The Great Ruler

Mu Chen looked in the direction that the Balrog Commander had escaped. “You could have left him to me. I can handle him,” Mu Chen said as he turned around to face Qing Shuang. He could tell that Qing Shuang was putting up a false front, as she had exhausted her strength.

Qing Ling, who was standing beside Qing Shuang, nodded in agreement. If she had heard these words from Mu Chen earlier, she would have mocked him. However, after seeing the means he had displayed, she was convinced of his strength.

Qing Shuang’s face turned pale again as she curled up her lips and said, “The Balrog Commander is afraid of you. He did not run away because of me.” Although Qing Shuang was a prideful person, she knew her own ability. If Mu Chen could tell that she was putting up a false front, the powerful Balrog Commander would be able to see through her as well. He had chosen to run away, as Mu Chen had put him under too much pressure. He did not have the confidence to deal with Mu Chen and be distracted by her at the same time.

When Mu Chen heard it, he simply smiled and shook his head. He did not dwell on this and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“I should be able to recover after taking a rest,” Qing Shuang replied. After all, she was a Complete Earthly Sovereign, and those who were at this level had a strong will to live. “Thank you for your help,” she said softly as she looked at Mu Chen. She knew that if Mu Chen had not appeared in time, she and Qing Ling would have been in a sorry state. She had experienced the Balrog Commander’s brutality.

Mu Chen waved his hand and said flatly, “Before this, you had offered to help me as well. Let’s consider things even.” Having said that, he turned around and got ready to leave.

“Mu Chen, let’s travel together. We do not know how many top powers from the Extraterritorial Race have come to the Four Sacred Tower. If we travel together, we can look out for one another,” Qing Ling said hastily as she saw Mu Chen getting ready to make a move.

She had been scared out of her wits by the earlier encounter. Qing Shuang had not fully recovered from her injuries, and if they should come across another top power from the Extraterritorial Race, they would be in a dire situation.

Mu Chen raised his brows. Although Qing Shuang would be a great help once she recovered from her injuries, he was not used to traveling with the people whom he did not trust.

“If you are interested, we can provide you with some information about the Budur Ancient Clan, including… your mother,” Qing Shuang said, after she pondered for a moment.

Mu Chen stopped moving. He then waved his hand and said, “Let’s travel together then.” He waved his sleeve, and spiritual light surged out. It turned into a streamer and wrapped up Qing Shuang and Qing Ling. They then turned into three shadows and shot out.

…

After keeping silent for a long while, Mu Chen asked as they traveled, “How is my mother doing?”

“Aunt Jing is fine,” Qing Shuang and Qing Ling said, after they looked at each other.

Mu Chen sneered. “How can she be fine when she has been imprisoned!?”

Qing Shuang shook her head and said, “You are not aware of Aunt Jing’s status in the Budur Ancient Clan. Given her strength, even the First Elder is unable to tame her.

“Recently, the First Elder and Aunt Jing had some conflicts. During their confrontation, Aunt Jing took over control of the Budur Ancient Clan’s Fortify Clan Grand Array, and the First Elder had no choice but to give in to her. Her request was for the Budur Ancient Clan not to send out any Heavenly Sovereigns to deal with you.”

Qing Shuang looked at Mu Chen and said, “Aunt Jing chose to be locked up because of you. If she had not gone willingly, the Budur Ancient Clan would have paid a high price locking her up by force.”

Mu Chen was shocked. He suddenly recalled that back then, he had barged into the ancestral land of the Budur Ancient Clan. At the crucial moment, his mother had secretly helped him and sent him away safely from the ancestral land.

“No wonder no Heavenly Sovereigns have attacked me ’til now, even when the Budur Ancient Clan saw me. My mother has been secretly helping me.” Mu Chen had mixed feelings, and he was filled with warmth. From infancy, he had never had the chance of enjoying a cuddle from his mother. However, his mother had been protecting him in some other ways in a place that he did not know of. She had given him her unconditional love and care.

Mu Chen curled up his lips and asked flatly, “Why do you keep saying that my mother belongs to your Qing lineage, and yet you allow her to be imprisoned?”

Qing Shuang sighed and said, “There are many sects within the Budur Ancient Clan. The Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage are the most powerful. Our lineage used to be powerful. Back then, our leader was Aunt Jing’s father, who is your grandfather.

“However, after your grandfather passed on, our Qing lineage started to go downhill. Shortly after, Aunt Jing left the Budur Ancient Clan and went missing for decades. It should be during that period that she met your father and had you.

“When Aunt Jing returned, the clan found out that she was with someone outside our lineage, and she was locked up by the Elder Academy. As most of the elders in the Elder Academy are from the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage, we were unable to change their decision, although we stood up for her. Moreover, some of the members from our lineage are upset with Aunt Jing. Everyone has regarded her as our next leader, but she has not fulfilled any of her responsibilities. Due to these reasons, Aunt Jing has been imprisoned…”

Mu Chen frowned and asked, “Not everyone wants to become a leader. Why must you force your wishes upon my mother?” Although Mu Chen had not had many interactions with his mother, he sensed that she was not interested in becoming a leader. She did not want to take on the burden of the Qing lineage.

