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Chapter 528: Four Years
Chapter 528: Four Years
Time passes, and years fly by without mercy.
In the blink of an eye, another four years have gone by.
Outside Yu Prefecture, in a vast cemetery, Chen Mu stood before a tomb, dressed in a blue robe, holding a jade wine flask. He gently removed the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out, clearly a fine wine worth a thousand gold.
"This is the finest Endless Sea Wine, a rare vintage that the Endless Sea Pavilion produces only once every ten years. I obtained some from them to offer to the late Elder Yu Jiujiang."
Chen Mu gazed at the tomb and spoke softly, then poured the wine from the jade flask onto the grave.
On the standing tombstone, the name 'Yu Jiujiang' was engraved.
The late Elder Yu Jiujiang, the oldest and most respected member of the Yu Clan, had passed away at over a hundred years old. Despite the longevity resources provided by Chen Mu, his life force eventually withered, and he departed this world.
When Yu Jiujiang passed away, Chen Mu was still in seclusion, undisturbed by anyone. Thus, he did not attend the funeral, and only Xu Hongyu, Xiao He, Chen Yao, and others rushed to Yu Prefecture from the Seven Profound Sect.
"With the demonic disaster looming, I must focus all my efforts on cultivating the Primordial Dao to have a chance to turn the tide..."
Chen Mu murmured at Yu Jiujiang's tomb, as if conversing with the departed elder.
Everyone knew he was an unparalleled Martial Saint, invincible and the most talented in history, and with the aid of the System Panel, his cultivation path was smooth and unobstructed. Yet, even so, facing the demonic disaster, he couldn't help but feel a heavy burden.
This calamity was different from the past. Previously, it was a matter of the world, within his knowledge, and he only needed to protect himself and his family. At worst, he could abandon everything and hide in the remote mountains, cultivating invincibility before returning to the world.
But this time, it was a disaster he couldn't escape or avoid.
The Demon Race's power was immense.
Just how powerful they were, he hadn't fully revealed to others, not even to Xuan Tian Daozhu and the others. They only knew that the Demon Race had Divine Realm experts and possibly more than one.
In reality, he was aware that the Demon Race not only had Divine Realm experts but also possessed a Seven-Realm-breaking Demon Lord, a formidable existence in the Endless Void who could dominate a region and even rule over it, a true overlord.
He was confident in resisting ordinary Divine Realm demons.
But a Demon Lord...
That was still too distant for him.
Although his future self would undoubtedly not stop at the Divine Realm, what he lacked was time.
"Indeed, wealth is easy to obtain, but time is hard to come by."
Chen Mu sighed as he looked at the tombstone before him.
Time, a scarce resource for all, was something he and Yu Jiujiang both lacked. If Yu Jiujiang had been a few decades younger, with the resources Chen Mu had found, it might have been possible to forcefully elevate his cultivation to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm.
But time was not on their side. By the time Chen Mu achieved invincibility, when he could obtain resources with a mere thought, Yu Jiujiang's life had become like a flickering candle in the wind, difficult to reverse. This situation could be blamed on the fact that Yu Jiujiang, using the Turtle Breath Technique to preserve his life, had to intervene multiple times due to the Yu Clan's various enemies, ultimately unable to maintain his vitality.
Such was the impartiality of Heaven's will.
If not for Chen Mu's presence, the Yu Clan would likely have struggled to survive under the constant pressure from the He Clan. They might have disbanded after Yu Jiujiang's natural lifespan ended, and only a few members would have survived, perhaps living in obscurity.
However, because of Chen Mu's existence, Yu Jiujiang was forced to intervene repeatedly, shortening his lifespan and preventing him from reaching invincibility and sweeping across the world to acquire all resources at will. In the end, it was not entirely possible.
Chen Mu emptied the last drop of wine from the jade flask.
He slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the cemetery. The burial ground was vast, with numerous graves, but only a few had tombstones, reserved for those of higher status in the Yu Clan. Ordinary clan members were buried in simple graves, soon to be forgotten.
Chen Mu looked up again, his eyes scanning the ancestral land and gazing into the distance at the Yu Prefecture city. He took in the entire city, seeing the impoverished, the hungry, and the cold, as well as the wealthy, the warm, and the powerful.
