"What the heck? All flashy nonsense."
Lin Fan didn’t really care who that mighty figure was. To him, it didn’t matter. There was no way he’d chase down a powerful cultivator right now. That would be too fake, too unrealistic.
After all, those big shots weren’t pushovers anyone could just ss with as they pleased.
"Alright, son, let’s go."
He led the deranged old man away. It was good enough to have made so gains; no need to overthink it.
Sure, you could get massive rewards in dangerous situations, but if you slipped up, oh well, too bad—you’d just die there, leaving everything behind.
Now tell , isn’t that a loss?
There was nothing left here to linger for.
Think of it as a side quest to revisit later. Rember it for now and co back when sothing else happens here. That would really be worthwhile.
The Nine Heavens Immortal Sect.
"I’m back."
Lin Fan descended from the sky; he didn’t fly through the air but walked step by step. Though the unimpressive gates were small, this was, after all, the first and only sect that had taken him in when he entered the cultivation world.
Granted, it wasn’t all that reliable.
But a person shouldn’t forget their roots. His undercover operation here had been a major success. Honestly, he was basically a model employee of the undercover world.
At the gates of the sect.
You You and Wang Han, two martial artists who couldn’t cultivate immortality, were guarding the entrance.
Their lives went on the sa, day after day, year after year. Nothing ever changed—so peaceful and uneventful, it was almost boring.
When they first ca to the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect, they thought they were unparalleled geniuses destined to cultivate immortality. But eventually, reality slapped them in the face: You really can’t cultivate immortality. This is your life now.
After despairing, they got used to it. They even thought this was pretty good. They never considered going back. anwhile, everyone they knew understood their secret: they had cultivated and beco immortals. If they did return, they’d probably be exposed, which would be incredibly embarrassing.
Suddenly.
Both of them noticed soone climbing the mountain. Looking closely, the figure seed familiar, but they couldn’t see clearly from such a distance. As the person drew closer, the familiar face finally beca clear.
"Ah! It’s Lin Fan."
"Oh my gods, he’s back."
To the two of them, Lin Fan had surely died out there. Look how dangerous the outside world was.
"Been a while, you two," Lin Fan said with a smile, waving. There was no need for him to sneak back, but it was better to keep his connection to the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect low-key. After all, with so many enemies out there, what if they couldn’t deal with the Taiwu Immortal Sect and turned their rage on the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect? Things would get ssy, maybe even disastrous.
"Lin Fan, where the hell have you been all this ti? The Sect Leader has been looking for you forever but couldn’t find you anywhere," Wang Han asked.
Lin Fan replied, "Had so personal matters to handle, couldn’t co back sooner. I went to see my Master. We can catch up later."
In the back courtyard.
Ever since Fang Jiuzhen had received the spirit stones Lin Fan gave him, he’d been cultivating. Those spirit stones were beyond his wildest imagination; he wouldn’t even have known where to start looking for them.
Hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.
Absolutely terrifying.
Suddenly.
Fang Jiuzhen felt as though soone was nearby, observing him. It was a weird sensation. He snapped his eyes open and saw a figure standing in the distance, smiling at him.
Without a single sound, they had just appeared there quietly. They had been watching him for so ti. If this were an enemy, Fang Jiuzhen realized, he might already be dead.
But strangely, Fang Jiuzhen didn’t dwell on it.
Though his expression surged with brief excitent, he quickly cald down and shouted angrily, "You little scoundrel! You still know to co back?"
"Master, I’m serious this ti. I’m planning to stay for a bit to talk to you. But if you keep up this attitude, I’ll leave so gifts and really vanish," Lin Fan said.
Fang Jiuzhen roared, "You dare leave? I’ll break all three of your legs!"
Lin Fan clutched his crotch in shock. Fine, he could understand breaking two legs, but the third one? That’s going too far. Still, he wasn’t too worried—he could always regrow it. Nothing to fear.
"Disciple, have you made enemies outside and don’t know where to hide? No worries, just stay in the sect. I guarantee no one’s going to touch you. Even if they co for you, I’ll handle it personally. All the other immortals still give so face," Fang Jiuzhen said, slapping his chest with confident conviction.
If Lin Fan hadn’t experienced the outside world so extensively, he might actually have been fooled by his Master’s bravado.
"Master, it’s not as bad as you think. Outside, I’ve got no real enemies. Everything’s fine, really. And this ti, I ca back just to take a break from all the cunning sches in the outside world. So peace and quiet would do good," Lin Fan said.
"Oh, by the way, Master, I’ve brought back a son for you. Co on, call him Grandpa."
The deranged old man squatting on the ground was playing with mud. Hearing this, he looked up in bewildernt, his mind failing to process the situation. It wouldn’t have surprised him if Lin Fan brought back a woman, but a son? And this son... looked kind of old?
"Grandpa, hello," the deranged old man greeted and then lowered his head to continue playing with mud.
"Good, good, good," Fang Jiuzhen muttered, nodding dazedly, clearly struggling to keep up.
