Chapter 928: Talented People Abound

On the border between Nan Chao and Bei Chu, below the towering city walls, a sea of people gathered.

The Tian Ting was currently in its golden age, with abundant resources and vibrant life. A vast and orderly military formation stretched for dozens of li, covering the earth like a black carpet, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

The Tian Ting had mobilized such a grand force not for battle, but to welcome an important figure: their holy lord, Ye Chen.

"By my calculations, that kid is going to make a big splash!" At the front of the army, Xie Yun struck a mysterious pose, his face full of profound meaning.

"For three years now, I've dreamed every night of him beating me up. When he gets here, I have to kick him a few times." Situ Nan said this while meticulously adjusting his stylish long hair in a small mirror.

"Don't be so crude." Xiong Er glanced at the two of them, then casually pulled a spiked club from his waistband.

"What do you think our master and Uncle Chu Xuan are up to in Bei Chu?" Huo Teng stroked his chin. "Based on my years of experience, it's probably shaking the heavens and earth."

"Classy." The three of them turned their heads in unison, scrutinizing Huo Teng before giving him a thumbs-up in agreement.

Meanwhile, Liu Yi and Nie Feng deliberately kept their distance from these four troublemakers, acting as if they didn't know them at all.

Still, after three years, everyone had changed considerably.

Once the nine true disciples of Heng Yue, they had all shed their last traces of youthful immaturity through the trials of time. Now, each one was full of vigor and commanding presence, having become key powerhouses in the Tian Ting.

Of course, there was one exception: Xiong Er.

After three years, he was still the same old lump – no taller, just significantly fatter.

"Big brother Hu Wa, I'm... I'm a little nervous." Over on this side, Xi Yan clutched her chest, trying to calm herself, but she couldn't suppress her excitement. A misty shimmer appeared in her beautiful eyes.

In those three years, the former little girl had grown out of her childishness. Though only sixteen, she had become a graceful young woman. Her looks weren't unparalleled, but they were captivating enough to charm a kingdom. More importantly, her demeanor now echoed the elegance of Ji Ningshuang in her prime – truly stunning.

"He's still our big brother." At her side, Hu Wa gave a simple, honest smile.

Unlike the others, Hu Wa was clad in armor, like a general. Also sixteen, he stood tall and sturdy, his black hair flowing like a waterfall, stirring even without wind. His fiery eyes burned like torches.

"Master's wife, do you think Master will forget me?" Xi Yan turned to Ji Ningshuang beside her.

"He'll remember everyone." Ji Ningshuang replied with a gentle smile. "And from now on, don't call me Master's wife. I'm not your Master's wife."

"But Master said you are." Xi Yan giggled, her earlier tension easing.

"I'm fated to be with him but not destined to be together." Ji Ningshuang's smile held a touch of self-mockery as she gazed into the distance, her eyes growing hazy.

In three years, she had changed too. Still dressed as a man, she looked even more worn, with traces of hardship etched on her cheeks. The events of the past felt like they had happened just yesterday, like smoke from bygone days, as if from another lifetime.

"Why aren't you a man?" Nearby, Xu Nuo Yan rested her chin in her hand, staring at Ji Ningshuang with a strange look in her eyes. She was probably the only one among them not focusing on the distant horizon.

As Ye Chen had said that day, when she learned that the so-called Ji Wuchen was actually Ji Ningshuang, she had nearly burst into tears on the spot. Her crush turning out to be a woman was unbearably cruel.

"Beauty, you know, I'm actually quite handsome too." Chen Rong Yun sidled over, not missing a beat as he flipped his hair.

"Get lost." Xu Nuo Yan snapped, and in the process, she also cursed Li Zhang and Wei Wen Zhuo, who had just tried to approach, sending them reeling as if struck by lightning.

"Sis, am I dreaming?" In one part of the crowd, Shangguan Yu Er gripped Shangguan Han Yue's hand tightly, anxiously scanning the distant sky, hoping the one who haunted her dreams would appear soon.

"Even if it's a dream, it's a beautiful one." Shangguan Han Yue replied with a soft smile, also gazing into the distance.

After three years, the two sisters had changed a lot, especially Shangguan Han Yue. She had fully awakened her bloodline, her aura so powerful that it amazed even senior cultivators. She was hailed as the top talent in the Tian Ting's generation, aside from Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang.

As for Shangguan Yu Er, she had lost her former playfulness and become more reserved, but her feelings for a certain someone remained unchanged.

"Luo Xi, your hand hurts." On the other side, Xuan Nu and Bi You stood on either side of Luo Xi, both pulling their hands free from her grasp. Like Xi Yan, Luo Xi was inexplicably nervous, squeezing their hands until they turned purple.

"I'm just too excited." Without their hands, Luo Xi clutched her own, waiting anxiously.

Compared to her, Xuan Nu and Bi You were more composed, though Bi You seemed calmer than Xuan Nu. Xuan Nu's smile carried a hint of self-mockery—the once-proud Xuan Nu of the Dan realm had lost all her former arrogance.

In another part of the crowd, the Hao Tian Xuan Zhen family stood together.

Hao Tian Xuan Zhen had taken more than one deep breath by now. Even though he had seen Ye Chen not long ago, he couldn't contain his excitement.

