Chapter 2209 - 2205: Ye Fan Returns

Ye Fan finally returned to the universe.

From his perspective, nothing seemed to have happened in the universe; it still looked very peaceful. However, what was truly hidden beneath this peace was something he had yet to understand.

He did not enter the Pan Gu secret realm directly; instead, he roamed the universe in search of certain forces related to the remnants of the celestial calamity.

"Why am I able to sense strands of elemental forces in the cosmic space, and why do these elemental forces seem almost similar to the powers within my own body?"

Ye Fan was somewhat confused, feeling as though his powers had been exploited by someone. The exact reason was still unclear to him.

He sensed that he might be the root cause of the fourth celestial calamity. If that were true, it would mean he might have caused a catastrophic slaughter, resulting in numerous deaths.

He still did not know the specifics of the situation; he continued to observe. At that moment, it seemed as though there was another disturbance of power in the universe.

"Is another celestial calamity about to occur?" Ye Fan couldn’t help but frown, feeling a certain pressure weighing on his heart. This pressure stemmed from a wariness of unknown forces.

Just then, he sensed another force approaching. However, this time the energy was much weaker than his, and upon its arrival, Ye Fan discovered it was just two women. One of them was familiar to him — Xi He, and the other one was Nu Ying, whom he had also encountered before.

"Master!" Upon seeing Ye Fan, Xi He immediately bowed in greeting, showing great respect in her words.

Ye Fan observed Xi He and asked, "Why are you here?"

Xi He replied, "Knowing that the master has returned, I came personally to welcome you..."

At the moment, Xi He appeared very deferential. Ye Fan was also curious. He glanced at Nu Ying first before asking, "You knew of my return? How did you know? And why did you bring her along?"

Previously, Ye Fan had noticed that Xi He possessed many mysterious elements, which made him remain cautious around her. However, as for why Xi He had come, he couldn’t quite articulate a reason. He felt confident he could suppress Xi He’s powers, so he wasn’t worried about her causing any trouble in front of him and directly asked.

Xi He replied, "Master was likely used by the forces of the celestial calamity. During master’s disappearance, the fourth celestial calamity occurred within the Pan Gu secret realm. Curiously, those related to master were spared harm, while those ancient cultivators you intended to oppose were attacked by master. Many of them may already be dead!"

"Hmm?" Ye Fan frowned; all of this sounded quite similar to the circumstances Feng Wuso had described.

Ye Fan then turned to Nu Ying and asked, "So why did you bring her? You haven’t answered how you knew I was here?"

"Master carries powerful elemental energy that others might not be able to sense, but I can due to the elemental source within me. Therefore, I could sense master’s immense strength and came over. As for Nu Ying... she is not aligned with master and was attacked by you. Given her abilities, she found it hard to protect herself. So, she wished to stay by my side... which means staying by master’s side to seek master’s protection and avoid perishing in the celestial calamity," Xi He explained.

"Oh," Ye Fan nodded, seemingly accepting Xi He’s explanation.

Then Ye Fan, sensing the changes in cosmic energy, asked, "What changes have occurred in the universe since I left?"

Xi He appeared troubled and said, "The most significant change brought by the fourth celestial calamity is the turmoil it caused in the Pan Gu secret realm. The ground there has essentially shattered. Though the floods have receded, humans still cannot survive. Master might not yet be aware of the situation, but you will understand once you return to the Pan Gu secret realm."

"I do not wish to return just yet; I want to explore various places in the universe," Ye Fan said. "I sense that there are forces within the universe posing a significant threat to me, and I intend to eliminate these forces completely."

Xi He asked, "Does master plan to eradicate the celestial calamity forces or... those ancient cultivators?"

"For the time being, I’m not exactly clear on who is targeting me. I want to observe how these forces exist and, regardless of who it may be, resolve the immediate issues," Ye Fan stated.

Xi He smiled wryly; she refrained from commenting on the actions Ye Fan was about to take. However, Nu Ying seemed to have something to say, but in front of Xi He, even if she had opinions, she couldn’t voice them.

Ye Fan led Xi He and Nu Ying through the deepest reaches of the universe, even to some edges, and then to core interstellar locations. Though humans lived in these places, the celestial calamity had severely affected them, and many planets had been completely destroyed.

"Master, perhaps it’s due to my inadequate protection. No one came to shield the humans on these planets, leading to this outcome," Xi He said with a sense of guilt.

Ye Fan shook his head and replied, "Before the celestial calamity, virtually all beings are equal. I won’t blame anyone. This was meant to be an overwhelming strike by the creator above against humanity and is unrelated to you."

Saying this, Ye Fan entered a space where humans once lived. Xi He kept watching Ye Fan closely, mainly wondering if he had recovered his memory.

But since Ye Fan did not reveal any hints, even if Xi He wanted to know, Ye Fan would not disclose, and Xi He dared not ask casually.

After Ye Fan nearly circled a planet, he shook his head and said, "I can feel how fragile this planet was in the face of the celestial calamity. It was likely destroyed in the second celestial calamity. Civilization here wasn’t highly advanced, and all humans were likely wiped out in an instant, leaving no trace of life!"

The whole planet was a scorched wasteland. Ye Fan realized there couldn’t possibly be any living beings remaining.

"Will master go to the next inhabited star region to take a look?" Xi He inquired.

"No need, I still need to traverse this area a bit more. Some force might have been overlooked by me. In the universe, I feel this force is omnipresent. It’s aimed at me, prepared as a trap so that when I return, it doesn’t pose any threat to me. This is what I can do!"

As Ye Fan spoke, a weapon suddenly appeared in his hand — the Fire Dragon Sword.