Chapter 408 - 384: Wang Chongming’s Visit

Chapter 408: Chapter 384: Wang Chongming’s Visit

"Very well!"

He couldn’t be bothered to argue with the man, but since the other party was still looking for trouble, Zhang Chi was growing impatient. His gaze turned cold as he nodded in agreement.

"Seniors, Wang Chongming and two other Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators from Red Cloud Oasis have come seeking an audience."

But just then, a Communication Golden Light suddenly flew in, landing before Qin Yushan.

"Wang Chongming? What is he doing here?"

All the Cultivators were surprised, and Cheng Ran and Xie Yulin were no exception.

Qin Yuyan had never told them about the conflict that occurred between Wang Chongming and Zhang Chi back then.

The same went for the matter of the Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch’s Cave Mansion.

Qin Yushan knew, but he hadn’t revealed it either.

Besides, the incident had happened in the Central Immortal City, which was too far away. Decades had passed, so these Cultivators were unaware.

They only knew that Wang Chongming was at Nascent Soul Peak. Although he had broken through not long ago, his combat power was immense. As a result, Wang Chongming and his squad had been in the limelight in recent years.

But Red Cloud Oasis was some distance from here, and the two groups had never had any dealings.

"No matter why they’ve come, since they’re here, we should welcome them. Have them come over at once. No, wait. We should go out to greet them!"

"Agreed."

Though surprised, Cheng Ran and Xie Yulin quickly made a decision and were the first to fly out.

The other Nascent Soul Cultivators did the same, following close behind.

As for the spar, they clearly couldn’t be bothered with it anymore.

The arrival of three Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators was obviously far more important than a spar.

Jiang Xiancai, Xi Ruyue, and the others, however, were quite disappointed but could do nothing about it.

Fortunately, there would be more opportunities in the future, so they quickly calmed down.

"Third Brother, Wang Chongming and his group aren’t here for you, are they?"

The Qin Family Siblings followed along, and they clearly suspected something.

"Looks like it."

Zhang Chi flew alongside the two of them, nodding calmly. He had clearly expected this.

Soon, the group arrived at the eastern part of the Oasis and met three Nascent Soul Cultivators on the way.

The leader, dressed in a crimson robe, exuded a powerful aura. It was none other than Wang Chongming.

The other two Cultivators, a man and a woman, were young and exceptional—truly the cream of the crop. They were Wang Chongming’s teammates.

But even though they were veteran Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators, they deferred to Wang Chongming’s leadership.

"Senior Brother Qin, Senior Brother Cheng, Senior Sister Xie, long time no see."

"Indeed. It’s good to see you’re all well."

The two groups immediately exchanged pleasantries upon meeting.

However, this was limited to the Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators. The other Cultivators, even those at the Nascent Soul Late Stage, all offered greetings but were not high-status enough to warrant a direct response from Wang Chongming’s group.

"By the way, is Senior Brother Chen Bufan here?"

But then, Wang Chongming said something that stunned nearly every Cultivator present.

’What’s going on?’

’Senior Brother Wang Chongming is looking for Junior Brother Chen?’

’Isn’t he at Nascent Soul Peak? Why would he call Junior Brother Chen, who’s at Nascent Soul Middle Stage, "Senior Brother"?’

The Cultivators were all baffled, even wondering if they had misheard.

In fact, it wasn’t just them; even the Qin Family Siblings were caught completely off guard.

Back then, Wang Chongming couldn’t defeat Zhang Chi, so calling him "Senior Brother" was normal.

But now that Wang Chongming had broken through, there was clearly no need for it anymore.

"Haha, everyone, no need to be surprised. Fifty-five years ago, I sparred with Senior Brother Chen and was no match for him, which is why I address him this way. My cultivation may be higher now, but Senior Brother Chen will also break through in the future, so there’s no need to change how I address him."

’So that’s what happened!’

’Fifty-five years ago, Senior Brother Wang must have already been at the Nascent Soul Late Stage, right?’

’Yeah, even if Senior Brother Wang wasn’t as strong then as he is now, there’s no way he could lose to a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator, right?’

’Junior Brother Chen is that incredible?’

’No, wait. We should call him Senior Brother from now on. After all, even Senior Brother Wang calls him that!’

The Cultivators understood, but then they became even more astonished.

’He’s really that strong? And we were actually going to challenge him?’

Xi Ruyue and the other Cultivators were terrified.

Jiang Xiancai, in particular, looked extremely grim.

He was immensely grateful for Wang Chongming’s timely arrival, which meant he hadn’t actually come to blows with Zhang Chi yet.

After all, while his combat power was considerable, he could never be stronger than Wang Chongming at the same Realm.

Moreover, with Wang Chongming holding Zhang Chi in such high regard, it was clear that Zhang Chi’s future was truly limitless.

’This guy really hides his strength well!’

Even Cheng Ran and Xie Yulin couldn’t help but look at Zhang Chi in a new light.

"I am here. Senior Brother Wang, you flatter me. We only reached a tie back then; I didn’t win. Besides, your cultivation is higher now, so I’m surely no longer your match. You can just call me Junior Brother."

Zhang Chi, however, didn’t care for such empty titles. He simply smiled, flew out from the crowd, and responded.

But although he was being modest, he showed no signs of nervousness.

Because even though the other man had broken through, Zhang Chi was confident he could defeat him again.

It was just that since the man was showing him respect, he naturally wouldn’t embarrass him.

Besides, the other man’s cultivation was indeed higher, so he truly was a "senior brother."

"Haha, let’s not worry about these things. We’ll just both call each other Senior Brother."

Wang Chongming couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this.

At the same time, he felt a sense of glee.

