Ye Fan and Pang Bo arrived at Yuding Cave Heaven, the sect that had once belonged to Zhang Wenchang. Their arrival caused a wave of panic.

Now, throughout the entire Yan territory, everyone had heard of the Sacred Body. Those who had once humiliated Zhang Wenchang were all filled with dread, feeling as though the end of the world had come.

Many people knew that Ye Fan had once come here before, and was a close friend of Zhang Wenchang’s — they all assumed he had come to seek vengeance on behalf of the “half-crippled old man.”

Pang Bo swept his gaze over a group of young cultivators, his heart tempted to slap them all dead with one blow, but in the end he merely gave a cold snort, and the sound of “thud, thud” rang out endlessly as a row of people fell to their knees.

“We want to know, has Liu Yiyi ever returned? Do you have any news of her?” Ye Fan asked.

Liu Yiyi had entered this same sect together with Zhang Wenchang. This time, they had come to Yuding Cave Heaven primarily to inquire after her.

“She never came back — what a pity, losing such a talented cultivation prospect,” an elder replied.

The two nodded without saying much more, turned, and departed, soaring into the sky and vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye. Everyone at Yuding Cave Heaven let out a long sigh of relief.

Afterward, they visited Yanxia Cave Heaven, Ziyang Cave Heaven, and Jinxia Cave Heaven, receiving the same answer each time — Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Lin Jia, and the others had likewise never returned.

Back then, the three sect strongholds had forced Ye Fan and several others into the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground to gather divine herbs. Ye Fan had created an opportunity, allowing Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, Wang Ziwen, Li Xiaoman, Liu Yiyi, and Zhang Ziling to escape.

Three years had passed, and only Li Xiaoman was known to have escaped, entering Taixuan Sect — the others still had no news at all. When Ye Fan had once asked Li Xiaoman about it back at Taixuan Sect, she too had not known their whereabouts, since they had scattered and fled separately.

“Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and Lin Jia are all sharp people — naturally they wouldn’t return, otherwise the sect strongholds would surely find the flaw,” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

“Zhang Ziling isn’t foolish either — I’m sure he found somewhere safe. I think Yiyi must be with him,” Pang Bo said.

Additionally, two other classmates had died — one named Ge Ming, the other named Xu Chuan. One had been killed while out on a training expedition, the other had been trapped and killed while exploring ruins with others.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo added soil to their graves as well. It had only been a few years, yet already three classmates had died in this world — no one knew how many would remain by the end.

Finally, they arrived at Xiyue Cave Heaven, where they learned of Kai De’s whereabouts.

A wandering old monk had taken him away, simply because he saw that Kai De had a mighty physique, innate extraordinary talent, and a head full of golden hair, resembling the Buddhist legend of a guardian vajra deity.

“This yellow-haired foreign devil has actually become a guardian vajra? Then shouldn’t I be qualified to become a Buddha myself?” Pang Bo was somewhat dumbstruck.

“What exactly did that old monk say?” Ye Fan asked in detail.

The people of Xiyue Cave Heaven dared not conceal anything, knowing full well that this was a terrifying, murderous figure — even someone from a sect stronghold, he dared to kill. They didn’t dare provoke him.

“The old monk only said he wanted to take him to the Western Desert, to somewhere called Mount Sumeru — he didn’t say much else.”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo exchanged glances. Mount Sumeru, whether at the far end of the starry heavens or somewhere within this world, carried far too many legends.

“This foreign devil truly has extraordinary luck, actually going to Mount Sumeru of all places. Someday when we reach the Western Desert, we’ll definitely have him introduce us to a few female bodhisattvas.”

A disciple of Xiyue faithfully repeated, word for word, what Kai De had said as he departed.

“Oh, you dog-seller, damn your God — from now on I’ll only believe in Buddha, since you’re the one who abandoned me here!”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo glanced at each other, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

They did not linger long. After learning everything, they soared into the sky and departed.

The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin carried them away. Originally there had been a full group of thirteen, but now only ten remained — as they traveled, both felt a wave of melancholy, uncertain when they might ever travel the ancient starry road home again.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo returned to Yan Capital, and immediately people from several sect strongholds and the supreme sects came seeking them — the peerless array pattern had already been carved, and they wanted Ye Fan to go with them to gather herbs.

