Looking at the giant blue planet before him, even Zhang Fan's composed heart couldn't help but stir with emotion. His vast divine soul power surged out, easily enveloping the entire planet.
After a moment, Zhang Fan withdrew his spiritual sense, his slightly tense heart finally relaxing.
"Let's go, I'll take you to see my hometown," Zhang Fan turned and said to Liu Mu. Of the group, he was the only one visiting Earth for the first time.
"This is his hometown?" Liu Mu's heart was filled with curiosity and doubt.
Given Zhang Fan's current achievements, how could he have been born on such an unremarkable life planet?
Zhang Fan's talent was undeniably monstrous, and Liu Mu admitted he was inferior in that regard. However, talent was only one condition for cultivation. To achieve great success in cultivation, one needed not only talent but also cultivation resources, techniques, and divine abilities.
Some cultivation resources could be obtained through one's own efforts. However, profound techniques and powerful divine abilities could not be acquired through struggle and plunder.
Take body-refining techniques, for example. The strongest body-refining inheritances among the top powers in the Wu Shan Starfield were merely Emperor Body Techniques. Yet, Zhang Fan practiced an extremely powerful Divine Body Technique, leaving Liu Mu utterly perplexed. At the same time, he realized that Zhang Fan likely harbored great secrets.
However, he didn't pry further, as he himself had plenty of secrets.
Within a few breaths, the group passed through the atmosphere. To avoid unnecessary trouble, they landed on the outskirts of Donghai City. Watching the passing vehicles on the road, the scene felt incredibly familiar to Zhang Fan.
"The technological development of your hometown is not great, but the level of cultivation is not low," Liu Mu said with some surprise.
Earth's diameter was only a little over ten thousand kilometers. Liu Mu's divine soul power could easily envelop it. After a scan, he discovered that on this Earth with its sparse spiritual energy, there were several Nascent Soul stage cultivators, which seemed somewhat illogical.
Given the extreme scarcity of spiritual energy on Earth, it would be incredibly difficult to even break through to the Golden Core stage. Yet, several Nascent Soul cultivators lived on this planet, making him curious about the reasons behind it.
Following the direction in his memory, Zhang Fan led the group to the outskirts of the lake-heart island. The lake was shrouded in thick white mist, with the small island in the center appearing and disappearing. A formation isolated it, making it impossible for even moderately strong Nascent Soul cultivators to break through and land on the island.
"This is your home? Why is it so simple?" Liu Mu looked at the island shrouded in mist, unable to believe it.
Although the formation blocked spiritual sense, the formation Zhang Fan had set up earlier was now as good as non-existent before the current group. Liu Mu easily ascertained the situation on the lake-heart island.
Hearing Liu Mu's words, Zhang Fan felt somewhat speechless but could understand his sentiment.
After all, given his status and strength, it would be effortless for him to build a palace stretching for tens of kilometers. He never expected his home to be on a mere island less than a kilometer in diameter.
"Let's go," Zhang Fan led the group, stepping on the lake's surface as they walked towards the island, sensing the familiar auras emanating from it.
"Look, someone is trying to land on the island."
"Someone else trying to break into the lake-heart island?"
"Hmph, with the formation blocking them, even a Nascent Soul expert can't hope to enter the vicinity of the lake-heart island."
Outside碧波湖 (Bìbō Hú - Azure Waves Lake), many people noticed the scene. They watched the group walking on the water, their eyes filled not with surprise but with a hint of mockery.
Ever since news spread that Earth was a place of opportunity left by the True Immortal Zi Wu, cultivators from other planets had descended upon Earth every year. The weakest were in the Golden Core stage, while the stronger ones had even reached the Nascent Soul stage. They had widely spread the Dao on Earth, and now cultivators were no longer as rare as they once were.
Eight years was not a long time, but it was enough for many things to be forgotten. Just like now, many people no longer remembered a person named Zhang Fan. However, some had never forgotten.
"It's the instructor, that's for sure! Report to the team leader immediately!"
"Zhang Shengshi, it's Zhang Shengshi who has returned!"
"Quickly report the news."
"Immediately send word back to the sect, Zhang Fan has returned."
Around 碧波湖 (Bìbō Hú), many forces had planted spies who constantly monitored everything happening on the lake. Zhang Fan's appearance attracted the attention of many in the shadows.
Zhang Fan naturally sensed this but made no move to stop it, as these matters were no longer worth his distraction.
As Zhang Fan and the others disappeared into the mist, those outside 碧波湖 (Bìbō Hú) guessed that they would likely return shortly, as no one had managed to break through the outermost mist formation of the lake-heart island so far.
However, they waited for a long time, but their return never came.
...
On the lake-heart island.
Su Yun and Zhang Xing'an were living quite contentedly.
Su Yun herself wasn't particularly interested in cultivation. If Zhang Fan hadn't told her that cultivation could preserve youthfulness, she might not have embarked on this path so easily.
However, even though she hadn't been overly diligent in her cultivation over the years, with the solid foundation Zhang Fan had laid for her and abundant elixirs and medicinal pills, she had still entered the Golden Core stage and cultivated her Nascent Core in less than ten years.
As for Zhang Xing'an, he was far more diligent in his cultivation than Su Yun. After years of practice, he had reached the peak of the Condensing Core stage and had comprehended several True Meanings of the Dao. If he hadn't suppressed himself, he would have already condensed his Golden Core.
At this moment, Zhang Xing'an was practicing the moves of the Thirty-Six Forms of the Battle Emperor, taught to him by Zhang Fan, on the lake's surface. Even without employing any magical power, the Dao principles contained within his moves still stirred the power of heaven and earth. Each move was extraordinary, creating waves on the lake.
"Heaven-Flipping Palm!"
Zhang Xing'an let out a low roar from his throat. He formed a palm seal with one hand and thrust it forward fiercely. Layers of lake water instantly surged, forming a wave tens of meters high that rushed towards the mist.
"Wife, what do you think of this move?" Zhang Xing'an was very satisfied with the power of this move. After executing it, he couldn't help but turn to Su Yun, who was watering the medicinal field on the island, and ask.
"So-so," Su Yun replied without looking up, diligently watering the spiritual liquid onto the medicinal field. Above the medicinal field, two palm-sized, colorful birds flew about, chirping.
They were the pair of Rainbow-Eyed Sky Parrots that Zhang Fan had given his parents. After years of growth, these two Rainbow-Eyed Sky Parrots had also entered the Nascent Soul stage.
Sensing his wife's perfunctory response, Zhang Xing'an felt a bit bored. Just as he was about to return to the lake-heart island, he suddenly felt a sense of dread. The wave of water he had just unleashed was now crashing back towards him with even greater ferocity.
...