Chapter 1261: Chapter 1261: Fishing for Reincarnation in the Miluo River

Dao Thought Battle can often be decided in an instant, but this instant is merely an outsider’s perception.

To those involved, a Dao Thought Battle may even last for thousands of years—like a dream that spans a century, though in truth it’s but a fleeting moment.

Yet, Dao Thought Battle differs from dreams.

The danger of a Dao Thought Battle is even greater than a real battle; one careless move can lead to the destruction of the Dao and the demise of the person, where even the Spirit can’t escape.

In the moment when struck by Elder Qu Ping’s Dao Thought, a strand of Ning Fan’s Heart Spirit was dragged, feeling an imminent sense of separation, being pulled bit by bit toward Elder Qu Ping’s Heart Spirit World.

"Don’t contend in Dao Thought with this person!" warned the Ant Lord.

With Ning Fan’s strength, if he resisted, he could certainly prevent his Heart Spirit from leaving the body and evade this battle; but should he accept the Dao Thought Battle, life and death would be uncertain.

The Ant Lord and Ning Fan’s lives are intertwined, so naturally, the Ant Lord does not wish for Ning Fan to risk this without reason. His thoughts are that Ning Fan has plenty of trump cards, like the Grand Cultivator Puppet and the Merit Umbrella, besides the newly understood Technique of Acknowledging the Master. Even if faced by several Ancient Great Cultivators in siege, he could still ensure his safety sans worry—worst would be a hasty retreat with minimal chance of losing his life. So why engage in a Dao Thought Battle with anyone? Isn’t real combat with swords and guns thrilling enough?

"Sorry, I don’t intend to refuse this battle."

Ning Fan shook his head.

Others might choose to refuse this Dao Thought Battle, but he does not plan to do so. His entire Dao itself is inherently stubborn, inherently countering strength with strength. As he has cultivated to this day, he has encountered foes he couldn’t defeat, he has retreated, he has avoided, yet his spirit sense has never surrendered, nor submitted, and never bowed his head.

Dao Upholders can fall, can retreat, but they cannot be cowardly.

If he chooses to show weakness at this moment, to avoid the Dao Thought Battle, then a crack would appear in his spirit sense—this crack is not irreparable, but will be extremely troublesome.

Moreover, this would cause his momentum to start off on the wrong foot, resulting in a defeat without a battle. Perhaps all of this is Elder Qu Ping’s true motive for inviting the Dao Thought Battle.

To give Ning Fan a show of force before the real confrontation, to seize the advantage!

"No matter your intention of opening the Dao Thought Battle, I will not evade this battle!"

Ning Fan did not retreat within himself but rather coldly smiled, releasing his entire Heart Spirit to fully invade Elder Qu Ping’s inner world!

...

Meanwhile, after Elder Qu Ping issued the Dao Thought Battle invitation, he stopped the Dragon Boat a million miles away from the Fengnu Clan, observing everything about the Fengnu Clan with a grave expression, without proceeding forward.

"Unbelievable, Zhao Jian unexpectedly has a way to acknowledge mastery over the Fengnu Clan’s lands, activating the clan formation, integrating the Ziwei Astrological System Force onto himself..."

"Not only the Ziwei Astrological System Force, but the terrain here, the heavenly fate, is also somehow controlled by him, even traces of controlling time and space appear..."

"No wonder he could easily eliminate the Northern Sea True Lord in such a short time, he truly possesses such capabilities. Controlling one of time, space, terrain, or heavenly fate is sufficient to reach the peak of Dreamland Realm, yet this person manages all four. Normally, only a Saint could achieve this, could he be a Saint? If not, how could he accomplish this, and wield a Saintly Dao Mountain at will; if he is a Saint, then why does he have only twenty thousand tribulations’ worth of Mana—and two thousand of those aren’t even his?"

"Furthermore, I feel several dangerous presences from him, any of which can pose a threat, yet he has several of these trump cards..."

"This person seems shrouded in numerous mysteries..."

"Without knowing his background, engaging him is not wise..."

"I shall probe his background through a Dao Thought Battle. If he does not dare to accept, his momentum will be weakened; if he engages, I shall host and he shall be guest in this Dao Thought Battle, granting me the advantage, with which I can uncover his depths without difficulty!"

