I, Thanks To My Unlimited Investment, Am Admired By All Races
Chapter 372: Have You Made Your Decision?
"Since entering the Taiyin Divine Mansion, Xiao Chen has rarely fought anyone. Very few people have ever seen him make a move, so no one can accurately judge his true strength."
"If you fight him, Brother Xiao, you'd better be careful."
The young woman in the red dress came from a major power with a Saint overseeing her clan. After offering her solemn warning, a trace of anticipation flashed through her eyes as she continued, "Senior Li Xun is your elder brother. Will he come to witness this battle?"
"I think... probably?"
Xiao Fan replied, sounding somewhat uncertain.
Over the years, Li Xun had helped him far too much.
This time, Xiao Fan wanted to settle matters with Xiao Chen using his own strength, so he had deliberately not informed Li Xun.
He didn't want to keep causing trouble for his big brother.
More importantly, he had now reached the middle stage of the Life and Death Realm. In the cultivation world, that already placed him among the middle ranks of powerful cultivators.
Very few people were now capable of threatening him.
He couldn't remain under Li Xun's protection forever.
When the girl in red mentioned Li Xun, Xiao Fan clearly noticed that everyone present had suddenly become much more interested.
That left him feeling rather helpless.
Although some of these people had befriended him because of his own talent and potential, the greater reason was to use him as a bridge to establish ties with Li Xun.
After all, Li Xun's reputation had become far too overwhelming.
With a single command, nearly half of the Desolate Ancient Continent would answer his call.
If one had even a slight friendship with Li Xun, then whenever trouble arose in the future, merely mentioning Li Xun's name would be enough to resolve almost any problem.
Now, Li Xun's status was no longer what it once had been.
It was no longer possible for just anyone to approach him or build a relationship with him directly.
Because of that, many individuals—and even many powerful factions—had turned their attention toward Xiao Fan instead.
If they could build a friendship with Xiao Fan, wouldn't that indirectly give them some connection with Li Xun as well?
"I heard from my elder brother that a few days ago several powerful experts from beyond this region came to the Taiyin Divine Mansion and met with Xiao Chen. They still haven't left," Another person spoke up.
He was a member of the spirit beast race with a pair of wings growing from his back. A single brilliant scale adorned the center of his forehead, glowing with dazzling light and containing terrifying energy.
If that power were unleashed, it would be enough to destroy hundreds of miles of land.
He belonged to the Feathered Clan, one of the major clans within the spirit beast race.
"Oh?"
Xiao Fan turned around, his expression becoming noticeably more serious.
The Taiyin Divine Mansion was not a human faction.
Rather, it was a colossal force that stood above all races.
Any race that produced an exceptionally talented genius could send them to cultivate there.
Naturally, the spirit beast race was no exception.
Everyone present knew that the Feathered Clan had one such prodigy cultivating within the Taiyin Divine Mansion.
He had already been there for several hundred years—far earlier than Xiao Chen.
It was said that this Feathered Clan genius had already entered the Divine Palace Realm, and within another few hundred years, he would likely attempt to break through to the Saint Realm.
To challenge the Saint Realm in less than a thousand years was the mark of a true genius.
After all, not everyone could compare with a monster like Li Xun.
"Brother Yu," Xiao Fan asked curiously, "do you know where those experts your brother mentioned came from?"
"I think..."
The Feathered Clan youth pondered for a moment before answering uncertainly,
"They seemed to be from... the Heavenly Island Ancient Domain?"
"The Heavenly Island Ancient Domain?"
Xiao Fan quietly repeated the name.
The four words were unfamiliar to him.
In all his sixteen-odd years of life, he had never come into contact with anyone from the Heavenly Island Ancient Domain.
Previously, only Lu Qingxian, a native of the Heavenly Island Ancient Domain, had once crossed into this realm. Since Xiao Fan had never met her, he naturally had never heard of the Heavenly Island Ancient Domain.
"That's right."
The Feathered Clan youth nodded, apparently certain of his recollection.
"My elder brother told me it's an ancient domain that had nearly fallen into decline. But recently, it has revealed an astonishing amount of hidden strength."
