CHAPTER 442: CHAPTER 439: BROTHERS, RETREAT

Bam!

It worked.

Lin Fan’s heart surged with excitement. His power roamed unchecked within the old man’s body, enough to destroy all traces of vitality.

But immediately after—

Something felt off.

"Old man, you’re really going back on your word, huh?"

An astonishing force erupted from within the old man’s body, causing Lin Fan to stagger back, pulling his hand away as he stood at a distance. He looked down at his hand—it was bright red, dotted with numerous crimson spots.

Such a powerful force.

Thankfully, his robust physique—and the Martial Arts Ultimate Body—protected him. Otherwise, with an ordinary body, his palm would have been completely shattered.

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei were startled, assuming the old man was reneging on his promise.

After all, the other party was an Immortal Venerable.

Even if only a remnant will, it still retained the desire to live.

"Young friend, I must apologize," the old man said indifferently. "I’ve never experienced such a situation before, so I may have been unprepared. But no need to worry—come at me again. This time, I’m ready."

The old man’s tone was calm, though subtle changes appeared on his face.

Clearly, something extraordinary was happening in his sea of consciousness.

His remnant will sought to completely take over his mind.

But as an Immortal Venerable, if he couldn’t withstand such a clash of willpower, it would be utterly disgraceful to his station.

"Elder, you’re certain?"

If not for the fact that the other party was an Immortal Venerable, giving Lin Fan a shred of hope, he wouldn’t bother wasting time here with this old man.

He’d have long since stormed off, leaving him to his own devices. "Do whatever you want. I’m out!"

"I’m sure. Young friend, have no further doubts," the old man said calmly. But beneath his composed exterior, raging waves were already stirring. The unwavering resolve he held when he achieved his revenge was now wavering.

The remnant will sought control over his decaying body.

Lin Fan clenched his fingers tightly, merging the power of martial arts and immortal cultivation. With a loud thud, he unleashed a punch, the sound of a muffled impact reverberating.

This punch felt different from before.

Boom!

Boom!

Resonant, continuous explosions echoed from within the old man’s body.

"Good. Very good!"

The old man roared as his eyes grew increasingly clouded, though tiny flickers of light persisted, as if he had just made a groundbreaking realization.

"Young friend, your path ahead is fraught with difficulty. But if you continue, you will achieve greatness."

Boom!

The old man fell backward, his decaying body losing its strength and rapidly disintegrating. Blood and flesh disappeared, revealing a golden skeleton. The golden patterns etched onto the skeleton gradually dimmed until the remains turned to powder, blown away by the wind, scattering into the heavens and earth.

"It worked."

Lin Fan stood entirely still. He was waiting—waiting for the result from his very first kill of an Immortal Venerable.

He suspected that such an opportunity might never arise again in his lifetime.

"Brother Lin, we need to leave now," Qin Yang called out. They’d accomplished something monumental, but the destruction of the Sacred Emperor’s Land was certain to shock the entire world. Staying longer couldn’t possibly lead to anything good.

"Wait."

Lin Fan raised his hand. In such a sacred and momentous moment, he didn’t want to make a single move. The Immortal Venerable’s drop hadn’t yet appeared. This place was a geomantic treasure site, and a hasty movement could have catastrophic consequences.

Even if the sky were to collapse, he wouldn’t budge an inch.

[Acquired Spirit Root: Tao-grade Metal Spirit Root.]

[Acquired Heavenly Dao-level Divine Skill: Great Cutting Skill.]

[Acquired Spirit Root: Ninth Grade Wood Spirit Root.]

[Acquired Skill: Array Formation (Tao-level).]

The notifications ceased.

Lin Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn’t anticipated such a bountiful harvest. Initially, he figured that receiving two useful items would be more than sufficient.

But now, seeing the results—

Heaven truly was watching over him.

With all Five Elements Spirit Roots reaching the Ninth Grade, the one missing piece—Wood Spirit Root—was now complete. The Five Elements Spirit Root was flawless, culminating in the Saint Immortal Body.

Back when he was still in the cultivation world—

He knew that reaching Ninth Grade in all Five Elements Spirit Roots would form the Saint Immortal Body.

But such an existence was exceedingly rare.

Anyone in possession of this immortal physique was gifted with an unparalleled body for cultivation.

Buzz!

Suddenly—

A vortex formed above Lin Fan’s head. Immortal energy flowed wildly, pouring directly into his body.

"What’s this?"

Xiang Fei, sensing the immense magnitude of this energy, looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe that Brother Lin had made a breakthrough at such a moment.

Boom!

Heavy rumblings echoed within the Heavenly Vault.

Above them, dark purple thunderclouds gathered ominously.

"Heavenly Tribulation?"

"No way! What’s even worth triggering a tribulation here?"

Xiang Fei stared at Lin Fan in shock.

Lin Fan looked upward. He pondered briefly, soon arriving at an epiphany. Truly exceptional people tended to endure extraordinary trials—he’d long since accepted this cruel reality.

Not even Immortal Venerables had physiques like his.

This was because forging balanced Spirit Roots was immensely difficult—take the Tao-grade Metal Spirit Root that had just dropped, for instance. This was something the Immortal Venerable had comprehended from the Dao’s laws after attaining his Immortal Venerable Dao Fruit and painstakingly condensed Postnatally.

Boom!

A massive bolt of lightning crashed down, exuding a terrifying aura. It seemed as if Lin Fan himself were an unnatural being—a heretic unfit to exist in this world.

Lin Fan endured the Heavenly Tribulation head-on. The lightning cascaded over his Immortal Body, with his skin emanating glowing threads of immortal energy.

"It feels amazing."

He savored it thoroughly.

The Heavenly Tribulation posed little challenge.

