ã€ŠMy Longevity Simulationã€‹


 Chapter 669

    With the disciples of the Medicine King Sect joining the management, Li Fan no longer had to worry too much.

    After spending a month absorbing all the drifting Heavenly Fortune of the Beastkind Realm, he finally reached a qualitative transformation.

    Within the feathers of the ck Bird, a faint image of a newly hatched chick¡ªits feathers not yet grown¡ªcould be seen.

    It bore some resemnce to Xiao Hei when it was young, yet there were also differences.

    Li Fan closed his eyes, and in the next moment, the entire Beastkind Realm appeared before him like a sphere of glowing mist.

    He could instantly perceive every detail of the realm with perfect rity.

    However, he also noticed that around the two Dao Integration experts, Fang Zaiji and Liu San, there were distortions in the light and shadow, making the area unclear. And this was despite the fact that the two had noticed Li Fan''s gaze and had not actively attempted to block it.

    "In the Xuanhuang World, the influence of a Dao Integration expert can span nearly an entire province. But in this small world, a Dao Integration cultivator can already rival the world itself. This is a natural difference in levels," Li Fan grasped in realization.

    With a mere thought, he stepped forward, instantly crossing ten thousand miles to arrive at a clear spring atop a mountain peak.

    Previously, when he and Fang Zaiji had swept through the Beastkind Realm, they had passed by this mountain. Yet, surprisingly, they had not noticed the pool at its summit.

    It was only after Li Fan had fully mastered the world''s Heavenly Fate that he became aware of the anomaly here.

    By the pool, there was a wooden hut. Li Fan pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.

    Inside the room, a ck Bird with feathers that had lost their luster stood proudly.

    Though it still looked majestic, it no longer carried the breath of life.

    "Xiao Hei..." Li Fan instantly recognized the ck Bird.

    "So... it has died of old age?"

    After observing for a while, Li Fan murmured to himself.

    Even though its lifespan was far longer than that of a cultivator, this Heavenly Fate ck Bird had ultimately reached the end of its life, having lived since ancient times.

    However, Li Fan soon noticed something unusual.

    By all logic, Xiao Qing had lived in the same era as Xiao Hei, yet Qingluan birds were far weaker than Heavenly Fate ck Birds.

    Moreover, Xiao Hei had fused with the Heavenly Fate of this world.

    There was no reason why Xiao Qing was still alive while Xiao Hei had perished first.

    "Could it be that Xiao Hei exhausted its lifespan for some reason?"

    Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

    Activating the divine ability [Heaven''s Mandate is Mine], he shielded himself with the domain of Heavenly Fate and gently touched the Xuan Bird''s corpse.

    "Whoosh!"

    Like a breeze, Xiao Hei''s body instantly disintegrated into countless tiny particles, scattering into the air.

    At the same time, countless blurry images shed through Li Fan¡¯s mind.

    At first, the events mirrored what he had experienced in the Fallen Immortal Realm.

    Growing up joyfully alongside Xu Ke in the Beast Taming Sect, encountering Mr. Bai who intruded into the sect, andter being sent to the Sacred Beast Mountain of the Nanming¡­

    Ultimately, Xiao Hei had failed the "Heart-Linking Ring" trial and was exiled here by Emperor Sanmo.

    The difference was that, in the real timeline, Xiao Hei had missed the opportunity to meet Mr. Bai.

    Without the True Profound Art of Creation, upon arriving in this small world, it could only cultivate using the divine abilities inherited through its bloodline.

    Even after countless years, it barely managed to attain the [Heaven''s Mandate is Mine] divine ability, but it had already be bound to the fate of this world.

    Leaving this world was not impossible, but it came at an extremely steep price.

    However, as long as one did not frequently leave their origin world¡ªor replenished themselves with Heavenly Fate upon returning¡ªit was not easy to suffer fatal damage.

    Yet, Xiao Hei had chosen to do just that.

    And the reason was...

    Li Fan sifted through and examined Xiao Hei¡¯s memories from after it arrived in the Beastkind Realm.

    At the beginning, in order to prevent Xiao Hei from feeling lonely, Xu Ke would frequently send messages, sharing his experiences and observations.

    "Xiao Hei, do you know how thrilling and dangerous this journey has been? We¡¯ve encountered countless strange small worlds and were even hunted by demonic beasts!"

    "At first, we thought someone had leaked information. Butter, we realized it was just our bad luck¡ªwe ran into a group of demonic beasts that, for some unknown reason, also appeared in the small world. We struck first, but in the end, one of the beasts managed to escape, exposing our retreat."

    "Luckily, we''re almost at our destination!"

    ...

    "Xiao Hei, Xiao Hei! Do you still remember Mr. Bai? I originally thought he was already incredibly powerful. But I didn¡¯t expect him to be even stronger than I imagined! My senior brothers and I were sent to explore a small world, but unexpectedly, we encountered a terrifying monster!"

    "It had nine heads, a colossal body lying across the sky! Every time it opened its mouth, it seemed as if it could tear apart and devour a portion of the world!"

    "I thought I was doomed! That I would never see you again, Xiao Hei!"

    "But before I left the Xuanhuang Realm, Senior Brother Lu Ya gave me a red string woven by Mr. Bai. Just as that nine-headed monster fixed its gaze on me, a thin thread suddenly shot out from the red string!"

    "Before I could even react, the red thread shed through the air like a sharp sword¡ªinstantly cutting off six of the monster¡¯s heads!"

    "And the red string didn¡¯t stop there¡ªit forcibly dragged the beast down from the sky!"

    "I waspletely stunned! Mr. Bai is truly incredible!"

    ...

    "Xiao Hei, I have received an extremely important mission. I may not be able to contact you for a long time."

    "I''m really sorry. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle back once it''s over!"

    ...

    "Xiao Hei, tell me, why is it that cultivators were originally humans too, yet once they step onto the path of cultivation, they be so ruthless toward their own kind?"

    ...

    Scenes shed rapidly before Li Fan¡¯s eyes.

    He now knew that Xu Ke had oncee to this Beast Realm and met Xiao Hei.

    At that time, Xu Ke had already grown into a refined and heroic young man.

    Master and beastpanion reunited, sitting by the clear pond atop the mountain, chatting for a long time.

    But in the end, Xu Ke came in a hurry and left just as quickly.

    Xiao Hei originally wanted to follow Xu Ke, but at the time, the restrictions set by Emperor Sanmo were still in ce. Moreover, Xu Ke had said that great upheavals were urring in the outside world, and if Xiao Hei left with him, it might be dangerous.

    So, Xu Ke told Xiao Hei to wait here until the time was right¡ªhe woulde back to take him away.

    After their farewell, theymunicated a few more times.

    However, the intervals between their conversations grew longer and longer. Through the tone of Xu Ke¡¯s messages, one could witness his growth.

    Until one day¡­

    Xiao Hei suddenly lost all sense of Xu Ke.

    As Xu Ke¡¯spanion beast, even though their master-servant bond had faded, a profound connection still existed between them.

    No matter how many millions of miles apart they were, even across multiple worlds¡ª

    Xiao Hei could always faintly sense Xu Ke¡¯s existence.

    But now, for that connection topletely disappear, there was only one possibility.

    Xu Ke was dead.

 Chapter 1: Where Do Immortals Come From?

    Grand Xuan Kingdom, Xuanjing City, Imperial Advisor''s mansion.

    Li Fan was holding his wine cup, looking at the civil and military officials who hade to celebrate his birthday in the hall. Even though he was now old, he could not help but feel smug in his heart.

    It should be noted that today, nine out of ten court officials packed the Imperial Advisor''s residence!

    To think that Li Fan was just a poor schr when he first came into this world.

    Over the past fifty years, he had gone from having nothing to being an immensely powerful official. His story would be enough to write a novel with millions of words.

    When life is like this, what more could one ask for?

    Li Fan stroked his beard and drank the wine in his cup.

    "To the birthday of the Imperial Advisor!"

    The crowd of officials present congratted in unison.

    Li Fan''s pride swelled.

    Just then, a burst of discordant exmations suddenly came from outside.

    "Quickly look! What is that!"

    "Streams of fire are falling from the sky; this is auspicious! Quickly go tell the Imperial Master!"

    "Howe it seems to be flying towards our Imperial Master''s residence?"

    ......

    Hearing the mor outside the manor, Li Fan frowned.

    The lobby, which was still somewhat lively, abruptly quieted down.

    Li Fan got up and took the lead to walk out.

    However, before he had the chance to scold his subordinates and express the dissatisfaction in his heart, he was captivated by the scenery in the sky.

    Far away in the sky, two silver-colored lights, one after the other, like meteors, were speeding towards the manor.

    "This is..." Li Fan froze.

    The two meteors arrived above Xuanjing City in the blink of an eye and abruptly stopped.

    At the same time, a voice like thunder descended from the sky and exploded in everyone''s ears.

    "Dao Xuanzi! Do not overstep your bounds!"

    ......

    The people present were horrified. A few people even called out, "Immortal master!" and directly fell to the ground in obeisance.

    And a word that had been suppressed in the depths of his memories and was almost on the verge of being forgotten was suddenly popping out of Li Fan''s mind.

    "Cultivator... immortal cultivator!" Li Fan was stunned and muttered, "How is this possible..."

    The two immortal cultivators in the sky obviously didn''t care what the crowd of mortals below thought.

    Only another voice rang out, "Kou Hong! Do you think I will let you go just because you escaped to this Land of Immortal Extinction? Hand over the technique you obtained that day, or I won''t rest until you''re dead!"

    "Ridiculous! It''s because of theck of a Golden Core technique that I''ve been trapped in the Foundation Stage for nearly a hundred years. I''m about to turn into withered bones; my end is approaching. However, I have now finally obtained a Golden Core technique. How could I possibly hand it over to others!" Kou Hong snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.

    "Indeed!" Dao Xuanzi sighed, "A Golden Core technique with no other practitioners, an irreceable treasure. Although many Golden Core techniques exist, innumerable cultivators are stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage!"

    Dao Xuanzi''s tone suddenly turned ferocious, "In that case, now that the gate to longevity is in front of me, how could I possibly let you off the hook, and how could I possibly not overstep my boundaries!"

    Kou Hongughed out loud, "It''s just a single technique! It''s ridiculous that despite how you and I have been brothers for a hundred years, we''re now fighting to the death for a chance of survival!"

    Dao Xuanziughed coldly and did not reply.

    Kou Hong suddenly said, "I know I''m no match for you, and I''m sure I won''t be able to escape today. But there are so many mortals here, and I don''t know if you can withstand such a concentration of Immortal-Mortal Miasma!"

    Dao Xuanzi immediately changed color: "Kou Hong! What do you want to do?"

    Kou Hongughed madly, "I''m just seeking a ray of hope!"

    Listening to the conversation between the two immortal cultivators above his head, Li Fan felt dread in his heart. However, before he could react, he saw a crimson me explode above Xuanjing City.

    "Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

    Deafening rumbles erupted in Li Fan''s ears, and his sight instantly turned blood-red. A momentter, he fainted.

    ......

    It took some time for Li Fan to wake up.

    At first, he was a bit dizzy. It was only after a long time that he remembered what had happened.

    Li Fan coughed and spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, trembling as he climbed up and looked towards his surroundings.

    It was still nighttime, and the formerly luxurious Imperial Master''s mansion had already be a ruin.

    The surrounding air was full of the unpleasant smell of burnt corpses.

    The civil and military personnel of the dynasty who celebrated a few moments ago were all dead.

    Li Fan''s wives, concubines, and five sons were not spared either.

    Li Fan''s aged face betrayed no emotion. His gaze was dull.

    After standing in ce for a long time, he dragged his weak body out of the Imperial Master''s mansion.

    Xuanjing City, which was incredibly prosperous and lively a few moments ago, had be a hell of blood and fire. There were broken bodies and copsed buildings as far as the eye could see.

    The people who survived the cmity must have been less than one in a hundred.

    All this was because of the two "immortal masters" who suddenly came down.

    Li Fan lost his strength and casually sat down in a broken wall corner.

    His hearing had long been destroyed in the violent explosion just now. However, it mattered not.

    At this moment, he only wanted tough.

    How could there be immortal cultivators in this world?

    Ever since he became an official, he had used the power in his hands to search for traces of any immortal Dao that might exist.

    After he became an Imperial Master and ruled ten thousand people, he rummaged through the entire world!

    His rule extended as far north as the Ice Sea, as south as the Great Ocean, as east as the Ruins Abyss, and as west as the Lian Shan Mountains.

    There was no trace of an immortal''s existence in the entire Grand Xuan!

    But today, several years after his hope had died, two immortal cultivators descended from the heavens and came to him. Without a second thought, they twisted everything he possessed to pieces.

    Is this immortality?

    And where do immortalse from?

    The anger and unwillingness that filled his heart turned into endless bewilderment.

    Heaven''s will was wrong!

    At the same time, Li Fan felt iparably fortunate.

    He was d that before he died, he finally confirmed the existence of immortals!

    Otherwise, wouldn''t he have to waste another fifty years after he started his next life?

    That''s right! How was he, a mere mortal, able to go from being a humble schr to being an Imperial Master? How could he not have something to rely on?

    This was also the reason why he was able to survive a narrow escape from the immortals.

    "[Truth]!"

    Li Fan murmured in his heart, and the scenery around him suddenly dimmed. It was murky and hard to see as if a thick water curtain separated them.

    "Truth to lies, reality to dream."

    Six prominent words lit up in the darkness, then quickly dispersed, turning into a curtain of light.

    "Chargingplete."

    "Virtualize the current scene and return to the initial anchor point?"

    Small letters appeared one after another.

    At the same time, images appeared one after another, spreading over the entire light screen rapidly.

    It was the fifty years of Li Fan''s life in this world.

    Li Fan froze for a long time as he looked at himself in the various images.

    [Truth]

    That was the name Li Fan gave to this rare treasure he carried with him.

    It had only one function: transforming truth into falsehood and reality into emptiness!

    The so-called transforming of the real into the imaginary meant transforming everything that Li Fan had experienced into a simted illusory experience, causing Li Fan to return to the anchor point he had initially set up when he had just traveled to this world.

    In fact, this timeline was Li Fan''s second life.

    Although Li Fan had great aspirations in his first life, he could not achieve them because of hisck of talent. After failing to pass the imperial exams repeatedly, he finally quit studying to be a merchant after turning thirty. He ran a small business, became an ordinary rich man, married, had children, and lived a normal life. It was only when he was dying of old age that he finally awakened [Truth].

    This was Li Fan''s second life, an unstoppable journey towards sess.

    It was a pity that it was ruined now.

    After pondering momentarily, Li Fan did not choose to end this life immediately. Before that, he still had a few things to do.

    Turning off the light screen and returning to reality, Li Fan steadied himself and dealt with the aftermath of Xuanjing''s heavy damage.

    After gathering the people who had survived, Li Fan stabilized the people''s hearts through his years of prestige.

    Even though Li Fan could not hear, he could still find a pen and paper. Althoughmunicating was a bit troublesome, it did not hinder Li Fan''s orders from being conveyed.

    First, Li Fan ordered his garrison battalion outside the city toe to Xuanjing City as soon as possible to maintain order after the disaster. Then, he sent orders to the neighboring towns to transfer food, provisions, and officials to Xuanjing.

    Most of the buildings in Xuanjing were destroyed, and after the garrison battalion took over Xuanjing, Li Fan stayed in the barracks to preside over the aftermath.

    Li Fan''s decree constantly transported materials and talents from the neighboring cities towards Xuanjing City.

    After a month, the ruined Xuanjing City had slightly recovered some of its lively atmosphere.

    Only after the Grand Xuan Kingdom had finally recovered from the strike by the immortals did Li Fan begin to order the people to collect information about the two immortals that appeared that night.

    This included where they came from, where they traveled to, and whether they had any other conversations.

    Unfortunately, after several months of investigation, nothing else was found besides knowing that the two immortals seemed to have appeared from the direction of the Ruins Abyss in the east.

    Li Fan''s hope of profiting from both immortals dying didn''t seem to happen.

    "Shouldn''t have expected such a thing." Li Fan sighed in his heart. "In that case, nothing is left for me in this world."

    Standing in the newly built Imperial Master''s mansion, Li Fan again turned on [Truth].

    "Virtualize the current scene and return to the initial anchor point?"

    Li Fan no longer hesitated and chose yes.

    On the light screen, countless lifelike images stood still simultaneously. Subsequently, this life''s glory and wealth shattered like an illusion, transforming into countless streaks of light that flew into Li Fan''s mind.

    Scene after scene shed before Li Fan''s eyes like a flickeringntern. Finally, the stage was fixed on the two immortal cultivators facing each other on top of the Imperial Advisor''s mansion.

    "Dao Xuanzi, Kou Hong." Li Fan softly recited the names of the two. "Fifty yearster, I will be waiting for you here in Xuanjing City."

    "Riches and wealth are but meaningless pursuits to me." Li Fan''s consciousness gradually became blurry, but his will remained stronger than ever.

    "In the next life, I will capture immortals!"

    The light in his mind gradually disappeared, and Li Fan slowly fell into a deep sleep.

 Chapter 2: Aspiring to Seek Eternal Life

    In the darkness, a line of small glowing words appeared on the screen.

    [After returning to the year of anchoring, you acted abnormally due to your ecstasy. This led to you almost being drowned by your aunt in holy water from the vige witch.]

    [When there was still half a year before the countryside examination, you studied hard at home from dawn to dusk. Since you already knew the questions, you were full of confidence. Although your auntined about you, she always supported you in your studies.]

    [The vige chief''s brother coveted your family''s ancestral fertile fields and secretly plotted to take them. Your aunt attempted resistance but failed. You managed to solve this matter with a little trickery. Your aunt looked at you in a different light from then on.]

    [Half a yearter, you took the provincial examination. Despite ranking below thirty others, you finally seeded in bing a schr, honoring your ancestors.]

    [After being anchored for 2 years, you traveled to Xuanjing City to take part in the Imperial Examination. You were prepared for the test questions and naturally excelled. You performed admirably in the Imperial Examination and imed the ce of the second-ss schr.]

    [You traveled around Xuanjing City and finally achieved your goal by being assigned the post of the magistrate of Wen County in Jiangnan.]

    [In the third year, you picked up your aunt at home and assumed the post of Wen County magistrate. You began to secretly develop awork of trusted subordinates. In the same year, you led your men to discover precious mineral deposits in the deep mountains that you remembered from your previous life.]

    [In the fourth year, you sessfully made a batch of explosives and muskets. Your musketry team was able to eliminate a nearby mountain bandit camp with little effort.]

    [In the fifth year, there was a severe drought in Jiangnan Province, discing many people. Because of your earlier water conservation efforts, Wen County was rtively unaffected. In the same year, a group of migrants gathered to rebel and prepared to attack the Langya Prince''s residence. You provided crucial assistance and saved his family. The Prince of Langya was very grateful to you.]

    [In the sixth year, you were promoted to the governor of Jiangnan Province. In the same year, you married the daughter of the Minister of Personnel.]

    [In the seventh year, there was a locust gue in Jiangnan Province, and the grain harvest was in short supply. Only those under your rule were minimally affected. In the same year, your wife gave birth to a son for you.]

    [In the eighth year, your men seeded in making flintlock pistols.]

    [In the tenth year, Lady Langya gave birth to a son. You personally came to offer congrattions, and presented a well-prepared gift]

    [In the fifteenth year, the Emperor was struck by a sudden illness. Before he died, he summoned the Prince of Langya to the capital and passed the throne to him. The Prince of Langya seeded the throne and changed his name to Emperor Xuanjing.]

    [In the sixteenth year, Emperor Xuanjing summoned you to the capital and promoted you to Minister of War. In the same year, there were simultaneous rebellions of various sizes in various ces. Emperor Xuanjing ordered you to lead the army to quell the rebellions.]

    [In the eighteenth year, you traveled all over the world and swept away the rebels. After returning to the capital, Emperor Xuanjing revoked your military power and granted you the position of tutor of the Crown Prince.]

    [In the twentieth year, the Empress was suddenly caught in a witchcraft case. Emperor Xuanjing was furious and exiled her to the Winter Pce. When the Crown Prince privately sought your help, you decisively agreed. After a private investigation, you found evidence that Consort Xi Fei framed the Empress, proving the Empress¡¯s innocence. Emperor Xuanjing ughtered Consort Xi Fei and her family, but did not release the Empress from the Winter Pce].

    [In the twenty-first year, someone secretly used you of treason and submitted evidence of your private mining and secret armed forces. You were anxious and wrote a letter of apology. Emperor Xuanjing dismissed you from the post of minister, but allowed you to still tutor the crown prince.]

    [In the twenty-third year, Emperor Xuanjing was on a spring hunting trip and decided to go back to the Langya royal residence in Jiangnan province to have a look.]

    [In the twenty-fourth year, Emperor Xuanjing visited Jiangnan and ordered you to apany him. You also visited a few mines which you had previously secretly exploited.]

    [In the twenty-fifth year, Emperor Xuanjing went to Jiangnan for the third time. This time, he did not bring you. Three monthster, you secretly received news that someone had denounced you for privately traveling to the Winter Pce to visit the Empress. In the same year, Emperor Xuanjing was assassinated on his way back to the capital. When the news came back, the capital was shaken. The officials invited the Empress out of the Winter Pce, and the Crown Prince seeded to the throne with the name of Emperor Kangning.]

    [In the twenty-sixth year, you were appointed as the Imperial Advisor and became the Chief Minister of the Parliamentary Court, achieving the highest position. The young emperor was highly dependent on you. Taking this opportunity, you established your influence in the court.

    [In the twenty-seventh year, your aunt passed away. You once again thought of seeking immortality, so you sent people to explore the traces of the existence of immortals in various ces.]

    [In the twenty-eighth year, the Emperor came of age. But your power never stopped growing, and the court became your own.]

    [In the thirtieth year, the world only acknowledged the Imperial Advisor and hardly knew the Emperor.]

    [In the thirty-first year, the Empress Dowager became pregnant and urgently called you to the pce to discuss. With great joy, you secretly took the Empress Dowager back to the Imperial Advisor¡¯s residence to take care of her. In the same year, the Empress Dowager gave birth to a son for you.]

    [In the thirty-third year, when you entered the court alone, you were surrounded by the guards secretly trained by Emperor Kangning. Luckily, with the help of a special treasure, you managed to save your life. You were furious and wanted to kill the emperor and establish your rule. However, under the Empress Dowager''s desperate plea and the persuasion of the ministers around you, you refrained from taking action. You purged all of the Emperor''s close ministers. After that, Emperor Kangning only held the name of Emperor, losing all power.]

    [In the thirty-eighth year, Emperor Kangning died in a state of depression. You made your eldest son the emperor and changed his name to Emperor Longchang.]

    [In the fortieth year, the Empress Dowager died of illness. Your desire for immortality grew more intense.]

    [In the forty-fifth year, your wife died]

    [In the forty-sixth year, your eldest son died of illness.]

    [In the forty-eighth year, after decades of fruitless searching for immortality, you gave up.]

    [After being anchored for 50 years, two immortals came west from the Ruins Abyss, destroying Xuanjing City. You miraculously survived.]

    ......

    [The simtion ends.]

    [You can choose one of the following options to keep:

    1. An item possessed by you during this simtion.

    2. Your cultivation level in this simtion.

    3. The simted memories of a person close to you in this simtion. These memories can be inherited by that person.

    4. Abandon the above choices to elerate the recharging progress.]

    Li Fan regained consciousness and found himself back in his humble study.

    Taking in the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery, his past decades of experience crossed his mind one by one. Li Fan couldn''t help but feel emotional, ¡°Was reality transformed into simtion? Or is everything already a simtion? Or perhaps, is there no boundary between reality and illusion at a certain level?¡±

    However, Li Fan would not waste his time on things he couldn¡¯t know. Soon, he settled his mind and focused on the four options.

    The first and second items were nothing to write home about, though if Li Fan were to embark on the path of cultivation, these two items could definitely help him greatly. Unfortunately, he was only a mortal in hisst life as well. There was no cultivation realm to keep at all.

    As for the most valuable item in his own possession, it would undoubtedly be the Imperial Jade Seal.

    It was likewise useless and would only invite disaster.

    As for the third item, to let someone also remember the memories of this simtion¡­

    This was something that made Li Fan''s heart race.

    For a while, several figures shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    But in the end, he still shook his head.

    After all, hearts were the most difficult to gauge. No one knew what a person would be after getting decades of memories.

    Right now, [Truth] hadn''t recharged yet, and he was still a weak schr with no power or capital.

    Therefore, everything should be done with stability.

    So, there was only the fourth option left.

    elerate the recharge progress.

    [Truth]¡¯s transformation of reality into a simtion required recharging.

    ording to Li Fan''s experience in his previous life, this charging progress could only grow naturally with the passage of time. It would take about twenty years to recharge.

    The recharge progress would no longer increase after reaching a maximum of 200%.

    Moreover, when Li Fan was hit by a fatal blow, [Truth] would consume recharge progress for automatic body protection. This was also the reason why Li Fan was able to survive several narrow escapes in hisst life.

    Hence, the fourth item was the most prudent choice.

    With his thoughts settled, Li Fan no longer hesitated and decided silently in his mind.

    Immediately, a line of small glowing characters scattered into light spots and then quickly reformed into several new lines of characters.

    Name: Li Fan

    Cultivation Realm: Mortal

    Physical Age: 20/86

    Mental Age: 166/1056¡ü

    Charging Progress: 30%

    "Three lifetimes as a human, one hundred and sixty-six years. It turns out that I''ve already lived for so long. However, I remember the upper limit of mental age only being around nine hundred years in my previous life, but now it has increased to one thousand years. It seems that it will increase with my umtion of experience, which reduces the anxiety in my heart."

    Just as the body''s lifespan had a limit, a certain limit existed for the mental capacity to endure.

    After carrying too many memories, a mental burden would form. Once this burden became too heavy, it wouldpletely crush a person''s soul.

    This was called the ¡°wear and tear of time".

    However, the upper limit of the mental age would increase as mental cognition increased.

    For now, Li Fan did not need to worry about this.

    "As long as I step onto the path of immortal cultivation, everything else is not a problem. Now that I''m starting over, glory, wealth, and beauties are no longer my pursuits."

    "I only want immortality!" The pain after the beloved rtives and friends around him in his previous life faded away one by one and the powerlessness and trepidation brought about by his own body''s old age all made Li Fan''s mind more determined at this moment.

    "The goal of this life is to learn the secrets of cultivation from those two immortal cultivators. Fifty yearster, they will descend on Xuanjing City. With enough nning and preparation, even if they are the so-called Foundation Stage powerhouses, I might have a chance of winning."

    "Perhaps what I can rely on, aside from gunpowder, is the Immortal-Mortal Miasma they speak of."

    "Also, during these fifty years, I can''t just wait. They came from the eastern Ruins Abyss, so perhaps I can send someone deep into the bottom of the Ruins Abyss first to search.¡±

    ......

    The worst thing in life was having no purpose. In his previous life, Li Fan would often wake up in the middle of the night from the Empress Dowager''s bed and feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness and meaninglessness.

    In that life, he had stood at the very pinnacle of ordinary people.

    He was the master of the Emperor and held the world''s army in his hands. Nearly every minister in the court was a trusted aide of his.

    He was able to abolish the Emperor¡¯s rule at any moment, and even the Empress Dowager was at his beck and call.

    He couldn¡¯t reach any higher.

    In this next simtion, should he do the same?

    In that case, what was the point of reincarnating from one life to the next?

    Power and pleasure always tasted the same after enough repetition.

    Perhaps, if there were no other variables, after a certain reincarnation, Li Fan would voluntarily give up and choose to end his life.

    But!

    The appearance of those two immortal cultivators allowed Li Fan to see a whole new set of possibilities!

    Allowing Li Fan to see a world of unfamiliar but tempting opportunities beckoning toward him.

    It ignited a great ambition and goal within him.

    He wanted to cultivate immortality!

    He wanted to live forever!

    No one could stop him!

    Li Fan pushed open the door of the house and walked out with his head held high.

 Chapter 3: A Mortalâ€™s Desire to Capture Immortals

    Time seemed to elerate as Li Fan prepared for the 50th year during his third life.

    Li Fan implemented his n in a meticulous and step-by-step manner.

    With the experience of two lifetimes, everything went smoothly.

    He retook the imperial examinations.

    This time, however, with the additional decades of experience in governance, the essays he wrote were naturally far superior to his previous life. Whether it was the county, provincial, or imperial examination, he always ranked first, bing renowned throughout the world!

    Subsequently, despite his youth, he was appointed as an official in Wen County.

    After being anchored for 3 years, he came to Wen County once more.

    This life, gaining control was much more efficient than thest. With his considerable reputation and thorough knowledge of local officials, he easily took control over Wen County.

    Then, he began to promote and cultivate the trusted aides he had in his previous life and continuously strengthened his influence.

    At the same time, he drafted designs of flintlock pistols and ordered craftsmen to produce them, while assisting them with all the difficulties in production he knew about. After that, he ordered people to go around and privately recruit skilled craftsmen, striving to develop more advanced weaponry.

    The mountain mines were not forgotten either. Li Fan swept away all the mountain bandits near Wen County and forced them into work in the mines. Relying on the mine resources, he established many workshops in the deep mountains to mass produce iron weapons. At the same time, he organized trade caravans to travel around the world and umte funds.

    After 4 years, Li Fan secretly searched and finally found the body double of Emperor Xuanjing. It was the existence of this double that led to the near failure of his assassination n in his previous life. Luckily, he had always been cautious, and with his many backup ns, he was able to avoid failing in his endeavors. Li Fan personally trained the double to wlessness in half a year.

    After 5 years, Jiangnan suffered a severe drought. Li Fan ordered his subordinates to pose as refugees and attack the Langya Prince''s residence. On the surface, Li Fan spearheaded the rescue attempt, but in secret, hemanded his people to kill the Prince of Langya and his family. At the same time, he revealed his trained double.

    Since then, Li Fan took control of the Langya Prince''s estate.

    The news of the killing of Langya Prince''s family, with the sole survivor being the Langya Prince himself, shocked the whole country. The Emperor was furious and sent troops to suppress the refugees. As a reward for his efforts, Li Fan was promoted to governor of Jiangnan Province.

    Li Fan''s power further expanded. However, after this, he became more cautious. Instead of continuing to expand, he kept a low profile and developed technology.

    In the 7th year, the locust gue came as predicted. Li Fan had prepared for it, and naturally, Jiangnan Province remained virtually unaffected. He also petitioned for the imperial court to open warehouses and release grain to assist the victims. The court agreed.

    With this opportunity, Li Fan gained the support of arge number of people. Many victims settled down under Li Fan''s rule, and Li Fan''s strength was bolstered.

    In the 9th year, the wedding of the Prince of Langya and the granddaughter of the Chief Grand Secretary was held as scheduled. That night, Li Fan broke into the bridal chamber at night, scaring the Langya Prince''s consort half to death. After learning that Li Fan had killed the Prince of Langya and used a double to take over, she even angrily denounced Li Fan as a traitor. Li Fan insteadughed and asked her to write about this appalling incident in a letter.

    With this letter, Li Fan posed as the Prince of Langya¡¯s messenger and secretly sneaked into the capital to see the Chief Grand Secretary.

    With a calm demeanor, Li Fan revealed that he controlled the entire Langya Estate. The Chief Grand Secretary, though shocked, remained calm and asked Li Fan what he wanted to do.

    Li Fan confidently exined that because the Imperial Advisor had held power for so many years, he had garnered many enemies. Furthermore, because his several sons were ipetent, it would be difficult for the Imperial Advisor¡¯s family to maintain its wealth and status after the death of the Chief Grand Secretary. As long as the Chief Grand Secretary could step in at a necessary time to help Li Fan with a favor, Li Fan would protect the future safety and prosperity of the Chief Grand Secretary''s family.

    The Chief Grand Secretary pondered for a long time and finally asked what the favor would be. Li Fanughed and only said it would be known to him in time, and then left.

    After 10 years, Lady Langya gave birth to a son. Obviously, this was Li Fan''s child. Li Fan wrote a letter to the Chief Grand Secretary to report the sess.

    After 15 years, the Emperor finally became seriously ill. After receiving the decree summoning the Langya Prince, Li Fan took his trusted aides, traveled by night and day, and entered the capital.

    After the Prince of Langya seeded the throne, Li Fan borrowed the Emperor''s power to control the courts and develop his people. With the Chief Grand Secretary¡¯s secret cooperation, no concerns were raised as Li Fan tookplete control.

    After 16 years, rebellion rose everywhere. Li Fan took the opportunity to integrate his trusted aides into the army and took advantage of their military sess against the rebels to grant many promotions. In just three to four years, the army was firmly under Li Fan''s control.

    After 20 years, the world gradually recovered from the turmoil of the Emperor¡¯s death. Li Fan decisively poisoned the fake Emperor at this time, killing thest possible threat.

    After supporting his own son to be the Emperor, Li Fan appointed himself as the Imperial Advisor, moving from behind the scenes to the limelight once more, holding immense dominion and influence.

    After this, the Grand Xuan Kingdom¡¯s technological development greatly elerated due to Li Fan''s will.

    In the 35th year, the Imperial Advisor¡¯s Mansion.

    Li Fan looked at the secret letter handed over by his men. After reading it carefully for a moment, he could not help but frown.

    "So, you''re saying that the mists over the Ruins Abyss will disperse for half a day every fifteen years?"

    "Reporting to the Imperial Advisor, this is exactly the case. Our Immortal Seeking Battalion was ordered to station beside the Ruins Abyss and observe it day and night. Finally, a few days ago there was a harvest." The Immortal Seeking Official kneeling on the ground recalled the scene at that time, a look of awe still remaining on his face. "After the fog cleared, there was a faint light shining out from the bottom of the abyss. We used telescopes to observe it and discerned all sorts of wondrous sights."

    "Although what each person saw was not the same, the sights included a mountain range with thousands of peaks rising and falling, with majestic buildings scattered throughout, vaguely visible; there were towering cities situated on the ins, with no less than a million people each; there is even a city in the sky enveloped in radiant light, and all kinds of rare birds and exotic beasts were flying in between, it was really¡­¡± the Immortal Seeking Official paused, before expressing the feelings in his heart. "It was truly incredible."

    ¡°They really were from the Ruins Abyss.¡± Although he had suspected this for a long time, now that it had been personally confirmed by his subordinate, Li Fan was still a little excited in his heart. However, his many years of experience had long since tempered his self-control.

    He asked indifferently, "Can you find a way to get down to the bottom of the abyss?"

    The Immortal Seeking Official''s breath stuttered, and then his face turned a little white. He quickly kowtowed and said, ¡°Subordinate is ipetent. We tried various methods, but as soon as we descended to a certain depth, we were cut to pieces by an astral wind. The astral wind is so powerful that even our toughest armor cannot resist it for a moment."

    Upon hearing this, Li Fan did not look disappointed.

    After waving his hand and letting the Immortal Seeking Official leave, Li Fan muttered to himself, "It seems that I still have to wait for you guys."

    ......

    50th year, Grand Xuan Kingdom, Xuanjing.

    Xuanjing City, which used to be iparably lively, was now silent and somewhat eerie.

    The vast majority of the people of Xuanjing had been forcibly relocated to the neighboring cities a month ago under the decree of the Imperial Advisor, who imed that it was in order to avoid a cmity. This ridiculous excuse was met with heavy skepticism. However, the Imperial Advisor did not go too far and force those who didn¡¯t want to move, only suggesting that they build underground shelters to hide. These warnings were mostly treated as jokes.

    When Li Fan got the report, he did not bother. He had already done his best.

    In the streets and alleys of Xuanjing City, ambushes were waiting in ce consisting of the special troops that he had carefully prepared over the years to use against the two immortals.

    Now that everything was ready, all that was needed were the protagonists!

    At night, under the bright moon, the two immortal cultivators arrived as expected!

    "Dao Xuanzi! Don''t you oppress people too much!"

    Kou Hong''s angry shouts spread throughout Xuanjing City.

    ¡°Ratatatatat...¡±

    Countless tongues of fire suddenly lit up, and tens of thousands of bullets poured forth like waterfalls, suddenly bombarding the two immortals in unison!

 Chapter 4: Immortal Spells and Swords

    The two immortal cultivators high in the sky were caught off guard and were hit directly in the face.

    There was no scene of blood and flesh flying. Around them, there were only concentric ripples in the air. An invisible force was blocking the tidal wave of bullets.

    "Huh, what kind of artifact is this?" Facing the sudden siege of thousands of mortals, the two immortal cultivators were as calm as usual. Kou Hong''s right hand reached out and pulled a soldier into the sky, seizing the gun in the soldier''s hand to scrutinize it carefully while throwing the soldier out casually.

    "Quite interesting, using a delicate mechanical structure instead of a spell formation, and using the explosive power of a mortal object instead of spiritual power. It can actually erupt with the power of the early stage of Qi Refining¡­¡± Kou Hong understood the principle of the gun after only a nce.

    He shook his head, "I didn''t expect that after a few thousand years had passed, the mortals banished to the Immortal Extinction Land would actually be able to research such a subtle object. Unfortunately, it can only work in thisndcking the Great Dao. Outside the Land of Immortal Extinction, it''s just a pile of useless copper and refined iron." After saying that, the gun in his hand instantly disappeared into thin air, as if he had casually put it away.

    "As a mere mortal, how dare you make a move against us immortal cultivators. Originally, I still had some guilt in my heart, but now it seems that it''s you guys who are seeking death yourselves!"

    Kou Hong stood tall and looked at the unknown number of densely packed mortal soldiers in the darkness, contempt shing in his eyes.

    His right hand quickly waved about in the empty space in front of him, drawing out intricate patterns.

    Countless sparks suddenly appeared from the darkness, like a prairie fire that had been condensed into huge fireballs.

    "Dao Art: Fire Dragon''s Roar!¡±

    As Kou Hong shouted in a cold voice, more crimson mes spread from the huge fire clusters, which served as the nodes, and they burned outwards in unison. In just a few moments, the mes were like flesh and blood, connecting the fire clusters in the sky.

    A fearsome dragonposed of crimson mes appeared over Xuanjing City.

    The fiery dragon raised its head and let out a resounding roar as it stretched its body and then mmed downwards.

    "Boom!"

    Violent explosions rang out incessantly.

    Buildings in Xuanjing City were like small toys, easily destroyed without the slightest resistance.

    And as if the red mes had a mind of their own, they devoured and burned everything they could touch afternding on the ground.

    In the blink of an eye, this Xuanjing City turned into a zing inferno!

    However, Kou Hong, who had caused all of this, frowned, his face in disbelief.

    Because he realized that although the Xuanjing City below looked miserable, the vast majority of the soldiers actually survived his strike!

    One had to know that the Fire Dragon''s Roar that he had unleashed in a fit of rage was already his full strength.

    The might of a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivator was not something that mortals could resist!

    Even if those soldiers were well-trained and had taken out their protective gear and hid in the corners of the building for protection the moment they saw him casting the spell, they should have suffered many more casualties!

    What''s going on?

    Kou Hong was shocked and skeptical, and in an instant, he seemed to have realized something. With a wave of his hand, Kou Hong examined one of the tiny metal objects that was previously fired at him but was easily resisted by his body-protecting aura.

    "This is¡­¡± Kou Hong''s face changed dramatically, and he then alertly swept his gaze towards the surroundings, the contempt in his gaze turning into scorn.

    "These concealed weapons have been soaked with mortal blood, contaminated with Immortal-Mortal Miasma..." Dao Xuanzi''s voice also came over, his face ugly.

    "We just arrived at this ce and were ambushed. Moreover, the other party has utilized the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, so it''s obvious that they came prepared. Could it be that behind these mortals, there are immortal cultivators guiding them?" The duo nced at each other, and several thoughts immediately shed through their minds. "No matter what, this ce is a trap, and we should not stay for long."

    Although Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong were fighting to the death for the Golden Core Technique, that was their private affair.

    Now that unexpected variables have arisen in the form of the ambush of thousands of mortals, with the hundred years of tacit understanding of the two, they both at the same time subconsciously chose to escape first.

    Perhaps discovering the duo''s attempts, the gunfire that had stalled due to the Fire Dragon''s Roar resounded once again!

    However, this deepened the suspicions in Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong''s hearts.

    These mortals obviously had an agenda!

    "Go!" The two were about to flee when they heard a voice ring out from below.

    "Dao Xuanzi! Kou Hong! If the two of you flee, the news that you have obtained a Golden Core technique will spread throughout the cultivation world!"

    The voice came from all directions of Xuanjing City, echoing continuously in this night with unending reverberations.

    The voice was somewhat old, but the tone was iparably certain and cold.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi''s figures froze in their tracks as they looked shocked, their faces filled with disbelief.

    "How is this possible? The matter of us obtaining the Golden Core Technique was clearly known only to the two of us, so how could the news have leaked out?" For a moment, the duo fell into a deep state of fear.

    The two of them ventured into a cave to explore its secrets, and then Kou Hong seized the technique and fled. Dao Xuanzi followed in hot pursuit, and Kou Hong was desperate enough to take the risk of breaking into a Land of Immortal Extinction to seek a ray of hope¡­

    The people encountered during this period of time shed in their minds one by one.

    Who was it?

    And just as the duo''s minds were shaken, in the darkness, dozens of cannonballs with fiery trails were fired from various unexpected locations and flew towards the duo.

    ¡°You¡¯re seeking death!" Kou Hong recovered from his shock and then became even more furious.

    "Dao Art: Inferno Explosion!"

    A huge ring of fire was vaguely generated out of thin air.

    "Not good, quickly dodge, Kou Hong!" Right at this moment, Dao Xuanzi''s voice rang out urgently.

    "Hmm?" Kou Hong was stunned, but with a sweep of his divine sense, fear appeared in his eyes.

    He was about to dodge, but it was already toote.

    Dozens of shells detonated around them.

    There were no deafening explosions; instead, there was a cloud of dark red liquid, forming a small-scale blood rain that doused the two immortal cultivators!

    "Ahh¡­¡±

    Chilling screams immediately resounded through the sky.

    At the same time, the ominous aura emanating from the duo quickly diminished.

    After a moment''s resistance, the duo could no longer support themselves and fell from the sky.

    Thousands of soldiers with guns surrounded them.

    At this moment, the current situation of the two ¡°immortals" caused these specially trained death soldiers to feel chills in their hearts.

    Originally, Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong were in their twenties and thirties, but after being drenched by the rain of blood, their hair had actually turned snow-white in an instant. Both of them became old in a few breaths, and their faces were covered in dense wrinkles.

    The two men hunched over and sat paralyzed on the ground. Kou Hong looked like he was going to die, while Dao Xuanzi''s cultivation seemed a little higher, being in slightly better shape, although he was still only barely clinging to life.

    The original high and mighty immortals had actually turned into this!

    Even Li Fan, who was hiding in the back and secretlymanding, heard the report from his men and felt an inexplicable chill at this moment.

    "Two immortal masters, our Imperial Advisor has given an order: if the two of you surrender, you can save your lives!¡± A soldier shouted from afar towards the duo.

    ¡°Surrender¡­¡± The heavily injured Dao Xuanzi looked at his dear friend whose eyes were full of unwillingness and wanted to say something but was unable to speak. However, his friend''s gesture made him suddenly let out a coldugh.

    Seeing Dao Xuanzi''s movements, Kou Hong had already guessed what he was going to do.

    He faintly shook his head, then used hisst ounce of strength to pass the storage ring in his hand to Dao Xuanzi.

    "Go¡­¡± Kou Hong opened his mouth slightly, then his head fell limp and he swiftly died.

    High above the sky, a strange image suddenly appeared!

    A red, gnarled dragon appeared in the sky. It seemed to be in great pain, struggling and roaring, as if it was trying to get rid of something.

    However, it was all in vain.

    It slowly became shriveled, and in the blink of an eye, it was left with only ayer of skin and flesh.

    After a few moments, the entire dragon was eaten away, with not even flesh and bones left.

    Only then did people see clearly that it was a brown, in-looking branch that had taken root in the dragon and devoured it!

    Even though it was an ordinary tree branch, it could swallow a dragon!

    This magnificent sight was like a brilliant firework, illuminating the sky for thousands of miles around.

    All the beings who saw this scene, be they human or otherwise, had this passage naturally emerge in their minds.

    "Foundation Establishment Cultivator Kou Hong had two hundred and five years of mortal cultivation and achieved the Dao Foundation with the special item [Gnarled Dragon Branch]. In thend of Immortal Extinction, he was surrounded by thousands of mortals and was injured by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma."

    ¡°His cultivation was lost and his lifespan was reduced.¡±

    ¡°Now, in death, his Dao returns to the heavens!"

    Pain, righteousness, and the difficulty of self-reliance¡­

    Around Xuanjing City, all the living beings who witnessed this vision were immersed in emotions such as these, unable to stop themselves.

    The magnificent sightsted for almost half an hour, and then finally dispersed gradually.

    The soldiers finally came back to their senses and silently looked at the other dying Immortal Cultivator in the field.

    "Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi, our Imperial Advisor has no intention of fighting you to the death. If you give up your resistance, our Imperial Advisor guarantees your safety¡­¡± The soldiers continued to shout as Li Fanmanded.

    Li Fan was in the dark but he sighed in his heart, knowing that his attempt to capture immortals in this life was a failure.

    He simply did not expect the Immortal-Mortal Miasma to be so powerful in killing and wounding immortal cultivators.

    As expected, Dao Xuanzi simply ignored the shouting.

    He also looked up at the already dissipated vision with a nostalgic look in his eyes.

    "Gnarled Dragon Branch..."

    After a long time, he brought his gaze back down and tried to straighten his hunched body.

    Scanning his surroundings, Dao Xuanzi tried to find out the puppeteer behind the curtains.

    "I don''t know who you are." He said to Li Fan. "I also don''t know what exactly your purpose is."

    "Maybe this was for this Golden Core Technique, and maybe this was for something else." Dao Xuanzi nced at the storage ring in his hand and said calmly. "Now that us brothers have been set up by you and are dead, there should be nothing more to say."

    "But I am not convinced." Dao Xuanzi spoke coldly.

    "To be able to follow us all the way and know our affairs like the back of your hand without being discovered, I''m sure your cultivation must not be low."

    ¡°Despite such power, you don''t dare to fight us head-on. To actually plot and scheme like this, hiding behind mortals, and even using the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, an underhanded thing that all immortal cultivators disdain¡­¡±

    Dao Xuanzi took a deep breath.

    "My brother, Kou Hong, did not deserve this death!¡±

    Dao Xuanzi slowly rose into the air, once again towering above, looking at the crowd that was instantly on guard, with no sadness or joy on his face.

    "You have already seen my brother''s Foundation Building wonder. Now, I invite you all to take a look at mine."

    "With the wonders of heaven and earth, I will build my foundation." Dao Xuanzi chanted loudly.

    "My foundation is named Dao Xuan."

    A massive, broken iron sword appeared in the sky above Xuanjing City.

    All living beings under the shadow of the giant sword felt their minds dull and slow like rusty machines.

    "I have a sword, please witness it!"

    The heavens and earth suddenly lit up, and everyone in Xuanjing City seemed to fall into absolute stillness.

    Subsequently, like cracks appearing in ss, the entire Xuanjing City shattered to pieces in an instant!

    ¡°[Truth].¡±

    The charging progress plummeted, and in the split second before his consciousness disappeared, Li Fan silently recited in his heart.

 Chapter 5: Flatland Ripples

    [End of simtion]

    ...

    Li Fan, who had regained his consciousness, was still immersed in the power of Dao Xuanzi''s sword.

    ¡°That was a Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Li Fan''s heart was filled with shock.

    Previously, Kou Hong''s ability to destroy Xuanjing City alone had already made Li Fan marvel, but Dao Xuanzi''s final sword had made Li Fan deeply feel his own insignificance.

    Like a cricket facing a tsunami, from Li Fan''s point of view, he was unable to evenprehend that sword, let alone grasp its entirety.

    Even if it was just a glimpse, it was enough for Li Fan to understand the gap between a mortal and a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.

    "Without the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, I''m afraid that even if I reincarnate for a hundred lifetimes and devise countless strategies, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to pose a threat to them." Li Fan was secretly happy in his heart, but at the same time, he also felt deeply puzzled and rmed.

    "What is this Immortal-Mortal Miasma? Aren''t Immortal Cultivators all mortals originally? Howe the blood of mortals has such a terrifying restraining effect on Immortal Cultivators?" The hidden meaning behind this could not help but make Li Fan''s mind wonder.

    However, soon Li Fan suppressed his many thoughts.

    "First, let¡¯s summarize the gains and losses of this life."

    Watching the scenes that shed across the light screen, Li Fan pondered in his heart.

    "The ambush of Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong was basically within my expectations. First, I used the blood-soaked bullets of the death row inmates to consume their strength, followed by using the Golden Core method to disrupt their hearts and minds, and then I used the blood rain to deal a finishing blow, capturing the two of them alive after they were weakened to the extreme..."

    "What I didn''t expect was that the Immortal-Mortal Miasma''s restraint on cultivators was so powerful that it directly led to Kou Hong''s death."

    "What was even more surprising was that I originally thought that the hundred-year-old brotherhood they spoke about was just a casual remark. I didn''t realize that the rtionship between the two was indeed extraordinary. When attacked, Dao Xuanzi took the initiative to speak out to remind Kou Hong, and when Kou Hong knew that it was difficult to escape death, he gave the technique to Dao Xuanzi on his own initiative."

    ¡°Furthermore, when Dao Xuanzi saw Kou Hong die to the ambush, he gave up his chance of living and made a suicide attack to avenge Kou Hong. All of this shows that there is indeed an exceptional friendship between the two¡­¡±

    "Since this is the case, how could the two of them kill each other because of a Golden Core technique?¡± Li Fan''s mind became more and more puzzled.

    Suddenly, he recalled the scene when he initially met the duo.

    ¡°A Golden Core technique with no other practitioners¡­¡± Li Fan was suddenly puzzled, "Immortalws can¡¯t be practiced together?¡±

    ¡°With such close brothers fighting to the death over a single technique, what would the cultivation world look like?¡±

    Li Fan had a premonition that the cultivation world might bepletely different from what he expected.

    "No matter how dangerous it is, I will not falter. What''s more, with the help of [Truth], as long as I''m careful enough, no predicament will be able to hinder me."

    After faltering for a moment, Li Fan''s resolve was renewed.

    "In this so-called Land Immortal Extinction, if I want to seek the Immortal Dao, I still have to find a way to do so through Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. Last time, I chose to attack the two of them at the same time, but this time, I can perhaps choose to divide them.¡± With his mind racing, Li Fan thought of several ways to deal with them in his mind in the blink of an eye.

    Although the other party consisted of towering Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Fan wasn''t very intimidated. In fact, he didn''t treat them as formidable opponents at all.

    It wasn¡¯t that Li Fan was arrogant, but instead that the function of [Truth] to be able to start over again and again was truly heaven-defying!

    How could a mere Foundation Stage cultivationpare to fifty years of foresight and countless opportunities for trial and error?

    After the simtion was over, Li Fan still chose the option to speed up the progress of recharging.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical Age: 20/86

    Mental Age: 216/1080¡ü

    Charging Progress: 30%

    "This time, the upper limit of mental age has only increased by a few decades, so it looks like it''s almost at the upper limit." Li Fan had also been mentally prepared for this, so he didn''t particrly care.

    "If I count the one before transmigrating, this is already my fifth life. The path to immortality is so difficult.¡± Li Fan sighed. "I hope that these fifty years will not be wasted."

    Li Fan once again began the fifty-year n.

    As if following a set program, everything proceeded step by step.

    Take the imperial examination, win the examination, and be a schr.

    Be the county magistrate, mine minerals, and make guns.

    After killing the king of Langya and recing him, Li Fan was finally a bit anxious.

    Waiting ten years to control the country was too long, and he would always have to be cowering in a ce like Jiangnan. If he had ten more years to mobilize the power of the entire world, he would have a much greater chance of sess at capturing the Immortals.

    Thus, Li Fan decided to send a trusted confidant to sneak into the pce and secretly administer chronic poison to the emperor.

    Who would have thought that it was this decision that stirred up waves.

    Although Li Fan¡¯s poisoning was not found, the emperor was young and strong, and the strange weakening of his body caused him to be increasingly suspicious.

    He suspected that someone secretly harmed him. And the chief object of suspicion was none other than the one he trusted the most, Prince Langya.

    This led to the emperor passing on the throne to the carefree Prince Runan instead of Prince Langya when he passed away in the 7th year.

    The good news was that Li Fan''s insider in the pce sent out the news in time, and Li Fan acted immediately after hearing the news.

    On the one hand, he sent his men to assassinate Prince Runan; on the other hand, in the name of Prince Langya, he imed that the courts had betrayed the emperor and ordered the assassination. Under the banner of Prince Langya, Li Fan took his well-developed army to the capital, and before the people could react, he attacked, forcibly taking over the imperial court and dering martialw.

    Such drastic means naturally had many consequences.

    The first was that the ministers in the court were not convinced. The emperor''s posthumous edict was to pass the throne to Prince Runan. Was the ascension of Prince Langya not rebellion? The ministers could not openly rebel under Li Fan¡¯s oppression. However, they were still able to do so secretly, passively resisting and harming bureaucratic processes. There were even some who secretly contacted feudal lords, trying to invite them to lead their troops into the capital ¡°to set things right". Li Fan was not merciful, and after killing dozens, he managed to deter the rest. Furthermore, there was also the help of the Chief Grand Secretary in stabilizing his position.

    However, these few months had already ignited upheaval throughout thend. Feudal lords set up territories of their own, dered independence, and ignored the court¡¯s orders.

    Thus, Li Fan could only send troops to eliminate them one by one.

    Although the firearms were powerful, they were limited in number. Combined with the country¡¯s vastnds, it took a considerable amount of effort.

    Between battle and politics, Li Fan was very busy.

    It took until the 22nd year topletely resolve the internal and external problems.

    Due to this, he was a few yearste in controlling the world than if he had patiently followed his previous lives.

    ¡°I still need to be cautious and patient." After everything settled down, Li Fan could only helplessly learn a lesson. "A slight difference could lead to drastic effects. If there are too many variables, my advantage of foresight will shrink greatly."

    Luckily, everything was just a slight ripple and did not affect the big picture.

    After things gradually got back on track, the gears of time flew forward, and in the blink of an eye, year 35 arrived.

    In this year, Li Fan left Xuanjing City and traveled thousands of miles to personally visit the eastern Ruins Abyss.

 Chapter 6: Sitting on a Mountain and Watching the Immortals Fight

    TL note on term changes: Abyss Ruins > Ruins Abyss, Immortal Miasma > Immortal-Mortal Miasma

    *****

    The Ruins Abyss, located in the easternmost part of the Grand Xuan Country, were so deep that one could not see the bottom, and there was a thick fog shrouding it all year round. If one were to identally lose their footing and fall, they would certainly end uppletely annihted.

    No one knew what lies beneath the Ruins Abyss. Even the birds were absent, and it had been a forbidden area to humans for many years.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, through hisst simtion experience, knew that the dense fog above the Ruins Abyss would disperse once every fifteen years. Today, he hade to the Ruins Abyss to witness it with his own eyes.

    After all, if his guess was correct, the two cultivators, Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong, likely arrived to this Land of Immortal Extinction through the Abyss Ruins.

    Li Fan stood silently, watching the endless abyss, patiently waiting.

    After an unknown period of time, the thick white mist that emitted an ancient aura finally changed.

    "Whooosh..."

    What seemed to be an ancient beast''s roarcame faintly from below. Only as the sound gradually became louder did the crowd realize that it was the sound of the wind!

    The dense white mist was stirred, creating ripples upon ripples.

    Then, the wind became stronger and stronger, and arge amount of white mist was forcefully expelled from the Ruins Abyss like a reverse waterfall rushing straight into the sky.

    Such a galested for half an hour before the heavy fog dispersed.

    Li Fan''s face was grave as he took out his telescope and looked towards the bottom of the Ruins Abyss.

    At first, the bottom of the Ruins Abyss was pitch ck, and nothing could be seen clearly.

    Gradually, a little bit of light appeared.

    After a long time, the bottom of the Ruins Abyss shone brightly, and a mirage-like, upside-down scene was reflected in Li Fan''s eyes.

    ording to the information, the scene that appeared at the bottom of the Ruins Abyss were different for each person.

    However, the scene in front of Li Fan''s eyes shook him to his core.

    There was a dpidated mountain gate with copsed buildings everywhere. The ground and walls, full of cracks, were filled with marks left by sword strikes and magical attacks.

    There were even a few areas that seemed to be drenched in blood, taking on a sinister dark red color.

    The corpses and weapons scattered all over the ce spoke of a catastrophe that had happened many years ago.

    Filled with shock, Li Fan shifted his gaze and saw fiverge words engraved on the smooth wall of a cliff.

    "The Immortal Dao is dead!"

    The four words were dark red, seemingly written in blood.

    Even from a distance, Li Fan could feel the unspeakable fear and despair contained in these five words.

    "The Immortal Dao is dead... what on earth happened here? And what has happened in the entire cultivation world?" Li Fan was immersed in it for a long time.

    ...

    The fog only dispersed for half a day and began to coalesce again. Li Fan re-returned to Xuanjing.

    After that, time flowed, and soon it reached the fifty year mark.

    On this day, Li Fan celebrated his seventieth birthday while thousands of soldiers in Xuanjing City stood awaiting orders.

    "Dao Xuanzi! Don''t you overstep your bounds!"

    Kou Hong turned around and shouted angrily, flying and stopping over Xuanjing City.

    However, before Dao Xuanzi could respond, a voice came from below first, resounding through Xuanjing.

    "Kou Hong, we have been waiting here for a long time by order of Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi!"

    Following the announcement came bullets that covered the sky.

    Caught off guard, Kou Hong was struck with a barrage of gunfire.

    "How is this possible? Did Dao Xuanzi already know that I was going to escape here? When did he be so scheming?!" Kou Hong was shocked and furious.

    And immediately after, Kou Hong was aghast to realize that his spiritual energy was being consumed at a rapid pace as he resisted against the barrage, and with a sweep of his divine sense, Kou Hong instantly understood.

    "Immortal-Mortal Miasma! Dao Xuanzi, you are so despicable!" Kou Hong looked at Dao Xuanzi, who had subsequently arrived, with eyes filled with disbelief, as if it was the first time he had truly seen his dear friend of a hundred years.

    At the moment, Dao Xuanzi was dumbfounded.

    "What''s with these mortals, why did they attack Kou Hong under my banner? And they would use the Immortal-Mortal Miasma?" Caught off guard, Dao Xuanzi froze for a moment.

    However, looking at furious Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi suddenly became alert.

    "There is something wrong here! Kou Hong, these mortals were not instructed by me!" Dao Xuanzi hurriedly exined.

    "What? You dare to do it but don''t dare to admit it?" Kou Hongughed mockingly. "Or are you afraid that if word of your use of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma gets out, you''ll be hunted down and killed by all the cultivators in unison? Or, are you more worried about tarnishing the good reputation you''ve built for over a century?

    Dao Xuanzi was familiar with his brother''s temper and knew that Kou Hong had lost his mind and wouldn''t to listen to anything he had to say.

    Dao Xuanzi vaguely felt that he was caught in some kind of trap.

    The bizarre aura of this ce even made him feel a sense of crisis.

    It was not wise to fight with Kou Hong at this moment.

    Thus, he still patiently exined to Kou Hong, "You''ve known me for a hundred years; when have you ever seen me lie? This is indeed not..."

    However, before he could finish his sentence, an old voice suddenly came from all directions, cutting his words short.

    "Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi, how can you go back on your word? Wasn''t it agreed that as long as we assisted you in killing Kou Hong here and seizing his Golden Core technique, you would lead my n out of this Land of Immortal Extinction?" The voice was aggrieved and also carried a touch of indignation.

    "Golden Core Technique?!" Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi''s faces changed at the same time when they heard this.

    "Still saying it''s not you? Other than you and I, who else in this world knows about this matter?!" Kou Hong''s hair stood on end, furious to the extreme.

    "This person actually knows about the matter of the Golden Core technique..." Dao Xuanzi''s heartpletely sank.

    The voice continued to speak from below: "Consider that by using the Immortal-Mortal Miasma for you, we have incurred widespread resentment. Now that the world is seething with public discontent, if Immortal Master doesn''t his word and fails to lead us out, I''m afraid that it won''t be long before my n will die without a burial ce!"

    Being falsely used, Dao Xuanzi only felt increasingly frustrated, and shouted, "Shameless viin, shut up!"

    He flew towards the source of the voice, trying to find the mastermind, but he only saw a strange rectangr object. It was the object from which that sound was emanating. And countless more of these objects were spread throughout the entire Xuanjing City!

    "To actually be so cautious..." Dao Xuanzi was helpless to the extreme.

    "Could it be that Immortal Master wishes to kill and silence us now?"

    Listening to the somewhat mocking words continue toe out from within, Dao Xuanzi clenched his teeth, crushing the object instantly.

    In Kou Hong''s eyes, it looked as if Dao Xuanzi was infuriated after being exposed and wanted to kill to cover up his secrets.

    Kou Hong raised his voice and roared to the sky, ''''Dao Xuanzi! You and I have known each other for a hundred years, but I seem to havepletely misjudged you! Even if you wanted to get the Golden Core technique, why do you need to use so many underhanded tactics? I''m not going to run any longer, soe and get it if you have the ability!"

    "Dao Technique: Fire Dragon''s Roar!"

    A furious fiery dragon surrounded Kou Hong and let out a heaven-shaking roar.

    The fire dragon then looked angrily ahead and spat out a crimson ze from its mouth which headed straight for Dao Xuanzi.

    Dao Xuanzi sighed helplessly, and with a soft chant, a flying sword appeared out of thin air from behind him, transforming into a white light that met the red mes head-on.

 Chapter 7: Blazing Dragon Swallows the Sword

    The crimson mes shed with the white sword aura, creating violent explosions that reverberated through the air.

    Xuanjing City below was caught in the aftermath, engulfed in a sea of fire.

    The battle between the two did notst long. Kou Hong''s cultivation was originally inferior to Dao Xuanzi, and he was also weakened by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma attack from before, so he quickly fell into a disadvantage.

    Dao Xuanzi showed no mercy despite this, as his sword techniques pressured Kou Hong relentlessly.

    Just then, the old voice sounded once again.

    "Dao Xuanzi is fickle and vindictive. If we let him win, there is no way for us to survive. Soldiers, obey my order and help Immortal Master Kou Hong deal with Dao Xuanzi!"

    Kou Hong was overjoyed when he heard this.

    He hastily distanced himself away from Dao Xuanzi, watching as Dao Xuanzi was swarmed with bullets. Triumphant, he shouted, "As the saying goes, you reap what you sow! I never expected that despite your veneer of righteousness, you would resort to betrayal and suffer a tragic bacsh!"

    Dao Xuanzi was already frustrated by the scheming of the hidden puppeteer, and when he heard Kou Hong''s words, he was infuriated to the point of spitting blood.

    "You stupid fool!" He couldn''t stand it anymore and cursed at Kou Hong.

    "Atst, your true colors are emerging!" Kou Hong did not show any weakness and counterattacked, "You''ve always prided yourself as being particrly clever, but look at you now. You''ve been forsaken by the very mortals you controlled and manipted! Your clever n has backfired spectacrly!"

    Dao Xuanzi heard this and was left speechless. Unable to argue any longer, he simply ignored Kou Hong and insteadunched deadly sword attacks, reaping the lives of the mortal soldiers who dared to attack him.

    However, these mortals were like locusts, their numbers seemingly endless. No matter how many he ughtered, more would swiftly take their ce, putting tremendous pressure on Dao Xuanzi, especially since he also had to be wary of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma. Because of this, he could only use energy-consuming ranged attacks to avoid being infected.

    As a result, the battlefield entered a strange stalemate.

    At this critical moment, that old voice echoed again relentlessly.

    "Immortal Master Kou Hong, my n''s soldiers are on the brink of being wiped out. After Dao Xuanzi kills all of us, will he spare you? If you don''t make a move at this time, when will you?!" The voice conveyed a tone of anxiousness and fear.

    Kou Hong was awakened by this voice and instantly came to his senses.

    He looked at Dao Xuanzi with a solemn expression, "You''re right. Dao Xuanzi, you and I have been friends for a hundred years. Although we have turned against each other because of this Golden Formation technique, we''re only both pursuing the path to longevity. I''ll give you onest chance: if you give up the technique and flee, I won''t bother you anymore. If not, I''m afraid that only one of us will survive."

    Dao Xuanzi sighed softly, but he did not say a word, responding by raising his sword and facing Kou Hong.

    "Very well. Recently, as I was fleeing, Iprehended a new Dao Art. It''s only fitting that I use it to end this!" Kou Hong said sternly.

    He then performed a hand seal. "Dao Art: Imprisoning Dragon!"

    mes formed into fiery shackles that surrounded Dao Xuanzi in all directions, forming an intricate formation that created a massive cage, trapping Dao Xuanzi within.

    "Break for me!" Dao Xuanzi, who felt an enormous pressure suddenly weighing on him, carried a grave expression. He took a deep breath, and the shadow of a rusty iron sword faintly emerged behind him.

    Under the sword''s shadow, the sword aura he unleashed seemed to be empowered. As he struck the fiery cage, the originally zing mes instantly came to a standstill before rapidly fading away.

    Kou Hong seemed to have anticipated this oue as heughed, "Dao Xuanzi, you and I have been friends for a hundred years, and we have fought together side by side countless times. Others say that my cultivation is inferior to yours, and that is indeed the case. However, cultivation is cultivation, andbat isbat. If we were to truly fight to the death, it is still uncertain who would win or lose between us!"

    "Since it''se to this, you don''t have to hold back anymore. Let me see if your Dao Xuan Sword is more formidable, or if my Dao Arts are superior!"

