Zhao Jingxuan and Xia Zhi departed together. With Xia Zhi at her side, Lin Xun felt no real concern. After all, with Xia Zhi’s strength, she could even slay cultivators at the pinnacle of the Transcendence Stage. Moreover, she possessed Mortal Calamity, a forbidden art linked to the Dao of Fate itself. In the Great Thousand Worlds, there was now no one who could rival her.

“Father.” Lin Fan arrived in a hurry, moments after Lin Xun had finished seeing them off.

“What is it? Have you become invincible in this realm already?” Lin Xun asked with a faint smile.

Over the past few days, Lin Fan had followed Lin Xun’s arrangement, battling the supreme Emperor Ancestors of the seven great forces to hone himself. His progress had been astonishing.

“Almost.” Lin Fan said, grinning. “But I didn’t come to see you this time for you to test my cultivation. There is another matter I must speak to you about.”

His temperament was as calm as a breeze beneath pine branches, as clear as moonlight over a mountain stream. His appearance was handsome and refined. Even in his father’s presence, he carried himself with an open and composed grace.

“What is it?

“Come with me, Father.” With that, he turned and shot off in the direction of the Fangchun Ruins.

Halfway there, a graceful figure flew toward them from afar. Before she had even arrived, her sweet and melodious voice rang out, “Brother Fan, I finally found you.”

She had come for Lin Fan.

Lin Xun recognized her at once. She was Shi Yu’s daughter, Shi Linlang. She was a bright and beautiful maiden.

“Uh...what is it?” Lin Fan paused awkwardly.

Shi Linlang did not answer him directly. Instead, she turned to Lin Xun and greeted him with a soft smile, “Uncle Lin.”

Lin Xun’s gaze shifted between the two of them. Guessing the situation at once, he let out a light chuckle. “You two talk. I’ll step aside for a moment.”

With his hands clasped behind his back, he continued walking, leaving them some distance and privacy.

Fan’er is already old enough to think of marriage... Lin Xun thought to himself. Shi Linlang is Shi Yu’s daughter, and they have been good friends since a young age. If the two of them are truly compatible, that would be a fine match.

Of course, such matters were for Lin Fan himself to decide.

Before long, Lin Fan caught up to Lin Xun and said with a smile, “Father, let’s go.”

Lin Xun glanced at Shi Linlang’s departing silhouette, then turned away without asking another word. This was a matter that should be decided by Lin Fan himself.

Fangchun Ruins.

Led by Lin Fan, they soon reached the depths of an underground cavern. It was clear that this place had lain abandoned for countless years, but now, an astonishing aura of the great dao filled the air, and faint echoes of dao sounds reverberated.

“Did this appear recently?” Lin Xun asked.

“Just yesterday,” Lin Fan replied. “It’s most likely due to the upheaval inside the Return Dominion. I have already entered and explored the cave, and I have reason to believe this place is connected to the Lord of Fangchun Mountain.”

Lin Xun’s expression sharpened. He immediately quickened his pace. Soon, they reached the end of the cavern. There, within a vast, empty space, lay only a single prayer mat and nothing else. In that instant, Lin Xun’s gaze locked onto it.

“Father, that prayer mat is extremely mysterious. With my current cultivation, I can’t draw near to it, can’t touch it and can’t even probe it with my divine sense,” Lin Fan said in a low voice.

Lin Xun released his divine sense toward it and immediately sensed something profoundly abnormal. An unfathomable, obscure power of restriction surrounded the prayer mat, forming a terrifying invisible barrier. Even for him, drawing closer was unexpectedly difficult.

However, that restriction power was strangely familiar. A thought flashed through his mind. Without hesitation, he activated the power of his Sacred Combat Art and reached toward the prayer mat.

Swoosh!

The mat suddenly burst into radiant brilliance, unleashing a cascading rain of divine dao light. At the same time, a torrent of realizations flooded into Lin Xun’s mind. This underground cavern had been carved out by the Lord of Fangchun Mountain himself, and his fourth senior brother, Ling Xuanzi, had once been suppressed here.

Moreover, upon that prayer mat, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain had sealed the imprints of Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances. Of course, he left them for Ling Xuanzi.

Unfortunately, at that time, Ling Xuanzi was consumed by resentment and failed to understand the true intent behind the Lord of Fangchun Mountain’s suppression. Throughout the countless years of his confinement, he never attempted to comprehend the profound mysteries of those nine great inheritances.

Having learned all this, Lin Xun couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion in his heart.

Fortunately, Fourth Senior Brother has now turned over a new leaf. Otherwise, with his abilities, if he had chosen to bring calamity upon the world, the consequences would have been utterly unimaginable.

“Father, what secret lies within that prayer mat?” Lin Fan asked, his curiosity evident.

“Wait here for a moment.” Lin Xun replied. He stepped forward and sat cross-legged upon the mat. With a single thought, the nine inheritances sealed within it flooded into his mind.

In the past, he had often heard his senior brothers and sisters speak of these inheritances, but aside from the Sacred Combat Art, he had never truly grasped their mysteries. Now, however, the mysteries of these inheritances now revealed themselves to him one by one.

They were the Sacred Combat Art, Great Genesis Heart Sutra, Fangchun Prison, Wandering Sutra, Boundless Nearness, Transformation Freedom, Unfettered Roaming, Unbounded Walker and the Sutra of Perfected Knowledge.

Each of Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances had been personally created by the Lord of Fangchun Mountain, and each possessed power beyond measure. Even Ninth Senior Brother Ge Yuping’s Grand Dao Yellow Court Classic had been derived from the Transformation Freedom inheritance!

