Boom!

As Jiang Chen entered the cave mouth, the stone chamber sealed shut once again.

Glancing behind, the wall had closed, and beside it, there was a Palm Imprint.

"This..."

Jiang Chen helplessly shook his head and turned to look down the passageway.

The passageway was pitch-black, but this was nothing to Jiang Chen; by circulating his Inner Qi through his eyes, his vision instantly became as bright as day.

Following the passageway, Jiang Chen moved swiftly, and soon after, the tunnel began to descend.

Not knowing how long he walked, the path disappeared, and on the rock wall, the same unchanging Palm Imprint appeared once again.

"I'm finally getting out!"

Jiang Chen's face lit up with joy, and he operated his Cultivation Technique, pressing his hand towards the Palm Imprint.

...

Beneath the Grieving Cliff, in a valley.

A group of people stood in front of a rock wall, waiting in silence; You Bitong, Spirit You, You Ye, and the Second Elder who set up a stall at the cliff's top were at the forefront of the crowd.

"Great Grandfather, what happens if the Chief Instructor can't pass the trial?" Spirit You asked nervously.

You Bitong gently shook his head: "I don't know."

"That's impossible, since he has entered the cave, he has already passed." An elderly voice rang out, and a gaunt elder appeared beside them.

"Ancestor?!"

"Greetings, Ancestor!?"

"I pay my respects to Ancestor!"

Spirit You and the others were startled and promptly bowed to pay their respects.

"Rise, all of you!"

The elder spoke weakly, his eyes intently fixed on the rock wall ahead.

"Ancestor, why have you come out? Your health..." You Bitong stepped forward to support the elder, his voice full of concern.

The elder raised his hand to stop You Bitong, his eyes revealing an excited expression: "It's been a thousand years, after waiting for a thousand years, the awaited Lord Xue has finally arrived, how could I not come to greet him?"

"Could it really be Lord Xue?"

"What if there's another mistake?"

Behind them, several members of the Shadow Clan whispered among themselves.

"Silence! How dare you question the Ancestor! The clan's laws will deal with this!" You Bitong turned his head and angrily rebuked.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Second Elder's face turned cold, and in a flash, he personally charged toward the murmuring clan members.

"Enough!"

The elder spoke softly, gently waving his hand.

Bang!

A muffled sound, as though Second Elder had bumped into something, made him come to an immediate halt.

"They are right to question me; it was indeed my mistake. Because of my erroneous judgment, I led our Shadow Clan back here to hide for a thousand years, and in these thousand years, my descendants have had to..." The elder continued, tears welling in his eyes, his gaze filled with deep remorse.

"Ancestor, please don't say that, had it not been for your immediate decision to lead our people out of the battle and back here, our Shadow Clan might have been extinct long ago!" You Bitong softly comforted.

The elder waved his hand, wanting to say more, but suddenly, his expression changed dramatically, staring straight at the rock wall ahead, his eyes once again filled with excitement.

You Bitong and others were taken aback but quickly realized, and all turned to look at the rock wall.

Rumbling!

The sound of thundering resounded as the large rock in front of the wall moved aside nearly two meters, revealing a dark hole.

"Finally coming out!"

A voice rang out, and Jiang Chen emerged from the cave.

"Chief Instructor!"

"Mr. Jiang!"

Spirit You and You Ye both exclaimed excitedly.

Thud!

"This old servant of the Shadow Clan, You Zhengqian, pays respect to Lord Xue!" The elder shouted loudly, his figure lowered, kneeling directly in front of Jiang Chen, bowing his head in salute.

Thud! Thud!

"You Bitong of the Shadow Clan pays respect to Lord Xue!"

"You Biguo of the Shadow Clan pays respect to Lord Xue!"

"Shadow Clan..."

The members of the Shadow Clan all followed the elder, kneeling in front of Jiang Chen.

"Ah! This won't do, esteemed elders please rise, please rise!"

Jiang Chen's expression changed, and he hurried forward to help You Zhengqian, who was kneeling in front of everyone.

The members of the Shadow Clan had all bowed once, but now as they stood up, their eyes were filled with complex emotions as they looked at Jiang Chen.

"Is he really Lord Xue?"

"Don't make a mistake again, okay?"

"This... it's hard to say!"

"Shut up, do you want to be punished?!"

Whispers in low voices rose among the young people behind the crowd.

You Bitong and You Biguo's expressions suddenly darkened, their figures vanished in a flash.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Thud! Thud!

Sounds of muffled impact rang out as three young men and women were thrown in front of Jiang Chen, and You Bitong reappeared in front of Jiang Chen, bowing in unison.

"Lord Xue, these three have shown you disrespect. Please decide their punishment!" You Bitong spoke solemnly.

Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved his hands: "There's no need. Their skepticism is understandable. Let time prove everything!"

"Many thanks for Lord Xue's magnanimity!"

You Biting bowed to Jiang Chen again, turned, and sternly shouted at the three on the ground: "Aren't you going to thank Lord Xue?"

"We thank Lord Xue!"

The three didn't dare to be disrespectful, quickly kneeling on the ground to kowtow and salute Jiang Chen.

"Well... get up!"

Jiang Chen spoke with a strange expression, truly unused to such reverent treatment from the Shadow Clan.

Upon hearing this, the three young people stood up, heads lowered, looking very pale, with fresh blood spilling from the corners of their mouths, clearly having been injured not lightly.

"Um..."

Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Could I meet the elder of our Shadow Clan?"

"Lord Xue, this old servant You Zhengqian, is indeed the current elder of the Shadow Clan." You Zhengqian bowed with a cupped fist.

Jiang Chen was taken aback, hastily returning the gesture: "I pay my respects to the elder!"

"No, no, no, I dare not! What reason would a master have to pay respects to an old servant like me, I dare not!" You Zhengqian quickly dodged to the side, waving his hands in panic.

"Ah?"

Jiang Chen was surprised, scratching his head, and turned to look at Spirit You, seeking help.

Spirit You smiled lightly and spoke softly: "According to ancestral teachings, Lord Xue is the master of our Shadow Clan. All members of the Shadow Clan will be the servants of Lord Xue for all their lives!"

"Servant?"

Jiang Chen stared at Spirit You, speaking with amusement: "What era are we in now, still talking about servants and masters, it's not necessary. We are all brothers and sisters, and all the elders are my seniors, there is no need for talk of masters and servants!"

Thud!

As soon as Jiang Chen finished speaking, You Zhengqian suddenly knelt down on the ground.

Seeing this, You Bitong and the others hurriedly knelt down as well, and in an instant, all members of the Shadow Clan were kneeling again.

"Hold on, what is this for?"

Jiang Chen was completely bewildered and spoke with a puzzled face: "Please stand up!"

"Please Lord Xue, do not abandon us!" You Zhengqian spoke with deference.

"Abandon? I never said I would abandon you all!?" Jiang Chen looked at You Zhengqian with a puzzled face.

You Zhengqian spoke earnestly: "To be able to follow Lord Xue is an honor for our Shadow Clan. Please, Lord Xue, accept our clan as your servants!"

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