After bidding farewell to Lin Haotian and the others, Zhang Fan and Fairy Ziling embarked on their journey to the Zixiao Star Domain. With their current strength, their travel speed far surpassed that of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
Along the way, they chatted. Zhang Fan learned of Fairy Ziling's background, which surprised him. He had previously suspected her origins were not simple, but he hadn't expected her to be a member of the Zixiao Star Domain's royal family, named Zishan Lingyue.
The Zishan family had ruled the Zixiao Star Domain for tens of millions of years, and nine intermediate star domains, including Dark Spirit Star Domain, Xuanyang Star Domain, Qingyang Star Domain, Huoyun Star Domain, and Beishen Star Domain, were under their jurisdiction. Their power was immense, reaching the heavens.
Fairy Ziling could only smile wryly at Zhang Fan's astonishment and said, "The Zishan family has a lineage of tens of millions of years, with countless disciples spread throughout the Zixiao Star Domain and its nine subordinate intermediate star domains. Without extraordinary talent, one is no different from ordinary cultivators."
"Moreover, as time passed, those clan members without strength were marginalized. My branch has no Dao Integration Immortal King to preside over it, so it's not even considered a main branch."
Zhang Fan nodded. For such super families in the universe, this phenomenon was quite common. Despite the Zishan family's power, their long history and vast number of clan members meant that limited resources could not be extended to ordinary members.
If one's talent was mediocre, the royal status would be like a chicken's rib, utterly useless.
The Zishan family's ancestral star was located on the largest star at the center of the Zixiao Star Domain, named Zixiao Star.
Zixiao Star had a diameter exceeding ten light-years. An ordinary star was as insignificant as a glass bead in comparison. Even a cultivator at the Immortal King level could not shake such a colossal star.
The Zishan family's internal hierarchy was extremely strict, divided into nine main branches and thirty-six branch lines. Each main branch had to have an expert at the Dao Integration Immortal King realm to preside over it to qualify for its position and receive abundant resources.
Although the thirty-six branch lines were subordinate to the main branches, the competition was fierce. They needed at least a Void Refining Grand Elder at the Dao Origin realm to preside over them to secure their positions.
This demonstrated the Zishan family's immense power and explained why the Zixiao Star Domain could govern so many intermediate star domains.
The strength of any single branch line might rival the overall power of an intermediate star domain. Fairy Ziling's branch line was ranked thirty-third, considered relatively low among the branch lines.
The environment formed by such a massive star was vastly different from that of ordinary ones. On Zixiao Star, mountain peaks resembled pillars reaching the heavens, and lakes were as boundless as oceans. Strange sights were everywhere.
"Although my family is only a branch line, we still have billions of clan members. The competition here is not much weaker than in the Starry Sky Battlefield," Fairy Ziling said with a smile.
"With your current strength, you must be considered a rare expert within your branch line, right?" Zhang Fan asked curiously. Fairy Ziling had already broken through to the Great Dao realm, yet Zhang Fan still sensed a hint of melancholy in her words.
"I am considered an expert, but not a top one. In such a large family, without absolute power, there are always things one cannot control autonomously," Fairy Ziling replied.
Zhang Fan nodded. He had no desire to get involved in family disputes. However, Fairy Ziling had some acquaintance with him and had helped him considerably in the Dark Forest. As they were about to part, Zhang Fan looked at Fairy Ziling and said, "I plan to explore Zixiao Star. Before the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo opens, I will return to the Dark Forest. During this time, if you need any help, feel free to contact me."
After speaking, Zhang Fan condensed a Great Dao Imprint in his palm and handed it to Fairy Ziling.
Fairy Ziling's beautiful eyes smiled. After gazing at the Great Dao Imprint in her palm for a while, she softly said, "Thank you."
Thus, the two parted ways. Zhang Fan intended to wander around and admire the scenery of Zixiao Star, while Fairy Ziling returned to her family to fulfill her mission.
In his past life, besides cultivation, Zhang Fan's greatest hobby was wandering through the universe, seeing different landscapes in various parts of the cosmos, encountering different races in the myriad star domains, and challenging their powerful individuals. For him, this was not only a form of relaxation but also a unique path of cultivation.
A wise person on Earth once said, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles." However, Zhang Fan believed that merely traveling ten thousand miles was insufficient; one must also appreciate the scenery along the way with one's heart, ponder, and gain insights.
If simply traveling ten thousand miles could bring achievement and success, why were all the postmen on Earth still ordinary people?
In terms of area alone, Zixiao Star was more than a hundred times larger than the Realm Heart Continent. Under the Zishan family's rule, Zixiao Star was divided into over a hundred prefectures, each governed by a prefecture lord who was at least a Void Refining stage expert. This illustrated the Zishan family's might.
Zhang Fan traveled through the various prefectures, stopping and going, enjoying different cuisines and admiring peculiar landscapes. After three months, he had visited almost every prefecture and returned to the place where he had parted ways with Fairy Ziling.
"Time is almost up. After bidding farewell, I will prepare to head to the Dark Forest." Since he was here, Zhang Fan decided to take a look. Fairy Ziling's family was located in Tianyang Prefecture, and her branch line was precisely the prefecture lord's lineage of Tianyang Prefecture.
As soon as Zhang Fan entered the prefecture city, he sensed that the Great Dao Imprint he had given Fairy Ziling had been crushed. What a coincidence! Following the location of the Great Dao Imprint, Zhang Fan found Fairy Ziling.
It was in a rather secluded courtyard within the prefecture city. The courtyard was not large, but Zhang Fan sensed that its space was completely isolated from the outside. Clearly, a cultivator skilled in the Great Dao of Space had set up means here to sever the space.
"Three cultivators at the Opening Heaven realm from our branch line are preparing to head to the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo. I thought you would also be going, so why not go together? We can look out for each other," Fairy Ziling said to Zhang Fan.
Their branch line had only one Ancestor at the Dao Origin realm, who needed to remain to oversee the family and could not afford any mishaps. If the Dao Origin realm Ancestor perished in the Evil Buddha Immortal Venerable's dojo, their branch line's position might not be secure.
"Lingyue, is this the friend you mentioned? He's only at the Great Dao realm. Coming with us might be a drag, wouldn't it?" A young man walked out from within the courtyard. His eyes were like those of a hawk, his nose slightly hooked, and his overall demeanor was somewhat cold.
Zhang Fan followed his gaze and saw that the space around this youth subtly trembled. Although he stood before them, he felt as if he were separated by a vast distance. The man also sized up Zhang Fan from head to toe, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
...