Chapter 275: I Hope You Will Grace Us With Your Presence

The cave dwelling’s door was pushed open as a voice sounded. "Why are you so anxious?" the owner asked. It was a young man with a jade-like face. He was dressed in a white and blue brocade robe embroidered with cloud patterns. The spiritual energy in the air seemed to be drawn toward the cloud patterns on the robe and it slowly converged onto them. The robe was clearly a high-grade cloth treasure.

Senior Brother Feng quickly said, "Senior Brother, the child I sold to Clear Void Poison King has returned to the sect."

Yu Yuefan furrowed his brow. "He was able to survive this long in the hands of the Clear Void Poison King? Isn’t he just some mortal kid? How did he even make his way up the mountain and find our sect?”

Senior Brother Feng recounted everything he knew and then carefully watched Yu Yuefan’s reaction.

"You're talking about that Grand Xia cultivator, aren't you? I've heard from Liu Suifeng and the others that this cultivator has an extraordinary background and considerable skills," said Yu Yuefan indifferently.

"That's him. Apart from him, I'm afraid no one would dare come to our sect to seek justice for a mortal," said Senior Brother Feng, his voice low.

"If this was a while ago, I would’ve been wary of him, but not anymore...." Yu Yuefan chuckled softly. The aura of the Foundation Building Realm emanated from him.

"You've reached the Foundation Building Realm?" asked Senior Brother Feng in astonishment.

"Yes," replied Yu Yuefan with a faint smile. "Thanks to you collecting spirit stones for me over the years, I was able to purchase the valuable Foundation Building Pill. Don't worry, you won’t get in any trouble. That Grand Xia cultivator will return from where he came. The Heavenly Southern Sect will not tolerate his audacity."

Senior Brother Feng was ecstatic. Yu Yuefan had finally reached the Foundation Building Realm, which meant that he and the rest of Yu Yuefan’s loyal followers now had a Foundation Building powerhouse to rely on! Not only could they walk all over people in the sect from now on, they could do so anywhere in the empire! Ye Yuefan was still very young, as he had only cultivated for a little over forty years, which meant that he had infinite potential. He was a cultivator with boundless prospects. There was even a good chance that he might reach the Golden Core Realm in the future.

As he contemplated that, Senior Brother Feng's smile turned ever broader. However, he couldn't help but feel some apprehension about Fang Chen's backing. "Senior Brother, according to what Liu Suifeng and the others said, this Grand Xia cultivator has a powerful sect behind him...."

"This is the Flame Empire," said Yu Yuefan with a thin smile. "His sect cannot possibly be within the empire, right? We won’t do anything excessive anyway. We’ll just drive him away, so there shouldn’t be any problems.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, "And if we’re talking about backings, I have a deep friendship with the ancestor of the Sea Dragon Sect, who is a Golden Core Realm cultivator. That should be enough to deter anyone."

Hearing that, Senior Brother Feng was finally able to rest at ease.

Accompanying Yu Yuefan, he arrived at the meeting hall. When Elder Jin Nan saw that Yu Yuefan had arrived, he couldn't help but be surprised. "You came out of seclusion, Nephew Yu?" Taking a closer look, Elder Jin Nan’s face lit up. "You've successfully broken through to the Foundation Building Realm?"

Yu Yuefan smiled and nodded. "Elder Jin Nan, I was fortunate enough to make a breakthrough."

The moment Liu Mu had laid his eyes on Yu Yuefan, he began to quiver, and his hands started to shake to the point where he spilled a little tea on his hand from the cup.

Fang Chen noticed this. His eyes drifted toward Senior Brother and he saw a certain light in his eyes the moment he saw Liu Mu, too.

"This is wonderful news for our sect. We should invite the sect masters of various sects to come and celebrate!" said Elder Jin Nan excitedly. Yu Yuefan was the most the sect’s most outstanding talent, and his place of birth had even witnessed the birth of a spiritual marrow. At that time, two exceptionally talented individuals emerged, one was recruited by the Spirit Beast Valley and the other by the Heavenly Southern Sect—that was Yu Yuefan. Finally, after many years of cultivation, Yu Yuefan finally ascended to Foundation Building Realm, overcoming a very difficult hurdle. From now on, the sky was the limit!