How could Ye Fan possibly go back in? This time had only been to set a trap for Hua Yunfei. At present, he tactfully expressed that the place was too dangerous, and he intended to give up, planning instead to try his luck at the Undying Mountain in the central region of East Wilderness.

The people from the various sects grumbled inwardly — though the name “Undying Mountain” contained the words “undying,” it had always been a place from which people entered but never left; once inside, one might as well give up hope of ever coming out alive.

“Are you certain, young friend? That mountain range is no benevolent place — in the past, a Great Perfection Sacred Body once cut off a mountain cliff there and brought forth great calamity, ending his life bathed in blood upon that sacred cliff in his later years.”

“Could this senior elaborate further?” Ye Fan’s heart stirred.

“This is already the most detailed record that exists — there is nothing more,” one Grand Elder from a sect stronghold said.

Ye Fan said nothing further. No matter what, he refused to enter the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground again — as long as he could find Xiao Nannan, he intended to leave South Region immediately, with no reason to remain any longer.

Though the people of the supreme sects wanted to give him a good thrashing, since no one had ever dared to stand them up before, they still held back their anger, for the Divine King’s mark remained with him.

Over the following days, Ye Fan nearly turned the entire Yan territory upside down, mobilizing every resource to search, yet in the end found no trace of Nannan at all.

Meanwhile, during this period, South Region fell into great upheaval, with many experts searching for Hua Yunfei’s whereabouts — yet he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Two more days passed, and finally Ye Huiling appeared, filling Ye Fan with great joy. He welcomed her into an inn.

This was a large inn with an elegantly designed layout — landscaped gardens and courtyards, reserved specifically for cultivators who preferred tranquility.

At this time, Pang Bo, Li Heishui, Tu Fei, and even the Big Black Dog were all in seclusion, gradually refining the sacred fruits bit by bit.

In a grove of purple bamboo, Ye Fan personally poured tea for Ye Huiling, and asked: “Miss Ye, where have you been all this time? You disappeared for so long.”

“It’s a long story. I nearly died several times over…”

Ye Huiling had once fought fiercely against Wang Chongxiao, and someone had attacked both of them simultaneously — both had suffered heavy injuries, after which that person had pursued and killed Ye Huiling relentlessly.

In the end, though she had managed to escape by a narrow margin, she had suffered severe damage to her vitality, and had only just emerged from recovery today. Upon learning everything that had happened recently, she suspected that attacker was very likely Hua Yunfei’s guardian, since the two were remarkably similar in comparison.

“Congratulations, Brother Ye, on the recovery from your Great Dao injury. From now on, your path ahead will be smooth, and no one will be able to stop you,” Ye Huiling said with a light smile.

Ye Fan fulfilled his promise, taking out a golden Sun Sacred Fruit. Though sealed within a small jade cauldron, its fragrance still leaked out, refreshing to the senses. He pushed it forward.

“Brother Ye wouldn’t be trying to silence me for good, would he?” Ye Huiling said with a light laugh.

Her dark hair fluttered, her skin like fine jade, her brows like distant mountains, her bright eyes filled with spiritual light, a melon-seed face, giving off an incredibly ethereal impression, as though she could see through everything.

“How could that be? I trust that Miss Ye will help keep this secret for me,” Ye Fan said with a smile.

“I trust in your character, Brother Ye.” The corner of Ye Huiling’s mouth curved slightly upward, with a touch of playfulness, and she said: “But please also trust me, Brother Ye — I will not say a single word out of place.”

Ye Fan smiled and nodded, gently pushing the small white jade cauldron toward her, letting it fly over.

Only then did Ye Huiling truly reach out to receive it, her clear, bright eyes filled with laughter, saying: “But please rest assured, Brother Ye.”

“I want to know — was it you who took Xiao Nannan away?”

Ye Huiling shook her head, for she had not yet reached the time to leave, and had frequently been engaged in confrontations with Wang Chongxiao, and thus had not come to take the little girl away, and moreover had soon after been ambushed and severely wounded.

