Not long after Xu Fang and Huang Zhongli made the plan to create an army of spiritual roots on Penglai Immortal Island, he handed over the control of the island's protective formation to Huang Zhongli.
This was not a big deal for Xu Fang. Although Penglai Immortal Island was ostensibly his dojo, and the beings of the Primordial Era regarded him as its lord, Xu Fang had never considered Penglai Immortal Island as his private territory. Instead, he saw it as a shared home with Huang Zhongli, Liangtian Chi, and all his magical treasures, a base for him in the Primordial Era.
As the personnel remaining at the base, Huang Zhongli naturally had to obtain control of the protective formation to better defend Penglai Immortal Island.
After completing all this, Xu Fang, along with the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Ao Xue, and the little Qilin, left Penglai Immortal Island.
"Big Sister, the East Sea is windy, you should return. Wait for our return!"
"Remember, you will always have a home in the Primordial Era. I will wait for you on Penglai Immortal Island!"
After Xu Fang and Huang Zhongli bid each other a reluctant farewell, Huang Zhongli, surrounded by magical treasures, returned to Penglai Immortal Island.
To enhance Huang Zhongli's combat power, Xu Fang gave him a pile of magical treasures he had plundered from powerful beings. Now, with magical treasures orbiting him, Huang Zhongli looked quite like a second Xu Fang.
Thinking that Huang Zhongli, like himself, had the ability to communicate with magical treasures, Xu Fang firmly believed that these treasures would unleash their maximum power in Huang Zhongli's hands. As for losing these magical treasures, he didn't think much of it. With the chat group in his possession, he knew the whereabouts of all treasures in the Primordial Era, and could find them at will.
Watching the protective formation of Penglai Immortal Island slowly close, and the figure of Huang Zhongli waving goodbye disappear completely, Xu Fang felt a momentary sense of loss. He wondered when he would return to Penglai Immortal Island again, and when he would finally be home. This lingering sadness was the sorrow of a wanderer leaving home!
Just as Xu Fang was quietly savoring this melancholic mood, someone impolitely broke his reverie.
"Senior, Senior, where shall we go treasure hunting next?" the Golden-Winged Great Peng asked eagerly. Although he had enjoyed a life of leisure on Penglai Immortal Island recently, he had never forgotten his identity as a treasure hunter of the Primordial Era, his heart yearning for adventure.
"Yes, Senior, let's go treasure hunting quickly!" Ao Xue also chimed in. Having experienced the thrill and adventure of treasure hunting, she could no longer settle for a life of day-to-day cultivation.
"You two, why are you only thinking about treasure hunting all day and not cultivating properly?" Xu Fang said with a helpless smile, scolding them. "No wonder you were slightly ahead of me before, and I've now surpassed you. It seems I'll enter the Quasi-Sage realm even earlier than you."
"Not to mention me, you can't even compare to the little Qilin now, can you?" Xu Fang teased. These two, with their minds solely focused on treasure hunting, were unwilling to cultivate diligently even in a blessed place like Penglai Immortal Island, and their cultivation realms had barely changed. In contrast, the little Qilin had seized the opportunity, not only advancing to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm with the Huang Zhongli fruit but also cultivating well on Penglai Immortal Island, showing signs of catching up to the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Ao Xue.
Upon hearing this, the faces of the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Ao Xue stiffened, but they quickly retorted with blushing faces.
"Can the matters of treasure hunters be judged by their realm? Senior, you're being too conventional!"
"Exactly, exactly! We treasure hunters never measure ourselves by our realm; finding treasures is what truly makes us powerful!"
Xu Fang could only offer a wry smile at their unreasonable rebuttals, spoken in unison. The little Qilin also giggled along, feeling that following their Senior was indeed the right choice, as the atmosphere was filled with joy.
Seeing the little Qilin laugh, the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Ao Xue immediately became displeased.
"It's fine if Senior laughs at us, but are you, this newcomer, also daring to be presumptuous? Senior, I propose we send him home!"
"Indeed, this newcomer looks a bit dim-witted. We mustn't let him delay our treasure hunting journey!"
Upon hearing that they wanted to send him home, the little Qilin immediately cowered, pleading and apologizing to the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Ao Xue with a dejected expression.
"Alright, alright, don't scare him anymore." Xu Fang spoke up. The little Qilin's eyes lit up with joy, looking gratefully at Xu Fang, knowing that Senior Xu Fang was on his side!
"This little Qilin definitely needs to be sent home, but it's not urgent now as we haven't found the location of the Qilin tribe yet." Xu Fang added. The little Qilin immediately drooped his head in disappointment. What a wonderful Senior, if only he hadn't said that last part, he would have been perfect.
After pondering for a moment, Xu Fang looked at Ao Xue.
"By the way, during the battle at Penglai Immortal Island, I heard your father mention that the Dragon Clan was in some trouble?"
Ao Xue's memory stirred. Indeed, her father had apologized to Senior at that time and mentioned something like that.
"Father did say that, but I didn't ask about it. From Father's words, it should have been resolved by my uncles?" Ao Xue said honestly, not knowing the full story, and began to speculate.
"Sigh, I'm starting to suspect you're not a real Dragon Clan princess, not caring about the affairs of your own clan." Xu Fang shook his head. He wondered if this girl would end up being abducted by the Golden-Winged Great Peng to the Phoenix Clan, thus parting ways with the Dragon Clan forever.
"Senior, I..." Ao Xue felt a little wronged. The Penglai Immortal Island incident had concluded, and her father had bid farewell to his kin and left. She, to follow Senior Xu Fang, had not returned to her clan. They had left in a hurry, and she hadn't had the time or the thought to ask!
"Alright, alright, no need to say more." Xu Fang waved his hand. "Since this matter is not settled, and the Dragon Clan is not far from here, we'll just pay them a visit."
Xu Fang made up his mind. If the matter was resolved, that would be best. If not, he could help the Dragon Clan. After all, no matter what, when the demon clan's army had threatened, the Dragon Clan had been the first to stand by his side. He remembered this kindness. If given the opportunity, helping the Dragon Clan would be ideal. After all, in the Primordial Era, one couldn't just fight and kill all day; one also had to consider human relationships. How did relationships form? Weren't they built on the principle of you helping me yesterday, and I helping you today? This way, there would be reciprocity and continuous growth! This was how one truly navigated the world. It wasn't important how many people you knew, but rather how many would come to your aid when trouble struck!
As the captain of the treasure hunting team, his decision was naturally accepted by the other three. They immediately followed Xu Fang and headed in the direction of the Dragon Clan.