As of now, only thirteen people remained in Ye Fan's group, with the others having all perished. Apart from Ye Fan, who had a unique constitution, the remaining twelve people were evenly divided, with each paradise realm taking two people.
This was a passive choice, but Zhou Yi and Lin Jia, along with the others, were not opposed to it. As the elders from the Lingxu Paradise Realm had said, this was an opportunity for them.
In the end, Ye Fan found himself in an awkward position. He had once been the center of attention, but now no one paid him any attention.
"I won't go with you unless Ye Fan is included," said Pang Bo, who now looked no older than eleven or twelve, but spoke with firm resolve. "At worst, I'll go with Ye Fan to the mortal world and live there."
One of the elders from Lingxu Paradise Realm explained, "There are no mortals inside the paradises. If he joins, it may not be good for him."
Ye Fan understood and carefully thought it through. He realized that once he entered a paradise realm, he would likely face many complications. Even with Pang Bo looking out for him, he would still encounter countless unforeseen issues. The elder from Lingxu had also hinted at this.
"Pang Bo, go with them. I won't join any paradise realm. Maybe living an ordinary life, simple and peaceful, is better," Ye Fan said.
"No, I will definitely take you with me," Pang Bo adamantly refused.
"Alright, we will take Ye Fan along as well," said several elders from Lingxu Paradise Realm, wanting to avoid conflict with Pang Bo.
"Wait!" Ye Fan didn't seem pleased at all. His expression remained calm as he spoke, "I've already said that I won't join any paradise realm. I appreciate your kindness, but I must decline."
"Ye Fan, this is an opportunity..." Pang Bo hurriedly tried to persuade him.
Ye Fan shook his head and said, "No need to persuade me." He had thought this through carefully and fully understood the potential problems. He had no intention of being bound to any sect.
"If you don't go, I won't go either," Pang Bo said resolutely, unwilling to leave Ye Fan behind.
Ye Fan smiled and said, "I'll be counting on you from now on. You'd better work hard on your cultivation. When the time comes, I'll rely on you to help me—maybe a few beautiful women like a heroine, a fairy, a goddess, or a saintess... I won't be picky."
Pang Bo rolled his eyes. The other cultivators from the paradise realms also looked at him strangely, and several female cultivators shot him sharp glares.
"Ye Fan, you should come with me," Pang Bo urged again.
"I do want to go with you, but I just want to visit for a while, not to join. I wonder if the people of Lingxu Paradise will allow that?" Ye Fan suddenly said. He didn't want to completely sever his connection with the immortal path and hoped to enter Lingxu Paradise to learn more about it, but he didn't want to be bound to a specific sect.
"Alright, as long as you are willing to go, that's fine," Pang Bo said, immediately pleased. He felt that if Ye Fan agreed, there would be a way to make him stay. He immediately turned to the elders of Lingxu Paradise.
"Alright," the elders nodded.
The group was about to part ways, and the future was uncertain. Everyone was both confused and hopeful. In their final gathering, everyone bid each other farewell, promising to meet again in the future.
At this moment, Ye Fan felt especially out of place. His future seemed hopeless, and he seemed to belong to a completely different world than the others. Even if they met again in the future, it was hard to imagine him ever appearing in front of them. As the others looked at him, they all had different expressions, some of them showing curiosity.
In the end, they bid farewell.
"Ye Fan, this is for you..." Liu Yiyi said before leaving, handing him a string of prayer beads. Before he could refuse, she quickly turned and left.
"Actually, living an ordinary life might be good. I wish you happiness in the future," Li Xiaoman came up, said this, and gave him a deep look before turning and walking away.
"Ye Fan, I wish you all the best. I believe with your abilities, you can live a colorful life in the mortal world," Lin Jia said before leaving.
Then Zhou Yi and Wang Ziwen also came to say goodbye.
"Actually, being an ordinary person isn't a bad thing," Zhou Yi smiled faintly, lightly patting Ye Fan's shoulder. "There's no need to be upset."
Ye Fan remained calm, smiled slightly, and said, "Who can say what will happen in the future?"
...
After a while, dozens of divine rainbows shot into the sky, breaking the stillness of the night, like bright shooting stars, gradually disappearing into the horizon. The group thus parted ways.
When the others had left, the elders of Lingxu Paradise turned to Pang Bo and Ye Fan. "Actually, the various paradise realms are not far from each other. If you want to meet, it's very easy."
The people of Lingxu Paradise left the next day. Riding on divine rainbows, they moved at lightning speed, with the mountains and rivers below quickly receding.
Finally, they stopped in front of a misty immortal mountain, where the scenery was peaceful and serene. The trees were lush, pavilions and buildings dotted the landscape, flowing springs cascaded down, and immortal cranes flew in the air—nature was vibrant and alive, truly a beautiful place.
"Is this Lingxu Paradise?" Pang Bo couldn't help asking, though his next words were a bit inappropriate. He muttered, "Those immortal cranes are so fat. Can we catch one or two and roast them?"
One of the elders shot him a glare and said, "Those cranes have spiritual intelligence. Don't get any funny ideas. With your current abilities, you can't even get close to them."
This was not the inner area of Lingxu Paradise, but merely the mountain gate. Inside the misty paradise, the air was ethereal and indistinct, and strange flowers and plants covered the ground. As they entered deeper, they came to a large green stone, which had two ancient characters engraved on it: "Lingxu."
Pang Bo didn't recognize these characters, but one of the elders explained, and he finally understood that they had arrived at Lingxu Paradise.
It is said that this place was once a wasteland many endless years ago. After some cleaning, it became a paradise. Lingxu Paradise had a long history, stretching back to the ancient times.
Later generations had dug here on a large scale, hoping to find divine items, but in the end, they found nothing.
The strong cultivators who practiced here over the years always felt that there was something special about this place, but no significant discoveries had been made.
As they passed the stone and entered the mist, the scene suddenly changed. They had seemingly stepped into another world.
"This is Lingxu Paradise?"
"It's like an entirely different world!"
The elders of Lingxu Paradise were pleased with Ye Fan and Pang Bo's reactions.
The vegetation here seemed to have absorbed the essence of the sun and moon. Even the most ordinary grass and trees appeared jade-like. The ancient trees stood tall, fragrant medicinal herbs filled the air, and spiritual birds flew around, while rare beasts appeared occasionally. Divine springs flowed continuously.
At this moment, Ye Fan felt a moment of trance. Suddenly, an ancient scripture from the bronze coffin echoed in his mind, like the sound of a divine bell, a heavenly melody that resonated throughout him. It was the very scripture he had discovered in the bronze coffin, containing hundreds of characters.