To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Time flies like an arrow, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside Falling Star Island, the waves were surging, and the wind was whipping up dark clouds; a downpour was imminent.

Suddenly, a shadow rose from beneath the sea, and a strange beast, over two zhang tall, covered in blue scales and with a red horn on its head, broke through the waves and emerged.

A purple figure stood tall atop the beast's head.

The person and the beast were naturally Gu Fan and the gourd.

Two years ago, the gourd successfully underwent a second spirit-forging process.

Not only has its size increased again, but more importantly, its water-attribute bloodline has been strengthened once more. Its speed of escape beneath the sea surface is now almost comparable to Gu Fan's escape technique.

As its strength grows, the gourd's appetite also increases.

One pill used to be enough to make him feel full, but now he can swallow three in a row.

Gu Fan was stationed on Falling Star Island. His usual ways of earning spirit stones and merit points were no longer available, and he suddenly found himself in dire straits. So he often took his gourd and hunted monsters in the surrounding seas.

After Gu Fan had fed the gourd to its fill, he was about to return to Falling Star Island when he suddenly frowned and extended his divine sense into the distance.

Ten miles away, a streak of light sped toward Falling Star Island.

"Li Fengyi? What's she doing on Falling Star Island?"

The question had barely formed in his mind when Gu Fan knew the answer in the next second.

Li Fengyi looked flustered, blood was spilling from the corner of her mouth, her face was pale and her hair was flying everywhere. Behind her was a streak of azure light, which was a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe and holding a judge's pen.

"People from Longya Academy!"

Gu Fan immediately discerned the other party's attire, raised his hand and released a burst of flames that exploded in the sky, then leaped into a beam of light to meet Li Fengyi.

The gourd quickly shrank in size and followed closely behind, riding the waves.

At the same time, Li Fengyi frowned, gritted her teeth and endured the pain in her meridians to push her escape speed to the limit, her heart burning with anxiety.

"Falling Star Island is just a few miles away. Once we get there, we've escaped to safety!"

The middle-aged cultivator who was chasing Li Fengyi also saw Falling Star Island. He immediately brandished his judge's pen and wrote a black character "疾" in the blink of an eye. He then opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of fresh air towards it.

The character "疾" (Ji) instantly burst forth with dazzling light, imprinting itself on the middle-aged cultivator.

The next second, the middle-aged cultivator's escape speed suddenly increased.

When he was only a few feet away from Li Fengyi, the judge's pen was swung again, and the black ink quickly formed the character "斩" (cut).

The moment the character "斩" (zhǎn, meaning "to cut") took shape, it transformed into a streak of dark black light and slashed towards Li Fengyi.

Sensing the sharp aura behind her, Li Fengyi's eyes revealed despair.

"So close!"

Just as Li Fengyi was in despair, a burst of flame suddenly exploded in the void.

The crimson sword light, trailing a fiery tail, collided with the ink stain, creating a loud explosion.

Li Fengyi was pushed off balance by the blast wave and plummeted downwards. But then a figure emerged from the void and caught her in a long, languid embrace.

"Is it you?"

Li Fengyi looked up and saw Gu Fan's face clearly, and was immediately overjoyed.

Gu Fan didn't have time to reply. He immediately scattered a handful of talismans, picked up Li Fengyi, and turned to flee.

Upon first contact, he immediately realized that the middle-aged cultivator was actually in the late Foundation Establishment stage!

The talisman transformed into lightning, ice spikes, and wind blades, causing the middle-aged cultivator to slow his pace abruptly.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Fan had increased the distance to several dozen feet.

The middle-aged scholar, seeing that the duck he had in his grasp was about to fly away, gritted his teeth, took out an inkstone from his storage bag, and tossed it into the air, causing ink to pour down like a waterfall.

The judge's pen continued to wield, and hundreds and thousands of ink characters transformed into crows flapping their wings and chasing after Gu Fan.

At the same time, the middle-aged scholar exhaled another breath of energy and quickly darted forward a short distance.

Gu Fan noticed the crow's pursuit, his feet flashing with light as he summoned the Crimson Sun Heavenly Sword.

