lǐ fán sī niàn jí zhuǎn ， yě shùn jiān míng bái le hé xīn xīn cè suàn zhōng de “ jí wēi ” cóng hé ér lái le 。
李凡思念急转，也瞬间明白了何忻忻测算中的“极危”从何而来了。
Li Fan's thoughts raced, and he instantly understood the source of the "extreme danger" in He Xinxin's calculations.
hé zhī qián fēn shēn miàn duì tiān yī shí lù chū de pò zhàn shì yī yàng de 。
和之前分身面对天医时露出的破绽是一样的。
The flaw was the same as when his previous incarnation had faced Heavenly Medicine before.
cǐ shì ， ruò shì méi yǒu hé xīn xīn tuī yǎn zhī shì fā shēng ， àn zhào lǐ fán yuán běn de jì huà ， tā réng rán shì yào qián wǎng yuán dào zhōu de 。
此世，若是没有何忻忻推衍之事发生，按照李凡原本的计划，他仍然是要前往源道州的。
In this world, if there hadn't been any events related to He Xinxin's derivation, Li Fan would still have planned to go to Source Dao Prefecture.
děng dào máo dìng 29 nián ，【 tā 】 zài dù tūn shì shí jiān de shí hòu ， huì bú huì mò míng fā jué 。
等到锚定29年，【它】再度吞噬时间的时候，会不会莫名发觉。
Would it suddenly notice something strange about him after 29 years, when "it" once again devoured time?
lǐ fán zhè yī xiǎo xiǎo de xiū shì shēn shàng ， yǐ jīng cún zài le “ tā yǎo le yī kǒu ” de hén jì le ？
李凡这一小小的修士身上，已经存在了“它咬了一口”的痕迹了？
Had the traces of "it biting a piece out" already appeared on this small cultivator?
dàn 【 tā 】 kě yǐ kěn dìng ， cǐ qián bìng méi yǒu qiè qǔ guò lǐ fán de shí jiān 。
但【它】可以肯定，此前并没有窃取过李凡的时间。
But "it" could be certain that it hadn't stolen Li Fan's time before.
xiāng xìn zhè wèi zhī de kǒng bù cún zài ， dìng rán néng shùn jiān xiǎng dào zuì kě néng fā shēng cǐ mù de yuán yīn 。
相信这未知的恐怖存在，定然能瞬间想到最可能发生此幕的原因。
This unknown terror would surely think of the most likely reason for such an occurrence.
miàn duì tiān yī ， lǐ fán hái néng zài yì shí qīng xǐng zhōng fā dòng hái zhēn 。
面对天医，李凡还能在意识清醒中发动还真。
Against Heavenly Medicine, Li Fan could still activate Truly Real while conscious.
dàn miàn duì zhè kě yǐ tūn shì bié rén shí jiān de guài wù ， lǐ fán lián mò niàn hái zhēn de jī huì dōu méi yǒu 。
但面对这可以吞噬别人时间的怪物，李凡连默念还真的机会都没有。
But against this monster that devoured others' time, he didn’t even have a chance to silently recite Truly Real.
zhī suǒ yǐ shì jí wēi ， ér bú shì bì sǐ wú yí 。
之所以是极危，而不是必死无疑。
The extreme danger lay in the fact that it wasn't certain death; perhaps the only hope was that Truly Real's active protection would awaken his consciousness and allow him some respite to activate Truly Real.
kǒng pà wéi yī de shēng jī ， jiù zài yú 【 hái zhēn 】 de zhǔ dòng hù tǐ ， néng gòu huàn xǐng lǐ fán de yì shí ， bìng wèi tā dǐ dǎng piàn kè 。
恐怕唯一的生机，就在于【还真】的主动护体，能够唤醒李凡的意识，并为他抵挡片刻。
Thus, Li Fan had a basic guess about these "missing ten years."
ràng tā fā dòng hái zhēn le 。
让他发动还真了。
In Li Fan’s view, this might be the closest to the truth.
zhì cǐ ， lǐ fán duì zhè “ xiāo shī de shí nián ” yǒu le gè jī běn de cāi cè 。
至此，李凡对这“消失的十年”有了个基本的猜测。
As for other possibilities...
