Chapter 7: The Ordeal at Dragon Ridge Pass

Nightfall.

Lin Fan stepped out of the house, feeling slightly weary. Although he had just broken through a cultivation barrier and should have felt refreshed, the presence of the witch left him physically and mentally drained, drowsiness washing over him.

If it weren’t for the imperial edict, he would have loved to enjoy a good, deep sleep.

“Useless thing, can’t even last three times,” the witch’s voice echoed in his mind. Three times? That was three full hours! Even seasoned studs outside wouldn’t be pushed so hard.

Lin Fan dared not respond, fearing the witch would seize the chance to torment him further.

Though he had now reached the peak of Earth Core Realm cultivation, every time he engaged in intimacy with the witch, he felt utterly exhausted afterward, as if his body had been hollowed out.

However, this state only lasted for a few hours before he fully recovered.

Over the past couple of days, he even noticed that after each encounter, his spiritual power surged significantly.

“Could it be that the witch’s liaison with me is actually aiding my cultivation? Is she really so kind-hearted?”

Lin Fan naturally dared not ask aloud. He knew the witch’s nature well; if he did, he’d be doomed to endure multiple sessions every day thereafter.

By then, he wouldn’t have time for anything else but lying in bed daily.

“Xiao Fan, the senior elders have already set out ahead and are waiting outside the city. You must be cautious on your journey westward.”

Lin Fan glanced at the Lin family members who had come to see him off, smiling and nodding at them. “Take care, everyone.”

With that, he mounted his horse and sped through the bustling streets, riding the wind.

Upon reaching the city gate, a figure blocked his path. Lin Fan’s brows furrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at the person. “What is your intention?”

The newcomer had long black hair cascading over her shoulders, clad in a jade-green dress, wielding a blade that shimmered with a chilling light. Proud as a peacock, she lifted her head to face Lin Fan. With a flick of her delicate hand, the sword turned into a streak of light that shot forward.

“This sword was once a gift from you. Today, I return it. Our ties are severed. Whatever dangers lie on your western journey have nothing to do with me.”

With that, Luo Qingyi turned and walked away with resolute expression, as if throwing this sword marked the definitive end of their past.

“This woman really knows how to play the part of a deceptive temptress.”

“Boy, if you get the chance, you must thoroughly humiliate her. Understand?”

“Spiritually and physically, humiliation in every aspect,” the witch’s voice rang again in Lin Fan’s mind. He was momentarily stunned, then gave a wry smile—he understood all too well what the witch meant.

But now, Luo Qingyi no longer deserved to share his bed.

“Fire Qilin Sword, I never expected that after all these twists and turns, you would return to my hands again.”

Picking up the longsword from the ground, Lin Fan narrowed his eyes and murmured softly.

This sword was a token of their bond that he had given to Luo Qingyi. It was a low-grade spiritual weapon forged from the blood of a seventh-tier beast, the Fire Qilin. For fire-element cultivators, it boosted power by thirty percent.

Do not underestimate this thirty percent; in battles among equals, such an increase often determines victory or defeat.

Spiritual weapons were rare even in the Tianfeng Empire.

Lin Fan had obtained this sword by chance. At that time, he had yet to discover his pure Yang body, so he gave it to Luo Qingyi, who specialized in fire cultivation.

Unexpectedly, after two or three years, it had come back to him.

More importantly, Lin Fan now practiced the Heaven-defying Fire Element cultivation technique, the “Burning Sky Qi Refining Art.”

With this spiritual weapon in hand, it was like having wings on a tiger.

Therefore, he declined to refuse it—it was his after all. Why reject what belonged to him?

Moreover, the journey west to the frontier was fraught with danger. Having a spiritual weapon increased his confidence considerably.

...

Longji Pass.

This was the last fortress on the western border of the Tianfeng Empire. Beyond it lay hundreds of miles to the only city in the western region, Huangsha City.

At the speed of a wind-riding steed that could travel a thousand miles a day, one could reach it within a day.

“Has something happened at Longji Pass?”

Just arriving, Lin Fan noticed the soldiers ahead wore grim expressions, gripping their weapons tightly, standing ready. The local civilians seemed anxious, as if facing impending disaster.

Frowning, Lin Fan stopped an elderly man hurrying by and asked, “Sir, may I ask what has occurred at Longji Pass to cause such panic?”

The old man’s face flushed with anger at being stopped and was about to scold, but upon seeing the young man offer a pouch of money, his fury dissolved. His face, marked with age spots, broke into a bitter smile.

“A few days ago, several fifth-tier or higher beasts suddenly appeared in Twilight Gorge, located between Huangsha City and Longji Pass. The commanding officer dispatched many troops there to hunt. This left the pass’s defenses weakened.”

“Yesterday, bandits entrenched in the western deserts suddenly charged the pass. If it weren’t for the soldiers’ stubborn resistance, Longji Pass would have been completely overrun last night.”

Several fifth-tier or higher beasts?

Lin Fan raised his brows, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. Fifth-tier beasts were comparable to those at the Earth Core Realm level—rare within the Tianfeng Empire’s borders.

Moreover, the sudden appearance of multiple such beasts was highly unusual, signaling something amiss.

As for the bandits, they were a group entrenched in the western deserts, notorious for pillaging and marauding.

What surprised Lin Fan was their boldness to charge the pass.

The only explanation was that they knew the main garrison would not return immediately.

“Could this be related to my arrival?”

“No, impossible. The commander of the pass is loyal to the Second Prince. Given the Lin family’s ties to the prince, he would never plot against me.”

Lin Fan’s eyes gleamed with intelligence as he pondered for a long moment before asking, “Who is currently the highest-ranking commander inside the pass? Where is he?”

“It’s General Ge Pian. He should be on the city tower directing the defense right now. Young master, that is all I can tell you. My wife awaits my meal at home, I must take my leave.”

Lin Fan let the old man go, summoned his wind-steed, and galloped toward the city tower.

He needed to leave the city to reach the western mineral veins. With the gates tightly shut, he had to obtain permission from the highest commander inside before passing through.

As for the bandit threat, he was unconcerned.

Not only had he reached the peak of Earth Core Realm himself, but the secretive senior elders and several other Divine Core Realm elders could handle any sudden crises.

“Military zone. No entry!”

Just as he dismounted, a heavily wounded soldier blocked his path. The man’s head was wrapped in bandages, and his shoulder armor was pierced by a blade, yet he steadfastly remained at his post, refusing to retreat for treatment.

Lin Fan admired their dedication and cupped his hands respectfully. “I am Lin Fan, young master of the Lin family in the imperial capital, sent by His Majesty the Emperor to the mineral veins. Please inform the general and request the gates be opened to let me pass.”

“Young master of the Lin family in the imperial capital?”

The soldier hesitated slightly. As a citizen of the Tianfeng Empire, he well knew the empire’s four great clans, and the man before him was the Lin family’s young master—a revelation that shocked him inwardly.

“Please wait a moment, young master. I will notify the general at once.”

The other soldiers glanced over, their eyes filled with recognition and awe. “You are the famed Lin Fan, the empire’s foremost prodigy?”