The Spirit World
"So this is your plan—leave our physical bodies behind and send our spiritual forms to beat someone up?" Lin Fan asked, curiosity piqued as he surveyed the world constructed from mental energy.
Mountains and rivers, grasses and trees, blue skies and white clouds, rippling waters—everything mirrored the physical world with uncanny precision, as if it were truly real. Even the sensation of stepping on the gravelly ground, producing a crunch crunch sound, felt identical. With a slight exertion of force, the surroundings trembled, and distant peaks swayed.
"Exactly. The Spirit World is a realm forged by the collective mental resonance of countless divine beings. Everything here has a corresponding counterpart in the physical world," Yue Chan explained as they walked.
"What an incredible place. I've heard of it but never actually set foot here," Lin Fan marveled, awestruck.
"Don't underestimate this spiritual realm. It's as vast as the Three Thousand Provinces, and any training or insights gained here will transfer back to our physical bodies, as if we cultivated in reality," Yue Chan cautioned.
Lin Fan nodded, already familiar with this concept. The Spirit World was a mental construct modeled after the Eight Domains of the Lower Realm, brimming with extraordinary properties. It was like a reflection in a mirror, a world born from the amalgamation of powerful spiritual entities. The spirit, after all, was as mysterious and potent as the physical body.
"Stay sharp. Dying here will leave you weakened for months in reality. And if you're struck by something like a Soul-Extinguishing Needle or a Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, your physical body could perish as well."
As they spoke, the two arrived swiftly at the gates of Qianfeng City.
"Aren't we supposed to take on the Heaven Severing Sect's heir? Why are we here?" Lin Fan asked, subtly altering his appearance to conceal his identity.
Yue Chan's brow furrowed, a hint of indignation in her voice. "This city is a stronghold of the Sikong Clan in the Heavenly Passage Realm. Recently, their prodigy, Sikong Ming, had the audacity to say I'm inferior to the Witch and less attractive than her, so…"
"So, just because he didn't fawn over you and praised the Heaven Severing Sect's Witch instead, you want to beat him up?" Lin Fan finished with a chuckle.
"Hmph!" Yue Chan huffed, her silence a tacit admission.
She could lose to anyone—anyone but her archrival, the Witch. I'm sweet-voiced, beautiful, and ethereal as an immortal. How am I inferior to that vixen? Some people have no taste!
Of course, her dear junior brother was even worse. During their fights, he aimed straight for her face without a shred of mercy, utterly clueless about cherishing beauty.
If she knew I was thinking this, I'd be so wronged! Lin Fan thought. He simply wasn't interested in little girls or loli types. If it were someone like Qing Yao, a mature and regal beauty, he'd be tripping over himself to please her.
Inside the city, the streets buzzed with activity, a vibrant tapestry of cultivators gathered to trade, discuss the Dao, or exchange insights. Though physical goods couldn't be traded in the Spirit World, agreements could be made here and finalized in reality, saving time and enhancing safety.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked Qianfeng City. The Sikong Clan's towering, dozens-of-zhang-high gate shattered into rubble, its divinely inscribed plaque splintering into pieces.
"Who dares attack the Sikong Clan? Are you courting death?!" a thunderous roar erupted from the mansion, scattering the clouds above, the voice seething with rage.
"Send out Sikong Ming, or I'll raze this place to the ground!" Lin Fan bellowed, striding forward with the gait of a tiger, his eyes cold and fearless.
With a single step, he crossed dozens of zhang, entering the clan's opulent estate. As guards rushed to intercept him, Lin Fan merely glanced their way, his pace unbroken. As he passed, he seized two guards by their heads, hurling them toward the grandiose mansion.
Bang!
The impact demolished a resplendent hall, the terrifying force staggering to behold. The guards were utterly dazed, catching only a fleeting afterimage before being flung like sandbags, powerless to resist.
Even Yue Chan, trailing a step behind, was stunned, her mouth forming a perfect "O." My junior brother is too bold—barging straight into their home without a word!
More figures poured from the Sikong mansion—over twenty in total, wielding gleaming swords, sabers, and hammers that radiated treasure light, bathing the area in divine radiance.
Each was formidable, elite in the Heavenly Passage Realm, with at least three Heavenly Passages opened, some boasting six or seven.
They surrounded Lin Fan, wasting no words on an enemy. With a shout, they charged.
"Kill!"
"Death to those who dare defile the Sikong Clan!" a middle-aged leader barked, waving his hand.
Instantly, dozens attacked. Sabers slashed, swords soared, and runes blazed, unleashing a cascade of brilliant light.
But what followed was chilling. Lin Fan transformed into a streak of rainbow light, and in the blink of an eye, four attackers' heads exploded.
The crowd couldn't even track his shadow—so fast, so overwhelmingly powerful!
"Agh!"
A scream pierced the air as another fell, their spiritual form extinguished, dissolving into light rain and vanishing. They'd be barred from the Spirit World for months.
Recovery was possible with rare spiritual herbs, but such treasures were scarce and exorbitantly costly, beyond the reach of most.
"Together! Form the array!" the middle-aged leader growled, his face dark.
The Sikong Clan was a prominent force in the region, not on par with great sects but a local hegemon. To be attacked at their doorstep was a humiliation that would make them a laughingstock in both the Spirit World and reality if not avenged.
They had to repay blood with blood to cleanse this shame.
Whoosh!
The void lit up with countless runes, divine light surging skyward, mist swirling as if stars were falling and suns were blazing. A terrifying aura enveloped the area.
But Lin Fan wasn't foolish enough to face an entire array alone. Halting his advance, he stood his ground, summoning the crimson feather fan. With a fierce wave toward the crowd—
Boom!
Heavenly flames roared, gales howled, and lightning cracked, engulfing the courtyard in a blinding inferno. The scene was apocalyptic, as if the heavens were unleashing divine retribution upon the mortal realm, sending chills through all who witnessed it.
"That kid's treasure is extraordinary!" the Sikong Clan members cried, retreating swiftly as they sensed death's approach. The fan's divine might was too overwhelming to confront head-on.
As they scattered, the crimson flames and thunder descended, blanketing the area. A deafening explosion erupted, transforming the courtyard into a hellscape. Those too slow to escape were incinerated instantly, without even time to scream—a gruesome fate.
The earth split open, revealing treasure bones inscribed with runes, now dulled and shattered like wilted flowers. These were merely one corner of the array, hinting at the countless bones and formations the Sikong Clan had buried to protect their stronghold.
Without the fan's power, Lin Fan would've faced a grueling battle to break through.
_
The Spirit World's Qianfeng City trembled under the chaos, the Sikong Clan's estate reduced to a smoldering ruin. The air crackled with residual energy, a testament to Lin Fan's ruthless efficiency and the devastating might of his borrowed treasure, as Yue Chan watched in stunned admiration.
____
If you want to support me and read advanced 60+ chapters and other stories join: patreon.com/Caluem