Chapter 242: The New Patriarch

Chen Fei never expected that upon activating the altar, he would encounter such a thing!

Cautiously retreating, he watched as the massive blood cocoon suddenly trembled. In the blink of an eye, a blood-red tentacle shot toward him.

Without hesitation, Chen Fei summoned the Void Heaven Cauldron to shield himself.

Yet even with this protection, the tentacle still struck his body without resistance.

A cold, slimy sensation spread across his skin, causing Chen Fei to raise an eyebrow.

But almost immediately, he felt his blood begin to boil, just like it had when he met the Ancestor.

Golden patterns, emanating a majestic aura, appeared on his forehead.

Unfortunately, Chen Fei was completely unaware of it.

“Damn it! Why is your bloodline so pure?!” A deep, furious voice echoed within Chen Fei’s mind. The cold tone made his hair stand on end.

His pupils shrank.

A chilling energy began to spread into his body from the point of contact with the tentacle.

“Slave rebelling against the master — damn you!”

An imposing voice rang out, and the golden pattern on Chen Fei’s forehead suddenly flared with brilliant light. A towering figure appeared in front of him, floating in the air. The figure pointed directly at the blood cocoon.

The cocoon visibly shrank, as though terrified to the extreme.

Thunderous booming echoed from the altar before it exploded into rubble under the figure’s gesture.

Chen Fei was instantly pulled back to the real world. The altar before him had already collapsed into fragments.

“What… was that?” he muttered, staring at the golden figure with shock and a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The figure felt extremely familiar, yet its majesty made it seem distant and unapproachable.

“You’re not bad!” the golden figure said. Surrounded in divine light, his tone was dignified yet slightly kind. As his voice fell, the figure transformed into a beam of golden light and shot into Chen Fei’s forehead.

Chen Fei’s body trembled slightly. It felt as if something new had been implanted into his mind.

Before he could examine it, the entire Ziqing Palace began to tremble violently.

“What’s going on?” he exclaimed.

Before he could react, the scene shifted, and he found himself back at the Chen Clan Ancestral Land. The majestic Ziqing Palace had become a streak of red light and merged into his Void Heaven Cauldron.

The cauldron trembled violently, seemingly undergoing another transformation due to absorbing the palace.

Intricate patterns appeared on its surface, forming a palace-like rune seal.

Chen Wansheng approached with a smile, ready to speak, but Chen Fei suddenly sat down cross-legged with a serious expression.

“Ancestor…” Chen Fei looked up.

Chen Wansheng clasped his hands behind his back, looking like a kind old man. “It’s alright. Just focus on your breakthrough!”

With those words, spiritual energy began to surge around Chen Fei.

The transformation of the Void Heaven Cauldron had brought him tremendous feedback. His cultivation skyrocketed from mid Yuan Realm to high Yuan Realm in an instant, then began solidifying his foundation.

Chen Wansheng’s gaze flickered as he watched.

“Strange… Such an ordinary Cauldron Martial Soul, yet it has this kind of talent. Could the problem lie within the Martial Soul itself?” he murmured, eyes narrowing.

The Cauldron Martial Soul was generally regarded as weaker, especially in offense.

But Chen Fei’s performance didn’t match any known expectations of cauldron-type Martial Souls.

Looking closer, Chen Wansheng raised his eyebrows.

Though the Martial Soul appeared ordinary, it carried a noble aura — something difficult to describe but impossible to miss.

“No wonder he improves so fast… Looks like it’s tied to his Martial Soul. If paired with the Chen clan’s unique bloodline awakening, his potential is limitless!” Chen Wansheng said with admiration.

Meanwhile, Chen Fei was completely immersed in the pleasure of breakthrough. Since entering the Tianqing Holy Land, his strength had never stopped improving.

Now, he had reached the high Yuan Realm!

Opening his eyes slowly, Chen Fei stood up. “Thank you, Ancestor, for guarding me!”

Chen Wansheng waved his hand. “It’s only right.”

Chen Fei hesitated, then asked, “Ancestor, did your breakthrough succeed?”

Chen Wansheng sighed and shook his head. “Everyone has their destiny. I’d say it was… a half-success.”

“A half-success?” Chen Fei looked confused.

“You’ll understand when you reach the Sky Pattern Realm,” Wansheng replied cryptically, then turned serious. “Tell me, did you see… that thing?”

Chen Fei’s face darkened and he nodded. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he could feel it wasn’t ordinary.

Wansheng’s expression grew complex. “That thing… is the nightmare of our Chen Clan. I’ve remained here in the ancestral land for many years just to suppress it. But now, you needn’t worry about it anymore.”

Chen Fei looked at him in surprise.

With a gentle smile, Wansheng said, “From now on, you are the new patriarch of the Chen Clan. Lead the clan well. And if danger ever comes, return to the ancestral land. Here — I am invincible!”

As he uttered those words, pride flickered on Wansheng’s face.

But right after, he began coughing violently, hardly resembling an invincible powerhouse…

“Ancestor, isn’t this… a bit sudden?” Chen Fei said hesitantly.

The ‘Chen Clan’ — such a distant, vague term to him. He didn’t even remember a time when the clan truly existed. And now, he was suddenly the patriarch?

Wansheng seemed to expect the hesitation and chuckled as he handed over a token. “Don’t worry — the title is mostly symbolic. The clan affairs will be handled by others. You won’t need to worry.”

Chen Fei felt something was off, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Wansheng tossed the token to him, then looked toward the entrance of the ancestral land. “It’s about time. They should be arriving soon.”

“They?” Chen Fei asked in surprise.

Wansheng nodded.

Just as he finished speaking, the current head of the clan, Chen Wang, entered with a group of clan members.

“We congratulate the Ancestor! May your life be eternal and glorious!” Chen Wang shouted as everyone knelt in unison.

Wansheng accepted the gesture calmly.

But Chen Fei, standing nearby, couldn’t help feeling awkward — were they always this… enthusiastic? First meeting and they already kneel?