Chapter 1986 - 1982: Ye Fan’s Heart
Ye Fan was still searching for Shen Yan’s whereabouts, while Pan Gu and Fu Xi were also looking for Ye Fan.
"Ye Fan is hiding to avoid us. Logically, with his level of cultivation, it’s impossible for him to evade us. How is he avoiding our tracking?" Pan Gu looked at Fu Xi, hoping Fu Xi could give him an answer.
Fu Xi said, "With your insight, you still don’t know, so how can I answer you? Although Ye Fan is unaware, he’s right about one thing: he doesn’t succumb to you. His situation is different from ours as ancient cultivators; he entered the cultivation world as a human, while we established from the start with you as the core."
"What do you mean? If that wasn’t established from the start, do you intend to defy me?" Pan Gu said.
"I didn’t say I would defy you, but I also can’t always follow your orders. Everyone has their own will. Ancient cultivators possess a certain rebellious consciousness; you can’t say he’s necessarily heretical." Fu Xi said.
Pan Gu nodded and said, "In the end, you’re still pleading for Nuwa."
Fu Xi said, "I won’t deny that. During this time, I’ve tried not to think about Ye Fan’s matters. In my view, he’s qualified to challenge you. If he achieves great things, it’s only a matter of time before he defeats you. Even the divine tribulation is not his match; how could you be? To you, the threat of the divine tribulation isn’t as significant as Ye Fan."
"Hmm?" Pan Gu looked at Fu Xi with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Fu Xi continued, "Actually, the divine tribulation is just an ordinary calamity for cultivators and humans, but Ye Fan is truly your calamity. The divine tribulation can’t destroy you, but Ye Fan can. If you kill Ye Fan, perhaps there’s still a chance to save the divine tribulation. If you don’t, in the face of the divine tribulation, the one who fails will only be you."
"I don’t need you to lecture me or guide me in any way. I will make the most reasonable choice because I am Pan Gu, and you are not, Fu Xi. If you can’t find Ye Fan, it’s best to keep quiet. I feel you’re no longer as devout as you used to be; you seem to have grown more defiant towards me, which I can’t accept." Pan Gu said.
Fu Xi, with a somewhat grim smile, said, "Think what you want, maybe I’ll end up rebelling against you too. You’d better prepare yourself for that."
...
...
After a long search, Ye Fan found no trace of Shen Yan in Pan Gu’s secret realm, leaving him somewhat helpless. The only clue to Shen Yan’s disappearance was with Nuwa’s avatar, but even she seemed unable to find Shen Yan’s trail right now.
After exhaustive searching, Ye Fan decided to directly seek out Lan Jing to discuss some cultivation matters.
When Ye Fan met Lan Jing, she was happily playing with the seventh crystal. At that moment, the seventh crystal had no guard against Lan Jing, but when Ye Fan arrived, it hid behind Lan Jing’s hair. It seemed to sense a massive threat from Ye Fan, viewing him as an enemy.
"Ye Fan, have you finished your business? Can we resume our cultivation?" Lan Jing asked happily upon seeing him.
Ye Fan knew that at this moment, Lan Jing resembled a young woman in love, indescribable in words. He also knew that the relationship between him and Lan Jing couldn’t undergo many changes as they were already very close. He didn’t intend to use Lan Jing for any purposes.
"I’m afraid not yet. The things I have to do are still unfinished," Ye Fan said. "I still need some time to change everything. Lan Jing, you should know my intentions. I will be responsible for you, even after saving the calamity. I will never leave you."
"Hmm." Lan Jing nodded happily.
Ye Fan said, "I previously told you something: officially, your mother is Xuan Nv. Whether Xuan Nv is truly your mother, I’m not sure. How you relate to her in the future, I won’t meddle."
"Oh." Lan Jing was a bit puzzled now; the term ’mother’ seemed unfamiliar. Having just accepted the joyous moment of having her own husband, the meaning of ’mother’ seemed inconsequential now.
"There’s word that your father is Zhuo Junwu, also known as Li Yunhuo. Whether this is true, I also don’t know. One thing I do know is that I will protect you and not let you suffer. As long as you stay by my side, I’ll ensure a happy life for you. But I hope you’ll devote your mind to me and keep enough trust in me," Ye Fan said.
"Hmm?" Lan Jing was a bit confused; there were things she still didn’t quite understand.
Ye Fan couldn’t fully explain to her either. It was only after experiencing repeated ordeals with women that he realized how difficult it was to maintain a relationship, especially when he had many girls around him. Such a challenging romantic life was hard to continue.
Nevertheless, he was a responsible man and wouldn’t abandon someone heartlessly. To prevent Lan Jing from becoming someone irresponsible in love, Ye Fan would clarify things to her.
"Ye Fan, are you thinking about something?" Lan Jing asked curiously.
What Ye Fan thought of was Shen Yan, his feelings of guilt toward her became more apparent. He had already gained this woman but treated Shen Yan like another woman, a feeling that made him very disheartened. Ye Fan said, "What I’m thinking only pertains to saving the calamity. Once that’s resolved, nothing else is substantially important."
"Hmm." Lan Jing nodded in agreement with Ye Fan’s thoughts.
"Let’s cultivate a little for now, then we’ll talk later. I won’t stay with you for long." Ye Fan wished to find Shen Yan, also hoping to find Li Zhaojun. For now, both tasks couldn’t be done, so he decided to cultivate with Lan Jing first, showing his sincerity to her.
Lan Jing was delighted to cultivate with Ye Fan.
It was only now that Ye Fan realized how pure Lan Jing’s heart was. She had an absolutely transparent heart, not only being pure herself but also understanding others’ hearts. She could discern others’ good and evil, even those hard to distinguish, and she knew if someone had bad intentions towards her.
Just like a woman who understood the Mind Reading Technique, Lan Jing looked at Ye Fan with incredibly clear eyes. Ye Fan walked over and embraced Lan Jing.
Lan Jing shifted slightly in Ye Fan’s embrace, and finally, she looked up at him with anticipation, "Ye Fan, will you... for me?"