He said to Lu Wei, "If your sister hadn't stepped in today, I would have been in a bit of trouble. Thank you."
Lu Rui frowned slightly.
She felt Ling Fan's tone was rather boastful.
It sounded as if he could have resolved the trouble with Kong Yu himself without her sister's intervention.
Lu Wei saw her sister's displeased expression and quickly said, "Fan Lin, you must not be careless. You've offended Gao Yun and Kong Yu, and your status as a true disciple might not even protect you! I asked my sister to call you over because I wanted her to help you leave Qing Xuan Sect, leave Jin Zhou! So you wouldn't fall victim to Gao Yun and Kong Yu's schemes."
"My sister has just accepted a sect mission to a place on the border of Jin Zhou. You can pretend to join this mission, and under my sister's protection, seize the opportunity to flee and leave the sphere of influence of Qing Xuan Sect. That way, you won't have to worry about Gao Yun and Kong Yu's revenge."
"What mission?"
Ling Fan asked with interest.
"Exploring a dragon clan ruin."
Lu Rui said indifferently.
"Specifically, what level of dragon clan expert left this ruin? Xuan Long Emperor, Tian Long Emperor?" Ling Fan continued to press.
Lu Rui said, "You don't need to ask so much. I agreed to let you join this mission only at my sister's request, to help you leave Jin Zhou. With your strength as a fourth-tier Xuan Emperor, you are not qualified to participate in ruins of this caliber."
Ling Fan shrugged noncommittally and asked with a smile, "When do we depart?"
"In three days."
"Alright, I'll come find you in three days." Ling Fan stood up, preparing to leave.
"Wait!"
Long Xuan, who hadn't had a chance to speak, said, "Senior Sister Lu Rui, may I also go with you? I have also offended Gao Yun and Kong Yu, and I wish to leave Jin Zhou with Brother Fan Lin."
"You may."
Lu Rui nodded.
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
...
Leaving Lu Rui's cave dwelling.
Ling Fan looked at Long Xuan with a half-smile and said, "You went to great lengths to enter Qing Xuan Sect, you wouldn't just leave like this, would you?"
Long Xuan winked and said, "Brother Fan, isn't it the same for you?"
"Then I'll see you in three days."
Ling Fan said no more.
He returned to his cave dwelling's cultivation room, continuing to absorb the Heavenly Vein spiritual energy, both to break through to fifth-tier Xuan Emperor and to enhance his Nirvana Tribulation Body.
...
Three days later.
In front of Lu Rui's cave dwelling.
Lu Rui, clad in silver female battle armor, looked heroic and graceful, her stunning figure on full display, making Long Xuan's eyes widen.
"It's over, I've fallen!"
Long Xuan declared.
Ling Fan nudged him with his elbow, a wry smile on his face. "Stop being infatuated. Talk about it after you can defeat her."
Long Xuan chuckled.
Shamelessly, he approached Lu Rui and said, "Senior Sister! Is it just the three of us?"
"There are others."
Lu Rui said coldly.
Not long after.
Three powerful auras, almost on par with Lu Rui's, descended.
Two men and one woman appeared.
"Junior Sister Lu Rui, why are there more people? Didn't we four accept this mission together?"
A man with an imposing aura said.
This man was Yuan Hongsheng. Among the many true disciples of Qing Xuan Sect, his strength and status were no less than Kong Yu's, and he was a strong contender for the next seed disciple.
"These two are just accompanying me and will not participate in this mission."
Lu Rui explained indifferently.
"I hope so. I don't want to be held back by two weaklings." Yuan Hongsheng said, then tore through the void to travel.
The other man and woman were also very aloof.
They followed Yuan Hongsheng, departing.
Damn it!
Long Xuan felt indignant.
If not for this person's overwhelming power and oppressive aura, Long Xuan would have jumped up and slapped him.
"If it weren't for Senior Sister Lu Rui, I would have definitely taught him a lesson. Do you believe me, Brother Fan?"
"I believe you."
Ling Fan nodded.
"Good brother!" Long Xuan patted Ling Fan's shoulder with great emotion.
"This person's strength is no less than Kong Yu's, and he is a prodigy who can break through to sixth-tier Xuan Emperor at any time. You two should gauge your own strength and try not to provoke him."
