Days later, the two arrived in a world that, the moment Yun Fan stepped into it, he discovered something amiss.
The Immortal Path Curse here was incredibly potent, and its aura was ancient, seemingly older than Bi Luo's own. This was terrifying, considering Bi Luo was a pioneer herself.
"What kind of world is this?" Yun Fan asked, his curiosity piqued. He felt an overwhelming sense of shock upon entering.
Bi Luo then explained, "This is the ancient land of my Immortal Path Curse lineage. Many powerhouses, including myself, emerged from here!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan realized the gravity of the situation. "Are you certain there are no other powerhouses here?" he inquired doubtfully.
"Besides that one individual, there are no other powerhouses," Bi Luo replied. "Master, rest assured, I would never harm you!"
"Mm," Yun Fan nodded. After all, he held Bi Luo's life in his hands, and he didn't believe she would deceive him. Thus, the two directly entered the ancient land.
Though many experts resided here, Bi Luo's mastery of concealment allowed them to remain undiscovered. Once inside the ancient land, Bi Luo turned to Yun Fan and said, "Master, let's begin our operation!"
"You arrange it," Yun Fan replied. Since he was unfamiliar with the place, he naturally didn't know its unique aspects. Letting Bi Luo take the lead was a wise decision.
"Mm," Bi Luo agreed. "Master, let's go!"
Following this, the two entered the forbidden area of the ancient land. Within this area, Yun Fan glimpsed records of the Immortal Path Curse lineage's rise. However, due to the sheer volume of information, he only skimmed through it, paying little attention.
As they passed through a section of the forbidden area, they encountered a Saint Ancestor-level powerhouse guarding it. This individual was immensely powerful, on par with Yun Fan's own cultivation level, and undoubtedly ranked among the top tier within the Immortal Path Curse lineage. He was comparable to the Dragon Cavalry Saint Ancestor who had perished in the Yellow Springs world.
Upon seeing Yun Fan, the Saint Ancestor showed no surprise. Although Yun Fan could suppress the Immortal Path Curse, he was still considered a minor figure. Even the Immortal Path Curse lineage didn't view Yun Fan as a significant threat. In their eyes, the three Saint Ancestors they had lost were not killed by Yun Fan; it was likely Zi Xuan, who had then credited Yun Fan. They remained steadfast in their belief that the Immortal Path Curse was invincible and could not be suppressed. To them, Yun Fan was merely a pawn pushed forward by Zi Xuan before her defeat to deter the Immortal Path Curse. In any case, no one took Yun Fan seriously. The Saint Ancestor before them didn't even recognize Yun Fan.
However, upon seeing Bi Luo, his eyes widened in shock. He never imagined Bi Luo would return, let alone be alive. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have dared to believe it.
"Junior Sister, you're alive?" the Saint Ancestor exclaimed, stunned. Although his strength was far inferior to Bi Luo's, and they were not even in the same league, Bi Luo was indeed his junior sister. They hailed from the same sect. At this moment, his expression was a mixture of shock and fear.
Bi Luo replied, "Senior Brother, I've returned. Aren't you happy?"
The next moment, the Saint Ancestor hastily fled. He was afraid. He knew very well that his junior sister was the most powerful being in the ancient land. Even after countless ages, no one in the ancient land had surpassed Bi Luo. Unexpectedly, Bi Luo was quick. She struck him with a palm.
"Pfft!" He spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze filled with horror as he looked at Bi Luo. Bi Luo asked, "Why are you running?"
"Junior Sister, I wasn't the mastermind behind what happened back then. The wrongdoer will be held accountable; you should seek justice from our master!" he stammered, trembling before Bi Luo. He was utterly incapable of mustering any courage to resist in her presence.
Bi Luo stated coldly, "Even if you weren't the mastermind, you were an accomplice. As an accomplice, you cannot escape my reckoning!"
"What?" Yun Fan, hearing this, sensed something was amiss. It felt as though an irreconcilable enmity was at play.
"Junior Sister, this is the ancient land. Even if you want to kill me, you cannot act within the ancient land, or you will be showing great disrespect to our Immortal Path Curse lineage!" This was his attempt to threaten Bi Luo. However, Bi Luo directly replied, "If I want to act, I will not consider any factors!"
The next moment, she struck the Saint Ancestor with a palm. "Ah!" The Saint Ancestor cried out in pain, his body rapidly disintegrating. Bi Luo had instantly annihilated him. Witnessing this, Yun Fan gasped. To instantly kill a peak-level existence, only someone like Bi Luo, who surpassed the peak, could achieve it. He was awestruck.