Just in the span of a moment, Elder Qu Ping analyzed all pros and cons, awaiting Ning Fan’s response, suddenly seeing Ning Fan’s entire Heart Spirit surging forward, and was immediately shocked.

"I only invited a strand of your Heart Spirit to battle, yet you release your entire Heart Spirit here! Are you trying to turn the tables?" Elder Qu Ping was caught off guard.

"Indeed!" Ning Fan replied with a smile, showing not a hint of fear of the Dao Thought Battle.

"Ah, truly misjudged, I calculated countless scenarios, yet never accounted for the famed Moral Sage of Beitian to be a demon cultivator." Elder Qu Ping smiled bitterly.

Why say this?

Most cultivators faced with unknown risks are cautious, opting to withdraw temporarily or act prudently, rarely will anyone choose risky warfare, fighting desperately.

Only true evildoers make such choices, and only individuals with this character can overcome numerous Heart Demons on the evil path, ultimately elevating the evil Dao to its pinnacle.

Before coming here, Elder Qu Ping had already calculated. He discerned Ning Fan’s Northern Heaven fame, his renown as the Moral Sage, an exemplar of cultivators, which led to a mistaken understanding of Ning Fan.

He did not realize this was a facade, merely rumors passed among Beitian cultivators.

Regarding Ning Fan’s true nature, Ning Fan’s essence, he had no understanding, and regardless of the calculations, it was never considered that Ning Fan might be a demon cultivator.

In the first round of the duel, there was an oversight.

"A single misstep, and I’ve been turned from host to guest by this person. Now, the direction this Dao Thought Battle takes is no longer in my control, alas."

...

Ning Fan wandered aimlessly in a vast sea of white, unable to see the path ahead nor the way home.

He didn’t remember that he was in a Dao Thought Battle because, after all, this battle was against an Ancient Great Cultivator, and the opponent was also in a state of befuddled confusion at the moment. There was no reason only Ning Fan would remain clear-headed.

The opponent was definitely no weakling; their cultivations were above Ning Fan’s, and since the invitation for the duel came from them, the battleground was within the opponent’s Heart Spirit World. From the start, they had the advantage of time, place, and Harmonious Spirit.

Ning Fan, however, was at an absolute disadvantage from the beginning.

Fortunately, Ning Fan took a risk, unexpectedly releasing his entire Heart Spirit to fully invade Elder Qu Ping’s Heart Spirit World. The opponent was momentarily careless, and Ning Fan managed to invade most of their Heart Spirit World on the spot.

Thus, Ning Fan forcibly gained the advantage of time and place but was still slightly inferior in terms of Harmonious Spirit.

After all, the opponent was a genuine Grand Cultivator, whereas Ning Fan? His mana was one thing, even under the blessing of the Ziwei Astrological System, he was still not a match for the opponent; the biggest gap was in their true realms, as even after merging the cultivations of Fiendgods, ancient demons, and Ancient Chaos into divine cultivations, he still hadn’t broken through to Immortal Emperor or Quasi-Saint at the moment.

In terms of realm, he was still an Immortal King.

To advance to an Immortal Emperor or Quasi-Saint evidently required many insights and long years of cultivation.

In general, this Dao Thought Battle, after Ning Fan’s intervention, was at a relatively fair state.

"Who am I..."

"I must remember, I must recall this matter..."

"Yes, I am Ning Fan, yet I also seem to be called Zhao Jian, or perhaps I am Lu Bei, or Zhou Ming, or someone else... I seem to be undertaking an extremely dangerous matter, but exactly what it is, I can’t recall..."

Ning Fan, remarkably capable, only needed a short time to roughly recall who he was.

At this moment, Elder Qu Ping still hadn’t remembered who he was from the Dao Thought Battle and was still lost in a white, indistinct world.

Perhaps, recalling himself so quickly was related to his previous hasty acknowledgment of himself.

As Ning Fan remembered himself, he gradually saw the surrounding scenery more clearly.

In his sight was the ceaselessly flowing river, and he was currently aboard a boat on this river.

