Chapter 121: Chen Shanhe, Paying Respects to My Teacher!!!

The roar surged to the heavens and plunged into the nine netherworlds, sounding like the long, piercing cry of a deity. Whether one was a Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm or a commoner, this single sound made every soul tremble.

The Chen Family Mountain seemed to respond with a deafening rumble, shaking violently as if an earthquake of magnitude eight had struck. People could barely stand, gripped by the illusion that the earth itself was about to split asunder. Birds vanished from the sky, and beasts fled into the wilderness.

The girl from the Qin family covered her ears and curled up on the ground, a low moan of agony escaping her lips. A phantom silhouette began to stretch and pull away from her body—it seemed as if her very soul was being shaken out of her flesh. Fortunately, Jiang Yu’s booming roar subsided just in time, and the distorted figures hovering above the heads of the crowd were pulled back into their physical vessels. Had it lasted a few seconds longer, their souls would have dissolved, and even the most powerful Immortals would have been helpless to save them.

Jiang Yu had done this because that formidable aura had carried a hint of provocation, like an ant ignoring the majesty of a dragon. But as Jiang Yu’s presence poured forth like mercury, the master of that aura instantly turned submissive.

"Are you testing my strength?" Jiang Yu smiled faintly, his eyes calm and unconcerned.

An incomparable, domineering aura began to brew. The crowd, having just survived Jiang Yu’s roar, was now subjected to an even greater pressure. It felt as if something were tightly gripping their throats, a suffocating intensity that forced them to gasp for air.

Below the level of Earth Immortals, all are but ants. In the eyes of this world, Earth Immortals are no different from the deities of legend. At such a realm, they possess peerless supernatural powers capable of moving mountains, draining seas, overturning rivers, and treading upon the void. These mystical realms are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. On a higher plane, such beings have already touched the laws of life, the profound mysteries of the Great Dao, and the obscure origins of heaven and earth. Though they may not fully grasp these concepts, they can sense their existence. As their cultivation rises, their very lives evolve to a higher level. To reach the Earth Immortal realm in this Age of Dharma Decay requires nothing less than heaven-defying talent and astonishing perseverance.

Above Chen Family Mountain, a massive vortex slowly took shape, spanning a hundred meters and seemingly dragging the very clouds from the sky into its maw. Aside from nature itself, only an Earth Immortal could manifest such a phenomenon.

"This aura? Could an Earth Immortal have emerged?" A middle-aged man kneeling on the ground looked up, his eyes dull as he stared at the swirling storm above. He trembled violently, terror etched on his face, his body pressed flat against the ground.

Chen Shanhe, the Imperial Sovereign of the Chen family. Before Gu Changsheng appeared in China, he was the last Earth Immortal of the modern era. After disappearing thirty years ago, everyone assumed he had gone off to seek a method for longevity, but there had been no news of him since. Many secretly speculated that Chen Shanhe had died somewhere along his path to immortality. In the present world, aside from weapons of mass destruction, almost nothing can harm an Earth Immortal. Their greatest enemy is the passage of time. It is said that Chen Shanhe served as an Imperial Guard during the late Qing Dynasty; after ascending to the Earth Immortal realm, his lifespan kept breaking through its limits, eventually reaching three hundred years. By historical standards, he had lived through three dynasties, and even the longest life must eventually reach its end.

"That aura? It seems to be Grandfather." Chen Kun’s heart was in turmoil. Today, Chen Jianyan had been assassinated by a sniper’s bullet, and the family was already plunged into grief. Now, all signs pointed to the fact that Chen Shanhe had been sleeping within the Chen Family Mountain all along. It was as the old saying went: Misfortune is the shadow of fortune, and fortune is the secret of misfortune.

Grief, anger, confusion, and joy—a dozen emotions tangled into a chaotic mess in the hearts of the Chen family. They waited in silence, kneeling on the ground for what was to come. The Chen family had lost a pillar, yet they had welcomed an Earth Immortal. The complexity of these emotions was truly beyond words.

Chen Xiao secretly observed Jiang Yu, her eyes full of curiosity. At her age, her understanding of the mundane martial world was hazy; she only knew that the thin figure standing in the hall, with his back to the crowd, seemed like an invincible existence. "I wonder who is stronger, him or my grandfather?" Her eyes darted around; at her carefree age, the pain of losing a relative was quickly eclipsed by the spectacle on the mountain.

Chen Kun, Chen Chuwan, the girl from the Qin family, and the other Chen disciples all stared at Jiang Yu. They knew the phenomenon on Chen Family Mountain had been triggered by him.

