Chapter 355 - Returning to the Great Chu Empire

Chi, chi, chi...

The wild winds swept across, enveloping both the sky and the earth. Veins of qi streaked through the heavens, whipping the land into submission. The entire terrain lay devastated in its wake.

The self-detonation of Xue Tianhe, a Core Formation realm expert, unleashed a terrifying wave of power.

About twenty to thirty experts at the seventh and the eighth levels fell victim to it and died.

Experts like Chen Fan and Xin Wuming also struggled after being caught in the shockwaves. Their organs suffered severe damage, resulting in severe hemorrhage.

At the blast's epicenter, space convulsed, giving birth to a colossal black hole that consumed everything in its path, resembling a gaping maw that left no trace of those unfortunate enough to be drawn into it.

The Nebulous Mysterious Realm’s space could not withstand Xue Tianhe’s self-detonation and had shattered.

Chen Fan landed on a small hill with a pale complexion, his expression dark.

Although Xue Tianhe had self-detonated and died, Chen Fan suffered heavy injuries in this battle, narrowly avoiding the severing of his left arm. The self-detonation’s shockwaves also inflicted severe internal injuries upon him.

He took out a bottle of Recovery Elixirs and ate them like candies.

A somber silence hung over the area as the survivors focused on using their cultivation to mend their wounds.

Time went by quickly. Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Fan opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

“Phew.”

He looked at his left arm. A light flashed across his eyes.

After three days of recovery, he nearly recovered from his injuries. However, his left arm, slashed by Xue Tianhe’s halberd, had only recovered by twenty to thirty percent.

That attack carried a peculiar force akin to a stubborn maggot clinging to his bones, impeding the healing process. Even though Chen Fan used the Heaven Seizing Furnace to suppress and refine it, his left arm remained stubbornly unhealed.

Shaking his head, Chen Fan stood up and glanced around him.

Although his injuries were very severe, he had recast his body with a dragon’s blood, so his recovery speed was freakishly fast. Aside from his left shoulder, his other injuries had mostly healed.

The others, however, hadn't fared as well and were still recuperating, their auras fluctuating.

Chen Fan looked ahead. After three days, the nearly thousand-meter-long rift in space had now sealed itself.

However, the scars of the recent battle still marred the earth, a grim reminder of its intensity.

Chen Fan slowly flew forward. With a flick of his hand, a streak of primeval force rolled up Xue Tianhe’s blood-colored halberd and his iron spear, and he left this place.

As Chen Fan walked, his eyes flickered. “Although this trip to the Nebulous Mysterious Realm resulted in me suffering heavy injuries, my harvest is extremely great.”

When he first entered the Nebulous Mysterious Realm, he was only at the seventh level; one month later, he was now at the ninth level.

More importantly, his physique had broken through to the Divine Strength realm, allowing him to fight against a Core Formation realm expert.

“Although it’s still difficult for me to kill a Core Formation realm expert given my current strength, I no longer have to fear for my life when facing a first-level Core Formation realm expert.

“I still have more than a year left. After I return, I'll take some time to build my strength before trying to advance to the Core Formation realm!” A stern look flickered in Chen Fan’s eyes.

There was still more than a year left in his three-year agreement with Duan Jingtian. It was slowly but surely approaching.

In the past year or so, he had cultivated from a Qi Grandmaster to the ninth level of the Yuanfu realm. His cultivation speed was as fast as a rocket. If he told others about it, the news would cause everyone’s jaws to drop.

However, only Chen Fan knew how much sweat he had poured out to grow to this extent quickly.

Every step of his cultivation journey had been hard-won, earned through countless life-and-death struggles.

Take the journey into the Nebulous Mysterious Realm, for example. Facing Xue Tianhe or anyone else, every encounter had been a fight to the death.

Fortunately, his endeavors yielded ample rewards, with the Core Formation realm now tantalizingly close.

“Duan Jingtian, you still have no idea that my cultivation has catapulted from the Qi Grandmaster realm.” A cold satisfaction gleamed in Chen Fan's eyes.

The memory of his humiliation at the hands of Duan Jingtian on Dragon Mountain Peak fueled Chen Fan's determination, a constant reminder driving him forward.

“Now, it’s time to leave.”

A light flashed across Chen Fan’s eyes. He sped up, flying toward the exit of the Nebulous Mysterious Realm.

Swish!

About half a day later, Chen Fan arrived near the exit.

An illusory portal stood in the air, flashing brightly.

Chen Fan charged into the portal. After a bout of dizziness, he appeared in the Stormy Plains again.

Surveying the surroundings, he noticed that many of the gathered individuals had departed, but around a thousand still lingered.

Many of them were elders of various sects. They were all waiting for the disciples of their respective sects to come out from the Nebulous Mysterious Realm.

“Hmm, look, someone has come out!”

“I wonder which sect’s disciple he is?”

“Judging from his appearance, he probably came out because of his heavy injuries.”

“......”

The arrival of Chen Fan immediately drew everyone's attention, sparking murmurs and discussions among the crowd.

Curious, a white-bearded elder from the Cloud Heaven Palace asked, “Kid, what’s the situation like inside?”

Chen Fan met the elder's gaze squarely, his expression unwavering. “Reporting to Senior, blood demons have sneaked into the mysterious realm, causing us of the righteous path to suffer heavy casualties. Having suffered heavy injuries, I dared not remain in the mysterious realm and exited.”

“What? Blood demons have sneaked into the mysterious realm?! Damn it!”

Immediately, some sect elders’ auras surged uncontrollably.

Chen Fan did not stay there any longer. He flew into the distance, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

He did not stop on the way as he quickly flew toward the Great Chu Empire.

The destiny of the Stormy Plains upon Xin Wuming and the others' emergence was of no concern to him.

On his way back to the Great Chu Empire, Chen Fan’s mind wasn’t relaxed. He kept pondering and trying to comprehend the Great Brahma Sacred Palm.

That was the additional reward the guardian elder had given him. It was a middle-earth tier martial art—a level higher than even the Northern Star Reaper Hand.

Through repeated contemplation and practice, Chen Fan gradually delved deeper into the intricacies of the technique, drawing from his experience in combat with the guardian elder.

Not content with just that, he also dedicated himself to honing the Prairie Fire Hundred Strikes. By merging it with the insights he gained from his own comprehension of the Devastating Thrust, he managed to enhance the technique's power by a significant margin.

A month later, Chen Fan gradually drew closer to the Great Chu Empire as he flew.

“I wonder how the clan is doing now? I should first go back to the clan and check on its situation before returning to the sect and trying to break through to the Core Formation realm to become a holy disciple.

“I do not need to conceal my cultivation level any longer. Once I am promoted to a holy disciple, not even Duan Jingtian can easily make a move against me...”

As Chen Fan’s eyes flickered, he arrived at the borders of the Great Chu Empire. After confirming the direction, he quickly flew toward Watermoon City.