zài lǐ fán kàn lái ， zhè kě néng yě shì zuì jiē jìn shì shí zhēn xiàng de cāi cè 。
在李凡看来，这可能也是最接近事实真相的猜测。
If it merely took away ten years of his life in one lifetime without him noticing until after he activated Truly Real and realized what happened in his previous life, he would still suspect that Blue Feather Immortal Sovereign's [Soul Devouring Return-to-Life Great Array] was behind it.
zhì yú qí tā kě néng xìng ……
至于其他可能性……
But to affect Truly Real so that he couldn’t notice anything until reminded by someone and only discovered after much searching...
rú guǒ jǐn jǐn shì yī shì wú fǎ chá jué bèi qiè qǔ shí nián guāng yīn ， dāng hái zhēn zhī hòu 、 huí gù shàng yī shì fā shēng de shí hòu mǎ shàng xǐng wù guò lái 。
如果仅仅是一世无法察觉被窃取十年光阴，当还真之后、回顾上一世发生的时候马上醒悟过来。
He didn't underestimate Blue Feather; with his quasi-Tianzun strength, he might not be up to the task.
nà me lǐ fán hái huì huái yí ， shì fǒu shì nà lán yǔ xiān zūn 【 shì yuán fǎn shēng dà zhèn 】 gǎo dé guǐ 。
那么李凡还会怀疑，是否是那蓝羽仙尊【噬元返生大阵】搞得鬼。
"This world is bizarre and full of danger..."
dàn néng gòu yǐng xiǎng 【 hái zhēn 】， ràng lǐ fán shǐ zhōng wú fǎ chá jué 。
但能够影响【还真】，让李凡始终无法察觉。
"A slight mistake can lead to a complete loss."
zhí dào bèi rén tí xǐng ， yòu fān lái fù qù xún suǒ xǔ jiǔ cái néng fā xiàn ……
直到被人提醒，又翻来覆去寻索许久才能发现……
"Because I have Truly Real, I am even more dangerous in front of top-tier experts here."
bú shì lǐ fán kàn bù qǐ lán yǔ ， guāng kào tā nà zhǔn tiān zūn de shí lì ， shí zài wèi bì gòu gé 。
不是李凡看不起蓝羽，光靠他那准天尊的实力，实在未必够格。
...
“ zhè ge shì jiè ， guāng guài lù lí 、 wēi jī sì fú ……”
“这个世界，光怪陆离、危机四伏……”
"The good news is that its influence seems limited to Source Dao Prefecture and it has no active aggression; it just passively steals time."
“ shāo yǒu bù shèn ， yī zi luò cuò 、 jiù yào mǎn pán jiē shū 。”
“稍有不慎，一子落错、就要满盘皆输。”
"In the tenth lifetime, when I first entered the world of cultivation. I transformed into Cunyun Sea until I lived for 48 years without any time being stolen."
“ zhèng yīn wèi wǒ yǒu 【 hái zhēn 】， suǒ yǐ zài cǐ jiè de dǐng jí dà néng miàn qián ， cái gèng wēi xiǎn 。”
“正因为我有【还真】，所以在此界的顶级大能面前，才更危险。”
"Looks like I can't go back to Source Dao Prefecture anymore."
……
……
"And I need to find a way to clear its influence on me."
“ wéi yī de hǎo xiāo xī zé shì ，【 tā 】 de yǐng xiǎng fàn wéi ， sì hū zhǐ jú xiàn yú yuán dào zhōu 。 bìng qiě méi yǒu zhǔ dòng gōng jī xìng ， zhǐ shì dān chún de qiè qǔ shí jiān 。”
“唯一的好消息则是，【它】的影响范围，似乎只局限于源道州。并且没有主动攻击性，只是单纯的窃取时间。”
"Otherwise, it will be like a thorn in my throat, a significant隐患."
“ dì shí shì ， wǒ chū rù xiū xiān jiè shí 。 shēn huà cóng yún hǎi ， yì zhí dào huó dào máo dìng 48 nián 。”
“第十世，我初入修仙界时。身化丛云海，一直到活到锚定48年。”
People are like this.
