Chapter 863
The Sky Rifts, Immortals Descend to Earth
At the sound of "All princes, come to pay your respects!", all twelve sons whom Chen Jie had enfeoffed arrived the next moment. The oldest among them, Chen Wen, was already forty-four years old, while the youngest was twenty-five.
This is the result of Chen Jie's hard work over the years: Su Yunjin, Zhao Ya, and Huang Wan'er have all given birth to several sons for Chen Jie.
At this moment, all the foreign princes entered, followed by their queens, each of whom was leading or holding a little prince or princess.
Chen Wen's son is the eldest, and he is already eighteen years old this year. He is currently studying at the Royal Academy in Dadu.
As for the other countries, they all brought their own princes and heirs.
At this moment, a large family entered the palace, and they were greeted by their eldest brother, the Crown Prince, Chen Li.
At this moment, Chen Li led his empress, Ni Feng'er, and his son, the imperial grandson, Chen Changluo. Yes, that's right, this name is indeed difficult to pronounce. There was no other way; in this era, etiquette and laws still existed, and to avoid taboos, these princes' names were all very uncommon, so as not to hinder the common people's normal use of written language.
Because the taboo against using the same character as the emperor meant that only rare characters in a name could avoid affecting the normal use of the common people, since they were not commonly used characters.
As for Ni Feng'er, this empress also has a remarkable background. She is the daughter of Ni Wenjun and Hua San Niang. These two were quite dashing. After the world was pacified, they began to travel all over the world. After their daughter was born, she was entrusted to Su Yunjin for help in raising.
Su Yunjin raised her to be gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest, intelligent and understanding. Moreover, she and Chen Li had been together since childhood and could be described as childhood sweethearts. However, the two also had some little stories.
After graduating from the Royal University, Chen Li was assigned to farm in the countryside for two years, work as a front-line worker in a factory for two years, and then serve as a county magistrate and prefect for two years before finally returning to the central government. By the time he returned, he was already twenty-three years old. Originally, his feelings for Ni Feng'er were not that deep, but after returning this time, the two had been separated for five or six years, and upon meeting again, they were immediately filled with passion.
Chen Li then asked Chen Jie to grant him a marriage. Chen Jie had no choice but to bring Ni Wenjun and his wife back from their travels and arrange their marriage for the Crown Prince. After the marriage, the couple were very affectionate and had a son.
At this moment, a group of emperors who had been granted fiefdoms saw the crown prince's family.
Chen Wen took the lead in paying her respects: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The other younger brothers also bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Chen Li then spoke up, "My brothers are all rulers of their own countries, there's no need for such formalities. Come, come, go and pay your respects to Father Emperor."
Chen Li led the kings to Chen Jie, who was talking to Su Yunjin, Zhao Ya, and Huang Wan'er. Chen Jie was over sixty years old, but time had not left any marks on his face. He still looked like he was in his twenties, as if time had stopped the moment he became a celestial being.
Su Yunjin, Zhao Ya, and Huang Wan'er did not appear old at all; in fact, they all looked much younger.
Su Yunjin, in particular, seemed to be aging in reverse, returning to the youthful appearance of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old. Moreover, she possessed a hidden, inexplicable power that was extremely strong, even faintly reaching the level of a third or fourth-stage Fusion God.
It should be noted that Su Yunjin does not practice martial arts, but her strength is improving day by day. Chen Jie also noticed this, but he couldn't find any reason for it. He just felt that there was a strange power in Su Yunjin's body, a power that did not even belong to this world.
As for what this power was, Chen Jie had no idea or clue. However, he knew that this power didn't seem to cause much harm to Su Yunjin, which was very important, and even quite beneficial.
Besides, looking at Zhao Ya and Huang Wan'er, Zhao Ya's appearance is slightly aged, but her years of hard work in martial arts have increased her strength and made her look around thirty years old, giving her a mature and sophisticated look.
Huang Wan'er, however, had truly aged. Although Chen Jie used the power of heaven and earth to extend her lifespan, crow's feet still appeared at the corners of her eyes, making her look nearly forty years old, but her actual age was already over sixty.
At this moment, she looked quite kind, like an old lady.
As Chen Jie was talking to his three beloved concubines, Zhu Biao arrived with a group of kings before the four of them. They all knelt down and said, "Your children greet Father and Mother (concubine), and wish Father and Mother (concubine) a Happy New Year."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie glanced at his many sons and said in a hearty voice, "Hahaha, very good, little Chunzi, here's a reward."
