Jiang Chen walked on the mountain path, his heart secretly shocked.

No wonder it's said that the Huangluo Clan is the only martial arts force capable of contending with the Flame Dragon Group. It seems it's not just because of their ancient ancestor's existence!

Along the way, Jiang Chen sensed nearly a hundred auras. At the foot of the mountain, they were Heavenly Peak Grandmasters, which turned into Semi Innates at fifty meters altitude, and by a hundred meters, they became Innate Grandmasters. At two hundred meters, there were even hidden guards in the Semi Venerable Venerable Realm.

Jiang Chen even felt the presence of those at the peak of the Semi Venerable Venerable Realm among those covert sentries!

Under Cha Long's lead, Jiang Chen and the others arrived at a plateau halfway up the mountain, sitting at an altitude of three hundred meters.

Looking at the palatial buildings before him, Jiang Chen couldn't help but exclaim, "You've practically replicated Zijin City here!"

"Pretty much. When our ancestor decided to seclude us here, it was built in imitation of Zijin City. However, due to land area constraints, some places such as the court and the Temple of Heaven were not constructed. Only the structures of the inner palace were built!" Cha Long said sentimentally as he looked at the palaces in front of him.

He, too, had grown up amongst such a complex of buildings since childhood, but back then, it wasn't these structures, it was the real Zijin City!

"Third Elder, Mr. Jiang, Supreme Long Huang, Supreme Li, we will be heading back first!" Li Juncheng cupped his fists and bowed to Jiang Chen and the others.

"Alright, you father and son head back first!" Cha Long waved his hand dismissively.

Li Juncheng and Li Leng'ao turned and walked towards a side door in the palace complex.

The entire complex was surrounded by a nearly ten-meter-tall wall, with a side door on each end and a thirty-meter-wide main gate in the center, split into three sections: left and right side doors and the central gate!

At present, all the gates were tightly closed, with a squad of martial artists stationed at each, reminiscent of the gatekeepers during the old court days in Zijin City.

"Let's go this way!" Cha Long gestured with his hand, leading Jiang Chen and the others towards one of the side doors of the main gate.

"Venerable Cha Long!"

"Venerable Cha Long!"

When they approached the door, the sentries at the side gate bowed respectfully to Cha Long.

Jiang Chen glanced at the rows of sentries standing in front of the three gates and murmured to himself, "Another thirty-six Innate Grandmasters... The Huangluo Clan really is powerful!"

"Open the gates, welcome the guests!" Cha Long spoke softly.

"Yes!" The sentries glanced at Jiang Chen and the others, then turned and knocked three times on the side door.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

The side door opened from the inside, and it was at that moment that Jiang Chen noticed the doors were all made of refined steel, with even this single side door being eight meters tall and six meters wide. Judging by the sound of the doors opening, it weighed at least a thousand kilograms.

Catching a glimpse of the joints in the door's seam, Jiang Chen saw chains and the workings of mechanisms. It seemed that the door was also operated by mechanical techniques.

"Mr. Cha Long, your place is filled with mechanical devices!" Jiang Chen said in a jesting tone.

Cha Long gave a slight smile, "The old Zijin City was also full of mechanisms; it's just that very few people knew about it. The mechanisms here were made by the descendants of the master mechanic who designed the devices in Zijin City back in the day!"

"Young Jiang, don't wander off inside. Their mechanisms aren't just for opening doors; many could directly obliterate someone in the Venerable Realm!" Supreme Long Huang warned.

Jiang Chen stiffened momentarily, utterly astounded.

A warrior in the Venerable Realm capable of limited flight, yet could be killed by mechanical devices... this level of mechanical technique...

It seems a lot of their heritage has been well preserved!

Jiang Chen inwardly marveled, his anticipation for this trip growing.

"Ha ha, it's not that serious. As long as you don't go to certain forbidden areas, it'll be fine!" Cha Long laughed, and while his words seemed modest, there was an unmistakable pride in his eyes.

"Hit!"

"Attack hard, move fast!"

"Take that!"

Bang, bang, bang!

The side door had just been opened when cries of training resounded; they stepped through the main gate and saw a sea of flowers stretching about twenty meters long, with several paths laid with cobblestones running through it, and a vast martial arts arena beyond the flowers.

"This is where our clan's descendants usually train, with dedicated instructors to teach them!" Cha Long pointed at the martial arts arena and explained softly.

Passing through the sea of flowers, they arrived in front of the martial arts arena and took a quick glance.

Nearly a hundred teenagers were training on the martial arts arena. Li Leng'ao, who had entered earlier, was among them, and around a dozen middle-aged men were interspersed throughout, giving guidance.

The training facilities on the arena were also very retro, almost entirely composed of equipment from the ancient dynasty era, with just a few things like punching bags showing a more modern touch.

After scanning the scene and sensing around, Jiang Chen softly exclaimed:

"No wonder the Huangluo Clan is said to be the only martial arts force that can stand up to the Flame Dragon Group. Their training approach is almost indistinguishable from that of the army, with each one rooted in martial arts, undergoing rigorous training, and blessed with excellent talents. It would be hard not to be strong!"

"Young Jiang, the Huangluo Clan's training regimen isn't approaching that of an army. It's exactly the training method of the former Imperial Guard Army!" Supreme Long Huang explained softly.

"That's right! We use the training methods of the Imperial Guard Army." Cha Long nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Cha Long, I'm a bit puzzled. Does the Huangluo Clan have so many people?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask.

From the foot of the mountain up to here, Jiang Chen had already sensed hundreds of individuals, and this was without him fully extending his senses to explore other parts of the massive palace complex.

"Not exactly, most of those here and at the external posts are descendants of the former Imperial Guard Army, though now, they're all considered part of our clan!" Cha Long explained softly.

Jiang Chen nodded lightly, looking at the people in the martial arts arena with a look of envy emerging in his heart. These people were the descendants of those who had been loyal to the Huangluo Clan for a hundred years. Did he have someone who would follow him indefinitely, a century from now?

"Young Master!" a light call sounded.

Jiang Chen turned to look, his eyes locking with the resolute gaze of Yan Hu.

With a slight smile, Jiang Chen patted Yan Hu on the shoulder and turned back to Cha Long: "A hundred years from now, by my side, there will be a group of brothers who have fought alongside me!"

Cha Long was briefly taken aback, then he smiled lightly, nodding his agreement.

He himself was astounded by the friendship between Jiang Chen and Yan Hu. Should there be a group of old comrades still standing by Jiang Chen's side a century hence, barring any untimely demise, Yan Hu would surely be among them!

"Venerable Cha Long!"

As Cha Long and the group arrived, a middle-aged man approached them.

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