Faced with the stubborn Zhao Lina, Ye Fan did not force her to do anything. Instead, he deployed a powerful defensive force around Lina’s body, so that even if something happened to her, he could come to her rescue immediately.

At that moment, Zhao Lina seemed like a woman who had lost faith in love. Such a state was very dangerous, as it could lead to self-destructive decisions, making Ye Fan feel even more heartbroken.

Even though he knew Zhao Lina was annoyed with him and staying wouldn’t benefit him, he waited outside Lina’s residence for more than two hours. This was his way of showing Lina that he was determined in matters of the heart and wanted to spend more time with her.

When Ye Fan returned to Hua Hai City, Xi He and Dao Zhen had already been back for a while, having searched the entire Earth.

"How is it?" Ye Fan seemed still immersed in a low mood, his tone somewhat heavy as he spoke.

Xi He shook her head slightly to indicate she hadn’t found anything valuable, while Dao Zhen spoke with a stern tone: "There are many mysterious forces on Earth, mainly concentrated underground and at the poles, but these forces are insufficient to threaten you. If these forces are what you’re looking for, then I advise you not to worry!"

Ye Fan replied, "I’ve already explored the places you mentioned. There’s no need for you to tell me. I just want you to tell me if there’s any news of the Earth Origin Sect’s successor."

"None!" Dao Zhen’s response was direct, carrying a hint of arrogance, as if Ye Fan’s power wasn’t enough to suppress her, allowing her to maintain an equal relationship with him.

Xi He watched from the side without engaging. To Xi He, no matter how arrogant Dao Zhen was, she was merely a wilful woman. Such wilfulness would have no good end, just as she herself once was—overly headstrong until becoming Ye Fan’s servant, now on the verge of losing even her ancient cultivator status.

Ye Fan didn’t seem inclined to argue with Dao Zhen. He said, "Since there’s no mysterious force on Earth that I’m looking for, I’ll leave Earth for now. I don’t wish for my presence on Earth to cause trouble for humans, as my presence always stirs events. If these incidents affect ordinary humans, it could lead to cataclysmic destruction. Even ordinary cultivators could potentially ruin Earth, and if a stronger force arises, Earth could be reduced to dust in an instant!"

"Master, where would you like to go first?" Xi He asked.

"I’m going to explore around the Milky Way now. I want to know if there are stronger mysterious forces within the galaxy. Earth’s power is merely a vessel, with these forces originating from the vast universe. The Milky Way’s power is already quite advanced; I’ve explored it before, but due to time constraints, I only paid some attention to its edges. The center of the galaxy always harbors some mysterious powers, which might be the ones I’m searching for!" Ye Fan said.

Xi He didn’t elaborate, as her knowledge of the Milky Way was evidently clearer than Ye Fan’s, given that she herself was born on Earth and was the first among ancient cultivators native to Earth.

"Why don’t you speak?" Ye Fan asked Xi He, "During your tens of thousands of years of cultivation, you must have searched around the Milky Way countless times. My power is never enough to overturn the entire galaxy for a thorough search, let alone controlling an entire system or the universe for that matter! You’ve searched for so long, do you truly have no clues?"

Xi He shook her head, indicating that throughout the expanse of time, she hadn’t discovered anything more valuable in the Milky Way. The galaxy is filled with countless stars, and Earth is but a tiny dot of these stellar forces—a place she wouldn’t visit if there weren’t human flame, even though Earth was indeed her birthplace.

But she was ultimately created by Nuwa, and her early cultivation location was on Earth, back when there were only ancient humans.

...

...

Ye Fan, along with Dao Zhen and Xi He, began their search in the universe. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

This seemed like an immensely long process, nearly akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Ye Fan wasn’t very confident in finding the mysterious power either, as it had long been hidden. This power manifested within a secret realm, and Ye Fan couldn’t find it even then, let alone in a greater cosmic scale within the universe.

The first stop Ye Fan aimed to search was within the Milky Way.

Xi He detailed her knowledge of the Milky Way to Ye Fan: "...In the Milky Way, there are quite a few planets suitable for human habitation, numbering between tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. However, truly inhabited planets might only be a few hundred. There are several planets I’ve never visited, so I’m not familiar with their specific conditions. But I do know that among all the human-inhabited planets in the Milky Way, there are cultivators. These cultivators rely on humans, selecting disciples from them, thus living in places where humans reside. It’s just that spiritual energy is sparse throughout the ordinary universe, so these cultivators might never transcend in their lifetimes. But the sheer magnitude means maybe one in millions might achieve transcendence, and thus even in the celestial realm, there would be many individuals cultivated from these planet-bound cultivators!"

"Are you suggesting I return to the celestial realm to thoroughly inquire how many originated from these planets?" Ye Fan asked with a frown.

Xi He glanced at Dao Zhen, as if to say, there’s someone right next to you to ask.

Before Ye Fan could voice his question, Dao Zhen said, "Don’t look at me. Regarding the celestial realm’s cultivators’ origins, it’s impossible for me to discern. No one cares about this once they ascend to the celestial realm, as we’re unable to leave once there. The celestial realm is the vessel for all cultivators. If you truly want detailed inquiries, you’d need to ask every individual from the celestial realm, but quite possibly, some planets might have no members who have ascended! How would you inquire?"

Ye Fan said, "Since we don’t know which planets have people who have ascended, let’s search all these planets. Xi He, for those human-inhabited planets you’re unaware of, start by locating the ones you previously knew, let’s go!"