At this moment, the Blood Ancestor was completely stunned. Zhang Fan's words had left him utterly bewildered, and he could no longer ascertain Zhang Fan's true identity.
He had initially assumed Zhang Fan was a genius nurtured by some supreme immortal sect from the universe's starry expanse. However, the hidden secrets Zhang Fan had just revealed made him suspect he might have been mistaken.
The information about True Immortal Zhiwu was known to very few even among the elders of their clan, yet Zhang Fan could recount it with such familiarity, even guessing what treasures True Immortal Zhiwu had left on Earth.
Moreover, his casual way of addressing True Immortal Zhiwu was as if they were old friends who had known each other for years...
"Could he be a reincarnation of some powerful being, which is why he knows so much?" the Blood Ancestor could only speculate.
"You and the Arbiter from the Holy See are here for the opportunities left by Zhiwu. Doesn't that mean there are still quite a few Golden Core cultivators from the Wushan Starfield hidden on Earth?" Zhang Fan asked.
"That is not the case. For cultivators at the Golden Core stage, even a single star system is still immensely vast. It would be quite difficult to find Earth within just a thousand years," the Blood Ancestor replied, shaking his head.
"My true name is Xue Jing, and I am a pure-blooded Undying Blood race. The reason I was able to come to Earth a thousand years ago was because my elders opened a spatial passage for me, sending me directly to Earth. That old fellow from the Holy See is the same as me, only he is a member of the Light race."
"Although I haven't appeared in the world for several hundred years, I still have a general understanding of the situation on Earth. As far as I know, no Golden Core cultivators from the Wushan Starfield have found the place of opportunity yet."
Hearing this, Zhang Fan also breathed a sigh of relief. Although his strength had greatly increased now, he would still be outmatched if he had to face a group of Golden Core cultivators.
"I have fulfilled Master Saint Zhang's request. I wonder if Master Saint Zhang can spare my life?" the Blood Ancestor asked, looking at Zhang Fan with hopeful eyes, speaking sincerely.
"A second-rate Golden Core realm cultivator is still of great use to me now, so I naturally won't kill you easily."
"I will give you two choices. First, become my subordinate and serve me for a hundred years. After a hundred years, I will grant you freedom."
"Second, I will kill you and take your Golden Core to refine into a pill."
"Two choices, pick one yourself..." Zhang Fan said, staring at Xue Jing with an inscrutable smile in his eyes.
"I choose the first one!" Before Zhang Fan could finish speaking, Xue Jing hastily replied, his face filled with joy. A hundred years was not a long time for him. Although pledging allegiance to Zhang Fan was somewhat humiliating, what was it compared to saving his life?
Moreover, in his heart, he had already concluded that Zhang Fan must be the reincarnation of some powerful being, otherwise, how could he possess such knowledge and talent? He could tell at a glance that Zhang Fan was different from him. Although Zhang Fan appeared young, counting his slumber, he had lived for over a thousand years. However, Zhang Fan's true age was only in his early twenties, and at this age, his strength could already rival his peak power. He dared not imagine Zhang Fan's future achievements. Following such an existence closely might even bring him considerable benefits. And Zhang Fan had offered such lenient terms simply because his strength would rapidly improve. In a hundred years, his strength would likely reach the Nascent Soul stage at least, by which point Xue Jing would be of little help by his side, so he would then set him free.
"Since you agree, then it's settled. Hand over a drop of your vital essence blood and form a blood pact with me. Neither party can go back on their word." Zhang Fan flicked his finger, and a drop of scarlet blood emerged from his fingertip, floating before Xue Jing.
Xue Jing was no longer surprised that Zhang Fan knew their Blood race's secret art of blood pacts. He had no further qualms about this outcome. Therefore, he readily forced out a drop of his vital essence blood. The two drops of essence blood merged, and both performed the blood pact secret art simultaneously. Within a few minutes, the pact was completed.
Once the pact was formed, their relationship was completely defined. Xue Jing's mindset also began to shift involuntarily.
"Master, what are your plans next?" Xue Jing respectfully asked Zhang Fan.
"You are heavily injured now, and your strength is too weak to be of much help by my side. You should stay here and recover from your injuries. I still have some matters to attend to back in Huaxia," Zhang Fan said after a long period of contemplation.
The Blood Ancestor's current strength could at most rival a peak Nascent Soul realm expert, and his combat ability was far inferior to Zhang Fan's. Following him would indeed be of little use. The Blood Ancestor appeared somewhat reluctant. Having slept for too long, he was eager to see the world. However, upon considering his own strength, he could only nod in agreement with a sense of helplessness.
"Don't worry. You are a pure-blooded Undying Blood race. As long as you have the blood of powerful individuals, your injuries will recover quickly. When I return to Huaxia this time, it will be a bloody conflict. I will collect some strong individuals' blood for you and refine a large number of human blood pills, which will help your injuries recover quickly." Zhang Fan saw Xue Jing's dejected mood and tried to comfort him.
"Master is also an alchemist?" Xue Jing exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Fan did not answer. He looked up towards the exit and said, "Let's go. Take me to see your tribesmen. If I go out alone, perhaps they will all become corpses."
"Yes." Xue Jing obediently nodded and followed behind Zhang Fan, rushing towards the exit. The stone pillar tunnel was thousands of meters deep. When Zhang Fan fell from the top, it was like falling from a mountain thousands of meters high, free-falling for a long time in the air. However, when leaving, with the speed of Zhang Fan and Xue Jing, they reached the exit in just a few breaths.
The three Blood race Princes who were guarding the exit heard movement from below the stone pillar and were just about to investigate when they saw a familiar figure suddenly fly out from the exit.
"Master Saint Zhang?" Seeing that Zhang Fan was still alive, they were all incredulous and also felt a sense of foreboding. If Zhang Fan was alive, wouldn't that mean their ancestor was already...
*Whoosh!*
Another figure in white clothes shot out from the exit. Prince Xier and the others took a closer look and then breathed a sigh of relief. As long as their ancestor was still alive, they felt at ease.
"Both of you, this Master Saint Zhang is indeed extraordinary, managing to escape our ancestor's suppression. The three of us will join forces to help our ancestor suppress him." Prince Xier said in a low voice, his sharp blood qi permeating his body, ready to strike and suppress Zhang Fan at any moment. The other two princes also nodded in agreement. As long as their ancestor gave the order, they were ready to act at any time.
...