"Cough, cough, cough..."

Lin Fan coughed lightly and said, "Actually, earlier, I had to use a forbidden skill. If I didn't, how could I possibly be a match for Yuwen Tianshuo?"

At this point, Lin Fan just felt waves of fatigue washing over him.

The next moment, Lin Fan fell into a deep sleep.

It was unknown how long it took before Lin Fan finally woke up.

Upon waking, Lin Fan still felt unbearably exhausted.

Because Lin Fan's life energy was greatly depleted, he couldn't return to normal in a short time.

Even with the help from the Sky-reaching Little Tree, Lin Fan couldn't mobilize any life energy to recover his own.

"It seems, in the future, I must stop borrowing Liu'er's energy!" Lin Fan thought to himself, "Although using her energy feels great for a moment, the after-effects are just too severe!"

In the month that followed, after continuous cultivation, Lin Fan finally returned to normal.

However, though Lin Fan was normal again, the ten years of life energy he had depleted was irrecoverable.

One day, a month later, while taking a break from cultivation, the Little Witch came to Lin Fan's side and sat there happily.

Seeing the blissful expression on the Little Witch's face, Lin Fan hesitated to voice his thoughts.

But in the end...

Lin Fan gritted his teeth and said to the Little Witch, "Little Witch, I have something to tell you!"

The smile on the Little Witch's face froze instantly, and she looked over at Lin Fan, asking, "Are you... are you leaving?"

Lin Fan could clearly see the tears welling up in the Little Witch's eyes as she spoke.

Lin Fan felt a pang of sympathy.

But in the end, Lin Fan still nodded and said, "Yes, I decided to leave..."

After a pause, Lin Fan added, "Don't worry, I'll come back for you in the future!"

The Little Witch forced herself to suppress her sadness, nodding and saying, "I knew you would leave one day, I just didn't think it would come so soon."

"Lin Fan, I won't hold you back. Since you've made up your mind to leave, then go!"

"But you have to promise me one thing!"

The Little Witch spoke solemnly while looking at Lin Fan.

Feeling even more guilty, Lin Fan replied, "Tell me!"

The Little Witch said, "Promise me you'll take care of yourself. You might get hurt, but... you cannot die. Remember, I'm here waiting for you!"

"Okay!"

Lin Fan replied seriously, "I promise, I'll take good care of myself, I won't die, and I'll remember that you're here waiting for me!"

"Mm!"

The next day, Lin Fan left the Mist Sea.

In truth, Lin Fan didn't want to leave so soon.

But Lin Fan had no choice.

Because Lin Fan needed to continually search for the Immortal Dragon Vein to enhance his power.

As his power grew, Lin Fan finally realized his weaknesses, and he knew that only by constantly improving his strength could he protect those around him.

The Little Witch stood quietly by the sea, watching Lin Fan leave by special transport.

Under normal circumstances, people of the Mist Sea couldn't leave because they couldn't find the way out.

But for Lin Fan, it wasn't difficult, as he had the Universal Image. By activating its navigation feature, everything was easily resolved...

"Ugh..."

After Lin Fan left, the Little Witch suddenly began to vomit.

The one-armed elder approached the Little Witch, frowning slightly, and asked, "Are you... pregnant?"

The Little Witch nodded without speaking.

The one-armed elder asked, "Does he know?"

The Little Witch also shook her head silently.

The one-armed elder said, "Why didn't you tell him?"

The Little Witch replied softly, "Because I didn't want to distract him!"

"Alas!"

The one-armed elder sighed and said, "Falling in love with him has already led you into an abyss of suffering. Child, you could have achieved great things, but... after loving him, everything you could achieve has become a fleeting illusion!"

At this, the one-armed elder paused momentarily before continuing, "And in the future, you'll face so much hardship!"

The Little Witch shook her head and said, "Grandpa, I'm not afraid of hardship. As long as my heart finds a home, hardship means nothing!"

"Alas!"

The one-armed elder sighed again, without a word, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

...

Central State!

It is one of the five states in the Immortal Domain!

The entire Central State is enormous!

On Central State, there are countless kingdoms, but these kingdoms are controlled by many powerful factions.

For example...

The Wang Family and the Yuwen Family in Central State wield massive power over dozens of kingdoms.

In the eyes of ordinary people, a kingdom's king is a supreme entity, unattainable.

But...

In the eyes of those great factions, a kingdom's king is merely a tool!

The Shuntian Kingdom is one such kingdom controlled by the Wang Family.

In the kingdom's Imperial City, people come and go, creating a lively scene.

Amidst the bustling crowd, a young man walked quietly, wearing a conical hat, making it difficult for others to discern his face.

This person is Lin Fan!

The reason Lin Fan came to the Shuntian Kingdom was because he had learned that beneath its Royal City lies an Immortal Dragon Vein.

This is a dying Immortal Dragon Vein!

For many, a dying Immortal Dragon Vein isn't very useful, but for Lin Fan, whether dead or alive, any Immortal Dragon Vein is invaluable.

Lin Fan wore a conical hat because he discovered that the entire Imperial City was plastered with his portraits.

It was a warrant for his capture.

Lin Fan thought to himself, "It seems the Wang Family also thinks I've arrived in Central State, issuing a warrant for me? Well, that's fine, since you've wronged me first, I won't feel guilty if I destroy you later, haha!"

It was just a pity that Lin Fan's current strength was insufficient; otherwise, he would have rushed to destroy the Wang Family.

However, Lin Fan suppressed this impulse.

"Never mind!"

Lin Fan thought to himself, "With my current strength, attempting to destroy the Wang Family is nothing but a delusion. I'll wait until my power is sufficient!"

Lin Fan planned to first find the Immortal Dragon Vein beneath the Royal City and then refine it.

In fact, these days, Lin Fan had been trying to find the Immortal Dragon Vein, but to no avail...