Chapter 1396: 沈万金

The fat man standing before him, covered in ghastly, hideously ugly, and terrifying scars, was none other than Shen Wanjin, who had entered the Cangxuan Sect in the same batch as Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan clearly remembered how that little chubby guy back then had proudly considered himself his follower and managed many tasks for him.

But who could have imagined that after more than a decade apart, the once somewhat adorable chubby guy had turned into this.

And most importantly, his Genesis Qi seemed to have been crippled.

At the banquet table, Chu Qing, Li Qingchan, and the others also fell silent.

Shen Wanjin mustered his courage, looked up, and glanced at Zhou Yuan, saying somewhat awkwardly, "I just wanted to sneak a peek; I didn't mean to disturb your enjoyment."

Zhou Yuan stared at Shen Wanjin, his brows slightly furrowed, and asked, "Why were you sneaking around?"

Shen Wanjin remained silent. The "Little Yuan Brother" now was no longer the same as before; he was a significant figure whom even the Sect Masters of various Saint Sects dared not treat lightly. As for Shen Wanjin himself, he was now a cripple. How could he dare to rely on their past connection again?

Furthermore, who could be sure that after more than a decade, the other person would still remember the little chubby guy who used to follow him around, trying to curry favor?

Zhou Yuan stared at Shen Wanjin, as if he had seen through his thoughts, and slowly asked, "In your heart, Shen Wanjin, do you think I, Zhou Yuan, am that kind of person?"

Shen Wanjin stammered, speechless, his expression bitter.

"What happened to him?" Zhou Yuan asked, looking at Chu Qing, Li Qingchan, and the others.

Li Qingchan sighed softly and said, "It's probably due to the situation in Cangxuan Heaven. A few years ago, Junior Brother Shen Wanjin and a team of fellow disciples took on a mission. But during the mission, they encountered Xu Chan, the Hall Master of the Poison Saint Hall of the Sacred Palace. This person is naturally cruel and vicious, especially fond of torturing and killing opponents. Everyone in that team died horribly. Junior Brother Shen Wanjin was fortunate enough to survive, but he was tortured beyond recognition. Most importantly, his internal meridians and Divine Dwellings were directly melted by a potent poison, effectively crippling his foundation."

"In the end, the Sect Master personally intervened to save his life, but his internal meridians and Divine Dwellings are difficult to reforge. According to the Sect Master, only a Saint could possibly restore them."

"At that time, we originally wanted Junior Brother Shen Wanjin to return to his hometown, but he refused. In the end, he became a chef here at Hundred Fragrance Tower..."

The atmosphere at the table grew somber. Over the years, Cangxuan Heaven had been in chaos due to the Sacred Seal fragments, with endless conflicts. They had grown step by step through such perilous struggles. In these years, they had seen countless former fellow disciples leave with smiles, only to return as cold corpses.

All sorts of joys and sorrows had played out countless times over the years.

"Who knows when this fighting will end..." Chu Qing sighed, with a hint of weariness in his brows.

Zhou Yuan held his wine cup, the wine reflecting a pair of sharp eyes. He drained the cup and said calmly, "It won't be long. Once the Sacred Palace, this cancerous growth, is removed, Cangxuan Heaven will be able to return to peace."

Everyone present was shaken by his words; Zhou Yuan's single sentence had revealed much information.

"Is a decisive battle coming? But Sacred Yuan Palace Master has already reached the Half-Saint stage; who can contend with him? The four Sect Masters probably don't have that ability." Li Qingchan asked with a slight frown of her willow-like brows, hesitating.

As her voice fell, she seemed to remember something else, and then, along with the others, she cast a somewhat shocked gaze towards Zhou Yuan.

"I will deal with Sacred Yuan," Zhou Yuan nodded.

Everyone gasped in surprise, momentarily at a loss for words. Zhou Yuan now actually possessed the power to contend with a Half-Saint?

Zhou Yuan's gaze turned to Shen Wanjin. He extended his hand and gripped his wrist, and with a shift of his spirit, he clearly perceived the condition of Shen Wanjin's body.

In his perception, Shen Wanjin's internal meridians and Divine Dwellings had indeed been completely dissolved. That kind of potent poison was clearly unimaginably overbearing.

