Beiluo Lake Island.
Lu Fan opened his eyes. The lines bouncing in his eyes slowly faded away.
Leaning on the back of the wheelchair, Lu Fan picked up the bronze wine cup and took a sip of the green plum wine.
“I have warned the three groups but don’t know if it will work. I can only help to put some pressure on them. The Lord of the Plane probably remembers me since I entered the world of Origin once before. The Origin might expel me if I go in there again. So…”
Lu Fan took another sip of the wine and muttered, “As your Young Master, I can only intimidate them a little for you.”
Perhaps deterrence would be effective.
It might make Du Longyang, the one-armed knife fighter, and the Empress think twice before taking any action.
At least, they wouldn’t send Nascent Soul cultivators to hunt down Nie Changqing and the others.
It would also provide Nie Changqing enough time to progress and improve.
Lu Fan smiled.
Then, his fingers gently tapped the armrest of the wheelchair.
It was exceptionally quiet on Beiluo Lake Island.
Peaceful and tranquil, only the bamboo forest was rustling in the wind.
Lu Fan thought for a while and said, “What should a Mid Level Martial World be like?”
“Fortunately, I can go to that Mid Level Martial World to look around and emulate.”
To be honest, Lu Fan had been a bit bewildered ever since the Wuhuang Continent became a Mid Level Martial World.
Obviously, it was much more difficult for a Mid Level Martial World to upgrade to a High-Level Martial World than a Low Level one moving up to a Mid Level one. In addition to that, there would be more requirements.
He could still use the same set of strategies, such as setting up secret realms, increasing the concentration of Spirit Qi, and so on…
However…
These measures probably wouldn’t be as effective as before, which would lead to a longer time needed for the Wuhuang Continent to advance to a High-Level Martial World.
The most frustrating thing was that Lu Fan had no idea how to solve this problem.
He sent three duplicate tiny Lu Fans to the peak Mid Level Martial World with only one intention—to draw on their experience.
He wanted to see if he could learn something from them
And eventually to devise a scheme to transform his Mid Level Martial World.
After quite some time.
Lu Fan used his Spiritual Sense to transmit his voice to Lv Dongxuan.
Lv Dongxuan was sitting in a canoe and fishing in Beiluo Lake. He detected the voice transmission and stood up.
“Young Master…”
Wearing a straw raincoat, Lv Dongxuan smiled and gestured at the direction of the White Jade City Pavilion.
“The opening of the forbidden areas poses a risk as well as an opportunity for us…”
“Several courageous cultivators have entered the forbidden area. I want you to make a list of them and inform the public… I will let you know if any of them had died.” Lu Fan said slowly.
Lv Dongxuan was silent for a moment.
“Young Master is so…benevolent.”
Lv Dongxuan sighed.
He certainly knew about the forbidden area, the place that appeared to be the nest of the Alien Evil Spirit. Anyone who dared to step in the forbidden area had no regard for their own safety.
Nobody would know even if they died inside for a long time.
However, if they could inform the public about the people who entered the forbidden area, those people could at least gain fame after death.
Instead of dying in obscurity, they would be honored in a grand way.
“Everyone goes to the forbidden area to become stronger. They should stay out if that’s not their goal,” Lu Fan said softly.
“You can write down the names of the first few who got in the forbidden area.”
Lv Dongxuan bowed slightly and answered, “Yes.”
“The first one, Nie Changqing of White Jade City.”
Lu Fan’s fingers tapped on the Phoenix Feather Arm.
“The second one, Li Sansi of the Daoist Pavilion.”
Lv Dongxuan was shocked. Li Sansi was also in the forbidden area?
He didn’t think Li Sansi would have this kind of courage.
Lu Fan didn’t notice Lv Dongxuan’s expression and continued announcing names. “The third one, Ding Jiudeng of Yongcheng Temple.”
Lv Dongxuan raised his eyebrows. Surprisingly, he had never heard of this man.
“There is another one who sneaked in… Mo Tianyu, the eccentric fortune-teller.”
“Go.”
“Also, add a friendly reminder. People who haven’t reached the Internal Organs Realm should think twice before entering the forbidden area,” Lu Fan finished.
Lv Dongxuan inhaled a deep breath.
He bowed to Lu Fan, turned around, and disappeared on the misty lake with his canoe.
******
The news from Tianji Pavilion spread at lightning speed because they had Tianji Pigeons as messengers.
