Chen Fan had always felt that Wu Zhao was an extraordinary person. Now, from Huangfu Xi, he was even more certain that this person had an intricate connection with Kunlun.
This was not entirely unexpected. After all, if Wu Zhao only controlled the power of the Brotherhood in the secular world, why would he be able to recruit Yin Yazhi and the others?
However, this also made the terrifying nature of Wu Zhao evident.
Not only did he control the astonishingly influential Brotherhood in the secular world, but he could also influence the Heroes' Alliance. Coupled with his Kunlun background and connections…
The extent of this person's terrifying capabilities was far beyond ordinary.
If one were to add the identity of a descendant from the seven great noble clans, it would be simply unimaginable.
A person like this not only possessed wealth and power but also controlled the underworld. Combined with his inherent abilities and influence in both the martial arts and cultivation worlds…
These factors were already extremely daunting. The most critical aspect was that this person was also exceptionally intelligent and adept at calculations.
It could be said that whatever he desired, this Wu Zhao could obtain with ease.
Any enemy, even someone like Zuo Lizhou, was merely a pawn in his hands.
"He has another identity in the secular world, doesn't he, Brother Huangfu? Do you know?"
"I truly don't know, nor do I care."
Huangfu waved his hand and said, "I've only recently arrived in the capital, and I haven't interacted with him much."
"Your grievances have nothing to do with me."
With that, he stopped lingering and strode away.
Mi Xueqing tightly gripped the railing, listening as if hearing a story. "He said he came from Kunlun. Is it Kunlun Mountain?"
Chen Fan nodded, carrying the wine pot, and jumped down from the railing. "Come down."
The railing was quite high. Mi Xueqing looked at Chen Fan helplessly and extended her hand.
Chen Fan had no choice but to grab her hand. She jumped down lightly, colliding with Chen Fan due to inertia.
Chen Fan paid it no mind and said, "You should leave!"
"Leave? Why?"
Mi Xueqing frowned.
"It's the middle of the night, a man and a woman alone. Miss Mi, acting this way can easily lead to misunderstandings," Chen Fan said.
Mi Xueqing scoffed, "Saying such shameless things, isn't it exactly what you want, to be misunderstood?"
Chen Fan shook his head, too lazy to bother, and walked towards the helicopter pad, leaping up.
A height of seven or eight meters was nothing to him. He easily ascended after finding a point to push off from.
"Hey…"
Mi Xueqing was a little stunned, looking up from below and shouting.
The way he moved so high and low made her feel incredulous, and at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.
But Chen Fan ignored her.
He had spoken a lot with Mi Xueqing while waiting for the helicopter earlier, simply out of boredom.
Now, holding the Mirage Pearl, he needed to be alone for a while.
"Hey, take me up with you!"
Mi Xueqing shouted unyieldingly from below.
But the wind was strong, and her voice couldn't carry far.
Chen Fan's figure disappeared from her sight. He then sat cross-legged in the northwest corner of the helipad, holding the Mirage Pearl and sensing it carefully.
The Mirage Pearl emitted a faint spiritual light. As Chen Fan's concentration deepened, the light became even more ethereal and mysterious.
Chen Fan felt as if a void yet profound space had unfolded in his mind.
His soul became exceptionally active, and his spiritual power flowed like water, circulating and swirling within the void space constructed by the Mirage Pearl, then returning like a flowing stream.
It was a wondrous sensation.
It was as if this pearl had created its own world, merging with his soul, elevating and transcending his soul, undergoing a form of spiritual and physical purification.
His entire spirit and aura underwent subtle changes.
And all of this originated from this single Mirage Pearl.
During this process, Chen Fan also sensed a wisp of an aura deeply hidden within the Mirage Pearl, not revealing itself.
That aura was like an imprint, difficult to erase in a short time, likely originating from Huangfu Xi himself.
He absorbed and experienced the benefits the Mirage Pearl brought him. With a thought, he recalled the supreme battle intent cultivated in the midst of war.
His thoughts shifted, his gaze sharpened, and his battle intent surged like a burning flame, rolling towards the Mirage Pearl.
The supreme, invincible, and irresistible battle intent condensed. The moment it condensed, the spiritual light of the Mirage Pearl surged significantly.
In this state of spiritual refinement, Chen Fan felt his battle intent become even grander, more condensed, and unstoppable.
The tides surged, and Chen Fan sat alone on the ship's deck, entering a profoundly mysterious state.
In a daze, he seemed to have returned to the battlefield.
Not with grand pronouncements and scholarly grace, but with personal courage, amidst iron-blooded rivers, forging ahead relentlessly.
Crushing enemies and conquering cities, victorious in every battle!
Blood staining the land, invincible with me!
Countless bloody skirmishes, countless rides on the battlefield, forged a will as tempered as fine steel, an indomitable spirit and courage that could not be broken.
The Mirage Pearl floated up, and countless heroic spirits roared and called out.
"Why say we have no armor, when we share the same tunic?"
"Wind, great wind!"
Chen Fan felt his mental will becoming increasingly focused, his battle intent growing stronger.
It was as if no difficulty in this world could stop him!
Just then, his divine soul trembled, and a sense of crisis emerged.
Under this condensed battle intent, he clearly felt the appearance of two malevolent intentions, not too far away, rapidly approaching.
This malice was extremely strong, reflecting so clearly in his heart that he was somewhat surprised.
With a flip of his palm, he grasped the Mirage Pearl. In that instant, Chen Fan rose, turned, and threw a punch.
A cold light struck, its blade gleaming three inches, tearing through the void.
Behind the blade was a long face full of pockmarks.
Along with this blade light, a fist also came, smashing fiercely from another direction, its impact vibrating the void and causing the air to explode with a crackling sound.
Chen Fan met the blade's edge with his fist, not retreating an inch, his supreme battle intent crushing forward.
The long face behind the blade changed expression drastically. He felt a terrifying pressure enveloping him, causing an indescribable sense of defeat. It was as if he were facing not a human, but an invincible god of war.
The blade's momentum thus dissipated. The blade's edge remained, but its power was significantly reduced.
Chen Fan's punch was unstoppable, striking the blade's edge head-on. Empowered by his supreme battle intent, the punch was vast and its force erupted.
In the next instant, the blade's momentum shattered. Chen Fan's fearsome punch, after engulfing the blade wielder, exploded like thunder.
With a muffled groan, the blade wielder was sent flying by the punch.
Chen Fan took a step forward, slanted his body, and pressed his palm down on the incoming fist.
The man behind the fist, around forty years old, was thin and small. The moment they collided, his eyes froze, his expression filled with shock.
Grasping the fist, with invincible force, he brought his hand down and flicked a punch, hitting the man squarely in the face.
With a bang, the man fell backward, exclaiming in disbelief, "How is this possible…"
Half his face was deformed, and he painfully struggled to get up.
Chen Fan's figure was like lightning. He struck down with a palm, his true qi surging, sending the man flying. The man's slender body, like a sack, soared into the air, heading towards the endless ocean on the side of the ship.
As the blade wielder struggled to get up, Chen Fan walked over and kicked him into the sea.
Considering the injuries of both men, survival was not impossible, but highly unlikely.
In the brief exchange, Chen Fan clearly understood that both were martial artists at the Hua Jin (Metamorphic Energy) realm, their strength not weak.
However, compared to before, Chen Fan felt it was easier to deal with them.
His perception had become sharper, and coupled with his more condensed battle intent, opponents at the Hua Jin realm seemed weaker in his presence.