Lu Rui poured cold water on them without hesitation.
Long Xuan awkwardly scratched his head.
"Let's go."
Lu Rui led the two of them and tore through the void, disappearing from Qing Xuan Sect.
...
Northern Jin Zhou.
On the vast, boundless land, in the long river of time, countless treasures, ruins, and ancient secrets were buried.
Above a vast desert that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The void tore open.
A stream of young figures emerged.
It was Yuan Hongsheng, Mo Fei, Mei Zhenzhen, and two other dominant genius true disciples of Qing Xuan Sect, along with Lu Rui, Ling Fan, and Long Xuan, a total of six people.
Yuan Hongsheng looked at the ground below, riddled with holes, like a desolate battlefield left behind by a war between gods and demons. He nodded and said, "This is it. The underground Dragon Cave ruins are within this desert forbidden zone."
"Junior Sister Lu Rui, this time, among the five great royal sects of Jin Zhou, besides our Qing Xuan Sect, Tian Yi Sect, Ye Mo Mountain, Xiao Yao Sect, and Ling Hai Sect have all dispatched powerful true disciples. Furthermore, it is said that Dragon Emperor experts from the Heavenly Dragon Realm have secretly infiltrated Jin Zhou to seize the treasures within these dragon clan ruins. We must also remain vigilant. Now that time is of the essence, we need to find the true entrance to the underground Dragon Cave as soon as possible."
Yuan Hongsheng said to Lu Rui.
His gaze did not even fall upon Ling Fan and Long Xuan, treating them as if they were air.
Lu Rui nodded.
"If we continue north, we will leave Jin Zhou. I have been paying attention along the way, and no one is following us. You two can leave Jin Zhou from here."
Lu Rui said to Ling Fan and Long Xuan.
Ling Fan and Long Xuan exchanged glances. Long Xuan was reluctant to leave. Ling Fan chuckled and said, "Since the beautiful Lu has issued a farewell order, we two shall not disturb you any further. Let's go, Brother Long Xuan."
Saying this, Ling Fan directly pulled Long Xuan away.
"Hmph, these two are clinging to us, all they want is to tag along and gain some benefits. They don't even consider if they are worthy with their strength. Ants like them entering the underground Dragon Cave will only lead to their deaths."
Yuan Hongsheng snorted disdainfully.
After speaking, his powerful divine sense spread out, covering the vast space of millions of miles, and he began searching for the true Dragon Cave entrance among the countless caves below.
Not long after.
Sharp light erupted from his eyes, looking in one direction.
He said, "The people from Tian Yi Sect have already found a Dragon Cave entrance first, and they are waiting for the Dragon Cave to open! Let's hurry over. We must not fall behind them, or we won't get any share."
...
On the other side.
Ling Fan and Long Xuan stood in the void.
Long Xuan looked at Ling Fan and said, "Brother Fan Lin, are you really planning to leave Qing Xuan Sect and Jin Zhou like this? This doesn't seem like your style!"
"I never said I was leaving. It's all Lu Rui's assumption."
Ling Fan chuckled.
"It's not my style to have treasures in front of me and not take them. Brother Long Xuan, you don't plan to leave either, do you?"
"Naturally! Don't forget my nickname, 'Coiling Dragon Hand'! Outside, I may not be able to defeat these dominant geniuses, but in a place like dragon clan ruins, I might not be much weaker than them!"
Long Xuan said with full confidence.
Ling Fan smiled and said, "Let's talk about it after we enter the Dragon Cave."
"Brother Fan, you really don't believe me! Just you wait and see, I'll show you that Long Xuan isn't just a name for nothing."
As the words fell.
Long Xuan's bloodline roared within him, and powerful dragon qi surged out, transforming into billions of true dragons soaring. With a mere thought, these billions of true dragons rapidly merged into the void, spreading out in all directions.
Ling Fan was not in a hurry.
He waited patiently.
Suddenly.
Long Xuan looked down sharply in one direction, reached out, and a thick stream of dragon qi surged out from a cave below, returning to his arm.
"Brother Fan, I've found a hidden entrance! Come with me quickly, we might be able to get there first."
Long Xuan said excitedly.