“I have the treasure bone, so I’ll pass too,” said Duanmu Lingxing. They were well aware of the value of an immortal artifact. Chen Fan had risked his life to bring them back from the Mystical Gates Immortal Manor. They had also heard rumors of what happened there and knew he had narrowly escaped death. “Senior Sister, it’s better that you pick one. We still don’t know exactly what that treasure bone is, and it’s only for defense. Choose an offensive immortal artifact, like that Emeici. It will suit you pretty well, in my opinion,” Chen Fan said. “Senior Sister, we’re family. No need to be polite with me. I can’t use all these artifacts anyway, and leaving them idle would be wasteful. Here, we have neither background nor strength and can only rely on ourselves. The stronger we are, the safer we’ll be, so don’t refuse.” Huang Wuji chimed in, “Lingxing, Little Junior Brother has a point. You don’t have to be polite with your family. Take it to increase your strength.” Duanmu Lingxing nodded and said, “Alright, then.” Afterward, Di Chen, Zhu Yue, and the others each picked an immortal artifact that suited them. Their strengths would rise significantly after refining the artifacts and could be used as a hidden card to save their lives. “Oh, right, Senior Brothers and Sisters, I still have many immortal stones. Take some. Right now, raising our cultivation is key; until we reach the immortal realm, we’ll still be ants. Don’t refuse. To be honest, I killed quite a few people in the manor, and they all carried plenty of immortal stones. Together with the ones I exchanged at the Merit Hall, I have close to fifty thousand immortal stones.” Huang Wuji and the others’ eyes trembled for a moment, shocked by his words. They truly didn’t expect Chen Fan to have made such a plentiful harvest on this trip to the Mystical Gates Immortal Manor. “Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony then. Immortal stones are much more useful than primeval stones at our current stage. With these, I can aim for the Void Immortal level in my next seclusion.” Huang Wuji took five thousand immortal stones. He didn’t act politely with Chen Fan, as they have no background whatsoever in the Featherlight Sect. As the first senior brother, he had to protect Chen Fan and the others, just like when they were in the True Martial Academy, where he would overturn heaven and earth for anyone from Peerless Peak. But in the Heavenly Realm, his cultivation was too weak. Countless people could kill him with a slap. He couldn’t even protect himself, let alone Chen Fan. “That’s the way, First Senior Brother. You’re the most senior of us. We all need you to protect us. When you advance to the immortal realm, we’ll have established a firm foothold in the Heavenly Realm.” Chen Fan smiled. Huang Wuji smiled bitterly and said, “Don’t talk nonsense, you brat. You’re already catching up to me, and I’m afraid you’re no weaker than I am.” “I’m still a bit behind, First Senior Brother.” Chen Fan chuckled. Di Chen and the others also laughed, feeling much more relaxed inside. However, Chen Fan’s rapid growth also brought silent pressure. They still remembered when Chen Fan had just joined the True Martial Academy and the Law Enforcement Hall had made trouble for him; back then, they could still protect him. Now, they needed his protection. They had to work hard. With that in mind, none of them stood on ceremony with Chen Fan. They were all prodigies; even in the Heavenly Realm, they were geniuses worthy of focused nurturing. With ample cultivation resources, their progress would be swift. Next, Chen Fan casually took out several books on the immortal arts, as if they were common goods, exuding the air of someone wealthy. “I also have a few immortal arts manuals here, Senior Brothers and Sisters. Take a look.” The Featherlight Sect’s Immortal Depository also had several immortal arts. However, even basic ones required a large amount of merit points, and low- and mid-grade arts cost far more. While Chen Fan was rallying his senior brothers and sisters, Gu Xun also received news that he was still alive, infuriating him. “Damn it! Damn it! Zhao Jun, that useless trash! He bragged that he had strength comparable to a Void Immortal, but he couldn’t even kill a country bumpkin. What useless trash!” Gu Xun’s face turned red from anger. Chen Fan had injured him heavily enough that he had to rest in bed for three whole months. He had thought things would go off without a hitch with Zhao Jun taking action. At the time, Chen Fan was only in the Lesser Legendary realm, while Zhao Jun stood at the peak of the Invincible Legendary realm—an entire cultivation realm higher. Even if Chen Fan could fight above his level, defeating Zhao Jun should have been impossible. Unexpectedly, Zhao Jun failed. Chen Fan was still alive and well, laden with treasures from the Mystical Gates Immortal Manor. Meanwhile, Zhao Jun had vanished without a trace. The outcome was clear. “Damned bastard, just you wait! Just you wait! I won’t let you off. Zhao Jun, that trash, couldn’t kill you, so what? Can you survive against an Immortal Platform realm expert? I want you dead, so you’ll surely die!” All sorts of vicious plans appeared in Gu Xun’s mind. He couldn't allow Chen Fan to continue living. Naturally, Chen Fan had no idea what he was thinking. After receiving Chen Fan’s support, Huang Wuji and the others returned to their caves and went into seclusion. They all had received enough resources to advance by one or even two steps. Chen Fan also went into seclusion to digest his gains. Thus, time passed quickly, and half a year had gone by. One morning, Chen Fan walked out of the quiet room. With abundant resources fueling his cultivation, he had reached the middle-stage Invincible Legendary realm, just a step away from reaching the late-stage. He had experienced several fierce battles, which stabilized his foundation and helped him make significant progress in a short period. Yet, aware of his rapid progress, he chose to advance gradually. He was also a bottomless pit for resources. He had distributed most of his immortal stones to his sibling disciples, and the rest were nearly exhausted in this breakthrough. “Phew, given my current strength, I won’t have to fear even a Void Immortal. Who can do a thing to me unless an Immortal Platform realm appears?” Chen Fan’s heart swelled with confidence. He was already capable of resisting Void Immortals when he was in the early-stage Invincible Legendary realm. Now that he had broken through to the middle stage, his strength had risen to the next level. Ordinary Void Immortals like Wanderer Jin Hai could no longer enter his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of his cave. It was still morning right now. The sunlight shone on him, giving him a feeling of warmth. Chen Fan stretched himself. “It’s been a year since I came to the Heavenly Realm.” Suddenly, a voice cut through the calm, shattering his good mood. Googlᴇ search 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽 “Brat, you’re finally willing to come out.”