“ yì zhí méi yǒu fā shēng shí jiān bèi qiè qǔ zhī shì 。”
“一直没有发生时间被窃取之事。”
When facing complete unknown fear, they tremble uncontrollably.
“ kàn lái ， yǐ hòu yuán dào zhōu shì bù néng qù le 。”
“看来，以后源道州是不能去了。”
But once there is even just an idea of the source, the fear lessens.
“ hái yǒu ， dé xiǎng bàn fǎ qīng chú 【 tā 】 duì wǒ chǎn shēng de yǐng xiǎng 。”
“还有，得想办法清除【它】对我产生的影响。”
And as their understanding deepens, the fear gradually fades away.
“ fǒu zé rú gěng zài hóu ， yǐn huàn bù xiǎo 。”
“否则如鲠在喉，隐患不小。”
Although Li Fan currently didn’t know what "it" was,
rén jiù shì zhè yàng 。
人就是这样。
he could temporarily treat it as a top-tier powerhouse in Source Dao Prefecture that devoured everyone's time.
dāng miàn duì wán quán wèi zhī de kǒng jù shí ， xīn zhōng zhàn lì 、 bù néng zì yǐ 。
当面对完全未知的恐惧时，心中战栗、不能自已。
He couldn't afford to provoke such a being; he would just avoid it.
dàn dāng duì fāng yí dàn yǒu le nǎ pà zhǐ shì gài niàn ， kǒng jù zì huì jiǎn qīng 。
但当对方一旦有了哪怕只是概念，恐惧自会减轻。
At least from the current situation, Truly Real still seemed to be one step ahead of it.
ér suí zhe duì qí liǎo jiě de yuè fā shēn rù ， kǒng jù yě huì yí bù bù xiāo sàn 。
而随着对其了解的越发深入，恐惧也会一步步消散。
As long as he didn’t run into "it" again, there shouldn’t be any problems.
suī rán mù qián lǐ fán hái bù zhī dào 【 tā 】， jiū jìng shì gè shén me wán yì 。
虽然目前李凡还不知道【它】，究竟是个什么玩意。
"It’s my luck that I met He Xinxin before going to Source Dao Prefecture and was able to resolve this calamity."
dàn què xiān bù fáng bǎ tā kàn zuò yí gè ， pán jù zài dào yuán zhōu de ， néng gòu tūn shì zhòng shēng guāng yīn de dǐng jí qiáng zhě 。
但却先不妨把它看做一个，盘踞在道源州的，能够吞噬众生光阴的顶级强者。
"To think that He friend is my lucky star. If not for the sudden failure of his formless killing mechanism, I wouldn't have come to琉璃Island out of curiosity."
rě bù qǐ ， rào zhe zǒu jiù hǎo le 。
惹不起，绕着走就好了。
Thinking about it, Li Fan couldn’t help but smile gently.
zuì qǐ mǎ ， cóng xiàn zài de qíng xíng lái kàn ，【 hái zhēn 】 hái shì yào gāo chū tā yī tóu de 。
最起码，从现在的情形来看，【还真】还是要高出它一头的。
He Xinghao felt a sudden flutter in his heart and immediately asked, "Friend Daoist Li Fan, is there any danger?"
zhǐ yào bù zài cì zhuàng dào 【 tā 】 de shǒu shàng ， wèn tí yīng gāi bù dà 。
只要不再次撞到【它】的手上，问题应该不大。
Li Fan patted his shoulder. "No worries, just a small matter. Thanks to your friend, I’ve already found a way out."
“ yě shì wǒ lǐ fán mìng bù gāi jué ， zài qián wǎng yuán dào zhōu zhī qián ， yù dào le hé xīn xīn ， huà jiě le jié nàn 。”
“也是我李凡命不该绝，在前往源道州之前，遇到了何忻忻，化解了劫难。”
"Speaking of which, I really should thank Xinxin. If not for her reminder, who knows how things would have turned out!"
