"That person... looks familiar!"
The guard at the Heavenly Gate of Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest watched as a figure rapidly flew in from afar, and while acknowledging the person’s extraordinary cultivation, they also felt he looked familiar.
A guard, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Void Sea, suddenly exclaimed.
Chen Yu, this is the person who had stirred up the entire Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest for three years.
In order to "search and rescue" Chen Yu, these guards sometimes also carried out search missions, so they were extremely impressed by Chen Yu.
"Impossible! How did Chen Yu return?"
Another person exclaimed in shock.
Most of the demon race within the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest believed that even if Chen Yu wasn’t dead by now, he was as good as dead or wouldn’t live much longer.
Holding the identity token of a disciple of Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, they had no right to stop him, but they instantly relayed the news of Chen Yu’s return to the higher-ups.
Chen Yu swaggered into the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, and at that moment, numerous people inside the nest were shaken.
"What? That kid returned alive to the nest?"
An elder with demigod-level cultivation, upon hearing this news, was slightly stunned.
Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest had already given the Heavenly Martial Sect generous compensation, so they hoped Chen Yu would just die, otherwise they’ve suffered a loss.
But just after two years of compensation, Chen Yu had resurfaced.
The red-haired elder left his cave residence.
Back then, he was in charge of this matter, so now he had to take action again.
And thinking of how Zhu Lingyu seemed greatly affected by Chen Yu’s incident, he relayed the matter to her as well.
On the other side, Zhu Cangyan also received the news.
"Brother Zhu, Chen Yu has returned."
Shi Yao, having received the news, found Zhu Cangyan.
"What? Chen Yu survived?"
Zhu Cangyan was extremely shocked upon hearing these words.
He had already considered Chen Yu as a dead man in his heart.
He bore a certain responsibility for Chen Yu’s accident, and when the Heavenly Martial Sect learned about this, they were furious, furthermore placing the main blame on Zhu Cangyan.
If it weren’t for his demigod grandfather, his consequences would be unimaginable.
But even so, Zhu Cangyan was punished to reflect at the edge wall for two years, only recently being released.
Zhu Cangyan attributed all this to Chen Yu, not having planned to kill him, yet Chen Yu caused such an unexpected incident, making him endure "unjust suffering."
"You brat, living impatiently, dare to fool me?"
Zhu Cangyan angrily reprimanded.
"Brother Zhu, this matter is absolutely true."
Shi Yao smiled wryly.
He dared not joke about such a matter.
As Chen Yu entered the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, his presence attracted countless gazes.
"Chen Yu, is he really Chen Yu? How did he survive?"
Many disciples within the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest assumed that Chen Yu had already perished.
"The Heavenly Martial Sect has my soul token, surely they wouldn’t all think I’m dead."
Seeing expressions akin to seeing a ghost, Chen Yu was somewhat puzzled.
He gradually guessed that during these years he secluded himself in a small world, the outside world might not have been so peaceful.
Many rainbows flew over, among them were stewards, elders, and disciples who came upon hearing the news.
After all, during the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest’s "search and rescue" for Chen Yu, nearly eighty percent of the disciples were involved, expending effort and resources without much reward, leaving everyone with profound impressions of Chen Yu.
A low shout came as an elder descended.
The elder was Elder Wu from the Sect Affairs Hall, who had been investigated after Chen Yu’s accident.
At this moment, Emperor Xuanming’s arrival did not quell the noisy surroundings.
At the instant Elder Wu descended, a formidable spiritual sense surged out, directly entering Chen Yu’s body for inspection.
Ultimately, he confirmed that the person was indeed Chen Yu, not someone disguising as him.
In the crowd, Zhu Lingyu quickly approached.
In a small world, Chen Yu saved her life from the hands of the Young Master, but Chen Yu encountered an accident afterward, and she returned alive.
Zhu Lingyu always harbored regrets about this matter, her disposition changed significantly, speaking less, focusing her thoughts on cultivation.
"Yeah, long time no see."
Chen Yu greeted Zhu Lingyu.
Although this girl initially gave Chen Yu quite a bit of trouble, Zhu Lingyu bore no hostility towards him personally, and later, they had even survived together.
Zhu Lingyu’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she swiftly approached, closer and closer, until, to Chen Yu’s astonishment, she embraced him.
"This... too passionate."
Chen Yu hadn’t anticipated such fervor from Zhu Lingyu.
Yet, considering her straightforward and bold nature, it became understandable.
Those around were very surprised, for Zhu Lingyu’s charisma, talent, and background within the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, and even among the demon race, ranked her as a Heavenly Pride Girl with countless pursuers.
But now, Zhu Lingyu was in the embrace of a human man.
Upon hearing Chen Yu’s words, Zhu Lingyu realized that hugging a human man might not be entirely appropriate. However, since she had seen Chen Yu without clothes before, it seemingly didn’t matter.
But she still quickly released him, stepping back a few paces.
Zhu Lingyu realized that her emotions just now were too intense.
