Everyone who knew him was dumbfounded.

Wasn’t the new Perfected Cultivator surrounded by the elders and billions of people Chen Beixuan, who they met in Zhuyan City?

“It’s impossible. Chen Beixuan was killed by the White Python Guards.”

Lin Wuhua’s body trembled.

She couldn’t believe it, but Chen Fan was standing right on the top of the Ancestral Temple, being worshipped by thousands of people. He looked exactly the same as he used to be.

“He’s alive? The guards of the royal families are powerful forces that can level a Grotto-heaven, or exterminate families and races,” Gu Lingzi mumbled.

Chu Tianyu even clenched his fists with anger in his eyes.

He still remembered how Chen Fan had smacked him down the ground and stripped him of his dignity. Looking at the superior Chen Fan, Chu Tianyu suddenly felt gloomy.

One of them was just a peak-stage Connate Cultivator, while the other was a mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator. The gap between them didn’t shrink; it became larger instead.

As for Yun Yier and Mu Hongti, they had been stunned since the beginning.

Yun Yier’s jaw dropped, then she stammered, “Sister Mu, are you seeing this? Is that… Senior Chen?”

“You’re right. Perfected Cultivator Chen is Senior Chen,” Mu Hongti said. Her eyes were full of joy, while her mind was rife with troubling thoughts.

Chen Fan’s appearance had shocked many of his friends. A lot of people were in awe of how young he was. Even though a cultivator would look young for the rest of his life after entering the Connate Level, that strong vitality couldn’t be hidden.

Anyone who saw Chen Fan could sense that he was young and his energy was surging. The peak of his life had just begun.

An elder of Xukong Grotto-heaven sighed and said, “Ah, a heavy hitter who’s under a hundred years old. With such a talent, he might be able to become a peak-stage Golden Core Cultivator or even a Heavenly Lord, breaking the limitations of the blood suffered by the Chinese.”

“Hm, do you know how hard it is to become a Heavenly Lord? Other than the first Lord Beihan, there hasn’t been even one in the Beihan Region in the last hundred thousand years. Even Sword King, who’s a sixth-grade Golden Core Cultivator, is still far from becoming a Heavenly Lord.”

The envoy of Yin Yang Grotto-heaven sneered.

Everyone nodded. A Nascent Soul Heavenly Lord was someone who stood on top of the world.

A young man of the Lin family frowned and pondered, “I once heard that… the Chinese used to have a Heavenly Lord called Heaven’s…”

Everyone around him cut him off short.

“Shut up!”

“Bullshit.”

“That is only a rumor. How would the Chinese have a Heavenly Lord?” the elders of many families yelled.

That young man no longer dared to say a word after that. That was a taboo in all sects and families.

Meanwhile, the elders of many Grotto-heavens and families were worried.

The rise of Chen Fan reminded them of the Chinese during their heyday thousands of years in the past.

Then, Mu Hongti reacted after her first outburst of joy.

“Oh no! Gu Lingzi and the others knew Senior Chen. What if they report this to the royal family?”

Yun Yier also turned pale.

Chen Fan was still the most wanted criminal for the royal family right then.

Gu Lingzi and the others also remembered this.

“That guy is nuts. How can he be this careless, exposing himself? Does he think the royal family is a bunch of fools? Even if he’s a heavy hitter, so what? The nine troops of the Royal Palace have destroyed Grotto-heavens and families before.”

Gu Lingzi snickered.

Chu Tianyu even gave Chen Fan a baleful look. He was about to leave the ceremony and report this to the Royal Palace. The royal family and Sword King would never let Chen Fan get away.

Lin Wuhua frowned.

“If he’s telling everyone about this, he should be confident about being able to handle it… Besides, the royal family would try its best to avoid offending a powerhouse just to avenge Zhao Qingchen,” she said with some uncertainty.

The Zhao family had ruled the Beihan Region for thousands of years. Chen Fan had openly provoked them when he took the blood of a Prince in front of everyone. The Royal Palace wouldn’t just let him go.

Lin Wuhua looked back and glanced around. She found that there wasn’t even one envoy from the government of the Yan State or the royal family; she was startled by the fact.

“Normally, the government would send an envoy to a Perfected Cultivator Ceremony, even if the Lord of the Yan State isn’t coming. This is the most basic etiquette…”

Mu Hongti and Yun Yier understood what was going on and their faces turned even paler.

The Perfected Cultivator Ceremony was still continuing. It was going to last a day and a night. There were countless complicated procedures and Chen Fan was at the moment receiving the blessings from the envoys in the hall.

