Chapter 83: Heaven-Defying Upheaval
Chen Yan turned his head, meeting the wide-eyed gaze of Old Madam He.
After a few breaths, she drew in a deep one of her own and spoke, her voice laced with disbelief. “You… That move just now—”
Chen Yan’s expression remained unchanged. “A mother’s blade carves love, an enemy’s flesh bears its weight.”
“…” Old Madam He rolled her eyes, exasperated. “Do you take me for a blind old fool? That was clearly the Formless Cataclysm-Slaying Slash of the Gu Clan! I have witnessed Gu disciples wield it within the Domain Realm myself!”
She frowned, scrutinizing him. “Strange… Fellow Daoist, just who are you, truly? The Venerable One of the Ghost Race is your grandmother, yet you wield the Gu Clan’s supreme technique?”
Chen Yan glanced at the old woman, blood still trickling from her lips, and sighed. “You should tend to your wounds first. I have no healing elixirs with me. Do you have anything here?”
Old Madam He shook her head. “No need to worry. I will not die. This injury stems from arcane forces—external wounds mend swiftly, but the damage to my essence… That will take thirty to fifty years to fully recover.”
Chen Yan exhaled in relief. As long as she wouldn’t perish. He still needed her to speak of Chen Jue.
He had no desire for another scene like that sword cultivator brat—barely a few words in before he fell and was no more.
Stepping forward, Chen Yan helped Old Madam He to her feet. She coughed blood with every few steps before waving her hand, opening the stone door. They exited the chamber into a dimly lit corridor.
To their right, at the corridor’s depths, stood a smaller stone door, upon which hung a Bronze Eight Trigrams.
Fixing her gaze upon the trigrams, Old Madam He muttered, “This is the Pill Chamber within my cave abode. Support me inside.”
The chamber was significantly smaller than the previous one. At its center stood an Alchemical Furnace, towering over a meter tall. Neither of metal nor stone, its material was unidentifiable.
Chen Yan had never seen its like before. He approached and brushed it with his fingers—warm to the touch, emanating a gentle heat, much like a natural stove.
“This furnace is something I brought from the Domain Realm,” Old Madam He mused. “My honored master once walked the twin paths of Pill and Sword, but I lacked the talent to follow both. I chose the way of the sword, yet even a fraction of my master’s alchemical prowess eluded me.”
Sighing, she gestured toward the furnace. “This relic holds great value. You aided me greatly today—take it as a gift. With the Venerable One of the Ghost Race as your elder, your future is bound to be extraordinary. In your hands, this furnace shall not be wasted.”
Chen Yan studied the furnace, keeping his expression neutral, though inwardly, a headache brewed.
[This thing is enormous. How am I supposed to carry it away?]
Hauling it manually was out of the question. He possessed none of the legendary treasures of the cultivation world—no spatial rings, no storage artifacts.
Thankfully, Old Madam He took a deep breath, raised a trembling hand, and cast a sigil toward the furnace. Instantly, the massive artifact spun, shrinking with each revolution. After seventeen or eighteen turns, it condensed to the size of a mere thumb.
With a flick of her wrist, she sent the tiny furnace into Chen Yan’s palm.
Taking it, he still felt its lingering warmth. Then, Old Madam He pointed to a row of stone cabinets along the chamber’s walls. “See the first compartment on the left? There should be a Spirit Gourd inside. Fetch it for me.”
Chen Yan slipped the furnace into his robe and approached the stone cabinets, each containing a single stone drawer. He pulled open the first on the left and indeed found a golden-orange gourd nestled within. He retrieved it and handed it to Old Madam He.
She twisted off the stopper, tipping out two jet-black pills, their surface glistening faintly.
Chen Yan narrowed his eyes. Through his Qi-Observing Technique, he could discern the subtle currents of life force swirling around them. A faint medicinal aroma wafted through the air.
After a moment’s thought, Old Madam He swallowed both pills. Then, she hobbled to a stone platform in the corner of the chamber, seating herself cross-legged and closing her eyes.
A brief silence fell. Soon, Chen Yan sensed the faint stirrings of her recovering essence. The pallor of her face eased, a whisper of color returning.
Exhaling a slow breath, she opened her eyes. “Thank you for your patience, Fellow Daoist. Come, take a seat. As promised, I shall now answer your questions.”
Chen Yan stepped forward and sat opposite her, placing his hands upon his knees.