    In Kou Hong''s eyes, endless battle intent erupted. "Dao Art: Heaven-Devouring Dragon!"

    The mes that had previously faded away suddenly went outpletely. On the contrary, Dao Xuanzi''s face changed drastically with the disappearance of the me cage.

    It turned out that hidden behind the me cage was a gnarled, dragon-shaped branch, waiting for the right moment to strike. After the mes suddenly extinguished, the branch shot towards Dao Xuanzi with a thunderous momentum as even darker mes began to grow around the branch. In an instant, the mes formed a massive, zing dragon that was about to devour Dao Xuanzi!

    "Dao Xuan!" At the moment of life and death, Dao Xuanzi did not panic despite his shock.

    In the sky, the giant shadow of the rusty sword waspletely revealed.

    The gnarled dragon branch paused momentarily as if it had encountered a formidable foe, but then, as if provoked, swept towards Dao Xuanzi in an increasingly ferocious manner.

    Dao Xuanzi swung his sword, and the shadow behind him mirrored his movement.

    The space ahead solidified like a water surface freezing.

    The fiery dragon collided with the enormous Dao Xuan Sword for only a moment before being forced back.

    The Heaven-Devouring Dragon shattered into crystalline fragments. Despite its appearance, it was no match for the Dao Xuan Sword!

    The carefully prepared Dao Art proved to be fragile in the face of the giant sword shadow flying towards Kou Hong, but he neither panicked nor dodged away.

    "Dao Art: Dragon''s Rebirth!"

    Under Kou Hong''s furious shout, the crystalline fragments that had scattered upon the previous defeat instantly ignited once more.

    They then coalesced together, forming a brand new zing dragon.

    Its mes burned brighter than ever before, and its prominent horns signified its proud heritage.

    Like a sharp sword, the newly formed dragon surged relentlessly towards Dao Xuanzi, apanied by the sound of a dragon''s roar!

    Dao Xuanzi''s eyes shed with a trace of appreciation, but the Dao Xuan Sword above him showed no sign of retreating.

    In a life-and-death struggle, whoever was more decisive and ruthless woulde out on top!

    However, at this crucial juncture, the old voice sounded out once more, like a lingering specter.

    "Immortal Master Kou Hong, we shall lend you our aid!"

    Before the voice even faded, long cannonballs with fiery trails bombarded Dao Xuanzi from all directions and erupted into a rain of blood!

    "Ah!" Caught off guard, Dao Xuan Zi let out a miserable scream as his imposing aura plummeted.

    The shadow of the Dao Xuan Sword also became dim, and the zing dragon was able to take this opportunity to ovee the Dao Xuan Sword, breaking through the distorted space and piercing through Dao Xuanzi''s body!

    On the other hand, the sword shadow wielded by Dao Xuanzi was at the end of its line, only forcing a few mouthfuls of blood out of Kou Hong before dissipating.

    "I... I..." Dao Xuanzi coughed miserably, desiring but unable to express his final words.

    In mere moments, swallowed by the Heaven-Devouring Dragon, Dao Xuanzi''s body turned into a pile of bones.

 Chapter 8: Eternal Separation of Mortals and Immortals

    Above the vast sky, a strange phenomenon formed.

    A gigantic sword, forged through a thousand trials, had been abandoned in the shadows for millennia, forgotten by all.

    As the years passed, its de was no longer bright, its edge was no longer sharp, and it was covered in rust.

    However, a wave of anger and unwillingness suddenly arose!

    Even as the corrosion of rust became more and more severe, the divinity and majesty of that huge sword likewise increased with each passing day!

    "Foundation Establishment cultivator Dao Xuanzi cultivated the Dao for two hundred and one years, achieving the Foundation Establishment through the extraordinary artifact [Rust Sword Dao Xuan]. In the Land of Immortal Extinction, he fought to the death with others and eventually fell at the hands of Foundation Establishment Cultivator Kou Hong."

    "Now, in death, his Dao returns to the heavens!"

    The brilliant scene illuminated the sky for thousands of miles like fireworks.

    "Dao Xuanzi..." Kou Hong watched the magnificent scene and seemedpletely stunned, unable to stop murmuring to himself.

    All the soldiers present also looked up at the sky and froze.

    "I am Li Fan, and I greet the Immortal Master."

    Right at this moment, an old man with white hair and a walking stick walked tremblingly to Kou Hong''s side.

    Kou Hong paid him no mind, but Li Fan was not in a hurry, patiently waiting while signaling the soldiers to stand by.

    Only after a long time, with the heavenly visage dispersing, did Kou Hong turn to look at Li Fan.

    "Are you the leader of the mortals here?" Kou Hong''s tone was harsh, and it was obvious that he did not have a good impression of Li Fan. "That voice that rang out everywhere before was you, right?"

    "They were petty tricks, and are not worth the Immortal Master''s attention." Li Fan cupped his hands and avoided discussing the matter directly. Instead, he bowed respectfully. "I beseech the Immortal Master to be merciful and save the lives of my n''s thousands of people."

    "Mercy...," Kou Hong sneered at the request. "In my battle with Dao Xuanzi, we both relied on our own abilities, and our life and death were determined by fate. You, a mere mortal, actually interfered in the battle between us cultivators."

    He looked at Li Fan, his words dripping with killing intent, "Although Dao Xuanzi and I fought to the death over the Golden Core technique, he was still my brother of more than a hundred years. Now that you have killed him, shouldn''t I avenge him by killing you?"

    Unaffected by Kou Hong''s threat, Li Fan justughed bitterly, "I''m just seeking a ray of hope! As I mentioned before, if Immortal Master loses, my n will definitely be unable to escape death."

    When Kou Hong heard this, his face loosened up. He sighed, "What a way to seek a chance of survival. You''re right. In this harsh and cruel world, who isn''t struggling for that glimmer of hope?"

    Seeing that Kou Hong''s tone had softened, Li Fan hurriedly jumped at the opportunity and said, "Previously, Dao Xuanzi... the Immortal Master had promised me that if..."

    Before Li Fan could finish his words, Kou Hong frowned and interrupted, "If it''s this matter, I''m afraid I''ll have to disappoint you. Dao Xuanzi probably had no intention of honoring his promise to begin with."

    Li Fan froze, "What does Immortal Master mean?"

    Kou Hongughed mockingly, "For a hundred years, Dao Xuanzi has presented himself as an upright and righteous figure. I can''t believe he turned out to be unscrupulous with no bottom line, even deceiving mortals in his actions."

    He paused, watched Li Fan''s expression, and continued, "The Great Formation of Immortal Extinction is so dangerous that the two of us were only able to break in with a healthy amount of luck. It would take a lot of effort for us to leave on our own, so how could we possibly take a mortal away?"

    "What? Even Immortal Master doesn''t know how to leave this ce?" Li Fan''s heart and mind shook drastically, and his face became extremely ugly. With over a hundred years of anticipation and hopes being ruthlessly crushed by the immortal cultivator in front of him, Li Fan''s mind almost copsed.

    However, Li Fan had gone through several lifetimes of trials and tribtions, and his mind had long been tempered. He quickly recovered and said to Kou Hong, "This is not the ce to talk. Immortal Master, please follow me."

    With that, he led Kou Hong through the ruins of Xuanjing City to an underground bunker.

    Earlier, when Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi were fighting, the soldiers in the city were hiding in these bunkers. In Xuanjing City, there were hundreds of simr bunkers, bothrge and small.

    Although the bunkers were deep underground, they were illuminated with lights and were still as bright as the surface. There were even venttion ducts connecting to the outside world so that the bunker was not suffocating.

    Kou Hong surveyed the lights on the ceiling with interest andplimented, "No wonder Dao Xuanzi sought cooperation with you mortals. To be able to restrain and utilize the power of lightning, it seems that over the thousands of years, you mortals of the Immortal Extinction Land have developed greatly. There was also the projectile weapon from before which was quite powerful."

    Immediately afterward, he shook his head again, "It''s a pity, only in thisnd whichcks the Great Dao are these magic artifacts somewhat useful. Outside of here, under the oppression of thews of the Great Dao, all of these things would be useless."

    "Speaking of which, when did Dao Xuanzi find you and ask you to ambush me here? The timing doesn''t match up. Could it be he mastered the art of existing in two ces at the same time?" Kou Hong suddenly remembered and asked suddenly.

    Li Fan remainedposed and was about to answer before being cut off by Kou Hong, who had immediately lost interest and waved his hand, "Forget it, what''s the point of dwelling on this matter? After death, all things are meaningless." Finishing his words, he copsed onto a chair, his expression gloomy. He seemed to have been deeply affected by Dao Xuanzi''s death.

    "It is best not to continue this matter lest I reveal some inconsistencies," Li Fan thought to himself.

    He then inquired with an anxious expression, "Before, Immortal Master said that he was unable to take mortals out of this Immortal Extinction Land. Is this matter really true?"

    Kou Hong snorted, "You are just a mortal, so why would I lie to you? Perhaps a Golden Core stage cultivator could protect a mortal while breaking through the Immortal Extinction Formation, but if it''s just my Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, it''s absolutely impossible!"

    "Of course, if you don''t mind ending up as ashes, I am willing to give it a try."

    Ignoring Kou Hong''s less-than-amusing jest, Li Fan asked persistently, "Could it be that there is no hope for mortals like me to leave this world?"

    Kou Hong pondered for a moment before shaking his head, "If you want to leave the Land of Immortal Extinction, you must break through the Immortal Extinction Formation. A mere mortal body has no chance of breaking through. Any attempts would be akin to seeking death. Moreover, at your age, you already have one foot in the grave. Why are you so obsessed with leaving this ce? Wouldn''t it be nice to be a local ruler?"

    Kou Hong had a disdainful look on his face.

    "Even though I wouldn''t mind dying, I still wish to leave some hope for my descendants." Li Fan''s persistence did not end, and he asked again, "If my descendants can cultivate to the Foundation Establishment realm like Immortal Master, would it be possible to leave this ce?"

    Kou Hong burst intoughter, "Even ignoring thepleteck of spiritual energy in this ce, making cultivation impossible, how could a mortal here,pletely tainted in miasma, cultivate the Immortal Way?"

    Kou Hong sneered, "I advise you to give up on such hopes. Immortals and mortals have been eternally separated. Even if you mortals wanted to cultivate, you''d have to reform your bodies and cleanse yourselves of Immortal-Mortal Miasma in the outside world. Otherwise, even if the path of immortality was right in front of you, you wouldn''t be able to even touch it."

    With each question, Kou Hong''s denials grew stronger, and Li Fan seemed to finally give up.

    "Immortals and mortals are eternally separated... eternal separation..." Li Fan muttered in a daze, "So, there is really no way?"

    "There really isn''t." Watching Li Fan''s mood sink so far seemed to amuse Kou Hong.

    "There really isn''t." Kou Hong repeated again.

    "As the Immortal Master said, immortals and mortals have been eternally separated." Li Fan let out a long sigh.

    "Indeed." Kou Hong nodded repeatedly.

    As if he were defeated by this cruel fact, Li Fan excused himself and left, his expression dazed.

    The moment he walked out of the bunker, the door mmed shut with a bang.

    Kou Hong''s face changed, an uneasy premonition welling up in his heart.

    However, it was already toote.

    Rolls of mist containing the Immortal-Mortal Miasma gushed out from every corner of the room.

    "Ahhh!"

    Kou Hong let out a miserable scream before he was drowned in the dense fog.

    Outside the bunker, Li Fan''s gaze turned deep as he slowly said, "Since immortals and mortals cannot coexist."

    "Then how could I, a mere mortal, dare to fully believe what you say?"

 Chapter 9: Fate has Unforeseen Paths

    Li Fan gazed at the confession on the table, feeling disheartened.

    Kou Hong hadn''t lied to him. He truly didn''t know how to help mortals leave this isted realm.

    "The Land of Immortal Extinction..." After five cycles of reincarnation and three hundred years of anticipation, all his hopes had turned into unachievable dreams.

    With his hopes of immortality shattered, Li Fan seemed to have aged overnight both physically and psychologically.

    "Land of Immortal Extinction..." He once again recited the name in his mind, and endless unwillingness welled up in his heart.

    "Why did I have to be reborn in such a ce? If I had been reborn in the cultivation realm outside, with the power of [Truth], I would have had a genuine chance at immortality. But fate had to ce me in this Land of Immortal Extinction!"

    The information in Kou Hong''s confession once again crossed Li Fan''s mind.

    The so-called Land Immortal Extinction, as the name suggests, is a ce where immortals are extinct. Thousands of years ago, the ancient immortal cultivation world suffered a great change.

    At first, it was just a gue that swept through the mortal realm, and no cultivators paid it much heed.

    However, after a cultivator was identally infected by this mysterious gue, things began to spiral out of control.

    After infecting the immortal cultivator, the gue seemed to have been inexplicably strengthened, bing able to spread amongst cultivators.

    The medium of transmission was none other than the spiritual energy that cultivators relied on for their cultivation.

    Through the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the gue quickly spread throughout the entire cultivation world. Cultivators infected with the gue would regress in their cultivation, while the less fortunate would lose their cultivation overnight and be no different from mortals. Within only a few days, they would die and return to heaven.

    With the deaths of arge number of cultivators, a wave of despair began to spread among the cultivatormunity.

    In desperation, some cultivators vented their anger on the source of it all, the mortals.

    Thus, a mass ughter began.

    Facing the towering cultivators, the mortals had little power to resist and could only be ughtered.

    But it wasn''t long before this ughtering was forcibly terminated, not out of a guilty conscience, but because of the horrific discovery that the gue didn''t dissipate with the deaths of the mortals. Instead, the gue was released into the world, infecting the currents of spiritual energy that pervaded heaven and earth.

    For a while, the concentration of the gue within the cultivation world skyrocketed.

    This led to the fall of even more cultivators.

    Helpless, cultivators gave up their ughters of mortals.

    However, sitting back and waiting for death was obviously not cultivators'' style of action. On the one hand, a group of cultivators began to develop treatments to resist this gue, and on the other hand, cultivators came up with the infamous [Great Migration n].

    Although this n was opposed by a significant portion of cultivators at the very beginning, most eventually agreed for the sake of their survival.

    The so-called [Great Migration n] was based on the following considerations:

    Since mortals couldn''t be killed, and cures were nowhere in sight, the gue would only spread more and more as mortals reproduced.

    But because the gue relied on spiritual energy for transmission, a logical solution was formed: banish all mortals in the cultivation realm to small realms, broken pocket dimensions, and other ces without spiritual energy. Then, formations would be used to iste them forever, forbidding the mortals from returning.

    In this way, the gue of mortals would be contained, allowing cultivators to slowly study cures for the gue.

    Moreover, the world was filled with countless undeveloped pocket dimensions, so there were no concerns about running out of space for the exiled mortals.

    Thus, under the arrangement of the unified will of the entire cultivation world, all mortals began their centuries-long migration.

    The question of how many mortals would die during this century-long migration was not within the consideration of the cultivators. In the face of the strength of cultivators, mortals had no room for resistance.

    In this way, after hundreds of years of migration, the mortals of the entire cultivation realm were dispersed across various small worlds. It took nearly a thousand more years for the gue''s concentration to finally decrease to a manageable level.

    During these thousand years, cultivators finally found a way to purify this gue after continuous research.

    However, despite purification, the gue would still remaintent within mortal bloodlines, much to the dismay of cultivators.

    Even if there were no more mortals in the world at that time, not every offspring between cultivators had the aptitude for cultivation, and more mortals would be born over time. Inside these mortalsy the threat of the gue.

    Furthermore, because the gue was especially lethal to immortal cultivators, mortal offspring wishing to cultivate had to first purify themselves of the gue.

    Over time, this gue became synonymous with the divide between immortals and mortals, so it was named the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.

    In order to prevent the resurgence of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, cultivators agreed to avoid ces where mortals had been banished.

    Over time, these ces became the so-called Lands of Immortal Extinction.

    There were countless Lands of Immortal Extinction both big and small, but the number of cultivators willing to risk their lives to enter these ces was very few.

    It was already a blessing for Li Fan to stumble upon two of them.

    Now, these cultivators did not have a way to bring mortals out. How could Li Fan expect another cultivator of a higher cultivation level to break in?

    What''s more, as a mortal, his lifespan was limited. Even if he could constantly simte reincarnation, it would only be repeated within his lifespan.

    This year, he was already seventy years old, and the upper limit of his physical lifespan was eighty-six.

    The possibility of meeting another cultivator within those sixteen years was basically zero.

    Since this was the case, how could Li Fan not feel despair?

    Though he had glimpsed the path to cultivating immortality, in the end, it proved hopelessly distant.

    Could it be that he could only repeat the life of a mortal over and over?

    Li Fan was truly unwilling.

    The road to immortality was right before him, seemingly within his reach, yet it was impossible to take the first step.

    Thinking about everything he had experienced in his several lifetimes, his nearly three hundred years of bitter anticipation, Li Fan wasn''t resigned to giving up the path to immortality.

    Was there really no way?

    Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning cutting through fog, Li Fan thought of something he had overlooked.

    How had arge number of mortals migrated thousands of years ago?

    Although the Land of Immortal Extinction and the cultivation world were adjacent, they were separate realms.

    Surely these mortals didn''te here on foot, right?

    There had to be some means of transportation, right?

    Perhaps those means were still around today?

    If he could find those means, could he use them to travel to the cultivation world?

    Even if it was just a slim, almost negligible possibility, it sparked a glimmer of hope for Li Fan.

    His excitement surged, and he immediately headed to the prison cell where Kou Hong was being held.

    He wanted to consult Kou Hong on the feasibility of his idea.

 Chapter 10: Unique Paths to Immortality

    "How did the mortals during the Great Migration ne to the Land of Immortal Extinction?" Perhaps he had never thought about this before, as Kou Hong directly froze after hearing Li Fan ask this.

    "Thousands of years have passed since the era of the Great gue, and we''re not sure what exactly happened during that time. Regarding the various things that happened back then, I''ve only heard rumors." Kou Hong shook his head after thinking for a moment.

    "What, you still haven''t given up?" Kou Hong looked at Li Fan and couldn''t help but mock, "Even if you get out, what could you do? Still wanting to cultivate immortality at the age of seventy..."

    He was halfway through his sentence, but when he saw Li Fan''s icy cold eyes watching him as several trained soldiers stood beside them, he couldn''t help but shiver and snapped his mouth shut.

    Kou Hong had long been released from his prison by Li Fan.

    After being trapped in the secret room and baptized by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma by Li Fan, his cultivation had regressed drastically, falling directly to the early stage of Qi Refining.

    Unable to use any of his dao techniques, he was now just a slightly stronger mortal.

    After being captured, he had originally cursed and raged, but after a few rounds of severe torture, Kou Hong became obedient.

    "It turns out that high and mighty cultivators, after losing their cultivation, are no different from us mortals. In fact, they have even less backbone than us," a soldier on the side said mockingly.

    "Yeah, this one didn''t evenst an hour under us." Another soldier chimed in.

    Kou Hong was very frank: "Better to be alive than dead. Besides, in the cultivation realm, death ismon. Although you are just a mortal, your skills and determination are not bad. I can''tin about you ambushing us, as you proved superior!"

    "Don''t you hate me?" Li Fan was a little curious.

    "Hate? Of course I do!" Kou Hong aggressively drank a mouthful of the wine Li Fan had prepared for him, "But what can I do about it? Now that you are the knife and I am the meat on the chopping board, how could I threaten you? Wouldn''t that be a death wish?"

    "You are quite open-minded!" Li Fan smiled.

    "It''s just surviving by any means necessary!" Kou Hong snorted coldly.

    "If you could return to the cultivation world, would you still be able to continue your cultivation?" After a moment of silence, Li Fan suddenly asked.

    "What..." Kou Hong didn''t react immediately.

    "If you can help me find a way to travel to the cultivation realm, maybe I will take you with me." Li Fan promised.

    "You treacherous viin, you still want to swindle me?" Kou Hong was furious, but he soon calmed down and looked at Li Fan fiercely.

    Li Fan''s face was calm: "Truth or falsehood, it''s still a glimmer of hope for you. Are you willing to give up on your life and just die of old age in this tiny ce?"

    Hearing Li Fan''s words, Kou Hong fell silent.

    His face changed intensely, and it was obvious that his heart was struggling deeply.

    After a long time, he finally let out a long sigh.

    "Fine! I agree!"

    "Don''t worry, I, Li Fan, have always kept my promises, and have never gone back on my word." Li Fan said reassuringly.

    The henchmen on the side carried solemn faces and lowered their heads.

    In the entire court, who didn''t know that the current Imperial Advisor was a man of his word; if he said he would kill your entire family, he would!

    "No need to paint a rosy picture for me, as I am already willing to help you if only to gamble for a slim chance of survival." Kou Hong said coldly.

    Hearing this, Li Fan didn''t bother to exin further. Instead, he directly raised his spection.

    "If my guess is correct, back then, cultivators should have used a magic artifact simr to a flying boat or shuttle to migrate the mortals. In ancient times, when the cultivation world was flourishing with numerous sects and schools, this kind of transportation-type artifact was very popr. Unfortunately,ter on, the world underwent tremendous changes, and cultivators became wary of each other. They started to act alone, and these flying boats and shuttles became rare sights." Kou Hong slowly responded.

    "Are you referring to the catastrophe caused by the mysterious Immortal-Mortal Miasma?" Li Fan asked.

    "Although the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was bizarre, it couldn''t shake the foundations of the cultivation world. In fact, the reason why the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was able to run rampant was because the vast majority of the cultivators in heaven and earth had already fallen victim to a great cmity. The strength of the cultivation world plummeted, which is why it was unable to effectively deal with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma." Kou Hong shook his head, hisplexion somewhat grave.

    "A great cmity?" Li Fan suddenly recalled the scene of the crumbling mountain gate that he had seen in the depths of the Abyss Ruins previously, and he could not help but feel his heart trembling, "Could it be that immortality techniques cannot be practiced together?"

    Kou Hong nced at Li Fan in surprise, unsure of how he came up with the idea.

    "Indeed, practitioners of the same technique cannot coexist!" Kou Hong let out a long sigh.

    "In the ancient times, there was no such restriction. At that time, a countless number of great cultivation sects opened their doors to the world, recruiting disciples and teaching them their techniques. Cultivators had masters to guide them, and when they encountered difficulties in their cultivation, they could ask for advice at any time. They could also spar and learn from their fellow disciples who practiced the same techniques. Back then, the entire cultivation world flourished vibrantly!" Kou Hong said, unable to hide his longing.

    "Unfortunately, the heavens and earth changed drastically! Immortal cultivators suddenly realized one day the efficiency of their cultivation was greatly reduced. While cultivating, they would know in their minds how many people in the entire cultivation world were practicing the same techniques as them. They discovered to their horror that the more people that practiced the same technique simultaneously, the lower the cultivation efficiency would be for everyone." Kou Hong spoke slowly in a dark voice, a hint of fear shing in his eyes.

    "In the beginning, everyone maintained restraint, trying to find a solution to the problem. However, in the following decades, countless cultivators were stuck in ce, unable to advance their cultivation. Eventually, they reached their limits and could no longer hide the killing intent within their hearts."

    "A catastrophe that swept through the entire cultivation world began. Anyone who practiced the same technique became an obstacle to all the others! Former masters and disciples, senior brothers and junior sisters, all became mortal enemies in an instant! Even if someone''s heart was not willing to kill, how could they be sure all other parties thought the same? Who could guarantee that the other party would not eventually ambush them? All cultivators were plunged into endless suspicion, and the only people they could trust were themselves!"

    "At that time, all sects became hell overnight. Those scattered cultivators hiding in deep mountains and secret realms trying to take refuge were not spared either, because cultivators who practiced the same technique would also sense each other''s location!"

    "Massacre, endless massacre. I don''t know how long itsted before it gradually subsided. By then, the once thriving cultivation realm had be incredibly deste, with all the sects ceasing to exist, leaving behind only solitary cultivators." Kou Hong narrated this ancient cmity in the cultivation world with great detail.

    Li Fan listened intently, his emotions rising and falling as more questions formed in his heart.

    Since immortal practitioners of the same technique could not coexist, how did cultivators practice now? What did the cultivation world look like today?

 Chapter 11: Labor Tirelessly in the Pursuit of Immortality

    "In today''s world, a mortal who wants to cultivate immortality has no more than a few options." Kou Hong patiently exined.

    "One is to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is a loose alliance formed by many cultivators where one can earn contribution points by taking on andpleting quests or trading with others. With the contribution points, one can then exchange for cultivation techniques and resources from the alliance."

    "Second is the Five Elders Association. The Five Elders Association is an organization created by five top-tier powerhouses, and it wields significant influence. As long as one has the qualifications to cultivate, one can voluntarily join and choose a cultivation technique. The price is that one needs to sign a soul contract and serve the Five Elders Association for a certain amount of time."

    "The third is to choose to join the local forces around the world. Although these forces can''t bepared to the previous two, the local forces tend to be more cohesive and generally don''t involve dangerous missions, which is more suitable for those withid-back dispositions. As for certain other chaotic organizations, they are not very reliable, so let''s not mention them." Kou Hong slowly exined the general situation of today''s cultivation world.

    Li Fan frowned at his words and was a bit puzzled, "From your description, why does it seem like cultivation techniques are not that scarce in the cultivation world?"

    Kou Hong snorted coldly, "That''s because the techniques obtained through these organizations are all iplete."

    "Iplete?" Li Fan stared nkly, then suddenly realized. "If you want to obtain a higher level-technique, you have to continue to sell your life for them?"

    "Not bad!" Kou Hong replied bitterly. "All techniques have been crippled by major factions in recent years, and cultivating them to the peak of Foundation Establishment is the limit. If you want to break through to the next realm, you have to switch to a higher level technique every further realm you reach."

    "Switching techniques? If one has to rece their cultivation technique and cultivate from the beginning every realm breakthrough, wouldn''t that mean that all the previous efforts were in vain?" Li Fan was shocked.

    "That won''t be the case." Kou Hong shook his head. "Ordinary cultivators must cultivate the Tai Shang Primordial Scripture. It is rumored that this sutra was the highest scripture of the Tai Shang Sect and served as the foundation of their sect. After the great catastrophe, the Tai Shang Sect was annihted, leaving behind only fragments of the Tai Shang Primordial True Scripture in the world. This scripture isn''t a cultivation technique, it''s instead more like a secret art. It allows the person practicing it to freely convert their spiritual energy without significant loss, and be able to quickly catch up to the original realm after dispersing his or her original technique and switching to a new one."

    "There is actually such a miraculous method," Li Fan marveled. "But the appearance of this remnant was quite timely. Only this way would the countless cultivators be able to ept constantly changing cultivation techniques."

    Li Fanughed coldly, "In my opinion, this ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture'' has likely been preserved as far more than just remnants. I''m afraid it''s just that the person behind the scenes is only willing to release this part to control the cycle of changing techniques."

    Kou Hong sighed longingly, "Who doesn''t understand this logic? But what can be done? True techniques are hard toe by, and although being exploited is regrettable, at least there is a visible goal and means to achieve it. I''m not willing to be controlled by others for the rest of my life, but I''m not willing to risk my life. Those who despise control and are willing to risk their life to search for opportunities in the various secret realms and ancient sects are only a minority."

    Li Fan nodded, gaining a rough understanding of the situation of the cultivation world today. It waspletely different from the carefree, single-minded pursuit of immortality he had imagined. Instead, it had be slightly simr to his previous world.

    Thinking about all this, Li Fan couldn''t help but sneer.

    Kou Hong didn''t notice the difference in Li Fan''s mind. He sighed involuntarily, "Dao Xuanzi never knew that the reason why I grabbed the technique and ran away was not because it was a Golden Core technique, but because it was a genuine technique that could lead to the realm of Nascent Soul."

    "If it really was a Golden Core technique, I still would''ve been able to control myself. But it was, after all, a true Nascent Soul technique..." Kou Hongmented repeatedly.

    When Li Fan heard this, his heart stirred, and he touched the ring he was wearing on his hand.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi''s items had already been seized by him and stored in this storage ring. Perhaps it was because he had gone through many reincarnations and his mental strength was far beyond that of normal people, but the storage ring that usually required divine sense at the Qi Refining Stage to function was usable by him as well. However, if he couldn''t find a way to leave the Land of Immortal Extinction, these things would bepletely useless to him, so he didn''t have the heart to examine them carefully yet.

    Next, Kou Hong introduced Li Fan to themon knowledge of the cultivation world, such as how the fall of a cultivator would invoke a heavenly vision to all within a certain range. Finally, he returned to the topic of leaving and discussed Li Fan''s hope for flying boat legacies from the Great Migration n.

    "Perhaps there is indeed such a possibility," Kou Hong thought carefully before affirming.

    "I''ve heard rumors that for the past thousands of years, there have been asional reports of mortals banished to the Immortal Extinction Lands who then secretly returned to the cultivation world. It''s just that most of it is just hearsay without any solid evidence."

    "Where there''s smoke, there''s fire. Sometimes rumors contain the truth of the matter." Li Fan''s heart perked up, "After all, mortals and cultivators are inextricably linked. It is normal for some cultivators to leave a path for their mortal families to return. I think these mortals were able to return through the backup methods left by these cultivators."

    Kou Hong was not very optimistic: "Even so, thousands of years have passed. This realm is also quite vast, and the possibility of being able to find these hopes is very slim."

    "As long as there is a ray of hope, I will not give up." Li Fan said firmly.

    "I really don''t know why you, a dying old man, remain so attached to this..." Kou Hong muttered in a small voice.

    Li Fan pretended not to hear and said solemnly to Kou Hong, "As long as you help me find a way to travel to the cultivation world, not only will I release you and allow you toe with me, but I''ll also return all of your and Dao Xuanzi''s belongings."

    "Including that Nascent Soul Technique!"

    "Truly?!" Kou Hong raised his head violently, a strong trace of hope emerging in his eyes.

    "Of course." Li Fan nodded his head.

    "Good... if this is the case, I will do my best to help you." Kou Hong gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

    Although he had been deceived by Li Fan several times and did not know how trustworthy Li Fan''s promises were, he was just like Li Fan. As long as there was even a sliver of hope, he was unwilling to give up.

    To be trapped here for decades and die of old age was definitely not what he, Kou Hong, desired!

    ...

    Next, with the help of Kou Hong, Li Fan collected history books and ssics of the world, trying to find clues about the Great Migration n from ancient records.

    At the same time, Li Fan also used the army to excavate ancient tombs, trying to find some clues from them. Although it led to a lot of public grievances and hundreds of officials writing letters to admonish him day after day, they were all forcibly suppressed by him.

    Unfortunately, too much time had passed since the Great Migration n, and his remaining lifespan in this world was too short.

    Sixteen yearster, in the 66th year, Li Fan''s end was approaching, but he still had nothing to show for it.

    Ordering that Kou Hong should be released, Li Fan came alone to the underground chamber of the Imperial Advisor''s Mansion.

    With a movement of his divine mind, Li Fan took out all the items in his storage ring andid them out in order.

    First, Li Fan focused on the jade slip that emitted a faint golden glow.

    It was the Nascent Soul technique that caused Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi to turn against each other!

    *****

    TL Note: Tai Shang Sect = Supreme Sect/Mount Tai Sect or something like that. I''ll stick with pinyin though and just share the trantions in a note, unless people overwhelmingly prefer the westernized form.

 Chapter 12: Second Anchor Point Emerges

    "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra, Nascent Soul technique, current number of cultivators: 0."

    Li Fan picked up the jade slip and a message naturally appeared in his mind.

    "Nascent Soul realm, huh..." Li Fan''s heart was filled with longing, but it was a pity that right now, he was still just a mortal without a hint of divine sense. Although he could use the storage ring, he could not do anything with this Nascent Soul technique, and could only look on with bated breath, unable to learn its content.

    Owning a treasure but being unable to ess it, Li Fan could only look at it greedily for a few more moments before finally putting it down with reluctance.

    Li Fan then looked at a rusty iron sword beside it.

    It was none other than Dao Xuanzi''s Foundation Establishment Treasure, [Rust Sword Dao Xuan].

    ording to Kou Hong, if a Qi Refining Cultivator wanted to break through, he needed to use a treasure of heaven and earth as the basis to establish their foundation.

    These treasures were unique, and only those with destiny could find them.

    Furthermore, once a cultivator establishes their foundation through the treasure, the treasure will be inextricably tied to the cultivator.

    If the cultivator falls, then the natural treasure will fall with them, losing their extraordinary properties and bing an ordinary object.

    Li Fan stroked the unusual iron sword in front of him with his hand, but his attention was focused on the information that suddenly emerged from [Truth].

    "Charging item found: Rust Sword Dao Xuan (remnant)."

    "Consume to recharge?"

    Li Fan pondered for a moment and chose yes.

    The rusty sword in his hand silently disappeared, and with that, a line of small words appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    "Current anchor recharging progress: 1%"

    "Current number of anchor points: 1"

    Li Fan''s heart stirred; ording to the feedback from [Truth], when the anchor charging progress reached 100%, a second anchor point will be opened.

    In the future, everything will be virtualized, and when choosing to return, one could choose to restart from any one of the anchor points.

    "If the second anchor point can really be opened, it would be incredibly convenient," Li Fan thought, looking forward to it.

    For example, he kept repeating his reincarnation in these lifetimes in an attempt to get the cultivation method from Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. The previous fifty years had been a repetitive ordeal for him. Moreover, uncontroble variables sometimes arose.

    If he could start his reincarnation directly from the time he became the Imperial Advisor and took control of the world, then each attempt would be much more efficient.

    Thinking further, he was only a mortal, and each reincarnation wouldst only fifty years. Although it was long, Li Fan was able to ept it. However, once he embarked on the path of cultivation, where progress could take hundreds or thousands of years, starting over would be devastating. The thought made concerns rise in his heart.

    However, if more anchor points could be opened, then Li Fan would have many more opportunities for trial and error. It was not impossible to keep trying step by step to find the perfect path to immortality.

    As for the initial anchor point, it could also be used as ast resort.

    "Although heaven and earth treasures are hard toe by, the cultivation world is iparably vast, and treasures will be abundant. As long as I can leave this Land of Immortal Extinction and escape my shackles... " With these thoughts in mind, Li Fan''s desire to leave this ce grew more passionate.

    After absorbing the Rust Sword Dao Xuan, Li Fan didn''t pay too much attention to the other things in the storage ring.

    It was nothing more than some standard spirit stones, low-grade spiritual weapons, and other such things.

    Standard spirit stones, which were jointly manufactured by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and Five Elders Association, had different grades and were the recognized currency of the world of cultivation. Each spirit stone had a unique anti-counterfeiting seal that could not be imitated by others.

    In fact, the reason why a standard spirit stone was valuable was because it was recognized by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association, and could be exchanged for cultivation techniques. On the other hand, privately made inferior spirit stones and natural spirit stones dug out from various spirit mines were all worthless.

    This was because in today''s cultivation world, what bottlenecked most cultivators were not resources such as spiritual qi and spiritual stones, but instead cultivation techniques of each realm.

    It was because the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association controlled the vast majority of the world''s cultivation techniques that they could be behemoths spanning the entire cultivation world.

    As for those low-grade spiritual  weapons, they were mostly used as consumables in fights. Kou Hong and Dao Xuan Zi were not particrly wealthy, so the spiritual weapons on their bodies weremon goods that had little value.

    After storing away the items in front of him, including the Nascent Soul technique, one by one into his storage ring, Li Fan had be exhausted.

    His body was already so frail, like a candle in the wind, and it wouldpletely fall apart at any time.

    Taking a deep breath, Li Fan closed his eyes, as if he wanted to engrave his weakness at this moment firmly in his heart.

    Afterwards, Li Fan no longer hesitated and called out [Truth], ending this life.

    ...

    In the darkness, scenes of his previous life shed by rapidly, and eventually, a few familiar lines appeared in the field of vision.

    [The simtion ends.]

    [You can choose one of the following options to keep:

    1. An item possessed by you during this simtion.

    2. Your cultivation level in this simtion.

    3. The simted memories of a person close to you in this simtion. These memories can be inherited by that person.

    4. Abandon the above choices to elerate the recharging progress.]

    Li Fan chose the first item this time.

    Unfortunately, his attempt to be clever by cing all of his items in the storage ring in hisst life failed.

    Items such as the storage ring, Nascent Soul technique, spiritual stones, spiritual weapons, and so on appeared in Li Fan''s mind in turn.

    Li Fan naturally chose the Nascent Soul technique.

    What surprised him was that after he chose the cultivation technique, he could take it out and put it back into [Truth] at any time. Moreover, the technique was already bound to himself, in a sense.

    This technique alreadypletely belonged to him, and even if he did not choose to bring it back in the next life simtion, it would still exist in [Truth], ready to be brought out at any time.

    "With this, many more ns have be avable..." Li Fan took out the golden jade slip and yed with it in his hands while pondering over his course of action in this lifetime.

    "Thousands of years have passed since the Great Migration Era, and the relevant clues have long been buried deep underground. Mass excavation of ancient tombs is too sensational, and despite the strong control I had over the court in the previous life, this matter sparked significant opposition. With such little preparation, such a matter would undoubtedly be difficult to sustain."

    "However, if I startying out the groundwork from the beginning and spend twenty years, it may not be impossible to transform the mindsets of people in the world..."

    Name: Li Fan

    Cultivation Realm: Mortal

    Physical Age: 20/86

    Mental Age: 282/1109¡ü

    Recharge progress: 0%

    Anchoring Charge Progress: 1%

    Current number of anchor points: 1

    Bound Items: Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra

    ...

    As time passed, Li Fan''s sixth life began.

    Everything progressed ording to the established trajectory, but under Li Fan''s discreet influence, many subtle changes urred in the world.

    After three years, rumors that immortals were descending into the world spread out one after another all over the Grand Xuan Kingdom.

    In the fifth year, the School of Ancient Wisdom suddenly emerged. This school brought with it several volumes of ancient texts, which were so extraordinarily rare that they shook the entire world.

    The names of the ancient scrolls were: "Yi Jing", "Dao De Jing", "Nan Hua", "Lunyu", and "Daxue. [1]

    *****

    [1] Famous literature from China. You might recognize Lunyu (The Analects) as one of the core writings of Confucianism and Dao De Jing as foundational to Daoism.

 Chapter 13: Shaping the World

    Xuanjing City, Schrship Abode.

    A group of schrs gathered together to examine the volumes of ancient books that had recently caused the world to tremble.

    Ever since the ancient books appeared in the world a few days ago, the city''s bookstores have been printing additional copies without stopping. Even so, the demand for the published books exceeded the supply. These schrs also managed to obtain a few volumes today with great difficulty, so they invited a group of friends toe here to enjoy it together.

    "Supreme benevolence is like water, benefiting all things without hesitation. Wonderful, wonderful!"

    "Dao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things. In just a few words, it instantly feels infinitely profound; this scripture is truly extraordinary!"

    "In my opinion, these three thousand words are worth more than all the literature I''ve read before!"

    "I feel the same way!"

    "No, no, no, in my opinion, the subtlety of that volume of ''Yi Jing'' is even higher than that of Dao De Jing. Although the words are obscure and cryptic, they are so well-written that they seem to contain the supreme principles of heaven and earth."

    "Precisely, ''The way of heaven is to benefit others, and the gentleman is unceasing in his self-improvement!'' It speaks to the heart of my generation!"

    The schrs were discussing enthusiastically, looking mesmerized.

    At this moment, one of them suddenly sighed, "I never expected that such an exquisite text has been buried thousands of years underground without anyone knowing about it. Every time I think about it, it pains me deeply!"

    These words also caused the crowd to echo in agreement.

    "Yes, ourte master loved reading the most during his lifetime. If he had been able to read these few volumes of scriptures, I wonder how delighted he would have been."

    "It is unfortunate that all the world''s past schrs couldn''t read these scriptures!"

    "However, these scriptures were written by previous generations, lost due to war, and preserved in ancient tombs as fragments, right? As I read the ''Nan Hua'' and the Lunyu, I noticed that none of the people and events in them are recorded in the history books." Among the crowd, a voice abruptly interjected.

    The crowd was quiet for a moment, but then they came to a firm conclusion.

    "It must be so. There is absolutely no possibility of forgery of such texts by modern people. Existing history books only detail nearly three thousand years of history. Before three thousand years ago, there were basically no detailed records. I think these ssics are the product of that time."

    "I heard that the School of Ancient Wisdom imed that in ancient times, there were hundreds ofpeting schools of thought, and the ssics that were born were as numerous as the stars in the sky. These few volumes of scriptures that we are reading today are but an insignificant part of them."

    This statement immediately caused a gasp of surprise in the restaurant.

    "There is actually such a thing!"

    "The thought that there are still so many ssic texts buried deep underground, unknown to the world, makes me iparably heartbroken and unable to sleep at night!"

    "I wonder what the rest of the ssics are like."

    ...

    "But after all, these ancient texts are deeply hidden in various ancient tombs. What the School of Ancient Visitors has said about the massive excavation of ancient tombs in search of the lost ssics is really against human decency."

    The crowd of schrs instinctively wanted to speak out in agreement, but once they thought of the countless ssic texts still waiting to be unearthed underground, their tone became less resolute.

    "Didn''t the leader of the School of Ancient Wisdom say that what they are doing is a matter of protection and rescue of ssics, and not tomb-robbing?"

    "That''s right, I heard that every time they excavate an ancient tomb, they don''t wreak havoc like previous grave robbers who only take gold and silver. Instead, they carefully take out all of the objects and keep them properly. If there is any damage, there is also someone  responsible for repairing it."

    "Indeed, one cannot simplypare them to grave robbers."

    However, there were still quite a few people in the crowd who held opposing views.

    "But that''s just a nice way of putting it. What''s the difference? Who here doesn''t have an ancestor? If your family''s ancestor''s tomb was excavated like this, how would you feel?"

    "The precedent of this matter is absolutely uneptable, or else the consequences will be endless. We must do our best to dissuade it."

    "Exactly. "

    ...

    There were still some people who did not voice their opinions, acting as peacemakers.

    "The Emperor and the ministers in the court will definitely have made their decision on this matter, so we don''t need to worry too much about it."

    "Let''s wait and see, let''s wait and see."

    ...

    As the ''Dao De Jing'' spread throughout the world, heated debates erupted all over the Grand Xuan Kingdom.

    There were countless scenes simr to the one in the Schrship Abode today.

    Li Fan knew that wanting to change the minds of the people of the world in such a short period of time would definitely not work.

    Right now, it was just the beginning.

    But Li Fan wasn''t worried at all that things wouldn''t work out.

    In the current world, it was the schrs who held the power of speech.

    With countless ssics as bait, Li Fan was not afraid that these schrs would not fall into line.

    What''s more, Li Fan didn''t need these people''s support. As long as they didn''t oppose him, it was enough.

    ...

    While secretly plotting to control the world, Li Fan was also gradually increasing the influence of the School of Ancient Wisdom in the secr world.

    In the sixth year, the Emperor was suddenly stricken with a serious illness and was bedridden. All the doctors were at their wits'' end. At this time, the School of Ancient Wisdom brought forth a pill, iming that this elixir was found in an ancient tomb and was suspected to be left by an immortal, with the power to revive the dead.

    The Emperor did not pay attention at first, but with his body slowly withering away, he reluctantly took it as ast resort.

    Surprisingly, the pill worked wonders, and the Emperor returned to full health after only a few days.

    The court was shocked, and the ministers discussed.

    The Emperor even sent out an edict to summon the leader of the School of Ancient Wisdom into the pce and ask about the immortal. For a few days, he did not go to court.

    Since then, the Emperor wholeheartedly believed in the existence of immortals. He secretly authorized his army to cooperate with the School of Ancient Wisdom to look for traces of immortals in the ancient tombs.

    In the ninth year, the School of Ancient Wisdom held an exhibition in the City of Xuanjing, inviting the ministers of the imperial court and the princes and nobles of the capital to watch.

    Although these people were very rich and knowledgeable, after seeing the rare treasures in the exhibition, they were all stunned, and could not extricate themselves from the wonders.

    After this, the School of Ancient Wisdom even loosened its restrictions so that ordinary people could enter the exhibition as long as they purchased a ticket.

    Xuanjing City was suddenly in an uproar.

    Countless people lined up, wanting to enter the exhibition to get a glimpse of the treasures. The number of people was sorge that it caused the roads in the capital to be blocked. Fortunately, the Emperor issued an order to have the garrison battalion hold formation to maintain order, and only then was the excitement gradually suppressed.

    The spectaclested for more than half a month.

    After this, instead of closing, the exhibition began to tour around, visiting each part of the Grand Xuan Kingdom.

    In the eleventh year, Jiangnan Prefecture uncovered a vicious grave-robbing case and captured a grave-robbing group of hundreds of people.

    This group had gone on a rampage, excavating ancient tombs in the deep mountains and causing incalcble damage.

    ording to thew, all of them should be sentenced to death.

    However, the number of people involved in the case was sorge that the governor of Jianghuai Prefecture did not dare to make the decision on his own, and sent a letter over eight hundred miles to Xuanjing City, to ask the Emperor to make a decision.

    Some ministers were outraged and wrote a letter asking for the death penalty.

    However, surprisingly, the vast majority of court officials remained silent at this time.

    The emperor also ignored all the memorials that were sent and did not take a position.

    It was only after a month that the Emperor''s decree arrived.

    Instead of capital punishment, they were only sentenced to very and were to be brought to the capital.

    Few ministers in the court wrote a letter of opposition.

    Li Fan looked at the edict and smiled slightly, knowing that the situation had already been decided.

 Chapter 14: Light Emerging from the Darkness

    After thirteen years, ancient texts such as the "Shangshu", "Shi", and "Li" [1] emerged, and schrs across the world yearned for that lost history more and more.

    In the fifteenth year, the Emperor became seriously ill. In a desperate attempt to renew his life, he sent more than 100,000 troops to excavate ancient tombs and look for traces of the elixir of immortality.

    Although some ministers gave many criticisms, the court did not submit arge-scale petition against it.

    Unfortunately, the elixir remained elusive. Even though hundreds of tombs were excavated, no trace of it could be found.

    At the end of the year, the emperor died with regret. Before he died, he passed on his throne to the Prince of Langya.

    At this point, Li Fan finally regained control of the world.

    Under the influence of Li Fan, the trend of exploring ancient tombs continued to grow.

    After seventeen years, a mountain hunter stumbled upon an ancient tomb, pleasing the Imperial Advisor and receiving a noble title as a reward. Since then, the people of the world have be even more enthusiastic and obsessed with exploring ancient tombs. No matter how remote the mountains and forests were, one could see groups of tomb explorers.

    Time flowed, and we arrived at the twenty-third year.

    Li Fan stood in the Imperial Advisor''s mansion, reviewing the summary of clues obtained from official and private tomb explorers over the past few years.

    Before this, there were only three thousand years of historical records in this world, totaling twenty-three dynasties.

    With the excavation of ancient tombs, the previously lost history was also gradually filled in.

    Before these twenty-three dynasties, there were sixteen more dynasties, dating back to about six or seven thousand years ago.

    The earliest one that could be found was named the Qi Dynasty.

    "Six or seven thousand years, it almost matches the Great Migration Era," Li Fan thought to himself.

    With that, he ordered his men to focus on excavating the ancient tombs of the Qi Dynasty.

    He even offered a reward to the world, iming that anyone who could find the ancient tombs of the Qi Dynasty would be granted a noble title.

    As soon as the news came out, people all over the world rushed to share the news.

    Countless young people embarked on the road of tomb exploration.

    No matter how obscure history was, it couldn''t withstand such enthusiastic excavation by people from all over the world.

    After twenty-five years, the tomb of the first emperor of the Qi Dynasty, Yi Xing, was finally found.

    Upon hearing the news, Li Fan led his trusted advisors to the scene in person and blocked off the perimeter.

    In the past ten years or so, the techniques for excavating ancient tombs in the Grand Xuan Kingdom had developed by leaps and bounds, leading to a set of extremely effective ns for opening tombs.

    Even though the tomb of the first emperor of this realm was huge in scale and had countless mechanisms, with the efforts of all the people from the Tomb Exploration Battalion, a passageway leading to the main chamber was chiseled through in just over a month.

    After all obstacles were removed, Li Fan entered the interior of the tomb while surrounded by a crowd.

    The main tomb passage stretched for hundreds of meters, and the walls on both sides were filled with lifelike murals. Although thousands of years had passed, they were still clearly visible.

    Li Fan paced slowly, ncing over the murals along the way.

    The murals were divided into several parts.

    In the first part, the main character in the painting, the first emperor of the Qi Dynasty, Yi Xing, was sitting on top of a mountain. Above the wispy white clouds, several immortal trails were leading to him.

    In the second part, a dark cmity descended. The red color of blood spilled over the earth. Led by Yi Xing, the people who survived flew through the vast sea of clouds into onerge ship-like construct, and after encountering countless ferocious dangers, they arrived at a vast in. Since then, the people have settled down here.

    In the third part, Yi Xing, with the support of the people, dered himself Emperor and established the Qi Dynasty.

    In the fourth part, there were all the trivial things that happened during Yi Xing''s reign.

    ...

    After examining the murals, Li Fan came to the main tomb chamber.

    The tomb space was forty to fifty meters high and thousands of meters in length and width. The top of the tomb seemed to be modeled after a starry sky, iid with thousands of night pearls.

    Inside the tomb chamber, theyout resembled a mountain gate, with peaks rising amidst a sea of clouds.

    It was unknown how this sea of clouds was created, nor how it remained fixed in the tomb over thousands of years without dissipating.

    There were invisible paths connecting the various mountaintops, and the people all marveled as they journeyed along.

    "It really is an immortal''s means." Li Fan said in his heart.

    At the highest peak was a simple grass hut, surrounded by abandoned farnd.

    It was only after the crowd walked in that they realized that the thatched grass of the grass hut was actually made with endless amounts of fine golden thread.

    Obviously, this cottage was Yi Xing''s coffin.

    At Li Fan''s signal, the crowd opened the door of the thatched cottage.

    To everyone''s surprise, there were actually no remains of Yi Xing inside the house.

    There was only a wooden tablet that stood quietly inside.

    Written on the tablet were a few golden characters, "Tomb of Yi Xing, Outer Disciple of the Tai Yan Sect."

    Other than that, there was nothing else.

    "It seems that although this person joined this sect called the Tai Yan Sect, he was just an outer disciple who failed to embark on the immortal path. In the end, he was banished to this ce by other cultivators."

    "Before he died, he still couldn''t forget about his sect, and instead of his position as emperor, he referred to himself as an outer disciple of the Tai Yan Sect."

    "It''s just that ording to Kou Hong''s previous statement, the world''s sects should have been dispersed in the cmity before the Great Migration Era. Now, it seems that there may be hidden secrets."

    Li Fan kept pondering in his mind.

    "This Yi Xing should have been entrusted by the cultivators of the Tai Yan Sect to take charge of the Great Migration to this realm. I wonder if I can find the flying boat that was used for the migration."

    The search in the main chamber was fruitless, so Li Fan ordered the Tomb Exploring Battalion to excavate the perimeter, trying to find clues from the surrounding apanying tombs.

    A few dayster, a piece of bad news came that made Li Fan both furious and helpless.

    It turned out that the people of the Tomb Explorer Battalion had found a record of the "flying boat" in the list of burial items in one of the surrounding burial chambers. Unfortunately, this burial chamber was actually stolen from earlier.

    And based on the traces of destruction, the theft was also a thousand years ago.

    "It''s like this again and again! Every time I see hope, it ends up escaping my grasp!"

    Li Fan seethed with fury.

    The people around him remained silent.

    It was only after a long time that Li Fan calmed down his mind.

    He still ordered the Tomb Explorer Battalion to excavate ancient tombs and look for traces of the immortal boat, but he returned to Xuanjing City,cking much hope.

    After another ten years, the time came to the thirty-fifth year, but things took a turn for the better.

    This day, Li Fan received an urgent report.

    "Discovered a tomb of the immortals?" Li Fan was a bit stunned, then rejoiced and inquired carefully.

    It turned out that over the years, although Li Fan was a bit disillusioned, the people''s enthusiasm for exploring ancient tombs had not declined at all. Countless ancient tombs were dug over the Grand Xuan Kingdom.

    And as thoserge ancient tombs were dug up, people turned their attention to those small ancient tombs that were previously ignored.

    A few days ago, a group of young men were digging an inconspicuous tomb when they were suddenly injured by an inexplicable force, resulting in heavy casualties.

    Those who survived immediately reported the matter to the officials.

    It should be known that in the decades that Grand Xuan had been exploring ancient tombs, although there had been casualties, most of them were caused by traps. It was the first time that someone had encountered such a mysterious incident before they even opened the tomb.

    The Tomb Exploring Battalion didn''t dare to ck off and sent people to investigate immediately.

    Although many experienced veterans and heavily armed soldiers joined hands, they could not break into this small tomb.

    Shocked, the people hurriedly reported the matter to Li Fan.

    Li Fan rushed to the scene after hearing the news, and after utilizing the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, he finally destroyed the unknown power surrounding the tomb.

    Upon entering the tomb, amongst the array of burial objects, a small wooden boat was found.

    *****

    [1] More famous Chinese literature.

 Chapter 15: Foundation Establishment Remains

    This tiny wooden boat was none other than the flying boat that Li Fan had been longing for.

    Through a message that the tomb owner had carved on the wall of the tomb before he died, Li Fan finally understood the whole story.

    It turned out that the tomb owner''s name was Qian Hong, and he was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. More than three thousand years ago, he was hunted down by his enemies, and in desperation, he hid in this Immortal Extinction Land.

    He wanted to hide for a while and then leave, but he didn''t know that there was no spiritual qi in the Land of Immortal Extinction, and he was a poor cultivator who had few spirit stones on his body. It didn''t take long for him to run out of spirit stones. Without the means to replenish his spiritual energy, his cultivation deteriorated.

    After failing to break through the Immortal Extinction Formation and bing seriously injured, Qian Hong knew that he was trapped.

    However, this person was also a resilient person and did not give up.

    He guessed that when mortals were banished to this ce a thousand years ago, they might have left one or two flying boats.

    So he made many inquiries, and after spending several decades, he finally found Yi Xing''s tomb.

    There was indeed a flying boat present in the tomb, but what made him despair was that the core formation array inside the flying boat had been damaged, and because he was not good at the art of formations, he could not repair it.

    Moreover, even if the flying boat was repaired, without spirit stones, he would not be able to provide it with enough power with his cultivation at that time.

    At this point, Qian Hong finally gave up on this Immortal Extinction Land. After that, he went incognito and lived an ordinary life as a mortal.

    Before he died, he carved his life onto the wall of his tomb, hoping that in the future generations, if any cultivator broke into his tomb, they would bring his bones back to the cultivation realm. The few things he left in the tomb would be considered his payment in advance.

    The first was the source of the power that guarded Qian Hong''s grave and caused the deaths of dozens of tomb robbers previously, and the reason why Qian Hong was convinced that anyone who could break in must be a cultivator.

    The mystical artifact: Stone Tablet of Prohibition.

    It was a half-broken stone tablet, on which the word "stop" was vaguely visible.

    Li Fan touched the stele, and there was no response from [Truth], disappointing him. Previously, in order to break into the cemetery, he had used arge amount of Immortal-Mortal Miasma, and because of this, the monument was corrupted by the miasma and had already turned into an ordinary stone.

    However, Li Fan didn''t care too much, since he knew where Qian Hong''s tomb was and coulde back for it in his next life.

    The second thing left by Qian Hong was two jade slips. The jade slips contained the techniques that he had painstakingly exchanged from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    "Minor Heart Resolve, Qi Refining stage technique, current number of cultivators: 1."

    "Record of Clouds of Water, Foundation Establishment stage technique, current number of cultivators: 1."

    Picking up the jade slip and receiving the informationing from it, Li Fan''s heart jumped violently, thinking that Qian Hong was not dead and that this ce was a trap set by him.

    But a momentter, Li Fan realized the truth. Over three thousand years had passed, and even a Golden Core cultivator would have turned into dust.

    As for why these techniques were being practiced today, Li Fan understood after a little thought.

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance must have the original archives of the techniques. If they saw the number of people practicing the techniques change to zero, they would know that the cultivator who exchanged the techniques before had already died.

    After this, it was natural to take these techniques out and let people redeem them again.

    In these three thousand years, these two techniques likely had changed owners numerous times.

    "How profiteering..." Li Fan was speechless for a moment.

    After somementation, Li Fan turned his gaze to the third item, the Tai Yan Boat.

    This item was exactly the tool that the Tai Yan Sect used to migrate mortals.

    Perhaps it was because this flying boat was broken that it was left behind.

    After thousands of years of twists and turns, it had finally fallen into Li Fan''s hands, bing his hope to jump out of this Immortal Extinction Land.

    Holding the Tai Yan Boat in his hands, Li Fan''s heart surged. After hundreds of years of anticipation, he had finally achieved his goal.

    As for the Tai Yan Boat being damaged, Li Fan was not worried at all.

    Qian Hong could not repair it, and neither could he, but someone else could!

    ......

    Fifteen yearster, the fiftieth year after the anchor point arrived, and Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi visited Xuanjing City once more.

    "Dao Xuanzi! Do not overstep your bounds!"

    "Kou Hong! Do you think I will let you go just because you escaped to this Land of Immortal Extinction? Hand over the technique you obtained that day, or I won''t rest until you''re dead!"

    "Ridiculous! It''s because of theck of a Golden Core technique that I''ve been trapped in the Foundation Stage for nearly a hundred years. I''m about to turn into withered bones; my end is approaching. However, I have now finally obtained a Golden Core technique. How could I possibly hand it over to others!"

    "Indeed! A Golden Core technique with no other practitioners, an irreceable treasure. Although many Golden Core techniques exist, innumerable cultivators are stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage!"

    "It''s just a single technique! It''s ridiculous that despite how you and I have been brothers for a hundred years, we''re now fighting to the death for a chance of survival!"

    ...

    The two of them were about to fight to the death, but they heard a burst of boldughtering from Xuanjing City below.

    "Is a mere Golden Core technique worth the two of you fighting to the death?!"

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi simultaneously changed expressions and looked downwards.

    "Who are you? How presumptuous!"

    "Arrogant!"

    The two both spoke, but their expressions were on guard at the same time.

    "The two of you might as welle down for a moment!"

    They saw a silver-haired elder shouting loudly from the Imperial Advisor''s Mansion below.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged nces, and while staying on guard,nded in the Imperial Advisor''s Mansion.

    "Haha, please!" The silver-haired elder seemed to be very happy as he led the two of them to the lobby and sat down.

    After ordering his subordinates to prepare wine and food to entertain them, he said with some emotion, "Back then, when my ancestor was on his deathbed, he had said that in the future, there might be two people who woulde from the Abyss Ruins and fly to the capital, and that would be the opportunity for my n to escape this ce."

    "For thousands of years, the people of my n have been both believing and doubting it. Now, I have finally found confirmation!" The old manughed out loud and drank from the wine cup in front of him.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, on the other hand, looked at each other in disbelief.

    "I don''t know what the elder''s name is?" Kou Hong asked, his tone much more polite.

    "Li Fan," he replied with a smile.

    "ording to your words, your ancestor had foreseen that the two of us woulde here thousands of years ago? What did he mean by ''the opportunity to escape this ce''?" Dao Xuanzi frowned and sized up Li Fan.

    Li Fan seemed to be a bit unhappy at his words, "What? You two don''t believe me?"

    Kou Hongughed and shook his head, "This matter is too mysterious. The two of us have traveled the cultivation world for a hundred years, and we have never heard of any deduction technique that can predict thousands of years into the future."

    Dao Xuanzi followed suit and shook his head.

    Li Fan straightened up, looked disdainfully with his head held high, and asked, "I wonder if the two of you have ever heard of the Tai Yan Sect?"

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi looked at each other with some shock, "Could it be that this was the sect that was famous for its art of deduction in ancient times?"

    Li Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his head lightly, "My ancestor was a member of the Tai Yan Sect."

 Chapter 16: Grasping Immortals Within Oneâ€™s Palm

    Li Fan''s eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed into the distance with a nostalgic expression.

    "In the beginning, when my ancestor entered the Tai Yan Sect, he did not like to cultivate and was instead obsessed with the art of deduction and calction. Originally, this wouldn''t have been a problem, but who would have thought that the world would go through great turmoil, and mortals had to be migrated.

    With my ancestor''s Qi Refinement cultivation, he would not be forced to migrate. However, my ancestor''s worldly affairs were not yet settled, and seeing the panic spreading among his family, he took responsibility for the migration of mortals. After that, he stayed here with my family."

    Li Fan spoke eloquently with great emotion.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi both nodded slowly, finding that Li Fan''s words seemed to align with the legends they had heard before.

    Kou Hong even wondered, "The Tai Yan Sect still existed during the Great Migration Era? I heard earlier that all the ancient sects were destroyed in the previous upheaval of the world."

    Li Fan was first stunned, then shook his head, "It''s just a rumor. Although after the great catastrophe, immortalws couldn''t be practiced together, the Tai Yan Sect had as many techniques as there were stars. Distributing one technique to each person was not a difficult task. At first, the sect suffered a small loss, but it was far from being destroyed."

    Li Fan''s words were filled with pride, especially with the im that "the Tai Yan Sect had as many techniques as there were stars." His words left Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi in awe.

    Immediately after, Li Fan suddenly asked: "Judging from your words, it seems that the Tai Yan Sect has not been active for a long time in the main world?"

    Dao Xuanzi shook his head, "Not only the Tai Yan Sect, but even the Tai Shang Sect, Da Dao Sect, the Heavenly Sword Sect, and all the rest of these ancient sects are nowhere to be found today."

    Li Fan smiled and said to himself, "The path of immortality is truly difficult. As my ancestor said, the sects have chosen to hide from the world to avoid cmity..."

    Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong nced at each other and privately transmitted their voices, "I had my doubts about the extinction of the ancient sects previously. On further thought, it is increasingly suspicious. With how deep the foundations of the ancient sects were, how could they disappear in a matter of moments?"

    "It''s no wonder that they would choose to stay hidden. If the news that these sects still existed were to spread out, even if they were strong, I''m afraid that numerous challengers would arrive."

    ...

    The two of them exchanged several sentences in a matter of moments, and then Dao Xuan Zi questioned, "I wonder what you stopped the two of us for?"

    Li Fan sighed, "This ce hasn''t had any cultivators set foot in it for thousands of years. When I saw you two today, I knew that you were the people my ancestor predicted before he died and that the opportunity for my n to escape hade. When I saw you were going to fight to the death over a Golden Core technique, I hastened to speak out to dissuade you."

    Dao Xuanzi said frankly, "I apologize for the misunderstanding. However, you may not know that cultivation techniques are hard toe by in the outside world, and it ismon to fight over one."

    Li Fan shook his head repeatedly, "Is it really worth it to fight to the death over such matters!"

    Dao Xuanzi asked tentatively, "Listening to your words, it seems that..."

    "Exactly. My ancestor passed down a technique before his death which directly leads to the Golden Core realm." Li Fan proudly said.

    Dao Xuanzi took a deep breath, "I wonder what you are asking for?"

    Kou Hong was even more delighted, "Great. If you, Dao Xuanzi, can obtain this technique, we brothers will not need to fight anymore."

    "My ancestor''s lifelong wish was to be able to return to the world of cultivation and reunite with the Tai Yan Sect. Before he died, in addition to this Golden Core technique, he also passed down an artifact called the Tai Yan Boat. Although it has been damaged, the ancestor had used the art of Tai Yan to calcte that after a number of years, there would be two cultivators that woulde to this ce: one skilled in swordsmanship, and one skilled in refining. They would help future descendants repair the Tai Yan Boat and escape from this ce." Li Fan sipped his wine and said slowly.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi were both astonished.

    "My brother, Kou Hong, is intoxicated with the way of refining, while my specialty is precisely swordy. This art of Tai Yan is truly incredible!" Dao Xuanzi was shocked beyond words, and it took a long time before he came back to his senses.

    "To have such inexplicable might with only a Qi Refining stage cultivation is unimaginable..." Kou Hong was also stunned.

    Li Fan smiled, and after a moment, he added, "Words alone are not enough. I would like to invite Dao Xuanzi to take a look at my ancestor''s cultivation technique."

    Dao Xuanzi was pleased and he got up to follow. Seeing that Kou Hong also wanted to follow over, he immediately became a bit wary: "Brother, you have already obtained a Golden Core technique, so why would you be interested in another?"

    Kou Hong awkwardly responded, "Alright, I won''t go over."

    Dao Xuanzi snorted coldly and caught up with Li Fan.

    Seeing that Kou Hong did not follow him as expected, Li Fan finally sighed in relief, knowing that this lifetime''s plot was already half sessful.

    He led Dao Xuanzi down to the underground secret room of the Imperial Advisor''s Mansion.

    Dao Xuan Zi was about to enter the secret room when he suddenly felt a bone-chilling sensation, causing him to halt.

    After carefully scanning the surroundings with divine sense, he said in shock: "Immortal-Mortal Miasma!"

    Along every side of the chamber ran mechanisms filled with Immortal-Mortal Miasma. Its thick presence made Dao Xuanzi''s heart tremble with fear.

    Li Fanughed, "One must always be cautious. For mortals like us, we can only act in such a way in order to guard the family''s greatest treasure."

    Dao Xuanzi managed a strained smile but refused to take a step forward. Instead, he retreated a half step.

    Li Fan did not say anything and walked into the secret room. From a box, he took out a jade slip.

    He didn''t leave the secret room and only held it up so that Dao Xuanzi could see it.

    This jade slip was none other than the Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra that he had obtained from Kou Hong in his previous life!

    That''s right, Li Fan was gambling.

    ording to Kou Hong''s description in his previous life, Dao Xuanzi had never seen the true form of this technique.

    Li Fan used it as bait, hoping that both Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong would help him repair the Tai Yan Boat. And if his gamble was incorrect...

