# Chapter 2658: Wushen, Kunlun
Night fell, and lanterns began to light up.
More and more cultivators from various realms were rushing to the Red Dust Archipelago. On the streets of the Red Dust Sea Market, figures flowed back and forth, with Great Saints visible everywhere, each of extraordinary origin. Standing there, one might dazedly feel as if they had arrived at the legendary Divine Realm.
Zhang Ruochen entered the Guihai Pavilion, and a young attendant immediately came forward to receive him, his attitude extremely respectful.
"May I ask if the senior has a reservation?" the attendant asked.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen had transformed into an old man with snow-white hair and beard, full of vigor, presenting the image of a peerless master. "Yes," he said. "The spot was reserved by Xu Sheng of the Imperial Dao Great World."
Hearing this, the attendant immediately showed great respect, becoming even more deferential toward Zhang Ruochen. "So you are Imperial Uncle Xu's guest. Please, this way. Imperial Uncle Xu reserved the Qian Character Private Room on the fourth floor."
Zhang Ruochen had no interest in Xu Sheng, nor did he want to know how remarkable he was. The reason he used that name was because earlier, Zhang Ruochen had visited the residence of Kunlun Realm cultivators and learned from the Sword Emperor that Chi Kunlun had already left.
When Chi Kunlun left, he left a message: "Tell Zhang Ruochen to come find me at the Guihai Pavilion, using the name Xu Sheng of the Imperial Dao Great World."
Thus, Zhang Ruochen changed his appearance and came here.
The Guihai Pavilion was the most top-tier dining establishment in the Red Dust Sea Market. For anyone who wasn't a top figure from a powerful realm, reserving a private room here in advance was nearly impossible.
Moreover, tonight outside the Guihai Pavilion, at the Divine Moon Beach, a world-shaking battle would erupt, drawing countless spectators.
Under such circumstances, reserving a spot in advance to secure an excellent viewing position truly required immense face and connections. This Xu Sheng clearly had a significant background.
The Guihai Pavilion was packed to capacity. Apart from the attendants, the cultivators coming and going were almost all Great Saints, and none were at the Immortal Realm or Hundred Shackles Realm.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen truly felt what it meant to have the Red Dust Assembly gathering powerful figures from ten thousand realms.
The previous Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet was merely a gathering of juniors under a thousand years old.
Even the competition for the top-tier Origin Divine Crystal had only involved top-tier Great Saints from a small corner of the Hell Realm, far from matching the majestic atmosphere of today's Red Dust Archipelago, with its clouds of Great Saints.
Just as he was about to ascend to the fourth floor, a figure approached from the opposite direction.
Seeing this person, Zhang Ruochen remained calm on the surface, but inside, his mind was in turmoil, and he felt extremely surprised.
He had actually encountered Shang Zihong here.
Tonight, various factions were jointly attacking the Heavenly Realm Faction. How did Shang Zihong still have the energy to come to the Guihai Pavilion? Was he here to watch the battle, or to meet guests?
Judging by his expression, which seemed to be waiting for someone, it was likely a meeting.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly walked over, cupped his hands toward Shang Zihong, and smiled. "I didn't expect to meet Young Master Shang here. What a pleasant surprise."
Shang Zihong carefully examined Zhang Ruochen, a faint smile appearing on his face. He returned the gesture, cupping his hands. "Senior's spiritual power is truly formidable. You must be a renowned sage of great fame. May I ask how to address you?"
"This old man has not set foot in the Heavenly Court for ten thousand years. My name is long forgotten by all." Zhang Ruochen pretended to be modest.
The attendant interjected, "This senior is a distinguished guest of Imperial Uncle Xu."
Shang Zihong showed a look of sudden understanding and bowed again to Zhang Ruochen. "So you are a senior expert from the Imperial Dao Great World."
The Imperial Dao Great World ranked third in the Northern Universe. Like the Heavenly Dragon Realm and the Western Buddha Realm, it was one of the Heavenly Court's eternal, indestructible great worlds. Three hundred thousand years ago, a figure of the All Heavens level had been born there, dominating the starry sea.
The Imperial Dao Great World was ruled by three great divine dynasties.
Xu Sheng was an imperial uncle of one of them, the Giant Deer Divine Dynasty, and was hailed as the dynasty's number one expert. His cultivation was profound and unfathomable, making him a worldly war god-like existence.
Although the Giant Deer Divine Dynasty was just a single nation, its strength was more terrifying than some powerful realms. More importantly, their power was highly centralized, unlike other great worlds composed of thousands of sects and ancient schools.
Whether it was the Imperial Dao Great World or the Giant Deer Divine Dynasty, both had extremely ancient lineages and profound foundations. No matter what kind of expert emerged, Shang Zihong would not find it surprising.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Is Young Master Shang waiting for someone?"
"That's right," Shang Zihong said patiently and casually. "I invited a distinguished guest, so naturally, I had to come out personally to receive them."
"For someone Young Master Shang calls a distinguished guest, they must be extraordinary. This old man will go meet Imperial Uncle Xu first, lest he grows impatient."
Zhang Ruochen took his leave and followed the attendant to the outside of the Qian Character Private Room. As he pushed open the door and entered, he glanced at Shang Zihong in the distance and saw that he had already received the guests he was waiting for.
Those two guests were from the Demon Clan.
One was a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, with long black hair, a face of peerless beauty, skin glowing like divine jade, and several fluffy white fox tails extending from beneath her skirt—though it was unclear how many.
The other was a burly figure, over two and a half meters tall, with red skin marked by black patterns, and golden hair that was fluffy and wild, like a lion's mane.
Zhang Ruochen dared not stare for long. He merely pretended to glance casually before immediately walking into the private room.
