CHAPTER 370: CHAPTER 0367: YOU ARE HERE TO WARM THE BED, RIGHT?

Inside the room.

Lin Fan stood at the doorway, roughly scanning his surroundings.

A wooden bed, a dining table, a vanity, a bookshelf, and not much else.

"One should be cautious when arriving in unfamiliar places."

The impression the Li Mansion gave him wasn’t good. In fact, judging by the clichéd plotlines he was familiar with, things that appeared harmless often ended up being rife with danger.

Lin Fan crouched down to check beneath the table for anything unusual.

Perhaps for some eerie runes.

Hmm?

It seemed safe.

No issues for now.

Next, he lifted the bed’s plank to inspect further, carefully examining every corner of the room without missing a single spot.

All to ensure there weren’t any hidden dangers.

"There’s definitely some secret here that I’m unaware of."

"I can’t be too careless."

Lin Fan was skeptical of his surroundings. He had ascended from the Lower Realm, and with no one around him he could trust, caution was his best guarantee of survival.

He checked his own condition.

His mana had already reached 300,001,298 years.

After being cleansed by immortal energy,

his cultivation had improved.

Cultivation Level: Second Heaven of the Immortal Realm, Heavenly Immortal Realm.

Previously, his mana was sufficient to reach the Earth Immortal Realm upon ascending to the Immortal Realm. Over time, as his mana increased by tens of thousands of years, he naturally reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm—and at its peak, no less.

Though he wasn’t sure how his current level fared in the Immortal Realm overall,

he was confident in his ability to protect himself.

Night fell.

Knock, knock!

"Mr. Lin, tonight is the ancestor’s banquet. Please attend." Housekeeper Li knocked on the door from outside.

"Coming."

Lin Fan opened his eyes. He had been continuously probing his surroundings, but to his disappointment, he hadn’t uncovered whether there was anything amiss with the room. Apart from the mysterious black substances, there was nothing else of note.

Something’s off.

Definitely off.

When everything appears to have issues but no tangible clues are found, it often confirms that there’s an underlying problem. If he hadn’t noticed anything unusual, it could only mean that his inspection wasn’t thorough enough.

The night banquet.

The Li Mansion was brightly lit, with a variety of people present. Lin Fan was one of the ordinary cultivators in attendance, drawing no special attention.

And rightly so.

He was a newly ascended cultivator. How could he demand attention? To the others, his strength seemed to merely be at the True Immortal Realm.

In the Immortal Realm, advancing one’s cultivation from the True Immortal Realm to the Earth Immortal Realm required distinct personal progress.

Among the inconspicuous crowd, Lin Fan observed the Li Mansion’s ancestor—an elderly man with a kindly smile. On the surface, there seemed to be nothing unusual about him.

The Li Mansion’s ancestor exuded kindness, leaving a warm impression.

Lin Fan scrutinized every Immortal present.

Some had decent cultivation levels.

But most were merely average, the type even Immortal Sect leaders in the Lower Realm could suppress. While their realms might be higher, their mana lacked substance.

Based on his own understanding,

mana reaching 100,000 years equated to the True Immortal Realm, but it could also qualify as the Earth Immortal Realm in the Lower Realm.

That was his assumption.

Though the specifics weren’t entirely clear, his general idea was sound.

After a long while,

the banquet ended.

Lin Fan returned to his room. On the way back, he took another careful look at that closed-off room. It remained eerily uninhabited, with everything about it striking him as strange.

"Is there someone inside or not?"

He was deeply puzzled.

With no one else around, he quickly appeared before the peculiar room. Just as he was about to push the door open,

Housekeeper Li’s voice rang out. "Mr. Lin, you’ve gone to the wrong room. Your quarters are ahead."

"Haha!" Lin Fan laughed. "I thought I was staying here. Must’ve had too much to drink tonight and got mixed up."

Housekeeper Li’s tone was gentle. "Mr. Lin, if you drank too much, it’s my fault for not escorting you to your room earlier. Please forgive me."

Damn!

The unease in Lin Fan’s heart grew stronger.

Something was seriously wrong.

Plot-wise, Housekeeper Li’s actions felt too deliberate, as if intentionally crafted to lead him on.

But he had no choice but to play along for now.

"Housekeeper Li, you’re too kind. I can return on my own." Lin Fan waved at him, then turned and returned to his room. He shut the door firmly behind him, leaned against it, and contemplated.

This matter sure is complicated.

Shit.

It felt like he had fallen into a conspiracy.

Later that night.

In the Li Mansion’s grand hall.

Li Xiuer, whom Lin Fan had met during the day, stood respectfully before the elder. "Ancestor, the person I brought back earlier is a recent ascender from the Lower Realm. His background is clean, nothing suspicious. He claimed his sect is the Taiwu Immortal Sect."

"I’ve already investigated. The Taiwu Immortal Sect was annihilated 3,000 years ago."

The ancestor nodded. "A clean background with no backing—this is good. You’ve done well; now, all of you may rest."

Lin Fan sat cross-legged on his bed, meditating while remaining attuned to his surroundings. His heart was racing slightly.

Not out of fear,

but because something felt off. His inner instincts quickened his heartbeat.

He had considered leaving but felt such a move would be too overt, making it easier for the Li Family to uncover his intentions.

The night was calm.

Suddenly.

Lin Fan’s ears caught faint, strange noises, but by the time he reacted, the sounds vanished.

"Strange, it sounded like something."

Lin Fan opened his eyes, got out of bed, and pushed open the door to look outside. Everything was silent, devoid of any movement. The rooms nearby had their lights on, seemingly occupied by their owners.

He stood outside for a while, gazing at the brilliant starry sky. Occasionally, he heard faint murmurs from afar, but there was no noticeable anomaly nearby.

"Odd. It’s so calm and safe, yet I feel uneasy."

Lin Fan never believed this place was safe.

Even if it appeared safe, he maintained a heightened vigilance.

Gradually,

with his level of cultivation, Lin Fan could go without rest for centuries without exhaustion. Yet, unknowingly, amidst a seemingly natural transition, he found himself slowly closing his eyes, slipping into a sort of temporary slumber.

Suddenly.

His Innate Divine Ability surged, enhancing his awareness.

Danger!

Danger!

Swish!

Lin Fan’s eyes shot open, and the surroundings had changed. An old man hovered in the air, separated from him by a few meters. Around Lin Fan, countless chains forged from the Immortal Dao Law coiled like serpents.

These were the Heavenly Immortal Laws, but they exuded a deathly aura, as though their wielder were on the brink of demise.

"Li Mansion’s ancestor, showing up at my room in the dead of night—surely it’s not to warm my bed? Though if it is, well, your age and gender aren’t exactly ideal," Lin Fan quipped calmly.

He noticed the chains were gradually absorbing his life force.

Perhaps to avoid alarming him, the process was intentionally made slow and subtle.

But to Lin Fan, it was clear—

he had fallen into their trap.

The danger was real.