    Several suicide soldiers had long been arranged within the Imperial Advisor''s Mansion. Even if they were defeated, Li Fan just had to change his approach in the next life!

    Li Fan smiled in his heart when he realized that Dao Xuanzi had beenpletely captivated by the golden jade slip in his hand.

    "The Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra... a Nascent Soul technique... it''s actually a Nascent Soul technique..." Dao Xuanzi''s breathing became heavy, and a dangerous look even shed in his eyes.

    However, Li Fan''s smiling appearance and the faint sense of crisising from the Immortal-Mortal Miasma made Dao Xuanzi instantly sober up.

    "Well? Is what my ancestor said true?" Li Fan asked with a smile. "Earlier, in front of your brother Kou Hong, I only said that my ancestor had passed down a Golden Core technique to prevent any malicious intentions."

    "Your cautiousness is admirable." Dao Xuanzi looked deeply impressed.

    He then added in excitement, "Don''t worry, fellow Daoist, Kou Hong is proficient in the art of refining. I will definitely persuade him to do his best to help you repair the Tai Yan Boat."

    Li Fanughed, "In that case, I will count on you. After this is aplished, I will definitely hand over this technique to you."

    With the prospect of longevity in sight, Dao Xuanzi couldn''t wait to enlist Kou Hong and start working right away.

    Watching reluctantly as Li Fan stored the Nascent Soul technique and closed the secret room, Dao Xuanzi couldn''t wait to find Kou Hong immediately.

 Chapter 17: Everything Is Ready

    "In that case, Li Fan''s words are true, and he really does have a Golden Core technique?"

    In the Imperial Advisor''s Mansion, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi transmitted their voices to each other.

    "That''s right, I saw it with my own eyes." Dao Xuanzi nodded.

    "Can we take it by force? He''s only a mortal...," Kou Hong''s face turned ferocious.

    Dao Xuanzi hastened to dissuade him, "Although this Li Fan is only a mortal, he belongs to the Tai Yan Sect. You have also seen that terrifying prophecy technique he used before. If we forcefully rob him, we can''t guarantee that he will have any more tricks up his sleeve."

    "We''re just helping him repair a Tai Yan Boat, it''s not like it''s a difficult task. Why bother with any moreplications?" Of course, Dao Xuanzi was mainly afraid that if they robbed Li Fan by force, Li Fan would be forced to reveal that the cultivation technique was actually a Nascent Soul technique.

    Only after Dao Xuanzi''s discouragement did Kou Hong extinguish the idea of theft.

    The two of them secretly discussed the distribution of benefits for a while before finally agreeing to help repair the Tai Yan Boat.

    On the second day, the two of them saw the Tai Yan Boat that Li Fan was talking about.

    Kou Hong was delighted at the sight of it and hurriedly took it over for a closer look.

    "A true Tai Yan Sect artifact. The skillful craftsmanship and the intricate formations are far beyond what I have learned!" The more Kou Hong looked at it, the more he rejoiced, "If I can restore it, my path of artifact refinement will surely improve!"

    "In that case, I''ll leave you two to it. Feel free to mention whatever needs you have, and I will definitely fulfill them." Li Fan said solemnly.

    "You may go; don''t disturb me." Kou Hong waved his hand, already immersed in studying the Tai Yan Boat.

    ...

    Time was of little consequence to cultivators.

    Despite its seemingly small size, it took Kou Hong nearly a year to repair the Tai Yan Boat.

    On this day, after hearing that the Tai Yan Boat had been repaired, Li Fan hurriedly found the two of them.

    After taking the Tai Yan Boat from Kou Hong, he was overjoyed.

    Kou Hong said with some pride, "The core power array, size-shifting array, and purification array of the Tai Yan Boat have beenpletely repaired, and only the defense and attack arrays had to be simplistically repaired due to material limitations. It''ll have no issues breaking through Immortal Extinction Formation, but it''d be difficult to defend against an attack from cultivators."

    Li Fan did not care about this, "No matter. As long as we escape the Immortal Extinction Formation and return to the cultivation world, my ancestor''s token will guide us to the Tai Yan Sect."

    Kou Hong''s eyes flickered for a moment before he enthusiastically introduced Li Fan to the operation methods of the Tai Yan Boat.

    "This Tai Yan Boat is powered by spiritual qi and needs to be maneuvered with divine sense. There are three sizes which can be changed on demand."

    "The smallest is only ten meters long and two or three meters wide and can carry about ten people. The medium size is a hundred meters long and can carry hundreds of people. And when it is brought to its maximum, it is a thousand meters long and can carry tens of thousands of people! The two of us don''t have many spirit stone reserves, but the ones I''ve inserted as fuel will be enough for you to leave here in the second form."

    "However, piloting the Tai Yan Boat requires a minimum of Foundation Establishment divine sense. Do you need us to do it for you?"

    Before Kou Hong could finish his sentence, he saw the Tai Yan Boat slowly growingrger under Li Fan''s control, turning from a tiny toy into a real boat.

    Li Fan couldn''t wait to step inside the Tai Yan Boat.

    The ten-meter form of the Tai Yan Boat was very simple with only oneyer. The front deck was nearly two meters long, and behind it was the control cabin and living cabin.

    Li Fan stood inside the control cabin, his divine sense connected to the Tai Yan Boat. Soon, he felt an intuitive sense of how to control the ship.

    Under his maneuvering, the Tai Yan Boat rose steadily into the air and floated in mid-air.

    Li Fan then flew the Tai Yan Boat up and down, left and right around for a while before suppressing the excitement in his heart and returning to the ground again.

    "Fellow Daoist really has extraordinary means. Even though he is a mortal, he is able to maneuver the Tai Yan Boat!" Kou Hong praised.

    "They''re just some minor tricks not worth mentioning!" Li Fan smiled faintly, "I would also like to thank you two fellow Daoists! After being trapped for thousands of years, it''s all thanks to the two of you that we can hopefully escape now!"

    Li Fan''s words were said with sincerity.

    Although Kou Hong was curious about how Li Fan could maneuver the Tai Yan Boat without divine sense, he saw that Li Fan avoided talking about it, so he could only let it go.

    On the contrary, Dao Xuanzi was already a little impatient, "Now that the Tai Yan boat has been repaired, I wonder..."

    Li Fanughed out loud, "It has long been prepared. Follow me."

    Dao Xuanzi was energized by Li Fan''s words and hurriedly followed.

    The two of them had already agreed that Kou Hong would not follow them and instead wait in ce.

    A few momentster, Dao Xuanzi came back with a smile on his face, clearly having obtained the technique.

    Li Fan, Dao Xuanzi, and Kou Hong were all very satisfied with the transaction.

    In order to express his gratitude to the two of them, Li Fan held arge banquet for them.

    The wine and food flowed ceaselessly, and the singing and dancing continued for three days.

    Three dayster, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi bid farewell to Li Fan.

    "Fellow Daoist, we don''t have many spirit stones left. If we stay in this Immortal Extinction Land any longer, we risk losing our cultivation. That''s why I''vee to bid you farewell today." Dao Xuanzi said to Li Fan.

    Li Fan was a bit regretful, "There are still a number of matters that my n has settled yet, so I cannot leave with fellow Daoists!"

    Kou Hong, on the other hand, said enthusiastically, "There is no harm. If you, fellow Daoist, escape, you cane to Ling Tian City in the Cong Yun Mountain Range to look for us."

    With that, Kou Hong handed over a map to Li Fan.

    "This is a map of the area near the exit of the Immortal Extinction Formation that I drew from memory at the request of fellow Daoist. There are no nk jade slips here, so I had to use pen and paper."

    Li Fan gratefully received the map and thanked him again.

    After that, the three of them exchanged pleasantries, and Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi finally turned into two streams of light and left.

    After dismissing the crowd, Li Fan came to the underground chamber alone.

    cing the map and the Tai Yan Boat together, Li Fan''s heart was suddenly flooded with innumerable emotions.

    Six lifetimes of reincarnation, more than three hundred years of painstaking nning, had finallye to fruition at this moment.

    These two items were the key to escaping this Immortal Extinction Land and journeying towards immortality!

    ......

    Ruins Abyss.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi stood in the air, looking back in the direction of Xuanjing City.

    "Previously, when I broke into this Immortal Extinction Land, I thought that even if I didn''t die on this trip, I would be seriously injured. I didn''t expect to encounter this opportunity hidden by misfortune." Dao Xuanzi said quietly as he sensed the Nascent Soul technique in his storage ring.

    Kou Hong also nodded his head in agreement and then expressed some regret, "That Li Fan''s heart is not bad, he has strong willpower. It''s a pity that the end of his lifespan is near, and even if he can return to the cultivation realm, he will only have a few years left to live."

    "Immortality is an unmatched goal. Weren''t you and I fighting against each other precisely over the hope for immortality?" Dao Xuanzi said indifferently.

    "Speaking of which, what exactly is the Golden Core technique that Li Fan handed over to you?" Kou Hong was suddenly a little curious.

    Dao Xuanzi didn''t answer. Instead, he smiled and said, "It can''t be the same technique as the one in your hands, right? Don''t worry, after I go back to my seclusion and break through to the Golden Core stage, I will definitely not forget the three things I promised to help you with."

    Kou Hong then also stopped asking more questions, and was a bit excited, "After I break through as well, with the two of us brothers together, who in the Cong Yun Mountain Range will be our opponent?"

    "The formation mist has yet to dissipate, but I wonder if brother would still dare to break through?" Dao Xuanzi watched the fog above the Ruins Abyss before suddenly flying into it.

    Obviously, he couldn''t wait to return to the cultivation realm and cultivate the new technique.

    "Why wouldn''t I dare?" Kou Hong let out a loudugh, then also followed suit and dove in headfirst.

 Chapter 18: Diving Into the Abyss

    Li Fan didn''t care about how Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi would react when they returned to the cultivation world and realized that they were actually practicing the same technique.

    At this moment, he had already taken care of everything in the mortal realm and had piloted the Tai Yan Boat to the Ruins Abyss.

    ording tomon sense, one should wait until the white mist dispersal day every fifteen years before exploring the Ruins Abyss.

    However, Li Fan was already 71 years old, and he would have to wait another 14 years until the next clearing of the white mist.

    By that time, he would be 85 years old and would be at the end of his life. It would be hard for him to even walk at that point, not to mention piloting the Tai Yan Boat.

    It would therefore be better to explore the Immortal Extinction Formation earlier.

    Anyway, there was nothing left for him in this life, and he could start the next life at any time.

    Maneuvering the Tai Yan Boat, Li Fan slowly descended towards the bottom of the Ruins Abyss.

    Without any divine sense to probe the path ahead, he could only use his sight to navigate.

    The thick fog shrouded everything, creating an extremely surreal sensation.

    The surroundings were also extremely silent, and only the sound of his own breathing could be heard.

    With his attention highly focused, he continued to fly downwards.

    Suddenly, as if he had collided with something, the body of the Tai Yan Boat began to shake violently.

    Li Fan instantly tensed up.

    It was as if a huge invisible force was pressing down against him, and a metallic grinding sound came from outside the Tai Yan Boat.

    Fortunately, the defense formation was activated in time, and a faint golden curtain of light enveloped the Tai Yan Boat.

    The body of the boat gradually became smooth, and that somewhat creepy noise also disappeared.

    However, the constantly distorting protective light screen indicated the horrifying pressureing from the outside world.

    "After the Astral Wind Layer would be the Illusory Light Layer." Li Fan recalled Kou Hong''s introduction to this Immortal Extinction Formation.

    The Immortal Extinction Formation was mainly designed to prevent banished mortals from returning to the cultivation realm.

    The Astral Wind Layer was strewn with strong winds.

    The wind des could easily tear apart a mortal''s body, and even Foundation Stage cultivators had to protect themselves with their spiritual energy and deal with it carefully.

    Below the Astral Wind Layer was the Illusory Light Layer.

    Iridescent lights flowed like satin at thisyer of the abyss.

    When mortals saw it, they would fall into endless illusions.

    Under the Illusory Light Layer was the Inversion Layer.

    Upon entering thisyer, one would feel that the heavens and earth would reverse, leaving them unable to distinguish between up and down or left and right.

    In addition, the surrounding area was shrouded by fog. Mortals with no divine sense to recognize the direction would certainly get lost.

    After the Inversion Layer was the Flowing Fire Layer.

    Tens of thousands of flying stars and streams of fire flew at high speeds in thisyer of space without any regrity, smashing everything in front of them to smithereens.

    There was also the thick white fog as cover, making it difficult to predict attacks.

    Below the Flowing Fire Layer was the Arcane Ice Layer.

    Starting from thisyer, the fog gradually thinned out.

    There was nothing in the Arcane Ice Layer besides an extremely low temperature.

    If there was no means of protection, one would be frozen into ice as soon as they entered.

    Below the Arcane Ice Layer was the Thunderstorm Layer.

    Ten thousand thunderbolts emanating a destructive aura roared momentarily in thisyer of the abyss.

    Finally, there was an empty space that was several times more expansive than the previous sixyersbined.

    ording to Kou Hong, there was no danger in thisyer, and it was just an eerie pitch-ck area.

    After passing through the finalyer, one would be able to leave the Immortal Extinction Formation and enter the cultivation world.

    Li Fan carefully controlled the Tai Yan Boat and spent half an hour before finally crossing the Astral Wind Layer.

    As soon as he entered the Illusory Light Layer, Li Fan was caught in a heavy illusion by the illumination of the flowing lights that overwhelmed his eyes.

    In the illusion, he had sessfully escaped the Immortal Extinction Formation, and after arriving at the cultivation world, he coincidentally obtained a rare cultivation technique in a fortuitous encounter. In only a hundred years, he was able to cultivate into the Golden Core realm.

    After that, his cultivation journey was smooth. After a thousand years, he was able to achieve the realm of Dao Ascension.

    In the world of cultivation, Li Fan started as the lowest-ranking Immortal Official and eventually became an Immortal Emperor who dominated the immortal world.

    Afterwards, Li Fan broke through the spatial barrier of the Immortal Realm and ascended to the Divine Realm.

    He started out as a miner in the Divine Realm, and after ten thousand years, Li Fan became a God King, bing the most powerful existence in the Divine Realm.

    After that, Li Fan cultivated for thousands of years and ascended to the Supreme God Realm, bing a low-level gatekeeper.

    And again, he painstakingly started from scratch.

    Such was the nested reality that Li Fan experienced countless times...

    Finally, the illusion copsed.

    Li Fan came to his senses, and all of his previous experiences quickly faded from his mind like an ebbing tide, leaving only some shallow traces.

    A little speechless about his previous encounters in the illusion realm, Li Fan stabilized his mind and continued on.

    His brain suddenly felt dizzy, and Li Fan knew that he hade to the Inversion Layer at that moment.

    Surrounded by endless white mist, the Tai Yan Boat was like a drop of water in the ocean, with no way to distinguish directions.

    Originally, he thought that his journey of exploring the formation in this lifetime would end here, but Li Fan was pleasantly surprised to find that a guidance system appeared in the Tai Yan Boat, telling him where to go.

    Li Fan followed the guidance of the Tai Yan Boat, and it didn''t take long for him to leave the Inversion Layer.

    Next, having tasted the ease of the guidance system, Li Fan did not deliberately maneuver at all, and only provided the power for the Tai Yan Boat to fly through this Immortal Extinction Formation on its own.

    Flowing Fire, Arcane Ice, Thunderstorm Layer...

    These ces seemed vicious and dangerous, but the Tai Yan Boat''s unhurried flight always managed to narrowly avoid one destructive crisis after another.

    With little danger along the way, Li Fan arrived at thestyer, the void of darkness, very smoothly.

    "Of course, this Tai Yan Boat was specialized in migrating mortals a thousand years ago. The Great Migration Erasted for hundreds of years, and this flying boat surely wouldn''t have made only one trip. Judging from how broken it is, perhaps the migration work didn''t stop for a hundred years. It must be that the cultivator in charge of this matter felt that it was aborious thing to personally maneuver every time, so he left an automation system inside this Tai Yan boat, allowing it to automatically pass through the Immortal Extinction Array... "Li Fan suddenly realized why his trip had gone so smoothly.

    The Tai Yan boat quietly moved forward through the total darkness.

    Thinking of the cultivation world that he had been looking forward to for hundreds of years, Li Fan couldn''t help but be excited, despite his usuallyposed demeanor.

    Suddenly, in the iparably silent darkness, an inexplicably strange and distant cry rang out.

    This odd sound spread throughout the entireyer of darkness in an instant, echoing continuously through it.

    Li Fan''s heartbeat instantly stopped, as if he had encountered a formidable enemy, and the blood in his body instantly became ice-cold.

    The eerie cries were getting closer and closer, and in the blink of an eye, they surrounded the tiny Tai Yan Boat,ing from all directions.

    Suddenly, the sounds disappeared.

    It became silent again.

    The surroundings were still pitch ck, but the darkness was different from before.

    Li Fan felt a chill run down his spine.

    He knew that the Tai Yan Boat had been swallowed by some kind of existence.

    "Boom!"

    The Tai Yan Boat''s protective light shield shattered in an instant, and the Tai Yan Boat''s body began to disintegrate.

    The charging progress began to plummet in this instant.

    Looking deeply into the darkness of the outside world onest time, Li Fan silently chanted.

    "[Truth]!"

 Chapter 19: The Abyss Wants to Devour

    ¡¾End of simtion¡¿

    ...

    Li Fan regained consciousness.

    He stared intently at the scene of the Tai Yan Boat shattering on the screen, a thick fear lingering in his heart, refusing to dissipate.

    "What exactly was that?" Li Fan was puzzled.

    When Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi traversed the Immortal Extinction Formation earlier, they did not encounter this entity in the darkyer. Why was his experience different?

    Could it be that his luck was simply bad?

    Li Fan didn''t think so.

    The darkyer of this Immortal Extinction Formation was vast. The small Tai Yan Boat was like a drop in the ocean within it.

    Yet this unknown entity found him with such precision...

    "Most likely, it''s a method targeting mortals."

    "It seems safer to wait until the mist clears and light shines at the bottom of the Abyss before exploring."

    "Although thest attempt failed, the gains from the previous life were indeed beyond expectations..."

    Li Fan pondered to himself, then decided to preserve the "Tai Yan Boat".

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physiological Age: 20/86

    Mental Age: 333/1113¡ü

    Progress in Qi Condensation: 0%

    Progress in Anchoring Qi: 1%

    Current Anchor Points: 1

    Bound Items: "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra", Tai Yan Boat

    ...

    Looking at the increasingly limited upper limit of his mental age, Li Fan also felt a sense of pressure.

    Fortunately, the realm of cultivation was within reach. As long as he left this ce, the sky was the limit!

    In this anticipation, Li Fan''s seventh life began.

    Before [Truth] had recharged, Li Fan was determined not to take any risky actions.

    So, he still nned to live through the first twenty years ording to the script he had experienced several times.

    In the 3rd year, Li Fan returned to Wen County, Jiangnan.

    In the 4th year, he secretly arrived at Qian Hong''s tomb with his trusted subordinates.

    This time, he slowly eroded the tomb using mists filled with Immortal Mortal gue, gradually weakening the Stone Tablet of Prohibition until it was too weak to prate steel armor.

    Li Fan, wearing armor, entered the tomb and ced his hand on the stone tablet.

    "Detected chargeable item: Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged)."

    "Consume to recharge?"

    The prompt from [Truth] popped up as expected.

    "Unfortunately, it''s a bit damaged." Li Fan sighed, choosing yes.

    The Stone Tablet of Prohibition gradually turned into nothingness and disappeared.

    And after absorbing the halting script, the progress of anchor creation in [Truth] directly increased by 25%.

    "Just three more times, and I can unlock the second anchor point?" Li Fan rejoiced, but also had a vague feeling it wouldn''t be so simple.

    "Specting too much is useless; I''ll know in the next life."

    The other things in Qian Hong''s tomb were of no value to Li Fan now. After instructing someone to seal the tomb again, Li Fan left.

    After 5 years, Li Fan finally couldn''t hold back and went to the Ruins Abyss.

    "Let''s just take a look, and not go down." Li Fan told himself.

    Gazing at the endless sea of mist, his vision seemed to prate the infinite space barriers, reaching the bottom of the Ruins Abyss.

    Standing for a long time, as the strong wind howled, the dense fog gradually dispersed. The once treacherous Immortal Extinction Formation now seemed less threatening.

    "At this moment, if I were to pilot the Tai Yan Boat, I could smoothly reach the realm of cultivation, right?" A thought suddenly popped into Li Fan''s mind and could no longer be restrained. It rapidly expanded, swiftly upying all of Li Fan''s attention.

    "Yes, I''ve waited for so long; do I have to wait another fifteen years?"

    "What does it matter if [Truth] hasn''tpleted its charge? Hesitating like this, how can I achieve the great Dao?"

    "In thest life, I tried it once. As long as I carefully avoid that unknown creature in the darkyer, I can leave this ursed ce!"

    ...

    Voices chimed in Li Fan''s ears incessantly, and his eyes gradually lost focus, bing bloodshot, seemingly ensnared by these voices.

    Li Fan continued to move forward step by step, getting closer to the Ruins Abyss.

    Just as Li Fan was about to be drawn by the Ruins Abyss and crushed to pieces.

    At the bottom of the Ruins Abyss, a burst of light suddenly erupted, breaking through the Immortal Extinction Formation and reflecting into Li Fan''s eyes.

    The red, frenzied state was temporarily suppressed. The words "The Immortal Dao is Dead" suddenly appeared in Li Fan''s vision.

    "Boom!"

    All those fanatical thoughts in his mind, the desperate desire to pursue the path of cultivation, and even the impulse to leap forward, all dissipated in an instant.

    "What''s going on?" A now clear-headed Li Fan was startled.

    In his eyes, the calm Abyss suddenly turned into a lurking beast, its huge mouth open, ready to devour him.

    Li Fan turned around immediately and fled without looking back.

    After a long while, the dense fog recondensed.

    At the bottom of the Abyss, a faint, angry roar could be heard.

    ...

    Fifteen yearster, in the twentieth year.

    [Truth] finallypleted its charge.

    With newfound confidence, Li Fan returned to the Ruins Abyss.

    Recalling the scene from years ago, even though much time had passed, Li Fan still felt a lingering fear.

    "It seems my guess was correct. That creature in the darkyer truly harbors great malice towards mortals. Perhaps its mission is to devour any mortals approaching this ce."

    Although it was dangerous, Li Fan was not one to give up on the path to immortality.

    Without hesitation, Li Fan piloted the Tai Yan Boat and smoothly arrived at the Thunderstorm Layer.

    He didn''t descend further; instead, he stopped just above the darkyer, patiently waiting.

    "Woo..."

    The strong winds began to blow.

    The raging thunderstorms, affected by this unknown strong wind, began to subside and gradually weaken.

    They slowly faded away into speckles of light.

    Li Fan didn''t look at this wonder; instead, he sought to find the lurking monster in the darkness while making use of this precious and brief light.

    Unfortunately, he found nothing!

    Seeing the light about to fade, Li Fan gritted his teeth, no longer hesitating. He drove the Tai Yan Boat at full throttle and rushed towards the bottom of the Ruins Abyss.

    The strange cry sounded again, and in an instant, it was right beside him.

    At this moment, Li Fanpletely changed the direction of the Tai Yan Boat''s charge.

    After drawing a beautiful curve, the Tai Yan Boat, which was originally charging straight down, now moved at a speed several times faster, continuously flying upwards!

    Upwards, and upwards!

    The Tai Yan Boat was at full power, and amidst a roar of fury, it soared back into the Thunderstorm Layer!

    Utilizing thest wisp of disappearing light, Li Fan, now positioned high above, finally saw the true appearance of the creature lurking in the darkness.

    It was an enormous whale beyond description in words. Even from this far away, Li Fan couldn''t fully see its whole form.

    Even just its open huge mouth filled Li Fan''s entire field of vision.

    The whale, frustrated at its prey returning to the Thunderstorm Layer, roared angrily but could only return to the darknessyer.

    After a few roars to vent its dissatisfaction, it reluctantly closed its mouth and disappeared into the darkness.

    *****

    TL Note: trying out a new engine for the next few chapters, let me know what you guys think. Notice any difference? Better? Worse?

 Chapter 20: Unintentional Success

    Li Fan piloted the Tai Yan Boat and returned to the top of the Ruins Abyss.

    "What on earth is that...," Li Fan''s face turned somewhat dark.

    Although he had used some tricks to see the true form of the creature, he had no idea how to escape its sight and sessfully traverse the darkyer.

    "That whale is so huge, and the Tai Yan Boat is so small. Every time I pass by, it always manages to find me like a cat finding a mouse..." Thinking about this, Li Fan was a bit frustrated.

    "I can only try other methods. Fortunately, I still have plenty of attempts left." Li Fan sighed in resignation.

    ...

    Fifteen yearster, in the thirty-fifth year.

    Li Fan had infiltrated the Thunderstorm Layer.

    During these fifteen years, he had attempted to forcefully break through the darkyer several times.

    However, in these attempts, the whale found him significantly quicker. Considering the Tai Yan Boat''s flight speed, he was unable to escape. He could only return in a sorry state after struggling to evade the whale each time.

    "On the day the white mist disperses, the whale seems to be dyed by something and takes a while to notice me. With this extra bit of time, perhaps I can fly to the bottom of the Ruins Abyss."

    This time, Li Fan decided to take a gamble, speeding through the darkyer before the whale could react.

    The strong wind picked up.

    The Tai Yan Boat was at full throttle, bursting at an astonishing speed.

    The illusory scenery grew closer and closer. He was about to arrive, but the terrifying roar of the whale resounded once again.

    And it was approaching swiftly.

    "Only about a quarter of the distance left, not enough time." Li Fan made a judgment.

    He squinted, and a fierce determination was ignited within him.

    He decided not to fly to the bottom of the Ruins Abyss this time. Instead, he turned around and charged fiercely toward the direction from where the whale''s roar came.

    Unfortunately, being fierce didn''t help.

    Without a collision, Li Fan only felt darkness all around, knowing he had been swallowed by the whale again.

    "Not again!"

    Li Fan roared angrily.

    ...

    [End of simtion]

    Li Fan sighed in frustration.

    Taking a long time to calm his emotions, this time Li Fan chose to elerate the charging progress.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical age: 20/86 Mental age: 368/1116 Mental age had reached its limit and would not increase further.

    "Fortunately, I still have 748 years to spare." Li Fan could only console himself this way.

    The eighth life.

    After four years.

    Li Fan once again opened Qian Hong''s tomb in this life.

    "Detected chargeable item: Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged)."

    "Consume to recharge?"

    Seeing [Truth]''s prompt, Li Fan''s mood finally improved a bit.

    At this moment, the charging progress for the anchored charge had reached 51%.

    "At least I haven''te to this life in vain..." Li Fan said somewhat self-deprecatingly.

    In the fifth year, the white mist dispersed. The charging progress for the virtual absorption was approaching 90%. However, if it wasn''t 100%, it didn''t make much difference for Li Fan. He could only choose to wait patiently.

    In the twentieth year, Li Fan tried and failed.

    In the thirty-fifth year, Li Fan tried again, but still failed.

    However, these attempts were notpletely in vain. At the very least, he became more proficient in controlling the Tai Yan Boat and began enduring longer under the whale''s pursuit.

    In the fiftieth year, Li Fan didn''t choose to forcefully break through the darkyer again.

    He had grown old, and his reactions and spirit had significantly declined. It was impossible for him to seed.

    So he chose to meet two old friends and see if he could get any clues from them.

    On Li Fan''s seventieth birthday, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi arrived on time.

    "Dao Xuanzi, do not overstep your bounds!"

    ...

    Li Fan listened and suddenly felt a bit nostalgic.

    Using the lure of a Golden Core technique, he brought the two to the Imperial Advisor''s Mansion. After three rounds of drinks, Li Fan brought out a scroll.

    The painting seemed to have some age, describing a terrifying and huge whale hidden behind the darkness, only revealing its fierce mouth, ready to devour people.

    "Have you two seen such a monster? Our ancestors said before his death that if we have a chance to escape this perilous ce in the future, we need not worry about the rest. With our sect''s Tai Yan Boat guarding us, we''ll be safe. Only in thestyer, there is a lurking whale. We should be cautious." Li Fan asked.

    "Such a fierce beast in that pitch-ck vast space?" Kou Hong looked at the painting and frowned slightly, showing disbelief. "Why haven''t I seen it?"

    "Could it be..." Dao Xuanzi seemed to remember something.

    "Oh? Fellow Daoist friend seems to know about this beast?" Li Fan asked expectantly.

    Dao Xuanzi shook his head: "I''ve only read some rted records in an ancient book. It is said that in ancient times, there was a sect called the Beast Control Sect. The Beast Control Sect didn''t have any profound techniques, but with a skill called Beast Control Art, they could control the beasts in the world to fight for them. When the Beast Control Sect was at its peak, it was said to rival the top sects like the Tai Shang and Da Dao sects."

    "Unfortunately, during the cmity of heaven and earth, the Beast Control Sect, which only cultivated one technique, perished the quickest."

    "Among the most famous beasts controlled by the Beast Control Sect, it seems there was this kind of whale."

    "You mentioning it reminds me. It seems to be called the Void Ripper Whale?" Kou Hong snapped his fingers and quickly said.

    Li Fan''s mind stirred, and he hurriedly asked, "Do you two know how to avoid this Void Ripper Whale?"

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi smiled somewhat awkwardly: "We''ve only heard a few fragmentary descriptions. As for such a beast, it has disappeared from the cultivation world for thousands of years. How could we know its habits?"

    Li Fan couldn''t help but feel disappointed.

    In the end, he would have to rely on himself, wouldn''t he?

    Handing the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" to Dao Xuanzi, after sending the two away, Li Fan chose to end this life.

    ...

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical age: 20/86 Mental age: 418/1116

    Ninth life!

    In this life, Li Fan once again opened Qian Hong''s tomb, wanting to absorb the Stone Tablet of Prohibition for charging.

    Unfortunately, [Truth] didn''t react at all.

    Although he felt disappointed, Li Fan was already mentally prepared.

    Thus, the charging progress for [Truth]''s anchored charge remained at 51%.

    In the twentieth, thirty-fifth, and fiftieth years, Li Fan tried various methods but couldn''t rush through the darkyer under the whale''s watchful eyes.

    In the sixty-fifth year, Li Fan was already eighty-five years old, nearing the end of his life.

    This time, he didn''t choose to end early because he didn''t know how many attempts he would need to break through this obstacle.

    Having one more try was always better.

    Unfortunately, he was already too old this time, and his thinking had be slow, and his reactions sluggish.

    Unable to match wits with the whale anymore, Li Fan didn''t force it. Hepletely gave up controlling the Tai Yan Boat and let it sway towards the bottom of the Ruins Abyss from the beginning.

    The Neb Layer, Illusion Layer, Inversion Layer, Flowing Fire Layer, Arcane Ice Layer, Thunderstorm Layer, Dark Layer...

    Li Fan fell asleep in a daze. When he woke up, he was shocked to find that the Tai Yan Boat was almost reaching the bottom of the Abyss!

    "What''s going on? Why didn''t the Void Ripper Whale appear this time?" Li Fan waspletely baffled, but it didn''t stop him from elerating and speeding towards the faint lights appearing below.

    But as Li Fan elerated, the roar of the whale suddenly appeared!

    "Why did it suddenly notice me again at this moment?" Li Fan frowned deeply.

    Then, as if a lightning bolt illuminated the night sky, Li Fan suddenly understood.

    "So that''s why! The Void Ripper Whale tracks me based on my eleration! As long as I maintain a constant speed, I can safely pass through this Immortal Extinction Formation! "

    Realizing this crucial point, Li Fan couldn''t help butugh heartily.

    At this point, thest shackle to leave this Immortal Extinction Formation waspletely unlocked!

    Amidst Li Fan''sughter and the whale''s roar, the Tai Yan Boat broke through the crack between the two realms and was about to return to the cultivation world.

    The surroundings became blurry as if crossing the distance of several worlds in an instant, suffering from tremendous pressure, Li Fan suddenly groaned, blood flowing from his nose and eyes.

    But he didn''t care.

    Looking back at the ce he came from, because it was too far away and the perspective was infinitely high, Li Fan saw a scene that he would never forget in his lifetime:

    Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of Void Ripper Whales. They formed groups and ceaselessly opened up patches of pitch-ck space in the void.

    And the ce where Li Fan came from, the Immortal Extinction Formation, was getting farther and farther away as he headed closer to the cultivation world.

 Chapter 21: The Cultivation Realm

    "This is the cultivation realm..."

    After breaking through the Immortal Extinction Formation, the Tai Yan Boat appeared within a continuous mountain range.

    Below was a deep abyss emitting a breath simr to the Ruins Abyss, seemingly bottomless.

    The mountains rose and fell, shrouded in clouds and mist, presenting a magnificent sight.

    On the tallest mountain range, a vast and enormous city stood towering.

    Li Fan wanted tough heartily, but he couldn''t help but cough, continuously spitting out blood.

    He was already too old.

    Originally, he was already at the edge of life and death, and the pressure brought about by traversing the Immortal Extinction Formationpletely destroyed his vitality.

    However, being able to glimpse the cultivation realm before dying, this life was not lived in vain!

    "[Truth]!"

    ...

    [The simtion ends.]

    After the darkness, Li Fan''s consciousness gradually recovered.

    Recalling his efforts in his previous life, when he tried various methods to sessfully pass the Immortal Extinction Formation, only to identally discover the way to break it.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but feel the unpredictability of life.

    What he couldn''t forget was the scene where he looked back at the group of Void Ripper Whales.

    "How much did the cultivators of that era hate ordinary people? They not only banished them all and sealed them with the Immortal Extinction Formation but also arranged so many Void Ripper Whales..."

    "No wonder the darkyer is so vast,rger than all the previousyersbined. It seems that over the thousands of years, it has been opened up by these Void Ripper Whales."

    "The distance is getting farther and farther. In the future, the Land of Immortal Extinction mightpletely detach from the cultivation realm..."

    Various thoughts surged in Li Fan''s mind, but he suppressed them one by one.

    Recing them was an uncontroble joy.

    After nine reincarnations, nearly five hundred years, he finally touched the threshold of cultivation.

    It could be foreseen that the road ahead will be even more difficult.

    But Li Fan''s desire for immortality remained unchanged, unwavering through countless lifetimes!

    ...

    Back in the present, facing the choices after this simtion, Li Fan was unusually hesitant.

    ording to his previous n, Li Fan intended to choose to elerate the charging progress. The sooner hepleted the charging of [Truth], the sooner he could go to the cultivation realm.

    Yes, even though the path to the cultivation realm was now smooth and there were no dangers, Li Fan still decided to wait until he had a chance to start again before setting off.

    After all...

    The path of cultivation is difficult! And this cultivation realm doesn''t seem too friendly to ordinary people.

    Stabilityes first, without a doubt!

    However, after seeing the list of avable items, Li Fan hesitated.

    Because he saw the Stone Tablet of Prohibition among the selectable items.

    After some contemtion, Li Fan decided to choose to keep the stone tablet.

    He wanted to use this to verify a certain guess in his mind.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical age: 20/86 Mental age: 483/1116 Charge progress for the Void Ripper Whale: 0%

    2nd Anchor point charge progress: 51%

    Current anchor points: 1 Bound items: "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra," Tai Yan Boat, Stone Tablet of Prohibition (damaged)...

    Li Fan''s tenth life began.

    During the twenty years of waiting for the charging to bepleted, Li Fan followed the established historical trajectory, doing only a few things that didn''t affect the course of history, preparing for his journey to the cultivation realm.

    After three years, Li Fan arrived outside Qian Hong''s tomb.

    After contemting for a moment, he chose not to use the Immortal-Mortal Miasma to break the tomb but instead took out the Stone Tablet of Prohibition directly from [Truth].

    The stone tablet he brought from the previous life underwent a strange change once it appeared in the world.

    A soft white light enveloped the stone tablet, making it look somewhat illusory.

    After a while, it started to dissipate like ice in the scorching sun.

    Unsurprisingly to Li Fan, the power of the Stone Tablet of Prohibition within Qian Hong''s tomb had just be much stronger!

    "As I thought! Cultivation techniques cannot be practiced together, and the same goes for natural treasures of heaven and earth."

    "There should never be two identical treasures in the world, but I used the power of [Truth] to create another identical one out of thin air. The result is that the two wonders spontaneously fused and eventually returned to one."

    "As for which one disappears and which one remains..."

    "Of course, the strong one will survive and the weak one will not!"

    Li Fan thenmanded his men to forcefully attack Qian Hong''s tomb.

    As expected, the strengthened Stone Tablet of Prohibition was remarkable. Even when using the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, it took considerable effort to reduce its power.

    Wearing armor, Li Fan entered Qian Hong''s tomb and looked at the Stone Tablet of Prohibition.

    Its appearance had not changed much on the outside; it just seemed slightly less damaged.

    [Truth] still couldn''t absorb it, indicating that it was only a quantitative change and had not reached a qualitative one.

    Li Fan squinted and ordered his men to move the stone tablet out of the tomb.

    When the strengthened Stone Tablet of Prohibition was removed from the tomb, the destructive force surrounding it suddenly disappeared.

    With this, Li Fan''s experiment ended.

    He stored this enhanced Stone Tablet of Prohibition in the Tai Yan Boat to be used as his asset for the journey to the cultivation realm in the future.

    In the twentieth year, [Truth] was about to finish charging.

    Li Fan mercilessly executed a group of corrupt officials andndlords, confiscating the wealth umted by their families for generations.

    Because after going to the cultivation realm, he would still have to deal with mortals, so it was necessary to prepare wealth in advance.

    In addition to money, food was essential.

    However, food was the foundation of the country, and Li Fan was asking for too much at once.

    Officials and even merchants in the capital heard about this and seized the opportunity to raise grain prices, attempting to make a fortune.

    Li Fan didn''t hesitate; during the morning court, he controlled the Tai Yan Boat at itsrgest size and hung it in the sky above the imperial pce.

    The huge Tai Yan Boat floated over the capital like a dark cloud.

    Countless citizens, upon seeing this, knelt down and kowtowed. The civil and military officials, witnessing such supernatural means from Li Fan, changed their expressions and showed enthusiasm, even actively helping Li Fan prepare food.

    With the active assistance of the officials,bined with the elimination of a group of corrupt merchants, the Tai Yan Boat was finally filled to the brim.

    With everything prepared for millennia, Li Fan had no more concerns in the mortal world.

    He steered the Tai Yan Boat and once again arrived above the Ruins Abyss.

    Freeing his mind and allowing the Tai Yan Boat to drift automatically at a constant speed.

    Although it only took a few hours in total, to Li Fan, it felt longer than the hundreds of years he had experienced before.

    After a long wait, Li Fan finally traversed the Immortal Extinction Formation and arrived in the cultivation realm!

    Getting used to the tearing sensation brought by crossing two realms, Li Fan looked excitedly outside the Tai Yan Boat.

    However, after seeing the surrounding scenery clearly, Li Fan became somewhat dumbfounded.

    *****

    TL Note: Thoughts on the new trantion style?

 Chapter 22: Fellow Escapees

    TL Note: decided to stick with the new style, reception was mixed but I think most would prefer faster trantion over better stylization.

    *****

    In contrast to the continuous mountain ranges seen in the previous life, Li Fan found himself currently situated over a vast, endless expanse of ocean.

    "What''s going on? Why is this ce different from before?" Li Fan was somewhat stunned.

    He took out a map he had drawn based on memory from his pocket and attempted to find the location of the ocean on it.

    But after a thoroughparison, he couldn''t find it at all.

    "Never mind, I''ll just take one step at a time." Not knowing where the mistake urred, Li Fan put away the map and sighed. "Fortunately, I have the Tai Yan Boat for transportation. Otherwise, I might have been stranded here. I just don''t know if I can find a ce where people reside before the spirit stones in the Tai Yan Boat run out."

    He wasn''t one to me himself. Li Fan quickly sprang into action.

    Choosing a direction, he piloted the Tai Yan Boat while searching for traces of a city in the surroundings.

    The ocean was truly boundless. Li Fan flew for seven days and nights, yet saw no signs of human activity.

    Fortunately, the Tai Yan Boat was well-stocked with food, so he didn''t have to worry about survival.

    After more than ten days passed, the speed of the Tai Yan Boat began to slow down, indicating that its energy was nearly depleted.

    At this desperate moment, Li Fan finally spotted a faint silhouette of a ship on the ocean''s surface.

    Li Fan was overjoyed and slowly lowered the Tai Yan Boat''s altitude to approach.

    However, as he got closer, he was rendered speechless.

    It was indeed a ship, but it was a ship that was on the verge of sinking.

    It seemed to have suffered some kind of attack, with arge hole in the hull, and two-thirds of it submerged in water.

    Around the ship, dozens of people struggled in the water, who were obviously the ship''s crew.

    Most of them were not skilled swimmers and were barely clinging to pieces of wreckage, preventing themselves from sinking.

    Li Fan was hesitant about releasing the Tai Yan Boat to save them, but then he heard one of the survivors, a man, struggling to shout, "Don''t be afraid, I''ve sent a signal to the Immortal Master! He wille to rescue us soon! Everyone, hold on a little longer!"

    Hearing this, Li Fan was moved.

    He stored the Tai Yan Boat and jumped into the sea, quietly swimming towards these people.

    Silently blending into the crowd, Li Fan pretended to be struggling for survival, gasping for breath and barely keeping himself afloat.

    After a while, a streak of light flew over from a distance and stopped above the group.

    "Immortal Master, save us!"

    "Immortal Master, save us!"

    ...

    The people saw hope and began calling for help.

    "Noisy!"

    The voice belonged to a man, but his attire and features were obscured as if by a veil, making it hard to discern.

    With a disdainful snort, the man seemed to cast some spell, and Li Fan suddenly found himself unable to produce sound.

    The crowd fell silent instantly.

    The Immortal Master then flew to the side of the sinking ship and effortlessly lifted it from the water, repairing the gaping hole in the hull with a burst of light.

    He then looked at the struggling people in the water and snorted, lightly waving his hand forward.

    Li Fan and the others felt themselves lifted by an invisible force and flown towards the repaired ship.

    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

    In an instant, the rescued people were thrown onto the ship like dumplings by the Immortal Master''s rough handling.

    Unable to speak, they could only emit muffled sounds.

    But all of them had expressions of awe and joy for being saved, not daring to show the slightestint.

    Once everyone was rescued, the Immortal Master flew above them. In a stern tone, he said, "Who sent the distress signal?"

    The man who hadforted the others earlier immediately knelt down.

    The Immortal Master waved his hand, removing the spell from the man.

    While kowtowing, the man said, "This humble one is Su Changyu..."

    The Immortal Master interrupted him directly, "You know the rules, right? After arriving, everything is unrted to me. I have never seen you, nor do I know who you are. Understand?"

    Su Changyu nodded repeatedly, "This humble one understands. When we came, our family elders had already instructed..."

    He stopped speaking halfway, his voice silenced.

    It turned out that the Immortal Master was satisfied and had silenced Su Changyu.

    The Immortal Master paid no attention to these mortals and flew to the bow of the ship. He cast a spell, and the ship swiftly sailed in a certain direction.

    Witnessing this scene, most of the people on board were filled with awe.

    Some seemed to have not recovered from the previous disaster, sitting on the deck trembling, curling up as if silently weeping.

    The ship fell into an eerie silence.

    Thissted for most of the day until it was dark. Finally, in the distance, a faint shimmer of light became visible.

    It was an ind that appeared quite prosperous. Though it was still some distance away, faint sounds of human activity could be heard.

    Docked at the ind''s pier were hundreds ofrge ships, a magnificent sight.

    However, the ship Li Fan was on did not head towards the main dock but circled around the ind, arriving at a less popted area at the back.

    Quietly, the ship entered a natural cave.

    After maneuvering through the narrow cave for a while, it finally came to a stop.

    Once the ship was anchored, several robust men in ck attire came up to assist.

    However, they seemed topletely ignore the Immortal Master, merely using weapons to drive the people off the ship.

    Not a word was spoken.

    They escorted the people to a spacious hall. A ck-d man finally spoke.

    "You will rest here tonight. Food has already been prepared in the hall, help yourselves. Tomorrow, someone will take you to arrange your identities. Also, no unnecessary noise." He nced around threateningly before turning and leaving.

    The hall fell into silence.

    After a long while, the Immortal Master''s silencing spell wore off. Subsequently, the people in the hall began to discuss in groups.

    "This time, our luck was really bad. We were actually attacked by sea monsters. There were nearly a hundred of us when we set out, but now, less than half remain."

    "What''s the use of seeking the Dao and cultivating as immortals? Sigh, I don''t know what my father was thinking, insisting on sending me to this vast world for cultivation. If you ask me, cultivating immortality isn''t as enjoyable as listening to music."

    "That''s right. Back home, at least I was the son of the Southern King. I could enjoy all kinds of wealth and splendor. What''s good about this ce..."

    He was interrupted halfway, only the sound of sobbing remained, as his quick-wittedpanion quickly covered his mouth.

    At this point, Su Changyu, the man who had spoken earlier, said, "At this juncture, what''s the point of saying these things? Didn''t every family spend a great price to send you here? Instead ofining, why not be patient and cultivate from now on? If you can truly be a cultivator, not only is there hope for a long life, but there''s also a chance to return to our hometown and bring our family members out."

    Hiding in the shadows, Li Fan listened to the people''s conversation, and he vaguely understood their identities.

    These people were probably like him, ordinary mortals banished to a Land of Immortal Extinction.

    However, it seemed that in the ces they were in, the existence of the cultivation realm was not a secret.

    Moreover, they had even developed a mature "smuggling" route?

    Li Fan stroked his chin and fell into thought.

 Chapter 23: Registering on Liuli Island

    While Li Fan was lost in thought, a slightly chubby young man approached him not far away.

    The young man patted Li Fan''s shoulder, somewhat familiar: "Brother, you seem unfamiliar. May I ask what position you hold in the Great Li? Or are you a wealthy merchant from another region?"

    Li Fan swatted the young man''s hand off his shoulder and looked at him coldly, saying nothing.

    The chubby youth felt like he was being stared at by a venomous snake and shivered.

    Though he felt a bit embarrassed for being scared by just a gaze, the chubby youth was quite perceptive. Li Fan seemed ordinary, but there was an aura of authority about him, and it was obvious he had been in a high position for many years.

    He''s no ordinary person! The chubby youth quickly reached this conclusion and wisely left.

    Others saw this and understood that Li Fan wasn''t very approachable. From then on, nobody tried to strike up a conversation with him.

    In the flickering light, the voices of the crowd gradually faded and everyone fell asleep.

    A quiet night passed.

    On the second day, before dawn, everyone was awakened.

    A middle-aged man with a long beard, dressed in a green robe and hands behind his back, walked up to the crowd.

    "I will take you to register in a moment. After obtaining the registration, you will officially be a member of Liuli Ind," the middle-aged man said coldly, surveying the surroundings.

    Upon hearing the middle-aged man''s words, the crowd showed excitement.

    "Remember, don''t speak what you shouldn''t. Otherwise, I can''t guarantee your safety," the man squinted his eyes, adding.

    The crowd understood that what they were doing was ndestine, and they all nodded.

    Then, following the middle-aged man''s orders, Li Fan and the others changed into shabby clothes.

    Later, they were taught a unified script.

    "You are all residents of the western Great Gorge Ind. Due to a natural disaster, the ind was destroyed, so you fled here. If anyone asks, this is what you say."

    Everyone agreed.

    Afterwards, led by the middle-aged man and monitored by four or five ck-d men, they left the cave through a secret passage and arrived on the surface.

    After traversing through the residential area of the city, circling around for an unknown duration, they finally arrived at a mansion.

    Li Fan noticed that although their group of several dozen was not small, most of the ind''s residents only nced at them casually and didn''t pay much attention. It was clear that they were used to such urrences.

    They didn''t enter through the mansion''s main gate. After a servant entered to report, he quickly returned and led the group through a side door on the left to a hall.

    The hall was quite spacious. Even before Li Fan and the others arrived, there were already two or three groups totaling over a hundred people gathered.

    However, it didn''t seem crowded.

    The middle-aged man gestured for everyone to wait patiently.

    Soon, it was Li Fan''s group''s turn.

    "Steward Zhao!" the middle-aged man called out.

    "Are these the disaster victims who havee to register?" Steward Zhao, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, appeared somewhat aged. However, his eyes were exceptionally sharp. After sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he said with a half-smile, "Sun Zhang, these disaster victims seem to be of high status!"

    Sun Zhang remained calm and sighed, "Yes, they were all from wealthy families on the Great Gorge Ind. Unfortunately, without the protection of a cultivator, a natural disaster struck, and all their wealth and glory turned to nothing. Now they havee far and wide to seek refuge on our Liuli Ind."

    Having said that, Sun Zhang took something from his pocket and handed it to Steward Zhao without a word.

    Steward Zhao nced at it, epted it, and sighed again, "The recent storm wreaked havoc, and even our Liuli Ind was affected. The inds in the west suffered even more. It is said that over two hundred inds were razed to the ground, and countless mortal souls returned to the sea."

    "Thanks to thepassion of the Immortal Master, we were able to rescue the victims. It''s a good thing that your Heavenly Treasure House is so concerned! Rest assured, I will definitely report to the Ind Master truthfully. When the Immortal Master''s rewardes, you will not be left out."

    Sun Zhang was delighted and began to tter him.

    Steward Zhao listened and then started to handle the registration for everyone.

    Not long after, it was Li Fan''s turn. Steward Zhao looked at Li Fan with a trace of curiosity.

    "What is your name?" Steward Zhao asked.

    "Li Fan," Li Fan answered truthfully.

    "Come, drip a drop of your blood on this." Steward Zhao wrote Li Fan''s name with a pen dipped in blood on a rectangr object that seemed like jade but was not actually jade. He then handed it over.

    Li Fan pricked his finger, letting the blood drip.

    Afterward, as if imbued with life, the blood seeped into the two characters "Li Fan."

    "Keep this spirit symbol well; it will be your identity proof from now on. Whenever you need to receive work, distribute food, or go through inspections on the ind, you must show this spirit symbol. Do not lose it," Steward Zhao emphasized, more friendly towards Li Fanpared to the others, and gave additional instructions.

    This drew the attention of Sun Zhang and the others.

    Li Fan didn''t say many words of gratitude, and after nodding, he put away the spirit symbol and walked to the side.

    The distribution of registrations was efficient, and soon, everyone had obtained their Liuli Ind household registration.

    The crowd was excited.

    After leaving that ce, they didn''t return to the previous cave but were led by Sun Zhang to the courtyard of a house.

    "Now that you have obtained your household registration, shall we sign the contract?" Sun Zhang said to Su Changyu and the others.

    Su Changyu took out a thin piece of paper from his pocket carefully and then pricked his finger to write his name with blood, solemnly and respectfully.

    After signing, the paper self-ignited without fire, turning into a wisp of green smoke, drifting away, and no one knew where it went.

    "After the three contracts, only one more remains. When we settle downpletely, I will sign the final contract ording to the agreement," Su Changyu said calmly.

    "Humph, it''s troublesome dealing with you exile refugees. If not for the sake of the Immortal Master, our Heavenly Treasure House wouldn''t engage in such a loss-making business," Sun Zhang snorted, somewhat dissatisfied.

    However, he didn''t say much afterward but proceeded to exin the things they needed to pay attention to on the ind.

    "All residents of Liuli Ind can obtain a residence using their household registration spirit symbol. Although it is in a remote area at the northernmost periphery of the ind, at least you will have a ce to shelter from the wind and rain. Apart from that, for the first year after registering, you can receive a certain amount of free rations every month. Of course, if you are used to delicacies and can''t tolerate this welfare food, you can spend your own money to dine on the ind."

    ...

    After saying a lot, Sun Zhang''s mouth was dry, and he paused for a rest. Suddenly, he heard Su Changyu ask, "I am wondering, how can we cultivate?"

    This was exactly what Li Fan was concerned about. He pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

 Chapter 24: Purge Miasma to Refine Qi

    Sun Zhang nced at Su Changyu and patiently exined, "For ordinary people to cultivate, they need to cleanse the miasma within their bodies. The concentration of miasma in the bodies of those of you who have returned from exile is far higher than usual. So, without purging the miasma, it''s impossible to cultivate."

    Su Changyu furrowed his brows and said, "We are well aware of this. But how can we remove this miasma?"

    "There are several methods to remove the miasma," replied Sun Zhang. "The first is using the Pure Body Spirit Pool on the ind. Soaking in the pool for a day and a night canpletely remove the miasma from the body. Unfortunately, the materials needed to open the spirit pool are astonishingly high. Although we are wealthy on Liuli Ind, we can only open it once every three years. Thest time it was opened was a year ago, so it''ll be almost two years until the next opening."

    "Moreover, the quota to enter the spirit pool is limited, and thepetition is fierce. As outsiders without a foundation, it''s unlikely for you to oupete the ind''s residents," Sun Zhang shook his head.

    "What about the other methods?" Su Changyu continued.

    "The second method is to practice the ''Cleansing Heart Mantra,'' along with specific medicines and diet. Over time, this can change your physique and gradually eliminate the miasma. Although it takes a long time, often five to six years of effort, it''s stable and doesn''t require any special costs. The ''Mysterious Yellow Cleansing Heart Mantra'' and the corresponding elixirs can be purchased at the ind''s pharmacies."

    "Five to six years..." Su Changyu murmured softly, then persisted, "Are there any other methods?"

    "The third method is to be an experimental subject," Sun Zhang said. At this point, his face turned somewhat unpleasant, seeming to struggle to suppress his fear. But he continued to answer Su Changyu.

    "Experimental subject?" Su Changyu was somewhat bewildered.

    "That''s right. Some immortals are very interested in the miasma within us mortals. Every year, they select volunteers from the mortal poption on the ind to serve as experimental subjects. Using special methods, they continuously extract the miasma from the research subjects. In a matter of a few months, the miasma within the experimental subjects can bepletely extracted."

    Seemingly recalling something, Sun Zhang''s face turned a little pale. "However, this process is extremely painful. It''s akin to being on the edge of survival, unable to live and unable to die. Most people can''t endure until the moment when all the miasma ispletely extracted and end up going insane."

    "I don''t rmend you to use this method. It''s truly unbearable for an ordinary person."

    It was unknown whether Su Changyu paid heed to Sun Zhang''s advice. He remained silent for a moment and asked, "Are there any other methods?"

    Sun Zhang shook his head. "It''s said that the direct descendants of those immortals can reshape their bodies using celestial treasures, not only eliminating concerns about miasma but also improving their cultivation aptitude. However, this method is beyond our imagination. Even our Liuli Ind can''t grant this privilege."

    "That''s all I know. If you truly want to cultivate, think about it carefully in the days toe."

    After speaking, Sun Zhang noticed Su Changyu looking somewhat distraught and couldn''t help but console, "I know you''ve all been through a lot to return from exile, and you all have a heart inclined towards cultivation. Who wasn''t like that in the beginning?"

    "Unfortunately, cultivation is truly difficult. Even if you manage to purge all the miasma from your body, very few can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and even fewer can draw it into their bodies. Why bother? Being an ordinary person is not a bad thing."

    Sun Zhang seemed to be consoling Su Changyu and perhaps himself as well.

    "With the invisible nourishment of heaven and earth''s spiritual energy, even if you can''t cultivate, you can live longer than in the Land of Immortal Extinction. It''s not in vain that your family paid a great price to send you here."

    "Instead of tirelessly pursuing cultivation, it''s better to enjoy life and live in the moment."

    Sun Zhang finished his speech and then left.

    The people present showed various expressions¡ªsome looked joyful, taking Sun Zhang''s words to heart and finding an excuse for indulgence; some couldn''t ept the arduousness of cultivation and burst into tears; some wore worried expressions, unsure of what to do...

    Only Su Changyu had a determined look on his face, seemingly having made some kind of resolution.

    Observing everyone''s reactions, Li Fan felt deeply that in this world, every person had their own unique circumstances.

    And each person''s choice determined their vastly different fates in the future.

    Without meddling further, Li Fan took advantage of the distracted crowd and quietly left.

    After inquiring, he found the ce to receive a free residence on the ind.

    Li Fan presented the spirit token and was then led by a designated person to the residential area in the north of Liuli Ind.

    Here, countless houses were densely packed, some empty and some already upied by people.

    Most of these houses had only one room, but fortunately, they all had a small courtyard enclosed by walls, preventing them from feeling too bleak.

    "The seventh of the sixth row, this is it," the impatient person handed the key to Li Fan and hastily left.

    Li Fan opened the courtyard door, walked in, and closed the door behind him.

    The room was very simple, with only a bed and a few tables and chairs, making Li Fan quite ufortable.

    However, he didn''t care much about these external things. After a simple cleanup, Li Fan rested and contemted his future ns.

    "With this lucky start, settling down didn''t require much effort. I have to thank those exiles for this. Unfortunately, this group, except for Su Changyu, seems to be ordinary individuals, without the heart for cultivation, unlikely to be great talents."

    "This ce of residence is a bit simple, but the safety is guaranteed. I inquired earlier; there''s an immortal overseeing Liuli Ind, and troublemakers have not dared to act out for a long time."

    "The primary goal now is to purge the miasma from my body. Although the quota for the Pure Body Spirit Pool is precious, I''ve stored countless treasures in the Tai Yan Boat. It shouldn''t be difficult to obtain a spot. The downside is drawing too much attention. Concealing one''s wealth is essential. As an outsider with no foundation, suddenly disying so much wealth will surely attract prying eyes. I need to n carefully."

    ...

    Suddenly, a knocking interrupted Li Fan''s contemtion.

    "Who is it?" Li Fan was instantly on guard.

    "It''s me," the voice was somewhat deep and sounded familiar.

    Li Fan remained calm, took out a sharp dagger from the Tai Yan Boat, and hid it in his sleeve.

    He opened the door slightly and saw the person clearly.

    It was the fat man who had tried to strike up a conversation with him before.

    Li Fan made a decisive choice and closed the door.

    "Wait..." The fat man quickly blocked it and whispered, "You''re not one of us from the Land of Immortal Extinction, right?"

    "What?" Li Fan was puzzled.

    The fat man took the opportunity to slip in.

    He observed Li Fan with malicious intent and said, "What kind of person are you? What''s your purpose for sneaking into Liuli Ind?"

    "How do you know I''m not from the Land of Immortal Extinction?" Li Fan asked back.

    The fat man looked disdainful. "When I fell into the water, I vaguely saw your suspicious figure. At first, I thought it was an illusion. After seeing your performancest night, I became more and more suspicious. So, I kept an eye on you. Seeing you urgently look for a residence, I secretly followed you to test the waters."

    "Indeed, as soon as I tried you, you revealed yourself," the fat man said proudly.

    "From the looks of it, you''re quite shrewd and attentive," Li Fan nodded.

    "Of course, besides me, those fools wouldn''t notice a stranger had entered," the fat man boasted.

    "In that case, apart from you, no one else noticed this, right?" Li Fan asked.

    "Of course not! How can those idiots bepared to me..." The fat man''s words were abruptly cut off.

    Because a sharp dagger had pierced his chest.

    Watching the fat man falling to the ground, Li Fan''s face remained expressionless.

 Chapter 25: Wealth Moves the Heart

    Term Change: Heavenly Treasure House > Heavenly Treasure Pavilion

    *****

    Dragging the fat man''s corpse into the Tai Yan Boat and cleaning up the bloodstains on the ground, Li Fan then casually returned to his room, acting like nothing had happened.

    "Truly ignorant," Li Fanmented.

    The fat man clearly hadn''t figured out the situation. Relying on a bit of cleverness, he thought he could threaten Li Fan, maybe trying to obtain some benefits from him.

    But did he ever question whether Li Fan had actually infiltrated Liuli Ind? This group of exiles, weren''t they the same, obtaining their status by posing as disaster victims?

    Once they acquired the household registration of Liuli Ind, they truly considered themselves native inhabitants.

    Li Fan saw this clearly. Previously, the immortal who concealed his face and came to pick them up, as well as the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion where Sun Zhang was, were very cautious in their actions, afraid of being discovered.

    Obviously, their identities as mortals from the Land of Immortal Extinction were not something they wanted others to know about.

    Because of this, this fat man, who had no understanding of the situation, came to threaten Li Fan, and Li Fan killed him without hesitation.

    He didn''t believe that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and the group of exiles would make a big fuss about this.

    Furthermore, even if they investigated that the fat man had visited Li Fan before disappearing, now that they couldn''t find the body, as long as Li Fan insisted he hadn''t seen him, they couldn''t do anything to him.

    After all, if the matter escted, it would not benefit either party.

    And if Li Fan hesitated and didn''t take action, leaving the fat man alive, it might actually lead to various troubles.

    So, Li Fan decisively chose to nip any potential threats in the bud.

    ...

    As Li Fan predicted, a few days passed, and besides Su Changyu asking about it once, the mysterious disappearance of the fat man didn''t attract any attention from anyone else.

    This incident was just a small episode in Li Fan''s ind life, quickly pushed to the back of his mind.

    During these days, Li Fan inquired about various affairs on the ind while nning how to use the treasures in the Tai Yan Boat in a reasonable manner.

    Gradually, Li Fan gained a general understanding of the Liuli Ind he was currently on.

    This sea area was called the Cong Yun Sea.

    The Cong Yun Sea was vast and scattered with tens of thousands of inds of various sizes.

    Liuli Ind was located in the central-southern part of the Cong Yun Sea and was of medium size.

    The ind was named after the delicious and tender Liu Li Fish [1] abundant in the surrounding waters.

    The Liu Li Fish was not only popr among themon folk of the surrounding inds but was also asionally used by some immortals to refine elixirs due to the Liu Li Pearl that would asionally form in the fish''s body.

    Hence, the ind needed an immortal to oversee it, and a certain amount of Liu Li Pearls had to be collected annually.

    Immortals generally did not intervene in worldly matters, making it difficult for ordinary people to see them. The day-to-day affairs of Liuli Ind were usually managed by the Liuli Mansion established by the ind master.

    Ind residents could obtain a job within the Liuli Mansion. The higher the risk of the job, the higher the reward.

    Among these jobs, fishing for Liu Li Fish was the most popr.

    Apart from being rtively safe, the rewards were considerable.

    Moreover, when the harvested Liu Li Fish were handed over, only 70% of them needed to be turned in, while the remaining 30% could be sold privately.

    So, this fishing job was quite appealing.

    However, fishing required arge ship, and the schools of Liu Li Fish were elusive. Specific spirit guides from the ind were needed to locate them.

    These spirit guides were only issued by the Liuli Mansion during fishing expeditions and had to be returned after returning to the ind.

    Private fishing was impossible. If caught, the penalty was direct execution.

    Therefore, this fishing for Liu Li Fish was only allowed under the permission of the Liuli Mansion.

    Those who could go fishing were highly regarded by the ind''s residents.

    A few days ago, a fleet that had gone fishing not only had a great catch of Liu Li Fish but also encountered a sunken ship.

    This ship was said to have escaped with the family to avoid a disaster, so it carried more than a dozen boxes of gold, silver, and jewels!

    At this moment, the fleet had made a fortune.

    Regarding the salvaged items from the sunken ship, the ind''s rules were the same as for Liu Li Fish¡ªthey could keep 30% for themselves!

    So, when the fleet returned to the port, half the ind was buzzing with excitement.

    Even the ind''s treasurer and money manager personally came to inspect.

    Seeing the fleet members almost grinning from ear to ear, many people on the ind were envious.

    They began to privately seek connections, wanting to obtain the qualification for the next fishing trip.

    ...

    In Li Fan''s view, he could slowlyunder the countless treasures on the Tai Yan Boat using a simr method, with rtively low risk.

    The only difficultyy in how to obtain the qualification for a solo fishing trip.

    The existence of the Tai Yan Boat must never be exposed.

    Too many people on the ind wanted to join the fishing fleet. After inquiring casually, Li Fan learned the key information.

    Among the three trusted subordinates of the ind master, Zhao, in charge of personnel matters, Qian, in charge of financial matters, and Zhou, in charge of public security, most of the fishing fleet quotas were in Qian''s hands.

    Zhao and Zhou had always wanted to intervene, but the quotas were firmly controlled by Qian, and they only controlled one or two fishing fleets.

    Where there were people, there was conflict.

    Li Fan remembered Zhao''s reaction when he saw him on the day of registration. He thought maybe he could meet this Zhao.

    However, Zhao wasn''t someone Li Fan could easily meet now.

    Li Fan decided to follow Sun Zhang''s approach with the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    After inquiring about the location, Li Fan arrived at the door of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, wanting to meet Sun Zhang.

    However, he was turned away.

    "Go away, our Senior Sun has a distinguished status. Do you think you can just see him whenever you want? Hurry off!" Several big, intimidating men at the door looked at Li Fan malevolently, as if they were ready to act.

    Seeing this, Li Fan had no choice but to leave for now.

    He found it somewhat strange. The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was a ce of business after all. How could they just turn people away without seeing them?

    Moreover, these big men made decisions without seeking approval, as if they already knew who Li Fan was.

    "It must be that they received orders and intentionally avoided me," Li Fan concluded. He guessed that something had happened on the exile''s side that made Sun Zhang turn hostile and not recognize them.

    After some inquiries, Li Fan finally learned what had transpired.

    It turned out that Su Changyu, in order to quickly get rid of the miasma in his body, chose to be an experimental subject for the immortals.

    Before leaving, Su Changyu signed his name on the final contract.

    Now, the three contracts werepleted, and the final contract hadpletely dissipated.

    There was no longer any connection between the exile group and the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    "No wonder they suddenly turned hostile and deliberately avoided us. I just didn''t expect Su Changyu to be so determined," Li Fan sighed.

    "Ah, we tried to advise him, telling him not to be in such a hurry. But he wouldn''t listen!" the person who spoke was also familiar to Li Fan¡ªit was Xiao Heng, who had imed to be the son of the Southern King in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion cave.