“Then who was it?!” Ye Fan felt immensely disappointed — if not for that little girl, he would already be dead. If he could not find her, his conscience would never rest easy.

“I think I’ve guessed.” Ye Huiling spoke up.

“What? You know who it is?” Ye Fan looked over sharply.

“I don’t have absolute certainty — it’s merely a guess.”

“Please, tell me quickly!”

Ye Huiling suspected that Xiao Nannan might have been taken by people from the Yin-Yang Sect, because she had discovered that the sect’s Sage Maiden had personally been taking action, searching everywhere for children with exceptional bone-structure and aptitude.

“Is she still in Yan Capital?!” Ye Fan abruptly stood up. He couldn’t afford to be anything but urgent — if Nannan were sent to Zhongzhou, it would become very difficult for him to ever get her back.

“She’s not there. Right now, Yan territory is in great turmoil, so they’re at another quiet location — I know it’s one of their strongholds in East Wilderness. The talented children shouldn’t have been sent away yet, since crossing over to Zhongzhou requires a massive amount of Source — they’ll likely wait until matters in Yan Capital settle before retreating together.”

“Where is it, and what kind of experts are there?” Ye Fan asked.

Ye Huiling said: “In a sect called Qixia, fifty thousand li away — it’s a sect being cultivated and supported by the Yin-Yang Sect.”

Ye Fan waited a full day, during which Pang Bo and the others emerged one after another from their seclusion, all having completed their transformations of blood-refinement and bone-tempering, having refined the medicinal power to its utmost limit.

Without any delay whatsoever, they immediately crossed through the void at full speed, heading straight for the location fifty thousand li away, with Ye Huiling accompanying them as well.

Qixia Sect lay among a range of mountains, everywhere covered with crimson cherry-blossom trees, like an endless expanse of burning sunset clouds — the sect’s name matched its surroundings quite fittingly.

These several individuals were each formidable in their own right, and infiltrating a mid-sized sect was naturally accomplished without a sound. At first, they found nothing at all, and Ye Fan even began to feel discouraged.

Only when they moved toward the rear mountain did their spirits lift, as they spotted a dozen or so children, the oldest no more than five years old, the youngest only two, each one delicate and lovely as carved jade.

“Why isn’t Xiao Nannan here?” Ye Fan frowned, and the group split up to continue searching.

He passed through one magnificent, splendid residence after another, and just as he was about to reach the very end, his expression finally brightened — he sensed Xiao Nannan’s aura and quickly rushed over.

There were also several children here, each dressed in beautiful new clothes, looking exceedingly precious and pampered — except for one girl of about three years old, dressed in worn, tattered clothing, even her little shoes showing holes.

Ye Fan felt an intense wave of self-reproach. Before entering the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground, he had been far too busy, and had never had time to look after this little girl, never once giving her new clothes — thinking of it now filled him with boundless guilt.

Xiao Nannan clearly faced discrimination here — otherwise she could not possibly have been treated this way. He felt a surge of anger rising within him.

“Everyone come over now, time to take your spiritual medicine.”

A middle-aged woman walked over, a tray in her hands holding six or seven small bowls, wafts of fragrance drifting out, refreshing to the senses — clearly these were genuine, precious spiritual medicines.

The Yin-Yang Sect was extremely generous with these gifted children, laying a solid foundation for them from a young age, all refined from precious and rare herbs.

All the other children ran over at once, but Xiao Nannan alone did not go, her large eyes bright, gazing longingly at those small bowls, yet not daring to approach.

“That little muddle-head, don’t bother expecting anything — we originally thought your aptitude was rare in this world, that you were a little prodigy, but who knew you’d be born without any memory at all — forget everything within a few days!” the middle-aged beautiful woman said coldly, sweeping her gaze over.

“But… Nannan is hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since morning, or at noon either,” Xiao Nannan said, looking very wronged.

“If you make another mistake, you won’t get dinner either tonight!” the middle-aged beautiful woman’s voice turned cold. “In a few more days, the Sage Maiden will come again, and once she makes her final decision, you’ll be thrown out entirely!”

