To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Gu Fan had to admit that in the world of cultivation, archaeology could be considered a skill.

At least the records in the "Mysterious Ruins Earth Vein Map" broadened Gu Fan's horizons. Its value lies not in the array formations, but in how to identify the patterns formed by the natural world.

The formation of many rare and precious materials is related to the natural landscape, such as the spiritual lands that are now hard to find in the Qionghua Realm.

Even if Gu Fan doesn't go into archaeology, he can still use the knowledge gained from it.

In terms of archaeology, the "Xuanxu Earth Vein Map" can be considered professional, but it is somewhat amateurish in terms of the inheritance of array formations.

Gu Fan initially thought that the array outside Shilin City was a result of the Yang family ancestor's exceptional talent in array formations, hence his ingenuity.

But now that I think about it, these two protective arrays are interconnected.

Isn't that a coffin and an outer coffin?

Therefore, with the intention of testing the waters, Gu Fan quickly prepared a "test paper".

He casually tossed the jade slip engraved with the test questions to Yang Mengyun and instructed her, "You have one hour to answer the questions on this jade slip."

Seeing that Yang Mengyun was somewhat unsure, Gu Fan smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's just some basic knowledge of array formations."

"Yes!" Yang Mengyun was relieved upon hearing this and eagerly took the jade slip, placing it between her eyebrows.

After a moment, Yang Mengyun put it down somewhat blankly and fell into deep thought.

"Are these... all... common sense?"

Gu Fan ignored Yang Mengyun's dilemma, sipped his spiritual tea, and began to comprehend the records in the "Mysterious Ruins Earth Vein Map," combining them with his understanding of the famous mountains he had seen in the past.

According to the "Map of the Mysterious Ruins", spiritual veins are divided into nine grades, and the Yellow Dragon Ascending to Heaven belongs to the ninth grade.

Gu Fan even found a spiritual land with a layout quite similar to Cloud Realm Mountain, ranking it in the sixth tier.

As for the highest level, the first-class formation depicts a dragon and tiger in harmony, yin and yang in balance, known as the "Ascension Formation of Rising Clouds." Legend has it that such a sacred place can help people attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality.

Yunjie Mountain is already a top-tier immortal abode in the Qionghua Realm, and Gu Fan could hardly imagine its first-class scenery.

"The 'Map of the Mysterious Ruins' is probably from ancient times; otherwise, how could it record so many auspicious land formations?"

Gu Fan secretly guessed.

Time passed by, second by second.

An hour later, Gu Fan looked up and saw that Yang Mengyun's face was pale, and sweat was streaming down her cheeks, soaking her clothes.

Noticing Gu Fan's gaze, Yang Mengyun looked up, her bright eyes pleading, "Senior Meng, could you please give me a little more time?"

"This..." Gu Fan was slightly surprised, not expecting to overestimate Yang Mengyun. He shook his head and said, "Fine, I'll give you another hour."

"Thank you so much, senior!" Yang Mengyun felt as if she had been granted a pardon.

Another hour passed, and the moon slowly rose.

Yang Mengyun blushed and bowed her head to present the jade slip. Gu Fan took it, glanced at it, and finally nodded.

Although her foundation was somewhat weak, the responsibility should be attributed to the ancestors of the Yang family.

After all, the Yang family's array formation tradition is not a proper tradition at all; it's already quite good that they've laid a foundation.

"It's getting late today, come again tomorrow and I'll explain it to you," Gu Fan said, putting down the jade slip.

Yang Mengyun quickly bowed and thanked them.

Before she could even get up, Gu Fan suddenly stood up.

"Senior?" Yang Mengyun was startled. Seeing Gu Fan's serious expression, she wondered if she had offended him in some way.

Then Gu Fan said coldly, "Someone's coming."

"A person?" Yang Mengyun was taken aback, then instantly realized what was happening, and her expression became serious.

Then, Gu Fan rushed out of the stone chamber and soared into the air, looking westward.

Although the intruders were very discreet, choosing to attack when night fell, Gu Fan's spiritual sense was beyond the comprehension of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he detected their presence when they were only a few miles away from Huanglong Mountain.

"Only one?" Gu Fan frowned slightly.

The only visitor was a middle-aged Taoist priest, who should have recently broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. His gray Taoist robe blended completely into the night and seemed to have a certain effect of shielding against divine sense detection.

Unfortunately, Gu Fan's spiritual power had surpassed the range that magical artifacts could shield.

Several miles passed in the blink of an eye.

When the gray-robed Taoist arrived at the foot of Huanglong Mountain, Gu Fan was already waiting on his inevitable path.

A group of Yang family disciples were also summoned by Yang Mengyun and stood at a distance to watch.

When Foundation Establishment cultivators engage in combat, Qi Refining cultivators have no place to participate.

Only Yang Yi stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Gu Fan. Upon seeing the newcomer's face, he was immediately startled and sent a telepathic message to Gu Fan: "Senior, be careful. This person is Lin Guanyun, the younger brother of the Lin family patriarch."

"Lin Guanyun was originally in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, but somehow he broke through to the late-Foundation Establishment stage!"

Lin Guanyun was also extremely surprised to see Gu Fan.

His robes were made at great expense and were designed to conceal his figure well, but they were unexpectedly discovered, causing him to lose the opportunity to strike first.

Lin Guanyun felt a slight pang of regret, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Gu Fan, saying, "The Yang family is like withered bones in a tomb; why should you, fellow Daoist, get involved in this mess?"

Gu Fan raised an eyebrow: "You know me?"

