It had to be said that the flying boats of these foreign cultivators were indeed fast.
In less than a month, the two arrived at Geshan City.
"Those two fellows were shouting about unifying Geshan City before," Ye Fan quipped, looking at the 'Entering is Forbidden' stone tablet ahead. "I wonder if they've become big brothers yet."
By the time they arrived at the Hongying sisters' residence, it was almost noon.
Ye Fan's arrival clearly surprised the two sisters.
"Where did Banana-jun and Shanji go?" After the pleasantries, Ye Fan got straight to the point. "Why don't I see them?"
"We don't know," Hongying shook her head. "Shortly after you left..."
After listening to Hongying's account, Ye Fan finally understood.
Just a few days after they left, several cultivators arrived in Geshan City.
Those fellows were very powerful and extremely brutal.
At the time, a cultivator from Geshan City accidentally bumped into them and casually offered a traditional Geshan City greeting.
Then, those fellows directly chopped that cultivator to pieces, along with thousands of people around them!
Compared to them, the cultivators of Geshan City were as kind as little sheep!
After arriving, those fellows not only looted and plundered but also captured a large number of Geshan City cultivators.
They didn't know what those people did with the captured cultivators, only that those who were captured never reappeared.
Later, the news reached Shanji and Banana-jun, and the two immediately got angry!
They had just become leaders, and someone dared to cause trouble? Could they tolerate that?
So, the two went to find them and engaged in a fight with those cultivators.
That battle lasted for three days and three nights.
Later, when those cultivators realized they were not a match for the two, they attempted to escape.
Shanji and Banana-jun naturally gave chase.
"We don't know what happened after that," Hongying said in the end. "They haven't returned since..."
"Young Master Ye, Sister Ling'er," Lüying pleaded. "You are so powerful, you must be able to find them, right?"
"Don't panic, they should be fine now," Ye Fan replied. "I'll think of a way..."
Ye Fan said this not just to comfort them.
Firstly, on his system interface, the information for the two demons was lit up.
This meant that these two fellows were at least alive for now.
Secondly, it was their identities.
Descendants of the Phoenix and descendants of the Tree of Life, it was really difficult for them to die...
"Right," Ye Fan instructed before leaving. "If they come back, tell them to go to the Ziyun Sect in Daliang Kingdom and say I sent them."
After bidding farewell to the two sisters, Ye Fan and the little demoness returned by flying boat.
This round trip took nearly two months, which was a wasted effort...
Lieyang Mountain Range.
Ziyun Sect's驻地 (zhùdì - encampment/station).
When Ye Fan arrived, Wang Yang was squatting on the ground, staring blankly at the spiritual field.
"Senior Brother Ye, why is there still no news?" Wang Yang grabbed Ye Fan's arm, his face anxious. "Has Yu'er had an accident?"
"It's not that fast..." Ye Fan said speechlessly. "Later, two bald guys might come, one named Shanji and the other Banana-jun, they might be able to help."
"Then when will they come?" Wang Yang's spirit suddenly lifted, and he tightened his grip on Ye Fan's hand unconsciously.
"I just said 'might'," Ye Fan pried Wang Yang's hand away. "Because I don't know where they are right now, so don't hold out too much hope."
"Then... alright..." Wang Yang's expression was clearly dejected.
"Alright, that's all for now," Ye Fan gently patted Wang Yang's shoulder and left with the little demoness.
Through the system interface, Zi Yu's status panel was now grayed out.
If it completely went dark, then there would be no hope.
Gray meant at least not completely dead...
However, Ye Fan didn't tell Wang Yang about this.
If it completely went dark later, wouldn't that be giving Wang Yang false hope?
After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
After leaving the Ziyun Sect, Ye Fan went to the imperial palace again.
In addition to the previously selected captives, Ye Fan had temporarily added a few more people.
Mainly considering that if something unexpected happened and they died, there would be no one to guide them...
After arranging for them to take a bath and change their clothes, Ye Fan then took them away from the imperial palace.
From previous interrogations, it was learned that these fellows were from a place called Yunhua Empire.
Yunhua Empire was located between Daliang Kingdom and Yade Empire. This way, after dealing with the matter of the keys, he could also pay a visit to Liang Rujing along the way.
Speaking of these keys, there was actually a story behind them.
Originally, several major powers in Yunhua Empire inadvertently discovered an ancient ruin, but they were blocked by the gate of the ruin.
Later, the several major powers meticulously followed the clues and finally obtained some information.
To open the gate of the ruin, three keys were needed.
After several hundred years of effort, they finally found one of the keys.
Later, they scattered the incomplete clues about the keys they had to the public, stating that any cultivator who could provide useful clues would receive certain rewards.
For significant clues, they would even consider recruiting them into their sects!
With this, all the cultivators in Yunhua Empire went mad!
One by one, they stopped cultivating and spent their days with bloodshot eyes searching the world for keys!
The sects of these major powers were like sacred lands in the hearts of Yunhua Empire's cultivators!
Joining these sects was something ordinary cultivators could not even dream of!
To be exaggerated,
Even becoming an outer disciple who swept the floors there could save them hundreds of years of effort!
With such a good deal, why bother cultivating!
It had to be said that many people meant great strength.
It took the cultivators of Yunhua Empire over two hundred years, guided by pieced-together clues, to finally find the second key.
However, the clue for the third key had been slow to surface.
It was only recently that the sect to which these captives belonged finally found the clue.
So, they came to Daliang Empire in a grand manner, preparing to take the key back and become prosperous.
It could be said that it was a coincidence.
Chen Feng and the others had accidentally obtained the clue during a previous outing, which led them to arrive first.
Ye Fan nodded after listening.
With the key in his hand, all three keys were complete.
However, the key he held was still in his spatial ring, and it seemed he couldn't take it out...
There was a way, however. All he needed was to find someone with stronger mental power than him to forcibly erase the mental imprint he had left on the ring.
Cultivators' spatial rings had their mental imprint applied, which could be understood as a lock.
Someone with stronger mental power could destroy this lock and obtain the items within.
The little demoness had done this before.
It wasn't that Ye Fan was bragging.
The chance of finding someone with stronger mental power than him on this continent was almost negative...
Never mind.
He would go and join the fun. If the gate couldn't be opened, then so be it.
After all, he was just passing by on his way to see Liang Rujing.
Thus, the group flew directly towards Yunhua Empire.
A few days later, at noon.
Ye Fan sat by the river, leisurely fishing.
He hadn't fished for a while, and the urge had come back.
Even though he seemed to be cursed and could only fish for fish, he could still catch anything else, but that was not important.
What he enjoyed was the process.
The little demoness soaked her feet in the river, resting her chin on her hand.
She would look at Ye Fan occasionally, then at the blue sky.
Several captives honestly chopped firewood and lit a fire nearby, as well as processed the demon beasts they had just caught.
It wasn't that they didn't want to escape, but they didn't dare...
"Eh?" The little demoness, who was looking at the sky, seemed to have discovered something.
A figure was rapidly flying towards them!