Hanshan City.
The Heavenly Court Inspector's Mansion.
It had now become Ling Fan's temporary residence.
All of Tian Heng's former subordinates had been purged by Ling Fan.
He had also specifically ordered the Qingcheng Sect to seal off the news of Tian Heng's death within the Hanshan region, ensuring it absolutely did not leak out.
He could not allow the news of Tian Heng's demise to spread to the outside world yet.
Although this information could only be contained for a period, and eventually, the truth would surface, it was enough for Ling Fan.
This was because he had learned of a treasure from Tian Heng's memories.
He still needed to use Tian Heng's identity to seize this treasure, and Tian Heng's Heavenly Court Inspector status was perfect for his plans.
...
Within the Yanluo Hall, the third grand formation of the Samsara Divine Cauldron.
Ling Fan had reshaped Tian Heng's Emperor body using his flesh and blood, along with various heavenly spiritual materials. This fusion with the Emperor soul not only restored Tian Heng's full strength but even advanced it further, elevating this Great Emperor puppet to the level of a Third-Tier Great Emperor.
With a Third-Tier Great Emperor guarding it, the power of the Samsara Divine Cauldron had increased further.
Now, if Ling Fan were to unleash the Yanluo Hall, suppressing a Third-Tier Great Emperor would be effortless. He would even have a chance against peak Third-Tier or even higher-tier Great Emperor experts.
Although Ling Fan's strength had increased by an immeasurable amount this time.
However, Ling Fan could not afford to be complacent yet.
Third-Tier Great Emperors were nothing in the Heavenly Realm; they were merely at the level of ordinary powerhouses.
Only by advancing to the Fourth-Tier Great Emperor or above would he possess the initial capital to contend for dominance.
First to Third-Tier Great Emperors were known as Yuan Emperors.
They condensed Yuan Emperor origin within their bodies. Upon breaking through to Fourth-Tier Great Emperor, their Imperial Dao origin would undergo a qualitative change, transforming into Profound Emperor origin, and they would be promoted to Profound Emperors.
Fourth to Sixth-Tier all belonged to Profound Emperors.
Even though the gap between a Fourth-Tier Profound Emperor and a Third-Tier Yuan Emperor was only one realm, the difference between them was like heaven and earth. A Fourth-Tier Profound Emperor could easily suppress over a hundred Yuan Emperors. That was the extent of their disparity.
If First to Third-Tier Great Emperors were considered ordinary powerhouses in the Heavenly Realm, found everywhere, then Fourth to Sixth-Tier Profound Emperors were considered elite-level powerhouses even within the Heavenly Realm. Their numbers were far scarcer, and their status was not to be underestimated.
To use an analogy from secular official ranks.
If First to Third-Tier Yuan Emperors were like insignificant petty officials.
Then Fourth-Tier and above Profound Emperors were true officials with ranks, governing hundreds or even thousands of petty officials.
As for Seventh-Tier and above Emperor realm powerhouses, known as Heavenly Emperors, they represented an entirely different realm of existence and scenery. Heavenly Emperors of Seventh-Tier and above were not commonly found, even in the Central Heavenly Realm. Any Heavenly Emperor was a peerless overlord who dominated a region, akin to a provincial governor in the secular world, using the vastness of a province as their stage to maneuver and realize their ambitions.
"Senior Ling, Senior Ling."
Lan Gu's voice echoed from outside.
Ling Fan's eyes snapped open, and he put away the Samsara Divine Cauldron.
"Come in."
Lan Gu respectfully entered, presenting several storage spiritual artifacts with both hands to Ling Fan.
Ling Fan's divine sense probed into them, and he immediately discovered an astronomical number of treasures within these storage spiritual artifacts, a dazzling array that could blind one's eyes.
The spatial capacity of these storage spiritual artifacts was astonishing, each reaching the level of a Low-Grade Emperor Artifact.
Despite their unassuming appearance, any single storage spiritual artifact could contain tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of feet of vast space.
They were all filled to the brim, hinting at the immense quantity of treasures within.
"Senior Ling, these are various heavenly materials and earthly treasures collected from the major powers in Hanshan City. Additionally, there are one hundred and sixty-two Third-Tier Yuan Veins and eleven Second-Tier Yuan Veins, all here for your perusal."
Lan Gu's sleeve flicked, and one by one, miniature dragons flew out. Each miniature dragon exuded a texture and radiance that was difficult to describe, emanating incredibly dense Heavenly Realm Yuan Qi.
Ling Fan gazed at them.
He opened his mouth and inhaled.
A Second-Tier Yuan Vein, shaped like a miniature dragon, was drawn into his abdomen.
Instantly.
An immensely vast stream of Heavenly Realm spiritual energy dissolved within his body. If he had not cultivated the Nirvana Tribulation Body and possessed a world to support him, even a Third-Tier Yuan Emperor would have been instantly blown apart.
