CHAPTER 368: CHAPTER 0365: CAME TO THE WRONG PLACE?

"Mother, your words are making me a bit nervous. Can we make this clearer?"

Lin Fan looked at Wei You, his eyes wide in confusion, his expression utterly lost.

He didn’t know why.

But it felt like these were parting words.

Yet his mother was healthy, her cultivation profound—she didn’t look like someone with a problem.

As for him, there was even less to worry about—he was as robust as an ox, capable of punching a pig to death with one blow. How could anything be wrong?

But then, he noticed something was off in his mother’s gaze.

Reluctance!

Guilt!

And more!

Wait a minute...

Just as he was blanking out for a moment, Sect Leader Bai Qiu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, forming an Immortal Seal with his hands. With a hum, the ground trembled as array patterns surfaced, and a pillar of light shot into the sky, soaring straight into the clouds.

"Mother, Sect Leader, what are you doing?!"

Lin Fan quickly sensed something was amiss. His body felt as though it was being pulled by some force.

With a thunderous roar.

The heavenly vault churned with rolling clouds, and an immense divine force descended upon them.

"Fan Er, don’t blame mother. You must go to the Immortal Realm. You cannot stay here. Don’t worry, once I’ve settled everything at the Taiwu Immortal Sect, I’ll come find you," Wei You said.

Lin Fan understood.

They were forcing him to ascend. Yet he still had so many unresolved matters. True, he had passed on Martial Arts, but once he left, things would become complicated.

The Immortal Sects wouldn’t let Martial Arts go unchallenged. In the end, how many people could truly escape their grasp?

The chances seemed slim.

Everything felt uncertain.

"Sect Leader, stop this immediately, or I’m going to beat you up!" Lin Fan shouted at Bai Qiu. Judging by his actions, there was no doubt this was Bai Qiu’s doing.

Bai Qiu replied, "It can’t be stopped now. Once it’s begun, there’s no turning back. Be obedient and go to the Immortal Realm. This place is too dangerous, not suited for you. As for you wanting to beat me up, you’ll need to properly cultivate in the Immortal Realm for that. Otherwise, I doubt you’ll have the capability."

"Just go! Don’t overthink it."

Hearing Bai Qiu’s reasoning, Lin Fan was so furious he was almost about to explode.

"Bai Qiu, you sneaky old geezer, this is just a personal grudge!"

He still had so much he hadn’t done!

Martial Arts hadn’t reached its golden age yet, and he hadn’t even gone back to the mortal world to bid farewell to Bao Liu and the others.

He hadn’t visited the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect either.

And those pretty little girls... He hadn’t teased them nearly enough yet! How could he leave like this?

But as Bai Qiu had said—

This process could no longer be stopped.

The aura in the heavens above was terrifying, so overwhelming it sent chills through everyone.

Heavenly Tribulation was brewing.

Xi Xi raised her head, gazing upward.

What’s happening?

At this moment, all the disciples of the Taiwu Immortal Sect were staring blankly into the distance. They glimpsed a familiar figure floating mid-air.

Upon closer inspection—

Wasn’t that their Brother Lin Fan?

What was going on?

Why was he getting struck by lightning?

Bai Qiu shouted, "Lin Fan, we’re doing this for your own good. You might not understand, but by spreading Martial Arts, you’ve challenged the status quo. We, as your elders, can stand by you, but others won’t. You’re threatening their control, and they won’t let you off lightly."

"Remember: Once in the Immortal Realm, don’t mention Martial Arts. If you do, you’ll die an even more miserable death."

At that moment.

Lin Fan smashed a bolt of lightning with one palm, looking helplessly at Bai Qiu. He had many things he wanted to say, but in this instant, he didn’t know where to begin.

Damn it.

To think that in the end, he would be schemed against by the Sect Leader.

But there was no avoiding it.

He already understood that this couldn’t be changed—he was destined to ascend.

"Mother, remember what I said. I can’t let go of certain people; take care of them in my stead," Lin Fan instructed.

Wei You said, "Don’t worry, Fan Er, I’ll take care of them for you."

Lin Fan sighed helplessly. "Mother, why did things have to come to this? I haven’t even decided on leaving yet. If you’d let me know earlier, I wouldn’t have said anything. Just give me a bit of time to settle things first."

Bai Qiu snorted at this.

Bullshit. More lies.

If they’d told him earlier, they probably wouldn’t even have found a shadow of him. This rascal would’ve vanished without a trace. Sending him away now, before he had time to react, was the safest way.

"Lin Fan, don’t hold a grudge against me. I’m doing this for your own good. In the Immortal Realm, stay out of trouble and don’t pick fights. There are plenty of strong people there."

"Remember, go to the Taiwu Immortal Sect in the Immortal Realm. You’ll be protected there."

Bai Qiu waved a hand. As he had expected, the Heavenly Tribulation was no threat to this kid.

Sure enough, Lin Fan was strong enough.

Especially his physique—it was indeed formidable.

"I’ll come back," Lin Fan murmured. Somewhere deep within, he had a feeling—there was a chance he could return to the cultivation world from the Immortal Realm.

It was said to be impossible.

But to him, such rumors were merely excuses of the incapable.

Bai Qiu rolled his eyes.

Always boasting.

Thinking he could return from the Immortal Realm to the cultivation world? Absolute nonsense. It was nothing but a foolish dream.

Soon after.

A graceful figure approached from the distance—it was Meng Qingyao.

