Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1638 The Order of High Grades
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……

In the post-war reckoning, within a mere quarter of an hour, the numbers were stained with blood:

Elder Chen Hanxin, who was presiding over the ceremony, was seriously injured and barely breathing. Even though the wound on her waist and abdomen was covered with layers of cold jade marrow powder, blood still seeped darkly from the edges of the medicine cloth.

Elder Mo Qiyuan, the garrison leader, dragged his injured body, with a bandage wrapped tightly around half of his arm, revealing the bruises beneath his skin. He was clearly struggling to breathe as he walked.

The three Soul Saint remains on the plaza stood silently, along with the bodies of nearly twenty Soul Emperors and Soul Kings, and more than fifty guards, making even the sounds of clearing the battlefield muffled.

It was almost a stroke of luck that we were able to protect this ancestral land.

Fortunately, Chen Hanxin did not return to Chang'an, so no one could stop this crisis.

Only because she was there could she hold off Miao Chenfeng and Yan Banqing, two mid-level Soul Douluos, ultimately resulting in one of them dying and the other escaping.

Otherwise, if the two Soul Douluos had led their troops straight into the core of the ancestral land, today would have been the day of total annihilation.

Xia Ruxin's early return and stay at the mountain fortress was also a precautionary measure.

In recent years, she has been practicing at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye, and Chen Hanxin has been guarding it in her place, and has not returned to the village for a long time.

After Xia Ruxin's return, she did not rush back, also out of concern for the Scarlet Church.

This warning also saved the crumbling mountain fortress.

The loss will ultimately be etched in your memory.

Especially the three Soul Saints!

For the Chen family, Soul Saints have never been just numbers.

The Soul Saint is the backbone that supports everything.

Eight years ago, before the main branch of the family had become wealthy, the total number of Soul Saints in the entire clan was only about fifty.

Well, back then, during the clan festival held every five years, nearly twenty Soul Saints, including those stationed in various places, did not return to the ancestral land.

After years of recuperation and development, and with the support of the "Four Outsiders" (more than thirty), the total number of Soul Saints has finally exceeded one hundred—but in this battle, three have been lost!
If it weren't for the fact that Xia Cong, Luo Qinglin, and Zhu Yucheng, three high-level Soul Saints, were transferred to the Tenghai Secret Realm for intensive training, the ancestral land would have faced a shortage of high-end combat power in the face of battle.

The situation may not be so dire... or these three Soul Saints... may not die.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." At this moment, the three stiff, cold bodies will no longer respond to the calls.

Time and life.

The death of one of the Soul Saints, Shen Tu Li, was like a dull knife tearing at my heart.

He possessed the "Blood Rage Ape" martial spirit, and climbed to the Soul Saint rank by step staining his body with blood in the Xuanlin Division of the Dust Shadow Guard.

Such a powerful, offensive sixth-grade beast soul master, capable of standing alone, is a treasure to the Yu Chen family.

Moreover, the Shentu family had been serving them for many years.

Xia Ruxin turned to the Xuanlin Guards standing before Chen Hanxin's bed: "Immediately send a message to headquarters, detailing Shen Tu Li's meritorious service in fighting to the death to protect the clan... Please have the clan head issue an order: The Shen Tu family has rendered great service to the clan by dying for them, and has shed their last drops of blood to protect the clan's land. Furthermore, they have been loyal for three generations. Therefore, they should be included as a clan that the Chen clan will follow. The entire family should move to Chenlin Village, where they will be under the protection of the clan head, and their bloodline will continue forever."

Every word carried the weight of a plea—only the head of the family, only the main lineage, could determine this allegiance. All she could do was send this blood-stained loyalty to the decisive place in front of Chen Lin's ancestral hall as quickly as possible.

The message arrived in Chenlin Village overnight.

……

On the fourth day after the war, an edict from the main branch of the Chen family crossed towering mountains and was handed to Xia Ruxin on a piece of paper with the gilded Seven Kill Sword family crest: "The Shen Tu family, loyal and brave in protecting the lineage, has offered their blood to the ancestral land. They are hereby approved as a follower of the Chen family, listed as the twenty-seventh family, in the order of the highest rank."

Uh, these twenty-seven sects, not counting the nine inner sects and the four outer sects, are called the Zhaowu sect!
Chen Hanxin leaned against the window of the corridor in the distant pavilion, her fingertips tracing the folded corner of the blood-stained battle report. In her pale face, still recovering from serious injuries, there was only a faint shadow of relief.

Deep within the ancestral temple in the mountain fortress, Mo Qiyuan took up his brush and copied the newly recorded family names into the thick lapis lazuli register.

