Chapter 1 Emperor's Death

When an emperor dies, it is called collapse; when a general is about to die, it is called fall; when a monk passes away, it is called silence; when a Taoist departs, it is called ascension.

But no matter how beautiful or extraordinary the terms are, the meaning is the same.

The sect leader has ascended?

Hearing this, Chu Fan was first stunned, then his pupils shrank, and he stood up abruptly. His Taoist robe moved without wind, and he was extremely astonished:

"What did you say?"

Chu Fan could hardly believe his ears.

Everyone has to die, no one can escape.

But the current Wangquan Taoist, Yuan Tingguang, was in his prime, only a hundred years old. Not to mention that he was already a master of the ninth level of Tianren (Heaven and Man).

Even if he was still at the Shenmai (Divine Meridian) stage, it was far from the end of his lifespan.

"The sect leader has...ascended..."

The Taoist child's eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse, obviously he had cried more than once.

"How could this be?"

Chu Fan was still somewhat incredulous: "How could the sect leader suddenly ascend?"

"This is the news from the mountain gate..." The Taoist child shook his head, sobbing.

"You stay in the Taoist temple, I'm going back to the mountain."

After a slight hesitation, Chu Fan decided to return to the mountain.

Wangquan Tao monitors all countries, and the intelligence of all countries and cities is gathered on Wangquan Mountain. Even if not for the sect leader, he had to return to Wangquan Mountain.

With a thought, he was already out of the house. He let out a long whistle, and a fiery shadow soared into the sky from the backyard, craning its neck and neighing, like a dragon's roar.

It was a dragon steed, fiery red all over.

This dragon steed was exchanged by Chu Fan for his thirty years of guarding the mountain gate. It was said to be a descendant of the mount of the Wangquan Ancestor.

Its bloodline was pure and spiritual, and its speed was so fast that it was comparable to a Tianren. Even a master of Yin-Yang Wuji (Yin-Yang Limitless) couldn't catch up.

"Go!"

Chu Fan mounted the horse, and with the horse's power, he disappeared into the city in an instant, rushing away on the official road.

The territory of Jiu Fu Jie (Nine Floating Realms) is vast and far exceeds Xuan Xing (Profound Star). Only when the three great suns hang high can they illuminate it completely.

Even a Tianren would find it difficult to travel all over the world.

'Fengping City' is not too far from Wangquan Mountain, but Chu Fan traveled non-stop, day and night, for a full month, three days in the real world, before arriving at the Dafeng Dynasty.

"Phew!"

Seven hundred miles outside Nanliang City, on the bank of the 'Yinxian River', one of the twelve great rivers flowing around the city, Chu Fan reined in his horse and stopped, exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, blowing away the water mist that condensed in front of him.

Running for more than a month, almost equivalent to running more than once around the equator of Xuan Xing, even Chu Fan, whose martial arts had reached the Shenmai stage, was somewhat exhausted.

More importantly, this dragon steed was also a little overwhelmed.

Dragon steeds are good at running, but they also eat a lot of forage. On this hurried journey, how could he carry the dragon steed's forage? Therefore, as soon as Chu Fan stopped, the dragon steed also neighed.

Sweat rolled from its body, as if it was riding the clouds and mist, and the surrounding temperature was rising.

"Fiery Dragon Steed!"

"Another Taoist priest from Wangquan Tao? What happened to Wangquan Mountain? So many Taoist priests are rushing back?"

"Could it be that the Wheel King didn't die completely and made a comeback? It shouldn't be, Taibai Ancestor wasn't as soft-hearted as Wangquan Ancestor..."

...

On the bank of the 'Yinxian River', up and down the Dadu Bridge, many pedestrians and merchants were alarmed, looking at Chu Fan with awe, envy, and surprise.

"Whinny~"

Almost at the same time, another long neigh of a dragon steed sounded in the distance.

Immediately, a loud bell-like voice resounded on the riverbank:

"Chu Fan?!"

The long-neighing dragon horse was pressed down by a large palm, and a tall man dismounted, looking at Chu Fan with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

"Brother Feng."

Chu Fan also dismounted. The person who came was Feng Mingtao.

"Bad luck."

Compared to Chu Fan, who was smiling, Feng Mingtao's face was very bad, even a little unlucky.

There were many people he disliked in his life, but Chu Fan was the only one he didn't even want to see.

Recalling his several meetings with him, he was twice involved in the zombie king incident, and once died at the foot of Wangquan Mountain. If the Dream Walker didn't have the power to die three times in the dream, he would have died cleanly.

This was simply outrageous.

"Brother Feng, what do you think of this matter?"

Chu Fan smiled bitterly and didn't mind Feng Mingtao's bad attitude. He led his horse and waited for him to approach.

"I'm standing here looking!"

Feng Mingtao glanced at him and said unhappily: "This matter is strange, let's not take the lead. Thanks to you, I've died once."

It's not necessary to say how important the identity of a Dream Walker is. If he died three times and was deprived of his Dream Walking ability, he couldn't bear it.

Just like in reality, some people who have lost their Dream Walker identity have even tried to commit suicide to re-enter the dream.

Chu Fan was a little embarrassed, thinking that this had nothing to do with him.

"Let's go."

Feng Mingtao led his horse onto the bridge, casually scanning the passing pedestrians, frowning slightly: "Why are all the fellow disciples I've seen along the way Dream Walkers?"

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was mindful.

Chu Fan recalled what he had seen along the way, and his heart 'thumped': "Brother Feng, what did you say?"

