Wang Yan watched Lu Fan's body continuously flash with golden light, while she could do nothing but fret anxiously.
"Lu Fan... Lu Fan...?" Suddenly, Liu Ruyan's voice came from outside the cave.
Wang Yan hurried out. She saw Liu Ruyan standing at the cave entrance, with their second senior sister beside her. It must have been the second senior sister who brought Liu Ruyan over.
"Wang Yan! Where is Lu Fan?" Liu Ruyan asked urgently.
"Inside the cave. I don't know what's wrong with Lu Fan; his whole body is flashing with golden light. You should go in and take a look quickly." Wang Yan quickly urged Liu Ruyan into the mountain cave.
"Someone wants to seize his body? Lu Fan has been hit!" Seeing Lu Fan's state, Liu Ruyan exclaimed in surprise.
"What? Seize his body? Who dares to seize Lu Fan's body?" Wang Yan also exclaimed. She knew what the term "seize his body" meant. With a swish, Wang Yan drew her sword. If someone seized Lu Fan's body, she would kill Lu Fan without hesitation. She didn't want another man sleeping beside her.
"Don't act rashly. You don't know who will win or lose yet!" Liu Ruyan quickly stopped Wang Yan. Although she knew Hongyun Old Ancestor was not easy to deal with, she still hoped Lu Fan would win. Knowing there was little hope, she still clung to that sliver of possibility.
Time ticked by, and Liu Ruyan and Wang Yan stayed by Lu Fan's side. Meanwhile, within Lu Fan's sea of consciousness, the two were locked in a fierce battle. Their divine souls clashed again and again.
"Perhaps..." Liu Ruyan's eyes lit up, and she suddenly got up and walked out of the cave.
"Hongyun Old Ancestor! You are no match for me! Do you know that I once devoured Tongtian Sect Master?" Lu Fan said calmly, looking at Hongyun Old Ancestor.
"That was in the past. You have now been scattered into thousands of pieces, and you have only managed to retrieve a hundred and eight. Your strength is less than one-thousandth of what it was. Therefore, don't resist!" Hongyun Old Ancestor also said calmly.
"Hahaha! You know, not long ago, Taishang Laojun tried to refine me into a pill using the Eight Trigrams Furnace. But I returned perfectly intact." Lu Fan said with a hearty laugh.
"That's because you have some understanding of formations. If it were me, he wouldn't have been able to do anything to me either. I could even destroy his Eight Trigrams Furnace because I am more proficient in formations than he is," Hongyun Old Ancestor said disdainfully.
"No matter what, you won't gain any advantage, because this is my territory. Let me show you my Dragon Elephant Breathing Technique." Lu Fan said, then suddenly sat down cross-legged and began the Dragon Elephant Breathing Technique. With each inhale and exhale, the entire sea of consciousness was stirred into turbulent waves.
"Your divine soul can also cultivate techniques. Truly remarkable! I like you even more!" A brilliant light flashed in Hongyun Old Ancestor's eyes. Indeed, a congenital soul was truly extraordinary.
*Hoo...* Hongyun Old Ancestor was not to be outdone and immediately lunged at Lu Fan again.
*Hoo...* Lu Fan suddenly exhaled, and Hongyun Old Ancestor's divine soul was blown away.
*Hoo...* Hongyun Old Ancestor's divine soul flew back again.
*Hoo...* Hongyun Old Ancestor's divine soul was blown away again...
...
Although Lu Fan's divine soul seemed weaker, after a long battle, Hongyun Old Ancestor's divine soul could not gain any advantage. However, Hongyun Old Ancestor did not seem to be in a hurry and continued to entangle with Lu Fan.
Having waited for thousands of years, Hongyun Old Ancestor did not mind the time spent now. He had great confidence in the strength of his divine soul and believed he would ultimately win.
"I always thought you were a good person! So good that I couldn't bear to kill you." Lu Fan suddenly said.
"It's easy to be a good person. I've been a good person for millions of years. But you must know, in the face of absolute interests, there are no good people! Opportunities are fleeting. If you don't seize them, others will! You might not have a next life, so there's no point in telling you this!" Hongyun Old Ancestor said calmly.
"You are right! Neither of us will have a next life. One will die, die completely. The other will live forever, never to die. It doesn't matter whether one is good or bad!" Lu Fan nodded.
In the face of absolute interests, there are no good people! A light flashed in Lu Fan's eyes. He suddenly looked up, and faintly saw several weak points of light appearing in the sky above his sea of consciousness.
"There are stars in your sea of consciousness?" Hongyun Old Ancestor suddenly realized something and said nervously.
"I forgot to tell you, this is my world. You have schemed for millions of years, but you have never been able to fathom how vast and wondrous my world is!" Lu Fan looked up at the sky, a faint smile playing on his lips.
More stars appeared in the sky above, though very weak, they still emitted a faint light.
Beside the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Soul Gathering Formation on South Mountain, Liu Ruyan sat cross-legged. With a boom, a palm strike was sent into the great formation, instantly increasing its power severalfold.
In the distance, a weak figure stumbled forward. As it got closer, it turned out to be a clone of Lu Fan.
"Mistress!" Suddenly, a figure appeared before Liu Ruyan, it was Duanmu Xiu.
"Xiu'er, go and find your master's clone." Liu Ruyan said with joy in her heart.
"Yes, Mistress!" Duanmu Xiu vanished in a flash.
...
Several days later, Duanmu Xiu, along with the ancestors of the six great families, Daoist Qingyi, Daoist Haidu, and the old nun Suzhen, appeared before the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Soul Gathering Formation. Each of them was accompanied by one or two of Lu Fan's clones.
The dozen or so clones merged into one person. Liu Ruyan was overjoyed and took this person back to the North Mountain cave.
...
In Lu Fan's sea of consciousness, the two divine souls were tearing at each other ferociously. Hongyun Old Ancestor realized he could not give Lu Fan any more time. If the star formation was completed, Lu Fan's strength would undoubtedly increase. Thus, he attacked Lu Fan with all his might, and the two were so mangled that they looked like tattered rags.
With a swish, Lu Fan's dozen or so clones had just merged in. With a whoosh, his divine soul immediately became stronger.
"Who is it? Who is helping you find your clones?" Hongyun Old Ancestor roared. Now he regretted it, regretting that he had brought thirty clones with him. This was truly fighting against himself!
"Hahahaha... Didn't expect this, did you? Hongyun Old Ancestor, as the saying goes, man proposes, but heaven disposes! And I am heaven! You can never win by fighting me!" Lu Fan laughed heartily.
With a swish, more than a dozen stars appeared in the sky above.
"Lu Fan, I won't give you any more chances! Die!" Hongyun Old Ancestor suddenly lunged at Lu Fan like a madman, tearing at him ferociously!