Chapter 408: Rehabilitation Department

【I am Qing Wanglai; by the time you read this, I may already be dead.】

【I don't know if you've been affected and fallen into the same state as me, but Li Huowang, remember these words below.】

【The multiple Heavenly Doctrines you brought have achieved a delicate balance, but this balance is only temporary, not permanent; your influence weakens Da Nuo, causing it to interfere more—already it was difficult to achieve this perfect equilibrium twice and make it retreat.】

【I have no intention of blaming you; the current situation is my own fault, but if another. arrives, this world will instantly become a hell.】

【Moreover, if I haven't died, you must remember】

His head felt dizzy, his throat dry—worse than after a drunken binge.

When Li Huowang woke up, all his cognition was in chaos; he patted himself down and found the paper, shoved it into his mouth like food, chewed half of it, and only then fully came to.

He pulled the slightly torn paper from his mouth, stared at it for a long while, and after a long pause, finally understood its meaning.

"At the summit of Master Huangshan! The last escaped patient from Kangning Psychiatric Hospital has been found!"

Li Huowang turned back and saw a team of rescue personnel in red uniforms and two doctors in white coats standing behind them; they were panting, and upon seeing Li Huowang standing at the cliff's edge, they instantly grew tense.

He immediately threw the paper off the cliff.

"Li Huowang, talk this out calmly!" Wu Cheng raised his phone and shouted: "Your mom called you!!!"

Buzzzzz—!!!

"My mom?" As Li Huowang froze in confusion, he saw several helicopters painted orange and white flying past from the horizon.

Each one dragged a heavy plastic tarp beneath it; as it swayed, transparent liquid dripped onto his face.

"Water?" Li Huowang touched his face; the faint coolness eased him considerably.

Amid the tense gazes of the crowd, Li Huowang stepped down from the cliff's edge: "I'm fine."

"Hold him down!!!" Seven or eight large men surged forward, piling atop Li Huowang like a human pyramid.

Crack

"My ribs are broken, you idiots."

【Recently, a gas pipeline leak occurred at our city's Kangning Psychiatric Care Hospital, triggering a gas explosion; fortunately, there were no fatalities.】

【The last escaped psychiatric patient, "Li Huowang," has been safely located with the help of members of the public; the relevant authorities will now conduct an accident inspection of Kangning Psychiatric Care Hospital.】

【Breaking news: The search for the missing hiker on Master Huangshan has yielded results—the hiker, Mr. Qing, has been found; his vital signs are currently stable.】

On the TV, a female anchor was reporting the evening news; yet in the slightly cramped two-bed ward, five beds were arranged.

"." Li Huowang, lying on his bed, glanced at the patient in the next bed, wrapped like a dumpling, his foot suspended in plaster above.

On the bedside table beside him, besides a fruit basket, lay a pair of broken black-rimmed glasses.

"Li Huowang, open your mouth~~" Sun Xiaoqin took a spoon and fed him a glutinous rice ball, chatting with her son as she did:

"The rescue team, while searching on their way down the mountain, happened to find him—they were originally looking for him, but took a detour to look for you and ended up finding him too."

"Haha… that's why fate is so strange."

"Scared stiff by the gas explosion, weren't you? You were already getting better, then this happened… damn those shoddy construction bastards."

Sun Xiaoqin complained aloud, but her eyes were filled with pity as she touched Li Huowang's head, a glimmer of tears flashing in them.

"Mom, can I have the phone? I want to call Doctor Yi."

Li Huowang felt his head spinning again; he gritted his teeth, took the phone, and dialed the number in his contacts.

"Hello, Doctor Yi."

【Ms. Sun, Doctor Yi Donglai was hospitalized two days ago due to food poisoning and still hasn't woken up.】

Two nurses pushed a cart through the door, picked up a bag of nutritional fluid, and pulled back the curtain opposite Li Huowang.

"Starting your internship with a gas explosion? What bad luck. So many patients…"

"Patient 73, Yi Donglai, administer nutritional fluid. Xiao Zhou, you give him the IV—practice your technique."

The two nurses pulled the curtain shut again, leaving Li Huowang alone on the bed, lost in confusion.

"."

"Food poisoning?"

The former Heavenly Doctrine, the current Three Pure Ones, and the future Confused Siming gathered here for some shared reason.

"One Hundred Thousand Eighty Thousand Swords!"

Jin Chida unleashed a supreme technique at once, his body blazing with golden light, radiating blinding brilliance as thousands upon thousands of terrifying golden sword rays shot forth.

This was near the Divine Island of the Li Clan; Jin Chida and a group of prodigies, accompanied by several Yuan Tian clans, had tracked down Ye Fan for a sparring match—which was really meant to ambush and kill him.