His strength was undeniable.

Possessing numerous immortal physiques, he had long since transcended ordinary immortals. Even the strongest immortals couldn’t come close to matching his uniquely potent body.

For anyone else in his shoes—

They’d certainly be scared to tears.

But for Lin Fan, all this felt mundane.

Soon enough—

The lightning dissipated.

Lin Fan felt a new kind of power coursing through him—an unprecedented strength born from the transformation of his Saint Immortal Body.

"Brother Lin, just what sort of heinous, heaven-defying acts have you committed? In broad daylight, no less, to bring upon yourself random lightning bolts like this?"

Qin Yang mused, growing increasingly convinced that Brother Lin had done something outrageous—perhaps harming innocent children and earning divine wrath.

Lin Fan replied, "Quit your nonsense. Look at me—does someone as outstanding as I am seem like the type who’d suffer retribution? Now pack up and let’s get out of here."

"What do you mean?" Qin Yang asked, puzzled. "Pack up what? There doesn’t seem to be anything left to clean up here."

Lin Fan gazed at the ruins of the Sacred Emperor’s Land, now thoroughly destroyed by the aftershocks of battle. A sense of greed crept into his heart.

"Don’t you think that as the Sacred Land of the Immortal Realm, the Sacred Emperor’s Land might still hold treasures, even in this state? If we search carefully, we might make further discoveries."

A spark of interest flickered in his eyes.

Qin Yang hesitated. "Well, you might be right, but something about this feels off. Digging around ruins for treasure—how’s that any different from being scavenging beggars? Let’s just call it quits."

Yet some people couldn’t just walk away.

Before long, they started overturning stones.

Xiang Fei said nothing—he went straight to searching.

What was truly lamentable were the countless shattered corpses scattered throughout the ruins, their bloodied remains a stark testament to their tragic deaths, inflicted by the battle’s residual forces.

Strong individuals were often swept into conflicts like this—

The aftermath hit them before they even knew what happened, leaving them dead before they could understand why.

"Brother Lin, this is tough. How long will it take to find anything at this rate?"

Qin Yang whined.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d be rummaging through ruins for treasure in a Sacred Land.

"Don’t rush. Take it slow," Lin Fan said cheerfully. He was in great spirits, happy with his gains. The only regret was that the Immortal Venerable’s mana hadn’t dropped—if it had, how wonderful would that be?

He’d become the youngest Immortal Venerable in history.

Just then—

They noticed several figures approaching from the distant horizon.

They belonged to factions subordinate to the Sacred Emperor’s Land.

The commotion here had long since attracted their attention. To them, any major disturbance at the Sacred Emperor’s Land warranted immediate investigation.

But as they arrived on the scene—

And saw the barren devastation—

They were completely stunned.

This... What on earth had happened here?

Suddenly—

They spotted three figures sneaking through the ruins. One of them casually tossed aside the corpse of an elder from the Sacred Emperor’s Land, igniting a storm of fury and panic in their hearts.

"What are you doing?!" a black-haired elder shouted furiously.

His aura was formidable, his sharp gaze locking onto Lin Fan and his companions like a predatory hawk.

The so-called "three-person team of fate" abruptly halted their busywork of collecting spoils into storage rings. Seeing the newcomers arrive in vast numbers, their hearts couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Feigning composure, Lin Fan said, "Fellow cultivators, you’ve come just in time. This place was ravaged by some mysterious force, and we were just searching the area for survivors, hoping to save whomever we could. Unfortunately... this place is vast, and finding any living souls has been incredibly difficult."

Qin Yang nodded rapidly, "Yes, yes, that’s exactly it! It’s unbelievable that someone could be so cruel and ruthless to do such a thing."

"Who exactly are you?" The newly arrived cultivators weren’t fools. Their voices brimmed with fury and suspicion, their hearts filled with shock. How could the Sacred Emperor’s Land end up in such a state? Where was the Emperor? Where were all the countless powerhouses of the Sacred Land?

Lin Fan replied, "We’re just here to help."

"Whether you believe it or not, I’ll say it straight—what happened here has nothing to do with us. We simply passed through here by chance."

"Now that you’ve arrived, there’s no need for us to linger. We’ll take our leave."

Lin Fan gave a subtle signal to Qin Yang and Xiang Fei. "Let’s go, brothers—retreat."

Whoosh!

The trio fled toward the horizon.

The situation, frankly, was hard to explain.

Truly, they were dragged here to spectate the chaos. Everything had happened so suddenly—what did it have to do with them?

"You’re not going anywhere!"

The black-haired elder roared, unleashing a colossal palm that tore through the air. The destruction of the Sacred Emperor’s Land was no small matter—even if these three might not be directly responsible, they surely bore some connection.

Especially regarding the Sacred Land’s lost treasures—were they in these people’s hands?

Lin Fan felt the terrifying energy surging toward him from behind. The opponent’s cultivation was clearly extraordinary. Escaping wouldn’t be so easy.

Without hesitation—

He unleashed a divine skill.

Carrying the sharp essence of the Great Cutting Skill, a devastating force surged forth, slicing through the Void with a sound akin to paper tearing.

"Argh!"

A pained scream echoed.

Lin Fan turned his head, eyes wide. The massive palm pursuing them had been shattered, and the black-haired elder’s arm had been cleanly severed.

"This..."

Lin Fan hadn’t expected this outcome.

The elder had seemed incredibly strong.

Yet, the casual strike he’d just released had such shocking power. Could the Heavenly Dao-level Great Cutting Skill really be so terrifying?

"Interesting. So it turns out I’m quite powerful as well."

But thinking this, the situation was still unfavorable. He had no intention of engaging further—better to leave this place and plan later.