“ shuō qǐ lái ， hé dào yǒu zhēn nǎi wǒ de fú xīng 。 ruò bú shì jiān kòng tā de wú xiāng shā jī tū rán shī xiào ， wǒ yě bú huì xīn xuè lái cháo ， lái liú lí dǎo yī tàn jiū jìng 。”
“说起来，何道友真乃我的福星。若不是监控他的无相杀机突然失效，我也不会心血来潮，来琉璃岛一探究竟。”
He Xinghao was pleased as he laughed heartily.
niàn jí cǐ chù ， lǐ fán nán dé lù chū le yí gè wēn hé de wēi xiào 。
念及此处，李凡难得露出了一个温和的微笑。
"How long is Xinxin staying here..." Li Fan knew that He Xinghao’s wife had probably slipped away and wouldn’t stay by his side all the time, so he asked this question.
hé zhèng hào jiàn zhuàng ， què shì xīn zhōng mò míng yī tū ， lián máng wèn dào ：“ lǐ fán dào yǒu ， kě yǒu dà ài ？”
何正浩见状，却是心中莫名一突，连忙问道：“李凡道友，可有大碍？”
"When Mother finds out, I’ll go back…" He Xinghao suddenly realized something in the middle of speaking.
lǐ fán pāi le pāi tā de jiān bǎng ：“ wú fáng ， zhǐ shì xiǎo shì ěr 。 tuō dào yǒu de fú ， yǐ jīng xiǎng dào le huà jiě zhī dào 。”
李凡拍了拍他的肩膀：“无妨，只是小事耳。托道友的福，已经想到了化解之道。”
He stuck out his tongue, looked at the somewhat embarrassed He Xinghao beside him, and lowered his head without saying anything more.
“ shuō qǐ lái ， kě zhēn yào xiè xiè xīn xīn 。 ruò méi yǒu tā de tí xǐng ， hái zhēn bù zhī huì rú hé ne ！”
“说起来，可真要谢谢忻忻。若没有她的提醒，还真不知会如何呢！”
He Xinghao sent her away to one side and told Li Fan about his relationship with He Xinghao's wife, which was quite similar to a third-rate love story.
hé xīn xīn bèi kuā ， dāng jí hóng le liǎn ， yī fù bù hǎo yì sī de yàng zi 。
何忻忻被夸，当即红了脸，一副不好意思的样子。
His Xinghao’s wife was named He RuoShui. She was from Tianyu Prefecture.
hé zhèng hào què shì hā hā dà xiào ， shí fēn gāo xìng 。
何正浩却是哈哈大笑，十分高兴。
She had secretly traveled out of the city when she was young, met He Xinghao, and they fell in love.
“ xīn xīn zhǔn bèi zài zhè dāi duō jiǔ a ……” lǐ fán zhī dào hé xīn xīn yīng gāi shì tōu liū chū lái de ， bù kě néng yì zhí dāi zài hé zhèng hào shēn biān ， gù yǒu cǐ wèn 。
“忻忻准备在这呆多久啊……”李凡知道何忻忻应该是偷溜出来的，不可能一直呆在何正浩身边，故有此问。
He Xinghao was handsome in his youth.
“ shén me shí hòu mǔ shàng dà rén fā xiàn le ， wǒ jiù huí ……” hé xīn xīn shuō dào yí bàn ， fāng cái yì shí dào shén me 。
“什么时候母上大人发现了，我就回……”何忻忻说到一半，方才意识到什么。
He RuoShui rarely interacted with other men.
tǔ le tǔ shé tou ， kàn le kàn yī páng yǒu xiē gān gà de hé zhèng hào ， dī tóu bù zài yán yǔ 。
吐了吐舌头，看了看一旁有些尴尬的何正浩，低头不再言语。
They spent every day together, easily developing feelings for each other.
hé zhèng hào jiāng tā zhī dào yī biān ， gēn lǐ fán jiǎng qǐ le tā hé hé xīn xīn mǔ qīn de shì qíng lái 。
何正浩将她支到一边，跟李凡讲起了他和何忻忻母亲的事情来。
Just as their relationship was going strong, He RuoShui’s parents suddenly appeared.
hé sān liú de qíng ài gù shì dà chà bù chà 。
和三流的情爱故事大差不差。
After observing He Xinghao carefully, they didn’t immediately break up the couple but brought them back to Tianyu Prefecture.
