Chapter 1991 - 1987: The Eighth Crystal
Tantai Wanrong woke up, bringing immeasurable joy to Zhao Tianya, but she also didn’t know how to inform Ye Fan about this.
"Big sister, are you alright? You’ve forgotten that you were kidnapped by criminals? Since coming back, you’ve been unconscious, and I don’t even know what you’ve gone through..." Zhao Tianya originally wanted to say a few words against Ye Fan but held her tongue when the words reached her lips. She realized this wasn’t the time for pettiness; saying negative things about Ye Fan now might damage his image in Tantai Wanrong’s eyes.
"Me?" Tantai Wanrong tried her best to recall, but in the end, she looked very troubled and said, "I seem to remember nothing at all. What exactly happened? Tianya, can you tell me?"
Zhao Tianya replied, "Big sister, you’d better ask Ye Fan if you want information. I don’t know anything. Regarding your injury, I only saw the final result. Only Ye Fan knows what happened during the injury process."
"Where’s Ye Fan? Wasn’t it him who rescued me when I woke up?" Tantai Wanrong suddenly thought of Ye Fan, the person she was most concerned about after waking up, but clearly, Ye Fan wasn’t beside her at the moment.
Zhao Tianya didn’t know how to explain, and after a long while, it seemed Tantai Wanrong understood something, she said, "Perhaps Ye Fan has more urgent matters to attend to. Thank you, Tianya, for being by my side when I was injured. I will remember your kindness."
"Big sister, what are you saying? Actually... there are many things you don’t need to worry about. This time with Ye Fan, actually... Alas! I really don’t know what to say." Zhao Tianya wanted to speak badly about Ye Fan but kept reining in.
Tantai Wanrong said, "Since you don’t know how to say it, then don’t say anything. I know what you want to convey. Perhaps you feel Ye Fan hasn’t cared for me enough, but I know he certainly has more urgent things to do now. As someone close to him, I can’t interfere with his important tasks. Besides, am I not safe and sound now? As women, why do we always need others to care for us, even needing others for our own matters?"
Zhao Tianya didn’t know how to respond to Tantai Wanrong’s question, but internally, she felt very aggrieved because Tantai Wanrong seemed blindly trusting of Ye Fan.
"Tianya, it’s time you start focusing on your own things." Tantai Wanrong said, "You should have your own life, and can’t always be by my side every moment. Let’s do this; I will try to speak with Ye Fan, ask him to help you achieve greater cultivation so you can assist him better. It’s just uncertain when exactly this heavenly tribulation he spoke of will occur. If it’s imminent, then I’m afraid I can’t help you much."
"No, I don’t need anyone’s help." Zhao Tianya seemed very determined, "Now that you’ve woken up, I’ll inform Yaoyao and Xiaoxiao. Their care for you has been far greater than Ye Fan’s. But Big sister, it’s quite sad, isn’t it? You don’t even have friends around you anymore. It’s like everyone in the world has disappeared except the few of us left. Is this really the life you’re pursuing?"
Tantai Wanrong smiled and said, "Actually, it’s a kind of choice. You too chose this path yourself, didn’t you?"
...
...
Ye Fan was still within the second secret realm.
Ye Fan had already detected traces of a mysterious force, and by Ye Fan’s judgment, this force was likely a clue to the eighth small crystal.
"Ye Fan, should we go have a look? The small crystal keeps flashing as if it’s trying to tell us something, but we can’t understand it." Lan Jing seemed very earnest, appearing eager to help Ye Fan find a stronger energy source.
"It’s still unclear right now. It’s best to wait and observe first because this power arrives in the form of a Spiritual Body, and I currently have no way to observe such spirits. I don’t even know how strong this force is or its properties." Ye Fan dared not act impulsively. After losing the aid of the Tongling Mirror, any action he took would be hindered.
Even the six small crystals within had lost their leads, making it very challenging to proceed further. He preferred to remain, waiting for the force to approach by itself.
Soon, Ye Fan felt the force surrounding his body, but he still couldn’t grasp specific information about it.
"Tweet, tweet, tweet." The seventh small crystal chirped on Lan Jing’s shoulder, seemingly happy, reacting to its companion.
Ye Fan felt a vague surge of power rising within, appearing to be the elemental crystal’s energy, like the six small crystals hidden within were also being stirred by this force, though Ye Fan couldn’t precisely describe it.
"Ye Fan, do you need me to do something?" Lan Jing asked as Ye Fan seemed somewhat at a loss.
"No need, I just need to slowly feel the changes now. You don’t need to come close to me. If this force isn’t benevolent, I fear it could harm you." Ye Fan said.
Lan Jing nodded and watched from the sidelines. At this moment, it seemed there was a flow of energy around Ye Fan’s body. Ye Fan was trying to activate the Tongling Mirror inside, as it previously had utterly lost its luster, leaving Ye Fan unable to see any reflections or refractions from it, feeling helpless.
But then, Ye Fan felt as if a light point had appeared within his body; under this glow’s shine, he sensed anew that a force was added inside him.
Unfortunately, this force hadn’t grown strong enough to activate the six small crystals within.
"How can I truly activate the Tongling Mirror now? An unsettling shadow seems cast over it due to my feelings towards Zhao Jun and Shen Yan. Nuwa’s avatar exploited my inner weaknesses, using special power to seal the Tongling Mirror, even sealing the six small crystals. If I can’t find the solution to break this moment, my elemental power will remain stuck at a bottleneck."
Ye Fan was striving to find a way to resolve the sealing on his heart but still hadn’t found a suitable approach.
At this moment, the seventh small crystal suddenly disappeared from Lan Jing’s shoulder, seeming to possess energy reaching a high level, capable of transforming into an ethereal spirit.
Because the seventh small crystal had previously interacted with Ye Fan, though it held some fear towards him, due to the mysterious force encircling Ye Fan, the seventh small crystal eventually approached Ye Fan’s body.
Ye Fan could sense the overlap of two forces around him.