Celestial Heart Continent, Southern Domain Thirteen States, on the border of Linyuan State.
Upon a nameless, barren mountain bordering the chaotic southwestern territories, a figure seemed to be sitting cross-legged.
The nameless mountain had long shed its autumn colors.
As far as the eye could see, only desolation remained.
Though the snowing depths of winter had not yet arrived, the entire barren mountain was exceptionally cold.
The frigid wind, carrying the turbid miasma unique to the southwestern territories, howled like a razor’s edge as it ravaged the mountain ravines.
Yet, in such a harsh environment, the thin figure faced the cold wind, sitting cross-legged atop the peak as steady as a great bell.
The young man’s face was a bit boyish, yet it held a trace of unwavering resolve.
“HUUU!”
Suddenly, the young man slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air, shattering the silence on the barren mountain.
The young man rose and kowtowed respectfully before the grave in front of him.
“Master’s great kindness, Mu Fan will never forget!
When I recover, I will surely restore the glory of our Profound Bright Peak!”
Mu Fan murmured, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Three years ago, his master had returned, covered in blood.
The first thing he did upon his return was to order Mu Fan to shatter his Dantian and guard his grave for three years.
Ignoring the strange looks from others, Mu Fan had shattered his own Dantian without hesitation, his years of hard cultivation vanishing in an instant.
From then on, the sect’s young genius became a laughingstock.
But now, there wasn’t a trace of dejection on Mu Fan’s face.
Instead, he looked faintly excited and thrilled!
All of this was because of the Heaven-Mending Fruit that had been successfully nurtured within his body.
That’s right, the Heaven-Mending Fruit.
It was a heaven-defying treasure formed by a Venerable Wenda of the Profound Sect before his passing, using his own lifeblood essence as a catalyst and his Dao Fruit as nutrients.
And Mu Fan’s master, Yunzhouzi, had just barely stepped into the Inquiry Realm before he passed.
However, that alone was not enough.
It also required a person to use their Dantian’s aura as a crucible, nurturing it continuously every day.
Only after three years would the Heaven-Mending Fruit mature.
After being absorbed and refined, it could completely repair a shattered Dantian!
And this was one of the reasons Yunzhouzi had Mu Fan shatter his Dantian—to use the Heaven-Mending Fruit to help him reconstruct it.
Because while Mu Fan’s original talent was considerable, no one knew his true strength lay in his comprehension, not his Dantian.
His Dantian had been congenitally flawed!
One could only imagine what kind of monster Mu Fan would become once his Dantian was made whole.
“You must be Mu Fan?”
Just then, a cold voice came from behind Mu Fan.
Mu Fan turned to see an elegant and beautiful figure slowly walking up from the mountainside.
“Can I help you?”
Mu Fan looked at the newcomer, a flash of confusion in his eyes.
“My name is Lu Xueqing.
I came here today for one reason: to inform you that the engagement between us is void!”
Lu Xueqing’s expression was cold, but she couldn’t hide the disdain in her voice.
‘The Mu Fan before me is just as the rumors say—a piece of trash with a shattered Dantian!’
‘This kind of trash isn’t worthy of who I am today!’
“Whether you’re willing or not, this engagement is hereby annulled.”
Before Mu Fan could speak, Lu Xueqing took out the marriage agreement.
With a light flick of her delicate hand, it turned to fluttering fragments.
Having done this, Lu Xueqing seemed unwilling to spare Mu Fan another glance and turned to leave.
“Stop!”
Seeing this, Mu Fan’s eyes narrowed.
He retrieved a wooden box from nearby and found his own copy of the so-called marriage agreement within it.
“Lu Xueqing, if I recall correctly, it was your master who begged my master to arrange this engagement for you!
Now, if anyone is going to cancel it, it should be me!
You don’t have the right!”
With that, Mu Fan tore the marriage agreement to shreds right in front of Lu Xueqing.
“You!”
In the past three years, Lu Xueqing’s power had grown by leaps and bounds.
She was the chosen maiden of the sect.
When had she ever suffered such an insult, especially from the piece of trash before her!
A vicious glint flashed in her eyes.
She took a step forward, and a tide-like pressure spread across the mountaintop, so oppressive that Mu Fan’s legs couldn’t stop trembling.
After all, Mu Fan had no cultivation now.
How could he withstand such tyrannical pressure?
It seemed he was about to be forced to his knees.
“Stop!”
At that critical moment, a voice suddenly called out from the distance.
“Lu Xueqing, you’re the proud chosen maiden of the sect.
What’s so great about attacking someone who doesn’t even have the strength to truss a chicken!”
Hearing the voice, a look of pleasant surprise flashed in Mu Fan’s eyes.
He turned his head to see a slender figure slowly emerge from the miasma.
“Wei’Er!”
Mu Fan’s gaze softened as he looked at the newcomer, but a hint of anxiety crept in as well.
“Senior Brother, as long as I’m here today, I won’t let anyone bully you!”
Ying Weiwei gritted her teeth, putting on a brave front as she continued to address Lu Xueqing.
“Senior Sister Lu, if you attack us today, it probably won’t be good for your reputation if word gets out, right?”
Hearing this, Lu Xueqing’s expression faltered.
Her earlier anger gradually subsided.
She let out a cold snort, shot Mu Fan a hateful glare, and turned to leave.