    Xiao Heng seemed to have a very good rtionship with Su Changyu and was extremely dejected at the moment. "If it weren''t for his terminally ill sister, Brother Su wouldn''t have fought so desperately."

    Hearing this, Li Fan was lost in thought.

 Chapter 26: Skillful Persuasion

    Although Sun Zhang chose to avoid seeing him, Li Fan wouldn''t give up so easily.

    Judging from the day he couldn''t help but console Su Changyu, this person was at least not treacherous. The reason for his cold attitude was probably to avoid too much involvement with mortals from the Immortal Extinction Land.

    Compared to ignorant people, Li Fan preferred dealing with the knowledgeable.

    So Li Fan came back to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    "Why are you back again? Are you looking for trouble?" The ck-d man at the door looked at Li Fan warily and said menacingly.

    Li Fan smiled slightly, "I''m here to do business with your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. You won''t even talk and just want to drive people away. Is this how you treat guests at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?"

    Li Fan intentionally raised his voice, drawing the attention of the people around him.

    "You..." The big man was instantly enraged and was about to attack, but was stopped by the person beside him.

    After consulting for a while, the big man reluctantly led Li Fan inside.

    Arriving at a guest room, a maidservant brought in a cup of tea.

    Li Fan tasted it unhurriedly. As the tea went down, he felt a warm stream flowing from his stomach throughout his body.

    In just a moment, Li Fan felt as warm as if he had basked in the sun for half the day in winter, even feeling a bit feverish.

    "Good tea!" Li Fan couldn''t help but praise.

    "Great Yuyan Dragon Tea, which grows around the underwater volcanoes near Great Yuyan Ind. There are only a few of them. Now, with the destruction of Great Yuyan Ind, Great Yuyan Dragon Tea has temporarily be a rare item," a person with a smile on his face walked in and said slowly. It was Sun Zhang.

    "My thanks to you, Senior Sun," Li Fan replied without reservation and finished the remaining tea.

    When Li Fan put down the teacup, Sun Zhang narrowed his eyes and asked slowly, "The matter of transportation is over, and there should be no more entanglement between us. Why have you sought me out again?"

    Sun Zhang''s tone was not friendly, and there was a hidden killing intent in his eyes. It seemed that if Li Fan''s answer didn''t satisfy him, he would take action and kill.

    Li Fan didn''t care about Sun Zhang''s aggressive questions and replied with a smile, "Elder Sun, you misunderstood. I really came to discuss business."

    "Business? With you?" Sun Zhang was initially surprised, then sneered while looking at Li Fan.

    Li Fan remained unfazed and silent.

    Seeing Li Fan so assured, Sun Zhang gradually became serious, "What business?"

    "I wonder if the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is interested in the slots for the sea expedition fleets," Li Fan said slowly.

    "Every time a fleet sets sail, aside from asionally salvaging precious treasures, just the Liu Li Fish and other marine specialties are enough to make a lot of profit. If you say that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is not interested, that''s impossible."

    "But the slots for the fleet are firmly controlled by Steward Qian. Not to mention the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, even Steward Zhao would find it extremely difficult to upy an extra slot. As a neer, what ability do you have to covet it?" Sun Zhang stared at Li Fan, seemingly trying to read something from his face.

    "If I can meet Steward Qian, I have my ways to convince him," Li Fan replied confidently.

    Seeing Li Fan so determined, Sun Zhang hesitated.

    "Then let him meet Steward Qian. It''s not a difficult matter. If things don''t work out, just chop him up and feed him to the fish in the sea." At this moment, a somewhatzy voice came from outside the room.

    Li Fan''s eyes condensed, and he saw a woman wearing light yellow clothes and a veil walking in.

    The woman sounded like she was only seventeen or eighteen years old, but her well-proportioned figure exuded a mature and tempting charm.

    "Greetings, manager," Sun Zhang stood up immediately upon seeing the woman, respectfully greeting her.

    "Thank you in advance, manager." Li Fan remained calm, arching his hand.

    "You seem to have some confidence. You don''t seem like someone who speaks empty words," the woman sat across from Li Fan, tilting her head slightly, looking curious.

    "I have always been a man of my word, and I never go back on my promises," Li Fan said frankly.

    The woman in yellow lightlyughed out.

    "If this matter reallyes to fruition, my Heavenly Treasure Pavilion may have to extract the corresponding benefits."

    "ording to the rules of the ind, each time you go out to sea, you can keep 30% of the harvest for yourself. I don''t want any of this 30%, half of it will be given to Steward Zhao, and half of it will be handed over to your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion." Li Fan nodded his head in agreement and spoke shockingly.

    The woman in yellow froze.

    She resumed and carefully sized up Li Fan for a few moments, "That''s strange, in that case, what do you want after going to such great lengths?"

    "I only want a quota to enter the Pure Body Spirit Pool." Li Fan said frankly.

    "Huh......" the woman was really shocked at this time, she looked at Li Fan several times, as if to make sure she hadn''t heard it wrong.

    Li Fan locked eyes with her, his gaze firm.

    The womanughed lightly, as if she had heard a particrly funny joke, and burst intoughter.

    "Come on, uncle, you''re quite old, and you want to learn cultivation from others?" Afterughing for a while, she struggled to stop and managed to say a sentence before bursting intoughter again.

    Sun Zhang looked at Li Fan, also full of disbelief.

    Li Fan just looked at the woman calmly, without speaking.

    The woman''sughter grew fainter.

    "Haha..."

    In the end, sheughed dryly and returned to normal.

    "But seeking immortality at your age? That''s funny," she said with a smile, tapping her chest, seeming a bit relieved.

    "But if I seek longevity, I will not regret it even if I die." Li Fan said indifferently.

    The woman in yellow did not say anything for a long time.

    "Good, I shall ept this matter." In the end, she pped her hands and said. "I will send someone to inform you when a date has been set."

    "In that case, it is so agreed. I live in the seventh house of the sixth row outside the city, so you may go there to look for me." Li Fan arched his hand and turned to leave.

    Only the woman in yellow and Sun Zhang remained in the room.

    After a long silence, Sun Zhang couldn''t help but say, "Manager, that Pure Body Spirit Pool quota..."

    "Although the quota for the Pure Body Spirit Pool is highly contested on the ind every year, it''s not as if our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion doesn''t have the strength to fight for it. What''s more, if he can really secure a fleet of ships to go out to sea, it will only take five years or so for the profits brought in by the fleet to be enough to cover a quota. This matter is a steady investment." The woman in yellow was unperturbed.

    "Rather..." she frowned her eyebrows, looking in the direction Li Fan had left and muttered to herself.

    "What?" Sun Zhang couldn''t help but ask.

    "That person''s eyes were a little frightening..." The yellow-clothed woman patted her chest, seemingly a little shaken.

    Sun Zhang was stunned for a moment.

    ...

    On the way back, Li Fan stopped at a pharmacy and bought the "Clear Heart Mantra" and the corresponding medicinal ingredients.

    Even if everything went smoothly, it would still take two years for the Net Body Spirit Pool to open.

    Such a long time couldn''t be wasted.

    Why not cultivate the "Clear Heart Mantra" first and see its effects? Maybe Li Fan had exceptional talents and could eliminate the miasma in his body in less than two years?

    In the following days, Li Fan stayed at home practicing, waiting to meet with Steward Zhao.

    Little did he know, that before he could meet Steward Zhao, Li Fan heard some shocking news.

    Su Changyu was dead.

 Chapter 27: The Wise Recognize Talents

    Su Changyu didn''t make it in the end.

    In just seven or eight days, Su Changyu couldn''t hold on any longer and passed away.

    When his body was brought back, Li Fan went to take a look.

    Only a twisted mass of flesh remained, no longer resembling a person, looking rather horrifying.

    asionally, the flesh would twitch inexplicably, sending shivers down one''s spine.

    These people who arrived on Liuli Ind were neers, struggling even to gather enough money to buy a plot ofnd for burial.

    Originally, they nned for a sea burial, but Li Fan couldn''t bear to see it and used some money to arrange a proper burial for Su Changyu.

    Everyone was very saddened.

    Among them, Xiao Heng cried the most miserably.

    Li Fan didn''t have any particr feelings, just a sense of sorrow.

    After nearly three hundred years of reincarnation in the mortal world, Li Fan had a set of skills for judging people.

    In his view, Su Changyu behaved decently and had a rather firm determination. Although he couldn''t be considered an exceptional talent, he was definitely not an ordinary person.

    Among the people who came to Liuli Ind, he thought Su Changyu was the most likely to make a name for himself.

    This person couldn''t even pass the prerequisite of cultivation, the dispelling of miasma, and silently passed away.

    The path of immortality was difficult!

    Li Fan sighed even more.

    During the process of practicing the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" in the following days, Li Fan''s perception of this deepened.

    As it turned out, Li Fan was not talented.

    For nearly a month, Li Fan stayed in seclusion every day. Besides receiving a job to conceal his activities, he hid at home, practicing the Cleansing Heart Mantra.

    Generally, after half a month of practice, ordinary people would experience obvious effects such as improved energy and faster thinking.

    But a month passed, and Li Fan felt no change at all.

    Li Fan guessed that it might be because his mental strength, after several reincarnations and hundreds of years of tempering with [Truth], had far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Therefore, the Cleansing Heart Mantra didn''t have much of an effect on him.

    However, Li Fan wasn''t in a hurry. He treated it as a daily practice routine.

    After another half month, Li Fan finally was contacted by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    After following a messenger, Li Fan saw Steward Zhao in a courtyard owned by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    "Steward Zhao, long time no see," Li Fan greeted, arching his hand.

    Steward Zhao nced at Li Fan and went straight to the point, "I''ve heard from the people of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion that you want to request a spot for an expedition fleet. Quite ambitious. What do you rely on?"

    "You know, I have only two quotas avable. I don''t even have enough for my subordinates. Why should I give one to you?"

    "Fleet expeditions are for profit. I wonder, Steward Zhao, how does the profit from catching Liu Li Fishpare to the direct loot from shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea?" Li Fan smiled slightly.

    It seemed that Zhao, the steward, didn''t think Li Fan was bragging. He seriously considered it for a moment and asked, "Some days ago, the fleet unexpectedly obtained dozens of boxes of jewelry. ording to the calction by the government, the gains were enough to offset several routine fishing expeditions. But how could such good luck happen every time? In my more than ten years on this ind, I remember only a few major gains."

    He paused and continued, "Listening to your words, you..."

    Li Fan nodded, "If I take charge of a fleet, I can guarantee that every time the fleet goes out to sea, it will bring back a certain amount of treasure."

    Zhao, the steward, had a strange light in his eyes and stared at Li Fan for a few moments before saying, "You surprisingly didn''t lie."

    Now it was Li Fan''s turn to be surprised, "I indeed spoke the truth. But I wonder, how did Steward Zhao figure that out?"

    Zhao, the steward, chuckled, "I was born with peculiar eyes that can recognize capable people and distinguish truth from falsehood. When you spoke just now, I only saw a soft white light emanating from you, proving that what you said was true and without any ill intent. If there were dark clouds, it would indicate you had other motives."

    "Is there such a strange ability?" Li Fan was suddenly astonished.

    "On the day you joined, the attitude of Steward Zhao seemed slightly different from others. But what did you see?" he asked.

    "I can only see a general idea, not everything. I only saw that you will be very wealthy and have shed much blood. Clearly, you are not an ordinary person. That''s why I treated you more politely," Steward Zhao exined with a smile. "The will of heaven is unpredictable. Who knows how many rich and noble people like you end up stranded on our Liuli Ind? Some people only lurk for a few years and then rise again; some just fade into the crowd and eventually rot away."

    Li Fan listened and thought of something, "So when we joined that day, did Steward Zhao realize that what Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s Sun Zhang said was untrue?"

    "So what if it''s true or false? Sometimes being too honest may not be a good thing. My duty is only to ensure that there are no traitorous individuals on the ind. It doesn''t matter where youe from, as long as you keep to yourself, I won''t treat you badly," Steward Zhao said dismissively. "There is an immortal cultivator on the ind, so we don''t fear any trouble."

    "Moreover, gathering the disaster victims was also themand of the Immortal Master. If Sun Zhang can lead so many ''disaster victims'' to our Liuli Ind, why would I make things difficult for him?" Steward Zhao exined.

    Li Fan listened and gained a rough understanding of Steward Zhao''s approach.

    So the topic of the two returned to the fleet of ships going out to sea.

    "Since Steward Zhao can see that what I have said is true, can you consider the matter of the quota?" Li Fan asked.

    Steward Zhao tapped his finger on the table a few times before saying, "You''re a neer with no roots, so if I were to risk handing over the fleet to you, it would definitely cause a lot of dissatisfaction."

    "How about this, the next time you go out to sea, you can follow along. If you really manage to salvage treasure every time you go out to sea, then it won''t take more than a few times for the crew to be convinced of you. At that time, you can then take over the fleet in name."

    "Even, if your harvest isrge enough, it''s not impossible for me to persuade the Ind Master to distribute a quota from Steward Qian over to you."

    "Steward Zhao is considerate." Li Fan had no objection.

    So, the conversation between the two of them proceeded smoothly.

    The details of their conversation were unknown to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, but when they heard that Li Fan had convinced Steward Zhao and obtained a spot for the next sea expedition, they were shocked.

    "Could it be that the man didn''t lie, and he really has the confidence tomand a fleet?" In the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the manager muttered, her eyes flickering.

    "I wonder what he relies on?" Sun Zhang was also very puzzled. No matter how he looked at Li Fan, he was an ordinary middle-aged man.

    "Send thend deed of the vacant small courtyard on the eastern street of the city to him," the manager suddenly said.

    "Ah?" Sun Zhang did not react for a moment.

 Chapter 28: Tempest Ravages the Sky

    "Manager, this doesn''t seem good," Sun Zhangmented, feeling a pang of sorrow. "We acquired that yard with a hefty sum, intending to bribe Steward Zhao. We can''t just give it away so easily to thisd, can we?"

    "If we are to give it to him, we should wait until he helps us seize the fleet."

    The woman in yellow garments replied, "Do what you''re told. If we wait too long, I''m afraid the gift will be much bigger than a courtyard."

    Muttering to himself privately, Sun Zhang ultimately dared not defy the orders of his superior and obediently sent thend deed to Li Fan''s hands.

    Li Fan didn''t refuse. There was no need to move anything either. He moved into the Eastern Street courtyard that very day.

    Compared to the slums outside the city, the surroundings of this yard were significantly better. At the alley''s entrance, official personnel from Liuli Mansion maintained order and security. The small courtyard was also more spacious than the previous residence,prising a main house with three rooms and two wings on each side. Although not overlyrge, it was sufficient for Li Fan''s single upancy.

    Turning down several maidservants sent by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, Li Fan settled down in the courtyard and patiently awaited the fleet''s next departure.

    He initially thought it wouldn''t take long, but an unforeseen event postponed the departure indefinitely.

    A cmity approached¡ªa tempest!

    Li Fan had heard numerous discussions about storms on Liuli Ind during conversations among its residents, but he hadn''t paid much attention. He thought it would be simr to typhoons or hurricanes he had encountered before crossing over, just arger storm.

    However, when the tempest actually arrived, Li Fan realized he was sorely mistaken!

    On that day, while Li Fan was practicing the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" as usual in his home, he suddenly heard booming sounds outside.

    The strange and shrill sound dominated the ind''s sky, quickly spreading across the entire Liuli Ind.

    "Quick, get back home! The tempest ising!"

    "May the Immortal Master protect us, protect us!"

    "Mother, where are you? Come home quickly!"

    ...

    Chaos erupted on the ind, with panicked and fearful cries filling the air. Li Fan was momentarily puzzled.

    Suddenly, he saw a blue curtain of light in the sky above Liuli Ind.

    The light screen resembled an inverted giant bowl, spanning the entire ind and covering everything within.

    "The ind protection formation has been activated. No need to panic! Stay at home and don''t go out!" A clear female voice apanied the appearance of the light screen, spreading across the ind.

    "May the Immortal Master be merciful!"

    Listening to the chorus of voices around him, Li Fan looked up and carefully observed the ind protection formation.

    The blue light flickered, isting the ind from the outside.

    On the light screen, obscure characters, unfamiliar to Li Fan, asionally appeared, looking extraordinarily mysterious.

    Like the cries of ghosts, the howling winds gradually started, resonating in the air.

    The ripples on the light screen rippled, blocking the fierce wind.

    Inside the light screen, it was calm.

    The sky began to pour down torrential rain.

    The raindrops were so dense they almost formed a line, striking the light screen.

    Ripples spread on the light screen, deflecting all of the torrential rain.

    Outside, the storm roared, but inside, it was tranquil.

    "So, this is the power of an Immortal?"

    Li Fan admired secretly.

    Although he had witnessed the destructive power of Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, who could both obliterate an entire city with ease, seeing this ind protection formation still made him eagerly yearn for it.

    The tremendous waves continued for nearly half an hour.

    Gradually, the rain subsided, and the wind diminished.

    Just when Li Fan thought the tempest was about to end, he suddenly sensed something was amiss.

    The sky not only didn''t clear up but darkened further.

    Countless dark clouds appeared from nowhere,yer uponyer, seemingly endless, pressing down towards the ind.

    In an instant, the heavens and the earth turned pitch ck.

    The thick dark clouds seemed within arm''s reach, almost tangible.

    The clouds appeared to be brewing something, plunging Liuli Ind into a brief silence.

    The silence was soon shattered.

    "Boom!"

    A thunderous sound exploded near Li Fan''s ears.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Deafening roars, like thunder, erupted from all directions, incessant and unending.

    Like an endless symphony without a conclusion, it reverberated through the heavens and the earth.

    In the midst of this tremendous sound, Li Fan felt his head spinning, eyes dazzling, and chest pressed as if by a massive boulder, making it difficult to breathe. Touching his nose, he realized fresh blood was flowing.

    Li Fan was rmed, nning to rush back into the house for cover, but suddenly, he felt the ground violently shaking beneath his feet.

    As the world spun around him, Li Fan quickly lost bnce and fell to the ground.

    It seemed like being continuously struck by something, the earth trembled violently.

    Looking up, Li Fan saw a sight that almost took his breath away.

    A wall of water, of indeterminable height, upied his entire field of vision. Under the assault of the roaring winds, it descended towards Liuli Ind with a force that could shatter anything.

    The monstrous wave was about to fall, burying everything beneath it.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but raise his hands instinctively to shield himself.

    "Boom!"

    The wave crashed against the blue light screen.

    The light screen distorted for a moment as if it was going to shatter.

    However, after a burst of blue light, the light screen returned to normal.

    Like rocks by the seashore, standing firm amidst the huge waves.

    Unable to engulf Liuli Ind, the furious sea seemed to be infuriated.

    Wave after wave relentlessly assaulted, a tempest of thest days.

    Li Fan, lost in this chaotic scene, felt as if an era had passed.

    When the tempest finally subsided after what seemed like an eternity, survivors on the ind knelt down, weeping in gratitude.

    Li Fan, under the incessant discussions of the inders, received even more astonishing news.

    This tempest experienced by Liuli Ind was considered rtively small in scale.

    Fifteen years ago, the tempest''s might was several times stronger than this one.

    At that time, the ind protection formation almost couldn''t hold, forcing it to shrink its protective range.

    Thus, after the tempest, the areas not protected by the formation were ravaged.

    The ind''s size was reduced to a third of its original size.

    In the following decade and a half after the tempest, Liuli Ind gathered survivors and slowly began to recover.

    "A tempest... so this is what a tempest is."

    Li Fan was profoundly moved.

    The power of nature was truly terrifying!

 Chapter 29: Setting Sail

    In the days following the recent storm, all residents of Liuli Ind received instructions to inspect the protective barrier for any damage. The method of inspection was quite simple: Liuli Mansion provided a spiritual talisman to each household. They were instructed to hang the talisman in their homes for a couple of days and watch for any red light emissions.

    For more remote and secluded areas on the ind, dedicated individuals were assigned to ensure the barrier''s integrity.

    Under the will of the Immortal Master, and for the sake of their own safety, all activities on the ind were temporarily suspended to prioritize the maintenance of the protective barrier.

    In the past, the Immortal Master oversaw the maintenance of the barrier, but this time, the Immortal Master had to return to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to obtain more spirit stones, as they had been nearly depleted.

    Li Fan also received a spiritual talisman and hung it in his home. By carefully sensing it, he could faintly perceive an invisible ripple emanating from it. After expanding outward for a certain distance, it seemed to encounter some obstacle, causing it to return. As it returned, the talisman emitted a blue light for a moment before going dim.

    A few breathster, the blue light went out.

    The fluctuations continued to be generated again.

    The cycle began again and again.

    "If there is no red light emitted, that must mean this node of the protective formation is fine." Li Fan recalled the other party''s instructions in his mind when he was handed out the spirit talismans.

    "This protective barrier is so vast yet incredibly intricate. It''s hard to imagine how it was constructed."

    "Ten Thousand Immortals Ind is said to be the gathering ce for the majority of cultivators in this Cong Yun Sea region. It''s shrouded in mystery, and even Steward Zhao knows little about it."

    "All I know is that once themon people on the ind cleanse themselves of impurities and cultivate their inner energy, an Immortal Master will descend and take them to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind."

    "It seems like that''s my goal in this world."

    But there were steps to be taken, and the first was to secure a spot in the expeditionary fleet, which would provide the opportunity to enter the Pure Body Spirit Pool and purify his body.

    Li Fan had waited for hundreds of years; a little more patience wouldn''t hurt.

    Time passed quietly amidst the anxious prayers of the ind''s residents.

    Five dayster, the long-awaited news arrived.

    The protective barrier remained intact.

    With the return of the Immortal Master, who had brought sufficient spirit stones, the ind''s residents finally breathed a collective sigh of relief. Life on Liuli Ind gradually returned to normal.

    Over the next few months, survivors from other inds came to Liuli Ind seeking refuge. Only a few of them survived the recent storm, as most of their ind''s inhabitants perished.

    Upon learning that Liuli Ind had an Immortal Master in residence, these refugees couldn''t hide their envy. The Cong Yun Sea was vast, with countless inds of various sizes. Only inds with special resources had Immortal Masters.

    During these months, Li Fan remained diligent. He practiced the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" every day, and finally, he began to see some results.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical Age: 41/88 ¡ü

    Mental Age: 504/1119 ¡ü

    Both his physical age and mental age had increased again, albeit not by much. Still, Li Fan felt encouraged by the progress.

    From then on, Li Fan practiced even more diligently. Besides eating, he spent most of his time practicing the mantra.

    After another month of consistent practice, Li Fan received the news sent by Steward Zhao.

    The storms in the Cong Yun Sea had finally subsided, and the next expeditionary fleet was about to set sail!

    Three dayster, at the Liuli Ind dock:

    Liuli Ind''s ships were evenrger than the Tai Yan Boat''s second form, measuring a staggering two to three hundred meters in length. Over a dozen of these massive ships were lined up on the sea, creating a spectacr sight.

    Due to the recent storm and the outstanding debts owed by Liuli Ind, the ind''s master ordered the entire fleet to set sail this time.

    This was an extraordinary event because, for safety reasons, only one or two fleets typically set sail at a time.

    The dock was filled with residents who hade to witness this grand asion. asionally, they spotted familiar faces among the crew and enthusiastically waved to them.

    Li Fan followed Steward Zhao''s  people onto a ship named the "Cangyuan."

    Among the crew, many were like Li Fan, setting sail for the first time. Their faces were filled with excitement and the hope of sudden wealth.

    However, the seasoned sailors appeared quite the opposite. Instead of excitement, their faces were marred with worry, and they couldn''t stopining.

    "I don''t know what got into the ind master''s head to make us undergo this assessment. If our fleet has the lowest harvest this time, we''ll be marked as unqualified and lose the right to set sail in the future! What are we going to do?"

    "Ugh, it''s all because of that storm. I heard that Coral Ind in the south was ttened because of a damaged protective barrier. And now, we have to pay the tribute that Coral Ind owed."

    "What a mess! How are we going to survive in the future?"

    "I heard it''s only temporary. We just need to make up for the previous debts."

    The sailorsmented, and the atmosphere on the ship became gloomy.

    "Look at you all moping around! Why not think about the positive side? There are rewards for the top performers, you know? The share of the harvest has been increased from thirty percent to fifty percent!"

    "Fifty percent? Do you realize what that means? If we make a big catch, we won''t have to set sail for the rest of our lives!"

    Just as the sailors were discussing, a dark-skinned man walked over and scolded them.

    "Captain, do you have a n?" the sailors asked eagerly. They were clearly familiar with this man and trusted his leadership.

    "Don''t worry, this time, we have someone capable on board this time. I guarantee we''ll return with a full haul," the captain said proudly, pointing at Li Fan, who stood behind him.

    "Him?"

    "He looks so clean. Has he ever been out to sea before?"

    The sailors looked at Li Fan and shook their heads in disbelief.

    "Are you all blind? Don''t you recognize talent? This person was specially invited by Steward Zhao. He''s going to take over our ship soon! Be more respectful!" the captain scolded them angrily as if he were truly upset.

    Hearing the captain''s words, the crew on the Cangyuan erupted into discussion and skepticism, with many of them showing disbelief.

    "This young man?"

    "Is he capable?"

    "He looks inexperienced."

    However, the dark-skinned captain, with a satisfied smile on his face, turned to Li Fan. It seemed his scheme had seeded.

 Chapter 30: Treasures of the Deep Sea

    "Haobo, you''ve been the captain of the Cangyuan for almost ten years. How can you just agree like that?"

    "You saved my life, Haobo. If you want to leave, I, Liu San, will be the first to object!"

    "Exactly!"

    "Why not throw him into the sea to feed the fish once we''re out at sea? It''s perfectly normal for someone to die at sea!"

    The crew on the ship was stirred up, and Li Fan seemed to have be a public enemy.

    The man used his hands to pacify the crew, saying, "Calm down, everyone! Although I, Zhang Haobo, know everyone holds me in great esteem, the Cangyuan is Steward Zhao''s property, and we are all just working for him. Now that Steward Zhao says he wants a change, what can I do?"

    Saying this only made things worse; Zhang Haobo''s words further infuriated the crew.

    Their eyes turned red, ring at Li Fan with murderous intent.

    Li Fan sneered inwardly.

    He could see through the tactics used by this man named Zhang Haobo; they were far too feeble to escape his notice.

    Praising Li Fan on the surface was to incite distrust among the crew towards Li Fan.

    Speaking for Li Fan on the surface was to stir up dissatisfaction among the crew.

    Expressing his powerlessness on the surface was to encourage the crew to unite against Li Fan.

    Hypocrisy at its finest.

    These were just petty political maneuvers.

    Li Fan, with a fearless face, walked in front of the crew, standing tall and loudly dering, "If you all don''t trust me, do you not trust Steward Zhao''s judgment? Moreover, we are about to set sail this time, just watch my methods! I will definitely not disappoint everyone."

    Li Fan''s voice was loud, drowning out the mor of the crowd.

    The crew, seeing Li Fan''s extraordinary momentum, were momentarily suppressed and no one stepped forward to argue.

    Li Fan didn''t give them a chance. After bidding farewell, he took the lead and entered the cabin alone.

    Leaving behind the crew with wide eyes and a sullen-faced Zhang Haobo.

    The group whispered among themselves.

    "Could that kid really have some skills?"

    "Perhaps... it''s possible. Steward Zhao''s eyes are extraordinary; he rarely makes a wrong judgment."

    "He doesn''t seem like an ordinary person."

    ...

    "What, you believe that every time we go out to sea, you can lead us to find treasure? I don''t believe it!"

    "You''re obviously just using connections to snatch the position of captain of our fleet! Do they think I''m ignorant?"

    "Since he''s already said it, I want to see how he''ll end up!"

    Zhang Haobo was secretly resentful, looking at his subordinates who were taken in by Li Fan''s words, feeling even more frustrated.

    "Sail! Head out to sea!"

    He shouted angrily.

    The Cangyuan set off without wind, leaving the port and heading into the open sea.

    The Cangyuan didn''t rely on wind or manpower, but a set of miniature formations powered by spiritual stones.

    The ship was equipped with spirit detectors. When a nearby area showed signs of a school of Liu Li fish, the detectors would emit signals.

    However, the sea was vast, and the range the detectors could sense was limited.

    So, experienced sailors were needed to first find the approximate area where the fish might be.

    In a typical year, the activity areas of the Liu Li fish were rtively regr, making them easier to catch.

    But if there were raging storms and the fish migrated, all previous experience became useless.

    It was like finding a needle in a haystack, purely relying on luck.

    And it seemed like the Cangyuan wasn''t very lucky this time.

    Half a month passed, and apart from catching some ordinary fish and finding somemon sea minerals, there was not much of a significant catch.

    Not only were the crew members all frowning, but Zhang Haobo was also getting anxious.

    After all, there were penalties for thest ce this time.

    Compared to other jobs on the ind, the work of the sailors going to sea was low-risk and high-reward.

    No one wanted to lose out like this.

    "The ind''s rule is to return within a month. We''ve only caught this little this time; it''s very likely we''ll have the least catch. Let''s hope for a turning point in the next few days. May the immortals bless us."

    Zhang Haobo looked at the calm and deep sea, feeling helpless.

    Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.

    Turning around, Zhang Haobo saw Li Fan walking towards him.

    "What, are you finally willing toe out of the cabin? If it weren''t for the fact that you still eat every day, I would have thought you were dead in there."

    Since they set sail, Li Fan had been staying in his room and notmunicating with anyone.

    Zhang Haobo was in a bad mood and didn''t have a good expression towards him.

    Li Fan didn''t pay attention to his impolite words. Instead, he gazed into the distant sea with a serious expression.

    He just stood there, not saying a word.

    Zhang Haobo saw Li Fan''s strange behavior and felt a bit uneasy, looking in the direction he was staring at, but saw nothing unusual on the sea''s surface.

    Li Fan''s expression became even more serious.

    Yet, he remained silent.

    After a while, Zhang Haobo couldn''t bear it and asked, "What are you looking at?"

    Li Fan was startled and turned around, full of regret, staring at Zhang Haobo angrily.

    "What are you pretending for?!" Zhang Haobo was a little guilty but persisted.

    "I want a small boat!"

    Li Fan didn''t answer him, but turned his head and said in a deep voice, "I''ve sensed treasures!"

    "What..." Zhang Haobo was a bit confused at first.

    "What!" But he quickly reacted and eximed, "Are you not kidding!"

    "Quick, prepare a boat for me. I''ve seen treasures shining in the deep sea, waiting for me to salvage," Li Fan said solemnly.

    Zhang Haobo was hesitating, but then Li Fan said, "The opportunity is fleeting. The brilliance of the treasures is dimming. I''m about to lose its position."

    Zhang Haobo immediately woke up.

    "Hurry! Prepare the boat!"

    The Cangyuan was equipped with several small boats, generally used to explore narrow passages or venture into unknown and dangerous sea areas.

    And when the small boat was ready and lowered, Li Fan sailed away alone.

    It was only when the small boats were put down and Li Fan was driving away alone that Zhang Haobo suddenly came to his senses.

    He didn''t know how he could have believed Li Fan''s words just now.

    Sensing treasure buried under the deep sea?

    How could that be possible?

    He was about to say something when he heard Li Fan shouting from afar.

    "Don''t follow me, wait for my signal!"

    "Why?" Zhang Haobo couldn''t help but shout and ask.

    "You are too noisy! It''s easy to interrupt my detection!" Li Fan responded.

    The corner of Zhang Haobo''s mouth twitched, but recalling the scene just now when Li Fan red at him, he seemed to think that perhaps the other party had not told a lie.

    Time passed, and two hours had passed since Li Fan left in his boat alone.

    "Maybe he ran away alone?" a crew member asked anxiously as he looked in the direction Li Fan was leaving, unable to help himself.

    "What nonsense are you talking about? The sea is vast, and he didn''t bring any provisions. Where could he possibly go!" Zhang Haobo scolded the crew member and was about to say more when he saw a red signal in the sky from a distance.

    "Quick! Move the ship there!" Zhang Haobo immediately ordered.

    The Cangyuan activated its power and quickly arrived at the location of the signal.

    There, Li Fan stood on the small boat, looking exhausted.

    "The treasures are right here!" he said to everyone.

    Zhang Haobo and his men looked at each other, unsure if it was true or not.

    A whileter, Zhang Haobo gritted his teeth and said, "Get into the water! Release thes!"

    Amidst the doubt of everyone, one crate, two crates...

    A total of sixteen crates of gold, silver, and jewels were slowly hoisted up.

 Chapter 31: Returning to Liuli Island

    Under the clear moonlight, all the crew members on the Cangyuan ship had red eyes and were panting heavily.

    Until now, they all seemed as if they were in a dream.

    Sixteenrge boxes filled with gold and silver treasures were quietly ced on the deck.

    Some were still not at ease and pinched themselves. Feeling the pain, they stared at the treasures on the ground, unwilling to shift their gaze for a moment.

    Li Fan didn''t actually brag! He really returned with a full load!

    However, the extent of this "full load" far exceeded everyone''s imagination!

    Various jade ornaments, gold and silver, jewels, and other treasures filled the boxes, dazzling everyone.

    They had spent half of their lives making a living by fishing at sea. Even in the most beautiful dreams, they had never seen such a surreal scene.

    As for Zhang Haobo, his mind waspletely nk.

    "It''s actually true. That guy can really find treasures sunken at the bottom of the sea! Such ability, such ability..."

    Having lived on Liuli Ind for over twenty years, Zhang Haobo naturally knew that aside from the immortals, there were some ordinary people in the world who possessed incredible abilities. For example,municating with the birds in the sky, foreseeing disasters in advance, being able to breathe underwater for extended periods, or seeing through lies, in the case of Steward Zhao.

    However, these extraordinary individuals were few in number. They were either entrusted with important tasks on various inds or were taken as servants by the immortals and brought to the Ind of Ten Thousand Immortals.

    They were truly rare toe by.

    Unexpectedly, this Li Fan was also one of these extraordinary individuals!

    Suddenly, Zhang Haobo thought that Li Fan had recently moved to Liuli Ind. Could it be that he had been forced to move here because his original ind was destroyed by a disaster? It made sense. He was a neer, so no wonder Steward Zhao regarded him highly, even though he was just a new resident!

    Everything made sense!

    At this moment, Zhang Haobo regretted deeply.

    "Zhang Haobo, oh Zhang Haobo, you had a rare opportunity to encounter a benefactor. Not only did you fail to seize it, but you even mistakenly thought that the other party came to steal your little ship fleet!"

    The more Zhang Haobo thought about it, the more regretful he felt. He wished he could just p himself.

    "No, I must apologize quickly! Immediately, right away! Such extraordinary individuals are honored guests wherever they go. If he gains power and bears a grudge against my actions from a few days ago..."

    Zhang Haobo gave himself a shake and was about to go to Li Fan''s room to apologize.

    "Huh, is it just my imagination? Why do I feel like these boxes haven''t been submerged for long?"

    "Weird, we didn''t see the sunken ship when we salvaged them."

    "It''s probably drifted here along the seabed currents, right? Or maybe it was blown up to the sky by the wind disaster and then fell into the sea here?"

    "Why worry about all that? As long as these treasures are real."

    In the whispers of his subordinates, Zhang Haobo hurriedly left.

    In the room, after Li Fan had politely sent Zhang Haobo away, he stretched his weary body.

    Naturally, those sixteen boxes of treasures were thrown down by him.

    He came alone to a deserted area, unfurled the Taiyan Boat, moved a small part of the treasures he had plundered from Daxuan into the boat, threw them into the sea, and finally sent the signal, allowing the crew of the Cangyuan toe and salvage them.

    The boxes were indeed heavy. If it weren''t for him constantly practicing the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" over the past few months, coupled with the invisible nourishment of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, his strength wouldn''t have increased significantly, and he would probably not have been able to handle it alone.

    Even so, after the matter was finished, Li Fan felt like he was falling apart.

    "For the first time, I made a big ssh. I won''t need to throw this much in the future."

    Li Fan calcted in his mind.

    As for Zhang Haobo...

    Li Fan didn''t care about him at all.

    For Zhang Haobo, the position of the fleet''s captain was the foundation of his life. If someone suddenly wanted to snatch it away, it would be strange if he didn''t react.

    Moreover, the tricks he used were childish to Li Fan.

    In Li Fan''s eyes, Zhang Haobo simply didn''t matter.

    He didn''t have that kind of importance at all.

    In the end, he was just a simple fisherman.

    For Li Fan, the fleet he valued was just a small stepping stone in his ns.

    "Ants do not know the aspirations of humans," Li Fan shook his head and dismissed the thought, focusing on practicing the Cleansing Heart Mantra.

    ...

    After obtaining the treasure, the Cangyuan no longer fished. They immediately turned the bow and headed back to Liuli Ind.

    After all, the harvest this time was so significant that the crew wouldn''t feel at ease until they safely returned to the ind.

    Full throttle was engaged, and in just two days, Liuli Ind was in sight.

    "After returning, let''s not dock immediately. Liu San, quietly get into the water and then go to inform Steward Zhao at his residence. Let him personally send someone to count," Zhang Haobo instructed the crew solemnly.

    If there were no surprises, they should have the most significant share of the harvest in this expedition.

    ording to the rules, they were entitled to fifty percent!

    When it came to an outsider counting, who could guarantee there wouldn''t be any withholding or intentional omissions?

    Losing even a little would be deeply distressing for them.

    They couldn''t trust anyone who wasn''t part of their crew.

    The crew nodded one after another, watching the routine counting ship approaching the ind, immediately bing alert.

    "Zhang Haobo, what do you mean? Not letting us on the ship?"

    It seemed that there was some conflict between the other party and Zhang Haobo, and there was a hint of anger in their words.

    However, Zhang Haobo didn''t pay any attention.

    Seeing Zhang Haobo''sck of response, the other person became more mocking, "Judging by your ship''s draft, I''m afraid you''re returning empty-handed this time. It seems your tenure as a captain ising to an end. If you really can''t make it,e to my ship. I guarantee I won''t let you starve!"

    The crew of the Cangyuan, hearing their leader being insulted, became furious and was about to retort.

    But Zhang Haobo stopped them.

    Regardless of what the other side said afterward, Zhang Haobo acted as if he hadn''t heard, waiting for Steward Zhao''s representative to arrive.

    "It seems that Zhang Haobo''s ability to hold onto the position of the Cangyuan ship''s captain is not without reason. He''s not as pitiful as I imagined, but his background and experiences have limited him," Li Fan nodded to himself after witnessing this scene.

    Themotion on the dock attracted quite a few onlookers, and people were pointing and discussing the Cangyuan ship.

    Fortunately, the standoff between the two sides didn''tst long. Soon, Steward Zhao personally arrived with his men.

 Chapter 32: Treasure Seer Physique

    As the sixteen boxes of riches were unloaded in full view of everyone at the pier, the entire dock was abuzz.

    You see, thest time a fleet had such a huge harvest was... no, it was just a few months ago!

    When did salvaging treasure from the depths of the sea be so easy?

    Or perhaps, had the waters near Liuli Ind be so rich that treasures were abundant everywhere? The people on the ind were deeply skeptical.

    Soon, the excitement intensified.

    Who wouldn''t want to be rich overnight?

    Countless excited individuals rushed back home to share what they had witnessed at the pier.

    They too wanted to set sail; they too wanted to salvage the treasures from the sea floor! Thus, the news of the enormous treasure gained by the Cangyuan sailed like wildfire and quickly spread across the entire Liuli Ind.

    Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    The woman in yellow was meticulously appraising a new batch of items when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps.

    "Innkeeper, innkeeper!"

    Sun Zhang burst in without a greeting.

    "What''s going on?" The woman in yellow was somewhat puzzled.

    "Treasure... more than a dozen boxes... Cangyuan..." Sun Zhang gasped, his words disjointed.

    The woman in yellow was unimpressed. "It''s just a dozen or so boxes of treasures. Is it necessary to make such a fuss? To digest these things on the ind, they''ll have to go through our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s channels..."

    While the woman was speaking, her expression suddenly changed. "Wait, did you say Cangyuan? The ship that uncle named Li Fan is staying on?"

    Sun Zhang nodded repeatedly.

    The woman in yellow was stunned for a while before she regained her senses. "No wonder that guy was so confident in convincing Steward Zhao. He was absolutely certain that he could find treasure as long as he set sail..."

    "That''s right, that''s right. This ability of his is just like our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s manager!" Sun Zhang said with envy and admiration, "Luckily, you, the manager, had the foresight and gave him a small courtyard before. You''ve established a rtionship with him. When he returns from this sea voyage, he will surely be famous. If we want to win him over again, it will probably cost us a lot."

    The woman in yellow interrupted Sun Zhang and instructed, "Go arrange it immediately, see when you can arrange a meal with him. Also, send someone to deliver thend deed to him."

    Sun Zhang was taken aback, but this time he didn''t say anything and hurriedly went downstairs to handle it.

    In the room, only the woman in yellow was left speaking softly.

    "Treasure seer physique..."

    The rumored treasure seer physique could sense the presence of rare treasures within a certain range of oneself.

    The manager of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, Yin Yueting, the elder sister of the woman in yellow, possessed this special physique.

    It was precisely relying on this heaven-defying ability that Yin Yueting established the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, argemercial organization that spanned across the Cong Yun Sea, from nothing in only ten years.

    Li Fan had no idea that he had been mistaken by the people of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion as a treasure seer physique. At this moment, he was in the residence of Steward Zhao.

    "Your talent is indeed extraordinary. Your first sea voyage resulted in sixteen crates of treasures. It truly surprised me!" Steward Zhao''s face was full of smiles, eximing in admiration.

    Li Fan smiled but didn''t answer.

    He knew that Steward Zhao had the ability to discern the truth, so he skillfully changed the subject: "The harvest this time is indeed substantial, but it''s probably going to be difficult to have this much in the future."

    Steward Zhao was indifferent, "That''s understandable. You can''t have such luck every time."

    He then continued, "However, with just the harvest from this time, it''s enough for me to organize a separate fleet for you."

    Li Fan nodded, "In that case, thank you, Steward Zhao!"

    "I heard that you''ve been diligently trying to obtain a spot in the Pure Body Spirit Pool," Steward Zhao said suddenly while sipping his tea.

    "That''s correct. I have gone through many things in my life and only now understand that worldly fame and fortune are fleeting. Even the richest man will turn into dust after a hundred years. Only by seeking immortality and achieving longevity can one not have lived in vain in this world!" Li Fan sighed deeply, feeling deeply emotional.

    Steward Zhao stared at Li Fan for a long time before sighing, "You have the aspiration to be an immortal at such a young age. I''m not as good as you."

    Seemingly reminded of something, Steward Zhao''s face disyed aplex expression. "More than a decade ago, when I was about your age, I coincidentally saved an immortal. The immortal asked if I was willing to follow him in cultivation, but I knew I had already passed the prime age for cultivation. Even if I cultivated, sess was not guaranteed. Moreover, as one grows older, the miasma within the body also deepens, and attempting to remove it bes increasingly painful."

    "So, I chose to take up a managerial position. Now, as the years go by, I have a faint sense of regret. However, the mistake has been made, and there''s no cure for lost opportunities," Steward Zhao sighed with regret.

    He looked at Li Fan again and praised, "Among the tens of thousands of ordinary people on Liuli Ind, individuals like you are truly a minority."

    "You tter me! I wonder, Steward Zhao, about the matter regarding a spot in the Pure Body Spirit Pool..."

    "I can''t help you with this. The opening of the Pure Body Spirit Pool requires an immortal to preside, and the spots are decided by the Immortal Master. A year before the pool is opened, the Immortal Master will announce the required materials. Each family collects and submits the materials ording to the contribution level, determining the spots," Manager Zhao exined, shaking his head.

    "But you don''t need to worry. Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has branches on various inds in the Cong Yun Sea. In terms of collecting materials, there are very few on Liuli Ind who can surpass them."

    Li Fan thought of the image of the woman in yellow and nodded.

    After spending some more time with Steward Zhao, Li Fan took his leave.

    As soon as he returned to the courtyard, Sun Zhang arrived, apparently waiting for a long time.

    "Is your manager inviting me to dinner?"

    It was indeed a coincidence.

    Li Fan was just thinking of meeting her again, so he readily agreed.

    As for thend deed that Sun Zhang brought, Li Fan didn''t ept it.

    He nned to meet the woman in yellow again in the evening.

    As night fell, the lights began to glow.

    Li Fan arrived at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    There was only one person in the room.

    However, she had changed into a purple robe and was not wearing a veil anymore.

    "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am the manager of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion on Liuli Ind, Yin Yuzhen."

    "Li Fan."

    Yin Yuzhen chuckled. "You are indeed straightforward."

    "I''m just a mere mortal, there''s really nothing worth mentioning," Li Fan said frankly.

    "Is the Treasure Seer Physique also insignificant in your eyes?" Yin Yuzhen looked at Li Fan with a wry smile.

    "Oh? I don''t know about the Treasure Seer Physique," Li Fan said calmly, though he was intrigued.

    "You mean the Treasure Seer Physique isn''t worth mentioning to you?" Yin Yuzhen furrowed her brows, gritting her teeth.

    But when she saw that Li Fan really seemed to not know, she reluctantly exined the matter of the Treasure Seer Physique to him.

    "In that case, your sister also possesses a Treasure Seer Physique?" Li Fan squinted his eyes.

    "How old is she this year? What does she look like? Where was she twenty years ago? And where is she now?"

 Chapter 33: Two Talented Sisters

    Li Fan asked several seemingly inexplicable questions, leaving Yin Yuzhen a bit bewildered, not understanding why he was asking these.

    Suddenly, she seemed to think of a possibility, her face turning somewhat pale as she stared at Li Fan. "Could it be that you are the long-lost father of us sisters?"

    But soon, she denied it herself. "No, your appearance is nothing like ours."

    "It''s just curiosity," Li Fan said indifferently, not paying attention to the strange thinking of this young girl.

    "I understand, curious about someone of the same kind, it''s human nature," Yin Yuzhen said, nodding repeatedly as if she understood.

    Li Fan couldn''t be bothered to exin further.

    Yin Yuzhen sighed and said slowly, "We were originally from the northern Night Ind. Our parents passed away due to disaster when we were young, leaving only my sister and me to rely on each other. In my memory, my sister and I could only beg for a living every day, barely managing to get by."

    "But at some point, my sister began to always find valuable things in different ces."

    "Our lives gradually improved day by day, andter, my sister single-handedly established the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion," Yin Yuzhen recalled.

    "Unfortunately, I haven''t seen my sister for several years," she said, full of nostalgia.

    "Oh? Where did she go?" Li Fan furrowed his brow.

    "Three years ago, my sister caught the eye of a passing immortal and was taken away. At first, she would send messages to let us know she was safe. Butter, we never heard from her again," Yin Yuzhen said, holding her chin in her hands, looking pitiful.

    "Taken away by an immortal? Could it be that she was taken to cultivate immortality?" Li Fan couldn''t help asking.

    "That''s what I hope for. In the letters my sister sent back before, she used a secret code that only the two of us understood, telling me that her current situation was very dangerous. If she doesn''t contact us in the future, it means she might have met with misfortune. She asked me not to look for her anymore," Yin Yuzhen sighed, her eyes showing a hint of sadness.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but ask after hearing this, "Can it be that it''s her special physique, the Treasure Seer Physique, that has attracted trouble?"

    "This is also something I can''t figure out. Although the Treasure Seer Physique is indeed very powerful, being able to sense treasures within a certain range of oneself, this ability is also limited."

    "My sister is only a mortal and can sense only things that are of some value to mortals. These treasures, in the eyes of those immortals, are essentially equivalent to broken copper and iron."

    "It''s not like there weren''t any Immortal Masters who sensed my sister''s talent before, but in the end, they didn''t take it very seriously. I don''t know why, but in the end, she was still taken away by that Immortal Master." Yin Yuzhen sighed again, a hint of sadness showing in her eyes.

    "Although my sister is in danger, she has left behind her foundation. The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, which she worked hard to build for most of her life, must not be destroyed in my hands," Yin Yuzhen said, staring at Li Fan with big eyes.

    "That''s why I came to you today."

    Li Fan raised his eyebrows but didn''t say anything.

    Yin Yuzhen exined to herself, "I don''t have my sister''s magical abilities. After my sister disappeared, the business of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion declined day by day. I also misjudged a few itemster and failed to realize they were forgeries, resulting in another significant loss."

    "The elders gradually became dissatisfied with me and even considered joining forces with outsiders to drive me out and divide the assets of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

    "Fortunately, they still had some concerns about the immortal who took away my sister, so they hesitated and didn''t take action."

    "So, I came to Liuli Ind to explore new markets and avoid trouble for a while."

    "Originally, I thought of developing here for a few years, umting some strength, and then going back to settle ounts with them. But I didn''t expect to encounter another Treasure Seer Physique on Liuli Ind."

    Yin Yuzhen was somewhat excited. "With your help, I will definitely regain control of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

    "Why should I help you?" Li Fan remained unmoved. "I''m not interested in the affairs of your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. My only desire lies in cultivating immortality."

    "Before, you promised that if I helped you profit on a fleet voyage, you would assist me in obtaining a spot for the Pure Body Spirit Pool. You''re not going back on your word now, are you?"

    Yin Yuzhen seemed to be mentally prepared for Li Fan''s response as she nodded. "Our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion conducts business with integrity. What we promise, we will certainly fulfill. However..."

    She paused, looking at Li Fan with a cunning expression.

    "However what?" Li Fan''s face darkened.

    Yin Yuzhen smiled lightly. "Even if you can enter the Pure Body Spirit Pool, so what? It''s not an easy task to remove the miasma from your body. Almost only half of the people who enter the pool every year are sessful. And the older you are, the higher the failure rate."

    "You''re not young anymore. Are you sure you have a hundred percent certainty of sess? Each person only has one chance to enter the pool in their lifetime. If you fail, you might bid farewell to cultivating immortality forever."

    "I know that sess with the Pure Body Spirit Pool is not guaranteed. But a fifty percent sess rate is worth trying for me. However, from what you''re saying..." Li Fan looked at Yin Yuzhen, his eyes narrowed.

    "That''s right." Yin Yuzhen had a triumphant expression on her face, knowing that Li Fan had taken the bait. "In thest letter from my sister, a pill named the Body Cleansing Pill was sent. ording to what my sister mentioned in the letter, by taking this pill, the probability of sessfully removing the miasma from the body will greatly increase. Ifbined with the Pure Body Spirit Pool, even at your age, there''s a high chance of sess."

    "With such a miraculous pill, why haven''t you taken it until now?" Li Fan couldn''t help asking.

    "Not everyone is as determined as you to cultivate immortality. My wish is to do good business and protect the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion left behind by my sister," Yin Yuzhen replied.

    "Everyone has their own aspirations," Li Fan nodded slowly.

    "So, do you agree?" Yin Yuzhen looked at Li Fan with hopeful eyes.

    "Allow me to consider this. I will give you an answer in three days," Li Fan contemted for a moment, not agreeing immediately.

    "Alright, I''ll wait for your message," Yin Yuzhen said, somewhat disappointed, but still nodded.

    "Farewell!"

    ...

    "I hope I didn''t make a mistake this time."

    Yin Yuzhen watched Li Fan''s retreating figure, her expression bing serious, murmuring softly.

    When dealing with Li Fan, Yin Yuzhen had been ying the role of a "junior" and a "young girl."

    Her intuition told her that Li Fan didn''t dislike her acting this way.

    Moreover, interacting with Li Fan in the capacity of a junior would make things easier to seed.

    Yin Yuzhen wasn''t like her sister, possessing the ability to sense treasures innately.

    However, she had her own unique traits.

    Apart from her sister, Yin Yuzhen was the only one who knew that she could vaguely sense the good or bad oues of events since childhood.

    It was precisely relying on her sister''s treasure-sensing physique and her own ability to anticipate fortune and avoid cmity that the two sisters were able to grow up smoothly and prosper.

 Chapter 34: The Cleansing Heart Mantra's Effect

    Li Fan inquired discreetly and confirmed that Yin Yuzhen was not lying about the Body Cleansing Pill.

    So, three dayster, he met Yin Yuzhen again and agreed to her request.

    Both parties agreed that before the Pure Body Spirit Pool opened, Li Fan would help the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion collect a certain amount of treasures every once in a while.

    When the pool was opened, Yin Yuzhen would give the Body Cleansing Pill to Li Fan.

    Of course, to show sincerity, Yin Yuzhen brought out thend deed.

    Since they had an agreement, Li Fan didn''t hesitate and epted it.

    Thus, Li Fan moved again.

    The property was located in the central part of Liuli Ind, surrounded by a bustling and lively environment.

    However, with its unique architectural structure and embellishments of vegetation, it waspletely isted from the noisy surroundings.

    Though in a bustling ce, it felt as if it were deep in the mountains.

    The area of the building was several timesrger than Li Fan''s previous small courtyard. The artificial hills,kes, flowers, nts, and trees inside needed care.

    Li Fan declined the maids sent by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and hired a few servants from the ind to clean every three days.

    Yin Yuzhen was quite helpless about Li Fan''s caution.

    Fortunately, Li Fan didn''t overlook the agreed-upon matters.

    Over a year, Li Fan joined three official sea expeditions of Liuli Ind, each time bringing back several boxes of treasures, astonishing the whole ind and winning a fleet quota for the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    Afterward, every time the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s fleet set sail, Li Fan would go with them.

    Over the year, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s earnings were overflowing, almost equal to the total profits of the previous five years.

    In the eyes of everyone in Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, Elder Li not only had great abilities, being able to find treasures on each expedition, but was also meticulous and decisive in his thinking.

    During one of the sea expeditions by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, a few crew members were tempted by the valuable items brought up from the sea. They nned to unite and kill for the treasures.

    Unexpectedly, Elder Li had already sensed the abnormality and struck preemptively before they could act, executing them all.

    The corpses were thrown into the sea, and their heads were strung together to deter others.

    Privately, people said that perhaps those crew members were just boasting recklessly after drinking, and they might not have had the courage tomit murder and theft.

    But just because there was this slight possibility, Elder Li didn''t hesitate to kill them all.

    Moreover, the ind''s authorities not only didn''t punish him, they instead praised Elder Li for his reasonable and effective protection of Liuli Ind''s assets.

    Even when the inders found out about it, they cursed those pirates for deserving their fate and praised Elder Li for his decisive action.

    Since then, there were no crew members in Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s fleet who dared to harbor evil intentions.

    ...

    Li Fan, of course, didn''t care about what others thought of him.

    In order topletely control the fleet as soon as possible, harsh measures were necessary.

    He didn''t have so much energy to waste on these worldly matters.

    During this year, whenever he had free time, he diligently cultivated the "Cleansing Heart Mantra."

    It was not only because it could purify the miasma but also because Li Fan had discovered something that delighted him.

    The recharging progress of [Truth] had elerated!

    Before this, the recharge progress of [Truth] could only increase naturally as time passed.

    It would reach 100% every twenty years, slowly rising to the upper limit of 200% after reaching 100%.

    In the previous nine cycles, Li Fan had tried various methods to try to speed up the progress, but none had seeded.

    Li Fan had left the Land of Immortal Extinction and came to the cultivation world a little over a year ago.

    ording to the previous pattern, the progress should be between 6% to 7%.

    However, Li Fan was pleasantly surprised to find that the progress had reached 15%.

    The charging speed had nearly doubled! Apart from the Cleansing Heart Mantra, Li Fan did not engage in anything else that could possibly help with this.

    The only exnation is that cultivating the "MCleansing Heart Mantra" can actually elerate the charging progress of [Truth].

    Although the principle behind it was still unknown, this didn''t hinder Li Fan from practicing even more diligently.

    With the disy of the [Truth] panel, every bit of progress could be clearly seen.

    This also kept Li Fan motivated, preventing him from losing motivation due to the long and repetitive cultivation.

    In addition to the charging progress, Li Fan''s upper mental age limit also increased significantly.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical Age: 42/95¡ü

    Mental Age: 505/1210¡ü

    Virtualization Charging Progress: 115%

    Anchor Charging Progress: 51%

    Current Anchor Count: 1

    Bound Items: "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra," Tai Yan Boat, "Stone Tablet of Prohibition" (Damaged)...

    Time passed quietly as Li Fan immersed himself in his practice.

    Soon, there was only one year left until the opening of the Pure Spirit Spirit Pool.

    On Liuli Ind, the list of needed supplies for this event was also announced.

    At this moment, Li Fan was studying this list with the people from Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    "Everything else on this list is fine, but what is this Starry Sea Quicksand?" Li Fan frowned and asked after reading it once.

    Having worked for Heavenly Treasure Pavilion for a year, Li Fan had gained some insights, at least regarding the conventional ores and rare materials circting in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Not only was Sun Zhang at a loss, but even Yin Yuzhen, the manager of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, fell silent.

    "The materials needed this time are all verymon, except for this Starry Sea Quicksand that I''ve never heard of. It seems that the key topeting for the slot this time lies in this Starry Sea Quicksand," Sun Zhang said.

    "I''ve done business for over ten years and have never heard of this thing," Yin Yuzhen tapped the table lightly with her fingers. "Looks like we need to ask the people from the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce about it."

    "These people are very greedy. It''s probably going to cost us a lot," Sun Zhang sighed.

    "I am determined to get the Pure Body Spirit Pool slot," Li Fan said firmly.

    The Wanhua Chamber of Commerce wasn''t a local business in the Cong Yun Sea but instead came from a distant continent.

    It was said that the tradingpany was supported by immortals, allowing them to easily cross endless seas ande to this remote Cong Yun Sea for business.

    Yin Yuzhen established a connection with the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce over a decade ago, and the two sides have engaged in trade over the years.

    It was through the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion could quickly digest therge number of treasures found by Li Fan and convert them into profits.

    "We still have a year of preparation time. The Wanhua Chamber of Commerce''s trading ship should pass through the Cong Yun Sea in three months. At that time, I can contact them," Yin Yuzhen said.

    "We can''t solely rely on the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce. In the past year, Liuli Ind has gathered many disaster refugees from other inds. These refugees are from various ces in the Cong Yun Sea, and there might be someone who knows about this Starry Sea Quicksand among them. We can inquire with them. Other forces on the ind are also looking for this Starry Sea Quicksand, so we also need to monitor them closely. If they find anything, we can take action ordingly," Li Fan decided.

 Chapter 35: Fruits Are All Preordained

    With the announcement of the materials needed for the Pure Body Spirit Pool, the surface of Liuli Ind appeared calm, but there were already hidden undercurrents.

    Even ordinary people who didn''t care about this matter knew that the major powers on the ind were now searching for something called "Starry Sea Quicksand."

    After inquiring covertly without results, Li Fan unexpectedly received an unexpected guest one day.

    It was Xiao Heng, the person Li Fan had encountered when he first came to the cultivation world.

    "Please have a seat," Li Fan said as he poured him a cup of tea.

    Xiao Heng observed Li Fan''s current residence, his eyes filled with envy and nostalgia.

    "I wonder what business you have with me, young brother?" Li Fan had a good impression of Xiao Heng and asked kindly.

    Xiao Heng first looked around cautiously, then leaned in and said softly, "I heard that Brother Li has also been looking for Starry Sea Quicksandtely?"

    Li Fan''s eyes narrowed, "Indeed. I am already of an advanced age and want to cultivate, and my only reliance is the Pure Body Spirit Pool. Why, do you know about this item?"

    Xiao Heng swallowed nervously and nodded, "Yes, when the Immortal Master descended to the Land of Immortal Extinction, he promised that as long as the necessary materials were collected, a group of people could go to the cultivation world. Among them was Starry Sea Quicksand."

    Li Fan was momentarily stunned. Afterward, he expressed his confusion, "Is that so? Why don''t I have any recollection of this? I asked those people from before, and they all imed ignorance. Hence, my inquiry."

    Xiao Heng looked a bit embarrassed upon hearing this, "At that time, when it was publicly announced, several items were already omitted from the list and allocated to the major families as reserved slots. My family was tasked with collecting the Starry Sea Quicksand."

    Li Fan nodded thoughtfully.

    "Go on, what conditions do you have?" Li Fan got straight to the point.

    Seeing Li Fan being so direct, Xiao Heng felt a bit awkward, blushing slightly, and exined, "Back when you paid for Changyu''s burial, it was a favor to me. I shouldn''t ask for this, but life here on Liuli Ind is too difficult. I don''t have the same abilities as Brother Li. I still live in a poor area on the outskirts and have to do hardbor to sustain my daily life..."

    Xiao Heng rambled on, but Li Fan lightly chuckled and interrupted him.

    "No need for many words. I understand your predicament. I am determined to obtain this item. As long as you can provide clues and have any requests, feel free to mention them, and I will do my best to fulfill them."

    Xiao Heng was very grateful, "In that case, I thank Brother Li in advance."

    He paused for a moment, then said somewhat sentimentally, "Actually, this item is not that rare. It''s just that the term used by the immortal master is different from our ordinarynguage. Of course, if it weren''t for the attached material descriptions that came with the list, I wouldn''t have known. Essentially, the so-called Starry Sea Quicksand is just meteoric iron from the heavens."

    Li Fan listened carefully,prehending it all. Then, when Xiao Heng finished, Li Fan didn''t forget his promise.

    "Tell me, what do you want?"

    Xiao Heng spoke in a low voice, "I just want a decent courtyard and a slightly easier job. Of course, it would be even better if I could have a few maids."

    Li Fan had prepared himself for Xiao Heng''s ambitious requests but was surprised to see how easily he could be satisfied. He chuckled and shook his head.

    "I didn''t expect the son of the Southern King to have such modest requests. Perhaps add a little more; I still have some influence at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

    Xiao Heng declined politely, "I am aware of my abilities. Being able to livefortably and not work so hard already satisfies me. If suddenly gaining wealth that attracts envy, it might bring disaster."

    Li Fan nodded and didn''t insist further.

    After a few pleasantries, Xiao Heng took his leave.

    "Do you have any ns for cultivation? After all, you''vee all the way to this cultivation world through great hardships; wouldn''t it be a waste if you don''t make use of this opportunity?" Li Fan suddenly asked as they parted.

    "Let''s talk about itter. I''m not really interested in cultivation. When I practiced Cleansing Heart Mantra, I felt nothing. I have no idea how long it will take topletely dispel the miasma." Xiao Heng responded with little interest and left without looking back.

    After seeing Xiao Heng off, Li Fan hurried to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    Meeting Yin Yuzhen, Li Fan repeated Xiao Heng''s discourse about the Starry Sea Quicksand.

    "Starry Sea Quicksand is meteoric iron? It''s so simple?" Yin Yuzhen was somewhat surprised. "Can we trust this guy named Xiao Heng?"

    "He shouldn''t be lying," Li Fan affirmed.

    "But we shouldn''t take his word for it," Li Fan suddenly changed the subject. "Didn''t you say that the caravan of the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce will be passing by Liuli Ind soon? When the timees, you might inquire about it from them."

    "That''s a good idea," Yin Yuzhen agreed. "It would be even better if we could save some money."

    "Anyway, we still need to secretly purchase meteoric iron that meets the requirements. Not many people know about this item now, but it might change soon. In addition, when making the purchase, we need to mix it with other things to divert attention and confuse observers. At the same time, we can have someone spread fake news about Starry Sea Quicksand in the market to muddy the waters."

    Li Fan thought for a moment and then patiently gave instructions.

    To ensure the allocation of the Pure Body Spirit Pool spot, Li Fan needed to n carefully.

    "Li Fan, you are really something. I only knew that you had a Treasure Seer Physique before, but I didn''t expect you to have such skills," Yin Yuzhen said, her eyes filled with curiosity, seeing Li Fan''s well-organized arrangements.

    "What did you do before?" Yin Yuzhen couldn''t help but ask.

    "I was just a minor advisor," Li Fan replied casually.

    Yin Yuzhen scoffed disbelievingly.

    "Alright, I''ll leave this matter to you to handle. I need to go cultivate. Unless there''s a special situation, don''t disturb me. Oh, and handle the matter I promised Xiao Heng as well," Li Fan concluded and then left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    "Auspicious again? How could it be auspicious again?" Yin Yuzhen felt dazed, watching the direction Li Fan left. Her eyes were full of puzzlement.

    Since meeting Li Fan, every time she entrusted a task to him, her intuition showed signs of great luck.

    This made Yin Yuzhen almost believe that her ability to seek good fortune and avoid cmity had failed.

    After all, before encountering Li Fan, she had never experienced any good omens.

    On the contrary, when she wanted to swallow the Body Cleansing Pill and embark on the path of cultivation, she felt extreme dread, as if death was certain on the road ahead. It was a clear omen of great cmity.

 Chapter 36: Fortuitous Find

    Yin Yuzhen''s intuition told her that as long as she helped Li Fan, there would be boundless benefits in the future.

    Although she didn''t know what kind of achievements this old man would have in the future, Yin Yuzhen chose to trust her instincts and do everything she could to assist Li Fan.

    So, under Yin Yuzhen''s direction, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion began to operate at full capacity.

    While collecting meteoric iron, they also purchased arge number ofpletely unrted items to divert attention.

    Other forces within Liuli Ind noticed the unusual activities of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and sent people to investigate secretly.

    However, due to Yin Yuzhen''s early preparation, they couldn''t find out anything.

    Instead, following Li Fan''s n, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion released a lot of false information about the Starry Sea Quicksand. The other forces were skeptical of its authenticity and chose to observe.

    However, some of them, with the idea of "buy first and sellter, even if it''s fake, we can sell it again," purchased arge number of things rted to the rumor. Consequently, the rest couldn''t sit still and joined the purchasing frenzy.

    For a while, prices soared on Liuli Ind, and chaos ensued.

    ...

    Li Fan, the initiator of all this, remained quietly in his home, focusing on his cultivation.

    Three monthster, Yin Yuzhen finally managed to contact the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce.

