"......"
The moment the words "Red Butterfly Association" left his mouth, Liu Xiaoli and the others turned pale in an instant.
It was a look of shock — after all, there was a reason they had changed their name, and a third-rate power like the Red Butterfly Association should not have been widely known.
Shocking or not, Liu Xiaoli did not dare show the slightest trace of disrespect toward this mysterious expert of unknown identity and overwhelming strength. Instead, she asked with the utmost deference:
"Senior, who… who exactly are you? How could you possibly know about the Red Butterfly Association?"
"Why do you think I know about the Red Butterfly Association?" As Chu Feng spoke, he pulled back the hood over his head, revealing his true face.
"Chu Feng?!" Upon seeing Chu Feng's face, Liu Xiaoli was stunned — and so were all of the people standing behind her. Their jaws dropped.
The shock came first. But it was immediately replaced by wild elation, joy so intense it surpassed even the discovery of a great treasure.
"Chu Feng, how is it you?! You're not dead!!!"
Liu Xiaoli was so excited that her whole body trembled. All the caution she had displayed moments ago vanished entirely. Like an old friend, she strode up to Chu Feng and gave his arm a firm slap.
In that moment, Chu Feng noticed that although Liu Xiaoli wore a broad smile, the rims of her eyes had already grown moist.
"Who said I was dead? I'm alive and well," Chu Feng said with a grin.
"But two years ago, after the battle with the Kong Heavenly Clan, your fate was unknown and you disappeared. Everyone said you had been gravely injured and had died."
"There were even claims that your corpse had been found," Liu Xiaoli said.
"They found my corpse? I had no idea the people of the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm were so skilled at spreading rumors." The smile on Chu Feng's face deepened.
"No matter what — as long as Young Friend Chu Feng is unharmed, that is all that matters, truly all that matters."
The elders of the Red Butterfly Association were equally overjoyed. Their aged faces, round as steamed buns, were filled with beaming smiles.
"Chu Feng, where have you been these past two years? And your cultivation — it's advancing way too fast! How did you reach the seventh rank of Martial Ancestor so quickly?" Liu Xiaoli asked.
She would never forget that the first time she had laid eyes on Chu Feng, he had been far weaker than she was.
But now, Chu Feng had surpassed her by an immeasurable margin. She feared she would never catch up to him again.
"Association Leader, what's that compared to what he accomplished back then? Young Friend Chu Feng single-handedly battled the entire Kong Heavenly Clan! It is said that wielding a demonic weapon, he slew True Immortals of the Kong Heavenly Clan as though it were nothing — he nearly wiped out the entire clan!" one of the Red Butterfly Association's elders declared. Speaking of this, his face was alight with pride, as though Chu Feng were his own kin — kin he could be immensely proud of.
"Yes, yes, exactly! That story spread far and wide. They say countless people witnessed it, so there's no way it's just an exaggeration."
"Chu Feng, how on earth did you manage that? Slaying True Immortals?" Liu Xiaoli pressed further.
Right now, she felt as though she had a hundred questions lined up, each one more eager than the last to be answered by Chu Feng.
"It's a long story. In short, back then, my cultivation was far weaker than it is now."
"As only a half-Martial Ancestor, the reason I was able to stand against the Kong Heavenly Clan was indeed thanks to a demonic weapon."
"But that demonic weapon — I cannot use it often. So unless I'm pushed to the brink, I still have to rely on my own cultivation."
"Over these past two years, I went into seclusion to train, and that is how I reached my current level," Chu Feng explained to Liu Xiaoli and the others.
However, he did not reveal everything. Certain matters he kept to himself — for instance, that the Evil God Sword would backlash against him, and that he had spent these two years in seclusion within the Ancient War Domain.
After all, human hearts were unpredictable. He trusted Liu Xiaoli, but he could not extend that trust to everyone present.
As the saying goes: harbor no intent to harm others, but never abandon the will to guard against them.
"So the rumors are all true? You really did nearly destroy the entire Kong Heavenly Clan using just a demonic weapon?"
"Chu Feng, you're absolutely unbelievable! I always knew you were impressive, but I never imagined you were impressive to this degree."
"The Kong Heavenly Clan — what kind of place is that? It's one of the most powerful forces in the entire Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm!"