“Oh, Nannan understands,” Xiao Nannan lowered her head, not daring to meet the middle-aged beautiful woman’s gaze, staring instead at her own worn little shoes.

The middle-aged woman left. A group of children lifted their small bowls and drank down the spiritual medicine, though some of the more mischievous children, disliking the taste, secretly poured it out.

Xiao Nannan stared at one child’s small bowl, her large eyes bright, asking in her innocent voice: “Is the spirit-medicine mush good to eat?”

“It’s not good,” that child answered, having already poured out the medicine from his small bowl.

Seeing another girl about to pour hers out as well, Xiao Nannan’s eyes again lit up with hope, and she repeated the same question: “Is the spirit-medicine mush good to eat?” She was already very hungry, having been forbidden from eating, and couldn’t help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

“It’s not good. Nannan, you’re hungry, aren’t you? Here, you can have it,” that little girl said, holding out her small bowl.

“Do you really mean it?” Xiao Nannan asked earnestly, her eyes suddenly brightening, reaching out her hand to take it.

“Really, hurry and eat it,” the little girl held it out.

“Thank you, Nannan is really very hungry,” Xiao Nannan reached out to take it.

Just at that moment, the middle-aged beautiful woman returned, calling out coldly: “What are you all doing?!”

“CRACK!”

Xiao Nannan jumped in fright, and the small bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a crash, her expression suddenly turning terrified.

“Not only will you not eat dinner tonight, you won’t eat tomorrow either — now hurry back to your room, this is not a place for you to stay!”

“Oh, Nannan understands.” Xiao Nannan’s head drooped down to her chest, tears welling in her large eyes, and she turned to walk toward the servants’ quarters not far away.

Ye Fan finally understood the situation Xiao Nannan had been enduring here. His heart ached, tears nearly welling up, and he strode out from the shadows, shouting coldly at the middle-aged beautiful woman: “Are you yelling at her?!”

“Who are you? How did you get in here?” The middle-aged beautiful woman was greatly startled.

“Nannan, come here.” Ye Fan waved his hand toward Xiao Nannan.

“Big brother, who are you? Why do I feel like I know you?” Xiao Nannan’s large eyes blinked in confusion.

“I told you to go back to your room — why haven’t you left yet!” the middle-aged beautiful woman shouted coldly.

Xiao Nannan quickly lowered her head, not daring to look up again.

“PA!”

Ye Fan struck a slap across the middle-aged beautiful woman’s face. Despite her considerable speed, she failed to dodge it in time, sent flying backward more than ten zhang.

Ye Fan spared her life, for he had many questions to ask — otherwise, the power of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body would have been more than enough to shatter her entirely. He strode forward, picked up Xiao Nannan, and then walked back toward the woman.

“Who exactly are you, and what is your relationship to her?” the middle-aged beautiful woman demanded, her voice trembling.

“Who I am doesn’t matter — what matters is that even your Sage Maiden isn’t worth as much as this little girl. How dare you treat her this way!” Ye Fan was already consumed with fury, saying: “Speak — where is your Sage Maiden?!”

“You… who exactly are you, to dare disparage our Sage Maiden like this?” The middle-aged beautiful woman was shocked.

At this moment, several powerful figures burst into the courtyard, all shouting loudly in outrage, demanding to know exactly who Ye Fan was.

“The lives of your Sage Maiden and your Sage Child combined aren’t enough to make up for the wrongs Xiao Nannan has suffered!” Ye Fan drew his Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Sacred Spirit Sword with a ringing clang, continuing to press his demand: “Speak — where is your Sage Maiden?!”

“Puff!”

Blood splattered as he cut down several charging attackers in a single stroke, their bodies split into pieces, continuing to press: “Speak — where is your Sage Maiden?!”

At this moment, Pang Bo and the others also heard the commotion and rushed over.

“Who dares to offend our Yin-Yang Sect?!” At the same moment, someone spoke coldly, and several elders from the Dragon-Transformation Secret Realm flew over, saying in a chilling voice: “Have you all grown tired of living?”

“It is you who have grown tired of living!” Ye Fan shouted loudly, his long sword slashing toward the sky.

“What tremendous audacity — let’s see who dares to disrespect my Yin-Yang Sect!”