Aside from Zhang Fan, the others were all filled with shock. Even Puyi True Immortal, who had been in the Star River for hundreds of years, was still awestruck by the towering Seven Star Pagoda every time he saw it.
It was light-years high, its summit invisible, and the pagoda stood slanted in the Star River like a pillar supporting the sky. The vast Star River seemed like a mere stream before it.
"If the Immortal Emperor could lift the Seven Star Pagoda, why didn't they take it from the Star River? Even a broken treasure pagoda would have valuable materials, right?" the Blood Demon Flood Dragon asked doubtfully.
In fact, Puyi True Immortal harbored the same question, but no one in this war base knew why. Perhaps their insufficient strength prevented them from accessing the truth.
"Because this is not the true body of the Seven Star Pagoda, but merely an image it projected into the Star River," Zhang Fan said with a smile.
"An image?" The crowd found it hard to believe. The Seven Star Pagoda stood slanted in the Star River, its light-year-high body piercing the starry sky. Its base was deeply embedded in the Star River, absorbing its waters, and even forming countless massive vortices around it. These were all real, so how could it be just an image?
"Impossible, the Seven Star Pagoda is a tangible existence, how could it be an illusion?" Puyi True Immortal shook his head, as he had entered the Seven Star Pagoda many times to explore. The battle-scarred body was indestructible, something he could truly feel.
"What is real, and what is illusion?" Zhang Fan stared at Puyi True Immortal and said with a smile, "If the true body of the Seven Star Pagoda were here, this Star River wouldn't be contested by the Zi Xiao Star Domain and the Jiu Ya Star Domain!"
"You must know that the Seven Star Pagoda is a true artifact of an Immortal Emperor. Even a Great Ascension Immortal Emperor would covet it immensely. You can feel its reality because your strength is not yet sufficient. When you truly master the Great Dao, you will understand everything."
After hearing Zhang Fan's words, Puyi True Immortal's heart was greatly stirred and he remained silent for a long time, as he felt Zhang Fan was likely telling the truth.
Puyi True Immortal had roamed the Star River for hundreds of years without ever hearing such a profound secret, yet Zhang Fan knew it.
Puyi True Immortal pondered whether Zhang Fan had deduced this through his own abilities or obtained the information from other sources. However, it was clear that either possibility indicated Zhang Fan was no ordinary person.
This made Puyi True Immortal even more curious about Zhang Fan. How could such a person come from the Savage Star Domain?
"Then where is the true body of the Seven Star Pagoda?" the Blood Demon Flood Dragon quickly asked.
"In a place only I know," Zhang Fan said mysteriously.
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon shook its head and sighed, refusing to believe it. How could Zhang Fan know the location of a treasure coveted by Great Ascension Immortal Emperors?
Zhang Fan smiled. For now, it was true that only he knew the Seven Star Pagoda's location. However, his current strength was insufficient, and the timing was not ripe, so he was unable to retrieve it.
"The Seven Star Pagoda is divided into seven layers and is rumored to be refined from seven massive and rare mineral stars. Each layer's space is comparable to a great world, and within the Seven Star Pagoda, countless precious refining materials are bred," Puyi True Immortal said.
Zhang Fan nodded and replied, "This rumor is not wrong. Even a mere projection of a true artifact of an Immortal Emperor possesses incredible power. It is not strange for it to breed some refining materials."
...
The first layer of the Seven Star Pagoda was a world of fire.
Endless land, crisscrossed with ravines, countless volcanoes erupted, and molten lava rolled, dyeing the earth a crimson hue. The air was filled with a dense fire element, and a light breath felt like flames being exhaled from one's mouth.
A noisy yet desolate world, with only the rumbling of volcanic eruptions and no other living beings. Zhang Fan and his group flew low in the fire element world for several days but saw not a single soul.
"It's dead silent, devoid of life. This fire element world is so boring," the Blood Demon Flood Dragon felt quite bored. This was not what it had imagined a battlefield to be like, lacking any sense of exhilaration.
"The first layer of the Seven Star Pagoda is nearly a light-year wide and long. Not encountering anyone is the norm. However, as soon as a treasure appears, all cultivators within the fire element world will sense it. Then it will depend on who is closest and who is faster," Puyi True Immortal said.
Upon hearing this, a flash of inspiration struck the Blood Demon Flood Dragon. It said, "If that's the case, then we should head directly to the center of this world. From there, we can quickly reach any location within this world. Am I right?"
After speaking, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon looked triumphantly at Puyi True Immortal.
Puyi True Immortal glanced at the "clever" Flood Dragon and smiled, "Do you think other cultivators wouldn't think of something you can think of? The teams daring to enter the central area of this world require at least a Six-Star General to lead them. Our team, both in numbers and overall strength, is not yet suitable for venturing there."
"Isn't my master here? What's a Six-Star General?" the Blood Demon Flood Dragon said dismissively.
"Puyi is right. With our team's current strength, we are not yet suitable for venturing into the central area."
"Even if I can handle a Six-Star General, you still need to be tempered," Zhang Fan said, looking at the Blood Demon Flood Dragon and Nan Zun. He added, "This Starry Sky Battlefield is an excellent place for tempering. You need to quickly adapt to this environment. Now I can protect you, but once I break through to the Nascent Soul stage, I will venture alone. By then, you will have to rely on yourselves."
"Is breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage that easy?" the Blood Demon Flood Dragon asked doubtfully.
Zhang Fan nodded and said, "I will break through to the Nascent Soul stage within three years. I'm telling you in advance so you can prepare yourselves mentally."
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon and Nan Zun were not too surprised. After all, they both knew that Zhang Fan had always advanced in his cultivation without significant bottlenecks at any stage. The profound truths of the Great Dao, which countless cultivators in the Spirit Refinement stage found difficult to comprehend, seemed to have already been grasped by Zhang Fan.
As for Puyi True Immortal and the Pang brothers, hearing Zhang Fan's words made them look at him with surprise. Zhang Fan, who was currently only in the mid-stage of Spirit Refinement, claimed he would break through to the Nascent Soul stage within three years. His calm and confident demeanor made Puyi True Immortal and the other two doubt themselves slightly.
Was cultivation really that easy?
"Rumble!"
As they were speaking, the entire fire element world suddenly began to shake. Countless volcanoes erupted simultaneously, and molten lava surged towards the sky like pillars of fire. The scene was like the arrival of the apocalypse.
Puyi True Immortal's eyes lit up. He turned and looked into the distance, excitedly saying, "Treasure has appeared to the southwest!"
"Go!"
Zhang Fan released his profound magical power to envelop them, tore open a spatial rift with a wave of his hand, and plunged into the dark space, heading southwest.
...