Chapter 1980 - 1976: Ye Fan’s Guilt
Ye Fan returned to Li Zhaojun’s side. Although he had obtained the seventh crystal, the completion of the call to the six smaller crystals was still some distance away.
"Ye Fan, how are things now?" Li Zhaojun asked, her tone filled with concern when she saw Ye Fan.
Ye Fan sighed a bit, saying, "I indeed have a real chance to complete all of this, but unfortunately, I have too much chaotic power within me, and I can’t help Lan Jing or the seventh crystal get the power they want."
"Ye Fan, don’t be discouraged. You’ve already done very well up to now. All of humanity, including those ancient cultivators, are watching you because only you can save all of this," Li Zhaojun said with great trust.
"I know I’m being entrusted with great hopes right now, but I also understand that the matter at hand is not easy," Ye Fan said, showing a bit of frustration in his expression, which he only revealed to close ones like Li Zhaojun.
Li Zhaojun came over to hug Ye Fan. The two of them embraced each other, which brought a feeling of tranquility. Ye Fan wasn’t going to force anything; their being together was merely to enjoy the present feeling.
After a long time, Ye Fan finally said, "Zhao Jun, earlier I tried the power within your body. It seems there are many forces other than pure Yin spiritual energy within you. Do you know the attributes of these powers?"
Li Zhaojun shook her head honestly. It was clear she wasn’t very aware of the cultivation elements within herself. She said, "Ye Fan, since my sister Shang and I were imprisoned, I’ve been trying to find what caused it. Now I seem to understand: it’s because Shang and I possess pure Yin spiritual energy, which is very dangerous to certain factions. They want to exploit this energy to use us... or they intend to use the power in Shang and me against you... If you think I shouldn’t have this power, I can destroy it anytime."
Ye Fan shook his head, saying, "You’re overthinking it. I won’t let you do that. No matter what, I will stand by your side now. I’m merely suggesting that the power within you might be of help to me."
"If you believe I can help, I won’t hesitate to assist you. Ye Fan, what do you need me to do?" Li Zhaojun asked eagerly.
Ye Fan appeared resolute, saying, "We don’t need to calculate those things now. Right now, we need to do one thing and that is to find a way to save the calamity within these two days. Zhao Jun, maybe between us, we should truly complete the final step. Only our unreserved closeness can achieve true power fusion."
"I’ll listen to you." Li Zhaojun’s face showed some embarrassment as she looked at Ye Fan. Previously, their intimate moment had already been disrupted once by Nuwa, and she didn’t wish for it to be ruined a second time.
Yet when Ye Fan looked at Li Zhaojun before him, he couldn’t help but recall a certain feeling in his heart. This was the feeling he had from the "Li Zhaojun" that was created by Nuwa’s avatar. He didn’t know who that Li Zhaojun was, but the feelings she evoked in him were the same as the woman in front of him, which Ye Fan found incredible.
Clearly not the same person, they gave him different feelings, and even when he had that woman, she didn’t bring much change to him. Nonetheless, he was very sure she was a woman he loved.
"Could she be Shen Yan?" Ye Fan suddenly realized what the subtle feeling was. Now he seemed to understand that the woman he possessed back then wasn’t just a random substitute found by Nuwa’s avatar. If she were a mere substitute, she wouldn’t have gained his trust. That substitute was likely Shen Yan, as the feeling he held for Shen Yan in his heart was unchanging.
Shen Yan was someone he hadn’t obtained, yet she remained in a state of disappearance. Ye Fan knew many things couldn’t be forced, so he didn’t demand Shen Yan to promise him anything, nor did he forcibly claim her. What he could do was silently wait for Shen Yan to respond to him. He wished Shen Yan would completely accept him but feared Shen Yan’s body harbored powers that didn’t belong to him...
"Ye Fan, what’s wrong?" Li Zhaojun saw Ye Fan seemed suddenly distracted, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Ye Fan said, "Zhao Jun, perhaps our matter should be postponed for a bit. I have something very important to do now. I’ve been searching for a person who hasn’t been found yet. Thinking more, this person might be key to saving the calamity."
At this moment, Ye Fan lied. He didn’t actually believe Shen Yan was the key to saving the calamity, but purely from the sense of guilt he had for Shen Yan.
Li Zhaojun understood Ye Fan very well and nodded, saying, "Whatever you need to do, I will support you."
Ye Fan nodded slightly and then left Li Zhaojun. Now, Ye Fan hurriedly left, seeking a person — Shen Yan. He felt that he had to give Shen Yan an answer, but at this hurried moment, finding someone who had been missing for a long time wasn’t easy for Ye Fan.
"...In my heart, I’ve actually obtained Zhao Jun. This feeling obviously comes from Shen Yan. Now there are many things I can’t explain to Zhao Jun. Only after I find Shen Yan can I slowly talk to her. Perhaps saving the calamity is the starting point of our relationship. If I can’t save the calamity, I don’t deserve to have her..."
Ye Fan’s heart carried some frustration because the person Ye Fan was preoccupied with wasn’t entirely Li Zhaojun; Shen Yan occupied much of her place.
At this moment, Ye Fan even considered Shen Yan more important than Li Zhaojun, though he didn’t understand why he felt this way.
"...I can’t fail anyone anymore, including those who were once hurt by me, be it Zhao Jun or Yanyan; they are both my women. After saving the calamity, I will take them to a very quiet place to peacefully live the rest of our lives. That’s what I pursue. If I can’t find Yanyan and merely chase my own happiness, it would mean failing the people beside me..."
Ye Fan’s heart was filled with self-blame.
He directly entered the Pan Gu secret realm, as he could feel the person who once gave him the feeling of Li Zhaojun never had the opportunity to leave it, merely hiding, making it difficult to find.