Unrivaled Martial Emperor-Chapter 996 - Letter of Challenge

“Father, are you disappointed in me?” asked Zhuge Yan, looking at Zhuge Liuyun.

“I am, but that’s only because my expectations of you are too high. You know the hopes I’ve placed on you. But in cultivation, setbacks are inevitable. What matters is whether you can overcome yourself.” Zhuge Liuyun’s expression did not change in the slightest, and his tone remained calm.

“Overcome myself?” Zhuge Yan sighed. It wasn’t something he could simply brush aside.

He had lost tragically in front of countless people. Chen Fan had crushed his pride and turned him into a joke.

How can he face others now?

Did he even have the qualification to call himself peerless now?

Even he felt disappointed in himself.

“Failure is not what you should fear. What’s truly frightening is being unable to face failure.” Zhuge Liuyun looked at Zhuge Yan and said, “In the past, I competed with Zhuge Qingfeng for the throne. I lost—just one step behind. That was my first and only failure.

“But I never gave up. Now, look at the state of the ancient nation. So what if Zhuge Qingfeng is called the sovereign? He’s at my mercy now.

“Yan’er, overcome this. Only then will you take the next step forward!”

Zhuge Liuyun’s words reverberated in Zhuge Yan’s ears.

He fell silent for a while before looking at Zhuge Liuyun with a firm gaze. The lightning surrounding him no longer fluctuated, as if he had broken through the shackles in his heart. His father’s words had shown him the way.

“Father, I’m going to kill him. I won’t disappoint you again!”

Lightning surged in his eyes, crackling with terrifying power. A thunderous roar seemed to echo from within his very being, his aura rising to new heights.

......

Chen Fan and the others’ residence:

Someone had come to visit Chen Fan, holding something like a letter with both their hands. It was an invitation.

Chen Fan grabbed at it, and the letter flew toward his palm. Unfolding it, his gaze swept across the engraved words. A sharp glint flickered in his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Little Junior Brother?” Di Chen and the others asked.

Chen Fan smiled, handed over the invitation, and said, “See it for yourselves.”

Di Chen took it, scanned the contents, and let out a cold chuckle. “How amusing. He actually dares to send a letter of challenge? I wonder what gave him the guts.”

Di Chen’s words caused Zhu Yue and the others to raise their eyebrows. After reading its contents, they also laughed coldly.

“How absurd. Someone who’s already been utterly defeated still dares to issue a challenge. It really is the most ridiculous thing in the world.”

“That’s right. Little Junior Brother spared his life once out of consideration for his status. But instead of knowing his place, he actually dares to provoke you again. He’s really courting death.”

“If I were him, I wouldn’t even have the face to step outside, let alone send a challenge. The thickness of his skin is really incomparable.”

Laughter and mockery filled the room.

Zhuge Yan had issued a letter of challenge, inviting Chen Fan to fight to the death a month later.

“Little Junior Brother, what do you think?”

Di Chen and the others gazed at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan stared at the letter. A cold light flashed across his eyes as he said, “Since he is seeking death, I shall grant his wish.”

He decided to take him up on the challenge.

Though Zhuge Yan, a defeated opponent, daring to issue a life-and-death challenge was laughable, Chen Fan definitely would not refuse the challenge.

“Little Junior Brother, Zhuge Yan isn’t a character. For him to send a challenge after already losing, he must have some level of confidence,” said Huang Wuji.

Chen Fan nodded and said, “I can guess what he’s planning. He’s aiming to break through to the eighth-level Manifestation realm within a month.”

Zhuge Yan’s cultivation was already at the peak of the seventh-level Manifestation realm. If he had the audacity to set a battle in a month, he was most certainly preparing for a breakthrough.

The breakthrough would make Zhuge Yan’s strength soar by leaps and bounds. Given his talent and techniques, he could then also compete against ninth-level Manifestation realm peerless experts.

Although Chen Fan was confident that he could kill an eighth-level Manifestation realm expert, if he had to fight a ninth-level Manifestation realm, victory would require pushing past his current limits.

Huang Wuji said, “With his status and position, he will advance to the eighth level in a month. If he wields a divine weapon on top of that, he could very likely also kill a ninth-level Manifestation realm.”

“Of course, I know that, but if he can break through within a month, so can I,” Chen Fan said confidently.

Being at the peak of the fifth level, he was just one step away from the sixth level.

If he took his time, he would need three to six months to advance to the sixth level. But now that he was facing a challenge, he had no choice but to accelerate his progress.

Fortunately, his foundation was already solid. Advancing within a month wouldn’t be an issue.

Soon, news of Zhuge Yan challenging Chen Fan spread throughout the vast ancient nation. No one in the entire nation did not know about it now.

Naturally, this wasn’t by chance. With the immense influence of the Prince Jing Mansion, amplifying the news was effortless.

As soon as word got out, it caused an uproar. They went around trying to find out Chen Fan’s identity. Who was he to warrant a life-and-death battle from Zhuge Yan, a peerless pride of heaven from the Sun Moon Divine Sect?

Investigations surged. More and more details surfaced.

It turned out that Chen Fan was a disciple of the True Martial Academy and had come to the Holy Spirit Ancient Nation because of Princess Zhuge Mingyue. Soon, even the events at the coliseum were unearthed and spread across the nation.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the populace.

In their eyes, Zhuge Yan was like a god. Born with a lightning body and unmatched talent, he was immensely powerful, and one of the few peerless prides of heaven in the Sun Moon Divine Sect, an existence who stood among the strongest of his generation.

Furthermore, Zhuge Yan had never tasted defeat ever since he rose to power, but had unexpectedly lost to Chen Fan at the ancient nation’s coliseum.

Rumors spread that Chen Fan had crushed Zhuge Yan with absolute strength in the coliseum.

If it wasn’t for Zhuge Yan’s status as Prince Jing’s son and half a host, Chen Fan would have killed him.

When this revelation surfaced, the entire Holy Spirit Ancient Nation was thrown into chaos.

Zhuge Yan had always been viewed as invincible. In the eyes of the people, failure was something that simply did not apply to him. Yet he had not only lost, but he had suffered a crushing defeat.

Most importantly, Chen Fan’s cultivation was only in the fifth-level Manifestation realm, while Zhuge Yan was in the seventh-level Manifestation realm. Despite the two-realm gap, Chen Fan had still emerged victorious.

This was too shocking for the people.

Aside from defeating Zhuge Yan, Chen Fan also frequently visited the Medicine King Valley’s saintess resided in. Some whispers carried more than a hint of scandal, suggesting that certain... blush-inducing events had taken place between them.

With this, Chen Fan’s name exploded across the Holy Spirit Ancient Nation.

After all, both Zhuge Yan and Lin Xian’er were very famous figures.

Zhuge Yan—the once-invincible genius—had been soundly defeated.

Lin Xian’er—an untouchable goddess—was now entangled with Chen Fan.

All of a sudden, everyone’s attention was focused on Chen Fan.