Old Madam He—You Su Yi—paused in thought before speaking slowly. “So you may understand, my true surname is You Su, one of the four great lineages of the Fox Race in the Domain Realm. My full name is You Su Yi.”
As she spoke, she traced her name onto the stone floor with a single finger, carving deep grooves into the rock.
[You Su Yi…]
Chen Yan’s thoughts flickered. [What an unusual name… More importantly—doesn’t this mean everyone calls her ‘Auntie’?]
Despite his silent amusement, he cupped his hands solemnly. “It is an honor to meet you, Fellow Daoist You Su.”
“The one you slew just now was a member of the Qing Qiu White Fox Clan, a fellow disciple of mine.” She hesitated. “Her name… Forget it. She is dead. Best not to speak of her.”
She shook her head, speaking as though to herself. “Decades ago, we committed grave transgressions in the Domain Realm. The clan would not shelter us. Thus, we fled together—to this world.”
Chen Yan nodded, offering no response.
You Su Yi sighed. “Not that you likely care about any of this. Let us move on—you seek knowledge of Chen Jue. I shall tell you all I know.”
At last, Chen Yan straightened his back.
“I told you before that I knew Chen Jue. That was not a lie. I did meet him—we even crossed paths.” Her gaze flickered, distant with memories. “It was… over a hundred years ago.”
[Wait—]
[A hundred years?!]
Chen Yan blinked.
[My dear father… isn’t he a bit too old?]
My fox clan has long lived under the rule of the exalted lords of the Demon Realm. From Qing Qiu, Tu Shan, You Su, to Chun Hu, the four great lineages all serve beneath these mighty beings. According to ancient custom, the most promising youths are sent forth to aid the lords, either as attendants at the Ten Thousand Demon Terrace, or as sentinels guarding the border towns.
In my youth, I spent eighteen years in service to a demon lord at the Ten Thousand Demon Terrace. Under the lord’s guidance, I apprenticed to a master of both the pill and the sword. Once I had attained some measure of accomplishment, my clan reassigned me to Falling Goose Town, where I became a Demon Squad Leader in the town’s garrison forces.
Chen Yan listened without betraying a single thought, carefully committing the old fox’s words to memory.
“In the ‘Three Platforms, Eight Passes, and Sixteen Towns’ that form our realm’s defensive network, Falling Goose Town is neither the best nor the worst—though it is but a second-line defense, with little war to speak of, its desolate and remote nature makes it less than desirable. I imagine it was only due to the favor of my elders that I, being one of the more talented among my kin, was sent somewhere relatively comfortable.
And it was there, in Falling Goose Town, that I met Chen Jue.”
—
The name Three Platforms, Eight Passes, and Sixteen Towns struck a chord in Chen Yan’s mind. He had heard these names before—Hell-Suppressing Platform, Bright Mirror Platform, Dragon-Head Platform, Sword-Casket Pass, Iron-Chain Pass… all were part of this grand defensive structure!
“When I first met Chen Jue, he was still young, serving as the Deputy Town General of Falling Goose Town. At the time, I was his subordinate.”
“I thought, ‘How can a youth so tender hold such a post?’ I assumed he was nothing more than a noble’s son here to earn an empty title. After all, the Chen Family was a great aristocratic house of the Demon Realm, and their bloodline boasted an Exalted Ancestor. It was only natural that such a family would send their scions to polish their names in cushy assignments.
Moreover, his conduct only affirmed our disdain. The entire garrison harbored no respect for him.”
—
Chen Yan’s mind stirred.
The Chen Family… had an Exalted Ancestor?!
Yet Gu Qing Yi had claimed that the Chen Family had long since fallen into ruin. If there was still an Exalted Ancestor, then even if Chen Jue had committed some grievous sin, he might have been imprisoned, executed, or even sealed beneath Five Elements Mountain—but the family itself should not have crumbled.
Something did not add up.
Suppressing his curiosity, he asked instead, “What was it about Chen Jue’s conduct that earned him such scorn?”
You Su Yi shook her head. “Anyone who joins the garrison must endure hardship. Even though Falling Goose Town was no first-line fortress, one still had duties to fulfill. Yet none were as indulgent as he.”
She paused, her expression turning wry. “Despite being Deputy Town General, he never patrolled the walls. In an entire year, he was rarely seen among his troops more than twice. But every season, carts of the finest wine and cultivation provisions from the Chen Family would roll into the Town General’s Residence.