The entire world received the announcement in a single day.
Everyone knew that Nie Changqing had entered the forbidden area.
However…
They were astounded that Li Sansi from the Daoist Pavilion also got in.
“I couldn’t believe Li Sansi of the Daoist Pavilion also went in the forbidden area…”
“He is truly risking his life. Nie Changqing of White Jade City is at least in the Heavenly Lock Realm. Li Sansi is only an Internal Organs Realm cultivator. He could very likely die there.”
“And what’s the deal with that eccentric fortune-teller Mo Tianyu? If I remember it correctly, Mo Tianyu is the principal disciple of Confucianism, isn’t he?”
The news caused an uproar.
People reacted differently to the published list.
Nonetheless, everyone without exception had great admiration for the fearless people who entered the forbidden area.
Ding Jiudeng wasn’t mentioned much since few people knew about him.
******
The forbidden area in South County.
The news from Tianji Pavilion arrived as a secret letter.
People sitting in front of the forbidden area all heard about it.
“Sansi is such a silly boy. How did he… How did he go to the forbidden area without telling me! If something happened to him…”
Xie Yunling’s face changed. He didn’t care much regardless of how Li Sansi fooled around in the past.
However, knowing that Li Sansi had set foot in the extremely dangerous forbidden area threw Xie Yunling into a panic.
Frightened, Li Sansui grasped the letter tightly.
She then turned around abruptly and was going to rush into the forbidden area.
Thankfully, Tang Yimo was deft enough to block in front of Li Sansui.
“Move out of my way.”
Li Sansui’s face was cold.
“It’s suicide if you go in there…” Tang Yimo said, eyebrows knitted together.
Xie Yunling also realized what happened and yelled in a harsh voice, “Sansui, don’t make trouble.”
Li Sansui clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
The Sword Saint Hua Dongliu also said, “Sansui, don’t act recklessly. You might not be able to find Sansi even if you went there.”
“No one here knows exactly what is in the forbidden area. Wouldn’t you have risked your life for nothing if you encountered something terrible in there?”
Li Sansui listened to the admonitions from the people around her.
She lowered her head slightly, shoulders shuddering.
Then, she raised her face and looked at Xie Yunling, Hua Dongliu, and Tang Yimo.
“But he…he is my brother, my only family left.”
Li Sansui bit her lips. Her eyes glistened with tears.
Everyone was quiet upon hearing her words.
Indeed…
Li Sansui and Li Sansi grew up together and depended on each other for survival.
“You can take a trip to Beiluo… And ask Young Master Lu what you should do,” Xie Yunling said.
“You only moved up to the Internal Organs Realm recently and probably can’t help Sansi even if you were in the forbidden area…”
Li Sansui took a deep breath.
Consulting Lu Fan seemed to be the only way left for her.
Li Sansui set off immediately without any hesitation. She left the forbidden area in South County.
******
The news from the Tianji Pavilion astonished the whole world.
But it also let the public know that they shouldn’t barge into the forbidden area without reaching the Internal Organs Realm first.
Those who were tempted to enter the forbidden area dropped the idea for now.
Right now, inside the forbidden area.
The four people there were all running for their lives.
In the barren mountain.
Nie Changqing escaped the bodhisattva temple and was scuttling in the fierce snowstorm.
He could hear the thundering noise behind him.
It was from the three purple-robed Golden Elixir disciples of Wudi City.
Du Longyang’s announcement had electrified them.
They could cut off Nie Changqing’s head and exchange for a chance to visit the Scriptures Depository. How could they miss such a precious opportunity?
They might even be able to speed up the cultivation process and advance to the ninth-level Golden Elixir Realm if they could find a supreme Golden Elixir cultivation method in the Scriptures Depository.
The three purple-robed disciples were nothing but ordinary students in the inner order.
Now, Du Longyang made the announcement only a short time ago.
The geniuses on the honor roll hadn’t made a move yet. The ordinary disciples wouldn’t stand a chance if otherwise.
Therefore, they utilized all the methods to hunt down Nie Changqing.
Nie Changqing ran with all possible haste.
The barren mountain was vast, yet only withered and dead plants could provide barely any cover.
Nie Changqing fleeted past the dead trees and couldn’t get rid of the three purple-robed disciples behind him.
