There was nothing Zhang Fan could do to force Liu Mu's choice, so he let him be.
After some discussion, Zhang Fan and Liu Mu decided to travel with the man in the star-patterned robe and head into the depths of Star Lake Forest together.
After all, although their strength was good, they were still outsiders. They were unfamiliar with the situation on Great Rock Star and the information about Star Lake Forest, which would make things inconvenient.
Through their conversation, Zhang Fan learned that the man in the star-patterned robe was named Fu Feng, and the yellow-robed woman beside him was Fu Sisi. Both of them hailed from the Fu family, one of the three Nascent Soul families on Great Rock Star.
Fu Sisi was the most outstanding descendant of the Fu family's younger generation. She had cultivated a mid-grade Golden Core of the second rank and had reached its peak. Fu Feng's purpose this time was to help Fu Sisi obtain a portion of the Earth Core Saliva.
If successful, their Fu family might very well produce another Nascent Soul stage powerhouse, and one who had formed a silver Nascent Soul at that.
Therefore, this competition was of extraordinary significance to their three Nascent Soul families. Whichever family succeeded would be able to significantly increase their family's strength and surpass the other two.
In the Wu Shan Star Domain, the importance of Nascent Soul stage powerhouses was evident. As seen from the Heaven Ranking compiled by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, as long as one's strength reached the second Tribulation Nascent Soul level, even if they only cultivated a black Nascent Soul, they would qualify to be listed on the Heaven Ranking.
Of course, although the Wu Shan Star Domain was a very ordinary star domain, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion dared not guarantee that they had collected all the powerful individuals from all the star systems.
Some Nascent Soul powerhouses had revealed their strength but were not discovered by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, while some chose to live in seclusion after cultivating their Nascent Soul, and others had not made a move for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, making it naturally difficult for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to make an accurate judgment.
Just like that Black Flame King, a powerhouse who had cultivated a silver Nascent Soul and survived four Nascent Soul tribulations, possessing the strength to be listed on the Heaven Ranking, yet he was not.
And Zhang Fan, with his current strength, could fully contend with a third Tribulation Nascent Soul powerhouse, yet he was also not on the Heaven Ranking.
Therefore, the one hundred and eight powerhouses on the Heaven Ranking could only be said to be the one hundred and eight individuals who had displayed the strongest strength to the public. It was merely a reference, not absolute authority.
...
"This time, all three Nascent Soul families of Great Rock Star are led by Nascent Soul powerhouses. However, with the assistance of fellow Daoist Liu Mu, our chances of obtaining the Earth Core Saliva are still quite high."
With Liu Mu's joining, Fu Feng's spirits were greatly lifted, and he became much more optimistic.
Star Lake Forest was extremely perilous even for ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, so their Fu family had not brought any other family disciples this time, only Fu Sisi had accompanied them.
"I heard that there is a White Cloud Tiger in this Star Lake Forest that has survived three Nascent Soul tribulations. With your strength, wouldn't going to compete for the Earth Core Saliva be akin to snatching food from a tiger's mouth?" Zhang Fan asked with some curiosity.
Although Fu Feng had cultivated a Nascent Soul, he had only formed a black Nascent Soul, and he had not even survived the first Nascent Soul tribulation. His strength was not much stronger than the deceased Blade Master.
And according to him, the leaders of the other two Nascent Soul families were at the same level of strength as him. If they encountered the White Cloud Tiger with such strength, they might not be able to escape.
Zhang Fan's words caused the yellow-clad maiden Fu Sisi to glance at him: "Then why do you dare to go when you haven't even cultivated a Nascent Soul?"
Zhang Fan smiled and remained silent. With his Golden Core realm cultivation, saying that did indeed carry a hint of offense.
"Sisi, do not be rude."
Fu Feng raised his hand to stop Fu Sisi and smiled apologetically at Zhang Fan, saying, "With the White Cloud Tiger's strength, even the patriarchs of our three great families on Great Rock Star would not dare to provoke it lightly. Naturally, it is not something we can deal with."