It turned out he had come this time precisely to find Zhang Chi and discuss the exploration of the Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch’s Cave Mansion.

He also had another goal: to show off his own cultivation in front of Zhang Chi.

As for calling Zhang Chi "Senior Brother" and admitting his past defeat, it was now irrelevant to him.

Or rather, he believed he could now crush Zhang Chi, so he no longer cared about the outcome of their past fight.

And the more humble he appeared, the more the other Cultivators would admire him, and they wouldn’t believe he had truly been defeated back then.

’So they only fought to a tie back then!’

’Yeah, that gave me a scare. I really thought Senior Brother Wang had been defeated!’

’True, but even if it was a tie, Senior Brother Chen Bufan’s combat power is still heaven-defying.’

After hearing their exchange, the Cultivators subconsciously believed the story about the tie, and they all admired Wang Chongming’s magnanimity.

But they still didn’t dare to look down on Zhang Chi.

"Very well, then it would be disrespectful to refuse."

Zhang Chi remained indifferent but immediately agreed to Wang Chongming’s proposal.

Then, Wang Chongming’s group of three chatted and laughed with Zhang Chi and the others as they flew toward Bixue Immortal City.

Xi Ruyue and the other Cultivators, however, could only follow behind, unqualified to join the conversation. They couldn’t help but envy Zhang Chi.

At the same time, their desire to oppose Zhang Chi immediately faded.

Take Jiang Xiancai, for example. Though confident, he didn’t believe he could fight Wang Chongming to a tie, even if they were at the same Realm.

Besides, Zhang Chi’s connections were terrifying. Even if he won a spar against him, it would definitely not be a good thing.

Upon arriving at Bixue Immortal City, Qin Yushan immediately had a banquet prepared to entertain Wang Chongming and his two companions.

All the Nascent Soul Cultivators present attended, but only the six Nascent Soul Peak cultivators, along with Zhang Chi and Qin Yuyan, were qualified to sit at the head table.

"Senior Brother Chen, I must apologize to you. I was arrogant enough to try and spar with you earlier. I truly overestimated myself. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against me."

Just then, Jiang Xiancai downed several cups of Spirit Wine, mustered his courage, and approached Zhang Chi to publicly admit his fault.

"Us too. We offended you before. We hope Senior Brother can forgive us."

Xi Ruyue and Zhang Jin did the same, apologizing alongside him.

"Everyone knows Jiang Xiancai wanted to spar with Third Brother. What’s the story with you two?"

All the Cultivators looked over as Qin Yushan asked this, confused.

"It was like this..."

Xi Ruyue and the others didn’t dare to hide anything and immediately explained what had happened earlier.

It wasn’t that they were being conscientious; they just knew that even if they didn’t say anything, Qin Yushan and the others would find out sooner or later.

Before, when they saw Zhang Chi as just an ordinary Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivator, they figured Qin Yushan wouldn’t have cared even if he knew.

But now, things were obviously different.

If Qin Yushan found out from Zhang Chi, he would definitely blame them. It was better to confess themselves; maybe their punishment would be lighter.

"Nonsense! You dared to defy a direct order? That’s a grave offense. According to the Divine Palace’s laws, I could have you executed for this!"

Qin Yushan was indeed furious after hearing their story.

"We were wrong! We didn’t mean to, we just wanted to discuss things with Senior Brother Chen."

"Yes, Senior Brother Qin, please forgive us just this once!"

The three of them—Xi Ruyue and the others—shuddered at his words and quickly knelt to beg for mercy.

"Third Brother, since they offended you, you decide their punishment."

It took Qin Yushan a long moment to calm down. Then, he shook his head slightly, not making a decision himself, but looking toward Zhang Chi instead.

At his words, all the Cultivators present immediately turned to look at Zhang Chi, their expressions tense.

Xi Ruyue’s group of three was especially terrified.

"Defying orders is indeed wrong. And since I’m the one to decide, I must punish the three of you severely," Zhang Chi said after a moment of thought.

"Please, no!"

The faces of Xi Ruyue and the other two turned pale.

The other Cultivators were also startled and were about to speak up for them, Cheng Ran and Xie Yulin included.

After all, while the three had been in the wrong and the others were willing to see them punished, a truly severe punishment was clearly inappropriate.

Besides, they had all fought side-by-side for many years and had a bond where they could entrust their lives to one another. The three had also made significant contributions; otherwise, Qin Yushan wouldn’t have found it so difficult to make a decision himself.

"As punishment, I now sentence each of you to drink three jars of Spirit Wine as an apology. Do you accept?" Zhang Chi continued.

"What?"

"We accept! Thank you, Senior Brother, for your mercy!"

Xi Ruyue and the other two were stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. They nodded repeatedly, filled with gratitude toward Zhang Chi.

"So that’s what he meant! Haha!"

"Exactly! You scared us to death!"

The other Cultivators also breathed a sigh of relief and burst into laughter, and the atmosphere immediately became cheerful.

Their favorability toward Zhang Chi, this newcomer who had "parachuted in," instantly soared. They all began to see him as one of their own.

Zhang Chi smiled at the sight.

He hadn’t been bothered by the minor incident before, and more importantly, he knew they would all be fighting alongside each other for a long time.

And even if only for the sake of giving face to Qin Yushan, Cheng Ran, and Xie Yulin, he couldn’t have punished them severely.

Of course, the main reason was that they had knelt and apologized, showing they truly knew they were wrong. Besides, he hadn’t suffered any actual loss.

"Senior Brother Chen is truly magnanimous. But speaking of sparring, I’d like to have another match with you. Would you be willing, Senior Brother Chen?" Just then, Wang Chongming suddenly interjected.