CHAPTER 781: CHAPTER 004: SOUL KILLING DERIVATION

Zhou Yan refined Lee Zhengjie’s soul, then glanced out the window once more, only to see many pedestrians gathering around the area, feeling pity for the young man who had died unexpectedly.

To ordinary people, the least predictable things in this world were natural disasters and human calamities.

The hospital had experienced a strong tremor earlier, and now a sinkhole had suddenly appeared in the road. It was as if heaven was playing tricks, and no one could do anything about it.

Nobody knew that all it took was a mere thought from Zhou Yan, and he made his move.

By intervening in the fate of such an ordinary cultivator, Zhou Yan immediately sensed an inexplicable pressure bearing down on his soul once again. Had it not been for his abilities, a cultivator with shallow cultivation like him might have had his spirit suppressed and encountered unwarranted disaster.

"Perhaps this is why, in this world, cultivators exist yet do not interact with ordinary people, is it for fear of entangling themselves in cause and effect?"

Zhou Yan speculated on the possibilities in his heart.

And in this world, the emergence of a remarkable figure like Lee Ran certainly meant there would be others with great power. Zhou Yan believed that these individuals were simply living in seclusion, hiding away from society, or had sealed off mountains and set up arrays to block off the secular world.

Zhou Yan had generally figured out the situation in this world.

Moments later, Jiang Ningxin returned, holding the discharge papers. Upon entering the ward, she looked at Zhou Yan with an extremely peculiar gaze.

However, clever as she was, she didn’t say much or ask further questions.

To her, a peaceful and tranquil life was a form of happiness.

"Zhou Yan, I’ve completed the discharge procedures. Let’s go home. It’s almost noon now, and if we run into traffic, I’m afraid we won’t be able to make it back."

Jiang Ningxin looked at Zhou Yan, and there seemed to be a reluctance to take her eyes off him.

"Let me take you back. Hmm, first, let’s see how Han Yichen is and whether he’s reliable."

Zhou Yan said softly.

Jiang Ningxin felt a sense of inexplicable loss, as if, all of a sudden, the Han Yichen she liked seemed directly inferior to Zhou Yan.

But Jiang Ningxin knew that she and Zhou Yan were no longer possible, just as Zhou Yan had said—they were not from the same world and had fundamental differences.

Jiang Ningxin also understood that Zhou Yan didn’t look down on her; it was simply him stating the reality of the situation.

"Mhm."

Jiang Ningxin agreed.

She didn’t even know why she so obediently agreed.

But ultimately, she did agree, tacitly accepting Zhou Yan’s initial suggestion—to annul their engagement and let her be with the person she liked.

Zhou Yan approached Jiang Ningxin, subtly releasing a stream of soul power that rose like stable ground beneath her, giving a sense of safety.

Jiang Ningxin heard a faint rustle of wind, and when she looked up, she found that she and Zhou Yan were no longer in the hospital but in the blue void of the sky.

Strangely, as if she had lost the gravity system, she could float and fly between heaven and earth!

Even stranger was that Jiang Ningxin couldn’t see herself, yet oddly, she could sense Zhou Yan’s presence, as if the two of them were invisible.

One can imagine the shock in her heart, feeling dizzy as though she were dreaming. But the reality of it all made it clear that this was no dream, but fact!

There was nothing more real than this.

The initial shock and fear that Jiang Ningxin felt at the moment of realization dissipated immediately. It seemed that all negative emotions vanished within this intangible strength and drifted away from her.

However, this experience was also brief, lasting only a moment before Zhou Yan brought her down to a barren land.

The land was covered with cold ice, but a young man was building a greenhouse, preparing to plant something.

He worked silently, occasionally wiping the sweat from his forehead.

In the void, Zhou Yan and Jiang Ningxin silently watched.

This person was Han Yichen, the one Jiang Ningxin liked.

In Zhou Yan’s eyes, he was a very sincere person, with minor shortcomings, but he was honest, could endure hardship, and had no bad habits.

He was of standard height and weight and had the looks of a tall, handsome, and wealthy man, though his family was rather poor.

"First impressions aren’t bad. I’ll remove a minor hidden ailment from his body, and then let’s see what changes happen to him after he becomes wealthy and powerful."

Zhou Yan said to Jiang Ningxin. Now regarding Zhou Yan almost as a living immortal, she had a fervent reverence for him and instantly nodded in agreement.

Zhou Yan looked at the hardworking Han Yichen and directly created a Void Realm with a strand of Killing Spirit Divine Dao.

Han Yichen was immediately affected and entered the Void Realm. In reality, he became numb, as if suddenly losing his soul, continuing his diligent work.

In the Void Realm, time passed, and after enduring hardship, he got his wish, everything went smoothly, and he quickly amassed wealth that ranked among the world’s top, entering the circle of the upper class.

But in the Void Realm, he maintained a humble and studious attitude, sincere in dealing with people, not appearing restless.

Of course, he couldn’t resist the temptation to cheat on his wife a few times, but he felt very guilty afterward, hence treating his wife with even more tenderness and care...

All this happened in an instant, and for Han Yichen, it was like Huangliang’s dream.

Through this dream, however, Zhou Yan saw a very down-to-earth person.

He was someone who had learned the spirit of the mountains, a person with a nature so simple it reached deep into his bones, one who wouldn’t lose his true self to changes in circumstance.

Jiang Ningxin wasn’t wrong in her judgment of character; indeed, he was someone worthy of entrusting her life to.

...