    Early in the morning, Yin Yuzhen and Li Fan left Liuli Ind on a small boat owned by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, heading north for several tens of miles to the agreed sea area.

    The boat was loaded with goods for this trade, packed to the brim.

    It wasn''t until midday that the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce finally arrived.

    A dot in the sky rapidly erged, and as it got closer, Li Fan realized that it was an airship!

    A g fluttered on the airship, bearing arge word: "Wanhua."

    The airship seemed to be half the size of the Tai Yan Boat in its second form, about fifty meters long.

    The airship soon came over their heads and gentlynded on the water.

    "Manager Yin, long time no see!" After stabilizing, heartyughter came from the airship.

    Yin Yuzhen was looking at Li Fan, hoping to see surprise on his face.

    But to her disappointment, Li Fan didn''t show any surprise upon seeing the airship of the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce, as if he had long been ustomed to such sights.

    Yin Yuzhen felt a bit disappointed and more curious about Li Fan.

    Upon hearing the voice, Yin Yuzhen turned her head.

    "Wu Xingzou, long time no see. Wasn''t ourst meeting three years ago?" Yin Yuzhen smiled in response.

    "Time really flies." Wu Xingzouughed and came to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s ship.

    "Who is this?" He looked at Li Fan and asked with a smile.

    "He is an elder from our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion," Yin Yuzhen replied simply.

    Seeing Yin Yuzhen''s unwillingness to borate, Wu Xingzou didn''t press further.

    "Shall we take a look at the goods? After this transaction, it may be difficult for us to meet again," he suggested.

    Yin Yuzhen was taken aback, "Why do you say that? Has something changed?"

    Wu Xingzou shook his head, "I don''t know the specific reasons. Just a few days ago, we suddenly received a notice from the headquarters, instructing all trading caravans within the Cong Yun Sea to cease all operations and return as soon as possible."

    "If it weren''t for the scheduled trading day we had agreed upon, I''m afraid I would already be on my way back."

    "So this transaction cannot be dyed and needs to proceed quickly."

    Yin Yuzhen was a bit flustered for a moment. After all, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was thriving on Liuli Ind because it was backed by the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce.

    Now, with the sudden withdrawal of the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce from the Cong Yun Sea, what would happen to the future business of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?

    Could she still keep the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?

    And why didn''t her intuition react at all this time?

    Yin Yuzhen was in turmoil, and she froze on the spot.

    "Manager Yin?" Wu Xingzou noticed Yin Yuzhen''s stunned expression and couldn''t help but remind her.

    Yin Yuzhen forced a smile and snapped back to reality.

    Entering the cabin, they began to check the traded goods.

    "Sixteen pairs of jade bi, twenty-three pieces of coral, forty-six night-bright pearls..." Li Fan led Wu Xingzou to walk in front of various goods, reciting them one by one.

    Wu Xingzou asionally picked up an item and carefully examined its quality.

    Then he nodded and carefully put it down.

    "Starry Sea Quicksand, three pieces." When they reached the middle, Li Fan calmly reported.

    Wu Xingzou''s face lit up with joy and he quickly walked over to the pieces of meteoric iron.

    He gently touched them and then turned the meteorite over to inspect it repeatedly.

    Seeing this scene, Li Fan knew that Wu Xingzou was no ordinary person.

    These meteorites weighed at least fifty catties each, but in his hands, they seemed like toys.

    After a while, Wu Xingzou reluctantly put the meteorites down.

    "Manager Yin, you''re really lucky this time. You actually managed to collect Starry Sea Quicksand, such a valuable item."

    Li Fan and Yin Yuzhen looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.

    They could now confirm that what Xiao Heng said was correct.

    This time, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion seized the initiative and acquired a good amount of Starry Sea Quicksand in advance.

    They should be able to secure the quota for the Pure Body Spirit Pool.

    After that, there were no more valuable items. Wu Xingzou was very satisfied with the goods provided by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion this time.

    And because they wouldn''t see each other for a long time in the future, he specially invited Li Fan and Yin Yuzhen to be guests on the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce''s airship.

    After a hearty meal, Wu Xingzou led the two to the warehouse of the airship.

    "These are all collected by me from various inds in the Cong Yun Sea. Some are invaluable, and some I am not sure of their use. I just bought them because they looked strange. If you are interested, you can choose a few from them." Wu Xingzou, who was drinking happily, said somewhat proudly, facing the dazzling array of treasures.

    Yin Yuzhen was excited. She had the ability to sense good fortune and avoid disaster, so wouldn''t she be like a mouse in a rice barrel here?

    Li Fan was initially not interested, but seeing Yin Yuzhen''s eager expression, he couldn''t refuse. He apanied her in strolling around inside.

    "You have only the time of an incense stick!" Wu Xingzou seemed to be very interested in this kind of game and said loudly to the two.

    Yin Yuzhen ignored him and was excitedly shuttling through the warehouse.

    Inside were thousands of treasures, and even though she could sense good fortune and roughly distinguish their value, she was still dazzled for a moment.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, was bored and picked up and looked at one item after another aimlessly.

    He had been through nine reincarnations and three hundred years of ups and downs. What kind of mundane treasures had he not seen?

    As long as it wasn''t rted to cultivation, he didn''t care.

    Thinking like this, as his hand touched one of the items, his body suddenly froze.

    Because a notification from [Truth] instantly popped up.

    "Detected chargeable item. Consume to recharge?"

 Chapter 37: Canghai Pearl

    Li Fan calmly examined the item in his hand.

    At first nce, it seemed like an ordinary azure ss ball, but upon closer inspection, one could see the ever-changing light within the sphere, as if a vast blue sea was gestating within.

    "Heavenly Treasure[1]: Canghai Pearl (Initial Stage)."

    "Out of the Canghai seaes life."

    Li Fan was utterly astonished. He hadn''t expected to encounter a Heavenly Treasure here!

    And it was still in the process of gestation, not yet fully formed.

    Suppressing his excitement, Li Fan ced the Canghai Pearl back in its original spot.

    He pretended to be nonchnt, examining the other items around.

    He didn''t even cast a nce at the Canghai Pearl until Wu Xingzou announced that the time was up.

    Yin Yuzhen felt both disappointed and excited as she walked out, clutching a few items.

    "You''re not picking anything? Wu Xingzou is being so generous. It''s a rare chance; you won''t find another shop like this once we leave." Yin Yuzhen noticed that Li Fan''s hands were empty and couldn''t help butment.

    Wu Xingzou chimed in, "The manager is right. It''s not proper to leave empty-handed after entering a treasure trove. It seems like you don''t think much of me."

    Li Fan thought to himself, "It''s a good thing you both mentioned it; otherwise, I would''ve had to bring it up."

    "In that case, I won''t be impolite." He walked over to the vicinity of the Canghai Pearl, picked a jade statue almost at random, a statue resembling an ancient tree, and casually picked up the Canghai Pearl along with it.

    "I''ll take these two." Li Fan said in a somewhat casual manner.

    Wu Xingzou praised, "Elder has a good eye. This jade statue in the form of an ancient tree was found on a remote ind in the farthest north of the Cong Yun Sea."

    "This jade statue has been worshipped by a primitive tribe on the ind for thousands of years and possesses an air of mystery. Ordinary people, if they ce it at home, can achieve a calming and fortifying effect for their mind and body."

    Wu Xingzou highly praised the jade tree statue, ncing at the Canghai Pearl just once and then never mentioning it again.

    "My thanks for your generosity." Li Fan cupped his hands and said happily.

    "And what about this?" Li Fan yed with the Canghai Pearl and asked.

    "Oh, this one. I acquired this from a fisherman on Flowing Cloud Ind," Wu Xingzou recalled after a moment. "There''s nothing particrly special about it; I just found it intriguing, so I took it."

    "Flowing Cloud Ind..." Li Fan firmly etched the name in his mind.

    Then he quickly changed the topic, "Manager, what did you choose?"

    Wu Xingzou''s gaze shifted to Yin Yuzhen.

    Seeing that Yin Yuzhen had chosen a painting, a pair of jade bracelets, and a gemstone, he enthusiastically introduced these items to them.

    Li Fan listened absently, his mind focused entirely on the Canghai Pearl.

    In the midst of Li Fan''s distracted thoughts, the transaction between the two sides came to an end.

    The Wanhua Chamber of Commerce obtained arge number of treasures, while Yin Yuzhen amassed a significant amount of gold and silver.

    "Manager Yin, we may meet again," Wu Xingzou sighed, steering the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce airship, disappearing from sight of the two.

    On the way back, despite the abundant gains from this transaction, Yin Yuzhen couldn''t hide her worries.

    "Are you worried about Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s future business?" Li Fan asked.

    "Yes, without the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce, we lose a significant sales channel. I''m afraid Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s profits will take a big hit in the future," Yin Yuzhenmented. "I don''t know why Wanhua Chamber of Commerce suddenly withdrew from the Cong Yun Sea."

    "If you have products to sell, there will be a way. There''s no need to worry excessively," Li Fan couldn''t think of a good solution for the moment and could only offer words offort.

    Yin Yuzhen nodded, but it was clear she didn''t take much sce.

    Back on Liuli Ind, Li Fan bid farewell to Yin Yuzhen and hurried back to his home.

    Closing the door tightly, Li Fan took out the Canghai Pearl in his room.

    "The original purpose of this trip was just to verify whether the Starry Sea Quicksand is meteorite iron. I didn''t expect to obtain this treasure. It''s a pleasant surprise," Li Fan looked at the Canghai Pearl in his hand, overjoyed.

    "I just don''t know what makes this Canghai Pearl special?"

    In Li Fan''s understanding, each Heavenly Treasure represented a certain characteristic or rule of the world.

    The Gnarled Dragon Branch represented achieving great things through small beginnings and the act of engulfing.

    The Rust Sword Dao Xuan symbolized an unyielding will and the ability to resist slow decay.

    The Stone Tablet of Prohibition embodied following the inscribedws and performing actions ordingly.

    What special characteristic or rule did this small azure pearl called the Canghai Pearl represent?

    Li Fan held up the Canghai Pearl and immersed himself in the deep blue color, his mind reeling.

    Unfortunately, despite studying it for quite some time, Li Fan couldn''t discern the special feature of the Canghai Pearl.

    Perhaps only cultivators can glimpse its mysteries!

    Li Fan sighed deeply and carefully stored the Canghai Pearl.

    Should he absorb it to recharge now?

    Li Fan hesitated for a moment, but ording to [Truth]''s feedback, the Canghai Pearl was still in its initial state. If consumed, it would probably only increase the charging progress by 1-2%.

    It was essentially nothing. It would be better to wait for it to fully form before consumption.

    After all, the item was already in his hands; he wasn''t worried about it running away.

    It took a long time for Li Fan to calm down from the surprise of obtaining a Heavenly Treasure.

    After settling down, Li Fan immersed himself in the cultivation of the "Cleansing Heart Mantra."

    A few dayster, Li Fan was awakened by an urgent knocking on his door.

    It wasn''t even dawn yet; who could being to disturb him at this hour?

    Cautious, Li Fan took out a dagger, concealed it in his sleeve, and went to open the door.

    "Who is it?"

    "Brother Li, it''s me."

    Xiao Heng''s voice came from outside.

    What is this kid looking for me for at this hour? Could it be that he didn''t receive the residence I prepared for him?

    Li Fan felt a hint of doubt, but he still opened the door and let Xiao Heng in.

    Panic and anxiety were written all over Xiao Heng''s face.

    "Sit down and speak."

    The two of them entered the room, and Xiao Heng anxiously said, "Brother Li, something big has happened! It''s about the fact that we were smuggled from the Land of Immortal Extinction; the news has leaked!"

    "Who leaked the news?" Li Fan was somewhat surprised and asked.

    "We don''t know. But everyone on the ind now knows that we''re not natives of the Immortal Realm, and instead came here through the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. It is said that the Immortal Master is extremely furious and wants to catch us all and kill us. Some of us were extremely frightened and fled on boats in the dead of night. The rest of us don''t know what to do."

    "They all say that Brother Li must have a way, so they asked me toe and ask you quickly." Xiao Heng exined anxiously.

    Li Fan listened and pondered for a moment, then chuckled lightly, "Don''t worry, this matter is not a big deal."

    Xiao Heng was stunned, "Brother Li, why do you say that?"

    Li Fan sneered, "Do you think the government would announce in advance when they''re going to capture thieves? If they really wanted to kill you, you would have been dead long ago. Would they let you know the news, and then allow you to escape and discuss countermeasures openly?"

    "Brother Li, are you saying this was intentionally leaked to scare us?" Xiao Heng realized, too.

    "But why would they do this?" he asked with a puzzled expression.

    "In my opinion, this matter probably isn''t directed at us." Li Fan suddenly stood up. "Their target is likely the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

    *****

    [1] I might have used a few different terms for "Heavenly Treasure", but I''ll stick with this one from now. A more urate trantion would be "Heaven and Earth Wonder," but that''s quite wordy and doesn''t make as much sense in English. Essentially, they''re just naturally formed treasures, and when a cultivator uses one to build their foundation, they''ll be "Foundation Treasures," like Kou Hong''s dragon branch or Dao Xuanzi''s sword.

 Chapter 38: Entering the Pure Body Spirit Pool

    After cating Xiao Heng, Li Fan hurriedly went to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    Yin Yuzhen was a bit surprised by Li Fan''s sudden arrival.

    After listening to Li Fan''s reason foring over, Yin Yuzhen exined the ins and outs of the matter with a resentful expression.

    It turned out that after several months of inquiries, the various forces on Liuli Ind finally figured out that the Starry Sea Quicksand Liuli Ind was actually meteorite iron from the sky.

    But when they wanted to collect the meteorite iron, they found that the Starry Sea Quicksand in the area of Liuli Ind had already been plundered by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    And the previous chaos in the market on Liuli Ind was caused by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s maniptions.

    "Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is making a fool of everyone!" In shame and anger, they went to the Immortal Master of Liuli Ind to seek an exnation.

    Naturally, Yin Yuzhen eloquently defended herself, stating that her actions were justified businesspetition.

    The master of Liuli Ind also believed that although Yin Yuzhen''s approach was a bit excessive, thepetition for the quota of the Pure Body Spirit Pool was based on individual abilities. As long as they could collect the materials needed by the immortals in the end, even if the means were slightly out of line, it was eptable.

    So the ind master did not punish the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion but instead reprimanded those who caused trouble.

    How could these people willingly ept this?

    So a few dayster, there were rumors on the ind that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was secretly involved in smuggling businesses for mortals.

    And as the rumors spread, it seemed like the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would be questioned and wiped out by the immortals tomorrow.

    "So, how serious is this matter? Will the immortals really me us?" Li Fan, after understanding the whole story, couldn''t help but ask.

    "This is the tricky part of this matter," Yin Yuzhen frowned, "If the punishment is unknown, then the threat is immeasurable. Smuggling mortals was never explicitly prohibited. But this matter is somewhat taboo and should not see the light."

    "Moreover, more than a decade ago, a certain immortal happened to witness the act of smuggling, and in his anger, he killed all the mortals present."

    "Since then, everyone has tacitly engaged in this smuggling business secretly."

    Li Fan listened and furrowed his brows slightly, "So you mean, this matter can be big or small. How it is handled depends on the mood of the immortals?"

    "That''s right. If the immortals don''t take it too seriously, then there''s no problem. If the immortals are in a bad mood, then..." Yin Yuzhen didn''t finish her words, but her face turned a little pale.

    Li Fan fell into silence.

    He thought of the scene when he first met Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.

    In the eyes of these immortals, mortals were like ants and could be killed at will.

    "I''d rather take the risk of being beheaded than give up this smuggling business. I think the profits involved in this must be extremely high." Li Fan sighed.

    "That''s for sure. The cost of a single stowaway requires a small world to scavenge for nearly a decade to fulfill. You can imagine how much profit is involved." Yin Yuzhen nodded. "Precisely because of this, some immortals can''t help but secretly join in and take a share of the profit in the end."

    "These immortals will never admit that they are involved in these things. When theye into contact with us, they use immortal techniques to conceal their appearance. And in the end, they take away most of the profits." Speaking of this, Yin Yuzhen was also a bit helpless. "So, we have to deal with this matter on our own in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

    Li Fan thought of the immortal who guided them into the immortal realm when he first entered the immortal world and nodded.

    "So, what is the temperament of the immortal stationed on Liuli Ind? What is his attitude towards this matter?" Li Fan asked again.

    "Master He Zhenghao of Liuli Ind is usually reclusive, and I haven''t seen him much. So I can''t be sure about his attitude. But judging from his previous ways of dealing with mundane matters, he is not a softhearted person." Yin Yuzhen said in a deep voice.

    After analyzing it in his mind, Li Fan sighed in the end.

    Li Fan knew that even if he had many schemes, in the face of absolute power disparity, everything was in vain.

    Regarding this kind of time bomb-like unstable factor, Li Fan had no solution.

    Li Fan was reminded of therge amount of Immortal-Mortal Mist stored in a certain cabin of the Tai Yan Boat.

    "If we were in the Land of Immortal Extinction, with thousands of elite warriors, perhaps we could still put up a fight. But s..." Li Fan quickly suppressed this dangerous idea.

    "Let''s set a time and meet. This matter should not be stirred up too much." Li Fan spoke.

    "Yes, that''s what I think too," Yin Yuzhen said.

    "They just want us to hand over some Starry Sea Quicksand. Since we have the advantage and have collected enough, we can throw out a portion of it and let them fight amongst themselves. They will surely start fighting each other soon." Li Fan snorted. "There''s no unbreakable alliance in this world."

    ...

    Three dayster, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion met with the various forces on Liuli Ind and made the following demands:

    The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion agreed to hand over a portion of the Starry Sea Quicksand but required the other party to provide equivalent value in goods for the exchange.

    At the same time, how the Starry Sea Quicksand would be divided among the families would be decided by each family themselves.

    Lastly, it must be ensured that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would receive one quota for the Pure Body Spirit Pool.

    These conditions were not too demanding, so after some discussion, the two sides quickly reached a reconciliation.

    After all, the two sides did not have deep-seated hatred. It was just for the sake of contending for the quota of the Pure Body Spirit Pool.

    Thus, after paying the price of dozens of meteorites, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion sessfully extricated itself from this chaotic vortex.

    Almost on the same day, the rumors about smuggling on the ind disappeared without a trace.

    And the other forces, in order to obtain those dozens of meteorites, began to openly and secretly vie with each other, no longer paying attention to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    Time flew, and the day when the Pure Body Spirit Pool would open was approaching.

    After the tally of the materials provided by each family, the quotas for this Pure Body Spirit Pool were finally determined.

    There were a total of thirteen quotas for this entry into the pool, and the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had secured one.

    With the major issues settled, Li Fan couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

    He only awaited the opening of the Spirit Pool, where he would be able to remove the miasma from his body and officially step onto the path of cultivation! This day, he had been waiting for far too long.

    So, even with Li Fan''s calm demeanor, he was starting to feel a bit excited.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical Age: 42/99

    Mental Age: 505/1299¡ü

    Virtualization Charging Progress: 121%

    Anchor Charging Progress: 51%

    Current Anchor Points: 1

    Bound Items: "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra," Tai Yan Boat, Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged) Li Fan looked at the interface provided by [Truth]. After two years of cultivation, his physical age''s limit had reached 99 years, with no sign of further increase.

    As for the limit of his mental age, due to his continuous cultivation of the Cleansing Heart Mantra, it was still slowly increasing.

    He wondered what changes would ur after the baptism of the Pure Body Spirit Pool?

    Li Fan was looking forward to it.

    The day of the Pure Body Spirit Pool opening finally arrived. On this day, guided by a servant, Li Fan ingested the Body Cleansing Pill given to him by Yin Yuzhen and entered the central array of Liuli Ind.

 Chapter 39: The First Lesson of Cultivation

    The thirteen individuals entering the central array, apart from Li Fan, were teenagers of around thirteen years old.

    They had been given instructions and didn''t dare to speak lightly, their eyes filled with excitement and curiosity as they observed their surroundings.

    The instant they entered the array, the environment they found themselves in waspletely different from Liuli Ind.

    It was as if they had gone from a bustling city to the depths of the mountains. Lush trees surrounded them, and the air was filled with the sounds of birds and insects.

    In the distance, peaks and ranges intertwined, creating a picturesquendscape.

    A light breeze passed by, causing rustling sounds that echoed like waves.

    Li Fan and the others were standing at the foot of the mountain at this moment.

    Looking up, the mountaintop was hidden in thick clouds and mist,pletely obscured from view.

    The group ascended ancient stone steps, climbing upwards for two hours without stopping.

    These teenagers all had impressive constitutions; despite climbing for so long, they didn''t even seem to breathe heavily.

    As for Li Fan, due to his not-so-young age andck of recent exercise, he was drenched in sweat and could barely keep up with the group.

    Another hour passed, and they finally reached the mountain top.

    The mountaintop was only a small clearing, and the group dispersed, already feeling a bit crowded.

    This peak was the highest point among the group of mountains, and looking around, all they could see was a vast sea of clouds.

    The wind roared, and the sea of clouds churned, asionally revealing ind-like mountaintops.

    All these teenagers were born and raised above the ocean, and they had never witnessed such a spectacr sight.

    At this moment, they were all staring in awe, lost in their thoughts.

    For Li Fan, this view was ordinary. He squinted and looked at the sun in the sky.

    They had already been inside the array for most of the day, but the position of the sun hadn''t changed at all.

    It seemed to be some kind of illusion.

    "How''s this scenery?" Suddenly, a voice rang out beside the group.

    The teenagers were startled at first, but then they immediately reacted.

    "We''ve seen the Immortal Master!" they greeted respectfully, bowing.

    Li Fan also followed suit.

    The speaker was naturally the Immortal Master who guarded Liuli Ind.

    He appeared to be around thirty years old, dressed in a green robe.

    With a kind expression and a smiling face, he looked very amiable, exuding the image of a kind-hearted person.

    Seeing that this Immortal Master didn''t seem as frightening as the rumors, one of the teenagers gathered the courage to reply, "The scenery here is excellent, truly befitting of a sacred ce for immortals."

    "I have never seen such a marvelous sight before; it stirs one''s heart," another youth added.

    ...

    Immortal Master He Zhenghao smiled and nodded, saying something that instantly silenced the young people present: "When I first came to Liuli Ind, the height of this peak was one of the shortest within this mountain range, far below the clouds."

    The young people were stunned by He Zhenghao''s words and fell silent for a while. Finally, someone praised, "Immortal Master''s supernatural powers are truly unbelievable to be able to raise a mountain like this."

    He Zhenghao smiled wryly, "I''m just a humble cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage. How could I possess such skills?"

    The youth who had just ttered blushed instantly, feeling ashamed and lowering his head.

    The rest of the people exchanged nces, unsure of the meaning behind Immortal Master He Zhenghao''s words.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, looked at the countless peaks in the sea of clouds, lost in thought.

    "Do you know that the mountains and rivers in the world can gradually grow taller, just like people?" Immortal Master He Zhenghao no longer kept them in suspense and said slowly.

    Upon hearing this, the youths were all dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief.

    "This is truly unbelievable..."

    "Is this... true? Could it be that these mountains and rivers are also living beings?"

    Although the idea of mountains and rivers growing taller was too astonishing,ing from a high and mighty immortal like Immortal Master He Zhenghao, the youths naturally chose to believe it.

    However, their faces turned pale, and they had a hard time epting it at the moment.

    Immortal Master He Zhenghao continued, "Some peaks, although they seem tall, have already reached their limit and can never progress further. Some might be just small mounds now, but they have boundless potential. Who knows, after several years, they might grow into towering peaks that touch the heavens?"

    "Just like the Mount Shaowei under our feet; it was inconspicuous at first, but in just a few decades, it has already surpassed many other mountains."

    "Of course, most mountains are like the countless peaks below this sea of clouds, always destined to be mere decorations, silently gazing up at the peaks above the clouds."

    "If mountains are like this, what about people?"

    "Today, you all have the fortune to step into the Pure Body Spirit Pool and rid yourselves of the miasma. Whether you can step onto the path of immortality, or even have the hope of longevity on the great road in the future, it all depends on your individual destiny."

    Looking at the bewildered and dazed group of youths, Immortal Master He Zhenghao sighed.

    "No matter what happens in the future, give your best today. I''ve said what needs to be said; now, go!"

    "Immortal Master, may I ask where the Pure Body Spirit Pool is located?" Although some of the youths didn''t fully understand the meaning behind Immortal Master He Zhenghao''s words, they could at leastprehend that they were going to enter the Pure Body Spirit Pool.

    After all, they were still young at heart, so they eagerly asked.

    "It''s right there!" Immortal Master He Zhenghao said calmly.

    Following his direction, they saw that the location Immortal Master He Zhenghao was pointing to was not on the mountaintop but at the edge of a cliff thousands of feet high!

    "Immortal Master, are you joking?" One of the youths couldn''t help but exim.

    He Zhenghao''s expression changed, and with a cold snort, he seemed to make no movement, but the head of that youth suddenly flew high, and his body fell to the ground.

    Blood sttered, staining everyone nearby.

    This sudden scene stunned all the young people.

    Some were scared and wanted to scream, but they covered their mouths tightly, only trembling and pale.

    Some were so frightened that their bodies went limp, falling to the ground.

    Some immediately knelt down and kowtowed to He Zhenghao, apologizing.

    "I''ll give you another lesson: in the future, when stepping onto the path of cultivation, having a broad perspective is crucial. Know who you can offend and who you cannot, what words you can say, and what words you cannot. Be careful and considerate. Don''t wait until you die  to me me for not warning you today." He Zhenghao, no longer the amiable old man, looked coldly at the group of youths.

    Li Fan watched this drama unfold, observing the varying reactions of the young people. He knew that this lesson from Immortal Master He Zhenghao would undoubtedly leave a deep impression on them.

    Not to mention these young people, even Li Fan, after listening to He Zhenghao''s words, felt like he had gained some insights.

    He deeply saluted the Immortal Master, sincerely saying, "Thank you for the lesson."

    Then he turned and walked towards the edge of the mountain.

    In front of the thousand-foot cliff, without any hesitation or pause, Li Fan, with an unchanged expression, took a step forward.

    But instead of falling, the sea of clouds in front seemed to be conscious, rolling and gathering under Li Fan''s feet, steadily holding him up.

    As he took another step and stabilized himself, Li Fan was carried by the rolling white clouds, flying towards the depths of the sea of clouds.

    He Zhenghao watched Li Fan''s figure and couldn''t help muttering, "Excellent temperament, but unfortunately, too old!"

    "What a pity!"

 Chapter 40: Unexpected Gains

    The group of youths watched as Li Fan soared into the clouds and suddenly realized, understanding that Immortal Master He''s words contained no deception or exaggeration. They felt a sense of shame.

    "The first ones to enter the Pure Body Spirit Pool will get more spirit fluid. Hurry, all of you, go!" Immortal Master He''s expression softened, addressing the group of young men.

    So the youths rushed towards the sea of clouds.

    ...

    Surrounded by dense clouds, Li Fan felt disoriented.

    The white clouds around him continued to gather, bing denser.

    In an instant, they condensed into white spirit fluid, enveloping Li Fan.

    In the midst of the spirit fluid, Li Fan not only didn''t feel suffocated but also experienced incredible warmth andfort.

    It felt like being a fetus in the womb, and Li Fan''s mind gradually rxedpletely.

    A warm and gentle breath flowed through every inch of his skin, entering through the pores and entering Li Fan''s body.

    His entire body and soul seemed to be soaked in warm water, almost making Li Fan moan infort.

    But soon, warmth turned into heat.

    Heat turned into scorching heat.

    The scorching heat turned into a zing fire.

    Unexpectedly, Li Fan let out a howl.

    In that instant, he lost control of his body.

    He felt a scorching magma-like flow rampage within and destroy his body, tearing and piercing through every nerve.

    This kind of pain was beyond what a human could endure. Li Fan instinctively wanted to summon [Truth], but he managed to endure it.

    "Three hundred years of hard pursuit, isn''t it for this moment?"

    "No matter what, I will never give up."

    "I want to cultivate, I want longevity!"

    In the midst of excruciating pain, Li Fan''s consciousness shattered, but a strong determination supported him, preventing him from copsing.

    The hot stream circted within his body endlessly, seemingly without end.

    With each cycle, the level of destruction and pain deepened.

    Eventually, this agony reached a point where words could not describe.

    The pain was like knives, chopping Li Fan''s soul into pieces and then chopping those pieces again, incessantly and endlessly.

    Even with Li Fan''s strong will, he gradually lost the power to resist in the face of this level of pain.

    Slowly, Li Fan''s consciousness began to drift.

    His consciousness began to dissipate.

    Even at this moment, the perseverance in Li Fan''s heart kept him holding on, not activating [Truth].

    His consciousness became a nearly nk te.

    Cultivation, longevity, dispelling miasma, spirit pool, Liuli Ind, Heavenly Treasure, [Truth]...

    All of these thoughts slowly dissipated with the fading of Li Fan''s consciousness.

    Instinct reced self, and so Li Fan, since he arrived on Liuli Ind, had rarely stopped, tirelessly cultivating the "Mysterious Yellow Heart Purification Mantra." It naturally started running.

    Instinct reced consciousness, and the Cleansing Heart Mantra, which Li Fan had practiced almost non-stop day and night since he came to Liuli Ind, naturally ran.

    As the Cleansing Heart Mantra ran, Li Fan''s consciousness seemed to have a supporting pir, reconverging and strengthening.

    Although he remained in a state of unconsciousness, he gradually became like a reef by the sea, allowing the wind and waves to batter him without falling.

    ...

    In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

    Among the thirteen individuals who entered the Pure Body Spirit Pool, eleven had alreadye out.

    Out of the eleven, only four had sessfully rid themselves of the miasma within their bodies, while the remaining seven couldn''t endure the intense pain and failed in the purification process.

    Apart from the unfortunate individual who had perished, the one person who had yet to emerge was naturally Li Fan.

    He Zhenghao sensed the faint and elusive aura within the Pure Body Spirit Pool formation, bing increasingly astonished.

    As the one in charge of the Pure Body Spirit Pool formation, he knew well that purging the Immortal-Mortal Miasma from a mortal''s body was an excruciating ordeal.

    The Immortal-Mortal Miasma was deeply embedded in a mortal''s bloodline, present since their formation in the womb.

    As mortals grew, the connection between the miasma and flesh became even more inseparable.

    The Pure Body Spirit Pool formation was created by one of the leaders of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the Eastern Extreme Celestial Lord.

    It forcefully expelled the miasma from the flesh bypletely destroying the body, then reshaped the body through regenerative power.

    This cycle continued until all miasma within the body waspletely purged.

    As one grew older, the miasma intertwined with the flesh made it increasingly difficult to separate them.

    More destruction and reshaping were required topletely eliminate the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.

    The pain experienced during this process was beyond imagination!

    He Zhenghao had presided over the formation on Liuli Ind for over fifty years. He had seen all of the individuals who managed toplete the purification. The oldest of them was only thirty-one.

    For someone of Li Fan''s age, He Zhenghao believed there was no hope of sess.

    However, Li Fan''s performance waspletely unexpected.

    "This person''s determination is simply terrifying. If he can seed in purifying his body, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage won''t be difficult, and perhaps even the Golden Core stage..." He Zhenghao''s gaze flickered. "Maybe I should establish a good rtionship with him early on."

    At this point, He Zhenghao sent the others out of the formation, leaving only Li Fan to wait inside.

    Three more days passed, and He Zhenghao, seeing Li Fan still hadn''te out, was speechless with astonishment.

    If he couldn''t sense Li Fan''s stable vital signs within the formation, he would have rushed in.

    Currently, there was no way to interrupt the purification formation, so he had to continue waiting.

    ...

    Another three days passed.

    He Zhenghao''s expression became somewhat unsightly. He didn''t know what kind of monster he had encountered, to endure this long in the Pure Body Spirit Pool formation.

    Worse still, the materials sustaining the formation were running low.

    If the materials were insufficient, the formation would be forcibly terminated, which could lead to unforeseen consequences, possibly undoing all the progress made.

    Normally, even if the formation was interrupted at this stage, it would only be Li Fan''s misfortune, and it wouldn''t be rted to He Zhenghao.

    But thinking of Li Fan''s horrifyingly steadfast determination, He Zhenghao''s expression fluctuated.

    "Never mind, let it be. Consider this a gamble on this man''s extraordinary future!"

    After saying this, He Zhenghao used his hand to perform a technique. Items flew out of his storage ring and disappeared into the depths of the sea of clouds.

    "Thank goodness I''ve been quietly reserving some of these materials each time..." He Zhenghao looked at his now almost half-empty storage ring with a hint of regret.

    ...

    Two more days passed, and the roiling sea of clouds gradually calmed.

    The white clouds frolicked and escorted Li Fan back to the mountaintop.

    He scanned the situation and confirmed that the miasma waspletely gone from Li Fan''s body. He Zhenghao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Congrattions, young friend! From now on, the fetters are gone, and longevity is within reach!" He Zhenghao warmly eximed.

    Feeling his body in a state he had never experienced before, Li Fan was still adjusting to his new physique.

    At this moment, witnessing He Zhenghao''s sudden change in attitude, Li Fan felt puzzled.

    Although he had removed the Immortal-Mortal Miasma from his body, he was still just an ordinary person who hadn''t formally cultivated. He was ultimately just an ordinary mortal.

    Why was He Zhenghao being so kind to him?

    Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao with a puzzled expression.

    He Zhenghao understood and told Li Fan about how he had spent eleven days in the Pure Body Spirit Pool, which was much longer than he knew.

    "What? I stayed inside for so long?" Li Fan was truly surprised.

    "Yes, young friend, you didn''t know, but the materials for this formation were about to run out. I even spent my own resources to add more for you..." He Zhenghao boasted to take credit for himself.

    At this moment, Li Fan was deeply shaken.

    Not because of He Zhenghao''s "selfless dedication," but because he found an additional cultivation technique on the panel of [Truth].

    It wasn''t the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" he had been practicing all along.

    It was the "Venerable Refining Heart Mantra."

 Chapter 41: Sitting on the Mountain and Reaping the Harvest

    After purging the miasma from his body, there was a significant change in Li Fan''s attributes.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Mortal

    Physical Age: 42/120¡ü

    Mental Age: 505/2053¡ü

    Virtualization Charging Progress: 121%

    Anchor Charging Progress: 51%

    Current Anchor Points: 1

    Bound Items: Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra, Tai Yan Boat, Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged)

    The upper limit of his physical age had surpassed one hundred and was still on the rise.

    What surprised Li Fan even more was that the upper limit of his mental age had nearly doubled, reaching over two thousand years!

    This effect couldn''t be solely attributed to the Pure Body Spirit Pool. Could it be because of this inexplicable Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra?

    Li Fan was puzzled as to why the Cleansing Heart Mantra had transformed into the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.

    During his time in the Pure Body Spirit Pool, he had almost lost consciousness due to the unbearable pain, making it unclear what had transpired afterwards.

    However, it wasn''t the time to examine this in detail. Li Fan stabilized his mind and respectfully said to He Zhenghao, "I shall never forget the Immortal Master''s kindness. I will surely repay it in the future."

    He Zhenghao was waiting for these words from Li Fan, and his tone became even more amiable. "Young friend, there''s no need for such words. Cultivation in the immortal path is arduous, and I''m only doing my best to help."

    He took out a book and handed it to Li Fan. "After purging the miasma, the next step is to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and guide it into your body. If you can condense the first trace of spiritual energy within your body, it signifies the entry into the Qi Condensation stage. At that point, you can officially be called a cultivator. This book, Five Spiritual Sensing Techniques, summarizes the experiences of past practitioners in sensing spiritual energy. Study it carefully."

    He then handed a square-shaped talisman to Li Fan with great solemnity. "This is a Purification Talisman. Before guiding the spiritual energy into your body, you should carry it with you."

    Seeing Li Fan put away these two items, He Zhenghao exined, "Although you''ve purged the miasma from your body, it''s not a one-time fix. You''re still living in the secr world and need to interact with ordinary people every day. Over time, it''s inevitable that you''ll be contaminated by the miasma again. This Purification Talisman can help you resist miasma intrusion, but it can only be effective for about five years."

    "But with your talent, breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage within five years shouldn''t be difficult," He Zhenghao said with a smile.

    "After breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage, you cane to the ind to find me. By then, I''ll take you to the residence of our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in the Cong Yun Sea, the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. After arriving on the ind, you can choose the appropriate technique and continue your cultivation."

    He Zhenghao informed Li Fan of the precautions during the process of guiding energy into the body in detail.

    Li Fan memorized everything carefully.

    After exining everything, Li Fan politely bid farewell and left.

    "Hopefully, I gain something from this investment."

    Watching Li Fan''s departing figure, He Zhenghao muttered to himself.

    Afterwards, He Zhenghao inspected the mountain beneath his feet and shook his head. "The potential of this mountain has been exhausted. It''s time to choose a new mountain."

    Saying this, he flew to the sea of clouds above, and with a wave of his long sleeves, he collected all the rolling clouds into them.

    Looking at the continuous mountain range below, He Zhenghao selected the peak that would have the highest growth in the next century.

    The technique He Zhenghao cultivated was called Sitting on the Mountain.

    The most significant feature of Sitting on the Mountain was enjoying harvest from the growth of a mountain.

    By choosing a peak, sitting on it, operating the technique, and spending several years, one could merge their aura with the mountain. Afterward, for every increase in the height of the mountain, one''s cultivation would be reciprocally enhanced ordingly.

    On the contrary, if one were to choose poorly and the height of the mountain did not increase afterward, it would be tantamount to wasting more than a decade of cultivation.

    Apart from benefiting from the increase in the mountain''s height, one could also gain advantages from helping others.

    For example, just like the help given to Li Fan. If Li Fan were to break through to the Foundation Building stage in the future, then he would also receive feedback, enhancing his own cultivation.

    It wasn''t absorbing and stealing the cultivation of the other party but more akin to a rising tide lifting all boats.

    The increase in the mountain''s height would cause the trees on the mountain to reach higher; the growth of a giant would also inadvertently elevate the people on their shoulders.

    Of course,pared to mountains and rivers, the conditions for helping others were not so stringent. One didn''t need to bind to a specific individual and could cast a wider. However, correspondingly, the amount of effort initially invested determined the magnitude of future gains.

    So, whenever He Zhenghao encountered promising juniors, he would never hesitate to help them.

    ...

    After leaving the central array on Liuli Ind, Li Fan did not disturb others and quietly returned to his home.

    After purging the miasma, Li Fan did indeed feel a significant difference from before.

    It was as if he had be ten years younger, with greatly improved vision and hearing.

    Moreover, he could vaguely sense the ubiquitous pure energy flowing in the heavens and earth.

    Is this spiritual energy?

    Li Fan rejoiced in his heart.

    After guiding the energy into his body, the next step was to be a Qi Condensation cultivator.

    Li Fan couldn''t wait to start cultivating day and night.

    But before that, he needed to examine the inexplicable Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.

    After searching his mind, there was no new way to operate it.

    So, Li Fan began to practice ording to the cultivation method of the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.

    As soon as he initiated it, Li Fan noticed the difference between the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra and the Cleansing Mantra.

    Previously, while practicing the Heart Cleansing Mantra, it often took nearly half an hour to gradually calm down and rid the mind of all other distractions.

    But once the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra was cultivated, in just a moment, Li Fan felt his heart bing clear.

    It was as if a huge millstone appeared in his mind, constantly absorbing and crushing distractions, turning them into nourishment to enhance his spiritual sense.

    Practicing the Heart Cleansing Mantra for three years, aside from the slight manifestations on his status panel, Li Fan had not noticed any other benefits.

    However, practicing the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, Li Fan could clearly feel that his spirit was strengthening every moment.

    Although the increase was very small, it was indeed growing!

    Li Fan was inexplicably delighted, followed by numerous doubts.

    Why did this "Cleansing Heart Mantra," a techniquemonly used to remove miasma, turn into this extraordinary "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" for himself in the cultivation world? Was this Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra considered a cultivation technique?

    With his current understanding of the cultivation world, Li Fan couldn''t find an answer.

    But Li Fan had a faint feeling that there must be a great secret hidden within.

    He secretly vowed to investigate it in the future when the opportunity arose.

    ...

    Just a step away from entering the realm of cultivators and having unexpectedly obtained the miraculous technique "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra," Li Fan couldn''t help feeling a bit ted.

    However, not long after, he received a letter.

    The message in the letter shattered his sense of self-satisfaction.

    Xiao Heng had sessfully guided the energy into his body and had already gone to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind!

 Chapter 42: Immortals and Mortals Can Not Coexist

    Term change: Five Spiritual Sensing Techniques > Five Spirit Qi Sensing method

    *****

    "I have no interest in cultivating to be an immortal."

    The expression Xiao Heng had when he said these words was still vivid in Li Fan''s memory.

    How much time had passed since then? How did Xiao Heng manage to sessfully expel the miasma from his body and directly break through to the Foundation Building stage?

    Li Fan was filled with shock and confusion.

    Li Fan read the letter sent by Xiao Heng repeatedly, then went out to inquire about the situation before reluctantly epting this reality.

    It turned out that although Li Fan had reassured him that the rumors of smuggling to the ind were aimed at the Heavenly Treasure Tower, Xiao Heng remained uneasy and sleepless after returning home.

    Every time he closed his eyes, he seemed to see the terrifying scene of immortals descending from the sky and ughtering every one of the refugees on the ind.

    Xiao Heng was like this for several days.

    In deep pain, Xiao Heng finally made up his mind.

    To be able to sleep soundly and to be a cultivator, not having to live in fear every day, he seriously began to practice the Cleansing Heart Mantra.

    Unexpectedly, when Xiao Heng focused, his progress was indeed astonishing.

    With the help of medicines, it took less than a month for him topletely expel the miasma from his body.

    Afterwards, he felt the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth intimately wandering around him as if it were alive.

    He was deeply captivated by this sight and immersed himself in it.

    Feeling as if he had a good night''s sleep, he seeded in guiding the energy into his body.

    At first, he was a bit uncertain whether he had truly be the legendary cultivator.

    But when he tried to get intimate with a maid at home, he suddenly felt a palpitation and instinctively pped her to death. After this incident, Xiao Heng finally confirmed that he had indeed be a cultivator.

    Immortals and mortals must be separated.

    Although he had already be a Qi Condensation cultivator, Xiao Heng was at a loss about what to do next.

    So, he went to meet the guardian immortal of Liuli Ind.

    Unfortunately, at that time, He Zhenghao was busy presiding over the Pure Body Spirit Pool and couldn''t break away.

    Xiao Heng could only go back home and wait patiently.

    After Li Fan left the spirit pool and He Zhenghao finally had some free time, Xiao Heng finally met him.

    Upon hearing Xiao Heng''s experience, He Zhenghao carefully investigated and confirmed that Xiao Heng was not lying.

    He was first overjoyed, then repeatedly pped his thigh, appearing regretful.

    After a while, he cheered up and was eager to take Xiao Heng to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Xiao Heng asked if he could bid farewell to his friends, and He Zhenghao naturally agreed.

    Afterwards, Xiao Heng said his farewells to the people leaving the realm, and then left.

    As for Li Fan, Xiao Heng originally intended toe.

    But he also knew that Li Fan wasmitted to cultivation and had seeded in purifying his body after more than three years.

    Moreover, he had stated in front of Li Fan not long ago that he had no interest in cultivating. Yet now, in the blink of an eye, he had be a Foundation Building cultivator!

    Xiao Heng didn''t know how to face Li Fan. Additionally, he was afraid of startling Li Fan, so he just sent a letter.

    Xiao Heng was very grateful for Li Fan''s help, so he said he would wait for him on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and would definitely repay Li Fan when they met.

    "What I have today is all thanks to the protection of you."

    "Upon hearing that you had sessfully expelled the miasma, I believed that your breakthrough to Foundation Building is imminent."

    "Junior will go ahead and await your esteemed arrival on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind."

    "If, on the day we meet, you have any requests, even if I must die a thousand times, I will not decline."

    "Heng respectfully bows again."

    ...

    Li Fan put down Xiao Heng''s letter and let out a sigh.

    Was this the legendary genius?

    Being able to break through to the Foundation Building stage by ident, without any help, just relying on one''s own efforts.

    He could even feel the intimacy of the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth...

    Although Li Fan had long known that people in the cultivation world had varying aptitudes, and he knew that his own talent wasn''t high, this feeling of having such a genius around him...

    It really made him feel uneasy.

    It seems that Xiao Heng''s worries were not unfounded. If he had suddenly appeared in front of me just after sessfully expelling the miasma, I might have lost myposure.

    Li Fan smiled bitterly.

    However, it was only a slight loss ofposure.

    Li Fan knew clearly that his reliance was never on his own talent, but on the countless chances of starting over that [Truth] gave him.

    With [Truth] in hand, no matter how talented the individual, he had confidence in crushing them.

    It''s just that this process might be a bit long and require careful nning from lifetime to lifetime.

    The Cleansing Heart Mantra was activated, and Li Fan''s chaotic mind gradually calmed.

    He opened "Five Spirit Qi Sensing" gifted by He Zhenghao and carefully studied it.

    The book recorded that in ancient times, there was a concept of spiritual roots.

    Back then, only ordinary people with spiritual roots could cultivate.

    There were ordinary spiritual roots of the five elements - gold, wood, water, fire, and earth - as well as unique attributes like thunder, wind, darkness, and others.

    For individuals with a single spiritual root, the early stages of cultivation were fast. By focusing on the corresponding elemental techniques, they could easily achieve mastery.

    For those with multiple spiritual roots, progress was slower. They needed to bnce various attributes, often exhausting their energy without much sess. However, if they were blessed with exceptional talent, having multiple spiritual roots allowed them to excel in various areas, often surpassing those with a single spiritual root in the same realm.

    However, these were all old challenges from ancient times.

    In the ancient cultivation world, they emphasized the unity of heaven and man.

    Spiritual roots were gifts from the heavens, and only the fortunate ones blessed by the heavens could feel thews of the world and had the qualifications to cultivate and ascend to immortality.

    However, the poption of the mortal world was vast, and those with spiritual roots were still a minority.

    For the majority, bing a cultivator was an elusive dream.

    How unfair was this?

    Fortunately, in ancient times, there was an Immortal Master who taught a new Dao!

    "Five Spirit Qi Sensing" recorded that in those times, the Immortal Master generously taught the path of immortality to countless hopeless ordinary people.

    The Immortal Master once said: "If I desire to ascend to immortality, why should I beseech the heavens? If the heavens do not grant it, I will take it for myself!"

    A mortal seeking longevity didn''t need to achieve harmony with heavens and earth, but instead plunder them!

    So, the Immortal Master set out the clear principles and exined his path to everyone.

    It was also the path followed in the current cultivation world.

    The path to immortality was as follows:

    Absorb the spiritual energy of the heavens and the earth to condense Qi;

    Consume a Heavenly Treasure to establish the foundation;

    Capture aw of the heavens and the earth to refine the Golden Core;

    Seize a subworld of the heavens and the earth to form the Nascent Soul;

    Extract the marrow of the heavens and the earth to transform the soul;

    ughter the soul of the heavens and earth to integrate the Dao;

    Sacrifice the heavens and earth to achieve immortality!

    ...

    With a thud, the "Five Spirit Qi Sensing" fell to the ground.

    Trembling, Li Fan picked it up, unable to hide his awe.

    The cultivation method in this world waspletely different from what he had anticipated.

    In fact...

    It was somewhat astonishing.

    No wonder, since he encountered cultivators in this world, he had always felt something strange.

    It seemed like the heavenlyws of this world held great malevolence towards cultivators.

    Whether it was the rule that different cultivation techniques couldn''t be cultivated simultaneously, the strange phenomenon of a cultivator''s body illuminating the sky for thousands of miles like a broadcast after death, or the peculiar Immortal-Mortal Miasma within a mortal''s body that posed significant harm to cultivators.

    All these hinted at this fact.

    Now, at this moment, after Li Fan hade into contact with the cultivation world, the mystery was finally unraveled.

    "Defy the heavens and the earth to achieve eternal life!" Li Fan murmured slowly, exhaling a long breath.

    *****

    TL Note: The MTL I read initially was pretty bad at tranting realm names and the MTL sources I''m editing now are conflicting with each other, so I''m still not entirely sure of my trantions of the higher cultivation realms. Tentatively, they''ll be Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Dao Integration, and Immortal God (particrly unsure on this one), but this is subject to change.

 Chapter 43: Condensing the Roots of Heaven and Earth

    TL Note: For some reason my MTL made a serious mistrantion earlier. Xiao Heng is in Qi Condensation, and not Foundation Establishment. The  has been edited to correct this.

    *****

    The description of the Dao of immortality in Five Spirit Qi Sensing made Li Fan increasingly horrified as he read on.

    Before the Golden Core stage, it was rtively normal: absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, consuming a natural Heavenly Treasure, and capturing aw of heaven and earth.

    However, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, the style gradually became more insane.

    Seizing a subworld of heaven and earth, extracting the marrow of heaven and earth, ughtering the soul of heaven and earth...

    And even, ultimately, sacrificing the heavens and earth.

    Just reading these words would make one''s heart pound with fear.

    The heavens gave birth to all living beings.

    Practitioners cultivating in this way are essentially opposing and rebelling against the heavens, defying the natural order.

    What does this represent? Don''t these practitioners know?

    However, this method of cultivation advances too quickly.

    The book records that since the Immortal Ancestor taught the new Dao, arge number of ordinary people who were originally unable to cultivate became formidable in just a few decades.

    Cultivators at various stages, such as the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation, emerged one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

    During that time, the cultivation world was truly flourishing, with Golden Cores everywhere and Nascent Souls asmon as dogs.

    And those who originally adhered to the ancient methods of cultivation, watching their own cultivation being easily surpassed by ordinary people, how many could remain true to themselves and not attempt the Immortal Ancestor''s method?

    As a result, the traditional way of cultivation gradually declined, and the new method gradually reced it.

    After the poprization of the new method, the prosperity of the cultivation world reached its peak.

    Unfortunately, heaven''s principles are clear, and prosperity will eventually decline.

    Countless cultivators, like wolves and tigers, greedily plundered the resources of heaven and earth without restraint.

    Even the increasingly frequent Heavenly Tribtions could not suppress the ever-growing number of cultivators.

    So, one day, the counterattack of the heavens arrived.

    The heavens and the earth underwent tremendous changes, and a great cmity descended.

    Since then, different methods of cultivation cannot be practiced together! The flourishing and developing cultivation world seemed to have suffered a heavy blow.

    In order to have a chance of survival, cultivators plunged into endless mutual ughter.

    For a long time, the cultivation world seemed to be declining and decaying.

    It took thousands of years for things to gradually stabilize.

    Nowadays, cultivators have be ustomed to the malice of the heavens and the earth.

    They have summarized their experiences and lessons. After the great cmity, on the barren wastnd of the cultivation realm, they established a new order of cultivation.

    ...

    With the introduction of the current origins of the cultivation worldpleted, the content in the book now is about the Five Spirit Qi Sensing method.

    If an ordinary person, after dispelling the miasma, cannot easily guide the Qi into their body, they can nurture their own "Five Spirits," forcefully absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and then refine it, breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage.

    The so-called "Five Spirits" refers to the five innate emotions inherent to every person.

    Greed, fear, rage, hatred, and ego.

    These five emotions are hidden within the human heart and are inexhaustible, and ever-present.

    The Five Spirit Qi Sensing method utilizes these five emotions as fuel, cultivating the Roots of Heaven and Earth in the dantian.

    The Roots of Heaven and Earth connect a cultivator''s dantian to heaven and earth. Once formed, cultivators can forcefully absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through it, converting it for their own use.

    Compared to the ancient method of cultivating based on aptitude, the "Five Spirit Qi Sensing" method emphasizes stability.

    For those with excellent aptitude, they can cultivate the Roots of Heaven and Earth in just one day and night, stepping onto the path of cultivation.

    Even those with no aptitude for cultivation can, through daily perseverance and hard work, form their own Roots of Heaven and Earth within a maximum of ten years.

    Having mastered the method of guiding Qi into his body, Li Fan secluded himself in his home and practiced the Five Spirit Qi Sensing method.

    Despite mentally preparing himself, Li Fan knew that his path of cultivation might not be as smooth as he hoped.

    Yet, day after day went by, and three years had passed, but Li Fan still hadn''t sessfully refined Qi.

    Li Fan was well aware of his innate talent for cultivation. He wasn''t a genius, but he certainly wasn''tcking either.

    The current situation clearly had another reason behind it.

    "The Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra... truly unpredictable," Li Fan couldn''t help but feel a sense of helplessness.

    The Five Spirit Qi Sensing method required five emotions as fuel to drive the formation of the Roots of Heaven and Earth.

    However, Li Fan, while practicing the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, had very little umtion of these five emotions.

    Even if he didn''t consciously activate the refinement mantra, it instinctively dissipated the negative emotions in his mind.

    It was akin to walking with a heavy burden, which led to Li Fan''s slow progress.

    Li Fan had also tried to guide the Qi into his body without using the Roots of Heaven and Earth.

    However, he obviously didn''t possess talent like Xiao Heng.

    The spiritual energy outside his bodypletely ignored him.

    Without anyone to guide him, relying solely on his own exploration, Li Fan had no idea how long it would take him to guide the Qi into his body.

    So, Li Fan decided to patiently use the "Five Spirit Qi Sensing" method to break through to the Qi Condensation stage.

    It might be slow, but it was stable.

    Time was the one thing Li Fan had in abundance.

    In the beginning, He Zhenghao asionally sent people to inquire about Li Fan''s progress.

    However, when Li Fan made little progress for a long time, he stopped sending anyone.

    In the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, because of Li Fan and Xiao Heng, despite the absence of Wanhua Chamber of Commerce''s backing, the business around the surrounding inds improved.

    No one wanted to offend a business that possibly had the background of an Immortal Master, so they tried to avoid conflicts with the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion as much as possible.

    Thus, over the three years, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion expanded its market extensively and flourished.

    Yin Yuzhen''s confidence soared, and she eagerly nned to return to Night Ind to regain control of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion headquarters.

    ...

    Li Fan only asionally paid attention to external matters.

    Most of his energy was focused on cultivating the Roots of Heaven and Earth.

    Unfortunately, this matter couldn''t be rushed.

    Li Fan estimated that barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would take him about two more years to seed.

    He had been cooped up at home for a very long time. One day, Li Fan, feeling restless, decided to go out.

    Without rming anyone, he changed into different clothes, put on a hat, and came to the marketce of Liuli Ind.

    Compared to three years ago, it seemed like nothing had changed here.

    The sounds of bargaining, calls to attract customers, and yful banter filled the air.

    Here, Li Fan felt the long-lost "humanity."

    Various thoughts in his mind, like dry saplings, were nourished and sprouted abundantly.

    For just this moment, the progress of the Roots of Heaven and Earth was greater than spending three days in solitary meditation at home.

    Li Fan suddenly realized.

    For ordinary cultivators, seclusion and meditation were necessary because most people werecking in the fuel needed for the Five Spirits.

    Li Fan''s situation was special; the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra constantly operated in his mind, and these stray thoughts turned into strong nourishment for his spirit.

    However, the Five Spirit Qi Sensing method was obviously not as advanced as the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra and couldn''t plunder much. It could only pick up the leftovers.

    Li Fan couldn''t change this situation at the moment. If he wanted to elerate the formation of the Roots of Heaven and Earth, he needed to increase the daily stray thoughts that were born in his mind.

    Daily seclusion wouldn''t work. He needed to be in the world.

    Having realized this, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel a sense of joy.

    It seemed that he might not need two years; he might step into the Qi Condensation stage earlier.

    ...

    "Senior Li?" At this moment, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind.

    Li Fan turned his head, looked at the person''s face, paused for a moment, and then remembered who it was.

    It was unexpectedly Zhang Haobo, the captain of the Cangyuan ship, with whom he had a chance encounter before, on Liuli Ind.

 Chapter 44: Advancing to the Qi Condensation Stage

    Zhang Haobo looked at Li Fan with a mix of reverence and joy.

    He had heard that Elder Li had already purged himself of the miasma and would soon be an immortal, revered in the eyes of many.

    At this moment, he was both respectful and fearful.

    "So it''s you." Li Fan had a rtively good impression of this person and smiled, "It''s been several years since west met. How have you beentely?"

    Zhang Haobo did not dare to be disrespectful and honestly replied, "Thanks to Elder Li''s blessings, the fleet has been doing quite well in recent years. Especially when Elder Li goes to sea, you always bring back a lot of treasures, which has attracted many young people to join the fleet."

    "Our treatment and status on the ind have also risen. Many people envy us."

    Speaking halfway, Zhang Haobo paused, hesitated, and then continued.

    "But... the brothers on the Cangyuan have recently been discussing leaving Liuli Ind. I also have this idea."

    "Oh?" Li Fan was a little surprised. "Where do you want to go?"

    "To be honest with Elder Li, we haven''t decided yet," Zhang Haobo said somewhat anxiously.

    Li Fan became interested, "Since things are going well, why suddenly have the thought of leaving?"

    Zhang Haobo scratched his head, "Speaking of it, it''s just... a vague sense of unease."

    "Unease? Tell me more about it." Li Fan ordered.

    Zhang Haobo was silent for a moment as if organizing his thoughts.

    After a while, he looked around, then whispered, "To be honest, we brothers have encountered strange things on the sea recently."

    "Like what?"

    "In recent voyages, almost every time we cast ours, we would catch thousands of pounds of fish, full to the brim. Nine out of ten times are like this, and there are all kinds of fish."

    "Isn''t this a good thing?"

    "Indeed it''s a good thing, but I''ve been fishing in the sea for more than ten years, and I''ve never seen anything like this before," Zhang Haobo''s eyes flickered with a hint of doubt and fear.

    "It''s like all the fish in the entire seabed are fleeing, gathering together."

    "Is there more?" Li Fan pondered for a moment and asked.

    "We brothers have lived around Liuli Ind since we were young and are very familiar with the reefs around the ind. But recently, we found that there are more exposed rocks around the ind," Zhang Haobo said solemnly.

    "You mean... the sea level is dropping?" Li Fan instantly understood.

    "In previous years, there have been changes in sea levels, but this year''s changes seem a bit unusual. We are a little worried," Zhang Haobo said.

    "We reported this to the Liuli Mansion a month ago, but they didn''t seem to pay much attention, saying it''s just routine changes in sea levels," Zhang Haobo added.

    "Another thing that worries us even more. In the past three years, there hasn''t been a single storm. Not only around Liuli Ind, but the entire Cong Yun Sea has been like this."

    "We''vemunicated with the fleets of various inds, and it''s absolutely true. There have been no storms in the Cong Yun Sea for these three years," Zhang Haobo said, afraid that Li Fan wouldn''t believe him, and hurriedly continued.

    "I don''t know what this means, but we remain silent."

    "This is too abnormal, something big is definitely about to happen," Zhang Haobo said confidently.

    "Perhaps it''s just that the weather will be a bit hotter in the future," Li Fan thought for a moment andforted, "The ind has the protection of the ind protection formation and the presence of Immortal Master He. Even if there is any trouble, I believe they can handle it."

    "Senior Li''s words make sense. Many of the brothers on the ship think the same way. But I still have a lingering sense of unease, and I can''t let go," Zhang Haobo said with a bitter smile.

    "So I''ve decided to leave, to depart from the Cong Yun Sea." Zhang Haobo''s gaze gradually became firm.

    Li Fan, seeing this, could only say, "Leaving one''s hometown is no easy task; you should think carefully."

    Zhang Haobo nodded.

    Li Fan fell silent, and after bidding farewell to Zhang Haobo, he strolled in the market for half a day before returning home.

    After careful consideration, Zhang Haobo''s concerns were not baseless.

    Various signs indeed indicated that something unusual might happen in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Perhaps a massive storm was silently gathering its strength.

    Or maybe a severe drought was subtly taking shape.

    However, none of this was a big deal.

    After all, Zhang Haobo was just an ordinary person. When a major disaster struck, with no means to protect themselves, they could only leave it to fate.

    It was normal to worry and feel fear.

    Li Fan had already stepped into the threshold of cultivation. As long as he could break through to the Qi Condensation stage, he could go to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    There, cultivators gathered, and there was no need to worry about these disasters.

    In the worst-case scenario, if a disaster urred that even cultivators couldn''t handle, worrying would be useless.

    So, what Li Fan needed to do now was to focus on cultivating the Five Spirit Qi Sensing technique.

    Furthermore, with regards to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, he could notify Yin Yuzhen and ask her to prepare in advance.

    ...

    This short episode soon passed, and Li Fan continued to immerse himself in cultivation.

    Time passed.

    Another year went by.

    Half a year ago, Zhang Haobo ultimately chose to leave the Cong Yun Sea with some of the brothers from the Cangyuan. This matter caused a stir on the ind, and people began to worry.

    However, it had been calm for the past half year, with no signs of any major disaster. So, people began to treat this matter as a joke.

    Yin Yuzhen had finally umted enough power and returned to Night Ind in high spirits. After some twists and turns, she managed to regain the position of the chief executive officer of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    With Night Ind stabilized, there were many misceneous matters to deal with. To prevent any mischief, Yin Yuzhen could not return for a while. She would send someone to report good news to Li Fan.

    He Zhenghao didn''t send anyone to visit again. In his view, it took Li Fan nearly four years to draw Qi into his body, and his potential had clearly been exhausted. It wasn''t worth his effort to pay much attention.

    Xiao Heng would asionally send letters to inquire about Li Fan''s situation. It was said that Xiao Heng progressed rapidly and had now reached the middle Qi Condensation stage.

    ...

    Amidst the bustling world, Li Fan watched as a bystander.

    He patiently continued to cultivate.

    One day, Li Fan had a realization.

    Having umted enough Five Elements fuel, the Roots of Heaven and Earth were finally going to take shape!

    A phantom appeared in Li Fan''s dantian. In an instant, Li Fan felt a subtle yet incredibly close connection between himself and the heavens and earth.

    It was like a waterwheel drawing water from the river, irrigating the parched farnd.

    Tiny streams of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy flowed into Li Fan''s dantian through the Roots of Heaven and Earth, quickly spreading throughout his body.

    In the seventh year after he entered the cultivation world, Li Fan finally entered the Qi Condensation stage.

    *****

    TL Note:

    By request, I''ve opened a Patreon here; for $5, you can read 15 chapters ahead.

    As I''ve opened a Patreon, I''ll also be holding myself to a schedule of 7 chapters a week. I have already been trying to follow this, and it''s actually been rather easy since I''ve quite enjoyed this reread, which has been why I''ve been posting chapters at a pretty quick rate - however, I''ll strictly ensure I don''t fall below this rate from now on (and I''ll still probably post faster anyways). I think it''ll actually get easier, since I''m looking forward to the chapters ahead - these first few arcs have all just been somewhat slow setup, and the novel really gets going when Li Fan begins to use the information he''s learned and starts to be the scheming mastermind manipting everything behind the scenes we''re all waiting for him to be. Hope you guys will follow me until then, and thanks very much for all the support so far!

 Chapter 45: Qi Condensation Stage

    Upon entering the Qi Condensation stage, Li Fan felt the earth-shaking changes in his body.

    The spiritual energy surged and circted within him, silently improving Li Fan''s slightly aging body.

    The subtle wrinkles on his face disappeared, and his skin became smooth once again.

    Long-lost vitality emerged within Li Fan as if he had returned to his youth, brimming with boundless energy.

    He was rejuvenated, and his physique was greatly strengthened.

    Most importantly, Li Fan could now manipte the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.

    He controlled the spiritual energy, transforming it into various shapes.

    However, for now, he could only manipte the spiritual energy based on instinct. To use the spiritual energy more efficiently, he would need corresponding techniques.

    After some experimentation, Li Fan dispersed the spiritual energy in his hand and focused on the interface of [Truth].

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Qi Condensation Initial Stage

    Physical Age: 47/199

    Mental Age: 510/2169¡ü

    After breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage, Li Fan''s maximum lifespan reached the limit of 199 years.

    The Five Spirit Qi Sensing method mentioned that although the lifespan of cultivators far exceeded that of ordinary people, it was significantly suppressedpared to ancient times.

    The maximum lifespan of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator was no more than 200 years.

    Even Foundation Establishment stage cultivators could only live for another 100 years at most before nearing the end of their lives.

    Only by achieving the Golden Core stage and glimpsing thews of heaven and earth could their lifespan dramatically increase, reaching around 500-600 years.

    In contrast to physical age, there was little increase in mental age.

    There was almost no significant change.

    After all, Li Fan had already greatly increased his mental age through cultivating the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra previously, so he was not particrly surprised.

    Next, Li Fan took out the Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra from the Tai Yan Boat.

    He had obtained this Nascent Soul stage technique from Kou Hong a long time ago but had been unable to examine it due to ack of spiritual awareness.

    However, he had been keeping it in mind all this time.

    Now that he had finally entered the Qi Condensation stage, Li Fan was eager to know its contents.

    "''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra'', a Nascent Soul stage technique. Current number of practitioners: 0."

    He picked up the jade slip, and the instructions for the technique naturally appeared in his mind.

    Li Fan knew that this was also a change that urred with the advent of the Heavenly Tribtion which banned multiple practitioners of the same cultivation technique.

    Sensing the jade slip with his spiritual awareness, countless words and images surged into Li Fan''s mind like a tide.

    The first time he read the jade slip, Li Fan felt a bit unustomed.

    He felt like a lot of information had been forcibly stuffed into his brain, causing a slight headache.

    Fortunately, his spiritual awareness was much stronger than that of an ordinary Qi Condensation stage cultivator, and he quickly adapted, returning to normal.

    He focused his mind and carefully examined this technique.

    After a long time, Li Fan finally had a rough understanding of it.

