Extreme Almightiest Young Master

Chapter 1985 - 1967: Shi Kuohai’s Past

"Fang Yan, what are you doing here?" Shi Kuohai exclaimed as he saw the blue, ghost-like figure, immediately thinking he must be mistaken, that Fang Yan had become a ghost. Otherwise, how could he appear in front of him?

"Elder Shi, you are currently in a dream. Close your eyes, forget everything, and I’ll take you out." The ghostly Fang Yan said directly to Shi Kuohai. Shi Kuohai’s state was dangerous now; if he didn’t promptly get out of this state, he could suffer a Divine Soul collapse, and even Fang Yan couldn’t save him with his Reversal of Heaven technique.

"Close my eyes, and you’ll take me out?" Shi Kuohai was stunned upon hearing Fang Yan, not understanding what Fang Yan meant. How could one leave a Thunder Prison? How could that be possible?

He was completely unaware of how dangerous his situation was. Still, seeing Fang Yan’s unusually serious expression, he decided to follow Fang Yan’s advice, trusting Fang Yan wouldn’t harm him!

Just as Shi Kuohai closed his eyes, the Thunder Prison outside disappeared. When he reopened his eyes, a violent aura erupted from his body, causing numerous wounds to burst open, turning him into a bloodied figure, much like before when he was in the Thunder Prison!

Fortunately, Fang Yan had placed many Golden Needles in Shi Kuohai’s body earlier, protecting his vital meridians. Otherwise, with Shi Kuohai’s current state, he might have been utterly ruined if not dead, a state beyond Fang Yan’s ability to heal.

Encountering such a situation, Shi Kuohai instantly understood what had happened and broke out in a cold sweat. Without Lin Feng’s intervention, he might have died in the virtual Thunder Prison he had just escaped. Looking at Fang Yan, he started to express his gratitude.

"No need to speak, focus on recovering."

At this moment, Fang Yan didn’t say much, directly instructing Shi Kuohai. After speaking, strands of golden light radiated from Fang Yan’s body, connecting with the Golden Needles in Shi Kuohai, immediately making him feel warm and incredibly comfortable.

Having been healed by Fang Yan before, Shi Kuohai knew Fang Yan was helping him again. He immediately discarded all distractions, focusing entirely on aiding Fang Yan in treating his injuries for a swift recovery.

Time passed quickly, and before long, an hour had passed. When the golden light on Fang Yan dissipated, Shi Kuohai’s injuries were fully healed, although his face was somewhat pale from blood loss.

"Elder Shi, what exactly happened?" Fang Yan asked Shi Kuohai seriously. Intuition told him Shi Kuohai had been through something unusual, or he wouldn’t have been driven to a mental breakdown.

"Ah... it’s too long a story!" Shi Kuohai sighed, looking at Fang Yan, "Here’s what happened..."

From Shi Kuohai’s account, Fang Yan finally understood why Shi Kuohai had suffered a mental breakdown. It turned out Shi Kuohai was wandering the market when he suddenly encountered a girl who looked remarkably like his former lover. This stirred memories he’d buried deep in his heart. Once he returned, these thoughts haunted him during Cultivation, preventing him from finding peace.

Shi Kuohai was in an intense Cultivation phase and couldn’t stop, resulting in these consequences...

"Did you investigate the girl’s identity?" Fang Yan asked after hearing Shi Kuohai’s story. He felt something wasn’t right; the timing of Shi Kuohai’s incident was too perfect. Why did this girl appear now?

"The girl hasn’t been seen again. I visited the market a few more times and never saw her. The people at the market said she only came once..." Shi Kuohai replied to Lin Feng, sounding indifferent. Reflecting on it, he too found it strange he couldn’t find her again.

"Elder Shi, forgive me for being frank, but someone might have set this up intentionally against you, fearing your resurgence. Otherwise, the appearance and subsequent disappearance of this girl are far too coincidental."

Fang Yan looked at Shi Kuohai, hesitating slightly before revealing his suspicions. Fang Yan didn’t wish any harm on Shi Kuohai, but if he uncovered someone orchestrating these events, the offender would face serious consequences.

