Ding Fan was slightly furrowing his brows at this moment, clearly sensing the aura of a Ghost Warrior emanating from Qi Changran.
Back then, Uncle Bian Wu had said that the contents of the Heavenly Book Fragment were extremely sinister, which was precisely why the Bian Family's ancestors had split the book into two, keeping one part in Changsheng Village and entrusting the other to Qi Changran.
It was said to be a Cultivation Technique used by demons to reach sainthood.
However, to achieve sainthood, one must first succumb to demons. At this moment, as Ding Fan watched Qi Changran from across, judging by his aura, Ding Fan felt that Qi Changran had already begun practicing the techniques from the Heavenly Book Fragment.
As for Qi Changran previously saying that the Heavenly Book Fragment was lost, that was very likely a ploy to divert everyone's attention and shift all the blame onto himself.
After all, the people from the Myriad Demon Sect had also coveted the Heavenly Book Fragment. By declaring so in front of many people, everyone under heaven would now believe that the Heavenly Book Fragment was with him, making it seem unrelated to Qi Changran…
Qi Changran indeed proved to be a cunning and ruthless character.
"Master… please don't be angry," Cheng Bufan stood up at this moment, kneeling in front of Qi Changran.
At that moment, a mighty burst of Inner Strength was unleashed, instantly sending Cheng Bufan tumbling to the ground.
Pfft… The force of Qi Changran's Inner Strength was formidable, causing Cheng Bufan to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"You really do have a good sworn brother…" After dropping these words, Qi Changran swiftly left with the members of Quanzhen Xuanmen.
"Sworn brother…" Ding Fan walked over and helped Cheng Bufan up.
"Big Brother Cheng, your master has gone too far, dealing such a heavy blow…" Mu Zi expressed her dissatisfaction from the side.
At this moment Cheng Bufan, full of remorse, looked at Ding Fan. "Sworn brother, I have let you be wrongly accused again…"
Ding Fan slightly shook his head. "Sworn brother, come find me after this martial arts conference. I will leave a mark for you then."
Since Qi Changran was practicing the Heavenly Book Fragment and preparing to become demonically possessed, it was very dangerous to follow such a person, which Ding Fan wanted to remind Cheng Bufan about.
Although Cheng Bufan did not understand why Ding Fan wanted to see him, he still nodded. "Okay, I understand."
At this point, Cheng Bufan decided it was not good for him to linger and promptly said his goodbyes to Ding Fan, then jogged off to catch up with the Quanzhen Xuanmen people.
After Cheng Bufan had left, Ding Fan pondered for a moment, then arranged for Mu Zi and Huan Er to take care of Ruan Yuan before he went to find Zixuan.
The Heavenly Book Fragment was divided into two parts, one was kept in Changsheng, and the other was with Qi Changran. Ding Fan now wanted to ask Zixuan whether the fragment in Changsheng was still there.
"Zixuan, I'd like to discuss some matters," Ding Fan said, blatantly ignoring the presence of Gu Mingfeng.
Gu Mingfeng had repeatedly taken digs just now, clearly acting with pettiness, which Ding Fan couldn't be bothered to entertain.
Zixuan showed no hesitation and nodded immediately. "Okay."
Thereupon, Zixuan and Ding Fan walked side by side, heading towards a less crowded area.
Gu Mingfeng looked infuriated behind her.
He had initially hoped to watch Ding Fan get dealt with by the Quanzhen Xuanmen people, but instead, Ding Fan had turned the tables and knocked down an elder from Quanzhen Xuanmen with one kick.
Zixuan had looked admiringly at Ding Fan just moments ago.
Gu Mingfeng truly wanted to curse that elder from Quanzhen Xuanmen to death. If you are incompetent, why do you even step forward? Is it just to give Ding Fan a head start?
At this moment, Ding Fan led Zixuan away from the crowd, which was a profound humiliation for Gu Mingfeng. An immense humiliation.
"Ding Fan… I will definitely not let things end between us just …" Gu Mingfeng muttered under his breath.
Ding Fan took Zixuan to a secluded spot. As there was still some time before the martial arts tournament commenced, there were not many people around, leaving plenty of empty spaces on the island.
"Zixuan, I want to inquire about the Heavenly Book Fragment," Ding Fan said.
Upon hearing Ding Fan's query, Zixuan immediately responded. "I, too, only found out about the Heavenly Book Fragment recently… Uncle Bian Wu had been protecting the fragment all along, but one day, someone suddenly ambushed him and stole the fragment…"
Ding Fan's eyes lit up. "So, the Changsheng Heavenly Book Fragment has been stolen?"
Zixuan nodded. "Uncle Bian Wu is still bedridden."
Hearing this, Ding Fan almost confirmed his suspicion.
The Heavenly Book was divided into two parts. With the fragment in Changsheng being stolen, coupled with the sensation of the Ghost Warrior's aura from Qi Changran, and even from Qi Luomei, Ding Fan was sure that the person who had ambushed Uncle Bian Wu was none other than Qi Changran.
And Qi Changran's claim that their fragment of the Heavenly Book was lost was definitely a facade. His motive was to have everyone believe that he was the thief…
"Ding Fan…" Seeing Ding Fan lost in thought, Zixuan softly called out.