The Qian Character Private Room was very large. It could accommodate ten tables without feeling crowded, but now, only one table was set up by the window.
Around the table sat only four people.
On the left was a man in his forties, tall and upright, wearing a golden divine robe with seven dragon souls swimming across it. It was a true divine robe, and the dragon souls were genuine Great Saint dragon souls.
The reason it was called a divine robe was that every thread on the garment contained divine patterns, making its defensive power unimaginable.
Beside him sat a young woman, dressed extremely luxuriously, with a veil covering her face, obscuring her true features. However, judging by her figure and temperament, she was undoubtedly a peerless beauty of noble birth.
The third person sat against the wall, clad in black-and-white mysterious armor, wearing a Monarch Sacred Artifact-level Azure Jade Crown, with a spear split into three parts carried on his back. He appeared younger and more handsome, but his true age was hard to tell.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on the fourth person, a black-robed man sitting by the window. His expression was extremely complex, carrying both warmth and coldness.
The black-robed man's appearance, compared to Chi Kunlun a thousand years ago, had matured considerably, truly transforming into a handsome and heroic Great Saint-level expert.
The physical body was undoubtedly Chi Kunlun's.
Before Zhang Ruochen could speak, Chi Kunlun smiled first. "Brother Zhang, none of those here are outsiders. You can restore your true appearance."
Apart from Chi Kunlun, the other three all stood up to greet him.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned colder as he locked eyes with Chi Kunlun.
Chi Kunlun pressed both hands on the table, exuding an imposing and heroic aura. "What's wrong? You invited me to the Heavenly Court for the Red Dust Assembly, yet you seem unwelcoming?"
Zhang Ruochen had already seen through the situation. His emotions calmed, and he walked to the table. "You, Yan Wushen, are truly a coward, not daring to come to the Heavenly Court in your true body. That disappoints me greatly."
"Hey! Brother Zhang misunderstands. I have just broken through to the Supreme Realm and must go into seclusion to cultivate. I can't let Que Yi keep suppressing me because of a difference in cultivation, can I?" Chi Kunlun said.
Zhang Ruochen had expected that Yan Wushen would not come to the Heavenly Court in his true body.
No cultivator would make such a foolish decision, entrusting their life to the hands of their enemy.
Chi Kunlun said, "Coming with just one soul is already a sign of trust in Brother Zhang's character, believing you won't use despicable traps to kill me through external forces."
"Of course! If I want to kill you, I will do it myself, one-on-one."
Zhang Ruochen added, "I want to speak with Kunlun."
Chi Kunlun shook his head and let out a long sigh. "Brother Zhang doesn't trust me."
He picked up a cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp. "Is my character really that despicable? Kunlun, after all, is my only disciple. Unless he volunteered, how could I borrow his physical body? Forget it. It's been a thousand years. Considering your longing for your son, I won't argue with you."
Chi Kunlun stopped speaking and closed his eyes.
Zhang Ruochen's appearance changed, transforming from the white-haired old man back to his true form.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's true face, the other three in the private room all showed expressions of surprise. They hadn't expected that the legendary Zhang Ruochen, who had died a thousand years ago, was actually still alive.
Chi Kunlun opened his eyes again.
His gaze had clearly changed.
Although it still held a cold light, there was less domineering aura and more deep affection. There was less unfathomable mystery and more human emotion.
"Father!"
Chi Kunlun stood up, the cold light in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a mix of unfamiliar and familiar emotions.
The unfamiliarity came from the fact that he and Zhang Ruochen had spent too little time together, almost never experiencing the warmth of fatherly love. Yet, he deeply knew the things Zhang Ruochen had done for him and his sister. After mistakenly believing Zhang Ruochen had died in the Origin Divine Temple, he often thought back to those memories.
Not to mention anything else, at least in terms of how he treated his children, Zhang Ruochen was absolutely upright and worthy of Chi Kunlun's recognition.
Hearing him call out "Father," Zhang Ruochen was deeply moved, his eyes turning red.
This kind of emotion was completely different from any other, striking directly at the heart.
The two were silent for a long time.
Chi Kunlun bit his lip lightly. "Over the past thousand years, I have met my sister many times. She misses you very much. If she knew you were still alive, she would definitely be overjoyed."
"I see!"
Zhang Ruochen suppressed his emotions and nodded.
Suddenly, Chi Kunlun sat back down in his chair, adopting a teasing tone. "Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Ruochen. Among the world's experts, there are truly few who place such importance on the bond between father and son. Don't you know that cultivators should view family and emotions with indifference? Otherwise, there will be countless entanglements."
Zhang Ruochen knew that the current Chi Kunlun was now Yan Wushen. He fully suppressed his emotions and disagreed with his viewpoint. "But I have heard another elder say that cultivators must have emotions; otherwise, they will lose their humanity entirely. Sending Kunlun back to the Heavenly Court is too dangerous!"
"Where is the danger? His mother is a deity. His grandfather fell in the Destiny Temple while trying to rescue Tai Shang. With such an identity, he should be very prominent in the Kunlun Realm, shouldn't he? Without Tai Shang stepping forward, just his mother's intervention should be enough. What can the Heavenly Court do to him?"
Chi Kunlun's aura changed, a Buddha light glowing on his body, making him appear extremely sacred. "Let me tell you a secret, so you can be mentally prepared. Before I came to the Heavenly Court, I had already considered Kunlun's safety. So, I mobilized some forces and sent a message to Empress Chi Yao, who is cultivating in the Western Buddha Realm."
"If she still cares about her son's life, I think she should already be on the Red Dust Archipelago by now. Meeting an old flame—aren't you happy? Don't look at me with that kind of gaze. No need to thank me. Sit down. You've caught up with your son, but we haven't caught up yet. I am very interested in the thousand years you were missing."