Seeing Ye Fan Again

Seeing Ye Fan Again

Insects chirped in the silent mountains, birds flew through the secluded woods.

Deep within Kunlun Mountain, white mountain mist spread everywhere, shifting into countless forms like a scene from an immortal realm.

Within a "cave dwelling" enclosed by three enormous boulders, Zhou Tong sat cross-legged, his expression solemn and dignified, as though he had become a Buddha statue fused with the surrounding rocks.

Rumble!!

Yet beneath that seemingly tranquil exterior, thunder seemed to roar. As his blood flowed, it actually gave rise to waves of Thunder Sound Heavenly Drum.

At that moment, light shone from Zhou Tong's palms before spreading upward. Countless Bone Text appeared across his forearms as well, flickering in and out with an air of mystery. But the instant those Bone Text spread across his arms, they suddenly began to flow.

Crackle!

A clap of thunder exploded, and the countless runes ultimately transformed into streams of lightning that coiled around Zhou Tong's entire body. Every inch of his flesh glowed, runes appearing and vanishing. Together with the lightning currents, he looked as though a thunder god had descended.

Rumble!

A low peal of thunder suddenly rang out. A streak of lightning tore through the air as a hand formed from thunder abruptly seized a massive boulder. With a boom, the boulder shattered, countless charred fragments scattering in every direction.

"It's been a year. I've finally reached this point! I can finally use the Thunder Emperor Treasure Technique to attack without injuring myself!!"

Seeing the result of that strike, Zhou Tong's eyes revealed a trace of satisfaction.

For him, the hardest part of cultivation had been the first hurdle: refining the first Bone Text. Once he crossed that threshold, the cultivation that followed became much easier.

In particular, his most recent comprehension of lightning had further deepened his understanding of these runes, allowing him to completely refine all the Bone Text into every inch of his flesh. From then on, whenever he used a treasure technique, those runes were like treasure furnaces constantly supplying him with essence, energy, and spirit, leaving him invigorated and thoroughly at ease.

He knew this was because his cultivation in the Blood Movement Realm had reached a critical point. Nourishing the Bone Text no longer required him to expend his own blood and vitality. The Bone Text he had cultivated before had also begun drawing in the essence of heaven and earth on their own to feed it back to Zhou Tong.

Only now had cultivation through the Chaotic Ancient Method truly begun, forming a beneficial cycle.

Only at this stage could he be considered to have truly entered the Blood Movement Realm.

"Another half year of cultivation, and I'll be able to head down the mountain for a while!" Zhou Tong murmured.

Over the next half year, Zhou Tong advanced at an astonishing pace. The Bone Text of the Thunder Emperor Method continued to merge into his body without end.

Every inch of flesh in his body shimmered and glowed, as though ancient gods sat within it one after another. The countless runes constantly transformed and reorganized, gradually remaking Zhou Tong's physique and making his blood and body stronger.

Even the faint essence of heaven and earth drifting through Kunlun Mountain seemed drawn to Zhou Tong. Bit by bit, it began gathering around him.

The treasure technique Zhou Tong had refined into his body was the Thunder Emperor Treasure Technique. By refining its runes into his flesh, he was like a miniature Thunder Emperor, like a tiny one of the Ten Fiends cultivating. Even in the End of Dharma era, the essence of heaven and earth naturally flowed toward him.

Half a year later—

Huff! Huff! Huff!...

Zhou Tong carried a massive boulder weighing at least five thousand jin as he continuously climbed upward. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, leaving behind a trail of footprints.

Boom!

At last, he reached the mountaintop. He took a deep breath and set down the boulder, making the entire summit tremble slightly.

"Having cultivated to this point, I can use the Reincarnation Mirror once again!" Zhou Tong stood atop the peak, overlooking the surrounding mountains as he spoke softly.

The breeze stirred, and several parasol trees in the courtyard swayed gently. Their lush branches and leaves rustled softly as fresh air blew in through the window.

"To know the One is to know all things. Without knowing the One, one can know nothing. The Dao arises from the One; its value lies in having no counterpart. Each occupies its own place, symbolizing heaven, earth, and man. Thus it is called the Three Ones. Heaven obtains the One and becomes clear, earth obtains the One and becomes tranquil, man obtains the One and lives, spirit obtains the One and becomes numinous."

Ye Fan sat beside an antique table. A pot of clear tea gave off a fragrant aroma. He slowly set down the ancient book in his hands, his calm eyes carrying a trace of leisure.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just then, a series of knocks broke the silence.

"The door's unlocked. Come in!!" Ye Fan said with a smile.

The door opened, and Zhou Tong slowly entered the room, walking directly over to sit opposite Ye Fan.

"Long time no see!" Ye Fan looked at Zhou Tong, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes.

He could already tell that Zhou Tong was vastly different from the man he had been at graduation. His appearance had not changed much, but his bearing was completely different.

"Yeah, it's been a long time!" Zhou Tong smiled as well. "Still, I never expected that after a year and a half apart, you'd become like this. Ancient books, clear tea! Have you started living out your retirement early?"

"Just a hobby!"

Ye Fan smiled. "But you—over the past year and a half, there wasn't even a scrap of news from you. You didn't even join the class group we made afterward. Pang Bo said even your parents had no idea what you were doing. You were so mysterious that Li Changqing and the others even guessed that you might be involved in something illegal!"

"Li Changqing, huh." Zhou Tong chuckled.

Li Changqing was an extremely calculating person. Back at the graduation banquet, he had seemed to drink with Zhou Tong and the others with great generosity, but in truth, he had only valued Zhou Tong's future—or rather, the future Zhou Tong had back then.

At the time, Zhou Tong had possessed a very good chance of joining the national team and winning glory for the country in the future.

"And do you believe that?" Zhou Tong asked in return.

"At first, I kind of did. But now..." Ye Fan shook his head as he spoke.

Zhou Tong looked at Ye Fan. "From yearning for the extraordinary to pursuing a quiet life, there's only one thing that can bring such a huge change to a man. Looks like things between you and Li Xiaoman have ended."

"Time can wash away everything." Ye Fan did not say much, merely responding with a faint sigh.

"But you—now that you've suddenly appeared, are you finally ready to reveal your secret?" Ye Fan asked curiously. "You went a year and a half without even a word. You really know how to keep it in!"

"Forget it. There's no point in talking about it now." Zhou Tong shook his head. "I only saw a path completely different from the one we're on now... The specifics are hard to explain, and I couldn't make them clear even if I tried. Those who understand will understand. For those who don't, no amount of explanation will help!"

Seeing that Zhou Tong still refused to say anything, Ye Fan shot him a glare and stopped pressing him.

The two chatted for a long time, talking from their school days all the way to the future.

Late into the night, they said their goodbyes.