"The Path of the Invincible!"

As the last four words from Jiang Chen fell, an indomitable aura surged forth from him, his eyes brimming with absolute confidence.

You Zhengqian's eyes moistened once again, as he seemed to see a shadow on Jiang Chen, a shadow that resembled closely the first Lord Xue as described in the records.

Furthermore, Jiang Chen's figure was poised to surpass that shadow!

"I pay my respects to Lord Xue!"

You Zhengqian once again knelt down; this time, it was a true homage to Lord Xue, to Jiang Chen himself, not merely out of adherence to ancestral mandates!

At this moment, Jiang Chen did not move, forgoing the modesty of before.

As if You Zhengqian was meant to kneel, it seemed so rightfully so!

"I need one day's time to familiarize myself with the current strength. Elder You, although I do not require a protector, I still hope you avoid making too many public appearances. Let others believe you remain in a half-dead state,"

"In the passage to this place, I have seen the life of the first Lord Xue and glimpsed the era that the Shadow Clan progenitor depicted as a possibility. I now feel, that era is not just a possibility, but an inevitability; you wait for its arrival. Your presence will be our greatest reliance when that era dawns!"

Jiang Chen turned to face You Zhengqian and spoke in a low voice.

"Yes! I shall follow Lord Xue's command with utmost respect!" You Zhengqian bowed his head reverently in response.

With a slight smile, Jiang Chen stepped forward to lift up You Zhengqian, then strode deeper into the cavern and once again entered a state of cultivation.

You Zhengqian cast a deep glance at Jiang Chen, then turned and walked to the cave entrance. Overlooking the members of the Shadow Clan below, he raised his voice, "My fellow clansmen, continue your cultivation. I have a few words to say, and it's imperative that all of you comprehend them clearly!"

"Firstly, from today onwards, our clansmen no longer need to make sacrifices. Lord Xue has solved the problem of my longevity. Although I cannot overexert myself, clinging to life for several more decades is no issue!"

A tremor went through the hearts of the Shadow Clan. They all wanted to open their eyes and look up at You Zhengqian.

"Focus on your cultivation!"

You Zhengqian bellowed, "The second point I am about to say relates to the energy you are currently absorbing!"

You Zhengqian spoke with gratitude, "This energy belongs to Lord Xue, which he should have absorbed himself. Yet, considering the arduous millennial wait of our Shadow Clan, he forwent his own opportunity to ascend in power. By utilizing the Heaven and Earth Vital Energy drawn from his breakthrough, he transformed it into the pure Blood Fiend Aura for us all to absorb!"

"Do you understand? Without this sacrifice, Lord Xue's power would now surpass even mine. However, he gave it up, forwent standing at the pinnacle of the Martial Dao World, and instead fed the energy back to us all!"

"Remember this great kindness deep in your hearts!"

"And this energy that Lord Xue has obtained by sacrificing his own advancement in realm, nobody is allowed to waste it. You must absorb it all! Even if it leads to an explosive death, you must still absorb it!"

All members of the Shadow Clan were deeply moved, with complex expressions on their faces.

Yet at that moment, not a single person opened their eyes; instead, they absorbed the surrounding energy with even greater fervor!

"And the last point I must make!"

You Zhengqian's face turned solemn, and he shouted, "From this day forth, anyone who dares to utter a single word of disrespect towards Lord Xue will be expelled from the clan, slain without mercy! We, the Shadow Clan, swear to follow Lord Xue to the death, never to betray him for as long as we live!"

"We swear to follow Lord Xue to the death, never to betray him in this lifetime!"

Each member of the Shadow Clan secretly vowed a lifelong oath, and though some emotional members kept their eyes closed, tears had quietly begun to flow down their cheeks.

Their hearts were brimming with nothing but reverence for Jiang Chen!

Meanwhile.

Boom! Rumble!

A faint rumbling sound rose, and at the entrance of a valley two kilometers away from the Shadow Clan's residence, a hole appeared on the side of the rock wall. Lu Wenqiang, accompanied by Lü Tianfang and Chen Gang, walked out from the hole.

"Is this Unchanging Valley?"

Lü Tianfang glanced at the valley, the lush green trees, the surging river, and the bird songs between the woods.

"This is truly a paradise on earth!" Chen Gang exclaimed with surprise.

"Young Master Lü, this way please!" Lu Wenqiang gestured towards the forest ahead with his hand.

The three stepped into the woods.

From the valley entrance to the residence area of the Shadow Clan, there was an approximately fifteen hundred meter long jungle. Beyond the jungle was a Grand Martial Arts Arena, and only after the arena was the passage that Jiang Chen came through.

Behind this passage was a wooden building complex, which was the Shadow Clan's living area, and beyond it was the cliff riddled with secret caves—the training grounds and forbidden area of the Shadow Clan.

Non-members of the Shadow Clan were not allowed in the caves. Each cave had an elder of the Shadow Clan pass away in meditation. Inside the caves, there were cultivation insights left behind by the ancestors, and these were precious, priceless treasures!

The place where Lü Tianfang and others emerged was said to be the entrance of the valley, but it was actually at the base of a mountain without any path leading away.

The Unchanging Valley had no roads to the outside, surrounded by cliffs on all sides. There were only three passages leading out; one was the path that Lu Wenqiang, Lü Tianfang, and others had taken, one was used by the Shadow Clan's members woven through the five hundred meter jungle, and the other was the passage used by Jiang Chen, reserved exclusively for Lord Xue to pass through.

Whirr! Whirr! Whirr!

Just as Lu Wenqiang and his group stepped into the jungle, a series of breakthrough auras surged forth from deep within the valley.

"This is... someone is having a breakthrough!?"

"Such a strong aura, what realm is being broken through?!"

"How can so many people be breaking through at the same time?!"

Lü Tianfang and his companions were all astounded and stood stock-still on the spot.

"Haha!"

Suddenly, Lü Tianfang burst into laughter: "Good news! Good news! As soon as I arrive, the seniors in Unchanging Valley are making breakthroughs, which means that the heavens want our cooperation to proceed smoothly!"

Lu Wenqiang was stunned for a moment, giving Lü Tianfang a puzzled look, doubts flickering in his mind.

What's wrong with you? What does this breakthrough have to do with you?!

However, people from Zhou Yi District, Zhudao City, and Haojiang had some belief in fate and such things, so Lü Tianfang was truly ecstatic, thinking that as soon as he came to the Shadow Clan, so many people were having breakthroughs, which he interpreted as a manifestation of fate.

Whirr! Whirr! Whirr!

Before the three could continue on their way, the aura of breakthroughs came again.

"This, this, this... there must be hundreds of them, right? These auras are even stronger than those who just broke through?!" Chen Gang spoke incoherently in his astonishment.

As for Lü Tianfang, his joy was evident as he burst into loud laughter.

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