Chapter 53: Saved? Splitting the Cake

The Joy Sect spanned hundreds of miles, its peaks standing tall and wreathed in billowing clouds.

Yet, upon one unremarkable and barren little hill, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

Ji Qingwan, Zhao Xu, Su Xingyue, and Qin Ran stood in the air above the hill, their expressions solemn.

Ji Qingwan wore a dress as red as fire, her stunning face covered in a layer of frost as her beautiful eyes stared fixedly at the seemingly ordinary hill before her.

Zhao Xu looked much younger than before; although his hair and beard were white, his posture had become much more upright.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he exuded a powerful wave of oppression.

Su Xingyue followed closely behind Ji Qingwan, her face etched with anxiety and worry.

"This is the place."

Ji Qingwan's icy voice broke the silence.

"A concealment array has been set up on this hill. If not for the resonance between Lin Fan and me, I truly would not have discovered it."

Zhao Xu nodded and said in a deep voice, "The person who set up this array is not weak in cultivation; they actually managed to bypass my spiritual sense."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, there is no time to lose. Let us join forces and break the array!"

Ji Qingwan said, a hint of urgency in her tone.

"Very well!"

Zhao Xu replied, a brilliant light surging across his body.

With a loud shout, he thrust both palms forward.

Two massive pillars of spiritual energy, resembling roaring dragons and carrying a heaven-shattering might, blasted toward the hill.

Ji Qingwan was not to be outdone. She formed hand seals and chanted incantations under her breath.

Fiery red fireballs condensed before her, exuding a searing heat.

"Go!"

With a sharp cry from Ji Qingwan, the fireballs poured down upon the hill like a meteor shower.

"Rumble!"

Deafening explosions resounded across the heavens and earth.

The hill shook violently, as if it were on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Under the combined attack of Ji Qingwan and Zhao Xu, the concealment array shrouding the hill could finally hold on no longer.

Transparent ripples emerged on the surface of the hill, spreading outward continuously like ripples on the water's surface.

As the ripples expanded, the true appearance of the hill gradually revealed itself.

The originally barren mountain body transformed into a lush, spirit-rich blessed land.

A massive cave came into the line of sight of everyone.

The cave entrance was pitch black, resembling a giant beast that had opened its bloodthirsty maw, ready to devour anyone.

At that very moment, three figures flew out from the cave.

They were none other than Nangong Miaoyu, Li Jiu, and Bai Jie.

Upon seeing Ji Qingwan, Li Jiu and Bai Jie turned pale, their eyes filled with terror.

They never imagined that Ji Qingwan would track them down so quickly.

Nangong Miaoyu's expression was equally unsightly.

She had inspected them thoroughly; there were no tracking restrictions whatsoever on Li Jiu, Bai Jie, or Lin Fan. How on earth had she managed to find this place?

"Ji Qingwan, you old hag, how dare you chase me all the way here!"

Nangong Miaoyu rebuked angrily, her voice sharp and piercing, retaining none of her previous dignified and gentle demeanor.

"Hmph, Nangong Miaoyu, you old bitch, you steal my disciple and yet you have the audacity to accuse others first?"

Ji Qingwan gave as good as she got, retaliating without the slightest hesitation.

"Your disciple? Where is your disciple? Oh, you mean Bai Jie and Li Jiu? The two of them have abandoned the darkness for the light and now wish to enter my sect!"

Nangong Miaoyu sneered, clearly unwilling to acknowledge Lin Fan's existence.

"Stop putting on an act and hand Lin Fan over to me immediately!"

Ji Qingwan shouted sternly.

"What Lin Fan?" Nangong Miaoyu played dumb, feigning ignorance.

"You!"

Ji Qingwan was momentarily choked for words, her chest heaving with anger.

"Then don't blame me for being unpolite!"

"As if I fear you!"

Nangong Miaoyu gave a sharp cry and surged forward to meet her.

The two women instantly locked in combat.

Nangong Miaoyu flicked her sleeve, sending a pink silk ribbon winding toward Ji Qingwan like a spiritual snake.

Ji Qingwan snorted coldly, pointing her fingers like swords as a streak of sword Qi shot forth, severing the ribbon in two.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu joined the fray as well.

With the two of them joining forces, they managed to fight Nangong Miaoyu to a standstill for the moment.

Li Jiu and Bai Jie stood to the side, their complexions exceedingly grim.

They wanted to help, but were utterly powerless.

A battle of this caliber was simply not something they could intervene in.

"Boom!"

Another deafening explosion rang out.

Nangong Miaoyu, Zhao Xu, and Ji Qingwan simultaneously retreated a few steps.

Clearly, none of the three could determine a victor in the short term.

...

Inside the cave, hearing the sounds of battle outside, Lin Fan knew that Ji Qingwan must have arrived.

He let out a gentle sigh, a trace of helplessness in his voice.

The cave had been sealed with restrictions, preventing him from stepping outside or witnessing the fight.

However, Lin Fan remained utterly calm, even leisurely appreciating the scenery within the cave.

The cave had changed completely from its initial state.

The ground had been neatly cleared and partitioned into several rooms, furnished not only with a soft, large bed but also with all kinds of furniture.

It was evident that Nangong Miaoyu had intended to keep Lin Fan locked up here for a long time.

"This furniture is much better than the pieces in my Green Bamboo Courtyard."

「Little Yue'er, when we leave later, pack all this furniture into your storage bag and take it back!」

"It would be far too wasteful to leave it here."

Lin Fan shook his head and said.

Bai Xiyue's face lit up with excitement. "Understood, Young Master. I will pack everything away right now. I thought we were going to be locked up here for a long time, but I never expected we would be rescued so soon!"

"Rescued?"

Lin Fan shook his head instead, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"With your young master's ability to help people achieve breakthroughs, neither Ji Qingwan nor Nangong Miaoyu are willing to yield. Both of them want to keep a tight grip on me!"

"In the end, they will fight fiercely, neither able to overcome the other, and then they will compromise and reach an agreement!"

Lin Fan said calmly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him at all.

Bai Xiyue looked nervous. "Young Master, surely it won't come to that?"

"Think about it. A prized treasure capable of helping people break through has now been discovered by two cultivators with profound cultivation."

"The outcome is nothing more than these two sides fighting to the death, with the victor taking all! Alternatively, neither side can defeat the other, and they end up carving it up together!"

"Ji Qingwan and Nangong Miaoyu are both Core Formation stage cultivators. For two Core Formation experts to fight and determine victory is easy, but wanting to kill the other is terribly difficult!"

A hint of self-mockery laced Lin Fan's voice.

"It's just like slicing a cake: you take a piece, I take a piece, and neither side loses out."

He spread his hands in a nonchalant gesture.

Bai Xiyue fell silent; though she did not know what a cake was, what Lin Fan said made complete sense.

"Young Master, you are so kind, why must you suffer this kind of treatment?"

The corners of her eyes grew slightly red, her voice filled with grievance and unwillingness.

"I must cultivate even harder in the future and become stronger so I can protect Young Master!"

She clenched her fists tightly, as if having made up some sort of resolution.

Lin Fan looked at Bai Xiyue, smiled, and reached out to stroke her head.

"Silly girl, don't overthink it. When soldiers come, we block; when water comes, we earth-dike. A way will always present itself."

His voice was gentle, carrying a trace of indulgence.