Chapter 1077: Chapter 1077

Dayang Sect? Xueling City?

Ding Fan deliberately paid attention when he heard this.

By the time Ding Fan finished a cup of tea, he noticed that the most talked-about topic among the surrounding people was this very matter.

The Dayang Sect was openly recruiting disciples.

Ding Fan spent a few gold coins and got a general understanding from the innkeeper.

In the Cultivation World, the sects hold an extremely exalted position. From the innkeeper's mouth, Ding Fan learned that among the many sects around the dozens of towns nearby, Dayang Sect was the largest and had a very deep foundation and long history, making it a prominent sect in the area.

Ding Fan himself was a person from the Cultivation World, and naturally, he understood how important a sect is to a cultivator. Within the sect, disciples can not only learn many rare martial arts manuals, but more importantly, it is the greatest backing for cultivators.

In the Cultivation World, disciples within a sect are highly respected when walking in the secular world. Even an ordinary official of the Imperial Court would show great respect upon seeing them, let alone a disciple from a grand sect.

However, wanting to enter a grand sect as a disciple is by no means an easy task, and now the Dayang Sect's open recruitment of disciples is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Such an event naturally becomes the focus of people's discussions.

Ding Fan, however, was indifferent to this. What he thought of first was that such a rare opportunity for cultivators would surely attract a large crowd there, and Zhou Ruoran and others might also go there.

Thinking of this, Ding Fan left the teahouse, bought a map of the vicinity from a street vendor, then found an inn, paid for a room, and went directly to a room.

He planned to stay there for the night, study the map, determine the route to Xueling City, and set off early the next morning.

Once Ding Fan understood the route for tomorrow, he began to cultivate in a cross-legged position...

Ding Fan left the city gates and headed towards Xueling City.

After inquiring, he still did not know how the Dayang Sect planned to recruit disciples, but it was certain that any cultivators wishing to participate in the disciple recruitment would go to Xueling City.

While inquiring, Ding Fan heard a familiar place name, Xueling Mountain Range, and Xueling City was the city closest to the mountain range. It is said that the Dayang Sect is located within those mountains, covering tens of thousands of hectares and is quite grand inside the sect.

Ding Fan speculated in his heart, wondering if He Qianyao had any relationship with the Dayang Sect?

But Ding Fan didn't think too much about it and soon discarded the thought.

After exiting the city gate, Ding Fan didn't know how long he had been flying via sword flight, but he finally traversed that vast forest stretch, though he had only covered a third of the journey.

Unknowingly, it approached dusk.

Then Ding Fan planned to rest and cultivate for the night in a low brush forest. Walking at night while the Yuan Beasts roamed was dangerous.

When he arrived at the wilderness ground, Ding Fan lit a pile of firewood, then sat cross-legged and began to cultivate with his eyes closed.

Just as Ding Fan was about to enter a cultivation state, he suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps fleeing, growing louder, clearly getting closer.

He then released his Divine Sense to explore the direction where the sound came from and found that a man was being pursued by a Yuan Beast and was running towards his position.

Ding Fan opened his eyes, and sure enough, in a short while, a man in tattered clothes ran towards him, stumbling and in a sorry state.

"Help me... help me..."

The man's clothes were stained with blood and torn apart, with a noticeable leg injury and multiple abrasions on his body, while he kept shouting towards Ding Fan and running with all his might.

At this point, right behind the man, a Golden Core Leopard with a stout body, covered in black mane, and a ferocious appearance, was chasing him with a relentless effort. It seemed to consider the man as a savory delicacy, determined to catch him!

The Golden Core Leopard let out a series of roars, and seeing that it was about to catch its prey, its dark green eyes sparkled with excitement.

Ding Fan sized up the man fleeing frantically and found the man had an early stage cultivation of fetal breathing. Ding Fan knew that judging by the Golden Core Leopard's size, it should be a Second Grade Yuan Beast.

A Second Grade Yuan Beast is equivalent to an ordinary mid-stage fetal breathing cultivator's power because the Yuan Beast's strength surpasses that of a cultivator, so its strength is a bit superior to a cultivator's.

At this critical moment, the Golden Core Leopard was almost less than two meters away from the man, keeping in mind that the leopard itself was nearly two meters long, meaning the man was practically food at its mouth.

The Golden Core Leopard let out a howl and pounced on the man.

The man lay on the ground with no chance to fight back. Seeing the next moment he would become the beast's meal, he couldn't help but howl to the sky:

"Forgive me, friends! I have no chance to save you all!"

Just when he thought he was doomed!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Ding Fan exerted force from his dantian, channeling surges of True Qi into his hands, unleashing three Wind Blades towards the Golden Core Leopard.

