At that moment.
The voice of the ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect echoed, "Everyone listen, Zhang Yuan and his son dared to offend the might of a fellow Daoist Ling. They deserved to die. Qingjianzi, open the treasury and let fellow Daoist Ling take whatever treasures he desires. Do not be stingy, understand? From now on, everyone in the Qingcheng Sect, upon meeting fellow Daoist Ling, must show even greater respect than you show me. Those who disobey will be killed without mercy!"
The ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect's voice, which brooked no defiance, resounded.
Everyone was instantly struck as if by lightning.
They were dumbfounded.
Lan Gu was also stunned, her cherry-like lips parted, and she couldn't close them for a long time.
She had never imagined that the person she had casually saved would be so powerful that even the ancestor of their Qingcheng Sect had to bow down and submit!
Soon.
Ling Fan obtained what he desired from the Qingcheng Sect.
Although he had not gathered all the materials for the Emperor Pill, the auxiliary materials were mostly complete. Only a few main ingredients were missing. According to the ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect, within the eighty billion li of the Hanshan mountain range, there was an ancient city called Hanshan City. This was the center of the entire Hanshan mountain range, and it should be possible to find all the materials for refining this Emperor Pill there.
"Lan Gu, what are you spacing out about?"
Ling Fan tapped Lan Gu's head.
The latter had not yet recovered from the shock of the previous moment and suddenly exclaimed in a flustered manner, her face turning completely red, appearing somewhat reserved.
"Senior!"
"Be my guide and take me to Hanshan City," Ling Fan said.
"You performed well in protecting me just now, this is your reward." Ling Fan casually reached out, and a massive spiritual脉, hundreds of thousands of feet long, was pulled from deep within the Qingcheng Sect. This was a third-tier spiritual脉. In the Lower Realm, it would be comparable to the entire Nine Splendor Realm's Origin Sacred River. Yet, in the Central Heavenly Realm, an insignificant small sect could occupy such a spiritual脉 as its foundation.
Ling Fan extracted nearly a tenth of the spiritual脉's power and infused it into Lan Gu's body.
Instantly, Lan Gu's aura surged, breaking through from the eighth stage of the Manifestation Realm to the ninth stage, the level of a Saint King, almost reaching the threshold of the Emperor Realm before stopping.
"Thank you, Senior!"
The realm she had dreamed of was so easily achieved by Ling Fan. Lan Gu was so excited she couldn't speak, and she felt that Ling Fan's abilities were truly astonishing, inspiring in her a reverence as high as a towering mountain.
As for the other powerful figures of the Qingcheng Sect, their hearts were bleeding at this moment.
Even in the entire Hanshan mountain range, third-tier spiritual脉 were not abundant. Their Qingcheng Sect had only this one precious treasure, which was meant to supply the cultivation of over a million Qingcheng Sect disciples. Now, a tenth of it had been extracted and sealed within Lan Gu's body, causing them immense heartache.
After Ling Fan left with Lan Gu.
The entire Qingcheng Sect erupted. The powerful figures of the Qingcheng Sect gritted their teeth and cursed, looking as if they wished to tear Ling Fan into a thousand pieces.
"Our Qingcheng Sect is, after all, one of the great sects in the Hanshan mountain range. When have we ever suffered such a loss? This revenge must be exacted!"
"Let's contact the other great sects and bring this madman who is causing chaos in Hanshan to justice!"
"Yes, we must not let him off lightly."
"Silence!" At this moment, Qingjianzi, the Sect Master of the Qingcheng Sect, who had been silent, spoke.
"Do you think I don't know? You were plotting the same thing as Zhang Yuan and his son, and you almost brought disaster upon yourselves! Didn't you see how wary the ancestor is of this person? How dare you make suggestions here? Are you tired of living? Truly a bunch of fools."
Qingjianzi's long-suppressed rage was unleashed at this moment, and he berated everyone, making the high-ranking powerful figures of the Qingcheng Sect tremble in fear.
"Qingjianzi, stop scolding them. Even I misjudged this person's strength." The voice of the ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect emerged.
"Ancestor, what exactly is this person's strength? Although I have only been an Emperor for less than a hundred years, I consider my cultivation progress to be not slow, and I am considered a strong individual among first-tier Great Emperors. However, when facing this person, I always feel that his strength is unfathomable," the Sect Master of the Qingcheng Sect, Qingjianzi, asked respectfully.
"Your feeling is correct. This person has hidden a terrifying strength, likely not weaker than mine. Moreover, you must know that this is even with his Dao injuries. His physical body is too terrifying. If he were at his peak, he would likely possess the strength of a second-tier Great Emperor, and his physical body might even rival that of a third-tier Great Emperor. Otherwise, he absolutely could not withstand such Dao injuries. That is why I warned you earlier not to offend this person!"
"What! Second-tier Great Emperor!" Qingjianzi exclaimed.
The nine tiers of the Emperor Realm.
Each small step represented a vast difference, even greater than the gap between a Saint King and a Great Emperor. If this person truly possessed the strength of a second-tier Great Emperor at his peak, then he would be too terrifying, capable of sweeping through the entire Hanshan region.
Thinking of this, Qingjianzi broke out in a cold sweat,庆幸 he had managed to restrain himself from acting out earlier.
"Ancestor, what exactly is this person's origin? How can such a powerful being appear in the Hanshan region inexplicably!" some high-ranking officials of the Qingcheng Sect asked, puzzled.
"Do not ask, do not speak! We will act as if this person never came to our Qingcheng Sect. We must absolutely avoid any karma with him. This person is now heading to Hanshan City, and given his style, he will likely cause tremendous upheaval in Hanshan City again. If we can avoid involvement, we must not intervene, and certainly do not think about getting involved, understand?"
"Yes!"
...
"The entire Hanshan City is built upon a powerful second-tier spiritual脉, making it the most spiritually rich treasure land in the entire Hanshan region. Therefore, those who can secure a foothold in Hanshan City are the top forces in the entire Hanshan region, such as Shangbao Tower, Ancient God Sect, Jin Clan, Danling Hall, and so on. These forces are all presided over by peak first-tier Great Emperors. If our ancestor were not still alive, our Qingcheng Sect would be inferior to these forces. However, now that our ancestor is still alive, we do not need to fear them too much."
"Senior Ling, if you wish to purchase materials for the Emperor Pill, it is best to visit Danling Hall. The Pill Spirit Master of Danling Hall is the most renowned Emperor-level alchemist in Hanshan City. He has a vast collection of alchemical materials and should be your best hope. If even Danling Hall cannot gather them, then you can only try your luck at Shangbao Tower. The楼主 of this Shangbao Tower is extremely resourceful and has many connections, often holding various grand auctions. If there is any place most likely to obtain the rare Ten Thousand Emperor Blood Fruit, it would undoubtedly be Shangbao Tower."
"Also, Senior Ling, Hanshan City is not like other places. With your strength, you may not fear forces like Shangbao Tower, Ancient God Sect, or Danling Hall, but there is one person you absolutely must not offend. Offending this person would make it impossible to move freely even in the Heavenly Realm."