Rank 4. He had finally stepped into it.
This was not the end. Lin Yan's accumulated foundation had already reached its peak. Without stopping, he took out two Yellow Golden Relic Gu and refined them, his aura rising steadily.
Rank 4 mid-stage bright golden primeval essence… Rank 4 Upper-stage refined golden primeval essence… In a blink of an eye, Lin Yan had reached Rank 4 Upper-stage cultivation, second only to the three Rank 5 Family Elders of the Huang Family.
At only seventeen and a half years old, a Refinement Path master, a Flame Path and Human Path quasi-Master, with seven and a half years remaining until Fang Yuan's rebirth, he was already on the verge of the peak of the mortal world.
Lin Yan stood up, feeling that his hardships had finally paid off, and everything felt just right. However, Immortal Ascension still required careful planning. The more human influence he accumulated, the greater his potential after Rank 6, so there was no need to rush.
Now, Lin Yan's accumulated resources were mostly depleted, so there was no point in staying here any longer. He still held more than ten Thousand Wishes Tree flowers in his hand, which was already enough.
He used the Nine-Eyed Liquor Worm to refine his primeval essence to peak stage, then took a deep look at the Thousand Wishes Tree before turning and leaving.
As Lin Yan moved swiftly across the vast land, he began to plan his next steps. First, his Gu needed further refinement. With his Refinement Path master attainment, the success rate would not be low. Second, he needed to obtain the core content of the Huang Family's Flame Path True Inheritance of Rank 4 and Rank 5.
Finally, he considered whether he could obtain the remaining five White Silver Relic Gu from the Family's secret vault, merge them into Yellow Golden Relic Gu, and directly push his cultivation to Rank 4 peak in one step.
"It won't be easy. I'm out of primeval stones… perhaps I can trade the Rank 4 Liquor Worm?"
While Lin Yan was contemplating, the scenery before him suddenly shifted. He had already left the Thousand Wishes Tree's illusion. Looking back, there was no ten-thousand-foot sand hill, only a vast, desolate desert.
He activated his Fire Eyes and Golden Gaze, scanning the surroundings. There were no traces of people. He nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Midway, Lin Yan's expression changed. He looked toward the distant horizon. A black dot appeared in his vision, rapidly enlarging, flying straight toward him at high speed.
After a few breaths, he saw it clearly—it was a huge bird, its wings stretching several meters.
"Rank 5… Zhang Bai." Lin Yan was caught off guard. He did not expect that coming out alone would attract such a powerful pursuer.
How did he find me? Does he know about the Thousand Wishes Tree?
At this moment, Lin Yan's brows furrowed, and a trace of killing intent flashed in his eyes. He activated Treading Fire Gu, Burning Wind Gu, and Fire Source Gu and began to retreat at high speed. His mind remained extremely calm. Trying to outrun Zhang Bai, who possessed the ultimate move "Great giant bird Transformation," was unrealistic. It would only waste primeval essence.
If he were still at Rank 3 peak, he would have no choice but to wait for death, or reveal some trump card to buy time.
But now, everything is different. He was Rank 4 Upper-stage, possessed peak-level primeval essence, had refined three Rank 4 top-grade Flame Path Gu, and even the Dream Derivation Gu in his aperture was nearing Rank 4.
His first purpose in retreating was to buy time. His second was to show weakness. For a time, the two figures—one Rank 4, one Rank 5—moved rapidly across the sky and land, one chasing, one retreating.
In mid-air, Zhang Bai, under his transformation, closed the distance step by step. A cold sneer appeared on his face as he shouted, "Lin Yan, where are you running? Why don't you kneel and surrender? The Huang Family can still redeem you."
Zhang Bai gritted his teeth. After wandering the wilderness for nearly four months, he had almost given up. But he had remained near the only route back to Sandwell Oasis, waiting. And now, that patience has finally paid off.