"Does Jiang Yu really know my grandfather?" Chen Chuwan asked herself repeatedly. "My grandfather became a saint a hundred years ago, standing at the pinnacle and looking down upon China. He alone suppressed the martial world, known as the Imperial Martial Emperor. How could such a person know a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy?" The timelines simply did not match. The only logical explanation was that Jiang Yu’s teacher knew Chen Shanhe. Her mind was filled with countless questions.

The vortex shrouding the mountain accelerated, seemingly stripping something from the heaven and earth and funneling it downward, causing that aura to grow ever more profound. The Black Water Security Company and the Han family members were filled with despair. If it truly were Chen Shanhe, given what they had done to the Han family over the years, their own clans would surely face a catastrophe. None knew the consequences of an Earth Immortal’s wrath. Should Chen Shanhe go on a rampage, even the Hidden Gates of China would dare not intervene.

Even the livestock knelt on the ground, bowing toward the vortex. All things possess a spirit, and they were more sensitive to the changes on the mountain. Jiang Yu wore a faint smile; he sensed that the aura was gradually stabilizing and was about to break through the shackles and emerge into the world. Having been awakened from his slumber, he needed a moment to adapt to the changes in his body and the surrounding environment.

A few minutes later, the earth shook. A calm voice descended from above the nine heavens, sounding like the eternal, ethereal chant of an immortal: "Life and death are ordained. Today, I, Chen Shanhe, return to the secular world!"

The Chen family was filled with supernatural signs; livestock wailed, and the setting sun cast its brilliance, forming a seven-colored bridge in the void that stretched from the mountain peak to the Chen family courtyard, resembling a stairway to the heavens.

"Is that a rainbow?" a five- or six-year-old girl asked innocently, looking up at the colorful arc. Her voice shattered the silence. The entire Chen family bowed their heads, crying out in tears, "The Old Ancestor is alive! He is truly alive! Our Chen family is saved!"

Jiang Yu’s smile grew wider. He whispered softly, "Old friend, it has been a long time."

Looking along the colorful bridge, one could see an old man with his hands behind his back, ascending toward the sky. He wore a gray robe, had crane-white hair and a youthful face, and a long beard falling to his chest—he looked every bit like an immortal descended to earth.

What everyone noticed first were his eyes, deep and bottomless, looking down upon all living beings with indifference. With a few strides, he stepped onto the colorful bridge in the sky as if walking on flat ground, each step covering a distance of over ten meters. After a few steps, he lowered his head to adjust his robes and sleeves, as if preparing for an audience with a monarch, every movement meticulous.

"Grandfather," Chen Chuwan clutched her fingers, her body trembling with excitement.

The entire Chen family knelt on the ground, their voices in unison: "Descendants of the Chen family welcome the Old Ancestor."

Chen Shanhe’s waist-length white hair flew in the wind. He walked toward them upon the light, brushed his robe lightly, and said indifferently, "No need for formalities. Rise."

"It’s over." The members of the Han family felt their very bones turn to jelly. It was clear that once Chen Shanhe learned of the Chen family’s plight, the factions that had participated in suppressing them would meet a grim end.

Jiang Yu walked over to the wooden chair at the head of the Chen family hall and sat down with an imposing air. One hand rested on his knee, the other on the armrest—a posture that exuded the aura of an ancient emperor swallowing mountains and rivers.

"Jiang Yu, what are you doing? Get up!" Chen Chuwan shouted, her expression shifting rapidly. With an Earth Immortal present, how could he act with such disregard for his dignity? Did he not know that was the seat reserved for Chen Shanhe?

The others glared at him, shouting, "Sir, get up at once! This is disrespectful to the Old Ancestor!"

Jiang Yu waved his hand. "Ask Chen Shanhe if he minds." Even if Jiang Yu were sitting on Chen Shanhe’s shoulders, the old man would not dare utter a word of complaint.

In a few breaths, Chen Shanhe landed in the courtyard. Ignoring the Chen family, he checked his robes one last time to ensure they were neat before entering the main hall. If one looked closely, his feet were not touching the ground, but hovering a few inches above it.

Chen Chuwan grew anxious. "Jiang Yu, get up! Do you know what you’re doing?" She was about to rush in and pull him from the chair when her foot froze in mid-air. She stood there, mouth agape, frozen in a state of utter shock.

Chen Shanhe walked up to Jiang Yu, brushed his sleeves, clasped his hands together, bowed his waist, and said with profound reverence:

"Disciple Shanhe, greets his Master!"