The one steering the boat was an old man with a graying beard, who wore an innocent chrysanthemum smile on his face. Ning Fan found this old man familiar, but he couldn’t recall who he was.

"May I ask, sir, who are you, and where is this place?" Ning Fan asked.

Upon speaking, he realized his voice was that of a child.

"Strange, I clearly have bone age of hundreds of thousands of years, yet why have I turned into a child with a tuft of hair now? Speaking of which, what is the dangerous matter I must do? It seems crucial to remember this soon, or I will lose the initiative..." Just as Ning Fan was pondering, a sharp pain hit his head, leaving a large knot.

"You brat, Ning, you’re truly unruly. Who are you calling ’sir’?" the old man steering the boat scolded Ning Fan with a knock on the head.

"I..." Ning Fan attempted to say something in his defense.

Only to receive another knock, resulting in two knots on his head.

"Don’t argue with your master! I know you’ve studied for a few years and love to debate with me about some philosophical principles, but it’s useless! I won’t give you the chance to speak! Nor should you dream of lecturing me about filial piety! I don’t understand grand principles; heaven and earth are big, but my fist is bigger!"

"I’m not..."

Bang!

A third knot appeared on Ning Fan’s head, and he finally learned to keep his mouth shut.

Since he couldn’t grasp the situation for now, it was better to stay observant.

Seeing Ning Fan fall silent, the old man steering the boat nodded in satisfaction, "The child is teachable!"

Then the old man maneuvered the boat to the center of the river, allowing it to drift with the current.

He then took out two fishing rods, one for himself and gave another to Ning Fan.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Ning Fan wanted to ask, but in the end, he stayed silent.

Because he saw the old boatman clench his fist, clearly annoyed by his talking.

So, in the end, he didn’t speak, just glanced at the fishing rod to indicate a question.

"I gave you a fishing rod, of course for you to fish! So dumb! Are all you Wu and Yue folks so stupid, while we Chu people are smart!" The old man suddenly felt superior in intellect, his face blossoming again into a lewd chrysanthemum smile.

"So I am from Wu and Yue, and this old man is Chu..." Ning Fan thought.

Looking at the fishing rod in his hand again, Ning Fan was speechless.

"This fishing rod has no hook!" Even if he risked another punch, Ning Fan had to voice his complaint!

Strangely, after Ning Fan asked this question, the old boatman didn’t punch him again but also looked puzzled as he gazed at the fishing rod.

"There really isn’t a hook; could it be that my cultivation has reached this level, touching the threshold of reverse Daoist Thought..." the old boatman muttered.

The thought of being close to reverse Daoist Thought made the old boatman even happier, and he felt particularly close to Ning Fan, this dreamlike person.

Just then, Ning Fan suddenly went into the cabin and found several hooks, "Old man, there are hooks in the cabin."

Dammit! I knew reverse Daoist Thought wasn’t that simple. Clearly still far off!

The old boatman’s mood soured instantly, and he couldn’t help but give Ning Fan two hard flicks on the forehead.

"Why hit twice..." isn’t it supposed to be one hit per statement? I gave you hooks and only spoke one sentence! Ning Fan silently complained.

"There was one more you deserved before, but I was in a good mood and didn’t hit you; now I’m making up for it!" the old boatman grumbled.

Ning Fan felt speechless. Who was this old man anyway? Not only was he strange-tempered, exceptionally stingy, and incredibly lewd looking, the worst part is he repaid kindness with hostility...

He had kindly found hooks for him, yet the man still hit me!

But it’s weird...

"I vaguely remember my name, and even more vaguely, my character—it’s not one that gets bullied, why am I not angry after being punched four times by this person..."

Yes, Ning Fan wasn’t angry after being punched four times by the old boatman; instead, he felt incredibly close, as if he hadn’t seen this old man for many years.

"Speaking of which, the old man spoke of being a ’teacher’, could it be a mentor-student relationship? Did I truly have such a terrible master?"

Huh, going in this direction, Ning Fan felt he could perhaps remember more things.

It seemed like this old man had once held him by the neck and asked, ’Do you want to live or die?’

Yes, this is the direction to recall!

Almost there, almost there!

About to remember who I am!

Just a little more, almost there.

