Top-tier Unruly Master

After Ding Fan had applied the medicine, night fell once more upon the forest.

Because their location was not far from the peak, the sound of the strong winds could still be felt.

The wind blew through the treetops, producing a series of sounds akin to ghostly wails. At this moment, Lin Yanxi shrank into the corner, trembling with fear.

Seeing the petite and delicate Lin Yanxi in such a state, Ding Fan felt a surge of pity.

It was such a timid woman who had fearlessly found him despite numerous dangers. If it weren't for Lin Yanxi yesterday, he indeed might have frozen to death.

Ding Fan walked over to Lin Yanxi and then slowly sat down next to her.

Crack!

Perhaps due to the strong winds outside, a large tree was directly snapped in half.

When Lin Yanxi heard that sound, she was so frightened that she sprang into Ding Fan's arms like a startled rabbit.

Looking at the woman in his arms whose face had lost all color, Ding Fan gently draped his hand over Lin Yanxi's shoulder.

Ding Fan imperceptibly channeled his True Qi into Lin Yanxi's body to help calm her panicked emotions.

"Brother Fan... I let you hold me voluntarily... do you think I'm an easy woman..." At this moment, Lin Yanxi's emotions had stabilized a bit. However, thinking about herself being held by Ding Fan, her face blushed as if it was about to bleed.

In front of Ding Fan, she had taken off her pants before, and now this... Lin Yanxi was somewhat worried that Ding Fan might misunderstand her.

"Not at all, you are a good girl..." Ding Fan said.

After Ding Fan had spoken, he could clearly feel the body of Lin Yanxi in his arms tremble slightly.

Although Ding Fan had massaged Lin Yanxi many times before, it was the first time they were snuggling together like this. Feeling the warmth radiating from her petite and soft body, the flame in Ding Fan's lower abdomen seemed to burn ever more fiercely.

With such a stunning beauty in his arms, even if Liew Xiahui himself were reborn, he probably wouldn't manage to remain unflustered.

"Brother Fan... do you, do you have someone you like?"

After a moment of silence, Lin Yanxi asked.

Ding Fan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Lin Yanxi to ask him this question. He glanced at Lin Yanxi, whose head was now buried in his chest, and he couldn't make out her expression.

"No..." Ding Fan spoke in a calm tone.

Since his rebirth, Ding Fan had encountered many women—Zhou Ruoran, Xu Rui, Su Maner... and now Lin Yanxi.

Ding Fan had never considered the word "like." The Path of Longevity that Ding Fan cultivated was fundamentally different from the paths these women took, so Ding Fan didn't want to mislead anyone due to feelings...

Lin Yanxi's body trembled slightly, her face burning hot. She had wanted to use this opportunity to express her fondness for Ding Fan, but she hadn't expected him to deny having feelings for anyone so bluntly.

Lin Yanxi felt a vacancy in her heart, realizing she had never occupied a place in Ding Fan's heart...

"You've never had a lover?" Lin Yanxi asked.

Women are such strange creatures; since the man she liked didn't harbor feelings for her, she wanted to know what kind of woman had been in his heart.

"I had a fiancée, but because I was too defiant, I hurt her deeply, so we broke up..."

What Ding Fan referred to was naturally Zhou Ruoran. After helping Zhou Ruoran to restore her appearance in Dongcheng the last time, he hadn't seen her since. He hoped that Zhou Ruoran was living a happy life now.

"Brother Fan definitely wasn't too defiant. It must have been that your fiancée fell in love with someone else, so... so..." Lin Yanxi struggled to free herself from Ding Fan's embrace, firmly disbelieving what Ding Fan said. How could Ding Fan ever have been defiant?

Lin Yanxi initially wanted to say that it was because your fiancée fell for someone else that she left you, but she felt that might be too harsh, and at the moment, she didn't know how to put it.

Seeing Lin Yanxi's intense reaction, Ding Fan just smiled lightly. "Actually, it's all in the past now."

As Lin Yanxi looked at Ding Fan's indifferent face, a wave of empathy washed over her heart. Having just recovered from her own heartache, how could she not know that to achieve Ding Fan's current state of indifference, one had to endure immense pain.

"Yan Xi, you can't be so reckless next time. Do you realize how dangerous it was for you to come to the mountains to find me this time?"

While Lin Yanxi was deep in her chaotic thoughts, Ding Fan suddenly spoke.

Hearing Ding Fan call her Yan Xi so intimately, her cheeks suddenly flushed with a hint of crimson. She nodded slightly.

"Brother Fan, the wind outside is so loud. Can you stay by my side tonight?... Just to accompany me," Lin Yanxi said with flushed cheeks.

