"This is all Quasi-Emperor is?"
Lin Fan merely glanced down at the lingering immortal Immortal Qi at his fingertips, then at the Golden Armor Quasi-Emperor's corpse on the ground, his expression remaining calm and serene.
Ji Kun stood behind him, opened his mouth, and after a long while, managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Your Highness... you are too strong!"
"Um."
"Actually, I wanted to test just how hard it was, but a wisp of Immortal Qi pierced through it."
Lin Fan clicked his tongue. "A little disappointed."
Everyone: "..."
On the other side, Tian Ye's battle with the two Peak Sage King was also nearing its end.
The two originally intended to escape when the Golden Armor Quasi-Emperor fell, but Tian Ye clearly had no intention of giving them the chance.
The ancient god-like markings on his right arm resembled a blazing golden sun.
With a single punch, the fist imprint, imbued with the chaotic power of an ancient god, blasted one of them, armor and all, into a bloody mist.
The other person turned to run away.
Tian Ye stomped his foot and chased after him like a gray-white lightning bolt, pressing a palm into his back and exploding.
"Puff."
The person's body froze in mid-air, then split in the middle, turning into countless fragments that fell to the ground.
Tian Ye withdrew his fist, and the ancient divine patterns around his body slowly dimmed. He exhaled a breath of turbid air, which condensed into a pale golden dust in the air and slowly dissipated.
"The Imperial Prince."
He turned and walked back to Lin Fan, cupping his hands in greeting, and said, "I have not failed you."
[Ding! Your subordinate Tian Ye has killed two Jin Clan followers, which is consistent with villainous behavior. You have gained 100,000 Villain Points!]
"Good."
Lin Fan nodded, his gaze falling on the ancient god-like markings slowly fading on his right arm, and remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke, " Tian Ye, is there something you want to tell me?"
Tian Ye was stunned for a moment.
He lowered his head, the ancient god patterns on his right arm flickering like embers blown by the wind, as if struggling or hesitating.
"... Your Highness, I think I've remembered something."
Tian Ye raised his head, his once clear eyes now clouded with an inexplicable mist. "Deep within the Legendary Ancient Road, I saw a broken stone tablet. Inscribed on it were a line of words..."
"The handwriting was very faint, as if it had been carved with someone's fingertip; I only saw a few fragments."
He paused, his voice lowering slightly. "The gist is... after the ancient war, the Ancient God Lineage wasn't completely wiped out. A portion of them were sent to the Emperor Pass."
"Sent to the Emperor Pass?"
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "Why send it to the Emperor Pass?"
He remembered Tian Ye's system panel... Tian Ye's fate was originally inextricably linked to the Emperor Pass.
His enemy must be someone from the Emperor Pass.
Tian Ye shook his head. "I don't know, but those memories... are like they were sealed in the deepest part of my bloodline. When I saw that monument on the ancient road, they suddenly awakened."
He clenched his fist, and the ancient god runes on his palm pulsated slightly, as if in response.
"Your Highness, I want to go to the Emperor Pass."
He raised his head, looking at Lin Fan with a serious and firm gaze. " The Emperor Pass may contain clues left by the ancient Ancient God Lineage, or it may contain... something left by my father."
Lin Fan remained silent for a moment.
He recalled the scene when he first met Tian Ye in the Immortal Ancient Ruins.
Back then, Tian Ye was a poor boy being chased by three Great Saint. He was covered in blood, but he held a broken sword and stood tall like a flag.
Now he has grown into a capable successor of the ancient gods.
Lin Fan nodded. "Some roads you really have to walk yourself. Go ahead, leave a message talisman, and let me know if you need anything."
" The Emperor Pass is not like the Three Thousand Provinces; the waters there are far more treacherous. Be careful!"
Tian Ye took out a communication talisman engraved with ancient god patterns from his robes and handed it to Lin Fan: "Your Highness, thank you for your care along the way. I'll come back to drink with you again once I find the answer."
"Okay, I'll have Ji Kun prepare the meat then."
Tian Ye smiled, then turned and walked towards the void rift leading to an unknown direction in the distance.
His figure wasn't tall, but it carried an inexplicable firmness, like a sword that had been drawn from its sheath and finally found its way.
Watching his retreating figure, Ji Kun couldn't help but mutter, "Imperial Prince, can he really manage going to the Emperor Pass alone?"
"You're worried about him? You should worry about the kids in Emperor Pass instead."
Lin Fan said casually, " Tian Ye is very resilient; he won't break easily. Besides, he has to walk this path himself. No one else can take the karma of the Ancient God Lineage for him."
Ji Kun thought for a moment and nodded seriously, "That's true! Tian Ye is really tough. He's been following the Emperor's son for so many years, he's never lacked food or meat, and he's still managed to hold on until now."
Lin Fan watched him disappear at the end of the crevice before turning his gaze away. "Let's go, let's go home!"
The Nine-Dragon Chariot tore through the void in the sky, leaving a golden rainbow as it passed through layers of clouds and storms of laws.
Lin Fan sat in the carriage, closing his eyes to rest, with two streams of chaotic Immortal Qi still circulating around him.
Soon, the news spread like wildfire from the exit of the fiftieth level to the Three Thousand Provinces of the Desolate Ancient Land.
" Lin Fan, the imperial son of the Lin Clan, has killed a Quasi-Emperor from the Jin Clan of the Emperor Pass!"
"That was Quasi-Emperor! Quasi-Emperor from the Emperor Pass! And he was instantly pierced by a single strand of Immortal Qi!"
"His henchman Tian Ye, also killed both of those followers who were at the Peak Sage King!"
" The Lin Clan son, at the Peak Sage King, reversed the tide and defeated Quasi-Emperor!"
"I heard he even managed to condense Immortal Qi!"
"What kind of Immortal Qi?"
"It's Immortal Qi! Something that only powerful Immortal Dao can condense! Quasi-Emperor might not be able to condense it in the entire Great Chengdu!"
"He's already reached the Sage King Realm?!"
"So he beheaded the Quasi-Emperor."
"... Is this even human?"
The news traveled from the fiftieth level all the way back to the Three Thousand Provinces, from south to north, from east to west. In almost every corner where cultivators gathered, people were talking about it.
Some were shocked, some were excited, and some had faces so gloomy they seemed to drip water.
The message was also received in Emperor Pass.
Many of the young prodigies from the Emperor Pass who were originally traveling around the Three Thousand Provinces stopped in their tracks, their gazes fixed on that name, lost in thought.
" The Lin Clan son... Lin Fan."
"He even killed Quasi-Emperor from the Jin Clan?"
"I know that Quasi-Emperor. Although he hasn't broken through to the Great Emperor level, he's still a prominent figure in the Jin Clan of Emperor Pass."
"But that Lin Fan... at the Peak Sage King, he's condensed Immortal Qi?"
"This means... the opportunity he received was far greater than we imagined."
Someone lowered their voice, a barely perceptible heat in their tone. "That opportunity might really be related to becoming an immortal."
The news also reached the Wang Clan.
Inside the Wang Clan palace, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the sky before a storm.
Several elders sat on either side of the main hall, their expressions not very good.
Someone slammed their hand on the armrest and said in a deep voice, "That little beast... he actually managed to condense Immortal Qi."
" Sage King Realm cultivator condensing Immortal Qi... If he were to break through to Quasi-Emperor, what would become of him?"
"Damn it, this little beast has grown up. Killing him now would be as difficult as climbing to heaven!"
Some elders, remembering all the losses the Wang Clan had suffered, couldn't swallow this insult.