Only after Lu Xueqing was far away did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief.
Mu Fan turned to Ying Weiwei and said, “I was coming down the mountain today anyway.
You didn’t have to make another trip up.”
“Hee hee, I was worried about you, Senior Brother.
Besides, if it weren’t for me today, you would have been in deep trouble.”
Ying Weiwei giggled, grabbing Mu Fan’s arm and shaking it playfully.
“Besides, don’t you forget, you need to absorb the Heaven-Mending Fruit.
Someone has to act as your Dharma Protector, right?”
Hearing this, Mu Fan’s heart softened even more.
Ying Weiwei was the junior sister who had grown up with Mu Fan.
For the past three years, she had frequently come up the mountain to visit him.
Mu Fan was also the one who had told Ying Weiwei about the Heaven-Mending Fruit.
In his eyes, he and his junior sister would become cultivation partners sooner or later, so there was no need to hide it from her.
“But Senior Brother, will the Heaven-Mending Fruit really finish maturing today?”
Ying Weiwei asked curiously, batting her big, watery eyes.
“It’s already mature!”
Mu Fan made no attempt to hide his joy, but he failed to notice the fleeting darkness in Ying Weiwei’s eyes.
“It’s mature already?”
Upon hearing this, Ying Weiwei immediately looked up.
Her expression suddenly changed as she raised her hand and viciously struck Mu Fan’s chest with her palm.
“BANG!”
Mu Fan’s body flew backward uncontrollably, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
“THUMP!”
“Junior Sister!
What are you doing?!”
Without even time to check his injuries, Mu Fan stared at Ying Weiwei in disbelief.
“Tsk tsk, isn’t it obvious what I’m doing?
My dear Senior Brother!”
Ying Weiwei sneered, all her previous innocence and cuteness gone, replaced by a look of sinister cruelty.
“Hahahaha, finally!
I’ve finally waited for this day!”
Before Mu Fan could ask any more questions, a burst of wild laughter rang out, and a figure appeared before his eyes.
“Feng Yuan?”
Seeing the newcomer’s face, Mu Fan’s expression instantly changed.
“You two!”
“Ying Weiwei!
You actually betrayed me!”
How could Mu Fan not understand what was happening now?
He immediately roared in fury.
“Betrayal?
You piece of trash, you didn’t actually think Weiwei liked you, did you?
If it weren’t for the Heaven-Mending Fruit, do you think you’re worthy of her treating you like that?”
Feng Yuan raised his hand and struck Mu Fan’s chest with his palm.
Flames swirled in his palm, scorching the surrounding air until it warped.
“BANG!”
With a muffled thud, Mu Fan crashed heavily to the ground, once again spitting up blood.
His chest was now a patch of scorched black.
“You’ll die a horrible death!
I’ll kill you!”
Mu Fan let out a bloodcurdling cry and struggled to his feet, about to charge at the two of them.
“You piece of trash, how dare you act tough!”
“SWISH!
SWISH!
SWISH!”
As if provoked by the look in Mu Fan’s eyes, Ying Weiwei raised her hand and sent slashes of Sword Qi flying, leaving a series of gashes on his body that were deep enough to show bone.
“He was the chosen one of his generation, after all.
His life force is much more tenacious than an ordinary person’s.”
Feng Yuan watched Mu Fan with a mocking expression.
“I’d like to see if you can still be so stubborn after I take out the Heaven-Mending Fruit.”
With that, Feng Yuan stepped forward, reaching his hand toward Mu Fan’s Dantian.
“PFFT!”
After all, Mu Fan had no cultivation now.
Though his physical body was strong, it was like a rootless duckweed.
Feng Yuan easily pierced his flesh and reached in to pull out the Heaven-Mending Fruit that had been nurtured within his shattered Dantian.
With the Heaven-Mending Fruit stolen, Mu Fan lost all ability to struggle.
The gaping wound in his lower abdomen continued to bleed profusely.
He was taking in less air than he was letting out, on the verge of death.
“So this is the Heaven-Mending Fruit!”
Gazing at the Heaven-Mending Fruit in his hand—shining brightly and covered in profound, mystical patterns—Feng Yuan’s eyes filled with ecstasy.
“Congratulations, Senior Brother Feng, on obtaining this opportunity!
You will surely shine brightly in the future!”
Ying Weiwei hurried forward to offer her congratulations, completely ignoring the dying Mu Fan lying to the side.
“This is all thanks to you, Junior Sister.
Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep my promise.
As for this piece of trash, let’s just leave him here to fend for himself.”
Feng Yuan said with a smile, then turned and walked away indifferently.
A delighted look appeared on Ying Weiwei’s face, and she quickly followed, not even glancing at Mu Fan!
However, they failed to notice that the blood soaking the ground around Mu Fan was now, as if summoned and guided, converging toward the grave.
“SHIING!”
A faint glimmer of light, accompanied by a soft hum, broke through the earth from the grave and shot into Mu Fan’s body in a flash.
“Alas, Fan’Er, you are too sentimental and too quick to trust others.
I hope that after this, you will understand that in the world of the Profound Sect, mercy will only bring harm to yourself.”
In a daze, Mu Fan seemed to see his master’s figure.
Then, his sea of consciousness trembled, and he was pulled into a dim, silent world.
“Chaos Realm!
Open!”