Within the city.
Chen Fan felt at ease once he entered the city.
Perhaps those people could act against Tianzai, but once they did, Chen Fan would certainly not stand idly by and would also intervene.
This brought them back to square one, they would still have to deal with Chen Fan.
No way out.
"Why aren't they making a move?" Tianzai, unaware that those individuals dared not act within the city, was somewhat apprehensive.
"It's fine."
Chen Fan explained.
"Really?"
After hearing the explanation, Tianzai rejoiced, "That's wonderful! This way, as long as I stay with you, I'll be safe in this city."
"Indeed."
Tianzai was relieved.
He had been on the run for days, with nowhere to go and no way to escape.
Chen Fan smiled indifferently and looked at Tianzai, "At any time, you can only survive by relying on yourself. Relying on others... will never work."
He spoke his mind.
Tianzai understood this naturally.
But he shook his head, "Temporarily relying on others is a last resort. When I become powerful, I will naturally not choose this path."
In a way, his choice to seek out Chen Fan was also a form of reliance.
"Mm."
Seeing that the other party understood, Chen Fan said no more.
Chen Fan did not venture further into the central thatched hut, stopping at its periphery.
He had already received the benefits provided by Yifu.
Simultaneously, he now knew how to refine Emperor Qi. With that knowledge, the thatched hut was no longer necessary.
After some thought, he cupped his fists, "Thank you for your guidance, senior. I will not be cultivating here for the time being, as I need to entertain a friend."
Qingluan appeared and bowed, "Please do as you wish, sir."
Qingluan could handle such matters.
"Thank you."
Chen Fan bowed, turned, and left.
...
Tianzai followed Chen Fan.
Soon, they found Pang Tong.
Pang Tong had rented a room in a restaurant.
Seeing Chen Fan's arrival, Pang Tong was overjoyed, "Big Brother, you're finally here..."
"Big Brother?"
Tianzai, standing beside Chen Fan, frowned.
I'm called the City Lord, and you call him Big Brother? What does that mean?
He said sternly, "That address is incorrect."
"Huh?" Pang Tong did not understand.
"From now on, call him City Lord," Tianzai instructed.
Pang Tong: "..."
He didn't grasp the meaning.
However, sensing Tianzai's cultivation, he eventually nodded, "Alright."
Truth be told, he also felt a bit uncomfortable calling Chen Fan "Big Brother."
But he didn't know what else to call him.
Should he just use his name?
That wouldn't be right.
Calling him City Lord wasn't bad either.
He then bowed, "Pang Tong greets the City Lord."
Chen Fan smiled indifferently, "Call me whatever you wish. Don't mind it. I'm used to the title City Lord."
Yifu was also a City Lord, and Chen Fan was also a City Lord.
But this City Lord was different from that City Lord.
The three of them soon took their seats...
"Tianzai."
Chen Fan asked directly, "Have you seen the Heavenly Crown of the Boundless Supreme?"
"I have."
"The Heavenly Crown is in the hands of City Lord Yifu."
Tianzai, having only recently arrived, had not witnessed the appearance of the Heavenly Crown that day.
Upon hearing this, Tianzai was surprised, "The Heavenly Crown of the City Lord of Boundless was stolen?"
In his heart, Tianzai harbored the deepest fear of Boundless.
How could such a monstrous talent have his Heavenly Crown stolen?
"I don't know."
Chen Fan's expression was grave, "Either Yifu is Boundless, or Yifu snatched the Heavenly Crown from the Boundless Supreme. I can't think of any other possibility."
"..."
Boundless found it somewhat difficult to accept.
After a long period of contemplation, he finally spoke, "I believe the first possibility is more likely."
"Oh?"
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow.
Tianzai seemed to have immense faith in the Boundless Supreme.
Tianzai sensed Chen Fan's gaze and shook his head, "City Lord, you haven't met the Boundless Supreme. You don't know how unbelievably powerful that person is, what kind of being they are."
"How so?"
Tianzai organized his thoughts before speaking, "That person once wreaked havoc across the land. Even before obtaining the Heavenly Crown, they could defeat enemies in two realms."
"You might not believe this, City Lord, but the Heavenly Crown actively sought out the Boundless Supreme and pledged allegiance to them."
Chen Fan was startled, "That powerful?"
Tianzai nodded, "Indeed. Many people witnessed it back then. While not yet a Supreme, Boundless personally slew three Supremes with his own hands."
"With Divine level cultivation, he killed three Supremes in a single battle, after which the Heavenly Crown appeared on its own, seeking to pledge allegiance to the Boundless Supreme."
"But do you know what? The Boundless Supreme refused the Heavenly Crown the first time. He said... 'With my own strength, I can conquer this world. I need no embellishment.'"
Chen Fan: "..."
How domineering.
The Chen Fan of the past understood very little.
Now, with his increased knowledge, he understood how difficult it was to 'reverse-strike' against stronger foes.
Those who could cultivate to the Supreme realm, were they not all thiên tài? Were they not all monstrous talents?
All monstrous talents, and to reverse-strike... it was incredibly difficult.
Even Chen Fan, without relying on divine artifacts, would find it hard to achieve this, provided his opponent was alone.
Yet, the Boundless Supreme, with Divine level cultivation, had slain three Supremes.
No wonder Tianzai held such a high opinion of that man.
"Then is there a possibility that..."
A new idea formed in Chen Fan's mind, "Could the Heavenly Crown have been a gift from the Boundless Supreme to Yifu?"
Tianzai: "..."
"Quite possible," Tianzai replied.
Based on his understanding of the Boundless Supreme, Tianzai offered the most reasonable response, "Having witnessed the prosperity of the Immortal Realm, it's highly probable that the Boundless Supreme would relinquish the Heavenly Crown and continue to roam the world."
But then, another problem arose.
Previously, Chen Fan had inquired from Han Ye and Pang Tong separately, and neither of them had ever heard of the name Boundless Supreme.
Tianzai shook his head, "I don't know what's going on. I firmly believe the Boundless Supreme is not dead. That man would not die easily."
Alright.
Chen Fan believed Tianzai's words.
He also did not believe that man would die so easily.
If that were the case, only Yifu would likely know the whereabouts of the Boundless Supreme.
But now was not the time.
He needed to condense Emperor Qi and forge the stepping stone to the Imperial realm.
As for how to obtain the Heavenly Crown from Yifu, Chen Fan still had no certainty.
"Never mind, you should recover first," Chen Fan said to Tianzai.
"Mm."
The spiritual energy here was abundant, and Tianzai immediately entered a state of meditation.
Spiritual energy gathered and entered his body.
Meanwhile, Pang Tong, unsure of what to do, quietly stayed aside.
From time to time, sounds from outside reached his ears. Many people had checked into this restaurant, and the previous guests had been driven out.
"City Lord..."
Pang Tong was somewhat fearful, "Those people..."
"Mm, they're all here to keep an eye on me."
The powerhouses from various factions had arrived.
They had checked into the restaurant to monitor him at close range.
They could not act against Chen Fan in the City of Freedom, but they could monitor him.
"By the way."
Chen Fan suddenly remembered something and turned to Pang Tong, "Do you know the rules of the City of Freedom?"
Pang Tong quickly replied, "I've already inquired about them."
"Tell me quickly..."