Chapter 1023: Chapter 1023: A Bit of Surprising News

“Sage brother Vastsea, this foolish brother plans to head out on a trip,” Emperor Shura suddenly said.

“Oh? Where do you plan to go, brother?”

“The Eternal Celestial Capital,” Emperor Shura suddenly said. “Some time ago, its master sent me an invitation. I’ve been wondering about his intention since then to no avail.”

“Oh? This happened?” Emperor Vastsea exclaimed. “Where’s the invitation?”

Emperor Shura waved his sleeve, sending a note straight into Emperor Vastsea’s hands. However, Emperor Vastsea frowned when he read the letter. “The tone of this invitation is sincere, but there’s not much to it at all. It only requests your presence at the Celestial Capital. I wonder what his intentions may be?”

Emperor Shura responded indifferently, “I am just as puzzled as you are. That being said, I cannot find any malice in this invitation.”

Emperor Vastsea pondered. “The way things are going right now, brother, it will be difficult for you to rustle up any more support within Veluriyam Capital. Perhaps a trip outside may yield some pleasant surprises.”

“That is true. Perhaps I really should consider a different way of doing things. Oh right, sage brother, a grand celebration will be held to celebrate the Coiling Dragon clan lord’s ascension to great emperor. I don’t wish to participate, so I’ll head out instead. When the time comes, just inform the others that I went out traveling some time ago.” Emperor Shura was in no mood to participate in Emperor Coiling Dragon’s grand celebration.

Emperor Vastsea could understand Emperor Shura’s feelings. “Don’t worry, brother. Just leave these trivial matters to me.”

......

The Coiling Dragon clan lord’s ascension to great emperor, establishment of a new sacred land, construction of a new palace, crowning ceremony, and all other kinds of celebration took almost two months of preparation before everything was on the right track.

A new emperor faction wouldn’t rise to be on par with the other emperor factions sans tens to hundreds of years of development. However, Emperor Coiling Dragon’s right to speak had become a lot stronger than before. Although he wouldn’t be on equal standings with the other great emperors just yet, there was no doubt that his words now meant something. However, having newly risen to great emperor, he couldn’t simply build his palace within Veluriyam Capital either. It would have to be built in a more isolated place. Thus, the Coiling Dragon Clan’s main residence was being used as temporary quarters and hadn’t been dismantled just yet.

After Jiang Chen finished participating in the crowning ceremony, he prepared to head to Pillfire City. Right now, the young lord residence still needed Huang’er to oversee things. Therefore, Jiang Chen ultimately decided to head to Pillfire City alone.

“Huang’er, the young lord residence still requires your management skills. Also, if Elder Shun were to return from Myriad Abyss Island, Veluriyam Capital would be his priority destination. I’m sorry for leaving you behind at Sacred Peafowl Mountain.”

Huang’er was a sensible girl. She understood that currently, there really was no one but her who could manage the entire residence. Although both Gouyu and Xue Tong were very smart and hardworking, neither of them were qualified to manage a property at this level. It wasn’t that their abilities were lacking, but that they came from a small place like the Eastern Kingdom. Although he had no qualms letting them manage a small group or two, this was a little beyond their scope of abilities. Everyone else’s abilities and qualities were simply inferior to Huang’er’s.

“Don’t worry, Brother Chen. Huang’er will definitely keep everything in the residence neat and tidy. Come back soon, and take the utmost care of yourself. Please don’t take risks, and should you run into certain matters, remember that we are all waiting for you to return,” Huang’er reminded.

“Don’t worry, I still have a lot of things that I haven’t accomplished, and favors to repay. I’ll stay safe,” Jiang Chen said smilingly.

“Mm. Huang’er believes in Brother Chen.”

Jiang Chen made sure to settle everything before his departure. Other than Huang’er and a few personal bodyguards, not even the servants of the residence knew that Jiang Chen was about to head out.

Once everything was ready, he decided to depart Veluriyam Capital the next morning. However, he received a visit the night before. Surprisingly, the visitor was none other than young master Ji San. The fellow had been cultivating in seclusion ever since he had exited the Veluriyam Pagoda. He hadn’t come out of closed door cultivation even during Emperor Coiling Dragon’s crowning ceremony. But here he was today.

“Congratulations for emerging, Brother Ji! It seems that your strength has improved tremendously.” Jiang Chen only needed a single glance to notice that young master Ji San’s strength had improved enormously.

“It’s all thanks to your gift, brother. Speaking of which, I hear that you conquered the ninth Veluriyam Obelisk but ultimately failed to obtain the empyrean decree and relic. What a shame. The mere thought of it makes me want to protest against this injustice!” Ji San wrung his hands and let out a long sigh.

“Didn’t you almost conquer the ninth Veluriyam Obelisk too?” Jiang Chen smiled.

“That’s hardly the right way to describe it. The only reason I said I ‘almost’ succeeded is because I didn’t want to look too bad. The truth is, the ninth Veluriyam Obelisk was so mighty that I nearly broke down on the spot. I doubt I can endure the ninth Veluriyam Obelisk’s pressure even if I had another ten years to cultivate.” Ji San didn’t try to hide his failures and spoke of everything honestly. “But you, you conquered the ninth Veluriyam Obelisk, and failed at the last step. I can’t help but feel sorry every time I think about it. Considering your level of talent and smarts, I’ve always thought that there is no better inheritor for the empyrean decree and relic than you. Unfortunately...” He couldn’t let this go.

