81: The Lost Four

Lost!

Lin Fan felt incredibly frustrated.

Damn it, if he had known, he wouldn't have pretended to be a Great Master just now; he should have just grabbed that Young Miss Chen and made her lead the way. Wouldn't that have solved everything?

But now, the four of them were staring at each other, wandering around the Star Dou Mountain Range like headless flies.

"Senior Brother, where... where are we now?"

Xiao Huohuo scratched his head, looking utterly dejected.

Cultivating Immortality doesn't include teaching directions!

Ling Ke'er also looked a bit helpless. Although she was a Martial Emperor in her previous life, she had never been here.

"It's all your fault!"

Only Nanny, riding on Xiao Huohuo's neck, swinging her short little legs, pouted her small mouth high, complaining indignantly: "If you hadn't flown so fast, Nanny could have definitely caught up with that uncle selling candied haw berries just now!"

The three of them: "..."

What the hell is candied haw berries!

"Forget it, let's go a bit further and see," Lin Fan sighed, resigning himself to fate.

Just as the four of them were feeling dejected and preparing to continue being human compasses.

"Boom!"

"Roar—!"

Not far ahead in the forest, a deafening roar suddenly erupted, along with... several beast roars filled with tyranny and bloodlust!

Immediately after, there was the clang of weapons colliding and the astonished and angry shouts of Human Martial Artists!

Someone!

And, they were fighting!

Lin Fan and the other three exchanged glances, instantly understanding each other. Without a word, they activated their magical power, transforming into four streaks of light, silently moving towards the direction from which the sounds of fighting came.

...

In a clearing in the valley, it was already a mess.

More than a dozen Martial Artists dressed in uniform were forming a makeshift battle formation, desperately resisting a group of green-faced, fanged... Yao Beasts that resembled evil spirits!

Those Yao Beasts were over ten feet tall, covered in a layer of greenish-black scales, with claws like knives, constantly spewing foul-smelling poisonous mist from their mouths.

The aura of one of them was at the Great Grandmaster Realm.

"Damn it! It's Green Ghost Beasts! How did we stumble into the lair of these abominations!"

The leader was a middle-aged man holding a long spear. His aura was powerful, clearly indicating he was a Grandmaster Realm expert, but at this moment, facing the fearless siege of seven or eight Green Ghost Beasts, he was in constant peril, struggling to cope.

Behind him, he protected several young people, one of whom was a young man in brocade robes, looking about seventeen or eighteen, his face pale, but with a strong facade of composure in his eyes.

"Father! Your son will fight alongside you!" The young man in brocade robes drew his treasured sword and was about to step forward.

"Nonsense!" The middle-aged man roared, forcing back a pouncing Green Ghost Beast with a spear thrust, "You've just entered Innate; going up there is suicide! All of you, fall back!"

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'!"

Seeing that the defense line was about to be torn apart, and everyone was about to die in the beasts' mouths.

Lin Fan, hidden in the shadows, stroked his chin.

"These people should be local forces from Qing Province," he turned to Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er. "This time, we can't let them run away again."

"Understood!" Xiao Huohuo chuckled, a hint of excited Battle Intent flashing in his eyes.

The lesson from getting lost last time was still fresh in his mind.

This time, no matter what, they had to catch a living map!

"Move!"

Lin Fan gave the command.

The next moment!

Four figures, like phantoms, shot out from the forest!

"Who's there?!"

The Zhuge family members, who were in despair, and those few Green Ghost Beasts, were all startled.

But, it was too late!

Lin Fan's figure flickered, and he had already appeared beside the Grandmaster Realm middle-aged man. Without even looking at the few Green Ghost Beasts, he simply, with a single punch, struck out!

Human Path!

With the punch, wind and thunder moved!

That Green Ghost Beast, which was opening its bloody maw, intending to bite the middle-aged man in half, couldn't even let out a single cry of agony. Its huge head, as if struck head-on by a siege hammer, exploded with a "bang," instantly shattering!

Red and white splattered everywhere.

On the other side.

Xiao Huohuo was even more simple and brutal.

He didn't even bother to get close; he merely flicked his finger.

A pale white flame, formed from "Bone Spirit Cold Flame," like an intelligent spirit with eyes, circled through the beast horde.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

A series of soft sounds.

The remaining few Yao Beasts, which in the eyes of the Zhuge family members were too powerful to defeat, didn't even get a chance to struggle. The moment they touched the flame, they silently turned into ashes.

The entire process was smooth and decisive.

