Chapter 141: A Divine General Descends from the Heavens

At this moment, Uncle Ma was at home studying the ancient inscriptions on his antiques. The sturdy sandalwood table was covered with various artifacts and relics he had scavenged from antique dealers, and he was intently observing these treasures from different dynasties through a magnifying glass.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong!"

The sound of the doorbell pulled Uncle Ma’s attention away from his collection. Reluctantly, he set down his magnifying glass and walked slowly to the door.

"Uncle Ma, move aside! Shuang is drunk!"

As soon as Uncle Ma opened the door, I rushed in, carrying Shuang. I gently placed her on the sofa and hurried into the kitchen to make some hangover soup.

"Xiaodong, what is going on? Why is Shuang with you? Wasn't she supposed to be looking for a job? And why is she in this state?"

While I was in the kitchen, Uncle Ma fired questions at me like a machine gun. He didn't stop his rapid-fire interrogation until I had finished the soup and helped Shuang drink it. Honestly, this was the most I had ever heard Uncle Ma speak; he nearly burst my eardrums.

After I finished feeding Shuang and explained the situation in detail, the old man nodded with a skeptical look. I really don't know what goes through his head—he’s been teaching me for so many years, yet he still doesn't fully trust me.

"Cough, cough... water. I need water. Someone, bring me water!"

Less than ten minutes into our conversation, the hangover soup took effect, and Shuang began to stir. As with anyone waking up from a drunken stupor, her first reaction was a parched throat and a demand for water. I hurriedly grabbed a glass from the table, helped her sit up, and handed it to her.

"Why are you here?"

Shuang took a sip of water and glanced at me. Thankfully, she didn't kick me out, which immediately put me at ease. However, facing her question, I felt flustered and didn't know how to respond.

"Now, Shuang, Xiaodong is my assistant for this research project. If you are still angry about what happened before, then blame your old man. To be honest, I was the one who sent Xiaodong to the foot of the Kunlun Mountains. There are many things you don't know, and I haven't known how to tell you."

Luckily, Uncle Ma stepped in to smooth things over; otherwise, I suspect I would have been kicked out within half an hour. But hearing him say that made my heart ache.

"Dad, I’m not that petty. Since I haven't kicked him out, it means I’m not angry anymore."

As she spoke, Shuang smiled and tapped my shoulder. But as soon as her hand touched my arm, she suddenly asked, "What is this? Hu Xiaodong, don't tell me you got another tattoo. You are truly incorrigible!"

With that, she grabbed an antique from the table, ready to hurl it at me. I wasn't scared, but Uncle Ma was terrified and jumped in front of me to stop her—that antique was worth seven or eight hundred thousand, and he couldn't afford to see it smashed to pieces!

I touched my arm and realized she had seen the dark mark left by the Ancestor Chen. She must have thought I’d gone down a bad path. No wonder she suddenly exploded.

"Shuang, you misunderstand. This, this is..."

I stopped mid-sentence, remembering what the Ancestor Chen had told me: revealing the secret of this mark would bring me endless disaster.

"What is it? Xiaodong, come here and let me see."

Old Ma pulled me in front of him and rolled up my sleeve, revealing the full extent of the mark. Honestly, when I first saw it, the eight words "Power over the heavens and earth, master of judgment over the ancient flood" popped into my mind, which I found quite strange.

"Xiaodong, why do you make things so worrying? It looks like we need to leave China earlier than planned." Uncle Ma went off to pack his bags, leaving Shuang and me completely bewildered.

"The mark on your arm belongs to the Ancestor Chen, who exists beyond the six realms. He once fought against heaven and earth, and even the Jade Emperor, the master of the six realms, was defeated by him. Although the Ancestor Chen is not an evil person, he has only ever had ten disciples—and you are the eleventh!"

"So what if I'm the eleventh?" I asked as Uncle Ma paused to pull a suitcase from under the bed and start packing.

Shuang was still dozing on the sofa, clutching her head; it seemed the alcohol hadn't fully worn off.

"What do you mean, 'so what'? The Jade Emperor's defeat left him humiliated and furious. Ever since, he has made it his mission to kill every one of the Ancestor's disciples and anyone related to the Demon Clan. Furthermore, a prophecy has been circulating in the space of omens that has only strengthened his resolve."

"And what prophecy could make the master of the six realms so insane?"

Uncle Ma stopped again, as if waiting for me to ask—a professional habit of teachers that I suppose he'd never break.

"In the Ma family archives, the prophecy is translated as: 'Tens of thousands of years after the great calamity of the ancient flood, the eleventh disciple of the Ancestor Chen shall break the void, slaying gods and exterminating immortals, forcing the deities of the divine realm to descend to the mortal world.'"

Uncle Ma looked at me, then went back to packing. I was stunned. I hadn't expected such a coincidence. I remembered what the Ancestor Chen had told me: "You are my eleventh disciple!"

I couldn't fathom it—slaying gods and exterminating immortals? How could a lowly demon-corpse like me grow to be so powerful? I could only shake my head and laugh, then sat on the sofa and turned on the television to watch the news.

I used to be indifferent to television, but after graduating, I found that with nothing to do all day, watching the news was a decent way to pass the time.

"Uncle Ma, come here quickly! Something strange is happening!"

While I was watching, an urgent news report caught my attention, and I hurriedly called the old man out from the bedroom.

The news was taking place right here in Z City. The focus was on four strange-looking figures. They were dressed in what looked like armor from a video game, their bodies radiating different colors of light.

They clearly didn't come in peace. Somehow, they reminded me of the Four Heavenly Kings from mythology—one holding a sword, one a crystal ball, one a lute, and the last one carrying a large, ornate umbrella.