Over the years, Shen Wanjin had almost become a cripple without Genesis Qi, working as a chef in this Hundred Fragrance Tower.

One could imagine how painful his life had been over these years. After all, being suddenly stripped of a power one had grown accustomed to was the greatest torture.

This was like in secular dynasties, when former princes and nobles were demoted to commoners; they seemed to be spared their lives, but their status and rights were taken away, causing those who were demoted to experience extreme pain for the rest of their lives.

In Zhou Yuan's memory, Shen Wanjin back then was a little chubby guy who always had a smile on his face. However, the current him was almost buried by dejection and despair.

After losing his Genesis Qi, he closed off his heart, and his former friends gradually ceased contact. After all, the contrast was simply too great.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan suddenly recalled the years when his eight meridians were difficult to open. In a way, it was somewhat similar to Shen Wanjin's situation: he once possessed the Sacred Dragon's Fortune, which was later stripped away, leaving his eight meridians difficult to open and preventing him from embarking on the path of cultivation. Shen Wanjin, on the other hand, originally possessed Genesis Qi but became a cripple due to an unforeseen event.

Zhou Yuan slowly released his hand. He glanced at everyone, including Shen Wanjin, who were all looking at him with hopeful eyes. He said, "The Sect Master was right; only a Saint can reforge his Divine Dwellings."

Everyone's eyes immediately dimmed.

Shen Wanjin struggled to force a smile, saying, "It's fine, I've gotten used to it anyway."

The strongest person in all of Cangxuan Heaven was Sacred Yuan, but even he was merely a Half-Saint. As for Saints... they were too distant for everyone, figures akin to deities.

Zhou Yuan shook his head and said, "Unless you wait a bit longer, until I advance to the Saint stage and personally reforge them for you. If you can't wait, then once I've dealt with Sacred Yuan, I'll ask your Sister Yao to help, which shouldn't be difficult."

Shen Wanjin suddenly looked up, staring at Zhou Yuan with somewhat dazed eyes. Zhou Yuan's words revealed quite a lot of information, but what excited him most was that Zhou Yuan was willing to help him.

After a long while, he finally said with a tremor, "Little Yuan Brother... are you willing to help me?"

Zhou Yuan stood up and lightly rapped Shen Wanjin on the head. He said, feigning annoyance, "What's the big deal, acting as if it's the end of the world? Don't worry. For the sake of your 'Little Yuan Brother' and 'Sister Yao' from back then, we wouldn't just ignore you."

Shen Wanjin was overjoyed, tears streaming down his face. He never imagined that hope would come so quickly.

This "Little Yuan Brother" from back then, even though he was now a major figure whose prestige dominated Cangxuan Heaven, was still willing to help a small figure like him, who used to follow behind him.

"Little Yuan Brother, I'll go make you some of my specialty dishes," Shen Wanjin stammered, wiping away his tears, too excited to control himself. He then turned and ran out.

Zhou Yuan didn't stop him. He understood how important this seemingly simple help was to Shen Wanjin; it was enough to pull him out of the abyss of despair.

Just as back then, when his eight meridians were difficult to open, Master Cang Yuan had opened a path of hope for him.

His gaze turned to Chu Qing, Li Qingchan, and the others, his expression growing a little more solemn, because Shen Wanjin's situation alone was enough to convey how chaotic Cangxuan Heaven had been all these years.

Li Qingchan softly asked, "Zhou Yuan, will you put an end to the chaos in Cangxuan Heaven?"

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly, "Otherwise, why would I have returned?"

He raised his wine cup, looked at everyone, and said, "Cherish this last period of rest. Soon a great battle will arrive, and no one will be able to escape then."

"In this war, we can only win. Otherwise, the entire Cangxuan Heaven will be destroyed, with no hope left."

The Sacred Palace's actions this time must have been instigated by the Saint Race. Although Zhou Yuan wasn't entirely clear what the Saint Race intended to do, it was definitely not good news for Cangxuan Heaven.

Chu Qing, Li Qingchan, Kong Sheng, and Ye Ge felt a chill in their hearts. They immediately raised their wine cups, clinked them together, their eyes filled with determination.

"For Cangxuan Heaven."