Chapter 2264: Two Become One

Ye Fan was looking for a powerful Divine Artifact, which might have been inconsequential to Xi He, but it was intolerable for Lei Zu.

When Lei Zu saw the oval, egg-shaped object appear before her, she realized that the item might greatly benefit her cultivation, and her gaze was filled with covetousness.

Almost simultaneously, Ye Fan enveloped the entire object in a white light, rendering it invisible to Lei Zu and Xi He.

“Master, this Divine Artifact seems quite powerful; if it is from the ancient times, it might help in unraveling things,” Xi He said.

Lei Zu retorted, “This thing looks too ordinary; how could there be a powerful force within it?”

“I don’t want to explore what’s inside right now,” Ye Fan replied. “I can sense that if I open it without mastering certain powers first, it would mean destroying it. For now, our focus should be on dealing with the next celestial tribulation.”

As Ye Fan spoke, it seemed a force distorting space-time had emerged in the universe, and Xi He looked into the distance and said, “Master, the celestial tribulation must have occurred.”

“Hmm.” Ye Fan’s tone was very calm. He nodded slightly and said, “The arrival of this force is truly puzzling; it seems the power of the celestial tribulation has become mild. I wonder if this round of celestial tribulation signifies its end.”

Xi He shook her head and said, “According to ancient predictions, the celestial tribulation is unlikely to end shortly. Master might be troubled for quite some time…”

…

…

The fifth round of celestial tribulation occurred.

In many starfields of the universe, space-time distortions occurred, generally far from Earth.

The explosion of stars, along with these space-time disruptions, would have a significant impact across the universe, but from an observational perspective, for those on Earth to notice these changes, it would take at least several billion years. It has little effect on humans for now.

Ye Fan took Xi He and Lei Zu back to Earth, seemingly to search for more complex things.

As for the Pan Gu secret realm, only Li Zhaojun was guarding it. However, due to Li Zhaojun’s persistence, Sang Yuan went to Earth to bring Min Shang back, providing Li Zhaojun someone to converse with.

“…Sister, so many changes have happened in the Pan Gu secret realm. I thought everything was well here, but didn’t know how future cultivators would cultivate when Spiritual Energy dissipates!”

Before meeting Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun, Min Shang barely had her own feelings. During that time, her cultivation was amidst endless torture, but now she has acquired many human emotions and learned empathy, considering more and more things.

Li Zhaojun appeared helpless and said, “Before arriving here, I didn’t know what happened in the Pan Gu secret realm. The celestial tribulation has always been a disaster for humanity, and it’s already considered a success that not many have died in the Pan Gu secret realm. Alas! I wish to do many things, but it seems finishing them is not easy now…”

“Sister, is there any news of Fan?” Min Shang asked.

Li Zhaojun shook her head helplessly and replied, “Regarding Ye Fan’s news, it has completely disappeared. I wish to seek it but have no means. Ye Fan’s cultivation has exceeded our imagination; he might not even be in the universe now. With his level, our chances of tracking him are extremely slim.”

Min Shang pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.

“Sister, calling you over was actually to have another person to discuss with.” Li Zhaojun said, “From what I know, Ye Fan is indeed protecting Earth. Earth won’t be significantly affected by celestial tribulation now, so you don’t have to worry about leaving Earth. Instead, we should consider how to ensure the safety of the Pan Gu secret realm after Ye Fan’s departure.”

Min Shang appeared hesitant and said, “Sister, I don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand either; we are both forced into this situation. We don’t understand how to handle the celestial tribulation. Ye Fan left without explaining, but I think he must have some countermeasures. Because he left voluntarily, not being drawn by some force.” Li Zhaojun spoke, and the Spiritual Energy in the air seemed to change again, perceptible to both Li Zhaojun and Min Shang.

“Sister, something seems to be wrong.” Min Shang closed her eyes to perceive and said, “I feel a large change in the surrounding Spiritual Energy, it seems… thinner.”

“Hmm.” Li Zhaojun nodded in agreement and said, “This may be a sign of the fifth round of celestial tribulation. Previously, I also noticed these changes, even studying ancient predictions thoroughly. From what I know now, if we don’t handle this properly, the result will be nothing but destruction…”

Min Shang asked, “Is it the destruction of the Pan Gu secret realm?”

Li Zhaojun shook her head slightly and said, “Not just the Pan Gu secret realm, but Earth and other places where humans live. It’s said that many civilizations in the universe are already completely destroyed. We can’t reach far places and don’t know the situation of human settlements there. Luckily, Ye Fan left behind an improved system; cultivators, Immortals, and ancient cultivators will help us handle the celestial tribulation.”

“But sister, I’m still not very confident.” Min Shang appeared troubled.

Li Zhaojun gave an encouraging look and said, “When I first came to the Pan Gu secret realm, my mindset was almost like yours. But now I’ve learned one thing: if we don’t strive, no one will help us. Even high-level ancient cultivators like Xi He need me to lead in problems, showing they aren’t completely committed to serving Ye Fan. Apart from me, the most devoted to Ye Fan is actually you, sister.”

“Hmm.” Min Shang’s gaze remained firm.

“That’s why I strongly believe in you, sister. As long as you are by my side, I have methods to tackle any difficulty. However, the greatest problem we face now is the limitation of our cultivation. If we try to cultivate temporarily now, it would clearly be too late. But if we rely on dealing with the celestial tribulation as we are, there’s really no chance with our cultivation levels…” Li Zhaojun said.

Min Shang curiously asked, “Then what do you mean, sister?”

“My idea is to combine our cultivation into one. We discovered this when we were cultivating in the closed world, didn’t we? If our cultivation can be united, the improvement isn’t just double but increases exponentially!” Li Zhaojun explained.