775 Who Is Chen Beixuan?
Chen Fan had been away for three years.
Many things had changed in those three years. Mankind was facing one of the biggest challenges it had ever faced. For most people on Earth, Chen Fan was nothing but a fading memory. However, Huo Tingshan had watched as Chen Fan had risen to power so he recognized him immediately.
“I… I thought you had died in the Realm of Kunxu.” Huo Tingshan gaped at Chen Fan as if he were a dead man that had been brought back to life.
“I was just visiting Kunxu, who told you that I was dead?” Chen Fan let out a half smile as a cold light flashed across his eyes.
Huo Tingshan felt his hair stand on end as the memories of Chen Fan’s ruthless methods rushed back to his mind. He screamed in his mind, “He’s not a Senior Cultivator in seclusion, he is a fiend, a demon!”
The thought of hiring Chen Fan had also vanished from his mind.
Huo Tingshan wished that he could grow a pair of wings and fly as far away from Chen Fan as he could.
“Why did you say that I had died in Kunxu?” Chen Fan asked faintly.
His voice was light and gentle, but each and every word sounded as loud as a hammer hitting an anvil. Huo Tingshan explained while shaking uncontrollably.
As the Deities across the world awakened from their slumber, many secrets of the ancient world were also revealed. The People of Earth finally learned that the Sages of the East were the strongest faction in the ancient times. Kunxu was one of the mystic realms created by them. They had also lorded over many other Mystic realms.
Over the last thousand years.
The cultivators in mystic realms visited each other. The Earth Level Deities in Kunxu were the strongest among all of them.
“Saint Augustus from the Christian Church told us that Kunxu was being guarded by more than a hundred sages, therefore, you… you would never make it back,” Huo Tingshan stammered.
“The Christian Church?”
Chen Fan snorted.
However, Chen Fan saw his point. There were more than two hundred Earth Level Deities, a dozen Connate Cultivators and a slumbering Golden Core cultivator. Their combined forces would overwhelm the Earth with ease.
Most people would have very little chance of surviving once they entered the realm.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Chen Fan had been able to bring the Realm of Kunxu to heel.
“Why did the heir of the Christian Church invade the Deity Burial Valley?” Chen Fan turned around and asked.
“Umm.. I’m not familiar with that. But I’ve heard that the Christian Church tried to open the Gate of Heaven to invite the sages from Kunxu to Earth. However, they were met with resistance and failed. The times have changed. Earth has become a complicated web of power. Countless Mystic realms are re-emerging as we speak. China is in danger and struggling to stand her ground,” Huo Tingshan lowered his head and answered.
Chen Fan Furrowed his brow.
He realized that China was in between a rock and a hard place. Mystic realms were awakening all over the world, but since Chen Fan had sealed the portal to Kunxu, China had been the exception.
China had to rely on Ye Qincang and the warriors of North Qiong to fend off the aggression. As they faced the cultivators from the Mystic realms, their power fell short.
“Do not disclose what happened today to anyone. Otherwise, I will kill all the members of the Ba Ji Sect.”
Chen Fan’s cold voice drifted into his ears.
“Yes, yes… I will never say a word.”
Huo Tingshan collapsed to his knees and kowtowed.
He kept his head low for half an hour until he realized that Chen Fan had already left.
After Chen Fan left Shenmen County, he went toward the inland area.
This time, he chose the land over the sky. He wanted to take a good look at the changes that had occured over the years.
“If the changes were brought about by natural causes, say, the mutation of wild animals, China would not be under much threat. Those wild animals would take a while to attain the Ethereal Enlightenment realm. It would take them thousands of years to reach the Connate Level. Even then, modern militia would be enough to handle them.
“However, China would lack the means to defend against the Connate Cultivators from Mystic realms all over the world. Those Connate Cultivators must be behind the onslaught of Malice Beasts,” Chen Fan thought to himself as he made his way across the land.
With his level of attainment, he only needed to see one thing in order to deduct the rest of the story.
Chen Fan headed east and the further he went, the more lively the scene became. He didn’t hide his appearance, but no one had recognized him so far.
Three and a half years was not a long time. It usually took an Overlord this amount of time to consolidate his power and rise to fame.
Lei Qianjue was only a Grandmaster, but his fame had lasted ten years. Too many things had happened in the last three years; Chen Fan’s exploits seemed like ancient history.
