Ye Fan had completed the task at hand. He had restored Lan Jing’s human body, and the next step was to return to the Secret Realm.

But before that, he needed to bring back Xuannv’s Soul Body, fulfilling the promise to Xi He. If he didn’t help, Xuannv wouldn’t last long before dying from soul exhaustion, which was an outcome Xi He did not want to see, and Ye Fan wouldn’t let it happen, as Xuannv was also Lan Jing’s mother.

By now, Ye Fan already suspected this point: how exactly did Xuannv give birth to Lan Jing? This was a question that lingered in his mind, trying to verify his confusion now seemed nearly impossible.

"Is the master going to rescue Xuannv?"

After Ye Fan brought Lan Jing downstairs, Xi He reminded Ye Fan, while Dao Zhen stood beside with a peculiar expression. Dao Zhen still hadn’t figured out what was up with Ye Fan’s cultivation level. She didn’t know that Ye Fan’s cultivation relied on the power of six small crystals.

The six small crystals had already returned to Ye Fan’s storage space, and Dao Zhen had never truly seen the power of these crystals. With her imagination, it was naturally difficult to understand Ye Fan’s mode of acquiring energy.

Ye Fan scrutinized Xi He, saying, "I won’t let Xuannv die. It’s a kind of responsibility to you and Lan Jing. I have already told Lan Jing that Xuannv is her mother, but how she came to this world, I myself am not clear. I believe you have many questions in your heart too, right?"

"Yes!" Xi He nodded, closing her eyes, saying, "I have spent a great deal of effort exploring this matter, but still have no clues. If the master can help me resolve this confusion, I would be deeply grateful!"

Ye Fan said, "I may not unravel this secret, and Xuannv’s defensive mindset, even if she is about to die, won’t allow me to know the truth. Such matters can only be gradually uncovered. I will bring her back, but ultimately, you’ll have to ask her yourself. As for confining her, I leave it to you. If she escapes again, don’t say I didn’t punish you along with her!"

"Yes!" Xi He responded with a bow.

Ye Fan vanished instantly, crossing through the space-time portal set up by Xuannv, appearing before her. By the time Ye Fan arrived, Xuannv’s Soul Body was already on the brink of death. Clearly, Ye Fan’s arrival was slightly delayed, allowing Xuannv’s energy to deplete, with the immense stress at the edge of the universe rapidly dissipating Xuannv’s power.

Subsequently, Ye Fan enveloped Xuannv’s Soul Body in a force, thereby reducing her energy drain. The next step, Ye Fan reversed through the space-time gate, returning to Earth, to Xi He’s presence, allowing Xuannv’s Soul Body to align with her physical form.

Xuannv lay on the ground for a long time without reacting. Her spiritual power had also greatly diminished, necessitating some recovery time before her consciousness could reassemble.

Xi He observed Ye Fan, saying, "If the master has other matters, you may tend to them first. I will watch over Xuannv for the master. Should she be stubborn again, I will endure the same punishment as her! As for searching for the mysterious power, I will assist the master in seeking it!"

"Yes!" Ye Fan nodded, disappearing with Lan Jing, first returning to the Pan Gu Secret Realm to send Lan Jing back to Sky City.

...

...

After sending Lan Jing back, Ye Fan did not see Li Zhaojun or Lu Xiaoman, but went directly toward the Second Realm Secret. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

At this time, within a bamboo grove in the Second Realm Secret, Zhao Tianya was bathing.

She was in a large pool, surrounded by an environment similar to where Qin Mengyao and Yang Xiaoting resided, with waterfalls and small hills, creating a shimmering surrounding. Zhao Tianya enjoyed this life as if she were on vacation. She even occasionally pulled out her belongings, including swimsuits, but at the moment, she felt freer, directly in the pool like a mermaid. She thought Ye Fan wouldn’t interrupt her for a while.

Zhao Tianya thought: "Who said I can’t live without a man? No matter how good Ye Fan is to me, so what? He still ignores my feelings for his women. Even in this backwater place, I can enjoy my life. There’s mountains and water, and even without food or amenities, I have an almost immortal cultivation and can live for hundreds of years. Those things don’t concern me. I just take it as a holiday, enjoying life here!"

Having swum for a while, she emerged from the water, still relishing this life, when she suddenly saw a shadow reflected in the water, which startled her.

"What’s going on?" Zhao Tianya almost attacked the shadow out of fear but realized it was Ye Fan upon closer inspection, realizing she had overreacted.

She glared at Ye Fan, practically wanting to kill him with her gaze, then realized a problem: she was in the water without a stitch on, not even the swimsuit she had left on the bank. Immediately, she submerged again.

Zhao Tianya angrily said, "Ye Fan, what’s the meaning of this?"

She tried to stir up some splashes to block Ye Fan’s view of her body in the water, preserving her dignity.

Ye Fan sighed, "Why deceive yourself? Do you think anything can remain hidden from me? If I wanted to see you, I wouldn’t come here to peek. What reason do you have to maintain a so-called image in front of me?"

"What do you mean? Are you trying to force yourself on me? If you try it, I’ll make you regret it!" Zhao Tianya threatened.

Ye Fan really didn’t want to engage in a war of words with Zhao Tianya. He said, "I came here to help you break through cultivation levels, to gain a higher cultivation, so you can protect yourself; this is my responsibility to you..."

"I don’t need your responsibility. Do you think those so-called cultivation levels have any meaning for me? I’m not even human anymore, nor ghost. Even my human life habits have been forcibly changed by you. You’ve completely destroyed my future life. Even if I gain longevity, so what? I’d rather live only a few decades if it means a quality life. How long I live isn’t the issue!" Zhao Tianya retorted stubbornly.

Ye Fan shook his head, "To live longer, why only live for decades? I want to help you, not because I expect your gratitude or anything. I’m just fulfilling my mission and duty. Since you’ve entered the world of immortals and can’t return to a mortal state, now having five hundred years, I wish for you eight hundred, even a thousand years, or immortality! Only thus, you can accompany me, no matter how long you hate me!"