What is it like to ascend to the Nine Heavens?
Chen Fan had never seen it.
Not only Chen Fan, but many others had not.
Let alone ascending to the Nine Heavens, most of them had not even traveled through the Ten Earths.
And now, the strong enemies from the Nine Heavens were all annihilated.
With just a wave of Chen Qi's hand.
With a hint of emotion on his weathered face, he looked at the figure opposite him, his eyes filled with deep longing. "Master."
These two words had been his greatest support for countless years.
"Mm."
Chen Fan nodded calmly.
The ancient tree swayed, and the master and disciple stood beneath it.
Then, Chen Qi raised his hand, summoned the wind and thunder of the Nine Heavens, and gathered them under the ancient tree to form a stone table. He said respectfully, "Master, please."
Chen Fan did not speak and sat down calmly.
Chen Qi sat opposite him.
This was the reunion of master and disciple after millions of years.
A simple face-to-face, yet they remained silent for a long time.
"You've suffered all these years," Chen Fan sighed.
He raised his hand, summoning the river of the Great Dao, and poured it into a teacup, releasing an exotic fragrance that drove countless people mad.
"It was bearable."
Taking the teacup handed to him by his master, Chen Qi said calmly, "I am already used to it."
In the distance, there was utter silence.
It seemed that the million tribulations had been overcome.
All calamities appeared to have vanished.
Yet, no one left.
Master, who would have thought that the only being above the Great Emperor in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was the disciple of City Lord Chen.
This was too astonishing.
No one dared to speak or disturb them.
Only the master and disciple sat, drinking tea and conversing.
After taking a sip of tea, Chen Qi said, "Master's tea is excellent."
Chen Fan gave a wry smile. "What's so excellent about it? It's merely the water of the Great Dao summoned at will. As for these leaves, they are merely the leaves of this tree."
The tea leaves came from the ancient tree that propped up the heavens and earth.
The tea water... came from the river of the Great Dao.
Chen Qi chuckled, "To be able to drink tea brewed by Master's own hands, I wouldn't trade it even for the Great Dao's elixir from my very being."
Chen Fan chuckled, "You rascal."
"Haha."
Chen Qi burst into laughter.
The master and disciple seemed to be having a very happy conversation, often erupting into hearty laughter.
Their laughter echoed through heaven and earth.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths became the exclusive domain of the master and disciple for a long time, with no one daring to intrude.
Time did not pass quickly. The onlookers in the distance had even recovered from their injuries.
A heartfelt conversation stretched for half a month.
Everyone believed that the crisis had passed.
Relaxed laughter could be vaguely heard from all around.
The mastermind of the million tribulations was the disciple of City Lord Chen. What was there to worry about?
...
"Master."
Chen Qi smiled as he looked at the crowd in the distance. "They seem very happy."
"A bunch of fools."
Chen Fan shook his head. "They all think that since you and I are master and disciple, the million tribulations are over. They don't realize that the real crisis has yet to arrive. Ah Qi, am I right?"
"..."
Silence.
Quiet.
Silence was the best answer.
After a long while, Chen Qi spoke with difficulty. "Master, I..."
"No need to say more."
Chen Fan waved his hand, his expression still calm. "Where is Rou Qiu?"
He had seen his disciple, but not Rou Qiu.
"..."
This silence made Chen Fan's face darken.
"Did he block your path?" Chen Fan's expression became serious.
"...No," Chen Qi lowered his head.
He could not hide anything from his master's questioning.
"Then why did you attack Rou Qiu?" his tone grew increasingly stern.
Chen Fan's expression had turned icy.
He cherished his disciple, but in the beginning of chaos, Rou Qiu had been his first companion. Rou Qiu had accompanied him through endless lonely years.
When he left, he had left Rou Qiu with Chen Qi, and now... it had ended in such a wretched state.
"Master, I..." Chen Qi's face turned pale.
Hmph!
A cold snort echoed.
The next moment, with a 'boom,' a branch from the heaven-reaching ancient tree shot out into the chaos.
"Wuwuwu."
A sudden weeping sound, accompanied by ineffable heartache.
That sorrowful emotion made countless people's hearts ache.
Many female cultivators' eyes were already streaming with tears.
The 'wuwu' sound was like a lament.
Boom!
Under everyone's gaze, a mountain of flesh was brought back by the branch.
The flesh mountain was covered in a thick layer of bloody substance, which had already scabbed over. Only a pair of weeping pupils could be seen, expressing unspeakable pain.
Until those small eyes saw Chen Fan, he wanted to smile... but he couldn't.
"Slap."
Chen Fan slapped Chen Qi across the face.
This slap stunned everyone.
"Master..."
A terrifying killing intent instantly appeared in Huan Shen's eyes.
Before anyone could react, he transformed into an afterimage and lunged at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan, however, remained motionless, calmly watching his disciple's gaze.
"Presumptuous!"
Chen Qi abruptly stood up and struck with his palm.
Bang!
Huan Shen's disappearing figure was repelled by the palm strike.
The staggering, heavily injured figure retreated, looking at the Celestial Emperor in disbelief. "Master, why..."
Killing intent filled Chen Qi's eyes. "This is the first time. If you dare disrespect my master again, you will have no need to live..."
The killing intent in his eyes startled Huan Shen.
This was the first time he had seen such solid killing intent in his master's eyes, and the target was his most trusted subordinate.
Huan Shen quickly lowered his head. He knew his master's nature too well.
When his master showed such an expression, it meant he was truly harboring killing intent.
He dared not disobey any further and quickly bowed his head. "Your subordinate has erred."
"Hmph."
The Celestial Emperor snorted and then withdrew his gaze.
This scene again made countless people tremble.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan's gaze remained fixed on the Celestial Emperor. Even when he rebuked his subordinate or struck him, his gaze never wavered.
"Chen Qi."
The disappointment in his master's eyes made Chen Qi feel ashamed.
The voice of disappointment slowly echoed in Chen Qi's ears. "Rou Qiu was just a child. He was very afraid of pain. I told you this before. Now... have you ever thought about how much pain Rou Qiu would be in, bearing all this?"
Disappointment, heartache... Chen Fan was filled with hatred.
The next moment...
Boom!
His figure shot up into the sky.
With a wave of his hand, the Great Dao converged, and vast, bloody scabs began to fall off.
With each piece that fell, it was as if a mountain was crashing down from the sky.
It was too enormous.
Slowly, one corpse after another emerged.
These scabs were formed from endless mountains of corpses.
Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged.
He continued to shatter the flesh mountain, and as he did, the pain in Rou Qiu's gaze slowly diminished.
Longing surged like a tide, his gaze heart-wrenching.
"Rou Qiu."
A smile appeared on Chen Fan's face.
As he watched the gradually clearer figure, his eyes were also filled with joy.
"Bang."
The flesh mountain completely shattered.
Bloody threads were pulled out from within Rou Qiu's body.
Watching Rou Qiu's pained expression, the coldness in Chen Fan's eyes intensified.