Mysterious disappearance

Chapter 561: The Bizarre Disappearance

Shi Hao was startled, not understanding. He frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

That woman shook her head, not quite understanding or being certain, but the result was indeed so, making it utterly baffling.

Shi Hao felt a sense of loss, watching the River of Time roll on, wave after wave rising, yet he still couldn't see that person.

"Little Fan Ge, don't scare me! Come back quickly, or Yue Chan Jie will beat me to death!" he shouted.

The Peak confrontation just now, spanning time and space, clearly defied the erosion of time and years, but now the person was gone.

This was very perplexing. Had Lin Fan truly vanished from the current era, falling into a certain space-time?

However, no matter how he shouted, the River of Time remained, surging endlessly, never to return, and no one responded.

"Little Fan Ge, I've harmed you!" Shi Hao was very sad, heartbroken, and self-reproaching.

At this moment, the River of Time vibrated, stirring up waves, as if a voice echoed, spanning eternity.

"A single thought spans eternity, a single thought is eternal… I am immortal; one day, I will return…"

Suddenly, Shi Hao's hair stood on end, as if he heard some sound, exceptionally distant and ethereal. He opened his eyes wide in shock.

"Did you hear that?"

By the stone table, the sitting woman shook her head, having heard nothing, thinking it was due to his nervousness.

"Alright, you should leave. Don't be so pessimistic; perhaps one day, he will reappear in the world," the woman comforted.

She gave Shi Hao several fragments of Immortal Armor that she had captured.

These were the products after Lin Fan shattered the Red King's battle armor, containing partial combat traces and Dao patterns.

If one's own Foundation was strong enough, perhaps something could be comprehended while the Qi had not yet dissipated.

Shi Hao numbly took them, saying nothing.

"Goodbye. After countless ages, I wonder if anyone else will ever arrive…"

Before the woman finished speaking, her body gradually blurred, turning into a piece of rune, imprinted on the stone table, and her true form vanished.

In fact, she had already perished; what remained now were just some residual imprints, not a true Fairy.

Shi Hao was silent. At a glance, only a wine pot remained on the stone table, along with a line of text, indicating it was left for those with predestined connections.

Soon, it was quiet and silent here. Shi Hao walked alone in the ruins, also waiting, hoping for Lin Fan's reappearance.

But, it never happened… "I must go. No matter what, dead or alive, I must bring the news out!"

Finally, Shi Hao left, carried by a vortex that formed in the long river, sucked in, and disappeared from the ruins.

He even held an optimistic attitude, thinking that perhaps Lin Fan had already returned, or that this was merely a dream.

At the very least, the scriptures contained in the wine he had drunk were gone, fading from his heart, as if they had never existed.

"Chi!"

After an unknown period, unable to perceive the passage of time, Shi Hao returned. When he reopened his eyes, he was already on the Ascension Platform.

"Oh, he's back!" someone in the distance commented.

Clearly, many people had returned before him, reappearing from the ancient altar.

And some were very excited, filled with enthusiasm, having had strange experiences and gained immense good fortune, discussing it there.

Of course, a portion of the students were destined never to reappear, lost in the River of Time, gone forever.

Especially, everyone's experiences were different, but almost all who survived had unique journeys and good fortune.

Some gained Divine Abilities, some opened martial armories, and some were very lucky, their Foundation reshaped, and their strength greatly increased… However, these were not important to Shi Hao. He immediately asked people if they had seen the Little Holy Emperor.

"Little Holy Emperor? Didn't he, like us, ascend the platform to seek good fortune? Hasn't he returned yet?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Hao's heart sank. Without hesitation, he immediately went to find the Celestial God Academy Elder to report the matter.

"What? The Little Holy Emperor is lost on his journey?!" Several Elders were not calm, their expressions grave.

Because this was no small matter. Lin Fan's status was too extraordinary; if anything happened to him, the entire Boundless Heaven would be shaken.

Especially the Holy Emperor Palace, if they found out, it might even stir up a bloody storm, and no one could bear that responsibility.

"Quickly inform the Grand Elder; let him decide," an Elder urged, already using a secret method to transmit a message.

At the same time, they were also blocking the news, warning Shi Hao not to speak carelessly, and to wait for the Grand Elder's arrival.

Shi Hao nodded, looking very worried.

The most important point was that after everyone returned, this matter would not be concealed for long; someone would notice.

Qing Yi was one of them!

She returned from the Ascension Platform, and after looking around, she still hadn't seen Lin Fan's figure, vaguely feeling that something was wrong.

"Little Milk Hao, have you seen your Little Fan Ge?" she asked.

"Ah…" Shi Hao was stunned. If there was anyone he least wanted to face right now, Qing Yi was one of them.

However, he didn't plan to tell the truth, because before there was a result, the Elders had told him to keep it a secret for now, not to reveal it to anyone.

"He… had something to do, so he went back first," Shi Hao said somewhat guiltily, also afraid that she would worry.

"Is that so?" Qing Yi was suspicious, her beautiful eyes sparkling. Being sharp-witted, she always felt that something was being hidden.

Seeing this, Shi Hao quickly nodded, indicating that Little Fan Ge had gained good fortune, had a Breakthrough, and had returned early to go into seclusion.

Qing Yi didn't doubt him. After all, when Lin Fan came, he wasn't on the same path, so naturally, there was no need for him to act with the Celestial God Academy.

Half a day later, Grand Elder Meng Tianzheng arrived.

This surprised Shi Hao. It was too fast. How much time had passed? The two places were separated by countless star systems.

Little did he know, for a Supreme powerhouse like Meng Tianzheng, reaching any part of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was effortless.

He didn't even need to use a teleportation array; "咫尺天涯" (a short distance is like a thousand miles) described such a person.

"Greetings, Grand Elder." Shi Hao bowed and glanced at him, very shocked.

It was hard to imagine that this Gray-Clothed Old Man, who appeared unremarkable on the surface, would be one of the most terrifying beings in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

"You are Desolate?" the Grand Elder spoke, somewhat surprised, as if he had thought of something.

Shi Hao nodded, very respectful, because he had heard Lin Fan say that in the era when Immortals did not appear, the Grand Elder was the strongest.

Furthermore, this was one of the few people who wholeheartedly dedicated themselves to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths; this alone was worthy of everyone's respect.

Next, Meng Tianzheng took him to a quiet place and stared at him, saying, "Tell me everything you know."

Shi Hao's heart tightened. Only then did he feel the other party's terror. He steadied his mind, and then recounted everything without omission.

For example, entering the strange place, seeing that woman, the special wine… Lin Fan's cross-time-space battle against the Immortal King, and his final disappearance… One by one, Meng Tianzheng listened, dumbfounded, his calm heart stirred, deeply shocked.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Having lived so long, he had never heard of such a bizarre event.

"Grand Elder, if I hadn't touched the wine pot, I wouldn't have attracted such a powerful enemy and implicated Little Fan Ge," Shi Hao said, full of self-reproach.

Meng Tianzheng pondered for a long time and sighed, "You cannot be blamed for this. As that woman said, even if you hadn't touched the wine pot, the calamity would still have occurred."

"Moreover, we must have faith in him. He won't die so easily. One day, he will reappear."

"Just as he said, death is never the end, nor will it be the beginning, because he is…"