hé xīn xīn de mǔ qīn ， míng jiào héng ruò shuǐ 。
何忻忻的母亲，名叫衡若水。
For a while, one after another handsome young man pursued He RuoShui.
nǎi shì tiān yǔ zhōu rén shì 。
乃是天禹州人氏。
They were all good-looking with prominent brows and eyes, and most of them had reached the Golden Core or Essence Body stages.
nián qīng shí mán zhe fù mǔ wài chū yóu lì ， yǔ hé zhèng hào xiāng shí 。
年轻时瞒着父母外出游历，与何正浩相识。
He Xinghao was only at the late Qi Refining stage; he couldn’t even see He RuoShui’s face in front of these high-level cultivators.
hé zhèng hào nián qīng shí pǒ wèi jùn lǎng 。
何正浩年轻时颇为俊朗。
He RuoShui still cared for He Xinghao, but she didn't fall for any other men despite their obvious superiority.
héng ruò shuǐ yòu hěn shǎo jiē chù dào qí tā nán xìng 。
衡若水又很少接触到其他男性。
She just couldn’t bear to see his pitiful state and said a few words to him.
èr rén zhāo xī xiāng chǔ ， zì rán hěn róng yì chǎn shēng gǎn qíng 。
二人朝夕相处，自然很容易产生感情。
Young He Xinghao was full of pride and self-respect; he argued with He RuoShui fiercely.
zhèng dāng xiǎo liǎng kǒu rú jiāo sì qī de shí hòu ， héng ruò shuǐ de fù mǔ tū rán chū xiàn 。
正当小两口如胶似漆的时候，衡若水的父母突然出现。
He even made bold claims that he would become an Essence Body cultivator and achieve great things, which impressed He RuoShui.
zǐ xì guān chá le fān hé zhèng hào hòu ， dào yě méi yǒu shàng lái jiù bàng dǎ yuān yāng 。
仔细观察了番何正浩后，倒也没有上来就棒打鸳鸯。
Then he left.
ér shì jiāng èr rén dài huí tiān yǔ zhōu 。
而是将二人带回天禹州。
The young He Xinghao faced a series of hardships in life.
cǐ hòu yī duàn shí jiān ， yī wèi yòu yī wèi qīng nián jùn jié bù duàn chū xiàn ， duì héng ruò shuǐ fā qǐ zhuī qiú 。
此后一段时间，一位又一位青年俊杰不断出现，对衡若水发起追求。
After much effort, he finally reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
lùn wài mào ， gè gè jiàn méi xīng mù 、 shuài qì líng rén 。
论外貌，个个剑眉星目、帅气凌人。
He participated in the once-a-decade unified exam for the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance to enter the Guardian Hall and become a guardian.
lùn xiū wèi ， jī běn dōu shì jīn dān 、 yuán yīng jìng 。 zhù jī xiū shì ， lián héng ruò shuǐ de miàn dōu jiàn bù zhe 。
论修为，基本都是金丹、元婴境。筑基修士，连衡若水的面都见不着。
Who knew that after the results came out, he passed but was appointed as a guard instead of a guardian.
ér bǐ shí ， hé zhèng hào bù guò zhǐ shì liàn qì hòu qī 。
而彼时，何正浩不过只是炼气后期。
And even more bizarrely, his assigned area wasn’t Tianyu Prefecture but the remote Cunyun Sea, which he had never heard of before.
zài zhè xiē xiū wèi gāo guò zì jǐ liǎng gè dà jìng jiè de xiū shì miàn qián ， nà shì lián dà qì dōu bù gǎn chū 。
在这些修为高过自己两个大境界的修士面前，那是连大气都不敢出。
He Xinghao initially wanted to refuse, but the appointment order had already been issued at lightning speed.
héng ruò shuǐ duì hé zhèng hào hái shì yǒu diǎn gǎn qíng de 。
衡若水对何正浩还是有点感情的。
With orders in hand, He Xinghao dared not defy the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance’s command, even if he knew there was something fishy about it, orchestrated by his wife's parents.
