Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit

"Medicine King Star."

"Jiulong River System."

"This ring, including the Gan Chen inside it, both originate from the Medicine King Star and the Jiulong River System."

Chen Jichuan held great interest in the regions outside Wuhe Star.

From this ring and from Gan Chen, he should be able to obtain what he desired.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

The ring was a disaster for Xiao Lan, but for him, it was an opportunity. Since it came from Xiao Lan, he ought to repay her, if only a little.

"Don't look at me like that."

"I may not be a good person, but I don't covet others' opportunities out of envy."

"There are indeed kind-hearted old men in this world."

"But, unfortunately for you, the person you've encountered isn't a good person."

Chen Jichuan glanced at Xiao Lan, whose face was pale. He chuckled, stored the ring away, and his five fingers turned claw-like as they pressed onto the top of Xiao Lan's head. Under her horrified gaze, flames erupted from his fingertips.

The flames roared.

Engulfing her entire body in an instant.

"You've already taken my opportunity; why do you still want to end my life?"

"I swear, I won't utter a single word about this to anyone!"

Xiao Lan was resilient.

Though she harbored resentment over losing the ring, she wanted to live more than anything. She had already grown, and from Granny Gan she'd learned that there was a vast world beyond Wuhe Star.

She wanted to see it.

Xiao Lan wasn't worried for Granny Gan; such a well-traveled and knowledgeable person wouldn't be easily harmed by anyone.

Once her cultivation improved, she could take the ring back and repay Granny Gan for recognizing her talent.

But everything —

Her future.

Granny Gan's eventual fate.

All of this first required that: "I must survive!"

The fire scorched her entire body, causing Xiao Lan excruciating pain and leaving her dazed. Only her indomitable will to survive kept her conscious.

"Xu Ning!"

"Xu Ning!"

"Do you truly wish to leave me no way out?!"

A heart full of grief and hatred boiled within her.

At that moment.

A voice suddenly echoed near her ears: "Such a cruel little brat. Old woman and you share neither resentment nor grudge; why force me like this?"

"This is—"

Xiao Lan, who was already despairing, was suddenly overjoyed upon hearing the voice, and a glimmer of hope rekindled in her heart.

She listened intently, feeling as much as she could.

Then she saw that two streams of fire were in fierce opposition inside her body.

One strong, the other weak, with a clear disparity.

The strong one belonged to her enemy.

The weak one was hers.

The 'Wolf' and 'Leopard' spirits, cultivated through the Five Wheel Fire Separation Technique, materialized at that moment, howling toward the heavens. The voice came from them — it was Granny Gan's voice.

Xiao Lan's heart was initially filled with joy.

However, she quickly realized that something was amiss.

"The Wolf and Leopard spirits were cultivated by me; why—"

Xiao Lan's heart sank, and an unsettling thought surfaced that she was reluctant to believe.

And then, the voice of her former fiancé echoed in her ears—

"Xiao Lan's cultivation journey hasn't been easy, and she sent me an opportunity. Under such circumstances, it would be unkind to remain idle."

"Apologies, Granny Gan."

Chen Jichuan's voice was calm, and the Daluo Heavenly Fire swept forth, causing Xiao Lan's mana to snap and crackle chaotically. Hidden within her mana, the two Primordial Spirits concealed by Gan Chen had nowhere to hide and couldn't escape the blockade. They could only manipulate Xiao Lan's mana to contend with Chen Jichuan.

But, ultimately, they were mere residual souls forming weak Divine Separations. No matter how mighty a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator, you can't make bricks without straw.

They could only watch as they were little by little engulfed and refined by the Daluo Heavenly Fire.

"Fine!"

"You want to play hero and save the damsel in distress? I won't let you succeed!"

Granny Gan saw that she couldn't hold out any longer. Her mind hardened, and she immediately merged the two Fire Spirits, manifesting into the image of an old woman. In a flash, she charged straight into Xiao Lan's consciousness sea.

"Granny!"

"It's me, Lan'er!"

Xiao Lan felt Granny Gan's fierce momentum and sensed the bitter killing intent within.

It was at that moment she finally understood — everything was fake!

