Chapter 1056: Chapter 1056

The time left until the Hidden Sects Conference at Serpent Island was not much now. Ding Fan lingered in Yanjing for three days before preparing to depart directly for Serpent Island.

During these three days, Ding Fan met quite a few old acquaintances in Yanjing.

He visited Old Master Qin of the Qin family, as well as Elder Shen from Sections Three, Five, Six, and Seven. After all, when Ding Fan first came to Yanjing, these people provided him with substantial assistance.

Besides visits, Ding Fan also attended some banquets.

Although Ding Fan did not particularly like such occasions, as the leader of Yongfan Island, it was indeed inconvenient for him to refuse.

After three days, Ding Fan set out from Yanjing, leaving behind matters like certain contracts with Huaxia Country and some cooperation agreements, all entrusted to Ye Ningbing.

Ye Ningbing would be able to handle these matters completely.

Leaving Yanjing, Ding Fan was not alone; Mu Zi accompanied him closely.

When Ding Fan initially subdued Mutu, he handed him over to Mu Zi's people for custody.

Due to numerous affairs on Yongfan Island at the time, Ding Fan was unable to manage Mutu, so it was more prudent to entrust Mutu to Mu Zi. Letting the military protect him would be more assured.

Ding Fan and Mu Zi first arrived at Liyi City.

Mutu was currently held by the military in a suburban area of Liyi City. Upon arriving in Liyi City, Ding Fan and Mu Zi first found a place to stay and settled in.

As Liyi City is the closest location to Serpent Island, many people attending the Hidden Sects Conference at Serpent Island chose to come here first.

Ding Fan considered an opportunity to covertly observe during this period.

Currently, the Hidden Sects were quite chaotic, although it appeared Ding Fan's enemies were solely the Ghost Sect, this was not entirely true, as previous accounts showed.

Cultivators had arrived in this world, and given their aggressive approach, Ding Fan had to be cautious and vigilant.

Ding Fan and Mu Zi chose a hotel in Liyi City and each occupied a room.

After settling in, Mu Zi contacted the military holding Mutu, confirming that Mutu's situation was well.

Upon learning this, Ding Fan was in no hurry to bring Mutu out, as his guardianship by the military was undoubtedly safer than keeping him with himself.

Once Ding Fan and Mu Zi had arranged their lodgings, the two went out for a casual stroll to explore.

At this time, martial artists were often visible on the streets of Liyi City. Apart from Human Level martial artists, Earth Level and Heavenly Level ones were also common sights.

Ding Fan and Mu Zi casually ate some food on the street before preparing to return to the hotel.

However, at this moment, Ding Fan suddenly sensed a breath of death.

A breath of death is unique to Death Gate martial artists, and although the opponent used a magic artifact to hide their aura, it couldn't evade Ding Fan's keen divine sense.

"Mu Zi, you head back first," Ding Fan said indifferently to Mu Zi.

Although Mu Zi was unsure what Ding Fan intended, she refrained from asking further, aware that given her cultivation, even if something happened, she wouldn't be able to offer assistance by staying near Ding Fan.

Therefore, Mu Zi promptly returned to the hotel.

At that moment, Ding Fan didn't pause, following the aura from a distance.

The individual Ding Fan tracked was a man in his fifties.

Dressed in a suit, he didn't stand out in the secular world. Ding Fan probed his cultivation and sensed the inner strength fluctuations through divine sense, discerning that the man's cultivation was around Earth Level Fifth Grade.

Ding Fan wasn't eager to apprehend him immediately; instead, he maintained an appropriate distance following him, having his own plan.

For the Serpent Island Hidden Sects Conference, the Ghost Sect was bound to make a move.

Ding Fan planned to follow this individual, tracing back to uncover other Ghost Sect warriors hidden in Liyi City.

The man did not notice he was being followed, went around the street purchasing some food, and then summoned a taxi.

Ding Fan wasn't worried about losing him. His divine sense was strong enough now, so much so that losing track of the opponent, whether an Earth Level or a Heavenly Level martial artist, was impossible.

Ding Fan simply locked onto the target with his divine sense.

The man took a taxi and left Liyi City, eventually arriving at a large warehouse in Liyi City's suburbs.

The warehouse stored discarded car tires, hence there weren't usually any people around.

The suited man disembarked, ensuring he wasn't followed before entering the warehouse.

Inside the warehouse, there were already three people.

Among them, aside from an elderly man who seemed to be at least a hundred years old, the remaining two were only around fifty.

Moreover, in a corner, there also stood a young man.

The young man was none other than Cheng Bufan, Ding Fan's sworn brother.

At this moment, Cheng Bufan looked very pale, obviously suffering from rather severe injuries, shrinking in the corner.

After the suited man entered the warehouse, he distributed the food he bought to everyone present.

"Yunshan, how is the situation outside?" asked the oldest elder among them, who hadn't touched any food, but sat quietly cross-legged.

