Chen Fan was not surprised by Wu Zhaohui's call. He glanced at the crowd gathered outside the burning building.
The entire ghost market at the pass had been drawn by the fire. The crowd was immense, and there was no way of knowing how many of Wu Zhaohui's subordinates were hidden among them.
"Wu Zhaohui, using underhanded methods like poisoning, don't you find it beneath you?" Chen Fan said.
"This is just a gift for you. Ping Sankong is skilled in poison. The events three years ago need a proper conclusion, don't they?" Wu Zhaohui said. "If you were poisoned to death by someone like Ping Sankong, you would be too disappointing for me!"
Chen Fan scoffed, "You get to say whatever you want!"
"This should be the last time," Wu Zhaohui smiled and hung up the phone.
Chen Fan saw no need to inform Ji Qing, Master Chu, or the others and walked directly towards the underground boxing ring.
He soon arrived at the underground boxing ring. Some recognized him, while others didn't. When people approached to question him, Chen Fan ignored them, pushing them aside with a palm strike.
Upon entering the grand hall of the underground boxing ring, Chen Fan's gaze swept across the room. He saw Wu Zhaohui sitting at the front of the hall, facing the empty ring, his back to Chen Fan's location.
Chen Fan walked over. Wu Zhaohui turned his head at the opportune moment and, upon seeing Chen Fan, nodded in greeting.
"I thought you would have ambushed a few experts here, and they would have attacked me ferociously the moment I entered, leading to a life-or-death struggle!"
"If I couldn't kill you last night, can I do it today?"
Wu Zhaohui gestured for Chen Fan to sit and said, "You also didn't rush forward to kill me as soon as you arrived!"
"I'd rather take you away and bring you to justice!"
"Since when did Chen Tianjiao, who once slaughtered seven clans in a fit of rage and feared nothing, become a law-abiding citizen?" Wu Zhaohui chuckled.
Today, his attire was different. He was wearing a blue traditional long gown, unlike the modern attire of others. He looked more like those martial artists in the martial arts world who adhered to tradition.
"This is for you," Chen Fan said.
"Can I interpret this as you also don't really want to kill me?" Wu Zhaohui smiled. "Handing me over to the authorities would be a just punishment, not necessarily having to kill me with your own hands!"
Chen Fan said, "You're overthinking it. It's just to have your crimes judged and to serve as a warning to the world."
Wu Zhaohui shook his head and chuckled, clearly not taking Chen Fan's words seriously. "You can't kill me, and arresting me is even more impossible."
"Is that so?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and looked towards the backstage area. "Why not give it a try?"
"No need to try. You are no match for Huangfu Xi." Wu Zhaohui said, "He is in private room number three. The reason he hasn't come out is simply because I have something to say to you in private."
Chen Fan turned to look at private room number three. Huangfu Xi was indeed standing by the window.
"How will you know if you don't try?" Chen Fan said.
"Huangfu Xi is a genius that appears once in a thousand years in the Kunlun Secret Realm." Wu Zhaohui said, "He has already achieved the Golden Core stage. Even with your extraordinary talent, you will not be his opponent."
"By the way, the so-called Golden Core is actually the realm of a Land Immortal spoken of in the martial arts world. Once the Golden Core is formed, the Dharma form naturally takes shape, and he can borrow the elemental energy of heaven and earth with a mere thought."
Chen Fan's expression changed. Huangfu Xi had always given him a feeling of unfathomable depth, impossible to penetrate. He hadn't expected Huangfu Xi to have reached such a level at such a young age.
"You've been deceived by his appearance. His true age is actually no less than a hundred years old!" Wu Zhaohui said, as if sensing Chen Fan's thoughts. "He is of the same generation as my master!"
Chen Fan was speechless upon hearing this.
"With him here, let alone you, even if you brought the entire Iron Blood Battalion, you wouldn't be able to keep me," Wu Zhaohui added.
"Do you have such deep ties with him?" Chen Fan thought for a moment and asked.
"No." Wu Zhaohui said, "Speaking of ties, let alone in the cultivation world, even in the secular world, it's all about interests." He pointed to his head and said, "He needs me to cooperate with him. I am valuable to him, and this value will prevent him from standing by and watching me be killed or arrested by you."
Chen Fan believed this. In terms of intellect alone, Chen Fan was not Wu Zhaohui's match. In fact, if Wu Zhaohui hadn't been too ambitious and desired too much, Chen Fan would not have won this round.
"Then, what is the purpose of your summoning me?" Chen Fan asked. "You have already lost everything in the secular world. The Brotherhood, your status as the eldest young master of the Wu family, your influence in the martial arts world, all turned to naught!"
"I actually admire that you can still smile at this moment," Wu Zhaohui said with a smile. "Actually, if I told you I haven't lost, would you believe me?"
"No," Chen Fan replied.
"If you win, then I haven't lost," Wu Zhaohui said. "Because the goal I wanted to achieve was also to destroy everything on that roster."
"That roster was originally stolen by someone I arranged." Chen Fan stared intently at Wu Zhaohui, his eyes filled with fierce light.
"However, the person who stole the roster escaping to Qingyan Town was not arranged by me," Wu Zhaohui said. "Don't look at me like that. The Qingyan Town massacre was not committed by me; it was committed by Disha."
"And Disha is already dead before your eyes." Chen Fan said coldly, "Do you think I will believe anything you say?"
"Whether you believe it or not is up to you," Wu Zhaohui said. "Five years ago, the previous master of the Ziwei Token suddenly disappeared, leaving the position of Brotherhood President vacant. It split into two factions: Heavenly Officials and Disha."
"Disha originated from the common folk, with wild methods and unrestrained actions, and they suppressed the Heavenly Official faction. It was at this time that Lu Bicheng of the Heavenly Officials sought my help, asking me to devise strategies to resist Disha's pressure."
"When the Qingyan Town massacre occurred three years ago, I had not yet truly joined the Brotherhood. That entire incident was not my doing."
Chen Fan sneered, "In just three years, you took control of the Brotherhood?"
"Lu Bicheng has known me for many years and is well aware of my abilities. Moreover, he is not suited to be the president; he is more suited to be a chief steward."
"You've investigated for so long, you should know that very few people in the Brotherhood know of my existence. Even Zuo Lizhou, the leader of the Heroes' Alliance, was unaware of my existence before this!"
Chen Fan was silent. This was also what he found daunting and terrifying. Wu Zhaohui had hidden himself too deeply. If he hadn't appeared at the Jiuwu Club, Chen Fan wasn't sure he would have known about such a figure hidden within the Brotherhood.
"The Qingyan Town massacre caused a sensation. Lu Bicheng also became fearful and found me for advice, which led to Feng Qianyuan's death." Wu Zhaohui said.
"You still framed me!" Chen Fan said coldly.
"Yes, there's no denying that," Wu Zhaohui said. "But even without my framing, you slaughtered seven clans in a fit of rage. Beijing still wouldn't tolerate you."