Chen Fan burst out of the space tunnel, blood pouring from his wounds, his aura faint and weak.
He didn’t dare to rest here. Using the Wings of Rain Dragon, he swiftly escaped from the Fiendish Corpse Mountain Range.
Chen Fan had come unnervingly close to death this time. Luckily, the small golden person saved him again, displaying immense strength.
He had been in danger numerous times, but the small golden figure hadn’t intervened as many times, much less used the divine tongue. But this time, facing an attack from the massive head, they had emerged and unleashed unmatched divine power.
“Senior? Senior...” Chen Fan tried to communicate with the small golden person, but as usual, there was no response.
After several attempts with no success, Chen Fan gave up. “Maybe my cultivation level is too low. Forget it. But, damn... I really survived the most dangerous moment of my life. I better not jump into dangerous lands so easily in the future. What would Father and Mother do if something happened to me?"
Chen Fan wasn’t afraid of danger, but he worried about the people he needed to protect.
He flew across the lands, exiting the Fiendish Corpse Mountain Range and reentering the outside world.
In the depths of the otherworldly space, the head, restrained by chains of divine light, finally managed to suppress its injuries.
“Damn it! Why did I meet someone with a god’s seal and blessing here? That's a god, a legend of the thirty-three heavens, for goodness’ sake! Why is such a being doing with an ordinary person from a tiny world?
“I, Yama Devil Emperor, swept across the thirty-three heavenly domains ten thousand years ago. Ah, if only I hadn’t fallen into that trap... Those bastards ripped me limb from limb and chained me up with Zhendan Divine Iron. Ten thousand years! This plan was centuries in the making! I was just about to break free and return to the heavenly domain to exact revenge, but now... My ten-thousand-year plan was almost ruined!”
Yama Devil Emperor seethed with hatred for Chen Fan.
After getting shackled here more than ten thousand years ago, he created the Fiendish Corpse Mountain Range. He was responsible for its unique environment and for the jiangshi, skeletons, and blood corpses occasionally charging out to terrorize innocent people. They would absorb sufficient qi and blood to corrode away the Zhendan Divine Iron.
In another century or so, he could have dissolved the chains completely. After reuniting with his corpse, he would have regained his original powers. Unfortunately, the small golden person had injured his divine nascent greatly, pushing the day of his freedom into a distant, unreachable future.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! When I break out of here, I’ll definitely rip this damned ant apart!” Yama Devil Emperor roared in agony, his furious roar shaking the otherworldly space.
Enduring his injuries, Chen Fan rushed to the Watermoon City’s Chen Clan.
Chen Zhengqing sensed him returning and went out. However, Chen Fan seemed on the verge of death, so his expression changed drastically.
“Xiaofan, what happened to you...”
He knew that the Fiendish Corpse Mountain Range was full of dangers, but Chen Fan was incomparably powerful. So, he couldn't be in danger unless he jumped into a trap. Why could injure him so gravely?
Chen Fan said, “No need to worry, Father. I just had a few... encounters. I won’t talk about it for now. I need to heal my wounds first.”
“Alright," Chen Zhengqing replied, understanding that tending to Chen Fan's injuries was the priority.
Sitting cross-legged in a secret room, Chen Fan took out many precious Recovery Elixirs and swallowed them.
His injuries were from the shockwaves of the clash between the small golden person and the Yama Devil Emperor. If not for his tough physique, the shockwaves would have reduced him to minced meat.
Time flew by, and half a month passed in a flash.
“Xiaofan still hasn’t come out. Are his injuries very severe?” Chen Zhengqing paced back and forth in his study, and his face was full of worry.
“Relax a little, Zhengqing. Xiaofan will be fine,” Chen Tianxiong said, comforting him.
Chen Fan had long since recovered from his injuries using the Divine Stone of Life. He hadn’t left the room because he was trying to advance to the seventh level using the Blood Corpse Demon King suppressed in the Heaven Seizing Furnace.
The Heaven Seizing Furnace revolved, refining the Blood Corpse Demon King into vast amounts of life essence. This completely healed Chen Fan’s injuries and increased his cultivation aura.
Next, he took out the purple-gold jiangshi king’s corpse core and tossed it into the Heaven Seizing Furnace. That produced even more life essence, which flowed through Chen Fan’s limbs and bones.
The Blood Corpse Demon King and the purple-gold jiangshi king were in the high-level Core Formation realm. So, their life essence was abundant, pushing Chen Fan’s cultivation aura continuously.
Wisps of invisible qi waves spread out from Chen Fan, leading to cracks appearing on the walls of the secret room.
Time flew by once again, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
A loud boom rang out from inside Chen Fan. A terrifying aura erupted from him, transforming into a terrifying vortex above his head.
He waved his palm without a second thought. A hill’s worth of primeval stone burst open one after another, and a mass of pure primeval qi rushed into him.
The terrifying phenomenon finally came to a stop an hour later, and everything returned to calm.
Chen Fan had advanced to the seventh level of the Core Formation realm.
Chen Zhengqing and Chen Tianxiong were relieved to see Chen Fan leaving the room in high spirits.
“Father, Grandfather.” Chen Fan greeted them.
Chen Zhengqing asked, “Xiaofan, how are your injuries?”
Chen Fan answered, “No need to worry, Father. They are fully healed. And... I have also reached the seventh level! With my combat strength, I can even defeat those at the eighth level easily”
Hiss! Chen Zhengqing and Chen Tianxiong gasped in shock. They had known that Chen Fan’s cultivation had reached a shocking level. However, hearing it from him still deeply shocked them.
Seventh level of the Core Formation realm...
They didn’t even dare to dream of that level.
Chen Fan took out the Divine Stone of Life and handed it to Chen Zhengqing.
“Father, I see you are at the eighth level of the Yuanfu realm. Very good. Now, I have enough strength to bring Mother back. This is a Divine Stone of Life. It still has some life origin essence inside. Absorb it and advance to the Core Formation realm, Father. Once you do, we'll head to the imperial city together, bring Mother back, and reunite as a family!"
Given his current cultivation level and strength, Chen Fan would be a formidable figure even in the imperial city. He no longer needed to fear the Qin Clan in the slightest.
Chen Zhengqing trembled from head to toe. His eyes reddened, unable to contain his emotions.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Zhengqing suppressed the excitement in his heart and nodded heavily. He received the Divine Stone of Life and said, “Alright, when I advance into the Core Formation realm, we’ll go to the imperial city together and bring your mother home!”