Chapter 98: Two Lives Distinguishing Fate and Destiny

The other party explained that they specifically asked because it was rare to find someone as sentimental as Li Fan in the current cultivation world.

Li Fan looked at the person's name. It was Song Weiyu, apparently a female cultivator.

To go or not to go? A Golden Core True Lord's cave, with a Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator leading the team, seemed to guarantee safety. But Li Fan considered it and politely declined. All he sought were He Zhenghao’s remains. If Song Weiyu succeeded on this expedition, she would naturally bring them back. There was no need for him to take that risk. And if there were truly immense opportunities within the cave, he could always find out more details and go in his next life.

Seeing Li Fan’s refusal, Song Weiyu did not press further.

After all matters were settled, Li Fan began cultivating the "Cloud Water Illusion Dream Art." He was very attentive to Zhang Haobo, his pawn. To prevent Zhang Haobo from going astray and deviating from the growth path Li Fan had set for him, Li Fan needed to perform illusion dream modifications on him periodically. The mortal stage was manageable, but once Zhang Haobo broke through to the Qi Condensation stage, it would become much harder for Li Fan to influence his thoughts. Therefore, what Li Fan needed to do now was to break through the "Cloud Water Illusion Dream Art" to its second layer.

The "Cloud Water Illusion Dream Art" was a rather unique cultivation method. It had seven layers and did not correspond to realms like Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment. It was solely related to the strength of one's spiritual sense and the intricacy of the illusions created. The higher the cultivated layer of the art, the stronger the influence of the illusions. Theoretically, even a mere mortal, if their spiritual power was strong enough, could make Golden Core and Nascent Soul Grand Cultivators fall into an illusionary dream. However, a cultivator's spiritual sense strength was usually determined by their cultivation realm, so this situation was almost non-existent.

Three months later, on Glazed Island, aboard the *Vast Sea* ship.

Zhang Haobo stood at the bow, facing the sea breeze and gazing at the ocean. His brow was furrowed, as if he was searching for something. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar-looking reef ahead. His spirits lifted, and he immediately leaped into the sea, causing a gasp from the surrounding crew members.

Zhang Haobo navigated the dim underwater environment, descending all the way. Soon, he reached the seabed. An ordinary mortal would have long since been unable to withstand the immense pressure of the seabed and would have exploded. But after three months of cultivation, Zhang Haobo had cleared most of the immortal-mortal miasma within him. His physique had also been greatly strengthened, and he was not far from breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage. Coupled with his excellent swimming ability, he was naturally fearless.

Zhang Haobo continued to swim along the seabed. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. His speed abruptly increased as he swam towards a skeleton half-buried in the mud. Digging the skeleton out of the silt, Zhang Haobo indeed found a book near its chest: "Divine Sea-Calming Sword."

"It truly wasn't a dream; I've been reborn," Zhang Haobo murmured, stroking the book's cover in a daze. Although he had previously concluded that he was a reborn individual, rebirth was, after all, too incredible to believe. Furthermore, the fading memories of his previous life had caused him to waver slightly in his conviction. Fortunately, perhaps because he was about to break through to the Qi Condensation stage, some forgotten details from before gradually returned to him recently. This included the exact location where he had originally salvaged this "Divine Sea-Calming Sword" art. So, he took advantage of this sea voyage to come here and verify whether he was truly reborn or if everything was just a frighteningly realistic dream. Now, with the appearance of this skeleton and the "Divine Sea-Calming Sword" art, he finally confirmed that he had indeed been reborn.

His eyes gradually grew resolute, and Zhang Haobo tucked the book into his embrace. "I can't delay any longer; I must quickly raise my cultivation. Only then can I stop that calamity," he thought. "Mere Qi Condensation cultivation definitely won't be enough. My words will carry no weight, and I won't be able to convince anyone. At least Foundation Establishment, or even Golden Core..." Thinking this, Zhang Haobo slowly swam back to the surface and climbed back onto the *Vast Sea* ship.

The crew members, seeing their boss's solemn face, dared not ask anything. Ever since a while ago, some inexplicable change seemed to have occurred in their boss. The captain who used to joke with everyone was gone. Zhang Haobo gradually became more reserved and humorless, and his aura of authority grew stronger by the day, seemingly similar to the immortal masters on the island. When interacting with their boss, they couldn't help but become more cautious and fearful.

Above the *Vast Sea* ship, Li Fan, his form hidden, watched Zhang Haobo from afar. Operating the "Heaven-Stealing Life-Changing Art," he observed Zhang Haobo's fate. "Indeed, his fate seems to have undergone some marvelous change," Li Fan thought. This change was minuscule, but since it was Li Fan who instigated it, he paid it extra attention, thus keenly perceiving it. Li Fan carefully pondered the subtle differences before and after, gaining some insight.

"In cultivation, often, one quick step leads to many quick steps," he murmured softly, his eyes growing brighter. "In his previous life, Zhang Haobo embarked on the path of cultivation by chance only in his middle age. Although his luck was extraordinary, reaching Foundation Establishment in a little over a decade was already his limit. This was his destined fate. But in this life, under my influence, he began cultivating more than a decade earlier. Once fate changes, it flows naturally. Like standing at a wind tunnel, the strong grow stronger..."

To witness the changes in a person's fate firsthand was also a tremendous opportunity for Li Fan. Without the aid of "Return to Truth," allowing him to compare and verify the destinies of two lives, he, like the vast multitude of beings, would merely be an ant struggling bitterly under the workings of the Heavenly Dao. How could he then know his own fate, let alone that of others? Just as in his previous life, he had to transform into the vast sea to glimpse the Heavenly Dao's killing intent, only by spanning two lives could he understand the changes in fate.

In his sudden enlightenment, Li Fan couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. "Perhaps, you will truly bring me a bit of a surprise. I truly look forward to your performance, Zhang Haobo."

In a pleasant mood, Li Fan slowly flew towards Glazed Island. Three months had passed, and the clone Lin Fan was still in a state of enlightenment regarding the "Life-Death Chain Lock." His spiritual awakening state also hadn't stopped. Contribution points were flowing like water; he had already spent nearly two thousand points. Fortunately, the clone had a baseline of one hundred thousand contribution points, so it could withstand such consumption. "I wonder what kind of divine ability the clone will comprehend once he emerges from seclusion?" Li Fan mused as he arrived within Glazed Island's island-protecting formation.

Just as he was about to use the teleportation array to return to Myriad Immortals Island, he saw Yuwen Xing looking solemn and worried.

"Fellow Daoist Yuwen, may I ask what has happened?" Li Fan politely inquired.

Yuwen Xing seemed to be deep in thought and didn't respond immediately.

"Fellow Daoist Yuwen?" Li Fan had to repeat.

Only then did Yuwen Xing snap back to reality. He looked at Li Fan and sighed. "Something has happened. The team led by True Lord Gou Xuan, exploring the cave, was completely wiped out. Even True Lord Gou Xuan himself couldn't escape."