"Young Master, please have mercy!"
Lu Zhu blushed and smiled, surprised that Yun Fan had agreed. She had thought Yun Fan would absolutely disdain to do so, given the vast difference in their statuses. But now, her worries had completely vanished, leaving her with nothing to fret about. She sincerely offered herself to him.
That night, the two sealed their bond.
In the following two days, Yun Fan obtained the Heart of the Violet Prefecture. A power of "purple energy coming from the east" now swirled around him. He hadn't expected the Heart of the Violet Prefecture to be so potent. No wonder even Great Void Heaven desired this power.
Upon gaining this power, he broke through from the first realm of the Immortal Emperor to the second. He couldn't recall how fast his breakthrough was. He had thought his talent was only average, only managing to advance one realm.
Unbeknownst to him, at the Immortal Emperor realm, each breakthrough was no longer as simple as drinking water. This realm required not only power but also profound understanding, and most importantly, enlightenment. A lucky individual might break through one realm in ten thousand years. An unlucky one might never break through in their entire life, otherwise, Immortal Emperors would be as common as dirt throughout the universe.
In fact, there weren't many Immortal Emperors in the entire universe, excluding the two external races, the Battle Heaven Clan and the Sinister Clan. The number of Immortal Emperor-level experts in the universe could be counted on a few fingers. Even the faction of the Lord of the Universe only had him and the masters of the ten great star clusters. Beings like Qing Lian and Qing Luan were rare Immortal Emperor experts in the universe. If one were to include the Sinister Clan and the Battle Heaven Clan, then there would indeed be quite a few Immortal Emperors.
In any case, breaking through to the Immortal Emperor realm was extremely demanding. Even the Lord of the Universe took ninety thousand years to advance from the first realm to the ninth. Yes, ninety thousand years, and that was considered unparalleled talent. A normal Immortal Emperor would absolutely not be able to break through from the first to the ninth realm even in eighty-one thousand years, let alone ninety thousand. The difference in talent was simply too great.
In reality, Immortal Emperors who reached the ninth realm could truly be described as rare. Apart from the three great powerhouses, it seemed only the Nine Ancestors of Sinister and the commander of the Battle Heaven Clan, Jun Wu Hen, had achieved this. As for others, if they existed, there were no records of them.
Of course, Yun Fan knew none of this at the moment. He only knew he had become stronger and could now defeat Great Void Heaven without any issues.
At this moment, Lu Zhu asked Yun Fan, "Young Master, did you break through?"
"I did!" Yun Fan replied. "Though I don't remember anything, I will take responsibility for you!"
"Mmm-hmm!" Lu Zhu quickly said, "Young Master, no matter your origin, I will stay by your side. The most urgent matter now is to deal with Great Void Heaven and then help you recover your memories!"
"Mmm!" Yun Fan nodded. This was indeed the case. He then proactively exited the Violet Prefecture and declared war on Great Void Heaven.
Upon seeing Yun Fan emerge, Great Void Heaven launched a sneak attack. Yes, a sneak attack. If their previous battle was evenly matched, then the only option was to strike from the shadows. To his surprise, a single burst of power from Yun Fan completely overwhelmed him.
"What's happening?" Great Void Heaven was stunned. He remembered being evenly matched with Yun Fan in their previous decisive battle, and now, after only a few days, Yun Fan had become even stronger. He was no longer qualified to contend with Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said, "Old man, continue!"
"You court death!" Even though his injuries hadn't fully healed, Great Void Heaven couldn't stand Yun Fan's arrogance. Therefore, he prepared to deliver a fatal blow to Yun Fan.
However, reality was cruel. With Yun Fan being a realm above him, how could he be a match? He was utterly dominated by Yun Fan.
"Damn it!" Great Void Heaven roared, attempting to infect Yun Fan with his sinister power. Unexpectedly, his use of sinister power only intensified the Battle Heaven power within Yun Fan. The moment the Battle Heaven power clashed with the sinister power, the devouring flames began to consume Great Void Heaven.
"Ah!" Great Void Heaven cried out, quickly pleading with Yun Fan, "Please spare me, I am willing to submit to you!" He held onto a sliver of hope because Yun Fan had lost his memory. If not for that, Yun Fan would never have given him a chance to beg for mercy. After all, their races were mortal enemies; it was either you die or I die. Of course, normally, it was always "you die."
"I'm truly sorry, I don't know how to retract it!" Yun Fan said dismissively. If he could control this power, Great Void Heaven would have been dealt with long ago.
