Fang Ling didn't know how long he had been asleep when he finally opened his eyes.
He sat up and touched his forehead, feeling a slight bump that throbbed with pain.
He glanced over at Lan Yan, puzzled.
He vaguely remembered having a pleasant dream where he saw Lan Yan sneaking food. She was clumsy, much like Purple Bamboo had been at first, sometimes even biting her own teeth.
The vividness of the dream made it hard for him to distinguish between dream and reality.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lan Yan snapped, noticing the confusion in Fang Ling's eyes.
Fang Ling shook his head and replied calmly, "It's nothing..."
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
Back at the Heavenly Dao Sect, He Changling had suddenly attacked, catching them off guard.
He had seen Lan Yan summon the Universe Mirror but still get injured, so he was concerned.
"It's nothing serious, just need more time to recuperate," Lan Yan replied.
"I didn't expect He Changling's cultivation to be so high, a Fifth Grade Jade Immortal."
"Are you far behind him?" Fang Ling asked.
"Entering the immortal realm is just the beginning of cultivation," Lan Yan said calmly.
"The Jade Immortal, Upper Immortal, and Great Immortal realms each have nine grades."
"Although there are many grades, advancing even one grade is extremely difficult."
"I've been cultivating for thirty thousand years since becoming an immortal."
"Over these thirty thousand years, I've reached only the Second Grade Jade Immortal."
"The higher the realm, the harder it is to break through. He Changling, a Fifth Grade Jade Immortal, is naturally much stronger than me."
"What about Ning Chuan and Wen Mu? What are their realms?" Fang Ling asked.
These two would certainly not let him go, so he needed to know to be prepared.
"Ning Chuan is weaker than me, a First Grade Jade Immortal," Lan Yan replied.
"Wen Mu is stronger than me, a Third Grade Jade Immortal."
"The Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Dao Sect we killed together was just an ordinary Jade Immortal, not even graded."
"I guess that old fellow broke through only in recent years."
"Years ago, Ning Chuan and Wen Mu teamed up against me. I barely survived and my strength fell back to the Tribulation Crossing period."
"Now, with old wounds unhealed and new ones added... who knows when I'll recover to my peak state."
"I won't follow you anymore. You should stay here and rest until you're fully recovered."
Fang Ling nodded, stood up, and said, "But I can't sit still. I can't stay here to guard you."
Lan Yan replied, "Although I'm in a sorry state, ordinary people can't harm me. I don't need your protection."
"Go ahead. If you encounter difficulties in the future, you can still come to me."
"For taking me to the Heavenly Dao Sect to avenge my grievances, I owe you."
Fang Ling said nothing, nor did he bid farewell. He walked out of the cave on his own.
Lan Yan watched his departing figure and let out a long sigh of relief.
Fang Ling hadn't mentioned her sneaking food, probably thinking it was just a dream.
Her dignity was preserved, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to face him in the future.
In the forest not far from the cave.
A group of strange beings was hunting.
But their prey was not animals, but humans!
These beings were about the same size as humans, but their skin was dark purple, and they had long horns like those of a bull.
"Haha! My turn!" A young demon laughed wildly as he drew his bow and shot an arrow.
Ahead of them, a group of ragged humans was fleeing in panic.
With a swoosh, the arrow pierced through the chest of one of the humans, killing him instantly.
"Haha, as expected of me, another hit!" The young demon exclaimed excitedly.
"With ten heads taken, I've won this round. Hand over your magic stones!"
The other young demons, holding their bows, reluctantly took out some black stones and tossed them to the one who had shot the arrow.
Unwilling to lose their magic stones, they quickly started the next round.
Fang Ling watched silently, then flashed and appeared in front of the young demons.
"Where is this place?" Fang Ling asked.
The young demons exchanged glances and then suddenly attacked Fang Ling.
With a cold snort, Fang Ling shattered them into a mist of blood.
Find the original at ".
Hearing the commotion, the fleeing humans stopped and walked back to Fang Ling.
"Thank you, senior, for saving us!" These people were weak, only in the Dubhe Realm.
"Senior, are you from the Dao Alliance? Has the Dao Alliance already counterattacked to Qianwa Mountain?" someone asked excitedly.
Fang Ling shook his head gently and said, "I teleported from a faraway place."
The person replied, "Senior, this is the border between the Heavenly Demon Region and the Southern Dipper Region, specifically Qianwa Mountain."
"This mountain used to be our human territory but was conquered by the demons years ago."
"We, their descendants, are slaves of the demons..."
"So, this is where I ended up... not too far," Fang Ling nodded to himself.
The Miao Territory was in the southernmost part of the Southern Dipper Region, while this place was in the northeast, called Han Land.
The region was vast and far from the core prosperous areas of the Han and Zhou Dynasties in the Southern Dipper Region, almost like two different worlds.
Han Land, in the northeast, was separated from the main plain of the Southern Dipper Region by the Wanren Mountain Range.
The mountain range was deep and wide, filled with beasts, almost as wild as the desolate places.
Therefore, Han Land and the Miao Territory had little interaction with the mainstream cultivation world of the Southern Dipper Region.
As for the Dao Alliance, he had heard of it.
Han Land was different from other places, with no sects or dynasties, but a unified land.
The only force was the Dao Alliance!
The Dao Alliance originated from conflicts with the demons, as the region was at the border of two realms, frequently invaded by demons.
With beasts rampant behind them and no support, the people had to unite to resist the demon invasions.
"This place is actually a good spot for cultivation," Fang Ling smiled.
He looked at the people and asked, "Since you are slaves of the demons, you must know their nearby strongholds. Take me there!"
"Yes!" The people, though reluctant to return, dared not disobey Fang Ling.
"We grew up in the demon stronghold here in Qianwa Mountain. It houses about five hundred thousand demons," the person explained.
"The demon leader is called Anna, a mid-Alkaid Realm existence and one of the seven great demon generals on the front line."

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