Chapter 156 Murong Longcheng

Ye Fan estimated that Sword One through Sword Eight should have the power of Profound Rank Divine Abilities, while Sword Nine through Sword Eighteen were roughly equivalent to Earth-rank Divine Abilities.

Sword Nineteen through Sword Twenty-Two were genuine Heaven-Ranked Divine Abilities; any single move could be considered invincible among those of the same rank.

As for the power of Sword Twenty-Three, it far exceeded even Heaven-Ranked Divine Abilities. Even though Ye Fan had refined the Jade Slip, he could only barely use it with his current cultivation.

Ye Fan practiced from Sword One all the way to Sword Twenty-Two, and the valley that had just been carved out by the Thunder Prison Divine Blade was once again utterly destroyed.

Everywhere Ye Fan looked was a mess; within a radius of several hundred feet, hardly a single patch of intact ground could be found. It was hard to imagine that such terrifying destructive power came from the hands of a Core Formation Realm Cultivator.

Ye Fan put away the yinglong sword and admired his masterpiece with satisfaction.

Although he had only just broken through to the Core Formation Realm, he was confident that few among his peers could defeat him.

In high spirits, Ye Fan whistled as he left the valley. Before returning to the Sect, he took a detour to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to see how Shopkeeper Qian's auction house preparations were coming along.

As soon as he saw Ye Fan arrive, Shopkeeper Qian beamed like a blooming flower and hurriedly invited him into a private room for a detailed discussion.

“I was just about to go look for Young Master Ye. Those three items have just arrived at the Central Continent. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is currently building hype for them, and there is still quite a long time before the auction begins.”

Ye Fan nodded, not being in too much of a hurry. Instead, he curiously asked how one travels to the Central Continent.

He had been so focused on fighting those guys earlier that he had almost forgotten to inquire about news regarding the Central Continent.

“The Central Continent? Young Master Ye intends to go to the Central Continent?” Shopkeeper Qian asked, startled.

“I have no such plans for the moment; I'm just a bit curious.”

Shopkeeper Qian nodded, saying it wasn't some big secret, just that ordinary people had no use for the information.

After listening to the whole explanation, Ye Fan realized that going to the Central Continent was not as simple as he had imagined.

The distance of a Teleportation Array was limited. Even within the Southwest Continent, many transfers were required; reaching the destination in one go was nearly impossible.

Although the Central Continent and the South Continent were nominally adjacent, they were separated by a vast, boundless ocean. Even a Core Formation Realm Cultivator flying at full strength would find it difficult to reach the other shore before their spiritual energy was exhausted.

Cultivators from both continents used to set up Teleportation Arrays on islands along the way to save time.

However, due to various reasons like ownership disputes, maintenance issues, and weather, nine out of ten of these Teleportation Arrays had fallen into ruin.

Using tools like Magic Treasure flying boats consumed an astronomical amount of Spirit Stones. Thus, over time, sea travel became almost the only remaining method of passage.

“If it were a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, they could reach the other shore by flying continuously for about seven days.”

“But if traveling by sea, it takes roughly a month.”

“Of course, my Hundred Treasures Pavilion has exclusive cargo ships that are much faster than ordinary passenger ships, reaching the Central Continent in only half a month.”

“It is said that some powerful top-tier forces also have secret, unknown Teleportation Arrays, but that is not something a lowly person like me can confirm,” Shopkeeper Qian said with a constant, fawning smile.

Ye Fan nodded, not expecting there to be so many complications.

But thinking back, Murong Wan had traveled over land and water to reach the Southwest Continent at such a young age.

The hardships involved were imaginable, and Ye Fan couldn't help but feel even more heartache for her.

He had intended to buy a few more things from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, but his portable token suddenly received a message. After seeing the contents, Ye Fan couldn't help but frown.

“People from the Murong Family have arrived... return to the Sect immediately?”

Ye Fan hadn't expected the Murong Family to send people again after so long.

It seemed that, just as Su Ningxue had said, a Nascent Soul Realm Great Power must have stepped in to shield the heavenly secrets for Murong Jie; otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to show up at his door.

Thinking of these fellows' intentions, Ye Fan's expression darkened, and the temperature in the private room plummeted to below zero.

The oblivious Shopkeeper Qian shuddered in fear, thinking he had said something wrong to offend Ye Fan, his face turning pale with fright.

“Young Master Ye, you are...”

“Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you. Some annoying flies have arrived, and I need to go deal with them.”

After saying that, Ye Fan immediately flew away from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion on his sword. Meanwhile, inside the Joyous Union Sect, the atmosphere was fraught with tension, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

The Murong Family had come prepared this time. They brought seven Core Formation Realm Cultivators alone, and the one sitting at the rear to oversee everything was a Golden Core Realm Great Cultivator.

That invisible pressure made Qing Mingzi and the others feel a bit breathless, and a terrifying thought actually emerged in their hearts.

“Could this guy be even stronger than our Old Ancestor?!”

This person was none other than the Murong Family Old Ancestor, Murong Longcheng. With his Golden Core Realm cultivation and being in his prime, he would likely be even more dominant than the Joyous Union Sect's Old Ancestor if they actually fought.

Surprisingly, however, the protagonist today was not Murong Longcheng, but a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. His cultivation was restrained but held the strength of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment Realm, a level of power sufficient to rival the top ten prodigies on the hidden dragon ranking.

“Wan'er, what will it take for you to agree to come with me?” the man said with a face full of infatuation.

“Nalan Shuo, have you mistaken something? We've only met a few times; why should I marry you?”

Murong Wan had a speechless expression, never dreaming that the marriage partner her elder brother mentioned would be him.

The Nalan Family had once been a great immortal cultivation clan just like the Murong Family, holding considerable influence in the border regions of the Central Continent.

Because of this, the relationship between the two families was quite good, with frequent visits. The two had met a few times during their childhood.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. Following the natural death of the Nalan Family's Old Ancestor, the Nalan Family's influence plummeted.

Their territory was encroached upon or even completely carved up by surrounding forces, reaching the point of near extinction. Naturally, the Murong Family had also taken a share of the spoils.

But just as they were preparing to completely annex the Nalan Family, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Nalan Shuo was actually favored by a top-tier Sect in the Central Continent and taken in as a Personal Disciple, bringing the entire Nalan Family back to life with him.

Thinking of the top-tier Sect behind Nalan Shuo, those who had taken benefits from the Nalan Family felt constant dread. They not only returned everything as it was but also gave several times more in benefits to settle the matter.

As one of them, the Murong Family naturally had to pay a heavy price as well.

Who would have thought that the Nalan Family, or rather Nalan Shuo, would propose an unexpected condition: he demanded to marry Murong Wan.

In the words of Ye Fan's previous life, this Nalan Shuo was a 'Pure Love Battle God.'

Just because he had seen Murong Wan a few times as a child, he had silently fallen in love with her.

When the Nalan Family was brought back from the brink, he didn't think about how to revitalize the Family; the first thing he wanted was to marry Murong Wan, leaving the entire Nalan Family speechless.

But for the Murong Family, this was an unexpected joy. Once the marriage alliance between the two families succeeded, not only would they not have to return the benefits they took, but they could also latch onto the top-tier force behind Nalan Shuo from then on.

No matter how you looked at it, this was a guaranteed profitable deal. Thus, Murong Jie had come to the door to demand her.