Jiang Xundao waved his hand dismissively, his expression thoughtful.
"Very well. The engagement can wait. Still, it wouldn't hurt if you and Shen Ruyan grew… better acquainted."
Watching his father hurry off, Jiang Wang could only shake his head with a faint, helpless smile.
Once the great hall fell silent again, he pushed aside all thoughts of politics and marriage. There were far more important matters to attend to.
---
The Hidden World Within the Mansion
He made his way into the deepest chamber of the Immortal Mansion—a secret realm that only he could enter.
A world of its own unfolded before him.
Ancient herbs glimmered with divine light, their fragrance blending with the thick, rolling spiritual energy that blanketed the land. Wisps of Daoist rhythm weaved through the air like living threads.
Just breathing here could extend a mortal's life by a century. Even the rare Nine Yang Mysterious Grass grew like common weeds among these fields of celestial medicine.
At the heart of this secret world lay a jade pool. Within it shimmered a liquid forged from countless refined immortal herbs—an elixir meant to temper the body and harmonize spiritual essence.
Jiang Wang stood before the pool, holding the vial of True Dragon's Blood. With a flick of his wrist, he poured it in.
At once, a dragon's roar split the heavens.
The moment the golden blood touched the pool, the entire liquid began to boil, waves surging as if an ancient creature were awakening.
Without hesitation, Jiang Wang stepped into the pool and sat cross-legged. The heat bit into his skin, but he remained unmoving, drawing in the essence of the divine blood.
As time slipped away, the boiling calmed—but from the depths of the liquid, phantom dragons began to coil around his body. Their ethereal forms roared in unison, merging into his flesh and blood.
His aura climbed higher and higher—until it finally steadied at the brink of the Xuanling Realm.
When his eyes snapped open, twin beams of golden light burst forth. Tiny worlds seemed to rise and fall within them; suns and moons dimmed in their wake.
"My body's limit has reached perfection," he murmured. "But my strength… has soared again."
He clenched his fist, and the air around him trembled.
"Fifty million jin of force… A single punch could shatter mountains and split seas."
Then his expression softened with awe. He opened his palm, and from it coiled a miniature dragon of pure light—silent, regal, obedient.
"The True Dragon Ancient Art…" he whispered. "So the legend was true. This must've been the inheritance hidden within the blood. No wonder Li Jingtian guarded it so closely. He probably prepared it for Li Kun."
A thin smile curved his lips. "Pity. Giving such a treasure to that fool would've been a waste."
He crushed the dragon phantom in his palm, its essence dissolving into him completely. The ancient art was his now.
Just as he was about to resume his cultivation, his expression shifted. An unfamiliar presence had intruded into the Immortal Mansion.
In a blink, he stood once more in the outer hall, his robe fresh and white as snow. With a thought, the grand doors opened.
One of the Jiang Clan's immortal servants knelt before him, trembling.
"Son of God, forgive me! I have kept watch over Ye Fan as ordered, but he has… vanished! He somehow severed my divine perception. When I checked again this morning, he was gone!"
Jiang Wang's eyes narrowed. Ye Fan escaped?
He calculated the timing in his mind. The Xuanyan Dao Fruit should be maturing right about now.
He waved the servant away without another word. The man's strength was no small matter—at least Xuanling Realm—far beyond Ye Fan's current power. For Ye Fan to slip past such surveillance… impossible.
Unless—
A flash of memory struck him.
In his previous life, Ye Fan had once aided a mysterious figure—Xuanming Supreme, a mighty being who rebuilt his body after attaining supremacy. Ye Fan had claimed that Xuanming had guided him on his path to greatness.
So it's him… Jiang Wang thought grimly. The Supreme must have concealed Ye Fan's presence.
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was hovering above a vast and glittering immortal palace—the one he had built for Li Qingxuan.
Down below, celestial mist drifted lazily among towers of white jade.
He gazed coldly toward the figure meditating within. "Enjoy this peace while you can," he said softly. "Soon enough, you won't have the chance."
Sweeping his divine sense through the palace, he quickly confirmed that Ye Fan was no longer there.
"So, he's already on his way to Xuanzhou."
A smile, cold and sharp, flickered across his face. His body blurred into a streak of divine light, tearing through the void as he sped toward Xuanzhou.
Ye Fan's immortal bones are gone, his Dao injuries unresolved. He'll be slow. If I reach the Dao Fruit first, I can seize it—and in the process, drain his fortune once again.
Better yet, I'll turn his so-called "mentor" against him.
The Li Clan's Retaliation
Meanwhile, in the Immortal Territory of the Li Clan—
"Patriarch, our scouts report that an hour ago, Jiang Wang left the Jiang family. His destination—Xuanzhou."
The Great Elder, his hair as white as snow and aura as vast as the ocean, bowed before Li Jingtian.
"Are you certain?" Li Jingtian's tone was icy.
Since returning from the Jiang estate, his temper had been a storm barely contained. His only son, Li Kun, lay crippled—bones shattered, body ruined. Though his life was spared, recovery would take months. Worse still, a Supreme of the Li Clan had perished by Jiang Xundao's hand.
The loss of the treasures was painful, but the death of a Supreme—that was unforgivable.
"Completely certain, Patriarch," the Great Elder confirmed.
Li Jingtian's expression darkened further. "Good. Then send a Supreme to stall that old dog's guardians. Gather a few Xuanling cultivators to deal with Jiang Wang."
The elder hesitated. "Patriarch… Jiang Wang's talent is extraordinary. He may already be approaching the Xuanling Realm."
"Then send cultivators of the Dao Entry stage!" Li Jingtian snapped. "Don't kill him. Just cripple him—and do it cleanly. No evidence. You know what that lunatic Jiang Xundao would do if he found out."
The Great Elder bowed and withdrew. Li Jingtian's cold voice lingered in the hall long after he was gone.
"Jiang Xundao… you humiliated my Li Clan. I'll return that pain a thousandfold."
"As for your so-called Son of God… once he falls, let's see who among your younger generation can still uphold your name."
Ten days later—
A streak of divine light tore through the skies and descended upon the lands of Xuanzhou. Jiang Wang stepped out from the void, his robes fluttering in the dry wind.
He frowned slightly. "The spiritual energy here is pitiful compared to Tianzhou. I'd forgotten how barren this place was."
He recalled fragments of his previous life. Ye Fan once stumbled upon a hidden paradise here… the Xuanyan Dao Fruit should be inside that place.
Just as he began searching, a ripple disturbed the air. He quickly concealed his aura and vanished into the shadows.
Moments later, Ye Fan emerged from a rift in space, his breath ragged but his eyes bright.
Jiang Wang's gaze sharpened. Even after losing his immortal bone, he made it this far… impressive.
"Elder Ming, where is the blessed land you spoke of?" Ye Fan asked, scanning the barren hills.
From the jade pendant hanging around his neck, a faint shadow rose—an aged figure with a calm, majestic presence.
The Xuanming Supreme.
"Do not fret," the old voice said slowly. "Walk a hundred miles ahead. You will find a great waterfall. Behind it lies a stone gate leading to a hidden realm. That is where the Xuanyan Dao Fruit grows."
Ye Fan's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Then, Elder Ming, can you open the way for me with your power? It would save much time."
Xuanming's shadow flickered. "I've already exhausted much of my strength bringing you here from Tianzhou. The rest, you must do on your own."
Though disappointed, Ye Fan nodded obediently. "Understood, Elder."
Hidden within the folds of the void, Jiang Wang smiled faintly.
A hundred miles ahead, behind the waterfall… perfect.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared once more—racing ahead to claim the Xuanyan Dao Fruit before Ye Fan could even see it.