Looking at Fang Chen, Yu Yuefan smiled. "Do you know who that is, Elder Jin?"

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Fang Chen, a friend from the Grand Xia Empire," introduced Jin Nan. Then, he turned to Fang Chen. "Daoist Fang, this is our Heavenly Southern Sect’s most outstanding second-generation disciple, Yu Yuefan."

Fang Chen nodded lightly, then looked at Senior Brother Feng and asked, "Do you remember Liu Mu?"

Jin Nan also looked at Senior Brother Feng. “I remember I instructed you to take him back to the sect. So, why did Liu Mu end up in the hands of the Clear Void Poison King?"

Senior Brother Feng clasped his fist and showed a bitter twist. "I am guilty. I encountered danger on the way back and accidentally lost track of Liu Mu. I had wanted to report this after I returned to the sect, but was delayed due to some trivial matters." With that said, he looked at Liu Mu, his eyes apologetic.

Furious, Jin Nan snorted coldly. "You can't take care of a few disciples on your way to the sect. Tell me, what use do you have?”

Senior Brother Feng didn’t dare retort, he only lowered his head.

Jin Nan looked at Fang Chen and sighed. "Daoist Fang, we’ve really mishandled this one. Fortunately, everything had turned out alright. Let this child stay and cultivate in the sect."

Liu Mu's face turned fearful. He instinctively grabbed Fang Chen's clothes and turned to look at him helplessly.

"That won’t do. This isn’t about him staying; I am not very satisfied with this explanation," challenged Fang Chen as he turned his attention to Senior Brother Feng. "You say you lost Liu Mu by accident. Then why did the Clear Void Poison King tell me that Liu Mu was sold to him?"

"How should I know?” answered Senior Brother Feng in a low voice. “Someone must’ve found him and sold him to the Clear Void Poison King after realizing he had some talent.”

Here, Yu Yuefan butted in. "This is all just a misunderstanding. Senior Brother Feng knows his mistake and is remorseful. Why don’t we bury the hatchet?"

"Bury the hatchet? Burying the hatchet is not an option. This explanation doesn’t sit well with me,” said Fang Chen.

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.

Jin Nan looked at Fang Chen, then at Yu Yuefan, and had a sudden realization. Yu Yuefan had to have come here in order to speak up for his junior brother. Jin Nan was well aware that the reason behind Yu Yuefan’s personal intervention can’t be simple, but Yu Yuefan was still the most outstanding second-generation disciple of the sect and he had just ascended to the Foundation Building Realm. Regardless of anything, Jin Nan could only stand on his side.

Jin Nan clasped his fist. "Daoist Fang, since this disciple has already apologized, let's just leave this matter be, alright? As a gesture of goodwill, I can compensate you with some spiritual herbs and spirit stones for this young brother. It's also good to lay some foundation for him to take a smoother path in his cultivation in the future."

"I understand." Fang Chen nodded with a smile. "I'll take my leave then."

With that, he led Liu Mu out of the hall. Jin Nan opened his mouth but ultimately did not say anything to stop them. However, Yu Yuefan suddenly chuckled. "I’ll be hosting a banquet in the sect in seven days. I hope you will grace us with your presence."

Fang Chen's footsteps paused for a moment, but he didn't look back. "Alright, I will certainly come to offer my congratulations in seven days."

After Fang Chen and Liu Mu left, Jin Nan's expression darkened as he turned to Senior Brother Feng. "What happened exactly?"

Senior Brother Feng quickly looked at Yu Yuefan.

"Elder Jin Nan, this matter has been resolved, so there's no need to keep digging at it," said Yu Yuefan softly.

After a moment of silence, Jin Nan nodded and rose to his feet to leave the hall. As he left, he left behind a parting remark. "Just remember, his background is not simple."