“It’s alright. Everything in this world has its own fortune and destiny, so perhaps this empyrean decree and relic are meant for someone else. Speaking of your clan though, your fortune has been soaring up to the heavens lately. Not even the heavens can stop the Coiling Dragon clan now,” Jiang Chen joked.

“Thank you, thank you. We still have to thank you for our fortune, however. The reason the Coiling Dragon Clan was able to reach where they are today, why the clan lord was able to ascend to great emperor realm, and why my martial dao potential has increased exponentially is all thanks to you. There are very, very few people who I’ve submitted to in my life, and you are one of them. You have my complete respect.” Ji San might not be an arrogant person, but he was not lacking in a basic level of pride. However, there really was nothing that he could put on airs about before Jiang Chen.

“Ah, Brother Ji, is there something urgent you’d like to talk about since you’ve come at this time?”

Ji San smacked his head. “Man, my memory, I nearly forgot what I came here for. It’s like this. Didn’t you tell me about your father a few years ago? I’ve used every avenue the clan had to search for clues, and just as I exited my seclusion today, I learned that a man asked about a few things at an information station about four to five years ago. It seems like he was inquiring about your mother.”

“What?!” Jiang Chen was shocked. “Can you tell me more?”

“The clan’s nations and cities in Veluriyam Capital all have their own intelligence systems. This came from a station in a northmost country. A middle-aged man posted a bounty at their intelligence station a few years ago, searching for a woman born in the Upper Eight Regions who had wandered to the Myriad Domain when she was young and returned to the Upper Eight Regions some time later. The woman’s real name was not available in the bounty. There was only her nickname, Ah Huan.”

“Ah Huan?” Jiang Chen frowned. His father’s letter hadn’t mentioned his mother’s name. In fact, there was almost no exact information about his mother at all in the letter. Jiang Chen knew that his father had been trying to stop him from coming to the Upper Eight Regions on purpose, which was why the letter had been vague. Therefore, he had absolutely no clue if this ‘Ah Huan’ was his mother and if the person who had posted the bounty was his father.

Still, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but feel a bit spirited about the news. It was a clue regardless. Although searching after a clue like this was no different from finding a needle in a haystack, even the vaguest clue was still a clue. Maybe there were a lot of people who had wandered from the Upper Eight Regions to the Myriad Domain when he was younger. Maybe the person who had issued a bounty to search for a woman wasn’t his father at all. But Jiang Chen wasn’t willing to let go of a chance like this.

“Tell me, Brother Ji. What is the exact location of that intelligence station?”

“Are you really going to seek out that place, brother?” Ji San couldn’t help but ask.

“I must. I am the son of my father and mother. How can my mind be at peace if I were to ignore a clue like this?” Jiang Chen said firmly.

“Alright, I’ll come with you tomorrow.” Ji San volunteered himself.

But Jiang Chen said, “The Coiling Dragon Palace has just been built, and Emperor Coiling Dragon cannot lose a powerful helper like you. Greater numbers will not help solve this matter faster, so I believe I should I go there alone and investigate slowly.”

Ji San hastily said, “Family business is important, but your business, my brother, is important too. My family can function without me, but your business—”

“Brother Ji, I still think that this investigation should be conducted with a low profile.” Jiang Chen turned him down gently. “You only need to tell me the address, that’s all.”

Hearing how firm Jiang Chen’s tone was, Ji San sighed. “Alright. Take a look, the address and the map is inside this jade token. Do you remember the Silver Dragon Medallion the clan lord gave you last time? The medallion will be even more useful now. Once you’re there, flash the Silver Dragon Medallion and you can get anything done.”

The Silver Dragon Medallion represented the Coiling Dragon Clan. Back then, Jiang Chen had lent the medallion to Liu Wencai and little fatty Lu to ease their passage to Veluriyam Capital. It was thanks to the Silver Dragon Medallion that they were saved from a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Even if they did run into trouble, the medallion ensured that it would be nothing but a small scare. Apart from the seven great emperors, the Coiling Dragon Clan was the greatest power within a ten-thousand kilometer radius of Veluriyam Capital. Although the great emperor factions were powerful, they seldom interfered with the secular world. Therefore, their secular powers were actually weaker than the number one clan of Veluriyam Capital.

Later on, Liu Wencai had returned the Silver Dragon Medallion to Jiang Chen. He’d kept it with him since and had added the Sacred Peafowl Mountain’s Progeny Feather Medallion as well.

Practicality wise, the latter was infinitely more useful than the Silver Dragon Medallion. There might be factions out there who weren’t very familiar with the other great emperors in Veluriyam Capital, but Sacred Peafowl Mountain had been the most powerful faction to exist in Veluriyam Capital for almost a thousand years. They were the totem and emotional harbor of the people’s hearts. However, the Progeny Feather Medallion might not necessarily be needed on smaller occasions. After all, it represented him, Jiang Chen. Revealing the Progeny Feather Medallion was the equivalent of revealing that he was the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. It would no doubt be detrimental to his attempts to keep a low profile.

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