Ding Fan momentarily collected himself, then spoke. "I think I have roughly guessed who hurt Uncle Bian Wu and stole that half of the Heavenly Book Fragment."
Zixuan's eyes sparkled. "Who is it?"
Ding Fan looked at Zixuan. "I don't have concrete evidence yet, but give me some time, and I will tell you everything."
Seeing Ding Fan's assured demeanor, she simply nodded in agreement.
"Let's go." Having asked all he needed to, Ding Fan decided to head back with Zixuan.
"Ding Fan, that Gu Mingfeng has nothing to do with me; he just insisted on escorting me to Serpent Island…" Just then, Zixuan spoke to Ding Fan.
Ding Fan was momentarily surprised, as he had not expected Zixuan to bring this up to him.
However, when you think about it, perhaps Zixuan also feels that Gu Mingfeng isn't that great of a person either.
At that moment, Ding Fan and Bian Zixuan returned to the front of the large tent.
By then, more and more people had gathered at the entrance of the large tent. Looking at the time, the exchange meeting was also drawing nearer.
"Everyone listen up..." Just then, a voice rang out directly.
Because this voice was conveyed using Inner Strength, even without a loudspeaker, everyone present could hear it clearly.
Upon hearing this voice, everyone suddenly quieted down...
"Due to the large number of people attending the Martial Arts Conference on Serpent Island this time, and the limited space inside the large tent, only the sect masters can bring one person with them," the voice announced.
After hearing this, the crowd began discussing the matter once again.
The sect master could only bring one person inside. There were many here from a single sect who had brought a dozen or so members; didn't that mean only one person from each sect could enter?
"Apart from the sect masters, those who have this invitation can also enter... in principle, those with an invitation can also bring one person with them. Alright, everyone, please start lining up now..."
After the voice fell, people at the site began to queue in an orderly fashion.
"Zixuan, just follow me, I'll take you in," Gu Mingfeng said, looking rather superior as he glanced at Ding Fan and the three others, including Mu Zi and Sister Huan Er. "Later, I will come back and describe the situation inside the tent to you all."
Mu Zi snorted disdainfully.
"There's nothing interesting inside, why go in? It's cooler outside. With such fine weather, I should take good care of Brother Fan with Sister Huan Er," she said.
After finishing her words, Mu Zi directly grabbed Ding Fan's arm.
At that moment, Ding Fan really admired this little fairy, daring to say just about anything...
Sister Huan Er blushed at that moment too. However, she didn't contradict Mu Zi; instead, she moved closer to Ding Fan.
Although Sister Huan Er didn't cling to Ding Fan's arm like Mu Zi did, her actions had already made her stance clear...
Gu Mingfeng's eyes flickered with a hint of hatred.
Mu Zi and Sister Huan Er were both first-class beauties. If Zixuan hadn't been by his side, Gu Mingfeng would definitely have pursued the two of them.
Acquiring any one of these beauties would have been a splendid thing, yet now both of them actually stood by Ding Fan's side, and both appeared totally willing...
"Sect Master Gu, I'll stay with Ding Fan too, we still have some unspoken words..." Just then, Zixuan also directly moved next to Ding Fan. "So I won't accompany you inside..."
At that moment, Gu Mingfeng really felt like swearing...
What did Ding Fan have that made these three beauties willing to stay with him? He was a young and handsome sect master...
What did he lack compared to Ding Fan?
"Brother Fan..." Just when Gu Mingfeng was silently seething, a soft and sensual voice directly came from nearby.
When Gu Mingfeng looked over, a top-tier beauty with a swaying gait was approaching.
Upon seeing her, Gu Mingfeng immediately recognized who she was.
The woman approaching was none other than Wu Die, the hostess from Longxi Auction House.
Wu Die was well-known in the Ancient Martial World, the dream woman of countless martial artists...
Gu Mingfeng could not understand what this sexy beauty would want with Ding Fan.
"Brother Fan, I have an invitation right here. If you need it, I'll give it to you..." Wu Die said as she handed over a golden invitation.
Seeing this, everyone present was astonished.
They knew that invitation was extremely valuable; it wasn't something money could buy, and many had even resorted to murder to get one...
And Wu Die was offering this invitation to Ding Fan as soon as she could.
Gu Mingfeng was burning with jealousy at that moment.
"As you can see, I have a lot of people with me, so one invitation doesn't serve much purpose for me. You better go have a look inside yourself..." Ding Fan said with a smile.
Actually, Ding Fan knew the invitation was very valuable, and Wu Die must have obtained it just for him; he really didn't want to owe them too much...
Everyone at the scene was stunned.
The exchange meeting would be filled with VIPs, and everything exchanged would definitely be of high value, and yet Ding Fan had declined?
For a moment, many people thought Ding Fan might have something wrong with his head.
Then, to everyone's real astonishment, Wu Die took the invitation, casually tearing it into pieces.
"Since Young Master Ding doesn't wish to go in, then I will stay here and have a chat with a few friends..." Wu Die said with a seductive smile.
She tore up the invitation for Ding Fan?
Even Gu Mingfeng was shocked. That was an invitation to the Martial Arts Conference...