Chapter 501: Chapter 501

"Have you found that ungrateful son?" Emperor Qin asked.

He had dispatched the clan’s experts to search thoroughly, but there hadn’t been any news yet.

Qin Xiangtian said, "No, we haven’t found him. I don’t know where he has run off to."

He had concealed Qin Yang’s whereabouts.

This brat stole the clan’s Immortal Venerable Essence to save someone—was it truly worth it?

As for Lin Fan, who claimed he would lead Qin Yang on the path to becoming an Immortal Venerable—that seemed implausible to him. However, he valued Qin Yang having a friend like Lin Fan.

Though Qin Yang lacked principles in his actions, he still had his bottom line. For him to willingly risk stealing the Immortal Venerable Essence, it showed that the person he saved held a significant position in his heart.

"Still no news." Emperor Qin cast a deep glance at his younger brother. He knew even if Qin Xiangtian had seen Qin Yang, he would never admit it. Nonetheless, he had to find Qin Yang no matter what.

He must capture this reckless brat.

Qin Xiangtian said, "Yeah, no news. Don’t know what the kid is up to, but I suspect he isn’t someone who acts brainlessly. He must have his reasons."

"Reasons? What reasons could he possibly have?" Emperor Qin roared angrily, "No matter the reason, stealing the Immortal Venerable Essence is unforgivable! Search! I must have him found!"

"What do you think of this place? It’s my first time here too, and honestly, it doesn’t seem like much," Qin Yang said, feeling completely relieved. Back when he was still in the Northern Desolation Domain, he had been genuinely anxious.

But now, stepping foot in this area—

everything had changed.

It was perfectly safe.

A never-before-experienced feeling.

What he feared the most was being intercepted just as he was leaving. That scenario would’ve been a nightmare.

Xiang Fei said, "I’ve been to the Southern Ridge before. It’s relatively safe here; as long as you don’t intentionally provoke those major factions, you’ll generally be fine."

"Let’s take a look around first. The Southern Ridge is quite a distance from the Northern Desolation Domain, so there shouldn’t be too much trouble," Lin Fan said.

Then he glanced at the little girl, noticing she was hugging a small caterpillar with a somewhat gloomy expression. He reached out to pat her head and asked, "What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?"

Qin Yang chuckled and said, "Brother Lin, she’s just worried because you ran into such a great danger. Your little disciple must have been heartbroken! Next time, don’t take such risks, and everything will be fine."

"Alright, alright, don’t be upset. I’ll be more careful in the future, how about that? I promise not to let anything like that happen again," Lin Fan said softly. What could he do? Kids these days were just so difficult to please.

The little girl nodded, appearing somewhat reassured.

Qin Yang walked up to her and said smugly, "Hey, little one, remember this—your beloved master faced such a big crisis, and it was me who risked his life to steal treasures from the clan to save him! Be nice to me in the future, maybe give me a warm smile or something. That would be ideal."

Then he pointed to Xiang Fei and whispered, "As for that guy, you don’t need to thank him. He’s just here for the ride—I’m obviously the true hero."

Listening to Qin Yang’s words, Xiang Fei snorted disdainfully.

What a shameless man.

At this moment, Lin Fan was contemplating something—how to improve his strength.

He hadn’t felt this much pressure before,

but after the events in the Heavenly Secret Realm, he realized his abilities weren’t nearly strong enough. Truly frustrating.

Facing stronger foes—

the feeling was unquestionably unpleasant.

If he encountered such a situation again, he might not be so lucky. However, he kept asking himself whether this string of experiences could somehow be considered an opportunity.

He had been inches away from death,

but thanks to Qin Yang’s help, his cultivation elevated to the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal. With his current state, he could probably go head-to-head with an Immortal King without much difficulty. Of course, defeating an old-generation Immortal King was still unrealistic.

the distant sound of slaughter reached their ears. The fighting was intense—something monumental seemed to be happening.

"Brother Lin, there’s a battle going on up ahead. What do you think?" Qin Yang asked.

Lin Fan said, "Let’s move closer and see what’s happening. We’ll decide what to do when we understand the situation."

Afterward, he placed the little girl into the Universe Tripod for safekeeping.

The three of them quietly approached.

Each carefully concealed their aura.

The fighting was fierce; even the Void trembled violently—this wasn’t something mere weaklings could achieve. By hiding their presence and not emitting strong energy, they naturally avoided attracting the enemy’s attention.

they could see what was happening ahead—a shocking scene. Multicolored rays streaked across the sky and ground, shrouding the heavens. The techniques employed by the combatants had caused significant damage to the Void, reversing the spatial currents that cascaded violently downward, creating massive Abyss-like craters in the earth.

"Two Immortal Monarchs are fighting," Lin Fan said.

Xiang Fei said, "Immortal Monarchs are considered part of the older generation in the Immortal Realm; they rarely engage in such intense conflicts without rhyme or reason. For them to be fighting so fiercely in this desolate area implies there must be something at stake."

"Look over there..." Qin Yang, sharp-eyed, pointed out a pool below where an Immortal Herb stood proudly. Above the herb, two Immortal Treasures radiated immortal light as they clashed, shaking the Void with their collisions.

