"You want to return to the Extreme Cold Land?" Lu Fan asked, somewhat confused. The Immortal Realm was about to descend into chaos, and a great war could erupt for who knew how many years. Wasn't it better to enjoy a hundred years of happiness and bliss in the mortal world? Why return to that frigid place to endure loneliness, isolation, and cold?
"Little Fan! You go back first. I'll arrange a few things, and then I'll come find you," Liu Ruyan said hastily.
"Alright then!" Lu Fan said no more. Watching Liu Ruyan and Ling'er depart, he also left Kunlun Mountain.
In the Extreme Cold Land, within an ice cave, Liu Ruyan sat cross-legged. A faint trace of primordial purple energy suddenly emanated from her body.
"Snow Lord, you've been suppressing your cultivation all along?" Ling'er exclaimed in surprise from beside her.
*Whoosh...* A majestic aura surged forth, instantly whipping up a tempest within the entire ice cave.
...
Under the cloak of night, Lu Fan quietly returned to Twelve Gully Village alone.
"Little Fan!" Wang Yan, who was in the midst of meditation and cultivation, suddenly sensed an anomaly and immediately opened her eyes. Seeing Lu Fan standing before her, she rose in surprise and delight.
"Shh... Don't wake our son!" Lu Fan immediately made a shushing gesture.
"Tsk! Son's in his grandma's bed!" Wang Yan rolled her eyes and pushed Lu Fan onto the bed.
After a night of passion until dawn, the two finally climbed out of bed, content.
"I don't believe it..." As soon as he got out of bed, Lu Fan saw Yuan Feng staring at the two with its round, innocent eyes, as if it had been too engrossed in the spectacle and hadn't quite snapped out of it.
At this moment, Yuan Feng's wings, though not yet fully developed, already hinted at its extraordinary nature. The luster of its feathers grew increasingly vibrant, and a faint halo seemed to shimmer around it.
"Not suitable for children! Go play somewhere else!" Lu Fan reached out and pushed Yuan Feng's head to the side.
"Kid! I want to go to the Undying Volcano," Yuan Feng suddenly spoke.
"Oh my god!" Wang Yan was startled, her body jolting. How could this thing talk? *Swish...* She quickly pulled the quilt over herself, thinking that if this thing could talk, it could surely see all sorts of parts too!
"Yuan Feng, you want to undergo Nirvana rebirth. You're so weak now, can you really endure it? If you can't, your soul will be extinguished. There will be no more Yuan Feng in the world," Lu Fan said calmly, looking at Yuan Feng.
"Without rebirth through fire, I will never be Yuan Feng. Rebirth through fire is a process that the Phoenix clan must undergo," Yuan Feng stated again.
"Alright then! I can take you to the Undying Volcano," Lu Fan said after some thought.
"Little Fan! Won't that be very dangerous?" Wang Yan asked worriedly from the side.
"The danger is for her, not me. I'm not undergoing rebirth through fire," Lu Fan said, pinching Wang Yan's cheek and feigning nonchalance.
"Then you must be careful too!" Wang Yan said.
...
On Penglai Immortal Island, within the Biyou Palace! Lu Fan's clone sat leisurely in the main hall, cultivating. The palace was filled with tens of thousands of rare treasures, including some precious immortal herbs, such as the ten-thousand-year blood ganoderma that the Golden Silkworm King had devoured, and also ten-thousand-year ginseng.
While others dared not touch these items, Lu Fan could use them freely! In the eyes of others, he was merely a puppet. However, only Empress Yunxiao, who had seized Jingjing's body, the Primordial Qilin who had transformed into the Heavenly Lord, and the Ancestral Dragon who occupied the body of a congenital divine general knew that this kid was not a puppet at all; he was the one controlling the puppet.
With one Heavenly Lord already causing headaches for many heavenly soldiers and generals in Biyou Palace, the sudden appearance of another divine general had even the Twelve Golden Immortals bewildered.
The Divine Race and the Demonic Race had fought a great battle in the early days of Primordial Chaos, resulting in mutual destruction. How could a divine general suddenly appear? Having suffered several losses at the hands of the Heavenly Lord before, they now dared not engage in battle lightly. This matter seemed to require the intervention of Celestial Lord Yuanshi.
This also gave Biyou Palace a chance to breathe. Lu Fan's clone took the opportunity to refine several pills using two ten-thousand-year ginsengs, helping him to improve his cultivation.
"Amitabha! Heavenly Lord! I trust you are well!" Suddenly, a voice echoed throughout the entire Biyou Palace, causing everyone on Penglai Immortal Island to turn pale with shock.
"Buddha Tathagata? Has the Buddha himself arrived?"
Almost everyone panicked. In an instant, they rushed out, ready for battle. However, the figure of Buddha Tathagata was nowhere to be seen. This caused everyone even greater alarm, as it indicated that Tathagata's divine abilities were far superior to others.
Although the Heavenly Lord had previously defeated Yun Zhongzi, Taiyi Zhenren, Guangchengzi, and Nezha, these individuals were ultimately no match for Buddha Tathagata!
Tathagata's status was far higher than theirs. He was the ancestor of Buddhism in the West, and arguably the foremost figure below Celestial Lord Yuanshi.
"Hmph! How dare you address the Heavenly Lord like that! Go back, I don't want to see you!" a furious roar erupted from within Biyou Palace.
Everyone knew that the past life of Buddha Tathagata was a disciple of the Heavenly Lord, Duobao Daoist. After the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods, the Jie Sect was destroyed, and Duobao Daoist was taken to the West. He eventually achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha, thus far surpassing the Twelve Golden Immortals, who were once on par with him. In fact, three of the Twelve Golden Immortals had even defected to Tathagata.
Tathagata dared to speak to the Heavenly Lord in such a manner because his status was now vastly different. However, being cursed by the Heavenly Lord still caused him some displeasure.
"Heavenly Lord! The Jie Sect was destroyed three thousand years ago. You are no longer the Heavenly Lord you once were. Heed my words: disband your followers, seal Biyou Palace, and cultivate peacefully. Do not harbor any vain hopes of restoring the Jie Sect, lest you invite utter destruction." Tathagata's voice echoed again.
"Hmph! Biyou Palace has always been mine, and these people were originally my disciples. They haven't taken half a step out of Penglai Immortal Island, yet you repeatedly attack Penglai Immortal Island and falsely accuse us. It's surprising you can speak so righteously. There's no point in talking to hypocrites and villains like you. If you want to fight, then fight. If you're not afraid of death, come at me."
*Rumble...* The Heavenly Lord's voice pierced the heavens, colliding with Tathagata's voice and producing rolling thunder.
"Hmph! If that's the case, then accept my palm strike." Buddha Tathagata was also angered. As his voice fell, a palm print that blotted out the sky descended, instantly plunging the world into darkness.
The people on Penglai Immortal Island were instantly terrified, their faces draining of color. This palm print was precisely the Tathagata Divine Palm, possessing world-destroying power.
"Is this all you've got? You dare to show such meager skill? As expected, you're not worthy of being my disciple," the Heavenly Lord said, raising a hand. A fist shadow shot towards the sky.
*Bang...!* With a deafening roar, the sky trembled, and the earth shook. The two imprints in the air exploded, surging outwards like a mushroom cloud.
After a long while, the clouds finally dispersed!
There was no sound in the sky. Nor was there any sound from Biyou Palace.
"Boss! Who won this fight?" someone below finally couldn't help but ask.
"If I knew, I wouldn't be me."