Chapter 785: Chapter 785
Strong! Incredibly strong!
The masked woman, riding the White Lion, stood there, dazed for a moment.
The young man in front of her had used just one move to send her and the White Lion reeling backward. From this single move alone, it was clear his cultivation was far superior to hers.
The masked woman was no fool. She and the White Lion being forced back without injury made it evident that the young man had shown restraint. Otherwise, she and the White Lion would probably have been severely injured by now...
"Huan Er, bring the honored guests to the Watch Sparrow Pavilion." At that moment, a voice resounded through heaven and earth.
Ding Fan was startled but quickly understood that the voice had been transmitted using Inner Strength.
To transmit a voice over such a distance indicated that the other's cultivation was also incredibly profound.
"Are you really here with Ye Tianshi?" The masked woman, riding the White Lion, approached Ding Fan.
Ding Fan nodded as a response.
After taking a glance at Ding Fan and another at Lan Qier beside him, the masked woman spoke. "Follow me."
Leading with the White Lion, the masked woman rode ahead while Ding Fan and Lan Qier followed behind.
After walking along the road for about fifteen minutes, the three of them arrived near a pavilion.
The pavilion's plaque bore three words... Watch Sparrow Pavilion.
"Please..." the masked woman dismounted from the White Lion and then gestured politely to Ding Fan and Lan Qier.
Ding Fan did not stand on ceremony and, pulling Lan Qier along, they ascended the stairs side by side, followed by the masked woman.
The three reached the loft of the pavilion, where the aroma from an incense burner lingered, and an elderly woman with white hair was playing Go with Ye Tianshi.
The white-haired woman appeared very old. However, unlike Ye Tianshi, her skin was exceptionally lustrous, as youthful as a young girl's.
Her posture also maintained an elegant grace, radiating the aura of a noblewoman with every gesture she made.
Yet, the aura around the white-haired woman was also incredibly strong, and among it, there was a vague sense of imperial majesty...
"Grandmother, the guests have been brought here..." the masked woman stood properly in front of the white-haired woman and reported.
At that moment, the white-haired woman did not even glance at Ding Fan.
"Ye Tianshi, is this the once-in-a-millennium genius you spoke of?"
The white-haired woman's voice, although ancient, was calm and clear with every word pronounced distinctly.
Ye Tianshi nodded. "Noble one, when have I ever deceived you in these hundreds of years..."
The white-haired woman slowly picked up a Go piece and then turned to the masked woman. "Huan Er, since Master Ye says this young man is a once-in-a-millennium genius, why don't you test his cultivation for me..."
Upon hearing the white-haired woman's words, the masked woman did not move, instead staring blankly for a moment.
"What? Did I not make myself clear?" the white-haired woman gently placed a Go piece on the board.
"Grandmother... I've already tested him..." the masked woman hesitated before continuing. "I lost..."
Then, the masked woman briefly recounted her encounter with Ding Fan to the white-haired woman.
Upon hearing the masked woman's words, the white-haired woman looked up at Ding Fan for the first time.
Others might not know the masked woman's cultivation level, but the white-haired woman certainly did.
The masked woman's cultivation had reached the Peak Earth Level. It was no small feat for her to achieve such a level at an age under thirty.
And Ding Fan—how old was he? Probably only about twenty-two or twenty-three at most. Yet at this age, he was able to defeat the masked woman...
"He is indeed quite remarkable..." After sizing up Ding Fan, the white-haired woman gently picked up her teacup and took a slow sip.
"At this Serpent Island grand assembly, let him win back the Spirit Renewal Herb for Linger... With that, Linger will be able to wake up..." Ye Tianshi said.
A grand assembly at Serpent Island?
Ding Fan was startled.
Serpent Island, a martial contest that served as a selection for disciples entering the Immortal Sect.
Previously, Ding Fan had slain Bian Zhimu and had even taken an invitation letter from his storage ring.
Ding Fan was puzzled as to why Ye Tianshi brought him here and was now bringing up the contest at Serpent Island.
After listening to Ye Tianshi, the white-haired woman remained composed, but Ding Fan could sense a slight change in her demeanor.
"Very well, let him go to Serpent Island then." Without looking up, the white-haired woman said to Ding Fan. "If you can obtain the Spirit Renewal Herb, I'll grant you anything you desire in this world..."
Ding Fan was startled; this woman's claim was bold indeed.
As vast as the world was, could she really grant everything, even if he desired dominion over the world?
After the elderly woman finished speaking, Ding Fan responded coolly.
Her assumption was too presumptuous, thinking he would simply agree to serve her. Wouldn't that make him her pawn?
Moreover, since Ding Fan knew nothing about the woman, how could he possibly agree...
After Ding Fan dropped these words, the masked woman beside him was stunned.
Clearly, she had not expected Ding Fan to be so defiant, especially in front of the white-haired woman...
However, Ye Tianshi seemed accustomed to it and showed no surprise.
The white-haired woman was clearly, taken aback. She looked at Ding Fan. "You refused?"
Ding Fan met the white-haired woman's gaze, neither humble nor arrogant. "I never considered accepting."
The White Hair Women, seeing Ding Fan , actually held him in new regard. Her aura was exceptionally strong, and even an Earth Level Martial Artist, upon seeing her, would involuntarily feel uncomfortable.
