"Enough!"
As a light shout echoed, a young man in a red robe appeared before Zhang Fan. The moment he appeared, Zhang Fan and Fairy Ziling felt the powerful restrictive force vanish, and the spatial pressure crushing Zhang Fan's physical body also dissipated.
"Liuli, it's beneath your dignity to make a move against a junior in the Huashen realm." The newcomer was none other than Immortal King Zhen Cang. After speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhang Fan. It was the first time he was observing Zhang Fan up close, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Hmph!" Immortal King Liuli snorted and ceased his attack. With Immortal King Zhen Cang present, he knew further entanglement was pointless. He spoke, "Zhen Cang, I hope your Zi Xiao Star Domain does not break the rules. I will also keep a close watch on the dojo of that Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable."
After speaking, Immortal King Liuli tore through the void and stepped away, vanishing from everyone's sight.
After Immortal King Liuli left, Fairy Ziling finally let out a sigh of relief. Facing such a hostile Immortal King, even if he did nothing, Fairy Ziling still felt a stifling pressure in her chest, an indescribable oppression.
"Greetings, Immortal King Zhen Cang." Zhang Fan and Fairy Ziling cupped their fists and bowed.
"Not bad. To remain so calm facing Immortal King Liuli, this state of mind alone suggests your future achievements will not be low," Immortal King Zhen Cang said, looking at Zhang Fan with considerable praise.
"Immortal King Liuli mentioned he would be constantly watching the dojo of the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable. What did he mean by that?" Zhang Fan asked with some curiosity.
Immortal King Zhen Cang turned his head to glance in the direction of the dark forest, his gaze seemingly piercing through the void, then slowly replied, "The emergence of the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo is no secret. I have already informed the Domain Lord, but to prevent escalation, it has been agreed that only cultivators below the Hedao realm can enter. This news has also been spread to all Void Return realm cultivators in the surrounding intermediate star domains. In one year, all Void Return realm cultivators willing to enter may do so."
"Of course, the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable was influenced by the evil path in his lifetime, and his dojo is not a place of peace. Once one enters, no one knows what will happen, so it's a matter of fate."
"One year's time?" Zhang Fan mused inwardly. Such a long period would be enough for him to break through to the Void Return realm and step into the Great Dao realm.
Immortal King Zhen Cang seemed to perceive Zhang Fan's thoughts and said, "I know you two can break through to the Void Return realm at any time, but it's best not to have any aspirations regarding the Evil Buddha's dojo. The Void Return realm cultivators who dare to enter are at least at the peak of the Great Dao realm. Even if you break through to the Great Dao realm, you'll be at the bottom, no different from seeking death."
"With your talent, it's not difficult to open up an inner world or even condense a Dao Origin. Entering the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo is still too risky."
Fairy Ziling wanted to say something in response to Immortal King Zhen Cang's advice, but decided against it. After all, their actions in the dark forest were their secret. Since Zhang Fan hadn't spoken, there was no need for her to do so.
"Go, I know you've had substantial gains this time and are likely eager," Immortal King Zhen Cang said before taking his leave.
"If Immortal King Zhen Cang knew that you recently killed a peak Great Dao realm dark beast possessing a Great Dao secret treasure, he probably wouldn't have said that," Fairy Ziling said with a smile.
Currently, Zhang Fan was only at the peak of the Huashen realm, but he undoubtedly possessed strength comparable to a Kaiyu realm expert. Once he broke through, Fairy Ziling didn't know what his strength would reach, but he would definitely be qualified to venture into the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo.
"Don't you have any aspirations for the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo?" Zhang Fan asked, looking at Fairy Ziling.
"How could I not have any aspirations?" Fairy Ziling pouted. "That's an Immortal Venerable's dojo! There might even be a Tribulation realm divine weapon inside. You know, the cultivation of our Zi Xiao Star Domain Lord is only at the peak of the Hedao realm."
"Since you have aspirations, then let's go back and hurry up with the breakthrough," Zhang Fan said with a smile.
Upon returning to the war base, as expected, the simultaneous appearance of Zhang Fan and Fairy Ziling attracted the attention of a large number of cultivators. They now looked at Zhang Fan with reverence.
"Before, the Jiu Ya Star Domain had the Twin Kings, and our Zi Xiao Star Domain only had Fairy Ziling to hold the fort. Now it's the opposite. In the Star River Battlefield, cultivators from the Jiu Ya Star Domain who used to see me as arrogant now act meek and submissive."
"Ten Absolute True Immortal single-handedly made the Huashen realm powerhouses of the Jiu Ya Star Domain flee in disarray. They've been scared witless and can no longer compete with us. Now, in the upper reaches of the Star River, you can hardly see any Huashen realm cultivators from the Jiu Ya Star Domain; they've all holed up."
"Before this, many cultivators from the Jiu Ya Star Domain were clamoring to kill Ten Absolute True Immortal. Now they've all shut up. This is the absolute suppression of power."
The cultivators at the war base were all exhilarated. Zhang Fan's battle had completely shattered the morale of the Jiu Ya Star Domain side. It would likely take a hundred years to recover.
Now, the Jiu Ya Star Domain side could only hope that Ten Absolute True Immortal and Fairy Ziling would break through to the Void Return realm and leave the space battlefield as soon as possible. Otherwise, in terms of top-tier powerhouses, they would forever be suppressed by the Zi Xiao Star Domain. Even if a supreme treasure appeared, they would have no right to compete for it.
Zhang Fan and Fairy Ziling went to the armory together. After exchanging their hard-won military merits, their original military merits of over two hundred thousand skyrocketed to over twenty-six million.
"So many military merits, truly unprecedented in my life," Fairy Ziling could only exclaim helplessly.
In fact, Fairy Ziling's military merits were also not low, totaling over five million. She had been the highest-ranking at the war base before, but now, compared to Zhang Fan, it seemed meager.
"Let's go. I hope the next time we meet, you'll have entered the Great Dao realm." After exchanging his military merits, Zhang Fan also exchanged for some medicinal materials for cultivation, bid farewell to Fairy Ziling, and returned to his own cultivation cave.
Zhang Fan sat cross-legged on the cold stone platform, his mind pondering his future cultivation path. For him, it was indeed possible to open up an inner world and even condense a Dao Origin in an extremely short period, but that would be treading the path of his previous life.
Although the path of the previous life could lead directly to the peak, it was not invincible. Since he was cultivating anew, Zhang Fan was unwilling to simply retrace his past steps.
"If I make the sword dao my primary focus, and integrate the five elements, yin, yang, wind, and thunder into it, can I open up a chaotic world?" Zhang Fan mused, then shook his head.
Although he now mastered a large number of daos, opening up an inner world was not about having more daos. If he could not integrate them in an orderly fashion, and the Great Daos could not merge, it could even lead to the collapse of the inner world.
...