Mediocre

Li Fan's bald head is covered in sweat. You fairies, witches, and nuns, have some decency! Don't let his current middle-aged bald look fool you; deep down, he's still a teenager who's just out of his teenage years! Drugging and forcing him is just too much!

Does inheriting the true karma of the God-King mean encountering a whole bunch of yandere lovers who are head over heels in love with him? Sigh, it's all because of this damned charm of mine!

'Vomit--'

Hey system, who are you on?!

However, if what Gu Panpan said is true, and that forming a bond with him through dual cultivation would grant a chance for enlightenment, then what's the story? Could it be that among the Cultivation Method he currently possesses, there's one that can help female cultivators break through to enlightenment?

Was it his improved version of the Ling Shu? Relying on dual cultivation to help people attain enlightenment seems far too unreliable. He's not Amao, and this isn't that kind of story...

Or is it the <Ink Mountain Primordial Transformation>? If you master that, you wouldn't be human, would you? Surely it's not the true teaching of the Beichen Sword Sect?

Although Xuan Tian didn't explicitly say women couldn't practice, Li Fan's three predecessors were all senior brothers, and judging from the portraits of the sect leaders in the Sword Sect's ancestral shrine, apart from Profound Maiden and a monkey, the others were all male sect leaders...

I don't understand. Anyway, I'll go to the Qingtang Sect first to find out the principles behind their algorithm. It's unsettling to have someone plotting against me behind my back, no matter what their motives are.

However, although Li Fan was eager to visit Wangwu Mountain and then have hot pot at Donglaishun, Gu Panpan, who had sneaked out, was in no hurry to return to the mountain; she was having too much fun right now.

"Oh! It's Scarlet Fruit! Senior, have one for you."

"Hmm! Senior, look! It's a thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum! You don't want it? You don't even want the Ganoderma lucidum?"

"Oh, senior! Look over there, what a huge piece of amber!"

"Oh! A five-colored deer! Antlers! Senior, please break off a piece of deer antler for me!"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh! A butterfly!"

"Hey, how old are you? You're even trying to catch butterflies?!" Li Fan reached out and grabbed the gold ring on Gu Panpan's ankle, pulling it back to her.

Gu Panpan was frantic. "Those are Illusionary Thousand-Leaf Butterflies! They're very rare! They're incredibly useful in Illusionary Arrays, Secret Medicines, and Feather Clothing Weaving! Ah, they're about to escape! They've become invisible and can't be found! Senior, please help me catch a few!"

"Ugh, this is so annoying..." Even as he said this, Li Fan still teleported away, flicked his sleeve, and caught all the butterflies in one net, throwing them to Gu Panpan.

"Hahaha! Master, you are truly my benefactor! I didn't encounter anything on this path when I came here! But now I've stumbled upon a whole bunch of extraordinary opportunities! Hahaha!"

Gu Panpan had previously acted like a demure young lady, speaking softly and sometimes feigning wickedness, sometimes cuteness, but now she had completely lost her composure and was bursting into loud, unrestrained laughter.

Li Fan glanced at her sideways. Is this the kind of knowledge a disciple of the Xuanmen Sect has? Well, this girl's knowledge is actually not bad. If you don't recognize Heavenly Treasures, you'll naturally miss them. But it seems that for others, the key is to be fortunate enough to encounter them.

But Li Fan was different. After all, he was protected by the Five Mountain Gods Body, so materials were plentiful wherever he went, and he was too lazy to pick them up. Gu Panpan, on the other hand, was experiencing this kind of gathering aura for the first time. She had a good eye and collected a lot of random things, and she was already grinning from ear to ear.

"Your Storage Jade is full, isn't it? These are all things from your own doorstep. Come back anytime you have time. Let's go, let's go." Li Fan was getting impatient; shopping was really boring.