"Dammit, I actually fell asleep while working. It seems I’m really too tired. But if I don’t grow and sell some vegetables, a lot of kids will go hungry this new year. Since I’ve decided to take care of them, I must persist."

"But, the quality of this dream seems to be too high, with even the occasional slip-up and cheating, and the inner guilt being so real, it leaves me feeling quite uneasy."

"The life of a successful person, it turns out, also involves a lot of involuntary actions..."

"However... at least I can spare the people around me from suffering..."

Han Yichen muttered to himself for a long while before he couldn’t help but sigh.

He didn’t know that all of his mentalities, thoughts, and ways of dealing with the world were fully perceived by Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan transformed this scene into a Sword Illusion Realm, like a fast-forwarded movie of life, allowing Jiang Ningxin to see the future behavior that may occur for Han Yichen, which shocked Jiang Ningxin immensely. At the same time, she truly realized that Zhou Yan was Immortal, not human.

She believed that all of these were divine tests for her.

Now, she had finally come to a sweet outcome after bitterness.

"Do we humans, perhaps even have our futures predetermined?"

Jiang Ningxin incredulously asked after viewing the entire Sword Illusion Realm of Han Yichen and after coming out of that shock for Zhou Yan’s divine means.

Because in the Sword Illusion Realm, she saw ’the future Han Yichen.’

"Future? Predetermined? No, this is merely a Derivation based on his nature, not an absolute certainty. Perhaps he hasn’t changed because the temptation is not great enough, or because other setbacks are not deep enough. What you saw, are projections that fit the development of his character, the likeliest possibility out of countless variations. It’s because of such Derivation that we judged him to be a good man, worthy of your trust for a lifetime..."

Zhou Yan explained.

Jiang Ningxin generally understood Zhou Yan’s meaning.

But because of this explanation, Zhou Yan suddenly realized something—could someone have made a ’Great Derivation’ on him, making certain decisions after understanding his ’nature’ and ’potential’?

For example—his elder brother?

For example—the Xuanyuan Ancestor?

Zhou Yan felt this possibility was very significant, indeed quite significant.

If he could make decisions about the ordinary person Han Yichen similar to those of Killing Spirit Divine Dao, then how could others not make Derivations about his future without his knowledge?

"Zhou Yan... then... you think he’s a good match, but how... how do I know if he will care about me?"

Jiang Ningxin asked somewhat coyly and embarrassedly.

"You this—shouldn’t you figure this out without my help? With your conditions, isn’t it easy to win him over?"

Zhou Yan looked at Jiang Ningxin somewhat speechlessly.

"But... but you’re an Immortal."

Jiang Ningxin said, looking down and speaking shyly.

"Well... he actually likes you very much in his heart, but he feels somewhat inferior; you are like a Goddess to him. If you take a bit of initiative, play hard-to-get, he will care about you deeply. And if you are not afraid of suffering and willing to look after lonely children with him, he will truly cherish you. To share weal and woe, to be loving, willing to bear hardships, to give up the ’wonderful’ material life for him, and not disdain his ’poverty,’ how could he not treat you well, how could he not treasure you?"

Zhou Yan thought it over and offered his view.

Jiang Ningxin’s eyes immediately brightened, feeling the words of the Immortal were indeed extraordinary.

"However, don’t let him get too many sweets too easily. The things in this world that are too readily obtained are often not cherished."

Zhou Yan reminded her.

"Right, right, I’ll keep all of these in mind. Zhou Yan... thank you—I actually like you the most, but I know that we’re not possible. You’re right, mortals have mortal worries, Immortals have Immortal troubles."

...

Zhou Yan helped Jiang Ningxin test Han Yichen, eradicated some hidden ailments from him, and left behind a trace of Guardian Soul Power, so he wouldn’t die a wrongful death and could grow old happily with Jiang Ningxin.

That was all he could do.

As for Jiang Ningxin’s grandfather, it was much easier. Zhou Yan talked about his own heart for exploring the Ancient Road and seeking the Cultivation Path, and the old man readily accepted.

After all, those words at that time were jokes of that generation; in this era, love is free, and being together reluctantly won’t result in happiness.

The old man was very open-minded and had much belief in superstitions. Moreover, after Zhou Yan used certain methods to restore his vitality, allowing him to live a worry-free long life, he believed even more that Zhou Yan was a divine being sent by Heaven to bless the world.

All these matters were dealt with in just a moment.

Afterward, Zhou Yan, on his own, took flight and left this city under the watchful eyes of Jiang Ningxin and Old Jiang.

Before long, Zhou Yan descended from the Void and appeared in a cemetery.

The cemetery, located within the Martyr’s Cemetery, was a special place for graves.

This was the resting place of his brother Lee Ran’s biological father Lee Qian, mother Lin Yuxi, and adoptive father Zhou Wen.

The three tombstones were lined up together, and the surroundings were brand new.

The place was spotless.

The place was filled with the aura of Natural Form Supreme Dao.

The graves of his mother and both his biological father and adoptive father were laid with natural fresh flowers, still moist with dew and not yet dried.

Upon his arrival, Zhou Yan immediately sensed his brother Lee Ran’s presence. Where would one find such vibrant fresh flowers in the midst of winter? Moreover, they weren’t from a flower shop, but picked from the eternally spring-like Da Xingan Mountain region.

"My brother was here not long ago... and other people too..."

"Hm? How come there are no ashes in the grave? It’s an empty grave?"

Zhou Yan was startled and immediately sensed this situation.