miàn duì zhè xiē bǐ hé zhèng hào yōu xiù tài duō de xiū shì ， yě méi yǒu yí qíng bié liàn 。
面对这些比何正浩优秀太多的修士，也没有移情别恋。
Thus, he went to Cunyun Sea and stayed for decades.
zhǐ bù guò shí zài kàn bù guò hé zhèng hào de wō nāng yàng zi ， jiù kǒu tóu shuō le tā jǐ jù 。
只不过实在看不过何正浩的窝囊样子，就口头说了他几句。
His love and career both suffered; He Xinghao lost all hope.
hé zhèng hào dāng shí nián qīng qì shèng ， zì zūn xīn zuò suì ， hé héng ruò shuǐ dà chǎo le yī jià 。
何正浩当时年轻气盛，自尊心作祟，和衡若水大吵了一架。
He stopped making progress in cultivation, stagnating at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
gèng shì kǒu chū kuáng yán ， yào chéng jiù yuán yīng xiū shì ， chuǎng chū yī fān shì yè 。
更是口出狂言，要成就元婴修士，闯出一番事业。
Instead, he became obsessed with阵法and made significant achievements in this field, befriending many like-minded individuals.
ràng héng ruò shuǐ guā mù xiāng kàn 。
让衡若水刮目相看。
By chance, while chatting with a friend, He Xinghao learned that He RuoShui was actually pregnant when they first met.
suí hòu jiù zhí jiē pǎo le chū qù 。
随后就直接跑了出去。
She knew her parents would strongly oppose it and that He Xinghao had left without a trace.
nián qīng de hé zhèng hào ， jiē xià lái yù dào de jiù shì shēng huó de yī zhèn dú dǎ 。
年轻的何正浩，接下来遇到的就是生活的一阵毒打。
To protect the safety of her unborn child, she used secret methods to pause its growth.
fèi jìn qiān xīn wàn kǔ ， fāng cái xiū xíng dào le zhù jī qī 。
费劲千辛万苦，方才修行到了筑基期。
She then secluded herself and diligently cultivated until ten years ago, when she became an Essence Body weaver and gained enough influence with her parents to reveal the truth and give birth to their daughter, He Xinxin.
cān jiā wàn xiān méng shí nián yī cì de tǒng kǎo ， zhǔn bèi kǎo rù hù fǎ táng ， chéng wéi yī míng hù fǎ 。
参加万仙盟十年一次的统考，准备考入护法堂，成为一名护法。
This story caused quite a stir in Tianyu Prefecture and spread widely.
shuí céng xiǎng kǎo hé jié guǒ chū lái hòu ， tā shì kǎo shàng le 。
谁曾想考核结果出来后，他是考上了。
Everyone praised He RuoShui as a remarkable woman.
zhí wèi què bú shì hù fǎ ， ér shì zhèn shǒu 。
职位却不是护法，而是镇守。
Many cultivators didn’t mind that she had a child and pursued her fiercely, but all were rejected.
gèng lí pǔ de shì ， zhèn shǒu dì qū bú shì tiān yǔ zhōu ， ér shì jí wéi piān pì 、 zhī qián lián tīng dōu méi tīng guò de cóng yún hǎi 。
更离谱的是，镇守地区不是天禹州，而是极为偏僻、之前连听都没听过的从云海。
He Xinghao, far away in Cunyun Sea, was struck by lightning when he heard this.
yuán běn hé zhèng hào xiǎng jù jué ， dàn jiù zhí lìng què zǎo yǐ guāng sù xià fā 。
原本何正浩想拒绝，但就职令却早已光速下发。
Tears streamed down his face; he regretted it but felt helpless and couldn't bring himself to see He RuoShui again.
diào lìng zài qián ， hé zhèng hào nǎ lǐ gǎn wéi nì wàn xiān méng de mìng lìng 。
调令在前，何正浩哪里敢违逆万仙盟的命令。
Until He Xinxin sensed her father’s critical danger and came to the remote Cunyun Sea...
jiù suàn zhī dào zhè lǐ miàn māo nì chóng chóng ， dìng rán shì héng ruò shuǐ de fù mǔ àn zhōng zuò suì 。
就算知道这里面猫腻重重，定然是衡若水的父母暗中作祟。
He Xinghao, with tears in his eyes, sighed deeply as he recounted this story.
dàn yě zhǐ dé huī liū liū de yuǎn fù cóng yún hǎi shàng rèn le 。
但也只得灰溜溜的远赴丛云海上任了。
After hearing it, Li Fan inwardly cursed, "He Xinghao, what kind of man are you!"
zhè yī dāi ， jiù shì jǐ shí nián 。
这一呆，就是几十年。
But he patted He Xinghao’s shoulder and made a grand promise. "Friend Daoist He, don’t worry; one day, I will make sure you return to Tianyu Prefecture in glory, making up for all the past."