"Your teachings are indeed true; one cannot exhaust all opportunities at once. Thank you for your care, senior!" Gu Panpan finally managed to suppress her smile, bowed respectfully to Li Fan, then her eyes darted around as if she had just remembered something, and she leaned closer with a smile, "By the way, senior, there's one more thing..."

"What do you want now?" Li Fan asked warily.

Gu Panpan's expression changed instantly, adopting a look that was three parts shyness and seven parts sadness as she said, "Panpan lost her parents at a young age and grew up alone. Apart from the grandmaster, senior masters, uncles, and sisters of the Qingtang Sect... you, Master, have been the kindest to me..."

... Uh, sounds like you have quite a few people who are nice to you... Although the orphan storyline is quite pitiful, you seem to be doing pretty well...

"I felt an instant connection with you, senior, and I feel like you are my closest relative. So I have a request," Gu Panpan said, kneeling before Li Fan. "I wish to become your godfather!"

Li Fan, "???"

What?! You just said you wanted to sleep with me, and now you want to become my godfather? Come to think of it, that doesn't seem contradictory... Wait a minute! Does being a godfather count as a legitimate Dao Companion? Does that count? According to Xuan Tian, isn't Kun also his Dao Companion? Does Kun count? Seriously, how many counts are there?!

Li Fan was completely bewildered, his mind racing in a chaotic mess.

Gu Panpan asked cautiously, "Does Senior disagree? Panpan is sincere. If Senior is in a difficult position..."

"Ah... um?"

Suddenly, Li Fan's expression changed. He raised his hand to stop Gu Panpan from speaking, narrowed his eyes, and glanced at the sky behind him. "A master is coming. Northerner, hide this invisibility talisman and don't move."

Gu Panpan immediately understood that the Northerners did not refer to the people of Gen Province, but to the people of the northern ice plains. She nodded, took the talisman, and hid herself.

Li Fan soared into the air, gazing at the two burly men who had caught up with him in an instant.

They were both at the Nascent Soul Realm, one taller at 22 feet and the other shorter at 19 feet. They were both as if cast from bronze, incredibly strong. They wore felt robes draped diagonally and steel armor around their waists. One carried a ring-pommel sword and the other a spiked club. They were clearly warriors of the tribal shamans under the Chanyu, here to Fuli Bojin.

Li Fan took out the steel whip, patted it in his hand, and asked, "Are you here to see Fuli Bojin?"

With the system's assistance, Li Fan began speaking in a foreign language, which startled the two men who had come with murderous intent. They exchanged glances, clearly not expecting the other to speak with a foreign accent, and stopped attacking.

Well, it seems that knowing another foreign language isn't such a bad thing.

The shorter man held his spiked club horizontally, staring at Li Fan without saying a word, while the taller man raised his ring-pommel sword and slammed his fist into his chest with a loud thud, shouting like muffled thunder, "Wu Jidu, the commander of ten thousand cavalry under the Left Wise King! Who is the Zen Master! Where is Bojin!"

Seeing the blood infant burrow into the back of the short man's head, Li Fan casually made up a story, "My name is Death Gate Dao Fake, my common name is Fuli Aruba, Bojin 'm off playing with women."

"Death Gate Dao ..." Wu Ji frowned, his thick, silkworm-like eyebrows furrowing, and said in a muffled voice, "Bojin is dead."

Li Fan shrugged. "Oh."

The two burly men from the north slowly turned their heads and exchanged a glance. Wu Ji frowned. "I said Bojin is dead!"

Li Fan shrugged. "How could I possibly bring him back to life?"

Wu Ji choked and trembled, taking a long time to recover. "But you're from the Fuli clan! Bojin is dead! His job should be yours! To capture Central Plains cultivators for blood sacrifice! And you've captured a few already!"

Li Fan frowned, sensing that things were not simple at this moment. A thought struck him, and he told Blood Infant not to act rashly. He then pulled out a bewildered Luo Sect cultivator, Wang Hong, from his sleeve and said, "I've captured one."