Great Void Heaven was completely desperate. He had never imagined that after a life of brilliance, he would perish at the hands of Yun Fan, this treacherous fellow. At this moment, he didn't even have the chance to self-destruct, as he was consumed by raging flames.
Even Lu Zhu and the others were shocked, never expecting such terrifying power to reside within Yun Fan. It was a pity that the amnesiac Yun Fan didn't know how to control it. Thus, Great Void Heaven's power was absorbed by Yun Fan, and although Yun Fan's strength grew by a notch, he did not break through. How difficult it was to advance even one realm in the Immortal Emperor realm.
Afterward, Yun Fan managed to exert some control over the Battle Heaven power, dispelling and absorbing the sinister power from the Violet Prefecture Continent. The Violet Prefecture Continent returned to its original appearance, but there was no sadness in the eyes of Lu Zhu and the others. After all, the Violet Prefecture Continent could never regain its former prosperity. Even with a few survivors, it would take tens of thousands of years to recover its former glory.
"Thank you, Young Master!" Lu Zhu and the several maids knelt on the ground, thanking Yun Fan.
At this moment, Yun Fan pulled Lu Zhu up. "You're still calling me Young Master?"
"Husband!" Lu Zhu shyly leaned into Yun Fan's embrace. Yun Fan reveled in the pleasure and joy, showing that after losing his memory, he had already developed the potential to be a scumbag.
Yun Fan then said, "Wife, what do you plan to do next?"
Lu Zhu said sadly, "My homeland has been destroyed, but it can be rebuilt. I will entrust the task of rebuilding our homeland and revitalizing the Violet Prefecture Continent to them!" The four maids were stunned, not expecting their young lady to assign such an important task to them.
Yun Fan nodded, "That's good!" He didn't know what to give the four maids, and he certainly couldn't "seal the deal" with them as well, or what would be the difference between him and a scumbag? Therefore, he bestowed his own dispersed power upon the women, and each of them achieved a breakthrough. He had initially intended to give something to Lu Zhu, but he discovered that Lu Zhu had excellent potential. Her potential had been suppressed by the Heart of the Violet Prefecture before. Now, without it, he realized Lu Zhu's potential was immense. Although he had lost his memories, he still felt that Lu Zhu's talent could rival the fragmented memories that felt somewhat familiar to him. However, before he could recall further, he felt a tearing pain in his mind, scaring him into not daring to think further.
"Husband, let's go! Let's find a way for you to recover your memories!" Lu Zhu said to Yun Fan.
"Alright!" Yun Fan nodded, transforming into a stream of light, and disappeared from the Violet Prefecture Continent with Lu Zhu. The several maids knelt on the ground, respectfully seeing the two off.
After leaving the Violet Prefecture Continent, they drifted through the void, visiting many star systems, but found no way to recover Yun Fan's memories. However, one day, when Yun Fan and Lu Zhu arrived at a star system, they were targeted by the star system's lord. Far from being Yun Fan's match, he didn't alert them but instead reported Yun Fan's whereabouts to his superiors. Yun Fan and Lu Zhu remained unaware of this, and subsequently, they departed from this prosperous star system.
One day, as they traversed the universe, they arrived at a "Boundary Sea." This was an ocean situated within the universe, stretching as far as the eye could see. Yun Fan couldn't tell how vast it was; he traveled at full speed for an entire day without reaching its far shore. The Boundary Sea harbored many powerful beings, as some races lived within its depths. But within that single day, based on the area of the star systems, Yun Fan had crossed more star systems than he could count.
At this moment, the Boundary Sea was exceptionally quiet. Although Yun Fan had lost his memory, that didn't mean his strength had diminished. His Immortal Emperor aura was terrifying, especially in this era where Immortal Emperors were considered top-tier existences everywhere. Therefore, these races dwelling in the sea dared not confront Yun Fan directly; they could not withstand the might of an Immortal Emperor. Even Lu Zhu hadn't expected such a vast entity as the Boundary Sea to exist in this immense universe.
One day, they entered a dark region within the Boundary Sea. From their perspective, they were still within the Boundary Sea, but ahead was an endless darkness, impenetrable even to light. Yun Fan sensed carefully and realized there were no living beings here.
"Forget it, let's turn back!" Yun Fan said to Lu Zhu. Since there was no discovery, they should return.
"Mmm!" As the two turned to leave, a colossal tentacle stretched out from the darkness, attempting to drag them into the abyss.
"Break!" Yun Fan roared, severing the tentacle. He intended to teach the attacker a lesson but couldn't sense the entity's presence at all. It was clear that this creature was hiding in the depths of the Boundary Sea. Yun Fan could only give up in frustration.