ài qíng shì yè shuāng diāo líng ， hé zhèng hào xīn qì quán wú 。
爱情事业双凋零，何正浩心气全无。
"Centuries can be like an eternity for ordinary people, leaving behind irreparable regrets."
xiū wèi qūn xún bù qián ， zhǐ bù zhù jī zhōng qī 。
修为逡巡不前，止步筑基中期。
"But for us cultivators, it’s not something that cannot be remedied!"
Li Fan's thoughts raced, and he instantly understood the source of the "extreme danger" in He Xinxin's calculations.
The flaw was the same as when his previous incarnation had faced Heavenly Medicine before.
In this world, if there hadn't been any events related to He Xinxin's derivation, Li Fan would still have planned to go to Source Dao Prefecture.
Would it suddenly notice something strange about him after 29 years, when "it" once again devoured time?
Had the traces of "it biting a piece out" already appeared on this small cultivator?
But "it" could be certain that it hadn't stolen Li Fan's time before.
This unknown terror would surely think of the most likely reason for such an occurrence.
Against Heavenly Medicine, Li Fan could still activate Truly Real while conscious.
But against this monster that devoured others' time, he didn’t even have a chance to silently recite Truly Real.
The extreme danger lay in the fact that it wasn't certain death; perhaps the only hope was that Truly Real's active protection would awaken his consciousness and allow him some respite to activate Truly Real.
Thus, Li Fan had a basic guess about these "missing ten years."
In Li Fan’s view, this might be the closest to the truth.
As for other possibilities...
If it merely took away ten years of his life in one lifetime without him noticing until after he activated Truly Real and realized what happened in his previous life, he would still suspect that Blue Feather Immortal Sovereign's [Soul Devouring Return-to-Life Great Array] was behind it.
But to affect Truly Real so that he couldn’t notice anything until reminded by someone and only discovered after much searching...
He didn't underestimate Blue Feather; with his quasi-Tianzun strength, he might not be up to the task.
"This world is bizarre and full of danger..."
"A slight mistake can lead to a complete loss."
"Because I have Truly Real, I am even more dangerous in front of top-tier experts here."
...
"The good news is that its influence seems limited to Source Dao Prefecture and it has no active aggression; it just passively steals time."
"In the tenth lifetime, when I first entered the world of cultivation. I transformed into Cunyun Sea until I lived for 48 years without any time being stolen."
"Looks like I can't go back to Source Dao Prefecture anymore."
"And I need to find a way to clear its influence on me."
"Otherwise, it will be like a thorn in my throat, a significant隐患."
People are like this.
When facing complete unknown fear, they tremble uncontrollably.
But once there is even just an idea of the source, the fear lessens.
And as their understanding deepens, the fear gradually fades away.
Although Li Fan currently didn’t know what "it" was,
he could temporarily treat it as a top-tier powerhouse in Source Dao Prefecture that devoured everyone's time.
He couldn't afford to provoke such a being; he would just avoid it.
At least from the current situation, Truly Real still seemed to be one step ahead of it.
As long as he didn’t run into "it" again, there shouldn’t be any problems.
"It’s my luck that I met He Xinxin before going to Source Dao Prefecture and was able to resolve this calamity."
"To think that He friend is my lucky star. If not for the sudden failure of his formless killing mechanism, I wouldn't have come to琉璃Island out of curiosity."
Thinking about it, Li Fan couldn’t help but smile gently.
He Xinghao felt a sudden flutter in his heart and immediately asked, "Friend Daoist Li Fan, is there any danger?"