Qing Shuang smiled wryly and said, “What can we say? We cannot stop the people from having their own thoughts. However, only a small portion of them share this thought. Most of us from the Qing lineage still respect Aunt Jing, and we have been thinking of ways to get her out of the imprisonment.”

Mu Chen kept silent when he heard it, and his attitude became more amicable. Qing Shuang had no reason to lie him. After all, such things would come to light sooner or later. Mu Chen took a deep breath and said in a determined tone, “After I have advanced to the Heavenly Sovereign level, I will go to the Budur Ancient Clan and get my mother out.”

Qing Shuang and Qing Ling were stunned and looked at each other. Advanced to the Heavenly Sovereign level? The Heavenly Sovereign level was so far out of their reach. Although Qing Shuang was already a Complete Earthly Sovereign and was only one step away from the Heavenly Sovereign level, she knew that this step was the most difficult to take compared to all the levels that she had gone through before.

In the vast Great Thousand World, a Complete Earthly Sovereign might become a Grand Force or an overlord in one of the regions. However, only those who had stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level could be at the highest level in the Great Thousand World.

The Earthly Sovereigns were the lords, and they ruled over the regions. The Heavenly Sovereigns were like the emperors, and they oversaw the lords. They were of a high status.

If it had been someone else who had made this remark so confidently, Qing Ling and Qing Shuang would have shaken their heads with disapproval in their hearts. However, it was Mu Chen who had said it, and they felt that it was possible for him to achieve it. Mu Chen had never received any cultivation resources from the Budur Ancient Clan. He had depended on his own hard work and determination to be what he was this day. He was only an Upper Earthly Sovereign, but he was able to force the extremely powerful Balrog Commander to retreat. Mu Chen’s achievement was on par with Xuan Luo and Mo Xin’s. One could imagine that if Mu Chen had received the same help that Xuan Luo and Mo Xin had, he would have gone so far that no one could catch up with him!

Qing Shuang and Qing Ling sighed within themselves. Mu Chen truly takes after Aunt Jing…

“However, even if you reach the Heavenly Sovereign level, you will not have any edge over the Budur Ancient Clan,” Qing Ling said, as she could not contain herself. She did not think that a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign could have his way in the Budur Ancient Clan.

Mu Chen did not say a word and simply smiled.

Qing Shuang was deep in thought. The Budur Ancient Clan had been able to lock Aunt Jing up for so many years, but not because she was afraid of them. She went willingly to protect Mu Chen. Back then, Mu Chen had not matured and was not powerful, and this was a disadvantage for Aunt Jing. However, once Mu Chen stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level, it would no longer be a problem. Once he appeared in the Budur Ancient Clan, Aunt Jing would no longer allow herself to be locked up. When the mother and son combined their forces, those elders in the Budur Ancient Clan would have to pay a high price if they wanted no harm to come upon them.

They had lost the best opportunity to deal with the perpetrator, whom they had forgotten. He had now grown up and become so powerful that they could no longer deal with him.

Mu Chen did not know what was going on in Qing Shuang’s mind. He looked into the distance and asked, “Are you targeting the Eight Budur? If you are, I will not let you have it.” He had cultivated the Qi into Trinity. If he could obtain the Eight Budur, which was one of the 36 volumes of Rare Super Powers, he would be able to step into the Complete Earthly Sovereign level. When that happened, he would have the power to contend with a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign.

When Qing Shuang heard it, she shook her head and said coldly, “You do not have to worry about me. You should be thinking of how you can snatch the Eight Budur away from Xuan Luo and Mo Xin. They will not allow you to have it.”

Mu Chen smiled and said, “If they wish to fight, my door is open. If they want me to give up, they have to prove to me that they can make me.”

Qing Ling was taken aback. After all, Xuan Luo and Mo Xin had been well-known among the younger generation in the Budur Ancient Clan for many years. In their Qing lineage, Qing Shuang was the most outstanding, but even she was no match for them. However, Mu Chen did not show any sign of fear of the two of them. His confidence and easygoing attitude made Qing Ling’s heart jump.

“You have to be careful. Xuan Luo and Mo Xin have cultivated a Quasi-Rare Super Power, and they are invincible among their peers,” Qing Shuang warned Mu Chen.

“Quasi-Rare Super Power?” Mu Chen’s gaze froze, but he did not look surprised. After all, Xuan Lo and Mo Xin were the most outstanding people among the younger generation in the Budur Ancient Clan. It would not make any sense if they did not possess some hidden powerful means.

“I have never taken them lightly. I hope that they do not take me lightly, either. Otherwise, they will have to pay a high price for it,” Mu Chen said with a smile as he looked into the distance.

Qing Shuang bit her lips and looked at Mu Chen with anticipation. Although he was composed, he could not hide the sharp aura that was within him. She was dying to find out who would emerge as the most powerful person among the younger generation in the Budur Ancient Clan when Mu Chen fought Xuan Luo and Mo Xin…