Upon hearing Chen Jie's words, a young man in his thirties immediately stepped out from the side. The young man looked seven parts like Chen Chun. That's right, this was Chen Chun's son. Chen Chun had followed him for many years, but in recent years his physical strength had declined, so he retired to his hometown. Chen Jie thought his son, Xiao Chun, was quite good.
He'll keep him by his side and train him for his son Chen Li to use in the future.
At this moment, Chen Chun brought out a large plate from behind, on which were twelve sandalwood boxes.
Chen Jie said, "Giving money as New Year's money this year is too vulgar. My New Year's money is the Purple Dragon Pill, which can prolong life and enhance one's vital energy."
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
This Purple Dragon Pill is a treasure! These princes all know its importance. If this Purple Dragon Pill were to be placed in the martial arts world, the struggle to seize it would cause upheaval.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Chen Jie can produce more than a dozen pills at once. These are pills refined by a terrestrial immortal. In the common world, they would be considered celestial pills.
Seeing Chen Jie's generosity, one of the three people sitting not far from Chen Jie spoke up: "Hey fourth brother, your generosity is making me itch with envy. How about giving me two of your Purple Dragon Pills?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked over and saw the three people sitting there. However, there were few people in the Great Han Empire who could directly address Chen Jie as their fourth brother, and of course, this was only done in private.
These three are Liu Futong, the hermit of Yushan Mountain; Peng Yingyu, the Laughing Buddha; and Fang Guozhen, the Dragon King of the Sea.
The one who spoke just now was Fang Guozhen.
Before Chen Jie could speak, Peng Yingyu said, "Third brother, you're really insatiable. Only a terrestrial immortal can refine the Purple Dragon Pill. Here are two for you."
Liu Futong laughed and said, "You're too greedy, kid. One would have been enough."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie laughed and said, "My three brothers, you are too... Alright, one for each of you, and it will be delivered to you after the banquet."
The three of them burst into laughter upon hearing this.
These three are now considered immortals. Since the great changes in the world, the power of the martial arts world has also undergone tremendous changes, such as the once world-renowned Heavenly Ranking.
The rankings have changed, now it's a situation of one emperor and two supreme masters. That is, the current number one on the Heavenly Ranking is Chen Jiu Si, also known as the Human Emperor. The reason he is ranked first is mainly because he defeated the Living Buddha Phagpa. Back then, everyone knew that Zhang Sanfeng and Phagpa were equals in skill level when they were the two supreme masters on the Heavenly Ranking. Now that Chen Jie has defeated Phagpa, although he did not fight Zhang Sanfeng, everyone still assumes that Chen Jie is stronger than Zhang Sanfeng.
Chen Jie was not sure about this either, because although forty years had passed, he had never fought with Zhang Sanfeng.
However, the current Chen Jie is completely different from Chen Jiu Si forty years ago. To put it bluntly, Chen Jie now possesses a Yang spirit that can travel the entire world. Except for the North and South Poles, which are still under development, Chen Jie's Yang spirit can appear anywhere at any time.
This level of cultivation far surpasses that of a terrestrial immortal.
Chen Jie now feels that he is only a little bit away from becoming the Incense Emperor mentioned by the senior Shennong. If expressed in terms of data, he should have already completed 80% control over the power of incense.
Once the final 20% is completed, this world will belong to Chen Jie.
However, the remaining 20% is still somewhat difficult to overcome, since it involves the Arctic and Antarctic. It will probably take time to spread the incense offerings there.
Even so, Chen Jie dared to say that he was now almost invincible in this world. Chen Jie didn't know what realm Zhang Sanfeng was at, but he believed that if they really fought in this world, Zhang Sanfeng would not be his match.
Therefore, the current Heavenly Ranking is as follows: First Emperor, Second Supreme, Third place remains unchanged Yuan Sanjia, Fourth place is Peng Yingyu who has switched to Mahayana Buddhism and reached the fourth level of the Melting God realm, Fifth place is Ni Wenjun who has cultivated the Nine-Story Tower to the fourth level of the Melting God realm, Sixth place is Fang Guozhen, the Dragon King of the South China Sea who is famous for his power, Sixth place is still Liu Futong, the Foolish Mountain Hermit, Seventh place is Chen Xiaohu, the Duke of Chu, Eighth place is Chahan Timur, the Prince of Ruyang, Ninth place is the beautiful Linglong, the new Gu Mother of the Five Poisons Sect, and if we really talk about the bottom line, she also has a Golden Master who has transformed into a dragon, with strength above the fourth level of the Melting God realm. As for the bottom of the Heavenly Ranking, it is Heng Qing, the young patriarch of the Dragon Guardian Clan from Kunlun Realm.
