CHAPTER 365: CHAPTER 0362: MY HEAD IS BUZZING

Taiwu Immortal Sect.

Bai Qiu asked anxiously, "Elder Sister, what did he say? Did he agree?"

What else can we do now?

Even if he is the Sect Leader, dealing with the mess Lin Fan created leaves him utterly helpless. It’s blown out of proportion. Every day feels like a disaster, and he secretly hopes this kid will suddenly come to his senses and give up his unrealistic ideas.

Wei You replied, "He didn’t agree. As expected of my Wei You’s son—just like his father, even ten oxen couldn’t drag him back."

Bai Qiu saw the look of satisfaction on Elder Sister’s face and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Elder Sister, have you lost your mind?

He’s not even your biological son. How is this even the same?

"Elder Sister, we’re discussing something very serious right now. Can you be a bit more serious?" Bai Qiu said helplessly.

If it were someone else, he would’ve slapped them immediately. Can’t they speak appropriately? Can’t they be proper?

Unfortunately—

The person in front of him was his elder sister. He didn’t have the guts.

Wei You resumed her usual demeanor. "Junior Brother, I am serious right now."

"Then what should we do now? If this matter doesn’t have a resolution, it definitely won’t be easy to handle. That terrifying aura earlier is absolutely beyond what the Cultivation Realm can possess. From my guess, perhaps some great figure from the Immortal Realm intervened."

"And if something could garner such attention, it likely involves his promotion of the Martial Arts inheritance."

"So, we can’t let him continue like this."

Bai Qiu spoke earnestly and sincerely, with words straight from the heart. There was no falsehood, no exaggeration—it was the unvarnished truth.

If Lin Fan were his disciple or his son—

He would absolutely lose it on the spot.

"You little punk, what are you doing? Do you even know you’re courting death? If you keep this up, I’ll break your legs!"

"Junior Brother, do you have any ideas?"

In truth, Wei You was panicking too. She had no solutions. Though she looked calm, deep down, she had no clue what to do.

Bai Qiu thought for a long while and then said, "I have three possible solutions. First, we secretly contact other factions and take direct action against the Martial Artists to erase their memories and reclaim all the steles. But this method isn’t great—it can’t be kept secret."

"The second is to lock him in seclusion for a century, but it’s still difficult. With his strength, what kind of seal could even hold him? So this method isn’t ideal either."

"The third is to force him to transcend a heavenly tribulation. Doesn’t the sect have a Divine Skill? By placing him in the Array and triggering the heavens, we could open a portal to the Immortal Realm and send him ascending. That would solve everything."

"Elder Sister, the third option is the best one I can think of. The reason he dares to promote Martial Arts in the Cultivation Realm is due to his overwhelming strength—no one can restrain him, which makes him act recklessly."

"But once he ascends to the Immortal Realm, where strong cultivators are as numerous as clouds, his focus would shift towards improving his strength. He wouldn’t have time to spread the Martial Arts inheritance anymore."

To Bai Qiu, this was the most ingenious idea he could muster.

Beyond this, he truly had no better plans.

Could they collaborate with the other Immortal Sects’ elders to take him down?

That was clearly impossible.

In the past, Bai Qiu always felt that this kid called Wei You his ’mother’ with ulterior motives. But over time, his impression somewhat improved—he begrudgingly found Lin Fan acceptable.

If Lin Fan learned of this, he’d probably say, "Thanks a bunch!"

"Ascend, huh..."

Wei You felt reluctant and deeply concerned. Wasn’t that like delivering him straight into the tiger’s jaws?

But then she considered how a great figure from the Immortal Realm couldn’t descend with their Divine Soul and had only sensed the spread of Martial Arts, opting to send Mana to launch a deadly attack instead.

Once he reached the Immortal Realm—

Perhaps he would slip under the radar.

"Elder Sister, this is the best plan I could think of. The major factions within the Immortal Sect are all outraged by his actions and absolutely won’t tolerate him. Any conflict between them will inevitably lead to a war."

"By then, no one can stay uninvolved. As for the Demons, they’d relish the opportunity to watch the drama unfold."

"We must look at the bigger picture."

Bai Qiu felt truly helpless. He didn’t want things to come to this, but there was no alternative. If anyone had a better idea, he’d gladly listen. But the crux of the matter was—there wasn’t one.

Wei You fell silent, lost in thought.

It was hard to make a decision.

"Elder Sister, take your time to think things through. There’s no rush, but I hope you can decide soon. The Immortal Sect elders are relentlessly pressuring me, and they’ve been constantly searching for Lin Fan."

As Sect Leader, Bai Qiu felt immense pressure.

It was as if he was constantly bearing the blame for things he hadn’t done. But what could he do? Such was his burden as Sect Leader.

That’s just the way it is.

Heavenly Treasure Pavilion!

Unaffected by the Demons’ disturbances, it remained as bustling as ever.

Whenever passersby spotted Lin Fan, their faces changed dramatically, and they avoided him like the plague.

"That’s Lin Fan—the one spreading Martial Arts and making enemies of all the Immortal Sects."

"That’s him?"

"I heard he ventured into demon lands and fought against powerful Demons—hard to believe he’s so young."

Rumors about Lin Fan abounded in the outside world.