    The Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra is a technique practiced by the ancient Tianji Sect.

    In ancient times, they emphasized the unity of heaven and man.

    The Tianji Sect believed that all things in the heavens and earth, just like humans, had their own thoughts.

    These thoughts were difficult to perceive through ordinary means.

    However, just as a person''s killing intent would permeate the air when they had murderous thoughts, all things in the heavens and earth would also emit a trace of aura from time to time.

    When the heavens emitted killing intent, there would be events like the withering of all things or the shifting of stars.

    When the earth emitted killing intent, there would be events like vast changes in the sea or the rising of dragons and beasts.

    By capturing and refining the various auras of heaven and earth, one could trace back to their origins, resonate with them, and achieve a state of unity.

    The Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra was a technique that sensed and refined these auras to use for oneself.

    Once the technique was perfected, not only could it utilize the killing intent of the heavens and earth to harm others, but it could also deduce and predict the future by using these auras.

    This technique is very powerful, but practicing it is also very dangerous.

    The will of heaven and earth is immense, and even a slight aura stirred up by it is thousands of times more than that of a cultivator.

    Casual contact with it can easily be injured by the aura itself.

    It might even unknowingly assimte a person, turning them into a puppet of the will of heaven and earth.

    Therefore, when practicing this ancient technique, the Tianji Sect would not choose to refine the aura of heaven and earth directly. They would instead seek alternative methods.

    They would nurture their own killing intent, extract vitality from living beings, and refine the aura from certain spirits of heaven and earth...

    They would gather countless auras, conceal themselves, and thus achieve the goal of confusing the heavenly will and refining the will of heaven and earth.

    In theory, when this method is perfected, one can merge with heaven and earth and be one with the Dao.

    Unfortunately, this is only a theoretical possibility.

    In reality, even with these clever methods, practicing the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" is extremely difficult.

    The ancient Tianji Sect, with a heritage of thousands of years, had tens of thousands of cultivators who practiced the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    But the highest level attained was only the Nascent Soul realm.

    Even back in those days, this was the case. In the present cultivation world, where malicious intent from the heavens and earth was everywhere, higher realms were even less optimistic.

    However, Li Fan didn''t have to worry too much about the risks of practicing this technique, thanks to the assistance of [Truth].

    After a moment of contemtion, Li Fan decided not to rush into choosing his main cultivation technique.

    He could go to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind first to see the specific situation of the current cultivation world and then make a decision.

    So, Li Fan came to the central formation on Liuli Ind, intending to visit He Zhenghao.

    As soon as he arrived at the formation, he noticed that several servants had been waiting for him for a long time.

    Guided by the servants, Li Fan met He Zhenghao again.

    At this moment, he was not on the previous towering mountain but instead on a very ordinary small mountain.

    In the midst of the surrounding mountains, it was inconspicuous.

    He Zhenghao was currently sitting in a small pavilion at the top of the mountain.

    "I just noticed some unusual spiritual energy fluctuations on the ind and knew that you had made a breakthrough," He Zhenghao said, looking at Li Fan with a pleased expression. "Although it took a bit long, you finally broke through."

    "I have to thank Senior for guiding me," Li Fan said politely.

    "It was just a small favor." Feeling the slight increase in his cultivation within his body, He Zhenghao smiled and said, "You came to see me to go to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, right?"

    "Exactly. I have no worldly concerns, so I can set off at any time," Li Fan nodded.

    "Good, in that case, follow me."

    He Zhenghao appeared in front of Li Fan with a sh and grabbed his shoulder.

    "Don''t struggle."

    He Zhenghao''s voice came into Li Fan''s ears, and Li Fan released the protective aura that had spontaneously formed around him.

    Led by He Zhenghao, Li Fan rose into the air and flew towards the sky.

    The speed was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, he passed through the sea of clouds and arrived above the mountains.

    "Lead!"

    He Zhenghao formed a seal with one hand and pointed towards the continuous mountains below.

    After a moment, countless peaks in the field shot out white light, converging in front of He Zhenghao to form a huge ball of light.

    "Open!"

    He Zhenghao pointed upwards.

    The ball of light elerated sharply, following the direction pointed by He Zhenghao, shooting straight up.

    In an instant, a beam of light that pierced through heaven and earth was formed.

    It mmed into the sun above.

    The surface of the sun distorted for a moment, then split into two halves.

    In the middle, a portal was formed.

    "Let''s go!"

 Chapter 46: Tianxuan Mirror

    "Hum..."

    The roaring sound echoed constantly in his ears, and the scene in front of him was constantly spinning, making it hard to see clearly.

    After a while, Li Fan finally recovered from this unusual sensation.

    "The first time using a teleportation array is always like this. You''ll get used to it," He Zhenghao exined casually.

    Li Fan nodded in silence, observing the surroundings.

    The current location seemed to be arge square.

    At the forefront of the square stood a giant statue.

    It depicted an old man with a tall crown and a long beard.

    Below the statue, the square was filled withrge and small stone statues of all shapes and sizes.

    Without exception, all tens of thousands of stone statues in the square were looking up at the old man.

    And the teleportation array that Li Fan came out of was in front of one of these stone statues.

    "This is the Transmission Square. It was built tomemorate the preaching of the Immortal Ancestor. Each of our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s residences has such a square," He Zhenghao exined.

    Thinking of the scene described in Five Spirit Qi Sensing Technique, where the Immortal Ancestor preached and connected with all living beings, Li Fan stared at the statue of the old man for a long time, silently nodding.

    "Flight is not prohibited on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, but remember not to exceed the height of the Immortal Ancestor statue. Otherwise, you will be attacked by the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Even if you are in the Nascent Soul realm, you may die in an instant," He Zhenghao said solemnly, cautioning Li Fan.

    Li Fan''s heart trembled, and he remembered it instantly.

    "Although flying is not prohibited on the ind, I advise you not to fly randomly when there''s no need. All the cultivators in the entire Cong Yun Sea gather here, and among them are those in the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms. If you fly over their heads and provoke them, you might be remembered by them."

    "In that case, when you leave Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, they might kill you on a whim. There won''t be a chance for you to reason with them."

    He Zhenghao led Li Fan and, as they walked, quietly exined the precautions on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    As it concerned life and death, Li Fan remembered each one carefully.

    After a short walk, the two of them passed through a corridor naturally formed by intertwined vines and arrived at a secluded forest full of greenery.

    In the clearing of the forest, there was a huge and ancient mirror ced.

    asionally, cultivators hurried through the mirror, heading who knows where.

    There were also cultivatorsing out of the mirror, leaving directly.

    "This mirror is our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s Tianxuan Mirror [1]."

    "It is said that before the Immortal Ancestor preached, this Tianxuan Mirror was just an ordinary mirror. Later, after the Immortal Ancestor preached, this mirror reflected the Immortal Ancestor''sw and unexpectedly gave birth to its own consciousness. It then began to cultivate like a regr cultivator and gradually evolved into its current state."

    "Most things for us cultivators in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance are handled by this Tianxuan Mirror. It is said that this treasure bears grudges. Be careful not to speak carelessly." He Zhenghao cautioned Li Fan in a low voice.

    Then, He Zhenghao pulled Li Fan into the mirror.

    Inside was a separate space, with no other cultivators in sight.

    It was as if they were in the void, surrounded by nothingness and darkness.

    "This person is a newly joined cultivator. He hase to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to join our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance," He Zhenghao said, pointing at Li Fan.

    "Rmending a cultivator at the Qi Condensation Initial Stage. Categorized as a middle-grade merit, equivalent to 50 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 920." A voice sounded in the space.

    He Zhenghao remainedposed.

    Li Fan was lost in thought.

    He Zhenghao received the contribution points, his face showing happiness.

    "Now that the young friend is here, I can finally put my mind at ease. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the Tianxuan Mirror. Generally speaking, it will provide you with detailed answers. I still have ind guarding duties, so I won''t apany you further."

    After saying this, He Zhenghao hurriedly left.

    Leaving Li Fan alone in this Tianxuan Mirror.

    A sh of light flickered in the darkness around, then extinguished.

    "Sensory fluctuations recorded."

    "Independent space generated."

    "Cultivator, please state your name." A somewhat strange voice sounded.

    "Li Fan," Li Fan replied.

    "Cultivator Li Fan, wee to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. As a reward, you will be given 20 contribution points for free. You can use these contribution points to exchange for spirit stones, martial techniques, magical treasures, and more."

    "You can obtain contribution points by submitting materials,pleting tasks, and trading with others."

    "Simrly, if you encounter problems you can''t solve, you can spend contribution points to post a reward."

    "Your current total contribution points: 20."

    "As a newly joined member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, you can reside in the Tianxuan Mirror for free for thirty days. After thirty days, you will need to pay contribution points to continue your stay."

    "The amodation fee is: 10 contribution points for every thirty days."

    "Of course, you can also choose to spend contribution points to purchase your own cultivation abode on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind."

    ...

    The Tianxuan Mirror tirelessly exined to Li Fan about the daily life in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    "If I can''t find sess in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, can I choose to leave and join the Five Elders Association?" After listening for a long time, Li Fan suddenly asked.

    As if being choked, the Tianxuan Mirror abruptly stopped speaking.

    After a moment of silence, the Tianxuan Mirror continued, "Those who have joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cannot join the Five Elders Association, and vice versa."

    "If vited, they will be jointly pursued and killed by both parties."

    Now it was Li Fan''s turn to be silent.

    "I haven''t agreed to join your Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, have I?"

    "Once you enter the Tianxuan Mirror and your consciousness is recorded, you are considered to have voluntarily joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    "Can I leave the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, not join the Five Elders Association, and choose to be an independent cultivator?" Li Fan asked again.

    The Tianxuan Mirror fell silent again.

    After a while, it responded, "Yes. But if you choose to leave, everything you have obtained in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance will be forcibly reimed. Please decide carefully."

    "Can gold and silver be exchanged for contribution points?"

    "Yes, you can. Please refer to the exchange list for specific exchange rules."

    ...

    Li Fan asked the Tianxuan Mirror one question after another, tirelessly.

    After a long time, he finally stopped.

    "I don''t have any more questions for now."

    "Alright, cultivator. If you have new doubts, feel free to call me at any time. You can also check it yourself through your consciousness."

    The space became quiet again.

    And with Li Fan''s maniption of his consciousness, this space transformed from the dark void into an ancient room.

    The decorations and items inside were almost identical to those in the Imperial Advisor''s residence.

    Li Fan touched the decorations and items in the room with his hands, almost unable to perceive any difference.

    "Tianxuan Mirror, it really is an extraordinary treasure," Li Fan silently said in his heart.

    Through the previous questioning, he gained a rough understanding of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Opening the martial arts exchange menu with his consciousness, Li Fan saw that even the simplest martial arts for the Qi Condensation stage required a thousand contribution points.

    Then, he opened the task list and filtered out the tasks avable for the Qi Condensation Initial Stage. The rewards for these tasks were all five or ten points.

    "It really is difficult to cultivate immortality." An inexplicable emotion arose in Li Fan''s heart.

    "You have a new image transmission, please check it in a timely manner." Just at this moment, the voice of the Tianxuan Mirror sounded again.

    *****

    [1] Tianxuan Mirror trantes roughly to Heaven Abyss Mirror/Heaven Profound Mirror or something like that.

 Chapter 47: Tianxuan Mirror Enlightenment

    Li Fan was a bit surprised. He had just arrived on this Ten Thousand Immortals Ind not long ago, and someone was already sending him a video transmission? After opening it, a somewhat familiar figure appeared.

    It was Xiao Heng.

    At this moment, he looked almost like a different personpared to four or five years ago.

    Wearing a white robe, his long hair flowing, he exuded a sense of detachment.

    "Brother Li, you''re finally here," Xiao Heng said with a smile.

    "When I was on the Liuli Ind before, I was greatly indebted to your care. I''ve always been unable to repay it. I left abruptly when I broke through to the Qi Condensation stage that day, and I felt even more guilty."

    "Upon arriving on this Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, I learned that it''s difficult to find cultivation techniques in the current cultivation world. Especially for new members who have just joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, it often takes one or two years to umte enough contributions to exchange for Qi Condensation stage cultivation techniques."

    "That was the case for me back then. Fortunately, as your strength grows, the ways to gain contribution points will also increase, and the situation will gradually improve."

    "Since I started cultivating, I''ve had many adventures. A year ago, I just broke through to thete Qi Condensation stage, and now I''ve encountered a bottleneck again. I intend to go to the central region of the Cong Yun Sea, where the remnants of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce lie, to find Heavenly Treasures and achieve Foundation Establishment. These treasures are hard to find. If I go, it may be several years before I can return."

    "Before leaving, I left a water-attributed cultivation technique for you. Ten Thousand Immortals Ind is located in the Cong Yun Sea, where the water element is the strongest. Cultivating water-attributed techniques here is the easiest, and their power is quite impressive. Brother Li, remember to cultivate diligently, and it''s best not to rashly leave the ind before reaching the middle Qi Condensation stage."

    "When I return, we must have a good drink together!"

    ...

    Xiao Heng''s figure gradually disappeared, leaving behind a jade slip.

    "Minor Yan Water Technique, a Qi Condensation stage cultivation technique, current number of practitioners: 0."

    Li Fan checked and saw that the Minor Yan Water Technique given by Xiao Heng only had the part up to the middle Qi Condensation stage and was notplete.

    Even so, the Tianxuan Mirror still required 800 contribution points to exchange for it.

    "This kid..." Li Fan felt a warmth in his heart.

    When it came down to it, Li Fan hadn''t done much for Xiao Heng.

    Back then, he just buried Su Changyu and helped him find a slightly better ce to stay on Liuli Ind.

    He also provided the correct information about the Starry Sea Quicksand to Li Fan.

    But Xiao Heng had always kept this small favor in his heart, even though his realm of cultivation had far surpassed Li Fan''s now.

    Looking at it this way, Xiao Heng''s character was indeed quite good.

    Of course, perhaps part of it was because Xiao Heng thought they were both people from the Land of Immortal Extinction.

    Regardless, Li Fan made a mental note of this matter.

    He, Li Fan, wasn''t one to forget kindness.

    Along with the Minor Yan Water Technique, another small jade slip appeared.

    It was the Tai Shang Primordial Scripture, something that Li Fan had heard Kou Hong mention a long time ago.

    Practicing this technique allowed one to easily dissipate their cultivation and lose minimal progress, making it a must-learn for every cultivator in today''s cultivation world.

    With both the Minor Yan Water Technique and the ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra'' in his possession, supplemented by the ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture'', Li Fan quickly made a decision.

    Outwardly, he would cultivate the Minor Yan Water Technique to deceive others, while secretly practicing the ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra''.

    Of course, it would be best to find a reason to leave Ten Thousand Immortals Ind before practicing the ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra''. Although the Tianxuan Mirror might not pay attention to a small Qi Condensation stage cultivator like Li Fan, it was always wise to be careful.

    Li Fan had just entered the cultivation world and was ignorant of many things.

    He needed to catch up and learn a lot.

    Thankfully, all the information rted tomon knowledge was freely avable in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    So for several days, Li Fan stayed in the Tianxuan Mirror, eagerly reading the relevant information.

    ''As of the Cong Yun Sea'' described in detail the geography, special products, and history of the various inds in the Cong Yun Sea.

    ''Treaties for Cultivation'' exined some of the things that needed attention before officially practicing a technique after entering the Qi Condensation stage. This included the basic use of spiritual consciousness and maniption of spiritual energy.

    ''Techniques, Wealth, Partners, and Homes'' introduced the four essential elements for cultivation: cultivation techniques, wealth, spiritualpanions, and cultivation abodes. It particrly emphasizes the scarcity and importance of cultivation techniques in today''s cultivation world. It sternly warns young cultivators not to casually disclose their cultivation techniques to others, as it could lead to unimaginable cmities.

    ''Ancient Secrets of Cultivation'' narrates, in the first person, the story of an outer disciple of the Great Dao Sect, exining how they went through various trials to be an inner disciple, core disciple, elder, and ultimately the sect master.

    ''Tianxuan Mirror Shopping Guide'' lists several items worth prioritizing for exchange within the Tianxuan Mirror for cultivators. For example, storage rings, protective garments, and more.

    ...

    Li Fan spent seven or eight days reading all these free books.

    Next, he was eager to read books like ''Theory of Formations'', ''Introduction to Alchemy'', ''Basics of Artifact Refining'', ''Treasure Guide of the Cultivation World'', but they required arge number of contribution points for exchange.

    Li Fan was new and a bit tight on funds, so he had to wait for a while before he could get them.

    Taking advantage of the remaining free stay time in the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan began to practice the Minor Yan Water Technique.

    He already knew the benefits of cultivating in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    By spending contribution points, he could activate the auxiliary cultivation mode in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    In this mode, the density of spiritual energy in the Tianxuan Mirror would increase several timespared to the outside world, almostparable to top-tier sanctuaries. Moreover, it could be converted into an endless amount of the corresponding attribute of spiritual energy needed by the cultivator, allowing the cultivator to practice without worrying about insufficient spiritual energy.

    Furthermore, the Tianxuan Mirror would grant the cultivators who practiced inside the mirror an enlightenment state. In this state, theirprehension ability would greatly increase, making it easier for them to practice cultivation techniques.

    Spending 10 contribution points, Li Fan exchanged for a day of auxiliary cultivation.

    With arge influx of spiritual energy, Li Fan started practicing ording to the Minor Yan Water Technique.

    Soon, he felt the enhancement of his cultivation speed brought about by the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The spiritual energy seemed to bepressed and elerated, spontaneously converging into Li Fan''s body.

    The cryptic and profound sentences in the Minor Yan Water Technique became clear to him at first sight, and he instantly knew how to practice it.

    The spiritual energy followed the initial path of the cultivation technique and seemed as if it had been circting smoothly countless times before, incredibly smooth.

    This "super cultivation state" almost made Li Fan feel as if he was a natural genius.

    Practicing had be a kind of enjoyment.

    Li Fan immersed himself in it and couldn''t extricate himself.

    A day passed quickly.

    When the time was up, Li Fan suddenly retreated from that incredibly smooth cultivation state.

    When he started practicing again, he deeply felt the difference.

    The speed of cultivation under the auxiliary cultivation mode was more than thirty times faster than when he practiced on his own!

    This profound difference made Li Fan almost unable to resist exchanging for another day.

    But looking at the remaining 10 contribution points, Li Fan forced himself to endure it.

    "Such a treasure, it should belong to me."

    Greed suddenly surged in Li Fan''s heart.

 Chapter 48: Extinct Liuli Fish

    Unfortunately, Li Fan could only think about it for now.

    The Tianxuan Mirror was the treasure of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, its foundation. It was not something a small Qi Condensation cultivator like Li Fan could covet.

    Better to ept missions and earn contribution points more realistically.

    Suppressing the greed in his heart, Li Fan clicked on the contribution points mission list.

    He filtered out the missions for the early Qi Condensation stage that had little danger.

    At a nce, these were all odd jobs and errands, with most of the rewards being just one or two contribution points.

    Moreover, they often disappeared after a moment, obviously being taken by others.

    After removing the condition of low danger, many new missions appeared.

    These tasks often required visiting various inds in the Cong Yun Sea to aplish something. But because the tasks dealt with mortals, there was no need forbat, and the danger was not too high.

    The rewards for these tasks were around five to ten points.

    And using the teleportation array of the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind also required contribution points, one point per use.

    After deducting the two points needed for a round trip, not much of the reward from a mission was left.

    Earning enough contribution points to stay in the Tianxuan Mirror and asionally cultivate was not an easy task.

    Although it became easier to earn contribution points as one''s strength increased, the contribution points required to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode also increased as the cultivation level rose.

    In this way, one had to work hard to earn contribution points.

    Furthermore, exchanging for cultivation methods also required arge number of contribution points...

    Li Fan suddenly understood why the Tianxuan Mirror had opened up this auxiliary cultivation feature.

    For cultivators who had experienced this kind of super cultivation mode, it was hard to refuse in the future.

    Moreover, under the premise of spending the same amount of time, opening the auxiliary cultivation mode after umting contribution points would be faster in overall cultivation progress than practicing alone.

    Cultivation methods, resources, auxiliary cultivation...

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance indeed had a tight grip on cultivators.

    Thinking about this, Li Fan looked for tasks that suited him while considering how to earn contribution points.

    Earning contribution points was secondary; Li Fan''s main purpose was to find an opportunity to go out and take out the Tai Yan Boat hidden in the [Truth].

    There were still many gold and silver treasures in the Tai Yan Boat, as well as a Heavenly Treasure: the Stone Tablet of Prohibition.

    It was estimated that he could exchange for a lot of contribution points.

    As for why he didn''t directly release it on the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind...

    He was not stupid. Doing so would be directly telling others that he had a valuable item on him.

    Li Fan believed that every inch ofnd on the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind was within the surveince range of the Tianxuan Mirror.

    If he attracted the attention of the other party, it would be troublesome.

    Although the [Truth] could turn reality into an illusion, he still had to think to activate it.

    What if a powerful being directly locked his divine sense, making him unable to think?

    Then he would be at the mercy of others.

    He wouldn''t take such a risk, no matter what.

    In any case, caution was Li Fan''s first principle of action.

    ...

    Just at this moment, Li Fan suddenly saw a few familiar words in a pile of tasks.

    "Liuli Ind."

    He was delighted and immediately epted the task.

    Then he carefully examined the contents of the task.

    It turned out that within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the special product, Liuli Beads from Liuli Ind, had been exhausted.

    And ording to the regtions, the next submission would have to wait until six monthster.

    In urgent need of alchemy materials, the alchemy room issued amission, recruiting people to go to Liuli Ind and fetch at least twenty Liuli Beads.

    The reward is determined by the quality and quantity of Liuli Beads.

    Li Fan had heard about these Liuli Beads since he arrived on Liuli Ind. They were asionally born within the bodies of Liuli Fish.

    However, he didn''t know what kind of pill they were used to refine.

    But this task was perfect for him.

    After spending 5 contribution points to buy the smallest storage ring for cover, Li Fan didn''t dy. He left the Tianxuan Mirror and headed straight for the transmission square.

    Returning the same way, Li Fan arrived at the statue he had visited before.

    By now, Li Fan knew that each of the ten thousand statues on the Transmission Square corresponded to an ind in the Cong Yun Sea.

    The teleportation array was connected to the guardian arrays of each ind.

    The stone statue in front of him, symbolizing Liuli Ind, was a leaping Liuli Fish.

    After deducting one contribution point, Li Fan activated the teleportation array.

    This time, the dizziness was indeed much weaker, and soon Li Fan recovered.

    "I wonder who this friend is..." The voice of He Zhenghao faintly came.

    "Huh? Why is it you?" He Zhenghao looked a bit puzzled when he saw the person clearly.

    Li Fan immediately recounted the task he had taken and the matter ofing to get Liuli Beads.

    "Liuli Beads, I''ll have someone take you to get them," He Zhenghao said, nodding without much concern. "You''re adapting quite quickly, going out to do tasks in such a hurry."

    "Ah, life forces me to," Li Fan said, pretending to be a bit helpless.

    He Zhenghao immediately had a knowing look.

    Following the servant to Liuli Mansion, Li Fan met the finance manager in charge.

    The finance manager respectfully fell to the ground, and it wasn''t known if he recognized Li Fan.

    After all, Li Fan had previously been in charge of a fleet on Liuli Ind, and he had crossed paths with the finance manager.

    However, even if he recognized Li Fan, the finance manager probably would pretend not to.

    In any case, in their eyes, a cultivator was a high and mighty existence.

    After receiving the order, the finance manager quickly took out all the Liuli Beads stored on the ind.

    "Reporting to the Immortal Master, there are currently only twenty-three Liuli Beads left on the ind. This is all we have been able to collect recently on Liuli Ind. If the Immortal Master still needs them, it may take about a year or so." The finance manager said somewhat anxiously.

    "Oh? What happened?" Li Fan asked.

    "I dare not deceive the Immortal Master. ording to the feedback from the ind''s fishing fleet, it seems that due to overfishing, the encountered groups of Liuli Fish have be fewer and fewer. It may take some time for them to recover naturally before they can be caught again." The finance manager said.

    Li Fan nodded upon hearing this.

    However, in his mind, Zhang Haobo''s words suddenly emerged.

    "I understand this matter." Li Fan put the Liuli Beads into the storage ring and didn''t return immediately. Instead, he first went to his home.

    Entering the house, Li Fan waited for a while, released his divine sense to ensure that He Zhenghao was not secretly watching, and then released the Tai Yan Boat.

    Then he quickly transferred the gold and silver as well as the Stone Tablet of Prohibition inside the Tai Yan Boat.

    After doing all this, Li Fan returned to the guardian array.

    Just as he was about to return directly to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, Li Fan heard a voice behind him.

    "Young friend, please wait!"

    Li Fan''s hair stood on end, and he turned around, looking at He Zhenghao with a vignt gaze.

 Chapter 49: A Rare Opportunity

    He Zhenghao was puzzled and didn''t understand why Li Fan had such a reaction.

    Fortunately, He Zhenghao didn''t dwell on it and looked at Li Fan with a smiling face, saying, "There''s no need to be nervous. I just wanted to ask if my young friend is interested in guarding an ind?"

    "Of course, not this Liuli Ind, but the Taian Ind to the west of Liuli Ind."

    "The guardian of Taian Ind has a good rtionship with me. Currently, he is facing a bottleneck in his cultivation and wants to go out to seek opportunities."

    "However, due to his responsibilities, he can''t leave on his own. So he asked me if I knew anyone suitable to rmend."

    "It''s a coincidence that I met you."

    He Zhenghao exined.

    "To guard an ind, at least Foundation Establishment cultivation is needed, right? I''ve just entered the Qi Condensation stage. Can I really take up this guardian position?" Li Fan asked, somewhat surprised.

    In the Cong Yun Sea archipgo, as long as there''s a certain valuable specialty product nearby, there will be cultivators guarding it.

    The guardianship can range from ten to a hundred years.

    Because one has to stay on the ind all the time and cannot easily leave, the restrictions are significant, so the rewards are substantial.

    Depending on the size and scale of the ind, the annual contribution points one can receive range from a few hundred to over a thousand.

    Therefore, the job of guarding an ind is indeed quite attractive, and it''s impossible to do it without certain connections.

    Moreover, the guardianship of those rich inds is even more so. Often, they are arranged in advance long before the previous guardian leaves.

    "It''s not a formal guardian position. It''s just that my friend has issued a targetedmission for you to temporarily take over the guardian role for him on Taian Ind. Moreover, Taian Ind is not arge ind, and with the guardian array, a Qi Condensation cultivator is sufficient to take care of it for a while. You don''t have to worry, young friend."

    "And as the referrer, I will naturally receive a certain reward," He Zhenghao exined warmly to Li Fan.

    "During the temporary guardianship, how long can I leave at most?" Li Fan asked again.

    "The guardian array generally operates every five days. If you have to leave for something, it''s best to return within five days. It''s not advisable to leave more than three times within a year."

    Thinking Li Fan was worried about dying his cultivation, He Zhenghao added, "After receiving your contribution points each year, you can exchange for five days of assisted cultivation time in the Tianxuan Mirror. These five days often can be equivalent to half a year of ordinary hard cultivation."

    Li Fan knew this was a good thing and agreed immediately.

    "But I still have to wait until I return to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind andplete the task," Li Fan said.

    "Naturally. Young friend, you go first. When things are ready on Taian Ind in a few days, I''ll go to the ind to find you."

    Afterward, Li Fan bid farewell to He Zhenghao and returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    He didn''t need to go to the pharmacy; he just needed to hand over the Liuli Beads in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    After a while, the pharmacy received the twenty-three Liuli Beads.

    Because the quality of these Liuli Beads varied, Li Fan received a reward of 21 contribution points.

    Current total contribution points: 26.

    "It''s too little, only enough for two days of cultivation," Li Fan shook his head.

    Taking out the gold and silver from the storage ring, as well as the Stone Tablet of Prohibition, Li Fan requested an exchange of contribution points.

    After a moment, the Tianxuan Mirror provided the results.

    "Batch of gold and silver: convertible to 235 contribution points."

    "Heavenly Treasure: Stone Tablet of Prohibition. Quality: wed. Convertible to 1968 contribution points."

    Li Fan opened the Tianxuan Mirror''s exchange menu and looked for heavenly treasures.

    He found that an undamaged heavenly treasure would require at least 4,000 points.

    The recycling price provided by the Tianxuan Mirror was directly halved.

    It was too much!

    Although it had some ws, it shouldn''t directly reduce the price by half.

    Li Fan''s face twitched, but after thinking about it, he chose to exchange it.

    The Tianxuan Mirror didn''t provide anonymous trading. To trade with other cultivators, you had to reveal your true identity.

    But if a cultivator in the Qi Condensation stage like him took out this foundational treasure without thinking, it would surely attract a lot of attention.

    It might bring unnecessary trouble.

    Li Fan twitched his face, but when he thought about it, he chose to exchange it directly with the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was vast, and there were countless cultivators who had encountered opportunities.

    Li Fan, a Qi Condensation cultivator, possessing a heavenly treasure might be extremely rare in the Cong Yun Sea, but in the entire cultivation world, it wasn''t such a big deal.

    "Confirm exchange."

    The gold, silver, and Stone Tablet of Prohibition slowly disappeared, and Li Fan''s contribution points reached 2229.

    Having suddenly be rich, Li Fan didn''t immediately choose to spend extravagantly. Instead, he first consulted the Tianxuan Mirror about his concerns.

    "Will there be any disasters in the Cong Yun Sea area soon?"

    Li Fan ryed all the various abnormal urrences that Zhang Haobo had told him to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The Tianxuan Mirror fell into silence.

    After a long time, it finally replied.

    "Please don''t worry, fellow cultivator. These are all normal celestial and terrestrial phenomena. ording to the calctions, there won''t be any major disasters within the next ten years."

    Since the Tianxuan Mirror said so, Li Fan felt relieved.

    Afterward, he thought for a moment and searched for information about the Liuli Pill.

    The Liuli Pill was an auxiliary pill,monly used from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment stage cultivation.

    After consumption, one''s mind would be as clear as a crystal, pure and transparent.

    It could produce effects simr to "enlightenment," increasing theprehension of techniques and the speed of cultivation.

    Furthermore, the effects could stack with the Tianxuan Mirror''s assisted cultivation.

    The majority of the cultivators in the Ten Thousand Immortals League were constantly traveling outside, umting contribution points, and cultivating time was precious.

    Thus, the Liuli Pill, which could enhance cultivation efficiency, became even more precious.

    The Liuli Pill was very popr among Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, and its price fluctuated between five and six contribution points per pill.

    Li Fan checked and found that the current price was six points per pill.

    "The near-extinction of Liuli Fish for unknown reasons will definitely drive up the price of Liuli Pills." Li Fan thought to himself. Therefore, he spent 2100 contribution points and purchased 350 Liuli Pills from the Tianxuan Mirror all at once.

    Afterward, he reported to the Tianxuan Mirror about the near-disappearance of the Liuli fish poption on Liuli Ind.

    The Tianxuan Mirror fell silent, emitting slight fluctuations.

    After a while, Li Fan received a reward of 1 contribution point.

    This was the Tianxuan Mirror confirming the authenticity of the information.

    Yes, providing information to the Tianxuan Mirror could also earn contribution points.

    The higher the value of the information, the more rewards one could receive.

    Logically speaking, the value of the information Li Fan provided should be more than just 1 contribution point.

    Perhaps the Tianxuan Mirror viewed Li Fan''s hoarding behavior as somewhat unfavorable, so it only gave him 1 point as a reward.

    Li Fan didn''t mind.

    His purpose had been achieved with this operation.

    First, he confirmed that the Tianxuan Mirror was unaware of what happened after he left Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. In other words, as long as he left Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, he didn''t need to worry about the Tianxuan Mirror''s prying.

    Second, he confirmed that the Tianxuan Mirror indeed had its own will. This was evident from only giving him 1 contribution point, showing its displeasure with Li Fan''s behavior.

    Third, naturally, it was to seize this opportunity to make a good profit.

    The market''s response was quite swift.

    The price of Liuli Pills suddenly skyrocketed in a short time, surging from 6 points per pill to 9 points per pill.

 Chapter 50: Taian Fruits

    The prices of items sold in the Tianxuan Mirror are not fixed.

    The prices are regted by the Tianxuan Mirror and are directly rted to the number of people buying the items.

    For example, at this moment, the news of the depletion of Liuli Beads and the temporary halt in Liuli Pill production immediately triggered a frenzy of purchases among some individuals.

    Some genuinely needed the Liuli Pill to elerate their cultivation, but many, like Li Fan, wanted to hoard and make a significant profit.

    As a result, the price of Liuli Pills surged from 6 points to 9 points in a short period.

    This sudden change in price also caught the attention of those who were unaware.

    After some inquiries, they found out about the imminent extinction of Liuli Beads.

    These individuals hastily joined the buying frenzy as well.

    The price of Liuli Pills continued to rise.

    Temporarily reaching an astonishing price of 12 points per pill.

    Li Fan thought it was enough and chose to sell all the Liuli Pills he had on hand.

    Naturally, he sold them directly to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Due to the high demand, the Tianxuan Mirror''s purchase price was not as low as when it bought the Stone Tablet of Prohibition, almost halving the price.

    Instead, it was at a "high" price of 10 points per pill.

    Li Fan wasn''t greedy and readily sold all 350 Liuli Pills he held.

    He received 3,500 contribution points, adding to the previous 129 points, bringing Li Fan''s total contribution points to an impressive 3,629 points!

    After Li Fan made his move, the market''s fervor gradually cooled down.

    The price of 12 points per pill obviously exceeded the true value of Liuli Pills.

    After all, the effectiveness of Liuli Pills was not irreceable. There were many other pills with simr functions. The reason Liuli Pills were popr was their low price.

    The sudden surge in the price of Liuli Pills was just due to people in the market being stimted by the sudden news, temporarily losing their rationality.

    When everyone calmed down, the price of Liuli Pills returned to a rtively reasonable and stable rate.

    8 points contribution per pill.

    At this point, Li Fan bought another 100 Liuli Pills for his own cultivation.

    He spent 800 points, leaving him with 2,829 points.

    Through this series of actions, Li Fan not only increased his contribution points by 600 but also managed to acquire 100 Liuli Pills essentially for free!

    600 contribution points were equivalent to the annual savings of an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator who diligently focused on tasks.

    Not to mention the 100 Liuli Pills, which were like hard currency.

    Li Fan sighed.

    However, his sighs didn''t affect the spending speed of Li Fan, the beneficiary of the situation.

    "Theory of Formations," "Introduction to Alchemy," "Basics of Artifact Refining," "Treasure Guide of the Cultivation World," and other books, whether useful or not, Li Fan bought them without hesitation.

    Body-protecting garments, Hidden Qi Talismans, basicposite formations, starter alchemy sets, and othermonly used items by cultivators, Li Fan bought them all generously.

    As the storage ring gradually filled up, and as his contribution points rapidly decreased to 346 points, Li Fan wasn''t the least bit distressed. After finishing his spending, he swallowed a Liuli Pill, activated the auxiliary cultivation mode, and began practicing the Minor Yan Water Technique.

    The abundant water-attributed spiritual energy surged out, and Li Fan once again experienced what it was like to have a genius cultivation speed.

    The auxiliary cultivation mode of the Tianxuan Mirror,bined with the effect of the Liuli Pill, made Li Fan''s progress in cultivation incredibly rapid.

    In just two days, Li Fan broke through to the early Qi Condensation stage. Following that, in three more days, he sessfully cultivated Minor Yan Water Technique to the mid Qi Condensation stage.

    No bottlenecks, everything flowed smoothly, and Li Fan was thoroughly enjoying the process!

    Li Fan was deeply immersed in this form of cultivation. So, when theter stages of Minor Yan Water Technique were missing and the cultivation automatically stopped after reaching the mid Qi Condensation stage, he felt profoundly disappointed and empty.

    Fortunately, the mid Qi Condensation part of Minor Yan Water Technique was priced at 600 contribution points, which helped calm Li Fan down a bit.

    As he pondered whether to sell some Liuli Pills to acquire the following techniques, he received a visit request from He Zhenghao.

    After considering it, Li Fan put on the Hidden Qi Talisman he had just bought and allowed He Zhenghao to enter.

    As soon as He Zhenghao saw Li Fan, he said excitedly, "I''ve already arranged things for guarding Taian Ind. Next, I''ll take you to meet him and ept themission."

    After that, He Zhenghao handed a spiritual talisman to Li Fan and said, "Wear this on you. Remember, when we meetter, say as little as possible and leave everything to me."

    Li Fan took a look at the talisman and couldn''t help but grimace.

    If he hadn''t bought an identical one not long ago, he would have had trouble recognizing what it was.

    This talisman was called the False Authority Talisman, and its effect was the opposite of a concealment talisman.

    While a concealment talisman hid one''s cultivation level, the False Authority Talisman was used to disguise oneself as a cultivator of a higher realm.

    He Zhenghao gave Li Fan this False Authority Talisman to make him appear as a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

    Indeed, the im that a Qi Condensation cultivator was adequate to guard an ind was just a ploy to deceive Li Fan.

    He Zhenghao had nned all along to have Li Fan masquerade as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and take on themission to guard Taian Ind, thereby earning the price difference!

    It was worth noting that the cost of hiring a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Qi Condensation cultivator was vastly different in terms of contribution points.

    He Zhenghao didn''t notice Li Fan''s expression and cheerfully introduced the guardian of Taian Ind, Zhou Qingang, to Li Fan.

    Li Fan couldn''t expose He Zhenghao''s n, so he could only smile and greet Zhou Qingang reluctantly.

    This person must not be closely associated with! Li Fan nced at He Zhenghao, who had a smiling face and silently criticized.

    Zhou Qingang looked at Li Fan and seemed quite satisfied.

    Immediately, he directly issued a specificmission to He Zhenghao.

    After epting themission, He Zhenghao turned to Li Fan and issued amission to him.

    "During Zhou Qingang''s search for opportunities, substitute for him in guarding Taian Ind. Reward: 800 contribution points per year."

    Fortunately, He Zhenghao didn''t skimp too much on the reward. At this point, Li Fan had no choice but to ept this task.

    Zhou Qingang handed a jade token to He Zhenghao, then left in a hurry to seek his own breakthrough opportunities.

    Seeing this, He Zhenghao breathed a sigh of relief and handed the token to Li Fan, saying solemnly, "This is the guardian token of Taian Ind. With this, you can control the ind''s protective array. Please take good care of it and don''t lose it."

    Li Fan epted the token, and then the two of them used a teleportation array to arrive at Taian Ind.

    Taian Ind was not as grand as Liuli Ind, with its thousands of peaks. Taian Ind looked more like a bustling city.

    What set it apart was that the residents of the city were all fruits with human faces.

    These fruits lived and worked in this formation-defended city, just like real people.

    They would live out their entire lives.

    "This is the specialty of Taian Ind, the Taian Fruits," He Zhenghao exined to Li Fan as they strolled through the city, pointing to the bustling "crowd."

    "When these fruit-like people die, it means the Taian Fruits have ripened. Consuming a ripe Taian Fruit can add five years to the lifespan of a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage or below."

    "It only has an effect the first time a person consumes it," He Zhenghao regretfully added.

 Chapter 51: Fruit Harvesting

    "The stipted annual amount of Taian Fruits to be submitted is thirty pieces. Any extras can be kept for yourself, consider it a perk for serving as a guardian."

    "On average, you can save about two Taian Fruits per year. In the Tianxuan Mirror, the price of Taian Fruits generally ranges from 90 to 100 contribution points."

    "So all in all, thepensation for acting as the guardian is indeed not low," He Zhenghao exined to Li Fan with a chuckle.

    Li Fan nodded. Although He Zhenghao used some tricks, what he said was not untrue.

    On Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, earning a thousand contribution points per year at the Qi Condensation stage was definitely quite rare.

    He Zhenghao enjoyed the benefits while Li Fan got a little share of the pie.

    "I appreciate your help, Senior," Li Fan said, sping his hands in gratitude.

    "No need to be so formal. You were born on the ind I''m guarding, and it''s only right that I guide you. As long as you advance in your cultivation in the future, my efforts won''t be in vain..." He Zhenghao was speaking when suddenly he stopped.

    He made a soft exmation and looked at Li Fan with a slightly surprised tone, "You''ve advanced to the mid Qi Condensation stage?"

    Li Fan was startled; he hadn''t expected that even with a Hidden Qi Talisman, the other party could still tell.

    He nodded and openly admitted, "Yes. I have a close rtionship with Xiao Heng. Before he left, he left behind a water attribute technique for me. The technique suits me well, and my progress in cultivation has been rapid. I just broke through a few days ago."

    "Hehe, you''re quite cautious. If it weren''t for my unique technique, I might not have noticed. You used a Hidden Qi Talisman?" He Zhenghao asked.

    Li Fan nodded.

    "It''s understandable. Caution is never a bad thing, especially in the cultivation world where there are many with ill intentions..." He Zhenghao was speaking when he suddenly noticed that Li Fan was giving him a peculiar look. He quicklyughed it off and changed the topic, "I didn''t expect you to have such a good rtionship with Xiao Heng, and he even left a technique for you."

    "Xiao Heng is indeed a rare talent, practicing for only a few years, and he''s about to reach Foundation Establishment. His future is limitless!" Obviously, He Zhenghao had been paying attention to Xiao Heng, and at this moment, he spoke with a mix of emotion and envy.

    "Reaching the Golden Core stage and even the Nascent Soul stage in the future is not impossible. Your close rtionship with him is truly a blessing," He Zhenghao continued, sounding increasingly enthusiastic.

    "It''s a fortunate encounter to meet a senior like you as well," Li Fan praised casually.

    He Zhenghao heard this and burst into heartyughter, quite pleased.

    At this moment, he paused, turned to look in a certain direction in the city, and said, "Coincidentally, a Taian Fruit has ripened now. I''ll demonstrate to you, young friend, how to pick a Taian Fruit."

    Li Fan nodded and followed He Zhenghao to a house.

    Even before entering the courtyard, they could hear cries.

    When they went inside, Li Fan saw a dozen or so human-faced fruits kneeling on the ground, dressed in white, wearing mourning clothes.

    In the center of the room was a coffin-like structure with a human-faced fruit lying in it, appearing as if asleep.

    The fruit had its eyes closed, a crooked mouth, and a slightly eerie smile, remainingpletely still.

    None of the human-faced fruits in the house noticed the arrival of Li Fan and He Zhenghao. They were grieving for their departed loved ones.

    The scene in the room looked somewhat absurd and terrifying.

    Li Fan got closer, and a strange fragrance wafted from the coffin.

    He Zhenghao came to the side of the coffin, chanting words and gently tapping the center of the human-faced fruit inside.

    A soft light enveloped it, and the human-faced fruit slowly floated up from the coffin, hovering in the air.

    Then it shrank slowly, turning into a small, bright red fruit.

    As the Taian Fruit took shape, the fruit-faced entities dressed in mourning robes suddenly quieted down.

    Their white mourning clothes gradually disappeared, and their grieving expressions transformed into confusion.

    They looked around nkly for a moment, and then, in silence, these fruit-faced entities dissipated.

    "How was it?" He Zhenghao handed the Taian Fruit to Li Fan.

    "Quite peculiar." Li Fan found the scene of picking the Taian Fruit a bit eerie, and he answered reluctantly.

    Li Fan held the Taian Fruit in his hand and observed it carefully.

    The fruit resembled an apple in shape, but its color was even more vibrant red, almost dazzling.

    And a continuous fragrance kept emanating from the Taian Fruit.

    This fragrance seemed to prate deep into the soul. Li Fan involuntarily swallowed when he smelled it.

    "Young friend, you haven''t tasted the Taian Fruit before, right? Why not try it?" He Zhenghao suggested.

    "Items that increase one''s lifespan naturally hold great allure for cultivators like us. The longer the duration, the greater the temptation," He Zhenghao said with a smiling expression, seeing Li Fan''s hesitation.

    Indeed, the effect of the fragrance seemed to umte. With Li Fan''s indecision, the fragrance became increasingly intense.

    Under the influence of the fragrance, a sense of hunger welled up from deep within.

    So, after a while, Li Fan hesitated no more and swallowed the Taian Fruit in one go.

    The hunger instantly disappeared. Even though it was just a small fruit, Li Fan belched as if he had just finished arge meal.

    Li Fan checked his [Truth] panel and saw that the upper limit of his physical age had increased by 5 years.

    Smacking his lips, Li Fan reminisced about the taste of the Taian Fruit. "This miraculous item that increases one''s lifespan, it''s truly extraordinary. It just looks a bit strange, resembling a person and making one nervous."

    He Zhenghao responded with a smile, "The Taian Fruit is indeed derived from humans, hence the resemnce."

    Li Fan''s expression froze.

    Suppressing the churning sensation in his stomach, Li Fan asked in horror, "Are all the Taian Fruits in this city real people?"

    He Zhenghao wasn''t too concerned about Li Fan''s reaction.

    However, considering Li Fan had only recently entered the cultivation world, he could understand, so he continued to exin, "Strictly speaking, Taian Fruit is a type of fruit, not a human being."

    Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief at hearing this but still had reservations, "What do you mean by derived from humans?"

    "This goes back to the origin of the Taian Fruit," He Zhenghao said, leading Li Fan back to the city above as he spoke.

    "Five hundred years ago, Taian Ind was just a very ordinary ind. The surrounding area had no valuable special products, and the ind had only a few thousand ordinary people living there."

    "Such small inds are numerous in the Cong Yun Sea."

    "But one day, everything suddenly changed."

    "First, the ordinary people on the surrounding inds noticed that they hadn''t seen any residents of Taian Ind for a long time. asionally, merchants from the ind used toe and go, but they hadn''t seen them for over a year."

    "Driven by curiosity, some people sailed to Taian Ind to find out what was going on."

    "But unexpectedly, several waves of people who went there never returned."

    "Realizing something was wrong, the people quickly reported this to the guardian of the ind at the time."

    "At that time, the guardian was already a Golden Core cultivator. Even so, upon seeing what had happened on Taian Ind, he fell into deep fear."

 Chapter 52: Guarding Taian Island

    "The ordinary people on the ind had all disappeared. The city where they once gathered had now be a forest of lush trees, resembling a primitive forest."

    "On the branches of those trees hang numerous Taian Fruits."

    "When a gentle breeze passes by, the fruit''s human faces reveal an eerie smile."

    As He Zhenghao narrated, Li Fan felt as if he could see countless human faces smiling at him.

    Thinking about how he had just eaten one of these fruits, Li Fan involuntarily felt a shiver down his spine.

    He Zhenghao continued speaking.

    "The Golden Core guardian, after recovering from his shock, went down to investigate the city."

    "There wasn''t a single ordinary person left on the entire ind; they had all turned into smiling fruit. However, the Golden Core guardian couldn''t figure out why this bizarre event had urred. So, he had no choice but to report it."

    "The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance sent someone to investigate, but no one knows what the specific results were. However, all the trees in the city wereter cut down, and the city was restored to its original appearance. The human-faced fruits acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to live in the city in the same way."

    "Generation after generation, they''ve reproduced until now. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has also constructed a great formation here, and dedicated individuals guard and harvest the fruits."

    Upon hearing this, Li Fan couldn''t help but say, "In this case, aren''t these Taian Fruits essentially human?"

    He Zhenghao shook his head, saying, "How can they be human? They have no consciousness of their own and act solely on instinct. At most, they retain some remnants of human desires."

    Li Fan pondered for a moment and ultimately didn''t argue.

    This matter was too extraordinary, and he didn''t know how to categorize these Taian Fruits.

    However, once the effect of prolonging one''s life was discovered by cultivators, these details became unimportant.

    Not to mention these Taian Fruits, even if they were genuine ordinary humans, if consuming them extended one''s lifespan, they couldn''t escape the fate of being consumed.

    Li Fan fell into contemtion.

    He Zhenghao also seemed to recall something and fell into silence.

    After a long while, the two of them finally snapped back to reality.

    Next, He Zhenghao briefed Li Fan on some matters to pay attention to regarding guarding the ind.

    Li Fan remembered them all.

    "The great formation covers the entire ind, and each operation of the formation extracts a trace of spiritual energy from the ordinary people within it."

    "The amount extracted is very small and won''t have any significant impact on ordinary people. However, when these traces of spiritual energy gather and umte, the quantity bes considerable."

    "This energy, after conversion, can enhance the density of spiritual energy within the formation."

    "Hence, while cultivating within this ind protection formation isn''t as efficient as using the assistance cultivation mode in the Tianxuan Mirror, it''s still considerably faster than regr cultivation outside."

    Finally, He Zhenghao smugly revealed a secret known only to those who had served as ind guardians.

    After some more advice and telling Li Fan to contact him if he had any questions, He Zhenghao left contentedly.

    With the ind guardian token in hand and the array''s enhancement, Li Fan''s consciousness enveloped the entire ind.

    The ordinary people on the ind and the Taian Fruits in the central core formation were all busy living their lives.

    After observing for a long time, Li Fan sighed.

    "Harvest the essence of the world to serve one''s cultivation."

    If possible, Li Fan naturally wanted to do something. Unfortunately, he was currently just a small Qi Condensation stage cultivator.

    Currently, the only thing he could do was to work hard in his cultivation.

    Li Fan suppressed various thoughts in his mind.

    From then on, Li Fan stationed himself on Taian Ind.

    It had to be said that being an ind guardian was rtively rxed.

    The ordinary people on the ind wouldn''t disturb the Immortal Master for trivial matters.

    The only thing Li Fan needed to do was to check the ind protection formation from time to time and harvest the ripe Taian Fruits, among other such trivial tasks.

    During the rest of the time, Li Fan had his own discretion.

    Li Fan wholeheartedly devoted himself to diligent cultivation.

    ''A Hundred Techniques of Spiritual Qi Usage,'' ''Basic Understanding of Spells,'' ''Surefire Secrets of Winning Duels - Strike First and Be Strong,'' ''Victory Is in Being Swift,''...

    Starting with this fundamental cultivation knowledge, Li Fan gradually grasped some simple minor spells.

    Techniques like breath-holding, feigning death, flight, and temporary strengthening, among others.

    While learning, Li Fan couldn''t help but marvel at how the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance held monopolies on knowledge.

    These techniques were the knowledge he bought from the Tianxuan Mirror, and using them for personal learning posed no problem.

    But teaching them to others after learning them was not allowed.

    Unless your strength surpassed the Tianxuan Mirror and naturally could decipher the restrictions embedded within.

    Li Fan didn''t know the specific strength of the Tianxuan Mirror.

    However, judging bymon sense, it should be at least not below a Soul Transformation stage cultivator.

    The might of a Soul Transformation cultivator was far beyond what Li Fan could specte at present.

    So, even if he was dissatisfied, he could only ept the reality for the time being.

    After finishing these books, Li Fan started attempting to read about alchemy, artifact forging, formations, and rted topics.

    Compared to the previous section on spells, these contents were much moreplicated.

    It was a vast andplex field, and Li Fan didn''t know where to start.

    Just reading through the basics of alchemy in ''Introduction to Alchemy,'' which included the harvesting of various herbs and their effects as well as identification and analysis, took Li Fan a full ten days.

    Not to mention what came after: choosing and controlling the alchemical fire, furnace control, and alchemy practice. Li Fan estimated it would be impossible for him to fully read through all this in less than a year.

    Knowing that learning these skills often required being guided by a master, after some hesitation, Li Fan finally chose to temporarily give up.

    So, he temporarily set aside distracting thoughts and started practicing ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra.''

    This ancient technique from the Tianji Sect was truly obscure and difficult toprehend. It was entirely different from the ''Minor Yan Water Technique'' that Li Fan had practiced before, not belonging to the same system at all.

    Even with the assistance of Liuli Pills to enhance hisprehension, Li Fan still spent nearly half a year just to barely grasp the basics.

    The hardship made Li Fan contemte going to the Tianxuan Mirror and practicing ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra'' in the super-assisted cultivation mode.

    But in the end, he suppressed this thought.

    Ultimately, Li Fan couldn''t let go of his concerns about the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Judging from their way of doing things, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was clearly not a benevolent group.

    If he aroused the interest of the Tianxuan Mirror and exposed the Nascent Soul technique, it wouldn''t be much of an issue. But if the existence of [Truth] was exposed, that would be a genuine disaster.

    So, Li Fan chose to cultivate slowly, despite his numerous frustrations.

    And so, a year passed.

    Li Fan returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and received the reward for acting as the temporary guardian, 800 contribution points. He then exchanged these points for theter stages of ''Minor Yan Water Technique.''

    After practicing for five days in the assisted cultivation mode of the Tianxuan Mirror, he reluctantly returned to Taian Ind.

    Five days of rapid cultivation made Li Fan faintly feel that he was not far from theter stages of Qi Condensation.

 Chapter 53: Disaster for Cultivators

    On Taian Ind, within the protective array.

    "A bottleneck? Heavenly tribtion?" Li Fan browsed through the purchased "Misceneous Records of Cultivation," his brows slightly furrowed.

    Since returning from Ten Thousand Immortals Ind a few days ago, he hadn''t stopped his cultivation for a moment. He had initially thought of seizing the opportunity to break through to theter stages of Qi Condensation.

    But even though he had clearly felt that he was close to a breakthrough, no matter how hard Li Fan cultivated, he always felt like he was just a tiny bit short. It was as if this tiny difference was an insurmountable chasm.

    After perusing the "Misceneous Records of Cultivation," Li Fan finally confirmed that he had encountered a bottleneck.

    During ancient times, there were mentions of cultivation bottlenecks. These were points in the cultivation process where progress seemed to halt.

    In today''s cultivation world, these bottlenecks had an even greater impact on cultivators. Starting from the middle stages of Qi Condensation, every cultivator would inevitably encounter bottlenecks when advancing through various stages.

    Breaking through these bottlenecks was not only about hard work. It required finding an opportunity that resonated with one''s current cultivation, allowing them to break through sessfully.

    These opportunities could be as simple as seeing a painting, drinking tea, sudden enlightenment, or shes of insight during life-and-death struggles. It could also be something someone casually mentioned or the careful guidance of a senior.

    In essence, these opportunities were unpredictable and could only be perceived through fate.

    These bottlenecks significantly slowed down a cultivator''s progress, as if a heavenly disaster had descended to obstruct their cultivation path. For this reason, cultivators referred to it as a heavenly tribtion.

    Now, this heavenly tribtion had descended upon Li Fan.

    His n to break through quickly had fallen apart due to this obstacle.

    Sitting in the protective array for several days, Li Fan hadn''t sensed any opportunities to break through.

    Knowing that he couldn''t rush this process, he didn''t feel anxious. He temporarily set aside the cultivation of the Minor Yan Water Technique and started practicing Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra.

    Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra consisted of fiveyers, corresponding to the five major realms of ancient times: Innate, Qi Condensation, Foundation Building, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul.

    The Innate realm was a unique existence in some ancient sects'' cultivation methods during ancient times. It focused on cleansing the impurities acquired after birth to return to a state of innate purity. ording to these sects, starting cultivation from the Innate realm would make it easier toprehend the heavenly Dao, allowing for faster and higher cultivation progress.

    However, with the advent of new cultivation methods that emphasized expedited cultivation, few people practiced the Innate realm.

    Despite this, the foundation of the Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra was in the Innate realm.

    So, what Li Fan needed to do was use Qi Condensation to rece the Innate realm,pleting the firstyer of cultivation.

    Normally, substituting a higher realm for a lower one would be smooth, but in this case, the differences between ancient and contemporary cultivation systems posed difficulties.

    Moreover, Li Fan had only been practicing for a few years and had a limited knowledge base. This was why it had taken him a considerable amount of time to just grasp the basics, despite the help of the Liuli Pills.

    He persisted in his studies despite the difficulties, one word at a time, and contemted the insights.

    ording to the description of the Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra, after sessfully cultivating the secondyer corresponding to Qi Condensation, one would be able to master the divine ability of "Discerning Variations".

    "Discerning Variations" was the ability to distinguish and sense the various auras of heaven and earth.

    This was also the foundation of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Huan Golden Chapter. Only by first distinguishing and sensing these auras could they be captured and refined afterwards.

    The difficulty of practicing the secondyer was even more difficult than Li Fan had imagined. If the Minor Yan Water Technique was simple and clear in telling you how to cultivate without a single shred of nonsense, the Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra was intentionally obscure and esoteric, leaving the reader to puzzle things out themselves. Not only that, random ideas and dated analogies of the ancient cultivation world randomly intruded.

    With this unreasonably dense and iprehensible text, Li Fan was quite frustrated. Fortunately, Li Fan was not a person who gave up lightly. Even if it was difficult, Li Fan was patient and slowly studied word by word.

    A year passed by in his diligent cultivation.

    His progress in Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra had been minimal.

    Li Fan didn''t despair. When he went to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to collect his guardianpensation for the second time, he exchanged his 800 contribution points and five mature Taian fruits, which he had saved for two years, for some insights into ancient cultivation techniques.

    He then used the enhanced cultivation mode of the Tianxuan Mirror to read these insights without actually practicing the techniques. Hepared them to his own experiences from the past year.

    This process allowed him to rify many doubts and questions he couldn''t understand before.

    He was overjoyed at some points, and now he felt he had finally understood some of the most confusing parts.

    Five days passed quickly.

    Having gained insights, Li Fan hurried back to Taian Ind and resumed his seclusion. This time, he found that his cultivation was remarkably different from before.

    The obscure aspects of the cultivation technique had be clear, and there were no more hindrances.

    Li Fan soon immersed himself in his cultivation.

    Time passed unnoticed during his practice.

    One day, a golden mist of spiritual energy, entirely different from the water element, suddenly appeared in Li Fan''s dantian.

    Li Fan opened his eyes abruptly, revealing a look of delight.

    "I''ve finally mastered the secondyer of Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra! Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

    Stretching his somewhat stiff body, he looked at the time, feeling somewhat dazed.

    He hadn''t expected that this seclusion wouldst a full year.

    However, in Li Fan''s perception, it felt like he had only slept for a short while.

    Nheless, hard work always bore fruit.

    Li Fan''s eyes lit up as he gathered the golden spiritual energy in his eyes, activating the "Discern Variations" ability.

    "Let me see what the so-called heaven and earthly auras are like." Li Fan was excited to test his newfound power.

    He looked towards Taian Ind.

    What he saw, however, sent shivers down his spine.

    A dense, ck aura, like a thickyer of dark clouds, shrouded the entire Taian Ind.

    The oppressive death aura made the ind look like the underworld, even in broad daylight.

    Li Fan dispelled the technique, and then used it again.

    After several repeated attempts, Li Fan could only confirm that he wasn''t seeing things.

    "How could this be?" Li Fan was filled with disbelief.

    Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and quickly cast the Discern Variations technique to examine himself.

    In the reflection, the umtion of death aura on his head was hundreds of times denser than that on the ind''s ordinary people!

 Chapter 54: The Scheme of Heaven and Earth

    "What''s going on?"

    In shock, Li Fan''s Discern Variations Technique shattered.

    His mind was in chaos, a whirlwind of thoughts.

    After a while, Li Fan slowly regained hisposure.

    "Could there be something wrong with this Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra?"

    His immediate reaction was that there might be an issue with this cultivation technique.

    The so-called "discerning variations" might no longer be applicable in the changed world of cultivation after the earth-shattering events of the past.

    After all, Li Fan was currently within the ind defense array of Taian Ind.

    Taian Ind was located in the central area of the Cong Yun Sea, within the sphere of influence of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    It had been safe and peaceful before, so how could disaster suddenly loom upon closing the gate?

    However, sensing the dense death energy around him, Li Fan couldn''t convince himself that it was that simple.

    The unease in his heart grew stronger.

    Making a quick decision, regardless of whether it was true or false, he decided to head to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to avoid any potential disaster.

    So, he immediately tried to activate the teleportation array to go to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    But what made him frown was that the teleportation array didn''t respond!

    Li Fan''s face darkened.

    He took out themunication charm that He Zhenghao had given him, attempting to contact He Zhenghao.

    After channeling spiritual energy, there was still no response!

    The situation was bing clear. Something indeed strange had happened.

    Staying on Taian Ind would be a dead end. He couldn''t just sit and wait for disaster to strike!

    Li Fan summoned the Tai Yan Boat, took out "As of the Cong Yun Sea," and prepared to personally navigate the flying boat.

    The original spirit stones powering the Tai Yan Boat were almost depleted, but fortunately, Li Fan acquired many spirit stones during his extravagant shopping spree.

    Li Fan estimated that it would take about two to three months to fly from Taian Ind to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    The spirit stones would definitely be enough.

    At this point, Li Fan no longer cared about the task of guarding the ind. He directly steered the flying boat, preparing to leave.

    Just as the Tai Yan Boat was about to fly out of the ind defense array, Li Fan suddenly sensed an endless murderous intent from the outside.

    Like countless sharp swords, it pervaded the heavens and the earth.

    Li Fan''s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately halted the Tai Yan Boat.

    His premonition told him that once he stepped out of this ind defense array, he would undoubtedly die!

    Li Fan squinted, looking at the calm sea, not knowing where the danger wasing from.

    In the end, Li Fan chose not to take this risk.

    He put away the Tai Yan Boat and decided to first ask the ordinary people on the ind what had happened recently.

    However, after his divine sense swept across the entire ind, he was astonished.

    The residents of the entire ind were reduced by a third.

    And the remaining ones all seemed to have inexplicably be thin and emaciated as if they hadn''t eaten for a long time.

    Knowing that something significant had happened during his closed-door cultivation, Li Fan''s face darkened. He quickly flew to the residence of the ind manager of Taian Ind.

    During his tenure as the acting guardian, Li Fan had always been in seclusion, hardly paying attention to the affairs of the ind.

    He had only met the ind manager a few times before.

    At this moment, when the ind manager saw Li Fan, he knelt down directly, continuously knocking his head and wailing.

    "Immortal Master, have mercy, have mercy, save us!"

    The ind manager wept bitterly, to the point where his head was about to bleed from the knocks.

    "What happened exactly? Speak quickly!" Li Fan''s face was extremely grim.

    "Reporting to Immortal Master, we can''t bear these days anymore. It has been nearly half a year since itst rained. The fresh water and food on the ind are almost exhausted. If this continues, we will all starve to death!" The ind manager said while knocking his head and weeping.

    "No rain for half a year?" Li Fan recalled what Zhang Haobo had told him several years ago.

    "Drought hase. But why did the Tianxuan Mirror tell me previously that there would be no major changes? Could it be that the Tianxuan Mirror doesn''t take such a scale of drought seriously?"

    The ind manager continued to cry out, "The fish near the coast have all been caught, and the weather is extremely hot. The fishing fleets headed towards the deep sea have not returned alive. Everyone is on the verge of starving to death! Immortal Master, have mercy, save us!"

    Li Fan was annoyed by this person''s cries and noticed that although the ind manager had be a little thin, he was still plump. He was enraged and said, "Half of the ind''s ordinary people are starving, but why haven''t you lost weight?"

    The ind manager turned pale, preparing to defend himself.

    However, after Li Fan scanned the kitchen in the ind manager''s residence with his divine sense, he was even more furious.

    Without waiting for the ind manager to speak, he pped him, reducing him to a pile of flesh.

    "Feasting on the dead, guilty as charged!"

    Li Fan snorted coldly and used the power of the array to transmit his voice throughout the ind.

    "The ind manager has been killed by me. The rest of the officials,e to the ind manager''s residence to see me!"

    A few momentster, several ordinary people came to Li Fan, trembling in fear.

    Seeing that they also hadn''t had enough to eat, Li Fan suppressed his killing intent.

    Amidst the tearful pleas of these people, Li Fan finally understood what had happened during the year of his seclusion.

    The drought began half a year ago.

    Initially, it hadn''t rained for many days, but people didn''t pay much attention.

    It was only when two months passed without a drop of rain that the people on the ind began to panic.

    The ind had a source of fresh water, but with the passing days and no rain, it had gradually dried up.

    Initially, they could sustain themselves by catching fish near the ind, but as the weather became hotter, they could no longer catch fish around the ind. Moreover, after the fleets that went to the distant seas to fish never returned, Taian Ind plunged into famine.

    In just a month, a third of the ind''s poption had died, and no one knew how many tragedies had urred.

    The remaining survivors were struggling to survive.

    If Li Fan hade out of seclusion a bitter, he was afraid that he wouldn''t even find a few living people.

    With things at this point, Li Fan couldn''t stand idly by.

    When he left the Land of Immortal Extinction, besides a few cabins filled with gold and silver treasures, the rest of the Tai Yan Boat was filled with grain.

    Originally, it was just a precaution due to his cautious habit of exploring the unknown world.

    He didn''t expect that it woulde in handy almost ten yearster.

    The Tai Yan Boat had a Purification Array, so the food wouldn''t spoil.

    Li Fan immediately erged the Tai Yan Boat and ordered the ordinary people on the ind to move some of the food out for emergency use.

    Seeing that the Immortal Master had brought life-saving food, everyone on the ind knelt down in excitement, continuously knocking their heads.

    Li Fan didn''t pay attention to them and allowed them to rejoice.

    The food inside the Tai Yan Boat wouldst the people on the ind for a few months if they ate sparingly.

    The main thing was to solve the issue of fresh water.

    With water, they could survive.

    Li Fan went to the main freshwater source on the ind, a medium-sizedke in the center of the ind.

    Theke had long been guarded by dedicated personnel to prevent ordinary people from approaching.

    Due to the long period without rain, theke had significantly shrunk, leaving only about a tenth of its original size, and it was about to dry uppletely.

    "When constructing the ind defense array, I never expected to encounter a water shortage like this..."

    Holding the Taian Ind Guard Order, Li Fan shook his head helplessly.

    "It seems that I need to create a purification array to cleanse seawater."

 Chapter 55: Overcoming Death to Obtain Life

    Half a monthter, a rudimentary seawater purification array waspleted.

