Ye Fan brought Sang Yuan back from the second layer of the underground secret realm and went straight to Sky City. In Sky City, he first went to see Li Zhaojun to report that he was safe, and didn’t go see Qiao Feixuan and Ning Huwen, but went directly to see Qin Mengyao and Yang Xiaoting.

During this period in the second layer of the underground secret realm, he felt somewhat lonely. Although he had a few little crystals as company, there was always a sense of solitude at his side, making him feel as if he were stranded in a realm of loneliness. After coming back, what he wanted to see most actually wasn’t Li Zhaojun or Lu Xiaoman, but Qin Mengyao and Yang Xiaoting, because what these two women could bring him was a kind of youthful vitality.

"Brother Fan, you’re here. Yaoyao and I have been waiting for you for so long, we thought you came back and weren’t going to see us. Brother Fan, let us serve you properly, okay?" When Yang Xiaoting saw Ye Fan, she also appeared very clingy; in the past it was always Qin Mengyao who was more attached to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan didn’t say much either, he directly scooped Yang Xiaoting up and headed toward the bed, while Qin Mengyao happily followed at Ye Fan’s side. At this moment, the three of them didn’t need to say anything; Ye Fan could feel the purest kind of emotion, because what Yang Xiaoting and Qin Mengyao carried on them was a kind of beautiful aura that made him linger and forget to leave.

It was only after a long while that everything settled down. Yang Xiaoting already didn’t want to move at all, while Qin Mengyao still had the strength to prop up her head and look at Ye Fan, as if she wanted to etch Ye Fan’s appearance into her heart.

Ye Fan said, "What are you looking at?"

Qin Mengyao twisted twice in Ye Fan’s arms and said, "Brother Fan, sometimes you’re really bad, making people both happy and worried. We never know when you’ll come. Xiaoxiao and I wait for you here every day, but most of the time we’re just waiting and waiting, and then suddenly you show up. Next time could you tell us in advance, so that Xiaoxiao and I can get more prepared?"

"Sometimes a little surprise is better!" Ye Fan smiled and pinched Qin Mengyao’s cheek. "Don’t forget, I have a lot of things to do; how could I possibly know when I’ll be back? After I come back and think of the youthful vitality on you two, I just want to come see you, because among all the people around me, you’re the liveliest. You make me feel that I’m not some old man, but someone who still has youth..." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Qin Mengyao giggled and said, "Really? But I always feel Brother Fan doesn’t seem that young... Hehe, Brother Fan’s cultivation is so high now, even those old monsters who are several hundred or several thousand years old probably aren’t your match, right?"

"You can’t put it that way. There are always people beyond people. I can’t just rest on my laurels. And right now, among the ancient cultivators, there are people whose cultivation is higher than mine. I’ll take you to a temporary refuge later. The birds sing and the flowers smell sweet there, you two should be very happy there!" Ye Fan said.

"I’m not going!" Qin Mengyao sounded as if she were sulking, hiding in Ye Fan’s arms. "Brother Fan, you’re always saying we should go here or there. We can go anywhere, but you have to be with us. If you’re not by our side, then even if we go to the prettiest, most fun place, it’s not any fun!"

Next to her, Yang Xiaoting also burrowed into Ye Fan’s arms, as if to back up Qin Mengyao’s words, her whole body still very warm and fiery.

Ye Fan said, "Be good. In many things you can’t be willful. Just like me taking you to a safe place, it’s entirely for your own good. Right now the biggest issue is to wipe out those people with high cultivation; only then can we live a happy and joyful life. By then I won’t have to face all those big and small matters, and our lives will be very happy. We should be able to live simple yet fulfilling lives..."

Yang Xiaoting and Qin Mengyao both raised their heads to look at Ye Fan, as if they too were yearning for such a life. But Ye Fan didn’t seem to have finished; it was as if he had only said half of what he wanted and then stopped.

As if he had something he wanted to say but held back, he also knew that there were plenty of difficulties he had to face. If he wanted to live an ordinary, simple, happy life, he would have to confront many challenges. The most important of these challenges were those ancient cultivators with high cultivation, those mysterious forces, and the heavenly tribulations he would have to face.

...

...

Ye Fan stayed with Qin Mengyao and Yang Xiaoting for almost four hours. He even personally tried the dishes Qin Mengyao and Yang Xiaoting cooked, and only then did he leave the girls’ little dwelling.

The two little girls were very reluctant to part, but since they also knew Ye Fan had big things to do, they didn’t try to hold him back. However, Ye Fan did agree to temporarily send them back to Earth and guaranteed they could travel back and forth between Earth and the secret realm, just like before, only this time he would be responsible for personally ferrying the two of them in and out.

When Ye Fan came out of the two girls’ residence, Sang Yuan and Xi He had already appeared in front of him, while Xuan Nu had not come with them. As for where Xuan Nu had gone, Ye Fan didn’t ask much; he figured she was probably on Earth now, ordered by Xi He to protect Ye Fan’s relatives there.

"Master, according to your previous instructions, we’re to establish a new order in the underground space, that is, a new refuge. How many people are supposed to go down there?" Xi He asked.

Ye Fan said, "How many people go there will be arranged later. As for whether that place can become the final refuge, that’s still hard to say. At least right now the people of the Immortal Realm are only trying to locate the void rift within the Pan Gu secret realm. They still can’t shake the void within the second underground secret realm. These people pose no threat to the second layer of the secret realm. And from what I’ve observed, in the last tens of millions of years almost no one has broken into the second secret realm. As for whether any mysterious power has infiltrated it, I still need to investigate thoroughly later..."

Off to the side, Sang Yuan said, "Young master, this slave has prepared another fifty people. Shall we bring them all down as well?"

"No need for now!" Ye Fan said. "For the moment, the second secret realm only needs a small town built. There’s no need to put in so much effort to create some huge city or nation. Extra people going down would just be a burden. I still haven’t fully unraveled the secret of the Sea of Death. I still haven’t found that mysterious power from before. But for now I need to deal with the Immortal Realm’s problem first!"

"Is Master going to the Immortal Realm?" Xi He asked curiously.

Ye Fan nodded and said, "Before, my Spiritual Energy cultivation had remained stuck at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage. By now, that cultivation has already become a shackle on the advancement of my elemental power. I have to first reach the cultivation for ascension. As for what will happen after I ascend, I’m still not too clear yet, but I will enter the Immortal Realm because of it. At the very least, I’ve already crossed paths with people from the Immortal Realm once. This time when I go again, I’m confident I can beat them!"

"If Master is going to the Immortal Realm, this servant should still lend you a hand!" Xi He said. "This servant will first find the entrance to the Immortal Realm, enter it in reverse, and see how I can help Master!"