The ink marks under Shen Tu Li's name were still fresh, followed closely by the names of Shen Tu Lie (currently a junior officer of the Xuanlin Guard) and others.

From then on, the roaring family crest of the "Blood Rage Ape" will be recorded in the register of followers of Chenlin Village, enjoying the protection of the main lineage.

Soon after, on the wall of the main hall of Chenlin Village, the newly engraved emblem quietly bore the imprint of the roaring Blood Furious Ape. When the young children of the Shentu family, bewildered, followed the Xuanlin Guards across the sturdy oak wooden gate bridge of Chenlin Village, they entered the ancestral hall to pay their respects to the clan chief, Chen Xun. Their family's brand-new red copper emblem reflected a dazzling light in the morning sun.

The captain of the Xuanlin Guard urged him to bow in a low voice, but his eyes could not hide his envy—from then on, he would climb the giant tree of the main branch of the Chen family and take root in the fertile soil of the headquarters that countless Chen Shadow Guards of other surnames longed for.

……

Following and attaching oneself to others is the core of the Chen family's power shift.

The connection with a family brings not only the Soul Masters under their tutelage, but also the foundation and network that allows them to establish themselves in a place for generations.

Well, the four outer families, along with their affiliated clans and recruited members, also possess high-grade martial soul masters, forming a solid branch for the Chen family's outward expansion.

Power, like a snowball, grows ever thicker under the grinding of loyalty and self-interest.

This loss of troops and generals has weakened the ancestral lands, leaving the main force with nothing but a breached dam, forcing them to redeploy troops to fill the gap.

Several days later, smoke and dust came from the north.

Zhao Deyun, dressed in a black outfit still covered in the dust of his journey, stepped into the ravaged and unrepaired main gate of the mountain fortress.

His aura was deep and powerful, like a mountain, and the pressure of his level 87 Golden Bear Martial Soul was restrained, yet his steps were as steady as a rock.

He came to temporarily assume the presiding duties for Chen Hanxin, who was seriously injured and needed to recuperate for more than half a year, and also to strengthen the defense forces.

The main branch of the Chen family is now also struggling financially.

As the 45th generation of main lineage members successively entered the title realm, the number of high-level Soul Douluos remaining in the "movable" position also decreased.

Only Chen Wenchao and Chen Yaoting remained, going to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for further studies. Chen Shihua took charge of the intelligence department, and Chen Xiyuan, the 46th generation elder sister, served as the representative of the elders in Douhun City.

The 46th generation has already taken over.

Chen Wu, Chen Zhang, and Chen Hua have only recently entered the Soul Douluo world, and their cultivation is still in the initial stage of refinement and honing, far from the strength and prestige accumulated by the previous generation.

Suppressing the eye of the storm in our ancestral land is a bit too much.

The only way to mobilize troops is to draw on the strength of the family's core circle again.

Zhao Deyun, who was cultivating in seclusion in the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, became the best guardian of this ancestral land.

The current framework of the Chen family is as follows: Soul Kings and Soul Emperors form the core; Soul Saints are the key figures in each line of command; Soul Douluos provide support and protection; and Title Douluos and the family head oversee the overall situation.

What we lack most are Soul Saints and Soul Douluos.

Leaving aside the four companies under their command, even though they are large and powerful, their Soul Douluo are not exactly wealthy.

The Liu family has one member, the Ji family has two, the Dugu family has three, and the Yang family has four; each has their own affairs.

Ji Chenglie, who was studying in Chenlin Village, also returned to Chang'an and replaced Ji Chengjian.

A detailed count of the non-family Soul Douluos directly under the main lineage: the Nine Elders of Zhaowu, the Twin Elders of Mo and Lei, and Ling Yunxiao, totaling twelve people.

Adding to the fighting power of several female relatives, such as Yu Jinghan and Wu Yimeng, who also take care of family affairs, there is no more strength to be squeezed.

The cards that could be moved were almost all gone, leaving only Zhao Deyun and Qin Luguang of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye.

Mo Qiyuan watched Zhao Deyun stride over and nodded slightly.

Compared to Qin Luguang, he is calm and composed, knowledgeable in military affairs, and his fierce and domineering Golden Bear complements the unpredictable and elusive Shadow Martial Soul, making him exactly what the ancestral land urgently needs.

Only by working together could the two temporarily stabilize their position in this blood-stained land.

Five years.

Only five years.

If we can hold out for five years, the high-level Soul Saints who have been cultivating in the Vine Sea Secret Realm will be able to reach the Soul Douluo realm, which will alleviate the predicament of the lack of Soul Douluos.

(End of this chapter)