To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

"Click," "Click."

One after another, the cracks spread out like a spider web.

The gourd perched on Gu Fan's shoulder, the two of them staring curiously at the white jade egg, watching a small, thumb-thick, all-black snake emerge from it.

The little snake looked up and met Gu Fan's gaze, its clear eyes filled with joy and a sense of vicissitude.

"Are you satisfied with this physical body, senior?" Gu Fan asked.

"Hmph, it's passable, but compared to my original Devouring Python form, it's like a firefly compared to the moon."

Chang Yuan replied with his divine sense.

After reshaping his physical body, although he absorbed the essence of the primordial chaos embryo, most of his blood energy was discarded, resulting in his physical body only reaching the early stage of the second rank, which was much worse than the gourd.

But the uncontrollable excitement in Chang Yuan's tone could not be hidden from Gu Fan.

"Having been trapped for thousands of years and regaining his physical body, this old guy is probably overjoyed," Gu Fan thought to himself.

Chang Yuan did not immediately climb out of the Guiyuan Furnace. Instead, he curled up into a ball, opened his mouth wide, and released a suction force, swallowing all the scattered eggshells.

Not a single eggshell fragment was wasted; even the finest bits of residue were swept away.

Then Chang Yuan suddenly leaped out of the Guiyuan Furnace, a white jade light extending from the snake's belly to his entire body, and his aura suddenly increased.

Gu Fan's eyes widened in surprise.

The Devouring Heaven Secret Technique, personally performed by Chang Yuan, was much faster than the gourd's digestion speed.

Chang Yuan is currently only a Devouring Python and does not yet deserve the title of "God," but given time, he may be able to recreate the majesty of the Refining Void Demon Lord.

A sense of urgency immediately arose in Gu Fan's heart. Even with the Heart-to-Heart Mantra, he couldn't be sure what would happen after Chang Yuan's cultivation surpassed his. Who knew what kind of trump card the old man might have.

After Chang Yuan leaped out of the Returning Origin Furnace, a black cloud automatically appeared beneath him.

Enveloped by dark clouds, Chang Yuan soared and danced freely in the quiet room, his joyful laughter finally bursting forth.

"I have a physical body again! Jue Yunzi, you just wait!"

Chang Yuan was happy for only a short while when he saw a flash of blue light before his eyes, and when he came to his senses, he was already pressed to the ground.

Looking around, a pair of snake eyes met the gourd's curious gaze.

Hulu rode on Chang Yuan's back, his two short hands gripping the snake's head and looking it up and down.

Chang Yuan instantly flew into a rage and roared in his mind, "You bastard, let me go!"

Unfortunately, Changyuan had just hatched, and its physical body and cultivation were inferior to the gourd. It twisted and struggled but could not break free, so it had no choice but to ask Gu Fan for help.

"Hey kid, do something about it!"

Gu Fan suppressed a laugh and summoned the gourd back, ruffling its hair twice. He chuckled, "Senior, the gourd is just being affectionate with you. It even said it would protect you in the future."

"Do I need its protection?" Chang Yuan said disdainfully, "Its bloodline is still from me. Even if it acknowledges me as its father, it would still complain that its bloodline is too thin."

"It's alright, you two can each talk your own thing."

Gu Fan retorted, ignoring Chang Yuan who was yelling in anger, and began cleaning the Guiyuan Furnace.

The chaotic blood energy, spirit stone powder, and spirit medicine residue in the primordial embryo mixed together and turned into a layer of dark red sludge that sank to the bottom of the furnace. If such filth is not cleaned up as soon as possible, it will easily wear down the spiritual light of the magic weapon.

It took several thorough cleanings with the Six Jia Divine Fire to remove the last trace of blood.

Gu Fan had just put away the Guiyuan Furnace when he saw smoke and dust rising outside the Qing Shi Palace, and Chang Yuan was forced to play around with the gourd.

Although Hulu had a higher cultivation level, he was just playing around. Chang Yuan was far ahead in terms of skill, his body could change size at will, and he fought back and forth.

"Speaking of which... are you planning to live in the spirit beast pouch, senior?" Gu Fan asked.

Now that Chang Yuan has a physical body, he is no longer the original soul. He can no longer transform into a snake-shaped mark and attach it to Gu Fan's left arm. He must either keep it in a spirit beast bag or keep it by his side like a gourd.

They had signed a bond of unity, and their relationship was equal. Gu Fan couldn't force it, and he figured that Chang Yuan's tastes wouldn't be interested in the spirit beast pouch.

