Chapter 1161: Chapter 1062: Li Fan Leaves the Village

This is an all-encompassing darkness.

The darkness is as if materialized, every inch of space carrying the attribute of darkness, unknown where it is, unknown when it exists.

Within the darkness, there seems to be a throne forged from darkness itself.

An indescribable presence sits atop the throne.

“Fire Star has appeared.”

Amidst the darkness, a whisper suddenly arises, saying:

“That incarnation of yours, free from scrutiny for many years, what exactly is he doing?”

From atop the throne, a monotonous and dull voice responds:

“Raising chickens, raising fish, planting trees, drinking tea… residing in a mortal village for many years, never venturing out, hasn’t even truly begun the path of cultivation, seems to be just at the Nascent Soul… very weak.”

The voice within the darkness says:

“You mean to say, all these years, he’s been nothing but a farmer?”

Above the throne, the monotonous voice appears somewhat melancholic, saying:

“How should I know, all I can see are these…”

“Do not doubt, I, too, wish to kill him… His existence is a threat not just to you, but to me as well.”

“I am also darkness.”

There is a long, peaceful silence in the darkness, before the voice continues to speak:

“You are him, and he is you… He can block my watchful gaze, but he cannot deceive you…”

“Unless…”

A long, prolonged silence.

“There’s no need to overthink it,”

From the throne, the monotonous voice goes on to say:

“As long as those Fire Stars are extinguished, the darkness will never be illuminated again, and he will not find you nor me.”

“Just like this, we are sure to win.”

In the darkness, that voice says:

“You’re right…”

“I’m just curious now, when will he leave the mortal village you mentioned… with the Fire Star already here, he surely won’t continue raising chickens and planting trees, right?”

Above the throne, the monotonous voice says:

“Should be soon.”

…

In the Forbidden World, in the southern part of Kaiyuan Continent, amidst a mountain forest, there lies a small mountain village.

Li Fan pushes open the door, only to see Big Black Dog.

“How come… it’s just you left?”

His eyes suddenly fill with surprise and suspicion.

Where are the others?

Yun Xi, Nan Feng, Zi Ling, Su Baiqian, Xinning, Jiang Xue… and the male disciples too?

Weren’t they all together?

And this Big Black Dog, its manner as if it ran in desperate haste, could it be that something has happened to his disciples?

His heart suddenly tightens, he looks toward Big Black Dog, and says:

“Where are they?”

“Where have they gone?”

But then, he suddenly thinks, what’s the use of asking this dog… a dog can only bark!

The Dog System hasn’t taught him how to understand dog speak.

As for Big Black Dog, its dog eyes are fraught with urgency; its dog mouth opens and closes, yet… it still only dares to bark.

“Looking like this… something must have happened to Yun Xi and the others…”

Li Fan becomes anxious.

“No good, I must go out and search for them!”

Decided, Li Fan prepares to leave!

After all, he can’t just sit idly by if something has really happened to Yun Xi and the rest.

“Da Hei, follow me out of the village.”

At once, Li Fan speaks.

Upon hearing this, Big Black Dog’s dog eyes widen with shock; Master, the master is leaving the village?

Is this going to shake the heavens?

“Woof, woof woof woof!”

In this moment, Big Black Dog becomes excited.

Tail wagging, it follows behind Li Fan.

“Little Li, are you heading out of the village?”

Auntie Wang, walking by on the road and tending to the garden, sees Li Fan and inquires.

Upon hearing her, Li Fan nods and says:

“Yun Xi and the others haven’t returned… there might be some trouble, I need to go check.”

As soon as Auntie Wang hears this, she puts down her hoe, and says:

“Trouble? Do you need our help? I’ll call the villagers!”

“There’s strength in numbers!”

But Li Fan shakes his head and says:

“Thanks Auntie, no need, I’ll go and look for them myself.”

The villagers are all farmers; it’s better for them to tend to their fields. Venturing outside, Li Fan feels it’s not reliable.

“Alright then, you go on. If there’s any trouble, just say the word. Us villagers, we aren’t afraid of trouble!”

Auntie Wang speaks forthrightly.

Despite being a mortal, Auntie Wang’s words still give Li Fan a sense of warmth.

“Okay.”

Li Fan then takes his leave.

Before long, he arrives at the edge of the village.

“Little Li, heading out?”

As Second Elder basks in the sun on the roadside, he too asks.

Li Fan says:

“Yes, going to look for Yun Xi and the others.”

Second Elder says:

“Don’t worry, Yun Xi is clever enough, she won’t get lost… But if you’re going out, then go ahead!”

He laughs and continues:

“Come back soon, I want to see the outcome of our game early.”

Their game of chess is not yet over.

And at this moment, Uncle Zhang, who was preparing to plow the field not far away, also spoke up:

“Little Li, remember to be careful when you go out. The outside world is too complex, nothing like our village. There are too many unscrupulous people, and one can easily be harmed if not careful!”

Li Fan was just about to set out and couldn’t help but nod his head upon hearing this:

“Don’t worry, Uncle Zhang, I will definitely be cautious!”

After all, Yun Xi and the others hadn’t returned after their incident… Had they been captured? Or encountered danger? In any case, there must be trouble.

If nothing unexpected happens…this trip is likely to be fraught with difficulties.

Moreover…this is the Cultivation World.

