Chapter 140: Reunion, Overwhelming Strength

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Reunion, Overwhelming Strength

In Celestial Heart Hall, a statue of a Xiezhi was enshrined at the head of the grand hall. Its face and body were modeled after the remains of the Xiezhi from Dingfeng Slope.

Outside on the Martial Arts Arena, nearly ten thousand disciples practiced their Swordsmanship. The sounds of their synchronized footwork and shouts echoed as they executed thrusts, up-swings, chops, and points.

Inside the main hall, a chubby boy of seven or eight stood on the statue’s altar. He held a feather duster, sweeping away dust while repeatedly chanting a passage.

"It discerns the crooked from the straight. When it sees a fight, it gores the unjust. When it hears an argument, it rams the unrighteous."

Chu Fan happened to be strolling into the main hall alone, and he found the sight of the little fatty chanting while dusting rather amusing.

Feeling mischievous, Chu Fan called out to the boy, "Hey, little fatty, you missed a spot of dust on that Qilin’s forehead!"

The little fatty shot Chu Fan a sidelong glare and pouted. "Don’t call me little fatty. I have a name. I’m Wen Ang. And that’s not a Qilin, it’s a Xiezhi. He’s our Ancestral Master."

Chu Fan chuckled to himself. He walked over to the altar, picked up a pear from the offerings, and took a bite. "Oh, so you’re Wen Ang," he said, his mouth full. "Does everyone pick on you? Why else would they make you do the dusting?"

"Who are you? These are offerings for the Ancestral Master! How dare you eat them? I’m going to tell my master."

"Tell your master? And who might that be?"

"Hmph! You’re done for now. You come to Celestial Heart Hall without even knowing who my master is? You’re definitely not one of us! How dare you cause trouble here!"

Though young, Wen Ang tried his best to act like a worldly adult and intimidate Chu Fan.

Of course, he might not have just been trying to scare Chu Fan. It was entirely possible he genuinely believed what he was saying.

"Oh? Is your master that impressive?" Chu Fan continued to tease. "I’m just eating a pear. It’s not like they’re going to beat me to death for it, right?"

As he spoke, Chu Fan not only took another large bite of the pear but also sat right down on the altar, swinging his legs as he watched the little fatty.

"You... you... you’re going too far!" The little fatty pointed his feather duster at Chu Fan, too angry to form a complete sentence.

"By the way," Chu Fan asked, "why does your Celestial Heart Hall worship a beast... er, a Divine Beast, as its Ancestral Master?"

"You said it yourself—a Divine Beast. A Divine Beast is also a type of God, so what’s wrong with us worshiping him as our Ancestral Master?" the little fatty, Wen Ang, retorted.

"Heh, you’ve got a point there, little fatty. So, who is your master?"

"Your intentions are ill. This one does not wish to speak with you further," Wen Ang said, raising his feather duster threateningly. "I’m warning you, stop eating the offerings, or I’ll beat you up."

Chu Fan was so amused by the threat he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’This little fatty is really something else,’ he thought. ’Judging by his tone, could he be one of Jing’an’s Direct Disciples?’

He took a closer look and was surprised to find the boy was already at Tier Four of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

’He’s a bit chubby, but his talent is actually quite good.’

"Did your master punish you?" Chu Fan asked, winking at the boy. "Let me think... He probably punished you for bullying a little girl, right?"

The little fatty’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You... How did you know?"

"Ha! I actually guessed right. So tell me, how did you bully this little girl?"

"It wasn’t bullying! Cailing was the one who kissed me, but her mother saw and tattled to my master. He punished me without even hearing my side of the story."

"So that’s why you were muttering about ’goring the unjust’ when I got here?"

The little fatty’s face flushed with embarrassment.

"Do you want me to go plead your case with your master?"

"No, it’s okay. It’s not a serious punishment. I just can’t see Cailing for a month," the little fatty said, shaking his head.