Sure enough, no sooner had he finished speaking than Chang Yuan roared, "I'm not going into that spirit beast pouch!"

Gu Fan nodded and suggested, "I need to go back to my hometown. Would you like to come with me, senior?"

Both spirit beasts were taken aback upon hearing this, and immediately stopped their playful fighting, turning their heads to look at them.

......

Three days later, in Lin'an City.

Gu Fan sat cross-legged on the air shuttle, looking down at the city below that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Chang Yuan, coiled around Gu Fan's left arm with its snake head resting on his shoulder, asked with great interest, "Is this your hometown?"

Hulu was also here for the first time, and turned his head upon hearing this.

"Yes, I haven't been back for a long time."

Gu Fan nodded slightly and slowly recounted what had happened in Lin'an City.

Over time, Chang Yuan learned that Gu Fan had lost both his parents, but he knew nothing about the details. Hearing this today, he didn't know how to comfort him. After a moment of silence, he replied, "At least you have avenged yourself, and you will not be troubled by worldly tribulations in the future."

Gu Fan did not respond, and drove the Sky-Breaking Shuttle straight to the outside of Lin'an City.

Surprisingly, decades later, the graves of his parents have not been abandoned, but have been kept very clean.

A grove of mulberry and elm trees was planted on either side of the grave, and the inscription on the tombstone was repainted with gold paint. There were also offerings of fruit that had not yet rotted in front of the grave.

"Could it be Hou Ying?" Gu Fan thought to himself.

Before leaving that year, Hou Ying and her son felt they had no way to repay him, so Gu Fan asked them to look after the ancestral home and take care of his parents' graves.

It seems that Hou Ying is doing well now, otherwise he wouldn't have had the resources to repair his tomb.

Gu Fan took out Li Mohan's head from his storage bag and placed it on the altar, then poured out a bottle of spirit wine.

"Father, Mother, your son has avenged you."

Although he knew that his parents had probably been reincarnated by now, Gu Fan still chose to come and pay his respects, just to fulfill a wish in his heart.

After sitting in front of the grave for an hour, recounting his experiences over the years, Gu Fan finally got up and left.

"Now that you're back, you should check on Hou Ying and her son."

With that thought in mind, Gu Fan headed towards Lin'an City.

Time flies, and Lin'an City has long since recovered its prosperity. People throng the streets and alleys, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, chatting, and children playing blend into a noisy river.

The formless immortal robes transformed into a magnificent scholar's gown, causing passersby to give way, glancing down and sideways at him, secretly wondering which family's young master this extraordinary figure was.

Some bold young girls, seeing his handsome appearance, stared at him without restraint until their eyes met, then lowered their heads shyly.

Gu Fan smiled and walked through the streets and alleys to the location of the ancestral home, but before he got close, he saw a luxurious mansion.

He reached out and stopped an elderly man in hemp clothing, asking, "May I ask, sir, whose residence is this?"

The old man in hemp clothing chuckled and said, "Is this your first time in Lin'an City, young master? Everyone in this city knows this is the Hou family's residence."

"The Marquis's residence?" Gu Fan raised an eyebrow.

The old man in hemp clothing, eager to show off, pointed to the courtyard and said, "When I was young, Lin'an City experienced a plague that killed many people. The Hou family moved here a few years later."

"Master Hou passed the imperial examination at a young age. Later, he resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown to run a free school, allowing poor students in the city to study at a private school. Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven that his family business prospered and he built this mansion."

At this point, the old man in hemp clothing asked, "Young master, you are also a scholar, so you must be here to wish Lord Hou a happy birthday?"

"A birthday celebration?"

"Indeed, tomorrow is Lord Hou's birthday. Countless students who have benefited from his kindness will come back to offer their congratulations; it will be quite a lively occasion!"

Gu Fan nodded slightly in thanks to the old man and walked alone toward the gate of the Marquis's residence.

A servant in a blue robe stood before the gate of the Marquis's residence. Upon seeing Gu Fan, he smiled and bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets you, young master. May I ask if you have a visiting card?"

Gu Fan shook his head and said, "I don't have an invitation card. Please inform them that I have arrived."

The servant hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that Gu Fan was dressed in extraordinary and luxurious attire, he turned and left with some doubt.

A moment later, hurried footsteps were heard, and a middle-aged man dressed in a purple robe rushed out, followed by several servants.

"Brother Gu!"

The wealthy man in purple robes looked at the figure he had been longing for and exclaimed in delight.

After a long examination, Gu Fan finally recognized the well-off man in front of him as the thin Hou Ying from back then.