Chapter 1210: They Ganged Up on Me

Elder Ku led Ye Guan and Lin Li to Panzhou.

The Pan Clan was the most powerful clan in Panzhou, and their territory was on the summit of a towering mountain. More specifically, they lived in an ancient city called Pan City.

Upon entering the Pan Clan's estate, Lin Li was overwhelmed by the grandeur of his surroundings. Never in his life had he seen such an imposing residence.

Elder Ku's status within the Pan Clan was evidently high, as numerous clan members greeted him with respect along their way.

He brought Ye Guan and Lin Li into a grand hall and turned to address them.

"Wait here. I'll go see the young lady."

Lin Li nodded quickly, his excitement palpable. "Alright, alright!"

Elder Ku chuckled. "Don't be nervous. Everyone here is quite kind."

Lin Li scratched his head, embarrassed. Elder Ku then glanced at Ye Guan, intrigued by his calm demeanor, before leaving for the inner hall.

After Elder Ku's departure, Lin Li gently patted the chair he was seated on and turned to Ye Guan, his eyes sparkling. "Brother Ye, this chair must be super expensive!"

Ye Guan smiled. "Once you've started cultivating, such things will seem trivial to you."

Lin Li lounged back in the chair, laughing. "I don't have lofty ambitions. I just want to learn some skills so I can return home and make my parents proud."

Ye Guan nodded. "That's a good goal."

Lin Li looked at Ye Guan earnestly. "Brother Ye, I'm inexperienced and haven't seen much of the world. I'll need your guidance from now on."

Ye Guan raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

Scratching his head shyly, Lin Li continued, "My mother told me to always stay humble when I'm away from home. If I'm not good at something, I should listen to capable people. And I feel like you're really capable, Brother Ye."

Ye Guan chuckled. "Why do you think so?"

Lin Li thought for a moment before replying, "It's just a feeling!"

Ye Guan shook his head with a smile.

Just then, a young lady appeared. She wore an elegant black dress that accentuated her tall, graceful figure. Intricate embroidery adorned her black dress, and her hair was tied back with a black ribbon, with a few strands framing her long, elegant neck.

She was strikingly beautiful.

Ye Guan noticed that she resembled Pan Zhen.

Elder Ku introduced her, "She's our young lady, Pan Ling."

Ye Guan nodded slightly. "Greetings, Young Lady."

Lin Li hurriedly said, "Greetings, Young Lady."

Pan Ling glanced at the two of them and smiled warmly. "Treat this place as your home. If you need anything, just ask Elder Ku. He'll guide you both in your cultivation."

Lin Li quickly nodded. "Understood!"

Pan Ling nodded in return and said, "Take the next couple of days to familiarize yourselves with Panzhou and the Nine Continents. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Elder Ku."

Then, she extended her palm, and two storage rings floated toward Ye Guan and Lin Li. "Consider these as welcoming gifts. They should prove useful."

Ye Guan examined the ring and found nearly a thousand Immortal Essence Crystals inside. He raised an eyebrow, impressed by her generosity. Accepting the storage ring, he said, "Thank you."

Lin Li eagerly accepted his ring and expressed his gratitude as well.

Pan Ling studied Ye Guan briefly. "You may leave now. Someone will guide you to your residence."

Ye Guan nodded, and the two of them left.

Left all alone with Pan Ling, Elder Ku asked, "Young Lady, what do you think?"

Pan Ling remarked, "That boy Lin Li indeed carries an extraordinary Nine Continents Destiny. The moment he entered our estate, even its destiny aura seemed to shift."

Elder Ku nodded. "The clan leader paid a hefty price to secure him."

After a pause, Elder Ku asked, "And the boy named Ye Guan?"

Pan Ling was silent for a moment before responding, "He doesn't possess any strands of Nine Continents Destiny, but his composure and bearing are remarkable. He's no ordinary individual. He's worth nurturing as well."

Elder Ku nodded. "Agreed."

Although his time with Ye Guan had been brief, Elder Ku's impression of the youth was great. For someone so young to remain composed and courteous in the presence of the Pan Clan's young lady spoke volumes about his character.

His qualities couldn't be feigned, not to someone like Elder Ku or Pan Ling.

Pan Ling added, "But Lin Li should be prioritized due to his strand of Nine Continents Destiny."

Elder Ku hesitated briefly before agreeing. "Understood."

Prioritizing Lin Li meant that resources allocated to them would be uneven.

***

After leaving the grand hall, a delicate-looking young lady appeared to escort Ye Guan and Lin Li. Bowing slightly, she said, "Please follow me, young masters."

With that, she led them through the estate. Along the way, Lin Li couldn't help but marvel at the grand structures around them, and his eyes were wide with astonishment.

Soon, they arrived at a luxurious courtyard. The young lady turned and smiled. "This will be your residence. My name is Little Yun, and I'll be your attendant. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Ye Guan smiled. "Thank you for your trouble."