    With sufficient drinking water and food once again, the surviving residents of Taian Ind bowed in gratitude, thanking the Immortal Master for saving their lives.

    However, Li Fan was not as ted as they were; instead, he felt somewhat worried.

    After personally constructing an array, Li Fan had barely stepped onto the path of array techniques.

    It was then that he realized the ind defense array of Taian Ind was deteriorating at an abnormal speed.

    Generally, ind defense arrays could operate for over a hundred years.

    However, at the current rate of deterioration, in another two to three years, the array wouldpletely lose its effectiveness.

    After careful investigation and consulting "Theory on Formations," Li Fan found the cause of the array''s damage.

    The spiritual energy in the heavens and earth had be extremely turbulent and fierce.

    This fierce spiritual energy seemed to possess its own will. When absorbed by the ind defense array, it gradually eroded the critical nodes of the array.

    The ind defense array now resembled a machine with crucialponents slowly rusting away. Each operation reduced its lifespan.

    While Li Fan identified the problem, he had no effective way to salvage the situation.

    The ind defense array was tooplex, with over ten thousand critical nodes, each typicallyposed of dozens of micro-arrays.

    When it was originally constructed, it was a coboration of numerous Nascent Soul stage array masters from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Given theplexity of the issue, Li Fan, a beginner in array techniques, couldn''t hope to solve it.

    Moreover, the main issuey in the spiritual energy absorbed by the array.

    Even if he temporarily repaired the array, as long as the ferocious nature of the spiritual energy outside remained unchanged, it would merely be a short-term fix.

    "Staying on Taian Ind is a death sentence. I need to find a way to leave this ce."

    "But the outside world is engulfed in an unknown cmity, and the ferocious spiritual energy makes venturing out a perilous path."

    Caught between a rock and a hard ce, it seemed like he was in an impossible situation.

    "So, this is a Heavenly Tribtion..." Li Fan stared at the sky outside the ind defense array, feeling like a flying insect trapped in a spider''s web, unable to move and struggling on the brink of death.

    Yet, Li Fan didn''t choose to use [Truth] immediately.

    Using [Truth] would waste over a decade of charging time. Moreover, without understanding what had truly happened, he would likely face death once again the next time.

    Even if he fled far away from the Cong Yun Sea, could he guarantee that he wouldn''t encounter new crises?

    The malevolence of the Heavenly Dao in this world was pervasive and omnipresent.

    Li Fan didn''t believe that merely changing his location would guarantee safety.

    So, unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn''t choose to directly give up on this world.

    In the following period, Li Fan continued to cultivate and search for a breakthrough.

    However, the ferocious spiritual energy outside showed no signs of calming down; in fact, it became even more violent with the passage of time.

    Under its relentless assault, the ind defense array became increasingly precarious.

    It could copse at any moment.

    "There''s no way out." Li Fan felt somewhat helpless.

    Ending this life in such uncertainty left him somewhat unwilling.

    Yet, it seemed like there were no other options.

    Should he use [Truth]?

    Li Fan hesitated, looking at the mortals below gradually recovering their vitality. Suddenly, a thought struck him: the ferocious spiritual energy outside didn''t seem to affect ordinary mortals.

    ording to the description of the ind''s residents, apart from the hot weather, there was nothing particrly dangerous beyond the ind defense array.

    "The Heavenly Tribtion seems to target only cultivators. If I be a mortal, I should be safe."

    Li Fan remembered the "Tai Shang Primordial Scripture."

    With this peculiar technique, even if he transformed his cultivation back to a mortal state, he wouldn''t lose much progress. As long as he found a safe ce, it wouldn''t take long to return to his original realm.

    "So, this is what they call ''emerging from a desperate situation?''" Thinking of a solution, Li Fan felt a sense of relief.

    Then, he naturally started to consider more.

    He is currently practicing two cultivation techniques.

    One is the "Minor Yan Water Technique," exchanged within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and the other is the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" from the ancient Tianji Sect.

    One is a new technique, and the other is an old one.

    The practice method of the new technique involves plundering and seizing the heavens and the earth.

    Because of this, it triggers the malevolence of the heavens and the earth.

    Now, the heavens and the earth have set upyers of killing intent, targeting cultivators who practice the new technique.

    What if he were to only dissipate the "Minor Yan Water Technique" and retain the realm of the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra"? Would the killing intent in the heavens and the earth decrease?

    Li Fan was a decisive person.

    The great array could copse at any moment, so he made a prompt decision. The spiritual energy circted within his body as he activated the "Tai Shang Primordial Scripture."

    "Follow the Nameless Supreme, return to the beginning..."

    As the technique operated, the water-attribute spiritual energy obtained from practicing the "Minor Yan Water Technique" slowly dissipated like melting snow, transforming into pure energy and settling in Li Fan''s dantian.

    In just half a day, the "Minor Yan Water Technique" had beenpletely dissipated.

    Yet, Li Fan didn''t feel any difort.

    "This ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture'' is indeed extraordinary." Li Fan sighed and flew to the edge of the ind defense array.

    "Indeed, this method is effective!"

    Sensing the sudden weakening of the pervasive killing intent in the outside world, Li Fan felt a sense of joy.

    "Unfortunately, the ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra'' is still practiced through the Dao of plundering heaven. Although, due to the intent of the technique, the malevolence of the heavens and the earth has decreased significantlypared to before, it has notpletely dissipated."

    Realizing that even after leaving, there would still be a threat to his life, Li Fan made up his mind and chose to continue dissipating his cultivation.

    Soon, another surge of pure energy filled his dantian.

    The two energies were originally derived from different cultivation techniques, but now they could harmoniously merge without conflict.

    "ording to the description in the ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture,'' these pure energies obtained from dissipating cultivation canst in the dantian for about a hundred years." Li Fan''s realm at this moment had reverted to that of a mortal.

    However, he wasn''t particrly worried.

    "As long as I return to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, I can quickly re-cultivate to my original state."

    At that moment, Li Fan no longer hesitated. He steered the Tai Yan Boat and slowly flew out of the ind defense array.

    The violent and scorching spiritual energy swept through, tinting the distant sky in shades of orange-red.

    But Li Fan was now a mere mortal, and this rampant spiritual energy merely roared past withoutunching an attack.

    Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief, set his direction, increased the speed of the Tai Yan Boat to the maximum, and flew toward Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    On the way, Li Fan passed by many inds.

    All the mortals on these inds had perished, devoid of any signs of life.

    Li Fan was secretly rmed.

    His traveling speed became even faster.

    Three monthster.

    Li Fan arrived at the location where Ten Thousand Immortals Ind used to be.

    He opened the map andpared it four or five times, yet he still couldn''t believe his eyes.

    The once vast Ten Thousand Immortals Ind hadpletely disappeared.

    There was only a giant, empty ck hole stretched across the ocean.

 Chapter 56: Compassion for Mortals

    The surrounding seawater continuously poured towards the ck hole but evaporated into water vapor when it reached the edge of the ck hole.

    Due to the extremely high temperature around the ck hole, the air was distorted.

    Covered by the rising mist around, it formed a strange sight of alternating ck and white.

    Li Fan piloted the Tai Yan Boat and, while hovering in the air, watched this scene. Suddenly, he was shrouded in endless fear.

    Ten Thousand Immortals Ind... had been obliterated?

    Scenes from the past on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind shed quickly in his mind.

    The square where countless cultivators passed by the towering statues, the grand buildings at the center of the ind rumored to house Nascent Soul realm powerhouses...

    All gone like this? Not even a speck of dust left.

    What kind of power could achieve all this? The malevolence of the heavens?

    Li Fan didn''t know.

    In the face of this highly impactful scene, Li Fan''s mind was in chaos.

    Cultivation, seeking immortality.

    Li Fan''s lifelong goal now seemed soughable.

    In the face of this sudden disaster, cultivators were now no different from ordinary people, like ants.

    Once the fear settled in the heart, it was impossible to restrain.

    "Escape! Escape from this cursed ce!"

    Li Fan''s eyes turned red. He drove the Tai Yan Boat and desperately fled towards the western part of the Cong Yun Sea.

    He wanted to escape to thend, far away from this hellish sea area.

    And so, Li Fan flew for an unknown duration in a state of mental chaos.

    "Boom!"

    The Tai Yan Boat seemed to collide with something and was forced to a stop.

    Fortunately, there was a protective array, preventing immediate destruction of the boat and harm to its upant.

    With the intense impact, Li Fan suffered some minor injuries but gradually calmed down.

    He looked out of the Tai Yan Boat.

    But there was nothing.

    In the distance, there was a continuous coastline, not far from the maind.

    Li Fan manipted the Tai Yan Boat, attempting to fly forward.

    "Boom!"

    Something was blocking Li Fan.

    Li Fan tried to move in other directions, but it was the same.

    An invisible barrier separated the Cong Yun Sea from the nearby maind.

    No entry, no exit.

    Li Fan was dumbfounded.

    He suddenly thought of a phrase.

    "A frog in a well."

    After a long time, Li Fanughed.

    He looked up at the sky.

    How ruthless.

    Then he became somewhat lost. Should he summon [Truth] and return to the initial anchor point?

    Or should he look around some more?

    Li Fan became somewhat helpless, losing his sense of direction.

    He piloted the Tai Yan Boat, drifting above this sea of clouds.

    He passed by Night Ind, a ce now like the rest, disying a post-apocalyptic scene with no survivors.

    He passed by Liuli Ind.

    The ind defense array was shattered, and He Zhenghao was nowhere to be found. The ind was strewn with corpses, devoid of any signs of life.

    Flowing Cloud Ind, Zhongqiu Ind...

    All turned into wastnds.

    When he asionally encountered a cultivator who survived like him, he found that they had all gone insane.

    They treated Li Fan as if he were a ghost, screaming and fleeing upon seeing him.

    ...

    In the end, Li Fan somehow found himself back on Taian Ind.

    Here, he felt a long-lost vitality.

    Perhaps, on the entire sea of clouds, only this little bit of humanity remained.

    Li Fan walked through the streets, observing the mortals on Taian Ind.

    They were still unaware of the changes beyond Taian Ind, still wearing smiles of relief on their faces.

    Little did they know, a looming disaster awaited them.

    However, perhaps ignorance was a form of bliss.

    Witnessing scenes resembling the end of the world, they would probably have nightmares every night.

    Li Fan couldn''t help butugh at himself.

    He continued to walk, and suddenly, he heard devout prayers.

    "May the Immortal Master save us from suffering and cmity, ensuring good weather and abundant harvests in the future."

    "May the Immortal Master protect my daughter, Yu, and let her grow up safely."

    ...

    Li Fan was momentarily stunned and turned to look.

    In Taian Ind, a temple had been built at some point.

    Inside the temple, there was a statue, and on the tablet in front of the statue were the words "Immortal Master of Salvation."

    The statue seemed to bear a faint resemnce to Li Fan, with slightly lowered eyes, lookingpassionately at the people kneeling in front.

    "Immortal Master of Salvation..." Li Fan fell silent.

    After a long time, he sighed.

    "Alright, let''s see how long I can protect you all."

    ...

    However, protecting mortals under the malevolence of the heavens and earth was evidently not an easy task.

    Originally, Li Fan thought this disaster had passed.

    What he didn''t expect was that the true cmity had only just begun.

    One year, two years, three years...

    There was still no sign of rain from the sky.

    The sea level began to drop, and the sea gradually moved away from the inds.

    Even with the seawater desalination array, the inders on Taian Ind found it increasingly difficult to obtain water.

    Each time, they had to walk a very long distance to find water.

    They didn''t know why such a disaster had befallen them, but they feared that the Cong Yun Sea would eventuallypletely dry up.

    So every family began to worship the wooden statue of Li Fan, praying day and night.

    Li Fan could only helplessly watch.

    In the face of such a drastic change in the world, he couldn''t contend with it.

    The only good news was that in these three years, perhaps because most of the cultivators in the Cong Yun Sea had died, the killing intent towards cultivators in the heavens and earth slowly dissipated.

    During this time, Li Fan took the opportunity to cultivate back to the middle Qi Condensation stage.

    "When the dayes that you all stop worshipping me, I''ll return to the anchor point." Being prayed to day and night by a group of mortals was indeed a peculiar experience.

    He activated his "Discern Variations" technique and observed the increasingly dense death Qi above the heads of the mortals. He made up his mind in secret.

    "Wait, why is there a faint white light hidden within this ck death Qi?"

    Li Fan was stunned.

    Since his cultivation had recovered, Li Fan had been examining the aura of Taian Ind daily.

    This time, for some reason, he discovered a thread of vitality he had failed to detect before.

    Where was this vitalitying from?

    Li Fan activated the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" to its limit and realized that the vitality of the people on Taian Ind was actually resonating with him!

    Perplexed, he further confirmed.

    The source of this vitality was indeed him.

    But it wasn''t Li Fan himself; it was an item on his body.

    An item he had almost forgotten.

    Heavenly Treasure: Canghai Pearl.

    As it hadn''t fully formed yet, Li Fan had kept the Canghai Pearl in a corner of the Tai Yan Boat.

    It was only today, under the reflection of spiritual energy, that Li Fan remembered it.

    Unlike when he first saw it over a dozen years ago, at this moment, it had turnedpletely blue, exuding a rich mist of water vapor.

    It was as if a vast ocean was incubating within it.

    "From the abysses the sea, from the seaes life."

    Li Fan looked at the Canghai Pearl in his hand, suddenly recalling something. He raised the Tai Yan Boat and flew up to an altitude of ten thousand meters, looking down.

    Beneath, the Cong Yun Sea, due to the prolonged drought, revealed vast stretches of exposed seabed.

    One after another, the underwater mountain ranges gradually revealed their true appearance.

    And the original inds of the Cong Yun Sea were actually the peaks of these mountains.

    In his mind, Kou Hong''s enthusiastic face suddenly shed.

    He had said to Li Fan, "No worries. If Daoist friend manages to get out, you can find me at Lingtian City in the Cong Yun Mountains."

    Li Fan smiled.

    Cong Yun Sea.

    Cong Yun Mountains.

    They turned out to be the same ce.

 Chapter 57: Unexpected Opportunity

    In the previous life, when Li Fan''s life was about to end, he broke through the seal of the Immortal Extinction Array by a fortunate coincidence and came to the world of cultivation for the first time.

    At that time, what he saw were continuous mountain ranges and a towering city suspended in the air.

    But in this life, after Li Fan arrived in the world of cultivation, he found himself above a vast ocean.

    Before this, Li Fan hadn''t thought much about it, assuming that something had gone wrong during the transmission.

    It wasn''t until today when Li Fan saw the depleted Cong Yun Sea and witnessed the birth of the mystical object, the Canghai Pearl, that he finally understood.

    There was no mishap; he had indeed arrived at the same ce after passing through the Immortal Extinction Array. The only difference was the timing of his arrival in the world of cultivation.

    In his previous life, when Li Fan arrived in the world of cultivation, he was already 85 years old, which corresponded to 65 years after the anchor point.

    In this life, Li Fan entered the world of cultivation at the age of 40, after reaching 100% progress for the recharge of [Truth].

    Only 20 years after the anchor point.

    A 45-year gap, encountering the ocean in one life and mountains in another.

    It''s no wonder Li Fan didn''t think along these lines.

    Without experiencing it personally, even if someone had warned him in advance about such a vast change in the world, he still would have doubted.

    So Li Fan smiled.

    First, heughed at himself for still being unable topletely rid himself of a mortal mindset.

    If he could link the various anomalies that Zhang Haobo had warned him about with the differences he had observed twice, he might have been able to foresee this massive change in the world in advance.

    Second, he was relieved because he finally saw the hope for the end of this cmity.

    In the 50th year after the anchor point, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi broke into the Land of Immortal Extinction. At that time, they imed to be from Lingtian City in the Cong Yun Mountains.

    Presumably, before that, this drought disaster had already passed.

    The dried-up oceans would transform into thriving mountains.

    Now, 34 years have passed, not far from the end.

    The most agonizing wait is a hopeless one. However, knowing the final result, this seemingly endless cmity no longer seemed so frightening.

    Li Fan calmed down and returned to Taian Ind.

    Seeing the anxious and numb mortals who prayed incessantly day and night, Li Fan transmitted his voice across the entire ind, telling them that this cmity would eventually pass.

    Following the instructions of the Immortal Master, the residents on the ind were overjoyed and once again ignited the hope for survival.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, went into seclusion and took out the Canghai Pearl.

    "Is the ray of hope in this?"

    Li Fan observed this azure mystical object.

    His divine sense poured into it, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, disappearing in an instant.

    "It seems that I''ll need to put in some effort to use it," Li Fan thought as he saw this.

    Heavenly Treasures were key to achieving the Foundation Establishment stage. Finding and using them were precious opportunities.

    The exchange price in the Tianxuan Mirror was also extremely high, requiring nearly 2000 contribution points.

    At the moment, Li Fan could only explore it on his own.

    Next, Li Fan made several attempts.

    He infused spiritual energy, nurtured it with divine sense, and even tried external force impacts. Finally, he attempted to refine it with a drop of blood.

    However, the Canghai Pearl remained unmoved, unable to activate the immense water vapor it contained.

    In the end, Li Fan had a sh of insight and remembered the method from the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" to sense and refine the aura of Heavenly Treasures.

    He immediately used his "Discern Variations" technique and looked at the Canghai Pearl.

    A deep blue light surrounded the Canghai Pearl.

    Ancient, profound, and vibrant...

    Although the Canghai Pearl was small, its aura was moreplex and powerful than all the creatures on Taian Ind.

    However, it was currently in a state of nurturing and dormancy, so without careful observation, it couldn''t be easily distinguished.

    Li Fan carefully sensed the aura of the Canghai Pearl.

    Upon contact, Li Fan felt as if his body had disappeared.

    It was like he had suddenly arrived above the nine heavens, looking down at the ocean below with an overlooking perspective.

    The Cong Yun Sea has existed for eternity, nurturing countless living beings.

    But one day, a certain spirit of the heavens and earth suddenly descended.

    And thus, the ocean began to head towards its death.

    Heaven creates, heaven kills, such is the way of the Dao.

    Heaven intended to burn the sea, and the sea was powerless to resist.

    However, it refused!

    Thus, although the ocean seemed to die, another ocean was born!

    ...

    Boom!

    Li Fan snapped out of that strange state.

    Before he could savor the scenes he had seen, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness, almost stumbling.

    Upon inspection, Li Fan was horrified to discover that he had developed a strand of white hair and fine wrinkles on his face at some point.

    This was just a momentary connection with the aura of the Canghai Pearl!

    Li Fan then opened [Truth] and was even more astonished.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Qi Condensation - Middle Stage

    Physical Age: 89/199

    Mental Age: 517/2280¡ü

    In just that instant, Li Fan''s physiological age jumped from 54 to 89.

    It was as if he had crossed 35 years in the blink of an eye.

    "No wonder that even in the ancient Tianji Sect, there are very few practitioners of this technique. Just interacting with the consciousness of a certain ocean rapidly consumes one''s lifespan."

    "If it weren''t for the rapid consumption of my lifespan and the body''s automatic warning, I would have been assimted by the consciousness of the Canghai Pearl in such a bewildering manner. At that point, it wouldn''t be easy to activate [Truth]."

    Li Fan realized what had just happened and was somewhat rmed.

    "No, this is definitely not the method used to control a Heavenly Treasure."

    Li Fan knew he must have misunderstood the method.

    A human time scale was not even on the same level as that of the heavens, the earth, mountains, and oceans.

    Even those powerful cultivators who could live for several thousand years were still far fromparable.

    Touching it with human consciousness would only result in being assimted.

    So how exactly could one manipte heavenly treasures?

    Li Fan held the Canghai Pearl, his face changing in expression.

    ...

    Days went by, and Li Fan still hadn''t figured out how to use the Canghai Pearl.

    The weather became hotter and hotter, seemingly preparing for the final purification of the Cong Yun Sea.

    The ordinary people on the ind gradually lost the strength to even pray.

    Li Fan knew that if this continued, these ordinary people might not survive until the end of this cmity.

    Dying before dawn was despairing.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but be a little anxious and had many mixed thoughts.

    To calm his mind, he involuntarily activated the long-unused "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra."

    Ever since bing a Qi Condensation cultivator, most of his energy has been used to cultivate the "Minor Yan Water Technique" and "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    The "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" had not been deliberately practiced for a long time.

    Because it didn''t significantly help with the essence of cultivation, and even if he didn''t practice it actively, it would run slowly on its own.

    So Li Fan put it aside.

    Now, as the "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" circted, all the negative emotions in Li Fan''s heart¡ªunease, fear, impatience¡ªslowly disappeared and became nourishment for strengthening his Dao heart.

    His mind became calm again, and suddenly, Li Fan felt something.

    The opportunity for his breakthrough was also embedded in the Canghai Pearl.

 Chapter 58: Understanding the Aura of Heaven and Earth

    Li Fan had been trapped in the Qi Condensation stage for several years, unable to make any progress.

    After cultivating both of his techniques to the Qi Condensation stage, he still couldn''t find the key to his own destiny.

    At this moment, as Li Fan looked at the Canghai Pearl, he suddenly sensed an opportunity to break through from the depths of his consciousness.

    That was, as before, to perceive and understand the Canghai Pearl.

    Li Fan was naturally aware of how dangerous this was; it was essentially tantamount to walking towards death.

    In "Misceneous Records of Cultivation," there were many records of cultivators sensing their own destiny.

    Although there were certain risks, opportunities also coexisted with them.

    Why didn''t he sense it before, but it suddenly appeared now?

    Li Fan instantly understood.

    "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra."

    Perhaps operating the "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" could help Li Fan resist the assimtion of the Canghai Pearl''s will.

    A decision was made.

    Li Fan held the Canghai Pearl with both hands, and slightly lowered it to his dantian.

    Cross-legged, "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" and "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" operated simultaneously.

    Initially, it was a bit ufortable for Li Fan to multitask.

    But since the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra didn''t involve the operation of spiritual energy, only tempering the mind, there was no conflict between the two techniques.

    After hundreds of attempts, Li Fan gradually mastered the method of running both techniques at the same time.

    His mind felt a bit absent as if he had turned into the vast sea, watching the changes in the world from that perspective.

    Sunrises and sunsets, the rotation of stars, clouds drifting and rain dissipating.

    All of this elerated thousands of times, quickly shing before Li Fan''s eyes.

    With a single thought, it felt like he had passed through hundreds of years.

    A sense of ancient, ancient, and deste aura gradually permeated Li Fan''s consciousness.

    He began to get used to seeing the world from the perspective of the ocean.

    He began to gradually forget that he was a human.

    At this moment, a cool breath suddenly surged.

    It was like a clear spring in the mountains, slowly washing away the mottled marks of time.

    Li Fan gradually regained his consciousness.

    "It really worked."

    Confirming his spection, Li Fan was neither sad nor happy.

    Although the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra could reduce the assimtion of the Canghai''s will to some extent,pared to the Canghai''s will, he was still too insignificant.

    The consumption of lifespan remained many times that of normal cultivation, and emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and joy were infinitely diluted.

    Of course, there were advantages.

    At this moment, he could already mobilize a trace of the Canghai Pearl''s power.

    His divine sense was strengthened a thousandfold, gently moving, easily covering the entire Taian Ind.

    Without stopping, Li Fan''s consciousness spread rapidly like ripples.

    He saw one extinct ind after another in his mind.

    Through his divine sense, he saw that under one of the inds, a volcano that had already been extinguished was reignited due to the influence of the scorching disaster.

    He saw, not far from Liuli Ind, a giant fishbone lying among numerous human corpses. In the center of the fishbone, a huge ss bead was shining in the sunlight.

    He saw that in various hidden corners of the Cong Yun Sea, there were still several cultivators whom he thought were already extinct.

    He saw many secrets hidden in various corners of the Cong Yun Sea that would only be revealed in the face of such an apocalypse.

    ...

    However, all of this was irrelevant to him.

    There was no greed in his heart.

    His divine sense quickly retracted, and he activated the Canghai Pearl, drawing in the residual water vapor between the heavens and the earth in the Cong Yun Sea, converging it above Taian Ind.

    Thus, the surviving humans on Taian Ind saw the gradually forming dark clouds in the sky.

    "Boom!"

    With the onset of heavy rain, people wept tears of joy.

    They embraced each other and rolled in the rain.

    The heavy rainsted for half an hour.

    There was still a faint trace of clouds remaining above Taian Ind. This was manipted by Li Fan; every half month, he would spontaneously extract the moisture from the Cong Yun Sea using the Canghai Pearl to bring rain to Taian Ind.

    This ensured the survival of the ind''s inhabitants.

    After doing all this, Li Fan looked at the sky quietly.

    The reason he had no greed for the many hidden treasures in the Cong Yun Sea was not because he suddenly became extraordinary, but because he had found something more worthy of pursuit.

    An opportunity to connect with the will of heaven and earth.

    The most ideal state of the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" was to sense and refine the aura of Heaven and Earth.

    The aura of Heaven and Earth, as the external manifestation of the will of heaven and earth, was immense.

    When an ordinary cultivatores into contact with it, a slight mistake would lead to a rapid depletion of lifespan, like what happened to Li Fan before.

    Losing one''s self and bing a puppet of the heavenly Dao was quitemon.

    But Li Fan now had such a rare opportunity: toe into contact with the will of heaven and earth while retaining his own consciousness.

    Because he was no longer just an ordinary Qi Condensation stage cultivator.

    A part of his consciousness was already connected to the Canghai Pearl.

    To specte on the heavens and earth as a cultivator was like seeking a dead end.

    However, specting on the heavens and earth using the Canghai Pearl might not be a dead end.

    Li Fan''s excitement began to grow.

    This was the true way to find the Dao!

    He transformed into the Canghai and silently observed this world, feeling the various spiritual energy flows circting between heaven and earth, feeling the will of the heavens and earth.

    One year, two years...

    The passage of time was no longer important to Li Fan.

    The more he gazed at the sky, the more insights he gained.

    His previous notions were overturned one by one.

    He thought that the pervasive killing intent in the Cong Yun Sea had gradually disappeared.

    But now he realized that the killing intent of heaven and earth had never diminished and still existed.

    The wild killing intent he sensed before was not from the will of the heavenly Dao itself.

    The killing intent of the heavens and earth would not be detected by ordinary cultivators.

    It wasn''t violent, angry, or filled with emotions.

    It was just a pure will, a pure rule.

    It was the impartiality of the heavens and earth, treating all living beings as mere ants.

    In its eyes, mortals, cultivators, and the Cong Yun Sea...

    There was no difference.

    Cultivators plundered the heavens and earth, and the heavenly will generated killing intent.

    However, the heavenly will would not directly intervene, because cultivators themselves were also part of the heavenly way.

    Instead, corresponding rules would be set in response.

    For example, cultivation techniques couldn''t be cultivated simultaneously.

    And more...

    What Li Fan saw at this moment.

    In the sky above the Cong Yun Sea, a transparent crimson figure looked down coldly.

    In their hand, a small me was constantly flickering.

    Roasting the Cong Yun Sea.

    Sensing Li Fan''s gaze, the crimson figure turned its head, locking eyes with Li Fan.

    The seawater in the Canghai Pearl boiled in an instant.

    Fortunately, it only took a nce and then retracted its gaze.

    Li Fan''s consciousness was preserved.

    Because of this nce, Li Fan also understood its identity.

    The Heavenly Spirit: Crimson me!

 Chapter 59: Transformation of the Cong Yun Sea

    Upon seeing the crimson figure, numerous pieces of information suddenly appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    A Heavenly Spirit is the embodiment of a certainw of the world.

    When a specific condition is met, a Heavenly Spirit wille into being and appear in a certain area.

    If the heavens emit killing intent and set a n to eliminate cultivators...

    Then the Heavenly Spirit is the executor of that n.

    They don''t have their own thoughts and only act ording to predetermined instincts.

    They are the very embodiment of thew itself, ughtering cultivators like ughtering chickens and sheep.

    Their mission is to eradicate those cultivators who defy the heavens and the earth.

    For cultivators, the Heavenly Spirit is extremely dangerous.

    Once targeted, it basically means a certain death situation.

    But at the same time...

    As the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao''sws, the Heavenly Spirit also represents a tremendous opportunity for cultivators.

    One could sacrifice a Heavenly Spirit to merge with the Dao.

    Once a cultivator was able to sacrifice a Heavenly Spirit, regardless of their previous cultivation level, they could immediately achieve the Dao Integration Realm.

    It is the cultivator''s natural enemy, but at the same time, it holds an unparalleled allure for them.

    At this moment, witnessing the crimson Heavenly Spirit, an inexhaustible greed welled up from the depths of Li Fan''s heart.

    "Kill it! Killing it will allow me toprehend the Dao, and I''ll ascend immediately!"

    It was as if a person starving to death encountered a sumptuous delicacy, or as if a traveler who had been walking in the desert for days encountered clearke water.

    This greed whispered like a demon, constantly speaking in Li Fan''s ears.

    Driving and tempting him to rush towards the crimson figure in the sky.

    While Li Fan eased the intense sensationing from the Canghai Pearl, he madly operated the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra to dispel the surging greed in his heart.

    He knew that he could currently observe the Heavenly Spirit, Crimson me, only by using the Canghai Pearl.

    In the eyes of the Crimson me, Li Fan was merely the unformed consciousness of the Canghai Pearl. Therefore, even if the Crimson me noticed Li Fan''s gaze, it only took note and then no longer paid attention.

    However, if Li Fan were to lose his reason and attack the Crimson me, revealing the identity of a cultivator, he would undoubtedly be mercilessly killed by it.

    Reason and desire tore at Li Fan''s soul.

    The two extreme thoughts were almost tearing his consciousness in half.

    Li Fan could only barely maintain the operation of the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra and preserve his Dao heart.

    He didn''t know how long had passed until the storm caused by greed gradually subsided.

    Li Fan was still trembling, not daring to probe further.

    To glimpse at heavenly secrets and still maintain a clear consciousness was already a great fortune.

    Li Fan had obtained a great harvest already. As his consciousness was about to leave the Canghai Pearl and return to his own body, he discovered an extremely awkward situation.

    It turned out that resolving the madness of greed brought by the Heavenly Spirit had actually taken Li Fan nearly half a year!

    He used the Canghai Pearl to observe the Crimson me, which led to the greed. Resolving it took up a significant portion of his time.

    The time he spent merging his consciousness with the Canghai Pearl had far exceeded the limits a Qi Refining cultivator could endure.

    At this moment, his consciousness was still connected to the Canghai Pearl, which was alright. If he returned to his body, it wouldn''t be long before he aged and died.

    Just a fleeting nce had brought about such dreadful consequences.

    Perhaps his cultivation journey in this world wasing to an end.

    Although Li Fan felt some regret, he had no remorse.

    He had learned the truth behind the Cong Yun Sea''s dramatic change, encountered the Heavenly Spirit Crimson me, and personally experienced the mysteries of the heavens and the earth.

    Li Fan''s gains were undoubtedly substantial.

    Even if this life were to end now, he could ept it.

    Moreover, he currently didn''t n to activate [Truth] and end this life.

    Since he was already trapped within the Canghai Pearl, he might as well take this opportunity to once againprehend the secrets of the heavens and the earth.

    As long as he didn''t recklessly probe the Heavenly Spirit Crimson me and simply focused onprehending, it should be safe.

    Now, his body''s lifespan had ended. Without a body to nourish his consciousness, he was like water without a source or a tree without roots. His consciousness would gradually dissipate within the Canghai Pearl.

    ording to Li Fan''s estimate, he could sustain for a dozen or so years at most.

    If he could make good use of this time, he might still achieve something.

    Li Fan invoked a pure strand of power from the Canghai Pearl, protecting his body from decay. Afterward, his consciousness once again immersed itself in the perspective of the Canghai Pearl.

    He observed the cirction of the Heavenly Dao and the rising and setting of the sun, moon, and stars.

    He watched as the remaining life in the Cong Yun Sea continued to pass away.

    He felt the cold and indifferent, eternal, unchanging killing intent within heaven and earth.

    In this way, in the blink of an eye, five years passed.

    After 40 years, the Cong Yun Sea had long sincepletely dried up, truly bing a lifeless ce.

    Only Taian Ind, which was under Li Fan''s protection, still harbored a small number of ordinary people.

    On this day, Li Fan suddenly had a feeling and looked towards the sky.

    That crimson figure that had stood in the sky for over ten years had finally disappeared.

    Its mission waspleted, and it naturally dissipated.

    No one could predict where it would reappear in the cultivation world someday.

    Li Fan stared in the direction where the Crimson me disappeared, and his consciousness once again sank into the Canghai Pearl.

    As time passed, Li Fan''s consciousness became weaker and weaker.

    His thoughts also became increasingly sluggish.

    He lost the ability to think for himself and could only silently observe this world through the perspective of the Canghai Pearl.

    In the second year after the disappearance of the Crimson me, several cultivators dressed in blue Daoist robes arrived at the Cong Yun Sea.

    After various spells were cast, rain finally fell from the sky after a long absence.

    More cultivators arrived thereafter.

    Blue light blossomed on the dried seabed.

    Vegetation, representing the breath of life, appeared on thend.

    A gentle breeze passed by, and trees sprouted from the ground.

    In just a year, the once scorchednd had once again be vibrant.

    The scene of the Crimson me boiling the sea, which had happened not long ago, seemed to have gently dispersed like a nightmare.

    The Cong Yun Sea had alsopleted its transformation into the Cong Yun Mountain Range.

    A city, standing tall in the sky, began to be built above the Cong Yun Mountain Range.

    Oncepleted, it attracted more and more cultivators from all directions.

    The Cong Yun Mountain Range became even more lively.

    asionally, some cultivators woulde out of curiosity, visiting the only surviving ind in the cmity, attempting to find opportunities.

    But through Li Fan''s instinctive concealment, they found nothing.

    After 48 years, a Foundation Establishment cultivator returned to the Cong Yun Sea.

    He arrived at the former Liuli Ind, now the Liuli Mountain Range, with a sorrowful expression.

    Li Fan''s consciousness scanned over, seeing this scene, and also felt a wave of emotion.

    This person, Li Fan knew him.

    He was Zhang Haobo, who had decided to migrate from the Cong Yun Sea due to his inner unease.

    Twenty-plus years had passed, and through various unknown circumstances, this man had actually be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

    Scenes from this life shed rapidly in Li Fan''s mind. His consciousness was about to dissipate.

    Beforepletely disappearing, Li Fan''s consciousness returned to his own body.

    Over a dozen years of understanding the aura of the heavens and the earth allowed the bottleneck hindering Li Fan''s breakthrough to suddenly dissipate.

    The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged, and Li Fan''s cultivation instantly broke through to theter stage of Qi Condensation.

    A slight smile appeared on Li Fan''s face but quickly froze.

    His body rapidly aged, and with a gust of wind, he turned into dust, dispersing into the heavens and the earth.

    Only a set of white bones remained, lying there quietly.

    [Truth]!

    Before dissipating, Li Fan called out in his heart.

 Chapter 60: Review and Scheming

    [The simtion ends.]

    [You can choose one of the following to keep:

    <ol> <li>An item you possessed during this simtion.</li> <li>Your cultivation realm during this simtion.</li> <li>The simted memories of a person closely rted to you in this simtion. These memories will be inherited by that person.</li> <li>Abandon the above choices and elerate the recharge progress.]</li> </ol>

    Slowly regaining consciousness, Li Fan felt the youthful body of twenty years old and looked around at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings. It took a long time for him toe back to his senses.

    In his previous life, despite only experiencing 48 years, Li Fan felt it was longer than the sum of his nine previous lives. Apart from the splendid andplex experiences in the cultivation world, the crucial reason was the assimtion he experienced with the will of the Canghai Pearl.

    Of course, his first foray into the cultivation world yielded significant gains.

    Li Fan looked at the first option: the choice of an item.

    The storage ring he purchased from the Heavenly Mirror and various scriptures needed no mention. The extraordinary items like the Stone Tablet of Prohibition and the Canghai Pearl were what caught his eye.

    Li Fan''s mind focused on the Canghai Pearl, realizing that choosing the Canghai Pearl would grant him the mostly formed Canghai Pearl that he had in his previous life, just before his lifespan was about to end.

    Having been in sync with the consciousness of the Canghai Pearl for over a decade, Li Fan was well aware of its formidable power.

    Although tempted, Li Fan resolutely chose the second option to retain his own cultivation realm.

    After all, cultivation was fundamental. A mere mortal holding heavenly treasures was a path to disaster.

    Moreover, Li Fan knew that the Canghai Pearl was still at Flowing Cloud Ind. He could go get it when the time was right.

    As Li Fan made his decision, two familiar auras appeared in his dantian out of nowhere.

    At the same time, Li Fan''s expression changed.

    He suddenly realized that, at this moment, he was just a mortal.

    His body was still filled with the essence of immortals and mortals. If this sudden influx of aura conflicted with it, it could be extremely detrimental.

    Fortunately, what Li Fan worried about did not happen.

    An inexplicable fluctuation descended upon him. After a moment, the aura in his dantian surged like a river, sweeping across Li Fan''s entire body, remodeling his physique and elevating his cultivation realm.

    Qi Condensation Initial Stage, Qi Condensation Middle Stage, Qi Condensation Late Stage!

    In just a breath, he had achieved the realm that he had painstakingly reached in his previous life.

    Li Fan''s breath gradually stabilized.

    However, he wore a look of inexplicable shock on his face.

    Not because he had achieved Qi Condensation Late Stage in the blink of an eye, but because of the inexplicable fluctuation that had descended!

    Li Fan keenly felt that since that fluctuation had arrived, the essence of immortals and mortals within his body hadpletely dissipated in the blink of an eye, disappearing thoroughly!

    The effect far exceeded the previous life''s expulsion using the Pure Body Spirit Pool.

    "This kind of fluctuation..." Li Fan carefully recalled the fleeting fluctuation and vaguely felt it was familiar.

    "It''s the will of heaven and earth, the power ofws!" Li Fan suddenly realized.

    In his previous life, after observing the changes of the heavenly and earthly auras for over ten years through the Canghai Pearl, Li Fan, although far from mastering and controlling it, could at least recognize it.

    "If the Immortal-Mortal Miasma is the will of heaven and earth to permanently separate immortals and mortals, then the fluctuation just now ispletely the opposite."

    "The Immortal-Mortal Miasma that has gued the cultivation world for thousands of years actually disappeared so easily."

    "Indeed, it''s really unbelievable."

    "If I could master this method of purifying the Immortal-Mortal Miasma..." Li Fan''s thoughts surged for a moment.

    After a long time, he gradually calmed down.

    "A great monument is built on a stable foundation. With my cultivation at the Qi Condensation stage, replicating the power of thosews just now is nothing but a daydream."

    "I have to take it step by step."

    Li Fan opened [Truth] to review his previous life.

    Name: Li Fan

    Realm: Qi Condensation Late Stage

    Physical Age: 20/199

    Mental Age: 531/2300¡ü

    Virtualization Progress: 0%

    Anchor Charging Progress: 51%

    Current Anchor Points: 1

    Bound Items: "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra," Tai Yan Boat, Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged)

    Techniques: Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, Minor Yan Water Art, Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra

    "The path of cultivation is indeed difficult. Especially in the cultivation world, where cultivators plunder the heavens and earth, and the world is filled with killing intent towards them."

    "In his previous life, as soon as I entered the cultivation world, I encountered Su Changyu. I thought he had a strong will and was devoted to the Dao, and was destined for great achievements. Little did I know he would inexplicably die within a few days."

    "It was instead the inconspicuous Xiao Heng by his side who possessed exceptional talent. In just a few years, he was close to forming his Foundation."

    "He and He Zhenghao both believed he would surely achieve Foundation Establishment within his lifetime. But who would have thought..."

    "The world had long set a murderous trap. All the beings in the Cong Yun Sea, whether sessful or not, be it cultivators or mortals, were destined to face death sooner orter."

    "Only the ordinary fisherman Zhang Haobo, after escaping, had a different encounter, bing a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

    "There is nothing more unpredictable than this."

    Li Fan recalled his previous life and was filled with many emotions.

    Then, a hint of doubt arose in his mind.

    "Just like what I told Xiao Heng before, if the government wants to hunt down bandits, they wouldn''t let the bandits know in advance. The heavens and the earth and the cultivators here are just like the government and the bandits."

    "So, when the heavens released the killing intent to exterminate cultivators, naturally the cultivators couldn''t perceive it. This is also why, when I asked the Tianxuan Mirror if there were disasters, it answered there weren''t any. The disaster was just obscured by heavenly machinations."

    "But how did the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce detect it early and order all their subordinates to evacuate the Cong Yun Sea?"

    "And why didn''t they warn the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and instead watched countless beings lose their lives?"

    "There must be something fishy going on. If I get the chance in this life, I''ll definitely figure it out."

    After careful consideration for a long time, Li Fan made ns for this life.

    "The cultivation world is extremely dangerous. It''s better not to step into it rashly until the virtualization ispleted."

    "Now that I''m cultivating the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, the charging speed has greatly increased. It won''t take me twenty years like before toplete the charging. Within ten years, I should be able to reach 100%."

    "In this way, the time I arrive in the cultivation world should be several decades earlier than the previous life."

    "I remember that during these decades, something major seemed to have happened in the Cong Yun Sea. It''s a good opportunity to n ahead."

    "After the Cong Yun Sea dried up In his previous life, I saw the hidden treasures on various inds. Now, they are all ripe for the picking. If I get the chance, I''ll collect them all."

    "The Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra has repeatedly helped me break through bottlenecks in my previous life. This technique is truly extraordinary, and there seems to be a hidden secret behind it. I need to cultivate it well and not ck off."

    "As for the boiling of the ocean, whether I choose to escape alone or reveal it to the public..."

    "I can only adapt to the situation when the timees..."

    ...

    In his previous life, Li Fan plunged into the unfamiliar world of cultivation. He only managed to cultivate to Late Stage Qi Condensation, enduring for forty-eight years before meeting his end.

    But in this life, with foresight and perception, Li Fan believed he would go much further.

 Chapter 61: Formless Killing Intent

    Grand Xuan Kingdom, Mount Xie Li.

    The mountain rose thousands of meters high, shaped like a split de, piercing the sky.

    On the steep mountain path halfway up the mountain, two teenagers were walking one after the other.

    In front was a slender young man, wearing a straw hat, with a determined face.

    Following him was a younger-looking but burly teenager, with thick eyebrows and an honest expression.

    At this moment, the burly teenager wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat down with a sigh, "Eng, let''s take a break. We''ve been walking for most of the day, and I really can''t walk anymore."

    The frail teenager turned around and handed him a water bottle, saying, "Wild beasts asionally appear in these mountains. It''s not safe to rest here. I know there''s a hidden cave not far ahead. If you''re really tired, we can rest there."

    The burly teenager took the water bottle, took a few gulps, and after a deep breath, he curiously asked, "Eng, are there really immortals in these mountains?"

    "Definitely, I''ve seen it with my own eyes," Eng said confidently, looking up at the mountaintop hidden in the clouds.

    The burly teenager, however, seemed skeptical, "Since five years ago, you''ve been obsessed with this and constantly sneaking into this Xie Li. I don''t know how many times you''ve run back and forth, but I haven''t seen you find a real immortal. In my opinion, you should give up on this idea. Seeking immortality and enlightenment is too elusive. In my opinion, you should focus on martial arts like me..."

    The burly teenager was interrupted by Eng, who furrowed his brow, "Wang Xuanba, why are you being as nagging as my mother? If you keep saying these useless words, you can go down the mountain by yourself!"

    The burly teenager awkwardly touched the back of his head and wisely kept silent.

    The two continued to climb towards the mountaintop along the path.

    Not long after they walked, a chilly wind suddenly blew through the mountains.

    Wang Xuanba''s ears twitched, and his face changed. He took a step forward, grabbing Eng and gesturing for silence.

    "There''s something up ahead..." His eyes narrowed slightly, about to speak up to warn, but he froze instantly.

    A drop of cold sweat fell from his forehead.

    On the mountain path ahead, apanied by rustling sounds, a giant white python was slithering down the mountainside.

    The white python had a massive body, with only a section of its head exposed, which was easily seven to eight meters long.

    The rest of its body was concealed among the grass and trees of the mountain, and they had no idea how long it might be.

    The white python had a face as thick as a washbasin, and its huge crimson eyes emitted a chilling red light.

    It released thin trails of poison and raised its head as it moved along the mountain wall, heading towards the cliff below.

    Seeing this terrifying creature, Wang Xuanba and Eng were both terrified, unable to move, not even daring to breathe.

    The massive body of the white python dragged on the ground for a long time before slowly disappearing from the sight of the two.

    Phew...

    Wang Xuanba heaved a sigh of relief and was about to speak, but he heard another rapid noise.

    The enormous snake head suddenly reappeared from below the cliff, staring intently at the two!

    Wang Xuanba and Eng were petrified once again.

    Hiss...

    The white python swayed its head and moved slowly, approaching the two.

    Its massive mouth opened, carrying a wave of foul odor.

    Shrouded by the shadow of the white python, it seemed like their heads were about to be swallowed in a single gulp. Wang Xuanba couldn''t bear it any longer.

    He let out a loud roar, his muscles bulging all over, and his entire body expanded in an instant.

    He flipped and jumped up, raising his fist and smashing it towards the white python''s head below.

    "Ding!"

    The impact sounded like metal shing!

    At this moment, Eng also moved.

    With a step, the rocks beneath his feet turned to powder, and his figure became blurred. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind the white python.

    Forming a fist, he fiercely punched the back of the white python''s head repeatedly.

    "Ding! Ding! Ding!..."

    The collision sounds echoed in their ears.

    However, their attacks didn''t even manage to break the white python''s skin!

    The white python roared, and its body twisted, hitting Wang Xuanba.

    "Bang!"

    Wang Xuanba was sent flying and crashed into the mountain wall, sending rocks flying.

    The python didn''t pursue Wang Xuanba but instead turned its head and, with its mouth wide open, bit towards Eng.

    Eng couldn''t dodge in time and could only extend both hands, firmly holding the python''s mouth shut.

    The white python let out a strange roar, suddenly exerting force.

    Eng''s body almost disappeared into the white python''s huge mouth, but he let out a muffled groan and managed to hold on.

    After holding the stalemate for quite some time, the white python, unable to swallow the small human, became furious.

    It continuously swung its body, constantly mming Eng against the mountain path and the mountain itself, trying to shake him off.

    With each hit, Eng''s fingers became like sharp swords, piercing into the white python''s flesh.

    After a long time like this, the mountain path was marked with traces of Eng colliding with the rocks. The white python''s eyes shed red, and a dark brown liquid sprayed from its mouth.

    Eng barely dodged his head, but he was still sprayed with the venom.

    "Sizzle..."

    As the venom corroded, Eng''s flesh appeared to have a faint golden glow.

    He let out a muffled groan, finding it increasingly difficult to endure. The white python suddenly swung its head, spewing a dark brown liquid from its mouth.

    Eng barely avoided getting poison on his head, but the rest of his body was drenched.

    "Sizzle..."

    As the venom corroded his flesh, Eng''s skin emitted a faint golden light.

    He grunted but could no longer hold on. He was thrown to the side by the white python, falling together with the unconscious Wang Xuanba.

    Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he struggled to prop himself up and looked at the approaching white python, a hint of unwillingness in his eyes.

    Ever since that evening in Mount Xie Li, witnessing the extraordinary figure of an immortal flying through the air, he couldn''t forget the idea of seeking immortality and enlightenment.

    Countless times he ventured into the mountains, all to find this immortal and be his disciple.

    For this, he even had conflicts with his mother.

    Who would have thought that instead of finding the immortal, he would meet his end in the mouth of this beast.

    He, Sun Eng, was born with divine strength and was proficient in all martial arts, yet ended up with such a fate. How could he be willing?

    But now, shrouded in the shadow of the white python, his body devoid of strength to resist, Eng could only despairingly close his eyes.

    Just as Eng resigned himself to fate, a clear crane cry suddenly came from the distant mountains.

    Hearing this cry, the white python, as if encountering a natural enemy, lifted its head and released poison, tightly staring at the direction from which the sound came.

    Eng, seeing a chance, opened his eyes.

    He saw a white crane flying from somewhere in the mountains, engaging in a fierce battle with the white python.

    The white crane dodged the attacks of the python with agility, simultaneously pecking at the snake''s body with its pointed beak, drawing blood.

    Although the python was not as agile as the white crane, it had tough skin. Despite being hit by the crane dozens of times, it suffered no loss of vital energy.

    But just one counterattack by the python would be enough to fatally wound the crane if itnded.

    Gradually, the white crane found itself at a disadvantage.

    Eng watched these two extraordinary beasts fight a difficult battle as the surroundings faded to the back of his mind. He struggled to stand up and tried to pull Wang Xuanba to escape.

    At this moment, there seemed to be a tide-like sounding from the mountains.

    Eng was stunned, he looked up and witnessed a strange scene.

    In the sky, countless birds flocked from various parts of the mountains, like a dense cloud, flying towards this direction.

    On the mountain, rodents, reptiles, primates, tigers, leopards, and countless animals Eng had never seen before suddenly emerged from various ces, forming a tide of beasts rushing towards the ce where the crane and python were entangled.

    Eng realized the situation and his face turned pale.

    In this tide of beasts, there was no chance of survival for the two of them!

    The red-eyed white python also sensed the danger and no longer fought with the white crane, trying to leave the area.

    However, the white crane would not let it go and fought relentlessly as if it had an irreconcble enmity with the python. Even if it was covered in blood and shattered, it refused to let it escape.

    In the blink of an eye, the birds and the tide of animals arrived.

    They ignored the white crane and Eng, and their target was only the giant python!

    The white python let out a terrified cry, surrounded by countless wild animals. It was truly a situation where there was no way to escape.

    All the birds and beasts, one after another, pledged to gnaw the python to the end.

    They wouldn''t stop until it was dead!

    The white python was overwhelmed by the tide of beasts, and its struggle gradually weakened.

    After who knows how long, there was no more sound.

    After this, the beasts gradually dispersed.

    But there was nothing left behind of the massive red-eyed white python, not even a single bone.

    Witnessing this eerie scene, Eng stood still, stunned, unable to speak for a long while.

    After swallowing hard, it took him a long time toe to his senses.

    Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and shouted loudly, looking around, "Immortal Master, is that you?"

    "It must be you, right?"

    In his view, the unusual tide of beasts just now must have been the work of the hermit immortal residing in Mount Xie Li.

    Eng was a little excited and eager.

    Unfortunately, his voice was almost hoarse, and he still couldn''t see the trace of the Immortal Master.

    So he fell into deep disappointment.

    And not far from him, Li Fan was watching him with a smile.

    The immortal was right in front of him, but the mortal couldn''t see him.

    "This kid is not bad; his physique seems to be somewhat special, and his determination to seek the Dao is quite firm," Li Fan looked at Eng with a hint of approval in his eyes.

    "Unfortunately, I have not gained a firm foothold myself, so how can I teach you?" Li Fan shook his head with a smile.

    "It''s better to wait and give you a chance in the future!"

    He lightly pointed towards Eng.

    Sun Eng suddenly felt confused, and then looked around in a daze, and finally carried the unconscious Wang Xuanba and left.

    Watching the two leave Mount Xie Li, Li Fan then looked at the crime scene where the white python was devoured, feeling a bit pleased.

    "All the effort I''ve put into studying for these nine years isn''t in vain. This formless killing intent is indeed extraordinary."

    In this life, since he had already reachedte stage Qi Condensation, in order to avoid the influence of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, he simply came to hide in Mount Xie Li.

    While waiting for [Truth], he practiced diligently.

    Due to the absence of spiritual energy in this deste ce, most of his time was spentprehending the heavenly aura that he had observed and felt in his previous life.

    Night and day for nine years, with great effort and persistence, he finallyprehended a formless killing intent.

    Once this formless killing intent was applied, it could disguise itself as the killing intent of the heavens to a certain extent and in a certain range.

    There were various forms of killing intent in the heavens, each leading to different cmities.

    When locked onto by this formless killing intent, one would fall into cmities without Li Fan having to personally take action.

    Just like the white python just now, when locked onto by Li Fan''s formless killing intent, it became the target of heavenly cmities within the range of Mount Xie Li.

    The heavens and the earth nurture all things, and the will of the heavens and the earth governs the vast majority of beings in the world.

    Countless animals thus formed endless killing intent towards this white python as well.

    This killing intent would only disappear when the white python diedpletely.

    Using a false heavenly mandate¡ªthis is the formidable aspect of the formless killing intent.

    Not only is its power remarkable and its methods treacherous, but the concealment of the formless killing intent is also extremely high.

    The formless killing intent itself is like the killing intent of the heavens and the earth, akin to a pure will and rule.

    Ordinary cultivators are fundamentally unable to perceive it.

    Having so many advantages, it is truly an essential product for killing.

    No wonder Li Fan is so satisfied.

    Of course, the initial test subject for the formless killing intent was an ordinary beast in the mountains, so the momentum was quite grand.

    As for the specific effects on cultivators of the same or even higher cultivation level as Li Fan, it would have to be personally tried by Li Fan in the future to know.

    After the experiment with the divine ability, Li Fan returned to the thatched hut in seclusion at the peak of Mount Xie Li.

    After a simple tidy-up, Li Fan checked the progress of the recharging of [Truth].

    It was already at 99%.

    "It''s time to set foot in the cultivation world again."

    At this moment, Li Fan summoned the Tai Yan Boat and flew to Xuanjing City.

    With the power of an immortal, just like in his previous life, he looted arge amount of treasures and food.

    After filling the Tai Yan Boat, Li Fan arrived outside Qian Hong''s tomb.

    Now, with his cultivation, the restriction of the Stone Tablet of Prohibition could no longer harm him.

    Entering Qian Hong''s tomb, Li Fan took out the bound Stone Tablet of Prohibition from [Truth].

    The two Stone Tablet of Prohibitions merged into each other, forming a brand new Stone Tablet of Prohibition.

    It didn''t look as old as before, with just a few cracks on the stone body.

    But in terms of quality, it seemed to still becking that tiny bit.

    Li Fan didn''t mind.

    After experiencing the immense power of the Canghai Pearl, he was already a bit indifferent towards this Stone Tablet of Prohibition.

    Anyway, it would be sold to the Tianxuan Mirror in exchange for contribution points.

    Bringing the two martial arts manuals from Qian Hong''s tomb and the damaged Tai Yan Boat along with him, Li Fan was about to leave on his own boat.

    After flying a certain distance, he returned again, collected Qian Hong''s remains, and prepared to take them back to the cultivation world to fulfill his dying wish.

    At this moment, Li Fan was no longer obstructed, smoothly passed through the Immortal Extinction Formation, and returned to the cultivation world.

    Seeing the azure ocean of clouds once again, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel a sense of being in a different world.

    He took out Qian Hong''s remains, turned them into ashes, and scattered them in the sea.

    Above the sky, a strange phenomenon urred.

    Petals fell from the branches, drifting with the wind endlessly.

    "Foundation Establishment cultivator Qian Hong, practiced the Dao for two hundred and sixty-five years, achieving Foundation Establishment with the extraordinary object, ''Drifting Plum.''"

    "Wandering outside for three thousand six hundred and seventy years, now his soul returns to his homnd, and his Dao returns to heaven!"

    The strange phenomenonsted only for the time it took for half a joss stick to burn, then disappeared without a trace.

 Chapter 62: Pursued Without Reason

    After the vision disappeared, Li Fan keenly sensed that something inexplicable had changed within himself.

    However, upon closer inspection, he couldn''t quite figure out what this change was.

    But it probably wasn''t a bad thing.

    Li Fan decided to temporarily put it aside and just keep this matter in mind.

    After determining his current location, Li Fan noticed that it was slightly off from where he appeared in the immortal cultivation world in his previous life.

    But the difference wasn''t significant.

    The closest ce from here was Liuli Ind, so Li Fan decided to go there first.

    After all, in his previous life, he spent a long time on Liuli Ind and was quite familiar with it.

    He Zhenghao, though a bit greedy, was rtively reliable in his actions.

    Compared to others, Li Fan preferred to interact with acquaintances and minimize uncertainties.

    After choosing the direction, Li Fan didn''t manipte the Tai Yan Boat much, but instead used a wind-controlling technique to fly towards Liuli Ind.

    The role Li Fan wanted to y now was that of a loose cultivator in the Cong Yun Sea, who, by a stroke of luck, had cultivated to theter stage of Qi Condensation.

    He wanted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage but couldn''t find a way, so he wanted to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    In the current cultivation world, life for loose cultivators could be described as extremely difficult.

    Unlike members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association who had fixed channels to obtain techniques, loose cultivators often had to risk their lives exploring various ancient sect ruins to find a technique.

    Not only did they have to face the dangers and traps within the ruins, but they also had to be careful of fellow cultivators who were also eyeing them.

    One misstep could lead to a fatal end.

    Despite all this, these loose cultivators were still unwilling to join the two major organizations; they simply didn''t want to be bound by others and work for them.

    For loose cultivators, freedom was above all.

    Different choices were just a matter of differing perspectives, and it was hard to say what was better or worse.

    Therefore, the Tai Yan Boat was a bit ostentatious for a loose cultivator''s identity.

    To avoid unnecessary trouble and suspicion, Li Fan chose to fly on his own using wind control.

    It was a bit slower, but Li Fan was in no hurry, and it was a good opportunity to adapt.

    During his time in the Grand Xuan Kingdom, Li Fan had a vague sense that his affinity for spiritual energy had inexplicably increased in this life.

    But because there was no spiritual energy in the Land of Immortal Extinction, he couldn''t verify it.

    When he arrived in the cultivation world and sensed and absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, Li Fan finally confirmed that his premonition was correct.

    If in the previous life, he forcibly absorbed spiritual energy through the Root of Heaven and Earth like a water pump...

    Then in this life, with just a thought, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would enter his dantian cooperatively, without the need for coercion.

    Although it still couldn''tpare to the intimacy with spiritual energy that Xiao Heng mentioned, it was much better than before.

    Li Fan spected that the reason for this change was likely due to the Root of Heaven and Earth.

    The Root of Heaven and Earth in the previous life was cultivated through emotions like greed, fear, anger, hatred, and selfishness.

    However, in this life, the Root of Heaven and Earth in Li Fan''s dantian was directly manifested through [Truth].

    If the Root of Heaven and Earth cultivated through the Five Spirit Qi Sensing method was filled with negative emotions such as brutality and darkness...

    Then the Root of Heaven and Earth bestowed by [Truth] was bnced, peaceful, and natural.

    Unexpectedly, inheriting the cultivation from the previous life through [Truth] also came with such benefits.

    In the midst of his joy, Li Fan also faintly felt that there might be even deeper reasons for this.

    However, before he could contemte further, his expression suddenly changed.

    Because, in Li Fan''s perception, a murderous intent appeared in the distance, firmly locking onto him and rapidly flying towards him.

    Moreover, the opponent''s aura was powerful, at least at the Foundation Establishment stage!

    Although it felt somewhat inexplicable, Li Fan didn''t hesitate.

    He directly summoned the Tai Yan Boat and increased its speed to the maximum, fleeing to the nearest Liuli Ind.

    The opponent seemed to be caught off guard by Li Fan actually having a treasure like a flying boat. At first, there was a moment of astonishment, but then the speed increased even more.

    Inside the Tai Yan Boat, Li Fan''s face turned grim.

    The distance was too far, exceeding the range covered by his divine sense.

    But judging from the slowly approaching killing intent, the speed of the opponent was definitely beyond his piloting of the Tai Yan Boat.

    After hesitating for a moment, Li Fan headed towards the opponent and released formless killing intent.

    Suddenly, everything around him dimmed, and he heard a faint murmur.

    The surroundings became hallucinatory and distorted.

    It seemed like there were countless pairs of eyes secretly watching Li Fan.

    Fortunately, this hallucination-like scene came and went quickly.

    It was just a momentary blur, and things returned to normal immediately.

    Li Fan was aware that the previous illusion was a side effect of using the formless killing intent across realms.

    The formless killing intent was like borrowing the mandate of heaven.

    Since it was a borrowed mandate, it naturally carried risks.

    Even when mortals falsely conveyed the emperor''s edict, they could face severe punishment, not to mention pretending to control the mandate of heaven.

    The greater the difference in cultivation level between oneself and the target of the killing intent, the more likely it was for the will of heaven and earth to sense it.

    Fortunately, at the moment, it seemed that just crossing a major realm didn''t pose a significant problem.

    After releasing the formless killing intent, there was no immediate reaction.

    But soon, Li Fan sensed a sudden wind in the air.

    This wind kept swirling on the path of the opponent''s advance, quickly forming into a tornado.

    The tornado carried a faint green light and resembled a huge dragon, roaring towards the opponent.

    Caught off guard, the person was hit squarely by the tornado.

    Seizing this opportunity, Li Fan elerated his escape.

    Soon, a deafening roar came from behind.

    It seemed that the opponent managed to escape the tornado and was flying towards Li Fan''s direction even faster.

    The killing intent intensified.

    Just as the person was about to approach Li Fan, a giant shark leaped high from beneath the sea surface and devoured him in one bite.

    The shark then fell back into the sea, sshing high water sprays.

    "Bang!"

    A burst of mes erupted from the sea.

    The shark was burnt to ashes, and the person appeared somewhat disheveled as he flew out of the sea, looking somewhat frustrated.

    Sensing Li Fan''s whereabouts again, he elerated his pursuit.

    But every time he got close to Li Fan, he encountered unexpected situations.

    So, the two of them chased each other all the way. Although he was much faster than Li Fan, he couldn''t catch up with him.

    Finally, Liuli Ind was in sight.

    The person cautiously looked around for a moment, and seeing that there seemed to be no more unexpected events, he breathed a sigh of relief, his expression serious, and was about to use his techniques to kill Li Fan.

    In the sky, under the clear daylight, a sudden thunderbolt struck down.

    Directly hitting him.

    If it weren''t for a light that lit up on his body at a critical moment, offsetting most of the damage from the thunderbolt, he probably would have lost his life.

    Even so, the person was charred all over and hardly resembled a human.

    Seeing this, Li Fan quickly flew towards the central guardian array on Liuli Ind.

    The person hesitated in mid-air for a moment before recovering.

    Startled and angry, he shouted loudly, "He Zhenghao,e out and help me kill this little thief!"

    From Liuli Ind came the familiar voice of He Zhenghao: "Protector Wan? How did you end up in this state?"

    ...

    Li Fan, who was flying towards Liuli Ind, heard the conversation between the two and immediately stopped.

    Surrounded by the two, with no way to escape, Li Fan cursed inwardly.

    Then he silently recited in his mind.

    [Truth]!

 Chapter 63: Return to Liuli Island

    [The simtion ends.]

    ...

    As Li Fan regained consciousness, he was still somewhat speechless. The previous life was the shortest one he had experienced.

    It was forcibly ended after just nine years.

    Originally, he had ambitious ns and various strategies.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the cultivation world, he was inexplicably targeted and hunted down.

    What was even more absurd was that the pursuer was a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    He didn''t know the identity of the other party, yet he still wanted to seek refuge with He Zhenghao on Liuli Ind.

    As a result, he ended up being surrounded by two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

    The opponent came from a thousand miles away with a clear target: to kill Li Fan.

    Li Fan didn''t believe that the other party would reveal the reason for hunting him down if he asked.

    And facing two Foundation Establishment cultivators, he had no chance of survival.

    So he decisively chose to start over.

    ...

    Why would a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance hunt him down?

    And shortly after he had just entered the cultivation world?

    Li Fan furrowed his brows, deep in thought and perplexed.

    Without resolving this issue, all his future ns would just be empty talk.

    The Cong Yun Sea was currently under the control of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and they could clearly lock onto his position through some means.

    Where did things go wrong?

    Could it be because he brought back Qian Hong''s remains to the cultivation world? Or perhaps...

    Li Fan carefully examined and eliminated each item he possessed.

    In the end, he pinpointed the target.

    "Minor Yan Water Technique."

    Li Fan thought it over and found that this cultivation technique had the highest suspicion.

    After all, he currently had no connection whatsoever with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Only this cultivation technique was inherited from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in his previous life.

    Li Fan narrowed his eyes and pondered for a while, and he already had an answer in his heart.

    "The ''Minor Yan Water Technique'' and all other cultivation techniques must be under constant surveince by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. If they suddenly discover that a certain technique has not been exchanged and the number of cultivators practicing it has increased by one, they will know that the technique has been leaked."

    "No matter how it is leaked, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance will definitely reim the technique. As for the method of remation, it''s simply to kill."

    "Why can they directly lock onto my location..."

    "Cultivators who practice the same technique can sense each other and perceive each other''s positions."

    "To reim a Qi refining stage technique, they actually dispatched Foundation Establishment cultivators. Judging from the way he spoke to He Zhenghao, I''m afraid his cultivation level is higher than He Zhenghao''s. At the very least, he is in the mid Foundation Establishment stage, or possibly thete Foundation Establishment stage."

    He could imagine the scene.

    In the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, thousands of pieces of information about cultivation techniques were arranged in order, densely packed like a high wall.

    And in front of the high wall, a pair of eyes were staring intently.

    Every change in these cultivation techniques was captured by these eyes.

    Once the number of cultivators practicing a certain technique suddenly changed from someone to zero, or if a technique that was originally not being practiced suddenly had someone practicing it without being exchanged, The owner of these eyes would calmly make arrangements.

    "Guardian, guardian..."

    "So this is the role of a guardian!"

    Li Fan pped and praised.

    Looking at the options that still appeared vividly before his eyes, Li Fan calmed down and chose to retain the cultivation level he had in his previous life.

    In the blink of an eye, he returned to the Qi Condensation stage.

    After that, Li Fan didn''t hesitate at all. He operated the ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture'' and converted the cultivation level of the ''Minor Yan Water Technique'' from Qi Condensation stage into pure energy.

