Chapter 288: Deliberately Walking into the Trap

Chapter 288: Chapter 288: Deliberately Walking into the Trap

Yan Ying was gone. Her departure had been so sudden, it caught Chu Fan completely off guard.

’Maybe I’m just fated to be alone.’

He had been separated from his parents as a child. He didn’t even know where his home was or who they were before Zhegu Slave brought him to Yunmeng Mountain. It was because of Yun Xi that he joined the Lingyun Sect.

But just as he gained some power, he lost his beloved master and senior brothers and was even betrayed by his own Sect.

Zhegu Slave had also left him forever.

After everything they’d been through, he and Yun Xi finally got together. But the moment they became intimate, she was tainted by Death Qi.

They had no choice but to separate. Although those four old geezers said he could visit her once a year, he had no idea how long it would be before they could be together forever.

Leng Yingxue, his second woman, had also left him.

And now, Yan Ying had done the same.

Their departures all had one thing in common: they happened after he had been intimate with them.

His mood at this moment was predictable. He was filled with resentment, and no small amount of self-mockery.

’Actually, the root cause of it all is that I’m still not strong enough.’

’If I were strong enough, I could have helped Yun Xi cleanse the Death Qi from her body. Why would we have to be apart?’

’If I were strong enough, no matter how cold and proud Leng Yingxue was, since she had feelings for me, how could I have let her leave? I would have just solved Piaoxue Palace’s problems for her.’

’If I were strong enough, what would the position of Emperor of the Hua Xu Empire even matter? I could give away the entire Eastern Domain, so what’s the Central Domain to me?’

But in the end, he wasn’t strong enough. He couldn’t do any of those things. He could only watch as the women he loved were separated from him, worlds apart.

"Is the place you were talking about in that mountain over a thousand li ahead?"

The sound of a conversation from nearby jolted Chu Fan from his thoughts.

He immediately formed a hand seal and cast the Inner Binding Seal Divine Technique, turning himself invisible.

"Yeah, that’s the mountain. I heard a treasure appeared there, but many who went couldn’t even get close to it."

A few people passed in front of Chu Fan, talking about some treasure.

But in his current state, Chu Fan could not only hear their spoken words but also their inner thoughts.

’I wonder if this trick will actually lure Chu Fan into the trap.’

’Damn it. That Eastern Barbarian... once he’s in the trap, I’ll fucking cripple him. How dare a Barbarian act so arrogant here in our Central Domain.’

’And Du Xiuli... we’re just dealing with one Barbarian. So what if he’s eleventh on the Talent List? There are over a hundred of us, with more than ten at the Integration Realm. Did he really need to gather all of us for this?’

Listening to their thoughts, Chu Fan watched as the men gradually walked away.

Chu Fan, who was already resentful, now felt a surge of anger. ’Dammit, sometimes you just can’t be too low-key.’

’A trap, huh?’

’These guys were born in the Central Domain, and they really think they’re superior?’

’I’ll walk right into your little trap and see what kind of tricks you can pull.’

’Don’t blame me for being merciless when the time comes.’

Still invisible, Chu Fan followed them directly. After a while, he discovered another group secretly tailing them from a few li away.

It seemed these people were being very cautious.

’But I haven’t even offended them. Why are they suddenly targeting me? And with over a hundred people setting a trap?’

’Could it be Long Yinwen?’

Over a thousand li away, by the Black Water River, more than a hundred Sect disciples had gathered in a dense forest. They formed a tight circle around a depression in the ground, completely sealing it off.

Chu Fan, still invisible, approached the edge and saw a bizarre plant growing in the hollow. It didn’t look quite like grass, nor did it look quite like a tree.

It was about half a person’s height. Each of its sky-blue leaves was shaped like a sharp dagger, with a serrated edge on one side. The entire plant bore twelve fruits, each a different color—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—making it a dazzling, multicolored sight. The fruits also had different shapes.

Some were perfectly round, some oval, some square, some pentagonal, and some hexagonal.

Not only that, but thousands upon thousands of butterflies swarmed the plant. Dozens of them would cluster together, forming the shape of a flower.

If that were all, it might not be so strange. But the most peculiar thing was that the entire plant was enveloped in a halo of light.

Chu Fan was also very curious about what this thing was.

He retreated from the forest and summoned the White Fox. "Do you know what that is?"

Although he didn’t know the White Fox’s true identity, the little creature seemed to know a lot about the Secret Realm, so he could ask it when he didn’t understand something.

Because he had been invisible, the White Fox had been following from a great distance. When Chu Fan had gone closer to look, the fox hadn’t followed.

After hearing Chu Fan’s description, the White Fox’s eyes lit up.

"Big Brother, that thing isn’t very useful to you humans, but it’s very important to me. Can you get it for me, please?"

"Oh? What is it? What exactly is it used for?"

"If I’m not mistaken, that should be the Seven-Colored Glazed Treasure Tree. If I can get it, I’ll be able to transform into a human and stay by your side, Big Brother." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"Alright, I’ll get it for you. Is there anything I need to be careful of when I retrieve it?"

"Watch out for the butterflies. They can summon lightning. Even though they’re small, they’re individually powerful. Clustered together, they should have the Combat Power of the Void Realm."

Chu Fan didn’t doubt the White Fox’s words. He canceled his divine technique, revealing himself, and told the fox to wait in the distance. He then walked back into the forest alone.

"Yo, what’s with the crowd? Find some amazing treasure?" Chu Fan strode toward the group, calling out loudly.

Many people turned their heads. Du Xiuli, who was at the front, showed an unconcealed flash of joy on his face.

However, a portion of the group remained highly on guard.

"What are you doing here? We found this," a large man next to Du Xiuli said rudely, turning to face Chu Fan.

Chu Fan smiled and waved his hand. "Oh, I heard you found a treasure, so I came to take a look. You guys carry on. I promise I won’t try to take it from you."

After speaking, he clasped his hands behind his back and actually stood off to the side to watch.

Chu Fan’s unconventional move left them somewhat at a loss.

Their original plan was to wait for Chu Fan to try and seize the treasure, then attack him when he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Du Xiuli quickly recovered and said to the people around him, "We can’t get near that halo of light at all. So many of us have tried all sorts of methods, but nothing’s worked. Why don’t we let Chu Fan give it a try?"

"Brother Du, we were the ones who discovered this. If..."

"If Brother Chu really has a way, so what if he takes the largest share? It’s better than all of us standing around here, helpless and waiting, right?" Du Xiuli said.

"Brother Chu, why don’t you give it a try?" Du Xiuli said, taking a few steps closer to Chu Fan.

"Is that really alright?" Chu Fan asked, laughing inwardly.

"What’s the issue? Brother Chu made it onto the Talent List. To be honest, I’ve been wanting to get to know you for a while."

Chu Fan cupped his fist toward him, cut the pleasantries short, and said, "So, should I give it a shot?"

"Go ahead!" Du Xiuli said.

"Brother Du!" the big guy next to him shouted, deliberately feigning reluctance.

Du Xiuli shot him a glare and said, "Brother Chu is a young talent. We who were able to enter this Secret Realm are all loyal to the Hua Xu Royal Family; we’re all on the same side. Don’t be so possessive. Besides, even if Brother Chu doesn’t try, do you think any of you can get it?"

Chu Fan shook his head to himself and immediately walked through the crowd toward the plant...