Sad Departure

Lin Fan instantly arrived on the top of Eight Clan Mountain as he looked for Han Zhou.

There was some blood droplets on the ground, but he still saw a black sphere of energy around the top of the mountain. He walked up to the portal and put his hand to it before it instantly deactivated. He smiled and saw Han Zhou sitting on the floor with his legs crossed...

"You... you survived somehow..." Lin Fan walked up to Han Zhou and patted him on the shoulder... "Here they told me that you were already dead..."

"I'm not that weak that I can't stay safe in a barrier... An assassin tried to attack the barrier, and was stabbed by what looked like some strange technology... Who designed these marking anyway?"

"I don't know... However, your grandmother is worried sick about you, or should I start calling her your younger sister now... You're probably older than her right?"

"She... she's fragile... Help me up idiot... I still can't believe I'm alive..."

"You're alive... You're alive and still breathing right? Let's go and get you a wife now loser..."

Lin Fan smiled and picked up Han Zhou before he felt a strange feeling in the air. He instantly raised his hand and caught what appeared to be a dagger as he looked down at his fist. The dagger was inches away from Han Zhou's head as the latter sighed and sat back down.

A few miles away, Pox Ran was on a mountain top with his eyes fully focused on Lin Fan. With a single step, he burst off the mountain and caused the rubble on top of it to burst in countless directions.

In just a second, he made it over Forbidden City and arrived at the Fan Sect as the array around Lin Fan started once again to reactivate.

Lin Fan sighed and looked at Pox Ran a few feet away from his face as the black membrane appeared around them. There was no point of activated a fancy barrier if all it did was trap him with his enemy... He planned on it closing before Pox Ran arrived, but he'd gotten over a mile in less than a second with a single step off his foot.

The difference between them was bigger than night and day, heaven and hell, yet he definitely didn't feel nearly as scared as he did before...

"You... you are full of surprises Lin Fan... I expected you to try and get stronger, but even you surpised me..."

"You can't predict everything, uncle in law... Why don't you sit down and talk and step away from my best friend... If you go within two inches of him, I'll make this little room we're in explode..."

"You... you really have some strange ways... This looks like a dream powered array... Who exactly have you been talking to besides the Empyreans... How the hell did you find Overlord Temple?"

"This man showed up without my approval, and drugged me before he wrote this on the floor.. How the hell am I supposed to know... You're the one that mastered all the laws, has the beautiful years of life experience..."

"You're getting more profound and mysterious... Regardless, it doesn't matter... Since you saved your friend, I'll give you one option... Have him join the Sacred Ring of Assassins, and leave this planet or I'll cut off his head right now..."

"Cut off my head..." Han Zhou said as he nodded and smiled as he slowly stood up. "I don't want you suing me as leverage... I can see what you're doing Pox Ran... This isn't a game that I can let Lin Fan lose."

"It's his decision... You can let me have him as leverage, or I can kill him and ten random people in the Fan Sect... It's not like you can stop me..."

"That's... that's not allowed..." Han Zhou wiped the sweat off his head as he looked towards the North Hills as he suddenly got very nervous... "You... you aren't allowed to hurt people below your rank, and everyone in the Fan Sect was already vetted by me to be below the Apotheosis Realm..."

"You're a good strategist.. Anyways, I don't have to kill anyone... They just have to die..." Pox Ran was getting bored and tossed Lin Fan a spatial ring... "Here, give me Han Zhou and in exchange I'll give you three more sentient treasures..."

"Take him..." Lin Fan smiled and patted Han Zhou on the back... "Take him, but don't train him too hard... His nails haven't broken in thousands of years..."

"After he wins the war, I'm coming back and ruling..." Han Zhou wiped the tears off his eyes as he smiled and patted Lin Fan on the back... "I'm sorry for being weak... You have more than enough to keep you company with my grandmother by your side..."

"I like you... let's go.... Lin Fan... you're not bad... Next time, I'll be gunning for that little head of yours..."

Lin Fan nodded and watched Pox Ran disappear with such a quick tempo that he could barely make out his movements. The mortal shedding realm was just too far away from any other realm a person like Lin Fan could hope to compete with in the near term. His only hope was to outsmart Pox Ran in their battle in the next couple months...

The next couple of months were going to be some of the hardest he ever had to face. The only thing he had to look forward to right now was waiting on his bed in the Fan Sect Workshop...

"Well, time to take some anger out on that pretty grandmother of his... Thanks for the help Han Zhou... Glad I can make you some future uncles..."