Chapter 44

Ximen Shuai heard the commotion and turned around, only to realize something was amiss. Lin Fan glared at him: "Quickly release the Inverted Heaven and Earth禁, I’m going to hang this woman on the city gate for two days." It really hurts, after the禁, I completely regained the pain sensation of an ordinary person. Lin Fan said, "Turn around, let’s go to Xizhou."

"Yes, Young Master." Ximen Shuai couldn’t help but laugh and cry, but leaving the Zhen Tian Pass and the demonic sect’s magical array was a good thing. Ximen Shuai pretended to be foolish, turned the carriage, and headed towards Xizhou. When they reached the checkpoint to enter Xizhou, two disciples of the demonic sect stood on either side. A soldier came forward to ask questions and then check the portrait.

The scholar clung to Lin Fan like a lover, and Lin Fan, with a forced smile, used his left hand to hug the scholar, then reached for his chest, preparing to pinch him hard... At this moment, an unusual sensation struck Lin Fan’s three souls and seven spirits, making his body feel light and his hand bounce back as if electrocuted...

"Let’s go." The soldier said.

Ximen Shuai, unaware of what had happened behind him, drove the carriage away from Zhen Tian Pass and entered Xizhou.

As soon as they left Zhen Tian Pass, the scholar’s face turned red, and he grabbed Lin Fan’s neck with his left hand, pressing him against the carriage. With his right hand, he raised a dagger in anger: "You want to die, don’t you? How dare you touch me inappropriately."

Ximen Shuai remained calm, inwardly amazed. He didn’t expect Lin Fan to take advantage of the situation and flirt with the girl. It’s about time, we should be out of the magical array’s range, and the Inverted Heaven and Earth禁 can be released.

Lin Fan’s face was flushed, and he shook his head in protest: "I don’t know, I didn’t touch anything, what did I touch just now... I didn’t do anything." He was completely incoherent.

"Shut up." The scholar released Lin Fan, threw a gold ingot into the carriage, and then jumped off.

Ximen Shuai looked at Lin Fan: "What did you do?"

Lin Fan’s mind was still blank: "It’s hard to say, it felt pretty good."

Ximen Shuai was about to ask more when a voice came: "Feixue, if you’re done playing, come back."

The scholar was about to leave the main road and take a side path, but upon hearing the voice, he stopped: "Uncle Nangong?"

As he spoke, the old man of the demonic sect landed five zhang in front of the carriage, facing the scholar Feixue: "Yes."

Feixue shook his head: "Uncle Nangong, I won’t return to the demonic sect."

Nangong, the protector, said: "Born in the demonic sect, die as a demonic ghost. The palace master, your father, is very worried about you."

Feixue sneered: "Hmph, my father? Is my sister not his daughter? Ten years in the ice prison, how is he a father?"

"Your sister consorted with an evil person, ten years is already a pardon from the Demon Lord."

"That person saved my sister, doesn’t the demonic sect have a principle of repaying kindness? Wasn’t it normal for my sister to release him?"

Nangong, the protector, said: "Because of extenuating circumstances, it was only ten years in the ice prison. Otherwise, it would have been immediate execution."

Ximen Shuai leaned close to Lin Fan and whispered: "Nangong Wuheng, the left protector of the Upper Nine Palace’s Reversing Heaven Palace. The palace master of Reversing Heaven Palace is Shangguan Qiu. This should be his younger daughter, Shangguan Feixue. Her sister is Shangguan Feiyan, they are twins. I heard Shangguan Feiyan is quiet and has the demeanor of a noble lady, but Shangguan Feixue is mischievous and daring."

Lin Fan whispered: "Strange, shouldn’t they have put us to sleep first before talking?"

"Yes... Not good." Ximen Shuai looked at his palm; the禁 word had disappeared, the time had passed.

Nangong Wuheng and Shangguan Feixue turned to look over. Lin Fan asked: "Can we pretend to be asleep now?"

