Chapter 642: A Meteorite Plunges Into The Sea

"Confident you can break through to Nascent Soul within ten years?" Zhou Qing'ang stared at the smug-faced He Zhenghao, shock flickering across his features.

This was no act.

He studied him closely for a long moment, and only then did he realize that He Zhenghao's boast might not be empty after all. Concealed within his body was an extremely subtle, profound aura. Had He Zhenghao not revealed it himself, and had "Zhou Qing'ang" not actually been Li Fan's true self in disguise, it would have been impossible to detect.

Replaying the records from the Dao Transformation Stone in his mind, Li Fan instantly traced the source of this transformation. It came from He Xinxin, who had handed He Zhenghao a plain white jade before she left, instructing him to nurture it within his dantian.

Even without truly cultivating seriously, he's confident he can advance from Golden Core to Nascent Soul in a short time just by relying on this white jade...

This white jade must be quite the remarkable treasure, likely extremely valuable even for the Heng family of Tianyu Province. He Xinxin truly did everything in her power to save her father's life.

A pity...

A cold sneer formed in Zhou Qing'ang's heart.

Then he put on an expression of great surprise. "I never expected your progress to be so rapid, Fellow Daoist. It seems your talent for cultivation far surpasses mine, or Gao Yuan's."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed He Zhenghao's face, but he quickly concealed it. He boasted without shame, "Heh, Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be disheartened. A cultivator's realm is shaped not only by talent but also by diligence and opportunity. Where talent is concerned, you've fallen slightly short, so now that opportunity is before you, you absolutely cannot let it slip!"

Listening to He Zhenghao's persuasion, Zhou Qing'ang lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

Just as He Zhenghao began to delight in the belief that he'd swayed him, Zhou Qing'ang let out a long sigh and refused his suggestion.

"As you yourself said, Fellow Daoist, if one wishes to serve the Secretary-Envoy better, one's own strength matters above all. But opportunity often walks hand in hand with danger. As for me..." Zhou Qing'ang shook his head, regret written across his face.

"I have never been a fortunate man. Even if the Chaoyuan Sect truly holds some opportunity, I'm certain it wouldn't fall to me. I'd rather stay here in the Congyun Sea and attend to my own duties.

"As for the Secretary-Envoy..." Zhou Qing'ang paused deliberately, then shifted his tone. "He has never mistreated his subordinates, and he always recognizes our hard work. Perhaps, if he's pleased with us, he'll grant some reward that could help us advance our cultivation.

"Still, I thank you for your kind intent, Fellow Daoist He." Zhou Qing'ang cupped his hands, then turned and left the Administration Hall.

Watching Zhou Qing'ang's retreating back, He Zhenghao's expression shifted. This kid really is the Secretary-Envoy's trusted confidant. He clearly knows something. It seems I made the right choice. If he himself refuses to leave the Congyun Sea, that means there's not only no danger here, but immense benefit to be gained...

The last shred of hesitation in his heart vanished. He Zhenghao had made his final decision.

Seeing the boundless greed swirling in He Zhenghao's eyes, Li Fan knew exactly what was on his mind.

The greedier, the stupider. The stupider, the greedier.

A vicious cycle. The Fellow Daoist He I once knew is no more.

So profound is the power of differing experiences, how deeply they shape and reshape a person's character.

Li Fan pondered for a moment, and a flicker of insight stirred within him once more.

Perhaps this is also tied to the foundation of the new methodology, the greedy plundering of heaven and earth.

He set the thought aside. In the days that followed, Li Fan played the part of Zhou Qing'ang, methodically handling a myriad of mundane affairs.

Meanwhile, "Secretary-Envoy Li Fan," his avatar with its features altered, remained deep within the inner chambers of the Administration Hall, claiming to be in secluded cultivation.

While quietly swapping his true self with the avatar, Li Fan also began secretly constructing a puppet in Zhou Qing'ang's likeness.

Deep within the Congyun Sea, he activated the Earthfire Elevation Array, consuming a handful of common materials to forge a skeletal puppet. Then, employing the avatar-forging method of Arcana True Spirit Transformation, he layered flesh and skin over the bare frame.

He attached a sliver of his own divine sense to it.

With that, he had successfully created a puppet body identical to Zhou Qing'ang in every visible respect.

After transferring all the necessary items, robes, storage ring, and the rest, Li Fan's true self took one last look at the azure Congyun Sea and shook his head.

It's time to leave.

Reverting to his original appearance, he sped off toward Longevity Valley without a backward glance.

The puppet Zhou Qing'ang, controlled by that sliver of Li Fan's divine sense, returned alone to Congyun Immortal City.

Because Zhou Qing'ang had always been a man of few words with a perpetually stern expression, even the puppet's somewhat wooden demeanor failed to arouse suspicion among the other cultivators.

Li Fan also deliberately reduced how often he met with outsiders. On the rare occasions he did interact with anyone, he presented the image of a man bent over his desk, buried in administrative work, overwhelmed with tasks.

Thus, despite the endless stream of cultivators coming and going from Congyun City, no one ever discovered that Zhou Qing'ang had changed.

There were still considerable flaws in the disguise, of course; given enough time, someone was bound to notice.

But the entire Congyun Sea, along with all the countless lives within it, was already approaching its final doom.

Then one day, while Li Fan's true self was still en route, both he and the puppet suddenly felt a jolt of tremors.

"What is that?"

A chorus of startled cries rose and fell within Congyun City. Li Fan's heart stirred as he looked up at the sky.

There, a massive black fireball had appeared in the heavens without warning.

Trailing a jet-black tail, it hurtled down at a diagonal, smashing violently toward the Congyun Sea.

Li Fan's pupils contracted sharply.

This is... Crimson Flame? Sensing the aura emanating from the black fireball, both familiar yet strangely discordant, he couldn't be certain.

The black fireball was incredibly fast. Before the cultivators of the Congyun Sea could even react, it had already fallen from the sky into the sea.

Every drop of seawater it touched evaporated instantly under the searing heat.

A gaping void opened in the sea. Then the black fireball slammed into the seabed with brutal force.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Under the colossal roar, the entire Congyun Sea shook violently. Congyun City, rising high above the clouds, was swept by the shockwave moments later, swaying like a leaf in the wind.

From the point of impact, towering tsunamis surged outward in every direction. The gathered cultivators watched in horror as those hundred-meter-tall walls of water carried black flames within them, half their volume ablaze with searing darkness.

Where the waves passed, water and fire intertwined, and countless islands crumbled into ash and dust in an instant, wiped from existence.