When cultivated to its peak, one could assume the form of all things in existence, heaven and earth, the sun and moon, mountains and seas, and even all living beings. It was a technique that seemed to steal the secrets of creation itself.

As for the Sutra of Perfected Knowledge, its essence lay in the principle of ‘investigating all things to attain true understanding,’ to discern the workings of creation and perceive its hidden mysteries. Senior Brother Pu Zhen’s All-Inclusive Plant Index was derived from this very sutra.

Only after a long while did Lin Xun finally open his eyes, the profound mysteries of the nine great inheritances now fully etched into his mind.

“Although these are Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances, their mysteries can only be cultivated up to the Emperor Realm. Master did this out of concern that his successors might become bound by his path and be unable to walk their own...”

Lin Xun understood this well. Only after stepping into the Emperor Stage could one truly begin to walk one’s own dao path. His master, the Lord of the Fangchun Mountain, had acted with profound foresight and care.

As the saying went: the master leads you to the gate, but the cultivation is up to the individual.

Before reaching the Emperor Stage, one could still rely on the teachings of one’s sect. However, once one stepped into the Emperor Realm, only the self could seek the great dao. To go further along this path, one had to create one’s own Emperor scripture!

Just as Lin Xun himself had forged the Great Dao Furnace Art when he reached the Emperor Stage.

“Fan’er, this prayer mat contains the Fangchun Mountain’s nine great inheritances. You may remain here and study them.” Lin Xun said as he stood up.

Lin Fan fell silent in thought. Then he gave a faint smile and shook his head. “Forget it. I understand the principle of drawing inferences from one example, but my Emperor Path has already reached its limit. No inheritance under heaven holds any meaning for me now.”

Lin Xun’s brows lifted slightly. “Since you’re so confident in your dao, shall we have a spar, father and son?”

Lin Fan froze. “Father, isn’t that a bit unfair?”

Lin Xun said calmly, “Relax. I will only use the power of the Supreme Emperor Ancestor Stage against you.”

Lin Fan’s fighting spirit instantly ignited, his eyes blazing. “Father, I’ve long heard your dao is said to be unmatched in all ages, unrivalled under heaven. I’ve long wished to see it with my own eyes.”

Lin Xun cast him a glance and said no more, “Let’s go.”

Moments later, above the Fangchun Ruins, the father and son stood facing one another in mid-air.

“Father, please!”

Lin Fan took a deep breath. A trace of pride and sharp confidence flashed across his handsome face as the aura around him shifted. In an instant, his presence transformed, radiating an overwhelming dominance, as if he stood above all under heaven.

“Come.” Lin Xun replied, suppressing his cultivation to the level of the Supreme Emperor Ancestor Stage.

“I won’t go easy on you, Father.” Lin Fan let out a low chuckle, his eyes burning with fighting spirit as he shot forward like a streak of light. At his current level of cultivation, he no longer paid any mind to those of the same realm. In this world, there were few who could truly ignite his fighting spirit.

However, when facing his father, everything was different. Since his childhood, his father had stood in his heart like an unreachable mountain, and even now, Lin Fan’s respect and admiration for him remained as deep as ever.

Of note, within that admiration burned a quiet, unyielding ambition: one day, he would catch up. He would stand shoulder to shoulder with his father on the path of the dao...and eventually, surpass him.

At this moment, Lin Fan was absolutely confident that even if he could not defeat his father, at the very least, he would not be defeated at the Supreme Emperor Ancestor Stage!

Unfortunately, reality was cruel. In a single exchange, a simple punch from Lin Xun sent Lin Fan flying through the air. His body twisted violently, his feet skidding as he barely managed to steady himself. His face was filled with astonishment.

Meanwhile, Lin Xun hovered in the distance, utterly relaxed.

“Should we continue...or?” Lin Xun asked.

Those words seemed to say: You’re still far from enough.

“Again.”

Lin Fan’s expression grew calm and deadly serious, and an undercurrent of extreme, explosive power began to seethe around him.

Bang! Before long, a palm strike slammed him down into the ground. When he rose again, his handsome face was streaked with dust and his appearance was utterly disheveled.

He stared up in disbelief, “Is this really the kind of power a supreme Emperor Ancestor can wield?”

Lin Xun smiled. “I wouldn’t stoop to using Immortal-level power against you.”

The corner of Lin Fan’s lips twitched. His jaw tightened. “Again!”

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

What followed was defeat after defeat for Lin Fan. Each time he ended up in a miserable state, yet he never suffered serious injury. Lin Xun simply could not bear to truly harm his own son. All he wished was to wear away the boy’s arrogance and temper his state of mind.

After a long while, Lin Fan stood there, panting heavily, his body coated in dust, his hair a mess and his expression constantly shifting.

“Not going again?” Lin Xun asked.

Lin Fan gave a wry smile. “Father, I’m not some masochist. If I already know something is impossible and still choose to do it, that would truly be foolish.”

“Fan’er, your strength and combat techniques do have some flaws, but they are only minor. The real issue is that your cultivation has never been tempered by true life-and-death experience. You lack the kind of fierce bearing that can only be tempered in blood ...”

Lin Xun stepped forward and handed him a wine gourd. Then, in a patient tone, he said, “Only one who has faced life and death can fully draw out their true potential and break their own limits. This is the ultimate secret to tempering oneself. No guidance and teachings in the world is more powerful than personal experience.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “In the end, it all comes down to one thing.”

Lin Fan blurted out. “What ?”

“You need to be humbled.” Those light spoken words struck harder than any blow, like an indestructible sword piercing straight through Lin Fan’s pride.