Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 687 Imperial City! He actually reached the Divine Transformation stage!

Han Cen stepped forward from behind, his old face full of heartfelt satisfaction.

Two years have passed, and a few more strands of white hair have appeared at his temples, but he is still in good spirits.

He solemnly cupped his hands towards Chen Fan and said, "Elder Chen, when I parted ways with you on the Great Grassland that day, I was truly worried for you. Later, I heard that Wang Zhenyue had chased you for three days and three nights. Elder Ouyang and I asked around for news of you, but we never heard from you. Now that I see you have returned safely and even broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, I can finally rest easy."

Ouyang Ye spoke a few more words than usual, his hoarse voice tinged with excitement: "Master Chen, you lured Wang Zhenyue away for us that day, but you yourself disappeared without a trace. Every time I think about this matter over the past year, I feel sorry for you."

Chen Fan waved his hand: "Elders, there's no need for that. What happened that day was our own choice."

Just then, a group of people came from the other end of the street. The leader was dressed in a bright yellow python robe and had a handsome face; he was none other than the Fourth Prince, Zhao Yu.

Two years had passed, and Zhao Yu's face had become more sinister than before, with an inescapable air of melancholy in his eyes and brows. Behind him followed Duan Wuliang and several Nascent Soul stage retainers, their entourage much smaller than Zhao Yan's, but their imposing presence was not to be outdone.

Zhao Yu stopped ten steps away, her gaze falling on Chen Fan, her pupils shrinking slightly.

He gritted his teeth, forced a smile, and cupped his hands to Chen Fan, saying, "Congratulations on your safe return, Venerable Chen. I, the prince, came to offer my congratulations upon hearing the news."

Though she spoke politely, the jealousy and resentment in her eyes were impossible to hide.

Chen Fan glanced at him indifferently, then returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Your Highness is too kind."

Zhao Yu stared at Chen Fan for a while longer, her smile growing increasingly forced.

Transformation into a deity.

This eunuch has actually become a god.

Zhao Yu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the turmoil in her heart.

He recalled that two years ago, Chen Fan won first place in the overall individual score at the Hundred Sects Conference, which directly allowed Zhao Yan to surpass him in the talent assessment. After that, the Gu King emerged from seclusion, the grasslands went to war with the Zhao Kingdom, and before the King went into seclusion, he appointed Zhao Yan as the Crown Prince Regent on the grounds of "putting the overall situation first".

All of this turning point was orchestrated by the old eunuch before them. And now, not only did this man not die at Wang Zhenyue's hands, but he also broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and returned in glory.

With Chen Fan, a Nascent Soul cultivator, as his ally, it would be incredibly difficult for Zhao Yan to turn the tide.

"Consultant Chen is indeed fortunate." Zhao Yu squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhao Yan. "Brother, you and Consultant Chen have been reunited after so long, you must have much to say. I will not disturb you any longer."

After saying that, he turned and left, his back view exuding an overwhelming sense of gloom.

Duan Wuliang followed behind Zhao Yu, and after taking a few steps, he turned back to look at Chen Fan.

His gaze held both fear and resentment. Two years ago, at the entrance of Jubao Tower, he was publicly compared by Chen Fan to a demonic cultivator from Demon Abyss Island, a humiliation that had not yet faded.

But now Chen Fan has already stepped into the Nascent Soul stage, while he is still at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage; the gap between them is now as vast as an insurmountable chasm. He gritted his teeth and quickened his pace to catch up with Zhao Yu.

As Zhao Yan watched Zhao Yu's departing figure, the smile on his face faded slightly, and he sighed softly, "Fourth Brother still can't let go."

He then turned to Chen Fan, his smile returning, "Lord Chen, I have prepared a banquet in the palace to welcome you. Elder Han, Elder Ouyang, please come along."

……

The royal garden of the Zhao Kingdom's palace was brightly lit.

Zhao Yan set up the banquet in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, the same place where Chen Fan had been welcomed when he first arrived in the capital. The round table made of rosewood in the pavilion was filled with delicacies, the dishes were more exquisite and refined than before, but the atmosphere in the pavilion was more relaxed and casual than before.

Only Han Cen and Ouyang Ye were present at the banquet, both of whom were Zhao Yan's most trusted confidants.

After several rounds of drinks, Zhao Yan put down his wine bowl, a hint of emotion on his face: "Consultant Chen, I was able to assume the position of Regent entirely thanks to your first-place ranking in the Hundred Sects Assembly. When the Emperor announced the investiture in the Hall of Supreme Harmony that day, the Fourth Prince's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Although there are still many people in the court who secretly support the Fourth Prince in the past two years, the overall situation is settled, and they can't cause any more trouble. Elder Han and Elder Ouyang have also been promoted to Gold-Rank Consultants, one in charge of the Pill Hall of the Consultant Hall and the other in charge of the Array Hall, both of them are my most capable assistants."

Han Cen stroked his beard and smiled, "Your Highness flatters me. Elder Chen, in the past two years, thanks to the Gu array manuscript you left at the Hundred Sects Conference, I have made considerable progress in the art of Gu arrays. A few days ago, I even added a fifth-grade Gu array to the protective array of the Hall of Worship, which even Xue Chanzi himself might not be able to break easily."

Ouyang Ye rarely showed a smile, and said in a hoarse voice, "Me too. I still haven't figured out how Elder Chen set up the sixth-grade Gu array in half an hour."

Chen Fan held his wine bowl, listening to the three of them talk, occasionally nodding slightly, but not saying much.

After drinking a few more rounds, Chen Fan put down his wine bowl and looked at Zhao Yan: "Your Highness, I have a favor to ask."

Zhao Yan put down his wine bowl, his expression becoming serious: "Consort Chen, please speak freely."

"Regarding the teleportation array," Chen Fan said calmly, "we wish to use it to travel to the Great Qin."

Zhao Yan was silent for a moment, then laughed.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took out a purple-gold token from his sleeve and placed it on the table. The front of the token was engraved with a relief of a teleportation array, and the back had an ancient character "Qin": "Consort Chen, I promised you two years ago that if I were to become regent, I would open a teleportation array for you once, exempting you from the one million contribution points requirement. This token was prepared by me half a year ago. With this token, you can use the interdimensional teleportation array once in the Hall of Offerings, and all expenses will be borne by the imperial court. The array masters for the teleportation array have also been dispatched and can be activated at any time."

Chen Fan stared at the token on the table and remained silent for a long time.

He reached out and picked up the token, stood up, and bowed solemnly to Zhao Yan: "Your Highness has kept your promise, and I will remember it forever."

Zhao Yan quickly stood up to help him up: "Venerable Chen, there's no need for this. What you've done for me goes far beyond a single teleportation array. You single-handedly secured first place in the Hundred Sects Tournament for me, shielded me from Wang Zhenyue's pursuit, and earned this empire for me. What is a single teleportation array compared to that? When do you plan to set off?"

"Three days later." Chen Fan put the token into his sleeve.

Zhao Yan nodded and asked no further questions. He picked up his wine bowl and raised it to Chen Fan: "In that case, tonight we shall drink until we drop. Consider this my way of seeing you off."

The lights in the pavilion in the middle of the lake stayed on until late at night.

When Chen Fan left the palace, the moon was high in the sky. He walked along Zhuque Avenue towards his residence...