CHAPTER 557: CHAPTER 0549: YOU WILL COME BACK, RIGHT?

Several patrons were chatting about gossip.

Lin Fan and his friends pricked up their ears to eavesdrop. If the topic were something else, they would still secretly listen, just to see if there was any information they needed. Opportunities often started from gossip.

Now they heard a topic related to them.

How could they not listen carefully?

Mouse Emperor?

The one who lived in peace and inexplicably became an Immortal Emperor? He had treated them pretty well, gifting treasures and even helping them leave.

Xiang Fei whispered, "This could be tricky. I feel like the Mouse Emperor is in trouble. With so many orthodox Immortal Emperors heading over, I doubt he’ll be able to handle it."

Lin Fan contemplated for a moment and then said calmly, "Let’s talk outside."

He called for the waiter to settle the bill.

They made their way to an alley.

Leaning against the wall, Lin Fan said, "I plan to head to the Heaven and Earth Cave Mansion. The Mouse Emperor was kind to us. Since we know about this, we can’t just sit by and do nothing."

"I’ll go too."

"Me too."

Xiang Fei and Qin Yang spoke in unison. Out here in the martial world, loyalty mattered above all. The Mouse Emperor had indeed been good to them, gifting not one but two Holy Weapons, and ones that had fallen from Divine Artifact status no less.

Such generosity was beyond precious.

If ordinary people knew about this, they’d be too frightened to speak. After all, a group of Immortal Emperors was heading over—how could anyone possibly stand against that?

Lin Fan shook his head and said, "You guys shouldn’t come. With your strength, if something really happens, not only will you be unable to help, but you’ll also become burdens. I’ve thought it through; I’ll go alone, and you guys can stay in Dao Origin City and wait for me."

This remark came across as a bit cutting.

"Brother Lin, we’re not exactly weak," Qin Yang protested.

Xiang Fei patted Qin Yang on the shoulder and said, "Brother Qin, don’t insist. We really are a bit weak. If we’re up against Immortal Emperors, our abilities won’t amount to much. Just like Brother Lin said, we could very well become burdens."

"Alright then," Qin Yang conceded reluctantly. Ultimately, it came down to a matter of their own strength.

Lin Fan said, "Before that, there’s one thing to take care of. That group has been watching us from earlier. You two come out of the city with me, and once we’re outside, we’ll suppress them to avoid trouble later."

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei only had an inkling of being watched, a vague sense—nothing as certain as Lin Fan’s intuition.

Soon enough,

They headed for the outskirts of Dao Origin City, while Zhao Sun and his group seized the opportunity to follow.

Inside Dao Origin City, making a move was inconvenient.

Naturally, they intended to suppress Lin Fan and his group outside the city.

Far from Dao Origin City.

Lin Fan came to a stop, his tone indifferent. "Friends, you’ve followed us for so long; I suggest you show yourselves. Why bother hiding?"

Immediately after,

Several figures emerged from the Void.

Leading them, of course, was Zhao Sun.

He gazed expressionlessly at Lin Fan and the others, finally locking his eyes on Qin Yang. "Boy, you didn’t expect this, did you? Did you really think things would end peacefully? In Dao Origin City, I..."

Bang!

Just as he began to speak,

Lin Fan suddenly appeared before him in an instant. With a single punch to his abdomen, the seemingly simple move unleashed terrifying power. Zhao Sun felt that horrifying energy coursing through his entire body, his eyes widened, his body bent over, and he couldn’t help but vomit a mouthful of blood.

"Friend, my apologies. I’m in a hurry and don’t have time for idle chatter with you."

"I know your name is Zhao Sun. You’re not exactly unknown."

Just as his words fell,

He sealed Zhao Sun into the Universe Tripod.

Following that,

He turned his gaze toward the other cultivators who had come with Zhao Sun.

Those people were all frightened by Lin Fan’s methods. Their original plan had been straightforward: follow Zhao Sun, gang up on someone, and bully them a bit. But now? Zhao Sun hadn’t even had time to say a few words before being subdued with one punch.

Zhao Sun was strong.

Even they weren’t necessarily a match for him.

But now this? It was downright terrifying.

At this moment, one of the cultivators said, "We’re just passing through. Do you believe us?"

This was all they could say.

They only hoped the other party would believe it.

If not,

They’d likely be doomed.

"I believe you. Whatever you say, I believe it. Still, you’ll have to chat with me properly."

Lin Fan smiled, vanishing in an instant. The essence of Martial Arts was precision and brutality—absolute power to crush everything.

Bang!

Bang!

Muffled sounds echoed from within the Void.

Lin Fan’s figure couldn’t be seen, but it was clear he was already taking action. His methods were swift and ruthless, leaving no room for resistance.

Qin Yang said, "Brother Lin, your speed is too fast. I was planning to have a word with Zhao Sun just now. That bootlicker—I had prepared so many comebacks to humiliate him. But you didn’t even give me the chance."

"Truth be told, you’d still struggle to deal with them," Lin Fan replied.

Qin Yang chuckled, "That’s why I have you, isn’t it?"

He had absolute faith in Lin Fan, even thinking that as long as Brother Lin was around, no challenge could be a challenge—they could always stay on top of things.

Lin Fan smiled and then released a young girl, saying,

"You two take care of her. The enemies I’ll face this time won’t be easy."

The young girl looked at Lin Fan, her eyes filled with reluctance. She wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Lin Fan patted her head and smiled, "Don’t worry, nothing will happen."

Qin Yang said, "Brother Lin, maybe you shouldn’t go. Those are Immortal Emperors."

"No, I must go." Lin Fan felt it was necessary. He then retrieved the Chaos Secret Realm, and with a wave of his hand, drew strands of Divine Soul from Xiang Fei and Qin Yang, merging them into the Chaos Secret Realm. "I entrust this Chaos Secret Realm to you two. You now have control over it. If I don’t return for a long time, use it to cultivate. But remember, you’re different from me—the mana you obtain must be refined and stabilized."

Xiang Fei absorbed the Chaos Secret Realm into himself and said, "Got it. But if you leave the Chaos Secret Realm with us, what about you?"

Lin Fan gave them a look, as though to say, could he really admit he only worked hard on the Chaos Secret Realm to bring them along for the ride? That managing it was exhausting, and that he—armed with a handy cheat—was better off fighting demons and villains to earn massive rewards?

"Haha, don’t worry about me. What’s the point of being brothers if I don’t share the good stuff with you first?"

There was no better way to explain it.

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei were deeply moved, almost to the point of tears.

Lin Fan looked at their expressions and wanted to tell them the truth: that the Chaos Secret Realm’s ultimate controller was still him. To put it plainly, he was the group leader—they were just co-admins.

"Alright, off you go. Head back to Dao Origin City and wait for me."

As Lin Fan turned to leave,

The young girl called out, "You’ll come back, right?"

Her gaze seemed to be awaiting a specific answer.

Lin Fan smiled.

"I will."

PS: To be honest, this book’s situation is my fault. It’s not because I started a new book and stopped updating this one. When I started the new book, this one had already fallen apart. Writing it became painful and agonizing, so I had no choice but to start fresh. I promise I’ll write it to the end. I’m sorry, everyone.