Recalling the faces he'd seen, he was certain he'd never encountered the man now frantically knocking on his door, his expression frantic.
"You're Lin Fan, right?"
"I am," Lin Fan replied.
The man immediately thrust a bundle into Lin Fan's hands. "Wang Kai asked me to give this to you."
"Wang Kai?" Lin Fan was stunned. If the man hadn't mentioned the name, he would have almost forgotten the person he'd briefly interacted with. "Why did he ask you to give this to me?"
"He's dead. His dying wish was for me to give all his belongings to you. Oh, and he told me to tell you to cultivate diligently." After delivering this message, the man turned to leave.
"Wait," Lin Fan called out. "How did he die?"
"It won't do you any good to know," the man replied, sizing Lin Fan up. Seeing he was just an ordinary disciple curious about such matters, he thought, Even if you knew, what could you do? With your strength, you wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder.
"I want to know," Lin Fan insisted.
"Fine," the man sighed. "I'll tell you. Wang Kai was killed by Ye Jun, the Young Palace Master of the Heavenly Fire Palace. Our Eldest Senior Brother sent us to deliver a challenge letter, and Ye Jun, displeased, took it out on Wang Kai. To these powerful figures, we're just insignificant ants. There's no use in telling you this. Even if you cultivated for hundreds of years, you'd never be a match for these prodigies."
With that, he left.
Inside the room, Lin Fan placed the bundle on the table and opened it. The contents weren't much, but they were rewards Wang Kai had received over the years serving alongside the Eldest Senior Brother. There were pills, secret manuals, and some ordinary weapons considered commonplace among experts.
"Wang Kai…" Lin Fan murmured. His relationship with Wang Kai wasn't particularly deep; they were ordinary friends. But he hadn't expected that even such an ordinary friend, after being killed, would still remember to give him his belongings and urge him to cultivate diligently. Honestly, Lin Fan was touched. At the same time, he felt a pang of sorrow over Wang Kai's death.
After a long silence, he resolved, I just want to read my books in peace, but you showed me kindness. I won't ignore this. I'll avenge you.
Heavenly Fire Palace's Young Palace Master, Ye Jun.
Lin Fan left his room. This time, he wasn't going to borrow books. He needed to gather information. He had to find out where the Young Palace Master Ye Jun was.
As he walked, passing by a tavern, he overheard people discussing the incident. Lin Fan's strength was considerable, and his hearing was naturally sharp. He could accurately pick up on even the slightest mention of anything he wanted to know.
He entered the tavern and stood near the group, listening intently.
"Have you heard that our Eldest Senior Brother is going to compete with Ye Jun, the Young Palace Master of the Heavenly Fire Palace?"
"I've heard something about it."
"I'm not too sure."
"It's true. Three people were sent to deliver the message to the Eldest Senior Brother. One of them, the one who actually delivered the message, was killed by Ye Jun on the spot."
"What? That ruthless?"
"Yeah, really unlucky."
Listening to their conversation, Lin Fan gleaned the most crucial piece of information: Seven days from now! The Desolate Ancient Plains.
Lin Fan quietly left the tavern. Everything else was unimportant to him. Finding Ye Jun and killing him was all that mattered. Wang Kai was a decent person. To be killed just for delivering a message—how could someone be so wantonly cruel?
In a certain palace hall:
"Eldest Senior Brother, are we just going to let Wang Kai's death go?"
The cross-legged young man slowly opened his eyes, two sharp beams of light flashing within. He calmly replied, "Seven days from now, I will suppress Ye Jun. That will be his revenge."
The disciples following the Eldest Senior Brother were quite helpless. Their status was low, and naturally, they had no say. No one cared about their lives or deaths, just like with Wang Kai. He was simply delivering a message for the Eldest Senior Brother to Ye Jun. Because the message was overly domineering, it offended Ye Jun, who then killed Wang Kai.
Who could they appeal to for justice?
If Wang Kai had known this would happen, he definitely wouldn't have delivered the message. Damn it, no law, no justice. It wasn't even my words, and I get beaten to death for it. No one would believe it.
But in this world, errand runners were like cannon fodder. The death of cannon fodder served only to slightly anger the true powerhouses.
Perhaps, to these powerhouses, their thinking was simple: He dared to kill my man? Just wait until I make him beg for mercy.
Of course, their battles would never be to the death. After all, they all had powerful backgrounds. If one were to die, regardless of the victor, there would be significant trouble.
After leaving the Qian Yuan Sect, Lin Fan followed the memories in his mind, heading towards the Desolate Ancient Plains. His pace was neither fast nor slow. He crossed mountains and valleys with a single leap, effortlessly and without issue.
The next day, he arrived at the Desolate Ancient Plains. The place was indeed desolate. As far as the eye could see, there were only plains, no mountains or rivers, just swirling yellow dust. Many parts of the ground were covered with bones, seemingly ancient, buried and forever intertwined with this place.