In Lin Fan’s eyes, Meng Qingyao seemed even more beautiful than when they’d first met. It appeared that she had been thriving quite well.

He looked at Meng Qingyao, and she returned his gaze without much emotion.

To Meng Qingyao, she had no feelings for Lin Fan. They were connected merely by the events of the past. Yet now, seeing him about to ascend, she felt an odd twinge of emotion.

Lin Fan grinned and said, "Qingyao, remember this—you’re already mine. Don’t you dare get involved with any other men while I’m gone. If I find out, I’ll strip you naked and spank you."

Though his voice wasn’t loud, it was definitely audible enough.

At the very least, there was no problem with it spreading across the entire Taiwu Immortal Sect.

Wei You stared dumbfounded at Meng Qingyao.

Bai Qiu also froze, looking as though he had seen a ghost.

The sect disciples were equally stunned. Then someone exclaimed in shock, "Oh my god! Senior Sister Meng and Brother Lin had a thing? And judging from this, it seems like something indescribable happened between them!"

The rumor spread.

It spread like wildfire.

Completely losing her composure, Meng Qingyao yelled, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

She was utterly dumbfounded by Lin Fan’s antics, never expecting he would say such a thing at such a moment.

Lin Fan’s face beamed smugly as he glanced toward the mountain peaks. Xi Xi and the others were watching from there.

"Keep cultivating. I’ll be waiting for you in the Immortal Realm. If I find the chance, I’ll come back for all of you," he said.

With a boom!

A portal opened in the heavenly vault.

The gateway to the Immortal Realm.

Lin Fan’s body slowly floated upward until he stepped into the portal. Heavenly energy bathed his body after he overcame the tribulation, transforming him into an Immortal Body.

"Take care, Brother Lin," Xi Xi muttered to herself. As for the gossip about her senior sister and Junior Brother Lin, she paid it no mind.

"Master!"

Huang Jiujiu cried out in anguish. Just moments ago, everything had been fine. But in the blink of an eye, her revered master had vanished. The pain was intense, as though she had lost someone she cherished most.

"Damn! My Spirit Stones..."

Ye Donglai stood there, stunned, unable to process what had happened. So many of his resources had been with Lin Fan, and after all the effort he spent buttering him up, Lin Fan had ascended to the Immortal Realm. Didn’t that mean all of it was gone?

Shit.

All that effort wasted.

Gradually.

Everything returned to peace.

All signs of anomaly vanished.

"Senior Sister, it’s over. He’s gone to the Immortal Realm. Aren’t you relieved? Let’s hope he focuses on cultivating up there," Bai Qiu said.

If anyone was the most relieved, it was definitely Bai Qiu.

As Sect Leader, the pressure had been enormous. He had always had to step up whenever trouble arose.

Now the main cause of all the trouble was in the Immortal Realm.

Everything was finally safe.

Wei You’s mood sank. "Junior Brother, I don’t know if what I did was right or wrong. I just hope I didn’t make a mistake."

Bai Qiu replied, "How could it be wrong? Senior Sister, you did this to protect him. If he stayed in the cultivation world, just think to what extent things might escalate. You must know this better than anyone."

"In the short-term, we’re safeguarding him."

"In the long-term, it’s for the safety of the entire cultivation world. His strength is formidable—even the Sect Leaders of Immortal Sects might not be his match. But once a life-and-death battle occurs, the Immortal Sects will suffer heavy losses, and the Demons are ever so watchful. They’d seize the opportunity immediately. At that point, it wouldn’t just be the Immortal Sects suffering. Even mortals in the mortal world would become the Demons’ sustenance."

"Wouldn’t you agree, Senior Sister?"

If Lin Fan had heard Bai Qiu’s words,

he would’ve paused thoughtfully.

And then shouted—though something felt off, he’d have no rebuttal.

Bai Qiu was a man full of ideas, adept at reasoning and spouting logic. You couldn’t help but concede.

Wei You, craving solace, found relief in Bai Qiu’s words. He had noticed her turmoil and spoke as he did to ease her pain.

Sure enough,

Wei You felt much better after hearing him.

Not as sorrowful as before.

"Yes, perhaps this really is for the best."

...

Lin Fan walked through the passageway, discovering for the first time what the path to becoming an Immortal truly looked like. Mysterious fog enveloped his surroundings, emanating an aura of profound wonder and an unexplainable force.

Perhaps this was the force preventing Immortals from returning to the cultivation world.

A mysterious energy enveloped Lin Fan, appearing to be inspecting him. He soon realized this wasn’t searching for stowaways but rather assessing his cultivation level.

When practitioners ascended from the cultivation world, they were guided to their respective sects’ strongholds in the Immortal Realm.

Swish!

A flash of white light.

Lin Fan vanished from the passageway.

Gradually,

dazzling light made him squint; it took a moment to adjust. Excitement welled up in him as he inhaled deeply, noticing the Immortal Qi saturating the air—it was far denser than in the cultivation world.

The contrast was stark.

"Hmm, I wonder how the Taiwu Immortal Sect fares here in the Immortal Realm," he mumbled with some anticipation. As his vision cleared, he began to look around, expecting someone to appear shortly and guide him back to his sect.

But very quickly,

he felt something was off.

Looking down, he found himself standing on a round stone platform, surrounded by overgrown weeds. In the distance stood a weathered stele, vines and plants climbing all over it.

But faintly, he could still make out the words etched on it.

"Reception Point."

"What the..."

Lin Fan had a bad feeling. Was this place not too desolate?

Could it be he’d ended up in the wrong spot?