"Fellow Daoist Li Fan, are you alright?"
Qi Buyi and the others all noticed Li Fan's complexion had suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant, and inquired with concern.
Li Fan offered a strained smile. "Perhaps I'm just getting old, not quite accustomed to such a lively atmosphere here. My body suddenly feels a bit unwell."
Hearing this, Gu Youguang felt a pang of self-reproach. "Had I known, I wouldn't have disturbed your rest, Fellow Daoist!"
Li Fan gave a slight wave of his hand. "Brother Gu, there's no need to trouble yourself over it. I'll be fine after recuperating for a while."
Xiang Liu and Gu Youguang nodded repeatedly.
Before Li Fan left, Qi Buyi looked at him and suddenly asked, "Could you share with us, in the past few years, even though you knew your great limit was approaching... how did you maintain that optimistic, fearless state of mind?"
Xiang Liu and Gu Youguang also turned to him, rather curious about his answer.
Li Fan paused his steps and said calmly, "Treat every day as if it were your last, and then... simply do not fear death.
"That is all."
An unusual light gleamed in Qi Buyi's eyes as she slowly nodded.
After a moment, Qi Buyi spoke, "From now until the competition concludes, I will arrange a slightly lighter duty for you, though one still crucial to the construction of the Soul-Locking Array.
"Consider it what you deserve."
Not a trace of excitement showed on Li Fan's face. He simply said flatly, "In that case, I thank you, Senior Qi."
He then bid farewell to the group and returned once more to the rented courtyard at the Dao Discourse Tower.
Within the secret chamber, Li Fan sorted through the experiences of his avatar that had suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
The countermeasures his true self had previously taken also came back to him now.
He retrieved that blank jade slip from his storage ring. Sure enough, its recorded contents had been restored.
After his avatar Xiao Fan and Han Yi left the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters, they decided to travel together to Yuandao Province.
It was nearing Anchor Year 29, and the Lost Decade of Yuandao Province incident was about to occur.
To test the extent of influence wielded by the being that loomed over Yuandao Province, Li Fan had recorded this matter in a jade slip using a cipher only he knew.
For comparison, Li Fan also inscribed the characters "Dao" and "Yuan" on two other blank jade slips.
Just as Li Fan had predicted, when Anchor Year 29 arrived, Li Fan, without even realizing it, lost all memory of Yuandao Province and any information related to it. He even overlooked the existence of his own avatar within Yuandao Province.
It wasn't just memory; the records within the jade slips also turned completely blank. Only the separately inscribed characters for "Yuan" and "Dao" remained preserved.
Cannot be recorded, cannot be remembered... Li Fan's expression grew exceedingly grave.
If I were incapable of refining an avatar, I would have found it exceedingly difficult to detect any anomaly.
And yet, even knowing something was amiss, I still could not recall anything pertaining to Yuandao Province.
That is until now, Anchor Year 39, when the vanished Yuandao Province has reappeared upon the earth.
In truth, even though I now know what transpired with my avatar... the avatar itself remains utterly unaware of it all...
***
At the same moment, in Yuandao Province...
"Fellow Daoist Xiao Fan, what's wrong?" Han Yi turned back, looking at Xiao Fan, who had suddenly stopped.
They were currently on their way to a Heavenly Capital ruin.
Legend had it that in ancient times, the Heavenly Capital hung high in the nine heavens, hailed as the source of Dao Techniques and the foremost among all sects.
Later, for unknown reasons, the Heavenly Capital fell to the earth, forming over a dozen ruins within what is now Yuandao Province.
Their destination was one of them.
He had a premonition that a great opportunity might be waiting ahead on this journey.
Thinking this, Han Yi glanced at Xiao Fan again.
This man's providence is murky and indistinct. According to the records in the Heavenly Providence Scripture, it's either that his providence is too strong, exceeding what I can currently discern, or that his providence is too weak, almost non-existent, which is why it cannot be distinguished.
For him to have obtained the Rebirth Longevity Fruit that extends life by three hundred years, it must be the former. On this journey, perhaps I can make use of his providence. Han Yi thought to himself.
The Heavenly Providence Scripture was the technique he cultivated, created by an eccentric who observed the divine abilities of the ancient exotic beast, the Heaven’s Will Xuan Bird.
It was also the reason he had won the grand prize in the fish betting game and obtained the Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Pill from the Lan Yu Treasure Box.
The Heavenly Providence Scripture had many profound and wondrous uses, but its core function was the ability to control one's own providence.
According to the scripture's description, the providence of living beings was not fixed; it constantly interacted with the external world.
If one could not control their own providence, it would be gradually depleted through repeated instances of "good luck."
By cultivating the Heavenly Providence Scripture, one could normally restrain one's own providence, avoiding waste on unnecessary matters. Then, at critical moments, they could release all the accumulated providence in a single burst, thereby achieving a state akin to having one's wishes fulfilled.
Of course, side effects were inevitable. After the burst, a long period of bad fortune would follow.
During this time, one could be said to have the worst luck imaginable, with nothing going smoothly.
The way to resolve this was to find a person of strong providence and stay by their side, borrowing their providence to avert misfortune.
The avatar Xiao Fan, however, could not know the thoughts in Han Yi's mind.
The moment the vanished ten years were restored, the experiences from that period, shared from his true self, flooded into his consciousness.
Yet despite the time gap, he did not feel the slightest difference.
The sense of dislocation brought by this immense contrast made the avatar feel extremely uncomfortable, but he did not show it in front of Han Yi.
With a calm expression, he flew forward to catch up.
"It's nothing. I just suddenly recalled some old matters." As he spoke, the avatar looked up at the sky, his expression inscrutable.
"Oh? Have you been to this Yuandao Province before, Fellow Daoist Xiao?" Han Yi asked with some curiosity.
"Heh, that was a very long time ago."
Making casual conversation, the two men set off once more toward the Heavenly Capital ruins, each harboring their own schemes.
***
Meanwhile in Tianchen Province, Li Fan's true self was also deep in thought after synchronizing with his avatar's sensations.
It has temporarily vanished, but Its influence remains, manifested in the beings within Yuandao Province, who are completely unaware that ten years of their time have been devoured.
Even the avatar, knowing this fact, could not detect any anomaly.
Its ability to distort perception is absurdly formidable.
Though I could detect it quickly, it does not mean I have escaped Its influence. Rather, it is because my perception is based on the experience of having ten years devoured during my twelfth life. Not this current one.
Though Its power is formidable, it cannot pierce through time itself.
At this thought, Li Fan let out a long, slow breath.
The faint shadows It had cast in his heart gradually dissipated.
For now, it seems that as long as I erase the traces It left upon me, there should be no further trouble.