Ning Fan faintly grasped some memory threads, and couldn’t help but blurt out a sentence, a sentence even he couldn’t understand.

"Master, is your wife feeling better?" Huh, who is the wife? Why am I asking this?

"Little Brat Ning, that was a great question!" The old boatman seemed to be touched by some nerve, and immediately puffed his cheeks in anger, delivering Ning Fan the fifth thump.

"You know master is a bachelor on the Miluo River, married at 17, now past 60, and no woman has ever found me worthy. You insist on asking this! Great, truly great, even learned to rub salt in wounds! You, not bad!" Bang, another sixth thump.

"In other words, master, you’ve been single for 43 years?" Ning Fan was slightly surprised; 60 minus 17 is 43, right? Somehow, he felt very sensitive to the number 43, not sure why...

"You dare say it again, oh my, old me truly underestimated you, didn’t know you were a tough guy who’s not afraid of iron fists!" Bang, seventh thump.

"Really 43 years?" Ning Fan was really interested in the number 43, willing to risk punches to ask.

Now it was the old boatman’s turn to be shocked.

Though in a dream, his punches carry true Daoist power, meaning he can actually hurt someone through dreams.

Who exactly is this Ning Fan?

Endured seven dream punches and still dares to challenge him, in fact, he truly likes the kid’s stubborn temper! Has the right vibe!

"Good question! Ask a few more times, old me will let you know if it’s truly 43 years!" Bang, the eighth thump, ninth thump, tenth thump...

This beastly old man kept hitting Ning Fan 43 times!

Aren’t you interested in 43? Well, let you forever remember the feeling of 43 lumps on your head!

"..."

"..."

"..."

Ning Fan complied, looking at the old man as if he were a lunatic.

Seeing Ning Fan take 43 punches without making a sound, the old man was amazed, viewing him as a prodigy worthy of nurturing.

"May I speak now?" Ning Fan asked.

He was no longer afraid of another beating.

Having taken 43 punches, he realized the old man felt a sense of care for talent, reluctant to bully him further.

"You may, but I suggest you don’t say much; it’s actually for your own good." The old boatman explained.

"Why..."

"I thought you were from here, turns out you’re not, I only noticed after punching you 29 times..."

"Then why hit 43?"

"Foolish, this was the test! Enduring 43 punches without changing expression, without anger or complaint, you earned my recognition! I thought you were a dream passerby, but now I truly want to mentor you! Do you know who I am! I am the new Saint of the Real Realms, Liangyi Sect Master Han... never mind, you just need to know I am Han."

"Oh..." Ning Fan responded expressionless.

"Just that?" Old Han seemed displeased, wondering if Ning Fan understood what being a Real Realms Saint meant. Could this boy be from some remote Dreamland Realm? Perhaps he was merely a mortal who entered his dream by chance without understanding the fortune of becoming a Saint’s student?

"Mm."

"You don’t want to be my disciple?" Old Han mistook Ning Fan’s indifference as rejection.

Normally, when a Saint reveals an interest in discipleship, shouldn’t one bow, showing a hint of joyful gratitude?

Why doesn’t this kid seem surprised, does he not understand the might of Saints?

"Want or not, what difference does it make, wasn’t I already your disciple?" Ning Fan smiled.

"Uh, right, in my dream, you play the apprentice I adopted during my boatman enlightenment, naturally you are my disciple. Guess I got attached..." Old Han sighed, lamenting Ning Fan’s stupidity for not discerning dream from reality.

Dream apprenticeships shouldn’t be taken seriously, should they?

Once awakened, back to bridges and paths. Such a foolish child! He missed the golden chance to become a Saint’s disciple.

Old Han was lamenting Ning Fan’s folly when water broke the surface.

It was Ning Fan who had caught a fish.

"Kid, you’re good! Caught a carp so soon. Huh? This fish isn’t simple, seems to hold a trace of Dao Carp Lineage blood, but generations apart, blood long diluted. Still, it shows luck’s on your side, catching a Dao Carp, just worthy of old me’s once consideration, nearly my disciple!" Old Han gave Ning Fan a thumbs up.

Inside, he thought, "This kid caught such a big fish, if I don’t catch a bigger one, won’t I lose?"