"Countless ancient clans have awakened from long periods of seclusion. Among them are even Quasi-Emperor-level experts!"
He paused before continuing.
"Moreover..."
Casting a meaningful glance at Xiao Fan, he said,
"I've heard that the Saint King behind Senior Li Xun is a Divine Phoenix, and the ancestral homeland of the Divine Phoenix Clan is located in the Heavenly Island Ancient Domain!"
"Hm?"
Xiao Fan's pupils immediately contracted.
He had never expected that an ancient domain casually mentioned by one of his friends would actually have ties to his elder brother.
If that was the case, then perhaps Li Xun knew something about the Heavenly Island Ancient Domain.
"I just wonder what those experts from the Heavenly Island Ancient Domain came to the Taiyin Divine Mansion for."
Xiao Fan's gaze grew profound.
He wasn't particularly worried about these visitors from another domain.
After all, no matter how powerful they were, they couldn't openly interfere in the duel between himself and Xiao Chen.
At most, they might give Xiao Chen one or two powerful trump cards.
As for hidden cards...
Xiao Fan was confident he wasn't inferior to Xiao Chen.
Over the years, he had encountered no shortage of fortuitous opportunities.
Among the treasures he possessed were some terrifying killing weapons that could even make Saints change expression upon seeing them.
If it truly came down to a life-or-death struggle, it was still difficult to say who would emerge victorious between him and Xiao Chen.
. . .
Meanwhile, within the Taiyin Divine Mansion.
On a divine mountain.
The place was overflowing with spiritual energy. Mist drifted through the air, rosy clouds glowed brilliantly, and the entire mountain resembled an immortal paradise.
Wherever one looked, divine radiance filled the landscape.
At the summit, a young man in white robes sat calmly before a stone table.
Across from him sat a man in gray, his long hair flowing loosely behind him. He possessed an ethereal bearing, and every movement naturally carried the rhythm of the Great Dao.
"Brother Xiao," the gray-robed man asked with a faint smile, "have you considered my proposal?"
His tone was casual and unhurried.
"If you cooperate with me, then ten days from now you can personally kill Xiao Fan."
"As for Li Xun..."
"I will stop him for you."
"I believe no one else in the entire Desolate Ancient Continent can offer you such sincerity."
Even though the gray-robed man had only recently arrived in the Desolate Ancient Continent, he had already heard of Li Xun's fearsome reputation.
That alone spoke volumes.
Even the Xiao Clan, despite its profound heritage, had no desire to make an enemy of Li Xun.
One reason was that the Xiao Clan already had hidden troubles of its own.
Another was that Li Xun's network of connections was simply too complicated.
Provoking Li Xun alone could very well drag countless powerful factions into the conflict.
If that happened, even the Xiao Clan would likely find itself unable to bear the consequences.
Because of this, most people believed that although Xiao Chen had a high chance of defeating Xiao Fan, actually killing him was another matter entirely.
After all, one had to show respect to Li Xun if nothing else.
If Xiao Fan were killed, Li Xun's retaliation would inevitably follow.
And that was something Xiao Chen had to weigh carefully.
With Li Xun's current strength, killing Xiao Chen would probably be no more troublesome than crushing an ant.
But if Xiao Fan wasn't killed, then Xiao Chen would never be able to fully resolve the knot in his heart and his cultivation would remain incomplete.
For that reason, during these past days, Xiao Chen had spent considerable effort trying to find a way to eliminate Xiao Fan.
That was how the current meeting had come about.
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Note:
Cultivation Realm so far:
1, Body Refinement
2, Qi Condensation
3, Spirit Meridian
4, Profound Elixir
5, Divine Power
6, Life and Death
7, Divine Palace
8, Half-Saint
9, Saint
10, Saint King
11, Great Saint
12, Quasi-Emperor
13, Great Emperor
Treasure Level so far:
1, Mortal Weapon
2, Magical Treasure
3, Spiritual Treasure
4, Dao Weapon
5, Sacred Weapon
6, Sacred King Weapon
7, Imperial Weapon
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Tn: I updated the story everyday, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/i-thanks-to-my-169405188
[2] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/i-thanks-to-my-169405188