This is the current number of people on the Heavenly Ranking. Chen Jie is also currently researching how to hold a grand event similar to the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament. However, it is agreed that the current event will be for the youth group, and those under the age of thirty can participate. The focus is on selecting new martial arts talents to serve the country.
Of course, these are all things to be discussed later.
After Chen Jie finished speaking with his older brothers, he turned to look at his sons. These rascals had all become successful, some even becoming rulers of their own countries, and they were starting to look quite respectable.
At this moment, Su Yunjin and her two daughters ignored their husbands' affairs and instead chatted intimately with their daughters-in-law—the empresses—while playing with their grandsons.
At this moment, Chen Wen spoke up: "Father, your subjects have prepared New Year's gifts for you. Please take a look."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie chuckled and said, "Good, good."
What parent wouldn't like a gift from their son? At this moment, all the officials looked at the interaction between Chen Jie and his sons.
At this moment, Chen Wen immediately spoke up: "Father, the jade carving of the Nine Provinces and Four Seas United by the finest mutton fat jade in our Qian Kingdom is a symbol of the eternal stability of our Chen family's empire and the unity of the people across the world."
Chen Jie glanced at the gift in Chen Wen's hand and nodded slightly, saying, "Not bad, the meaning is very good, I will accept it."
Upon receiving Chen Jie's praise, Chen Wen immediately smiled happily.
At this moment, Chen Ming, the second son of Huang Wan'er, who once occupied the Luosha Kingdom and is now the Yan Kingdom, stepped forward and said, "Father, I have also prepared a gift for you."
He then had someone bring it over. It was a piece of pure Xuanbing marrow, a real treasure. In terms of value, it far surpassed Chen Wen's Nine Provinces and Four Seas United Heart Wall. Chen Jie nodded slightly upon seeing it.
Huang Wan'er, who was standing to the side, glanced at him and thought to herself, "My son is so good." Just then, Chen Ming said, "In addition, a rare polar snow fox has been discovered in our country. It has not a single stray hair. So I ordered the craftsmen to make a fox fur coat for the Empress Dowager and send it to her. It is freezing cold in most places, and the Empress Dowager is weak."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie glanced at Chen Ming and said, "Third brother, how are the three mothers supposed to divide one piece of clothing among you?"
Chen Ming said, "Father, Empress Su has taught me the most, and I would like to give her to Empress Su."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie glanced at Huang Wan'er, who immediately lowered her head. This mother and son loved to stir up trouble; giving Su Yunjin a fox fur coat was clearly an attempt to cause trouble.
Chen Jie then looked at Chen Ming and said, "Oh, so you mean that the kindness of your mother in giving birth to you is not as great as the kindness of your mother, Empress Su, in educating you?"
Ah, plop!
Chen Ming was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground, his face turning pale. He knew his father had found out about his little scheme, and he was doomed.
Huang Wan'er was also startled. She was worried that she might ruin her child's future!
Just as she was about to plead for him, Zhao Ya stopped her and said, "You've tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. If you don't want your son to be crippled, just stay put. All you do all day is scheme."
Huang Wan'er glared angrily, while Su Yunjin shook her head at Huang Wan'er and said, "Sister Huang, you mustn't."
Huang Wan'er became obedient, while Chen Ming was terrified and knelt there. Chen Jie then looked at the other prince and asked, "Fourth Prince, what have you prepared?"
"Father, what I am presenting is a gold watch in the style of our country..."
One by one, the ministers presented their gifts. Chen Jie looked at the gifts and nodded slightly. After everyone had presented their gifts, Chen Jie said, "Good, good, you are all very thoughtful."
"Please take your seats."
Chen Jie asked everyone to sit down, and then said, "Gentlemen, today is the fortieth year of Tianwu, and also the fortieth year of my reign."
"I rose from the Mian River and prospered in Huangzhou. I fought in the south and the north, defeated Zhang Shicheng, fought against Wu Wang Chongba, and destroyed the Daqian. I have accomplished a great deal in my life. During my forty years on the throne, the Tianwu Kingdom was at its peak, its territory was expanded, and all nations submitted to it. This is all thanks to me."
"However, the world belongs to the young, and I have done what I should do. Therefore, today, I will pass the throne to Crown Prince Chen Li and go into seclusion to study the Way of Heaven."
"Chen Li."
Upon hearing this, Chen Li, who had been the crown prince for forty years, immediately knelt down: "Father is in the prime of his life, how can he give up the throne to his son!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "How can there be a crown prince for forty years? Today, I..."
boom!
Just as Chen Jie was speaking, a terrifying loud noise suddenly rang out, startling everyone. At that moment, soldiers rushed in from outside.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The western sky has cracked open!" (End of Chapter)