"You've fallen out with your father in just a few days?" Yun Fan's tone was laced with sarcasm; after all, no one would believe such a preposterous story.
Yue Chan said, "I know you don't believe me, but it's okay, I'll tell you the truth!"
With that, she revealed everything to Yun Fan. Yun Fan found it incredible, especially that Yue Chan wasn't the Zen Master's daughter, which was already outlandish enough. What was even more shocking was that the Zen Master had taken Yue Chan's Dao Heart to stabilize his own realm. This implied that despite the Zen Master becoming a legend since ancient times, his realm wasn't as stable as it seemed.
"Don't believe her, that woman is very cunning!" Qing Xuan warned Yun Fan. In truth, Yun Fan also knew that provoking Yue Chan was like playing with fire.
However, Yue Chan countered, "I'm in this state, do I have any reason to lie to you?"
"Even so, I still can't trust you!" It wasn't that Yun Fan lacked intelligence; it was simply that Yue Chan was untrustworthy. If an opportunity arose, she would likely stab him in the back. This fact still left a shadow in Yun Fan's mind.
At this moment, Yue Chan said, "I know we've had some misunderstandings in the past! That's why you don't trust me!"
"Some misunderstandings?" Yun Fan was utterly speechless. She had the nerve to call it 'some misunderstandings' when he had almost lost his life!
"You've brought this upon yourself, you deserve no sympathy!" Qing Xuan cursed.
"I don't need your sympathy; I just want revenge now!" Yue Chan continued, "Furthermore, the monsters in Duanhun Cliff were released by the Zen Master. If not for that Demon King intervening through the void, I might not have escaped!"
In reality, it wasn't a matter of escape or not. If it hadn't been for sheer luck, she would have been long gone.
"What?" Upon hearing this, Yun Fan's expression changed. As he had suspected, the Zen Master truly intended to become a sinner for all time. Of course, he wasn't the only one, but he was certainly the most unscrupulous.
Yue Chan then said, "Now that he has obtained the Dao Heart, it means his plan is already half successful. If he truly succeeds in destroying all living beings, his plan will be complete. Therefore, we must stop him!" She stated her opinion clearly.
Yun Fan nodded and replied, "I understand! However, since we're cooperating, do you have any conditions that would entice me?"
"Aren't you also going to wage war against the Feng Shan Land? Isn't the intelligence I've brought you enough?" Yue Chan shot Yun Fan an exasperated look, feeling he was insatiably greedy.
Yun Fan retorted, "One thing at a time. If you don't offer any benefits, I won't cooperate with you!"
"You..." At this moment, Yue Chan finally witnessed Yun Fan's shrewdness. However, since she was the one in need, she could only say, "I'll give myself to you. Is that enough sincerity?"
Hearing this, Qing Xuan was displeased. Unable to intervene directly with Yun Fan, she let out a cold snort.
"Hmph!" She then walked away.
At this point, Yun Fan immediately refused, "I'm very sorry, I'm not interested in you. Please offer something else in exchange!"
"You ungrateful wretch!" Yue Chan felt insulted.
However, Yun Fan was unfazed. Firstly, he was genuinely not interested in Yue Chan. Secondly, who dared to provoke this woman? Having witnessed Yue Chan's terrifying nature, Yun Fan realized there were people in this world even more twisted than himself.
"Why don't you go chase after your 'old baby'!" Before Yue Chan could finish speaking, Yun Fan had already pursued Qing Xuan.
"Hmph!" Yue Chan snorted, "Not only will I make you fall at my feet, but I will also make you help me survive!" This was her plan. Even though her Dao Heart was destroyed, she believed that perhaps the power of the Demonic Path could help her live on. After all, a lingering life was better than death, and if there was a chance to survive, who would want to die? However, she would need to plan this out further.
Just then, Yun Fan caught up to Qing Xuan. "Yun Fan, you're becoming more and more unscrupulous. I won't say anything about you taking Qing Ming, that cold woman, but now you even want Yue Chan!" Qing Xuan was furious, and Qing Ming, completely unaware, suffered ten thousand points of damage.
Yun Fan quickly explained, "Don't worry, I really didn't mean that. You left before I could even finish refusing!"
"You really refused?" Qing Xuan looked at Yun Fan in disbelief. After all, Yue Chan was young and beautiful, no less than Linglong, and her ruthlessness was just another facet of her beauty, especially for someone like Yun Fan. She couldn't believe Yun Fan would refuse.
Yun Fan was utterly exasperated. From Qing Xuan's expression, it was clear she had no faith in him. Was he truly such a desperate man? Yun Fan felt like he had been dealt ten thousand points of damage. Therefore, he decided to "deal with" Qing Xuan, to show her his terrifying side.
