Ye Fan was still searching for a way to return to the Pan Gu Secret Realm, but he had already tried many methods and discovered that he simply did not have the ability to break through the layers of defenses set by the Pan Gu Secret Realm.

The greatest boundary of the Pan Gu Secret Realm came from the external void. This void power was extremely formidable. Although this power of the void might not be as strong as the void power surrounding the second Pan Gu Secret Realm, it was still more than enough to block Ye Fan—who was unable to mobilize the elemental power in his body—outside the Pan Gu Secret Realm.

At this time, Sang Yuan was already prepared to rule the Pan Gu Secret Realm. She intended to seize the opportunity while Ye Fan was away to realize her own ambition: to complete, in her own way, Ye Fan’s unfinished idea of unifying the Pan Gu Secret Realm.

"Lord Divine Envoy, we have already flattened all the mountain gates of the seven great sects according to your orders. From now on, the other sects no longer have their mountain gate gathering grounds, and the restrictive powers within their gates can no longer pose any influence on you. Starting now, the Pan Gu Secret Realm has been completely brought within the scope of your plan." Sang Yuan’s subordinates had already reported the situation to her. Under her instruction, these people had thoroughly integrated the seven great sects.

A look of satisfaction appeared on Sang Yuan’s face as she said, "Very good. From now on, there is no longer any force within the Pan Gu Secret Realm that can affect Young Master in any way. It’s best if these forces are completely eradicated. Those who are not of our race are sure to harbor different hearts. If we want to truly subdue them, we must leave them without a homeland so they will obey Young Master completely. We must even cripple the cultivation of those disobedient cultivators. Only then will they fully obey Young Master’s orders—and mine!"

When Sang Yuan spoke, she carried an air of overbearing dominance. She had violated Ye Fan’s orders, yet at the same time she had accomplished what Ye Fan had never instructed her to do: to integrate the seven great sects and destroy the original cultivation order within the Pan Gu Secret Realm.

Sang Yuan’s subordinate appeared somewhat worried and said, "Lord Divine Envoy, the Young Master is currently missing. You made this decision without following his instructions. If Young Master returns, will he blame you for it?"

"What is there to be afraid of? The things Young Master once hesitated to do, I have now helped him accomplish. Even if Young Master punishes someone, it will only be me. What does that have to do with you? You should focus on doing things for me. If you keep making these remarks, believe it or not, I’ll cripple your cultivation as well. Don’t forget who gave you your current cultivation. It wasn’t Young Master—it was me. You belong to me, while Young Master is merely my master. You are to obey me in all things, and only I obey Young Master. You do not need to answer directly to him, nor do you have that qualification. Get lost!" Sang Yuan was furious, because now her subordinates no longer obeyed her; in everything they considered Ye Fan’s will instead.

The cultivators under her command were also well aware of one fact: the gap between Sang Yuan’s cultivation and Ye Fan’s was not just a little. If Ye Fan were to return, killing Sang Yuan would be an easy matter. At present, Sang Yuan was merely an assistant under Ye Fan’s hand, and these people also knew that only by following Ye Fan could they truly obtain power, not by following Sang Yuan.

In front of her own subordinates, Sang Yuan was already on the verge of losing her deterrent force, which made her extremely displeased in her heart.

...

...

At the same time, Xi He was also searching for Ye Fan. After searching through several timelines and even scouring inside the Pan Gu Secret Realm, she began to worry that Ye Fan simply was not within the Pan Gu Secret Realm.

"Do I have to go to the second Pan Gu Secret Realm to search for Master’s presence?" Xi He’s gaze grew somewhat distant. For Xuan Nv, entering the second secret realm was extremely difficult, but for Xi He, there were still channels to enter the second secret realm, though the process would likely be very complicated. Very soon, she appeared within the second secret realm.

Within the second secret realm, Xi He began to look for traces of Ye Fan, but unfortunately the second secret realm was extremely calm. Even if there were some cultivators, they were merely the cultivators Ye Fan had brought here to build towns.

These cultivators were originally all under Sang Yuan’s command. Although their cultivation was also quite high, they had definitely not reached the Mahayana Realm, much less the Transcendance Tribulation Stage. In the cultivation world their status was already not low, but if one included the entire Immortal Realm, then their level of cultivation could be said to be utterly insignificant.

"It seems Master has not come here, because Master also knows this is not the final safe haven. He only sent the people by his side here in order to grant them an additional layer of void protection. But when Master encountered a problem, he should have passively entered a certain space to cultivate there. Later, he should have gone into hiding so as not to be found. Perhaps Master, in his heart, also suspects me, suspects Xuan Nv, or even suspects the loyalty of the other people around him. I still do not know exactly what level Master’s cultivation has reached now, but I know the elemental power in Master’s body must have been suppressed. Without that elemental power to help him, Master’s cultivation simply cannot reach the level of the ancient cultivators; he might not even be able to fully defeat Su Nv, that former defeated opponent of his. In such a situation, Master likely doesn’t dare return to the Pan Gu Secret Realm or the second secret realm, in order to avoid encountering his enemies and ending up in a situation where he can neither advance nor retreat." Xi He stood atop the highest peak of the second Pan Gu Secret Realm; from there, she could almost bring half of the second secret realm into her field of vision.

At this moment, she could sense several female cultivators of relatively low cultivation who had been sent here by Ye Fan, including the women by Ye Fan’s side—among them even Qin Mengyao and Zhao Tianya. She would not disturb their peace, because she knew these people had not seen Ye Fan. Even if she disturbed them, it would only increase their baseless suspicions and worries about Ye Fan, which was not an outcome she wished to see.

"If Master has not come here, where would he go? He is not in the Pan Gu Secret Realm, and not in the second secret realm either, which means he must be in the real universe—or perhaps in some extremely tiny space within the universe. Such a space should not be an alternate-dimension universe, because if Master entered an alternate-dimension universe, it would be very difficult for him to return!"

Xi He’s expression was distant and indistinct. She was pondering many questions. With her wisdom, she could actually deduce many possible outcomes; after all, she was an ancient cultivator, possessing extraordinarily high intelligence.

"If Master does not return, then how should the order he established in the Pan Gu Secret Realm be handled? At present these cultivators are already being constrained within a relatively peaceful framework of order. If someone breaks this order, these people will rise in resistance, and there might even be many casualties. That is definitely not a result Master wishes to see!"