Ding Fan made a decisive move, having already confirmed the man was not a sinister person or part of any scheme, as he knew the man would surely perish under the leopard's claws if he did nothing.

Three wind blades accurately struck the Golden Core Leopard's body, instantly leaving three gaping, bloody wounds, causing it to howl in pain as it tucked its tail and fled in another direction...

The man who had been rescued by Ding Fan fell to the ground, looking visibly shaken, gasping for breath for a long while before finally standing up and approaching Ding Fan with deep respect.

Upon reaching Ding Fan, he realized that the person who saved him was such a young cultivator, astonishing considering the Golden Core Leopard's strength was equivalent to a mid-level cultivator.

Such a young person dealt with the Golden Core Leopard so easily!

The man's heart trembled, thinking Ding Fan must be a disciple from a prestigious sect, undoubtedly holding a significant status.

"Thank you, venerable elder, for saving my life. I, Ye Ming, will never forget your kindness..."

Ye Ming, with a face full of sincerity and reverent eyes, bowed to Ding Fan and said.

"The Golden Core Leopard is a communal Yuan Beast. After being driven away, it will surely come back for revenge soon. You should leave quickly."

Ding Fan said calmly.

If it hadn't been for the Golden Core Leopard trying to devour the man right in front of him, Ding Fan wouldn't have bothered to intervene, as he wasn't exactly a saint.

"May I ask for the venerable elder's name?"

Ye Jianfan asked respectfully. After all, the person saved him, and it was improper not to know his rescuer's name.

Ding Fan responded casually and then closed his eyes. The man was no longer in danger, and Ding Fan planned to continue cultivating without wanting to engage further with him.

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words and seeing his demeanor, Ye Ming, not being dull-witted, understood that Ding Fan meant for him to leave and not disturb his cultivation.

However, Ye Ming had something else to ask of Ding Fan but was hesitant to speak, considering Ding Fan's current expression.

"Elder Ding Fan... I..." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵

Ye Ming, with an average look and a somewhat scholarly demeanor, hesitated, not knowing how to express his plea. After all, he couldn't perceive Ding Fan's cultivation level, indicating he was an esteemed elder. Ye Ming understood that such high-level cultivators generally don't have the best temperament.

For them, taking a life is as simple as eating or drinking water.

But the matter at hand involved life and death, and Ye Ming couldn't help but speak; otherwise, his friends would surely meet their end at the hands of the Yuan Beasts.

He wasn't traveling alone, but with three friends heading to the Xueling Mountain Range.

Initially, their journey was relatively smooth, but unexpectedly, they encountered a pack of Silver Horned Wolves yesterday. These adult Silver Horned Wolves were all third-grade Yuan Beasts and were in groups, making them naturally formidable against a group of mid-level cultivators, ultimately trapping them in a cave.

Until today, Ye Ming, bravely volunteered to escape from the cave and seek rescue.

After breaking through the Silver Horned Wolf pack, Ye Ming, severely injured, encountered the Golden Core Leopard's pursuit. Had Ding Fan not intervened, he would likely be dead by now.

Finally, Ye Ming seemed to have made a decision and said to Ding Fan:

"Please, venerable elder, save my comrades. They are trapped by Yuan Beasts in a cave and in mortal danger. I beg you to lend your immense power to rescue them. I, Ye Ming, will remember your great kindness forever and surely repay your grace..."

Ye Ming truly resolved to plead to save his friends, even if it meant angering Ding Fan enough to kill him; he had to speak out.

Ding Fan wasn't pleased.

He had saved the man merely on impulse. And now, the man wanted him to rescue his friends as well; it was simply asking too much.

Ding Fan wasn't a saint. He didn't need to concern himself with others' lives and deaths. What mattered most now was finding Zhou Ruoran, Gusu Qingwen, and Ye Ningbing.

Ye Ming, noticing Ding Fan's displeased demeanor, felt anxious and continued pleading.

"Please, venerable elder... you must save my friends. I would do anything, even serve you like an animal, to repay your kindness."

Ding Fan shook his head and said calmly:

"You should leave quickly."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ming fell into despair, deeply inhaled, and showed a righteous expression on his face.

Immediately, Ye Ming drew a sharp sword from his waist, his expression filled with intensity.

"If the venerable elder is unwilling to help, then I'll risk my life to save my comrades!"

With resolve, the man began to walk back the way they came.

Ding Fan glanced at the man's back, feeling a subtle stir in his heart.

Wasn't he doing the same for those dear to him, willing to fight and risk everything?

This was one of the reasons Ding Fan returned to the Cultivation World: to find his beloved ones.

Then Ding Fan called out to Ye Ming, who hadn't gone far: