Grand Xuan Kingdom, Xuanjing City, Imperial Advisor's mansion.
Li Fan was holding his wine cup, looking at the civil and military officials who had come to celebrate his birthday in the hall. Even though he was now old, he could not help but feel smug in his heart.
It should be noted that today, nine out of ten court officials packed the Imperial Advisor's residence!
To think that Li Fan was just a poor scholar when he first came into this world.
Over the past fifty years, he had gone from having nothing to being an immensely powerful official. His story would be enough to write a novel with millions of words.
When life is like this, what more could one ask for?
Li Fan stroked his beard and drank the wine in his cup.
"To the birthday of the Imperial Advisor!"
The crowd of officials present congratulated in unison.
Li Fan's pride swelled.
Just then, a burst of discordant exclamations suddenly came from outside.
"Quickly look! What is that!"
"Streams of fire are falling from the sky; this is auspicious! Quickly go tell the Imperial Master!"
"How come it seems to be flying towards our Imperial Master's residence?"
......
Hearing the clamor outside the manor, Li Fan frowned.
The lobby, which was still somewhat lively, abruptly quieted down.
Li Fan got up and took the lead to walk out.
However, before he had the chance to scold his subordinates and express the dissatisfaction in his heart, he was captivated by the scenery in the sky.
Far away in the sky, two silver-colored lights, one after the other, like meteors, were speeding towards the manor.
"This is..." Li Fan froze.
The two meteors arrived above Xuanjing City in the blink of an eye and abruptly stopped.
At the same time, a voice like thunder descended from the sky and exploded in everyone's ears.
"Dao Xuanzi! Do not overstep your bounds!"
......
The people present were horrified. A few people even called out, "Immortal master!" and directly fell to the ground in obeisance.
And a word that had been suppressed in the depths of his memories and was almost on the verge of being forgotten was suddenly popping out of Li Fan's mind.
"Cultivator... immortal cultivator!" Li Fan was stunned and muttered, "How is this possible..."
The two immortal cultivators in the sky obviously didn't care what the crowd of mortals below thought.
Only another voice rang out, "Kou Hong! Do you think I will let you go just because you escaped to this Land of Immortal Extinction? Hand over the technique you obtained that day, or I won't rest until you're dead!"
"Ridiculous! It's because of the lack of a Golden Core technique that I've been trapped in the Foundation Stage for nearly a hundred years. I'm about to turn into withered bones; my end is approaching. However, I have now finally obtained a Golden Core technique. How could I possibly hand it over to others!" Kou Hong snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.
"Indeed!" Dao Xuanzi sighed, "A Golden Core technique with no other practitioners, an irreplaceable treasure. Although many Golden Core techniques exist, innumerable cultivators are stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage!"
Dao Xuanzi's tone suddenly turned ferocious, "In that case, now that the gate to longevity is in front of me, how could I possibly let you off the hook, and how could I possibly not overstep my boundaries!"
Kou Hong laughed out loud, "It's just a single technique! It's ridiculous that despite how you and I have been brothers for a hundred years, we're now fighting to the death for a chance of survival!"
Dao Xuanzi laughed coldly and did not reply.
Kou Hong suddenly said, "I know I'm no match for you, and I'm sure I won't be able to escape today. But there are so many mortals here, and I don't know if you can withstand such a concentration of Immortal-Mortal Miasma!"
Dao Xuanzi immediately changed color: "Kou Hong! What do you want to do?"
Kou Hong laughed madly, "I'm just seeking a ray of hope!"
Listening to the conversation between the two immortal cultivators above his head, Li Fan felt dread in his heart. However, before he could react, he saw a crimson flame explode above Xuanjing City.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"
Deafening rumbles erupted in Li Fan's ears, and his sight instantly turned blood-red. A moment later, he fainted.
......
It took some time for Li Fan to wake up.
At first, he was a bit dizzy. It was only after a long time that he remembered what had happened.
Li Fan coughed and spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, trembling as he climbed up and looked towards his surroundings.
It was still nighttime, and the formerly luxurious Imperial Master's mansion had already become a ruin.
The surrounding air was full of the unpleasant smell of burnt corpses.
The civil and military personnel of the dynasty who celebrated a few moments ago were all dead.
Li Fan's wives, concubines, and five sons were not spared either.
Li Fan's aged face betrayed no emotion. His gaze was dull.