"This is a suggestion I overheard when the elders were having a secret meeting. I don't know what their final decision was, but… let's go up! Don't go down!"

Spirit You expressed sincere and deep remorse as they looked at Jiang Chen, eyes filled with heavy guilt.

Jiang Chen fell silent for a moment, then smiled slightly and patted Spirit You on the shoulder:

"I can understand the thoughts of your clan members. Having waited for a thousand years, they finally found a true heir to Lord Xue. They dare not take any more chances. They want me to stay within Unchanging Valley, not only to imprison me but also with the intent to protect me. They can't risk me struggling alone in the outside world. If something unfortunate happened to me, their hopes would be shattered!"

"However, you should be clear about what we are doing right now. I can't stay here, and the Shadow Clan can't keep me! If there is no news from me for a while, not to mention Jing Yi and the others, even if it's the Five Great Families along the river, Chixiao Sect, Flame Dragon Group, or Huangluo Clan, they would all come looking. By then, the Shadow Clan would truly become the target of the public!"

"So..."

As Jiang Chen spoke, he suddenly turned his head to look outside the cave and spoke in a deep voice, "Elder, I hope the Shadow Clan will not make such a reckless move!"

"Elder?"

Spirit You were taken aback, looking outside the cave in surprise.

Whoosh!

A voice shot out from the clouds outside, arriving instantly above the platform.

"Great-great-grandfather?!"

Spirit You exclaimed in shock.

The person who arrived was an elegantly dressed elderly man with long white beard and hair, wearing an expression of kindness and gentleness.

"Mr. Jiang, for the arrival of someone like you, our Shadow Clan has waited a thousand years. If we hadn't heard from you, perhaps we could have continued waiting indefinitely. But when your message came, the clan almost erupted. Many wanted to find you, even by force if necessary."

The elder looked calmly at Jiang Chen: "We managed to suppress the uprising, but the impatience in our people's hearts hasn't been completely quelled. If, if you cannot... it's possible that some undesirable events could happen."

"Please speak your mind all at once, elder," Jiang Chen said indifferently.

"Mr. Jiang, you still have a choice. If you leave now, I can assure you that no one from our clan will disturb you. But if..."

The elder said, staring intently into Jiang Chen's eyes and speaking with a deep voice, "if you go down this time, I fear you may end up imprisoned. Although you have many friends, our Shadow Clan has remained hidden for a thousand years and is not without its powerful figures. Even if those great forces you mentioned besiege Unchanging Valley, we could still escape from here. Therefore, I urge Mr. Jiang to think thrice!"

"Elder, what exactly are you asking me to reconsider? Do you truly wish for me to leave?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly, looking frankly at the elder.

The elder gazed at Jiang Chen deeply before turning to look outside the cave: "I am not content to let you go! But, I really can't bring myself to do such things. However, I can understand the emotions of the clan members. Once you go down, at most, I can turn a blind eye. Your fate will depend on whether you can accomplish that task!"

"Elder, is there any point to saying it like that?" Jiang Chen suddenly asked with a light chuckle.

The elder was slightly taken aback, his eyes twitching, then he turned to look at Jiang Chen, revealing an uneasy expression: "What do you mean by that, Mr. Jiang?"

"Elder, by saying this, you're likely trying to exert some pressure on me, so that I will be more dedicated in helping your ancient ancestor break through, right?" Jiang Chen grinned.

Standing behind Jiang Chen, Spirit You and their sibling exchanged glances, both revealing a hint of amusement on their faces.

"Mr. Jiang, do you not believe in the urgent feelings of our clan members?" the elder asked meaningfully.

Jiang Chen replied with a light smile: "I believe in the Shadow Clan's urgency, but I don't think their eagerness is to leave this place or to break free from the fate of the ancestral instructions. If the majority of the clan wanted to break free from this destiny instead of willingly providing Essence Blood to sustain the ancient ancestor, he would not have survived until now!"

"And…"

Jiang Chen turned to look at Spirit You, smiling slightly: "With little Spirit You's strength, how could it be possible for him to overhear your conversations without being detected? Moreover, if you really intended to do so, Spirit You would never have brought me here, and would indeed have reminded me to stay away from you all. I still have that much confidence!"

"So, do you think I would believe what you said?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile as he looked towards the elder.

"Great-great-grandfather, didn't I tell you that you couldn't deceive the commander-in-chief?" Spirit You said with a playful laugh.

You Ye said with a smile, "Great-great-grandfather, if Mr. Jiang were so easily deceived, how could he repeatedly gain the upper hand in the confrontations with the three major organizations? You're underestimating him!"

"This..."

The elder's face turned slightly red, and he said with some embarrassment: "Mr. Jiang, that..."

"Haha!"

Jiang Chen laughed heartily, waving his hand dismissively: "Elder, there's no need to feel embarrassed. I can understand your intentions. It's been a thousand years. The Shadow Clan has been waiting for a thousand years and now finally has a glimmer of hope. Naturally, you are extremely unwilling to see that hope dashed. You don't really want to put me in a difficult position, so you've come up with this way to pressure me. I can completely understand."

"Mr. Jiang, you truly make this old man... feel ashamed!"

The elder bowed with a gesture of remorse and then straightened up with a serious expression, saying earnestly: "Mr. Jiang, I, You Bitong, as the Clan Leader of the Shadow Clan, promise you that whether you can aid our ancestor in breaking through or not, as long as you can advance to the Venerable Realm, the Shadow Clan will surely revere you!"

"There's no need for such formality, Elder You. Mutual assistance is enough!" Jiang Chen returned the gesture with a bow.

You Bitong remained serious, but his eyes carried a hint of apology: "Mr. Jiang, although we need your help, the ancestral rules cannot be disregarded. Ahead lie four trials prepared by our clan for you, according to the ancestral instructions. I hope Mr. Jiang understands."

"Trials?"

Jiang Chen looked surprised, turning to look at Spirit You.

Spirit You was also bewildered, glancing questioningly at You Bitong: "Great-great-grandfather, what trials are these?"

"A thousand years ago, our ancient ancestor made a grave mistake by backing the wrong person, which nearly led to the annihilation of our clan. When we escaped here, filled with remorse, our ancient ancestor ordered the creation of four trials."

"Some of the trials are to verify whether the challenger is indeed Lord Xue himself, and others are set to test the challenger's strength to see if there is any possibility of leading our clan to resurgence. If Mr. Jiang fails, our ancient ancestor would rather our clan remained hidden here indefinitely than risk extinction due to an inadequate leader!"

You Bitong bowed again towards Jiang Chen: "I hope Mr. Jiang can understand!"

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