He witnessed the struggles of the lower officials and the oppressed commoners, the lamentations and the celebrations.
Chen Mu bowed his head slightly.
His gaze returned to the cemetery once more.
No matter one's birth or experiences, ultimately, all will return to the earth beneath their feet.
"Time is the most impartial force in this world. It is unmoved by human will, and regardless of wealth or status, all will reach the same endpoint. Time is the ruthless witness."
Since the beginning of heaven and earth, there has never been fairness in the competition among all things. Chen Mu witnessed the city of Yu Jun, where petty officials bullied the weak, and the common people endured in silence. He felt no disturbance within, as preventing such injustices was an impossible task. All he desired was overall stability, unlike the chaotic past where factions ran rampant and lives were as disposable as grass.
In the present-day Yu Jun, although there might be occasional conflicts, at least the common people have a means of survival. When disasters strike, the government will do its utmost to resist them, unlike the past when they would turn a blind eye. This was enough.
In this world, the only absolute fairness is time.
It treats everyone equally, regardless of wealth or power. Even the most influential and wealthy cannot resist the passage of time. Eventually, they will turn to dust, just like the impoverished commoners.
Perhaps the names of these powerful figures will be remembered, and their families may pass down their legacies for a thousand years, but as time flows, there will come a day when they too will be forgotten in the river of history.
Just like this cemetery.
Even the Yu family, born into privilege, will eventually return to the earth.
"Unmoved by external things..."
Chen Mu murmured, and a sudden realization seemed to dawn upon him.
He stood silently in the cemetery, lost in thought for an unknown duration, before gradually regaining his senses. Then, with a thought, he summoned the System Panel and examined it.
[Primordial Dao: Time (Initial Stage)]
[Experience: 3000 points]
"Is it enough?"
Chen Mu gazed at the data on the System Panel, his eyes calm and unmoved, revealing little emotion.
With the Time Flame to guide his understanding, his efficiency in accumulating experience in the Path of Time was comparable to his comprehension of the Void. In just one short year, he had already gained one thousand experience points, and then, using the System Panel, he grasped the initial stage of the Time Dao in one fell swoop.
Not long ago, during his last meditation on the Time Flame, he accumulated a total of two thousand nine hundred points of experience, just a little short of the three thousand points required for 'Time Enlightenment'.
However, just as he was about to continue his meditation, he received the news of Yu Jiujiang's passing.
After a moment of silence, Chen Mu quietly left the Seven Profound Sect and arrived outside the city of Yu Jun at the Yu family's ancestral cemetery, carrying a flask of wine.
With the demon disaster approaching, he should not be swayed by external matters, even if it was the passing of a close relative. He should focus entirely on comprehending the Primordial Dao, but a premonition led him here, and indeed, he gained new insights into the Time Dao.
After his moment of introspection, he recalled the various mysteries he had understood while meditating on the Time Flame, organizing his thoughts clearly in his mind, and finally accumulated three thousand points of experience in the Time Dao.
Swish.
With a thought, Chen Mu closed the System Panel.
He looked towards Yu Jiujiang's tomb, bowed respectfully, and then took a step forward, disappearing without a trace.
A gentle breeze blew by, erasing all traces of his presence.
In the distance, a Yu family guard assigned to the ancestral cemetery appeared, walking towards the tomb. He rubbed his eyes and muttered, "I thought I saw someone just now."
He approached and examined the area carefully but found no traces. Eventually, he left, still feeling a bit spooked.
He wasn't afraid, though. After all, he was also a member of the Yu family, and this was their ancestral cemetery, filled with his ancestors. As a martial artist, he shouldn't have had blurred vision, and from a distance, he was sure he had seen someone.
"Perhaps a dignitary came to pay respects?"
This thought crossed his mind.
It wasn't unusual. After all, on the day Yu Jiujiang passed away, people from all walks of life had come to mourn, including some Grandmaster-level figures who had reached the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm. These influential individuals, usually elusive, had come to pay their respects.
