Reincarnated as a Divine Tree

Inside the ancestral hall, Chen Qingyu returned, his expression calm as he reported, "Patriarch, it's done."

Chen Xingzhen, seated before the Divine Tree, glanced at him and asked, "Did you touch anything on them?"

"No."

"That's good." Chen Xingzhen nodded slowly.

The major clans all had their hidden tricks. If someone rashly took something from their bodies, it would give others a trail to follow back to the Chen family. Of course, even if they didn't take anything, the trail might still lead back here eventually—but at least, there wouldn't be direct evidence.

This time, Chen Qingyu didn't leave immediately. Instead, he frowned and asked, "Patriarch, what should we do next?"

The thrill of the kill had been undeniable, but now that it was over, he couldn't help but consider the aftermath—especially the matter of the Shi family's revenge.

The clan's strength had indeed grown recently, but they still didn't know exactly how powerful the Shi family was. If they handled this poorly, the Chen family could easily find itself dragged into the chaos of war.

Hearing this, Chen Xingzhen remained calm and said,

"Just treat it as if it never happened. These two have been spying on us for a long time. We have no idea how much they've already uncovered about the family's secrets. Keeping them alive wasn't an option."

He paused, then added, "Besides, this isn't entirely a bad thing for us. The Shi family showed no honor first—how can they blame us for being ruthless? With these two gone, the Shi family's strength has been weakened as well.

"As for everything else, you don't need to worry right now. Our family has always presented itself as weak. Even among Innate-stage martial artists, you're the only one we have. How could you possibly have dealt with two Innate martial artists bearing their clan's totemic power all by yourself?

He smiled faintly. "Besides, the family hasn't been idle these past few months. I've already sent people to Yong'an City to gather intelligence. The four great families have their own internal discord. Although we're much weaker by comparison, this swift, decisive strike will make the Shi family suspicious.

"They'll start wondering whether someone else orchestrated this, which is precisely why I told you to bury the bodies on the spot. By the time they've finished investigating, the clan's situation should have improved somewhat."

Listening to Chen Xingzhen's analysis, Chen Qingyu nodded slowly, deep in thought.

He'd never been fond of thinking about such things. Now that he had, it was clear just how troublesome it all was. Rather than wasting time on this, he'd much rather focus on his cultivation.

Seeing the thoughts on Chen Qingyu's face, Chen Xingzhen sighed helplessly and waved his hand. "Enough. Go and get some rest."

"Yes. I'll take my leave," Chen Qingyu said, bowing slightly before turning to go.

After watching him leave, Chen Xingzhen turned back to the Divine Tree, murmured a prayer beneath his breath, and then left the ancestral hall.

Yet even after he departed, the ancestral hall remained far from silent. Though empty to the eye, it was teeming with activity. Countless soul forms had gathered, quietly conversing with one another.

"The Shi family's ambitions have long been obvious. They've wanted our bloodline legacy for years. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent those two from Mei Shan."

"Exactly. Since enmity has already been formed, there's no need to hold back. Better to strike first."

"Brother Tianshun is about to break through to the Innate Realm. Once that happens, the clan will be even stronger. Even if the Shi family comes for us, with Lord Divine Tree here, we have nothing to fear."

"But the Shi family will definitely send people to investigate this incident. We must remain vigilant."

As the heated discussion continued, the gathered soul forms gradually shifted their focus. Soon enough, they began quietly absorbing the Yin energy that seeped from the Divine Tree's trunk once more.

In death, they were no longer bound by the restrictions of cultivation realms, nor shackled by the limitations of flesh and bone. That was why so many of the dead clan members had become utterly obsessed with cultivation.

More importantly, after breaking through to the Innate Realm, their soul forms had become far more solid. And with the Divine Tree's radiance now stretching farther than ever before, they could even act during the day if necessary.

Some of them were simply curious: What would it be like to cultivate to even higher realms in this soul form?

As the murmured voices faded, true silence finally returned to the ancestral hall.

Under the night sky, the faint glow of the leaves illuminated the entire space in soft, eerie light.

The next day, the clan resumed its daily routine. If anything, the atmosphere was even livelier than before. After the Grand Ceremony for the Divine Tree, the martial artists and scholars who had been summoned back to the clan also began arriving.

Their moods, however, varied.

Among them, Ma Heng felt particularly conflicted. He hadn't come of his own will—it was purely due to the pressure exerted by the Chen clan. Later, the Chen patriarch had promised him generous rewards, which had tempted him, but when he went home and mentioned it, his wife advised him to stay far away from the Chen family.

After all, everyone said the Chen family was rife with internal strife. One careless move, and he might end up as nothing more than a nameless corpse buried somewhere beneath the clan's feet.

Her words made sense.

But he had already agreed, and now, he didn't dare back out. The entirety of Chaotic Burial Mountain was under the Chen family's control, not to mention he had a family to support.

Besides, they had finally settled here. If they left now, where could they possibly go? The world was vast, but finding a suitable place to live wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Ma Heng sighed quietly but still followed closely behind the clan member leading him toward the family's central square. As they walked, he kept glancing around, quietly observing his surroundings.

"Dad, I really think this place is nice," a cheerful voice said from nearby.

Ma Heng glanced to the side—and froze.

There was no one standing next to the clan member. He was speaking to empty air. Who was he talking to?

With a chill creeping up his spine, Ma Heng quickly looked away. Secrets abounded in large clans. It was best to pretend he hadn't seen anything.

"I forgot again. Brother, could you please explain it to me one more time?"

His sharp hearing, honed as a martial artist of the Blood Coagulation Realm, picked up another soft murmur not long after.

The source? Another Chen clan member. Alone. Now he was sure of it—what he'd seen earlier wasn't an illusion.

A wave of cold swept through his heart. This Chen family… it was far from normal. If all the clan members were like this… then this time, he might really be doomed.

He'd known from the start that those ten catties of blood rice wouldn't come easy. If he had known things would get this strange, he might have been better off gathering his family and fleeing into the night.

Before long, he arrived at the clan's central square. A dozen or so children were already gathered there, waiting expectantly.

They were all curious about this new martial arts instructor who had been brought here to teach them.

As soon as they saw him arrive, many of the clan members standing nearby cast scrutinizing glances his way, sizing him up.

Straightening his back, Ma Heng took a deep breath, stepped forward, and introduced himself.

"Good morning, everyone. My surname is Ma. My given name is Heng. I've come today under the family's orders to instruct you all…"

"Good morning, Master Ma!" the children chorused in unison. Before they arrived, they had already been instructed to behave politely.

Hearing their eager response, Ma Heng felt a little more at ease. At least, for now, these children seemed normal.

"Very well. Let's begin. Today, I'll teach you the first lesson: what it means to temper the body."

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