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Lin Guanyun nodded: "My son, Lin Lie, met you once half a year ago."

"I see." Gu Fan wasn't surprised.

Having become a guest elder of the Yang family, he was bound to get involved in the conflict between the Lin and Yang families, something he had anticipated.

"The Yang family has treated me well. I will protect Huanglong Mountain. Fellow Daoist, please return."

Gu Fan said coldly.

Lin Guanyun smiled leisurely, cupped his hands, and said, "May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

"Meng Wei".

"Fellow Daoist Meng," Lin Guanyun's tone suddenly turned cold, "that old man from the Yang family may not live for many more years, but my Lin family has two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. As the saying goes, those who understand the times are heroes. I hope you will not make a mistake for yourself."

"Of course, if you are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and become a guest elder in my Lin family, I will certainly not treat you unfairly. What do you say?"

Gu Fan suddenly laughed upon hearing Lin Guanyun's threat.

"roll."

Lin Guanyun flew into a rage: "How dare you be so arrogant!"

The next instant, a whisk suddenly emerged from beneath the gray robe, coiling towards Gu Fan and Yang Yi like a snake spitting its tongue.

As soon as Lin Guanyun raised his hand, Yang Yi set up a layer of earth-yellow magic shield in front of him, then summoned a dark gold hammer and threw it at Lin Guanyun.

Unexpectedly, the small hammer fell onto the whisk as if it had fallen into a swamp, becoming entangled and unable to move.

Despite Yang Yi's flushed face, he was still unable to summon it back.

Seeing this, Gu Fan stepped forward, a flame flickering at his fingertips, and placed it in front of his lips.

With a strong blow, flames shot out, transforming into a fire dragon that burned towards the whisk.

To avoid attracting too much attention, Gu Fan didn't even use spiritual fire. These flames were merely formed by gathering nearby fire-attribute spiritual energy, but with the support of his Golden Core cultivation, they were still incredibly powerful.

The whisk touched the flame and immediately burst into flames, the spiritual light gradually dissipating.

Lin Guanyun was taken aback. He quickly withdrew his whisk, flicked away the flames, put the whisk away, and then summoned a pair of male and female swords.

The two swords, like nimble snakes, slashed at Gu Fan from opposite directions.

Gu Fan reached out and a dark red longsword appeared in his hand.

This is the Crimson Sun Heavenly Sword he used during his Foundation Establishment stage.

Although the three-headed, six-armed form has not yet been visualized again, wielding the Crimson Sun Heavenly Sword is effortless.

Two "ding-ding" sounds.

Gu Fan slashed left and right with the Crimson Sun Heavenly Sword, sending the two swords flying backward. Then, Gu Fan flicked his hand, and a crimson blade of light slashed towards Lin Guanyun.

Blazing Flame Slash!

Lin Guanyun was taken aback, but quickly and calmly summoned a Bagua mirror to protect himself.

A burst of silver spiritual light surged from the Bagua Mirror, blocking Lin Guanyun's path.

When the Blazing Blade touched the silver light, the Bagua Mirror trembled, actually absorbing the light blade into the silver light.

"The magic artifact is quite nice," Gu Fan remarked.

Lin Guanyun sneered, took out two talismans and slapped them onto the twin swords, instantly causing them to burst with lightning.

Gu Fan waved his hand, creating a layer of blazing divine energy in front of him, and began to fight Lin Guanyun back and forth.

Fiery Cloud Palm, Blazing Sun Finger, Dragon Fire Technique—Gu Fan used these spells he had previously comprehended with ease, as if they were second nature.

In an instant, sword light and lightning flashed, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

"Who exactly is this person, to possess such abilities!"

Lin Guanyun grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed, his magical power already nearly depleted, while Gu Fan remained calm and composed.

"Well, though we couldn't defeat him today, we at least tested his strength. We'll deal with him another day."

With a single thought, Lin Guiyun unleashed a burst of lightning from his twin swords, then turned and fled at top speed.

"Leaving isn't that easy!"

Gu Fan also felt that the performance was good enough, so he immediately brandished the Crimson Sun Heavenly Sword and unleashed two Blazing Flame Slashes in succession!

The Blazing Flame Slash caught up with Lin Guanyun at lightning speed, landing on the Bagua Mirror one after the other, finally shattering the silver light.

Lin Guiyun was shocked. The remaining flames swept across the area where he was standing, and even though he dodged quickly, he still lost an arm.

"what!"

With a scream, the severed arm was set on fire.

"The enmity we have today is irreconcilable!"

Lin Guanyun left behind a harsh remark, gritted his teeth, and continued his escape without looking back.

Gu Fan chuckled and dispersed the Crimson Sun Heavenly Sword.

Yang Yi stepped forward excitedly and said, "Senior, why don't you keep him here?"

"Stay? Can the Yang family withstand the Lin family's retaliation?" Gu Fan countered.

Yang Yi immediately became dejected.

Even with the loss of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Lin family's overall strength still surpasses that of the Yang family.

Gu Fan is stationed at Huanglong Mountain. If the Lin family really goes mad, the Yang family disciples who are traveling outside will bear the brunt of their anger.

After thinking it through, Yang Yi bowed and said, "I am very grateful to you for tonight, senior."

The Yang family was completely unaware that Lin Guanyun had broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

If Gu Fan hadn't been here today, the Yang family disciples present would likely have met with dire consequences.

Yang Mengyun watched Gu Fan display his divine power, her eyes filled with admiration.

After tonight, everyone in the Yang family will know that from now on, it is not Gu Fan who needs the Yang family, but the Yang family who needs Gu Fan.