Nie Changqing understood that he would be besieged by the genius disciples in the Golden Elixir Realm from Wudi City if he couldn’t get away and hide somewhere.
By that time, the “level ground” the Young Master fought for him would be meaningless.
Nie Changqing wiped off the blood at the corner of his mouth. He ran through the vast snowfield in the barren mountain, his white robe stained red.
He had to figure out a way to kill these three purple-robed disciples of Wudi City.
He had to seize every chance if he wanted to survive the desperate situation.
The three purple-robed disciples were chasing Nie Changqing.
Mo Tianyu suddenly felt at ease…
As if the enemies had ignored him.
They all ran after Nie Changqing and didn’t pay any attention to him.
Looking at Nie Changqing and the three purple-robed disciples disappeared in the snow, Mo Tianyu pursed his lips.
“My trigram…is so accurate.”
Mo Tianyu clicked his tongue.
He chuckled.
He didn’t plan on helping Nie Changqing. How could he?
He was only in the Qi Core Realm…
Not even the Internal Organs Realm. Any disciple from Wudi City could easily kill him.
It would be a miracle if he didn’t drag Nie Changqing down.
He strode down the barren mountain.
All of a sudden…
Mo Tianyu’s body jolted.
He saw a group of people wearing purple robes flying toward him. Their energy was intimidating enough to make Mo Tianyu, someone in the Qi Core Realm, tremble with fear.
So…so powerful!
They were all in the Golden Elixir Realm!
Mo Tianyu hurried to drop the fortune-telling banner on the ground and buried it with snow. He was afraid the words on the banner might expose his identity.
Shortly after he buried the banner…
Almost ten people landed in front of him.
“Em?”
The purple-robed disciples sized Mo Tianyu up and down and glanced at the tortoiseshell and copper coins in Mo Tianyu’s hand.
“Are you a fortune-teller?”
“Your cultivation level is quite high for a fortune-teller. A ninth-grade Qi Condensation Realm.”
Several purple-robed disciples smiled and didn’t take him seriously.
Mo Tianyu cracked a smile at them.
The disciples of Wudi City didn’t bother to stay any longer. They exerted the energy and flew away.
After seeing their receding figures…
Mo Tianyu heaved a sigh of relief.
However…
He then took out the copper coins and calculated his fortune.
The copper coins fell on the snow. Mo Tianyu’s face became grim the moment he picked them up.
“Great blessing?”
“It’s all over now…”
“How did it become a great blessing?” Mo Tianyu was panic-stricken.
As he expected, a frightening surge of energy thundered in the air the next moment.
Mo Tianyu felt like he was about to be blinded by the brilliant light.
He saw a man slowly walking toward him from the distance. Even the snow on the ground where he passed by was melting.
His energy made Mo Tianyu feel as if his heart was gripped by a strong hand.
“This man…is too powerful!”
He was significantly more powerful than the purple-robed disciples before.
The man had a hostile manner as though he was an unapproachable deity from heaven.
He took a brief look at Mo Tianyu. Suddenly, his eyes sparkled.
He focused on Mo Tianyu’s copper coins.
“Magic tools?” The man spoke softly.
In a flash, he appeared right in front of Mo Tianyu.
Mo Tianyu was defenseless. The copper coins fell in the man’s hand.
“It’s quite unfortunate. These are only the lowest magic tools that don’t have much spirituality.”
He lost interest after a quick look and then returned the three copper coins to Mo Tianyu.
It seemed like he wasn’t in a rush to chase Nie Changqing.
His confidence was contagious and even affected Mo Tianyu.
“Tell me my fortune.”
“I will let you live if it’s good.”
The man’s purple robe rustled in the wind. His eyes were bright and assertive.
Mo Tianyu could barely breathe normally under his pressure.
“Okay…”
Mo Tianyu picked up the copper coins.
“Can I ask your name?”
“Feng Yilou.”
The purple-robed man sat upright on the ground and looked at Mo Tianyu calmly.
Mo Tianyu gasped immediately upon hearing his name. He didn’t know why, but he thought it was best to show surprise and admiration.
Feng Yilou’s lips curled up when he saw Mo Tianyu’s reaction.
Feng Yilou initially suspected that Mo Tianyu was the trespasser who passed through the Void Gate.
But Mo Tianyu’s expression showed that he had heard about Feng Yilou, who ranked ninth on the top cultivator list… So he probably wasn’t a trespasser.
