Comprehensive Suppression, Overnight Return to the Beginning
Chen Ping'an felt as if his body was falling apart.
He glanced resentfully at Su Ling, who was crouching on the ground, her head lowered as she played with throwing pebbles.
Of course, he didn't blame Su Ling; it was his own fault.
Why did he tell her to stop so abruptly!
Moreover, he really didn't expect that Su Ling, who looked so small and adorable, would possess such tremendous strength.
It was akin to that of an adult!
His waist ached, his legs ached, and even his... well, you know.
[Now the host believes it, doesn't he?]
Hearing the system's voice, Chen Ping'an felt like crying but had no tears.
He had been so delighted, thinking he was truly powerful.
Yet reality had once again dealt him a heavy blow.
Chen Ping'an squinted his eyes, thinking about Mu Rong Gong and Long Ao Tian.
Why did those two deceive him?
Were they conspiring to play him for a fool?
Surely they wouldn't be so bored as to do that!
After this incident, Chen Ping'an had seen through his own shortcomings.
He was definitely not strong.
He even had a feeling that Su Ling might be stronger than him!
That was quite lamentable.
However, he didn't find Su Ling's extraordinary strength particularly special.
After all, Su Yi was a cultivator, so perhaps her daughter was a bit unique.
"Ai, I really can't figure it out."
Chen Ping'an sat on a chair, feeling helpless.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Could it be possible that I'm a bug-like existence? Although I'm truly weak, in the eyes of these cultivators, I appear exceptionally powerful?"
"This might be possible! The book on the common knowledge of the cultivation realm states that these cultivators can sense others' strength through their aura. Perhaps I have such an aura bug, causing them to be under the illusion that my cultivation aura is powerful!"
"That's right! Haha, if that's the case, it would explain everything! That's why they called me a senior when they saw me and were so respectful. When I said I was an ordinary person, they didn't believe me!"
Chen Ping'an slapped his thigh, feeling that everything made sense now.
Unfortunately, that slap landed right on his injured leg, causing him to wince in pain.
Nevertheless, Chen Ping'an remained delighted.
"If that's the case, I can bluff my way through in the future!"
Chen Ping'an chuckled mischievously.
Even without cultivation, he could enjoy the honor of being a cultivator!
Just as Chen Ping'an was rambling on, a child suddenly ran over from outside.
"There's an immortal in the village!" the child repeated frantically as he ran.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ping'an's eyes lit up.
The "immortal" the child referred to was a cultivator.
Their village was often passed through by cultivators from time to time.
They generally forgot to bring provisions and stopped by the small town to purchase supplies.
Hearing this news, Chen Ping'an could take this opportunity to test his theory!
If his guess was correct, the cultivator would address him as a senior upon seeing him.
Chen Ping'an looked at Su Ling and said, "Little Ling, stay at home. I'll be out for a bit and bring you a watermelon when I return."
Su Ling nodded with a smile after hearing this, then continued happily playing with her stone-throwing.
She had already practiced to the point of catching five pebbles at once.
Chen Ping'an's body was aching all over, so he didn't bother changing clothes and hobbled out.
When he reached the main street, he saw many villagers surrounding a middle-aged man.
They were smiling and addressing him as an "immortal" with cupped fists.
Some villagers even offered gifts in hopes of earning blessings.
The middle-aged man didn't look down on the villagers; instead, he conversed with them amiably.
When a child requested a demonstration of his immortal arts, he even flew into the air, circling above their heads.
His cultivation level was at the Yuan Dan stage.
He had been born in an ordinary town but later diligently cultivated, achieving his current accomplishments. Thus, he was particularly friendly toward ordinary people.
Seeing this man fly, Chen Ping'an realized he must be a cultivator and hurried forward.
The villagers greeted Chen Ping'an politely, addressing him as "Mr. Chen."
Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled back at them.
Finally, Chen Ping'an approached the Yuan Dan cultivator.
His heart was pounding with anticipation, hoping the cultivator would suddenly bow deeply and address him as "senior."
However...
Upon seeing Chen Ping'an approach, the middle-aged man merely smiled and said, "Sir, how may I help you?"
It seemed polite, but it didn't meet Chen Ping'an's expectations!
Chen Ping'an blinked, feeling that it shouldn't be like this.
He tried asking, "Hello, can you see anything different about me?"
The middle-aged man was puzzled by Chen Ping'an's vague question.
What did he mean?
Different in what way?
He didn't see anything different, so he shook his head.
At that moment, Chen Ping'an's heart shattered.
He then turned and left.
Dammit!
If anyone calls me powerful again, I'll really be upset!
Chen Ping'an finally understood that he wasn't the poisonous one.
It was Mu Rong Gong, Long Ao Tian, and the others!
What the hell was going on?!
Chen Ping'an was utterly perplexed, unable to figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
He bought a watermelon and hobbled back to his courtyard, feeling helpless.
From now on, he wouldn't bother thinking about it anymore. Call him whatever they wanted...
Overthinking would only give him a headache!
...
After leaving Chen Ping'an's courtyard, Long Ao Tian first went to where Jiaolong was located.
However, Liu Yuxi had already disappeared.
Upon seeing Long Ao Tian, Jiaolong chuckled, "What's the matter, want to fight again?"
Earlier, when it tried to attack Liu Yuxi and the others, Long Ao Tian intervened, as he felt the Qian Yu Empire might be useful to Chen Ping'an.
But after their battle, the result was a stalemate.
Long Ao Tian knew fighting again would be pointless, so he ignored Jiaolong and disappeared.
He returned to the mountaintop where he had built his house.
He took out a sound-transmitting jade slip and transmitted, "Are you at Tian Xun Pavilion?"
After a moment, a voice replied from within.
"Yes, Pavilion Master, how may I assist you?" came the voice of a middle-aged woman.
Long Ao Tian's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness as he said sternly, "From this moment on, mobilize all of Tian Xun Pavilion's strength to suppress the Qian Yu Empire!"
Originally, there had been a mountain breeze at Long Ao Tian's mountaintop location, but after these words, it suddenly stopped, and the surroundings grew unnaturally chilly.
The sound-transmitting jade slip fell silent for a moment, as if the recipient was stunned.
Then...
"Pavilion Master, the Qian Yu Empire is quite prominent recently, and many forces have allied with them. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to do this...?"
Long Ao Tian snorted coldly, "What if I told you their empire's princess said that soon, Tian Xun Pavilion would kneel at their empire's feet? Would you still think it's inappropriate?"
After these words, the recipient fell silent again.
But in the next moment, her voice also turned cold. "Pavilion Master, please command!"
Long Ao Tian said coldly, "From this moment on, mobilize all Tian Xun Pavilion members to suppress the Qian Yu Empire! Threaten any forces cooperating with them, warning that anyone who continues to ally with them will become TianXun Pavilion's mortal enemy! Furthermore, mobilize the forces allied with our Tian Xun Pavilion to join this suppression campaign. I want the Qian Yu Empire to return overnight to where they once were!! Can you do that?!"
The sound-transmitting jade slip quickly transmitted a reply.
"As you command!"
Long Ao Tian's face revealed a cold smile as he added one more line.
"By the way, send someone to the Qian Yu Empire to find their emperor and tell him...
He has a good daughter!"