Fake!

"You cannot harm her."

As Granny Gan went all-in, risking mutual destruction, Chen Jichuan pressed his thumb against Xiao Lan's forehead. A streak of golden light entered, transforming into the Soul Suppressing Bell, enveloping Xiao Lan's lonely and helpless soul.

Dong~

As Granny Gan charged forward, the Soul Suppressing Bell reverberated and instantly expelled her.

She reverted back to a Fire Spirit.

"Damn it!"

"Just a little more!"

"Just a little more!"

The wolf and leopard-shaped flames simultaneously spoke, emitting Granny Gan's voice full of indignation. The two Fire Spirits glared at Chen Jichuan with utter hatred.

But with no means left, they ultimately dispersed into nothingness.

Before disappearing, Granny Gan's voice echoed hatefully in Xiao Lan's mind: "Little brat, one day you'll come begging this old woman!"

And then, silence.

...

"The future can wait for the future."

Chen Jichuan's sharp gaze swept over Xiao Lan, seeing through her inside and out. Confirming she carried no further dangers, he finally dispelled the Daluo Heavenly Fire.

As he released her.

Xiao Lan's entire body weakened, nearly collapsing to the ground, stumbling forward.

Chen Jichuan swiftly sidestepped to avoid her.

Xiao Lan staggered forward, barely managing to stabilize herself, unaware of his subtle maneuvers.

She worked to steady herself.

Xiao Lan raised her head to look at Chen Jichuan and forced a bitter smile, saying, "Thank you, True Person, for saving my life!"

In moments, Xiao Lan had understood that the Five Wheel Fire Separation Technique Granny Gan had given her was clearly riddled with deceit!

The two Fire Spirits she had already cultivated turned out to contain Granny Gan's concealed Primordial Spirits.

If her motives weren't malicious, why would she do such underhanded things?!

And in the end, when faced with a dead end, she even tried to take her down with her.

The cold disdain and murderous intent in her words broke Xiao Lan's heart.

Thinking back to the seventy to eighty years of wind and rain she'd shared with this person she'd always viewed as a benevolent benefactor and mentor, who secretly harbored these motives —

Xiao Lan felt an overwhelming sorrow that far eclipsed any anger.

"Why would she do this?"

"I already promised her I'd bring her back, rebuild her body, and avenge her against her traitorous disciples!"

"Why did she still do this?!"

Xiao Lan's expression was despondent.

The trust and dependence she had placed had been ruthlessly trampled upon — it was an unbearable feeling.

"Fortunately, I arrived early. If we had waited another three to five years until your third Fire Spirit was complete, then she would have taken over your body without resistance."

"With three Primordial Spirits combined, you wouldn't even have the strength to fight back."

Chen Jichuan saw through everything, clearly understanding Granny Gan's intentions.

Though he still didn't fully grasp the techniques of Divinity Transformation Stage cultivators, Granny Gan's actions clearly proved that Divinity Transformation cultivators possessed the ability to seize and revive through others' bodies.

Though whether there were restrictions for such abilities remained unclear.

Take Granny Gan, for instance.

She had trained and nurtured Xiao Lan from a young age, masquerading as a Fire Spirit while hiding within Xiao Lan's mana and body.

But she hadn't acted out her plan of body-seizing until now.

None of this was mere coincidence or whim.

Chen Jichuan speculated that this may have involved factors such as compatibility, with her Primordial Spirit being intertwined to improve alignment over time.

Or perhaps the Primordial Spirit wasn't strong enough and still needed to accumulate power.

Or it may have been due to Xiao Lan's cultivation being too low to bear the burden of a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator's Primordial Spirit.

The exact reasons eluded him.

But what mattered was that the hazards surrounding Xiao Lan were now resolved, so he could comfortably claim the Fire Phoenix Ring as his own.

"For saving your life, repaying me with a mere Third-order Magical Treasure is not too much, is it?"

Chen Jichuan mused to himself, pulling out a Flying Sword and a circular mirror from his sleeve.

He handed the Flying Sword to Xiao Lan and kept the circular mirror in his hands.

