Chapter 252: 若水与正浩

Li Fan’s thoughts raced, and he instantly understood the source of the "extreme danger" He Xinxin had calculated. It was the same vulnerability his clone had exposed when facing the Heavenly Physician.

In this life, if He Xinxin's deductions hadn't occurred, Li Fan's original plan would still have led him to Yuan Daozhou. When that entity devoured time again at Anchor Year 29, would it inexplicably discover that Li Fan, a mere cultivator, already bore the mark of "its bite"? Yet, it could be certain that it had not stolen Li Fan's time before. This unknown terrifying entity would surely instantly deduce the most probable reason for this occurrence.

When facing the Heavenly Physician, Li Fan could still activate "Return to Truth" while conscious. However, against this monster capable of devouring others' time, Li Fan wouldn't even have the chance to silently activate "Return to Truth." The reason it was "extreme danger" instead of "certain death" was likely that the only sliver of hope lay in "Return to Truth's" automatic protective activation, which could awaken Li Fan's consciousness and momentarily shield him, giving him the opportunity to activate it.

At this point, Li Fan had formed a basic hypothesis about the "lost decade." In his view, this was probably the closest guess to the truth. As for other possibilities... if it were merely a single life where he couldn't detect the theft of ten years, and he only realized it immediately after using "Return to Truth" and reviewing his previous life, then Li Fan might still suspect that it was the work of the Azure Feather Immortal Venerable's Soul-Devouring Rebirth Array. However, this entity could affect "Return to Truth," making Li Fan perpetually unaware until he was reminded and searched repeatedly for a long time. It wasn't that Li Fan looked down on Azure Feather, but his strength as a quasi-Heavenly Venerable was likely insufficient for such an feat.

"This world is bizarre and fraught with danger," Li Fan mused. "A single misstep, and the whole game is lost. Precisely because I possess 'Return to Truth,' I am even more vulnerable before the top cultivators of this realm."

"The only good news is that its influence seems limited to Yuan Daozhou, and it isn't actively aggressive; it merely steals time. In my tenth life, when I first entered the cultivation world, I embodied the Congyun Sea and lived until Anchor Year 48. There was no incident of time being stolen. It seems Yuan Daozhou is off-limits from now on. Also, I need to find a way to eliminate its influence on me, otherwise, it will remain a significant hidden danger, like a fishbone stuck in my throat."

People are like that. When faced with completely unknown fear, their hearts tremble, and they cannot control themselves. But once they gain even a mere concept of the opponent, the fear naturally diminishes. And as their understanding of it deepens, the fear gradually dissipates.

Although Li Fan still didn't know what exactly "it" was, for now, he might as well regard it as a top-tier powerhouse residing in Yuan Daozhou, capable of devouring the lifespan of living beings. If you can't afford to provoke it, just avoid it. At the very least, judging by the current situation, "Return to Truth" still had an edge over it. As long as he didn't encounter it again, the problem should not be significant.

"It seems my life was not meant to end; I met He Xinxin before heading to Yuan Daozhou, averting this calamity," Li Fan thought. "Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist He is truly my lucky star. If the Formless Killing Intent monitoring him hadn't suddenly failed, I wouldn't have had the whim to visit Liuli Island to investigate." Recalling this, Li Fan uncharacteristically displayed a gentle smile.

Seeing this, He Zhenghao's heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and he hastily asked, "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, is anything seriously wrong?"

Li Fan patted his shoulder, "It's nothing, just a minor matter. Thanks to you, Fellow Daoist, I've already thought of a way to resolve it. Truly, I must thank Xinxin. Without her warning, I really don't know what would have happened!"

He Xinxin, praised, immediately blushed and looked embarrassed. He Zhenghao, however, burst into hearty laughter, extremely pleased.

"Xinxin, how long do you plan to stay here...?" Li Fan knew He Xinxin had likely snuck out and couldn't remain with He Zhenghao indefinitely, hence his question.

"As soon as Mother finds out, I'll go back..." He Xinxin stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something. She stuck out her tongue, glanced at a somewhat awkward He Zhenghao beside her, and then lowered her head, remaining silent.

