Chapter 930: Chapter 930

Ding Fan now wanted to open the portal to the Immortal Sect, not only to fulfill his promise to Ruan Yuan but also because the Ghost Sect had grown too rampant. For the Spirit Sect to survive, it had to join forces with the Immortal Sect to resist their enemies.

However, Ding Fan wouldn't tell Gusu Qingwen that his intervention was due to his alliance with the Immortal Sect, nor would he reveal that he was the Spirit Sect's master.

After all, claiming to be the leader of the Spirit Sect at such a young age would only make Gusu Qingwen suspicious. Moreover, if he wasn't the master, speaking of forming alliances with the Immortal Sect against the Ghost Sect would seem even more absurd.

Thus, Ding Fan simply stated that he agreed to help Ruan Yuan.

"It's nothing." Gusu Qingwen's expression suddenly became somber.

Watching Gusu Qingwen's shifting demeanor, Ding Fan was momentarily at a loss for words. A woman's mood, he thought, is just like summer weather—bright and sunny just moments ago, and now clouded with gloom.

"Now, can you tell me how you know the Seal Stone is blocking the passage between the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm?" Ding Fan asked.

"It was just a chance encounter." Gusu Qingwen had no intention of elaborating. "Now that we've obtained the Seal Stone, can we open the portal to the Immortal Realm?"

Seeing she didn't want to explain further, Ding Fan didn't press the issue. "The portal to the Immortal Realm is blocked by this Seal Stone. To open it, we must first understand the reason for its obstruction. I'll need some time to study the Seal Stone."

Gusu Qingwen nodded slightly. Her own thoughts about the Seal Stone aligned with Ding Fan's. "You should give the Seal Stone to me. I'll study it myself."

Ding Fan shook his head. "You won't figure it out."

What Ding Fan said wasn't intended to belittle Gusu Qingwen; rather, her telekinesis wasn't on par with his own, nor was her knowledge of artifact refining as profound as his. Therefore, Ding Fan deemed keeping the stone with himself the safer option.

Just as Gusu Qingwen was about to retort, the ground beneath them began to shake violently, and dust began cascading from above.

"We need to leave here immediately..." Ding Fan could see the area was on the brink of collapse. Staying here would only end in being buried alive.

Gusu Qingwen understood this was no time for further discussion.

The two quickly darted out of the area.

Following their previous path, they swiftly exited. Just as they leaped out of the underground pit, the entire surface caved in, forming a massive crater. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥

Even Gusu Qingwen couldn't help but feel a pang of fear at the sight before her. If she had delayed her escape, she would surely have been buried alive beneath the debris. What puzzled her, however, was why the pit, seemingly stable, had suddenly collapsed.

"Brat of the Immortal Sect, so you're here..." At that moment, as the two emerged from the pit, a chilling voice rang out.

Gusu Qingwen involuntarily shuddered upon hearing the voice.

Her brows furrowed deeply as she looked in the direction of the sound. "Gui Xing..."

Gui Xing, the Ghost Sect Master, was renowned among the Ghost Sect elites for his cultivation through soul refinement. As a result, the Ghost Sect's disciples were generally more advanced in cultivation compared to those practicing conventional ancient martial arts.

Gui Xing's cultivation was particularly terrifying. Gusu Qingwen had heard of him defeating the Immortal Sect's master.

His strength was self-evident.

"Ding Fan, leave now and remember—find a way to open the portal to the Immortal Sect." Gusu Qingwen drew her Immortal Sword and spoke resolutely.

Ding Fan understood perfectly that Gusu Qingwen intended to hold off Gui Xing and cover his retreat.

Without further elaboration, Ding Fan handed the ring containing the Seal Stone to Gusu Qingwen. "I'll stay. You go."

When Gusu Qingwen attempted to protest, Ding Fan interrupted her again. "If you don't want the Immortal Sect to remain cut off forever, you'd better listen to me."

Gusu Qingwen stood there stunned.

Swish... In that instant, Ding Fan unsheathed the Nine Profound Iron Sword. Without hesitation, he charged toward Gui Xing.

Gusu Qingwen realized it was now impossible to stop him. She glanced at the storage ring Ding Fan had given her, clenched her teeth, and fled without a word...

The reason Ding Fan wanted Gusu Qingwen to leave first was mainly because Gui Xing's cultivation was overwhelmingly powerful.

Even Gui Zhen of the Ghost Sect was enough to give Ding Fan a headache, and Gui Xing's strength was not only equal to Gui Zhen's but even exceeded it.

Facing such an opponent, Ding Fan had little chance of winning.

If Gusu Qingwen stayed by his side and he were to lose, the Seal Stone they had exhausted their efforts to find would be rendered worthless.

Thus, Ding Fan had to ensure Gusu Qingwen's departure.

Gui Xing sneered as he watched Ding Fan charge toward him.

Though Ding Fan was young, his cultivation detected through telekinesis was only at Earth Level First Grade.

"Do you really think you can stop me?"

Before Ding Fan reached him, Gui Xing waved his right hand, unleashing a ferocious blast of vital energy.

