Upon hearing this, Liu Batian remained silent for a long time, not uttering a word.
He had participated in the battles between the demonic and immortal paths many times and was well aware of the devastation caused by evil forces in the world.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked suddenly.
Lin Fan said, "I only want Liu Mengli to be able to grow up safely to the Nascent Soul stage after I leave the Liu family!"
"Don't worry, once she emerges from seclusion, she will be the head of the Liu family. As long as this old bone of mine isn't completely dead, no one in the Four Saints County will be able to harm her," Liu Batian said with a smile.
"Senior, you are so righteous?" Lin Fan gave a thumbs up and praised, though it seemed insincere. Liu Batian didn't say anything more.
He extended his withered old hand, and a ball of light appeared. With a gentle wave, it floated down in front of Lin Fan.
"This is a sage's decree. You can use it to wander around freely. As long as you don't leave Zhongzhou, those old guys will give you some face when they see it. Even the Xuanwu Heavenly Sect won't dare to do anything to you!"
Lin Fan reached for the ball of light, and a silver token quietly appeared in his palm.
"What if they just refuse to give me face?" he asked.
"The price that Xuanwu Heavenly Sect will have to pay is ten times or even a hundred times greater. Don't underestimate it. This is a token representing the will of our Liu family. Many sects in Zhongzhou have a Sage's Token. If Xuanwu Heavenly Sect dares to defy the world, they will surely suffer when a great emperor is born in the future," Liu Batian said.
“But the competition in Zhongzhou is fierce, and it’s not uncommon for a great lineage to be destroyed,” Lin Fan said.
“This Sage’s Token cannot protect the lineage; it can only protect one person,” Liu Batian said.
He told Lin Fan about the origin of the Sage's Decree, which was a gift from an ancient emperor to call upon the strong of the Tianchen Continent to come and fight against the demonic path.
If a Tribulation Transcending stage expert dies in battle, his descendants can use the Sage's Decree to ensure that one of them lives out his remaining years in peace. No lineage can exterminate him, thus allowing his bloodline to continue and resolving their worries about the future.
If anyone dares to disobey the Emperor's decree, the Sage's Decree received by his lineage will become invalid, and he will no longer receive the Emperor's protection.
In addition, if a great emperor is born in the future, he will first eradicate the rebellious lineage before he can settle the karmic debt.
"In other words, if no Great Emperor is born, they can disregard the Sage's Decree, and whoever becomes the Great Emperor in the future must respect the words of the previous Great Emperor?" Lin Fan said.
“The Great Emperor may not be respected, but he will chill the hearts of cultivators on the Tianchen Continent. If a calamity occurs, he will no longer have such a strong appeal,” Liu Batian said.
If that emperor wanted those powerful individuals to willingly follow him and fight to the death, he would definitely need to have ways to win their hearts and minds.
If he is arrogant and conceited, thinks that no one can command him, and thinks that the sage's command is unimportant, then would anyone be willing to risk their life for him?
Even the Sage's Decree was useless; the descendants of heroes failed to maintain the continuation of their bloodline. How many of the promises and guarantees made by the newly enthroned emperor will actually be fulfilled in the future?
Human nature is complex. Even if a catastrophe can win over many powerful people to do things for him, some powerful people will be unwilling to participate, or even have their own ulterior motives and just go through the motions.
Moreover, if you don't do it, other emperors will step in to solve the problem, and all the masters in the world will flock to you.
"I understand. If the Great Emperor is willing to take action, it will win people's hearts and tell them that I will still take care of the descendants of ancient heroes, and the future Great Emperor will take care of your descendants." Lin Fan understood the meaning behind it.
It was indeed a very clever tactic. Even with empty promises, he was able to win people's hearts, and even future generations would pay for his services for their own benefit.
"Old fox," he muttered, then realized the crucial point.
If Fengxi is a sacred spiritual vein with the potential to become an emperor, the Liu family would not need the Sage's Decree.
On the contrary, they are the ones who issued the decree of the sage. If the Xuanwu Heavenly Sect really dares to attack them, they can eliminate the Xuanwu Heavenly Sect after Fengxi becomes the Great Emperor, which would be avenging him and also win over the hearts of the people, killing two birds with one stone.
That old man is really cunning. Lin Fan knew he was being used, but he didn't want to let go.
This sage's delicacy is truly delicious!
The two talked late into the night. Lin Fan eventually went to the Liu family, and Lei Yunshi also stayed behind to serve as Feng Xi's vehicle.
Fengxi possesses the Taiyi Immortal Scripture cultivation method, a sacred spiritual vein, the resources of the Liu family for nurturing, and Liu Batian as its protector.
At this moment, she only needed to cultivate quietly and didn't need to worry about herself.
As for the remaining troubles of the Liu family, let her handle them herself. Someone destined to become an emperor will surely be able to manage them well.
"Gu Yancheng, I hope you won't disappoint me." Lin Fan sneered, then swaggered away from Yundu City and continued south.
“Young Master Gu, Lin Fan has already left Yundu City and headed south. At his speed, he should be able to leave Sisheng County in ten days.”
At the Yunmengze Restaurant, Gu Yancheng stared at the crowd with a gloomy gaze. His face was full of hostility, no longer the elegant and breezy man he used to be.
"Very well, then I'll trouble Elder Lin to take action and cripple this fiend!" Gu Yancheng said coldly.
The battle at the Four Sacred Mountains was a great humiliation for him, and now he wished he could tear Lin Fan to pieces to vent his hatred.