Thus, the so-called mighty Saint Han entered serious fishing mode.

For a moment, Old Han’s eyes shone like the starry sky, revolving along unique reincarnation trails, indescribably mystical.

His gaze seemed to penetrate all reincarnations and cause-effect lines.

He seemed to see through how many fish, shrimp, frogs, and mud were in the Miluo River.

He lightly waved the rod, as if moving the whole reincarnation spacetime, not just the rod.

He captured the cause-effect lines of every fish here, anticipating their life and death. The fish meant to die, often are the ones about to be hooked, easiest to catch, and easiest to...

Hmm? Another water break sound.

"Master, I caught the second one." Ning Fan hooked another fish.

It’s an even fatter and bigger Dao Carp than the last one!

"Haha, not bad, not bad. Keep it up, catch a few more, and you’ll catch up with my fleet-footed galloping."

Old Han praised Ning Fan’s fishing skills openly, but secretly he was grumbling, "Did this kid step in some dog crap?" and "It’s just luck, don’t mind it," and so on.

Not long after.

Ning Fan caught a third one.

The fourth one.

The fifth one.

The sixth one.

...

He caught 43 Dao Carps in one go!

"This child can be taught!"

"Good, good!"

"Not bad, not bad!"

"Keep it up!"

Old Han was almost consumed with envy over Ning Fan’s fishing skills, but he still maintained an outwardly serious demeanor, praising Ning Fan to seem gracious, which was really infuriating!

Meanwhile, he himself couldn’t catch a single fish despite trying hard, perhaps the Dao Carps sensed his saintly aura and dared not approach? Yes, that’s surely it! These dumb fish really do have good instinct, but if they were a little more insightful and knew to catch a few for my pleasure and not let that kid have another, that would be even better!

After comforting himself like this, Old Han’s mood improved significantly; seeing that Ning Fan couldn’t catch more after fishing up 43 made him even happier.

This kid’s earlier catches were just by chance!

See, he can’t catch the 44th one now?

A person can be lucky for a moment, but not forever. When faced with challenges, it’s ultimately about one’s own strength.

In a great mood, Old Han even patted Ning Fan on the shoulder and earnestly comforted him, "Little Brat Ning, don’t be disheartened! For us cultivators of the Yin Yang Transformation, the most important thing is our mental state. Able to rise and fall, to be noble or humble, to stretch or shrink, to have or to lack, that is the true demon. Catching fish is exciting, but if one day you can no longer catch them, that’s the hardest moment, and it’s the key to cultivating evil. I won’t look down on you for not catching the 44th fish, but if you look down on yourself, then there’s no way to continue on this path."

"Thank you for the advice, Master." Ning Fan thanked Old Han, then immediately caught the 44th fish with a pull of the rod but released it back into the river afterward.

"Actually, I can catch more fish, but I’ve been contemplating the true meaning of 43 in my heart and did not wish to catch more."

Damn!

Old Han really felt like swearing!

I’ve seen show-offs, but never one who puts on such a show!

So you caught 43 because you only wanted to catch 43, and I caught 0 because I only had the ability to catch 0!

"Even if you didn’t want to catch more, you eventually caught the 44th fish, so you can no longer return to the state of mind of 43. Look at that fish, after biting your hook, its mouth is scarred. Even if you release it back into the river, the mark remains, and the cause and effect don’t disappear..."

"Master, you’re wrong. Look closely at that fish, its mouth is unscathed because I bent the hook straight beforehand."

"You mean you’ve been catching fish with a straight hook?"

"Yes."

"Used bait?"

"Never."

"And now you can catch as many as you like?"

"Yes."

"You really are... truly a fishing genius." Old Han was deeply overwhelmed, questioning for the first time in his life if he was actually a fool.

"But magic is just a small path, don’t get too obsessed with it. Remember, the important thing is not how many fish you catch, but the state of mind while fishing. Have you ever seen me catch a single fish? Do you know, if I wanted, all eighteen thousand fish in the Miluo River could be caught with a single rod, but what of it? Even if I could catch all the Dao Carp in the river, how can I catch all the fish in the world, let alone all living beings. Human efforts have limits, but reincarnation is infinite, that’s why I’m here to use fishing as a metaphor to understand reincarnation and refine my Daoist thought. Do you understand?" Old Han said, full of mysterious profundity.