Ding Fan didn't mind. He nodded slightly. "Sleep..."

Lin Yanxi gently leaned on Ding Fan's shoulder, her eyes slightly closed. It didn't take long for her breathing to even out, and it seemed that she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Ding Fan looked at Lin Yanxi's stunning face, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

Lin Yanxi had climbed the mountain to find him, risking her life. Although Ding Fan had never experienced emotions in either of his lifetimes, he could vaguely understand that she must have developed feelings for him. Only deep affection could drive one to disregard their own life.

However, Ding Fan knew that he couldn't give Lin Yanxi what she wanted.

The same old refrain, Ding Fan was pursuing the Path of Longevity, and they were not fated to walk the same path...

...

The next morning, when Lin Yanxi woke up, Ding Fan was already preparing breakfast.

Thanks to Ding Fan's healing, Lin Yanxi was no longer in any danger. So, she also got up and helped him with the tasks at hand.

The so-called breakfast was actually quite simple; it was just a few wild rabbits that Ding Fan had casually hunted and stewed together in the morning.

After breakfast, Ding Fan had been fixated on something under the volcanic area northwest of the Heavenly Pool, so after they tidied up, he led Lin Yanxi to the northwest corner of the Heavenly Pool.

Although bringing Lin Yanxi along was troublesome, leaving her alone in the cave was unsafe. Thus, the best solution was to keep her by his side.

Ding Fan carried Lin Yanxi along the way, and in no time, they arrived at the crater of the Dead Volcano.

"It's very dangerous down there. You should wait for me up here," Ding Fan said, setting Lin Yanxi down behind the crater.

Lin Yanxi nodded. She could see that the situation beneath the crater was unclear. Following him would only be a burden, so staying outside was indeed the best option.

Last night, after coaxing Lin Yanxi to sleep, Ding Fan had crafted some Explosive Runes and handed a few to her.

"If there's any danger, use these runes to protect yourself."

After handing over the runes to Lin Yanxi and giving her brief instructions, Ding Fan turned and climbed down the cliffs of the volcano crater...

Along the way, Ding Fan fully activated his Divine Sense, not letting down his guard for a second.

He had barely descended more than a few meters when a strong oppressive force suddenly emerged. Ding Fan paused, surprised. Extending his Divine Sense, he discovered that it was an Imprisonment Array Formation.

Imprisonment Array Formation?!

Upon sensing the Imprisonment Array Formation, Ding Fan's face lit up with joy. The technique of this prohibition was clearly that of a Cultivator. Could it be that this place used to be the cave dwelling of some previous Cultivator?!

Ding Fan now drew his Soft Sword, fully released his Divine Sense, and expedited his descent. In just a moment, he had reached the bottom of the Extinct Volcano Crater.

Once at the bottom of the crater, Ding Fan didn't rashly act. He used the Eight Trigrams to deduce the positions within the Imprisonment Array Formation. After some calculations, Ding Fan finally figured out the Kun and Qian positions.

After finding these positions, Ding Fan wasted no time in locating the eye of the Imprisonment Array Formation.

The eye of the Imprisonment Array was a smooth stone. When Ding Fan channeled a stream of True Qi into the stone, the mountain facade opposite him, previously seamless, suddenly revealed an entrance to a passage.

Ding Fan scanned the entrance with his Divine Sense. At that moment, dense Spiritual Energy, like floodwater that had burst its dam, surged forth. Feeling this torrent of Spiritual Energy, Ding Fan's eyes widened in surprise.

To think that such dense Spiritual Energy existed, even the Cultivation World might not have energies as intense as this.

Overwhelmed with joy, Ding Fan took a step forward and darted through the passage. After only a few steps, the world before him opened up dramatically.

However, the scene that unfolded before him left Ding Fan in shock.

Before him lay a garden, and above the garden, there were dozens of Luminous Stones laid out.

These Luminous Stones, transparent throughout, were arranged above the garden. The outside world was clearly visible from here, and the sunlight could shine directly in. This underground garden appeared no different from the outside world.

From this arrangement, it was clear that the person who built this place was incredibly powerful!

At the entrance of the garden, in seal script, were the words "Mysterious Gate."

Looking further into the garden, there were wild plants sprawling everywhere. What surprised Ding Fan wasn't the wild plants but the astonishing number of Wild Ginseng scattered among them.

If it were ordinary Wild Ginseng, the spiritual essence wouldn't be so shocking. According to Ding Fan's Divine Sense, the ginseng here was at least two to three hundred years old...

A hundred-year-old Mountain Ginseng was already a treasure, and a garden full of two to three hundred-year-old ginseng was truly a treasure among treasures!...

Now, he was really exhilarated!