Villagers rushed over to remind Lu Fan that something big had happened at home, but Lu Fan simply smiled faintly and walked towards his villa with Yuan Feng.
Inside the villa, everything was as usual, with no visible changes. The Lu family members did not appear. However, a crowd had gathered outside the courtyard. Some were clearly from other villages, and Lu Fan didn't recognize them.
Seeing Lu Fan return with a stunning beauty, the onlookers, whether out of fear or awe, involuntarily parted to make way for him to open the main gate and enter the courtyard.
The moment Lu Fan stepped into the courtyard, he frowned slightly. His gaze lingered on the small house in the distance for a moment before he turned and entered the main building.
Inside the room, Zhao Rongrong and Lu Changfu were watching cartoons with their grandson, while Wang Yan was tidying up. Everything seemed natural, as if nothing had happened. Yet, a murderous intent was clearly rising on Lu Fan's face.
"Xiao Fan! You're back!" Wang Yan said softly, then continued wiping the table.
"I hate it the most when people harm my family. No matter the reason, or whether they succeeded in causing harm, I will make them die a terrible death!" Lu Fan suddenly said coldly.
"Heh heh heh! If you want them to be safe, you'd best behave yourself." Suddenly, a voice like a ghost's echoed through the air.
"What kind of skill is it to play hide-and-seek? Come out and let me see what kind of creature you are!" Lu Fan roared.
*Swish...* Suddenly, a person instantly appeared before Lu Fan and Yuan Feng.
It was a short figure, barely over a meter tall, with a chiseled face and sparse hair on his head. He had a hooked nose, a cherry-like mouth that curled upwards, and narrow, small ears. Most importantly, his eyes darted around like bearings in a machine.
"Holy crap! What kind of monster have you become?" Lu Fan exclaimed, taking a step back in surprise.
"What I am is none of your business. Right now, I only want you to obey me, and I'll kill you bit by bit! If you don't obey, I'll kill them bit by bit. You choose! Heh heh heh!" The figure on the opposite side let out a ghostly laugh, looking at Lu Fan triumphantly, as if victory was already in his grasp.
"I don't care what you are. I'm giving you a chance now. Release my family and get out of here. I'll spare your life. I'll give you only three seconds. After three seconds..." Lu Fan's lips curled into a cold smile. Before he could finish speaking, the Golden Silkworm Gu worm crawled out from his clothes.
*Buzz buzz...* The Golden Silkworm Gu worm's wings vibrated, and a sound wave immediately spread outwards. The people in the room seemed to be jolted awake by a sudden sound, and they all snapped back to their senses.
"Xiao Fan..."
"Xiao Fan..."
"Dad..."
They all cried out in surprise almost simultaneously. For they had all seen the ghastly figure and were startled.
"A mere Gu worm dares to ruin my plans. I'll kill you first!"
*Swish...* Suddenly, a thin, long tongue shot out from the cherry-like mouth. The tongue directly whipped towards the Golden Silkworm Gu worm, and *slap!* it landed precisely on the Gu worm.
*Whoosh...* The tongue retracted. Fortunately, the Golden Silkworm Gu worm was not large, and the creature's mouth managed to swallow it whole. If the Golden Silkworm Gu worm had been even slightly larger, it would likely have ended up as sauce for noodles, left outside.
"Hmph! Lu Fan, don't think you can escape just because you broke my illusion technique. I will devour you just like I devoured your Gu worm!" the monster shouted arrogantly.
"Tsk! Want to devour me? Let's see if you haven't already become someone else's meal!" Lu Fan said with a cold smile.
"Ah... ah...!" As soon as Lu Fan finished speaking, the creature suddenly clutched its stomach and cried out in agony.
"Since you have such a wicked heart, now you know what it feels like to have your heart, liver, and lungs eaten! Hmph! You don't deserve to have a heart, liver, or lungs!" Lu Fan said coldly.
"Ah... ah...? ...?..." After a few cries, the monstrous fellow could no longer make a sound. It suddenly curled up on the ground, transforming into an anteater, and died.
"Damn it! It was this thing!" Lu Fan walked over and kicked it. A demonic beast dared to cause trouble in his home!
"Wang Yan, how did you get affected?" Lu Fan glared at Wang Yan. She wasn't an ordinary person, so how could she be so easily tricked?
"Don't mention it. He came with you... and used an illusion technique. I thought you had arranged it, so I was careless!" Wang Yan said, blushing.
"You have to be more careful next time." Lu Fan didn't say much. After all, he had asked the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes to search for his clones for him. This guy had tracked his clone and shown no hostility towards him, so Wang Yan naturally treated him as someone helping him, like the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin.
"Golden Phoenix sister, I want you to play with me!"
"Golden Phoenix! You're back!"
At this moment, Zhao Rongrong, Lu Changfu, and Lu Chenglong, who had been unable to interject, went over to Yuan Feng to greet her.
"Chenglong! Don't be a nuisance!" Lu Fan reprimanded from the side. Yuan Feng was already working hard to help him find his clones. He didn't want Lu Chenglong to pester Yuan Feng to take him flying.
Dragons, Phoenixes, and Qilins were all spiritual beasts among divine beasts. They weren't meant to be casually ridden like horses! Spiritual beasts, even if they became mounts, could not be insulted!
"Uh..." Lu Chenglong stuck out his tongue at Lu Fan and ran off to play elsewhere.
Lu Fan exchanged a few brief words with his family, then picked up the anteater's corpse and walked out. With a forceful swing, he tossed the anteater's corpse outside the courtyard.
"Hey! Is this the thing you guys saw?" Lu Fan shouted.
*Whoosh...* Instantly, all the people outside the courtyard crowded around.
Lu Fan, however, turned and walked towards the small house where the spiritual liquid was being made.
Inside the small house at this moment, a person identical to Lu Fan was sitting cross-legged on the ground, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy. This was a powerful clone evolved from the fusion of more than a dozen clones.
The moment Lu Fan entered, the clone immediately stood up. The two quickly merged together.
*Whoosh...* Lu Fan felt invigorated. He calculated that he had now merged thirty-six clones, and his strength had reached the Void Comprehension realm. If he could gather seventy-two, he could enter the Immortal realm. The more clones he could merge, the higher his realm would become. However, it would still take some time to cultivate to his previous level, as not all of his primordial spirit clones could be recovered.