Thinking about the previous prestige of the Wu Family and Skeleton Sect, and looking at the current situation, the Wu Family no longer has a Divine Realm Fourth Level Expert. Combined from both sides, there are less than thirty Divine Realm Third Level experts. Forget about the Third Grade families; even if a Second Grade family attacks, they might be wiped out.

Now Wu Qingxia can’t see the future, and there’s no hope for the Wu Family anymore. They can only follow behind the Skeleton Sect’s Second Elder. Perhaps once they reach Tianmu Sea, the final fate of the Wu Family and Skeleton Sect can only be to become a subsidiary of that power or get swallowed up by other families, disappearing completely.

Wu Qingxia sat there with a sorrowful expression, and Ding Fan stopped talking, contemplating how to proceed in the future. His original plan was to bring Skeleton Sect under his control and make the Great Elder and others his foundational force, establishing his territory in the Divine Realm, then expand outward to become a strong force in the Divine Realm. But now it seems that his plan is laughable.

Zhong Yi and Liew Yi’s deaths are directly related to him. Given the Zhong Family’s strength, they will quickly discover that the reason for their deaths was Xia Mengqing’s condition to the Silver Condor Goddess to save him, leading the Zhong Family not daring to go to Tongzhou White City Jade Gryphon Sect and venting their anger on him.

With Ding Fan’s current strength, forget the Zhong Family; even against someone like Liew Hong, a Divine Realm Fourth Level Expert, he’s no match. Now it seems his cultivation is really too low.

After much thought, Ding Fan ultimately decided to continue following Skeleton Sect. Although the Second Elder currently makes the decisions, with his strength, he can handle him easily. Now he feels indifferent towards this sect leader position. Back in Sirius Ancient Tomb, the former Skeleton Sect Master boasted about how powerful his sect was, but now it turns out to be just a Fourth Grade sect, insignificant in front of Zhong Family, Zhao Family, Tian Family, Jade Gryphon Sect, and those Fifth Grade sects.

However, Ding Fan has nowhere else to go now, so he’s reluctantly following the Second Elder to Tianmu Sea. Once inside, the Zhong Family won’t be able to touch him, allowing him to recover and find a way to join the powerful Four Great Royal Clans, to rescue Xia Mengqing. This seems to be the only option now.

Although he believed possessing treasures like Flying Sword and Hundred Treasure Bag, combined with his cultivation, would give him a place in the Divine Realm, he never realized his cultivation was merely Divine Realm Fourth Elementary Level, and in the eyes of those strong experts, it means nothing at all. It seems his path in the Divine Realm won’t be easy.

No matter what, he chose this path; now there’s no other way back. All he can do now is fight desperately.

After about half an hour, Ding Fan rekindled his confidence. He still has the Sirius legacy and the extraordinary abilities shown by the small beast Sirius during the battle. Filled with confidence in his talent, he cannot afford to be dejected.

To rescue Xia Mengqing and become a Divine Realm powerhouse, even if the path is difficult, he must walk it. He needs to become strong and refuse to watch his loved ones being bullied with open eyes. Since he arrived in this world, Ding Fan can’t let anyone tread on him; he can only be his own man.

For all this, Ding Fan must become stronger than everyone else. At this moment, his heart hardened, determined to become a force in this world. With his character, he can’t survive as a weak person; otherwise, he’d rather die.

In the following days, everything was surprisingly calm. Over these days, the chariot traveled nearly ten thousand miles, and although the warhorses pulling the chariot were top-notch, capable of running thousands during the day and eight hundred at night, they couldn’t withstand the pace, and several had already died.

Fearing all the warhorses might die, the Second Elder let everyone rest within a valley. Then, he made an unexpected decision, sending some Martial Artists to rush those empty chariots forward.

Though others might not understand, Ding Fan immediately realized the Second Elder did this in case someone chasing them would pursue those empty chariots. Additionally, Third Elder and Fourth Elder were sent out, clearly to hire horses and carts.

It’s been several days since leaving Great Python Mountain, and most wounded Martial Artists have recovered, especially Ding Fan, who is basically healed now.

Watching Ding Fan and Wu Qingxia step out from the cart together triggered many speculations among Wu Family’s disciples. Not just them, even Skeleton Sect’s disciples weren’t familiar with Ding Fan, with many not even knowing him.

Everyone was curious about Ding Fan’s background, but the Second Elder didn’t disclose much, so those who knew him shared information among themselves, revealing Ding Fan’s identity.

Seeing such a young man already becoming Skeleton Sect’s master, his deeds command respect and fear, especially having slain a Divine Realm Third Level Peak expert and a Divine Realm Fourth Level Early expert alone, earning everyone’s admiration.

Wherever he goes, the strong always become the focus of attention, especially now with Wu Qingxia stepping off the cart with him, everyone’s gaze was filled with reverence.

Ding Fan acted as though he hadn’t noticed those looks. He didn’t say a word, sitting silently in a corner, cultivating, while Wu Qingxia also quietly cultivated beside him. The battle at Great Python Mountain made her, the Wu Family’s Miss Wu, more mature, realized her shortcomings, and increased her diligence in cultivation.

