Chapter 525: Chapter 170 Hou Chen’s Confusion

Saint Family, Xiao Family Secret Realm.

A young man carrying a coffin, knelt in front of his family home.

Emptiness Saint and Wuxu Saint seemed to have sensed something earlier, and at the moment the young man arrived and knelt, they had already appeared.

Upon seeing the Crystal Coffin, both Emptiness Saint and Wuxu Saint’s gaze trembled fiercely, yet their expressions remained calm, showing little emotional change.

But the young man knew that often those who show little emotion on the surface are the ones experiencing great turmoil inside.

Moreover, he understood his parents well; under these circumstances, their hearts had already stirred up endless waves.

No outburst, that was calm. Once erupted, it would be like a tsunami and a mountain collapse.

“Father, Mother, your unfilial son Wu Ji has returned.”

The young man kowtowed to Emptiness and Wuxu, the Double Saints.

“Everything about the matter, the Void Body of Thunder Origin Sword God has already transmitted the records from Sword Illusion Realm to us, and we know it all. We had not expected, initially, we had wronged you. It’s good that you have come back,” Emptiness Saint said after a long contemplation.

“Now that you have taken on your brother’s burdens, you must fulfill his wishes and capture the Holy Daughter. Do you have confidence?” asked Wuxu Saint, with a detached expression, not showing much warmth, but rather cold.

Wu Ji seemed to have an epiphany, yet also felt some loss.

He knew he had inherited all of his brother’s duties and couldn’t disappoint his parents and family anymore—at least, until he completed this legacy, he was no longer himself, but his brother.

Thus, he calmly nodded and said, “The contest had only passed two rounds so far, with a total of six rounds. Zhou Yan likely won’t have a chance in the next three rounds. But the sixth round, concerning the betrothal gifts, I have traveled through hardships and don’t posses any rare treasures. The competition in the sixth round is uncertain. Of course, if the family acts, we will certainly win.”

“It’s good that you see this clearly. For the sixth round, rest assured, the family will exert all its strength to help you secure the initiative in this round,” Wuxu Saint said with a somewhat gentler tone.

“Then, I am completely reassured,” Wu Ji, thoughtfully stated with certainty.

…

15294 Main Peak.

Zhou Yan watched Ni Chang Fairy and Lee Jidao’s souls depart, then he taught Hou Chen some cultivation techniques for a moment before returning to his resting place.

After Ni Chang Fairy and Lee Jidao left, they would return with new identities, reincarnated as Lee Xinyu and Zhou Lingyao.

Although in this life, Lee Xinyu and Zhou Lingyao were much weaker in strength, due to the awakening of their memories, their future was limitless. Also, their mastery over various aspects such as Arrays was very strong.

Everything had settled down, and over at Zhou Gucheng’s side, Zhou Yan also received news that within two days, they would lead part of the Great Zhou family members to join up.

The matters at hand had, up to this point, reached a conclusion, solving many difficult issues.

Now, Zhou Yan once again entered Purple Flame Void, and from Purple Flame Void, he entered Yuan Ci Secret Realm.

The development of Thunder Expansion Sacred Land continued, with Jiu Que, Xiong Ba, and Wan Jian Tian jointly constructing the guardian grand Array and other aspects of the Array, and establishing cities around the borders of Thunder Expansion Sacred Land.

These were ultimately necessary; the Sacred Land needed to develop and would face various dangers in the future. With them putting forth their full efforts, Zhou Yan could rest easy.

However, the construction and arrangement of large-scale Arrays required a significant amount of time. Consequently, the three individuals were incredibly busy.

Zhou Yan watched the construction process of the three people, occasionally offering some suggestions. His suggestions were few, but each time he raised a point, it elicited a look of surprise and delight from the trio.

…

Three days passed quickly.

A new competition was about to begin.

That day, the crowd was dense like clouds.

The third-level competition in Guanghan South Mansion was set to start today.

This competition would mainly test Array Dao abilities.

True geniuses had to understand Array Dao because only those with knowledge of Array Dao had higher survival chances in the Sword Tribulation Realm.

Thus, for genius Cultivators, Array Dao also represented a significant test of potential.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this competition is a major contest in Array Dao. The importance of Array Dao for Cultivators is self-explanatory. Now, on the Void Array Platform of Guanghan South Mansion, various materials and basic Array Dao books have been arranged.

Those who understand Array Dao may set up a grand Array to showcase their strength; those who do not can design an Array based on the introductory books. As long as they can display their powerful talents, they can also demonstrate their Array Dao talents.

The evaluation this time will consider not only the sophistication of the Arrays but also the Array Dao talents, which is a crucial aspect. Therefore, the most skilled in Array Formation might not necessarily rank first, nor does it mean that those who are not adept in Array Dao will surely rank last—it all depends on your talents and performance.”

Yao’s voice suddenly resonated again within the minds of all Cultivators.

“Now, the top ten thousand Cultivators from the previous competition, please proceed to the Array Platform. Inside the Void Array Platform, you’ll find your corresponding soul aura guides; please find your assigned seats. Once seated, we will start the timer.”

“This time, the overall testing time is about two days. This means, from now, the competition will end by tomorrow.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves; the competition is about to begin. Those who haven’t entered the Array Platform within the allotted time will be considered to have forfeited and automatically lose.”

Yao’s voice lingered long.

After his voice, a large number of lights rapidly fled toward the Void.

Regardless of the outcome, many Cultivators saw this as a valuable training opportunity, even knowing their Array Dao skills might not be sufficient to secure a high ranking, yet still wanting to experience and comprehend the mysteries and intricacies of Array Dao.

…

One by one, the talented Cultivators entered the inside of the Void Array Platform. They soon found their positions corresponding to their identity badges.

Zhou Yan looked at the Void Array Platform and then at Hou Chen beside him, who had a look of desire, fervor, and expectation, and spoke gently, “Chen Chen, don’t worry; this time, your Master will definitely win this competition.”

“Master, actually, Chen Chen isn’t worried about the Array Dao competition; it’s just that Chen Chen repeatedly thinks, what if this is a way to explore an opportunity that the Saints have realized?” Hou Chen seemed to think deeper.

Zhou Yan nodded. Regarding this, he had not been without contemplation; the Holy Daughter’s marriage might be important, but not enough to make it a huge affair. This meant there might be other intentions behind what the Saints were doing, but currently, no one knew what those were.

Previously, Zhou Yan had a rather positive impression of the Yaochi Sacred Land behind the Holy Daughter, but now it seemed that the Sovereign of the Yaochi Sacred Land, the Yaochi Saint, was not a nobody. The grandiosity of the Holy Daughter’s marriage had to have a reason.

Seeing Zhou Yan in deep thought, Hou Chen contemplated for a moment with a serious expression and said, “Master, when Chen Chen received the Emperor Blood Inheritance, there was a special feeling – that within the Emperor Blood there’s a very particular secret, but this secret has yet to be unraveled. Although the inheritance was accessed, that puzzle remains locked.

And now, facing the event of ‘Marrying the Holy Daughter,’ the disciple feels somewhat uneasy. Master, if there is an astonishing method that can win the competition without being used, it might be appropriate to reserve one’s skills; even losing this competition wouldn’t matter because the disciple feels there must be something deceptive.”

Hou Chen continued to speak.

He had mentioned this more than once, repeatedly and restlessly reminding them.