Chapter 914: The Doctor's Heaven Mending Record
"Enough. This is not your concern."
The Heavenly Doctor shook his head slightly.
"Knowing too much will do you no good."
"The fact that you could detect that spatial fluctuation and find this infected person proves you are quite capable."
"Focus on studying the jade slip I gave you. It's far superior to the half-baked legacy from Tian Jue and the others."
The Heavenly Doctor rambled on for another moment.
"Don't wander around aimlessly. This Xuanhuang Realm isn't as safe as it looks."
With that final piece of advice, and without waiting for Li Fan to respond, the Heavenly Doctor's figure vanished into thin air.
Only his voice was left, echoing through the room.
Maintaining a state of absolute mental clarity, he nonchalantly slipped away from Green Desolate Province.
It wasn't until he had returned to the Spirit Wood Realm and was certain he was completely safe that Li Fan finally allowed himself to relax.
"This was a completely unexpected encounter with the Heavenly Doctor, but thankfully..."
"My gamble paid off!"
Li Fan's eyes flickered as he let out a long sigh of relief.
That was right. His confrontation with the Heavenly Doctor had seemed remarkably smooth and free of danger.
But in reality, Li Fan had been gambling.
Gambling that the Heavenly Doctor was, at his core, a good person.
Or at the very least, that his attitude would be different when dealing with a cultivator who shared the same origin as him!
Based on the scenes and dialogue from the Heavenly Doctor's past battles with Tian Jue and the Master, Li Fan had speculated that perhaps the Heavenly Doctor was not truly responsible for the tragic annihilation of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
It might have all been a misunderstanding.
And it was clear that the maddened Tian Jue had sought revenge against the Heavenly Doctor on more than one occasion.
The Heavenly Doctor, who could have killed Tian Jue in an instant, had never once dealt a fatal blow to him or the Master.
...
All of this suggested that the Heavenly Doctor might have been telling the truth all along.
That was why, the moment he saw the Heavenly Doctor, Li Fan had unleashed the Five Elements Annihilation Sword infused with the intent of the Heavenly Killing Sword, followed by an attack using Qin Tang's signature technique, the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art.
His goal was to masquerade as Tian Jue's successor, burdened with the mission of avenging his master.
If the Heavenly Doctor was truly as compassionate as he appeared, then faced with what was likely the only junior successor left in the entire Xuanhuang Realm, he would surely not harm Li Fan.
Not even if Li Fan spoke to him with disrespect.
And the reality...
Was exactly as Li Fan had predicted!
Not only did the Heavenly Doctor not get angry, but he even took the initiative to give him a golden jade slip!
"A gentleman can be deceived by playing on his principles!"
Remembering the psychological trauma from their last encounter, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at having deceived him so easily this time.
Of course, the main reason the deception had gone so smoothly was that Li Fan already knew about the Heavenly Doctor's unique diagnostic abilities—his methods of observing, listening, questioning, and feeling out the truth.
While Li Fan was acting, his innermost thoughts were perfectly aligned with his "script."
The Heavenly Doctor, despite his immense power, would never have guessed that he had fallen into a trap Li Fan had set from the very beginning!
Absolutely confident in his own diagnostic skills, the Heavenly Doctor had been intentionally misled by Li Fan, resulting in a complete misjudgment!
Replaying the entire encounter in his mind several times, Li Fan felt increasingly pleased with himself.
The last time, he had been exposed before the Heavenly Doctor.
A near-death experience, saved only by [Truth].
Now, after countless reincarnations, although his strength still couldn't compare to his opponent's, he had managed to successfully deceive him.
This alone was proof of his tremendous growth!
"Just give me a little more time, and I might just be able to face the Heavenly Doctor head-on!"
However, when he recalled the Heavenly Doctor's performance during his probing attack, Li Fan couldn't help but frown slightly.
Although it was all an act, those hundred-plus strikes of the Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword were by no means half-hearted.
Nearly every one was a full-power attack, launched without activating [Soul Ignition].
Yet, such a fierce offensive was effortlessly neutralized by the Heavenly Doctor.
Li Fan couldn't even discern what technique the Heavenly Doctor had used to crush the annihilation swords into a sphere.
"And then there's that 'disease' the Heavenly Doctor mentioned..."
Li Fan's expression turned grave.
A formless, intangible illness that could cause the soul to wither.
The Heavenly Doctor had clearly sought him out this time to deal with the illness carried by Han Zhong.
Running into Li Fan was purely a coincidence.
"Perhaps this also explains why the Han Zhong incident caused no ripples in my previous life."
"Because the Heavenly Doctor handled everything from the shadows."
"If this illness were allowed to spread, it could have affected the entire Xuanhuang Realm. From that perspective, could the Heavenly Doctor actually be one of the good guys?"
Li Fan rubbed his chin.
"If so, that's actually good news for me. The more righteous a character is, the less risk there is in dealing with them."
"As long as I don't expose the existence of [Truth]."
"I might even be able to get some benefits out of him."
Li Fan's thoughts churned.
This discovery left him feeling quite excited.
Having resolved a major hidden worry, Li Fan's mind was already racing, scheming how to best exploit this new information.
"Right, the Heavenly Doctor also mentioned that the invisible bubble that moved Han Zhong outside the Xuanhuang Realm was the Tian Beast's Eye?"
"It can observe the void near the Xuanhuang Realm, and anyone inside doesn't even age..."
"Truly a masterpiece of the Xuantian Sect."
...
After a long while, Li Fan's turbulent thoughts finally calmed.
He composed himself.
After a moment of contemplation, he took out the golden jade slip the Heavenly Doctor had given him.
A graceful and noble aura radiated from it, so potent that even the spirit wood growing not far above his seclusion chamber was affected.
Its branches and leaves swayed without a breeze.
Li Fan's heart tightened. He considered it for a long moment before finally deciding to send a sliver of his divine sense into the golden jade slip.
*Boom!*
An immense flood of information instantly poured into Li Fan's mind.
"The [Heaven Mending Record]?"
Li Fan pressed his throbbing temples and quickly scanned the contents of the jade slip. A peculiar expression crossed his face.
The author of the Heaven Mending Record was undoubtedly the Heavenly Doctor.
The Heaven Mending Record proposed that as the Heavenly Dao operated over eons, it could, much like a person, develop all sorts of illnesses.
When that happened, the Heavenly Dao itself would require treatment.
But how could one possibly heal the Heavenly Dao?
Humans were the spirits of heaven and earth, and the human body reflected a portion of the world's principles.
Therefore, to heal the heavens, one must first learn to heal humanity.
A large portion of the beginning of the Heaven Mending Record was dedicated to explaining how to treat all the living beings of heaven and earth, including humans.
If the Heavenly Doctor's Immortal Sutra that Li Fan had read before was an encyclopedia detailing countless species, then the first half of the Heaven Mending Record was an extension of it.
It detailed the practical application of medicine to every species in the world.
And once one could skillfully treat all things in the world, they could advance to the next stage.
That was, [Healing the Heavens]!
To be able to heal the Heavenly Dao, the prerequisite was to become as familiar with it as one was with the human body.
Furthermore, one must possess the power to reshape heaven and earth.
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