The Drunkard Ancestor nodded, not denying it. "There are immortals. Otherwise, who do you think is blocking those things from Foreign Domain?"
"The reason why the Three Thousand Provinces have been peaceful for so long is because of the immortals on the Emperor Pass."
He paused, took another swig of wine, and muttered, "But it's just those old guys left, hanging on over there."
"Cultivators from the Three Thousand Provinces who have reached the Saint Realm are qualified to travel to the Emperor Pass."
"Anyone above the Sage King Realm must go to the Emperor Pass for training."
"Must?"
"Must."
The Drunkard Ancestor's tone left no room for negotiation. "This is a rule set by the powerful Immortal Dao of both realms back then. The beings of the Three Thousand Provinces cannot be treated like flowers in a greenhouse."
Lin Fan pondered his words but didn't rush to refute them.
The Drunkard Ancestor said, "Actually, if one wants to advance further beyond the Sage Realm, a trip to the Emperor Pass is an unavoidable path."
"The cultivators of the Emperor Pass cultivate the complete Dao principles."
" The Sage King of the Three Thousand Provinces, if placed in the Emperor Pass, would at best be pillars of strength; the Saint Realm would be nothing more than cannon fodder!"
As for the Quasi-Emperor...
He put down his wine bowl, a hint of mockery in his voice. "The one you just killed was considered a mid-level fighter in the Jin Clan of Emperor Pass."
"Their view of the Three Thousand Provinces Three Thousand Provinces a misinterpretation, viewed from the Emperor Pass."
Lin Fan remained silent for a while, digesting this information. " Emperor Pass has actually been at war all along? So the people of Emperor Pass have that sense of superiority not because they look down on the Three Thousand Provinces, but because Emperor Pass itself is indeed closer to the origin of the Immortal Domain than the Three Thousand Provinces?"
"Clever."
The Drunkard Ancestor burped. "But when your father went to the Emperor Pass back then, he still caused a huge uproar there."
Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh, "It seems that people from Emperor Pass, while they may have a sense of superiority, ultimately it comes down to who has the stronger fist."
"Speaking of which," Lin Fan changed the subject, looking at the Drunkard Ancestor, "Ancestor, I have another question for you."
"Ask."
"How do I condense the third strand of Immortal Qi?"
The Drunkard Ancestor paused in his drinking motion. He looked up at Lin Fan, a faint glimmer of light seeming to flash deep within his hazy, drunken eyes. "You've condensed a second one?"
Lin Fan didn't speak, but a wisp of chaotic immortal Immortal Qi slowly rose from his body, circled silently in the night wind, and then returned to his dantian.
Two streams of chaotic, ethereal Immortal Qi flashed and disappeared in the night, causing the moonlight in the pavilion to distort for a moment.
The Drunkard Ancestor was silent for a moment, then laughed, "Good lad, even faster than your father was back in his day."
He put down his wine gourd, becoming unusually serious. "A third strand of Immortal Qi, theoretically, doesn't exist. Three strands of Immortal Qi is the limit, even the Heavenly Dao doesn't allow it, but it's not absolute..."
" The Sage King Tribulation "
The Drunkard Ancestor's voice suddenly turned serious. " The Sage King Tribulation, a fate worse than death. Your father was forged in the tribulation lightning, shattering the heavenly tribulation into fragments, drawing upon a wisp of power beyond the limits from the lightning, and forcibly condensing the third strand of immortal Immortal Qi."
"I understand now. The so-called Sage King Tribulation with no chance of survival that you mentioned is actually the opportunity to condense the third strand of Immortal Qi."
"Good."
The Drunkard Ancestor glanced at him. "Your father was also undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation back then. So was your grandfather. The limit of the Sage King Tribulation, the end of the Heavenly Dao Tribulation. Those who survived it all had Immortal Qi spontaneously generated when the tribulation ended!"
"But that doesn't mean they'll actually make it out alive."
"Ten deaths without a chance of survival, its reputation is well-deserved."
"Then you still dare to let me cross the river?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.
The Drunkard Ancestor chuckled, "You're his son, you won't die so easily."
Lin Fan clicked his tongue, seemingly lost in thought, "Then how many strands of Immortal Qi did my father condense?"
"Three."
The Drunkard Ancestor, said calmly, "Your grandpa also possesses three strands of immortal energy. In my Lin Clan, three strands of Immortal Qi are practically standard."
Lin Fan was stunned for a moment. "Standard configuration?"
The Drunkard Ancestor waved his hand, his tone laced with a lazy smugness. "For others, Immortal Qi is a matter of destiny. For the Lin Clan, Immortal Qi is a family heirloom."
Lin Fan: "..."
He was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud, "So, my second strand of Immortal Qi hasn't even reached the ancestral threshold?"
"No rush, how old are you?" The Drunkard Ancestor took a swig of wine. "When your father was breaking through to the third Immortal Qi, he was almost Quasi-Emperor. You're faster than him."
Lin Fan did not pursue the matter of the third strand of Immortal Qi.
But he already had a plan in mind.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Ancestor, my parents went to the Emperor Pass, can I go with them?"
Can!