"This..." Shi Kuohai was taken aback by Fang Yan’s words. He hadn’t considered this possibility. On hearing Fang Yan, he realized the girl’s appearance was too well-timed, seemingly intended to unbalance him and cause a mental breakdown!

Realizing this, Shi Kuohai’s expression changed again. He also began to suspect, like Fang Yan, that someone was deliberately causing him distress and pushing him towards a mental collapse. If so, the matter was far from simple; it was a trap.

Understanding the situation, Shi Kuohai furrowed his brow, thinking about who might target him. He couldn’t figure it out, so he helplessly told Fang Yan, "I can’t think of anyone who would target me."

"To know such a woman, this person must be very familiar with you. If it were me, I’d exploit this connection. Most importantly, this person could have been a rival in love since only a rival would have such a deep-seated vendetta."

On hearing Fang Yan, Shi Kuohai was suddenly struck with a realization, recalling someone and tears filled his eyes. He never thought that after all these years, this person still bore such hatred, but he had no intention of pursuing this matter as it was now meaningless.

Fang Yan had guessed the general circumstances correctly, but he missed that Shi Kuohai hadn’t had a romantic rival. At the time, Shi Kuohai and his lover Wang Yujie had a deep connection. During an expedition, Wang Yujie died. Shi Kuohai returned, devastated, and took a long time to recover. Only after a significant ordeal, where he escaped death but lost all his Cultivation Power, did he attempt a mission again.

Wang Yujie’s brother, Wang Yukun, had sought vengeance on Shi Kuohai, blaming him for his sister’s death, ruthlessly beating him while Shi Kuohai never fought back. After all, his sister died because of Shi Kuohai’s insistence on an adventure.

Later, seeing Shi Kuohai genuinely mournful and in such a broken state, Wang Yukun forgave him, feeling Shi Kuohai had already paid for his mistake.

Yet now, seeing Shi Kuohai able to Cultivate again, hinting at a chance of resurgence, Wang Yukun’s resentment rekindled. He orchestrated the earlier incident to prevent Shi Kuohai from ever recovering mentally.

"Let it be, let this matter rest." After piecing everything together, Shi Kuohai calmly stated he had no intention to delve deeper into the matter, not wanting to be trapped by it. Whatever Wang Yukun did, he chose not to pursue him.

Watching from the side, Fang Yan took in all of Shi Kuohai’s reactions, feeling unsurprised by Shi Kuohai’s unwillingness to pursue the issue. Regardless, it was Shi Kuohai’s decision, and Fang Yan respected that. After pondering a bit, he told Shi Kuohai, "No matter the outcome, I don’t want you in danger. If not for me, you wouldn’t have survived today. I can’t bear to let this happen again. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

"I understand." Shi Kuohai responded with sincere regret to Fang Yan. Although he felt helpless, he could only agree since Fang Yan had saved him twice already, and such mishaps could no longer continue.

Lin Feng nodded upon hearing Shi Kuohai and then said, "I plan to take Qin Kun and Wu Shan to the Heaven Demon Forest for a little exploration. Rest easy."

With that, he left, leaving Shi Kuohai alone in the room, caught in a daze. His mind drifted back to memories of everything that transpired...

As he exited Shi Kuohai’s cabin, he met Elder Zhou and two others waiting outside.

"How’s Old Stone?" Elder Zhou immediately asked upon seeing Lin Feng, eager to know if Shi Kuohai was still in danger.

"Elder Shi is fine now, but don’t disturb him today. Let him have some peaceful days to rest," Fang Yan replied to Elder Zhou calmly.

"Alright then." Elder Zhou nodded and left after hearing Fang Yan.

Once Elder Zhou was gone, Fang Yan glanced at Qin Kun and Wu Shan and said, "Come with me; we’re heading to the Heaven Demon Forest."

Then, Fang Yan led Qin Kun and Wu Shan away. The trip to the Heaven Demon Forest was necessary because Fang Yan had some things to address and had begun his strategic planning. With the Heaven Demon Forest as allies, he aimed to strengthen its power, ensuring it became a strategic thorn in the Eternal Joy Immortal Realm during any future conflicts.