"Oh..." It was still a half-hearted response.

Obviously, Ning Fan didn’t take Old Han’s bragging seriously.

He evidently understood Old Han’s temperament, knowing that this foolish elder was only capable of killing and looting, and nothing else.

Blowing up cauldrons when doing alchemy, coming back empty-handed when fishing, yes, that’s the true face of my master.

"Strange thing, why do I know this person’s character so well..."

"Speaking of which, the reason I can catch so many fish is due to a peculiar insight I have into the river..."

"Today, people fish for me, someday the heavens may fish for me..."

"Not only that, Master mentioned there are eighteen thousand fish in this river. This number, also seems to hold some significance for me..."

As Ning Fan was pondering, a flying dragon suddenly soared from afar.

Oddly, it seemed only Ning Fan could see the dragon.

There were many people from Chu Country around the Miluo River, but they seemed oblivious to the dragon’s majestic arrival, appearing as if they couldn’t see the dragon at all.

"Is it using divine skills to hide its tracks...?" Ning Fan wondered.

The flying dragon drew closer, and the nearer it came, the more Ning Fan felt an overwhelming, chilling sensation from its aura.

Very strong, terrifyingly strong. This sense is definitely beyond the Second Step; it’s a flying dragon rivaling a saint, though it’s unclear which stage of saintliness it is.

"You there, why do you possess the fortune of my clan!" The dragon roared angrily, circling above the Miluo River.

Upon seeing Ning Fan caught 43 Dao Carps from the river, its anger deepened.

"Scoundrel! How dare you fish from the Dao Carp Lineage!" It turns out this flying dragon is the result of a carp from the Dao Carp Clan jumping over the dragon’s gate.

This is indeed a saintly dragon!

And its presence here is for the Dao Carp Clan’s fortune.

"I recall... due to certain reasons, I seemed to have killed some Dao Carp experts and used some methods to seize fifteen hundred multicolored clan fortunes from them..."

"Trouble, a saintly enemy is here for revenge, what should I do..."

Ning Fan finally felt a bit of tension.

Those tense expressions were all observed by Old Han, who immediately felt delighted.

Hehe! I’d thought you didn’t know fear. Just encountering an Initial Saint in a dream makes you scared? If so, you’ll find plenty of places to be afraid of in the future. Suppose this Initial Saint marks your dream, coming for you over and over, you’d be too scared to sleep, hahahaha, I’ve finally found something better than you."

Hmm? Strange, why is there no dream trace on this kid, could it be that he does not possess the ability to dream? Or has some supreme being sealed his dream capability? Cough, cough, that shouldn’t be, those supreme beings wouldn’t bother sealing a youngster’s dreams, right? It must be due to himself, or perhaps he happened into my dream realm not through the path of dreams but by methods like Dao Thought or Soul Battle, hence leaving no dream trace?

While Old Han was pondering, the flying dragon suddenly made a move, seemingly intending to slay Ning Fan right there and then.

The dragon opened its mouth, spitting out a water-blue Dragon Ball. Instantly, all the Water Dao Law between heaven and earth converged into the dragon’s mouth, forming a large cycle of reincarnation.

The giant cycle solidified further, transforming into a Dao Light Sphere.

Inside the sphere was an unimaginable force, striking it would mean near-certain death for almost any cultivator—except for extraordinary talents like Ancient Chaos or Mo Zhong.

"Not good, seems like I’ll have to use the Merit Umbrella to block this strike. Hmm? I’ve finally remembered the Merit Umbrella, but cannot remember more..."

Just as Ning Fan was about to attack with the Merit Umbrella, Old Han moved first.

Old Han now wore a terrifying expression, albeit he was amused seeing Ning Fan in distress; distress is one thing, but losing a life is another!

He is a saint, capable of using true wounded entrances to kill across dreams. The dragon sage above is likely adept at this too, if this strike hits, Little Brat Ning is as good as dead.

Unclear what relation this boy has with the Dao Carp Race, yet this boy... after all, is my not-yet-officially-taken disciple! One I almost accepted under my tutelage!