The Drunkard Ancestor put down his gourd, his gaze unusually serious for a moment. "But not now. Once the Immortal Ancient Ruins are completely closed, someone from the Emperor Pass will come to guide you prodigies who have gained something from the ruins."
He paused, then added, "Besides, you haven't condensed your third strand of Immortal Qi yet. It's not too late to go to the Emperor Pass after you've condensed your third Immortal Qi."
Lin Fan remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the jar of wine in his hand, his expression becoming calm.
He sensed that there was something unsaid in the old man's words, but since the other party didn't say it explicitly, he didn't press for details.
He stood up and gave a junior's bow. "Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor. This lad will take his leave now."
The Drunkard Ancestor waved his hand, lay back down on the bamboo chair, closed his eyes, and mumbled indistinctly, "Don't rush off, leave the wine."
Lin Fan placed the wine jar beside him.
Then, after thinking for a moment, he took out a palm-sized gray-gold stone tablet from his storage ring—the complete Dao Comprehension Stele —and placed it on the stone table in front of the Drunkard Ancestor: "Ancestor, this thing... you should find it useful. I collected it in the Immortal Ancient Ruins. Although it was cracked, its laws are still intact. If you and the other ancestors can glean something from it, it will help you break through to immortality sooner."
"Otherwise, seeing you like this, half-dead, I'm really afraid you'll just die one day."
The Drunkard Ancestor opened one eye.
He glanced at the Dao Comprehension Stele, then at Lin Fan, his gaze carrying a complex, indescribable look. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his tone unusually serious. "So it's the Dao Comprehension Stele... No wonder you condensed Immortal Qi so quickly."
Then he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Good lad, you know to show respect to your ancestor when you have good stuff."
But he didn't answer.
He simply nudged Lin Fan's hand. "Keep it for yourself. I was a ruthless man who swept through several eras back in the day, but breaking through to that next level requires something else. This stele is more suitable for you."
As for me...
He picked up his wine gourd, stood up, and patted Lin Fan on the shoulder. "I can hold on for a few more years, I won't die so soon. When you take a trip to the Emperor Pass sometime, you might even see your ancestor looking majestic again."
You really don't want it?
"No need!"
The Drunkard Ancestor waved his hand. "Keep it for yourself. When you get to the Emperor Pass, this thing will be more useful than Emperor Weapon. Stop dawdling and get out of here, I'm going to have a drink."
Seeing his expression, Lin Fan knew he couldn't persuade him, so he had no choice but to take back the Dao Comprehension Stele.
He turned and went down the mountain.
Inside the pavilion, the Drunkard Ancestor turned over, took another swig of wine, and gazed at the distant moonlight, muttering to himself, "This kid... he knows how to handle people better than his father."
Night deepened.
Lin Fan returned to his small courtyard and sat by the window, thinking for a long time.
My parents went to the Emperor Pass, and my grandfather went to the Forbidden Land.
After leaving the ancestral land, the ancestors never returned. They were surrounded by deathly aura, yet each of them was incredibly robust.
Their attitude towards the Dao Comprehension Stele was also quite strange.
It's not so much that they look down on it, it's more like... they don't need it.
No need for the Dao Comprehension Stele?
That was something left behind by the Immortal Emperor; it can help people achieve sudden enlightenment.
Unless... they themselves have reached a state where they no longer need external assistance.
Or perhaps, what they carry is heavier than the Dao Comprehension Stele itself.
Lin Fan had a vague guess in his mind, but he didn't delve into it.
The next morning, he instructed Ji Kun to help him search for ancient books related to the Emperor Pass, while he himself plunged into the Lin Clan's library.
The Lin Clan's library has nine floors; the higher you go, the older and more precious the books become.
Lin Fan went to the seventh floor alone, chose a seat by the window, and spread out the stack of ancient books about the Emperor Pass and the Immortal Ancient Era in front of him one by one.
He's quick to read.
The Law of Chaos and his Double Pupils granted him a reading speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.
The information recorded in those ancient books was far more than he had imagined.
I spent more than half a year in the library, and read through almost all of the Lin Clan's books on the Immortal Ancient Era Emperor Pass.
He learned the origin of the Emperor Pass.
The general appearance of Foreign Domain.
The ferocity of the ancient battle back then.
And... the names of the several powerful Immortal Dao in Emperor Pass today.
He closed the last volume of the ancient book, leaned back in his chair, and gazed thoughtfully at the slowly flowing sky outside the window.
"Interesting."
Time flows by like water.
One day, more than half a year later, the sky outside the library suddenly changed color.
It wasn't dark clouds, but an extremely pure, dark golden halo that spread from somewhere high in the sky, carrying a heavy, almost tangible pressure that caused the entire Lin Clan's protective mountain array to ripple slightly.
Lin Fan raised his head and put down the book in his hand.
He sensed that a powerful figure had descended upon the Lin Clan.
Moreover, they were not among the strongest in the Three Thousand Provinces.
The aura of the laws was complete, carrying a kind of harmony that the natural world of the Three Thousand Provinces did not possess. It was like a sword that had been repeatedly honed, every inch of its sharpness revealing a message: it came from the Emperor Pass.
"Distinguished guests, why not show yourself?"
Lin Fan's voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it traveled out through the gap in that law.