Ling Fan did not speak, and the crowd of powerful figures and geniuses were neither able to leave nor stay, feeling extremely awkward.
Those who had previously mocked and ridiculed Ling Fan were particularly uneasy.
Ling Fan paid them no mind.
He looked at Ji Hong, lost in thought.
After a while, Ling Fan said to Ji Hong, "You don't need to follow anymore. Your opportunity lies here!"
Everyone was stunned.
What opportunity was there in a place like this?
There was nothing but sand and a group of ferocious and terrifying puppet sand beasts.
As everyone was wondering, Ji Hong understood Ling Fan's intention and bowed deeply to him.
Ling Fan nodded and said, "I will modify the puppet formation to limit the strength of these puppets to not much greater than yours. As you grow stronger, they will also strengthen accordingly. Then you will spar with these puppets here to temper yourself."
"Also, I need to remind you that if you cannot break through your own limits, you will truly be killed by them."
Ling Fan finished speaking, and everyone was shocked. Their gazes towards Ji Hong were filled with sympathy.
To fight against immortal monsters continuously, with the slightest carelessness leading to death, was simply inhumane.
Was Ling Fan's heart made of iron? How cruel!
Liang Hutou also exclaimed, "Master, won't you leave any protective measures for Ji Hong? This kid is indeed clumsy with words and stubborn, but he doesn't deserve to die."
Liang Hutou thought Ling Fan disliked Ji Hong and wanted to kill him.
Ling Fan looked at Liang Hutou strangely and said, "What are you thinking? Do you think I want to kill him deliberately? The cultivation technique I am passing to him is meant to temper himself at the true brink of life and death. One must go mad to achieve greatness, do you understand?"
Liang Hutou quickly nodded, but he still broke out in a cold sweat for Ji Hong.
Master is too ruthless!
This is to train Ji Hong to death.
However, if Ji Hong can endure it, his strength will likely undergo a qualitative leap!
"Are you still not leaving? Do you also want to spar with the puppets like Ji Hong? If not, then scram."
Ling Fan swept his gaze over those powerful figures.
"Uh, we're leaving. We're leaving now. We won't cause trouble for Young Master Ling!"
"Quick, let's go!"
The crowd of powerful figures felt as if they had been granted a great pardon and quickly departed.
Soon, only Ling Fan, Liang Hutou, Liu Xiran, and Ji Hong remained.
Ji Hong let out a low roar and charged towards the puppet sand beasts.
Boom!
A sand beast, four to five meters tall and resembling a ferocious tiger, collided fiercely with Ji Hong. A powerful wave of energy instantly swept the surroundings, creating visible ripples of force.
This was a puppet comparable to the peak of the early Xuan Gang realm.
The qi and blood on Ji Hong's arm shone with a precious light. With a single punch, he blasted off one of the puppet's claws, turning it into dust. However, he himself was also sent flying back into the yellow sand.
"Fight!"
Ji Hong's body shot out from the yellow sand, fiercely wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and he charged forward again fearlessly.
His fighting spirit continuously surged, and his strength grew exponentially.
Furthermore, the Devouring ability of the War Demon Golden Body allowed him to continuously absorb spiritual energy, repair himself, and replenish himself.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The ferocious tiger sand beast's body was repeatedly blasted into yellow sand by Ji Hong, while Ji Hong was also left covered in wounds by the sand beast's claws.
Boom!
Finally, Ji Hong, like a human-shaped tyrannosaur, punched through the sand beast's body with immense force...
But at the same time, two more powerful sand beasts surrounded him!
...
Liang Hutou watched, secretly gasping.
This was simply a trial from hell!
"Let's go too."
Ling Fan said calmly.
The three of them continued their journey deeper into the ruins.
...
Ahead.
The powerful figures from various major forces ran for about ten miles before they finally slowed down with a sense of relief.
Someone said resentfully, "This Ling Fan is truly detestable! How dare he yell and order us around! Who does he think he is? He's just a good-for-nothing with some talent in formations. If it were any other time, I would have slapped him to death!"
The speaker was clearly furious.
He completely forgot the life-saving grace Ling Fan had shown them.
Others also nodded with displeasure, "Indeed! Seeing him act so arrogant is truly annoying."
Xiong Kuang, eager for Ling Fan to become an enemy of everyone, immediately added fuel to the fire, "Well said. This person is arrogant and by no means a good person. Our Star Sand City Lord's Mansion has suffered greatly from him."
"In the upcoming ruins, we must not let him obtain any more treasures or opportunities. Otherwise, please consider this: if he is this arrogant now, once he masters even greater power, won't his tail be stuck in the sky? Will we all have to bow down to him then!"
"In my opinion, we must find an opportunity to eliminate this person to prevent future trouble!"
The elder from Misty Cloud Mountain nodded, "What you said makes sense. Ling Fan possesses such terrifying attainments in formations. Although he is a good-for-nothing who doesn't understand martial arts, he is like a fish in water within the great formation of these ruins. As long as he is here, we probably won't get any of the opportunities and treasures in the ruins!"
A killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Among the major forces present, Ling Fan posed the greatest threat to their Misty Cloud Mountain!
He was still so young. If he were to gain prominence in the future, the leader in the path of formations in the Tian Chu Province would likely no longer be their Misty Cloud Mountain, but Ling Fan!
As a high-ranking member of Misty Cloud Mountain, he absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen.
Luo Qi felt the same.
His eyes flickered with envy and hatred.
He had grown up under the spotlight of being a formation genius, and his path had been smooth sailing. He had never suffered such a heavy blow and humiliation as he did today.
Every time he thought of Ling Fan saying he knew nothing about formations, it felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
As long as Ling Fan was alive, his Dao heart would be obstructed.
The words of the Misty Cloud Mountain elder reminded all the powerful figures and geniuses.
Although many powerful figures did not express their opinions, their exchanged glances showed a tacit understanding.
Ling Fan had now become a threat to everyone.
They walked a bit further.
Suddenly, a huge sand dune blocked their path.
And on top of the sand dune, half-human-tall plants swayed with a faint clear radiance. At the top of the plants grew golden, clear fruits the size of fists!
"This is... Golden Fruit!"
Everyone was instantly overjoyed, their eyes revealing undisguised, intense greed as they looked at the Golden Fruits.
Golden Fruit was a special heavenly material and earthly treasure unique to the Star Sand Lake ruins. It contained an unimaginable abundance of spiritual energy and could rapidly enhance a martial artist's cultivation.
However, in every previous opening of the ruins, only a handful of Golden Fruits appeared.