Chapter 148: The Excited Elder Han

Whispers rippled through the surrounding crowd as no one had ever imagined that things would reach such a breaking point among the three of them.

Hidden not far away, however, the men dispatched by Elder Han—who had been keeping a close eye on Lin An and the others all along—wore expressions of delight. This was nothing short of a godsend. Pang Bo had been designated as an immortal seed, so Elder Han dared not touch him. But Ye Fan and Lin An possessed no official status whatsoever within the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven. With Pang Bo out of the picture, even if they made a move out in the open, it was unlikely anyone would raise an objection.

"Pang Bo, I've finally seen your true colors. Even if I, Ye Fan, were to die out in the wilderness, I would never come looking for you," Ye Fan said coldly, his voice indifferent.

"Damn it, are these two professional actors? If I didn't know the inside story, I'd probably suspect there was genuinely something wrong between them." Lin An muttered inwardly. He had to admit that their acting skills were indeed top-notch; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people outside taking it all for truth.

"Pang Bo, do you really have to be so ruthless? No matter what, between us there was still—"

"What was there? The two of you will amount to nothing more than ordinary mortals incapable of cultivation in the future, while I have been chosen as an immortal seed by the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven. We are destined to live in different worlds. Leaving now is probably for the best for all three of us."

Before Lin An could finish his sentence, Pang Bo cut him off bluntly.

"Let's go. Why waste any more breath talking to someone like this?"

Ye Fan had no desire to carry on with the act either. He grabbed Lin An and pulled him straight toward the outer paths.

Pang Bo let out a cold snort and said nothing more, but the smile on his face carried an air of absolute finality.

Neither Ye Fan nor Lin An was particularly familiar with the terrain here, but they didn't mind in the least. After all, their primary objective right now wasn't to escape this place, but rather to wait for Elder Han to make his move and take the two of them away to be refined into medicine.

In fact, Elder Han might not even dare to brew pills within the confines of the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven. If he fled beyond the grotto-heaven's boundaries, it would suit Ye Fan and Lin An's plans even better.

The two walked aimlessly like this until, before they knew it, they arrived at a densely wooded forest. From time to time, streaks of rainbow light flashed across the sky above, accompanied by the flitting forms of various spiritual beasts, creating a rather picturesque atmosphere.

"There is a path to heaven, yet you refuse to walk it; there is no door to hell, yet you crash right through. Heaven is truly helping this old man! To think the two of you would actually run off to such a desolate, unpopulated place on your own—are you simply tired of living?"

At that moment, a venomous voice echoed out. Lin An and Ye Fan felt a chill in their hearts as they exchanged glances. The primary target had finally arrived. They hadn't expected him to be so impatient; after all, less than half a day had passed since Lin An and Ye Fan had left, yet Elder Han had already tracked them down.

His body was withered like a dead tree, his black robes draped over a short, thin bamboo-pole frame, which, coupled with his unkempt white hair, made him look eerie and terrifying. Moving like a ghost without the slightest sound, his feet hovering just above the ground, he drifted forward, exuding a palpable reek of death.

It was no wonder Elder Han was so impatient. At present, he was like decaying wood, his body radiating an aura of mortality. Before long, his lifespan would likely be exhausted, leading to his ultimate demise.

"You must be Elder Han?" Ye Fan's gaze remained steady as he calmly appraised the elder.

"Oh? Judging by your demeanor, you don't seem afraid of this old man?" Elder Han asked with an air of relaxed amusement.

Since the two had already fallen into his grasp, he no longer worried about any mishaps occurring.

"Afraid? Naturally, I'm afraid. But will being afraid make you let us go?" Lin An retorted with a curl of his lip.

To be honest, this Elder Han was indeed formidable, but given Lin An's current strength, killing him would still be an effortless task.

"Consider yourselves fortunate to have a shred of self-awareness. It’s just a pity about the divine fruits of the Archaic Forbidden Land—to think they were squandered in such a barbarous fashion by two vulgar mortals like you. Had they fallen into my hands, they could have extended my lifespan by at least a hundred years."

Elder Han gnashed his teeth, speaking as though Lin An and the others had stolen his very lifeline.

"The Archaic Forbidden Land is right there, and the divine fruits still exist. If you want them so badly, old man, you can go into the forbidden land and pick them yourself right now. To utter such words to two ordinary mortals, don't you feel any shame?" Ye Fan said with utter disdain.

"Hmph, do you think just anyone can enter the Archaic Forbidden Land? Who knows what kind of blind luck allowed the two of you to walk out of there alive.

"However, it matters not what you say now. The two of you are destined to become my prey!"

