"Young friend, there's no need to be modest—an overseas behemoth dares to challenge Huaxia, and that is not just your concern alone!" the venerable elder said. "It's only that, in this matter, you've exerted the most effort, which indeed makes us old folks feel rather embarrassed!"

"Senior greatly overestimates me, practicing martial arts is about protecting our homeland!" Ye Chen humbly responded, not daring to show a hint of arrogance.

"To keep the homeland in our hearts is to see wisdom in benevolence!" The elder nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Ye Chen's words about protecting and serving the country. "Even though we who practice martial arts may retreat from the mundane world, we should still possess a spirited courage, a fiery temper, and no one should dare trample over us without expecting to be thrown off and trampled in return!"

When the elder spoke these words, there was a rush of heroic spirit that was ineffable, causing Ye Chen to feel a surge of admiration.

"Senior truly embodies great virtue and wisdom!" Ye Chen said respectfully.

"Haha, this youngster sure knows how to speak!" The youngest-looking man among them laughed heartily.

"This kid's got a sharp tongue, claiming just now that he could cripple me in minutes—I've got to say, words like that are really irksome!" the towering hulk grumbled.

Ye Chen's audacious words from just moments before still filled him with an urge to throw punches.

"The younger generation was also struck with a bout of anger by Second Grandpa here, which led to some imprudent remarks. I hope you won't hold it against me!" Ye Chen said with a smile.

"Hmph!" The towering man let out a cold snort.

"Ye's actions weren't presumptuous at all—you were able to make the enormous croc flee in defeat, which alone proves your strength!" the leading elder acknowledged Ye Chen with a gaze.

Feeling the elder's eyes on him made Ye Chen suddenly feel as if all his secrets were laid bare.

"Great Grandpa, Ye Chen is going to be my future husband, you might as well call him 'Second Grandson'!" Qin Lan interjected.

Qin Lan's words were like a dagger to Ye Chen's chest, wounding him in an instant.

Martial Arts Grandmasters usually interact as equals—as someone who shared the same great realm as these individuals, Ye Chen's humility was already commendable. Qin Lan's words effectively reduced him to a grandchild, igniting within him an urge to spit blood.

"Haha, indeed!" The towering man roared with laughter. "By seniority, he truly is my 'Second Grandson'!"

Ye Chen felt the blade in his chest twist anew!

"Having a Martial Arts Grandmaster as a grandson isn't too bad! 'Second Grandson', call me 'Third Grandpa' and let me hear it!" The youngest-looking one quipped, joining in the teasing.

Qin Lan, seeing Ye Chen's look of silent protest, couldn't help but giggle foolishly.

"I am Ye Chen, a junior. May I have the honor of learning the esteemed names of the three seniors?" Ye Chen asked with a clasped fist.

Ye Chen's salute was meticulous, a traditional martial salute from the jianghu—left palm representing scholarship, right fist, martial prowess—a gesture of humility, eager for knowledge, seeking guidance, an etiquette that had been passed down for a thousand years.

Recognizing that Ye Chen addressed himself as a junior and deferred to them as seniors, the three Great Grandmasters also turned solemn. Millennia-old traditions must not be broken!

"Song Deyu!" The elder was the first to state his name.

"Wuxia Jing!" The towering hulk followed suit, clasping his own fist in return.

"Chen Youyu!" The last of them said.

Hearing their names, Ye Chen displayed a look of surprise—not because of the grandeur of their reputations, but because he had never heard of these people at all!

"We've long since retreated from the world—had it not been for a savior with a strong presence infiltrating Huaxia, we might still be in seclusion in the mountains and forests!" Song Deyu noticed Ye Chen's subtle expressions and understood what he was thinking.

"Disappointed? Expecting us to be world-renowned, only to find we're unknowns?" Chen Youyu said with a playful smile. The youngest of the three, he had an air of scholarly charm and seemed more like a learned scholar than a transcendent Grandmaster.

"When your three grandpas were making their mark in the world, you weren't even born yet!" Wuxia Jing declared, his voice resonating like a great bell, perfectly suiting his wild and domineering image.

"Ye Chen, my three grandpas are all very impressive. Some of the old leaders in the military region call them brothers!" Qin Lan chimed in as well.

"The three esteemed grandpas are just jesting, I meant no disrespect!" Ye Chen shook his head and chuckled. "The fact is, you are all Grandmasters who have reached harmony with the Dao, standing at the pinnacle of this world. You should be enjoying all of life's pleasures yet you choose to live hidden among these rural fields. Such a stance, renouncing glory and severing mundane ties, truly makes one like myself aspire to your lofty spirit!"

"Haha, my 'Second Grandson' really speaks pleasing words!" Wuxia Jing laughed heartily, taking great pleasure in Ye Chen's compliments.

"However, as three Grandfathers of such unparalleled bearing, when you were adventuring in the world, surely you were figures who shook all directions. How is it that I have never heard of your esteemed names?" Ye Chen wondered aloud.

Before him stood three peerless Great Grandmasters should be well-known, not names whispered in obscurity.

"A name?" Chen Youyu revealed a nostalgic expression and murmured, "Twenty years ago, I seemed to have had a moniker… what was it, 'King Xiao'?"

"Haha, that's right!" Wuxia Jing burst out laughing. "That was your ridiculous title. I remember teasing you with our elder brother about how it lacked grandeur, unlike my own title 'War King', which has a real ring to it!"