Two hours later, a caravan arrived outside the valley, led by Third Elder and Fourth Elder, now dressed as merchants, earning the Second Elder’s admiration.

"A hundred warriors, remove your battle armor, change into caravan’s clothing, and pose as traders. The rest stay inside the carts, don’t come out unless necessary, and continue forward."

The Second Elder instructed his Martial Artists. He had already discussed the plan with Ding Fan, who told him not to report future matters, follow his arrangements. Now Ding Fan only wants to cultivate diligently, aiming to become a Divine Realm Third Level expert in the shortest time possible, leaving no time for other concerns.

Although disguising as a caravan will slow their pace, their movements will be more secretive. This time, Third Elder and Fourth Elder found a renowned caravan, traveling through various City Prefectures for years, and traveling with them greatly reduces exposure.

Ding Fan and Wu Qingxia certainly didn’t need to disguise themselves. The two of them directly boarded one of the luxurious carriages and continued their cultivation. After about an hour, everyone was ready, and they set off again toward Tianmu Sea.

Now more than a hundred people were disguised as traders, and there were far fewer carriages than before, allowing them to move faster and with a smaller target.

Over three hundred martial artists took turns acting as guards. The Scout Cavalry Hall was now led by Elder Wu Ren from the Wu Family. He continuously arranged for his scout cavalry to patrol back and forth, which greatly enhanced security, allowing the martial artists inside the carriages to focus on their cultivation.

After traveling quietly for three days, Ding Fan’s injuries were fully healed. Along the way, he was continuously cultivating, and apart from receiving some food from Wu, he didn’t speak at all. Sirius would always run off but would find its way back, initially worrying Ding Fan, but he eventually got used to it.

During the last encounter with Liew Bao, Sirius could surprisingly understand Ding Fan’s commands and attacked Liew Bao, which made Ding Fan very happy. It seemed this little beast had more to it than met the eye, which delighted him.

Wu Qingxia spent the journey focusing on her cultivation. Except for exchanging a few words during meals, she showed little warmth to Ding Fan and was much more polite than before. This was understandable, given that she was once the Wu Family’s Miss Wu, now reduced to having nothing. Had it not been for Ding Fan and Xia Mengqing, her family would have been utterly defeated, leaving her in a much worse situation.

Before she left, the Silver Condor Goddess had warned that if anything happened to Ding Fan, the entire Wu Family would be destroyed. Currently, the Wu Family relied on Ding Fan for their survival. So, Wu Qingxia could no longer act haughtily before him.

However, Ding Fan himself was worthy of Wu Qingxia’s respect. The Liew Bao he killed was at the Divine Realm Fourth Level Second Stage, yet he was slain with a single axe strike right under Wu Qingxia’s nose, indicating Ding Fan himself was at the Divine Realm Fourth Level. Now, perhaps only the Second Elder matched that level in their group. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Thud, thud, thud!"

Not far away, the sound of approaching hoofbeats could be heard, and the Second Elder at the front of the caravan waved his hand, bringing the entire convoy to a halt.

Martial artists on each chariot tensed up, staring at the galloping scout cavalry ahead, anxious about any bad news. The Second Elder jumped to the ground and asked the scout, "What’s wrong? What happened?"

"There’s a valley up ahead with hundreds of bandits ambushed there. Elder Wu Ren sent me to report quickly and see what should be done," the scout replied to the Second Elder, slightly feeling that Elder Wu Ren might be making a big deal out of nothing, thinking that the Skeleton Sect wouldn’t possibly be afraid of mere bandits!

"Are these bandits strong in battle?"

The Second Elder asked the scout, concerned about whether there were any experts among the bandits.

"Elder Wu Ren said they appear to be just a small group of marauders with likely no real combat strength," the scout replied.

"Continue forward!"

The Second Elder waved his hand forward, commanding the convoy, trusting Elder Wu Ren’s judgment, or else he wouldn’t have entrusted him with the crucial Scout Cavalry Hall.

Since Wu Ren didn’t advise caution or retreat, it meant they were ordinary bandits, as long as they weren’t from the Zhong Family.

Hearing the news from the front, Ding Fan didn’t take it to heart. After all, there were over thirty Divine Realm Second Level Peak experts in the group. Dealing with a few bandits was more than sufficient, not requiring his intervention. So, he didn’t even open his eyes and continued his cultivation. Though he wasn’t nervous, the Wu Dus at the Divine Realm First Level became anxious, their eyes flickering as they watched the scene outside.

After advancing a while longer, the convoy indeed reached a canyon. The Second Elder didn’t have the convoy stop, and they continued moving forward. After they entered the canyon and hadn’t gone far, they heard a signal arrow shot into the sky. Suddenly, martial artists appeared on both sides of the canyon, all wielding blades and swords, seemingly quite imposing.

"Haha, they really are bandits, and they don’t seem to have much combat strength. Gui Wu! Take some men and deal with them," the Second Elder said, seeing the opponents only had three or four Divine Realm Second Level Early Stage experts, showing a dismissive expression and addressing Gui Wang. Gui Wu had formerly been a scout under the Fourth Elder and was promoted to the Battle Hall for his distinguished performance in this battle.