CHAPTER 886: CHAPTER 882: INNER SECT MAIDEN OF TIANXUAN SECT

"And what about your junior disciple’s... little lover? What happened later?" Wu Ding Shitai asked, referring to Shen Biancheng, though her beautiful eyes were always observing Ye Fan.

Shen Biancheng explained, "Master and disciple Qing Lian went up to Emperor Mountain and have not descended since. By the calendar of Pan Gu, it has been over a year now."

Elder Wu Ding seemed to suddenly realize, "So that talented disciple Fa Ying recently took on is indeed our little nephew’s little lover?"

This time, she was speaking directly to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan’s face showed some embarrassment. He knew that, in terms of age, the beautiful young woman before him could be his grandmother, so he shouldn’t have any inappropriate thoughts. Yet, the fact that she was a beauty speaking such provocative words as "little lover" made him feel overwhelmed.

"Yes." Ye Fan answered honestly. "That’s why I’m hoping to rely on Tianxuan Sect to go to Emperor Mountain to search for my wife."

Elder Wu Ding sighed gently, "It is rare to see such a devoted man. You’ve cultivated the ’Nine Yang Divine Skill’ to help her overcome her heart’s love-breaking desires, right? If only your master had been so considerate back then, things wouldn’t be like this today."

There was quite a bit of bitterness in her tone.

Ye Fan thought, the emotional entanglements of the previous generation wouldn’t be explained to the younger ones. If he wished to know, he would have to ask the two involved parties. With Zhuo Junwu’s whereabouts currently unknown and Wu Ding Elder being a first acquaintance, neither would explain such private matters to him.

Elder Wu asked, "Has Junior Sister decided to help them?"

Elder Wu Ding cast an unamused glance at Elder Wu, saying, "I am just an elder responsible for gathering intelligence in Tianxuan Sect. How could I possibly make decisions for the Sect Master?"

Elder Wu laughed, "Haha, that’s true, but unfortunately, the Sect Master is still in seclusion and will only come out in a couple of days. For now, stay in the Green Rainbow Hall in the rear mountain, which is where the Tianxuan Sect’s outer disciples train. Once the Sect Master has been consulted, it will be decided whether or not to take you to the Emperor Sect."

Shen Biancheng and Ye Fan quickly bowed to express their gratitude.

Elder Wu sighed, "I knew your master. After all, we met during trials in the past... cough, some old matters are better left unsaid. Just stay patiently; once the Sect Master comes out of seclusion, I will speak on your behalf. Fellow cultivators should be willing to lend a hand in times like these."

After Elder Wu finished speaking, he led Shen Biancheng, Ye Fan, and Bai He to the rear mountain of Shuangfeng Mountain. The terrain here was relatively gentle with numerous buildings, yet perhaps due to the nighttime, there was not a trace of cultivators present.

Finally, Elder Wu arranged for them to stay in the rear wing of Green Rainbow Hall at Tianxuan Sect, where there were several guest rooms.

Bai He could have stayed in a room by herself, but she insisted on staying with Ye Fan. Since cultivators don’t have the habit of sleeping in beds, even sharing a room would merely be for meditation, so Ye Fan wasn’t affected.

Recently Ye Fan’s spiritual energy within his body had been quite turbulent. He needed to use his free time to organize the chaotic spiritual energy within him and concentrate it for his Foundation Establishment. He had a vague feeling he was nearing the level of initial Golden Core Stage. For a cultivator, the Golden Core Stage is the first major hurdle; overcoming it allows one’s blood flow to be replaced by the flow of spiritual energy, delaying aging and extending lifespan to around five hundred years.

In the end, Ye Fan’s Foundation Establishment was nearly complete, but his Golden Core was still in its budding state, lacking that final step.

Ye Fan focused his effort on seriously cultivating the second level of the ’Nine Yang Divine Skill,’ for he knew that constant cultivation was necessary to keep up with Li Zhaojun’s progress. Otherwise, even with the ’Nine Yang Divine Skill,’ he would be unable to awaken Li Zhaojun’s feelings for him.

When he opened his eyes, it was already dawn. The sunlight on his face felt pleasant. For the first time since arriving in Pan Gu’s mystic realm, Ye Fan felt like he was back on Earth.

"Master, have you finished cultivating?" Bai He blinked at him with a look of delight.

"How long has it been?" Ye Fan asked.

Bai He smiled, "A day and two nights. Brother Shen came by to check on you, said not to disturb your cultivation. I sat by to watch, to prevent any oversight from Tianxuan Sect disciples causing trouble. But it’s really quiet here, not a single soul to be found."

Ye Fan furrowed his brows, "Brother Shen?"

Bai He blushed slightly, and from her expression, Ye Fan guessed that Bai He treated him as her master, but always felt awkward around Shen Biancheng because she didn’t know how to address him. However, with Shen Biancheng’s carefree personality, he surely wouldn’t assume the role of an elder or master in front of a little girl, so he likely asked her to call him "Brother Shen."

"Don’t call me ’master’ from now on..."

"No, you are my master for life. Even if you want to dismiss me, I will always see you as my master," Bai He said resolutely. Ye Fan didn’t know if she was pretending, but from the first time he met Bai He, he knew she wasn’t the naive kind of girl. A girl who survived by hunting surely had more life experiences than one could normally imagine.

"Suit yourself," Ye Fan said, standing up to stretch his muscles in the courtyard.

Just then, a spiritual energy presence began to approach the door, and because it wasn’t threatening, Ye Fan only noticed as it neared the house.

It was a person with considerable cultivation, at least more advanced than Ye Fan, who couldn’t assess their level.

That meant they were at least in the late Foundation Establishment stage or higher.

The door creaked open, and a small head peeked in, surveying the room; her eyes finally settled on Ye Fan. She tilted her head slightly, as if very curious about Ye Fan, blinking her big eyes and biting her lower lip, looking somewhat innocent.

"Who are you looking for?" Bai He’s vigilance was high upon seeing a girl roughly twelve or thirteen years old approaching, but she knew she wasn’t the girl’s opponent.

"Who is Ye Fan?"

The girl’s voice was clear, though she was asking, she already had an answer in her heart; her gaze remained on Ye Fan.

Ye Fan asked, "Young lady... Is there something you need from me?"

The girl thought for a moment and said, "I’m not looking for you. I’m looking for Ye Fan. My master sent me to bring Ye Fan to see her."

Ye Fan inquired, "Who is your master?"

The girl firmly shook her head, "My master’s name isn’t something a disciple should mention. Hey, are you coming with me or not?"

Ye Fan recalled Shen Biancheng mentioning that male and female cultivators in Tianxuan Sect were separated into ’Heaven Sect’ and ’Mystic Sect’ on different sides of Shuangfeng Mountain. The girl must be taking him to the female cultivators’ ’Mystic Sect.’

"Alright, Miss, please wait a moment while I speak with Senior Brother."

Ye Fan stepped out of the guest room, intending to find Shen Biancheng in the next room, but there was no sign of him. When he asked Bai He, she also had no idea.

"This is strange. Why would Third Senior Brother be wandering around in Tianxuan Sect’s grounds? Could he have been invited by someone else as well?"

Without locating Shen Biancheng, Ye Fan had no choice but to go with the girl. This trip might determine whether he could stay at Tianxuan Sect and proceed to Emperor Sect to find Li Zhaojun.