In the last three years, more things had happened than in the last century. World changing events were happening day by day, every time people open their eyes in the morning.
By then, people had become numb to all the sensations.
Although Chen Fan had displayed his strength by subduing the United States, not a lot of people had seen Chen Fan’s face. Most people thought that Chen Fan looked familiar.
At this point in time, there were simply too many Connate Cultivators on Earth.
“What went wrong? Why did history divert so much from my past life? Could there really be a powerful force behind all of this?” Chen Fan pondered but quickly realized he didn’t have to care.
Behind the North Mystic Celestial Lord’s mighty power was resilience and perseverance. As long as he had the strength, he could banish anything with a hack of his sword.
His priority right then was to head home and check on his family and friends.
As Chen Fan walked briskly in the street and pondered about his next step, his train of thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling out to him.
“Hi, excuse me. Are you a Martial Artist?”
Chen Fan looked up and saw a group of young girls looking at him expectantly. Their youthful faces and sunny expressions suggested that they were around seventeen or eighteen.
“Kind of.”
Chen Fan nodded.
“Finally!”
“What did I tell you? Dated style and grey hair, he might even be a powerful one! Like… like a Grandmaster.”
“Selfies please!”
Those young girls prattled on.
The boys standing beside them nodded as they looked at Chen Fan with admiration in their eyes.
“We are university students from Yan Jin. You must be from the front lines. How brave! I’ve heard about the Malice Beast’s attack in the western deserts. Even General Ye Nantian partic.i.p.ated in the battle. So many people have died though…” a girl wearing short pants said.
Chen Fan felt somewhat bewildered.
Three years back, most people weren’t even aware of the existence of Internal Force Users. In recent times, even university students knew of Ye Nantian. Chen Fan lamented the changes that had happened.
Suddenly, his face changed.
“I’ve seen on the internet that the Christian Church was behind the Malice Beasts attack. General Chen Huaian went to question the Christian Church, but he was gravely injured by Saint Augustus. People are riled up by the incident and demanded the Christian Church to apologize,” the girl went on.
“Hold on a second. You said General Chen Huaian. Is he from the North Qiong Sect?” Chen Fan held onto the girl’s wrist and asked, eyes blazing.
“Argh!”
The girl whimpered as tears welled in her eyes.
Chen Fan finally realized that he had gotten carried away and used too much force. He hurried to apologize and let go of the girl, leaving a red mark on the girl’s pale skin.
“I am sorry.”
Chen Fan apologized as he drew up a tendril of Yi Wood Spirit Qi and rubbed it on the girl’s wrist.
Under everyone’s surprised eyes, the red mark on the girl’s wrist disappeared. The girl shook her hand and her eyes were wide open in surprise.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“I have heard that many cultivators have miraculous abilities called Divine Powers. I wager you’re not a Grandmaster, but an Immortal State Warrior.”
“That’s impossible. I know the names of all Immortal State Warriors in China.”
The students argued with each other as they glared at Chen Fan with burning curiosity. Some moved closer to Chen Fan and asked for a selfie with him.
“Is Chen Huaian from the North Qiong Sect?”
Chen Fan ignored the students and looked at the young girl.
“Yes. He’s one of the three generals in North Qiong: Chen Huaian, Hua Yunfeng and Xie Yan. Along with Ye Qincang, they are the only four Earth Level Deities in China. China has survived this long thanks to them,” the girl answered obediently.
“Who would have thought that my grandfather would become a general?” Chen Fan grinned. “Christian Church, I should have dealt with you back then. This time, I won’t repeat my mistake.”
Chen Fan bolted for home after hearing his grandfather was injured. He turned into a streak of golden light and disappeared.
“Ah right, I’ve also heard of another General called Cang Dragon. He is China’s first Earth Level Deity. But he has been missing for many years and many people believe he’s dead. I’ve seen his picture, he’s very handsome,” the girl said.
Suddenly, a ray of golden light rose beside her and rushed to the sky, then made a turn and headed east.
Many people were shocked by the development. The girl suddenly remembered the picture of General Cang Dragon she had seen many years back, and he looked just like the young man she had been talking to.
“Was… was he General Cang Dragon?”
The girl was dumbfounded.