The Great Ruler

"I didn't need your help to deal with him." Looking in the direction where the commander of the Flame Demon Clan fled in, Mu Chen turned around as he said to Qing Shuang.

He could tell that Qing Shuang was barely holding on, and it was just an act.

If Qing Ling had heard this in the past, she would probably start ridiculing Mu Chen. But after witnessing Mu Chen's means, she nodded her head in agreement.

Qing Shuang's face turned pale once again and she pursed her lips. "It's that fellow being too afraid of you, so he ran when I appeared."

Although Qing Shuang was prideful, she knew her limits. Since Mu Chen could see that she was acting, how could the commander of the Flame Demon Clan not?

But the latter still chose to escape because the pressure he felt from Mu Chen was too strong and he wasn't confident about winning.

Mu Chen smiled as he shook his head. "How're your injuries?"

"I can recover with a brief rest." Qing Shuang nodded her head. After all, as a Perfected Earth Sovereign, her vitality was extremely powerful.

"Thanks for this." Qing Shuang gently said as she stared at Mu Chen. She knew that if Mu Chen hadn't appeared in time, she and Qing Ling would probably be in a miserable state by now, since she had a taste of how violent that commander of the Flame Demon Clan was.

Mu Chen waved his hand. "You tried to help me earlier, so consider our debts settled."

When he finished his words, he turned around and was about to leave.

"Mu Chen, why don't we move together? We have no idea how many members of the Fiend Clans are in the Four Saint Pagoda, so it's safer for us to stay together." Qing Ling quickly said when she saw that Mu Chen was about to leave.

That previous incident had utterly terrified her. Furthermore, Qing Shuang's injuries haven't recovered yet. So if Mu Chen left, they would be doomed if they encountered a powerful member of the Fiend Clans.

Mu Chen's brows were raised. If Qing Shuang recovered, she would be a powerful help. However, he wasn't used to traveling with someone he wasn't familiar with.

"If you're interested, I can tell you things about the Ancient Buddha Clan, including… your mother." Qing Shuang softly said after a brief ponder.

Mu Chen stopped before waving his hand. "Come along, then."

As he spoke, he waved his sleeve and a spiritual lustre surged, sweeping over Qing Shuang and Qing Ling before they bolted towards the distance.

…

"How's my mother?" As they traveled, Mu Chen took the initiative to ask after a long silence.

"Aunt Jing is going great." Qing Shuang and Qing Ling said after exchanging a gaze.

Mu Chen sneered, "Being imprisoned is good?"

Qing Shuang shook her head. "You have no idea that with Aunt Qing's position in the Ancient Buddha Clan and her strength, even the Grand Elder can't suppress her completely."

"Sometime earlier, the Grand Elder and Aunt Jing seemed to have some conflicts, in which she had gained full control of the clan protection array of the Ancient Buddha Clan, and the Grand Elder was forced to take a step back."

"The outcome of it was that no Heavenly Sovereign of the Ancient Buddha Clan are allowed to make a move against you." Qing Shuang then looked at Mu Chen and continued, "Aunt Jing is willing to be imprisoned for you. Otherwise, even the Ancient Buddha Clan would have to pay a great price to forcefully imprison her."

Mu Chen's heart trembled as he recalled the time he barged into the Ancestral Land of the Ancient Buddha Clan some time ago, and it was his mother that personally helped him to escape.

"It's no wonder why, even though I've gradually caught the attention of the Ancient Buddha Clan, there's no Heavenly Sovereign that made a move against me. So it was my mother that helped me." Mu Chen's gaze turned complicated as he felt warmth in his heart. Even if he never felt her embrace after being an infant, he had no idea that his mother had been using another method to protect him.

This was a form of unconditional love.

Pursing his lips together, Mu Chen faintly, suddenly said, "You guys said that my mother belongs to your Qing Bloodline. So why are you guys sitting and watching while she's imprisoned?"

Qing Shuang gently sighed, "There are many factions in the Ancient Buddha Clan, with the Xuan and Mo Bloodline being the most powerful. Our Qing Bloodline was once powerful when the leader of the Qing Bloodline was Aunt Jing's father, your maternal grandfather.

"But after his death, the Qing Bloodline started to deteriorate. Not long after that, Aunt Jing left the Ancient Buddha Clan and disappeared for ten-odd years, which should be the period where she met your father and had you.

"By the time Aunt Jing returned, she was imprisoned by the Elder Association for bloodline leakage. At that time, most of the Elders' seats had fallen in the hands of the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines. Even if our Qing Bloodline tried to fight for it, it was futile for us to change the situation.

"Furthermore, there are some in the Qing Bloodline that have some dissatisfaction for Aunt Jing. After all, she was determined to be the next leader of our Qing Bloodline, but she had abandoned her responsibility.

"Because of all sorts of reasons, Aunt Jing has been imprisoned…"

Mu Chen knitted his brows. "Not everyone wants to be the leader of your Qing Bloodline. Why force your ideals onto my mother?"