“The families in the Eastern Wu State congratulate Perfected Cultivator Chen for becoming a Golden Core Cultivator. May your power last forever. We’re offering you nine superior-grade Spirit Medicines, five superior-grade Spirit Materials, seven thousand Spirit Stones…”

“The Black Scales of the Yang State congratulates Perfected Cultivator Chen…”

“The Qingyang Sect of the Yun State congratulates…”

Right when the envoys were in the process of meeting Chen Fan and presenting their gifts one by one…

Someone suddenly shouted in the sky, “Chi Fenkong, Lord of the Yan State, is here to see Perfected Cultivator Chen.”

His thunderous voice was spread for a hundred miles.

The entire Old China Town went silent. Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and looked up. A golden flying ship a thousand feet long had arrived.

The flying ship was made of gold and there was a giant python head on the bow of the ship. The python had sharp teeth and it looked extremely vicious. The flag of the government of the Yan State was fluttering on top of the ship.

“Chi Fenkong finally arrived. I thought he would not come.”

Many people cracked a smile. Only Xie Changying frowned and felt anxious.

The flying ship of the Royal Palace landed on the square in front of the Ancestral Temple and Chi Fenkong stepped out. This time, he wasn’t the one who was leading the group. The person who walked in the front was a white-haired man.

He was tall and fit. He was wearing a white outfit and had white hair, fair skin and long eyes that flashed with blue glitter. There was a Sky-Swallowing Python on his chest.

“Chi Fenkong is the Lord of the state. Who can be more superior than him?”

Many were confused.

But some of them had already recognized this man and they exclaimed, “It’s Zhu Jiushan, the Commander of the White Python Guards.”

“What? The Commander of the White Python Guards?”

Countless people were startled.

The White Python Guards was one of the nine troops of the royal family.

The nine troops of the Royal Palace were the armies that helped the royal family suppress the world. They were extremely vicious and their hands were stained with the blood of countless aliens, families and sects. Even some of the Top Ten had lost to them. Since the Zhao family had the blood of the Sky-Swallowing Python, the White Python Guards ranked first among the nine troops.

As the leader of the nine troops, Zhu Jiushan was extremely impressive.

“Zhu Jiushan became a mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator a century ago and he’s one of the top five Overlords of the entire Royal Palace. He’s known for his viciousness and he enjoys killing. He’s exterminated more than a hundred races in his entire life, which is why people call him the ‘Human Slayer!’ He’s as superior as the Sect Masters of the Grotto-heavens.”

After seeing Zhu Jiushan…

Many leaders of the families began to tremble. This was the most famous executor of the Royal Palace. A lot of people stared at Chen Fan in shock. Even Zhu Jiushan was paying him a visit. It looked like he was going to soar!

And the Chinese elders who knew who Chen Fan was, including Qin Luo, were all terrified.

“Brother.”

Xiao Mang held Chen Fan’s hands tight and she trembled anxiously, while Chu Tianyu and Gu Lingzi snickered.

“Zhu Jiushan is here. Let’s see how you survive this.”

Mu Hongti was enraged and she clenched her fists tight. She remembered that Zhu Jiushan was the one who had issued the order to catch all the members of the Mu family. He had even killed their Ancestral Patriarch just because he said something.

Not even the six Grotto-heavens would dare to provoke this fierce man.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine,” Chen Fan said gently with a calm look.

“What brings you here, my Lord and Commander Zhu? We would have welcomed you thirty miles outside the city if you had told us earlier…”

While Xie Changying was speaking with a smile…

Zhu Jiushan had already turned into a long beam of light like a python and attacked Xie Changying. If Chen Fan hadn’t shot an azure light blade to break that python, Xie Changying would have been torn into pieces.

Even so, Xie Changying was still affected by the impact. He took dozens of steps back and his body was injured inside.

“What are you doing?”

Qin Luo and the others went forward with their swords.

“How dare you ask me?” Zhu Jiushan smiled and said as he stared at Chen Fan.

“You should know why I’m here. You’re quite good at running! I didn’t even see you once in the past year. How are you going to thank me?”

“What’s going on?”

Many people knew something was happening.

“Strange. Are the White Python Guards not here to congratulate him? Why did they do that? Zhu Jiushan wouldn’t do such a thing on other people’s Perfected Cultivator ceremony, no matter how vicious he is.”

The elder of the Xukong Sect frowned.

Some clever people knew what Zhu Jiushan was talking about and they immediately looked at Chen Fan in fear.

“What are you talking about? I don’t quite follow,” Chen Fan said.

“You don’t follow? Chen Beixuan, do you really think you can deceive everyone? You took the blood of our Prince, Zhao Qingchen, and the Royal Palace is enraged. Sword King ordered me to take you back to the royal city for punishment. Otherwise, we’ll exterminate the Chinese.”

Zhu Jiushan stood there with coldness in his eyes.

“Kneel and beg! Then, I might spare a few of your people.”

Everyone was frightened.