Before long.
Ling Fan absorbed a portion, and the rest was channeled into his world.
The world, which had already reached a critical point, began to slowly expand again.
Ling Fan's eyes lit up.
One by one, Second-Tier Yuan Veins were absorbed by him.
Finally.
After absorbing a total of nine Second-Tier Yuan Veins, his world let out a resounding boom, and the entire world finally expanded to a thousand feet, undergoing a qualitative transformation.
A portion of the world's rule origin also completely advanced to the Imperial Dao level.
Ling Fan's cultivation could now truly be considered to have advanced to First-Tier Yuan Emperor.
However, his First-Tier Yuan Emperor was vastly different from ordinary First-Tier Yuan Emperors.
He was a First-Tier Yuan Emperor who carried a world.
In terms of combat power, ten or even twenty Third-Tier Yuan Emperors would not be his match.
Coupled with his formidable physique and the Samsara Divine Cauldron, he was essentially invincible below the Fourth-Tier Profound Emperor.
"What's wrong?"
When Ling Fan looked at Lan Gu,
He found her completely stunned.
Her mouth was agape, wide enough to fit a fist.
"Senior Ling, you swallowed nine Second-Tier Yuan Veins like that! Are you alright?"
Lan Gu appeared extremely worried.
After all, those were Second-Tier Yuan Veins.
Their Qingcheng Sect only had one Second-Tier spiritual vein, which was enough to support the cultivation of millions of cultivators and had not been depleted for thousands of years.
Ling Fan's act of swallowing nine Second-Tier Yuan Veins at once was equivalent to absorbing nine times the Heavenly Realm spiritual energy that the entire Qingcheng Sect's cultivators had used for thousands of years. This was simply terrifying.
Just how powerful had Senior Ling's strength become?
"I'm fine."
Ling Fan smiled faintly.
"Take these Third-Tier spiritual veins back. Return them to the Qingcheng Sect. I have no use for them. As for the remaining two Second-Tier spiritual veins, they are still somewhat useful to me, so I will accept them."
After a moment of thought.
Ling Fan reached out and grabbed, and a miniature dragon formed from a Second-Tier spiritual vein struggled and fell into Ling Fan's palm. It was quickly condensed into the shape of a pill, within which a lifelike small dragon was swimming.
Before Lan Gu could react.
Ling Fan clapped his palm, directly sealing the pill into her body.
"Senior Ling...!"
Lan Gu exclaimed.
"Don't be afraid. I have sealed a Second-Tier Yuan Vein into your body. You can refine and absorb it slowly. Within a hundred years, you should be able to advance to the Emperor realm."
"Thank you, Senior Ling!"
Lan Gu was overwhelmed with emotion, unable to express her immense gratitude.
"You don't need to thank me. Thank yourself. You chose to save me back then, planting a seed of good karma, and naturally, you will reap the fruit of good karma. Alright, I should be going."
Ling Fan smiled slightly, and then the void in front of him split open. He stepped into it.
"You're leaving!" Lan Gu was startled. By the time she reacted, Ling Fan had completely vanished.
Lan Gu's emotions plummeted, her beautiful eyes dimmed, and she stared blankly at the spot where Ling Fan had disappeared.
"Senior Ling is a peerless figure who appears and disappears like a divine dragon. I am merely a humble true disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. To have had the chance to meet him and have some interaction with him is already my fortune. I have also received so many of his blessings, so what is there to be dissatisfied about? Anything more would be an extravagance."
Forcing a smile.
Lan Gu cheered herself up.
When she emerged from the Inspector's Mansion.
She discovered that the ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect and the sect leader, Qing Jianzi, were respectfully waiting outside.
"Ancestor, Sect Leader."
"Mm, has Young Master Ling left?" the ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect asked.
"Yes."
"Did Young Master Ling say where he was going?" Qing Jianzi inquired.
"No," Lan Gu replied truthfully.
"It's good that we don't know! Young Master Ling is simply not on the same level as our Qingcheng Sect. Ignorance is bliss. It's good that he has left,"
The ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect sighed.
...
Millions of miles away from the Hanshan Mountain Range.
Lay the territory of Willow King City, its ruled domain being more than ten times larger than the scope of the Hanshan Mountain Range.
Unlike the Hanshan Mountain Range, where numerous forces stood in contention.
Willow King City had only one true master.
That was the Liu family of Willow King City.
All other forces in Willow King City had to survive by relying on them.
It was no exaggeration to say.
The Liu family was the sky of Willow King City.
Although the Heavenly Court had stationed inspectors in Willow King City, and there were as many as three inspectors, these three inspectors could not shake the Liu family's status.
After all, the Heavenly Realm was too vast.
Even the claws of the Central Heavenly Court could not grasp every corner.