Chapter 634

A Falling Stone Plunges into the Deep Sea

A Falling Stone Plunges into the Deep Sea

"Are you confident you can advance to the Nascent Soul stage within ten years?" Zhou Qing'ang looked at the smug He Zhenghao, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

This surprise wasn't feigned.

After a careful look, he realized that He Zhenghao might not be boasting. A profound and mysterious aura was hidden within him. It was incredibly subtle; if He Zhenghao hadn't inadvertently revealed it, and if "Zhou Qing'ang" at that moment hadn't actually been Li Fan's true form in disguise, it would have been nearly impossible to detect.

Replaying the records from the Dao Transformation Stone in his mind, Li Fan instantly understood the origin of this change. It was exactly what He Xingxing had done: before reluctantly departing, he had given He Zhenghao a simple white jade and instructed him to nourish it within his dantian.

"He hasn't even cultivated properly, yet merely relying on this white jade, he's confident he can advance from Golden Core to Nascent Soul in such a short time..."

"This white jade is indeed an extraordinary treasure! It's likely very rare, even for the Heng family in Tianyu Prefecture. He Xingxing truly spared no effort to save his father's life."

"What a pity..."

"Zhou Qing'ang" cast an almost imperceptible, cold glance at He Zhenghao, a sneer forming in his heart.

He then put on an astonished expression: "Fellow Daoist, your progress is surprisingly rapid! This is truly unexpected. It seems your cultivation talent far surpasses both mine and Gao Yuan's."

A hint of awkwardness flickered across He Zhenghao's face, but he quickly covered it, boasting shamelessly, "Haha, fellow Daoist, there's no need to be disheartened. The cultivation realm of us cultivators isn't only influenced by talent but also inextricably linked to diligence, fortuitous encounters, and other factors. Your talent might be a bit lacking, but now that an opportunity lies before you, you absolutely mustn't miss it!"

Listening to He Zhenghao's persuasion, Zhou Qing'ang seemed to lower his head, lost in thought.

Just as He Zhenghao thought he had persuaded the other party and was secretly delighted, Zhou Qing'ang let out a long sigh and rejected his suggestion.

"Indeed, as fellow Daoist said, personal strength is crucial to better serve the Secret Emissary. However, opportunities often come with danger. And me..." Zhou Qing'ang shook his head, looking regretful.

"I've never been one for good fortune! Even if there truly is some opportunity within Chaoyuan Sect, it's probably not destined for me! I'd rather stay safely in Congyun Sea and focus on my duties."

"Once the Secret Emissary..."

Zhou Qing'ang paused deliberately, then continued, "He never mistreats his subordinates. He sees our hard work, and perhaps if he's pleased, he might bestow something upon us that could help us raise our cultivation realms!"

"But I still thank you for your kind intentions, fellow Daoist He!" Zhou Qing'ang cupped his hands and turned to leave the Department of Governance.

Watching Zhou Qing'ang's retreating figure, He Zhenghao's expression fluctuated. "This fellow truly is the Lord's confidant; he must know something! It seems my decision was a good one. Since he's unwilling to leave Congyun Sea, it indicates that not only is there no danger here, but there are also immense benefits to be gained..."

With the last trace of doubt removed from his mind, He Zhenghao made up his decision.

Observing He Zhenghao's gaze, which held both gloom and endless greed, Li Fan knew exactly what he was thinking.

"The greedier one gets, the dumber one becomes; the dumber one becomes, the greedier one gets."

"A vicious cycle. The He Zhenghao of this era is no longer the fellow Daoist He I knew!"

"Such profound shaping and influence on one's personality, simply from different experiences."

Li Fan pondered for a moment, a subtle realization dawning on him.

"Perhaps it's also somewhat related to the New Law's foundation of greedy usurpation."

Dismissing the thought, Li Fan spent the following period meticulously handling various miscellaneous tasks, just as the former Zhou Qing'ang would have.

Meanwhile, "Secret Emissary Li Fan," which was his transformed clone, remained deep within the secret chamber of the Department of Governance, supposedly in secluded cultivation.

While subtly swapping his true form and clone, Li Fan also secretly began constructing a puppet resembling Zhou Qing'ang.

Deep within Congyun Sea, he manipulated the Earthfire Reversion Array, using a small amount of common materials to build a skeletal puppet. He then used the method of Profound Spirit Transformation for refining clones to attach a layer of flesh and skin to the skeletal puppet's exterior.

He then attached a wisp of his divine sense to it.

Ultimately, he successfully created a puppet body that was identical in appearance to Zhou Qing'ang.

After transferring all items such as clothing and storage rings, Li Fan's true form took a final look at the azure Congyun Sea and shook his head.

"It's time to leave," he thought to himself.

Reverting to his original appearance, he sped off towards the location of the Longevity Valley secret realm without looking back.

Meanwhile, the puppet Zhou Qing'ang, controlled by the wisp of divine sense Li Fan had left behind, returned alone to Congyun Immortal City.

Because Zhou Qing'ang was typically reserved and not prone to smiling, even if his expression appeared somewhat wooden, it didn't immediately arouse suspicion from other cultivators.

Furthermore, Li Fan intentionally reduced the number of meetings with outsiders, and on the rare occasions he did interact, he would appear to be diligently working on official matters, utterly engrossed and busy.

Thus, in the vast Congyun City, even with cultivators constantly coming and going, no one realized that Zhou Qing'ang had secretly completed this act of deception.

Although there were still significant flaws that would undoubtedly be discovered over time, the entire Congyun Sea, including all its living beings, was already approaching its end.

Just as Li Fan's true form was still en route,

that day, both his true self and the puppet infused with his divine sense suddenly felt a tremor.

"What's that!"

The successive exclamations from above Congyun City stirred Li Fan, and he looked up at the sky.

There, a gigantic black fireball suddenly appeared in the firmament without any warning.

Trailing a dark wake, it hurtled crookedly towards Congyun Sea.

"This is!" Li Fan's pupils abruptly constricted.

"Crimson Flame?" Feeling the seemingly similar but subtly different aura emanating from the black fireball, Li Fan was unsure.

The black fireball moved incredibly fast; before the cultivators in Congyun Sea could even react, it had already plunged from the sky into the sea.

Every drop of seawater it touched instantly evaporated due to the intense heat.

First, a massive void appeared in the sea. Then, the black fireball violently impacted the seabed.

Amidst a tremendous roar, the entire Congyun Sea vibrated violently. Even Congyun City, high in the clouds, was soon swept by the shockwave, swaying incessantly like duckweed in the wind.

Under the violent impact, a colossal tsunami, centered at the black fireball's point of impact, swept outwards.

The cultivators also witnessed that these hundreds-of-meters-high colossal waves were mixed with half black flames.

Wherever the massive waves passed, with water and fire intertwined, countless islands were instantly reduced to ashes!