A surge of immense magical power flowed into the Crimson Sun Heavenly Sword, and boundless flames erupted from Gu Fan's center, forming a fiery domain two zhang in diameter.

The crows rained down on the fiery area like meteorites falling into the sea, creating bursts of flame.

This fiery domain is a new spell that can be cast after breaking through to the second level of the "Red Sun Demon-Slaying Scripture," and it is called Heavenly Fire Bath Robe.

The fire domain, spanning two zhang in diameter, appeared impressive, but in reality, it was the result of Gu Fan not yet having fully controlled it.

The Heavenly Fire Bath Robe is not better the bigger it is; rather, it should compress the fire domain, resembling a robe draped over the body, in order to achieve the strongest defense.

When Gu Fan first started cultivating, his fire domain was five zhang in diameter. Fortunately, his divine sense continued to grow, which allowed him to compress the fire domain to two zhang.

As countless crows vanished into the fiery domain, Gu Fan's face began to turn pale.

The "Red Sun Demon-Slaying Scripture" is incredibly powerful, but it also consumes a great deal of mana. Every time a crow lands, it is draining Gu Fan's mana, and in an instant, more than half of his mana is consumed.

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator immediately turned red with anger.

The ink in that inkstone was made from rare spiritual materials, and every drop used was a drop less. The middle-aged cultivator's triangular eyes flashed with a fierce light as he gritted his teeth in hatred for Gu Fan.

Just as he was about to cast the spell again, a huge figure rose from the sea and spewed out a jet of water as thick as a bucket.

Just as he was about to cast the spell again, a huge figure rose from the sea and spewed out a jet of water as thick as a bucket.

It was the gourd that blocked their way!

The middle-aged monk had no choice but to use his judge's pen to disperse the water column.

As the water column exploded, the gourd suddenly disappeared underwater.

At the same time, two streaks of light came from Falling Star Island; they were the Liu brothers who had seen Gu Fan release the flare signal.

The two were also surprised to sense the middle-aged cultivator's cultivation level, but their speed was not slow at all.

One drew out a jade ruler, and the other summoned a folding fan. The next second, the ruler's shadow and the black dragon attacked the middle-aged cultivator simultaneously.

The middle-aged cultivator's pupils contracted, and a golden seal engraved with the Black Tortoise flew out from his sleeve.

A golden seal covered the top of the head, and a phantom of Xuanwu (a mythical tortoise) descended, roaring with its head raised. The ruler shadow and the black dragon collided with the phantom of Xuanwu, only creating a ripple.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gu Fan also reunited with the Liu brothers, and the gourd also emerged from beneath the sea.

The middle-aged cultivator had no choice but to stop in his tracks as he looked at the four cultivators and a mid-stage second-tier spirit beast.

"You killed my people, this grudge will be avenged!" The middle-aged cultivator's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he stared at Li Fengyi and shouted, "I'll spare your life today, but I'll take it from you another day!"

Li Fengyi immediately raised her head and replied, "The grudge I've set today, I will surely take your head one day!"

The middle-aged cultivator snorted coldly and was about to turn and leave when a jade pendant hanging at his waist suddenly flashed.

"Hmm?" The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback, and silently made a few hand seals hidden in his sleeve.

A moment later, his expression suddenly changed, and his triangular eyes stared at Gu Fan, revealing a hint of surprise.

"This is truly a stroke of luck!"

Gu Fan was completely bewildered by what the middle-aged cultivator was saying. Seeing him staring at him, he said in a deep voice, "If you want to fight, we are happy to oblige. If not... we won't see you off."

The middle-aged cultivator was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and the magical artifact he wielded was quite extraordinary. Unless he used an array, Gu Fan had no confidence in winning.

This place is still some distance from Falling Star Island, and the power of the great formation cannot cover it. More importantly, if the middle-aged cultivator wanted to leave, Gu Fan and the others would not be able to stop him.

The middle-aged cultivator did not reply immediately, and the situation reached a stalemate.

After a long pause, the middle-aged cultivator snorted coldly and turned to flee.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and returned to Falling Star Island.

Gu Fan put Li Fengyi down and sighed, "Why is it that every time I see you, you're being chased and beaten?"

