Old Man Ku Mu suddenly knelt before Lin Fan, shouting loudly, "Greetings to the Great Emperor."

The others were also startled, but they quickly knelt down as well, similarly shouting, "Greetings to the Great Emperor."

Lin Fan stood somewhat dazed in his spot.

Because, as these people greeted him, he felt a special kind of energy beginning to surge within him.

This is...

The Power of All Living Beings?

Lin Fan quickly understood that this was the Power of All Living Beings.

A person, once truly recognized by others as an emperor, could draw the Power of All Living Beings from them; the more people recognized him, the more of this power he would obtain.

For example, right now, those who recognized Lin Fan as the Great Emperor were just the people in front of him, not many, so although the energy existed within Lin Fan, it was not abundant.

In his heart, Lin Fan thought to himself, "Hu Mei'er, she has gained the recognition of so many people. How immense must her Power of All Living Beings be?"

Lin Fan was well aware that he needed to seize more of the Power of All Living Beings.

Otherwise, he would never be able to defeat Hu Mei'er.

As Lin Fan pondered this, the people remained kneeling on the ground, waiting for his response.

However, they showed no sign of impatience.

After a while, Lin Fan came back to his senses and said, "Everyone, please rise."

"Thank you, Great Emperor!"

After respectfully acknowledging him once more, everyone stood up.

Gao Feiyan approached Lin Fan. She initially wanted to speak, but soon her expression changed as she felt a pressure emanating from Lin Fan, which was the Power of All Living Beings.

Seeing Gao Feiyan's unusual reaction, Lin Fan asked, "What's wrong?"

"No... nothing!"

Gao Feiyan quickly shook her head and said.

Pausing for a moment, Gao Feiyan then asked, "So, Lin Fan, what are your plans now? Are you returning to the Imperial Capital?"

After thinking it over, Lin Fan replied, "Not returning to the Imperial Capital. I, first, will head to the Ten Thousand Mountains!"

"Ah?"

Gao Feiyan looked at Lin Fan somewhat surprised, asking, "Why won't you return to the Imperial Capital?"

Lin Fan said, "Because, even if I return to the Imperial Capital, I'm no match for Hu Mei'er. I will first head to the Ten Thousand Mountains and once my strength is sufficient, then I will contend with Hu Mei'er."

Gao Feiyan was even more astounded, asking, "You… you really want to challenge Empress?"

Lin Fan nodded and said, "It's not that I want to challenge her, but rather, she wants to challenge me."

Gao Feiyan said, "You... you're no match for her. She is the number one figure in the Holy Soul Domain, no one in the entire Holy Soul Domain can stand against her!"

"Heh, is that so?"

Lin Fan just gave a casual smile and said nothing more.

Gao Feiyan still wanted to persuade Lin Fan to abandon this idea, as she felt it was too dangerous for Lin Fan to challenge the Empress.

However, just as she began to speak, Lin Fan waved his hand to interrupt her, saying, "Hu Mei'er, I know what you want to say, but, what I want to tell you is, do not say anything, in any case, between me and Hu Mei'er, it is now a fight to the death, understand?"

The next moment, Lin Fan's brow slightly furrowed.

Gao Feiyan, puzzled, asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Fan quickly regained his calm and said indifferently, "Hu Mei'er has arrived!"

"What?"

Gao Feiyan exclaimed in surprise, "The Empress is here? Lin Fan, are you joking?"

Lin Fan did not speak.

Gao Feiyan wanted to say something more, but she quickly fell silent.

Because she, too, had already sensed Hu Mei'er's presence.

As for Old Man Ku Mu, Hong Yi, and the other women, they all stood behind Lin Fan, none of them making a move. They would not act unless Lin Fan commanded them to.

Of course, their inaction was only relative.

Should anyone threaten Lin Fan's safety, they would not hesitate to act in an instant.

The void fluctuated, and Hu Mei'er's figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Dressed in white like a celestial being, Hu Mei'er looked at Lin Fan with cold eyes, her eyebrows slightly furrowing as she noticed that behind Lin Fan stood many experts stronger than herself.

Hu Mei'er thought to herself, "This bastard, where did he get so many experts?"

However, Hu Mei'er didn't care.

Although there were many experts behind Lin Fan, Hu Mei'er was the Empress and could mobilize the resources of the entire Holy Soul Domain, which was her advantage.

"Finally, I've found you!"

Hu Mei'er looked at Lin Fan and said coldly.

Lin Fan's figure slowly floated up, facing Hu Mei'er in the void, and asked, "Were you looking for me?"

Hu Mei'er said, "Now, I'll give you a chance. Surrender all the Monarch Power within you, and I might spare your life. Otherwise, losing your life in vain would not be wise!"

"Heh!"

Lin Fan just chuckled and did not reply.

Hu Mei'er's face grew annoyed and she asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Lin Fan said, "Do you really think I would hand over my Monarch Power?"

Hu Mei'er's voice turned even colder, "I've made it very clear. If you don't hand over the Monarch Power, you will die!"

"You think you can kill me?"

Lin Fan scoffed.

He paused and before Hu Mei'er could respond, Lin Fan continued, "Hu Mei'er, I admit that with my current strength, I cannot kill you, but you shouldn't dream of killing me either."

Hu Mei'er didn't waste words and outrightly shouted, "Then let me show you if I can kill you!"

As Hu Mei'er spoke, she already made her move.

Without any visible action, her figure suddenly vanished from her spot and reappeared not far from Lin Fan, her fingers swooping down like five towering mountains towards Lin Fan.

Lin Fan did not move.

Because there was no need for Lin Fan to move.

Old Man Ku Mu, Hong Yi, and the other five Unparalleled Experts instantly appeared before Lin Fan, blocking Hu Mei'er's attack, which failed to harm Lin Fan at all.

Hu Mei'er was forced to retreat and, stopping in her tracks, she loudly said to Lin Fan, "If you are capable, fight me one-on-one!"

"Haha!"

Lin Fan also laughed loudly and said, "Don't worry, there will be a battle between us, but not now, for I am not your match yet. Once I am strong enough, I will naturally seek a battle with you, and this time is not far off, at most a year. Within a year, I will definitely fight you, and I will personally defeat you."

Hu Mei'er immediately said, "Alright, I'll give you one year. In a year's time, we will battle at the Gods Mountain Range. Just make sure... you'll qualify to enter the Gods Mountain Range!"