And I…am just at the Nascent Soul stage…

The Dog System once said, in this world, there are plenty stronger than the Nascent Soul; even Immortals, besides having a longer lifespan, are no better than dogs…

“This time out, I must be extremely cautious, and unless it is absolutely necessary, I must not reveal my cultivation level…”

Li Fan murmured to himself!

At this moment, the Big Black Dog beside him suddenly looked a bit puzzled in its canine eyes; it sensed that… its master’s aura had become even more concealed, like an unfathomable mist, seemingly elevating above all else.

“Woof… Master… has become even more inscrutable.”

It muttered to itself, but soon understood that the master was preparing for a stealthy venture.

After all, if the master were to release his energy, not to mention that the culprits at the source would be frightened, even the Forbidden World… would probably be doomed.

Immediately, Li Fan stepped out of the small mountain village.

Upon leaving the small mountain village, what catches his eye is a stretch of unfamiliar woods.

“Da Hei, where are they now?”

Li Fan asked the Big Black Dog.

But, even the Big Black Dog was bewildered; how would it know? The End of Myriad Paths left behind a mysterious path that had led Yun Xi and Nan Feng, among others, into the Forbidden World, without a way to track them.

“Woof… Woof woof…”

The Big Black Dog lowly barked with some guilt.

Seeing this, Li Fan felt… this dog, was unreliable.

What a mess, I most likely have to find them on my own.

But… the size of this Cultivation World is unknown to anyone.

The sea of immortality is boundless…

“Looks like… I have to place my faith in something.”

Li Fan murmured to himself.

The Dog System taught him the Tianshi Dao, and locating people and inquiring about things was a minor technique within the Heavenly Master Method.

When he first learned it, he had nothing better to do, so he used this technique to divine a few things.

For instance, how powerful are the strongest in the Cultivation World? Astonishingly, the result pointed to himself… which was totally outrageous.

Also, are there any heaven-defying Immortal Elixirs around the small village? He wanted to find and consume them, but it ended up pointing to his own vegetable garden… This was simply foolery!

What’s more infuriating was when Li Fan even calculated how many wives he would have in his lifetime, and the answer it gave was…

Damn it, it can’t be trusted!

Most definitely cannot be trusted!!

Since then, Li Fan never again believed in this doggone technique for locating people and asking about things!

…But now, amidst the sea of humanity, he at least needed a direction.

“Where are my disciples.”

He murmured, then casually plucked a leaf from beside him and flicked it away with a snap of his fingers.

The leaf drifted down, pointing towards the northwest direction.

Although he didn’t have much faith in this technique… for now, he could only go out and see for himself.

“Da Hei, you go back. I will be fine on my own,” said Li Fan.

Even though his cultivation was weak, after all, he was still a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. Going out and walking around with a common dog?

That’s not appropriate, not appropriate at all!

Upon hearing this, the Big Black Dog immediately showed a look of grievance in its canine eyes. Woof, the master is leaving the mountain and it can’t follow to watch…

It’s such a pity!!!

But, it dared not bark, and turned around to head back to the village immediately.

Li Fan then stood up and walked forward.

Li Fan has been traveling through this stretch of woods for a while, not using his ability to fly, but walking slowly.

For Li Fan, it was his first time going far from home after many years, a rather… interesting experience.

Moreover, the scenery of this woods was absolutely magnificent. Along the way, he even saw beautiful cranes and colorful foxes–these lovely creatures, upon seeing Li Fan, seemed to understand human nature and stood obediently from afar.

If it weren’t for pressing matters, Li Fan really would have liked to stop and paint… but thinking of Yun Xi and the others’ urgent situation, he did not disturb these creatures and waved goodbye to them as he passed.

…

At this moment.

In Yiyuan State, on a certain road.

“Everyone, be careful!”

“We’ve entered Kongshou Mountain Forest!”

“This forest is extremely dangerous, harboring many terrifying Forbidden Beasts. If we encounter any, we run!”

A cavalcade arrives, a group of elegantly dressed young men and women.

“Inside Kongshou Mountain Forest, it’s said there’s a frightening Demon Crane, which has reached the Riding the Wind Realm, and is extremely formidable!”

“Not only that, the precise information also mentioned a terrifying Five-Colored Terror Fox… with a strength at least at the Intermediate Riding Stage!”

“These two Forbidden Beasts are both notorious for their killings; there have already been many experts in Qi Country who perished in this forest!”

All the young people spoke, their faces showing a trace of deep concern when mentioning these two Forbidden Beasts.

“Yaoyao, if you encounter any danger later, make sure to stick closely with me, got it?”

Among the group, a young man dressed in brocade robes was addressing a girl.

This young man had a noble appearance, clearly from a distinguished family.

And the girl was petite and cute, looking about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in a light blue skirt with a cute white rabbit bag hanging around her waist–purely a lolita.

“Second Brother, I got it!”

The young man nodded, then said:

“However, you don’t need to worry too much either. We’re using Beast-Repelling Powder during our journey; those Forbidden Beasts shouldn’t get close to us.”

No sooner had he spoken.

“On guard, someone’s approaching!”

At this moment, two young men at the forefront of the team suddenly shouted!

Immediately, everyone became tense and watched the forest carefully, full of vigilance.

This area of the forest was uninhabited, so any movement… must be a Forbidden Beast!

And since they all carried Beast-Repelling Powder, ordinary Forbidden Beasts would not dare to approach. If anything dared to show up, it must be a big one!

However, just when everyone was tense, a figure emerged from the forest–a young man.

…