Li Fan patted his shoulder. "No worries, just a small matter. Thanks to your friend, I’ve already found a way out."
"Speaking of which, I really should thank Xinxin. If not for her reminder, who knows how things would have turned out!"
He Xinghao was pleased as he laughed heartily.
"How long is Xinxin staying here..." Li Fan knew that He Xinghao’s wife had probably slipped away and wouldn’t stay by his side all the time, so he asked this question.
"When Mother finds out, I’ll go back…" He Xinghao suddenly realized something in the middle of speaking.
He stuck out his tongue, looked at the somewhat embarrassed He Xinghao beside him, and lowered his head without saying anything more.
He Xinghao sent her away to one side and told Li Fan about his relationship with He Xinghao's wife, which was quite similar to a third-rate love story.
His Xinghao’s wife was named He RuoShui. She was from Tianyu Prefecture.
She had secretly traveled out of the city when she was young, met He Xinghao, and they fell in love.
He Xinghao was handsome in his youth.
He RuoShui rarely interacted with other men.
They spent every day together, easily developing feelings for each other.
Just as their relationship was going strong, He RuoShui’s parents suddenly appeared.
After observing He Xinghao carefully, they didn’t immediately break up the couple but brought them back to Tianyu Prefecture.
For a while, one after another handsome young man pursued He RuoShui.
They were all good-looking with prominent brows and eyes, and most of them had reached the Golden Core or Essence Body stages.
He Xinghao was only at the late Qi Refining stage; he couldn’t even see He RuoShui’s face in front of these high-level cultivators.
He RuoShui still cared for He Xinghao, but she didn't fall for any other men despite their obvious superiority.
She just couldn’t bear to see his pitiful state and said a few words to him.
Young He Xinghao was full of pride and self-respect; he argued with He RuoShui fiercely.
He even made bold claims that he would become an Essence Body cultivator and achieve great things, which impressed He RuoShui.
Then he left.
The young He Xinghao faced a series of hardships in life.
After much effort, he finally reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
He participated in the once-a-decade unified exam for the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance to enter the Guardian Hall and become a guardian.
Who knew that after the results came out, he passed but was appointed as a guard instead of a guardian.
And even more bizarrely, his assigned area wasn’t Tianyu Prefecture but the remote Cunyun Sea, which he had never heard of before.
He Xinghao initially wanted to refuse, but the appointment order had already been issued at lightning speed.
With orders in hand, He Xinghao dared not defy the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance’s command, even if he knew there was something fishy about it, orchestrated by his wife's parents.
Thus, he went to Cunyun Sea and stayed for decades.
His love and career both suffered; He Xinghao lost all hope.
He stopped making progress in cultivation, stagnating at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Instead, he became obsessed with阵法and made significant achievements in this field, befriending many like-minded individuals.
By chance, while chatting with a friend, He Xinghao learned that He RuoShui was actually pregnant when they first met.
She knew her parents would strongly oppose it and that He Xinghao had left without a trace.
To protect the safety of her unborn child, she used secret methods to pause its growth.
She then secluded herself and diligently cultivated until ten years ago, when she became an Essence Body weaver and gained enough influence with her parents to reveal the truth and give birth to their daughter, He Xinxin.
This story caused quite a stir in Tianyu Prefecture and spread widely.
Everyone praised He RuoShui as a remarkable woman.
Many cultivators didn’t mind that she had a child and pursued her fiercely, but all were rejected.
He Xinghao, far away in Cunyun Sea, was struck by lightning when he heard this.
Tears streamed down his face; he regretted it but felt helpless and couldn't bring himself to see He RuoShui again.
Until He Xinxin sensed her father’s critical danger and came to the remote Cunyun Sea...
He Xinghao, with tears in his eyes, sighed deeply as he recounted this story.
After hearing it, Li Fan inwardly cursed, "He Xinghao, what kind of man are you!"
But he patted He Xinghao’s shoulder and made a grand promise. "Friend Daoist He, don’t worry; one day, I will make sure you return to Tianyu Prefecture in glory, making up for all the past."
"Centuries can be like an eternity for ordinary people, leaving behind irreparable regrets."
"But for us cultivators, it’s not something that cannot be remedied!"