Chapter 696: Young Friend, Please Come Out Quickly.

“Master, why don’t you become a disciple? This is Senior Feng Qingzi—we have no idea how many talented youths have tried and failed to become his apprentice,” the Buddha Ancestor said sorrowfully.

“If you want to bow, go ahead! You bald donkey, you must be obsessed with becoming a disciple.”

“I’d be delighted to, but Senior Feng Qingzi looked down on this humble monk. Still, I am also a prodigy of the Buddha Clan—why am I so inadequate in Senior Feng’s eyes?” the Buddha Ancestor said regretfully.

“Stop talking nonsense. This old man isn’t very smart, look—his storage ring! The treasures inside are countless!” Lin Fan said excitedly at this moment.

“What’s the point of having so many treasures? When the time comes, I guarantee Senior Feng Qingzi will appear before you instantly, and then that storage ring will just be something you can look at but not keep,” the Buddha Ancestor replied.

“You’re so stupid, baldy. Anyway, don’t resist—I’ll put you into my treasure,” Lin Fan said.

“Master, you’re serious? This is Senior Feng Qingzi’s storage ring!” the Buddha Ancestor exclaimed in shock. Feng Qingzi was a mighty being; if his possessions were so easily taken, they would have been gone long ago.

“Of course I’m serious—who’s joking with you? Alright, time’s almost up. After we make this fortune, we’ll be rich.” Without waiting for the monk to say more, Lin Fan immediately sealed him inside the “Heavenly Earth Crucible.”

Five breaths had already passed, and this time, Lin Fan ran faster than anyone could imagine. But he knew Feng Qingzi was genuinely powerful—no matter how far Lin Fan fled, the old man would surely catch him in an instant. He needed a better plan.

“Old man, this is your own doing—you can’t blame me!” After absorbing the old man’s storage ring, Lin Fan even felt a little embarrassed. But thinking about what he was going to do in the future, he quickly shrugged it off.

In the future, he would definitely oppose the Ancient Clans head-on. This old man’s storage ring would just be a gift from the older generation to the younger one.

“Vanish!”

“Hide my aura!”

Lin Fan immediately lay flat on the ground, gazing up at the sky.

He truly believed that even this old man wouldn’t be able to find him. With the system’s ability to hide his presence, even supreme experts would be unable to detect him.

…

Ten breaths passed.

When Lin Fan vanished, Feng Qingzi used his divine consciousness to scan the area. He noticed the young man running straight ahead before suddenly stopping at a certain spot. A slight smile appeared at the corner of Feng Qingzi’s lips.

Feng Qingzi wasn’t in a hurry. He simply waited patiently and withdrew his consciousness.

This young human was strong, with extraordinary talent. But even so, compared to Feng Qingzi, he was still far too weak.

The power of a Divine Heaven Emperor at the Tenth Level of Eternal Godhood—those who hadn’t reached that realm could never truly understand its might.

No matter how far Lin Fan ran, Feng Qingzi could instantly reach him.

“This young friend is indeed interesting. Well then, ten breaths have passed—I should go find him now.” Feng Qingzi gently stroked his white beard with a calm smile, exuding the aura of a supreme expert.

However, when Feng Qingzi tried to locate Lin Fan, his calm expression suddenly changed.

“How is this possible?”

Feng Qingzi’s expression instantly shifted. Disbelieving, he scanned again with his divine consciousness, sweeping across the heavens and earth. But no matter where he looked, there was no trace of Lin Fan.

“This can’t be right! How is this possible?” Feng Qingzi could no longer remain calm. To him, this was simply impossible.

Although this young human was powerful, how could he possibly escape Feng Qingzi’s detection?

In an instant, Feng Qingzi shot into the sky, flying in the direction Lin Fan had fled.

“My storage ring is still in his hands.”

“But it should be fine. This young human is determined to kill the Ancient Clans—he must be a just and noble person who would never covet my storage ring. Now that the young man has hidden himself, if I can’t find him, he will surely appear on his own.”

Feng Qingzi tried to comfort himself.

“Where are you, young friend?” Feng Qingzi called out, his long white beard trembling, as if his heart was filled with unease.

“How could this happen? Even if he has a secret technique to hide his presence, he still shouldn’t be able to escape my detection!” Feng Qingzi scanned in all directions, fully extending his divine consciousness, but still could not find any trace of Lin Fan.

“He’s here!” Lin Fan lay on the ground, gazing at the sky. Feng Qingzi was floating in midair, searching everywhere.

“Heh, looks like the old man got tricked this time,” Lin Fan chuckled calmly. After activating his invisibility, Lin Fan remained motionless. With such a powerful old man, his storage ring must contain countless treasures.

Rather than continuing this chase, he would definitely come out on top in the end.

Time passed, second by second.

Feng Qingzi grew increasingly uneasy. Looking at the gradually darkening sky, he felt a deep sense of foreboding.

“Young friend, come out quickly. Old man concedes defeat—I won’t take you as a disciple anymore.”

Feng Qingzi called out, but only the cold wind answered him.

“Young friend, stop playing around. It was all old man’s bragging. I can’t find you anymore—please come out.”

“Little brat, if you don’t come out soon and I catch you, I won’t be merciful!”

“Oh please, young friend, I beg you—come out!”

The supreme expert Feng Qingzi was heartbroken. He felt deeply betrayed—betrayed by that young human.

To Feng Qingzi, he regretted making that bet and his own overconfidence more than anything.

With his strength, Feng Qingzi firmly believed that no one could escape from right under his nose.

But the current situation had just slapped him hard across the face.

“Am I being too harsh?” Watching Feng Qingzi’s heartbroken expression, Lin Fan couldn’t help but feel conflicted. However, in the next moment, he found a perfect justification for himself.

“It’s all for the sake of the Great Race!”

This old man might be strong, but he lacked the courage to kill the Ancient Clans’ supreme beings. Such cowardice was unacceptable.

If that was the case, then he, Lin Fan, would take up this heavy responsibility.

Although the Ancient Clans were powerful, he, Lin Fan, was not afraid.

With the wealth of such a mighty expert, he could greatly accelerate his own strength if he could make proper use of it.

After coming to this realization, Lin Fan no longer felt any guilt.

The sun and moon reversed!

The blazing sun shone high, and a pair of sharp, alert eyes watched the situation in the sky.

Lin Fan had to admit—he respected this old man. Standing there for an entire day and night, it seemed he was determined to outlast him.

At this point, Feng Qingzi was already deeply regretful. If he had known this would happen, he should never have handed over his storage ring. He also regretted making that bet.

What a trap—this was truly a pitifully foolish move.

“This kid must still be around here. Old man will wait here, and this kid will never dare to come out. Looks like I should hide first and wait patiently,” Feng Qingzi thought to himself, instantly vanishing from the spot and retreating into the void, silently waiting.

“Huh? Did he leave?” Seeing Feng Qingzi disappear, Lin Fan couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“No, this old man is trying to trick me. I’ve used this trick countless times before—how could I fall for it again?”

“Well then, I haven’t rested in a while. I’ll just sleep here for a month.” Without further thought, Lin Fan closed his eyes and fell asleep—determined to rest for a whole month first.