The man himself? Often absent. It was said he wandered the mountains, seeking pleasure. Even those who wished to seek an audience with him would find an empty residence.
Still, Falling Goose Town was quiet, and its people let him be. Even Jiang Yu, the Town General, was indulgent toward him, never once chastising him.
The men whispered among themselves: ‘We’re lucky there’s no war here. If the enemy ever came, we’d be left relying on Jiang Yu, our Celestial-level Town General. As for that Chen Family wastrel… he would be of no use at all.’
How laughable we were.”
A hint of sorrow entered her voice, but her cloudy eyes gleamed with something fierce.
“In my second year at Falling Goose Town, on the fourth day of the sixth month…”
Her voice trembled. She drew a deep breath, as if steadying herself against an old grief.
Chen Yan pressed, “What happened that day?”
You Su Yi slowly said, “On that day, the Accursed Race came.”
At the time, Chen Jue was nowhere to be found—no doubt lost in his mountain wanderings. We had only Jiang Yu to lead us in defense. That battle… our losses were great. I watched with my own eyes as Jiang Yu fell in combat.”
Chen Yan’s brows furrowed.
The Accursed Race…
This was the first time he had learned what exactly the people of the Demon Realm were fighting against.
“Then what?” he asked softly.
You Su Yi narrowed her eyes, but behind them was a glimmer of something almost fanatical.
“Then… Chen Jue finally returned.”
The old fox, wounded and weary, suddenly forced herself to her feet. Trembling with emotion, she raised a single clawed finger and, with a surge of energy, etched words onto the stone wall:
On the fourth day of the sixth month, the Accursed came to Falling Goose Town. Town General Jiang Yu fell in battle, the beacon tower lost.
Then came Deputy Town General Chen Jue. With but a single sword, he ascended the town walls. With but a single strike, he slew forty-seven thousand of the Accursed.
The siege—shattered.
The last stroke of the final character dragged long and sharp, leaving behind the impression of both bloodshed and unyielding heroism.
Her eyes shone with fervor, and her face held a near-reverent expression. In that moment, she was no longer speaking to the present—her mind had drifted back to that day, to the scene of devastation and legend.
The sky was shrouded in murk, the battlefield wreathed in smoke. The walls of the town stood alone, surrounded on all sides by endless foes.
Upon the beacon tower stood a single warrior.
His golden armor was battered, his body drenched in blood. Yet he gripped his sword in one hand, his posture unbroken.
And then—
He swung his blade.
A single stroke, and the heavens themselves turned white. The earth was blanketed in light, and beneath that peerless arc of sword energy, the endless horde of the Accursed Race was reduced to dust.
Chen Yan stared at the words etched into the stone, his heart pounding.
One man. One sword. Standing alone atop the walls, striking down forty-seven thousand foes!
[My father…]
[Was actually this powerful?]
His gaze lingered on the inscription, especially on that single character—Accursed.
[So this is the enemy we face…]
“Sui? What manner of wretched entity is this? Have the warriors of the Domain Realm been locked in endless battle against such a foe?”
Only now did You Su Yi snap out of her thoughts, gazing at the words she had carved into the stone wall. Her voice was steady, yet carried a weight beyond mere recollection.
“These very lines—word for word—I shall not forget. For this was the war bulletin dispatched from the front lines after the battle… The losses were catastrophic, and I was temporarily assigned as the Garrison Scribe to record the aftermath. This report—I wrote it, letter by letter, with my own hands…”
Her voice faltered, and she exhaled softly. “I shall never forget it for as long as I live.”
Chen Yan silently studied the carved script before shifting his gaze back to her. “If that is so, then this Chen Jue must be a great hero, is he not?”
You Su Yi let out another sigh. “If only it were that simple… Yes, he should have been a hero. But afterward—after slaying forty-seven thousand foes—he stood atop the Garrison Tower and did something that defied all reason.”
“What did he do?” Chen Yan leaned in slightly, intrigued by the tension in her voice.
Her expression turned unreadable, her hesitation lingering before she finally spoke in a near whisper: “He raised his sword to the heavens—and cursed the Heavenly Dao.”
Chen Yan: “…”
Curse the Heavenly Dao?
His brows twitched. Every record, every teaching, every path of cultivation—whether of man, demon, or spirit—all venerated the Heavenly Dao as the supreme law. Every cultivator sought enlightenment through its energy, drawing upon its fortune to ascend.