Yet Ding Fan remained calm and composed...
Just this composure alone greatly impressed the White Hair Women...
The White Hair Women pondered for a moment, then said, "Follow me."
After speaking, she immediately stood up.
One woman in a mask nearby cleverly went to support her. They then descended from the Watching Sparrow Pavillion.
Below the Watching Sparrow Pavillion, there was a secret door; the masked woman opened it, revealing a passage leading underground, where the White Hair Women led the way with everyone else following.
The tunnel below was quite cold, the further down they went, the chillier it became.
At last, everyone arrived at an underground chamber.
Upon entering the chamber, Ding Fan was taken aback.
The walls of this chamber were entirely made of Frost Stone.
Frost Stone is a type of ore colder than ice, extraordinarily valuable. Many Ancient Martial Arts masters collect this stone to construct Cold Jade Beds for training...
This chamber was very spacious, and the amount of Frost Stone was astonishing. Just these stones alone were of considerable value...
Within this chamber, there lay a Cold Jade Bed.
And on the Cold Jade Bed lay a young girl.
The girl appeared to be just over twenty, but she looked as if she were deeply asleep, her face covered with a layer of frost...
"Frozen Aegis Technique?"
Ding Fan used his Divine Sense to examine the girl, and his eyes widened substantially.
The girl was completely encased in ice, which reminded Ding Fan of an ancient book he had once read.
By rapidly freezing the human body with ice, one could preserve a trace of life force, and to awaken, one simply needed to thaw the ice...
This method was used to treat patients with severe conditions that were at the time untreatable, temporarily encasing the patient in ice using the Frozen Aegis Technique.
Later, when a treatment became available, the person could be thawed.
It seemed the girl in front of him was suffering from an incurable disease back in the days, and thus, the Frozen Aegis Technique was employed...
"She is my daughter... her name is Linger," the elderly woman said, looking tenderly at the girl on the bed.
"Back then, I brought her here to escape the ravages of war and to seclude ourselves and cultivate. I planned for us to stay here forever and never reenter the world…"
The White Hair Women sighed deeply as she continued, "But who knew, one day while I was preparing Pills, Linger accidentally consumed Spirit Renewal Herb..."
As she spoke, tears began to stream down her face.
"Didn't you want Ding Fan to fetch the Spirit Renewal Herb? That herb should be able to save lives; if Miss Linger ate it, she should be fine..." Lan Qier asked, puzzled.
"How would you know," the White Hair Women shook her head and said with a bitter smile. "The Spirit Renewal Herb is a miraculous herb. If an ordinary person consumes it, they can immediately rise to the Earth Level of cultivation..." Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
Just by consuming this herb, an ordinary person could ascend to become an Earth Level Martial Artist. Truly, the herb was formidable.
Ding Fan was amazed once again.
The White Hair Women continued, "However, after consuming one herb, a second must be consumed within three years; otherwise, death is certain... Spirit Renewal Herb is only possessed by the leaders of the Immortal Sect, and this Immortal Spirit Grass is only given to disciples entering the sect… My daughter's cultivation is mediocre; she never stood a chance of ascending to the Immortal Realm… I had no choice but to seek out Ye Tianshi to keep my daughter in stasis.."
Ding Fan nodded in understanding as he heard the whole story.
The White Hair Women, not hiding anything anymore, continued, "Over the years, I have searched far and wide for extraordinary talents, all to cultivate someone capable of entering the Immortal Realm so they could retrieve the Spirit Renewal Herb for my Linger… Initially, I had high hopes for Huan Er, but compared to you..."
At this, the White Hair Women sighed and said no more.
"Grandmother, I'm sorry to have let you down..." the masked woman quickly knelt in front of the White Hair Women to apologize.
The White Hair Women lifted her hand effortlessly.
The masked woman then stood up straight.
"Huan Er, you have tried very hard, but talent is something we can't achieve through effort alone," the old woman told Huan Er before turning to Ding Fan.
"I hope, for the sake of a mother, you can lend a hand... I beg you here..."
Upon saying this, the White Hair Women actually knelt before Ding Fan.
Ding Fan could not accept such a significant gesture from the elderly woman, he quickly helped her up.
"There's no need for this, senior..."
Ding Fan was not one to be coerced.
If you were to threaten him, Ding Fan would rather die than comply, but the old woman's sincere approach softened his heart.
"Have you agreed?" the White Hair Women asked Ding Fan, a face full of hope.
"I'll be heading to Serpent Island anyway; might as well help along the way," said Ding Fan.
Ding Fan had promised Gusu Qingwen to meet again in three years, so this journey to Serpent Island was inevitable for him.
"That's wonderful..." the White Hair Women was overjoyed, tears streaming down her face once more.
Despite his young age, Ding Fan already possessed the strength of an Earth Level cultivator; entering the Immortal Realm was practically a guaranteed success for him...
The White Hair Women seemed to have already envisioned Ding Fan returning with the Spirit Renewal Herb...
"However, senior, I'll help you fetch the herb, but at least you should let me know who you are," Ding Fan calmly stated.
The White Hair Women pondered for a moment, then sighed deeply before saying, "Chen Yuanyuan..."