Lin Fan sat cross-legged on a rock, quietly waiting.
After an unknown amount of time, the cry of a bird pierced the sky. In the distance, a three-headed beast resembling a phoenix spotted Lin Fan's small figure. Its ferocious eyes gleamed as it swooped down, its wings beating, kicking up dust like an approaching storm.
"Human, are you waiting to be devoured by me?"
"This has nothing to do with you," Lin Fan said. "Leave. I don't want to hurt you."
He was here to wait for Ye Jun. The appearance of other creatures wasn't his objective, so he spoke kindly, hoping the beast would leave quickly and not linger.
"Haha, hurt me?"
Lin Fan looked up, gazing calmly at the creature. Suddenly, his aura shifted. A moment ago, it was a clear day; now, the sky turned overcast, changing from a light drizzle to a raging storm.
In an instant, the surrounding space seemed to thicken. The beast felt its body stiffen, as if stuck in mud, wanting to move but unable to. This feeling was terrifying, like encountering an insurmountable force.
"Farewell, farewell, farewell!" the beast shrieked. The strange sensation vanished, and it spread its wings, fleeing frantically into the distance.
"My apologies for disturbing you," Lin Fan murmured, glancing at the departing beast. He continued to wait patiently, his heart calm and undisturbed. After resolving this matter, he still needed to return to his books.
However, he now had one more thing to do: visit Wang Kai's grave and pay his respects every year. He was a grateful person, remembering those who showed him kindness.
On the sixth day, as the sun began to rise, the distant horizon burned with a fiery glow, like a strange spectacle. But upon closer inspection, it was a ball of fire, traversing the void, appearing just as the sun rose, as if competing with the sun for brilliance.
Ye Jun had arrived early. Not to set up any traps, but to meditate and adjust his state to its peak. As the Young Palace Master of the Heavenly Fire Palace, his status was lofty. In the cultivation world, he was among the most outstanding young talents. Even some older generation cultivators might not be able to contend with him.
The Earthly Immortal Realm might seem far from the peak, but the effort and price required to cultivate to this level were unimaginable.
At this moment, Ye Jun walked on air, clad in golden armor, his long hair flowing, his brows furrowed with arrogance. His gaze locked onto Lin Fan, sitting on the rock. He spoke coldly, "Who are you?"
Lin Fan asked, "Are you Ye Jun, the Young Palace Master of the Heavenly Fire Palace?"
"Hmph, indeed I am. Since you know who I am, do you dare to act recklessly here?" Ye Jun frowned, looking down at Lin Fan, puzzled. Qin Ye had sought him out for a duel, so why was this suicidal fool here?
"That's good, I was afraid I'd kill the wrong person," Lin Fan said, standing up and looking directly at Ye Jun. "You should make the first move. I'm afraid you'll die unwillingly. Use your strongest attack against me, otherwise, I'll end you with one move."
"This battle is not a spar, but revenge for the death of a friend. There is no victory or defeat, only life or death."
"Please!"
Ye Jun was stunned by Lin Fan's words, his expression blank. Then, he burst out laughing. "Hahaha, ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! You say you want to kill me? Is there something wrong with you here?" He pointed at his head, implying Lin Fan was insane. It was as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
Lin Fan didn't speak. He simply looked at Ye Jun, his expression serious, devoid of any amusement. He wasn't someone who enjoyed taking lives, but Wang Kai had been kind to him. This debt of gratitude must be repaid.
"Fine. Since you're courting death, I'll fulfill your wish."
Ye Jun roared, his body transforming into a golden light piercing through the air. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Lin Fan, striking his chest with a palm. As his palm landed, golden light erupted, shaking the surroundings. The dazzling golden light obscured vision, even the sun's rays struggling to compete.
But soon, Ye Jun realized something was wrong.
Then, he heard a voice beside his ear: "One move."
"Very weak."
In an instant, Lin Fan grabbed Ye Jun's wrist and punched him in the chest. With a surge of force, he slammed Ye Jun into the ground.
Boom!
Terrifying power exploded. The ground cracked for miles around, and white qi surged from the earth, piercing through the fissures and shooting towards the sky. All other light vanished, leaving only this white light covering the heavens.
A short while later, Lin Fan slowly rose and turned to leave, not even glancing at his opponent.
Ye Jun, except for his head, was completely mangled and broken, blood splattered around him. His intact head, eyes wide open, died without understanding what had happened. The clothes he wore were a treasured armor, incredibly strong, but even with its protection, it couldn't withstand Lin Fan's devastating punch.
After a long time, a gust of wind blew, whipping up the yellow sand. But the arrogant and domineering Ye Jun was gone, replaced by a pile of mud.
A generation's young prodigy, ultimately killed by a madman.