Chapter 285: Rebirth: I'm a Grandpa (Part 9)

The Rise and Fall of the Dynasty
Imperial Capital
Chen Xuan was invited to a poetry gathering, a once-in-a-decade event.
【Ding】
A system notification sounded in Chen Xuan's mind.
His heart clenched.
【Chen Lanlan's Affection for the Host -100】
【Chen Lanlan's Affection for the Host has reached zero. The romantic relationship has been dissolved, triggering a penalty. The host's cultivation level has decreased by two levels; current cultivation level: Spirit Sea Level 6】
【Chen Lanlan is dead】
Boats sailed across the landscape, fireworks lit up the sky.
Across from Chen Xuan sat a gentle woman. Seeing Chen Xuan seemingly unaffected, she suddenly appeared to lose her mind, her face turning deathly pale. She coughed up blood and fainted.
This threw Tao Wan into a panic. She had been prepared, but Chen Xuan's sudden unconsciousness was unexpected.
She had no choice but to take Chen Xuan ashore.
The next day
Chen Xuan awoke.
He discovered that his cultivation level had dropped by two whole levels, and Chen Lanlan's favorability towards him had plummeted to zero.
"Chen Lanlan...you actually betrayed me!"
Chen Xuan was filled with rage.
Chen Lanlan was the first woman he had ever been favored by to the maximum, and the only one.
The loss of favorability was a severe punishment for Chen Xuan; his cultivation level dropped by two whole levels.
The last trace of guilt in Chen Xuan's heart vanished with her.
He harbored resentment towards Chen Lanlan!
...
Stone City
The Chen family had been silent for several days.
Until one morning, someone noticed something was wrong and broke into the Chen family compound.
They found it littered with corpses.
The bodies were already rotting and stinking.
Silence fell.
After the silence came the tremors of Stone City.
Everyone was chilled to the bone.
The entire Chen family had been silently...wiped out!
Even the Chen family patriarch was dead.
Who on earth was behind this?
However, with the Chen family's demise, nothing major happened in Mountain Stone City.
The mountains that had fallen upon them collapsed one after another.
Undercurrents surged within Mountain Stone City.
Soon, new powerful families emerged, replacing the Chen family's position.
What happened in Mountain Stone City didn't interest Dongfang Yunxing.
After destroying the Chen family,
he came to a desolate mountain.
There were ninety-nine stone tablets there, carved by his own hands, to commemorate the ninety-nine members of the Dongfang family.
Dongfang Yunxing had been kneeling there for three days.
Su Chen didn't disturb Dongfang Yunxing.
This was one of the things Dongfang Yunxing had to go through.
During these three days, changes gradually occurred within Dongfang Yunxing; mysterious forces were cleansing his body, improving his aptitude and comprehension.
"Perhaps this little fellow can break the shackles of the Nirvana Technique!"
Su Chen felt a surge of anticipation.
The Nirvana Technique has its limits in improving aptitude... but Dongfang Yunxing possesses the Heavenly Fate Pearl, perhaps offering a chance to break through those limits.
And even further, become a True Immortal Seed!
Dongfang Yunxing was unaware of Su Chen's thoughts.
A golden flower gradually formed a leaf atop Dongfang Yunxing's head.
Golden rune veins adorned Dongfang Yunxing's body, mirroring the golden flower.
A powerful, visible aura formed around Dongfang Yunxing.
This was a sign of a spiritual being.
After the destruction of the Chen family, the energy of the Heavenly Fate Pearl surged dozens of times, improving Dongfang Yunxing's talent and comprehension.
As the light gradually dimmed,
Dongfang Yunxing slowly rose.
He bowed deeply towards the distance.
He was going to venture into the vast sky, no longer confined to Mountain Stone City.
He still had one last enemy.
"Master..."
Dongfang Yunxing suddenly called out softly.
A response came from within the Heavenly Fate Pearl:
"Master is here."
A slight smile appeared on Dongfang Yunxing's lips. He pulled the ink sword from the side and resolutely walked towards the sunrise in the distance.
His silhouette grew longer and longer.
He was not alone on this path.
........
Chen Xuan noticed.
Since Chen Lanlan's death, his luck seemed to have run out.
The next day, he faced a challenge.
If it were before, he could have easily suppressed that young genius.
However, because Chen Lanlan's favorability had decreased, his cultivation level had dropped by two minor realms, and he was severely injured.
He was actually defeated in front of everyone!
Because of his defeat,
almost all the women's favorability towards him decreased by half.
Including Tao Wan, who admired his talent, and Princess Yun Mengyan, whom he had been pursuing relentlessly.
What admiration for his talent? What indifference to his background and cultivation level?
It's utter nonsense!
Chen Xuan sneered inwardly.
He began to see the true colors of those women.
However, for the sake of the system's mission, Chen Xuan had to continue fawning over them, but this time, his heart lacked its former passion, gradually growing cold.
His cultivation level improved rapidly, breaking through to the Spirit Soul Realm, earning him the title of one of the Ten Great Prodigies of the Fengyun Dynasty.
Chen Xuan was still not satisfied.
Only overwhelming strength was the true essence.
Ever since he defeated the fifth-ranked genius of the Fengyun Dynasty's younger generation, his fame had spread throughout the land.
Both Tao Wan and Yun Mengyan's goodwill towards him not only rebounded but surpassed its former level!
【Ding...】
The system's voice rang out perfectly in Chen Xuan's mind.
Chen Xuan was overjoyed.
“The Ghost Clan Ruins have opened!”
The Ghost Clan Ruins were remnants left behind by the Ghost Clan's invasion of the Cangmang Continent. Over tens of thousands of years, Ghost Clan powerhouses were killed by human powerhouses, and the ruins gradually transformed into a place full of opportunities. For Chen Xuan, it was the second-to-last reward from the system's missions, granting him a full three levels of cultivation.
Chen Xuan couldn't possibly miss it.
"The title of the number one genius of the Fengyun Dynasty should be changed!"
Chen Xuan was confident.
With the system's existence, he would eventually surpass everyone!
........
Since Dongfang Yunxing left Shanshi City,
he had been constantly walking the line between life and death.
Even though his talent was now vastly different from before, he remained humble.
Su Chen felt that he had witnessed countless prodigies and geniuses, even the legendary peerless genius who had survived ten levels of the Emperor Tribulation and was rated as a level ten talent—he had seen him, and even killed one.
However, Su Chen believed that Dongfang Yunxing was no weaker than them, and might even be stronger!
The Heavenly Fate Pearl breaks the upper limit of the Undying Nirvana Technique.
How terrifying will it become?
Perhaps it won't stop at level ten aptitude.
Aptitude doesn't represent everything.
However, Dongfang Yunxing's Dao heart is gradually becoming firm. Su Chen, as his grandfather, has witnessed his growth firsthand and is most familiar with that change.
However...
"Disciple, your master still has a method... it's an experiment your master hasn't completed yet."
"Perhaps, in the future you will embark on an unprecedentedly powerful path, surpassing everyone and stepping into the realm of Immortal True Immortal."
"Perhaps, you will annihilate everyone because of it."
"You... are you willing to learn?"