Chapter 968 - Wushang

Chen Fan came out of the Merit Hall, feeling pleased inside.

The Merit Hall owed him a huge favor now. While he might never actually cash it in, having it was far better than not.

After all, the Merit Hall held a high position within the True Martial Academy, and their words carried a lot of weight.

By solving a major problem for them, at the very least, he ensured that they would not stand against him in the future.

With Chen Fan’s appearance at the Merit Hall, the rumors of his return were finally confirmed, setting off another commotion in the whole of the True Martial Academy.

It was no exaggeration to say that Chen Fan’s reputation now surpassed even some veteran geniuses of the academy.

And when word of his cultivation level spread, the shock only deepened, especially among those disciples who had joined the academy with him. When they learned that he had broken through to the Manifestation realm and even reached the fifth level, they were all at a loss for words.

It had only been thirty-some years since they joined the True Martial Academy. When they first entered, they were pretty much all in the Divine Nascent realm.

Although their improvement wasn’t trivial over the years, and the top geniuses have all reached the high-level Heavenly Star realm, the difference was too great when compared to Chen Fan.

At one point, they were at the same starting line as Chen Fan. Some of them were even stronger than him. Yet, step by step, Chen Fan had left them all in the dust—so far ahead that they could barely even see his back anymore.

Even the disciples from a generation before, or even the ones from before that, lamented that the youngsters nowadays were rising too quickly, leaving them no room to breathe.

They had just entered the Manifestation realm after cultivating for centuries.

On the other hand, Chen Fan took less than two decades to surpass what most could never achieve.

Was the difference between them really that great?

Many people lamented while others felt inspired, their determination reignited.

Of course, none of this concerned Chen Fan.

Others’ progress had nothing to do with him—his only focus was walking his own path.

After handing in his mission at the Merit Hall, he sent word to his senior brothers and sisters and returned to the Hong Domain, to the Great Chu Empire—no, the Great Chen Empire.

For cultivators like them, a decade or two passed in a blink.

But for Chen Zhengqing and Nangong Yue, it had been an agonizingly long time since they last saw their son—no word from him since he wiped out the blood demons, ending the blood calamity in one decisive stroke.

The man-made disaster that was caused by the blood calamity had long since become history. The entire Hong Domain had become full of vitality once more.

Thanks to Chen Fan, the Great Chen Empire’s reputation was even on par with the Great Li Imperial Court, especially since he single-handedly dealt with the blood calamity.

Over the years, many people from other empires flocked to the Great Chen Empire, eager to witness how he ascended to the peak of the eastern continent, step by step.

The blood calamity had either annihilated or severely weakened the sects in the Great Chen Empire, but they had now all but recovered and were flourishing.

Although the Great Chen Empire’s overall strength was only ranked in the middle-lower echelon among the thirty-six nations of the Hong Domain, no one dared to look down on it. Moreover, the Great Li Imperial Court would send envoys there on New Year’s and other celebrations.

Everyone knew that Chen Fan had brought them this glory.

The Spring Autumn Sect could be said to be the current strongest sect in the Great Chen Empire.

Qingyang County no longer had the four great sects; only the Spring Autumn Sect remained. The sect now boasted nearly ten Divine Nascent realm experts, far more than the mere one or two of the past.

Of course, not all of them were from the Spring Autumn Sect.

Some came from the Floating Cloud Sword Sect, Burning Incense Valley, Mountain River Sect, and the other top sects—survivors of their fallen sects.

They didn’t rebuild their sect after the blood calamity because they had suffered heavy losses. They knew that they couldn’t return to the height of their former glory.

Therefore, they chose to join the Spring Autumn Sect and became their elders.

The Imperial Palace:

The royal family still only had three Divine Nascent realm experts: Chen Fan’s parents and his maternal uncle, Nangong Baxiong.

However, no one dared to act presumptuously in front of them, as the Spring Autumn Sect and Chen Fan stood behind the royal family.

Despite holding true power in the Great Chen Empire, Chen Zhengqing and the others had no interest in controlling the sects, much to their relief.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Chen Fan appeared outside the imperial palace. As he stepped forward, he disappeared and reappeared in the palace like a gust of wind, not causing the slightest commotion.

In a serene palace courtyard, Nangong Yue showed no signs of aging—her immense strength preserved her beauty. Traces of her reputation as the number one beauty remained, but now it contained an air of elegance and dignity.

She crouched down, watching a two-year-old boy play nearby, her face glowing with maternal warmth.

Chen Zhengqing stood at the opposite end and smiled at the little boy. “Wushang, come here.”

The chubby-faced boy grinned, glancing between Nangong Yue and Chen Zhengqing, his expression irresistibly cute.

“Mother.”

Ultimately, toddled toward Nangong Yue, leaving Chen Zhengqing with a sour expression. The smile on Nangong Yue’s face grew more radiant, and she scooped the boy into her arms.

“Good boy, Wushang. One day, you’ll grow up to be a hero like your big brother,” said Nangong Yue gently, pinching the boy’s nose.

“Big brother... why doesn’t he come back to see me?” questioned the boy sweetly.

Thanks to absorbing primeval qi, children in the martial world matured quickly. Chen Wushang was only a little more than two years old, but he already had a budding awareness of the world.

Woom!

A powerful gust swept through the courtyard. Nangong Yue’s gaze trembled as someone suddenly appeared beside her.

The moment she saw him, her eyes froze—then the lines on her face became gentler.

Chen Fan looked at the little boy in front of him, and the boy looked back at him.

“Big... Brother!” exclaimed the boy, seemingly talking to himself. He looked toward Nangong Yue, seemingly asking her.

“Wushang is so clever.”

Seeing the little boy call out to his big brother on his own, Nangong Yue’s eyes reddened, touched for reasons she couldn’t quite explain.

Hearing those two words, Chen Fan felt something stir within him, a faint warmth spreading through his chest.

“Here, let big brother carry you.”