Jiang Chen spent close to ten days in closed door cultivation for his breakthrough and consolidation of his martial methods and items afterwards.
When he emerged, Huang’er had been waiting for him for a while, her parents by her side.
“Brother Chen, there you are!” Huang’er threw herself into Jiang Chen’s arms like a swallow eagerly returning to its nest. Her face radiated undulated joy. “Brother Chen, I now have a father and mother as well. Just like you.”
Jiang Chen was very happy for her. Noticing Yan Qianfan and An Yu’er, he hurriedly greeted them. “This junior is Jiang Chen. It’s an honor to meet the two elders.”
An Yu’er chuckled. “Oh, we aren’t old enough to be called elders. You and Huang’er have promised to spend a lifetime together, but you haven’t gotten married yet. Thus, it would be inappropriate for you to call us father and mother. Why don’t you call us uncle and aunt?”
Her expression and tone were quite impish, which amused Jiang Chen. He didn’t expect Huang’er’s personality to be polar opposite to her mother’s.
Huang’er was more reserved. She didn’t show her more outgoing side when she was with strangers. Her mother, on the other hand, seemed much more lively and extroverted.
In comparison, Yan Qianfan was quiet, which didn’t surprise Jiang Chen. No man could retain their youthful recklessness after going through what he’d gone through.
They exchanged some pleasantries, having finally been officially introduced to one another. Both Yan Qianfan and An Yu’er took a shine to Jiang Chen.
The young man was well-mannered and considerate. He wasn’t arrogant or spoiled like most young geniuses. His humility impressed the couple the most.
Jiang Chen had broken through because of the empyrean relic. Naturally, he wanted to thank Divine Kasyapa.
“Enough of that. I told you there isn’t a need to thank me. That’s to repay you for saving my granddaughter.”
Jiang Chen smiled in lieu of a response.
An Yu’er hinted to her father that she’d like to return to Eternal Divine Nation with her husband.
She thought her father would sternly object, but to her surprise, Divine Kasyapa nodded without a word of protest. “Go. We all have to move on one day. Only then will happiness be possible.”
Divine Kasyapa had failed to make the realization until much later in life. He didn’t want her daughter to be as stubborn as he was and end up isolated, going against the whole world as a lone wolf.
Jiang Chen and the others boarded Starfate and soon returned to Eternal Divine Nation.
Yan Wanjun didn’t expect his son and daughter-in-law to visit him. Tears streaked wordlessly down his cheeks. Father and son didn’t hug each other with anguished wails, but their eyes were watery from the moment they reunited.
They highly treasured their reunion. They knew that if they couldn’t resolve the history between them, they’d have to carry the weight of their past until the day they died. Things couldn’t have turned out better given the circumstances.
Yan Qingsang’s parents had returned to the capital from their remote residence as well. After the destruction of House Yan, it didn’t make sense for the subsidiary branches to stay away. There was no longer a restriction stopping them from entering the headquarters.
The main force of House Yan now composed of only the three generations of Yan Wanjun’s family. The others were from weaker branches.
House Yan had been destroyed, but its legacy and bloodline persisted.
Yan Wanjun was adamant that the family must be rebuilt. Even if it wouldn’t be where it used to be, there had to be a new home base.
Neither Yan Qianfan or his older brother disagreed. The older brother especially, had been living on a knife’s edge outside the capital. His sharp edges had been dulled by the hardships of life and he now possessed a timid character. He felt both guilty and delighted to see the younger brother he’d lost to the Boundless Prison.
If the older brother’s son, Yan Qingsang, hadn’t amounted to something, he’d have almost no voice in the family.
The Eternal Sacred Land didn’t oppose to the reconstruction of House Yan. In fact, it gifted House Yan with House Xiahou’s old territory as a show of support. That was a pleasant surprise.
To rebuild a family involved many different tasks. Jiang Chen could only offer some help within his abilities. Fortunately, there remained a few former executives of House Yan in the nation.
Some had been exiled, like Elder Shun. Others had left by choice. When Yan Wanjun issued a summons, many of them decided to return to the house and help Yan Wanjun rebuild.
It wasn’t a perfect ending for the family, but it was good enough.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen had been trying to collect more spirit stones. Only roughly twenty percent were left. He had to gather the stones as soon as possible and didn’t want to drag things out any longer.
Hearing that Jiang Chen needed a large amount of stones, Ziju Min sighed. “The sacred land is running low in resources as well. The venerated forefather can’t afford to give anything away. Be prepared, Jiang Chen. He may take you to the offworld battlefield soon.”
“The forefather won’t do that until I take care of the defenses of the human domain. We have a deal.”
Ziju Min nodded and sighed softly. Myriad Abyss was in real danger. Even a venerated elder like him was fretting.
“What do you know about the Boundless Prison, Elder Ziju?” Jiang Chen asked tentatively.
“The ten sacred lands have been doing all we can to investigate. Evidence suggests that the Boundless Prison was sabotaged. That’s why so many inmates have escaped. Myriad Abyss is going to become increasingly chaotic.”
Jiang Chen smiled wryly. It seemed that Ziju Min and the others had underestimated the seriousness of the issue.
Noting his expression, Ziju Min asked curiously, “What else have you found out?”
“According to my sources, countless empyrean cultivators have escaped from the prison and the number of divine cultivators escapees rival the ones already present in Myriad Abyss…”
That was what Divine Kasyapa had told him. Jiang Chen believed the old man wouldn’t have lied to him.
Ziju Min broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly excused himself. “I must deliver the information to First Prime at once. She must know before they strike.”
Jiang Chen wanted to stop him to avoid distracting the forefather, but then he realized that it’d be impossible to stop the news from spreading. In the end, he decided to let the elder go.
He knew it’d be unrealistic to expect the Eternal Sacred Land to provide him with the spirit stones he needed. He had to think of something else.
“Ah, it’s been a while. I wonder how Little White is doing? It said it was going to cultivate in the secret realm. It must have made some amazing progress.”
Jiang Chen immediately summoned the Vermilion Bird and Long Xiaoxuan. “My friends, the Astral White Tiger should be in a secret mine in Cloud Camel Mountain. It’s time that we pay it a visit.”