"However, young friend Zhang Fan, you may not know that it is rumored that the White Cloud Tiger forcefully entered beneath the lava during the lava eruption and suffered rather serious injuries. It has now hidden itself away."
"Otherwise, how would we have any opportunity for the treasures in this Star Lake."
"So that's how it is," Liu Mu nodded. His only concern about entering Star Lake Forest was that White Cloud Tiger. Since the White Cloud Tiger was injured and hidden, what else was there for him to fear?
"Brother, with me here this time, I will definitely help you get a portion of the Earth Core Saliva," Liu Mu said with full confidence, patting Zhang Fan's shoulder with his fair and flawless palm.
Liu Mu had already felt indebted to Zhang Fan for a bottle of Heaven-grade Blood Spirit Pills, so he might as well take this opportunity to help Zhang Fan.
...
As they traveled, the closer they got to the Star Lake in the center of Star Lake Forest, the more human cultivators they encountered. However, they were almost all rogue cultivators at the Golden Core level.
When they arrived within three kilometers of Star Lake, a large number of human cultivators had already gathered. The surrounding dense forests had been completely cleared by the human cultivators, creating a vast space.
Hundreds of Golden Core cultivators, and even the presence of several powerful and hidden auras among them. Such a powerful force gathered, even the notoriously ferocious and sinister Shadow Leopard clan would not dare to provoke them.
"Old ghost Fu Feng, you're really slow. I thought you were eaten by a monster," a slightly sharp cry came from a distance. Everyone looked over, and in the distance stood a middle-aged man wearing a black robe, his figure slightly gaunt. His eyes were somewhat gloomy as he stared at Fu Feng, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"This person is Ouyang Ye, the Great Elder of the Ouyang family. His strength is on the same level as my second uncle's," Fu Sisi whispered to Liu Mu, with a trace of fear in her bright eyes.
"You're not dead, so how could I bear to die?" Fu Feng replied indifferently.
"Gentlemen, since we have all arrived, it is time to discuss how to break through the blockade of this Silver Moon Wolf pack," a middle-aged man said at this moment, interjecting. He glanced at the gaunt man in black and Fu Feng.
"A mere Silver Moon Wolf pack. With our strength, it wouldn't even be difficult to keep them all here. What is there to discuss?" the gaunt old man in black snorted.
Zhang Fan knew that among the three great families of Great Rock Star, the Fu family, the Ouyang family, and the Li family, the Fu and Ouyang families were the strongest and also the most fiercely competing two families.
Zhang Fan's powerful spiritual sense spread out, scanning the crowd. Although he discovered a Nascent Soul powerhouse hidden among the crowd, he did not pay much attention to it.
Although the Silver Moon Wolf pack was powerful, their numbers were not large, only a little over thirty. The strength of an adult Silver Moon Wolf was comparable to a cultivator at the peak of the third-grade Golden Core, and the Silver Moon Wolf King's strength was at most comparable to Fu Feng's. Indeed, they could not stop hundreds of human cultivators.
Behind the Silver Moon Wolf pack was a small lake, about a hundred zhang in diameter. This was Star Lake.
Star Lake was a great treasure of Star Lake Forest, and the forest was named after it. It was rumored that the water in Star Lake was always warm, and whether human or demon, anyone cultivating in Star Lake would have their physical strength greatly enhanced.
Unfortunately, Star Lake had always been occupied by the king of Star Lake Forest, the White Cloud Tiger. Unless they obtained the White Cloud Tiger's permission, other demons would have a chance to cultivate in Star Lake.
As for human cultivators, they didn't even have a chance to get close to Star Lake. It was only now, with the White Cloud Tiger injured and hidden, that the human cultivators of Great Rock Star dared to get so close to Star Lake.
However, what was once a beautiful and serene Star Lake was now covered by scorching lava. Fiery red lava churned on the surface of the lake, with specks of green light appearing within the lava.
Just by looking from afar, Zhang Fan could recognize that the green liquid was the Earth Core Saliva.
...