As soon as he decided, he acted. Before Qing Xuan could react, he forcefully pushed her onto the table.
"What do you want?" Qing Xuan panicked. Although she had long wanted this to happen, the suddenness of it was overwhelming.
"I want to deal with you!" The next moment, Yun Fan began his actions.
"You can't do this!"
"Silence, don't speak!"
...
After it was all over, Qing Xuan lay weakly on the table, having just endured a earth-shattering battle. She was extremely weak, never having imagined Yun Fan to be so powerful. Even Qing Ming had suffered considerably during Yun Fan's torment. Earlier, she had surrendered multiple times, but Yun Fan had refused, leaving her utterly miserable.
Yun Fan sternly asked, "Are you convinced?"
"I am! I'm completely convinced!" Qing Xuan replied mournfully.
"That's more like it!" Yun Fan then slapped her on her elastic 'parts,' demanding, "Do you dare to doubt me again?"
"No, I really don't dare anymore!" Qing Xuan trembled, truly afraid of Yun Fan.
"What should you say from now on?" Yun Fan asked directly.
"Husband, I'll never dare again!" Only then did Yun Fan leave triumphantly. Women like Qing Xuan, who were prone to childish tantrums, needed to be disciplined. Just one firm discipline from him, and she would behave.
Yun Fan walked out of the room with a sense of pride. To his surprise, as soon as he stepped outside, he ran into Yue Chan.
"Did you hear everything just now?" Yun Fan asked instinctively.
"I did!" Yue Chan replied, "I didn't expect you to have such skills. Even your 'old baby' is no match for you!"
"Of course, my strength is undeniable!" Yun Fan immediately realized, "Why am I even talking to you!"
He then said to Yue Chan, "I've decided to give you another chance. I'll ask you this: according to your plan, what's the next step?" He knew Yue Chan was cunning and wanted to hear her analysis.
Yue Chan pondered, "My father failed to deal with the Zen Master back then. Could he have had a contingency plan?"
"I don't think so!" Yun Fan said, "Don't pin your hopes on unrealistic things. Even if there was a contingency plan, it would have been eliminated by the Zen Master. It wouldn't be for us to use!"
This was true. Yue Chan then stated, "You have two steps to take now!"
"Why me, and not us?" Yun Fan questioned.
Yue Chan replied, "Because you need to save all living beings!" This reason left Yun Fan speechless.
Yue Chan continued, "The first step is to prevent the Zen Master from destroying all beings. The second step is to reinforce the Yan Emperor's seal. I can tell you with certainty that the Demon King inside is no weaker than the Zen Master, possibly even stronger!" This put immense pressure on Yun Fan.
Yun Fan stated, "My strength is only at the Half-Step Emperor realm, far inferior to the Zen Master. While taking the initiative is a good idea, it's extremely imprudent!"
"Therefore, I already have a bold plan!"
"How bold?" Yue Chan said, "You will use the faith of all beings to break through to the Emperor realm!"
"Uh..." Yun Fan was completely speechless. This was not a good plan, as the faith of all beings was too fragmented to provide the power needed to break through to the Emperor realm. He said, "We'll discuss this later. Do you know how the Zen Master broke through to the Emperor realm?" Indeed, at this point, Yun Fan had no turning back. If the Zen Master's method worked, he wanted to try it!
Yue Chan shook her head, "I don't know. He didn't tell me, nor did he tell us the method!"
"This is difficult!" Yun Fan was somewhat embarrassed. Contending against an Emperor realm cultivator with only Half-Step Emperor realm was akin to suicide. The gap between Half-Step Emperor and Emperor realm was far greater than the gap between peak Spirit Refining and Half-Step Emperor realm. It was more like the difference between an Earthly Immortal and Golden Core realm. Otherwise, the conditions to achieve the Emperor realm wouldn't have been so harsh since ancient times.
At this point, Yue Chan said, "Then there's no other way. However, I believe there's a risky method we can try now!"
"The Zen Master refined the Dao Heart. Can you take this opportunity to ambush him?" Yue Chan's plans were increasingly bold, yet utterly unreliable.
Yun Fan replied, "We'll talk about this later. Although I'm in a hurry, there's nothing I can do. I won't act without absolute certainty!"
"Then we can only resort to this." Yue Chan said, "During the battle between the Heavenly Maiden and the Zen Master, her sword fell into Duanhun Cliff. If we can find her sword, perhaps we can fight the Zen Master. That sword was no ordinary artifact; it almost cut the Zen Master in half. It was a sentient sword. With its power, perhaps you can attempt to challenge him!"