"I didn't expect my strength to have grown so much!" Bi Luo was delighted. Her strength in her prime was immense, seemingly boundless. However, her current strength was merely average. After battling Tai Qing Tian Nu, she had entered a period of decline, and was still struggling to recover. She hadn't anticipated her strength recovering so quickly.
Bi Luo, being intelligent, quickly identified the key factor: Yun Fan. Although Yun Fan's strength was not exceptional, he was coveted by both Zi Xuan and Lin Tian Xin, which indicated his unique nature. Furthermore, her recent desperate pursuit of pleasure from Yun Fan had, unbeknownst to her, made him the catalyst for her rapid improvement. Discovering this, Bi Luo was overjoyed. She had initially thought Yun Fan was merely her treasure, but he was also providing her with such immense benefits. She had previously desperately sought to break the Zhan Tian imprint, but now she no longer wished to. Staying by Yun Fan's side was undoubtedly faster than cultivating on her own. This was the benefit Yun Fan brought her; it wasn't just pleasure, but benefits far superior to mere strength enhancement.
"Those two old women were indeed eyeing Master!" Bi Luo thought indignantly. She finally understood why the two women had recovered faster than her. It turned out they had already gained Yun Fan's favor earlier. In fact, Zi Xuan and Lin Tian Xin were far more formidable than she had imagined. She was just one person, whereas Zi Xuan and Lin Tian Xin had created dozens of clones to conquer Yun Fan from various aspects. Therefore, their strength would undoubtedly be greater. Once they fully assimilated the benefits gained from Yun Fan, they would reach their peak. Of course, surpassing the peak was their ultimate goal.
At this moment, Bi Luo quickly said to Yun Fan, "Master, there's something I've been hiding from you!"
"I know!" Yun Fan huffed, his expression clearly displeased. He hadn't expected Bi Luo to deceive him. If Bi Luo didn't provide him with a satisfactory explanation today, he would make her regret it. Bi Luo quickly explained, "Master, besides obtaining the Heavenly Emperor Scripture, I have another matter to attend to here in the ancient land!"
"Killing your master?" Yun Fan directly asked.
"Yes, yes!" Bi Luo nodded firmly.
"What happened?" Yun Fan asked, confused. To be willing to kill one's master indicated that her master must have committed some heinous act.
Bi Luo continued, "A long time ago, I wasn't as powerful as I am now, having only recently entered the Saint Ancestor realm!" She explained, "One day, while I was in seclusion, my senior brother rushed to inform me that Master was in danger! To me, Master was like a father. For his safety, I didn't even prioritize my breakthrough and went to see him. Unexpectedly, what followed filled me with rage!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan knew the crucial point had arrived. He was eager to see what monstrous deed had occurred. Bi Luo explained, "It turns out Master's concern for me was fake. He had molded me into the strongest genius of the ancient land merely to seize my Dao Heart and aid his breakthrough to pseudo-emperor!"
"It seems they didn't succeed!" Yun Fan was certain that if they had succeeded, the current Bi Luo would not exist.
"That's right!" Bi Luo affirmed. "My talent is the strongest in the Immortal Path Curse lineage, so how could I be a stepping stone for others! Therefore, I resisted. At the critical moment, I broke through, injured my master, and escaped!" She continued, "However, from then on, I never returned to the ancient land for revenge, because I knew my strength was far inferior to Master's. My previous successful resistance was due to Master risking himself to set up formations and strip me of my Dao Heart, which is why I succeeded! But I will never let him off, because after I fled, he massacred my entire clan! When I broke through to pseudo-emperor, I intended to kill him for revenge, but Tai Qing Tian Nu declared war on our Immortal Path Curse lineage. All four powerful figures of our lineage participated in the battle, and I was ultimately slain in that decisive conflict. You already know what happened afterward, Master!"
"Mm," Yun Fan nodded. He did indeed know what happened afterward. He hadn't expected Bi Luo's background to be so tragic; it exceeded his expectations. No matter how powerful the Immortal Path Curse was, their internal unity was not as strong as it seemed. If another figure like Tai Qing Tian Nu emerged to overturn everything, they would fail. Of course, in Yun Fan's opinion, that person would likely be himself.
At this point, Yun Fan mused, "So, you want to kill him. Why don't you do it yourself? From Yun Fan's perspective, with his strength, bringing him here with Bi Luo seems excessive. Although he is in the second realm of Saint Ancestor, he doesn't seem to be of much help to Bi Luo. It would be better for Bi Luo to seek revenge herself and bring him the Heavenly Emperor Scripture."
Bi Luo explained, "Master, with my current strength, I haven't fully recovered. While I can defeat my master, I cannot kill him! Therefore, I need your power!" She placed great importance on Yun Fan, as he indeed possessed the strength and capital. Only by leveraging Yun Fan's power could she kill her master, the Undying Saint Ancestor.
