Yoha was surprised. "You can already talk about surpassing the Great Dao realm despite being in it."
Zhou Fan nodded. "I can, because as long as I have time, I will undoubtedly surpass it. However, is that the end of my path?"
Yoha hadn't thought about this. Even surpassing the Great Dao realm seemed like a fantasy.
"Even if it is the end of my path, I'll create a new one and continue even further. Ye Li could be of great help."
'Ye Li?' Both Yhwh and Yoha thought.
Yhwh blurted out. "So you would let such an evil and dangerous person live freely for such a small chance of helping you."
"It's more than that, of course." Zhou Fan said.
"Why?" Yhwh asked.
"That's none of your business. Let's just say he will help me at some point regardless. I won't interfere with any of your actions. If you can kill him, kill him. I don't care."
Yhwh didn't know what to say to Zhou Fan.
Was his way of thinking wrong? It seemed more inline with the enemies, no, Ye Li's way of thinking.
Looking back, Ye Li was evil, but everything he did was not for the sole intention of causing pain or harm to others. He had always used it to help himself. Ye Li was selfish, not simply evil.
This Zhou Fan was also selfish. Perhaps it was something that happened after living for countless years.
"I heard about you from Ying Xiong. Despite having personally grown the Universe into what it is today, you don't care if Ye Li destroys all the life in it?"
Zhou Fan shook his head. "Don't misunderstand me. There is definitely a limit to what Ye Li can do until I get involved, but it is higher than I assume you would like. It's hard for you to understand, but as long as I'm alive, the universe will continue. Not just continue, it will grow even greater."
"So you're selfish." Yhwh said.
"If I was selfish, I would take all of your believers and let Ye Li take their… I would let Ye Li grow through their lives. He would instantly reach the Peak and this conversation would be meaningless. If I was selfish, I would let him kill you and grow through that. Then I would lock him up and force him to grow under my control. If I was selfish, the universe would completely exist under my palm and Path Creators such as yourselves would be nothing but a boost to my understanding, killed and tossed away as soon as they were no longer useful." Zhou Fan said, stopping himself from revealing Ye Li's power.
Yhwh remained silent and thought. On second thought, he wasn't quite like Yhwh. What he had explained is what Yhwh would do if he was in his position.
Yhwh's opinion of Zhou Fan went up again, reaching a level of respect for his elders.
Yoha, who had watched, finally spoke. "So you won't help at all?"
Zhou Fan thought for a moment. "I suppose I can on account of you all being good."
He looked at both of them solemnly. "The Ye Li now is not the Ye Li you banished. Don't fight him at the same level, even if you team up. You'll either completely lose or die with him. If you wish to kill him, don't let him reach the Great Dao realm, or even worse, the Peak."
"Will he reach your level?" Yoha asked solemnly.
Zhou Fan thought again.
There were multiple Path Creators at the Peak, but every one of them knew that Zhou Fan was the most powerful.
"If he doesn't, he may be close enough to defeat me with some luck." Zhou Fan said.
Yhwh asked a question. "Doesn't that make you worried? He will obviously be a threat to you, yet you're letting him grow. I can't understand it."
"At some point in my life, I began to feel something. You could call it arrogance if you want. I know I will succeed. No matter what Ye Li does, I will win. That is my confidence in myself that cannot be overshadowed." Zhou Fan said.
Both Yhwh and Yoha remained silent. Yhwh even gained a new sort of respect for Zhou Fan. Perhaps he was not simply indifferent or selfish at all. He was giving every being the chance to grow and live their lives, no matter how dangerous they could become. This was the freedom he had willingly given the Universe, something he did not have to give, yet had.
Perhaps he himself had been selfish. Perhaps he had simply been scared.
Yhwh and Yoha left.
Zhou Fan, as always, continued watching them. He naturally also watched Ye Li, who had indeed completely transformed and had reached the High Sage equivalent.
Neither Ye Li, Yhwh, nor Yoha could sense his gaze at all.
After entering the normal part of the Main Universe again, Yhwh and Yoha began to search for Ye Li.
They did not employ any help. Nobody would be able to help them regardless.
Meanwhile, Yhwh's Faith continued to grow.
Yhwh had not fully satisfied Zhou Fan just yet. Only when he reached the Peak would Zhou Fan not have to watch him any more.
Of course, he was more excited for when Ye Li reached the Peak.
He had not been lying or exaggerating earlier. Ye Li was on a different level from the other Path Creators. Zhou Fan could not exactly tell why, but he, like Zhou Fan, had reached a new level of Path Creator entirely.
Zhou Fan felt that when he understood this, he would have comprehended the first step in going beyond the Great Dao realm.
As for after that, what would be required was unknown. Perhaps he would be able to immediately break through. Perhaps there would be a hundred more steps, each as difficult as this one.
His path was endless, and he would surely continue to walk down it until the end. No matter what, he refused to stop walking.