Although he hadn't come in contact with her, he could sense that his mother wasn't the leading-type, nor would she want to bear the responsibility of the entire Qing Bloodline.

Qing Shuang bitterly smiled. "Who can be clear about that stuff? However, most of the Qing Bloodline still hold Aunt Jing with respect. Furthermore, they've always been trying to break her free."

After a brief silence, Mu Chen's expression calmed down. Qing Shuang did not need to lie to him because he would find out sooner or later if it was false.

"When I break through to the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, I will head to the Ancient Buddha Clan to rescue my mother." Mu Chen took a deep breath before he said with a resolution.

Qing Shuang and Qing Ling were stunned before they exchanged a glance. Break through to the Heavenly Sovereign Realm? They could sense the confidence in Mu Chen's tone that made them feel speechless. After all, the Heavenly Sovereign Realm was too far to reach. Even though Qing Shuang was already a Perfected Earth Sovereign, with only a step away from the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, only she knew how difficult it was to cross that level.

In the massive Great Thousand World, perhaps a Perfected Earth Sovereign could be a tyrant. But only Heavenly Sovereigns could come in contact with the top of the Great Thousand World.

Earth Sovereigns were Kings, ruling a region. On the other hand, Heavenly Sovereigns were Emperors that overlooked the Kings from high above.

If it was someone else confidently saying that they would step into the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, they might inwardly shake their heads. But they could vaguely feel that Mu Chen wasn't just boasting, since this youth had relied on himself to come this far without the resources of the Ancient Buddha Clan.

Although he was only a Greater Earth Sovereign, he could even force an expert like the commander of the Flame Demon Clan to retreat, an achievement that wasn't at all inferior to Xuan Luo and Mo Xin.

One could only imagine that if Mu Chen had the same starting point as them, he would already be in an unreachable position by now.

Taking a deep breath, Qing Shuang and Qing Ling sighed, 'Mu Chen is truly the child of Aunt Jing…'

"But even if you're in the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, I'm afraid that you won't have it good in the Ancient Buddha Clan." Qing Ling couldn't help speaking out, since she didn't feel that a Spirit Heavenly Sovereign could stir anything in the Ancient Buddha Clan.

Mu Chen kept his silence with a smile. On the other hand, Qing Shuang fell into thoughts. The reason why Aunt Jing was willing to be imprisoned for so many years in the Ancient Buddha Clan wasn't because she was afraid, but because she wanted to protect Mu Chen.

Thus, Mu Chen, who hadn't grown up, was Aunt Jing's greatest weakness. But if Mu Chen stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, the vulnerability would be greatly decreased. At that time, if Mu Chen appeared in the Ancient Buddha Clan, it wouldn't be that easy for Aunt Jing to be obediently imprisoned anymore.

At that time, facing the powerful formation of this mother and son, unless those old fellows in the Ancient Buddha Clan were willing to pay a great price, there's nothing they could do about them, since they have lost their best opportunity. The sinner that they had forgotten would have grown to a height that they couldn't reach.

Mu Chen had no idea what was going on through Qing Shuang's mind, but he looked into the distance. "Your target is also the Eight-Divisional Pagoda? If that's the case, I won't let you have it."

Since he had already learned the Three Pures, if he could obtain another amongst the 36 Peerless Divine Abilities, he would even be able to confront a Spirit Heavenly Sovereign when he reached the Perfected Earth Sovereign Realm.

Qing Shuang shook her head and coldly said, "You don't need to let me, just think about how to deal with Xuan Luo and Mo Xin to obtain the Eight-Divisional Pagoda. They will surely not let you have dips in it."

Mu Chen smiled. "If they want to fight, then bring it on. I'll see if they're capable enough to make me quit."

Hearing his words, Qing Ling's gaze flashed with an uncontrollable splendor as she looked at Mu Chen. After all, Xuan Luo and Mo Xin's reputations have been too brilliant in the Ancient Buddha Clan. Even the most outstanding amongst their Qing Bloodline, Qing Shuang, wasn't their match.

But Mu Chen wasn't afraid of those two and still remained so confident that he made Qing Ling's heart leap.

"Don't be careless, the two of them have learned Quasi-Peerless Divine Abilities. They're peerless amongst those of the same level." Qing Shuang reminded.

"Quasi-Peerless Divine Abilities?" Mu Chen's eyes narrowed, but he wasn't surprised. After all, the two of them were the most outstanding amongst the younger generations in the Ancient Buddha Clan. If they did not have a trump card or two, it wouldn't make sense.

"I have never underestimated them, but I hope that they can do the same as well. Otherwise, I'm afraid that they will have to pay a considerable price." Mu Chen looked into the distance and smiled.

Qing Shuang looked at the youth that had unconcealable sharpness emanating and bit on her lips with expectations flashing in her eyes.

That's because she wished to know who's the strongest amongst the younger generations of the Ancient Buddha Clan, Mu Chen, Xuan Luo, or Mo Xin.