Of course, these rumors were all true.

None of them were false.

Soon enough—

Lin Fan arrived in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s courtyard. "Manager Mao, I’m here to purchase some information. Do you have any?"

When Manager Mao saw Lin Fan, a smile appeared on his face. "Master Lin, as long as we have it, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion won’t disappoint you."

Huang Lier had been staying in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. When she heard of Lin Fan’s arrival, she was quite surprised. Didn’t he realize how dangerous it was outside, yet he still dared to wander about?

"Fairy Huang, it’s been a while. You’re becoming more and more enchanting." Lin Fan teased with a hearty laugh, his usual habit. He couldn’t help but flirt whenever he saw a beautiful fairy.

In the past, when Fairy Huang didn’t know Lin Fan’s nature, she might have scowled.

But now, she was long used to it and didn’t care.

Huang Lier said, "Master Lin, I’ve heard some rumors about you recently. May I ask what brings you here this time?"

Lin Fan chuckled, then brought out Xiao Chen, still trapped within the Universe Tripod. He had been storing him for a while now, waiting for the right opportunity to sell him. This visit to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was a perfect chance to fulfill that small wish.

"I’ll auction him off here."

"As for my main purpose this time, I want to ask if the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has any records or information about Martial Arts—for instance, where this cultivation system originated."

"No matter the cost, I must know."

At this moment, not only was Huang Lier taken aback, but even Manager Mao was dumbfounded.

Master Lin—

You really never come empty-handed. Not only have you provoked immense conflict with the Immortal Sects, but now you’ve kidnapped an Immortal Sect’s Sect Leader’s son?

That’s just too audacious.

Still, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion accepts all things of value, irrespective of the rest.

Huang Lier didn’t immediately reply to Lin Fan. Instead, she signaled for Manager Mao to take Xiao Chen away, leaving only herself and Lin Fan in the room.

"Master Lin, there are indeed some ancient records about Martial Arts, but they’re too old and incomplete—fragmented at best. Their authenticity is uncertain."

"Since you’re interested, let’s talk about the price. How about that Xiao Chen you just brought in?"

Huang Lier proposed.

Lin Fan pondered for a moment. The price was fair and even felt advantageous—while that guy was the Sect Leader’s son, he wasn’t particularly exceptional and was worth only a handful of Spirit Stones.

But this trade, worth tens of millions of Spirit Stones, was definitely worth it.

"Alright. Many thanks to Fairy Huang." Lin Fan grinned.

He could swear to the heavens—Martial Arts wasn’t just a fleeting phenomenon. It must have had a glorious past. He just didn’t know why it eventually ended up like this.

If some remnants remained, he could uncover the truth.

Before long—

Huang Lier returned, holding an ancient, tattered book in her hands. "Master Lin, this is all we could find regarding Martial Arts. It’s written on ordinary paper and has been eroded over time, with the Mana preserving its form nearly depleted. Once it fades completely, this record will vanish too."

Because it’s so ancient, even attempts to infuse Mana into it for preservation would accelerate its decay.

Huang Lier explained, "The author of this book was likely a cultivator. Judging from the handwriting, it was written hastily and stained with blood, making much of the text illegible."

Lin Fan carefully opened the book. Just as Huang Lier described—

The pages were marred with blood and hastily written, leaving many characters blurred.

"Martial Arts’ glory: a time when Immortals and Martial Artists coexisted..."

Lin Fan frowned.

He still had no clue who left behind this book. Was it even real?

After all, some people were downright bored. Just like him writing nonsense on an iron plate right now—if it circulated for millennia, it could lead to all kinds of myths.

But if it were true—

Then it implied that Martial Arts and Cultivation had once coexisted, but some great upheaval caused Martial Arts to fade away, leaving only the Immortal Path.

"Huh? Wait a moment."

Within this book, it mentioned the Martial Arts Continent—a place he had never heard of before.

Lin Fan fell deeper into thought.

He began to recall the seals found in the Forbidden Lands.

Could it be that what was sealed within those places were Martial Artists?

If he thought even bolder, then perhaps the current Cultivation Realm was the former Martial Arts Continent, where Martial Artists didn’t rely on higher Immortal Qi but focused on cultivating their bodies to their peak.

While true Immortals resided in the Immortal Realm.

It was the Immortals who eventually suppressed the Martial Arts, turning the Martial Arts Continent into the current Cultivation Realm, which then became today’s mortal world. Cultivators now had to reach sufficient strength in order to ascend to the Immortal Realm.

Hmm!

His head started to ache from all the overthinking.

Who could tell what was true?

Ah!

All of this was the result of reading too many random things in the past, making him habitually overanalyze. Perhaps he was onto something; perhaps he wasn’t. The real details could only be uncovered over time.

Who knows what lies at the end?

"Master Lin, have you gained any insights?" Huang Lier asked.

Lin Fan smiled. "Somewhat. By the way, you haven’t been heading to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion seeking Divine Medicines in the Forbidden Lands lately, have you? Let me advise you—it’s best to avoid that place for now. It’s too dangerous, given the current situation."

He no longer wanted to dig into the secrets of the Forbidden Land.

He always suspected that the secrets unearthed so far were merely the tip of the iceberg.

To delve deeper—

Might result in a truly miserable death.