“Do it quickly,” Feng Yilou ordered in a low voice.
Mo Tianyu became serious at once. The three copper coins started to sway gently as he mobilized the Spirit Qi in his Qi Core.
Then the copper coins were tossed in the air and spun rapidly.
Bang!
The three copper coins fell in the tortoiseshell and clanked inside.
In the end, Mo Tianyu smacked the tortoiseshell hard in his palm.
The copper coins rolled out.
“The trigram indicates great blessing if you follow this direction!” Mo Tianyu said, acting mysteriously.
“Showy nonsense.”
Feng Yilou pursed his lips.
“You probably met other disciples from Wudi City and knew we’re chasing someone, right?”
Feng Yilou found it boring. He stood up, looked at the direction Mo Tianyu had pointed, and smiled.
“So did you see which way the man ran?” Feng Yilou asked.
Mo Tianyu was surprised. How did he put all these things together so quickly?
Feng Yilou stared at Mo Tianyu’s face and held his hands behind his back, his purple robe flapping in the wind. A bright golden elixir was radiating indistinctly.
Feng Yilou glanced at Mo Tianyu and said, “My name is Feng Yilou. I’m in the seventh-grade Golden Elixir Realm and rank ninth in the top cultivator list.”
“Make sure you remember me.”
“Yes, I do, I do.”
Mo Tianyu hastened to nodded and forced a smile.
This man was even more arrogant than the old Mo Tianyu. Apparently, he had never been taught a lesson by the real world.
Mo Tianyu had sufficient experience to deal with this type of person.
Feng Yilou stretched his arms and stepped forward. The snow on the ground almost melted by his energy.
He rushed to the blessed direction Mo Tianyu had shown him.
Mo Tianyu felt relaxed as Feng Yilou left.
He put back the tortoiseshell and copper coins and walked into the snow.
Mo Tianyu didn’t know why that direction was a “great blessing” for Feng Yilou…
Mo Tianyu didn’t bother to think it over.
He wanted to take off as soon as possible.
Feng Yilou didn’t pay much attention to Mo Tianyu.
As a fortune-teller in the Qi Condensation Realm, Mo Tianyu had little significance in Feng Yilou’s eyes.
Feng Yilou only went to the direction Mo Tianyu pointed because he actually sensed something strange there with his Spiritual Sense.
The golden elixir was like a scorching sun.
Feng Yilou was moving at full speed. His domineering energy melted the ice and snow around him.
Em?
Suddenly…
Feng Yilou’s pupils contracted.
He had run for almost five miles.
Feng Yilou saw…
In the distance, a hand-sized thing shaped like a human, sparkling and crystal clear, walking slowly in the snow.
Spirit Qi overflowed from the sparkling thing.
“Spirit Fluid made of Spirit Qi?!”
Feng Yilou was pleasantly surprised.
The fortune-teller was not just bluffing. There was precious Spirit Fluid in this direction for real!
No wonder the trigram said it was a great blessing!
Feng Yilou exerted the energy of the seventh-grade Golden Elixir Realm and rushed to the Spirit Fluid.
Feng Yilou would be able to move up immediately if he could smelt such invaluable treasure.
Lu Fan’s Spiritual Sense hid inside the tiny Lu Fan.
He was trudging through the snowstorm.
Lu Fan was thinking about how to get in the Scriptures Depository in Wudi City.
As implied by the name, the Scriptures Depository was the place where scriptures were stored. There might be plenty of documents that introduced this world and some cultivation methods.
It would help broaden Lu Fan’s horizon if he could study there.
Just when he was contemplating…
A powerful bolt of energy was unleashed.
A figure charged at Lu Fan, emitting brilliant golden light.
Lu Fan was startled.
A feverish purple-robed disciple of Wudi City pounced at the tiny Lu Fan like a hungry dog.
Tiny Lu Fan was a little confused.
The next moment…
The confusion on his face disappeared.
His eyes brightened up…
Looking at the disciple of Wudi City, Lu Fan suddenly remembered how he occupied Young Master Tianxu’s body when he first visited this world.
He couldn’t take control of the body of someone as strong as Young Master Tianxu anymore.
However…
It was a piece of cake for him to take over the puny Golden Elixir fighter who delivered himself to him.
The silhouettes of this purple-robed disciple of Wudi City and Young Master Tianxu gradually overlapped in tiny Lu Fan’s eyes.
…