Although Yu Jiujiang was just an ordinary Five Viscera Realm cultivator during his life, the Yu family now had nearly ten Five Viscera Realm experts in the main family alone, and there was more than one Six Organs Realm cultivator. Yet, Yu Jiujiang's status was unshakable; he was the revered elder of the family.
During the chaotic times, he had been the pillar of the Yu family, like a towering tree supporting them for decades. Later, he had also protected the weak Chen Mu. Chen Mu's rise as a Martial Saint was not only witnessed by Yu Jiujiang but also deeply respected. Even Xu Hongyu, who had already become a Grandmaster, often came to visit him.
There were other prominent figures who quietly came to pay their respects to Yu Jiujiang, and that was perfectly normal.
Even...
The name 'Chen Mu' flashed through Yu He's mind.
When Yu Jiujiang passed away, many people speculated that Chen Mu might personally come to mourn, which was one of the reasons why various important figures came to pay their respects. After all, who could rival Chen Mu's status in the world today? As the reigning Martial Saint, his word could decide the fate of the realm, and countless people sought to associate themselves with him.
Take Xue Huai Kong, for example, who had long retired from his position as the governor of Yu Jun. He had sighed countless times, regretting not forming a connection with Chen Mu when he was still an unknown figure. Now, Yu Jiujiang had seized the opportunity, and even arranged for Xu Hongyu to marry Chen Mu, elevating her to an incredibly prestigious position. Even the highest-ranking members of various sects treated her with utmost respect.
Xue Huai Kong's own children were no less capable than Xu Hongyu. If not for marrying Chen Mu, even becoming his concubine would have been enough to elevate the Xue family to an unshakable position in Yu Prefecture.
The Yu family had achieved exactly that.
Yu Jun no longer had a clear division among its major families. Only the Yu family stood above the rest, with even some sect powers and the supervising inspector sent by Zhenbei Mansion treating them with deference.
In the prefectural capital of Yu Prefecture, the Yu family members who had accompanied Chen Mu to the capital and established themselves there were not particularly influential in terms of power. However, their status was equally lofty, and the former ruling families of the capital treated them with courtesy, even actively seeking to form alliances.
One man's success brings good fortune to his whole clan—this couldn't be more evident.
Despite Chen Mu not providing much direct support to the Yu family, and his concern being limited to only a few members, the connection with Xu Hongyu was enough to solidify their position.
Not only the Yu family, but also the Song family, had risen to prominence in Yu Jun. Once an obscure family, they had gained recognition from Chen Mu due to their blood ties. By associating themselves with the Yu family, the young Song family members had grown up to become military governors in Yu Jun, forming multiple marital ties with the Yu family and solidifying their bond.
Additionally, there was the Ning family.
Once servants of the Yu family, the Nings had gained more influence within the Yu family as Chen Mu's status rose, especially after Xiao He married into the Chen family.
Many who had witnessed Chen Mu's rise were now in their twilight years, reminiscing about the past with a sense of wonder. Some of these memories held subtle nuances, like when Xiao He returned to Yu Jun and coincidentally met Xue Lin, who had cultivated to the Five Viscera Realm and become the new head of the Xue family. Their positions had quietly reversed.
In the past, Xue Lin had looked down on even Xu Hongyu, let alone her maidservants. But now, as the head of the Xue family, he found himself in the same position, unable to attract Xiao He's attention. Upon meeting her, he immediately bowed in deference.
Of course, these stories were whispered on the streets, but no one dared speak of them openly. Offending Xue Lin was one thing, but angering Ning He would make it difficult to find a safe haven in all of Yu Prefecture.
Nowadays, few dared to address Ning He as 'Xiao He'; most respectfully referred to her as 'Madam Ning'.
...
Seven Profound Sect.
Chen Mu quietly returned to the sect.
Instead of rushing to the forbidden area for seclusion, he first sought out Xu Hongyu, Xiao He, and others to reminisce about the past. He also guided the now-grown Chen Yao in martial arts and spent several days with them before re-entering the forbidden area.
The last time he cultivated the Void Dao, his consciousness was trapped in the empty void for thousands of years, allowing him to fully grasp its power. This time, he was better prepared.
"Let's begin."
Chen Mu's eyes were calm and serene as he sat in meditation, summoning the system panel with a thought.
(End of Chapter)
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