Chapter 618

Chapter 618: Fifty Years

"You really have a unique way of communicating with your senior," Avatar Number One said with a smile.

"We’re both over 15,000 years old, and every time I bring something for my son, I still manage to tick him off," the Master of the Artifact Hall replied helplessly.

"Do you think there are fathers like this?"

"I think your senior acts this way because he wants to see you sooner," Avatar Number One said.

"I know that, but it still doesn’t stop me from getting annoyed," the Master of the Artifact Hall replied.

"As long as you understand, Brother," Avatar Number One laughed.

"Come on, brother. I’ve got the basics of the Celestial Script Formation down, but there are still some parts that are a bit hazy. Can you walk me through them?" the Master of the Artifact Hall asked.

"Which part are you stuck on, Brother?" Avatar Number One responded.

The two of them spent the next three months teaching and learning from each other.

It wasn’t until Pang Fu’s Star Ship arrived that the Master of the Artifact Hall reluctantly said goodbye to Avatar Number One, promising to meet again soon.

On the Storm Thunder Ship, Avatar Number One watched the Upper Zun Fairy City fade into the distance and couldn’t help but smile.

He felt a bit let down. He’d hoped to catch up with Brother and get some rest, but instead, he ended up in a long lecture.

"Elder Number One, I was starting to think you wouldn’t show up," Pang Fu said with a smile as he stood beside Avatar Number One.

"We made a deal, so I wasn’t about to bail," Avatar Number One replied.

"Not much has been happening lately."

"Everything’s been normal, except for the Spirit Gathering Formation in our sect—it’s starting to struggle," Pang Fu said.

"Is it because of that giant snake with a single horn?" Avatar Number One asked.

"Yeah, the snake’s been sucking up at least thirty percent of our sect’s spiritual energy every day."

"Didn’t we expand the other Spirit Gathering Formations?" Avatar Number One found it hard to believe his main body would overlook something like that.

"The Grand Elder said we’d wait for you to return before dealing with it," Pang Fu explained.

"Talk about passing the buck," Avatar Number One muttered, gazing at the distant galaxy in the Extreme Void Domain.

Meanwhile, back at the Hidden Spirit Sect, Xu Fan had already noticed that the spiritual energy was thinner than before.

"I don’t get it. Every time my spiritual liquid lake is about to fill up, something always stops it," Xu Fan said, watching the water level drop.

"Master, the absorption rate is already as slow as it can get. If you weren’t feeding it those spirit ore powders every day, our sect wouldn’t be able to handle half of what the Star-Swallowing Snake consumes," Li Xingci said.

Just then, a massive snake body burst out of the spiritual liquid lake like a dragon rising from the sea.

The enormous snake head nudged closer to Xu Fan.

Xu Fan used to be able to pat the Star-Swallowing Snake’s head, but now he could only scratch its chin.

"Xingci, when do you think we can send it away?" Xu Fan asked.

He’d thought that with the Hidden Spirit Sect’s resources, raising a giant beast wouldn’t be a problem.

But he hadn’t expected the Star-Swallowing Snake to be so demanding. The amount of spiritual energy it consumed daily was starting to wear him down.

It reminded him of the Dragon Eggs from years ago—life was getting tighter and tighter.

"Master, just hang in there a bit longer. Once the Star-Swallowing Snake fully accepts you as its master and willingly forms a contract, you can release it back into the Extreme Void Domain," Li Xingci advised.

"How much longer do I need to wait? My vast spiritual liquid lake is already starting to lose water," Xu Fan lamented, tenderly scratching the Star-Swallowing Snake under its chin.

They communicated through transmitted messages, as the giant snake with a single horn had grown somewhat intelligent.

"It might take at least fifty years," Li Xingci estimated.

Xu Fan sighed at the thought.

"Conserving energy isn’t an option anymore; we’ll have to tap into new sources," Xu Fan resolved.

It’s just spiritual energy, after all. I’ll find a way.

After a friendly interaction with Xu Fan, the Star-Swallowing Snake returned to the spiritual liquid lake.

Xu Fan and Li Xingci took a walk by the lake.

"Xingci, how is Elder Ran Tian doing lately?" Xu Fan inquired.

"After taking your pill, he’s much better. He’s now practicing the Technique of Rebirth," Li Xingci replied.

"That’s good to hear," Xu Fan nodded.

"Master, I have a question," Li Xingci said.

"What is it?"

"Since I started practicing the enhanced Cycle of Rebirth Technique, the Cycle of Rebirth world feels increasingly real to me," Li Xingci shared.

"That’s how it should be. When I was developing this technique, I sensed something akin to the Heavenly Path. The worlds you experience through the Cycle of Rebirth Technique are also shaped by it."

"Don’t overthink it. As long as you don’t lose yourself in the Cycle of Rebirth world, this technique will only benefit you," Xu Fan reassured with a smile.

Li Xingci nodded in understanding.

Just then, two beams of light streaked across the sky—the green one was Li Chufan’s.

The white beam was from Spirit Cut. After a year, Spirit Cut still seemed like a child, but now he could skillfully bend his flying sword in midair.

"Grandpa, you always bragged about how great you were. Now that we’re both at the Qi Refinement level, you’re three points slower than me," Li Chufan teased, looking back at Spirit Cut.

"Chufan, I was just playing around earlier. Do you really think that when I suppress my cultivation to the same level, I can’t outpace you?"

The small flying sword beneath Spirit Cut transformed into something resembling a small spiritual boat.

With a slap, he activated a rocket-like tail made of spiritual energy on the spiritual boat, propelling him forward with immense force.

His speed surged several times, overtaking Li Chufan.

"Grandpa, you’re cheating!"

"How is this cheating? I’m just using my own strength to accelerate."

Spirit Cut reveled in the thrill of high-speed flight.

"If that’s how you play, I won’t hold back," Li Chufan said, activating several talismans.

Instantly, Li Chufan was enhanced with wings on his back, a hurricane Formation under his feet, and a jet-like device behind him.

His speed also increased several times, nearly matching Spirit Cut.

"More and more tricks," Xu Fan remarked with a smile, watching Li Chufan in the sky.

"I used to understand what the disciples practiced, but now, looking back, it all seems a bit confusing," Li Xingci chuckled, sometimes feeling out of place in the cultivation world during his walks around the sect.

At that moment, a group of peculiar puppet machines zoomed across the sky, their speed rivaling that of a Transformation Stage cultivator using a full-powered escape technique.

"Though the forms may change, the essence remains the same," Xu Fan observed with a smile.