Lin Fan stepped closer to his master, pressing down on his shoulder, and said, "Master, you’re not mad at for being gone so long, are you? Honestly, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to co back; I had my reasons. If I hadn’t gone out into the world, I wouldn’t have gained the spirit root needed to cultivate immortality."
"What?" Fang Jiuzhen’s eyes widened in disbelief. Cultivate immortality?
His disciple didn’t have a spirit root.
And now he did?
This couldn’t possibly be real.
Fang Jiuzhen turned abruptly, shocked. "Disciple, are you joking with ?"
Lin Fan sighed helplessly, "Master, look at . Do I look like soone who’d joke about this? I’m telling you the truth, not a single word is false, cross my heart."
"But Master, there’s sothing I’ve wanted to tell you, though I’m scared you’ll get mad. I really don’t know how to bring it up," Lin Fan said hesitantly. He wanted to reveal part of the truth to his master but not everything, in case he scared him too much.
"What is it? Just say it. Your Master has seen enough not to faint over anything," Fang Jiuzhen said, perplexed.
"Alright, here’s the deal. Master, after leaving the sect, I went to the Taiwu Immortal Sect with the intention of seeking revenge on Ye Zhen Tian for you. By a stroke of luck, I ended up joining Taiwu Immortal Sect and even managed to secure a decent standing. Now, I’ve reached the point where I can get that revenge... that’s why I wanted to ask: Master, how do you want to deal with Ye Zhen Tian?" Lin Fan explained.
What he didn’t notice was Fang Jiuzhen’s evolving expression. Initially bulging eyes quickly turned to a gaping mouth, big enough to swallow a cow in one bite, looking utterly flabbergasted.
"Master, what’s wrong?"
Seeing his Master seemingly stupefied, Lin Fan waved his hands nervously. He was bracing himself for his Master’s fury. After all, not only had he joined the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect, but he had also infiltrated Taiwu Immortal Sect. It was dubious, maybe even traitorous. But he was willing to swear to the heavens: his motives weren’t to abandon the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect but to avenge his Master.
Slap!
A sudden smack.
Not on Lin Fan’s face, but hard on his shoulder.
Fang Jiuzhen’s face was red with excitent. "Disciple, you’re incredible! You even managed to infiltrate there. Back in my youth, I had similar ambitions, but I got exposed and kicked out on day one."
"As for Ye Zhen Tian, don’t worry about him. He’s a true disciple; we’re just ordinary cultivators. Avoid making enemies when it’s not necessary. The cultivation path is full of peril. Focus on your own growth."
"Besides, it’s been so long. I’ve moved on. Nothing really happened back then anyway," Fang Jiuzhen added. Though he spoke casually, the humiliation resurfaced in his mind—the mory of being forced to kneel and beg for the lives of the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect disciples. It was a long-lasting scar to his pride.
Despite centuries of cultivation, reaching only the Golden Core Realm, his spirit root quality was simply too low for rapid advancent.
Lin Fan had checked his Master’s attributes before. The pieces of the spirit root Fang Jiuzhen had were so fragnted that their grade couldn’t be anything higher than Fifth. If it were, he wouldn’t have been stuck at the Golden Core Realm after centuries.
"Master, you’re not mad at all?" Lin Fan asked.
Fang Jiuzhen burst into laughter. "Mad? Why should I be mad? My disciple hasn’t betrayed the sect. Cultivation requires talent, opportunities, and learning from everyone’s strengths. As long as you ascend to beco an immortal, our Nine Heavens Immortal Sect will have an immortal as its backing. No one would dare ss with us."
"But Master, didn’t you once say our sect’s ancestors all ascended? Am I really going to be the first?" Lin Fan asked.
Fang Jiuzhen replied, "Disciple, those were stories passed down from my own teacher. I didn’t see it myself. But I believe you will be the one that I do witness ascend."
"I said it when I took you in. You’re a rare talent, a true gem. Your Master wouldn’t misjudge."
Crash!
A crisp sound rang out.
Lin Fan and Fang Jiuzhen turned their heads to find Qin Heng standing in stunned silence. The fruit platter in his hands had fallen, scattering its contents all over the floor.
Qin Heng was in emotional turmoil.
That man—*he*—had co back...
And he seed to share a close bond with the Sect Leader.
But now wasn’t the ti to dwell on that.
Because both the Sect Leader and Lin Fan were looking at him with strange expressions. He had to resolve this situation before the disappointnt etched further into the Sect Leader’s face—or before Lin Fan mocked him for being unable to handle even this much.
His brain worked quickly.
A solution erged.
Qin Heng darted over to Lin Fan, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "Brother Lin, finally! Seeing you co back made so excited I dropped the platter."
He made sure to explain.
Couldn’t let anyone misunderstand.
Lin Fan gave Qin Heng’s shoulder a light pat, signaling his understanding. No need for over-explanation. Whatever you’re trying to say, I get it.
We joined this sect together, after all.
Would I really expose you?
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