"Enough!"
As a light shout echoed, a young man in red robes appeared before Zhang Fan. The moment he appeared, both Zhang Fan and Princess Ziling felt the powerful restrictive force disappear, and the spatial power that had been pressing down on Zhang Fan's body also dissipated.
"Liuli, it's a bit beneath your dignity to make a move against a junior in the Hua Shen realm," the newcomer was the Zhen Cang Immortal King. After speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhang Fan. It was the first time he had observed Zhang Fan up close, and there was a trace of curiosity in his eyes.
"Hmph!" Immortal King Liuli snorted lightly and no longer made a move. With the Zhen Cang Immortal King present, he knew that prolonging the confrontation was meaningless. He then said, "Zhen Cang, I hope your Zi Xiao Star Domain does not break the rules. I will also keep a close eye on the dojo of that Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable."
With that, Immortal King Liuli tore through the void and vanished from everyone's sight.
After Immortal King Liuli left, Princess Ziling finally let out a sigh of relief. Facing such a hostile Immortal King, even if he did nothing, Princess Ziling still felt a tightness in her chest, an unspeakable sense of oppression.
"Greetings, Immortal King Zhen Cang," Zhang Fan and Princess Ziling said in unison, cupping their fists in salute.
"Not bad. To remain calm even when facing Immortal King Liuli, with this state of mind alone, your future achievements will not be low," Immortal King Zhen Cang said, looking at Zhang Fan with a hint of praise.
"What did Immortal King Liuli mean when he said he would keep a constant watch on the dojo of that Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable?" Zhang Fan asked curiously.
Immortal King Zhen Cang turned to look in the direction of the dark forest, his gaze seeming to pierce through the void. Then, he slowly began to speak, "The emergence of the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo is not a secret. I have already informed the Domain Lord. However, to prevent the conflict from escalating, it has been agreed that only cultivators below the He Dao realm are allowed to enter. Simultaneously, this news has been spread to all Void Return stage cultivators in the surrounding intermediate star domains. After one year, all Void Return stage cultivators who are willing to enter may do so."
"Of course, the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable was influenced by evil paths during his lifetime, and his dojo is not a kind place. Once inside, no one knows what will happen, so one can only rely on fate."
"One year's time?" Zhang Fan mused inwardly. Such a long period was enough for him to break through to the Void Return realm and enter the Dao realm.
Immortal King Zhen Cang seemed to have seen through Zhang Fan's thoughts and said, "I know you two can break through to the Void Return realm at any time, but it is best if you do not have any aspirations regarding the Evil Buddha's dojo. The Void Return stage 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 will be at the bottom, no different from seeking death."
"With your talent, it should not be difficult for you to open up your inner world or even condense a Dao Source. Entering the dojo of the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable is too risky."
Princess Ziling wanted to say something in response to Immortal King Zhen Cang's advice, but she decided against it. After all, the actions in the dark forest were their secret. Since Zhang Fan had not spoken, she saw no need to do so.
"Go, I know your gains this time were substantial, and you are likely eager," Immortal King Zhen Cang said, then took a step and departed.
"If Immortal King Zhen Cang knew that you had recently killed a peak Great Dao realm dark alien beast possessing a Great Dao secret treasure, he probably wouldn't have said that to you," Princess Ziling said with a smile.
Currently, Zhang Fan was only at the peak of the Hua Shen realm, but he possessed the strength to rival cultivators in the Kai-Ping realm. After his breakthrough, Princess Ziling did not know what level his strength would reach, but he would definitely be qualified to venture into the dojo of the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable.
"Don't you have any aspirations for the dojo of the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable?" Zhang Fan asked, looking at Princess Ziling.
"How could I not have any aspirations?" Princess Ziling pouted. "That's the dojo of an Immortal Venerable! Perhaps there are even Jie-level divine weapons inside. You know, the cultivation of our Zi Xiao Star Domain Lord is only at the peak of the He Dao realm."
"Since you have aspirations, let's go back and hurry up with your breakthrough," Zhang Fan said with a smile.
Upon returning to the war base, as expected, the simultaneous appearance of Zhang Fan and Princess Ziling attracted the attention of a large number of cultivators. Their gazes towards Zhang Fan were filled with reverence.
"Before, the Jiu Ya Star Domain had Twin Kings, and our Zi Xiao Star Domain only had Princess Ziling to hold the fort. Now it's the opposite. In the Star River battlefield, the cultivators from the Jiu Ya Star Domain who used to see me as arrogant are now cowering."
"Shi Jue True Immortal alone made the Hua Shen realm experts of the Jiu Ya Star Domain flee in disarray. They are already terrified. How can they compete with us? Nowadays, you can barely see any Hua Shen realm cultivators from the Jiu Ya Star Domain in the upper reaches of the Star River; they are all hiding."
"Before this, many cultivators from the Jiu Ya Star Domain were clamoring to kill Shi Jue True Immortal. Now they have all shut up. This is the absolute suppression of strength."
The cultivators at the war base were all very excited. Zhang Fan's battle had completely crushed the morale of the Jiu Ya Star Domain. It would likely take a hundred years for them to recover.
Now, the Jiu Ya Star Domain can only hope that Shi Jue True Immortal and Princess Ziling break through to the Void Return realm as soon as possible and leave the Star Sky Battlefield. Otherwise, in terms of top-tier experts, they will always be suppressed by the Zi Xiao Star Domain. Even if precious treasures appear, they will not have the qualifications to compete for them.
Zhang Fan and Princess Ziling went to the military storehouse together. After exchanging their acquired military merits, their original military merits of over two hundred thousand instantly surged to over twenty-six million.
"So many military merits, truly unprecedented in my life," Princess Ziling could only sigh helplessly.
Actually, Princess Ziling's military merits were not low, a full five million. She was previously considered the highest in the war base, but now, compared to Zhang Fan, it seemed rather meager.
"Let's go. I hope the next time we meet, you will have entered the Great Dao realm," Zhang Fan said after exchanging his military merits. He also exchanged some medicinal herbs for his cultivation breakthrough. After bidding farewell to Princess Ziling, he 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 his inner world and even condense a Dao Source in an extremely short period. However, that would be treading the path of his previous life.
The path of his previous life, though it could lead to the peak, was not considered invincible. Since he was cultivating again, Zhang Fan was unwilling to merely retrace the path of his past.
"If I focus on the sword dao, and integrate the Five Elements, Yin-Yang, Wind, and Thunder into it, could I open up a chaotic world?" Zhang Fan mused, but then shook his head.
Although he now mastered many daos, opening up an inner world was not about having more daos. If he could not integrate them in an orderly manner, and the Great Dao could not merge, it could even lead to the collapse of the inner world.
...