"What! Only one! And Nascent Soul one at that! Wasn't it supposed to be a virgin boy...?" Wu Ji was about to explode in anger, but upon closer inspection, he paused, "Uh, it really is... well... alright then..."

Oh dear... that's so tragic...

Li Fan glanced at Wang Hong, who looked like he was saying "Kill me," and stuffed the bag back into his sleeve.

Wu Jidu said, "Please, Zen Master, capture a few more. As long as they are practicing the Golden Body Cultivation, they can be either boys or girls, and those Foundation Establishment will suffice."

"Wait a minute!" Li Fan seized the opportunity to lash out. "I've lived in the Central Plains for a long time, hiding my identity! I only came to help out of Fuli clan. What exactly are you planning? Who are you going to give these to? Give me a clear explanation of the mission!"

Wu Ji frowned for a moment, then hesitated before exchanging glances with his companion.

The companion (the blood infant) nodded repeatedly.

Seeing that his 'comrade' agreed to clarify, Wu Jidu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What did Bojin tell you?"

"They said the Nine Banners and Seventy-Two Tribes had recognized the Xianbei tribe as their Chanyu and were preparing to deal with the Northern Expedition. They told me to arrest a few people and bring them back for interrogation, but they didn't mention anything about blood sacrifices."

Wu Jidu seemed to have no more doubts, so he nodded and said, "The Central Plains army is already under the command of the Chanyu King, so there's no question about it. We, the tribes under the Left Wise King, will take advantage of the Central Plains' weakened military strength to harass and cut off their retreat. You don't need to worry about anything else, just collect six boys and six girls, and send them to Wild Fox Ridge in six days to break the Xuanmen seal and let my army enter the pass!"

Li Fan rolled his eyes. "How many soldiers do you have? You've traveled thousands of miles, deep into enemy territory alone, and you're entrusting me with such a crucial task? What if I can't gather enough boys and girls? Not to mention Wangwu Mountain is watching from the sidelines, even if Ten Jiedu attack at once, wouldn't that be suicide?"

Wu Ji scoffed dismissively, "No need to worry! An army of 100,000 will certainly not only pass through your territory. It's just a matter of being prepared! Besides, the Left Wise King has already made an agreement with the Central Plains forces! Other vassal states will not intervene. Dealing with the Hengye Army is enough. Their forces are depleted, so we will surely win this battle. We can then plunder and withdraw. After it's all over, you'll be rewarded handsomely!"

So there really is a traitor among them? And it seems that the main route for the Hu Barbarians army's invasion isn't just Wild Fox Ridge; are there other passes that they plan to open all at once to confuse the Xuanmen (Daoist sect)?

Li Fan rolled his eyes and asked, "I've heard that the three armies of Heng Hai, Jing Lue, and Heng Ye have been unstable recently. Could it be that the Left Wise King's allies have started a rebellion?"

Wu Jidu, of course, refused to continue. "Zen Master, just focus on your own business and bring the person to Wild Fox Ridge. If they don't arrive by the appointed time, hmph! Think of your troops in Fuli! The Chanyu's military law is no joke! Let's go!"

The companion (the blood infant) nodded again, then spurted blood from its nostrils and the corners of its eyes.

Uji was shocked. "Anda! What's wrong with you...?"

He heard a whoosh of wind in his ear, and Li Fan had already appeared, reaching out to grab his head. Wu Ji instinctively dodged, but his right ear was ripped off, and most of his face was torn open, leaving his face contorted in a hideous grimace!

"Court death!"

The northern cultivator cursed wildly! The intense pain from the blood had ignited his ferocity! His muscles bulged, and his long sword suddenly burst into flames as he thrust it towards Li Fan's chest, only to miss completely!

It turns out that Li Fan had just pounced on Wu Ji, grabbing his head with his Ghost Hand in his left hand and striking his acupoints with his Heavenly Finger in his right, intending to capture him alive. However, he did not expect that this person's Dao body was extremely strong. Not only did he break free from the strange strength of Tai Su Dao Body, but he also stood up despite the Heavenly Finger striking his acupoints!