Without another word of preamble, Elder Han grew tired of exchanging banter with two mortals. Two streaks of rainbow light flashed from his hand, instantly subduing both Ye Fan and Lin An. Transforming into a beam of dazzling light, he sped away, heading beyond the borders of the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven.

"Your time to die has not yet arrived. An old friend of mine has prepared a multitude of medicinal herbs for me. Once I return to my dwelling, take the countless spiritual herbs I've previously gathered, and combine them with the herbs prepared by my friend in advance, I am confident I will be able to refine a grand medicine that satisfies my desires."

Elder Han seemed to be issuing a warning to the pair, telling them not to harbor any foolish thoughts of escape.

Upon returning to the grotto-dwelling, looking at the vast array of spiritual herbs prepared by Elder Han, even Lin An was deeply astonished. He realized that compared to Elder Han's collection, his own stash was merely a drop in the ocean. With others helping to gather materials for him as well, it was no wonder he had been able to feed a bottomless pit like Ye Fan. This hoard likely represented the accumulated treasures of Elder Han's entire lifetime.

Alas, in the end, they were all destined to serve as wedding garments for Ye Fan and Lin An.

Elder Han bustled about with excited anticipation, as if he could already see Ye Fan refined into a medicinal pill before his eyes.

The cave dwelling embedded deep within the mountain belly was exceedingly profound, with luminous pearls embedded at intervals along the path, keeping the interior well-lit. Leading Ye Fan along, Elder Han quickly arrived at a spacious stone chamber. A rich aroma of herbs drifted through the air, and over a dozen large medicinal cauldrons stood within, each more than a meter high and carved with intricate, archaic patterns.

"The spiritual herbs are finally gathered. Hahaha..." Elder Han burst into laughter, his voice grating and harsh like a grieving vengeful ghost, making one's scalp tingle.

Aside from the medicine cauldrons, the stone chamber also housed more than a dozen medicine cabinets. As Elder Han opened them one by one, waves of rich herbal fragrance instantly assailed the senses.

"Take a look at what I have prepared for you. These are priceless spiritual treasures that money cannot buy!" He opened a wooden box, revealing a lotus seed the size of a pigeon's egg, pitch-black and lustrous, as though sculpted from black jade. An intense fragrance rushed toward them, sinking straight into their bones.

"Do you know what this is? This is a lotus seed produced by the Black Jade Divine Lotus, which only bears a single seed every five hundred years. Its value is beyond imagination, brimming with boundless vitality."

Putting down the wooden box, Elder Han opened an ancient-looking jade box. Instantly, a brilliant wave of green radiance spilled outward—an egg-sized green fruit, seemingly carved from emerald jade, radiating a soft, sparkling, and crystal-clear glow.

"Do you know what this is? This is the legendary fruit of the Azure Jade Snow Lotus, which grows atop mountains of snow tens of thousands of meters high, untouched by sunlight for a millennium, guarded by powerful demonic beasts. It cost me eight whole years of toil to manage to pluck just one."

Each of these items contained overwhelmingly powerful life essence. If Ye Fan were to consume them, he would undoubtedly be able to expand his golden sea of bitterness by a massive margin.

Elder Han continued forward, picking up another wooden box. Upon opening it, a faint red light shone forth. A rare nine-leaved stalk of grass, carved as though from red jade through and through, glittered brilliantly while a peculiar herbal fragrance drifted about.

"Do you know what this is? The legendary Nine-Leaved Phoenix Grass!" Elder Han appeared quite agitated as he spoke, "Legend has it that this divine grass can only grow on soil stained with the blood of a phoenix. I spent over a dozen years far from the lands of Yan, scouring countless ancient domains and ruins, just to find this single stalk. It is a priceless, peerless spiritual treasure!"

Elder Han kept opening boxes, revealing more than a dozen kinds of spiritual herbs in total. Each one was exceedingly precious, rare in this world, and of immeasurable value!

Inside the cave dwelling, brilliant colors flashed as the various spiritual herbs emitted multicolored radiances and released refreshing, invigorating fragrances.

Even in such a predicament, Ye Fan felt a dizzying sense of fascination. These peerless spiritual herbs were simply too precious; if he could consume them, his cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

With a sinister smile, Elder Han said, "There is no need to be envious or jealous. When the time comes, the two of you will be placed together into the same medicinal cauldron to be brewed; they shall accompany you until the end."

"You have gathered so many spiritual herbs—surely that is more than enough to prolong your vitality. Why must you drag me into this?"

"If I were merely refining the Rejuvenation Pill, it would indeed be enough. But knowing that you have ingested the legendary holy fruit and divine spring, my standards naturally have to be raised."

"Not to mention, the batch I need to refine now is for two people!"