Because he saw the message from his disciple Lin Haotian, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon's strength was enough to resist the Bai family's old ancestor and Daoist Changsheng, so Zhang Fan felt no urgency. He didn't rush back to China with Ailabela, but instead took the blood race's private jet and flew back slowly.
Of course, this 'slowly' was only relative. At Zhang Fan's current speed, he could return from Europe to China in less than half an hour.
However, taking the blood race's private jet would take a full seven hours, although this was still much faster than a regular passenger plane.
Watching Zhang Fan and Ailabela board the plane, the three blood race princes could no longer hold back. They turned to look at their old ancestor, their eyes filled with confusion.
"Old Ancestor, what exactly happened in the underground space?" Prince Xier asked.
In fact, he really wanted to ask why the dignified progenitor of the blood race, a powerful cultivator who had achieved a second-grade Golden Core, would recognize a mere brat who hadn't even condensed a Yuan Core as his master.
However, given the old ancestor's temper, if he said that, they would likely be beaten soundly. Therefore, Prince Xier could only ask in such a roundabout way.
How could the Blood Ancestor not know the doubts of Prince Xier and the others?
He glanced at them before slowly opening his mouth and saying, "Because I am no match for him. If I don't submit, it's a dead end. How do you think I should choose?"
"How is that possible?"
Prince Xier and the other two couldn't believe it. A dignified second-grade Golden Core cultivator, even if heavily injured, could still crush ordinary Condensing Core realm experts, let alone Zhang Fan, who was only at the Divine Realm!
"Isn't Grandmaster Zhang still hasn't condensed his Yuan Core? He's only at the Divine Realm. Even if his combat power is heaven-defying and he can rival Condensing Core realm experts, he might still be no match for Old Ancestor!" Prince Moses said anxiously.
"Enough!"
Xue Jing did not wish to dwell on this matter. "You don't need to doubt your master's strength. Even I, in my prime, might not be able to defeat my master. From now on, when you meet your master, you must treat him as you would me, and not show the slightest disrespect, otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
After speaking, Xue Jing returned to the Ancestral Castle. He felt that he had been isolated from the world for too long during this outing and needed to understand the world better.
Moreover, he knew very little about his master's information and needed to catch up on his studies.
Looking at the back of their old ancestor waving his sleeve and leaving, Prince Xier and the other two exchanged glances and could only shake their heads and sigh, accepting the fact.
...
At the same moment Zhang Fan and Ailabela boarded the plane, in the courtyard of the Bai family's ancestral residence in China, the Bai family welcomed three distinguished guests who were treated with utmost importance by the entire family.
Although the Bai family was renowned for their Gu techniques and ghost control arts, and rumors outside said that even during the day, spirits and ghosts roamed around the Bai family's ancestral residence, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura, the Bai family's ancestral residence was actually filled with an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Various rare herbs and exotic plants were planted in the ancient courtyard, with small mountains, flowing water, and the chirping of birds and cicadas, creating an incredibly beautiful scene.
"I never imagined that I would be able to see Senior Niu in my lifetime. We parted ways hastily back then, and I didn't get to thank you for your guidance."
Daoist Changsheng, dressed in simple plain clothes and wearing a large gourd at his waist, who usually appeared unrestrained, now bowed respectfully to a scruffy old man.
"Heh heh, I also didn't expect that the young drunkard who was once addicted to alcohol and only kept company with wine could also condense a Yuan Core and achieve the position of Earth Immortal."
In front of Daoist Changsheng stood the scruffy old man. His face was slightly flushed, and his cloudy eyes held a hint of drunkenness. He also had a gourd hanging at his waist, but it was even larger than Daoist Changsheng's. His figure was rather thin and gaunt, which seemed somewhat incongruous with the large gourd. His white hair was disheveled, as if he hadn't tidied it for a long time, making him look like a complete madman.
Everyone present was an Earth Immortal cultivator who had condensed a Yuan Core and held an extraordinary status, yet no one dared to underestimate this old man who looked like a drunkard. This was because his strength was recognized as the strongest among the five of them, reaching the late stage of the Condensing Core realm. He was known as Daoist Niu.
Daoist Niu's real name was Niu Yongnian. He was an extremely ancient cultivator at the Condensing Core realm, and he was over a thousand years old, a true relic.
Originally, Daoist Niu was not among the people invited by Bai Tu and Daoist Changsheng. Because Daoist Niu's strength was too formidable, even if they obtained the Golden Core from Zhang Fan, they wouldn't be able to get much.
However, Daoist Niu somehow got wind of the news and came uninvited, making both Bai Tu and Changsheng quite tense.
"With Senior Niu's assistance this time, no matter what means Grandmaster Zhang has, he won't be able to make any waves," Bai Tu said with a cupped fist, flattering him.
The other two, intimidated by Daoist Niu's strength, also smiled and nodded in agreement.
Having lived for thousands of years, Daoist Niu had seen through human nature. He narrowed his eyes and chuckled, saying, "Don't worry. This time, I'm not here for the so-called Golden Core you speak of. I've come here voluntarily with only one objective."
"Could it be that Daoist Niu has his sights set on that Flood Dragon?"
The one who spoke was a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue robe with star patterns. He had sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes. On his back was a three-foot-long sword that was entirely black, exuding an aura so sharp that people dared not look directly at him.
"Indeed. As expected of the Unblemished Sword Immortal. You saw through this old man at a glance."
Daoist Niu chuckled, took down the gourd at his waist, pulled out the stopper, and took a large gulp. He said, "I don't have many other hobbies. I'm just very curious about novel things. There have always been legends of dragons on Earth, but I've never seen one. I didn't expect that Grandmaster Zhang would actually keep a flood dragon."
"My purpose for appearing this time is to capture that flood dragon alive."
"So, this time, the flood dragon belongs to me, and the Golden Core will be divided among the four of you. How about it?"
"I have no objections," the Unblemished Sword God said. As long as Daoist Niu didn't participate in the distribution of the Golden Core, everything else was negotiable.
Bai Tu and Daoist Changsheng exchanged glances, nodded, and said, "We have no objections either."
The two of them were the weakest among the five, so they naturally had to stick together to have a better say.
"What does Martial Saint think?" The Unblemished Sword God turned his gaze to the last bald old man.
The old man looked rather frail, almost as thin as Daoist Niu. His head was smooth and shiny, as if he had lost all his hair from staying up too late when he was young. Yet, this seemingly malnourished old man had an extremely resounding title: Martial Saint of Changbai Mountain—He Tai.
"I have no objections either," He Tai nodded his head calmly, saying no more, clearly unwilling to speak further.
"Haha, since everyone's opinions are unified, let's set off quickly. I'm eager to see what that flood dragon looks like," Daoist Niu said excitedly and impatiently.
...