The cliff was twenty zhang high, with a rushing mountain stream below, scattered with jagged stones.

Huo Ao had taken a sword to the chest; falling from such a height was certainly fatal.

Fang Zhou had already summoned Beichen, staying close by Huo Ao's side to protect him.

At the moment Huo Ao fell off the cliff, Beichen caught him, casually grabbing a large rock and tossing it downward.

As several black-clad figures pursued down the slope, they only heard the loud splash of water; it was deep into the night, and the area below the cliff was pitch black. Even with their Foundation Establishment Realm eyesight, they could only make out vague shapes.

"He took my sword hit and fell from such a height, he's definitely dead. Let's report back!"

One of the black-clad figures said with certainty, and the others nodded in agreement, taking another glance down the cliff before turning to leave.

Beichen had already brought the severely injured and unconscious Huo Ao, flying back to Fang Zhou's side.

Fang Zhou had quickly pulled out a handful of healing pills from the gourd and administered them to Huo Ao, while also applying medicinal powder externally and channeling True Qi to protect his heart veins.

After a series of operations, Huo Ao's injuries were quickly contained, and his breathing became steady.

Ming Aoshuang stood nearby, intently watching her unconscious father, biting her lower lip until it turned white, tears shimmering in her eyes.

She now finally understood why her father had been missing for nearly thirty years.

If Fang Zhou hadn't rescued Huo Ao, falling from such a height would have shattered his body beyond recognition, even if they found his corpse.

After treating Huo Ao's injuries, Fang Zhou absorbed him into the gourd; now was not the time for reunion.

There were still two hurdles to overcome, one of which was Ming Aoshuang's master.

Ming Aoshuang's master, now at the Innate Realm, was rushing over from Piaomiao Mountain. Only by deceiving her would the entire incident become perfectly resolved.

If she saw through it, trouble would ensue.

The black-clad figures in the mountains had already retreated, and though Ming Aoshuang wished to track them down, she had hoped to find the enemies of her parents ever since she reached adulthood, yet she could never find them.

The thought of tracking was quickly dismissed. Since both her parents had survived, she could ask them who the enemies were later.

About a day later, Ming Aoshuang's master finally arrived, though she was too late, despite her haste to get there from far away.

She wandered around the yard, judging the course of events from the scene, unable to help showing a mournful look, breaking apart the frozen corpses of more than a dozen black-clad figures in frustration.

This relieved Fang Zhou, because among those corpses was one fake. If Ming Aoshuang's master had examined the bodies, the ruse could have been exposed.

Ming Aoshuang's master searched the vicinity and eventually found Ming Aoshuang, almost starved in the underbrush, and took her away.

Much later, the three finally emerged.

Ming Aoshuang's master seemed not to doubt Ming Shuangqiong's death, so this hurdle was passed.

The final hurdle was to return to the future and see if any changes would occur.

As long as the future didn't show significant differences, this Stealing Heaven and Changing Earth operation would be deemed successful.

Originally, Fang Zhou thought that the facts of the past couldn't be altered, just observed since Qimen Dunjia had repeatedly warned about this.

But on second thought, Fang Zhou wondered, why not view these warnings also as reminders?

Complying with destiny, events that have already happened cannot be changed, but that doesn't mean one can't manipulate them.

Ming Aoshuang's mother's death and the father's disappearance were facts; that couldn't be changed, but as long as the observers believed this was true, whether the dead were real persons or not, it didn't matter.

Like Schrödinger's cat, the death of the cat depended on the observer.

The surviving black-clad figures and Ming Aoshuang's master were observers; as long as they believed firmly that Ming Aoshuang's parents were dead, that would be a fact.

If no one knows of an event, it doesn't exist; if every observer believes it, then it is a fact.

As later arrivals, the three must not change the "facts" that have already happened, so it won't affect subsequent history.

To simplify, if someone drowned and the son became an orphan due to it, drowning is the fact, and the son becoming an orphan is history.

If someone later saves the drowning person, changing the fact, then the history of the son becoming an orphan also changes because the father didn't die, and thus the son doesn't become an orphan.

If someone later saves the person but still fakes the drowning as a "fact," then the history of the son becoming an orphan still occurs, as long as the father never appears again, everything follows the original historical trajectory.

These were Fang Zhou's conjectures. Though confident, they must be verified by returning to the future.

After erasing all traces, Fang Zhou retrieved the Heavenly Repair Stone and once again used the Human Escape Technique.

The three formed a circle and once more delved into Ming Aoshuang's timeline.

This time they retreated because any further and Ming Aoshuang would become a single cell.

Memories of Ming Aoshuang flashed by during the Escape Technique. This time, Fang Zhou controlled the speed precisely, inching forward without haste, lest they overshoot again.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the target point, Fang Zhou quickly ended the Human Escape Technique, detaching from the timeline.

The three were regurgitated into a pitch-dark ruin; before they had time to survey, the sounds of intense battle were already reaching them.

Fang Zhou immediately realized they were at what point in time, hurriedly pulling Aya and Ming Aoshuang aside to hide, simultaneously wrapping them with Divine Sense to avoid being detected.

In the next moment, two figures swiftly flew over from afar, engaging in fierce combat as they flew.

The one fleeing was Ming Aoshuang with her pale blue hair and eyes, clearly her body was being controlled by the Beiming Heavenly Phoenix.

Behind her, Fang Zhou gave chase relentlessly, golden sword shadows darting toward Ming Aoshuang.

They fought and flew, tearing the underground ruin apart into disarray, unaware of the three hidden nearby.

Evidently, this was precisely when three years ago Fang Zhou and Ming Aoshuang had clashed above the desert and then entered the underground ruin.

This had already happened, and it must not be altered, or the ensuing history would undergo unpredictable changes.

Fang Zhou stayed cautiously hidden, striving to maintain unnoticed with Divine Sense.

Suddenly, Ming Aoshuang sidled up to his ear, whispering softly, "You were so ruthless back then, chasing me down."

Fang Zhou was about to respond when he felt a sudden wetness on his ear; it turned out Ming Aoshuang had stuck out her little tongue and gently licked his earlobe after speaking.

Fang Zhou shivered all over; he almost lost control of his Divine Sense. Even though his Saint Mode had upgraded and the aftereffects had disappeared, he still felt a strong surge of heat rise from within him.

Ming Aoshuang, with a cold exterior and a fiery heart, had been thoroughly developed by Fang Zhou over the past three years, definitely classified as a reserved type who dared to try any posture once let loose.

Fang Zhou dared not act recklessly, could only reach to pinch her hard to keep her quiet.

Outside, the Fang Zhou from three years ago and Ming Aoshuang had accidentally stumbled into the altar.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.