Therefore, seeing that his first attack had failed, Li Fan immediately used his teleportation ability to turn back and flashed directly to the side of the big man with lifeless eyes, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, and a blank expression as if he were mentally challenged. He then covered the man's head with his Heaven and Earth Sleeve and directly absorbed him!

"Anda! You bastard! Does the Fuli clan want to rebel?! Your people are doomed!" Wu Ji roared angrily, brandishing his long sword wreathed in black flames, unleashing a barrage of sword fire!

"Kill me if you want! The men of the Fuli clan aren't afraid of death!" Li Fan casually made up a story, then unleashed the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword to test the waters. The Qiankun Shuanglong Jianlan was actually severed in one strike by the black crescent-shaped fire blade aura! It was burned to ashes!

Is it a flame combined with malevolent energy? Could this be the secret weapon that the northern Xiongnu chieftain relies on? Is he planning to use malevolent energy to suppress the Taiji Xian Dao?

After dodging for two rounds, Li Fan realized that the Fiend's swordsmanship was wide and sweeping, purely based on battle formations, with no skill or variation. So he suddenly lunged forward again, and the moment he appeared in front of Wu Jidu, he suddenly transformed into six clones and attacked all at once!

Indeed, this technique is the Dark Underworld Dividing Light and Shadow Illusion, which uses Profound Nether True Qi to create water vapor clones. It's not a particularly remarkable Daoist technique, but since it's from the Xuantian Sect, it's naturally used to kill people.

Wu Jidu was indeed startled, thinking Li Fan had unleashed some powerful move. He brandished his blade wildly, unleashing a torrent of murderous aura, and used all his strength to shatter the six illusory figures that suddenly appeared before him in the blink of an eye! But in his panic, the moment he sheathed his blade to gather his breath, Li Fan tricked him into opening a gap. Seizing the opportunity, Li Fan stealthily appeared in front of Wu Jidu, using his finger as a sword, and thrust out a sword aura that blinded Wu Jidu's left eye with a single blow!

"Aaaaah! You despicable scoundrel--!"

Wu Jidu lost his left eye, and his right eye was blinded by blood. He roared wildly, wildly waving his long sword, causing the sword energy to surge wildly, flames to swirl around him, and a murderous aura to overflow!

However, Li Fan hid behind and to the side of his opponent, moving left and right without even his clothes being touched by the barrage of blades. He also silently calculated his opponent's aura. Every now and then, he would step forward to check his pulse, examine his bones and muscles, and test his breathing. Based on his previous research on Fuli Bojin, Li Fan also figured out the intricacies of his opponent's Dao body.

Strictly speaking, this is not a cultivation method that integrates Taiji and Taisu. It is more like protecting and isolating the brain, bone marrow, and nerve center with a special layer of Qi, and then gradually transforming and replacing the internal organs, muscles, skin, and other body parts into Taisu. In the end, it will probably become an incomplete mutant, like the Demon Wolf God, with the inner body being a Taiji creature and the outer body being Tai Su Dao Body.

It can be considered that the evolution of the Tai Su Dao Body was achieved through gradual mutation and replacement. The method of protecting the brain and central nervous system is somewhat similar to using the Shatentacle that burrows into the brain to control evil energy.

Of course, this method has a prerequisite: the physical body must be extremely strong, with exceptionally high vitality and resilience, so that the body is not affected by the evil energy and undergoes disorderly mutations. Moreover, it must be combined with special Cultivation Method to protect the brain in order to withstand the erosion of the evil energy and gradually replace the internal organs. And this evolution obviously has to be carried out step by step, slowly, for example, by first training one arm!

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Wu Ji screamed loudly as he fell to the ground, but no matter how loud his screams or how fiercely he struggled, it was all in vain. Li Fan had already twisted his right arm, which was holding the knife, and torn it off.

