Chapter 251: Disappeared Ten Years

Every time Li Fan awoke from secluded cultivation, he would glance at the Huanzhen Panel and calculate the passage of time based on his physiological age. One Anchored Year corresponded to being 20 years old, and so forth. In his twelfth life, he had also checked the Huanzhen Panel numerous times.

However, when time suddenly leaped from Anchored Year 29 to Anchored Year 39, Li Fan failed to detect even the slightest abnormality. Even when he repeatedly recalled his experiences from his twelfth life, he still didn't notice the ten years that had vanished from his life.

Part of the reason for this was cognitive bias. After all, in the perception of most people, time is continuous and indivisible. How could it be Anchored Year 29 one moment and Anchored Year 39 the next? Another, more crucial reason was that some entity seemed to have twisted his perception, causing him to inadvertently overlook this detail. It was a classic case of 'seeing something strange so often that it no longer seems strange.'

What exactly had happened? Who had stolen his time? Li Fan inevitably fell into a state of deep dread. Fear stemmed from the unknown. The Heavenly Doctor was indeed powerful, but at least there was a concrete entity. Li Fan was no match for him in this life, but after reincarnating ten, a hundred times... under endless reincarnation, he would one day grow to the same height and eventually defeat him.

However, this unknown entity made Li Fan feel a sense of helplessness for the first time. He didn't even know what it was, or how it had stolen the time that originally belonged to him. What made Li Fan even more fearful was that the various influences it exerted could not be shaken off, even after using Huanzhen. This implied that the entity was very likely on the same level as Huanzhen. At the very least, its power was already very close to Huanzhen's. This was the true root of Li Fan's fear.

Huanzhen had always been the cornerstone of Li Fan's hope for immortality. It was the source of his confidence, allowing him to remain unflustered no matter how powerful an enemy he faced. No matter how great the crisis, he would silently chant 'Huanzhen' in his heart. Reality would convert to illusion, returning everything to its starting point. The crisis would then naturally vanish without a trace. But now, Huanzhen's absolute dominance was under threat...

He Zhenghao and his daughter, He Xinxin, who were standing nearby, also noticed that Li Fan's expression was amiss. He Xinxin was about to ask a question but was held back by He Zhenghao, who shook his head.

Fear echoed in his heart, lingering for a long time. Fortunately, Li Fan possessed a resilient will. Having endured countless near-death situations, and now facing what was merely a non-fatal threat from a past timeline, Li Fan gradually calmed the fear in his heart. He began to meticulously ponder and analyze the situation. Soon, he detected an anomalous phenomenon within the incident.

Composing his expression, Li Fan asked He Zhenghao, "Fellow Daoist He, what is the origin of Xinxin's deduction technique? Could you perhaps shed some light on it?" Though phrased as a question, his eyes conveyed an unmistakable command.

He Zhenghao hesitated for a moment but had no choice but to explain, "My daughter's deduction technique is called the Dao Net Heavenly Web. It is a custom-tailored deduction spell based on her accompanying wondrous item, the Dao-script Compass. As for its specific quality, it can barely be considered half a Heavenly Wonder." As he spoke, a hint of pride couldn't help but show on He Zhenghao's face.

"'Accompanying wondrous item?'" A thought stirred in Li Fan's mind. There were relevant records in the 'Treatise on Wondrous Items.' Certain cultivators were born with wondrous items of heaven and earth within them. These wondrous items all possessed extraordinary qualities and were perfectly attuned to the cultivators themselves. However, this situation was extremely rare, and the book only mentioned it briefly without much elaboration. Anyone born with an accompanying wondrous item was nourished by its inherent laws from the womb. Their cultivation speed was incredibly fast, and any who managed to safely survive and grow up invariably became peerless prodigies of their region. He hadn't expected that He Xinxin belonged to this category. No wonder she had already reached the Foundation Establishment cultivation stage at such a young age. Li Fan observed the young girl, thinking to himself.

Being stared at by Li Fan, He Xinxin felt a strange surge of nervousness.

"Xinxin, please explain to Uncle Li the general principles behind the Dao Net Heavenly Web's deductions." He Zhenghao said.

He Xinxin nodded upon hearing this; trusting her father, she didn't feel particularly guarded. She then softly and gently began to explain to Li Fan.

"'Humans, existing between heaven and earth, are like living within a colossal net. Every action affects the people, events, and things around them. Those who cannot transcend are inevitably influenced by other people, events, and things. They intertwine and interact, forming all matters in the world. All matters in the world, once they occur, must leave traces. By observing these various traces left on the colossal net, one can know all matters in the world. This net is called the Dao Net Heavenly Web. The traces are known as Dao Seal Etchings.'"

As the young girl explained, the doubts in Li Fan's mind were also resolved. The ten years of time stolen from him in Daoyuan State had occurred in his twelfth life. He Xinxin was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and no matter how exceptionally talented she was, it would have been absolutely impossible for her to discern the nature of Huanzhen or deduce events that happened nearly a hundred lives ago. Furthermore, the unknown entity that stole his ten years was of an extremely high existential rank, and logically, He Xinxin should not have been able to deduce anything about it. Yet, she had somehow discerned a clue.

This was because... an apple that has been bitten is different from a whole apple. Similarly, a being from whom this unknown entity had stolen time would undoubtedly be different from other normal beings. They would be tainted with a unique aura. Although Huanzhen allowed Li Fan to return to the time before his time was stolen, he had not been able to completely shake off its influence. Li Fan's previous complete unawareness of this was proof.

He Xinxin's Dao Net Heavenly Web did not directly deduce Huanzhen or the unknown entity that stole time. However, by deducing information about Li Fan, it managed to perceive the entity's influence, thereby reconstructing what had happened to Li Fan. Li Fan even speculated that if He Xinxin were to deduce information about any other cultivator within Daoyuan State, she would not be able to predict the same results as with Li Fan. That was simply not something a Foundation Establishment cultivator could perceive. Even with the Dao-script Compass, which was half a Heavenly Wonder, as her foundation, it wouldn't be possible.

If an analogy were to be made: The unknown entity that stole time was like a black hole, silently hovering above Daoyuan State. Every now and then, it would devour ten years of time from the entire state. Under normal circumstances, its existence could not be directly detected through ordinary observation or deduction methods. But because of Huanzhen, Li Fan escaped from this black hole. The black hole's influence, however, did not disappear. Thus, Li Fan was like the light rays distorted around a black hole. By observing him, one could infer its act of stealing time in Daoyuan State.