The old man's gaze fell on his face. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "I heard that he has condensed three strands of Immortal Qi, and possesses Double Pupils and Chaos Gods and Devils Body, making him virtually invincible among his peers."
Are you sure you want to try?
"I'm certain! A battle between him and me is inevitable sooner or later."
Ye Chen didn't hesitate, his knuckles clenching even tighter. "But with my current strength, it's not enough. Even if I try my best to catch up, I'll still be a step behind him."
"If I don't take this path, I'll never catch up with him."
"As long as I have the chance to fight him, even if there's only a 10% chance, I'll give it a try."
Looking at the determination in his eyes, the old man remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slowly. "Since your mind is made up, I will no longer try to persuade you."
He raised his hand, and a pale blue starlight flew from his fingertips, landing in front of Ye Chen and transforming into a palm-sized star mark.
"The gates to the ancestral land will open in three days. Come out alive!"
Ye Chen reached out and took the star mark, holding it in his palm. "Thank you, Senior Uncle."
He stood up and walked towards the passageway behind the hall that led to the ancestral land. A ray of starlight was reflected deep in his pupils, slowly burning.
Just as the figure in the star-patterned robe was about to disappear through the doorway, the old man's voice came from behind, tinged with emotion. "Chen'er, remember... sometimes, your greatest enemy is not someone else, but yourself."
Ye Chen didn't stop walking, but he straightened his back even more.
He stepped out of the palace, looked up at the starlit sky in the distance, and murmured, "I know."
Deep in the No Man's Land, the last ancient pass.
Lin Fan stopped in front of a wide river.
The river water was as black as ink, with no reflection or ripples on its surface, like a still black mirror, not even disturbed by the wind.
The river is wide, and there are no bridges between the two banks. Only a few stone pillars, worn smooth by time, stand alone on both sides of the river, like the ruins of a broken door.
The Other Shore of Death.
He had heard this name mentioned when he entered the No Man's Land.
Legend has it that this river leads to the depths of the Nine Netherworlds, and once one falls into its waters, even Quasi-Emperor expert will lose their way and perish.
Lin Fan stood by the river, looked down at the gray-white stone bank beneath his feet, and then looked up at the opposite bank... The opposite bank was the last outer defensive line of the Emperor Pass city wall. Once he crossed this river, he would officially enter the territory of the Emperor Pass.
"It looks impressive, but I wonder how effective it actually is."
He crouched down, picked up a pebble, and threw it into the river.
The pebble landed on the river surface without splashing or sinking. Instead, it seemed to land on an invisible medium, silently melting into a wisp of smoke and disappearing completely into the black river.
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "You've got something."
He stood up, his Double Pupils brightening slightly. The purple-gold light pierced through the black water, revealing dense patterns of laws surging deep within the river, like an undercurrent compressed for countless years. Each pattern carried a devouring aura that instinctively repelled people.
"But... it's nothing special."
He stretched his shoulders, and three streams of Immortal Qi flowed slowly in his dantian. Chaos Qi condensed around him into a thin layer of light, like a solidified shield.
Without hesitation, he took a step forward, his foot landing on the black river surface.
A faint ripple spread across the river's surface at his feet, but it did not sink; a thin gap separated him from the river water by the Chaos Qi.
Lin Fan glanced down at his feet, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Not bad."
He took the second step.
The patterns of laws beneath the river's surface suddenly surged, like a swarm of snakes awakened. Dark laws emerged from the depths of the river, like countless invisible tentacles, coiling towards his feet.
Lin Fan didn't even look, he just casually stepped down.
Chaos Qi spread out from beneath his feet, like a boulder thrown into water, crushing all the tentacles of law, turning them into wisps of black bubbles that rose to the surface of the river and then exploded silently.
That's it?
He continued walking, his pace leisurely, as if he were taking a stroll.
Step 3, Step 4, Step 5.
The river's reaction grew increasingly violent, reaching its peak at the seventh step...
The surface of the entire river began to churn, the black waves surging violently as if boiling, and a huge black whirlpool suddenly appeared beneath his feet, spinning and swallowing him whole.
Lin Fan glanced down at the vortex, his tone tinged with impatience. "Why are you bizarre creatures so persistent?"
He lifted his foot and stepped into the very center of the vortex.
The Chaos Qi exploded beneath his feet like fireworks in that instant, and three streams of Immortal Qi surged into his feet at the same time, like a mountain compressed to its limit falling down.
"Boom!"
The whirlpool was crushed from the center, turning into a cloud of black mist that exploded in all directions. The river surface churned violently for a moment before slowly calming down.
The surface of the water on the Other Shore of Death has returned to calm, and the pitch-black river has returned to silence, as if the whirlpool had never appeared.
Lin Fan was about to turn away and leave when he suddenly stopped.
He saw something floating on the river; it wasn't an inanimate object, but a living person.
A stunningly beautiful woman, dressed in a light blue dress, was kneeling on a grayish-white stone slab floating on the water.
The stone slab was small, just big enough for one person to squat down.
The edges were still being eroded by the black river water, making a hissing sound.
She held an extremely thin silver thread in her hand, one end submerged beneath the dark water, the other wrapped around her wrist, like a fishing line or a chain.
She was very tense, as if she were struggling against something extremely heavy underwater.
Lin Fan stood on the shore, watching this scene, and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is this... fishing?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the woman's wrist suddenly twitched, the silver thread taut, and a black wave burst open on the water's surface, as if something was being forcibly pulled out from the depths.
Then, he saw it.
Beneath the surface, several twisted black silhouettes were rapidly approaching, like a school of fish startled, or predators drawn by the scent of blood. Each silhouette exuded an aura that instinctively made people uncomfortable—cold, ancient, and with an almost greedy eagerness.