After their brief conversation, Chu Fan had grown quite fond of the boy. ’He’s young, but he takes responsibility, has a temper of his own, and holds strong beliefs.’

"And who’s Cailing? Is her mother a member of Celestial Heart Hall too?"

"Cailing’s mother is our Third Elder. In the entire Celestial Heart Hall, only my master and the Great Elder can defeat her. Even the Second Elder is no match for her."

Just then, a middle-aged man’s voice echoed from the back of the hall. "You little rascal, are you running your mouth about me again? Since when am I no match for that woman?"

The little fatty immediately fell silent, shrinking back. He shot Chu Fan a sly look and hastily resumed his dusting.

A moment later, Chu Fan saw a middle-aged man walk out. He first shot Wen Ang a look of feigned anger, then clasped his hands in greeting toward Chu Fan.

"I am Shi Qingren, Second Elder of Celestial Heart Hall. And you are, if I may ask?"

"Oh, I’m an old friend of Jing’an," Chu Fan replied, returning the gesture.

"Ah, a friend of the Sect Leader. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Shi Qingren then turned back to Wen Ang. "You little rascal, from now on, don’t you go telling people I can’t defeat the Third Elder. You hear me?"

"But it’s true, you can’t," Wen Ang mumbled.

Chu Fan chuckled to himself. ’These two are quite a pair.’

’Clearly, there’s some untold story between the Second and Third Elders.’

Just then, a young disciple hurried into the hall. He bowed to Chu Fan and said, "Lord Chu, the Sect Leader sent me to fetch you. He says the people you were waiting for have arrived."

"Oh? This quickly?" Chu Fan was surprised.

"Little fatty, I’ll come hang out with you another day," Chu Fan said to Wen Ang with a smile. "Leave the Cailing business to me."

Shi Qingren watched Chu Fan’s retreating figure with a puzzled expression.

The events in the main hall were but a small interlude. When Chu Fan arrived at Jing’an’s residence, he found that Lan Bing, Liu Yicai, and the others had indeed already arrived.

The moment the eight of them saw Chu Fan, they dropped to their knees in salute.

Chu Fan couldn’t help but warn them once again not to kneel in the future, at which point they finally rose.

Unlike when they had last parted ways more than three years ago, these eight people—some now fatter, some thinner—all carried themselves with an extraordinary air. They were no longer a group of wanted criminals, but had all become Grandmasters.

Of course, their current Realms were entirely thanks to Chu Fan. Thus, the faster their Cultivation advanced, the deeper their reverence for him became.

"Ying Xiao," Chu Fan began, "I heard from Jing’an yesterday that you Dark Night Envoys have been targeting the Red Blood Mansion for the past month. How many of their experts have you killed during this time?"

The first person Chu Fan questioned was Ying Xiao.

"My Lord, I have deployed all Dark Night Envoys and assassinated a total of seventy-eight Cultivators from the Red Blood Mansion at or above the Golden Core Realm. This includes eleven in the Nascent Soul Realm and three in the Soul Emergence Realm. However, most of them were from Sects affiliated with the Red Blood Mansion. As for those below the Golden Core Realm, I have not kept a precise count, but the number should be no less than five hundred."

"What has the Red Blood Mansion’s reaction been?"

"Yan Qi sent someone to contact the Dark Night Envoys. We simply told them that someone had paid for their lives and gave no further explanation. There’s nothing they can do to us."

Chu Fan nodded after hearing Ying Xiao’s report, then turned his gaze to Ji Bufan. "Which Sects are participating in the Tengxing Grand Assembly? Do you have a list?"

"My Lord, besides the fourteen Sects that make up the Six Sects and Eight Gates, there are twenty-one Second-class Sects and five Third-class Sects. The Second-class Sects include Celestial Heart Hall and the Earth Universe Pavilion," Ji Bufan reported, rattling off the names with practiced ease.

"We’ll save that for last. For now, the eight of you will report on your achievements over the past three-plus years."