He Zhenghao was no longer the arrogant, hot-blooded youth he once had been.
Decades of harsh experience in the Congyun Sea had taught him the realities of life.
He sighed deeply and shook his head. "You jest, Fellow Daoist. Ruoshui's talent for cultivation far surpasses my own.
“Even if I somehow manage to reach the Nascent Soul realm in this lifetime, she will likely have already achieved Spirit Transformation by then.
“A Spirit Transformation technique weaver master... the gap between our statuses would only grow wider.
"I'm too old to entertain such hopes now. I'll be content enough if Xinxin visits me occasionally." He Zhenghao spoke with heartfelt emotion.
Li Fan said nothing, merely patting his shoulder before taking his leave.
Returning to the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan began carefully searching for information about Yuandao Province.
An entire province periodically losing ten years to some external force... While those within Yuandao Province might not notice anything amiss, what about when they interacted with cultivators from other provinces?
And during those ten missing years, how would the world outside perceive Yuandao Province?
The Tianxuan Mirror contained an ocean of information—surely there would be some trace of this strange phenomenon.
Li Fan spent most of the day verifying this.
Nothing.
Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.
Everything we can see is simply what they allow us to see. Everything they wish to hide has already been wiped clean.
Shaking his head, he abandoned that line of investigation. He focused instead on Yuandao Province's history.
Research on Heavenly Capital’s Relics
The Source of the Dao, or the Dao of the Source? An Inquiry into the Relationship Between Yuandao Province and the Ancient Land of the Dao’s Source[1]
A Brief Discussion on the Heritage of the Heavenly Capital Great Master’s Lineage ...
Volume after volume, Li Fan patiently examined the texts. These books about Yuandao Province all inevitably revolved around one key term: Heavenly Capital.
The source of Dao Techniques, number one among all teachings... Li Fan thought to himself. What arrogance. Could this Heavenly Capital be one of the ancient Ten Great Immortal Sects?
According to later research, in ancient times, the Heavenly Capital hovered high above the nine heavens, looking down upon all living beings in the Xuanhuang World. It claimed to be the source of Dao Techniques, the first among all teachings.
It was unknown who the specific cultivators who once resided in Heavenly Capital were. The only name that had been passed down was the Heavenly Capital Great Master.
It was said that Lan Yu, the Dao Unity Immortal Venerable of Yuandao Province, was part of the Heavenly Capital Great Master's lineage.
The Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Technique he cultivated was personally imparted by the Great Master.
Lan Yu's numerous esoteric treasures, such as the Heavenly Capital Dueling Arena and the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace, all originated from Heavenly Capital's heritage.
Soon, Lan Yu will reach his life's end. Before dying, he'll deploy the Lifespan-Devouring Rebirth Array, attempting to defy the principles of life and death to attain the Dao and gain eternal life.
When Lan Yu fell, extraordinary phenomena were said to spread across the entire province, visible to all.
My true self cannot go, but there's no harm in sending an avatar.
Li Fan felt that the unknown entity devouring time was likely connected to the ancient Heavenly Capital.
But this was just his intuition, without any evidence to support it.
Regardless, the fall of a Dao Unity Immortal Venerable is a rare sight. It would be worthwhile to witness such an event.
I've heard that because Lan Yu achieved Dao Unity before the Great Reformation, the phenomena accompanying his fall differed from those of contemporary cultivators...
Having settled on a course of action, Li Fan began searching for methods to cleanse himself of the inexplicable traces lingering upon him.
Every trade had its master.
Just because Return to Truth couldn’t handle it didn’t mean other methods in the world couldn’t.
For Li Fan, anything that could be resolved by spending contribution points wasn’t a problem.
Keywords: purification, curse, trace, elimination...
He examined each result methodically. The proposed solutions fell roughly into three categories:
The first was to rely on rare natural treasures to scour the body and purge malevolent influences.
The second involved cultivating special techniques that, through persistent practice, could purify both body and mind until they became flawless, like crystalline glass.
The third consisted of specialized practitioners who would cleanse the abnormalities clinging to a person for a price. Of course, if they failed, they wouldn’t charge a fee.
Treating it as an experiment, Li Fan contacted these practitioners. When asked what kind of trace he wanted removed, he simply said he didn’t know, only that his spiritual sense hinted at something subtly wrong within his body. Such vague explanations were common.
Over a dozen cultivators arrived, some at the Nascent Soul realm, others at the Golden Core realm.
After performing their arts, Li Fan felt nothing. Each practitioner would study him for a moment, then shake their head, admitting they couldn’t detect any anomaly.
Just as Li Fan was about to give up, the last practitioner surprised him.
Fang Yang, a Nascent Soul cultivator, observed him silently for a while.
When he prepared to cast his arcane art, his face suddenly paled. Without a word, he turned and walked away.
Li Fan knew Fang Yang must have seen something. He hurried after him.
At the Dao Transmission Plaza, he intercepted Fang Yang, who now wore an ugly expression. If not for the island’s prohibition against fighting, he would likely have swept this audacious youngster aside without a second thought.
“Young friend, please return! The affliction on you is beyond my ability to treat!” Fang Yang barked.
Li Fan feigned distress, gripping Fang Yang’s hand tightly. “Senior, I beg you, save me! Lately, I can neither eat nor sleep in peace. My mind is always restless. I can’t meditate properly anymore. If this continues, my cultivation will stagnate, and I’ll grow old and die at the Foundation Establishment realm, my path severed forever!”
Fang Yang’s face flushed crimson as he forcibly suppressed his anger. He lowered his voice. “Listen, kid. I’ll be honest. I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with you, but it’s clear you’ve offended someone you shouldn’t have. This matter is too high-level; it isn’t something a Nascent Soul cultivator like me can fix.
“Even if I had a solution, I wouldn't intervene for you. To put it bluntly, the anomaly on you is like a mark left by that entity. If I rashly tried to remove it, it would undoubtedly draw their attention."
Fang Yang said no more, having spoken his piece.
Li Fan’s heart sank. This was worse than he’d imagined.
“Senior, is there any way at all to resolve this? I swear, if I can escape this calamity, I’ll repay you handsomely!” Li Fan declared solemnly.
Fang Yang studied him carefully, silent for a long moment, then finally said, “Find a remote, minor world. Cultivate a cleansing technique there. Dedicate ten years to it, and you might just free yourself.
“Of course, this is only a suggestion. Whether you succeed depends entirely on your destiny. I cannot guarantee anything.”
Li Fan nodded slowly. He expressed his gratitude and no longer pressed the matter.
1. 源道 (yuan dao) means “source of the Dao” and 道源 (dao yuan) means “Dao of the source.” It’s a play on the words. ☜