This piqued Yun Fan's interest. A sentient sword was incredibly powerful, as even Emperor Artifacts couldn't birth sentience. He then asked Yue Chan, with concern, "Are you sure the sword fell into Duanhun Cliff?" Having just escaped that place, Yun Fan was now terrified of it. If that Demon King discovered them, it would be suicidal.
Yue Chan replied, "That's what the elders of the Feng Shan Land said. As for whether it's true, I don't know!" She continued, "Furthermore, reinforcing the seal is also one of your paths. Once this step is completed, your only opponent will be the Zen Master. Otherwise, if the Zen Master and the Demon King attack together, you won't be able to withstand it!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan realized he had no other choice. It was truly infuriating; he had just escaped a place of near-death, only to have to return. The dangers involved were unimaginable. If he perished there, no one would even be there to collect his body.
Therefore, he immediately agreed with Yue Chan, "I accept this plan. However, my 'old baby,' ah, the Dao Venerable, has yet to overcome her emotional tribulation. I plan to spend a day with her, and she should be able to overcome it!" He was so certain because he noticed Qing Xuan's emotional tribulation was far less severe than Qing Ming's. Thus, it would take at most a day for Qing Xuan to overcome it.
"Alright! I'll wait for you!" Yue Chan said, "Can she bear it? If not, I can share it with her. I'm dying anyway, so it would be making the best of my remaining time."
"Stop right there!" Yun Fan immediately left, not wanting any further entanglement with Yue Chan.
...
At this moment, Qing Xuan adjusted herself and looked at the water stains dripping onto the floor. She was speechless and quickly wiped them clean with a towel. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Her tribulation had passed smoothly. A thorough check of her physique revealed that her emotional tribulation had almost entirely dissipated, and it wasn't as severe as Qing Ming's had been. Moreover, she hadn't experienced Qing Ming's embarrassment, nor had her personality seemed to fracture.
Just then, Yun Fan arrived. She shyly turned away, "What are you doing here? Hurry up and leave!" For some reason, she feared seeing Yun Fan the most at this moment, so she tried to avoid him. But Yun Fan had found her.
"Dao Venerable, have you overcome your emotional tribulation?"
"I have!" Qing Xuan replied, "If there's nothing else, please leave. I need to go into seclusion to adjust my mindset!"
Yun Fan then said, "Dao Venerable, I want to ask you something!"
"Ask away!"
"Was there a Deputy Zen Master in the Feng Shan Land back then?"
"Yes!" Qing Xuan replied, "A Deputy Zen Master is different from the Zen Master. This person wasn't as sinister as others; instead, he had a compassionate heart, so compassionate that we even doubted if he was part of the Zen Master's lineage!"
"I see!" Yun Fan asked, "What do you think of this person?"
"I don't know him well. I only met him once during the Feng Shan Grand Ceremony. By the time I heard about him again, the Zen Master had already dealt with him!"
"I understand!" Yun Fan said, "Dao Venerable, I'll accompany you for another day, and then I might have to go complete a mission!"
"What?" Qing Xuan asked, "Is it dangerous?"
"Yes!" Yun Fan readily admitted, "Not only is it dangerous, but it might even be a matter of life and death!"
"Then don't go, okay?" She pleaded with Yun Fan. She didn't want Yun Fan to put himself in danger.
Yun Fan replied, "I have no choice but to go. Although it's dangerous, it's also an opportunity. I survived the Dark Era, and I believe I can overcome this as well!" Don't forget, when the Old Celestial Master met his end, he was still extremely weak. But in the end, he defeated the Dark Era with his unyielding will and the sacrifices of his predecessors. If the path ahead was a dead end, he would break through it with a single punch.
Qing Xuan knew Yun Fan's way of doing things: once he made up his mind, he would see it through to the end. Therefore, she reminded him, "Be extremely careful. Remember, Linglong is still waiting for you!"
"I know!" Yun Fan said, "The Shennong World has been re-modified and will be extremely sturdy. Even Emperor realm experts might not be able to break through it. Therefore, I hope you all will not come out. Wait until I've resolved all the chaos before you emerge!" In the past, his senior sisters had protected him; now it was his turn to protect them. He explained that the Shennong World was extremely sturdy because he had found the power left by that mysterious entity within the Shennong World, and then used Demonic Path energy to maintain it, creating a double safeguard. Even if the Zen Master won in the end, to break through the Shennong World, he would face two consequences: either be infected by that mysterious entity and Demonic Path energy, or abandon the attack. Therefore, he had no worries. He believed that as long as the Zen Master wasn't foolish, he wouldn't touch those two things.
