CHAPTER 582: CHAPTER 0574: ISN’T THAT A BIT TOO MUCH OF A BLUFF?

Lin Fan had no idea about the events unfolding in the cultivation world.

If he did know, he’d probably be quite pleased.

At long last, he’d get to see some familiar faces again.

However, he’d feel compelled to disappoint them. He’d tell them frankly: "Don’t get your hopes up. I ascended from the cultivation world without carving out a legendary reputation, nor did I make many friends. My journey has been one extended chase where I’ve been hunted from the beginning until now."

Fortunately, thanks to my unyielding efforts,

over the course of an arduous year, I managed to push my cultivation to the Immortal King Realm.

I know this cultivation level is nothing to brag about, but there’s no helping it—this is the best I could achieve for now. Only by continuing to push forward can I climb the peaks.

If a group of people in the Immortal Realm were to hear Lin Fan’s self-confession, they’d undoubtedly stop at nothing—risking even their paths to becoming Immortal Venerables—just to kill this scoundrel.

After all, for anyone else to cultivate to the Immortal King Realm, it wouldn’t just take talent, but also countless years.

And you, in just over a year!

To leap to such a level merely from random fortuitous drops—is that even humanly possible?

At this moment,

Lin Fan had already appeared in a new place and had a clear idea of what was coming next. Even though he was in the Immortal King Realm now, he didn’t slack off for a moment.

Above him still stood the Immortal Emperor and Immortal Venerate realms.

Regardless of whether living Immortal Venerates existed or not, he was determined to rely on his own abilities to eventually ascend to the Immortal Venerate Realm.

The next step would be to reach the Immortal Emperor Realm.

Fortunately, the current Immortal Emperors were generally the pinnacles of major forces, and encounters with them were rare while wandering about—unless one got targeted, in which case ambushes were possible.

But right now,

he believed that he had the capacity to contend with an Immortal Emperor. If it came to it, suppressing an Immortal Emperor wouldn’t even be entirely out of the question.

Hmm.

One must have confidence in oneself.

Just then,

Lin Fan sensed several auras emanating behind him.

From afar,

he saw a resplendent Immortal Treasure radiating dazzling golden light surging from the distance at high speed. It traversed space effortlessly, stopping in front of Lin Fan in a blink.

Upon closer inspection,

this golden Immortal Treasure turned out to be a pavilion, inside which a woman was plucking the strings of a zither. Surrounding the pavilion stood several proud-looking men.

Hmm, their cultivation wasn’t bad.

Of course, the woman radiated an aura that made it difficult to look away. Just a glance told you she was no ordinary person.

"Fellow Daoist, are you aware that lingering in the Void like this is extremely dangerous? If we hadn’t noticed you earlier and stopped in time, you might have been struck by this Supreme Treasure, resulting in your fleshly body’s destruction," an elderly man said.

"Terribly dangerous indeed," Lin Fan replied with a smile.

Given his current abilities, if this Supreme Treasure had crashed into him, to lay it on thick—it’d undoubtedly shatter the pavilion, leaving the people within either injured or dead.

The elder scrutinized Lin Fan, feeling a sense of familiarity, as though he’d seen him somewhere before.

Lin Fan remarked, "Truly, this Supreme Treasure is quite exquisite. I’ve wandered the Immortal Realm for so long, yet I’ve never come across anything quite like it."

He ventured closer to the pavilion, sensing the overwhelming dominance it contained, along with countless laws infused within. Clearly, it was forged by an Immortal Emperor.

The Immortal Emperor’s aura was potent.

No ordinary Immortal would dare provoke them, as the Immortal Emperor’s presence alone would suppress the majority of beings in the Immortal Realm. To challenge an Immortal Emperor was to seek death.

His gaze landed on the zither-playing woman.

Her beauty was peerless.

She resembled the fairies he had encountered before.

If he had to compare, she was on par with Yaochi Fairy, the Flower List’s top-ranked beauty. However, since Yaochi Fairy was ranked first, could this woman be ranked second?

The elder noticed Lin Fan’s peculiar gaze and reminded him, "Fellow Daoist, where are you staring?"

Lin Fan chuckled, "Oh, nothing much. Just thought this fairy looked a bit familiar. I happen to have deep ties with the Flower List’s first-ranked Yaochi Fairy, so upon seeing how comparable this fairy is to Yaochi Fairy, I couldn’t help but take a few extra glances."

The zither-playing woman paused her music, pressed her slender fingers against the strings, and lifted her head to look at Lin Fan. Her eyes were like twin stars, mesmerizing and dream-like.

"I wonder, between Yaochi Fairy and me, who would be considered more outstanding?" she asked. Her voice was melodious, ethereal, as though it transported people into a fantastical realm.

Lin Fan’s guess was spot-on.

This woman was none other than Immortal Ling, the second-ranked figure of the Flower List. She deeply resented being ranked second. With unparalleled skill in the arts, and beauty that rivaled Yaochi Fairy’s, how could she be relegated to second place?

The ultimate conclusion she’d come to was:

The Yaochi Sacred Land had rigged things.

"To discuss such questions, why not invite me to sit? With tea in hand, I’ll elaborate slowly to the fairy," Lin Fan said, seeing through her motive in an instant. Women, as expected, were competitive.

Of course,

only confident women refused to be outdone.

Take Butterfly Fairy, for instance—being the Heavenly Court’s princess—she humbly accepted her third-place ranking without objection. Clearly, she had resigned herself; if they said she was third, then third it was. No point in arguing.

"Please," Immortal Ling said softly.

The elder tried to dissuade her, "Miss, this might not be appropriate."

Lin Fan walked over with a smile. Luck seemed to be on his side. Back when he was with Qin Yang and others, they were constantly fleeing, leaving him no opportunity to encounter beautiful fairies.

Now that he was solo, he finally had such an encounter.

It seemed luck was best when one was alone.

Immortal Ling poured tea for Lin Fan. Its fragrance filled the air, enveloped in unique Immortal energy. This tea was priceless—not something that could be bought with mere wealth, belonging to the Innate class of tea leaves with extraordinary properties.

Indeed.

Women sure knew how to enjoy themselves. As for Lin Fan—a powerful Immortal King—his lifestyle was entirely devoid of luxury.

"Tell me, what differences do you find between Yaochi Fairy and myself?" Immortal Ling asked.

The tea hadn’t even been sipped yet.

She was already impatiently seeking an answer.

Lin Fan smiled, "The polite answer would be that each has their own strengths. However, fairy, you must know that the ranking likely takes into account not only cultivation, temperament, and status, but also the contours and shape of their figure. Right now, I can’t comment definitively on your situation."

The elder’s brows furrowed upon hearing this.

He felt a bit annoyed.

But more than that, he couldn’t shake the feeling—where had he seen this man before?

Immortal Ling asked, "Oh? By your statement, it seems you’ve seen the contours of Yaochi Fairy’s figure?"

"Haha," Lin Fan laughed. "Not just seen—I’ve touched as well. That’s why I say my relationship with Yaochi Fairy is close-knit. Of course, it’s not just Yaochi Fairy—Butterfly Fairy, Dream Fairy—I’m very familiar with them, too. As for Luo Fairy, she even wanted me to be her ideal husband, but I declined."

"After all, I’m not one to settle for just anyone."

The men standing nearby, upon hearing these words,

were all dumbfounded.

This was some next-level bragging, wasn’t it?