Little Yun returned the smile. "It's no trouble at all. This is my duty."

With a bow, she took her leave.

As she walked away, Lin Li surveyed the courtyard, then clenched his fists determinedly. "Brother Ye, I have to work hard. Someday, I'll let my parents live in a place as nice as this."

Ye Guan chuckled. "You can do it."

After a brief conversation, Ye Guan retreated to his room and entered the tiny pagoda. There, he approached the Nine Continents Cauldron and saw that its flames were still burning brightly within.

"Let's talk," Ye Guan said.

The cauldron trembled faintly, seemingly responding to him.

"You're a divine artifact of this level. You must have a spirit. Show yourself."

The cauldron quivered again but didn't manifest a spirit.

"It's injured."

Little Pagoda revealed.

Ye Guan asked,

"Master Pagoda, can you communicate with it?"

Little Pagoda responded,

"Of course. We're both divine items."

Ye Guan scratched his head awkwardly.

"I almost forgot you're a divine item, too. I've been treating you like a person."

Just then, the Nine Provinces Cauldron trembled again.

Ye Guan turned to Little Pagoda.

"What's it saying?"

Little Pagoda replied,

"It says it will follow you from now on. It wants you to take good care of it."

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Ye Guan's face darkened. "I have to take care of it?"

"Exactly."

Ye Guan sighed, exasperated.

Little Pagoda added, "It said once it's healed, it'll help you fly."

Ye Guan muttered, "Sounds like it's an unreliable cauldron."

In the days that followed, Ye Guan and Lin Li spent their days in the Pan Clan's estate. Each day, the Elder Ku would visit to teach them a cultivation method.

Lin Li's cultivation talent was truly astonishing. His rate of improvement left the entire Pan Clan in shock!

In just three short days, he broke through several realms in succession. It seemed as though there were no bottlenecks in his cultivation. At times, he would even wake from sleep to find himself having broken through to a new realm.

Furthermore, his dedication was unparalleled—training relentlessly every day, to the point of neglecting his food and sleep.

In no time, Lin Li became a well-known figure within the Pan Clan's estate. Many in the estate respectfully referred to him as "Young Master Lin."

In comparison, Ye Guan's progress seemed much slower—no, it wasn't merely slow—he hardly cultivated at all. Instead, he spent his days buried in books, and as a result, his cultivation realm didn't improve in the slightest.

This led to some discontent among the members of the Pan Clan.

However, Ye Guan paid no heed to their opinions. Every day, he continued to immerse himself in books, specifically ones about the Nine Continents. He wanted to understand this place thoroughly.

As mentioned by Daoist Zhang, the Nine Continents once had nine continents. Each continent had its own powerful civilization. However, those civilizations declined, leaving only three remaining—Panzhou, Shenzhou, and Wuzhou.

Shenzhou was the most powerful civilization.

Ye Guan deduced that Zuo Yan had to be from Shenzhou, as the ruler of Shenzhou had the surname "Zuo." Additionally, he learned that Panzhou and Wuzhou had a hostile relationship, harboring a deep-seated enmity toward each other.

Ye Guan wasn't particularly interested in the feud between the two continents; what intrigued him was the mercenaries wandering the Nine Continents.

Originally, the top-ranking mercenary group was the Bandit Mercenary Group, whose leader was reportedly named Bandit.

At one point, the group wielded immense power in the Nine Continents, rivaling even the three continents. However, for reasons unknown, the leader of the Bandit Mercenary Group disappeared, leading to the group's decline.

The Shikigami Mercenary Group then rose to prominence and became the best mercenary group.

Ye Guan also came across mentions of the Genesis Daoist Temple in an ancient book. However, this book provided very little information about the force—just a few scattered words.

One phrase, however, caught Ye Guan's attention.

"Creation God, architect of realms!"

Ye Guan stared at those words in silence for a long time. He hadn't expected that the Creation God had created the realm system of the Nine Continents.

Unbelievable!

Closing the ancient book, Ye Guan realized that he needed to recover his cultivation base as soon as possible. Otherwise, if someone from the Genesis Daoist Temple came looking for him, he would be in serious trouble.

For now, his priority was to find his elder sister, Ye An, and rely on her for protection!

***

Genesis Daoist Temple.

Ruan Cang stood respectfully. A woman was standing in front of her, and she was none other than Divine Attendant Pei!

Divine Attendant Pei's gaze was fixed on Ruan Cang. "Are you saying that Fan Zhaodi is the person backing him?"

"Yes." Ruan Cang nodded. "And she's incredibly powerful. I was no match for her..."

Divine Attendant Pei asked, "Did you encounter the lady in the plain skirt?"

Ruan Cang hesitated for a moment, and then he nodded. "I did."

Divine Attendant Pei stared at him. "How strong is she?"

Ruan Cang replied gravely, "I exchanged a few moves with her. In the end, Ye Guan's grandfather and father joined the fight. It was three against one, and I was ultimately defeated because they ganged up on me..."