Lin Fan traveled at a fast pace, his divine sense constantly covering a radius of a hundred miles, and no movement could escape his search.
He then keenly sensed two powerful auras following behind him, their presence both imposing and clearly belonging to Gu Yancheng and Lin Sanbian.
He rushed along, like a shooting star streaking across the sky, giving the other party the illusion that he wanted to leave Sisheng County as soon as possible and escape.
His divine sense swept across the area, searching for the best burial site.
After leaving Sisheng County, there were continuous mountain ranges ahead. Lin Fan's expression changed slightly as he discovered that the scenery here was beautiful and it was indeed a good place.
So he landed in the mountains, and a scroll appeared in his palm. It was the Seven Stars Stepping on the Sky Map. It floated up to the sky, transformed into a space, and merged into the mountains.
He then left behind a trace of his aura and stepped into the fusion position of the Seven Stars Sky-Stepping Diagram.
Gu Yancheng and Lin Sanbian landed in the mountains. The latter frowned, feeling that something was not right.
“Young Master Gu, this place feels a bit eerie,” Lin Sanbian said.
"Heh, no matter how strong he is, can he really cross borders and fight against Elder Lin?" Gu Yancheng said coldly.
Lin Sanbian remained silent. No matter how extraordinary Lin Fan was, he couldn't possibly cross a major realm. However, being naturally sensitive to danger, he always felt that this mountain range was not simple.
They released their divine senses and detected that Lin Fan was bathing in the mountain stream ahead, seemingly without any danger.
Gu Yancheng rushed out quickly, staring at him coldly, and shouted sharply, "Lin Fan, only one of us can get out of the mountains today."
"How dare you, a defeated opponent, claim to be brave?" Lin Fan turned around, a mocking look in his eyes.
"I don't need to lift a finger to kill you!" Gu Yancheng said coldly, looking at Lin Fan as if he were looking at a dead man.
"Who else can step in? Look back, who else is here besides you?" Lin Fan slowly finished dressing, still overestimating Gu Yancheng.
This guy is nothing to fear.
Gu Yancheng's expression changed slightly. He turned around abruptly and found no one behind him. He released his divine sense, covering a distance of ten miles, but still could not detect Lin Sanbian's aura.
"What did you do?" His face darkened. He had a bad feeling that he had fallen into Lin Fan's trap.
"It was just a little trick. Did you really think I'd come out to my death?" Lin Fan said sneer.
“I know you are still hiding in the City of Cloud Capital. You deliberately left the Four Saints County. The reason you chose this place is because I think it is very suitable as your grave.”
Gu Yancheng's face was gloomy. Without Lin Sanbian, he was afraid that he would have a hard time defeating Lin Fan.
But remembering the humiliation at the Four Sacred Mountains, he roared in fury, "Even if I were alone, I could still kill you. I am the chief disciple of the Xuanwu Heavenly Sect."
It seemed that the louder he shouted, the stronger he would become, and he drew his long sword and charged forward.
He unleashed the Purple Flame Heavenly Skill without holding back, pushing the technique to its absolute limit.
The Purple Flame Heavenly Skill is extremely domineering. Once unleashed, the blade will ignite with purple flames, displaying astonishing power.
Gu Yancheng was arrogant and ruthless, and every move he made was aimed at Lin Fan's vital points.
Lin Fan, wielding a long sword, moved erratically, his swordsmanship striking Gu Yancheng like a whirlwind.
His swordsmanship is as agile as flowing water and as steady as a mountain, with each strike containing the profound meaning of heaven and earth.
Gu Yancheng held a long sword, surrounded by purple flames, and each swing of the sword was accompanied by scorching fiery sword energy.
The battle between the two was extremely fierce, with sword energy and saber energy intertwining and colliding in the air, producing a deafening roar.
Each clash seemed to tear the surrounding air apart.
Lin Fan's swordsmanship became increasingly fierce, and his sword intent had reached an extremely high level.
His sword seemed to have ceased to be a sword, but rather the indomitable will within his heart.
No matter how domineering Gu Yancheng's Purple Flame Heavenly Skill was, it could not break his sword intent.
Gu Yancheng was shocked. Sensing the boundless sword intent, he immediately realized that Lin Fan was actually born with a sword physique.
No wonder his swordsmanship was so terrifying; I, having exhausted all my skills, still couldn't win.
Lin Fan's talent is no less than mine, his cultivation technique is also first-class, and his foundation is even stronger than mine.
Gu Yancheng was furious, his face flushed red. He bit his tongue, raised his long sword towards the sky, and the spiritual power of the Purple Flame Heavenly Art roared like a river, enveloping him like a hurricane.
Purple spiritual energy transformed into a storm that swept through, blowing the two people's hair wild, filling the air with sand and dust, breaking the surrounding flowers, plants and trees, and causing the earth to collapse under the pressure.
"Tsk tsk, overestimating yourself!"
Lin Fan gripped the sword with both hands, continuously channeling spiritual energy into it. Immediately, a resounding dragon's roar emanated from the sword, and a golden dragon coiled around the blade.
An overwhelming pressure spread, and the giant dragon, carrying immense power, soared into the clouds, instantly unleashing countless sword energies, each containing sword intent.
Gu Yancheng was enveloped in purple spiritual energy, like a purple sun descending from the sky and crashing down heavily.
The two forces collided, and a blinding light enveloped the void, causing it to crack like a tortoise shell due to the unbearable force.
The wind howled, sword energy crisscrossed, and blade auras flashed as they clashed fiercely.
Lin Fan retreated several hundred feet to avoid the eye of the storm.
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