Even the Divine Vermilion Bird sensed that something was off about the atmosphere. But exactly what was wrong, neither the Vermilion Bird nor Jiang Chen could put into words.
However, the closer they drew to the Glazed King City, the fainter that eerie sensation became.
Jiang Chen tried to comfort himself: "Perhaps it was merely my imagination? I stayed too long inside the Chenxiang Valley secret realm, my nerves stretched taut the entire time, so I've become paranoid?"
With that thought, he relaxed a little.
Upon entering the Glazed King City and taking in its familiar, bustling prosperity, Jiang Chen's mood brightened considerably. Seeing that the city seemed largely unchanged from how he remembered it, he felt a reassuring sense of familiarity — the same scenery as when he had left.
"Thank the heavens. The Glazed King City is still stable." Burning with anxiety, Jiang Chen shot toward Peacock Sacred Mountain at top speed.
Peacock Sacred Mountain stood as firm as a fortress. From a distance, Jiang Chen saw that the Nine Radiance Flying Formation was still operating normally, and he let out a sigh of relief. As long as the formation continued to run, it meant that Peacock Sacred Mountain — and the Young Lord's Manor in particular — was, at the very least, absolutely safe for now.
"The Young Lord has returned!"
The moment Jiang Chen appeared at the gates of the Young Lord's Manor, a wave of excitement erupted.
Seeing the familiar faces one after another inside the manor, Jiang Chen felt a long breath of relief leave his chest. These family members, friends, and fellow cultivators within the Young Lord's Manor had become the greatest driving force that kept him pressing forward.
Seeing them safe and sound, the weight on Jiang Chen's heart eased by half.
The moment he spotted Xue Tong, Jiang Chen asked immediately: "Has the Peerless Emperor returned? And the two Huaishan brothers?"
Xue Tong blinked, looking blank as he shook his head. "They haven't come back. Didn't they leave together with you, Young Lord?"
Jiang Chen's heart lurched, a complicated expression flickering across his face.
But he quickly composed himself and waved his hand. "Let's talk inside."
Inside the Young Lord's Manor, not a single person was missing. Everyone was going about their days in leisurely comfort. Seeing Jiang Chen, the manor came alive with an extra measure of festivity. Though Jiang Chen's mood was somewhat weighed down, he didn't let it show.
He had no intention of revealing what had happened to the Peerless Emperor and the others. Announcing such news now would only spark needless panic and unrest, and that would serve no one well. Jiang Chen certainly didn't want the people of the Young Lord's Manor living in constant dread every single day.
After all, these were matters that Jiang Chen felt no need to burden his family and friends with.
Though worried, he hadn't lost his composure. The Peerless Emperor and the two Huaishan brothers were among the most powerful figures in the entire human domain. Short of some irresistible force like the Celestial Demon Lord, there was virtually no one in the whole human realm who could silently wipe them out without a trace.
And that included the countless cultivators who had been gathered at the mouth of Chenxiang Valley — all of them apparently annihilated without a whisper.
Jiang Chen was convinced there had to be some hidden trick behind this affair. But exactly where that trick lay, he couldn't yet say.
After spending a few peaceful days with his family at the Young Lord's Manor, Jiang Chen immediately shifted back into high gear. The last time, he had only refined the Pine Crane Pills. This time, he intended to refine the Imperial Spirit Pills as well.
Since the Dragon-Tiger Summit, Jiang Chen had been purchasing Heavenly Earth Spirit Cloud Fungus at premium prices. By now, the Taixuan Pavilion had gradually begun to receive shipments of the rare ingredient.
This was undoubtedly excellent news, even though the cost of acquiring those portions had been steep. But compared to the allure of the Imperial Spirit Pills, the price was well worth it.
Refining the Imperial Spirit Pills was every bit as difficult as the Pine Crane Pills. However, Jiang Chen now had one key advantage: his cultivation was advancing at a blistering pace. This made his work in the alchemical arts increasingly effortless.
In his previous life, he had become a grandmaster-level pill master across the heavens without any foundation in martial cultivation whatsoever. Now, with a martial foundation to support him, his control and stamina were far beyond what they had been before.
Roughly half a month later, Jiang Chen emerged from seclusion, a fresh batch of Imperial Spirit Pills officially completed.
The urgency driving him had been spurred by his experience in Chenxiang Valley. Confronted by the existence of a terrifying figure like the Celestial Demon Lord, Jiang Chen felt that the Glazed King City needed to continue strengthening its forces.
No sooner had he emerged than Jiang Chen summoned all the great emperors of the Glazed King City.
The emperors had not seen Jiang Chen for some time, and they were delighted to receive his summons. These days, Jiang Chen had grown ever more enigmatic and unfathomable in the eyes of his peers. Rumors had spread that even the Peerless Well Emperor — a top-tier powerhouse among the independent cultivators — had pledged himself to Young Lord Jiang Chen. This only deepened the strange sense of awe that the great emperors of the Glazed King City harbored toward him.
Even Emperor Nian maintained a proper show of respect and deference before Jiang Chen.
"Gentlemen! Some time ago, I made a trip to Chenxiang Valley. I imagine you haven't heard much about what happened there. The reason I've called you all here today is this..."