Yun Fan replied, "No problem, but as I said, I must obtain what I need. Otherwise, it's all for naught!" This was Yun Fan's ultimate goal. If he didn't get the Heavenly Emperor Scripture, it would be a failure, and that was unacceptable.
Bi Luo assured him, "Master, rest assured, I will help you obtain it!"
"Very well!" Yun Fan nodded, his concerns now gone.
Following this, the two moved forward together, arriving at the most concentrated area of the Immortal Path Curse within the ancient land.
"Disciple, you have returned!" At this moment, an ancient elder appeared before them. If Bi Luo was a pioneer of the Immortal Path Curse lineage, then this elder, the Undying Saint Ancestor, was one of its founders. He belonged to the era when the Heavenly Emperor used the Immortal Path Curse to cultivate and break through, establishing the Immortal Path Curse lineage as the most powerful existence in the Three Thousand Great Worlds. For the Immortal Path Curse lineage, the Undying Saint Ancestor's influence might not be as great as Bi Luo's, but in terms of merit, he was certainly not inferior. Indeed, even as a founder, his merit was only on par with Bi Luo's. After all, Bi Luo's role in that era in holding back Tai Qing Tian Nu was an immeasurable contribution.
The Undying Saint Ancestor's strength was formidable, a super expert in the third realm of Saint Ancestor. Such strength placed him among the absolute top tier within the Immortal Path Curse lineage. Although he was a founder, his talent was clearly inferior to later cultivators like Bi Luo. Therefore, whether in the past or present, his strength was definitively less than Bi Luo's.
Bi Luo stated coldly, "Master, you should have known I would return!"
"Indeed! I have waited for you for countless ages. They all believed you were dead, but only I was convinced that you were the most talented person I had ever met, and my most proud disciple. You would not die so easily!" This was the Undying Saint Ancestor's affirmation of Bi Luo's talent.
Bi Luo questioned, "Since you knew, did you also guess that you would die this time?"
This was Bi Luo's question. The Undying Saint Ancestor replied, "Good disciple, you have indeed surpassed your master, but you cannot kill me! After all, my lifespan is longer than yours, and I have walked a more arduous path!"
"Is that so?" Bi Luo said coldly, "You have lived long enough. What you should not have done, and what you most shouldn't have done, was to kill my kin after I escaped!"
"Hahahaha!" The Undying Saint Ancestor sneered. "I must say, as a pseudo-emperor level existence, can you not let go of all your emotions? If I were you, at your level, I would be far stronger!" This was the Undying Saint Ancestor's confidence and power, though it struck Yun Fan and Bi Luo as utterly devoid of humanity.
Bi Luo retorted, "I am not you. I cannot be so cold-blooded. Blood debt must be repaid with blood. This time, I have returned specifically to claim your life!"
"Hahahaha!" The Undying Saint Ancestor burst into laughter. "Undeniably, your strength is immense, and you have come a long way. But as you are now, you cannot kill me!" He knew that Bi Luo was not at her peak. Although she was undoubtedly stronger than him, as long as Bi Luo did not reach her peak, she could not kill him. At most, she could defeat him, which was something he could accept. As long as he wasn't killed, everything else was negotiable.
"Is that so?" The next moment, Bi Luo attacked, engaging the Undying Saint Ancestor with her current peak strength. The Undying Saint Ancestor also unleashed his powerful third-realm Saint Ancestor strength. Though he was not Bi Luo's match, he appeared calm. Undeniably, Bi Luo was too strong. In Yun Fan's eyes, Bi Luo was completely crushing the Undying Saint Ancestor. The Undying Saint Ancestor could only passively defend against Bi Luo, and even that was a struggle. It seemed his defeat was only a matter of time.
Finally, after Bi Luo severely wounded the Undying Saint Ancestor with another punch, he was defeated. "Good disciple, I didn't expect your strength to recover so quickly. But unfortunately, this is all you can do!" With that, he directly communicated with the power of the ancient land, healing his body. The once dying man was instantly restored to his original state. This not only exceeded Bi Luo's expectations but also Yun Fan's. This guy was indeed not as simple as he appeared.
At this point, the Undying Saint Ancestor declared, "With the blessing of the ancient land, even if I fail, I can return to my peak. You are different. Although you have won, I can continuously wear you down, and ultimately, you will still face defeat!" This was the Undying Saint Ancestor's true reliance. It was undeniable that he had a reason for not fearing Bi Luo's revenge.
