Chapter 316: Fallen Immortal Series

"Lu Ya? That name sounds a bit familiar." Being reborn as a bird suppressed Li Fan's ability to think quickly, but he vaguely felt he had heard the name somewhere before.

He thought for a long time but couldn't recall it.

Annoyed, he started scratching the boy's hair with his claws again. Seeing no reaction from the boy, Li Fan then gave him a hard peck with his long beak.

"Ouch! That hurt!" The little boy finally shifted his gaze from Lu Ya's receding figure.

However, he mistakenly thought Li Fan was urging him to find food and quickly placated him, "Alright, alright, I know you're hungry. I'll go get something to eat now."

"Xiao Hong, let's go!" The boy patted the wings of the red-crowned crane beneath him.

The crane obediently flapped its wings, its body quickly accelerating from a standstill, soaring past clouds.

Amidst the whistling wind, Li Fan vaguely heard the little boy lamenting to himself, "Senior Brother Lu Ya is so handsome and kind, and now his strength has become so great. He's truly perfect. Everyone in Ningyuan City would surely be happy if they knew. It's a pity I don't know why Senior Brother suddenly has such strong animosity towards Mister Bai. He won't let me go back, and he won't even let me send a letter..."

The boy's brows were furrowed, his face etched with a troubled expression unsuited for his age.

Li Fan, however, suddenly stiffened.

Ningyuan City, Mister Bai.

These two terms instantly activated memories deep within his mind.

A thin, gaunt figure with somewhat yellowish hair immediately appeared before Li Fan's eyes.

"It's him?"

"The plot of the Beast Taming Sect is actually a continuation of the previous one in Ningyuan City?"

"That beggar boy from back then can now command such powerful exotic beasts. Judging by its might just now, that tiger-faced, human-bodied beast is at least beyond the Nascent Soul stage. How many years have passed?"

"However, the Beast Taming Sect's cultivation methods have long been lost. Perhaps it's possible for a spirit beast to be even more powerful than its cultivator."

"Mister Bai... it's this mysterious fellow again."

"Why are the events I experience every time I enter the Immortal Fall Realm connected to him?"

"Once is a coincidence, but two or three times raises suspicion."

A flood of thoughts surged through his mind in an instant. With his emotions running high, Li Fan felt the small bit of energy he had just accumulated rapidly deplete.

His eyelids drooped uncontrollably, and just before falling into a deep sleep, he seemed to see that blurry figure again.

Li Fan was woken by a sweet fruit placed in his mouth.

As the fruit entered his stomach, waves of warmth spread throughout his body, quickly dispelling Li Fan's fatigue.

Opening his eyes, he saw the little boy stealthily squatting on the ground, hiding behind spirit plants taller than himself.

Every now and then, he would pick one or two plump, red fruits from them and hand them to Li Fan.

Li Fan, without hesitation, swallowed them whole.

His strength seemed to have increased slightly, so Li Fan continued scratching the boy with his claws, indicating he wanted more.

The boy constantly moved through the spirit fields, gathering all the most promising fruits for Li Fan to enjoy.

As Li Fan feasted, he also started to view the little boy more favorably.

"Alright, that's enough. If we steal any more, the missing amount will be too obvious, and we'll be discovered."

"Hehe, let's find another spot."

The boy straightened Li Fan, who was perched somewhat askew on his head, feeling quite full.

Instead of summoning the crane, he used wind-stepping techniques and ran directly towards the next field.

After scavenging several more spots, they unexpectedly ran into a group of peers.

"Xu Ke, what are you doing here?!"

A voice suddenly came from behind the little boy, startling him.

However, after turning around and recognizing the person, the boy let out a sigh of relief.

Glancing at the other person, the boy named Xu Ke made a shushing gesture and whispered, "Of course, just like you, I'm getting some extra food for my companion spirit beast."

Highly displeased that his eating had been interrupted, Li Fan shot an unfriendly glance at the person named Song Yang.

He was thin, with sinister eyes, not appearing to be a benevolent person.

Around his neck was coiled a black, two-headed snake.

One head had its eyes tightly shut, while the other stared intently at Li Fan, constantly flicking its tongue.

Xu Ke instinctively gathered his hair, hiding Li Fan.

Song Yang, as if hearing an enormous joke, looked at Xu Ke with disdain: "Like me? You're not worthy!"

"My companion spirit beast is a descendant of the Black Water Snake God, Zhujiuyin, with infinite potential. Reaching the God Transformation stage in the future is a certainty. If it's not full, it's only right for me to get it some extra food."

"As for your strange bird, what is that thing? One look and you can tell it has no powerful bloodline."

"As the saying goes, 'Dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes to phoenixes; a mouse's son can only dig holes.' Xu Ke, you don't actually think you can turn things around with just some scruffy bird, do you?"

Xu Ke was just a child after all. Hearing his companion spirit beast being slandered, he couldn't help but argue, "My bird isn't bad at all! Everyone says it's a descendant of a divine bird, and in the future..."

He was rudely interrupted by Song Yang before he could finish.

"Descendant of a divine bird? Which divine bird? A phoenix? A Vermillion Bird? Your strange bird doesn't look like any of them!"

"People just say things to comfort you. You didn't actually believe them, did you? How foolish!"

Song Yang sneered and mocked, and even the two-headed snake coiled around him mirrored his disdainful expression.

"You're talking nonsense!" Xu Ke's face flushed crimson, and his voice suddenly rose several octaves.

However, Song Yang seemed intent on provoking Xu Ke. Not only did he not stop, but he intensified his mockery.

Perched on Xu Ke's head, Li Fan, who was already somewhat impatient, felt an anonymous rage flare up in his heart upon hearing himself slandered by this "skinny pole" in front of him.

He was about to make a move when Xu Ke pressed him down.

"Little one, don't be impulsive. You can't beat that snake. Besides, the sect rules prohibit disciples from fighting amongst themselves. If discovered, there will be severe punishment. Those who initiate conflict will be even more heavily penalized."

"Let's just ignore him."

Xu Ke's voice echoed in Li Fan's mind simultaneously.

Li Fan, who had experienced hundreds of reincarnations, naturally saw that this Song Yang fellow was deliberately trying to pick a fight.

However, being embodied as a strange bird, his temperament was inherently irritable and prone to anger.

It was a good thing Xu Ke used both hands and all his might, barely managing to hold Li Fan down.

Otherwise, Li Fan would have already charged forward.

Ignoring Song Yang's sarcastic taunts, Xu Ke paid him no mind and sullenly walked away.

Song Yang watched Xu Ke's retreating back, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes.

To appease Li Fan, Xu Ke took him on a few more rounds of raiding the spirit fields.

With his stomach full of various spirit plants, Li Fan gradually calmed down.

For the next period, Li Fan spent his days eating, drinking, and growing stronger.