Ye Fan had not expected that the one awakening now would actually be Pan Gu, a progenitor-level figure among the ancient cultivators.

And Pan Gu’s awakening very likely meant that Fu Xi had already awakened as well. Ye Fan felt he was no longer capable of dealing with those two; this was also why he had refused to help She Said before. He would not help awaken opponents he himself could not handle. Even if those two really could restrain Nuwa, the degree of danger they posed was far greater than Nuwa’s.

Nu Ying laughed. "What’s wrong? Scared? Now you should finally know what fear is. Now that Pan Gu has awakened, I believe he’ll come and teach you a lesson!"

"He won’t!" Xi He said confidently. "Nu Ying, you don’t need to try to scare Ye Fan here. You know full well that Pan Gu currently regards Ye Fan as the hope of human cultivators, and also as the primary force to dissolve the heavenly tribulation. Before Ye Fan resolves the tribulation, Pan Gu will not kill him, he’ll even protect him! But whether Pan Gu will let you off... that’s another question entirely!"

"Don’t try to scare me. What do you think Pan Gu would dare do to me?" Nu Ying gritted her teeth.

Xi He said, "If it were before, back when Pan Gu greatly appreciated you, he wouldn’t do anything to you. But after you awakened, you’ve been working for Nuwa. In that case, I don’t dare guarantee Pan Gu will let you go. Anyone who stands against the order established by Pan Gu and Fu Xi never comes to a good end. That’s exactly why back then I chose to side with Ye Fan instead of siding with Nuwa—because what Nuwa is doing fundamentally violates the order Pan Gu laid down!"

"Good, so you’ve been preparing for this day from the start. Then Pan Gu was awakened by you?" Nu Ying shouted harshly.

Xi He shook her head. "I didn’t, and I had no need to. What Nuwa has done already makes me despise her... But I don’t have the ability to awaken Pan Gu and Fu Xi. She Said has been working for that all along. She Said isn’t at Master’s side right now; maybe this was She Said’s doing, who knows! But if that’s really the case, then I’d say She Said is going to be punished by Master as well, because she disobeyed his orders!"

After speaking, Xi He still walked over to Ye Fan’s side, maintaining a very respectful demeanor toward him. Her stance clearly expressed that whether Pan Gu had awakened or not, she would stand on Ye Fan’s side.

Ye Fan gently stroked the top of Xi He’s head and said, "I don’t care whether this has anything to do with you or She Said. What I have to do now is not only oppose Nuwa’s power, but also stand against Pan Gu and Fu Xi. Even if I can’t defeat them yet, I won’t concede, because I refuse to let anyone control Destiny. My Destiny can only be controlled by myself!"

"Ambitious words, but what’s the use?" Nu Ying said disdainfully. "Human cultivation is only so-so, yet you’re arrogant to the bone. Whatever you say now is pointless. Nuwa won’t save you, Pan Gu won’t save you either. You’re nothing but a sacrifice in their struggle!" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Ye Fan said, "Whether I’m a sacrifice or not is not for you to judge. Even if I know I’m doomed, I’ll still fight for it, because that’s something engraved in the bones of human cultivators. As an ancient cultivator, in terms of will and character you’re actually inferior to a human cultivator. What right do you have to lecture me here?"

"You—!" Nu Ying was furious. She wanted to continue berating Ye Fan, but Ye Fan had no intention of listening to anything she said anymore.

A loser truly had no right to say anything in front of Ye Fan.

Ye Fan said to Xi He, "Let’s go, upstairs. I need to continue cultivating. Since Pan Gu has already awakened and has already returned today to the Pan Gu Secret Realm he created, I’ll go see him after I finish cultivating. I believe he’ll also come looking for me of his own accord. After waking up, wouldn’t he want to see what the puppet that can truly help him disperse the heavenly tribulation looks like? I also want to see just how formidable Pan Gu’s cultivation really is!"

Xi He said nothing, following Ye Fan upstairs. There were many female cultivators upstairs at the moment, and Ye Fan clearly felt no need to bring Nu Ying up.

Because Ye Fan also knew Nu Ying was Shun’s woman. The woman bristled with thorns all over; he’d rather have Lei Zu than touch Nu Ying—at least not for now...

...

...

Inside the Pan Gu Secret Realm, She Said looked at the figure descending from the sky, somewhat surprised, because even she had not expected Pan Gu to actually awaken.

"What’s going on, did Ye Fan awaken Pan Gu at a critical moment? That’s not Ye Fan’s style at all!" She Said seemed unable to understand. She didn’t know why Pan Gu had reappeared in the Pan Gu Secret Realm.

Pan Gu had indeed arrived, and the place he went to was Heavenly Peak Mountain. That was also the only place in the entire Pan Gu Secret Realm that did not fall under Pan Gu’s control, and it was where the sect of the Leaving Fire Sect was located. The Leaving Fire Sect was precisely the mountain gate that had trained Ye Fan, and the Nine Yang Divine Skill Ye Fan cultivated came from the Leaving Fire Sect.

She Said did not know the details, but her body could establish contact with Pan Gu. She immediately followed that figure to the Leaving Fire Sect, but unlike Pan Gu she could not directly enter the Leaving Fire Sect’s mountain gate, and had to wait several li away from Heavenly Peak Mountain.

"She Said, since you’ve already appeared, why not come before me?" As Pan Gu finished speaking, he flicked his hand, and She Said instantly appeared in front of him.

She Said sized up the man before her. He was nothing like the Pan Gu she knew. She asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

"What, just a change of face and a slight change in cultivation, and you can’t recognize me?" Pan Gu said lightly.

She Said said, "Don’t joke with me. Since ancient times Pan Gu has always cultivated the Pan Gu Divine Skill. That can’t possibly change. And his body has already truly fused with the Pan Gu Secret Realm. If Pan Gu awakens, then the mission of the Pan Gu Secret Realm would also end, and the Pan Gu Secret Realm should fall apart and shatter. Yet your appearance does not confirm any of that..."

"She Said, don’t arbitrarily speculate about things you’ve never seen. What you imagine is not something you’ve personally witnessed, is it?" The man before her spoke in an unquestionable tone.

At that, She Said had nothing to say, because it was indeed as the man said; many things were only her conjectures. To this day she still didn’t understand how Pan Gu had ultimately formed the Pan Gu Secret Realm. She had merely participated in its shaping as one of the ten great powers; as for the concrete implementation, it had been completed by Pan Gu and Fu Xi.

"In fact, I woke up long ago," Pan Gu said. "I was just cultivating. The power in my body was indeed greatly depleted because of creating the Pan Gu Secret Realm. Now Nuwa wants to rewrite the order I established. I will never let her succeed. My return is not only to maintain the order, but also because I must personally awaken Fu Xi and then face the imminent heavenly tribulation!"