"Where have you been these past five years?"
Chen Yu was about to answer when he suddenly felt something was off.
Clearly, Zhu Lingyu was worried about him, thinking he’d encountered a huge problem, possibly even had died.
If he let her know he was perfectly fine, quietly cultivating in a small world for five years, it seemed a bit disheartening.
Zhu Cangyan, who had just hurried over, looked at Chen Yu and was dumbfounded.
How could this guy have such a big fate, to come back alive?
Shadows darted over, among them were several elders.
Each one of them was extremely surprised to see Chen Yu.
"Chen Yu, come with me regarding the Heavenly Spirit Crane Clan matter!"
The red-faced old man from the Law Enforcement Hall said solemnly.
This is not a trivial matter, it must be thoroughly investigated.
Then, Chen Yu followed the Law Enforcement Elder and arrived at the Central Hall.
Inside the hall, numerous elders were seated, above them was the red-haired demigod elder.
The atmosphere froze, all the elders stared at Chen Yu, making him feel a bit pressured.
"Chen Yu, recount the situation of this mission from beginning to end."
The red-haired elder spoke.
He wasn’t asking about Chen Yu’s disappearance for five years, but rather to detail the whole incident.
The other elders were thoughtful about this.
If Chen Yu lied or concealed something, it would give the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest an excuse.
Originally, Chen Yu’s incident was already considered as handled as a death event.
Now Chen Yu has reappeared alive, if he were allowed to just return to the Heavenly Martial Sect, it would be a huge loss.
The Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest searched for Chen Yu’s whereabouts for three years, expending enormous human and material resources, enduring the wrath and harassment from the Heavenly Martial Sect, and ultimately compensating with massive losses.
Chen Yu also sensed something was amiss and began to recount the origins of the incident.
The situation with the Void Sky Holy Fire was kept to himself.
He fabricated the battle, claiming that the mysterious power in the small world was unbeatable, and after fleeing, he used the Hidden Star Clothes to conceal himself, then that power vanished.
"...The disciple spent five years cultivating in that small world and occasionally found weak points in space to return to the main world."
After Chen Yu finished narrating, the hall went quiet.
While it was previously quiet, the expressions of the senior members were completely different.
"So you mean, for these five years, nothing happened, you were just cultivating the whole time?"
Zhu Lingyu, beside the red-haired elder, paused for a moment before speaking.
She originally thought Chen Yu had encountered a perilous accident, possibly never coming back or had died.
Turns out nothing happened to him, he simply secluded himself for five years.
Her eyes instantly turned unfriendly, realizing her years of worry were unnecessary.
Everyone present fixed their gaze on Chen Yu, sharing the same sentiment but remaining silent.
After all this, nothing happened to Chen Yu, yet the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest was turned upside down.
Knowing the truth, everyone at the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest was furious.
"Damn, we’d already considered this brat dead, compensated the Heavenly Martial Sect with so many resources, and now he just pops back. This couldn’t possibly be some play between him and the Heavenly Martial Sect."
Though unlikely, several elders verbally agreed, continuously berating the Heavenly Martial Sect and Chen Yu for deceit.
A heavy-faced elder even suggested killing Chen Yu since the compensation was reckoned based on Chen Yu’s presumed death.
But the proposal was opposed, as so many people had seen Chen Yu return, making it difficult to handle.
"Esteemed Elders, I have explained the situation clearly."
"Additionally, the time for my exchange at the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest has been sufficient, and I plan to return to the Heavenly Martial Sect immediately."
Chen Yu suddenly spoke.
The elders’ faces slightly changed, they naturally wouldn’t agree.
They had already decided not to let Chen Yu go so easily, otherwise, it would be too humiliating.
At least they must negotiate with the Heavenly Martial Sect, forcing them to spit out compensation.
"Chen Yu, you came to our Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest for cultivation learning, and as far as I know, you haven’t even selected any Cultivation Techniques or secret skills from us. If you return without any cultivation gains, your Master might reprimand us for holding back resources."
"Why don’t you stay at the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest for a while longer, choose any Cultivation Techniques or battle skills you fancy, and we’ll let you select one at will."
Elder Wu said with a smile.
Using Cultivation Techniques to entice Chen Yu to stay is a good strategy.
"During my years at the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, I personally felt I’ve benefited greatly and made significant improvements."
Chen Yu perceived the calculation from the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest and had no intention of staying.
In fact, he just borrowed some of their cultivation resources; during his seven years in the Demon Race territory, five were spent in seclusion within a small world.
"Significant improvements?"
"Why don’t we check how much you’ve actually improved during these years with the Demon Race?"
In their eyes, the treasures of the small world were taken by the power, leaving nothing beneficial, and the cultivation resources there couldn’t compare to the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest.
Plus, the resources needed for cultivators’ advancements might not be present there, so Chen Yu’s progress should be quite slow. .
The other elders nodded, thinking this was a good plan.
Examining Chen Yu’s cultivation outcomes, whether it meets the standards is up to them. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