"Actually, you could wait until your second sister and Lin Tianxin grow stronger!" Qing Xuan tried to persuade him, but then she fell silent, realizing it was too late to wait. She then said to Yun Fan, "You don't need to accompany me. The important matter comes first!"
But Yun Fan replied, "That won't do. What if my 'old baby' gets jealous?"
"You pervert!" Qing Xuan blushed, and let Yun Fan have his way. Even if she couldn't bear it alone, she had to endure it. What if this was the last time?
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" Qing Xuan quickly spat in her heart. How could she have such an unlucky thought? It would be even better if she could conceive Yun Fan's child, then Yun Fan would have an heir! Alright, even Yun Fan hadn't expected that Qing Xuan was already thinking about having his child.
One day later, Yun Fan met Yue Chan and found her even weaker. Without her Dao Heart, Yue Chan's condition deteriorated day by day.
"I really didn't want you to see me in such a pathetic state!" Yue Chan said, "But it doesn't matter anymore. Since I'm going to die anyway, I just want to get revenge before I do!"
"Let's go, don't overthink it!" Yun Fan said. Then, the two of them set off for Duanhun Cliff. Yun Fan was annoyed; if he had known all these truths last time, he could have resolved the hidden danger then and wouldn't have had to risk going again. If the Zen Master discovered them, it would be disastrous.
At this moment, Qing Xuan stood by the window, watching Yun Fan's departing figure, tears silently falling. She then turned to prepare to go to the Shennong World. Before leaving, she quickly gathered the bedsheets soaked with water.
...
Upon re-entering the Feng Shan Land, it was no longer the sacred and spiritually abundant place it once was. The Feng Shan Land had undergone a drastic change. Gone was its former sanctity, replaced by ruin and desolation. Everywhere were ruins, the former vitality having long dissipated, replaced by an aura of death. Previously, it was a holy land with abundant spiritual energy. Now, any random place outside was a thousand times better than here. Yun Fan hadn't expected that the Feng Shan Land, which had existed since ancient times, would meet its doom. However, it had nothing to do with him. The world didn't need a place like the Feng Shan Land.
Yun Fan said, "The Zen Master destroyed the entire Feng Shan Land!"
"That's right!" Yue Chan replied, "But this is just the beginning of the shadow. If we don't stop him, the outside world will become like this too!"
"You care about the living beings in the outside world?" Yun Fan chuckled, saying no more.
"I truly regret my past actions! I was blinded before, but not anymore. However, for this trip to Duanhun Cliff, I need your help!"
"What can I help you with?" Yun Fan asked, confused, "Help you find liberation?"
"Of course not!" Yue Chan said, "I hope you can use the power of the Demonic Path to temporarily sustain my life force. This way, I can help you, and you won't be fighting alone!"
"Sorry, the power of the Demonic Path doesn't have that function!" Yun Fan flatly refused. The power of the Demonic Path wasn't omnipotent. Furthermore, it could only devour life force, not sustain it.
"Is there truly no hope for me?" At this moment, Yue Chan felt despair.
Yun Fan said, "Unless you can regain your Dao Heart, but that's very difficult, as your Dao Heart is in the Zen Master's hands!" This wasn't just difficult; it was an unrealistic fantasy.
Yue Chan stated, "No, I cannot die like this! I must live!"
"Honestly, if you live, the world will gain another menace!" Yun Fan said bluntly.
"Hmph!" Yue Chan snorted, "No, you must help me! Help me live, and I can bring you pleasure!"
"Sorry, I don't need it!" Yun Fan refused directly. He could barely save himself, let alone worry about saving Yue Chan.
However, Yue Chan said, "Just you wait and see, I will definitely survive!" As they spoke, the two arrived at Duanhun Cliff and discovered that demonic energy was already beginning to spread outwards, meaning the seal was even more severely damaged. Yun Fan knew that more demonic beasts and monsters would awaken inside. This time, their journey would likely be filled with even greater dangers. But he knew he had no other choice.
The next moment, he injected a strand of Demonic Path energy into Yue Chan's body, temporarily sustaining her life force. However, it was only a temporary measure, not a cure.
"Didn't you say the Demonic Path power only devours?" Yue Chan asked, shocked.
Yun Fan replied, "It depends on who is using it. For example, I can alter the dangerous nature of the Demonic Path power!" He continued, "But don't place your hopes on this. This single strand of Demonic Path power can only sustain you for a day or two. After that, you will weaken and slowly die!"
"Tch!" Yue Chan curled her lips, "In other words, you do like me, otherwise, why would you care about whether I live or die?"
"You're thinking too much. This place is extremely dangerous. I just need a free subordinate! It's that simple!"