Chapter 66: Origins (Part 1)

Lin Fan was walking arduously through this endless snowy landscape.

Three days and three nights had passed. The vast, white world remained unchanged; there was no end in sight, nor was there any hope.

Every step he took left a mark on the same snowy ground, yet he could never see a destination ahead.

"Xiao Du warned me… three days. After three days, I will completely dissipate."

Lin Fan muttered to himself, a sense of foreboding gradually rising in his heart.

And now, he was trapped in this boundless ice field, toyed with by Bai Youyou.

"That crazy woman!" Lin Fan couldn't help but curse, his inner restlessness beginning to escalate sharply.

Watching time slip away in silence, his heart was gradually eroded by fear and anxiety, as if the shadow of death had already quietly approached.

"What exactly does she want?" Lin Fan's fists clenched tighter and tighter, veins bulging on his forehead.

Three days… three days wasted in this desolate snowfield, and he was completely helpless!

Thinking of this, Lin Fan felt a surge of mania; anger rushed to his heart, and he could no longer hold it back.

"Madwoman! Crazy woman! Lunatic!" He roared, his angry voice echoing through the silent world.

He swung his fist violently, powerful energy erupting instantly. The surrounding trees shattered in response, and the accumulated snow was sent flying by his intense aura, creating a small blizzard.

"Are you just going to torture me like this? Wasting three days in this endless snowfield?"

Lin Fan's voice was hoarse, his emotions completely out of control, his eyes flickering with rage and helplessness.

Having shattered everything around him, his chest heaved violently, yet he felt no sense of relief at all.

Lin Fan stood in place, snowflakes drifting onto his body one by one, as if preparing his final funeral.

He suppressed the fear of imminent dissipation in his heart, feeling as though he would turn into nothingness as soon as the time came.

Closing his eyes, scenes from the past began to flash rapidly through his mind, as if playing a retrospective movie before the end of his life.

The setbacks and experiences of every life came rushing over him like a tide.

However, it ultimately settled on Lin Chen's sweet, sun-filled smile, as if dispelling the gloom in his heart.

"Lin Chen, please live on well for me…"

He whispered softly, as if that smile gave him his final comfort.

In this state of mind, he leaned against a dead tree and actually closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next day, the sound of his steady snoring drifted across the snow, as if this icy world and his predicament no longer mattered.

When he opened his eyes again, he was stunned to find he was still alive.

"What is going on? It's already the fourth day; why haven't I dissipated yet?"

Lin Fan sat up, his face filled with confusion and a trace of relief.

He looked at his hands; his body was intact, and his breath remained steady.

"Hmph, let me see what kind of world this really is!"

Lin Fan took out the nano cube and his fingers moved rapidly across it.

Before long, a full-band detector, the "Dimensional Quantum Scanner," was constructed.

The light waves visible to the naked eye were merely the tip of the iceberg of the world.

And the "Dimensional Quantum Scanner" could capture multi-dimensional information such as spacetime curvature fluctuations, dark energy pulses, and Void Realm radiation frequencies.

Lin Fan activated the device; he wanted to detect the essence of this world.

"Full-band scan initiated, analyzing spacetime curvature… capturing Void Realm vibrations… dissociating dark matter structures… comparing Soul resonance spectrums…"

"Detection complete. The current world is a memory projection world. Spacetime curvature is abnormal, cosmic ray waveforms are distorted, and the world is located in the 'Non-Existent Domain.' This world is independent of the Universe's timeline and is only effective for the subject's memory."

"So that's it…" Lin Fan muttered, a playful smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Then let me see what secrets this snowfield is hiding."

He stood up, shook the snowflakes off his body, and his gaze gained a hint of determination and a desire to explore.

The surrounding world of ice and snow was still boundless, and the cold wind continued to howl, but Lin Fan's mood had calmed down.

He was no longer afraid of death, because he realized he had more time.

"Bai Youyou, you must have a purpose for trapping me here."

Lin Fan took a deep breath, clenched his hands, and continued walking forward, beginning to explore this seemingly endless snowfield.

He was no longer impatient, stepping firmly onto this desolate land, searching for the secrets deep within this ice field.