Chen Jichuan said to Xiao Lan, "This 'Red Silk Sword' was forged from one hundred and eight streams of Earth Core Fire Poison, boasting incredible power. Let this serve as payment for your Fire Phoenix Ring."

"Thank you, True Person!"

Xiao Lan readily accepted without hesitation.

Chen Jichuan then added, "You know the secrets contained within the ring. If they were leaked, disaster would befall us both. To ensure safety, swear a heart demon blood oath so I can have peace of mind."

He held up the Second-order Heart Mirror and said, "With the Heart Mirror as the medium, the oath will bind you. Should you break it, the extinguishing Divine Light in your soul will erupt instantly, reducing you to ashes, completely annihilating your being!"

"True Person, you can rest assured, Xiao Lan will not disclose even a word to others."

Complying without resistance, Xiao Lan made her oath before the Heart Mirror.

As she swore, a beam of light flickered from the mirror, entering her brow.

Since the Heart Mirror in Chen Jichuan's possession was merely a replica, limited to Second-order in power.

If Xiao Lan sought protection from a Third-order Magical Treasure or a High-level True Person, the extinguishing Divine Light would struggle to strike her down before the secret was revealed.

By embedding the oath deeply into her Divine Soul, however, there were no such limitations.

The moment she so much as entertained betrayal, the extinguishing Divine Light would erupt, leaving her no room to act.

Oath sworn.

Chen Jichuan felt a surge of relief.

Xiao Lan also relaxed slightly.

"All matters resolved."

"You may leave now."

Chen Jichuan waved his hand, signaling Xiao Lan's dismissal.

He was a married man, and his dealings with Xiao Lan were purely driven by the contents of the Fire Phoenix Ring, nothing more. Otherwise, he wouldn't have engaged with this woman who was nominally his former fiancée.

Now that the issue was settled.

He fully intended to reduce their interactions. His charm and the favor he'd done her made it inevitable that Xiao Lan would develop feelings eventually.

Such entanglements, whenever avoidable, should be avoided.

He only sought to remain virtuous!

...

Xiao Lan departed.

Chen Jichuan also left the Scripture Hall.

With his long-standing enemy vanquished and a treasure secured, he was in excellent spirits.

Returning to his residence at the academy, Chen Jichuan instructed his disciples to guard the estate. He went directly to his meditation room, activating the array to block external disturbances, then took out the Fire Phoenix Ring.

"Years of painstaking effort, destroyed in an instant. She must hate me to the core."

Chen Jichuan held the ring and used the Insight Skill to examine it.

After losing two Divine Separations, Granny Gan had fallen into an expected slumber, with no clear indication of when she might awaken.

"That's fine."

"Given my current cultivation level, I cannot yet leave Wuhe Star. Let her sleep for now."

"During this time, I'll search for ways to torment souls, refine, and enlighten. If Gan Chen awakens and remains obstinate, she shouldn't blame me for giving her a nasty surprise!"

Seeing that Gan Chen was now dormant, Chen Jichuan gave up on the idea of questioning her about regions beyond Wuhe Star for now.

Granny Gan's final words were crystal clear.

They were nothing more than disgruntled threats after Chen Jichuan had disrupted her plans. Even if she woke up, she would undoubtedly harbor ill will toward him.

Unless he tried to appease her.

"Appease her? Absolutely not!"

Chen Jichuan gripped the ring, layering seal upon seal.

At the same time, he delved deep into the vast expanse of his memory, combing through the countless Magic Skills and Secret Techniques he had studied, searching for those with enough potential to confront Primordial Spirits.

Forewarned is forearmed.

It's only wise to prepare for such matters in advance.

He wasn't Xiao Yan or Lin Lei, and Granny Gan wasn't Medicine Master or Delin.

If Granny Gan obediently assumed the role of an "old grandpa" figure, all would be well.

But if she dared to cause trouble, Chen Jichuan would make sure to teach her a lesson.

"Nonviolent cooperation? Not a chance."

"Don't blame me for being ruthless."

Chen Jichuan closed his eyes and searched through his mind, letting one Magic Skill after another flow across his consciousness.

...