Chapter 738: The Awakening of the Titan-Level Dragon Emperor, Invasion of the Ancient Creature (I)

Watching the 1.6-meter-tall Zhang Xiaolan standing on her toes to scold the 2-meter-tall Chen Hu, Chen Chu couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

Chen Hu scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly. "Bro, I made Mom mad."

He then repeated what he had said earlier.

Hearing this, Chen Chu chuckled. "I thought it was something serious. Mom, don't take it to heart. Ah Hu may come off as reckless, but he's actually quite meticulous. But Ah Hu, sometimes even a casual joke can reveal subconscious thoughts. Be more mindful and low-key from now on.

"Under normal circumstances, it's only natural for a king-level cultivator to benefit their family. For example, there are advanced experts secretly stationed around our home to ensure your safety.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"If it's money you want, that’s even simpler. The mundane items I left for Mom alone are worth several tens of billions. The mutated beast meat I’ve been sending back every month is worth even more.

"But you must understand—these things all come from me, not from your own strength. For cultivators, only the power you’ve mastered yourself truly belongs to you.

"So when you begin cultivating, even if your progress is faster than your peers, don’t grow arrogant. Your foundation is already stronger than others', so your expectations for yourself must be higher as well.

"And Mom wasn’t wrong just now. Even if we possess extraordinary strength, we still must follow basic rules. That isn’t to show off to others, it’s to discipline ourselves. A person without respect or moral boundaries is only walking toward madness and self-destruction."

"I understand, Bro." Chen Hu nodded seriously.

Chen Chu patted him on the shoulder. "Of course, those rules only apply to us humans. When it comes to cult gods, demon cults, and Purgatory True Demons, we do whatever it takes. As long as the enemy is killed, that’s enough."

With that, Chen Chu looked toward Zhang Xiaolan and smiled. "Mom, let’s get in the car. I’ll drive."

"Alright." Zhang Xiaolan nodded with a touch of relief.

Chen Chu’s hometown was over seventy kilometers away from Wujiang City. The route there involved getting on the expressway toward the nearby town, and then driving another dozen kilometers on rural roads.

Soon, Chen Chu had the car on the highway. Chen Hu shifted a bit in the cramped space and curiously asked, "Bro, I saw online that you suppressed that Tyrannosaur King with just one move?"

"Yeah." Chen Chu nodded.

"But Bro, didn’t you just break through to the king level? Kavadora was supposedly at the middle stage of the king level. Why was he so weak?"

A faint smile tugged at Chen Chu’s lips. "For cultivators, realm is one thing, combat strength is another—it’s kind of like you, a fourteen-year-old, fighting a thirty-year-old man."

"I get it now." Though the analogy was a little odd, Chen Hu still laughed.

After the two brothers finished talking, Zhang Xiaolan voiced her concern. "Ah Chu, is the mythical world very dangerous? I heard there are colossal beasts as big as mountains and monsters everywhere."

"Don’t worry, Mom,” Chen Chu reassured her. “It’s mainly dangerous for ordinary cultivators. For me, it’s not too bad..."

He then went over the parts of the mythical world that he could safely reveal to them. He told them about how he had traveled across hundreds of thousands of kilometers, slaughtered his way through the demon cults and their gods, and even explored a supposedly deadly but actually "moderately difficult" forbidden zone...

Chen Village was located just outside Longshan Town. Though the number of ordinary mutated creatures in the wild had increased over the years, the military’s annual purges kept them suppressed deep within the mountains and forests.

As a result, most rural villages in East Xia still remained, and thanks to the environment, it had become even easier to make a living. The grain grown there had higher yields, vegetables tasted better, and in their spare time, villagers could even catch small animals with slight mutations to sell at high prices.

Of course, those with ability still hoped to move to the big cities. After all, the chances of children becoming cultivators were far higher in cities than in villages, given the gap in education.

Around 10 AM, Chen Chu drove the car to the outskirts of Chen Village. From afar, he could already see ten villagers sitting and chatting under a tree at the entrance.

The villagers didn’t recognize the Chen brothers as they got out of the car, as it had been over ten years since they had last been here. However, they immediately recognized Zhang Xiaolan.

An elderly man in his seventies called out, "Zhang Xiaolan, you're back just in time! Go take a look at your family's Old Mountain. I heard your ancestral graves are smoking!"

...Smoking graves?

Not just Zhang Xiaolan and Chen Hu—even Chen Chu was momentarily stunned.

What's going on?

Several generations of Chen ancestors had lived decent lives and had their own private mountain burial plot just behind Chen Village, called Old Mountain. As Chen Chu looked toward that direction, a pair of dark golden vertical pupils appeared in his eyes, piercing through the trees and slopes.

On the overgrown hill dotted with crooked saplings were seven scattered burial mounds, including those of Chen Chu’s father, grandfather, paternal uncle, granduncle, and great-grandfather.

There, in the middle of broad daylight, wisps of azure smoke rose eerily from the wild mountain, sending a chill down one’s spine.

The truth, however, was that the spatial structure in that area had become unstable. More than a dozen thin black rifts had appeared, from which waves of azure energy surged outward, looking for all the world like rising smoke.

"Ah Chu, Ah Hu, grab the offerings. Let’s hurry and take a look!"

"Got it, Mom!"

Chen Hu excitedly hoisted the candles and spirit money from the trunk onto his back and took off running. In just a few bounding steps, he crossed several hundred meters and charged up the slope of the Chen family’s hill, then shouted with excitement.

"Mom, it’s really smoking!"

"What...?"

Zhang Xiaolan hurried after him. When she reached the top and saw the smoke rising from the opposite slope, her mouth fell open in disbelief. "Is this a sign from our ancestors? Is that why Ah Chu’s cultivation progressed so fast?"

Then she snapped out of it, suddenly emotional. "Quick, Ah Hu! Go burn some joss paper for your dad and the others. They must’ve known we were coming home today!"

"Wait a sec, Mom. Lemme get a photo first!" Chen Hu excitedly whipped out his phone and snapped a picture. He immediately sent it to a private group chat, tagging everyone.

Chen Hu: Yiyi, Xiaojia, Mengmeng, come quick and look. My ancestral grave just exploded!

Knowing the truth, Chen Chu glanced at the visibly thrilled Zhang Xiaolan but said nothing. He merely released a wisp of divine soul power.

Boom!

The unstable space rippled slightly, and the chaotic fluctuations began to settle. One by one, the fine black rifts healed and vanished.

The strange smoke dispersed along with them—smoke that had in fact been a volatile, miasma-laced energy.

Although Chen Chu had smoothed out the spatial disturbance, he had a feeling the tale of the "smoking ancestral grave" would only grow more mystical as it spread.