Li Fengyi was about to express her gratitude when she heard this and immediately choked up, her phoenix eyes glaring at Gu Fan.

After catching his breath, he said resentfully:

"I came to the Cloud Mist Sea to hunt monsters, but when I encountered my sect's disciples fighting against the Dragon Cliff Academy, I naturally had to lend a hand."

"Who knew that the man would suddenly appear halfway there, accusing me of killing a junior member of his family, and then he chased after me all the way."

Gu Fan nodded, indicating that he understood the cause and effect.

Li Fengyi, relying on her Earth-grade spiritual root, had already reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, not far from the late stage, yet she was still no match for the middle-aged cultivator, demonstrating the opponent's strength.

Just then, Liu Daoyuan suggested, "Since Junior Sister Li has come to Falling Star Island, why not rest here for a few days and recover from your injuries before leaving?"

Li Fengyi pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

......

Several days later.

Unlike ordinary immortal sects, Longya Academy was not built in a remote mountain, but in a large city in the Chen Kingdom.

Or rather, the entire city is part of the Dragon Cliff Academy.

The city was built against the mountain, with houses arranged in a very regular pattern, resembling bamboo slips when viewed from a high place.

Countless ordinary people lived in the city, and they were all polite in their walking, sitting and lying down. The sound of reading aloud could be heard in all directions.

At the highest point of the city, there is a vast cliff, with towering buildings reaching into the sky, and exotic flowers and plants hidden among them.

That is the residence of the cultivators of Longya Academy.

The cliff is connected to the city below by a white jade staircase. Countless classics are engraved on the staircase. If any mortal can climb the staircase to the top of the cliff, he is considered to have qualified spiritual roots and is qualified to enter the Dragon Cliff Academy.

A streak of azure light sped across the clear, cloudless sky.

The light landed in front of a palace, revealing a figure in a moon-white scholar's robe, the middle-aged cultivator who had been chasing Li Fengyi.

In front of the palace, dozens of cultivators sat cross-legged with their eyes closed. As they breathed, wisps of dark aura from the void flowed into their mouths and noses.

The calligraphy on the plaque is vigorous and powerful, with the three large characters "Jingsi Hall" conveying a sense of thunder and lightning.

The middle-aged monk entered the Meditation Hall and was met by a gaunt scholar with a goatee.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Wang." The goatee bowed.

"Hmm." The middle-aged cultivator responded casually, then asked, "Is Uncle here?"

"Master is currently cultivating, please wait a moment, Senior Brother."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator stopped walking into the palace and respectfully stood in place to wait.

Two hours passed, and the middle-aged monk and the goatee stood motionless outside the hall, like two statues.

It wasn't until a chime rang out that the two of them came to their senses, bowing their heads and taking small, hesitant steps into the hall.

The palace was quite spacious. At the head of the room was a three-zhang-high platform, where a black-robed cultivator sat upright. His white hair was neatly combed, making him look like a stone tablet.

When the two approached, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Uncle/Master."

The black-robed cultivator slowly opened his eyes, a slight smile appearing on his serious face, and said, "Huaiyu has also arrived."

"Yes," the middle-aged cultivator, or rather Wang Huaiyu, replied respectfully.

"Was the voyage successful?" the black-robed monk asked.

Wang Huaiyu hesitated for a moment, his face stiffening slightly, and said slowly, "Due to my poor care, two of the disciples who went out this time... have died."

The black-robed cultivator's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he asked casually, "Oh? Are there any disciples of our clan?"

"Yes!" Wang Huaiyu replied through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, the palace fell into complete silence.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down the goatee monk's forehead.

He knew how much his master valued his clan's disciples, protecting each one as a treasure, and the reason for this was not simply due to blood ties.

The atmosphere in the main hall gradually became heavy, like the calm before a storm.

Wang Huaiyu quickly replied, "Although I lost two fellow disciples on this trip, I unexpectedly found the source of Zhengfeng's troubles."

"Oh?" A cold glint flashed in the black-robed cultivator's eyes. He leaned forward slightly and asked in a slow voice, "Where?"

"Right on the misty sea, lies Falling Star Island!"