Lin Fan said, "So there is indeed a treasure to compete over, but the location where that Immortal Herb is growing seems rather unusual. I find the area quite unremarkable, nothing out of the ordinary, yet it managed to foster an Immortal Herb—that’s strange."

People choose auspicious places for cultivation.

The same goes for Immortal Herbs.

Immortal Herbs with Spiritual Wisdom usually move to remarkable areas, but for one to grow here in such a plain and ordinary spot—this feels unnatural.

Unless the area hides some unknown secret.

the elder in green robes sustained an injury, coughing up blood, his body tottering. The Immortal Treasure hovering above the herb retreated back to him, defeated.

"Hahaha... Old Green Freak, your strength is ultimately a notch below mine. I’ll be taking this treasure—heal yourself peacefully," the opposing Immortal Monarch laughed triumphantly, collecting the herb and the treasure into his body, then disappearing into a stream of light.

"Damn it!" Old Green Freak burned with rage; his situation was far less than ideal. Sitting cross-legged, he took an Immortal Pill to recover from his injuries. His Immortal Treasure was weaker than his opponent’s, leaving him at a clear disadvantage.

Suddenly, his ears twitched. Hearing faint movements from afar, he yelled furiously, "Which rats are hiding in the shadows? Show yourselves!"

Lin Fan and his group emerged from their hiding spot. Having been discovered, there was no point in concealing themselves further.

"We’re just passing by—no ill intent," Lin Fan said.

He wanted to inspect the location where the Immortal Herb had grown, thinking it might still hold some secrets.

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei glanced at the elder Immortal Monarch. While the Immortal Monarch’s strength was impressive, it wasn’t enough to intimidate them—especially since he was injured.

Old Green Freak was in a foul mood. Failing to claim the treasure had humiliated him, and now three younger cultivators had the audacity not to show him the respect he thought he deserved.

"Get out of my sight, you three brats!" Old Green Freak roared.

The trio exchanged looks, frowning. Such arrogance from the elder Immortal Monarch—weren’t they minding their own business? It was completely unfair for him to lash out without provocation.

Qin Yang snapped angrily, "Old man, we had no intention of troubling you, so why start a conflict yourself? Healing peacefully would do you much better!"

"You’re courting death!" Old Green Freak’s white beard flared, as his hand glowed and reached forth, a decaying palm radiating green light with deadly sharpness to crush them.

Lin Fan moved up, deflecting the palm strike with his own.

"You..." Old Green Freak screamed, withdrawing his palm. His hand had been obliterated, leaving only three fingers intact. "You little bastard! Dare to strike me while I’m unprepared? Let’s see what you’re capable of!"

Lin Fan raised his hand again, smashing down, trapping Old Green Freak inside the Universe Tripod as he fell unconscious.

"This foolish old man is amusing. I hadn’t planned to strike him, yet he just came asking for it. Ridiculous."

Shaking his head in mild exasperation, Lin Fan leapt lightly and landed on the pool’s surface, softly rippling the water. Taking careful, measured steps, he moved toward the stone where the Immortal Herb had grown.

The herb was gone, leaving only the smooth, quiet stone standing in the pool.

"Brother Lin, anything unusual here?" Xiang Fei asked. He thought the spot seemed quite ordinary with no notable features. If he hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t believe that an Immortal Herb had grown there.

Moreover, the herb must have been extraordinary to even spur Immortal Monarchs to battle.

"Let me investigate further," Lin Fan crouched, running his fingers over the smooth rock. If there was...

[Immortal Attraction Stone: Absorbs the essence of subterranean Immortal Veins.]

"I’ve found something," Lin Fan confirmed. He looked up at the others and pointed to the earth below. "There’s a hidden Immortal Vein beneath us."

Xiang Fei and Qin Yang exchanged bewildered glances, blinking in confusion. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveI(F)ire.net

They truly hadn’t noticed it. Observing carefully, they couldn’t see even a hint of a vein. Areas with Immortal Veins typically have flourishing vegetation saturated with Immortal Qi. If left undisturbed over time, even the plants might develop Spiritual Wisdom.

"Brother Lin, are you sure?" Qin Yang asked skeptically. If there truly was an Immortal Vein, they had struck gold!

Not to mention their luck seemed phenomenal.

They’d merely come to this place to evade trouble, yet barely after arriving, they had stumbled upon such a massive reward. If others found out, they’d certainly be green with envy.

"I’m absolutely certain," Lin Fan replied confidently. His intuition could fail him, and even his own judgment could betray him, but his little assistance never did.

"Follow me down below. It’s likely hidden deeper underground."

With that, the three dove into the pool, the water icy cold and unnaturally frigid, likely due to its proximity to an Immortal Vein, which had caused peculiar changes to the pool.

An ordinary person entering the water might be frozen solid.

the light below the surface dimmed, enveloping them in total darkness, as if stepping into a silent sealed chamber. The eerie quiet exerted intense psychological pressure.

They reached the bottom.

Lin Fan grabbed the others and summoned the Earth Escape Technique, breaking through the mud to delve deeper.

He could sense the Immortal Vein was still further below.