In the center of the sea of sword rays, Ye Fan stood in the sky, looking down upon the prodigies; he merely waved his hand, and the sword rays scattered like wheat stalks blown by the wind.

"Is that all?" Ye Fan's eyes were filled with disbelief; he looked at Jin Chida and asked: "Is this your level? You claim you'll end the Holy Body's life and offer his Holy Blood for all of you to taste?"

Jin Chida was stunned and enraged—he never imagined his technique would be shattered by a single move from Ye Fan.

"I originally wanted to keep a low profile; after all, you're merely a group climbing from the mountain's base, while I've already reached the front." Ye Fan suppressed his aura, blending his true and false forms into the cosmos using the Gu Tianwang Method, speaking slowly:

"Since you found me through Yuan Techniques, come at me together."

"I'm in a hurry—I still need to buy something in Zi Tian Capital before returning."

"Arrogant!" Jin Chida let out a deafening roar: "Ye Fan, I'll sever your soul!"

Endless golden celestial pengs manifested from the phenomenon, ready to drown Ye Fan—but he stood calmly holding a blue lotus, his robes fluttering; with a flick of his fingers, a blade of light shattered the divine peng illusion into fragments.

Ye Fan's gaze was icy, his black hair wild as he stood amidst a world of falling divine pengs; a breeze blew, carrying not only the scent of blood but also the rich aroma of spices, charcoal, and sizzling fat.

Shi Hao, skewering meat over a grill, asked: "Why hasn't the new dish arrived yet? Ye Fan, can you even do this?"

Both Jin Chida and Ye Fan's expressions darkened at this—especially Jin Chida, who completely ignored his clan elders' warnings, enraged beyond reason, and charged straight at Ye Fan.

Then

His wings landed on a red-haired youth's grill, joining a pile of mounts and demonic cultivator body parts.

"Ye Fan!!!" Jin Chida plummeted from the sky; Ye Fan seized him instantly, sealed him, gagged him, and tossed him at Su Lin's feet.

The Jin Chida clan's secret technique is now in hand.

"Huowang." Su Lin didn't care about that; he looked at Li Huowang, who was staring blankly ahead, and tapped the table: "Don't just watch the show—the food's getting cold."

Li Huowang's unfocused pupils regained their clarity; he instinctively shrank his neck at the sight of Su Lin's face, clenched his fist, and shifted his stool slightly.

"How long has this symptom lasted?" Xing asked.

Lu Mingfei's eyes held pity. "For a long time. Ever since a few days ago, he's been like this. How brave is this young man?"

Ever since that day Li Huowang recovered, he'd instinctively felt uncontrollable fear whenever he saw Su Lin—from initially turning green upon waking to seeing Su Lin's face, to now merely feeling fear, which was already much better.

"Sorry, Brother Su, the aftereffects haven't fully healed." Li Huowang felt his eyes starting to ache again.

After that day, Li Huowang understood one thing.

The reason he hadn't felt anything severe or feared Su Lin like Xiao Yan and Kleine did was because the contamination on his body had been borne by Da Nuo, allowing him to cast spells without any aberration in his modern-world body.

This time, besides Da Nuo, Ji Zai had also borne much of the sustained power's influence.

When Li Huowang became the vessel for Ji Zai's descent at this point in time, that soul-deep violent reaction was etched directly into his body—so even though the contamination has now been cleared, seeing Su Lin still triggers a stress response.

He didn't know how to describe it.

If one were slowly assimilated without realizing it, Su Lin's influence would be like the sweetest sugar in the world, fulfilling every void in the heart and letting one experience what it meant to become a "god" or an "immortal."

But if one retained even a sliver of clarity, it was like Fusheng Tian—no, even more relentless in its renewal of madness and terror.

That power seemed to actively cling to powerful beings; thus, only when Fusheng Tian appeared could he peel it off and cast it onto Fusheng Tian—otherwise—

Li Huowang's Adam's apple bobbed slightly; he felt as if he had just passed through a life-and-death crisis.

"Eat your food. This should be the last dish." Su Lin sighed. How could such a young boy have contracted such a strange illness? He'd brought him out to cheer him up and help him recover, but now he felt listless: "How's your side? Do you need to see it again?"

"Perfect! No thanks!" Li Huowang answered immediately—he'd rather climb Cangqiang's steps right now than see it again.

"Good! No need, thank you!" Li Huowang answered immediately, preferring to climb the Cangqiong Steps right now rather than watch again.

"Really!!!"

As they spoke, probing glances came from all around—but when those glances swept over Shi Hao, they retreated. They were all elders of the suppressed cultivators and sect leaders of sacred sites.

Hearing the Holy Body and the Red-Haired One had appeared here, they'd come specifically to capture them—but with a powerful figure stationed here, things were different, especially when that powerful figure had set up an ultimate killing array around them.

They wanted to approach and chat, to reason with this powerful figure using the past misdeeds or doctrines of the Holy Body and Red-Haired One, or at least invoke the names of sacred sites and clans—but an unhidden killing intent hovered above each of their foreheads.

If they dared disturb him, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"Those are at least King-level or even Saint-level beast beasts!" "They still look like ancient relics—just who is he?" "Is he protecting the Holy Body and Red-Haired One?!" "This matter involves too much—I must return and report." "That tea on the table is Enlightenment Tea! So much Enlightenment Tea?!"

Shi Hao didn't care about any of this. What those people thought was their business—he'd come only to see the future, and incidentally, to have the chef cook him a meal.

He gnawed on a beef leg steeped in immortal liquor—it was his own ingredient; otherwise, the brats under Ye Fan's suppression could at most taste the flavor without any effect.

Too bad—Weigong Shilang's cultivation was too low. Without auxiliary methods, handling one leg was his absolute limit.

Too bad, Weigong Shilang's cultivation is too low; without auxiliary methods, handling one thigh is already the limit.

Ye Fan drifted down from the sky, glanced at the prodigies present and the assassins hidden among them, and sagged as if all his energy had leaked out: "Boring."

After all, why had these people come here to gawk?!

Their cultivation trials were ruined by this crowd's watching and shouting.

"Especially this guy!" Ye Fan glanced at Shi Hao, who devoured like a reincarnated Taotie—this man had waited here to spot and kill on the spot.

"Brother Ye, Brother Weigong, long time no see. Have you joined a certain faction?" The Imperial Prince stepped forward, showing no fear of the other powerful figures present whose faces were obscured.

Yao Yuekong, Feng Huang, and others also approached. During their previous exploration of the Mystical Realm beyond Zitian, they'd briefly encountered Ye Fan and his companions, who were being hunted—their relationship had been fairly amicable.

The only regret was that they'd extended an olive branch back then, which the two had refused.

Perhaps precisely because of that, someone had tracked down Ye Fan's whereabouts. They'd actually been worried about him just now—but now it seemed this man had hidden himself deeply.

Yao Yuekong sniffed and praised: "Brother Weigong, your cooking has improved even more—I'd say you're nearly on par with the mysterious immortal chef at the Immortal Food Pavilion in Divine City."

Weigong Shilang smiled awkwardly—he couldn't possibly say he was that mysterious immortal chef.

"I'm of the Weigong clan… If you don't mind, please taste some."

"Thank you, Brother Weigong, but… perhaps another time."

Yao Yuekong and the others glanced at the suppressed cultivators—many of whom were acquaintances. Of course, behind closed doors, this was fine—but if they ate in front of these people, proud ones like the Golden-Winged Little Peng King would surely go mad.

Yao Yuekong and the others glanced at the suppressed cultivators, many of whom were acquaintances; of course, doing this behind their backs was fine, but eating in front of them would drive proud ones like the Jin Chixiaopeng King mad.

"You're a nun!" The Imperial Prince tapped his younger sister on the forehead. "Saliva dripping—what kind of conduct is this?!"

But seeing his sister's pained expression, he quietly whispered: "After we return, I'll take you to the Immortal Food Pavilion in Divine City."

"Brother Ye, Senior Divine King and Senior Zhong have spoken of you to the sacred sites and clans recently. Our Feng Clan even asked when you and this Brother Weigong would come visit."

"Now is a crucial moment for resolving tensions—please, Brother Ye, grant our Feng Clan a small favor and spare these fellow cultivators."

She appeared to be pleading with Ye Fan, but in truth, she feared the unknown powerful figures behind him—if all these invited prodigies were slaughtered here, the Feng Clan would inevitably be dragged in.

Ye Fan said nothing, instead turning to look at Su Lin.

Su Lin wiped his mouth and said:

"I've recently cultivated a divine technique called Immortal Dao Transformation. Those who observe this technique can attain ultimate truth—its effect rivals Enlightenment Tea."

"Fellow cultivators, we are destined to meet—please stay."

With that, he seized the suppressed prodigies and left the place, casually knocking out several sect leaders who blocked the way and taking them along too.

Saying this, he grabbed the suppressed prodigies and left the place, casually knocking out several saintly lords blocking the way and taking them along too.

"Don't worry—they'll return unharmed." Ye Fan assured her, but seeing Li Huowang's entire body relax after Su Lin's departure, he added: "Whether they'll come back with something extra… I can't say."

"Don't worry, they'll return unharmed," Ye Fan assured, but seeing how Li Huowang had completely relaxed since Su Lin left, he added:

Whether something extra will appear, I don't know.

(End of Chapter)