"Sleep your head off, run." Ximen Shuai threw off his hood, took out the Zi Wu Qiankun Ring, and knowing Nangong Wuheng’s abilities, he used his ultimate move: "Zi Wu Qiankun Chaos!"

Almost instantly, the sky was filled with flying Qiankun Rings for five li. Nangong Wuheng shouted, his true qi surged, and a massive shockwave blew the carriage away, preventing the Qiankun Rings from getting within three zhang of him.

So powerful? Ximen Shuai turned and ran, then looked for Lin Fan... Where did he go? Damn, he ran too fast? Nangong Wuheng is the third strongest in the demonic sect, even stronger than the palace master Shangguan Qiu. There’s no way to win. As for whether they can escape...

Nangong Wuheng saw Ximen Shuai, paused, and stopped his attack, watching Ximen Shuai flee without pursuing. Nangong Wuheng sighed. He was the disciple of the former Demon Lord and a fellow disciple with Ximen Shuai. How could he make things difficult for his junior? Moreover, the Demon Lord had a secret order not to harm or harass Ximen Shuai, so he didn’t take action.

As for the other person... it seemed he used the Yunqing Sect’s unique technique: the Heaven Shrinking and Earth Compressing Spell. The Heaven Shrinking and Earth Compressing Spell is a spell that uses true qi to reduce a ten-li distance to one li within a certain time. The faster the true qi circulates, the better the effect. However, this young man was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and such a consumption of true qi would not allow him to run far.

Nangong Wuheng said: "Feixue, come back."

"I won’t go back." Shangguan Feixue shook her head: "At least for ten years, I won’t go back. I don’t want to see my sister suffer in the ice prison." As she spoke, she looked in the direction the two had fled, very curious about who they were and why Uncle Nangong didn’t chase them.

"The palace master has ordered it, so I have no choice but to use force."

At this moment, a disciple of the demonic sect rushed over, a disciple of the Xunlong Palace, skilled in gathering intelligence and flying at incredible speeds, responsible for reporting matters. The disciple landed and said: "By the order of the Demon Lord, Shangguan Feixue is to go out and train for ten years, during which she must not violate the demonic sect’s rules."

Shangguan Feixue was delighted: "So I can go wherever I want?"

The disciple replied: "Yes."

"Very well." Nangong Wuheng nodded: "Feixue, remember, stay away from evil people, don’t have any ties with them. The battle between the demonic and the righteous has never ceased, they are mortal enemies."

"Feixue understands, thank you, Uncle Nangong, and thank the Demon Lord on my behalf. I’m leaving." Shangguan Feixue left like a bird out of a cage.

...

Lin Fan lay motionless on the field ridge. Nangong Wuheng hadn’t been wrong; Lin Fan had burned his true qi, forcefully using the Heaven Shrinking and Earth Compressing Spell, combined with earth遁, to escape at high speed. The Heaven Shrinking and Earth Compressing Spell can only be easily used by those at the Golden Core stage, making it very difficult for Lin Fan.

He didn’t know where he had run to. Although Nangong Wuheng didn’t attack, the display of power left Lin Fan in awe. Using only protective true qi, he could repel Ximen Shuai’s Zi Wu Qiankun Ring. This was true protective true qi, while Lin Fan’s could only keep him dry in the rain. Even if Nangong Wuheng hadn’t transcended the Lesser Heaven Tribulation, he was likely already at the perfected stage of the Nascent Soul.

Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul—each has early, middle, and late stages, and perfection is a bottleneck. Only by breaking through this bottleneck can one complete a stage. Cultivation level doesn’t affect intelligence or thinking speed. To put it simply, at the Foundation Establishment stage, one can only lift a small stone to hit someone, while at the Golden Core stage, one can lift a large stone. However, if the Foundation Establishment stage uses a stone and the Golden Core stage uses cotton, the Foundation Establishment stage will win. The Golden Core stage doesn’t have a greater ability to comprehend, but it does affect the body’s structure, which in turn affects health and lifespan.