He Zhenghao led her aside and began telling Li Fan the story of himself and He Xinxin's mother. It was not much different from a mediocre romance novel.

He Xinxin's mother was named Heng Ruoshui, and she was from Tianyu Province. In her youth, she traveled without her parents' knowledge and met He Zhenghao. He Zhenghao was quite handsome in his youth, and Heng Ruoshui, on the other hand, had little contact with other men. Spending time together day after day, it was natural for feelings to develop between them.

Just as the young couple were deeply in love, Heng Ruoshui's parents suddenly appeared. After observing He Zhenghao carefully, they didn't immediately try to break up the lovers. Instead, they brought the two back to Tianyu Province.

For a period afterward, one talented young man after another appeared, pursuing Heng Ruoshui. In terms of appearance, each one was strikingly handsome, with sword-like brows and star-like eyes. Regarding cultivation, they were mostly in the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realms. Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't even meet Heng Ruoshui. At that time, He Zhenghao was merely in the late Qi Condensation stage. In front of cultivators two major realms above him, he didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Heng Ruoshui still had some affection for He Zhenghao. She didn't transfer her affections to these cultivators who were far superior to him. However, she couldn't stand He Zhenghao's dispirited appearance and verbally reprimanded him a few times. Young and hot-blooded at the time, his pride getting the better of him, He Zhenghao had a huge argument with Heng Ruoshui. He even boastfully declared that he would become a Nascent Soul cultivator and achieve great things to make Heng Ruoshui look at him with new respect. Then he just ran off.

The young He Zhenghao then experienced the harsh realities of life. After countless hardships, he finally cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage. He participated in the Myriad Immortal Alliance's decennial unified examination, intending to join the Protector Hall and become a Protector. Who would have thought that when the results came out, he had passed, but his position wasn't Protector; it was Garrison Commander. Even more absurdly, the garrisoned area wasn't Tianyu Province, but the extremely remote Congyun Sea, a place he had never even heard of before. He Zhenghao initially wanted to refuse, but the appointment order had already been issued at light speed. With the transfer order in hand, how could He Zhenghao dare to defy the Myriad Immortal Alliance's command? Even if he knew there were many tricks involved, and it must have been Heng Ruoshui's parents secretly pulling strings, he could only meekly depart for the distant Congyun Sea to take up his post.

He stayed there for several decades. Both his love life and career withered, leaving He Zhenghao utterly disheartened. His cultivation stagnated, stopping at the middle Foundation Establishment stage. Instead, he became engrossed in array formations, achieving considerable success in this path and making many friends.

Sometimes things go wrong, but still turn out right. One day, while chatting with a friend, He Zhenghao coincidentally learned that Heng Ruoshui had actually been pregnant back then. However, she knew her parents strongly objected, and He Zhenghao had disappeared without a trace. For the safety of her unborn child, she used a secret technique to suspend the fetus's growth. From then on, she avoided outsiders and diligently cultivated. It wasn't until a dozen years ago, when she became a Nascent Soul Array Weaver and gained enough say in front of her parents, that she revealed the truth and gave birth to the child, naming her He Xinxin.

This matter caused quite a stir in Tianyu Province, and her story became widely known. People at the time regarded Heng Ruoshui as an extraordinary woman. Many cultivators didn't even mind that she had a child and fiercely pursued her, but she rejected them all without exception.

Far away in the Congyun Sea, He Zhenghao, upon hearing this, felt as if struck by lightning. Tears streamed down his face; he regretted his past actions but felt helpless. He lacked the face and courage to see Heng Ruoshui again. It wasn't until He Xinxin sensed her biological father's fatal crisis and came to this remote Congyun Sea...

As He Zhenghao finished his account, tears welled in his eyes, and he sighed with great emotion. After listening, Li Fan couldn't help but inwardly curse, "He Zhenghao, what kind of man are you!" Yet, he patted He Zhenghao's shoulder and boasted, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist He. One day, I will ensure you return to Tianyu Province in glory, making up for everything from back then! For mortals, a hundred years might mean separation by life and death, with regrets impossible to mend. But for cultivators like us, it's not something beyond salvation!"