CHAPTER 568: CHAPTER 560: THE PLACE OF CULTIVATION

Lin Fan concealed his identity to gather information. With his average appearance, those who might recognize him would only be a few old Immortals at best.

Of course.

He wasn’t the least bit afraid. Even if someone discovered him, what then? At most, it’d just turn into a brutal fight—a fight he wasn’t about to back down from.

He visited several cities, always keeping a low profile while entering and leaving quietly.

Sure enough, the rumors had already spread.

His legend was circulating among the Immortals—that someone was cultivating the forbidden Martial Arts System of the Immortal Realm. That alone made him an enemy of everyone here, and most Immortals seemed to agree with this perspective.

Such a person ought to be slain, they said—his existence disrupts their own path of cultivation.

To all this chatter, Lin Fan remained utterly unaffected. As far as he was concerned, these people wanting to stop him was pure delusion—nothing more than wishful thinking. They might as well go chase the wind.

Plenty of things still amused him.

Someone had apparently offered a high price for Lin Fan’s portrait, prompting opportunists to sell random sketches to gullible buyers. How they managed to convince these buyers was beyond his knowledge, nor did it concern him.

In any case, one of those portraits had begun circulating.

At the same time.

Lin Fan had seen plenty of versions of his "portrait." They were quite amusing—none of them resembled him in the slightest.

Judging by the current situation, it was inevitable that his real likeness would be spread across the entire Immortal Realm. Those four Immortal Emperors wouldn’t hold back—they were vicious, and wouldn’t leave him any room to overturn the situation.

Anyone who had previously crossed paths with Lin Fan already knew about the matter.

If anyone was enjoying this the most.

It had to be Left Immortal and War King, among others. They were celebrated prodigies, who logically should dominate the younger generation. Yet, after encountering Lin Fan, they faced repeated humiliations—losing treasures, enduring taunts, and suffering utter disgrace.

Even now, people mocked them.

Though they weren’t ridiculed openly, who knew how many people jeered at them behind their backs?

For them, this was an unbearable humiliation.

Now that Lin Fan was a hunted man across all of the Immortal Realm, their joy hardly needed to be spelled out—it was evident to anyone who crossed paths with them.

Inside the city.

Lin Fan listened to the surrounding chatter—it was the hot topic. Any Immortal with a shred of background was discussing the matter.

"Ah, this is troublesome. I underestimated the abilities of the four Immortal Emperors. I didn’t expect the word to spread so fast. It seems they weren’t joking when they said my cultivation of the Martial Arts System has sparked apprehension among many factions."

During this period.

He noticed that every city he passed through had powerful figures wandering around.

These cultivators were all in the Immortal Monarch Realm.

Though they hadn’t done anything overt, they were clearly searching—most likely trying to track his movements.

Lin Fan suppressed his aura and slipped out of the city. This was not a place to linger. Given his current notoriety, if anyone recognized him, fighting his way out would be exceedingly difficult.

He resolved to find a secluded location to focus on elevating his Martial Arts Realm. Previously, he hadn’t prioritized it, but now he needed to grasp the opportunity to bolster his strength.

If he wanted to crush all who opposed him, he had to integrate Immortal Martial techniques.

Several days passed.

Lin Fan traversed countless mountains and rivers, seeking the perfect location for secluded cultivation. He passed through many Cave Heaven Blessed Lands—excellent areas for training—but found them fraught with danger.

These sanctuaries weren’t just sought by him; many Immortals sought out these places to cultivate.

"Hmm!"

At that moment.

He passed by a Black Mountain that caught his attention. Although unremarkable at first glance, it exuded a sinister aura—a presence that deterred most Immortals from choosing it as their cultivation ground.

"Ha! Every sanctuary I pick ends up too restless. But this place seems ideal. Ordinary Immortals wouldn’t come here, making it a decent training ground," he said.

His figure transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the mountain’s depths.

Within the Black Mountain was a hidden Cave Mansion. Inside, an old man stood—clearly not human, but a Demon Beast who had taken human form, much like the Mouse Emperor Immortal.

"Someone extraordinary has entered this mountain. No one is to wander about, lest you provoke this figure," warned the old man to his family.

"Yes, father."

"Understood," chimed his children.

This was a large family, all obedient to the old man’s orders and refraining from any reckless actions. Still, they couldn’t help their curiosity: why did this area feel so ominous? Immortals generally avoided cultivating in sinister places like this. Their family specialized in concealing their presence, ensuring they weren’t discovered.

Even if someone stumbled upon them, so be it—they wouldn’t pose much of a problem.

After all, they weren’t human either. As Demon Beasts taking on human form, their aura resembled that of animals. Anyone passing through would likely assume this place harbored nothing more than ordinary creatures.

Lin Fan found a suitable spot and carved out a Cave Mansion to use as temporary shelter.

At present, his Martial Arts Realm was only at Divine Martial Tier 3, equivalent to the Golden Immortal Realm.

This was far inferior to his current Immortal Path cultivation realm.

Moreover, advancing in his Martial Arts Realm was challenging. He couldn’t afford to regress, and the entire Immortal Realm seemed void of anyone cultivating Martial Arts—there was no one from whom he could seize resources.

He could only rely on steady self-cultivation.

Yet, he possessed the Martial Arts Ultimate Body and had inherited the will of the Ancestor of Martial Arts. Walking ahead of everyone else, he wouldn’t let himself fall behind.

After resting for a day.

At dawn.

He sat cross-legged atop the Black Mountain, absorbing the purple aura of heaven and earth while circulating his Great Perfection technique. As he cultivated the Martial Arts system, a faint, mysterious aura radiated from his every gesture—though it didn’t stir the heavens or earth, it carried an inexplicable force.

Fatigue during cultivation occasionally set in, at which point he’d simply sit cross-legged and meditate deeper.

In the past, he wouldn’t have bothered maintaining long training sessions. Why train so arduously when hunting for mana was far more exhilarating? But now, he had no choice but to focus on advancing his Martial Arts Realm.

For Immortals, spending centuries in cultivation was routine. But Lin Fan had only been cultivating for a short time—so brief, he could count the days.

If others knew how little time Lin Fan had spent cultivating, they’d probably spit out a mouthful of blood.

They spent hundreds, even thousands of years to painstakingly reach these heights. How could anyone compete with such absurd speed?

Several more days passed.

The old man who had long lived within the Black Mountain could clearly sense the shocking ripples emanating from Lin Fan’s cultivation. He’d been watching the area carefully, aware that their origins made them easy targets for bloodshed.

To this day, he hadn’t figured out who Lin Fan was.

Or what his intentions were.

Fearing reprisal, neither he nor his kin dared to provoke Lin Fan, opting instead for cautious observation, lest the stranger suddenly decide to slaughter them all.

As days passed and he continued observing, the old man grew increasingly apprehensive. He realized just how terrifying Lin Fan’s strength was; if Lin Fan did turn on them, the consequences would be catastrophic.

The only solace the old man found was that Lin Fan had shown no signs of targeting them.

Initially, he had believed confidently that Lin Fan wouldn’t notice their presence.

But with a growing understanding of Lin Fan’s power, he knew that escaping Lin Fan’s perception was impossible. This meant that Lin Fan had deliberately chosen not to deal with them.

It seemed Lin Fan was simply here for cultivation.

The old man could only hope his guess was correct.