and was beginning to spread beyond its walls.
This sparked heated discussions throughout the surrounding Immortal Cultivation Realm.
The matter was the talk of every street and alley.
After all,
the Shen Family was the hegemon of Tian Nan City.
For many years, they had been a presence as constant as the sky above to the many Cultivators of Tian Nan City!
And yet, such a hegemonic power...
...had been effortlessly swept aside by an outsider!
The shock of this event was immense.
When people learned that Zhou Lingyun hailed from the vaster and more prosperous Central State Immortal Cultivation World,
it also made other Cultivators realize for the first time just how vast the world truly was!
The world is vast.
A hegemon who could reign supreme in one region might be nothing more than a country bumpkin before the powers of a vaster world!
Regarding the Shen Family’s plight,
some who heard the news scoffed, some reveled in their misfortune, and some pitied them.
Every Cultivator reacted differently.
And while everyone was marveling at the strength of the Cultivator from the Central State Immortal Cultivation World,
someone brought up a point:
"Actually, the Shen Family’s true prodigies haven’t even taken the stage!"
"In the battle a few days ago, even though the Shen Family sent out prodigies of the previous generation that we’re all familiar with, the gap between them and the two from the new generation is enormous!"
"Oh, right! I forgot about those two! The Soul Emergence Realm experts from the Shen Family who fought this time, although they were once famous figures in the surrounding cities, are worlds apart from those two from the new generation! It’s like the difference between the heavens and the earth!"
"Yeah! Those two are just too brilliantly talented! Even across the entire Southern Great Domain’s Thirty-Six Small Domains, they are among the absolute top tier!"
"Those two are also around twenty years old, aren’t they? Around the same age as Zhou Lingyun. They are the ones who are truly his peers."
"It’s a shame those two weren’t there. Otherwise, it would have been a true clash of titans!"
"If they had been there, then Zhou Lingyun’s victory would have been truly undisputed!"
The two people being discussed,
were naturally the most famous of Tian Nan City’s younger generation: Shen Chong and Shen Changchuan.
Needless to say, Shen Changchuan...
...was already quite famous among the Cultivators in the Tian Nan Domain for having killed a Soul Emergence Realm Demon Cultivator while he was still in the Qi Introduction Realm, and for his recent promotion to the Soul Emergence Realm.
But Shen Chong was even more renowned!
Especially not long ago,
when he returned to Tian Nan City and caused a huge scene, displaying terrifying strength that even Middle to Late Stage Soul Emergence Realm experts were no match for.
In the end, not even the Shen Family Ancestor could subdue him when he personally intervened.
A battle record like that...
...had caused a massive sensation throughout the entire Southern Great Domain!
"If Shen Chong were present, it’s hard to say if Zhou Lingyun could have swept through the Shen Clan’s younger generation."
"Yeah, after all, he’s a ruthless character that not even the Shen Family Ancestor could take down."
"I have no doubt about Shen Chong’s strength, but as for Shen Changchuan, his presence probably wouldn’t have changed anything."
"That’s true. Shen Changchuan’s record is impressive, but he’s likely still a far cry from a Cultivator from the Central State."
"Still, if Shen Changchuan had been there, he might have been able to save a little face for them. Heh, the Shen Family is truly fascinating. They produced two Heaven-defying Demons, the likes of which are seen only once every few centuries, yet both were forced away. And the more outstanding of the two even became an enemy..."