Li Fan looked at the thick arm in his hand, which looked like a live fish that had just been caught. He could see the muscles at the torn cut, and it was still like a living thing, writhing wildly as if it were octopus tentacles. The entire arm was also struggling desperately, channeling endless malevolent flames into the longsword, turning the blade into a black torch.

"Your shamanistic practices are quite interesting; we should go and check them out."

Li Fan stepped on Wu Jidu's neck, sniffed the severed arm in his hand, and hissed as he inhaled and swallowed the black evil fire on the knife. Then, he skillfully took out a handful of Ink Bamboo Mountain Lou Guan Dao, packed the severed arm like a ham, and put it in his sleeve.

"Stop yelling. Be a strong man and learn from the ancestral spirits."

Li Fan squatted down, pressed down on Wu Jidu's head, and punched him, breaking his jaw and all his teeth to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide. Then he raised his fist and pounded his whole body with it, breaking all his bones and tendons. He then took out a handful of talismans, used his hand to cut open Wu Jidu's abdomen, and sent them all into his muscles and internal organs, thus destroying all of Wu Jidu's cultivation.

After tidying him up like this, and even giving him half a Mysterious Purple Gold Pill, Li Fan stuffed it under Wu Jidu's tongue to keep him hanging for a bit. Only then did Li Fan feel relieved, thinking he had captured the barbarian alive. He then stuffed it directly into his Heaven and Earth Sleeve.

Then Li Fan skillfully took out a lotus seedpod, sprinkled it on his hands, wiped his bald head, cleaned the bloodstains off his body, straightened his robes, revealed a warm smile, and said to Gu Panpan, who was trembling like a leaf,

"Don't be afraid, we're safe now."

Li Fan thought she was frightened and that this way she wouldn't bring up the matter of becoming a godfather again.

Unexpectedly, the girl rushed over instead, her cheeks flushed, her face full of admiration, and she rattled off a string of words, "Thank you so much, Godfather, for saving my life! I knew it! Godfather's skills are unparalleled! Your methods are unpredictable! Panpan admires masters like you the most! You're clean and efficient! No fluff!"

Indeed, there are mountains beyond mountains, and heavens beyond heavens! Today, these barbarians must have witnessed the strength of the Central Plains! The world is vast indeed! No wonder you thought Panpan's skills were so-so, Father. If you ask me, compared to you, the level of Wangwu Mountain is also just so-so!

By the way, Godfather! It's a rare opportunity to meet a master like you. This is the <Azure Mist Purple Micro Heavenly Garment True Art> that I'm currently practicing. I would appreciate your review and guidance on any shortcomings in Panpan's cultivation.

Oh, right, Godfather, your movements were so fast, like a ghost! To be honest, Panpan didn't see it clearly at all, but that technique was so elegant! Could you please teach Panpan that Gao Ming escape technique? Please, please~~~"

Li Fan looked at the jade slip containing Cultivation Method that Gu Panpan had presented. Besides the so-called Heavenly Garment True Technique, there was also a book called <Purple Micro Astrology> and a book called <Heavenly Union Calculation>.

Good heavens, he's already shamelessly trying to find a godfather and even offering up a whole bunch of his sect's secret Cultivation Method in exchange. No wonder this guy is so popular and well-liked even in the infamous Green Tea Sect; his skin is truly thick...

But it's fine, since the Wind and Cloud Dragon Ascension Technique wasn't passed down from his master anyway, Li Fan doesn't really have anything he can't exchange. The Xuanmen has always been very protective of its own unique skills. If he can't get his hands on the Penglai ones, it wouldn't be bad to get a couple of copies of the Wangwu Mountain to take a look at if he has the chance.

"You've got a good eye for choosing. With all my skills, I picked a superior escape technique right away. But let me make it clear beforehand, this is the Profound Nether Escape Technique of Qingcheng Mountain. If you can't learn it, it's not my fault."

Gu Panpan immediately beamed, "Of course! Thank you, Godfather!"