Chapter 982

Chapter 982: Ghost Immortal

"Through these recent dreams, I’ve come to see the second brother as a very gentle woman. Meeting her might not be a bad idea."

"My past life is just that—my past life. This life is different, and I want to make that clear to her," Wang Yulun stated.

"Do you really think you can make that distinction clear? In the Immortal Realm, it’s all about cause and effect being one, and all truths merging into one," Xu Fan said, looking at his good friend.

"I still want to separate the two; after all, I am who I am now."

"If I can make that distinction, I’ll still be Big Brother Xu’s loyal follower."

Hearing this, Xu Fan raised an eyebrow.

"If I can’t, then I’ll just be Big Brother Xu’s follower with some powerful backing," Wang Yulun joked with a smile.

Even though he spends most of his time fishing and cultivating by the giant lake, he’s well aware of the events unfolding within the Hidden Spirit Sect, including the looming chaos for the human race in the Wood Origin Immortal Realm. Without a strong backing, the Hidden Spirit Sect would be as vulnerable as a small boat in a stormy sea.

This is precisely why he’s keen on finding a solid backing for his good brother.

Xu Fan looked at his friend with a hint of sadness but knew it was time to let him go.

"Go ahead; the Hidden Spirit Sect will always be your home," Xu Fan said, his voice tinged with reluctance.

Wang Yulun nodded.

"Big Brother Xu, this isn’t goodbye forever; no matter what happens, I’ll come back," Wang Yulun assured Xu Fan earnestly.

"Go on; I’ll have Grape teleport you to the City of All Realms," Xu Fan agreed with a nod.

"Oh, and Big Brother Xu, after I leave, please look after Xing for me. I’ve decided not to take her with me, fearing she might not return if I do."

"Consider it done."

With that, Wang Yulun and Murong Qianer stepped onto the teleportation formation, bound for the City of All Realms.

Shortly after Wang Yulun’s departure, a figure appeared behind Xu Fan.

Li Xingci’s expression was complex.

"Everyone’s left without even saying goodbye," Xu Fan remarked with a slight smile.

"It still feels a bit awkward," Li Xingci murmured.

"Now that you’ve reached the true immortal level, where do you plan to train?" Xu Fan inquired.

"Tian’er is also on the verge of becoming a true immortal. Once she breaks through, we plan to explore the human regions of the Immortal Realm," Li Xingci explained after a moment’s thought.

"That sounds much better than constant fighting," Xu Fan chuckled.

"I intend to ask the sect to set up an intelligence network across the Immortal Realm. Within one hundred years’ time, we’ll establish contacts in every giant city, and in major cities, we’ll place a Rebirth Servant."

"Alright, just remember to request funds from Grape at the treasury when you need them," Xu Fan said, waving his hand.

"Understood, Master."

At that moment, several true immortal auras emerged within the Hidden Spirit Dao.

"Master, it feels like our sect is thriving more and more," Li Xingci observed, looking around the entire sect.

"Appearances can be deceiving; any Golden Immortal or Great Luo Sage could easily destroy our sect," Xu Fan sighed, often feeling the weight of their vulnerability since arriving in the Immortal Realm.

“The Great Luo Sage also climbed step by step. With Master’s strength, the Great Luo Sage is just a stepping stone on your path to the peak—it’s all part of the journey,” Li Xingci said with a smile.

“Haha, you’re getting smoother with your words!” Xu Fan chuckled.

“Making Master happy is part of my cultivation too,” Li Xingci joked, showing a rare playful side.

As they spoke, two surges of true immortal-level energy shot into the sky.

A small space was torn open, and Xu Lingtai and Li Chufan stepped out.

“Greetings, Master Ancestor!”

“Greetings, Uncle Master (Dad)!” they said respectfully.

“Where are you two planning to go together?” Xu Fan asked with a grin, seeing his two disciples.

“Master Ancestor, Chufan and I are teaming up to check out the border battlefield,” Xu Lingtai announced.

“We’ll make sure our reputation outshines my dad and Senior Brother Xiong Li,” she added confidently.

The sect’s forum had recently added a section for border battlefield updates, and Xu Gang and Xiong Li had already made a name for themselves there.

“Go ahead, but don’t forget the first rule for sect disciples out there,” Xu Fan said, waving them off.

“In the past, I might’ve hesitated. The cultivation world is too unpredictable, and I couldn’t guarantee their safety.”

“But now, with this branch of the River of Time treasure clone, it’s like everyone gets a resurrection opportunity.”

“If they want to take risks, let them. If something goes wrong, they can be revived through the branch of the River of Time,” Xu Fan said, gazing toward the Source Realm.

“That innate supreme treasure is truly incredible—it can actually carve out a branch of the River of Time,” Li Xingci marveled.

“This is just the beginning. Once we fully unlock its power, our entire sect could become immortal,” Xu Fan mused.

An innate supreme treasure—without the right fortune, even at the peak, he might never possess one.

“I believe the sect will reach that day under Master’s guidance,” Li Xingci said with conviction.

“Who knows how many years that will take,” Xu Fan sighed, looking up at the sky.

If he could crack the system at the Golden Immortal stage, it’d be fine. But if not, trying to use Time Treasures to speed up his Golden Immortal phase might mean scouring the entire Immortal Realm for such rare treasures.

As the master and disciple chatted, a streak of spiritual light suddenly shot out from Zhou Kailing’s cave.

“Master, one of Zhou Kailing’s test subjects has broken free from its seal and escaped. We’re initiating capture procedures.”

As four true immortal-level puppets closed in on the fleeing test subject, it didn’t hesitate to self-destruct, creating a massive explosion of Blood Mist in the air.

From the test subject’s expression before the explosion, Xu Fan sensed it had found a kind of liberation.

Zhou Kailing stood in the sky, looking utterly defeated.

“I gave you fifteen minutes of freedom because you’d been behaving well. Why did you self-destruct?” she murmured.

“Master, it’s my fault for letting the test subject escape. Please punish me,” Zhou Kailing said, bowing her head in shame as she entered Xu Fan’s courtyard.

“Just be more careful next time. And make sure to erase the test subject’s memories periodically.”

“Otherwise, this is too inhumane and goes against the natural order,” Xu Fan said, gesturing toward the site of the explosion.

At that moment, the self-destructed test subject, fueled by its immense resentment, began transforming into a Ghost Immortal.

A grotesque ghostly face appeared in the explosion zone, staring directly at Zhou Kailing with eyes full of hatred.

“I’d only heard rumors, but I never thought resentment could actually condense into a Ghost Immortal,” Xu Fan remarked, stroking his chin.

“Master, could you teach me some techniques to seal Ghost Immortals? They’d make excellent experimental material.”

Instead of fear, Zhou Kailing felt excitement as ideas flooded her mind at the sight of the hate-filled ghost.

Xu Fan flicked a streak of spiritual light into Zhou Kailing’s forehead. Then, chains of spiritual energy materialized in the sky, wrapping the Ghost Immortal up like a tightly bound zongzi.