Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Reunion After Four Years
"Thank you, Senior!"
As everyone was shocked, Fang Qingyao was the first to react, saluting Ji Chen from a distance.
She was equally surprised in her heart.
Clearly, putting aside the Mind Dao Body of the demon crown prince, just Yao Yan alone had the strength of the Celestial Essence Realm, yet he was easily obliterated here by this mysterious white-clad youth.
From this, it could be seen that this unknown white-clad man must also possess strength beyond the Celestial Essence Realm!
With such cultivation, not to mention the Profound Domain, even in all of Beiyou, he would definitely be considered a first-rate young king.
"No need to be so polite."
Ji Chen merely smiled, without saying much, and stepped into the Lingyun Sect.
Fang Qingyao saw this, her brows slightly furrowed, but she did not stop him.
"Elder, please oversee the entrance examination."
Leaving that sentence, she then followed behind Ji Chen into the Lingyun Sect.
"In just a few years’ time, so much has changed here."
Inside the Lingyun Sect, the two landed on the ground and walked towards the back mountain. Ji Chen surveyed everything here, feeling quite emotional.
Behind him, Fang Qingyao, hearing his words, couldn’t help but pause, and asked curiously, "Has Senior been to the Lingyun Sect before?"
Evidently, she did not recognize the other, and in her memory, the Lingyun Sect had almost no contact with such a young master.
Could he be a friend of Ji Chen?
After all, back then, after breaking through in Bicheng, Ji Chen became famous throughout the world and met many young prodigies.
If he wasn’t a friend of Ji Chen’s, why would he risk offending the Demon Race to stand up for the Lingyun Sect today?
Faced with Fang Qingyao’s doubts, Ji Chen did not respond.
He continued towards the direction of the back mountain, his eyes sweeping over everything around.
The current Lingyun Sect was already very different from four years ago. Because the Sword King Sect had merged in, the entire sect had several hundred more disciples, so, even back then, the Lingyun Sect expanded its mountain gate, and its overall scale was much larger than before.
As they progressed along the way, it was unclear how much time had passed before Ji Chen arrived in the back mountain.
In front of a secluded courtyard, he stopped, glancing over, recognizing it as his former residence, the Drunken Ink Residence, everything as it was.
Feeling a wave of nostalgia, Ji Chen stepped to the courtyard front, intending to push the door open but was stopped by Fang Qingyao from behind, "Forgive me, Senior, this is my Junior Brother’s former residence..."
"Four years without seeing, Senior Sister has now grown so much, it’s quite beyond my expectation."
However, Ji Chen spoke, and in his words, he suddenly turned around, his facial features changing back to their true appearance.
"You are..."
Fang Qingyao was stunned for a moment and couldn’t react immediately.
She only felt a slight familiarity with the face before her, yet couldn’t recognize it at once.
"Junior Brother Ji Chen?!"
After a few moments of daze, finally, Fang Qingyao reacted, her face suddenly reflecting unparalleled astonishment.
The years had smoothed his facial contours of innocence, compared to four years ago, Ji Chen’s appearance hadn’t changed too much but had matured significantly.
"No, you’re not Junior Brother Ji Chen, who are you?"
After the shock, Fang Qingyao frowned again, since the other could easily change his appearance, transforming into Ji Chen’s likeness naturally wasn’t a hard thing.
Four years ago, Ji Chen had ventured alone into the Immortal Burial Forest, a place where entering meant certain death, even the Night Emperor of the past couldn’t walk out alive.
Now, Ji Chen suddenly reappearing here, naturally, seemed unbelievable to Fang Qingyao.
"How can you say I’m not Ji Chen?" He paused, understanding that Fang Qingyao’s reaction was understandable.
"You claim to be Junior Brother Ji Chen, but how can you prove it?" Fang Qingyao asked.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to believe, but such a thing was indeed hard to convince anyone.
After all, entering a place like the Immortal Burial Forest, from ancient times to now, no one had ever walked out alive.
"Buzz..."
Ji Chen smiled without speaking and directly displayed his Spiritual Sea in front of Fang Qingyao.
Within it, nine Spirit Veins swirled like a galaxy, captivating and leaving Fang Qingyao stunned in place.
"Is it truly Junior Brother Ji Chen?!"
It took her a moment to react, her face full of disbelief, her eyes examining Ji Chen.
Ji Chen withdrew the Spiritual Sea’s phantom, sighed, and said, "It’s been four years, it’s indeed hard to believe that I returned alive from the Immortal Burial Forest, isn’t it?"
Fang Qingyao’s face was filled with joy, as she walked towards Ji Chen, "That’s wonderful, Junior Brother, if Master and the others know you’re alive, they will definitely be very happy."
"How is father? On my way back, I heard people say that my mother is now also in the Lingyun Sect?" Ji Chen inquired.
Fang Qingyao nodded, "Three years ago, the Mistress came to our Lingyun Sect, they are all doing well, currently all in seclusion, I’ll go notify them immediately."
Saying this, Fang Qingyao hurriedly turned and left.
Ji Chen then pushed open the courtyard door and walked into the Drunken Ink Residence.
Everything here was as it was, no different from four years ago, evidently, someone often came to clean the place, otherwise, the courtyard would likely be overgrown with weeds.
That very day, Ji Xiaotian and his wife came out of seclusion, along with Lu Daoyi. Upon learning of Ji Chen’s return, they immediately rushed to the Drunken Ink Residence.
Li Huayuan, Qin Lan, and Pill King Zhuang Miao were also notified.
Not only Li Huayuan, but now, including Qin Lan and Pill King Zhuang Miao, they too had become Honored Guest Elders of Lingyun Sect.
In the past, the Imperial Capital moved south, settling in Yang City not far from Lingyun Sect. Li Huayuan and the others usually stayed in Yang City, handling numerous matters.
Today, they suddenly received a message from the Lingyun Sect, but didn’t know the reason.
When they arrived at the Drunken Ink Residence and saw Ji Chen, only then did they completely understand.
After some conversation, Ji Chen learned about many happenings over the years.
The poison of Pill Fire within Qin Lan had been resolved, personally dealt with by the Grand Alliance Leader of the Alchemy Master Alliance, who refined the Celestial Cold Pill for him.
And Nangong Ao’s Spirit Storage Pill was also successfully refined in the third year after Ji Chen entered the Immortal Burial Forest.
Nangong Ao’s cultivation thereby restored to its peak state of the past, yet now he wasn’t in the Lingyun Sect. It was said that he had left for a journey two months ago, likely leaving Beiyou for the Eastern Desolation, seemingly having matters to attend to.
The group gathered at the Drunken Ink Residence for a drink, a celebration for Ji Chen’s return. All present were trusted by Ji Chen; after all, he still didn’t want too many to know of his return.