"I’ll help you get inside first to heal, and I’ll go see what’s going on," Ye Fan said gently to Li Zhaojun. Although he was somewhat chauvinistic, he always cherished the ones he loved.
Li Zhaojun nodded slightly. After Ye Fan’s Nine Yang Divine Skill shattered her defenses again, the icy wall in her heart gradually began to melt.
Ye Fan helped her into the great hall, found a cushion for her to sit down, and allowed her to sit cross-legged and cultivate her energy. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Meanwhile, under the watchful eyes of Min Shang, Ye Fan went outside, drew the banner floating in the air into his hands, and compared it with the evil spirit banner from his storage bracelet. The patterns on them were basically the same.
"What do you have in your hand?" Min Shang seemed like a naive girl, curious about everything.
"This is the evil spirit banner. Have you heard of it?" Ye Fan turned to glance at her and asked.
Min Shang shook her head honestly. She was a naturally honest woman who couldn’t lie.
Ye Fan studied the flagpole and said, "Last time I came, I didn’t see this item. Why do I see it today? Did the master and second senior brother return after we left?"
No one could answer his question, so Ye Fan searched the front and back of the mountain gate again but still didn’t find any clues.
Suddenly, the sky roared with thunder, but this time it gathered around Heavenly Peak Mountain. Ye Fan felt a pressure and quickly pulled Min Shang, bringing her into the great hall to wait.
Min Shang was a bit stunned being pulled by someone. Even though she had enough strength to push Ye Fan away, she didn’t do so.
Inside the great hall, Ye Fan naturally let go of her hand to check on Li Zhaojun, while Min Shang stood aside, her face alternating between green and red, constantly wondering, "What’s happening to me?"
A massive roar echoed across the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck directly on the flagpole standing on Heavenly Peak Mountain. Such a mighty lightning strike should have leveled a mountain, but Heavenly Peak Mountain’s powerful spiritual energy net acted as a barrier and kept the lightning at bay.
The spiritual energy net on Heavenly Peak Mountain acted like an electric grid, absorbing further strikes from the thunder. Ye Fan looked outside and felt that this might be a precursor to some kind of omen.
"What’s going on outside?" Li Zhaojun opened her eyes. She had been meditating just now and didn’t know what was happening outside.
Ye Fan replied, "It’s the lightning signifying a heavenly tribulation. It seems we can’t stay long on Heavenly Peak Mountain, nor can we linger in Pan Gu’s secret realm. We should return to Earth soon."
"Do you know how to return?" Li Zhaojun looked at Ye Fan. "I came here following the master. He only told me how to enter Pan Gu’s secret realm but not how to leave."
Ye Fan was also troubled because he only knew how to get here, not how to return.
As for Min Shang, it was even less likely for her to know since she didn’t even know what Earth was.
The three stood in front of the great hall, watching as thunder continuously battered Heavenly Peak Mountain. Ye Fan said, "It seems something on Heavenly Peak Mountain is attracting the thunder. Could it be the evil spirit banner?"
Ye Fan took out the banner he had just put away and used spiritual energy to hang it back on the flagpole. The thunder immediately weakened significantly, and when he placed the evil spirit banner on it, the thunder stopped altogether.
Heavenly Peak Mountain returned to silence, but the previous thunderstorm had ignited several trees on its outskirts. Yet, neither the fire nor the smoke could enter the surroundings of Heavenly Peak Mountain.
Due to the fire, the surrounding temperature started to rise, but Min Shang, with her pure yin constitution, emitted spiritual energy from her body, like ice, enveloping Heavenly Peak Mountain’s spiritual energy net.
Soon, the fire around the mountain even ceased.
Ye Fan thought to himself, with Min Shang’s yin-yang irregular constitution and mid-Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, she could be used as both a furnace and eternal ice.
Suddenly, spiritual energy approached from a distance. Ye Fan probed carefully, realizing it followed the remnants of his spiritual energy, and as it got closer, he could judge that the person was Wu Ding.
"Senior Sister Wu Ding is coming. With her here, we can get help to return to Earth." Ye Fan’s face showed a trace of joy.
"Hmm." Li Zhaojun lowered her head slightly. It was clear that despite her strong-willed nature, she was somewhat reluctant to leave.
If she had a choice, she would rather stay in Pan Gu’s secret realm with Ye Fan, cultivating together and living as a couple who could cultivate immortality. But now that she had rekindled her feelings, she didn’t want to voice her reluctance, even if it would cause the slightest harm to Ye Fan.
Ye Fan personally went to lead Wu Ding up the mountain. Accompanying her were Elder Wu, Shen Biancheng, and Bai He.
"Junior Brother, have you reunited with your junior sister-in-law?" Shen Biancheng, upon learning that Ye Fan had brought Li Zhaojun back, was genuinely happy for him.
"Yes, we are about to return to Earth. Pan Gu’s secret realm is fraught with danger, so I don’t think... my wife and I are suited to stay here." Ye Fan was determined to leave.
Wu Ding scolded, "Junior Brother, haven’t you considered one possibility? What if you’re destined to save Pan Gu’s secret realm? First, Emperor Mountain was disrupted by the Earthly Origin Sect, then struck by lightning, and the cultivators of all major sects suffered heavy casualties..."
Ye Fan interrupted Wu Ding, "Senior Sister, I don’t seem to have the ability to be a savior."
"How do you know you don’t without trying? Don’t you think it’s unusual that your cultivation reached the Nascent Soul Stage within days of entering Pan Gu’s secret realm, even with severe Golden Core injuries? Can a normal person achieve this?" Wu Ding said. "You were able to ascend Heavenly Peak Mountain, where every grass and tree seems prepared for you. Even the thunder couldn’t breach the spiritual energy net. Isn’t a tranquil life here with Zhao Jun also possible?"
"But..." Ye Fan was a bit anxious.
"But what? In truth, you’re just lacking responsibility. You could become an immortal and save countless beings, yet you choose not to do it. Have you thought that if you really leave and Pan Gu’s secret realm is destroyed, won’t Earth be affected? At that point, forget about Earth—perhaps the entire galaxy, the entire universe, will be destroyed. You and Zhao Jun would become a pair of fugitive lovers!"
Wu Ding criticized Ye Fan loudly, using this method to awaken him.
But Ye Fan’s heart was resolute. He wouldn’t allow anyone to question or change his decided course of action.
"I’ll remember Senior Sister’s words, but I’d rather return to Earth. Even a few days of stable and happy life with Zhao Jun there would be enough." Ye Fan spoke calmly.
"Foolish, utterly foolish!" Wu Ding scolded, feeling angry and exasperated, yet ultimately she found herself lacking the courage to reprimand Ye Fan further because the life Ye Fan pursued was actually what she had long desired deep inside.
What joy is there in becoming an immortal when the most important thing is cherishing every moment of life?
Elder Wu sighed softly, "Since Ye Fan insists, let’s not force anything. Let’s head up the mountain for a talk. Further thunder strikes could be dangerous."
Ye Fan shook his head, "I still prefer not to go up the mountain. Please, Senior Brother Qing Wu and Senior Sister Wu Ding, help us return to Earth. I will be eternally grateful."