Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 685 An Old Friend! The 8th Prince!

Chen Fan and his group went around them.

He is no longer a Nascent Soul cultivator. Now, with his mid-stage Deity Transformation cultivation and the power of the fusion of immortals and demons, his combat strength is comparable to that of a late-stage Deity Transformation cultivator. There are very few people on this grassland who can threaten him.

However, he did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

He just wanted to return to the capital of Zhao as soon as possible, see Zhao Yan, and obtain the right to use the teleportation array.

After walking for most of the day, as the sun was already setting, another battlefield appeared ahead.

This battlefield was larger than the previous ones, with scorched earth and corpses covering dozens of miles around, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and burnt protein. Just as Chen Fan was about to go around it, he suddenly sensed a rather familiar aura.

At the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his fiery spiritual power was as fierce as fire.

Eighth Prince Qin Zhan.

Chen Fan paused, his divine sense spreading towards the battlefield. He saw a makeshift camp at the edge of the battlefield, where hundreds of cultivators were stationed, and the banners of the Great Yu army fluttered in the wind above the gate.

In the largest tent in the center of the camp, Qin Zhan stood with his hands behind his back in front of a sand table, his brows furrowed, seemingly studying something. Beside him stood several early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, all with solemn expressions, clearly indicating that the battle was not going well.

Chen Fan stood silently on the grassland for a moment, then finally strode towards the camp. He concealed his Nascent Soul stage aura and suppressed his cultivation to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. He walked all the way to the camp gate, where he was stopped by two Foundation Establishment stage guards.

"Who goes there?" The guard stared at him warily.

"Zhao's foreign aid is passing through this place and wishes to meet the Eighth Prince." Chen Fan took out the gold token and waved it in front of the guard.

The two guards exchanged a glance, and one of them turned and went inside to report. A short while later, he returned quickly, his expression having changed from wary to respectful: "Please come in, senior. The Eighth Prince is waiting for you in the main camp."

Chen Fan followed the guard through the camp. The cultivators in the camp were in a hurry, some were carrying supplies, some were healing and meditating. There was a tense atmosphere in the air that a great battle was about to begin.

When the Nascent Soul stage cultivators saw Chen Fan, they were stunned for a moment, then lowered their heads and whispered among themselves, clearly indicating that many of them recognized him.

The main tent curtain was lifted, and Qin Zhan was standing at the tent entrance. More than a year had passed, and this Eighth Prince of Dayu looked a few years older than before, with a few more strands of white hair at his temples, but his tiger-like eyes were still astonishingly bright.

He was wearing a worn-out suit of black iron armor with several unrepaired cracks, clearly indicating that he had just come down from the battlefield.

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Qin Zhan suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter. The laughter was as hearty as ever, making the tent tremble slightly.

He strode forward and slapped Chen Fan hard on the shoulder.

"You brat! I knew you wouldn't die!" Qin Zhan's booming voice echoed throughout the camp. "You've been hiding on this grassland like a rat for so long without even sending me a message, making me worry about you for nothing!"

Chen Fan's shoulder ached from the pat, but he didn't flinch. He simply said, "Your Highness, how have you been?"

"Something's wrong!" Qin Zhan grabbed his arm and pulled him into the tent. "We've been fighting for almost a year, how could I be alright? Look at my armor, the cuts haven't even been repaired yet. But it's good that you're here. Tonight, drink with me, we won't leave until we're drunk!"

Inside the tent was a simple wooden table with a huge map of the grassland spread out on it, marked with a dense array of red and blue arrows.

Qin Zhan rolled up the map and threw it aside. He then pulled out two jars of wine from under the table, handed one to Chen Fan, and took a big gulp of the other after breaking the mud seal.

"This is strong liquor brought from Yu the Great. I can't get used to the sheep's milk wine from the grasslands; it's too sour." Qin Zhan wiped his mouth, sat down opposite Chen Fan, and suddenly frowned, looking him up and down. "Something's wrong. Chen Fan, what's wrong with your aura... You've broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

Chen Fan nodded, broke the mud seal on the wine jar, and took a sip. The wine was fiery and spicy as it went down his throat, completely different from the goat milk wine he had gotten used to drinking on the grasslands over the past two years.

Qin Zhan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, his laughter filled with genuine satisfaction: "Good! Good! I knew you were no ordinary person back on the Yu King's Ship, and now, after so long, you've already reached the Nascent Soul stage. When you were at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, you were able to slay Li Jiuyuan and fight Song Tianren to a draw. Now that you've broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, there probably aren't many people on Tiannan Star who can challenge you."

He paused, then took another large gulp of wine, his smile slowly fading slightly. "But speaking of which, you hid well, kid. That old dog Wang Zhenyue chased you across the grasslands for three days and three nights, and when he came back, he said he'd beaten you so badly you were crippled, if not dead. I was practically ready to lead my troops to the Wang family to demand your return. Later, when the Gu King emerged from seclusion, the grasslands and the Zhao Kingdom went to war, and both sides were looking for you, but neither could find you. I knew you weren't dead, kid. You're cunning enough; what's a mere Wang Zhenyue compared to that?"

Chen Fan held the wine jar but did not respond.

Although Qin Zhan's words were rough, the genuine concern in them was undeniable. He picked up his wine jar, clinked it against Qin Zhan's, and took another sip.

The two men each took a few sips of wine. Qin Zhan put down his wine jar, a hint of emotion on his face: "Speaking of the Zhao state, you probably don't know, do you? Zhao Yan has already ascended the throne."

Chen Fan paused slightly in the wine jar, then looked up at Qin Zhan.

Seeing this, Qin Zhan grinned and said, "It happened last autumn. The King of Zhao went into seclusion to break through to the Void Refinement stage. Before his seclusion, he officially appointed Zhao Yan as the Crown Prince Regent. Originally, the talent assessment among the princes would have taken a long time, but you won first place in the total points at the Hundred Sects Conference, which gave Zhao Yan a huge boost and directly surpassed Zhao Yu. Seeing this, the King decided to appoint Zhao Yan. Although Zhao Yan has not yet officially ascended the throne, he has already exercised the power of the King and is just waiting for the King to emerge from seclusion to officially take over. In the end, it's all thanks to you."

Chen Fan paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

He helped Zhao Yan win first place in the Hundred Sects Tournament precisely for this outcome. Now that Zhao Yan has become the ruler of Zhao, the teleportation array is a done deal.

"However, Zhao Yu is still not convinced." Qin Zhan picked up his wine jar, took a swig, wiped his mouth, and said, "The Fourth Prince's faction has been cultivating power in the court for many years, and its influence is deep. Although Zhao Yan has become the regent, Zhao Yu still has many people under his command, and they still cause trouble in the court from time to time. Your old rival, Duan Wuliang, is now Zhao Yu's top advisor, and although Song Tianren has returned to the Boundless Sea, he is said to be secretly supporting Zhao Yu. Zhao Yan's reign as king is not easy."

He glanced at Chen Fan, his tone becoming more serious: "However, if you can go back and help him, the situation will be very different. You are now at the Nascent Soul stage and a Gold Medal Inspector, so your words carry weight in the court. If Zhao Yan knew that you had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, he would probably jump for joy."