"Old Master Chen, I'm doing this for your own good. Chen Shanhe is collaborating with the Godly Cult; everyone is justified in hunting him down. I've already shown restraint."
Yu Daohen spoke without reservation; he had been polite. If they were to truly investigate, some of the Chen family's dealings were explicitly forbidden by the Spiritual Affairs Bureau.
Yu Daohen took out his compass again and looked at Chen Shanshui beside him, asking, "Patriarch Chen, will you continue to manage this compass, or hand it over to me?"
Chen Shanshui did not answer immediately but looked at Chen Guojun beside him, asking for his opinion. Seeing Chen Guojun remain silent, Chen Shanshui then said, "Master Yu, with the Chen family's current strength, we likely do not have the ability to protect this compass. It's better to give it to you."
"Alright." Yu Daohen nodded, put the compass away, and turned to leave. After taking two steps, Yu Daohen stopped, looked back at Chen Guojun, and reminded him, "Old Master Chen, let's put our grievances aside for now. I still need to remind you, indecision leads to disaster."
Chen Guojun suppressed his anger and nodded, "I understand." Some things are best left unsaid. Yu Daohen cast one last glance at Chen Guojun and his son before walking away.
After Yu Daohen left, Chen Shanshui looked at Chen Guojun beside him and tentatively asked, "Father, should we send disciples to assassinate Yu Daohen?"
Chen Guojun shook his head and sighed, "There's no need. I can't do anything to him, let alone those brats. The Chen family has suffered a heavy blow this time; there's no need for further futile sacrifices."
"Then..." Chen Shanshui was about to speak when Chen Guojun interrupted him, shaking his head, "There's no need to make an enemy of him. The Chen family is severely weakened, and I am also at the end of my strength."
"Understood." Chen Shanshui nodded, inwardly delighted. He truly did not wish to be an enemy of Yu Daohen.
Chen Guojun looked at the severed arm on the ground and, after a long pause, slowly said, "Shui'er, issue a notice. From today onwards, Chen Shanhe has been disowned by the Chen family, removed from the genealogy. Inform everyone as soon as possible, so the entire martial world knows. Also, issue a bounty."
Upon hearing the word "bounty," Chen Shanshui's face tensed, and he quickly asked, "Father, do you intend to put a bounty on my brother?"
Chen Guojun's face was filled with helplessness, "What else can we do?" Seeing his father's anger, Chen Shanshui swallowed and smiled, "Father, since the compass has been recovered, there's no need to issue a bounty, is there?"
Chen Guojun snorted coldly, angered, "No need? Ask the Three Great Sects if there's no need. Ask Yu Daohen if there's no need. It's already my utmost benevolence not to send my own disciples to hunt him down!"
Chen Shanshui was left speechless by the retort but still wanted to intervene, "Father, he is..." Hearing this, Chen Guojun roared, "Who is he? He is my son, your own brother! But what of it?"
"Ask the Three Great Sects if they will let him go just because he is my son and your brother. Did you not hear what Yu Daohen said? That was a warning, and a threat!"
"Collaborating with the Godly Cult means everyone is justified in hunting him down!"
Chen Shanshui looked at Chen Guojun, certain that this was his father's greatest anger. Chen Shanshui nodded in agreement, "Alright, I will issue the bounty now. The reward will be the Wound-Healing Gu."
The Wound-Healing Gu could heal any injury, no matter how severe, as long as it wasn't a fatal blow. This was something even Black List experts dreamed of!
Chen Guojun grunted, "So be it. Then, notify the Spiritual Affairs Bureau and commission them to hunt down Chen Shanhe!"
"Understood." Chen Shanshui knew that his father was determined to see his brother dead. But he couldn't blame his father; his brother's collaboration with the Godly Cult meant he was an enemy to the entire martial world.
"I'll go issue the bounty first," Chen Shanshui said, preparing to leave. Chen Guojun slowly closed his eyes and nodded helplessly.
As Chen Shanshui turned to leave, Chen Guojun suddenly called out, "Shui'er." Chen Shanshui stopped, turned back to look at Chen Guojun's retreating figure, and asked, "Father, do you have any other instructions?"
Chen Guojun sighed deeply and slowly said, "Shui'er, this is a lesson. You must remember from now on, people can be driven by profit, but they must never make enemies of the entire world."
Chen Shanshui nodded, cupped his hands in a salute, "Your son understands and will certainly remember this lesson." Chen Guojun nodded, appearing to have aged ten years in an instant, his voice hoarse, "From now on, you are in charge of the Chen family."
Chen Shanshui looked at Chen Guojun, who had suddenly lost his vitality, his face full of worry, "Father!" Chen Guojun shook his head, raised a hand to support Chen Shanshui's shoulder, his voice hoarse, "Lead the Chen family well towards glory."
Chen Shanshui's eyes were firm, and he nodded in agreement, "Your son will not fail this mission." Chen Guojun nodded and walked towards the outside, "I should also enjoy my twilight years."
At this moment, Chen Guojun walked with a stoop, his eyes devoid of any spirit. His already thin frame now seemed even more desolate. Chen Shanshui watched his father's lonely back, his face filled with bitterness and helplessness. Father was truly old now.
From this moment on, the Chen family, once a top-tier force among the first-rate powers, had fallen to the bottom of that tier. Chen Shanhe's betrayal and collaboration with the Godly Cult, Chen Guojun's announcement of retirement to enjoy his twilight years, coupled with the severe blow from the Godly Cult this time, meant the Chen family had already begun a downward trend. To halt this decline, another genius with the potential of a Black List expert would need to emerge. But for a genius to grow takes time, and not everyone is like Yu Daohen. This period could be as short as thirty years, or as long as fifty. Could the Chen family, with its current strength, hold on until a genius emerged? The Chen family's fortune had already declined.
Chen Shanshui looked up at the moon, his face filled with melancholy, "Where will the Chen family go from here?"
When a sect rises, it must eventually fall; when it falls, it must eventually rise. As some sects decline, others emerge. In this chaotic era, most sects are on a downward path, while only a few are flourishing. Among these, the Yanhuo Sect has developed most terrifyingly. Once at the bottom of the third-rate forces, it has now risen to the top tier of first-rate powers and continues to develop rapidly. In the near future, the Yanhuo Sect might truly enter the ranks of the Three Great Sects.
As dawn broke, Yu Daohen arrived at Chen Qiaorou's doorstep, where Shi Bingzhi had already been waiting for a long time. Seeing that Yu Daohen was not injured, Shi Bingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Is the battle over?"
Yu Daohen nodded, "Yes, the Godly Cult has completely withdrawn." Shi Bingzhi nodded, then after a moment of silence, asked the crucial question, "Was the compass in the Chen family's possession secured?" Yu Daohen did not answer but patted his pocket. Shi Bingzhi immediately understood, and the stone that had been weighing on his heart finally fell.