Beside him, Hao Tian Shi Yu and Hao Tian Shi Xue chattered away like children who would never grow up.

In contrast, Hao Tian Shi Yue's eyes were misty and distant. If Xu Nuo Yan was the only one not looking toward the horizon, then Hao Tian Shi Yue was the only one waiting for the god of death, Qin Yu.

"Ling Er, Ye Chen really has great connections." Nearby, Murong Miaoxin glanced at Shangguan Yu Er and the others, then turned to Chu Ling Er at her side.

"I don't care how many women he has." Chu Ling Er replied with a tender, loving smile, like a gentle and virtuous wife.

"A man with such broad affections seems very popular." Murong Miaoxin covered her mouth with a laugh.

"I'm quite broad-minded too." Long Yi shamelessly squeezed in, rubbing his shiny bald head and grinning lewdly at Murong Miaoxin. "Little heart, do you have time tonight? I—"

"Get lost."

"Get lost."

"Get lost."

Murong Miaoxin's scolding echoed, but it wasn't an echo—it was three voices speaking almost simultaneously.

The second came from Dongfang Yu Ling's side, where Long Wu had just approached and hadn't even gotten a word out before she slapped him into the sky, where he hung for a good while without coming down.

The third was from Zhuge Laotou and Fu Ling's direction. No one knew what that guy had said, but Fu Ling slapped him to the ground, and then Dao Huang kicked him flying.

"No limits, I heard you found a treasure. Let me borrow it for a couple of days." Up front with the army, Gu San Tong rubbed his hands as he eyed Wuya Dao Ren, his old eyes gleaming greedily.

"Everyone in Da Chu knows you never return what you borrow."

"Don't mess around, just let me take a look."

"San Pao, was it that little thing that stole your five-colored spirit ginseng fruit?" In the crowd, Niu Shisan munched on sunflower seeds while glancing at a spot nearby. There, a palm-sized little figure was perched on a female disciple, his big eyes darting around sneakily. At a closer look, it was clearly Xiao Ling Wa.

Just like Xiong Er, this little one hadn't grown at all in three years—he was still tiny. As Xi Yan had said, Xiao Ling Wa was born small and grew slowly, but his bloodline purity was unmatched in the entire Tian Ting.

"Don't even mention it—it's all tears." Wu San Pao grumbled. "He's weak as hell, but he runs faster than anyone."

"I know what you mean." Man Shan chimed in, his massive frame as imposing as ever. "I chased him over eight thousand li and still couldn't catch him."

"Take him back and stew him—he'd probably taste great." Huang Dao Gong stroked his beard thoughtfully. He was quite the eccentric, but if he actually tried to stew Xiao Ling Wa, the whole Tian Ting would come after him.

"Our Tian Ting is just... just full of talents!" In the crowd, Li Xiao cleared his throat.

Once the state master of Tian Lan Ancient Kingdom in the mortal realm, he hadn't returned to that role and had joined the Tian Ting instead. But he lived in constant fear, as this place was a den of thieves—he was always losing things.

"Stick with me from now on." Shi Yan slapped him on the shoulder, a bit too hard, sending Li Xiao sprawling to the ground.

"This sword is really something." At the back of the army, a sly, monkey-like fellow walked along, examining a gleaming golden longsword. At a glance, it was Dao Zhi, who called himself the Saint of Thieves. He had joined the Tian Ting too, and he was probably one of the thieves Li Xiao complained about.

"You little thief, give that back!" A furious shout rang out as a gray-robed elder charged over—it was Liu Neng from the Xun Long clan, whose ancestors were tomb raiders.

"The Tian Ting is full of talents!" Dao Xuan Zhen Ren coughed lightly as he glanced over.

"Without Ye Chen, the Tian Ting wouldn't have so many talents." Yang Dingtian took a deep breath. "He's a gift from the heavens to us."

"I wonder if that kid will be so touched he starts bawling when he hears that." Pang Da Chuan stroked his beard, smiling contentedly.

"The world belongs to the young—we old folks have to accept it." Tian Zong Laozu chuckled.

"Will Chu Cang Zong ever accept getting old?" Dan Chen teased Tian Zong Laozu with a smile. "You were so full of spirit back in the day, dominating everything."

"Let's not dwell on the past." Tian Zong Laozu waved it off with a laugh.

"We're truly getting old." Dao Huang sighed deeply, even his world-conquering demeanor filled with emotion.

"I can almost see the grand scene of Da Chu's unification." Zhong Jiang Yao gazed north, his words laced with deep emotion. "Our master's unfulfilled wish from back then will be realized before our very eyes."

"If only our master were still here." Hong Chen Xue smiled wistfully, her expression distant and melancholic.

"Yes, if he were still here, how wonderful that would be." Chu Ling Yu murmured softly, her voice faint but caught by Tian Zong Laozu, who couldn't help but sigh.

"He's here." The usually silent Dugu Ao spoke up quietly, his sharp eyes fixed on the distant horizon, where three vague figures had appeared in everyone's view.

As soon as he said this, the entire Tian Ting army—whether chatting or flirting—turned their gazes to the distant sky in an instant.

Looking at the figures growing clearer, there were sighs, gasps, murmurs, and exclamations among them.

He was their Tian Ting holy lord, the one who shook the world, striking fear into Bei Chu with his might. His legends were nothing short of myths.