The audacity of this mere Initial Saint from the Dao Carp Race, daring to strike at my presumptive disciple! Well, well, well!

"Dao Carp rascal, you seem quite confident in your Water Dao Law, allow me to break it with fire, shall we!" Old Han sneered, opening his mouth to spew out a burst of fire. This fire first appeared cold as ice, then transformed into clusters of purple-golden flames, and finally, all the purple-golden fire turned into a Black Flame.

"This is the Three Eras Fire Origin Technique!"

As Old Han spoke coldly, his Black Flame shot straight up to the sky, with murderous intent locked onto the flying dragon.

The flying dragon paused and then scoffed, "I wondered who you were; it turns out you are the newly appointed Merit Saint from the Liangyi Sect. How foolish, how arrogant! You dare to use the Fire Dao Law against my Dao Carp’s water; you truly don’t know life from death!"

With a look of disdain, the flying dragon spat out a blue orb of Daoist light.

The orb exploded, transforming into a hundred thousand rivers, vowing to drown everything in sight.

However, regrettably, the rivers hadn’t touched a single soul before Old Han’s Black Flame reduced them to steam.

He simply burned them dry!

"Impossible! Water subdues fire, my Dao subdues yours, and my cultivation surpasses yours; moreover, I have gained my position through Corpse Cutting, placing me higher than you, so why is this happening!" The flying dragon’s face changed dramatically.

"Do you know that my disciple caught 43 fish simply because that’s the number he wanted to catch!"

"And do you know I became a Merit Saint simply because I wished to become one in this manner!"

"Who told you that a Merit Saint is weaker than a Corpse-slaying Saint! I refuse to believe that!"

"Who told you fire can’t subdue water! I refuse to believe that!"

"I trust no one, except my own heart! After all, this is a world where belief creates existence!"

Old Han let out a cold laugh, soared into the sky, and chased after the flying dragon.

Raising his hand, he ignorantly grabbed, and the overwhelming Black Flame suddenly transformed into a massive black cauldron, smashing down on the flying dragon.

Boom!

The black cauldron struck the flying dragon’s head.

Pfft!

The flying dragon’s horn was instantly snapped off, as he sprayed blood wildly and plummeted from the sky. Struggling to stabilize his fall, he was horrified to find that just a single hit from that flaming cauldron sealed his cultivation for several cosmic cycles!

What is this evil technique, how can it be so powerful!

He didn’t have that many cycles of cultivation; if he was hit a few more times, wouldn’t he be severely injured here!

The bastard is too strong! The wind is tight, retreat quickly!

"Hmph! I have other matters today and won’t argue with you all. Farewell!"

"Bullshit! What kind of thing are you that you dare to argue with me! You want to flee? Did I permit you to run?"

Boom, boom, boom!

Old Han chased him, repeatedly smashed several cauldrons, driving the flying dragon into a panic to escape his dreamscape, before he cursed and returned to the boat.

Seeing Ning Fan gazing at him in shock, Old Han immediately sensed a boundless feeling of pretentiousness, collected the flame cauldron, and said casually, "It’s a trivial scene, not worth mentioning. You haven’t seen bigger scenes yet, don’t be too surprised."

"Master, you’re so amazing, does Mistress know..." Ning Fan said, shaken.

"You little brat! You dare bring that up!" Old Han was once again agitated, raised his hand, and gave Ning Fan another knock on the head.

Then he looked at Ning Fan with an expression of "Couldn’t help it, really couldn’t help it! Sorry! If you’re upset, hit back!"

"Hehe..." Ning Fan foolishly laughed.

It always felt like it had been many years since he had seen his master, and occasionally getting knocked like this was oddly nostalgic.

"Forget it, forget it, I won’t hit you anymore, you’ll become foolish. By the way, how did you provoke the Dao Carp Clan’s Saint? He said you took the Dao Carp Clan’s fortune, is it true? Aren’t you afraid of being judged by the True Spirit Races of the Mountain and Sea?"

"I don’t remember anything..." Ning Fan replied, helplessly.

"Then what do you remember?"

"I vaguely remember that I came here to do something very important."

"Something very important? Maybe you can remember some clues..." Old Han frowned.