"Eight Protection Technique, many martial artists have come to Liyi City, seemingly intending to go to Serpent Island." The suited man replied respectfully to the elder.

The Eight Protection Technique nodded. "In the battle at Chessboard Mountain, our Ghost Sect suffered significant losses, so we have to be a bit more cautious now."

The Eight Protection Technique continued, "Go bring that person over here."

Saying this, the Eight Protection Technique glanced at Cheng Bufan in the distance.

The man in the suit nodded, walked over, and then, like picking up a chick, directly picked Cheng Bufan up and brought him in front of the Eight Protection Technique.

"Kid, I know you're Ding Fan's sworn brother. As long as you hand over this bead to Ding Fan, I won't take your life," said the Eight Protection Technique to Cheng Bufan.

Cheng Bufan snorted coldly. "Even if I, Cheng Bufan, die, I will never do anything to betray my brother. You can give up on that idea."

The Eight Protection Technique's gaze hardened. "Kid, don't court death. If you deliver this bead to Ding Fan, we'll release you, and I assure you, no one in this world will ever know you were the one who poisoned him. Moreover..."

The Eight Protection Technique paused deliberately. "Qi Luomei has already joined our Ghost Sect through the Upper Xuan Sect. If you help me with this task, I can help you gain Qi Luomei's..."

"You... What did you say?" Cheng Bufan's eyes widened in shock. "It's impossible, Qi Luomei would never join your Ghost Sect."

The Eight Protection Technique snorted coldly. "Nothing is impossible. As long as you agree with me, I can make Qi Luomei your woman.

You're Ding Fan's sworn brother; placing this bead on him is nothing difficult for you, and it won't harm you at all."

"Kid, our Eight Protection Technique always keeps its word. Once you accomplish this, you will win the beauty..." the man in the suit chimed in.

Cheng Bufan frowned deeply.

The Eight Protection Technique looked at Cheng Bufan, a slight smirk on his lips. "If you take action, you'll get the woman you love. Besides, as I know it, Qi Luomei's father was also killed by Ding Fan. If you help Qi Luomei, he will be delighted. Moreover, aren't you also Qi Changran's disciple? Don't you want to avenge your master?"

"Take this." The Eight Protection Technique opened his palm, revealing a pill.

"What is this?" Cheng Bufan glanced at the pill and asked.

The Eight Protection Technique remained silent, and the man in the suit spoke up, "This is a Soul Controlling Pill. Once it's near Ding Fan, we can control his soul body. Then, if we want him dead, he'll die; if we let him live, he can live."

Cheng Bufan clenched his fists tightly, and finally, he suddenly opened his eyes, as if making a resolute decision, and said to the Eight Protection Technique,

"Kill me, I won't betray my brother."

The Eight Protection Technique's gaze hardened.

He had thought Cheng Bufan would definitely agree to his offer for the sake of Qi Luomei, but he hadn't expected Cheng Bufan to refuse.

"If you wish to die so badly, I will grant it," the Eight Protection Technique said coldly.

Cheng Bufan closed his eyes tightly.

The Eight Protection Technique gave a signal to the man in the suit beside him, who immediately drew a longsword with a swishing sound.

The sword beam flashed, directly aimed at Cheng Bufan's chest.

"Scram!" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍

At that moment, an icy voice suddenly echoed from within the warehouse.

Before the people present could register what happened, Ding Fan had already kicked forward. The man in the suit, who had been pressing the longsword against Cheng Bufan's chest, was sent flying.

The man crashed heavily against the opposite wall before collapsing to the ground, incapable of getting up anytime soon.

The Eight Protection Technique's gaze sharpened.

Though the man in the suit's cultivation wasn't as high as his, it was still at the Earth Level Fifth Grade, which made him a formidable presence in the secular world.

Yet this powerhouse was nearly dead from a single kick.

This alone confirmed how terrifying the newcomer's cultivation was.

Moreover, his movement technique was exceptionally furtive; they hadn't even noticed how he got in.

The Elder's cultivation was at about the second or third grade of the Profound Level, yet someone infiltrated right under his nose, proving he wasn't an ordinary person.

Cheng Bufan opened his eyes upon hearing the voice, and when he saw the person standing before him, his mouth dropped open in shock.

"Ding Fan... sworn brother!"

The newcomer, none other than Ding Fan.

Ding Fan had tracked the man in the suit with his Divine Sense. After the man arrived at the warehouse, he came straight in using Sword Control.

He had heard everything said outside, and when Cheng Bufan's life was threatened, he barged right in.

"Ding Fan?!" The Eight Protection Technique's face reflected a trace of astonishment.

The last time, during the Chessboard Mountain battle, the Eight Protection Technique hadn't been present, or even if he had, among so many people, he wouldn't have recognized Ding Fan. He only knew his name but not his face.

Now seeing Ding Fan up close, he was genuinely shocked.

Ding Fan appeared to be only twenty-two or three years old.

Could someone of this age truly achieve a cultivation level above Profound Level?