The surrounding sand and stones swirled wildly. Even a casual strike from him carried terrifying power...

Ding Fan had no intention of dodging. If he couldn't withstand a single casual strike from the opponent, there would be no point in continuing the battle.

Ding Fan flexed his long sword, producing a resounding dragon's roar. An equally formidable surge of vital energy exploded forth.

Boom... The two bursts of vital energy collided violently, creating a shockwave that rippled outward with both fighters at its epicenter...

The arena was engulfed in dust and debris...

Far away, Gusu Qingwen stopped in her tracks, hearing the deafening explosion. She turned back to look toward Ding Fan's direction. Clutching the storage ring he'd entrusted to her, she resumed her mad dash forward without looking back...

"Hmm?" After the violent clash of vital energy, Gui Xing appeared somewhat curious.

Previously, he hadn't thought much of Ding Fan, a young martial artist, being able to unleash such astonishing vital energy.

The clash just now left them evenly matched, with neither gaining the upper hand momentarily.

Although Gui Xing's strike had been casual, it wasn't easy to intercept.

It dawned on him that Ding Fan's true cultivation far exceeded Earth Level First Grade; he must have been concealing his level with a Magic Artifact.

"Boy, it seems I underestimated you..." Gui Xing muttered as his eyes turned blood red, an aura of death spreading around him.

Ding Fan's expression became stoic as he held his long sword down at his side.

The earlier exchange proved to Ding Fan that Gui Xing was indeed an opponent he couldn't hope to defeat currently. If they kept up the confrontation, it would only spell disaster for him.

But Ding Fan couldn't flee either, as Gui Xing's cultivation would allow him to catch up with Gusu Qingwen in mere moments.

Hence, Ding Fan had to exhaust every possibility to stall this formidable enemy.

"You've indeed got some tricks up your sleeve, kid, but thinking you can hold me back with this? You're too naïve."

Without warning, Gui Xing attacked, his movement akin to a ghost, swiftly closing the distance between them.

Swish, swish, swish...

In mere moments, Gui Xing unleashed over a dozen strikes.

Anyone familiar with Gui Xing would be stunned—he was utilizing his trump card: Ghost Thousand Hands.

The name, Ghost Thousand Hands, was literal—its attack speed so fast it appeared as if a thousand hands were striking.

Gui Xing employing such a fatal technique was a clear intent to quickly eliminate Ding Fan and pursue Gusu Qingwen.

In an instant, Ding Fan found himself enveloped by the fierce gusts of Gui Xing's strikes.

Ding Fan, relying on his heightened spiritual sense, managed to hold his ground. Without it, he would've been struck down already.

Even so, Ding Fan was under relentless pressure, effectively reduced to defensively blocking without any chance to counterattack.

Swish, swish, swish... For several moments, the arena became a blur of their combined figures...

In the blink of an eye, the two had been fiercely battling for over ten minutes.

Now, Gui Xing's expression grew increasingly dark.

His Ghost Thousand Hands was intended to end Ding Fan quickly, so he could chase after Gusu Qingwen. To his surprise, Ding Fan managed to dodge and survive under his onslaught.

Previously, even the master of the Immortal Sect had fallen to his Ghost Thousand Hands.

Yet the young man before him had stood against this technique for more than ten minutes...

Who exactly was this youth? How could a martial artist in his early twenties be so skilled?

As Gui Xing marveled at Ding Fan's abilities, Ding Fan was inwardly struggling.

While his spiritual sense was formidable, his right arm had already been gravely injured. If no solution emerged soon, he'd surely be struck down entirely.

"Die, boy!" Gui Xing, now enraged, roared.

Not to mention his pursuit of Gusu Qingwen—being stalled for so long by someone so young was an embarrassment he couldn't afford.

Swish, swish, swish... Gui Xing increased the intensity of his strikes.

Ding Fan was struck hard.

After being sent flying ten meters away, Ding Fan spat out blood.

He knew that prolonging this battle would only lead to his death.

Hesitating briefly, Ding Fan retrieved a long whip from his storage ring.

This was none other than the whip formerly wielded by the Myriad Demon Sect's master, Wu Qian Kun.

"Go!" Ding Fan infused True Qi into the whip and hurled it at Gui Xing.

Once airborne, the whip automatically began attacking Gui Xing.

Caught off guard by the whip's unusual behavior, Gui Xing found himself momentarily overwhelmed.

This brief window was exactly what Ding Fan had been waiting for.

With a swift movement, Ding Fan vanished from the scene.

By the time Gui Xing knocked the whip to the ground, Ding Fan was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!" Gui Xing was furious upon realizing Ding Fan had escaped.

Gui Xing had profound confidence in his cultivation—Profound Level Fifth Grade, a level few could contend with.

Yet Ding Fan had slipped away from right under his nose. There weren't many in the world who could pull off such a feat.

If word got out that a young punk in his early twenties had escaped from Gui Xing, he'd be ridiculed endlessly!

"Boy, cross me again, and I'll flay you alive!"...