Flying stones fall into the deep sea

Chapter 643: Flying Stone Falls into the Deep Sea

"Are you confident you can advance to the Nascent Soul Realm within ten years?" Zhou Qingang looked at the smug He Zhenghao, a trace of astonishment flashing across his face.

This was not an act.

After scrutinizing him for a moment, he could tell that He Zhenghao might not be lying. Hidden within him was a profound and mysterious aura. It was extremely secretive; if He Zhenghao hadn't exposed it himself, and if "Zhou Qingang" at this moment wasn't actually transformed from Li Fan's true body, it truly wouldn't have been easily detected.

Recalling the records of the hua dao stone in his mind, Li Fan instantly figured out the origin of this change. It was right before He Xinxin reluctantly left, when she handed He Zhenghao a plain white jade and instructed him to nourish it within his Dantian.

"Without ever truly cultivating properly, relying solely on this piece of white jade, he is confident of advancing from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul Realm in such a short time…"

"This white jade is indeed an extraordinary treasure! I'm afraid it's extremely rare even for the Tianyu State Heng Family. To protect her old father's life, He Xinxin truly went to great lengths."

"What a pity…"

"Zhou Qingang" glanced at He Zhenghao with an imperceptibly cold gaze, sneering inwardly.

He then put on a very surprised expression: "Fellow Daoist's progress is actually this fast? It's truly unexpected. It seems that Fellow Daoist's cultivation talent far exceeds that of Gao Yuan and me."

A trace of embarrassment flashed across He Zhenghao's face, but it was quickly concealed as he boasted shamelessly: "Hehe, Fellow Daoist need not be depressed. Aside from talent, the cultivation Realm of us Cultivators is also inextricably linked to factors like diligence and Opportunity. Fellow Daoist's talent is already slightly lacking; now that an Opportunity is right before you, you must not let it slip away even more!"

Listening to He Zhenghao's persuasion, Zhou Qingang seemed to lower his head and fall into deep thought.

Just when He Zhenghao thought the other party had been persuaded and rejoiced inwardly, Zhou Qingang let out a long sigh and rejected his proposal.

"Just as Fellow Daoist said, wanting to better serve Lord Secret Envoy makes one's own strength very important. However, Opportunity often coexists with danger. A person like me…" Zhou Qingang shook his head with a look of regret.

"has never had much fortune! Even if there really is some Opportunity within the Chao Yuan Sect, I suppose it wouldn't be my turn! I might as well stay put in the Congyun Sea and do my own job well."

"When Lord Secret Envoy…"

Zhou Qingang deliberately paused, then turned to say: "He never mistreats his subordinates. He sees the hard work of us and the others; maybe if he's in a good mood, whatever casual reward he bestows down upon us will be able to raise our Realm!"

"Still, I must thank Fellow Daoist He for your kind intentions!" Zhou Qingang cupped his fists and turned to leave the Government Affairs Hall.

Watching Zhou Qingang's retreating figure, He Zhenghao's expression flickered uncertainly: "As expected of the Lord Secret Envoy's confidant, this kid really knows something! It seems my choice was correct. Since even he is unwilling to leave the Congyun Sea, it means not only is there no danger here, but one can also obtain immense benefits…"

With the last shred of hesitation in his heart eliminated, He Zhenghao completely made up his mind.

And looking at He Zhenghao's gloomy yet infinitely greedy gaze, Li Fan knew what he was thinking.

"The greedier, the more foolish; the more foolish, the greedier."

"A vicious cycle. He Zhenghao in this lifetime is no longer the Fellow Daoist He I was familiar with!"

"Different experiences shape and influence one's personality so profoundly."

Li Fan pondered for a moment, and once again gained some faint insights in his heart.

"Perhaps it's somewhat related to the Foundation of the New Law, which greedily plunders the heavens and earth."

No longer dwelling on this matter, for the next period of time, Li Fan acted just like the past Zhou Qingang, methodically handling numerous miscellaneous affairs.

As for "Secret Envoy Li Fan", which was the Clone transformed into that appearance, he stayed deep within the secret chamber of the Government Affairs Hall, claiming to be in seclusion for cultivation.

While quietly swapping the true body and the Clone, Li Fan also began secretly crafting a Puppet in Zhou Qingang's image.

Deep within the Congyun Sea, he manipulated the Earth Fire Return to Origin Formation, consuming some ordinary Materials to build a skeletal Puppet. Then, using the method of refining Clones from the Mysterious True Spirit Transformation, he attached a layer of skin and Physical Body to the exterior of the skeletal Puppet.

He then attached a wisp of his Divine Thought to it.

Finally, he successfully created a Puppet body that looked identical to Zhou Qingang on the outside.

After transferring all items such as clothing and the Storage Ring completely, Li Fan's true body took a final look at the azure Congyun Sea and shook his head.

"It is time to leave." He thought to himself.

Changing back to his original appearance, he galloped away without looking back toward the location of the Longevity Valley Secret Realm.

As for the Puppet Zhou Qingang, under the manipulation of Li Fan's lingering wisp of Divine Thought, it returned to Congyun Immortal City alone.

Because Zhou Qingang was usually stern and unsmiling, even though his expression looked somewhat wooden, it didn't arouse the suspicion of other Cultivators for a time.

Moreover, Li Fan also intentionally reduced the frequency of meeting outsiders. When occasionally in contact, he always maintained the appearance of bending over a desk to earnestly handle government affairs, busy to the point of being overwhelmed.

Therefore, in the massive Congyun City, even though the coming and going Cultivators were an endless stream, no one had ever discovered that Zhou Qingang had already secretly completed the covert substitution.

Even though there were still considerable flaws and it would inevitably be discovered by others given enough time.

However, the entire Congyun Sea, including All living beings within it, was nearing the end of their lifeline.

Just when Li Fan's true body was still on the road.

On this day, both the true body and the Puppet attached with Divine Thought suddenly felt a wave of palpitation.

"What is that!"

The rising and falling cries of alarm above Congyun City stirred Li Fan's heart, and he looked up toward the sky.

He saw a huge black fireball suddenly appear without warning in the firmament.

Dragging a pitch-black wake, it slanted down and heavily smashed toward the Congyun Sea.

"This is!" Li Fan's pupils abruptly constricted.

"Crimson Flame?" Feeling the ambiguous aura emanating from the black fireball, Li Fan was somewhat unsure.

The speed of the black fireball was extremely fast. Before the Cultivators within the Congyun Sea could react, it had already fallen from the sky into the sea.

All the seawater it touched evaporated in an instant due to the high temperature.

In the sea area, a huge cavity appeared first. Then the black fireball violently collided with the seabed.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Amidst the huge roaring sound, the entire Congyun Sea shook violently. Even Congyun City, which rose high into the clouds, was swept by the shockwave shortly after, constantly swaying like duckweed in the wind.

Under the fierce impact, a towering tsunami, centered on the falling location of the black fireball, swept toward the surroundings.

A crowd of Cultivators even saw that among those hundreds-of-meters-high giant waves, half of them were actually mixed with black flames.

Wherever the giant waves passed, under the intersection of water and fire, countless islands instantly turned to ashes!