Although, at this moment, Li Zong was very anxious in his heart, seeing that Ding Fan had not returned yet, he was obviously very happy. It was known that the Yuan Beasts were rampant outside, and Ding Fan was very likely already dead at the mouths of the Yuan Beasts outside. This was undoubtedly the best scenario for him.

Obviously, he could sense Ding Fan's wariness towards him. So, with Ding Fan dead, there would clearly be one less disruptive factor to ruin his plans. Thus, his plan could be perfectly executed.

Thinking of this, Li Zong couldn't help but feel a slight sense of smugness.

Suddenly, at this moment.

Ye Ningbing suddenly shouted urgently and with great surprise:

"Ding Fan..."

Hearing Ye Ningbing's words, everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze to the small hole leading outside from the Underground Palace, where the Yuan Beasts were rampant, and yet there was indeed a figure continuously striking down the Yuan Beasts. Upon taking a closer look, the figure was indeed Ding Fan.

At this moment, He Qianyao was utterly shocked, evidently not expecting Ding Fan to actually come back alive. It was known that there was a large number of Yuan Beasts outside; no matter how formidable one was, it was impossible to escape from the mouths of the Yuan Beasts for such a long time. It was simply unbelievable!

He Qianyao was completely dumbfounded when she saw Ding Fan's figure, utterly unable to imagine that he could still return alive. It was an absolutely terrifying existence!

Daring to question what could possibly enable one to survive in a Beast Tide for so long and still return alive, it was obvious that hardly anyone could accomplish this.

However, what shocked He Qianyao the most at this moment was the love between Ding Fan and Ye Ningbing. She hadn't expected that Ye Ningbing always firmly believed that Ding Fan would return for her. Clearly, without sufficient trust and love, Ye Ningbing couldn't have achieved this, which was what He Qianyao admired the most.

She hadn't expected that what Ye Ningbing firmly believed had indeed come true; Ding Fan did not leave her alone in this Cultivation World but came back alive to accompany her. In her heart, He Qianyao could even imagine whether, at that time, Ding Fan had also firmly believed that Ye Ningbing would definitely wait for him.

Thinking of this, He Qianyao couldn't help feeling deeply moved by the love between Ding Fan and Ye Ningbing.

At this moment, the two little divine warrior girls saw that Ding Fan had indeed come back alive, and couldn't help but be extremely excited. They clearly didn't expect Ding Fan could truly return alive, and the two little divine warrior girls couldn't help but show a hint of excitement and happiness on their faces.

In their hearts, they naturally also hoped that Ding Fan could return safely. Even though Ding Fan's previous actions towards Li Zong's older brother didn't leave the best impression on them, Ding Fan had come to help them find the "Gathering Spirit Herb," and Ding Fan had also entered the Thunder Abyss to help them.

Clearly, seeing Ding Fan return alive, the two little divine warrior girls were still very moved and pleasantly surprised.

After all, outside was the rampant Yuan Beasts, and yet Ding Fan could still return alive after such a long time, which was obviously a miracle.

At this moment, Ye Ningbing looked at Ding Fan's figure; in that instant, Ye Ningbing's eyes didn't show much shock; instead, there was a faint smile on her face. It was a confident smile, clearly very certain that Ding Fan would not abandon her and would return alive.

Evidently, Ding Fan did not disappoint her; he came back.

As everyone felt shock and surprise, there was still one person whose expression darkened upon seeing Ding Fan's figure and was also filled with extreme shock.

Who else could this person be but Li Zong?

At this moment, seeing Ding Fan return alive, Li Zong was filled with extreme shock. It was known that outside there was indeed a Beast Tide, which was not something an ordinary cultivator could easily deal with. Even though the other was also at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, that was not enough to handle the Beast Tide.

Yet, the person returned alive perfectly well; it was simply too unbelievable!

How could this be possible?

Li Zong was filled with shock, clearly unable to believe Ding Fan could truly return alive, something that ordinary cultivators couldn't achieve, yet Ding Fan had accomplished it.

After going through shock, Li Zong felt deep loathing towards Ding Fan, evidently realizing that with him around, his plans would encounter many obstacles, which was definitely not a good thing for him. However, at this moment, Li Zong couldn't do anything about it, even though he wanted to rush out and give Ding Fan another stab. But he was clear in his mind that he couldn't do that now, or else all previous efforts would be in vain.

There would be no benefit to his plans whatsoever.

At this moment, Ding Fan continuously slaughtered the Yuan Beasts, and his Divine Sense had already detected Ye Ningbing and the others' location. Evidently, for the very concealed Underground Palace, finding it was very easy for Ding Fan. After all, his Divine Sense was very powerful, so there was nothing that could escape its detection.

The reason Ding Fan had arrived here late was partly because Li Zong led everyone to quicken their pace while Ding Fan stayed behind to cover the rear, killing the Yuan Beasts. Naturally, over time, a small distance would be created between him and the group. Ding Fan was clear in his heart that Li Zong wanted to abandon him, but this small distance was nothing to him.