Yet here was a man—standing before all—raising his blade skyward in defiance, denouncing the very force that governed existence.
It was akin to a monk, standing before the sacred hall, pointing at the statue of Buddha and hurling blasphemies.
—Heaven-Defying Upheaval!
Chen Yan gulped. “This man… truly has guts!” He muttered, swallowing again before eagerly pressing forward. “What exactly did he say?”
You Su Yi’s expression flickered between awe and disbelief, as if reliving the moment herself. She hesitated before finally speaking:
“He cursed that this war—this thousand-year conflict—should never have existed to begin with.
“He cursed that the warriors of the Domain Realm—generation after generation—should never have been condemned to die upon these garrisons, their lives ground into the dust of war!
“He cursed the law of the heavens—the decree that ‘the Sacred Seats are numbered’—that only thirty-six Venerables, four Earthly Lords, and two Heavenly Lords shall ever exist, a total of forty-two seats! A decree so absurd it might as well be removing one’s robes to fart! A decree of absolute madness!
“He cursed that because of this decree, countless talents—true prodigies, geniuses blessed by fate—found themselves forever shackled below sainthood, their lives wasted in vain pursuit. That though they had the potential, they would never become Exalted Ones, let alone saints!
“He cursed that were it not for this absurd decree, the Domain Realm would have already seen hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of saints! That if the heavens had not set such a rule—if there were hundreds of Heavenly Lords, thousands of Earthly Lords, and tens of thousands of Venerables—the Sui would have long since been annihilated! There would have been no need for endless sacrifice, for countless warriors to perish upon the Garrison Tower!”
Chen Yan sucked in a sharp breath. Damn! This—this was madness!
A man and a fox locked eyes. From the flickering flames in their gazes, they both felt the same emotion—a spark of something raw, something seething.
After a moment, You Su Yi coughed lightly, turning her face away, sighing once more.
Chen Yan mulled over her words before voicing his thoughts: “So—just because of these words? Just because he openly denounced the Heavenly Dao, he became a pariah?”
She shook her head. “Not quite.”
Her voice was measured. “For openly cursing the Heavenly Dao, he was scorned, yes—but at most, they called him arrogant, unruly, reckless, a madman without restraint.”
Chen Yan nodded. That made sense. Even in the Domain Realm, even in this world, there were always extremists—people who voiced radical ideas. Right or wrong, the world was never short of such individuals. If that alone were enough to ruin a man, it seemed unlikely—especially one like Chen Jue, whose merits were so immense. His deeds should have outweighed any reckless words.
“Then what happened? What came next?”
You Su Yi’s expression darkened. “That night, within the Town General’s Residence, Chen Jue drowned himself in liquor.”
“I only learned then… that the fallen General Jiang Yu was his sworn brother. Chen Jue, a son of the Chen Family, could have gone to Bright Mirror Platform, the training grounds of noble heirs. Instead, he chose to station himself in this forsaken place—Falling Goose Town—simply to stand alongside his sworn brother.
“But war was capricious. The Sui attacked. They bypassed the front line, striking the second-tier Garrison Tower. And Chen Jue… was away when it happened.”
She exhaled slowly. “He drank himself to oblivion. He blamed himself for his absence, for his brother’s death. And then… in his drunken stupor, he made a vow. He said…”
She hesitated now, visibly torn.
Chen Yan frowned. “What did he say?”
The old fox sighed, as if surrendering to fate.
“He swore that should he ever break through to sainthood, he would slay the Heavenly Dao itself.”
Chen Yan: “…!”
A shudder ran through him, his gaze burning into You Su Yi. “That vow—did you tell anyone?”
She shook her head, firm as stone. “I have never spoken of it to another soul. That night, Chen Jue saved an entire city. Even if his words were heretical, I—though of the Fox Clan—know the weight of gratitude.
“The town was in ruin. I was assigned as a scribe to the General’s Residence, given the chance to serve him. He drank, and I was the only one present. In all these years, I have never uttered a word of it.
“But now… Chen Jue is long gone. Telling you now changes nothing.”
She paused before lowering her voice, her tone turning strange. “Besides… do you truly believe no one else in the Domain Realm has ever thought the same?”
Chen Yan let out a slow breath, saying nothing. “Then what happened to Chen Jue? What calamity befell him?”
“…I do not know.”