"Hmph!" Bi Luo snorted. "Do you think the Immortal Path Curse is the strongest existence? Master, times have changed. The Immortal Path Curse of the past is no longer the strongest in this era!"
"Is that so?" The Undying Saint Ancestor replied, "The Immortal Path Curse, whether in the past or future, is the strongest existence. This is beyond doubt. You cannot frighten me!"
"Master, grant me power!" At this moment, Bi Luo deployed her trump card: Yun Fan.
"Alright!" Yun Fan did not hesitate and directly channeled a portion of his Zhan Tian power to Bi Luo. Instantly, Bi Luo integrated it into her own strength. Although their powers were supposed to be antagonistic, because Yun Fan had left the Zhan Tian imprint within her, the Zhan Tian bloodline perceived Bi Luo as being akin to Yun Fan, thus not rejecting her power.
"I didn't expect even my disciple to fall so low, acknowledging a mere brat as Master!" the Undying Saint Ancestor sneered. Bi Luo responded coldly, "You have no idea how powerful he is. Someone like you, even if you acknowledged him as Master, he wouldn't take you in!"
"I have not fallen to your extent!" the Undying Saint Ancestor declared. "If you believe you can kill me with the help of this brat, then you are too naive!" In his eyes, there was no greater joke than killing him with the help of a mere brat. How could he possibly conceive of such a thing?
Bi Luo stated, "You will soon realize his terrifying nature!"
"Oh? Is that so?" The Undying Saint Ancestor smirked dismissively.
The next moment, after fusing with Yun Fan's power, Bi Luo attacked, unleashing a powerful, unparalleled force. The Undying Saint Ancestor, realizing he could absolutely not withstand this attack, immediately abandoned his resistance. In his view, even if he was injured, he wouldn't die, and he could continue to exhaust Bi Luo's strength. However, to his surprise, Bi Luo's attack on him did not cause significant damage. He only sustained minor injuries, nothing fatal.
"So weak, what makes you think you can kill me?" the Undying Saint Ancestor scoffed. He had expected Bi Luo's technique to astound him, but it turned out to be quite ordinary.
Bi Luo said coldly, "And now?"
At this moment, the Undying Saint Ancestor suddenly felt a searing pain. Following this, he experienced despair. The Devouring Flame was relentlessly consuming his body and power.
"How is this possible?" The Undying Saint Ancestor was astonished. He hadn't expected Yun Fan's strength to be so monstrous and perverse. Combined with Bi Luo's power, the Devouring Flame had become even more potent, devouring the Undying Saint Ancestor without restraint. The Undying Saint Ancestor's expression changed. He hadn't anticipated that there truly was a power that could counteract the Immortal Path Curse. Even with all his might, he couldn't extinguish this power.
"No..." The Undying Saint Ancestor despaired. He had never before felt such immense power. In his despair and pain, he asked Bi Luo, "You are also a being of our Immortal Path Curse lineage. Why can you wield his power without being backlashed?" Undoubtedly, at this moment, he harbored profound questions for Bi Luo.
Bi Luo replied, "Do you think I call him Master for nothing!"
"Brat, I underestimated you!" The next moment, the Undying Saint Ancestor lunged at Yun Fan. "Even if I die, I will kill you, this bane of the Immortal Path Curse!"
However, at this moment, Bi Luo directly shielded Yun Fan, blocking his powerful killing blow.
"Boom!" With a thunderous roar, the Undying Saint Ancestor's power was neutralized. At this point, the Undying Saint Ancestor had entered a state of weakness. Even by drawing upon the ancient land's immense power to resist, he could not alter the course of his defeat.
"Damn it!" The Undying Saint Ancestor had never imagined he would be defeated so decisively, and the culprit responsible for his downfall was none other than Yun Fan, a being he had looked down upon from the very beginning. In his utter despair, the Undying Saint Ancestor quickly pleaded, "Don't kill me! I'll give you the Heavenly Emperor Scripture. You make him stop burning!" The Undying Saint Ancestor begged Bi Luo for mercy.
However, Bi Luo had no intention of telling Yun Fan to stop burning him. Yun Fan understood immediately; it seemed that even without the Undying Saint Ancestor's words, Bi Luo knew where the Heavenly Emperor Scripture was hidden. The Undying Saint Ancestor was completely desperate. To end his suffering, he chose to end his own life. Only after he had completely perished did Bi Luo confidently say to Yun Fan, "Master, I know where the Heavenly Emperor Scripture is. Follow me!"
"Mm!" As soon as the Heavenly Emperor Scripture was mentioned, Yun Fan's interest was piqued. He immediately followed Bi Luo to the deepest part of the forbidden area. At this moment, the aura of the scripture emanated before them, and Yun Fan's expression instantly changed.