“Hmph! If you could be as handsome as my master, I’d give you this golden bell!” Zhan Tai Ruomei pouted and turned away.
“Hmph! I’ll leave those few to you! Don’t let them escape!” Li Jingjing glanced at the disheveled old Taoist and then left.
“Hey! When has this old Taoist ever been treated like this! It’s just… alright! Two little girls, just you wait until I have a chance, I’ll spank your bottoms!” The disheveled old Taoist grumbled indignantly from behind, herding the six people up the mountain.
An empty mountain, uninhabited. These six people also lived in a cave. Thus, Lu Fan and the others arrived at this cave.
Upon asking these six people, they learned that this place was called Duanmen. It was the border between the Taihuang Zeng Kingdom and the Taiming Yu Kingdom. The two countries frequently fought, so no one lived here at all.
*Gulp…* Lu Fan swallowed, his eyes wide as he glared at the disheveled old Taoist and said irritably, “Old fellow! Aren’t you Da Mingbai, who understands everything? Come here and explain to me, did I ascend to heaven or descend to hell? Or am I just transmigrating back to the mortal world?”
“Heh heh! Kid! You should have read more books! Now you know what it means to regret not having studied when you need it!” The disheveled old Taoist, seemingly oblivious to Lu Fan’s expression, walked over with a lewd look, shaking his head and saying, “The heavens are divided into thirty-six heavens, much like the thirty-six kingdoms in the mortal world. You’re only at the Xiantian realm, it’s still a long way to ascend to the immortal realm.
The Jade Emperor endured three thousand two hundred tribulations, each lasting one hundred and twenty thousand years, before cultivating three thousand two hundred Great Daos and becoming the Jade Emperor. How much have you experienced! But, don’t you feel that the spiritual energy here is very suitable for cultivation? The spiritual energy here is much more abundant than in the mortal world. You should focus on cultivating!”
“Old fellow! Who told you that?” Lu Fan immediately rolled his eyes. This Da Mingbai really couldn’t stump him.
“Tch! You’re watching Journey to the West, aren’t you?” Li Jingjing pouted from the side.
“Little girl, can you not speak such truths carelessly!?” The disheveled old Taoist almost lunged forward to cover Li Jingjing’s mouth. Don’t you know that speaking the truth can cause trouble! This child is still too young!
“Old fellow…! Have you been playing me all along?” Lu Fan was so angry he almost rolled his eyes. Alas! This was his own fault for trusting the old fellow too much!
“Kid! Are you hungry? Well, I’ll go get you something to eat!” The disheveled old Taoist, sensing trouble, turned and ran out of the cave.
“We’ll take this mountain and this cave. You guys get out of here quickly!” Lu Fan said with a helpless expression. Since they had already arrived here, he could only go with the flow. He would find a way to return to his hometown, back to her side…
“Master, what do we do now?” Zhan Tai Ruomei suddenly asked with a pout.
“Let’s get something to eat first! We’ll stay here for another day for now. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss where to go.” Lu Fan directly took out the barbecue grill and some ingredients from his storage ring.
When she left, Wang Yan had given him a lot of food, telling him to remember the taste of home and to come back if he had the chance.
Alas! He really missed home now!
The barbecue grill was set up outside the cave. Lu Fan took out the Spirit Gathering Bottle again and placed it beside him. The Spirit Gathering Bottle began to ravenously devour the surrounding spiritual energy.
Before long, enticing aromas wafted out. Li Jingjing and Zhan Tai Ruomei immediately forgot their troubles and ate happily.
After eating, they still hadn’t seen the disheveled old Taoist return. Lu Fan opened his divine sense to search and was suddenly stunned. He searched the entire mountain, but the old fellow was not there. Forget it, this old fellow was always elusive; he might have gone somewhere else.
Lu Fan put away the things, and the three of them returned to the cave.
“Jingjing, Ruomei, the spiritual liquid inside will help us cultivate. You two can take it in moderation. Do not be greedy. Let’s cultivate!” Lu Fan pointed at the Spirit Gathering Bottle and said to Jingjing and Ruomei.
“Yes, Master!”
Jingjing and Ruomei immediately responded, sat down beside Lu Fan, and began to cultivate.
…
Kill… Kill!
Kill… what!
Suddenly, sounds of fighting echoed into the cave. Lu Fan, Jingjing, and Ruomei opened their eyes almost simultaneously. The three of them walked out of the cave and stood on the mountain, looking down. They saw two teams in the distance clashing, their roars of battle shaking the heavens.
In the sky, on the ground, everywhere were people fighting.
“Master! Should we intervene?” Li Jingjing suddenly asked Lu Fan.
“Intervene? Help whom? It’s better to just watch the excitement!” Lu Fan shook his head, then suddenly looked up at the sky and said with some surprise, “Did we fall from the sky? The sky isn’t leaking, is it?”
“Master! Could Fangzhang Mountain be the way to the heavenly realm? And that vortex might be fake!” Li Jingjing suddenly said.
“Fake?” Lu Fan’s eyes suddenly lit up. What Li Jingjing said had some truth to it. Perhaps Fangzhang Mountain was protected by an illusion array. If they could find the entrance, could they also find the exit?
Kill…! Don’t let them escape!
Kill…!
Just as Lu Fan was contemplating how to return home, suddenly one side of the battlefield was routed and fleeing, while the other side pursued victoriously, slaughtering all in their path.
*Whoosh…* Suddenly, a figure flew on a sword towards the mountain. Behind him, three people immediately flew into the air, pursuing him.
“Master! It seems we have no choice but to act!” Ruomei said with her big eyes blinking.
Indeed, the fleeing person flew directly towards Lu Fan’s location. The three people behind him were close behind, and soon they arrived in front of Lu Fan and the other two.
The one fleeing was a handsome man in his early twenties, fair-skinned and somewhat good-looking. His arm was injured, blood flowing down his arm and dripping onto the ground from his sword.
The three pursuers were two men and one woman, all in their twenties. They seemed unsure of Lu Fan’s background, so they regarded Lu Fan and his companions with some caution. Seeing the fleeing person reach Lu Fan, the three of them stopped.
“Brother! I am Zhao Chuan, a general of the Taihuang Zeng Kingdom! If you can help me, I will be eternally grateful!” Zhao Chuan cupped his fists and said to Lu Fan.
“Brother! Since you have been sitting here for so long without acting, I assume you do not wish to get involved in the conflict between the two countries. Please do not meddle!” The person opposite also clasped his fists and said.
“Master! They are all so polite. Who do you think we should help?” Li Jingjing looked at Lu Fan and asked helplessly.