Zhang Xing'an condensed immense spiritual energy in his palm, scattering the surging wave. He stared intently at the mist and roared, "Who dares to trespass on Lake Heart Island?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Figures darted out from the villa, their gazes fixed on the lake, poised for battle.
Su Yun also put down the spiritual liquid in her hand. With a wave of her hand, a Rainbow-Eyed Sky Parrot flew towards Zhang Xing'an, while another landed on her shoulder.
"Dad, it's rare for me to be back, you don't have to treat me like this."
As a familiar voice echoed, the mist dissipated, and Zhang Fan's figure appeared in everyone's sight.
"Zhang Fan?"
Yifei Cheng couldn't believe it. He rushed forward to Zhang Fan and punched him hard in the chest, saying, "You brat! You've been gone for eight years. Do you know how I've spent these eight years?"
"Brother Yifei Cheng!" Seeing the spirited young man before him, Zhang Fan's face was filled with a gentle smile.
"Mom, Dad, I'm back!"
...
Zhang Fan, along with Liu Mu and others, stepped onto Lake Heart Island. To his surprise, besides his parents, Yifei Cheng and Guangtou Qiang had also settled on the island.
"What about your Black Tiger Gang? Why are you staying here with me?" Zhang Fan asked Guangtou Qiang.
"Brother Fan, the Black Tiger Gang disbanded long ago. Now, Fei Cheng and I are focusing on cultivating under Master's guidance," Guangtou Qiang said with a wry smile.
"Master?" Zhang Fan looked at the two of them with confusion; he didn't recall them having a master.
"Their master is your old man. How about it, are these two disciples I've taken on not too bad? Under my tutelage, they've both entered the Celestial Human realm," Zhang Xing'an boasted, patting his chest with pride.
"What have you cultivated? You only know how to feed them elixirs all day. I think they've been piled up by medicinal pills," Su Yun retorted without mercy.
"I see a lot of Golden Core cultivators on Earth now, and even several Nascent Soul cultivators. What's going on?" Zhang Fan asked, puzzled.
Given Earth's cultivation environment, reaching the Nascent Soul realm through self-cultivation was practically impossible. Before Zhang Fan left, Lin Yun was the only Nascent Soul cultivator.
Mentioning this matter, Zhang Xing'an's expression turned grim. He glanced at everyone before slowly saying, "This incident began in the third year after you left."
"After the battle on the Siberian Plateau and the elimination of external threats, we thought it was over, but things often exceed our expectations..."
After listening to his father's explanation, Zhang Fan understood. It turned out that the other Nascent Soul cultivators on Earth were from other life planets in the Milky Way. They had come here for no other reason than a place of opportunity.
However, their arrival was too slow. They only began to descend one after another after Zhang Fan had already left Earth. Although the opportunities were gone, some cultivators still chose to stay on Earth.
Not for any other reason, but for Lake Heart Island.
There were rumors circulating that Lake Heart Island was protected by a spiritual gathering array and possessed a large number of high-grade spiritual herbs, making it a cultivation sacred land in the hearts of countless cultivators. This also attracted the covetous eyes of many toward the spiritual herbs on the island.
But unfortunately, Lake Heart Island was protected by a mountain-guarding formation that low-level Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't breach. And although Su Yun and Zhang Xing'an were weaker, they had the protection of a Nascent Soul-level Rainbow-Eyed Sky Parrot, making them impervious to any harm. This left the extraterrestrial cultivators helpless for the time being.
Before leaving, Zhang Fan had indeed transplanted many high-grade spiritual herbs from the third level of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion to Lake Heart Island. One purpose was to improve the cultivation environment on the island, and the other was naturally for his parents' cultivation.
"Leave this matter to me," Zhang Fan smiled. As long as his family and friends were unharmed, everything else was negotiable.
The group chatted as they walked towards the villa.
"Let me introduce you," Zhang Fan turned to Liu Mu and said, "This is my friend whom I met in the Wu Shan Star Domain. His name is Liu Mu."
"What a handsome young man. Do you have a girlfriend?" Su Yun's eyes lit up upon seeing Liu Mu, and she asked.
Liu Mu was stunned and could only smile awkwardly and shake his head.
He secretly transmitted a message to Zhang Fan, asking, "Is this how people on your planet greet each other?"
Zhang Fan replied, "This is how my mom greets people."
"What should I call you, my friend?" Zhang Xing'an turned his gaze to the Blood Demon Flood Dragon and asked.
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon, who had transformed into human form, was also helpless. He could only leap into the air and transform into a blood-colored flood dragon hundreds of feet long, its sheer presence shattering the formation surrounding Lake Heart Island.
Seeing this, Tian Hua Tian Jun casually threw out a few formation plates, re-establishing a series of formations around Lake Heart Island. Now a master of advanced formation arrays, he could deploy them instantly with immense power.
"My goodness, in just a few years, you've grown so big." Everyone stared dumbfounded at the colossal dragon spanning several kilometers in the sky, murmuring in awe.
While Zhang Fan and his companions were casually chatting, the news of his return had already spread far and wide.
In a valley deep within Mount Yan, Lin Yun and the Dark Emperor Chen Dao were sitting on a blue stone, playing chess. The valley was deep, and the game was intense. Tian Yi suddenly descended from the sky, shattering the tranquility.
"Master, something big has happened!" Tian Yi shouted before even steadying himself.
Chen Dao couldn't help but shake his head, saying, "You're already at the peak of the Celestial Human realm, yet you're still so impetuous and easily startled. How will you break through to the Core Formation realm?"
"Zhang Fan is back!"
"What?"
Lin Yun and Chen Dao were simultaneously shocked and stood up abruptly, overturning the chessboard without a second thought.
"Is the news reliable? Where is he? When did he return?" Chen Dao asked a barrage of questions.
"The news is very reliable. Members of the Earth Group saw it with their own eyes. Just today, Zhang Fan descended upon Bibo Lake and has not emerged since entering Lake Heart Island."
"Could they have mistaken him for someone else?" Chen Dao asked, still uneasy.
"They couldn't be mistaken. Zhang Fan once served as a coach for the Dark Group, and the intelligence personnel sent to the East Sea served under him previously. How could they possibly mistake him?" Tian Yi stated with certainty.
"Haha, with Zhang Fan back, I'd like to see how arrogant those extraterrestrial cultivators will be!" The Dark Emperor, upon confirming the news, couldn't contain himself and let out a long roar.
"Master, should we head to the East Sea immediately?" Tian Yi asked.
The Dark Emperor remained silent and looked at Lin Yun. After all, his status was not high enough to meet Zhang Fan; it required his master to make the move.
Lin Yun shook his head. "Brother Zhang Fan has just returned and hasn't had a proper reunion with his family yet. It's not appropriate for us to disturb them. Prepare yourselves; we'll depart tomorrow."
...