Chapter 2065 - 2061: Devout Believer
Li Zhaojun, without informing Ye Fan, had already prepared the array she intended to set up.
This array was something she had seen in the cultivation methods of Xuanyue Palace. She wasn’t really sure what secrets it held; what she could do was set up this array, hoping it would help Ye Fan.
"In the past, I didn’t understand the significance of this array. Now it seems I do. This array is actually prepared for today’s celestial tribulation. I don’t quite understand what it has to do with Ming Wu, the woman who visited earlier." Li Zhaojun arranged the specific points of the array and had already evaluated and prepared each person’s cultivation level before she spoke to Min Shang.
Min Shang looked at Li Zhaojun, her face still carrying a blush. She shook her head and said, "If even you, sister, don’t know, how could I possibly know anything?"
"Sigh! Perhaps I’m being a bit reckless here. In the past, I would have discussed it with Ye Fan. Ye Fan is very insightful; he would certainly give guidance. But now I understand that if I talk to him, he would never agree to this. We intended to help him, but for our own safety, he wouldn’t let us sacrifice anything for him!" Li Zhaojun said.
Min Shang looked at Li Zhaojun and said, "As long as you’re not in the wrong, sister, Ye Fan shouldn’t be so demanding. After all, we are supposed to live and die together."
"It’s not always like that. Actually, Ye Fan has been very good to us. He probably doesn’t want us to die with him. Recently, Ye Fan has been cultivating diligently. His cultivation level has reached a very high stage. He’s working hard precisely to protect those around him. His purpose is clear. I don’t want to deny what he’s done, but he has his stubborn aspects—like how he cares too much about our safety. His sense of chivalry is overwhelming, and I cannot change that!"
Li Zhaojun seemed quite despondent, contemplating things that Min Shang could also sense were troublesome.
"Sister, as long as we do the right thing, it’s enough. You don’t need to feel guilty. We are doing this to help Ye Fan reach higher levels of cultivation. We must act without guilt in our hearts," Min Shang said with empathy.
Li Zhaojun looked at Min Shang with an encouraging gaze and said, "Ye Fan’s choice in you is actually the best choice. Shang, you are pure and kind. I hope that in the future, we can get along harmoniously among sisters. Out of all the sisters, our relationship should be the closest..."
...
...
Ye Fan was still in the Pan Gu Secret Realm, searching for the whereabouts of Pan Gu and Fu Xi.
He originally thought these two would not avoid him, but upon entering the Pan Gu Secret Realm, he found that they had both mysteriously disappeared, and he couldn’t find any trace of them.
"Where exactly have these two gone?" After searching for a long time with no success, Ye Fan happened to pass by a familiar palace — the territory of Han Zhu Kingdom, where he had previously encountered a woman, and the empress here had a certain connection with Ye Fan, named Ming Wu.
Ye Fan descended into Ming Wu’s palace, where many statues had been erected in his honor. These statues depicted Ye Fan as the heroic "Divine Lord."
Ye Fan had never thought he would become a god in the eyes of the people of Han Zhu Kingdom.
Within the royal palace of Han Zhu Kingdom, there had even been a shrine erected specifically for Ye Fan. Inside the shrine, two women were performing a ceremony before a dragon throne, which was also Ming Wu’s throne.
When Ye Fan, in an invisible state, approached the dragon throne, Ming Wu was still kneeling before a person-sized statue, which was actually Ye Fan’s statue.
Ye Fan hadn’t expected that, even after all this time, Ming Wu still regarded him as a god. Perhaps it was because he had brought her beyond the Golden Core Stage and she couldn’t forget him.
"Honorable Divine Lord, your faithful servant is here awaiting your arrival, wishing you eternal health. Your servants will always protect you...forever loyal to you!"
Ming Wu was bowing before Ye Fan’s statue, which left Ye Fan feeling somewhat awkward.
In Ye Fan’s mind, he didn’t want to be seen as superior, but for someone like Ming Wu, who had always lived in the Pan Gu Secret Realm, worshiping gods was innate. She now treated Ye Fan as a deity, even seeing him as a descending god, using this belief to govern her people.
After Ming Wu finished speaking, she did not stand up but continued her act of worship. Ye Fan wasn’t sure how long she would persist.
Ye Fan then approached Ming Wu’s back, placing his hand on her head. Ming Wu suddenly awoke, trying to struggle, but she found her body beyond her control, and the surrounding space seemed to have isolated her.
"Who is it?" Despite Ming Wu shouting, no one around could hear her.
Ye Fan said, "It’s me."
Upon hearing Ye Fan’s voice, Ming Wu was overjoyed. She immediately turned around and knelt before Ye Fan, even knocking her forehead against his shoe, saying, "Master, your most loyal servant has been waiting for you here!"
"You really don’t have to do this," Ye Fan didn’t stop Ming Wu, just said with a sigh, "I am just like you, merely a person, just at a higher level of cultivation. If everything is but fate, then our meeting was a mere coincidence, and I had no intention of returning after leaving... Don’t you understand even this?"
Ming Wu said nothing but held onto Ye Fan’s leg, affirming her loyalty.
Ye Fan said, "If you wish to worship a god, I won’t stop you, but I must tell you, a celestial tribulation is approaching. For you and your people, it is a matter of life and death."
"With you, Master, we, your most loyal servants, will face it without reservation. If you wish us to live, we shall live; if you decree our death, we shall die!" Ming Wu spoke firmly, as if she had already accepted the transcendence of life and death.
Ye Fan sighed, "Your words are puzzling to me. Many things are not what you imagine... I won’t let you die. You are just ordinary people; you have your own right to choose. What purpose does it serve for me to let you die?"
"Please, Master, bless us!" Ming Wu continued to cling to Ye Fan’s leg, speaking earnestly.