After bidding farewell to Lin Haotian and the others, Zhang Fan and Fairy Ziling embarked on their journey towards the Purple Sky Star Domain. With their current strength, their travel speed was vastly superior to that of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
Along the way, they chatted, and Zhang Fan learned about Fairy Ziling's origins. To his surprise, he had previously suspected her background was not simple, but he hadn't expected her to be a member of the royal family of the Purple Sky Star Domain, named Zi Shan Ling Yue.
The Zi Shan family had ruled the Purple Sky Star Domain for tens of millions of years. Simultaneously, nine intermediate star domains, including the Dark Spirit Star Domain, Xuan Yang Star Domain, Qing Yang Star Domain, Fire Cloud Star Domain, and North God Star Domain, were under their jurisdiction, their power reaching the heavens.
Fairy Ziling could only offer a wry smile at Zhang Fan's astonishment. "The Zi Shan family has been passed down for tens of millions of years, with countless disciples spread across the Purple Sky Star Domain and its nine subordinate intermediate star domains. Without extraordinary talent, they are no different from ordinary cultivators."
"Moreover, as time passed, clansmen lacking strength were marginalized long ago. My lineage does not have a Dao Integration Immortal King presiding over it, so we are not even considered a main branch."
Zhang Fan nodded. This phenomenon was quite common among super families in the universe. Despite the Zi Shan family's might, their ancient lineage and vast number of descendants meant that limited resources could not possibly support ordinary clansmen.
Without ordinary talent, the royal status was as useless as a chicken's rib.
The ancestral star of the Zi Shan family was located on the most colossal star in the center of the Purple Sky Star Domain, known as Purple Sky Star.
Purple Sky Star’s diameter exceeded ten light-years. An ordinary star was as inconspicuous as a glass bead in its presence. Even a cultivator at the Immortal King level could not budge such a colossal celestial body.
The Zi Shan family had an extremely strict internal hierarchy, divided into nine main branches and thirty-six collateral branches. Each main branch had to have a cultivator at the Dao Integration Immortal King realm presiding over it to qualify for its position and receive abundant resources.
Although the thirty-six collateral branches were subordinate to the main branches, the competition was still fierce. They needed at least a Void Returning stage cultivator at the Dao Origin realm to preside over them to have a chance of holding their position.
From this, one could see how immense the Zi Shan family's influence was, and it also explained why the Purple Sky Star Domain could govern so many intermediate star domains.
The strength of any single collateral branch might rival the entirety of an intermediate star domain. Fairy Ziling's branch ranked thirty-third, making it relatively backward among the numerous branches.
The environment formed by an exceptionally vast star was vastly different from that of ordinary stars. On Purple Sky Star, mountain peaks were like pillars reaching the heavens, and lakes were like boundless seas. Strange phenomena were commonplace.
"Although my family is merely a collateral branch, we still have billions of clansmen. The competition here is no less intense than in the Starry Sky Battlefield," Fairy Ziling said with a smile.
"With your current strength, you must be considered a rare master within your lineage, right?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask curiously. Fairy Ziling had already broken through to the Great Dao realm, yet Zhang Fan still sensed a hint of weariness in her words.
"I am considered a master, but not a top-tier one. In such a large family, without absolute power, there are always things one cannot control autonomously," Fairy Ziling said.
Zhang Fan nodded. He had no desire to get involved in family disputes. However, he had some acquaintance with Fairy Ziling, and she had helped him significantly in the Dark Forest. Therefore, as they were about to part ways, Zhang Fan looked at Fairy Ziling and said, "I plan to wander around Purple Sky Star. I will return to the Dark Forest before the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo opens. If you need any help during this time, feel free to contact me."
After speaking, Zhang Fan condensed a Great Dao imprint in his palm and handed it to Fairy Ziling.
Fairy Ziling's beautiful eyes smiled as she gazed at the Great Dao imprint in her palm for a long moment before softly saying, "Thank you."
Thus, the two parted ways. Zhang Fan prepared to wander freely and appreciate the scenery of Purple Sky Star, while Fairy Ziling returned to her family to complete her mission.
In his previous life, besides cultivation, Zhang Fan's greatest hobby was to roam the universe, to see the diverse landscapes of different parts of the cosmos, to witness the various races of the myriad star domains, and to challenge their powerhouses. For him, this was not only a form of relaxation but also a unique way of cultivation.
A wise person on Earth once said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. But Zhang Fan felt that merely traveling ten thousand miles was not enough; one had to appreciate the scenery along the way with one's heart, to ponder and to comprehend.
If merely traveling ten thousand miles could lead to achievements, why were all the postmen on Earth still ordinary people?
In terms of sheer area, Purple Sky Star was more than a hundred times larger than the Realm Heart Continent. Under the rule of the Zi Shan family, Purple Sky Star was divided into over a hundred prefectures. The prefect of each prefecture was at least a Void Returning stage cultivator, which further illustrated the Zi Shan family's power.
Zhang Fan traversed through various prefectures, stopping and going, enjoying different delicacies and admiring peculiar landscapes. In three months, he had visited almost every prefecture and returned to the place where he had parted ways with Fairy Ziling.
"Time is almost up. After bidding farewell, I will prepare to head to the Dark Forest." Since he was already here, Zhang Fan decided to take a look around. Fairy Ziling's family was located in Tianyang Prefecture, and her lineage was precisely the lineage of the Prefecture Lord of Tianyang Prefecture.
As soon as Zhang Fan entered the prefecture city, he sensed that the Great Dao imprint he had given to Fairy Ziling had been shattered. What a coincidence! Following the location of the Great Dao imprint, Zhang Fan found Fairy Ziling.
It was in a rather secluded courtyard within the prefecture city. The courtyard was not very large, but Zhang Fan sensed that the space within this courtyard was completely isolated from the outside. Clearly, a cultivator skilled in the Great Dao of Space had made arrangements here, severing the space.
"There are three cultivators in the Opening Realm from our lineage who are preparing to go to the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo. I thought you were also planning to go, so perhaps we could go together for mutual support," Fairy Ziling said to Zhang Fan.
Their lineage had only one ancestor at the Dao Origin realm who needed to preside over the family and could not afford any mistakes. If their Dao Origin realm ancestor were to perish in the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo, their collateral branch's status might not be maintained.
"Ling Yue, is this the friend you mentioned? She's only a Great Dao realm cultivator; bringing her along might be a burden, don't you think?" A young man walked out from within the courtyard. His eyes were like a falcon's, his nose slightly hooked, and his entire demeanor exuded a somewhat sinister aura.
Zhang Fan followed his gaze and saw that the space around the youth was subtly trembling. Although he stood before them, he gave the impression of being separated by a vast distance. The man also scrutinized Zhang Fan from head to toe, a trace of disdain in his eyes.
...