“Are you confident you can advance to the Nascent Soul stage within ten years?”
Zhou Qingang looked at the smug He Zhenghao, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
This reaction was not feigned.
After carefully examining He Zhenghao for a moment, Zhou Qingang realized that his claim might not be mere boasting. A profound and mysterious aura lurked within him—extremely well-hidden. If He Zhenghao hadn’t revealed it himself, and if the current “Zhou Qingang” weren’t actually Li Fan’s true body in disguise, it would have been nearly impossible to detect.
As memories from the Dao Deviation Stone replayed in his mind, Li Fan quickly identified the source of this change. It was due to a simple white jade that He Xinxin had given to He Zhenghao before her reluctant departure, instructing him to nurture it within his dantian.
“He has never trained properly, yet just by relying on this jade, he is confident that he can advance from Golden Core to Nascent Soul in such a short time…?”
“This jade is indeed an extraordinary treasure! Even for the Heng Clan of Tianyu Prefecture, it must be quite rare. He Xinxin truly went to great lengths to ensure her father’s survival.”
“But unfortunately…”
With an almost imperceptible cold gaze, “Zhou Qingang” glanced at He Zhenghao, sneering inwardly.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across He Zhenghao’s face, but he quickly concealed it and arrogantly declared, “Haha, no need to feel discouraged! In cultivation, besides talent, perseverance and fortunate encounters also play a crucial role. Since your natural aptitude is slightly lacking, you must not let this opportunity slip by!”
Hearing He Zhenghao’s persuasion, Zhou Qingang appeared to lower his head in contemplation.
Just as He Zhenghao believed that he had swayed him and was secretly pleased, Zhou Qingang let out a long sigh and refused his proposal.
“You are right, Daoist He. To better serve Lord Envoy, personal strength is crucial. However, opportunities often come hand in hand with dangers. As for me…”
Zhou Qingang shook his head, feigning regret.
“I have never been blessed with good fortune! Even if there is some great opportunity within Chaoyuan Sect, I doubt it would ever fall into my hands! I’d rather stay here in Congyun Sea and focus on my duties.”
“And besides, Lord Envoy…”
Zhou Qingang deliberately paused before continuing, “His Lordship never neglects his subordinates. If he sees our dedication and hard work, he might reward us with something that could help us break through our current bottlenecks!”
“But I still appreciate your kindness, Daoist He!”
Zhou Qingang cupped his hands in salute before turning to leave Bu Zheng Hall.
Watching Zhou Qingang departing figure, He Zhenghao’s expression flickered uncertainly.
“This brat truly deserves to be one of the Lord’s trusted aides—he must know something!”
“It seems my decision was right. Since even he refuses to leave Congyun Sea, that must mean this place is not only free of danger but also holds tremendous benefits…!”
With his last bit of hesitation erased, He Zhenghao solidified his resolve.
And seeing the greed and deep obsession in He Zhenghao’s gaze, Li Fan knew exactly what was going through his mind.
“The greedier one is, the more foolish they become. The more foolish they are, the greedier they get.”
“A vicious cycle… The He Zhenghao of this life is no longer the Daoist He I once knew!”
“The experiences one goes through shape their personality and fate so profoundly.”
Li Fan pondered for a moment, sensing a deeper truth within this realization.
“Perhaps… this has some connection to the foundation of the New Method, which thrives on boundless greed and ruthless plundering.”
Shaking off these thoughts, Li Fan resumed his usual routine. For the time being, he continued acting as Zhou Qingang, handling various affairs methodically.
Meanwhile, his disguised clone, posing as the “Secret Envoy Li Fan,” remained hidden deep within the Adminstration Hall’s secret chamber, claiming to be in secluded cultivation.
In secret, Li Fan had swapped places with his true body and clone, while also starting to craft a puppet in Zhou Qingang likeness.
Deep within Congyun Sea, he activated the Earth-Fire Returning Origin Formation, consuming a small amount of ordinary materials to forge a skeletal puppet.
Then, using the Mysterious True Spirit Transformation Technique, a method for refining clones, he coated the puppet’s bones with a layer of flesh and skin.
He once again attached a trace of his divine sense to it.
In the end, he successfully created a puppet body that looked exactly like Zhou Qingang.
After transferring his clothing, storage ring, and other belongings, Li Fan’s true self took one last look at the vast azure sea of clouds and shook his head.
“It is time to leave,” he thought.
Reverting to his original appearance, he sped toward the secret realm of the Longevity Valley without looking back.
Meanwhile, the puppet Zhou Qingang, controlled by the trace of Li Fan’s remaining divine sense, returned alone to Congyun Immortal City.
Since Zhou Qingang was always reserved and taciturn, his somewhat stiff expression did not immediately arouse suspicion among other cultivators.
Moreover, Li Fan deliberately reduced his interactions with outsiders. On the rare occasions he did meet others, he always appeared engrossed in official duties, busy to the point of being overwhelmed.
Thus, within the vast Congyun City—despite the endless flow of cultivators—no one realized that Zhou Qingang had already completed a seamless deception in the shadows.
Though there were still some flaws in the disguise, and in time, someone was bound to notice, it hardly mattered.
For the entire Congyun Sea and all the living beings within it were already approaching their final moments.
As Li Fan’s true self was still on his way—
On this day, both he and his divine sense-possessed puppet suddenly felt a wave of unease.
“What is that?”
The startled cries from Congyun City stirred Li Fan’s heart, and he instinctively looked up at the sky.
There, a massive black fireball had suddenly appeared without warning in the firmament.
Trailing a dark tail, it hurtled toward Congyun Sea at a terrifying angle.
“This is—!” Li Fan’s pupils contracted sharply.
“Crimson Flame?” Sensing a vaguely familiar aura from the black fireball, Li Fan hesitated, uncertain.
The black fireball was unbelievably fast. Before the cultivators of Congyun Sea could even react, it had already crashed into the ocean.
Wherever it touched, the seawater instantly vaporized due to the extreme heat.
A massive void appeared in the sea before the black fireball violently struck the ocean floor.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Deafening explosions erupted, shaking the entire Congyun Sea. Even Congyun City, high above the clouds, was soon swept by the shockwaves, swaying like a floating leaf in a storm.
Amid the violent impact, towering tsunamis surged outward from the fireball’s impact site, engulfing everything in their path.
The cultivators watching in horror saw that within those colossal waves—hundreds of meters high—dark flames flickered ominously.
Wherever the waves passed, the fusion of water and fire obliterated countless islands in an instant, reducing them to ashes.