Covering the Sky: A Guide to Proving the Dao Without Cheats

Elder Liu's expression darkened slightly. After exchanging a glance with Weiwei for a moment, he finally let out a cold snort and released Ye Fan from his restraints.

As soon as he broke free, Ye Fan flew backward several feet.

Seeing this, Weiwei withdrew the pressure from the small tower and looked at Ye Fan apologetically: "Junior Brother Ye, Elder Liu was reckless just now, I apologize on her behalf."

After saying this, Weiwei bowed to Ye Fan and continued, "The Holy Son's invitation is truly from the bottom of his heart. If Junior Brother Ye is really unwilling, please just say so, and we will report back to the Holy Son."

But if it's just some minor matter that needs to be taken care of, we can wait outside the fire zone.

After speaking, she gazed silently at Ye Fan, saying nothing more, awaiting his reply. Elder Liu, standing to the side, also glanced over, his expression unreadable, and waited as well.

Ye Fan gazed at the two before him, a multitude of thoughts flashing through his mind, his expression shifting several times. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke:

"...My matter isn't urgent. Since Luo Heng invited me, I'll go with you."

However, before I depart, I still have some things to pack. Could you please wait here for a moment?

Vivi smiled and said, "Please do as you wish."

Ye Fan glanced at the two of them again, then turned and walked quickly away along the boundary between the two layers of fire domains.

Unbeknownst to him, just after he turned to leave, Weiwei and Elder Liu exchanged a glance, a knowing smile simultaneously appearing on their lips.

It turns out that the two of them had just put on a perfectly synchronized act.

……

After keeping a safe distance from the two, Ye Fan sat down cross-legged and began to think seriously.

In fact, his impression of Weiwei was not bad to begin with, and with that secret code known only to the three of them... this matter was most likely related to Luo Heng.

Either Luo Heng genuinely invited him, or Luo Heng had fallen into someone else's hands and was forced to reveal the code.

Not to mention that he and Luo Heng already had a good relationship, the Bodhi seed that Luo Heng had temporarily stored with him had helped him more than once.

Even now, the fact that I can safely hide in the fire domain is entirely thanks to this Bodhi seed that isolates me from the flames.

Therefore, whether out of personal feelings or moral obligation, he could not ignore Luo Heng's matter.

Therefore, regardless of Luo Heng's current situation, he will definitely go to explore the Yao Guang Holy Land. The only difference is whether he goes now or waits until his strength has greatly increased.

The recent turn of events made it clear to him that if the other party truly intended to attack, he would have no chance of survival. Since the other party hadn't gone all out, it at least meant that his current situation was relatively safe.

If the other party truly harbors ill intentions, forcibly leaving might only provoke them to turn hostile; if the other party genuinely has no ill intentions and it was truly Luo Heng's invitation, then there's even less of a problem.

Therefore, it seems better to go with the flow.

Firstly, it would allow us to ascertain Luo Heng's current situation; secondly... we might be able to use the strength of these two to deal with any potential pursuit that might follow.

Ye Fan was still unsure whether there were any ambushes outside the Fire Domain, so it was appropriate to use the two of them to probe.

Furthermore, once in a crowded area, it would be easier to gather information. If pursuers did appear, there would be a chance to escape in the chaos.

Thinking this, he got up and went straight to the border between the sixth and seventh fire domains. He summoned the primordial energy and tried his best to shape it into a hollow sphere. Then he carefully collected a small ball of five-colored cloud flames.

Before leaving, he needed to prepare some means of survival. That way, if things really came to a desperate situation, he would have a fighting chance.

After doing all this, Ye Fan put away the Xuanhuang Mother Qi and turned back.

……

Half a day later, the three left the Fire Domain and flew towards the Yao Guang Holy Land.

As they flew over a desolate mountain, a strange change suddenly occurred!

A cry of disbelief echoed from the forest below: "You little beast, you...you're still alive?!"

The next instant, a gigantic hand appeared out of thin air, covering the sky and blocking all their paths, forcing them to stop in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, more than twenty elderly men took to the air and surrounded the three of them. One of the elderly women was none other than Ye Fan's "old acquaintance"—Ji Hui.

"It's him! It's that petty thief!"

"It's truly astonishing that he didn't die after falling into the sixth level of the fire domain, and instead came out alive and kicking."

The Ji family elders were all shocked. They never expected that the boy, whom they thought had long since turned to ashes, would appear before them unharmed.

Before Elder Liu and Weiwei could speak, Ji Hui, sitting opposite them, had already started questioning them in a shrill voice.

"You little beast! How did you survive?!" Her face was filled with disbelief; she could hardly believe her eyes.

Upon hearing Ji Hui's insults again, Ye Fan's expression darkened. He was about to retort when Elder Liu gently pressed down on his shoulder.

Ye Fan was startled and before he could react, Elder Liu casually waved his sleeve, sending a swift motion through the air—

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud slap landed squarely on Ji Hui's face, even from a distance of dozens of feet.

Ji Hui was sent spinning through the air by the blow, spitting out blood. Her teeth, mixed with blood and foam, flew everywhere as she fell downwards in a disheveled state.

"Young friend Ye is a distinguished guest of my Holy Son of Yao Guang. Fellow Daoists of the Ji family, it would be best if you would watch your words."

Elder Liu's voice was calm, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears: "This slap is considered a gesture of respect to the Ji family. If there is a next time, it won't be as simple as just a slap."

Seeing this, Ye Fan's pent-up frustration instantly dissipated, and he couldn't help but smile slightly.

Noticing the change in Ye Fan's emotions beside him, Elder Liu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he and Weiwei had only acted out that charade to "invite" Ye Fan to the Yao Guang Holy Land, he was ultimately the one who played the bad cop, and he didn't know the true relationship between Ye Fan and the Holy Son Luo Heng.

He didn't want Ye Fan to hold a grudge over such a trivial matter—after all, he still hadn't figured out the new Holy Son's temperament.

The reason I deliberately taught that insolent old woman from the Ji family a lesson was partly to give Ye Fan a chance to vent his anger and ease the tension of our previous unpleasant encounter.

Secondly, it also allows him to maintain his "reckless and straightforward" image, making Ye Fan feel that he treats everyone this way, not just targeting him.

For an old monster like him who has lived for over a thousand years, it wouldn't be difficult to befriend someone if he really wanted to. It's just that he usually doesn't need to put in this effort.

……

When the Ji family members saw their companion being humiliated, they were about to retaliate when they heard the name "Yaoguang," and they all stopped in their tracks.

All eyes were drawn to an elderly man in the crowd, whose aura was the most profound.

Ye Fan followed the gaze. He saw the old man standing before the crowd, his aura as empty as an abyss and as deep as a vast ocean, unfathomable.

He couldn't help but feel apprehensive: Could this Elder Liu of Yaoguang withstand the pressure?