Lin Fan walked alone for half a month in this endless land of ice and snow.

Every step on the snow beneath his feet seemed to repeat the scene of the moment before; the world was a vast expanse of white, with only his lonely figure walking alone on the snow.

During this time, apart from the howling wind and snow, he had not heard any breath of life.

He felt incomparably lonely.

Just when he was almost numb, a small figure suddenly appeared in the snow ahead.

"What is that?"

Lin Fan stopped alertly and gazed intently.

On the vast white snow, a tiny fox was curled up in the snow. Its originally snow-white fur was stained red with blood, and it was covered in wounds.

Her body trembled slightly, emitting a low whimper. That sorrowful sound seemed exceptionally pitiful in this cold world, as if she were calling for help, yet it also carried endless helplessness.

Lin Fan frowned and walked a few steps closer. The little fox appeared exceptionally fragile, her limbs dangling limply, eyes half-open and half-closed, as if she would pass out at any moment.

"Poor little thing."

Lin Fan said softly, a trace of pity suddenly rising in his heart.

He crouched down and gently placed his hand on the little fox. When his fingers touched her, he felt her body temperature dropping rapidly.

The little fox's moist eyes lifted slightly, revealing immense pain and a desire to survive, her blood-stained fur making her look even more pitiful.

She let out a weak whimper, so faint that it was almost inaudible.

"Don't be afraid, I will save you."

Lin Fan said gently, his tone surprisingly soft. He reached out his hands and carefully scooped the little fox into his arms.

Her body was light, almost weightless. He could feel her faint breathing, which seemed extremely weak.

Holding the little fox, Lin Fan sat cross-legged in the snow and slowly gathered his spiritual energy in his hands.

A faint glow appeared on his palms, and the spiritual energy turned into a warm breath, flowing into the little fox's body bit by bit.

The little fox's body trembled slightly in Lin Fan's arms. She seemed to feel Lin Fan's spiritual energy, and her originally tightly closed eyes slowly opened a little.

She opened her mouth slightly and let out a weak cry, still appearing to be in pain, but there was a hint of vitality in her eyes.

Lin Fan knew that this bit of vitality was far from enough.

The little fox could fall into crisis again at any moment, and he had to use all his strength to temporarily stabilize her injuries.

He took a deep breath, continued to concentrate, and poured the spiritual energy from his body into hers continuously.

With the continuous transmission of spiritual energy, the little fox's breathing finally stabilized.

Lin Fan, however, felt the spiritual energy in his body gradually depleting. Having lost the protective barrier, the cold struck instantly, and his feet were stung with pain from the freezing temperature.

"I must find a shelter from the wind."

Lin Fan looked around; the ice and snow were endless, and the cold wind was bone-chilling. He looked at the little fox in his arms, a surge of compassion rising in his heart.

"I must make a warm little nest for her."

Lin Fan carried the little fox, moving forward arduously, his spiritual energy gradually depleting.

If this continued, not only the little fox, but he himself would freeze into an ice sculpture.

Time was life. Lin Fan recalled the path he had taken and dashed forward while holding the little fox.

A few hours later, he arrived at a place half-surrounded by hillsides. Although the cold wind was strong, it had weakened.

"This will do."

He put down the little fox, used his spiritual energy to keep her warm, and began to build a temporary wooden hut.

He collected branches and wood, and relying on his survival experience, quickly built a simple wooden hut.

Three hours later.

A fire was piled up inside the hut, and the warm firelight dispelled the chill.

Lin Fan picked up the little fox and placed her beside the fire.

The little fox had recovered a bit and was curled up quietly, her snow-white fur shimmering in the firelight. Lin Fan stroked her back gently, confirming she was fine.

Lin Fan knew that with his Golden Core cultivation, he could abstain from eating, but this little fox could not withstand the torment of hunger.

If he wanted her to recover her strength as soon as possible, he had to find food.

However, on this ice field, he had not encountered any living creature for a full half-month, and now that this little fox was a carnivore, the problem became increasingly tricky.

"It seems I have no choice but to break through the ice lake and check underwater."