Chapter 2002 - 1998: Seeking Allegiance
Lan Jing followed Ye Fan as they left, and when the two arrived at the cultivation site Ye Fan had prepared for Lan Jing, Ye Fan confirmed that Pan Gu, Fu Xi, and others had not followed them.
Even if these ancient cultivators did not follow Ye Fan, Ye Fan could still sense some probing forces shadowing them; clearly, Pan Gu and Fu Xi did not want him to lose his trail again, and their tracking was becoming increasingly tight.
"Ye Fan, what’s wrong?" Lan Jing looked at Ye Fan, appearing somewhat perplexed.
Ye Fan’s face was somewhat solemn as he said, "We’ve been tracked down. The ones tracking us are the people you saw earlier. They will keep following us, and even what we do will be noticed by them."
Lan Jing gritted her teeth and said, "Ye Fan, I think there isn’t a single good person among them. If we can defeat them, wouldn’t that mean we won’t have to worry about being tracked anymore?"
"As it stands now, it’s not that easy," Ye Fan replied. "Even if I were to fight them now, the chances of winning are very small. Only the occurrence of a heavenly tribulation can give me the chance to improve my cultivation, but I know nothing about what the tribulation entails, which is extremely dangerous."
Lan Jing seemed very worried as she said, "Ye Fan, I think we don’t really need to be so anxious. I might not be able to help you much right now, but I will try to improve my own cultivation and make myself stronger. Only then can I become the most important aide by your side. What do you think?"
Ye Fan looked at Lan Jing, smiled, and said, "I hope that’s the case, but I think we still have many opportunities to improve. You don’t necessarily need to view cultivation as so important. Let’s go back to Earth once, today we won’t cultivate. Cultivation is not very meaningful for us now; let’s see what this heavenly tribulation can bring us."
...
...
After returning to Earth, Ye Fan first had Lan Jing wait in Hua Hai City, while he went to the North Pole to see Xi He and Xuan Nu. At this time, his whereabouts could not be hidden, as Pan Gu and Fu Xi used extreme methods to track him, making him realize he must find a reasonable way to improve his cultivation.
"It seems the master has provoked some disturbance, probably related to the grievances of Pan Gu and Fu Xi?" Xi He asked Ye Fan with a teasing tone, as if she already knew everything.
Ye Fan scrutinized Xi He and said, "You should know very well how much pressure Pan Gu and Fu Xi have on me. I now want to kill them directly, but it’s not that easy."
Xi He said, "Is the master willing to accept some help? I mean, if someone wants to stand by the master’s side?"
Ye Fan looked at Xi He and then at Xuan Nu, saying, "What do you mean?"
Immediately, a few people walked out from behind Xi He, who had been hiding within the ancient relics of the North Pole. These individuals were E Huang, Shun, Emperor Jun, and Nu Ying. Clearly, they had discussed amongst themselves before coming to see Ye Fan.
"It’s you?" Ye Fan looked at these ancient powers before him, unsure of their intentions, but based on his analysis, these people seemed to have a strong oppressive power. It was likely because they no longer wanted to be under the rule of Pan Gu and Fu Xi, but Ye Fan also wasn’t sure whether this was a trap, as it was possible these people had been sent by Pan Gu or Nuwa.
Shun, who had a relatively harmonious relationship with Ye Fan, stepped forward and smiled, "Ye Fan, I think you already know the purpose of our visit, right?"
"I do not," Ye Fan replied. "You should be aware that your every move is closely monitored by Pan Gu and Fu Xi. What do you mean by coming to see me now?"
"We understand very well that if we betray Pan Gu and Fu Xi, there’s only the path to death. But if we have your help, perhaps there’s a chance to defeat Pan Gu and Fu Xi. Once the order among ancient cultivators changes, we can gain benefits previously unattainable," Shun said on behalf of the four.
Ye Fan said, "You don’t represent ancient cultivators. Your thoughts are rather radical, clearly your motive is just to oppose Pan Gu. I won’t help you with anything."
"Whether you help us isn’t important; what’s important is that we hope to get your support," Shun said with a smile. "You should have considered this, right? If we were to defect and support you, after the heavenly tribulation, pooling our forces to combat Pan Gu and Fu Xi would surely increase your chances of winning, wouldn’t it?"
Ye Fan replied coldly, "So you mean to help me combat Pan Gu and Fu Xi? Why should I trust you?"
"Ye Fan, you must know, we have no reason to deceive you here. With our cultivation, though we may not be able to confront Pan Gu and Fu Xi directly, our resolve against those rulers remains. The biggest difference between you and those two is that you lack significant ambition. We hope to establish a relatively harmonious order among cultivators in the future," Shun said.
Ye Fan shook his head, saying, "I don’t think that’s reason enough for you to help me; it’s too far-fetched."
Shun laughed, "It’s not far-fetched, it’s our idea. Imagine, once the heavenly tribulation ends, if you fight Pan Gu and Fu Xi and win, we ancient cultivators would surely be killed by you, which is not the outcome we wish to see. If you’re defeated by Pan Gu and Fu Xi, we would also be suppressed for helping Nuwa or secretly colluding with you, and everything would revert to its former state. We might as well resist once, and if successful, at least we wouldn’t have to be ruled anymore."
"You’re mistaken," Xi He suddenly interjected. "If the master defeats Pan Gu and Fu Xi, you will still be ruled, and must obey the master."
"Our ideas differ from yours, Xi He. You’ve become Ye Fan’s servant, hence you say so. Our notion is merely that we won’t be oppressed by Pan Gu and Fu Xi anymore, allowing us to choose how to cultivate or what kind of belief to follow without being controlled by anyone. This is the result we pursue, though to Ye Fan, this may seem trivial, it’s our true intent. If Ye Fan agrees, then most ancient cultivators will stand by your side,"
As Shun spoke, the three other ancient cultivators seemingly agreed with his notions.
"Now," Shun finally said, "It remains to see whether Ye Fan is willing to help us!"