"What kind of monster is this?" Yun Fan was slightly puzzled. Lu Zhu also shook her head, "I've never heard of it."
"Then forget it, let's go!" Yun Fan said to her.
Not long after they turned back, a group of sea-dwelling races blocked their path.
"Everyone, what do you want?" Yun Fan asked. These sea-dwelling races had very strange appearances, but this was normal, given they lived there year-round.
At this moment, the one with a fish body and human head said to Yun Fan, "Great Being, we saw your attack from millions of miles away. You actually managed to heavily wound it!" The others showed expressions of disbelief. In their eyes, Yun Fan was no different from a god.
Yun Fan asked, "What is it?"
The leader quickly replied, "It is called the Sea Emperor! He was once a powerful being that protected the southern Boundary Sea, but he was later infected and turned into darkness. He created this darkness, and half of the southern Boundary Sea's territory is already shrouded in his darkness. If this continues, the entire southern Boundary Sea will be doomed!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan finally understood. He then asked, "How big is the Boundary Sea?"
"We don't know!" The leader replied, "Since ancient times, no one has ever truly crossed the Boundary Sea!"
"So arrogant?" Yun Fan was surprised by the immense size of the Boundary Sea.
"Therefore, we implore the Great Being to help us resolve the Sea Emperor!" They pleaded with Yun Fan.
But Yun Fan said, "I don't have time!" What a joke. He had lost all his memories and only wanted to recover them. He wasn't a saint, so why should he help these people?
However, these people quickly said, "Great Being, as long as you can help us resolve the Sea Emperor, we will agree to any request you have!" Hearing this, Yun Fan felt much better. While he wasn't a saint, fair exchange was perfectly acceptable. Thus, he stated directly, "I have lost my memories. Do you have any way to help me recover them?" Lu Zhu also looked on with anticipation, her heart aching for Yun Fan, who couldn't recall anything.
The leader said, "We don't know."
"Then there's no need!" Yun Fan then grabbed Lu Zhu and prepared to leave. Lu Zhu made no attempt to dissuade him. She knew the past Yun Fan was a saint, but she was only a saint to Yun Fan, and others meant nothing to her.
"Great Being, please wait! Although we don't have a way, the Turtle God certainly does. He has lived in the Boundary Sea for a hundred thousand years!" someone reminded Yun Fan. Living for a hundred thousand years was indeed a long time, but compared to the ancient ages of the universe, a mere hundred thousand years was but a drop in the ocean.
At this moment, Yun Fan glanced at Lu Zhu. "Shall we try?"
"I'll do whatever you say, Husband!" Lu Zhu said obediently.
"Mmm!" Then, guided by these sea races, they arrived at their main camp. It was evident that their race had once been glorious, but now it was dilapidated. It seemed this race had undergone a major upheaval. Even their magnificent palace had been destroyed.
They explained to Yun Fan, "The Sea Emperor mutated, and a single tentacle destroyed our palace, along with the palaces of hundreds of surrounding races! Most of our experts died in that catastrophe!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan asked doubtfully, "Then why were you spared?"
"This is all thanks to the Turtle God! He, along with the Bai Clan, created a formation that blocked the Sea Emperor's attack and suppressed him. But recently, the Sea Emperor has revived, and this time, even the Turtle God is helpless!"
"Understood!" Yun Fan nodded, having grasped the entire situation. Just then, they led Yun Fan to the alliance's meeting place. Under the puzzled gazes of many races, Yun Fan successfully met the legendary Turtle God. It was a colossal sea turtle. Its body alone surpassed the size of a planet; how enormous it was! Fortunately, it had transformed its body into the appearance of an elder to meet Yun Fan and Lu Zhu. Otherwise, Yun Fan and Lu Zhu would have been less than dust before it. He never expected that a being who had lived for a hundred thousand years would be so colossal.
At this moment, the Turtle God said to Yun Fan, "I didn't expect you to come from outside the Boundary Sea. Even Immortal Emperors would take a very long time!" He knew that there were very few visitors from outside the Boundary Sea, and unexpectedly, this arrival was of a powerful individual. He could feel that Yun Fan's strength was immense, undoubtedly surpassing his own. Therefore, he showed Yun Fan no disrespect.
Yun Fan then asked, "You are the Turtle God?"
"Indeed, it is I!" He asked Yun Fan, "My kin mentioned that you once severed the Sea Emperor's tentacle with a single strike?"
Yun Fan nodded, "That's right!"
"Can you help us resolve the Sea Emperor?"
"No problem!" Yun Fan changed the subject, "However, you must first help me with my own matters!"