The main reason, however, was that a Yuan Beast above Five Star later appeared. Ding Fan couldn't gauge the specific rank of that beast, but he could be sure it was definitely not something he could deal with, and its movement speed was very fast. At that time, Ding Fan already had an idea: he couldn't follow the route everyone took to catch up with them.

Otherwise, once that powerful Yuan Beast caught up with the group, Ye Ningbing and others would clearly also be implicated, especially since it was a Yuan Beast that even he couldn't handle. Ye Ningbing and the others definitely couldn't deal with it either. In a different scenario, it might be manageable; everyone could join forces to eliminate it, but during the Beast Tide, if anyone delayed even a little, they'd be chased by the numerous Yuan Beasts from behind, and it wouldn't just be a matter of one extremely powerful Yuan Beast then.

It's very likely that everyone will be sacrificed here. Immediately, Ding Fan turned around with a few others, leading the powerful Yuan Beast down another path, but he never lost track of Ye Ningbing and the others' whereabouts through his Divine Sense.

Finally, Ding Fan managed to shake off the powerful Yuan Beast thanks to his advantageous movement technique and reached Ye Ningbing's side.

Obviously, the delay during this time meant that when Ding Fan arrived at Ye Ningbing's side, the beast tide had already arrived ahead of him.

However, Ding Fan had no other choice but to rush here into the Underground Palace to reunite with Ye Ningbing. After all, Ding Fan knew that there was nothing in the surrounding area for several miles that could avoid the Yuan Beast's presence, and more importantly, Ding Fan was naturally very uneasy about Ye Ningbing following Li Zong.

Clearly, Ding Fan could see that Li Zong harbored no good intentions, and following him would not lead to a good outcome for Ye Ningbin and the others.

Eventually, Ding Fan rushed over. After slaying several times, taking advantage of the Yuan Beast's carelessness, he suddenly entered the Underground Palace. The moment Ding Fan entered, he concealed the entrance to the Underground Palace very well, not discovered by any Yuan Beasts for a while, as their intelligence was quite limited.

"Ding Fan, are you alright?"

Seeing Ding Fan rush in safely, Ye Ningbing asked worriedly with a very concerned expression.

"I'm fine."

Seeing Ye Ningbing's worried face, Ding Fan looked at her with eyes full of heartache and comforted her with a smile.

At this moment, He Qianyao saw this scene, moved by the affection between Ding Fan and Ye Ningbing. To love someone is to fully trust them in the end.

At this time, two little divine warrior girls also came to Ding Fan's side, expressing their concern, and seeing Ding Fan return safely made them clearly very happy.

Ding Fan responded to everyone without much explanation. He clearly felt that there was no need to mention the Yuan Beast, otherwise Ye Ningbing would start worrying about him again, which he naturally did not want her to do.

"Since Ding Fan is back, let's quickly enter the Underground Palace."

At this moment, Li Zong said to everyone without any expression on his face. Clearly, Ding Fan's return was obviously disadvantageous to him; his plan was just a step away, but with Ding Fan as a variable, it was clearly very difficult to maintain his disguise.

Li Zong felt that maintaining a neutral expression was the best he could do.

After hearing Li Zong's words, the two little divine warrior girls nodded and said:

"Yes, since Brother Ding Fan is back, let's enter the Underground Palace quickly. Brother Li Zong said there might be 'Gathering Spirit Herb' inside that we need."

"Right, it's clearly not safe here. Ding Fan's entry would surely attract the attention of some Yuan Beasts. We should go inside quickly."

The two little divine warrior girls said eagerly.

Hearing the words of the two little divine warrior girls, He Qianyao also nodded without saying anything, clearly agreeing to hurry into the Underground Palace. After all, they were still only outside the Underground Palace, close to the outside, and if Yuan Beasts found this place, it would be disastrous.

However, Ding Fan couldn't help but furrow his brows at this moment. Clearly, he sensed a lot of bloody aura inside the Imperial Palace. He knew the palace was filled with many dangers, not something ordinary cultivators could handle. And with Li Zong so eager for everyone to enter, Ding Fan guessed that the bloody aura he sensed might be closely related to Li Zong, making it even more dangerous.

At this moment, He Qianyao was about to follow Li Zong into the Underground Palace when she noticed Ding Fan standing still, prompting her to ask:

"Ding Fan, what's wrong? Why aren't you entering the Underground Palace?"

Upon hearing He Qianyao's words, everyone also noticed Ding Fan's abnormality and stopped in their tracks to look at him.

Ding Fan looked at everyone and said gravely:

"I suggest we don't enter. It's extremely dangerous inside, beyond what we can handle. I even have a feeling that what's below the Underground Palace might be more dangerous than the Yuan Beasts outside!"

Ding Fan spoke very solemnly, his stance clearly firm.

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, Li Zong's heart tightened. Could the other party have discovered something? Otherwise, why wouldn't they enter, and why say such words? But his Formation was exceedingly powerful; even if the other party were some extraordinary person, there was no way they could discern his Formation.

Then why would the other party say such things? Surely, they must have discovered some clue in the Underground Palace.

Thinking of this, Li Zong couldn't help but show a sinister, regretful face. Clearly, Ding Fan was indeed a frightening variable for him, and he should have died sooner. Otherwise, things wouldn't be so complicated now!