Chapter 144: Recuperation

Lin Fan looked at Meng Li's appearance, complex emotions surging in his heart. He sighed softly, softened his voice, and pulled her shoulders tight:

"What if I told you that Lin Fan is not dead?"

Meng Li's originally sorrow-filled expression froze instantly, then she lifted her head with a hint of surprise and doubt, her eyes flickering with a glimmer of hope:

"Ancestor, are you telling the truth? Lin Fan… is he still alive?"

She could hardly believe her ears, fearing this was just a dream.

Lin Fan nodded, "Yes, but this is a massive secret that absolutely cannot be spoken of."

At this moment, he was wearing an iron mask, his face transformed into the likeness of Bai Yi. Meng Li did not recognize at all that the person holding her was actually Lin Fan himself.

Meng Li's eyes were full of hope. "Ancestor, rest assured, I will absolutely not tell anyone!"

Lin Fan sighed deeply and slowly helped Meng Li up. "Although Lin Fan made many mistakes, his alchemy is unparalleled, so I secretly saved him from Elder Bai's hands."

Lin Fan's tone was feigned calm as he slowly said, "But you must remember, you cannot let anyone know this secret. If it leaks out, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Meng Li's emotions shifted from despair to surprise, her whole person seemingly pulled out of the abyss in an instant.

Her tears gradually stopped, and she looked at "Bai Yi" with immense gratitude and trust, nodding gently: "I understand, I will never let anyone know… As long as Lin Fan is still alive, I still have hope."

Lin Fan's mood became increasingly complex. He could not reveal his true form; after all, he did not yet possess the ability to confront Bai Youyou head-on.

If Meng Li accidentally leaked this secret one day, he could at least explain everything under the name of "Bai Yi," claiming it was false information fabricated to save someone.

After all, Bai Youyou's trust in Bai Yi was unquestionable, and she would undoubtedly stand on "Bai Yi's" side without hesitation.

"Remember, this matter absolutely cannot be spoken of, otherwise, the consequences are something even I cannot control," Lin Fan warned finally, a hint of depth in his eyes.

Meng Li nodded deeply, her mood slowly calming down. Hope rekindled in her heart, and she tightly grasped this only salvation.

Lin Fan left Meng Li's room and returned to his own, preparing to continue consolidating his cultivation and attempt to reach the Nascent Soul Stage.

However, just as he sat cross-legged, a soft knock came from outside the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Lin Fan frowned, wondering who could be disturbing him at this time.

He walked to the door and pulled it open, and to his surprise, it was Su Wanqing.

She was wearing thin undergarments, perfectly displaying her graceful figure to Lin Fan, which, combined with her stunning face, was simply too seductive.

"Are you tired of living, running over dressed like this!" Lin Fan scolded in a low voice.

Su Wanqing did not care at all, triumphantly waving a Talisman in her hand, "I used a Talisman that conceals the heavenly secrets; they can neither see me nor detect me."

Lin Fan looked at her, inwardly admiring her quick-wittedness and boldness. Back then, to obtain the power to freeze time and space, he had spent a full 30,000 merit points.

Yet Su Wanqing could so easily deceive the heavens; the methods of the Tianji Pavilion were indeed extraordinary.

"This woman must be completely won over to my side," Lin Fan decided inwardly.

Su Wanqing looked at Lin Fan, smiling charmingly, a hint of flirtation in her eyes, "Why haven't you carried me into the room yet?"

Lin Fan gently scooped her up in his arms, stepped steadily into the room, and closed the door behind him.

Through the half-covered window screen, the candle flickered, and two figures intertwined and rose and fell in the dim yellow light.

From time to time, soft whispers and faint moans from Su Wanqing drifted from the room, and the air was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Over the next few days, the Disciples rested fully at the inn, their injuries gradually recovering, and their states returning to their Peak.

Mu Xueyan's Right Sword Envoy Qi Mo was detoxified by no one at the lakeside. After a few days, the toxins finally disappeared, and he successfully woke up and returned to the team.

However, he was deeply confused as to why he had developed a liking for a handsome man after being poisoned.

The word "gay" couldn't help but float into his mind, and he shook his head, shaking off this strange thought.

Night fell again, and Su Wanqing crept into Lin Fan's room once more, the secret between the two deepening in the quiet darkness.

Lin Fan had to seize the daytime to consolidate his cultivation and comprehend the Dao.

After a few days of effort, Lin Fan's cultivation was finally stable. He faintly felt the aura of the Lightning Tribulation brewing in his body; with just a slight trigger, the heavenly thunder would descend, and he would officially enter the Nascent Soul Stage.

But Lin Fan did not intend to advance at this time. Because the purpose of this trip was the Nether Ghost Realm in the Northern Territory, a place where dark Cultivators gathered, with a cold and mysterious environment.

If he could trigger the Lightning Tribulation there, the thunder would surely deal a fatal blow to those Cultivators—a critical hit for every strike.

What's more, Lin Fan still had the unused 1,000 years of cultivation.

At the time when the System rewarded it, Lin Fan had automatically absorbed 30 years, reaching a Bottleneck, and the rest was sealed away.

Once he successfully passed the Undergoing Tribulation, as long as he wanted, he could immediately Breakthrough to the Peak of the Nascent Soul Stage.

Thinking of this, the corners of Lin Fan's mouth curled up slightly. By then, who else could be his opponent?

The next morning, Lin Fan sent a voice transmission to both Lin Chen and Su Wanqing: "It is time, let the team set off."

A quarter of an hour later, low echoes came from outside the house, and the members of the four teams were ready to go.

Lin Fan walked out of the inn and followed the team onto the road to the Northern Territory.

The sunlit streets appeared exceptionally quiet.

However, the Northern Territory ahead was cold and desolate, as if shrouded in endless shadows.

As they walked, gusts of gloomy wind blew, carrying a bone-chilling cold that made people shiver.

Lin Chen, wearing a heavy cloak, walked at the very front of the team. She looked back at the team behind her, silently cheering them on in her heart.

Su Wanqing appeared calm and composed, vaguely revealing a hint of triumph, as if she had long been prepared to meet the coming challenge.

The land they traversed gradually became gloomy, the soil underfoot was slippery, and occasionally, low wailing sounds could be heard.

The Spiritual Qi of the Northern Territory contained coldness and power from the Nether Ghost Realm, causing an invisible pressure. The surrounding trees also seemed to be draped in a layer of shadow, appearing exceptionally strange.

They walked in the dark forest, feeling a sense of foreboding.

As the team went deeper, the air seemed to be filled with an eerie atmosphere.

The surrounding Spiritual Qi fluctuated constantly, as if trembling for the upcoming challenge of the Nether Ghost Realm.

Lin Fan understood that the Nether Ghost Realm was quietly waiting for their arrival.

Just as they approached the edge of the Nether Ghost Realm, Lin Fan's heart stirred, and he thought of the Nether Ghost Realm's Fairy of Phantoms, Ye Youming.

She was a cold and unfathomable genius ghost Cultivator. It was rumored that she could hook a person's soul and leave them intoxicated, though it was unknown whether it was true or false.

Just as Lin Fan's thoughts drifted, the surrounding air suddenly became heavy, and shadows surged like a tide.

A faint purple light appeared in the air; it was the aura of the Nether power gathering quietly.

With a gentle breeze sweeping past, Ye Youming's figure gradually appeared, like a phantom in the dark night.

She slowly walked out from the thick fog, and the light around her seemed to be making way for her.