"King Xiao? The War King?" Ye Chen's heart stirred slightly, as if he remembered something.

"Those are but empty titles!" Song Deyu said with a smile.

"You all?" Ye Chen suddenly thought of something, his whole body's hair standing on end in an instant. "Are you the Three Kings of the tumultuous times?"

"Mr. Song, you are the King of tumultuous times!" Ye Chen looked at Song Deyu, shocked.

When Ye Chen heard words like the War King and King Xiao, his heart was greatly moved, and he thought of a legend from one of the four great military regions!

When Mr. Song heard Ye Chen mention the King of tumultuous times, a look of nostalgia appeared on his face, eventually turning into a deep sigh.

"What King of tumultuous times, those are all empty titles bestowed by the world!" Song Deyu said with a smile, full of the sense of vicissitudes.

Song Deyu's reaction was undoubtedly an acknowledgment that he was indeed the King of tumultuous times, which shocked Ye Chen to the core.

"You, you are actually the Three Kings of the tumultuous times!" Ye Chen pointed at the three people in front of him, so excited that he couldn't even speak. These were characters straight out of legend.

"Empty titles, empty titles, my grandchild, come here. Let us talk inside the house!" Wuxia Jing, enjoying the expression of Ye Chen who seemed to be shocked silly, grabbed Ye Chen with large hands as if catching a chicken, and pulled him into a nearby clay house.

The Three Kings of the tumultuous times: King Xiao Chen Youyu, the War King Wuxia Jing, and the King of the tumultuous times, Song Deyu!

These three peerless individuals did not come from powerful and prestigious families; they all came from poverty. However, they met in the military thirty years ago, their temperaments matched, and from then on, they swore brotherhood to each other!

Song Deyu was the eldest and also the most formidable among them, serving both as a teacher and friend to King Xiao and the War King!

Wuxia Jing ranked second, his fierce aura reaching the skies. When he fought, he was like a harbinger of doomsday, born solely for battle, hence he was titled the War King.

Chen Youyu was the youngest, but also a terrifying figure. King Xiao once killed so many powerful warriors from various countries that they trembled at the mention of his name. He slew countless exalted fighters, his fierce reputation was illustrious, second to none compared to his two brothers.

The Three Kings of the tumultuous times: a decade ago, they were three notorious and evil deities, and also three legendary existences.

These three Kings were once Huaxia Military Region's sharpest bloodblades—a formidable war weapon, representing Huaxia to clandestinely clash with top experts from other nations, annihilating countless terrifying figures.

They were the heroes of Huaxia, the most hated and feared enemies by other nations!

The Three Kings dedicated themselves selflessly, making countless grand contributions to Huaxia, but the people of this world never knew their names. They were the great benefactors hidden in the darkness, the Guardian Gods of Huaxia!

After the Three Kings of the tumultuous times, the military region gradually rose up with the Four Great Kings, one can say that these Three Kings were the predecessors of each of the Four Great Military Region's Kings!

Ye Chen sat somewhat restrained in the house, as the King of the tumultuous times, Song Deyu, was preparing tea for him, and Wuxia Jing was playing chess with Chen Youyu. The War King would occasionally roar about wanting to take back a move, and opposite him, King Xiao was as composed as ever, exuding the demeanor of a chess master.

Ye Chen looked at the three brothers in front of him, each with a different temperament, and his whole person was still in a daze. These three transcendent grandmasters were nothing like the ones from the legends!

Among the Three Kings, it was only Wuxia Jing who still retained a bit of the War King's style, his aura imposing and his nature iron-blooded!

Chen Youyu no longer displayed the imposing reputation of King Xiao; that legendary ferocity had vanished without a trace, replaced instead by the elegance of a scholar!

However, compared to these two fierce figures, what surprised Ye Chen the most was the King of the tumultuous times, Song Deyu.

In the legends, it was said that this King of the tumultuous times was the most fiercely imposing of the three kings. Wherever he appeared, he would bring forth winds of bloodshed. The King of the tumultuous times had annihilated countless strong foes, building mountains of corpses and oceans of blood!

This, is the King of the tumultuous times!

It is said that in some countries, just mentioning the name of the King of the tumultuous times causes people to turn pale with fear!

Yet, this King of the tumultuous times, whose notoriety was unmatched, now lacked that overbearing presence, and Song Deyu seemed to be just an ordinary old man.

"You are wondering why the notorious King of the tumultuous times has turned into a decrepit old man?" As Song Deyu poured tea for Ye Chen, he spoke with self-deprecating humor.

"Could it be that you have reached the realm of returning to simplicity and ascended to become a Land God?" Ye Chen cautiously asked.

Knowing Song Deyu's identity, Ye Chen felt even more that this King of the tumultuous times was unfathomable, as if he had transcended the peak of grandmasters and reached a transcendent and indescribable realm!

"Land Gods roam freely between heaven and earth, able to summon the power of ghosts and spirits, foreseeing future fortunes and disasters! Look at my current state, half of my body is almost in the grave, how could I possess such an invincible posture?" Song Deyu laughed at himself.

"Look, eldest brother is being modest again!" Wuxia Jing glanced at the two drinking tea and whispered with a chuckle to Chen Youyu.

"Eldest brother is being modest, but he truly isn't a Land God!" Chen Youyu said.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.