"Hmm?"

Seeing Chu Fan's big reaction, Feng Mingtao was first stunned, then he came back to his senses and widened his eyes: "Could it be that you are too?"

The two looked at each other, and both saw the surprise and a hint of horror in each other's eyes.

The memory of a Shenmai master is excellent. If they have seen someone once, even if it was a fleeting glance and they didn't pay attention, they would definitely remember it.

At this moment, the two recalled what they had seen along the way, and sure enough, they found something wrong!

The ascension of a Wangquan Taoist was a major event for all Wangquan Tao disciples. Even if a few individuals were unable to get away due to other matters, they shouldn't have encountered a single 'native disciple'!

"This matter is really strange..."

The two murmured to themselves and slowed down at the same time.

"Let's not rush back to the mountain. Let's go to Nanliang City and inquire about news at Yangxiao Hall first."

Feng Mingtao glanced at the Dadu Bridge again and transmitted his voice to Chu Fan: "If something is wrong, we'll retreat immediately. This matter doesn't feel right!"

Chu Fan nodded.

If a major change really happened in Wangquan Tao, then their unauthorized actions would only be courting death.

Among the Jiu Fu states, Dafeng is the leader, and among the cities, Nanliang is the crown.

Outside the towering Nanliang City, which lay like a mountain, there was an endless stream of pedestrians. Chu Fan and the other changed their clothes, settled their dragon steeds, and were inconspicuous in the crowd.

After walking through several long streets, they arrived in front of Yangxiao Hall.

Yangxiao Hall is undoubtedly the most famous restaurant in the world, without exception. Even the 'Hanlong Inn', which has the footprints of many masters, cannot compare.

It is almost always full of customers every day, and today is no exception.

Chu Fan and the other were not in a hurry. They waited and observed in a restaurant outside Yangxiao Hall, listening to the many voices coming from Yangxiao Hall.

A Shenmai master is not only sharp-eared and clear-eyed, but also has keen perception. No sound within ten miles can escape their capture.

Inquiring about news does not necessarily mean going to Yangxiao Hall.

Although Yangxiao Hall is large in scale, the place is not large. It is still the same as it was three thousand years ago. No one dared to change its style even after dozens or hundreds of renovations.

Unfortunately, no matter how the two tried to listen, they did not hear any useful information. It seemed that everything was calm in Wangquan Mountain, which was not far away, and there was nothing unusual at all.

However, the more everything was as usual, the more unusual it seemed.

The ascension of a Wangquan Taoist was a major event!

They had received the news from afar, but no one in Nanliang City, which was so close, had discovered the problem. How terrifying was that?

"It's getting weirder..."

The sense of incongruity in the two's hearts became heavier and heavier.

"I heard a few years ago that a group of Dream Walkers wanted to overthrow the hegemony of Wangquan Tao. Could it be that they caused something?"

Feng Mingtao remembered something, then shook his head: "This group of people is not even as good as the Dream Walkers cultivated by various countries. They are not qualified to stir up trouble, and they can't hurt a hair of Wangquan Tao..."

"Du Luman? He once snatched the Wangquan Sword in front of the Wangquan Tao mountain gate..."

Chu Fan also speculated, but then shook his head.

If Du Luman had such strength, he would have dominated the world in reality long ago. How could he have been chased so embarrassingly by Xue Zheng?

"In any case, Wangquan Mountain cannot be visited. We should leave as soon as possible..."

Feng Mingtao said, but he was still a little hesitant.

He and Chu Fan had guarded the Wangquan Tao mountain gate for nearly thirty years, and had seen the current Wangquan Taoist Yuan Tingguang more than once, and had even received his guidance.

If he really left without even going to pay his respects, wouldn't that be too ungrateful?

"Wait a little longer?"

Chu Fan looked at Feng Mingtao, asking him to wait a moment.

He couldn't help but withdraw from the dream and ask Su Jie for his opinion.

"...That's the way things are, more or less."

After telling Su Jie everything he knew, Chu Fan's expression was a little solemn: "I suspect that something might have happened to Wangquan Mountain!

But Wangquan Tao has a powerful prestige and countless masters. I really can't imagine what could happen to Wangquan Mountain. How could a Wangquan Taoist ascend?"

Listening to Chu Fan's inquiry, Su Jie pondered for a moment before saying: "Brother Chu, what do you think the Wangquan Dream is? What are those 'native disciples' of Wangquan Tao that you call them?"

"Ah?"

Chu Fan was stunned. He seemed to have only worried about this question at the beginning, and then he never thought about it again.

"I don't know."

Chu Fan shook his head honestly.

"Although most people in the world know what is happening but don't know why, this is actually not good. Especially Dream Walkers like Brother Chu, if you want to gain power in it, then pursuing the essence of this dream is much better than pursuing martial arts.

The dream itself is the most incredible thing."

Under the illumination of the rising sun, the crystal ball held by Su Jie in both hands emitted a soft light, reflecting Su Jie's enlightened radiance:

"Brother Chu, have you ever thought that the 'players' in this dream game are not just you? In other words, could the 'natives' that you think are 'Dream Walkers' too?!"

"Hmm?!?"

Chu Fan's body trembled, but he was shocked by this idea, both surprised and frightened: "You mean..."

"If they are 'Dream Walkers' as I expected..."

Su Jie looked down at the crystal ball, and there was a subtle change in his expression: "What would happen that would cause them to 'collectively log off'?"