Chen Yan’s face darkened with fury. His voice held unmistakable displeasure as he spoke. “Old Fox! We had a deal! You said you knew about Chen Jue… that others merely repeated idle rumors, but you had seen him with your own eyes and knew the truth better than anyone! That was the only reason I agreed to help you today!
“But now that we’ve reached the crucial moment, you claim you don’t know?”
You Su Yi remained composed, unhurried. “Fellow Daoist, do not be so quick to anger. I may not know everything, but I do know something. I can still offer you valuable information.”
“…Speak!” Chen Yan swallowed his fury, barely restraining the fire in his chest.
“I once served at Falling Goose Town. After that great battle, the Domain Realm’s various clans reinforced the town’s defenses, bolstering the ranks with fresh warriors. By merit, Lord Chen Jue was appointed Town General. But strangely, the Accursed Race never launched another invasion.
“Some time later… Lord Chen Jue was transferred away. And once he left, I never saw him again.
“Years passed, and my own life took a turn. I committed a grave offense in the Domain Realm, was hunted down, and had no choice but to flee. Three years before my escape—just three years before I came to this world—I suddenly heard news of Chen Jue again.
“This time, his name was spoken across the land, not with reverence, but with infamy. The son of the Chen Family, once a prodigy hailed by the heavens, was now accused of heinous crimes. The world cursed his name, calling him a villain beyond redemption.”
Chen Yan’s gaze sharpened. “What crimes exactly?”
You Su Yi sighed. “Though I am of the Fox Race, I still understand gratitude. Lord Chen Jue once saved my life, and for that, I could never believe him guilty without proof. So, when I heard the accusations, I sought the truth.
“Some said he lost himself to madness, slaughtering an entire tribe to extract their blood essence for his cultivation.
“Others claimed he betrayed his kin, massacred his own Chen Family, and turned against his bloodline.
“There were whispers that, while serving as a Town General, he embezzled military supplies, then killed his deputy to cover up his crime.
“Some even alleged that he practiced demonic arts, kidnapping noble daughters to serve as his cultivation vessels, ruining countless lives.
“The rumors were endless, as if every conceivable evil had been committed by Chen Jue alone.”
You Su Yi clenched his fists, his voice deep with conviction. “But I remember the day he stood upon the town platform, a lone warrior defending the stronghold with but a single sword!
“I remember his grief and rage as he cursed the heavens! I remember the sight of him drowning in his own sorrow, lost in guilt and agony…
“I do not believe he could have committed such crimes!
“And so, I spent two full years traveling the Domain Realm, seeking out the truth behind these accusations. And then…”
At this, You Su Yi shook his head. “I found nothing.”
Chen Yan’s brows furrowed deeply. “Nothing? Not a single shred of proof?”
“Nothing!” You Su Yi let out a cold laugh. “They say he slaughtered a tribe to harvest their blood essence, yet I could find no victims! No one could tell me which tribe had perished—because such an event never occurred.
“They say he murdered his kin, yet the Chen Family simply vanished, dispersing overnight. Their servants told me there were no elders who had met violent ends, no funerals, no bloodshed. The Chen Family merely relocated to Prime Terrace, and the venerable Chen Family Ancestor secluded himself in Immortal Terrace, never to appear again.
“Suspicious? Certainly. But patricide? There is no evidence.
“They say he was a Town General who committed corruption and murder, yet in my time serving the military, I made many connections. I scoured the records across Three Platforms, Eight Passes, and Sixteen Towns, tracing the names of every Town General appointed in the past years. And nowhere—nowhere!—was Chen Jue ever listed!
“He never held such a position. How, then, could he have stolen supplies? How could he have killed a deputy that never existed?
“As for practicing demonic arts and abducting noble daughters… nonsense! I searched over twenty great noble clans, interviewed dozens of aristocrats. Nowhere did I find a single girl who had suffered such a fate!
“No victims, no crimes. And yet, for reasons unknown, the Domain Realm’s countless races poured all these accusations onto Chen Jue, burying him in scandal.
“And Chen Jue himself? He vanished. No trace, no sign, as if he had been erased from the world.”
You Su Yi exhaled deeply, his voice low. “I spent three years chasing shadows, and this is all I uncovered. In the end, my own misdeeds caught up to me—I offended a powerful noble clan of my Fox Race, and with nowhere left to turn, I fled the Domain Realm.”
Chen Yan sat in silence, his expression grim, his mind a storm of thoughts.
You Su Yi’s voice grew measured. “However… though I found no clear answers, I did uncover something just as important.”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation