Although he could not fathom why the Heavenly Physician would suddenly appear here, Li Fan had rehearsed countermeasures countless times in his mind for when they met again ever since the last time the Heavenly Physician had subjected him to "Looking, Listening, Questioning, and Feeling the Pulse" and nearly prevented him from successfully using True Reversion.
Therefore, in the spark of a flint, Li Fan made what he believed to be the most correct choice.
His mind became completely clear and empty, his thoughts as if frozen still.
However, such an abnormal display instantly drew the Heavenly Physician's attention.
He first gave a gentle flick toward Han Zhong, and several streaks of silver light arrived in an instant.
Like silver needles, they sealed Han Zhong entirely within space.
The expression on Han Zhong's face froze, and even his thoughts were arrested at that very instant.
Then the Heavenly Physician turned his turbid gaze upon Li Fan, a faint, playful look surfacing on his face. "So guarded..."
"Young friend, could it be that we have met before?"
Li Fan did not think at all; his subconscious reaction had already manifested.
"Cut the nonsense! Scum like you deserves to be slain by all under heaven!"
His face brimming with righteous fury, Li Fan roared.
Immediately following, he unleashed several consecutive blasts of Great Five Elements Oblivion Sword light!
Moreover, within this black sword light, the component originating from the Heaven Fiend Sword Intent was greatly amplified!
Facing the incoming sword light, the Heavenly Physician did not dodge.
Gazing at that incomparably familiar sword intent, a faint ripple stirred in his eyes.
Without any apparent movement on his part, the straight trajectories of those hundreds of black sword lights curved on their own.
They all converged into the Heavenly Physician's outstretched left hand.
With a casual pinch, the Heavenly Physician kneaded them into a black orb, and Li Fan lost all control over them.
This almost miraculous display gave Li Fan an inward jolt of shock.
This time, it was not feigned.
Yet he reacted swiftly, keeping up his performance.
"Old thief!"
Seeing his attack deflected so effortlessly, Li Fan wore an expression of grief and fury, barking in outrage.
He pointed toward the space between the Heavenly Physician's eyebrows, while his body transformed into an escape light, retreating explosively.
Yet to his horror, Li Fan discovered that Han Zhong's small room now seemed to have expanded infinitely. No matter how he flew, he could not leave this place!
"The Heaven Slayer Sword, the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique..."
"What else do you know?"
Faced with Li Fan's repeated insults and disrespect, the Heavenly Physician did not grow angry.
Instead, he looked at Li Fan with complex eyes and asked slowly.
"Bah! Don't you dare think you can pry anything out of me, dog thief! Falling into your hands today is just my damn bad luck! Kill me or slice me to pieces, do as you please!" As if knowing he was no match for the Heavenly Physician, Li Fan seemed to abandon all struggle.
He spat disdainfully toward the Heavenly Physician and spoke with fearless righteousness.
"Hmph..." The Heavenly Physician shook his head slightly.
Yet he did not seem surprised by Li Fan's conduct.
"After so many years, they haven't changed one bit. Still hating me so much..."
The Heavenly Physician gave a soft chuckle.
Li Fan flew into a violent rage. "A blood feud carved in bone—not even a thousand lifetimes could change it!"
"Young man. If I were to tell you I'm a good person, would you believe me?" The Heavenly Physician showed no anger; instead, he smiled at Li Fan and asked.
Li Fan scrutinized the Heavenly Physician once more.
With his snowy hair and kind, benevolent features, judging solely by appearances, he truly bore no resemblance to a wicked man.
Yet Li Fan still snorted coldly. "Old thief, don't try to deceive me! One may know a person's face, but not their heart!"
The Heavenly Physician chuckled helplessly, then asked again, "You can even believe the words of a madman, so why can't you believe me?"
Li Fan's expression changed.
Before Li Fan could answer, the Heavenly Physician continued, "If I were truly a villain, would I have let Tianjue live peacefully until now? He's gone mad and cannot see clearly, but are you unable to figure it out as well?"
Li Fan's expression suddenly froze, as though he had fallen into contemplation. Judging by his look, genuine confusion lingered in his heart.
"Sometimes, things are not as simple as they appear. Even what you see with your own eyes is not necessarily the whole truth," the Heavenly Physician sighed faintly, infinite vicissitudes laced within his tone.
Li Fan remained silent, clearly not someone easily persuaded by a few words from the Heavenly Physician.
Yet the Heavenly Physician did not seem to mind.
"No matter. Soon, I will resolve everything once and for all."
He spoke to himself in such a manner.
As if speaking to Li Fan, yet also speaking to himself.
"You have decent character, young man, but you're too reckless. In the future, you must act with more caution—plan before you move." The Heavenly Physician gave his critique, like an elder offering counsel to younger kin.
Then, he produced a jade slip out of thin air and tossed it toward Li Fan.
This jade slip looked far from ordinary; nine golden rays of sacred aura circled around it. As it streaked through the air, it even set off ripples across layers of space.
Li Fan caught the golden jade slip instinctively and looked at the Heavenly Physician, his face full of doubt and uncertainty.
"It is always good for young people to read more."
"Well then, let me attend to the real business."
The Heavenly Physician paid it no mind, turning his gaze back to Han Zhong, who had remained frozen.
The white-haired elder narrowed his eyes, his expression turning focused.
A silver needle silently appeared in his right hand. With a flick of his finger, it shot out toward Han Zhong's crown.
*Clang!*
As the silver needle sank into bone, Han Zhong, who had been completely frozen, suddenly struggled violently.
Unflinching, the Heavenly Physician released several silver needles at once, pinning Han Zhong firmly down.
Suppressing the urge to read the golden jade slip, Li Fan kept his mind entirely empty.
He merely focused all his attention on observing the Heavenly Physician's movements.
When Han Zhong was pierced with eighty-one silver needles in total—nine times nine—his facial expression froze completely.
It took on a hideous, contorted look. His eye sockets, mouth, and nostrils melted into pitch-black voids as if corroded by something.
A bloodcurdling, formless aura seeped out from within Han Zhong's body through these empty cavities.
Even with the Heavenly Physician's seal in place, an intense, inexplicable sense of crisis surged within Li Fan at the side.
His eyelids twitched erratically, as if immense catastrophe were imminent!
Quietly, he retreated behind the Heavenly Physician, and only then did the sense of danger slightly ease.
Unbothered by Li Fan's small movements, the Heavenly Physician retrieved a jade bottle.
Aiming the bottle's mouth at Han Zhong's head, he tossed it gently forward.
The jade bottle seemed capable of absorbing formless auras. Gradually, the source of the danger Li Fan felt began to fade away.
And throughout this process, Han Zhong's body dissolved completely into nothingness.
Once everything had concluded, the Heavenly Physician with utmost solemnity retrieved and sealed the jade bottle.
"What is this?" Looking at the jade bottle in the Heavenly Physician's hand, Li Fan could not resist asking.
"This is an illness," the Heavenly Physician sighed faintly.
"That little fellow... I don't know whether to call his luck good or bad. He found the Eye of the Tian Beast and left the Xuanhuang Realm, and thus became infected with this illness."
Li Fan could not help but recall the withering, decaying sensation that had afflicted his divine soul when he had made contact with Han Zhong earlier.
"An illness?" Li Fan pondered thoughtfully.
The Heavenly Physician gave Li Fan a sidelong glance.
Chapter 911