He vaguely saw that Ning Fan was having a Dao Thought Battle with someone, thus mistakenly entering his dreamscape.

This child entering his dreamscape wasn’t surprising in itself, his dreamscape didn’t have a password, who couldn’t just walk in? Their meeting here could only be attributed to fate, after all, this is a world where fate brings those who are meant to meet together.

"I have fate with you..." Old Han suddenly said out of nowhere.

"???" Ning Fan was confused, uncertain what Old Han intended to express.

"You are probably having a Dao Thought Battle with someone," Old Han continued.

"So I am actually having a Dao Thought Battle. With Senior telling me this, isn’t it cheating?" With this reminder, Ning Fan remembered some things, recalling the Dao Thought Battle with Elder Qu Ping, but the specific reasons, process, details, and past still eluded him.

"Cheating? Hahaha! You must also be cultivators of Yin Yang Transformation, why make such a laughable statement. As cultivators, if something can’t be obtained, we snatch it, if it can’t be snatched, we forcibly take it. Demons can only survive through deception; as long as it’s in line with the spirit sense, tricking the world is no issue. As for the talk of cheating, it’s truly laughable! Besides the matters held in the heart, only life and death remain. There is no right or wrong, no good or evil. Deception itself doesn’t count as deception; if the enemy is stupid, then where is the talk of cheating?"

"So..."

"So don’t be afraid! No matter who comes to battle with you in Dao Thought, if one comes, I’ll help you kill one; if two come, I’ll help you kill a pair!"

"This, Master need not intervene, I’ll handle it myself. Although I can’t recall the specifics of the battle, I know myself. Since I dared to accept the Dao Thought Battle with the other party, I must have some confidence; plus, now I have you by my side to remind me, remembering so many things, this Dao Thought Battle is practically certain; victory is mine without struggle. The only thing to wait for is for the opponent to appear..."

Ning Fan declined Old Han’s help.

This left Old Han a bit disappointed; he wanted to help Ning Fan a few more times, gaining more opportunities to show off.

Never mind, let the juniors handle their own matters.

But should the seniors come to make trouble for this little brat Ning, he wouldn’t sit back and watch...

"Indeed, it’s best to add encryption to the dreamscape to avoid this child stirring too much karma and attracting formidable enemies, which even I couldn’t deal with, wouldn’t it be just sending this child to his death..."

"However, from the brief time I’ve come to understand this child, even encountering supreme beings here, he should be able to escape unscathed... For some reason, I have great confidence in him, although the reason is unclear..."

...

In the following days, nothing as troublesome as the Flying Dragon Saint appeared again.

Old Han also enjoyed the peace, continuing to practice fishing daily, and after seven days of practice, finally under Ning Fan’s guidance, he luckily caught a... turtle.

Suddenly, Old Han’s face couldn’t stay composed.

A turtle, also known as a softshell turtle, a king turtle...

Catching such a thing doesn’t seem to be a good omen.

Well, at least it’s good for soup.

"Go ahead and cook it!" Old Han handed the turtle over to Ning Fan for preparation.

Ning Fan grumbled inwardly but still prepared the turtle soup obediently.

Old Han took a sip and was astonished, "You hide well! Even your cooking is this good, is there anything you’re not good at?"

"Reincarnation is like a circle, the larger the circle, the more unknowns; my unknowns are plenty..."

"So you’re indirectly bragging about being great, aren’t you?" Old Han felt irritated, a bit jealous.

Just as he was considering giving Ning Fan another knock, he saw someone appear by the Miluo River, gazing hopelessly at the relentless water.

"That’s Elder Qu Ping!" Ning Fan immediately recognized the newcomer.

"Didn’t you tell me a few days ago you couldn’t remember who the enemy was?" Old Han wasn’t happy, feeling deceived.

"I truly couldn’t remember."

"Then how do you know his name?"

"I asked the Miluo River’s waters, asked the oars, asked the fish I caught, asked everything possibly touched by his karma here..."

"What? Speak plainly?" Old Han didn’t quite understand.

"In simple terms, I used special methods to gather some useful information. Master, don’t interfere with the following events; I’ll handle it myself. Master, please dock the boat, I’m going to meet him."

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