From the moment they attacked to the end, it didn't even... exceed three breaths.

Within the valley, a deathly silence instantly fell.

Every single member of the Zhuge family was as if struck by a body-fixing spell, their eyes wide open, their mouths agape enough to fit a duck egg, staring blankly at the four "Immortals" who had suddenly appeared before them.

Especially the middle-aged man at the head, Zhuge Yuan, the head of the Zhuge family, whose mind was now violently shaken, causing a monstrous shock!

Instant kill!

A complete and utter instant kill!

This... what kind of terrifying strength was this?!

Could it be, as rumored, Disciples from those top Sects who came out for experience?!

"Gulp."

He swallowed hard, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and bowed deeply and respectfully to Lin Fan and the other three.

"Junior, Zhuge Yuan, the Family Head of the Zhuge family from Qing Province, thanks the four Seniors for saving our lives! This great kindness will never be forgotten!"

The Zhuge family Disciples behind him finally reacted, kneeling down in a rush, shouting in unison: "Thank you, Seniors, for saving our lives!"

Lin Fan waved his hand, adopting the air of a Great Master who considered it "a small matter, not worth mentioning," and said indifferently: "It was merely a small effort."

He paused, then changed the subject, getting straight to the point: "We are new here and not very familiar with the Star Dou Mountain Range. May I ask, Family Head Zhuge, if you could guide us to the activation site of the Hidden Venerable Secret Realm?"

Zhuge Yuan's heart tightened upon hearing this.

Indeed!

These Seniors were also here for the Hidden Venerable Secret Realm!

How could he dare to show any disrespect? He nodded and bowed repeatedly: "Senior jest! It is Junior's honor to guide Seniors! Our group was also preparing to head to Falling Star Valley to await the Secret Realm's activation; we happen to be going the same way!"

"Excellent, then," Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction.

...

The group resumed their journey.

With the addition of Lin Fan and the other three "stabilizers," the Zhuge family's team's safety factor was directly maximized.

Along the way, Zhuge Yuan and his son, Zhuge Qing, tried every trick to extract information about the four's origins from Xiao Huohuo, who seemed the easiest to talk to.

But who was Xiao Huohuo?

He was someone who had also been thoroughly tricked by Lu Yuchen!

After a round of "Tai Chi," he didn't reveal a single piece of useful information, only occasionally boasting about how awesome his Sect was and how Heaven-Defying his Master was, leaving the Zhuge family father and son stunned and increasingly convinced that these four Seniors had mysterious and unfathomable backgrounds.

The subsequent journey was indeed no longer peaceful.

The Star Dou Mountain Range truly lived up to its reputation as a dangerous place in Qing Province; Heavenly Human Realm Yao Beasts were almost everywhere.

If it had been the Zhuge family from before, they probably wouldn't have been able to travel ten li before being completely wiped out.

But now...

"Roar—!"

A massive Iron-Armored Rhinoceros roared and charged out, its Heavenly Human Realm pressure making the Zhuge family members' hearts palpitate.

However, before they could even react.

Xiao Huohuo impatiently picked his ear.

"So noisy."

With a wave of his hand, a ball of strange fire flew out.

The Iron-Armored Rhinoceros, perished.

After traveling a few more li.

Two Twin-Headed Demonic Vultures swooped down from high altitude, their talons like hooks, bringing gusts of foul wind.

However, Lin Fan didn't even bother to lift an eyelid, striking with a punch from a distance.

The Twin-Headed Demonic Vultures, perished.

Throughout this journey, the Zhuge family members watched as if witnessing Immortals fighting, from initial shock to later horror, and now to... numbness.

It was in this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere that Ling Ke'er and Nanny actually advanced further in their cultivation, both breaking through a minor Realm!

Ling Ke'er entered Foundation Establishment Second Layer.

Nanny... even directly entered Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer!

Finally.

A day later, an enormous, crater-like valley, as if struck by an extraterrestrial meteorite, appeared before everyone's eyes.

Within the valley, clouds and mist swirled, exuding a mysterious and ancient aura.

It was precisely the activation site of the Hidden Venerable Secret Realm—Falling Star Valley!

At this moment, inside and outside the valley, it was already a sea of people, with banners fluttering.

The various Sect forces from Qing Province and even the Southern Domain, along with various Loose Cultivator experts, had clearly demarcated their respective camps.

"Heh, this is getting interesting."

Lin Fan looked at the grand scene before him, comparable to a "Martial Forest Conference," and a playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"These days, even sleeping on the ground is so competitive?"