    After that, he did exactly what he had done in his previous life.

    After 9 years, Li Fan returned to the cultivation world.

    Passing through the Immortal Extinction Array, Li Fan waited in ce for a while.

    Sure enough, his guess was correct.

    Without cultivating the "Minor Yan Water Technique," he didn''t attract the pursuit of the Guardian from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Only then did Li Fan slowly head towards Liuli Ind.

    When flying near the sea area of Liuli Ind, a certain scene from Li Fan''s memory suddenly shed.

    He immediately stopped and looked below.

    His gaze pierced through the barrier of seawater, reaching the depths of the sea.

    There, groups of Liuli Fish were dragging the bodies of mortals they had found from various parts of the ocean, which had fallen for various reasons, and offering them to a giant golden Liuli Fish.

    This golden Liuli fish swayed its bloated body, one by one, consuming the human bodies collected by its subordinates.

    After chewing and spitting out the broken bones, it revealed a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

    It greedily looked at the sea surface.

    It seemed that there were more, fresher mortals there.

    ...

    Li Fan looked at this scene and snorted.

    The formless killing intent acted ordingly.

    ...

    Beneath the deep sea, the Liuli Fish that were originally crowded around the leader, diligently offering food, suddenly froze.

    The golden Liuli Fish was a little dissatisfied, about to teach its little brothers a lesson, but suddenly realized that the school of Liuli Fish around it had be somewhat abnormal.

    Their eyes were glowing red, all staring at the giant golden Liuli Fish.

    The golden Liuli Fish felt something was wrong and wanted to escape.

    But it was toote.

    Countless Liuli Fish went mad, surrounding it.

    The figure of the golden Liuli Fish disappeared within the school of fish.

    Streams of golden blood slowly floated to the surface.

    ...

    Li Fan held a ss bead the size of a pigeon''s egg in his hand, observing carefully.

    "Unfortunately, it''s not a rare heavenly treasure."

    "But just carrying it has effects simr to swallowing a Liuli Pill. It''s still quite extraordinary."

    Li Fan, satisfied, put it away and continued to fly towards Liuli Ind.

    As he approached Liuli Ind, Li Fan stopped in mid-air and released his spiritual energy.

    In just a moment, a voice came from afar, "Which fellow Daoist ising to my Liuli Ind?"

    Along with the voice, the figure of He Zhenghao appeared.

    Although He Zhenghao had a Foundation Establishment cultivation level, in the face of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator who came uninvited, he did not act arrogantly, addressing him as a fellow Daoist.

    "I have met fellow Daoist He!" Li Fan cupped his hands.

    "I am Li Fan, a wandering cultivator from the Cong Yun Sea. Reaching the Qi Condensation stage was already extremely difficult, and I know I have no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment as a wandering cultivator."

    "So, I wish to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and seek a Foundation Establishment technique."

    Li Fan paused and continued, "I have long heard of fellow Daoist''s sense of justice, generosity, and kindness, so I came to pay my respects."

    "I hope fellow Daoist can rmend me. Once sessful, I will surely return this favor!"

    He Zhenghao was a bit stunned when he heard that Li Fan wanted to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    He never expected that one day he would encounter such a stroke of luck.

    When Li Fan mentioned repayment in the future, He Zhenghao was even more delighted, "Oh, fellow Daoist, you''re too kind. We cultivators all know that cultivation is not easy, and if we can help, we will. Rest assured, your matter of joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, I will take care of it!"

    Li Fan smiled slightly, "Fellow Daoist''s reputation as a generous benefactor is indeed well-deserved, I admire you."

    He Zhenghao was about to exin that he didn''t have a reputation as a generous benefactor, but he thought about it and felt that this description was quite appropriate.

    If it could spread, it would greatly benefit his cultivation in seclusion. So he didn''t deny it.

    The two of them smiled at each other.

 Chapter 64: Rejoining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance

    Li Fan stood by, observing Liuli Ind on the 9th year after the anchor point.

    At this moment, Liuli Ind was far from the prosperity Li Fan had seen in his previous life.

    The poption was less than a third of what it would be ten yearster,cking much vitality.

    Traces of the devastation caused by the hurricane could still be faintly seen at the edge of the ind, and the faces of mortals rarely showed smiles.

    Liuli Ind had not yet recovered its vitality from the massive hurricane five years ago.

    "If the charging speed of [Truth] could be further increased, there might be a chance to witness it," Li Fan contemted inwardly.

    When he was still a mortal, he heard about the power of the hurricane, which could cut away two-thirds of Liuli Ind. Li Fan deeply felt the terror of the power of nature.

    However, Li Fanter witnessed scenes like the boiling of the sea and its transformation into mountains within a dozen years.

    Inparison, this hurricane didn''t seem as significant.

    ...

    Li Fan was currently waiting for He Zhenghao to return from Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    ording to He Zhenghao, cultivators with a cultivation level of Foundation Establishment or above would be autonomously attacked by the Ten Thousand Immortals Array if they went to Liuli Ind without permission.

    So He Zhenghao went ahead to arrange the passage permit for Li Fan.

    However, he didn''t make Li Fan wait for long.

    Soon, He Zhenghao returned.

    "Thank you for keeping your promise!" He handed a jade token with a "Íò" [1] character engraved on it to Li Fan.

    "Fellow Daoist, leave your own aura on this passage token," He Zhenghao said.

    Li Fan took the token and infused it with spiritual energy.

    On the "Íò" character of the token, a light shed and then disappeared.

    Seeing this, He Zhenghao nodded, "That should be enough."

    Then, he reminded, "After you officially join our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, remember to return this passage token. It must not be lost. Otherwise, you''ll have topensate with the corresponding contribution points."

    He Zhenghao seemed to recall a very unpleasant event and twitched his face, saying, "Such a small token actually costs a hundred contribution points, it''s really..."

    He stopped halfway when he saw Li Fan looking at him with interest.

    "Fellow Daoist, forgive me if you find it amusing!" He Zhenghao coughed lightly, and his expression returned to normal.

    Leading Li Fan to the interior of the ind protection array, He Zhenghao activated the teleportation array.

    After a moment of dizziness, Li Fan finally returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    On the Transmission Square, the statue of an old man with a tall crown and long beard stood silently, overlooking Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Cultivators rushed back and forth, using various teleportation arrays to go to different ces in the Cong Yun Sea.

    ...

    At this moment, who among them could anticipate that everything here would turn into nothingness shortly?

    Li Fan felt somewhat emotional.

    He Zhenghao assumed he was astonished by the spectacr scenery of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and didn''t pay much attention.

    Just like in the previous life, he was introducing various things to Li Fan.

    "This is Transmission Square, built tomemorate the Immortal Ancestor''s teaching of the Dao..."

    Li Fan nodded as he listened.

    Following the path, the two arrived at the location of the Tianxuan Mirror.

    "Fellow Daoist, you were previously an independent cultivator, so there are things you might not know. Members of my Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance can rmend independent cultivators from the outside to join. Depending on the rmended member''s cultivation level and potential, we''ll receive corresponding contribution rewards."

    Before entering the Tianxuan Mirror, He Zhenghao seemed to have remembered something and turned back to Li Fan and said, "So, the fact that you came to ask for my help also benefits me."

    "I see. I was worried that it might be difficult for fellow Daoist He, but I overthought it," Li Fan looked suddenly enlightened, then solemnly said, "Regardless, I won''t forget fellow Daoist''s assistance."

    He Zhenghao smiled and nodded, quite satisfied with Li Fan''s reaction.

    Afterward, the two entered the Tianxuan Mirror.

    "This person is the Qi Condensation cultivator I previously reported who wishes to join our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance," He Zhenghao said, looking at Li Fan in the space of the Tianxuan Mirror.

    After a moment, a voice sounded within the space.

    "Referring ate stage Qi Condensation cultivator, recorded as first-ss merit, equates to 300 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 1340."

    He Zhenghao was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, and then a hint of surprise shed in his eyes.

    He stared at Li Fan for a while and asked, "May I ask, how old are you now?"

    Li Fan thought for a moment and then replied, "Twenty-nine, I suppose."

    He Zhenghao took in a sharp breath, looking shocked, "A twenty-nine-year-oldte stage Qi Condensation independent cultivator..."

    Then he was overjoyed, "Fellow Daoist, your talent is truly unprecedented."

    He immediately took out amunication token shaped like a mountain peak and handed it to Li Fan, saying, "You''ve just arrived, and you''ll encounter many problems. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions. I will tell you everything I know."

    "If you run into any trouble that you can''t solve, you can also ask for my assistance. Although my cultivation is only at mid-Foundation Establishment stage, I have quite a widework. In the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, I have some influence."

    Li Fan nodded gratefully.

    After He Zhenghao gave a few more instructions and left with an excited expression, Li Fan regained hisposure.

    "The treatment this time is much better than thest life," Li Fan said, storing He Zhenghao''smunication token.

    "In the cultivation world, most cultivators are solitary. Someone like He Zhenghao is indeed quite rare. Besides, it''s just that my cultivation talent is a bit better. He might be a bit too enthusiastic," Li Fan thought for a moment but couldn''t find a clear reason.

    He had a vague feeling that it might be rted to the cultivation technique He Zhenghao was practicing. However, he could sense that He Zhenghao had no ill intentions, so he didn''t dwell on it.

    "Divine sense fluctuations recorded."

    "Created an independent space."

    "Cultivator Li Fan, wee to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. As a benefit, you will be given 100 contribution points for free. You can use contribution points to exchange for spiritual stones, cultivation techniques, magical treasures, and more."

    ...

    The Tianxuan Mirror began to exin relevant matters.

    Although he was already very familiar with it, Li Fan still listened carefully whileparing the situation with his previous life.

    Li Fan found that after advancing to thete stage of Qi Condensation, the contribution points required to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode increased from 10 points per day to 30 points per day.

    "The higher the realm, the more resources needed. This is reasonable. It seems that I''ll have to gather arge number of contribution points first."

    umting contribution points slowly by doing tasks wasn''t something Li Fan was interested in.

    In fact, he had a n on how to earn arge number of contribution points quickly.

    Spending 10 contribution points, he purchased a slightlyrger storage ring. Afterward, Li Fan used the teleportation array to go outside for a trip.

    In a deserted ce, he stored all the gold, silver, and treasures he had scavenged from the Tai Yan Boat into the storage ring.

    Then he quickly returned and requested the exchange.

    "A batch of gold and silver: can be converted to 863 contribution points."

    "Heavenly treasure: ''Stone Tablet of Prohibition''. Quality: wed. Can be converted to 1968 contribution points."

    After a moment, the notification from the Tianxuan Mirror popped up.

    *****

    [1] "Íò" means thousand, as in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

 Chapter 65: One Hundred Thousand Contribution Points

    In the previous life, Li Fan spent a significant portion of the treasures he had scavenged by salvaging and whitewashing to obtain a spot in the Pure Body Spirit Pool of Liuli Ind.

    In the end, he was left with only 235 contribution points.

    In this life, with a total value of 863 contribution points, Li Fan understood why some cultivators sneakily helped ordinary people smuggle into the cultivation world.

    Li Fan had only raided a few corrupt officials and rich families and already earned over 800 contribution points.

    It was reasonable to assume that those cultivators could easily earn over a thousand points in one outing.

    It is important to note that a cultivation technique costs just over a thousand points.

    If done once every decade, it could be considered a substantial ie.

    "Wealth moves hearts¡­"

    Li Fan sighed and took out the golden Liuli Pearl he obtained from the giant Liuli Fish.

    "Golden Liuli Pearl can be converted to 850 contribution points."

    After some thought, Li Fan realized that this giant Liuli Pearl was a weakened version of the Liuli Pill. Its effects were slightly inferior, but it didn''t deplete upon use.

    Considering its potential usefulness in future cultivation, Li Fan chose not to exchange it and instead kept it.

    Looking at his total of 2,831 contribution points, Li Fan shook his head.

    It was still not enough; it was too little!

    After all, heavenly treasures cost over two thousand points.

    Li Fan realized when he was chased by the guards of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, that although he had the cultivation level ofte Qi Condensation, his actualbat strength was quite low.

    His primary cultivation technique, "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra,"cked effective means of offense.

    Apart from the formless killing intent heprehended, he had no other means to defend himself.

    While the formless killing intent was formidable, it had a fatal w: it often required some time to take effect.

    It was more suitable for sneak attacks rather than facing an opponent head-on.

    In a battle or under siege, Li Fan could only choose to run.

    Moreover, he only knew the most basic flight technique, so he likely couldn''t outrun others.

    Unable to win in a fight and unable to escape¡ªtragedy was inevitable.

    Therefore, Li Fan wanted all thebat techniques, escape arts, defensive techniques, artifacts, formations, and elixirs avable in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    As many as possible!

    However, this amount of contribution points was simply insufficient.

    After pondering for a moment, he started to look at the bounties posted by other cultivators in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    In his previous life, when he assimted with the Canghai Pearl''s consciousness, he saw many hidden treasures and secrets within the Cong Yun Sea.

    Some of them were within his current capabilities to obtain, such as the giant Liuli Pearl.

    There are still many things that are extremely dangerous, and not easy for even Foundation Establishment cultivators to obtain.

    Instead of letting these secrets rot in the sea, it''s better to choose some to sell early on and quickly turn them into one''s own strength.

    His gaze quickly swept through.

    When he saw one of the tasks, Li Fan suddenly stopped.

    His divine sense moved, and he checked the task details.

    Elder Chen from the Medicine Hallcked a certain auxiliary material for alchemy: Blue Blood Coral.

    Now, he''s offering a reward to all in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance: 1000 contribution points for providing relevant information, and 3000 contribution points for directly providing the Blue Blood Coral.

    Li Fan looked through the other tasks, but this one was the most prominent one and had the highest known reward.

    So, Li Fan took on this task.

    "In the northwest area of the Cong Yun Sea, about two hundred miles west of the Mist Crow Ind. I''ve seen this coral on the seafloor."

    "Unfortunately, there is a sea snake guarding the coral."

    "I''m not sure about the specific strength of the sea snake, but even from a distance, I felt a fatal danger."

    ...

    Li Fan fabricated a set of words and submitted the task.

    He believed that with the efficiency of the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, the authenticity of the information he provided would soon be confirmed.

    Sure enough, just half a dayter, Li Fan received the task reward.

    However, interestingly, the reward task for the Blue Blood Coral was not canceled but still hung there.

    "It seems that Elder Chen needs a considerable quantity of Blue Blood Coral. I wonder what pill he''s trying to refine."

    Just for one ingredient, he was willing to spend 3000 contribution points. Obviously, the pill he intended to refine was extraordinary.

    However, Li Fan was just curious.

    Elder Chen was said to be the chief elder of the Medicine Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, a great cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage. At that level, Li Fan was still far from reaching it.

    Suppressing the curiosity that surged within him, Li Fan focused on one of the most prominent bounties among the many.

    This was also the reason why Li Fan was eager to improve his own strength.

    Task: Bounty for the "Cloud Water Map."

    Reward: One hundred thousand contribution points.

    Just two simple lines, with no other exnation.

    But that number of one hundred thousand contribution points made all the cultivators who saw it tremble in excitement.

    That was a hundred thousand contribution points!

    Many cultivators in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance might not umte this much in their entire lifetime.

    With these hundred thousand contribution points, reaching the Golden Core stage would be a breeze!

    Countless cultivators looked at these two lines repeatedly, daydreaming about the glorious scenes afterpleting the task.

    Unfortunately, the bounty task had been hanging there for over a decade, never reachingpletion.

    Even the nature of "Cloud Water Map" was unknown to anyone.

    And the task issuer was also extremely mysterious, never showing up or making any statements.

    It seemed to signal that if you knew, you knew; if you didn''t, speaking wouldn''t help.

    In the Cong Yun Sea, at present, nobody knows where the "Cloud Water Map" was.

    Except for Li Fan.

    "The ''Cloud Water Map'' is in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce," Li Fan kept repeating in his mind.

    This "Cloud Water Map" worth a whopping one hundred thousand contribution points was in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    The Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, or rather the ruins of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, was the ce mentioned by Xiao Heng in the letter, where he went to search for heavenly treasures.

    The reason why nobody knew this secret yet was simply because the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce had not yet manifested in this world.

    In the previous life, Li Fan became interested in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce only because of Xiao Heng''s message.

    Then, he recorded this uing event in his mind.

    The ruins of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce would emerge.

    It was said to be the most powerful sect within the Cong Yun Sea in ancient times.

    When the great cmity of heaven and earth arrived, the disciples of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce fought each other, and only one in a thousand individuals survived.

    The surviving individuals decided to activate a protective array to hide from the world.

    Since then, the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce has been concealed by the array and hidden in the central sea area of the Cong Yun Sea.

    It was only the eleventh year after his anchor point that the array was broken, and the hidden Cloud Water Heavenly Pce reappeared in the world.

    However, the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce that chose to hide from the world had also not escaped the fate of destruction.

    When the cultivators of the Cong Yun Sea entered, they discovered that the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce had long turned into a ruin filled with bizarre scenes.

 Chapter 66: Descent of Anomalies

    At that time, the first group to enter the ruins of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce consisted of over a hundred cultivators, most of whom were in the Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation stages.

    They thought it was just an ordinary ruin, but to their surprise, the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce was filled with anomalies. Under this unexpected turn of events, the casualties were severe.

    In the end, less than one-tenth of them managed to survive.

    Among them was a person named Sikong Yi.

    This person only had a cultivation level ofte Qi Condensation stage and seemed quite ordinary.

    Everyone thought he had merely survived by luck.

    No one expected that it was this inconspicuous Sikong Yi who, upon returning to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, submitted the "Cloud Water Map" and received the reward of a whopping one hundred thousand contribution points.

    After receiving the reward, Sikong Yi used a long-distance teleportation array and disappeared from sight of everyone in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Since then, Sikong Yi never appeared again.

    "Search for information rted to ''anomalies'' and ''sect ruins''," Li Fan recalled memories from his previous life and spoke to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    In an instant, hundreds and thousands of pieces of information emerged.

    However, the majority of them disyed only the initial few sentences. To obtainplete information, one had to spend a certain amount of contribution points.

    Li Fan didn''t hesitate and immediately spent 100 contribution points to purchase the most popr guide, "Survival Guide for Sect Ruins."

    The author of this guide was named Qi Yuanzhou, a wandering cultivator.

    He had been exploring various ruins for many years and had reached the Golden Core stage before joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Being able to consistently survive perilous sect ruins, Qi Yuanzhou naturally had exceptional qualities.

    The "Survival Guide for Sect Ruins" he wrote was highly praised and regarded as a must-read by many cultivators.

    The ruins of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce were treacherous and dangerous. Although Li Fan had prior knowledge, he didn''t dare to be careless.

    He carefully read the guide.

    In ancient times, when the great cmity arrived, countless sects were destroyed, leaving only remnants and ruins.

    Some of these ruins had already been explored countless times by cultivators over the years, and they were left clean, devoid of anything valuable.

    Others remained unexplored due to the extreme danger and vastness of the ruins. Even now, many cultivators venture in annually, seeking either techniques or breakthrough opportunities.

    Then, there were those sects that had remained hidden from the world, shielded by arrays and subworlds. These were untouched virginnds and were considered treasure troves. Once revealed, they would undoubtedly attract nearby cultivators.

    The experiences outlined in the "Survival Guide for Sect Ruins" were tailored for thesetter two categories.

    The guide mentioned that in today''s cultivation world, all valuable and worthy-to-explore sects could be divided into two main types.

    One was those without anomalies.

    The other was with anomalies.

    For those without anomalies, as long as one was cautious and watchful of array formations, there generally wouldn''t be any particrly huge danger.

    However, if there were anomalies, extreme caution was required.

    The term "anomalies" referred to the various bizarre phenomena within the ruins that couldn''t be measured bymon sense.

    These peculiarities seemed to not belong to this world and often had their own unique set of rules.

    These anomaly rules also varied in strength.

    In the world of cultivation, it was conventionally agreed to ssify the intensity of these anomalies.

    ording to the highest realm of cultivators they could affect, they were categorized into Qi Condensation level anomalies, Foundation Establishment level anomalies, and Golden Core level anomalies, among others.

    Cultivators within the range of the anomalies rules had to follow these rules if their cultivation level was lower than the rule''s strength.

    If they vited these rules, death was inevitable.

    If their cultivation level was higher than the strength of the anomalies rule, they might be unaffected by the anomaly and escape death.

    However high your cultivation level is, you cannot change the nature of the phenomena.

    Even strong individuals in the Nascent Soul stage cannot alter the anomalies of the Qi Condensation level.

    It is even more difficult to save a cultivator who vites the anomaly rules within.

    Once living beings enter the range of the anomalies, the rules will be triggered.

    Only when the death toll reaches a certain number or the anomalies are unraveled can the cultivators inside be able to leave.

    The guide provided an example.

    150 years ago, an unnamed ind near the western part of the Cong Yun Sea suddenly had a cave appear.

    Since its appearance, rays of light would radiate from it, illuminating the sky for hundreds of miles.

    Many cultivators were attracted by the treasure light and entered to explore.

    After a careful search, the cultivators discovered that this cave was built by a Nascent Soul stage solitary cultivator from ancient times, Senior Hongzhi, before his death.

    The cave contained over a dozen cultivation techniques and countless magical treasures.

    Filled with joy, these cultivators started to seize the treasures.

    At this moment, a horrifying event urred.

    All the cultivators who had smiled due to obtaining a technique or magical treasure suddenly had their heads fly off for unknown reasons.

    Their smiles were frozen in ce.

    In an instant, more than half of the cultivators present died.

    The remaining cultivators were also frightened, thinking that there might be restrictions on the techniques or magical treasures.

    Fearing to disturb the treasure scattered all over the ground, they fled the cave.

    After the news spread, some cultivators who didn''t believe in superstitions came to test the anomaly.

    After holding the treasures for a while without triggering any restrictions, they also revealed disdainful or joyful smiles.

    Immediately after, their bodies were dismembered, and their heads fell to the ground.

    Only a naturally poker-faced cultivator survived the catastrophe.

    However, even he was frightened by this terrifying scene and hastily grabbed a magical treasure and fled.

    The news of another group perishing shocked all the covetous cultivators nearby.

    The naturally poker-faced cultivator who survived and obtained the cave''s treasures drew everyone''s attention.

    However, no matter how they questioned him, the poker-faced cultivator imed not to know how he survived.

    Later, a clever young man, after pondering for a long time, revealed the anomaly.

    In this cave, it was forbidden to smile.

    Regardless of the reason, if one smiled, their head would be severed.

    Although this incident sounded absurd, after the clever young man calmly walked into the cave and took out a technique with a calm and unharmed face, all the cultivators believed it.

    So, they followed suit and took out all the treasures from the cave.

    ...

    The incident in Senior Hongzhi''s cave was the most typical and simplest form of the anomalies, containing only one rule.

    In reality, the anomalies within those sect ruins oftenprised multiplepounded rules.

    These anomalies were incredibly dangerous. Without understanding their rules, a slight mistake could lead to death.

    However, once the rules of the anomalies were understood, the risk posed by the anomalies became almost negligible.

    Based on his personal experiences of surviving multiple times from the anomalies, Qi Yuanzhou summarized dozens of pieces of advice.

    First: Maintain calmness at all times.

    Under the anomalies, unbelievable events could happen.

    Second: Don''t act recklessly.

    In the absence of understanding the rules of the anomalies, the faster you acted, the faster you died.

 Chapter 67: Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique

    Third: If you want to explore the anomaly, gather as many people as possible.

    The most effective way to understand the anomaly''s rules is to sacrifice lives.

    Just pray that you won''t be the first to die!

    ...

    Li Fan carefully read through the "Survival Guide for Sect Ruins" and felt his 100 contribution points were well spent.

    With these experiences, he would have more confidence when exploring the Cloud Water Pce two yearster.

    In his previous life, after Sikong Yi found the "Cloud Water Map" from the Cloud Water Pce and gained 100,000 contribution points, the news spread and ignited the enthusiasm of the cultivators in the Cong Yun Sea for exploring the Cloud Water Pce.

    Even though the "Cloud Water Map" had been taken, the Cloud Water Pce was so vast, and there were definitely more treasures inside than just the "Cloud Water Map," right?

    With this thought in mind, the cultivators of the Cong Yun Sea surged towards the Cloud Water Pce, regardless of life and death.

    Even solitary cultivators from distant continents were drawn here.

    Their thoughts were indeed correct.

    In his previous life, until the 27th year, the Cloud Water Pce had still not beenpletely explored.

    From time to time, news would spread about cultivators obtaining treasures from it, making others envy them.

    And precisely because so many people kept exploring, most of the anomalies inside the Cloud Water Pce were no longer a secret.

    Li Fan had heard of some of these things in his previous life.

    However...

    Regarding how Sikong Yi had obtained the "Cloud Water Map" back then, there were various spections, but no conclusion had been reached.

    Therefore, the best way for Li Fan to n for the "Cloud Water Map" in this life was to secretly follow Sikong Yi and snatch it when he was about to seed.

    There were two years before the Cloud Water Pce opened, so he could first investigate Sikong Yi secretly and learn about his enemy.

    At the same time, he needed to improve his strength as much as possible.

    Li Fan set his sights on a group of Qi Condensation stage killing techniques within the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The price of killing techniques was much higher than that of ordinary techniques.

    The "Minor Yan Water Technique" he had previously cultivated only cost 1,200 contribution points.

    While the price of killing techniques was generally around 1,500 points.

    Li Fan quickly browsed through the technique introductions, selecting the techniques suitable for him.

    "Flowing Water Sword Technique," "Minorary Wind Sword," "Red Flowing Star"...

    Suddenly, Li Fan''s eyes stopped at a technique.

    "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique."

    After carefully reading the introduction to the technique several times, Li Fan''s heart was stirred.

    ording to the technique''s introduction, this was a technique mainly focused on illusion arts.

    By cultivating an "illusionary spirit" in the mind, one could release the illusionary spirit to confuse the enemy when encountering them.

    Once the illusionary spirit became powerful, it could even enter another person''s sea of consciousness and directlyunch a spiritual attack.

    This technique was tailor-made for him!

    Although he didn''t know how his spiritual powerpared to other cultivators, after centuries of continuous reincarnation,bined with the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, it shouldn''t be too weak.

    Furthermore, visualizing and cultivating the "illusionary spirit"...

    A crimson figure appeared inexplicably in Li Fan''s mind.

    If he visualized it based on the Crimson me as a prototype, the resulting "illusionary spirit" should possess considerable power.

    Li Fan pondered to himself, immediately deciding to purchase this technique.

    However, the price...

    Li Fan took a look and his eyes widened.

    2,500 points! It''s almost the same price as a slightly inferior Foundation Establishment technique! No wonder this technique, despite looking so powerful, has remained unsought here.

    Actually, Li Fan had some misconceptions about this.

    The reason "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" was priced so high was not because it was extremely powerful, but simply because illusion-based techniques were rtively rare.

    In the current cultivation world, the spiritual power of the vast majority of cultivators was not significantly different.

    After all, before the great cmity arrived, there were very few techniques specializing in strengthening spiritual power.

    Not to mention now, where one couldn''t simultaneously cultivate in different methods.

    Without means to strengthen and enhance spiritual power, the spiritual power of most cultivators remained on a simr level.

    In such a situation, very few would choose to use spiritual attacks against others.

    Because this often meant mutually assured destruction.

    This was also why the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" appeared somewhat mediocre to other cultivators.

    To put it inly, this was just an illusion technique.

    It was a method of using spiritual power, not enhancing it.

    One wouldn''t easily use spiritual attacks; just for a bit of illusion, who would be willing to spend 2500 contribution points? It was precisely because Li Fan possessed the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra and had personally seen the figure of the Crimson me, the Heavenly Spirit, that he resonated better with the path of visualizing the "illusionary spirit."

    Therefore, in his hands, the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" could exert multiple times the effect others could achieve.

    Regardless, Li Fan eventually gritted his teeth and purchased the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique."

    In the blink of an eye, Li Fan''s contribution points were reduced to 1321.

    Contribution points came quickly, but they also left quickly! Originally, he wanted to purchase another escape technique, but he was a bit short, so he could only consider itter.

    The most pressing matter was to cultivate the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" to thete Qi Condensation stage.

    Activating the auxiliary cultivation mode of the Tianxuan Mirror and cing the Golden Liuli Pearl by his side, Li Fan began his cultivation.

    His mind was as clear as a mirror, and the profound technique''s words, double-enhanced, seemed as simple and understandable as an elementary school textbook to Li Fan.

    The pure cultivation base from the "Minor Yan Water Technique" in his dantian dissolved into pure energies, propelling the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" to progress at an astonishing rate.

    In less than a day, the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" was cultivated to the mid-Qi Condensation stage.

    In the mid-Qi Condensation stage, he could visualize the "illusionary spirit" in his mind.

    Although it was an illusionary spirit, it couldn''t be created out of thin air.

    It had to be based on things that truly existed in the cultivation world.

    His thoughts flowed slowly, and past events reappeared one by one before his eyes.

    Li Fan felt as if he had returned to the moment when he witnessed the Crimson me burning the sea in his previous life.

    A faint shadow gradually formed in Li Fan''s sea of consciousness.

    Even though it was an unformed shadow, Li Fan suddenly felt a sharp rise in his body''s temperature.

    Sweat poured down from his body like raindrops.

    Frowning, Li Fan forcefully activated the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, suppressing the scorching sensation.

    He continued visualizing the figure of the Crimson me.

    As the illusionary spirit of the Crimson me gradually took shape, the temperature of Li Fan''s body rose.

    If before it felt like being in a desert under the scorching sun, then at this moment, it felt like being ced under a zing fire.

    As Li Fan continued to visualize, the scorching sensation became more and more terrifying.

    Finally, when the temperature reached its limit, the clothes on Li Fan''s body spontaneously ignited.

    "Poof!"

    He couldn''t maintain the visualization state anymore, and the phantom in his sea of consciousness instantly dissipated.

    Li Fan spat out a mouthful of blood in shock.

    The blood seemed to have an extremely high temperature, evaporating into a white mist before it could touch the ground.

    Li Fan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, not disheartened.

    He purchased a healing pill from the Tianxuan Mirror and restored himself for a moment before continuing his visualization.

 Chapter 68: Illusory Spirit Resembling Azure Flames

    As Li Fan''s body temperature increased, the image of the Chih Yan in his sea of consciousness became clear once again.

    However...

    Even though Li Fan pushed the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra to its limits, he ignored the faint taste of scorching emanating from his body.

    At the moment when the Chih Yan''s illusory spirit was about to take shape, for some unknown reason, Li Fan withdrew from the visualization state.

    "Could it be because it''s too hot, exceeding the body''s endurance limit?"

    Li Fan contemted this and began searching in the Heavenly Profound Mirror for medicines that could resist heat.

    Spending 10 contribution points, he purchased an Ice Heart Pill.

    After consuming it, Li Fan attempted once again.

    This time, as the fiery sensation brought about by visualizing the Chih Yan appeared, a cold breath emerged from his dantian at the same time.

    This cold breath circted throughout his body, suppressing the heat.

    Without the need to distract himself to suppress bodily difort, Li Fan focused all his energy on condensing the illusory spirit resembling the Chih Yan.

    However...

    It didn''t work!

    The illusory spirit shattered just before it was about to take form.

    It seemed like something deliberately obstructed within the depths, making it impossible for the illusory spirit to take form.

    After several attempts, the effect of the Ice Heart Pill began to fade.

    Li Fan stopped.

    "The soul of Heaven and Earth is indeed extraordinary; even condensing an illusory spirit based on it is impossible..."

    "There must be some unknown rules or restrictions within this."

    Li Fan pondered for a moment and began searching for information about the soul of Heaven and Earth in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

    As expected, the Heavenly Profound Mirror informed him that his permissions were insufficient to view it.

    For a moment, Li Fan''s idea of condensing the illusory spirit resembling the Chih Yan fell into a dilemma.

    However, he didn''t intend to give up.

    The greater the restrictions, the greater the harvest once sessful.

    The might of the soul of Heaven and Earth was clear; even obtaining a thousandth of it would be extraordinary.

    However, he needed to carefully consider how to proceed.

    Thus, Li Fan maintained his auxiliary cultivation, in a state of enlightenment, quietly closing his eyes to contemte.

    One day, two days, three days...

    Time passed day by day, and his contribution points gradually burned away.

    Finally, after seven days, Li Fan opened his eyes.

    The soul of Heaven and Earth was a manifestation of a certainw in the world.

    If the mes of Chih Yan represented aw rted to fire, what special significance did the red color of Chih Yan have?

    Besides the mes of Chih Yan, were there any other mes?

    Li Fan immediately began to experiment.

    Still visualizing the soul of Heaven and Earth, the aura and appearance of the figure were exactly the same as the red Chih Yan he remembered.

    The only difference was that the color of the figure changed from red to green.

    This time, the illusory spirit formed sessfully. However, it was extremely weak, seeming like an empty shell without any power to harm enemies.

    He dispersed the nascent illusory spirit in his sea of consciousness.

    Li Fan attempted once more.

    This time, it changed from blue to ck.

    The ck mes were simr to the red mes, and the illusory spirit couldn''t take form. However, unlike when visualizing the red mes, there was no searing heat during the visualization of the ck mes.

    Li Fan tried another color.

    ...

    Li Fan attempted all the colors he could think of.

    He found that there were four scenarios.

    The first was like the red mes, unable to take form, and during the visualization process, he would feel a roasting sensation.

    The second was like the green mes. Although it could take form, it was empty andcked any power.

    The third was like the ck mes, unable to take form, and during the visualization process, no peculiarities urred.

    The fourth was the most special.

    In Li Fan''s sea of consciousness, a virtual image almost identical to the red mes slowly condensed.

    Except this time, it was blue.

    As the illusory spirit of blue mes gradually appeared, the temperature around Li Fan began to drop significantly.

    Layers of ice flowers began to spread from the ground where Li Fan stood, moving outward.

    His hair and eyebrows were frosted, and his body gradually stiffened like ice.

    Even the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra, which had been operating silently, slowed down under its influence, as if it would stop at any moment.

    Li Fan''s heartbeat slowed down, and his breath rapidly diminished.

    Yet, Li Fan''s consciousness fell into a strange state.

    It was like an out-of-body experience, observing the various changes in his own body as if he were an onlooker.

    There were no emotional fluctuations.

    Li Fan had a premonition. In this state, even if his body were destroyed, and he faced death in the next moment, he wouldn''t feel any fear.

    It was a state of absolute calm and rationality.

    It was in this state that Li Fan silently watched as his body waspletely encased in ice.

    It was like being in absolute zero, plunged into absolute silence.

    At the same time, in Li Fan''s sea of consciousness, the illusory spirit of blue mes finally took shape.

    The temperature didn''t rise, but vitality rapidly emerged on Li Fan.

    It was as if the absolute coldness could no longer affect him.

    Li Fan''s consciousness moved, and the blue mes in his sea of consciousness flickered. The extreme coldness on his body quickly disappeared.

    In the blink of an eye, Li Fan returned to his original appearance, and he emerged from that state of absolute rationality.

    The extreme coldness seemed like an illusion, leaving no trace.

    "So, this is the power of blue mes?"

    In his sea of consciousness, the young blue mes illusory spirit fell into a deep sleep.

    But Li Fan knew that he could awaken it at any time and recreate that state he had just experienced.

    "Encountering four different situations when visualizing mes of different colors should correspond to the condition of the soul of Heaven and Earth."

    After some contemtion, Li Fan made his own conjecture.

    The soul of Heaven and Earth was the embodiment of thews of Heaven, and in this realm, practitioners could also refine the soul of Heaven and Earth to achieve the Dao Unity Realm.

    So, in the previous visualization process, those illusory spirits that could form butcked any power should represent ack of this particr type of soul of Heaven and Earth.

    As for those that couldn''t take form, like the red mes, they should still belong to the system of Heaven and Earth''sws. Although Li Fan could invoke their power, he couldn''t possess them. For those like the ck mes, they should have already been refined by Dao Unity cultivators and were no longer within the system of this realm''sws.

    Then, what did this blue me represent?

    "Thew of what is yet to be born?"

    "In other words, in the near future, in some part of the cultivation world, the true soul of Heaven and Earth, the blue me, will descend?" Li Fan fell into deep thought.

    After a long time, Li Fan took a deep breath and buried his various spections about the soul of Heaven and Earth deep in his mind.

    Regardless, although he hadn''t condensed the illusory spirit of red mes, he identally visualized the illusory spirit of blue mes.

    The two attributes werepletely opposite, but the power of the blue mes seemed to be no less than that of the red mes.

    Feeling delighted, Li Fan began to practice the "Illusory Spirit of Darkness" again.

    He attempted to nurture and strengthen the illusory spirit of blue mes, aiming to use it for psychic attacks.

    Time slowly passed as he practiced.

    Not long after, Li Fan suddenly stopped the auxiliary cultivation mode.

    It turned out that due to the prolonged practice, his contribution points were now just a little over a hundred.

 Chapter 69: Itâ€™s Actually You

    TL Note: I had mistakenly published a draft for the  68, and it has now been fixed with the final edited version.

    *****

    Before entering seclusion, Li Fan had set a minimum contribution point threshold of 100. If it dropped below this number, the auxiliary cultivation mode would forcibly terminate.

    It felt like he had just woken up from a beautiful dream, abruptly disturbed. Li Fan felt a momentary annoyance, but he quickly suppressed that emotion.

    "These contribution points are depleting too quickly."

    The days when he had over three thousand contribution points seemed like they had just passed yesterday, yet in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

    "The opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce is still about two years away. Before that, I need to figure out how to earn more contribution points and strengthen my power."

    He once again browsed through the task page of the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Li Fan chose to ignore the official tasks posted by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Even in thete Qi Condensation stage, the official tasks he could undertake were still all low-yield and low-risk missions.

    For instance, assisting alchemists, craftsmen, or talisman makers, or helping to maintain and inspect arrays scattered throughout the Cloud Sea.

    Although these tasks were safe, they earned contribution points too slowly. If Li Fan had an interest in learning alchemy, craftsmanship, or talisman making, they might have been considered.

    But for now, the most important thing was to obtain the "Cloud Water Map."

    Unfortunately, Li Fan''s luck seemed to becking this time. He couldn''t find any suitable tasks even after searching for a long time.

    After thinking for a moment, Li Fan took out themunication talisman given to him by He Zhenghao and sent him a message.

    "May I ask, fellow Daoist He, if there are any fast ways to earn contribution points? I''ve been searching the Tianxuan Mirror for a long time, and most of the tasks only offer a few dozen points. I need thirty points of contribution every day just for my cultivation. At this rate, when will I be able to exchange for a Foundation Establishment cultivation method?"

    Li Fanined in his message.

    After sending the message, he ced themunication talisman aside and continued his cultivation.

    Even though he didn''t have the assistance of the Tianxuan Mirror, his cultivation speed had improved somewhat.

    After three days had passed, He Zhenghao finally replied.

    "Hahaha, that''s how it is in our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Newly joined cultivators often need several years of hard work to exchange for a cultivation method. It''s the same for everyone."

    "But..."

    He Zhenghao''s tone suddenly changed, and he continued, "Since fellow Daoist Li joined through my rmendation, I naturally want to help you."

    "After all, I hope fellow Daoist Li can enter the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible!"

    "However, this matter isn''t convenient to discuss through amunication talisman. If fellow Daoist Li is willing, you cane to Liuli Ind. We can talk face to face."

    ...

    Originally, Li Fan had just asked casually, not expecting He Zhenghao to respond so readily.

    "It''s quite timely. However, there must be a reason behind this..." Li Fan thought, considering that He Zhenghao had always been generous to others in both his lives. He was indeed an anomaly among cultivators.

    Without hesitation, Li Fan left the Tianxuan Mirror and headed straight for Liuli Ind.

    Inside the protective array of Liuli Ind, He Zhenghao sat in a pavilion on the mountaintop, sipping tea. He seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.

    "It seems that fellow Daoist Li couldn''t wait any longer," He Zhenghao said with a big smile.

    He pped his hands, and suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to shake.

    Shortly after, Li Fan saw the surrounding mountains rise in unison.

    However, he quickly realized what was happening.

    The other mountains weren''t rising; it was the mountain Li Fan was on that was descending.

    The mountain rapidly sank and soon descended below the ground, entering a space filled with silver clouds and mist.

    Li Fan looked up, and the continuous group of mountains within the protective array seemed like stars, floating above his head.

    The mountains were dispersed, yet they seemed to form a whole ording to some rule.

    It appeared stationary but was in constant motion.

    Seeing Li Fan''s expression, He Zhenghao showed a hint of satisfaction. "How do you find my Mountain Star Formation, fellow Daoist?"

    Li Fan hadn''t seen the true face of the Liuli Ind protective array even in his past life, so now that he witnessed it, he sincerely said, "The Mountain Star Formation is quite extraordinary. However, why does Liuli Ind''s protective array seem..."

    He Zhenghao already knew what Li Fan wanted to ask and spoke even more proudly, "That''s because I personally constructed Liuli Ind''s array, so naturally, it''s different from arrays on other inds."

    Li Fan was astonished, "I didn''t expect you, fellow Daoist, to be proficient in formations."

    But he was also somewhat puzzled, "Is it possible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you to build such a vast Mountain Star Formation?"

    He Zhenghao coughed and said seriously, "Naturally, there were others assisting on the side. However, the arrangement of the formation was mainly done by me."

    "I won''t hide it from you; the Foundation Establishment treasure I possess is the Mountain and River Vein Formation Diagrams. Hence, I have a talent for formations that ordinary cultivators can''tpare to. If we talk about formations without considering cultivation level, even a typical Nascent Soul stage formation master might not surpass me." He Zhenghao spoke confidently.

    "I see..." Li Fan nodded and then asked, "I wonder what exactly you invited me for, fellow Daoist? Why is it so secretive and borate?"

    He Zhenghao grinned and said, "It''s not a big deal; I''m just being a bit cautious."

    "Do you know that many years ago, mortals in the cultivation world were once collectively banished to various small worlds?"

    Li Fan narrowed his eyes, "I''ve heard a bit about it."

    He Zhenghao continued, "In these small worlds, there are many valuable things that can be exchanged for a lot of contribution points. But gathering them by yourself is quite time-consuming andborious, and is not worth the effort."

    "However, often those influential ordinary people in these small worlds scheme to return to the cultivation world. So..."

    Li Fan already understood what He Zhenghao was nning, "So?"

    "We can make it a condition for those ordinary people to help us collect resources. Coincidentally, I know of a small world called Dali, which is quite vast and has several precious treasures. There are even quite a lot of Starry Sea Quicksand."

    "Starry Sea Quicksand is amon material for arranging formations, and often, a pound of it costs between two to three contribution points..."

    He Zhenghao exined non-stop, but he noticed Li Fan''s eyes looking at him bing stranger and couldn''t help feeling a bit awkward.

    He then said, "Don''t look at me like that, I know what you''re thinking."

    "As cultivators, how could we lower ourselves to do such things, right?"

    "But fellow Daoist, you don''t know that even if you don''t do these things, others will."

    "A small world, every dozen years, can yield over two thousand contribution points. If you have several worlds like this, doesn''t it mean you can get over two thousand contribution points for free every year?"

    "You see, after I exined it like this, you find it quite reasonable, don''t you?"

 Chapter 70: Seeking a Nascent Soul Technique

    As he listened to He Zhenghao''s lengthy exnation, Li Fan gradually saw the resemnce between He Zhenghao''s figure and the cultivator who had saved the group when he first entered the cultivation world in his previous life.

    "So you were the one responsible for the smuggling! No wonder Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has been engaging in the illicit passage of mortals right under your nose, and nothing has happened. Even in thest life, the rumors of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion smuggling mortals were widely known across the ind, and it didn''t bring any trouble."

    Thinking carefully, it made sense.

    Given He Zhenghao''s greedy personality, how could he possibly let go of such a lucrative opportunity?

    Li Fan was somewhat speechless but quickly epted the reality.

    "So, what do you mean, fellow Daoist?"

    Seeing that Li Fan didn''t object, He Zhenghao became very pleased. "This matter is simple. You just need to run an errand for me to the Land of Immortal Extinction and bring back the materials that I had the people from the Land of Immortal Extinction collect ten years ago."

    "After selling these materials, we split the contribution points earned equally."

    "I need to guard Liuli Ind and can''t leave. Originally, I was nning to cooperate with someone else, but since you messaged me, I decided to contact you."

    After some consideration, this matter indeed carried little risk.

    Over a thousand contribution points in thirty days, which far exceeded the tasks one could usually take.

    "I wonder how long it will take for a round trip? This must be rified in advance. I don''t want to miss the opening of the Cloud Water Celestial Pce."

    "Don''t worry, it will take at most twenty to thirty days, and it won''t dy your cultivation, fellow Daoist," He Zhenghao assured.

    "Alright, I''ll ept this."

    He Zhenghao smiled in satisfaction and handed a small wooden boat to Li Fan. "After obtaining the materials, just give this to the mortals in the Land of Immortal Extinction. Don''t worry about anything else."

    Li Fan took a look at it: the wooden boat resembled the Tai Yan Boat but was far less exquisite.

    "It''s just an ordinary wooden boat with a few inscribed formations, not a magical tool. However, it''s enough to help those mortals pass through the Immortal Extinction Formation ande here," He Zhenghao exined.

    "Of course, the strength of the formation on the boat only supports one crossing. After arriving in the cultivation world, the formation on the wooden boat will deplete its energy and dissipate on its own."

    "This is to prevent those mortals from replicating it."

    "Fellow Daoist, you''ve really thought this through," Li Fan said.

    He Zhenghaoughed heartily, not minding.

    He then took out a talisman, somewhat reluctant, and handed it to Li Fan.

    "No matter what, helping to smuggle mortals is not something that should be exposed. In case it''s seen by other cultivators, it''s not only a matter of losing face but you might also face the reprimand of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. To be cautious, fellow Daoist, keep this Concealing Form Talisman with you to avoid being recognized."

    Li Fan nodded and epted it.

    "This Concealing Form Talisman can hide your form and aura. It''s an advanced version of the Concealing Aura Talisman. Even a Golden Core realm cultivator can''t see through i. It''s a must-have item for us cultivators when going out."

    He Zhenghao paused for a moment and said somewhat regretfully, "It''s a pity that the materials needed to make this Concealing Form Talisman, such as Spirit Mist Grass, are rtively rare, resulting in the high price of the talisman."

    "It costs 50 contribution points for one."

    "However, if you need it in the future, you can go to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and find a cultivator named Jiao Xiuyuan. He has many defective Concealing Form Talismans, said to be eliminated from the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind''s talisman pavilion. Although they''re considered defective, they can still be used normally. It''s just that the effect is not very good and can only prevent Foundation Establishment cultivators from seeing through."

    "But fortunately, they are reasonably priced, only requiring 20 contribution points. Fellow Daoist, if you go out in the future, you might want to prepare some." He Zhenghao enthusiastically shared this information with Li Fan.

    Afterward, He Zhenghao detailed to Li Fan the precautions and various situations he might encounter when going to the Land of Immortal Extinction.

    With everything prepared, Li Fan was ready to set off for the Land of Immortal Extinction.

    He aimed to leave and return as soon as possible.

    However, before setting off, Li Fan couldn''t help but ask, "Fellow Daoist He, there''s something I''ve been puzzled about. I''m not sure if I should ask..."

    He Zhenghao was taken aback, then said, "Feel free to ask."

    "Fellow Daoist He, you are a Foundation Establishment cultivator and hold the position of guarding Liuli Ind. Moreover, you are an expert in formations. Logically speaking, you shouldn''t becking in contribution points. Why are you so stingy?" Li Fan pondered for a moment and asked tactfully.

    He Zhenghao thought Li Fan was worried about his future prospects in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    He smiled bitterly and exined, "Fellow Daoist, you have misunderstood. Although Foundation Establishment cultivators still don''t haveplete freedom in terms of contribution points within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, it''s not as destitute as my situation."

    "Oh? Fellow Daoist He, is there something you find difficult to discuss?" Li Fan asked in surprise.

    "To be honest, I have set my eyes on a Nascent Soul cultivation technique. This technique is highlypatible with my Foundation Treasure. If I could cultivate that technique, I am sure I could achieve the Golden Core stage within a hundred years, and even reaching the Nascent Soul realm would be almost certain," He Zhenghao''s eyes shed with desire.

    "Unfortunately, a genuine Nascent Soul technique is extremely rare and precious. Even if I''ve saved up for a long time, I''m still far from the required contribution points."

    "So, I can only save as much as I can in my daily life," he sighed. "Even so, I don''t know when I''ll be able to exchange for it."

    "I also don''t know if the cultivation technique I''ve been longing for will be exchanged by someone else before that."

    He Zhenghao sighed.

    Then, he remembered something and said to Li Fan, "By the way, you''re already in theter stage of Qi Condensation. When selecting a Foundation Establishment cultivation technique, if possible, remember to choose one that ispatible with your Foundation Treasure. This way, not only will you find it easier to cultivate in the future, but there will also be many other benefits. Due to the limitations of the Tianxuan Mirror, I can''t tell you too much. Just remember this, and you won''t go wrong."

    "Apatible Foundation Treasure and cultivation technique..." Li Fan nodded slowly upon hearing this.

    He Zhenghao then sighed, "Actually, the cultivation technique I''m currently practicing is also extraordinary. I obtained it by ident when exploring an unnamed cave in my youth. It contains various incredible methods."

    "However, the difficulty of cultivating it is a bit too high. It takes decades or even hundreds of years to advance a small realm."

    "Foundation Establishment is already so difficult. If I forcefully continue practicing this technique at the Golden Core stage, I will likely exhaust my lifespan before my breakthrough, and I''ll perish before achieving sess."

    "Switching to another cultivation technique is also quite difficult." He Zhenghao finished speaking and then fell into deep silence.

    Li Fan listened and respectfully sped his hands before heading towards the Land of Immortal Extinction.

    He Zhenghao watched Li Fan''s departing figure and sighed once again.

    There was actually one thing he hadn''t mentioned.

    While it''s true that assisting junior cultivators from the sidelines could yield benefits, cultivating the Dao was just too difficult.

    Over the years, he cast hiss everywhere, nurturing young cultivators.

    However, the vast majority mysteriously died not long after, without reaching even the Foundation Establishment stage.

    Encountering someone like Li Fan, a young genius who had already reached theter stage of Qi Condensation, was already a great stroke of luck.

    After all, in this world, how many geniuses would he be able to meet?

 Chapter 71: The Mortals of Dali

    After leaving Liuli Ind, Li Fan followed the guidance provided by He Zhenghao and flew west for two days, arriving at an area of the sea filled with reefs and whirlpools.

    Activating the Concealing Form Talisman, Li Fan dove into the sea and found the entrance to the Mortal Realm in the depths of the sea within a ruin.

    An inconspicuous well.

    Diving into the well, Li Fan sensed a familiar aura, simr to the Ruins Abyss he had encountered before.

    Continuing down the passage within the well, after an unknown amount of time, Li Fan suddenly felt dizzy.

    When he regained consciousness, he was surrounded by darkness, with no trace of seawater, already in an endless dark space.

    "It seems that the Immortal Extinction Formation blocking the various small worlds is the same." Li Fan looked out into this space and pondered.

    A colonyposed of tens of thousands of Void Ripper Whales hid in the darkness, diligently creating space and pushing the Mortal Realm away from the world of cultivation.

    Just like the Ruins Abyss he was in previously.

    The Void Ripper Whales were extremely sensitive to the aura of mortals butpletely indifferent to cultivators.

    However, Li Fan still chose to cautiously avoid the Void Ripper Whales and arrived at the thunderstormyer.

    At this point, he recalled He Zhenghao''s instructions again.

    "The Immortal Extinction Formation istes the Mortal Realm from the world of cultivation. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators should be cautious when trying to forcefully break through it. However, as long as you follow the method I mentioned to break the array, you won''t trigger the array''s attacks..."

    Li Fan operated his spiritual energy ording to He Zhenghao''s instructions and flew into the thunderstormyer.

    After staying in ce for a while, the violent thunder continuously struck around Li Fan, but none of it hit him.

    "It indeed works. In this way, even without the Tai Yan Boat, I can pass through this Immortal Extinction Formation. The ordinary wooden boat given to the Mortal Realm inhabitants uses formations to stabilize these fluctuations, thus avoiding the attacks of the Immortal Extinction Formation."

    "The Tai Yan Boat passes through the Immortal Extinction Formation by having formations resist the attacks. What He Zhenghao did was essentially like cracking the defense system of the array and creating a hidden entrance for himself."

    "Looking at it this way, he wasn''t boasting. Indeed, he has exceptional knowledge in the field of formations."

    Having verified the information, Li Fan chose not to manually cross this time.

    He immediately released the Tai Yan Boat, deftly passed through the Immortal Extinction Formation, and headed towards Dali.

    ...

    Dali and the Grand Xuan Kingdom were both mundane worlds, and the general scenery was simr.

    However, in the center of this world, there was a volcano towering thousands of meters high.

    The volcano would erupt every two to three hundred years, causing countless casualties.

    Moreover, the eruptions were bing more frequent, and the scale of the eruptions was increasing.

    The upper ruling ss of the Dali Empire was worried that one day the volcano wouldpletely turn this world into a molten hell. Therefore, they spared no effort to find a way to escape this world.

    But they couldn''t find a way out.

    It wasn''t until fifty years ago that an immortal suddenly descended. He promised that he could take a group of people out of here every ten years.

    The condition was to help him collect the items on a list.

    The upper echelons of the Dali Empire were naturally overjoyed and agreed.

    As a result, the transaction between the two sides had been going on for fifty years.

    And the agreed-upon transaction time between the two parties was approaching. Therefore, in the four observation towers in the capital of Dali, there were always officials on duty.

    So when Li Fan flew to Dali''s capital, he soon heard the continuous tolling of bells from below.

    Shortly after, the Emperor of Dali led the civil and military officials and came before Li Fan.

    "We respectfully wee the immortal!"

    On the square, the Emperor of Dali and the officials all knelt down and shouted in unison.

    "Today is the agreed day. Have you all collected the specified items?" Li Fan, standing above them, asked in a cold tone.

    Emperor of Dali hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the immortal, all the items on the list have been properly prepared."

    Li Fan nodded, "Very well, lead me to them."

    So, under the personal guidance of the Emperor of Dali, Li Fan arrived at the imperial pce treasury.

    Here, the materials prepared by He Zhenghao were neatly categorized andbeled with names and quantities.

    Li Fan scanned with his spiritual sense and nodded in satisfaction.

    Not only were the corresponding materials notcking, but each item exceeded the required quantity slightly.

    Putting the materials into the storage ring given by He Zhenghao, this mission was considered sessfullypleted.

    Smooth sailing, no hitches.

    Except for some time spent on the journey, the remaining risks were almost zero.

    No wonder He Zhenghao was so keen on this, it was truly a lucrative deal.

    Handing the wooden boat inscribed with formations to the Emperor of Dali, Li Fan looked at the pleased expression on his face and suddenly asked, "I wonder if the Southern King is present today?"

    The Emperor was taken aback. Immortal Masters in the past would usually take the materials and fly away directly. He didn''t know why the Southern King was suddenly asked about today.

    Not daring to be negligent, the Emperor answered anxiously, "Reporting to the immortal, my younger brother is stationed in the southern border year-round and is not in the capital."

    "However, his son, Xiao Heng, is here." Afraid of angering the immortal, the Emperor hurriedly added.

    Li Fan nodded, knowing that Xiao Heng had been left in the capital as a kind of hostage. He wasn''t surprised, "Where is he now? Take me to see him!"

    The Emperor had no idea where the Southern King''s hostage usually resided and couldn''t answer. He was momentarily stunned and began to sweat anxiously.

    Luckily, a eunuch by his side quickly reminded him in a low voice, "Your Majesty, young master Xiao Heng is likely being fostered in Master Su''s residence."

    "Su family''s residence..." Li Fan''s heart moved upon hearing this.

    The Emperor heaved a sigh of relief, and quickly arranged for someone to lead the way.

    Not long after, Li Fan met Xiao Heng at the Su family''s residence.

    At this moment, he was just a seven or eight-year-old child, and being suddenly surrounded by so many strangers, his little face was nervous.

    Comparing the small figure with the image of Xiao Heng in his memory, Li Fan chuckled.

    "I perceive extraordinary talent in this child; he will certainly not be an ordinary person in the future." He suddenly spoke.

    The people present had different expressions upon hearing this and looked at Xiao Heng, who still looked confused and didn''t know what was happening.

    Then, Li Fan lightly pointed at Xiao Heng''s forehead.

    He transmitted the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" along with the instructions for the corresponding medicine to him.

    "I will personally take him away when Ie back in ten years." ncing at everyone, Li Fan said calmly.

    For a moment, those who had mischievous thoughts in their minds were all covered in cold sweat, trembling in fear.

    The Emperor of Dali naturally understood the implication in Li Fan''s words and quickly promised, "Immortal, please rest assured. I will take good care of him."

    Li Fan nodded in satisfaction.

    Currently, his footing in the cultivation world was not yet stable, and in two years, he would explore the Cloud Water Celestial Pce, so his future was uncertain.

    He could only transmit the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" to Xiao Heng for now, wait for him to mature, and then bring him into the cultivation world.

    With the matters regarding the Mortal Realm settled, Li Fan prepared to leave.

    But suddenly, he heard a young and tender voice from the crowd, "Please, Immortal Master, save my sister!"

 Chapter 72: Immortalâ€™s Restoration

    The sudden voice made all the important figures from Dali present quiet.

    Even the Emperor of Dali turned pale.

    You must know, in the eyes of an Immortal, they were basically no different from ants.

    What was the fate of ants making a request? Twenty years ago, the skies of Dali''s capital were filled with blood, which was the best answer.

    They all lowered their heads, sweating profusely, sneaking nces at Li Fan.

    But that voice, seemingly unafraid of death, repeated loudly, "Please, Immortal, save my sister!"

    Li Fan looked in the direction from which the voice came. It was Su Changyu, who was around a dozen years old.

    Only then did a middle-aged man react and hurriedly step forward, pressing him to kneel on the ground.

    "What nonsense are you talking about, Yu''er!" The middle-aged man, equally on his knees, anxiously knelt down and kowtowed to Li Fan while holding Su Changyu.

    While kowtowing, he said, "My child is ignorant, please forgive him, Immortal!"

    Li Fan fell into silence.

    This situation made all the important figures of Dali panic. Under the leadership of the Emperor, they all knelt down as well.

    Xiao Heng also kowtowed, carefully saying, "Immortal, please save my sister, Su Xiaomei."

    After a while, Li Fan slowly spoke, "Very well, take me to see. But this won''t set a precedent."

    Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

    In fact, Li Fan had nned to take a look at Su Changyu''s terminally ill sister. However, he couldn''t easily agree on the surface.

    So, he made a gesture earlier.

    After a while, Li Fan saw Su''s little sister, Su Xiaomei, in an underground room.

    The temperature in the basement was very low, and many officials who had followed couldn''t help but shiver.

    A baby who looked like it was born not too long ago was lying quietly on a jade bed.

    Next to the jade bed were many ice blocks.

    Su Xiaomei''s body seemed extremely hot, so the maidservant had to constantly crush the ice blocks and apply them to her to cool her down.

    Seeing this unusual scene, Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

    He walked forward, and his spiritual sense swept over Su Xiaomei. His expression froze.

    "You all should retreat first!"

    Hemanded in a cold voice.

    The crowd of powerful nobles then exited the basement.

    Li Fan and Su Xiaomei were left alone.

    Li Fan ced his hand on Su Xiaomei''s body and separated a very thin sliver of aura, ferrying it into her body.

    After sending the aura to swim around and return, Li Fan was shocked.

    "There''s actually no Immortal-Mortal Miasma in Su Xiaomei''s body?"

    "And what kind of constitution is this? The wisp of spiritual energy sent into her body just now, after a turn, was actually strengthened?"

    Li Fan controlled the wisp of spiritual energy and gathered it in his fingers.

    It waspletely different from the original spiritual energy in his body, carrying a scorching sensation.

    But it was different from the heat brought by the Crimson me he had seen before.

    It wasn''t the heat brought by mes, but...

    Li Fan carefully analyzed the strand of spiritual energy at his fingertip. After a long time, he made a rough judgment.

    His expression couldn''t help but be strange.

    "Heat brought by anger?"

    Li Fan looked at Su Xiaomei, who was still sleeping, with an inexplicable expression on his face.

    "Could this be the legendary natural immortal physique, as well as an innate supernatural ability?"

    Having stepped into the world of cultivating for two lifetimes, Li Fan was no longer an ignorant neer.

    He had some knowledge of variousmonalities in the world of cultivation.

    First, let''s talk about the natural immortal physique.

    It was well known that in the cultivation world, from the moment a person was born, their body contained the Immortal-Mortal Miasma. To practice cultivation, they had to eliminate this miasma from their body.

    However, when two cultivators joined together, there was a certain chance that their offspring would be born without the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.

    These people had naturally gifted immortal physiques.

    Those with a naturally gifted immortal physique had an unparalleled affinity for various techniques and Dao arts.

    Their innate talent for cultivation was extremely high.

    Thebination of these factors made the cultivation speed of the naturally gifted immortal physique terrifyingly fast, and their use of techniques also received a natural strength boost.

    They were far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

    They could be called the true sons of the heavens.

    In the distant continents, the various legends of forming a golden core within just a dozen years of cultivation were all created by these heavenly beings.

    Next, let''s talk about the innate supernatural ability.

    In the cultivation world, there was a type of person who had innate supernatural abilities.

    For example, those born with three eyes, capable of seeing through illusions; those born with extraordinary bones, with almost inexhaustible potential and almost endless vitality.

    Or those born with control over water, fire, thunder, and lightning.

    Such people, born with innate supernatural abilities, often faced corresponding heavenly envy due to the power of their abilities.

    They would face various cmities from birth.

    If they could ovee each cmity, they would naturally be stronger through these trials.

    But if they couldn''t, they would naturally die with their extraordinary powers.

    This was the limit imposed by the heavens on such individuals, a test.

    For those possessing innate supernatural abilities, their cultivation speed might not necessarily be very fast.

    However, in battles, they often became invincible at the same level.

    In fact, many of the powerful individuals with innate supernatural abilities could easily kill cultivators of the same level, as if killing chickens, and even had the power to fight across a major realm.

    Such individuals were notorious and had outstanding records in the cultivation world.

    Both types of constitutions were extremely rare, one in a million.

    But what Li Fan saw?

    These two kinds of constitutions actually appeared in a single infant!

    There was no trace of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma in her body; she was undoubtedly a naturally gifted immortal physique.

    Although he didn''t know why the naturally gifted immortal physique, which could only be born when two cultivators reproduced, would appear in this small world filled with mortals.

    But Li Fan was certain he hadn''t seen it wrong.

    And the power constantly burning inside Su Xiaomei''s body should be her innate supernatural ability.

    Li Fan spected that her ability was rted to the emotion "anger."

    With raging anger in her heart, her own strength would multiply.

    Until the angerpletely burned herself and her enemies into ashes.

    The constant fiery state Su Xiaomei was in at the moment was probably caused by the uncontroble release of her innate supernatural ability.

    "Naturally gifted immortal physique, innate supernatural ability. No wonder she faces such a deadly cmity from birth."

    "With the constant burning of her own life force due to the anger burning inside her, even if she hides in an ice cer all day, Su Xiaomei would still never survive to adulthood."

    "No wonder, in thest life, Su Changyu was so anxious. He didn''t hesitate to use himself as a test subject for the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, just to be a cultivator as soon as possible."

    "In his eyes, perhaps bing a legendary immortal could save his sister."

    "Unfortunately..."

    Li Fan looked at Su Changyu, and the illusionary blue me spirit in his sea of consciousness suddenly woke up from its slumber.

    "If it weren''t for encountering me, even if a Golden Core cultivator came, they wouldn''t be able to save her."

    A faint blue figure appeared in front of Li Fan.

    It seemed like a thin mist, slowly approaching Su Xiaomei''s tiny body.

    He reached out and gently touched Su Xiaomei''s head.

    The heat on the baby''s body gradually dissipated.

    Her tightly furrowed brows rxed, and Su Xiaomei slowly turned over.

 Chapter 73: Investment

    The Azure me Illusionary Spirit left a trace of power in Su Xiaomei''s body to help suppress the anger within her.

    Then it returned to Li Fan''s consciousness.

    In just this short amount of time, Li Fan was already feeling weary.

    The "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" hadn''t been cultivated to theter stage of Qi Condensation, and the newly born illusion spirit was still a bit weak.

    Moreover, he had to concentrate and carefully control the intensity of the illusion spirit''s output, so as not to cause harm to Su Xiaomei''s young body.

    For Li Fan, it wasn''t an easy task.

    Fortunately, all was well.

    This time, he managed to keep her safe for the next ten years.

    If Li Fan could leave the Cloud Water Celestial Pce unharmed in this world and obtain the "Cloud Water Map," he woulde to find her in advance.

    If anything happened to Li Fan, she could still go to the cultivation world with Su Changyu and the others after ten years.

    After recovering his strength, Li Fan walked out of the underground chamber.

    The officials of Dali were still waiting outside.

    After informing them that Su Xiaomei had been cured, Li Fan let them disperse.

    He only left Su Xiaomei''s father, Su Xueshi, and inquired about Su Xiaomei''s condition.

    Su Xueshi''s face turned red, and after hesitating for a while, he stuttered and exined the whole story.

    As it turned out, Su Xiaomei was not Su Xueshi''s daughter but instead the daughter of his younger sister, Su Yujing.

    Su Yujing was much younger than Su Xueshi. She was only sixteen when she became pregnant with Su Xiaomei.

    At that time, her inexplicable pregnancy caused a huge stir in the Su family.

    Because she was not married at that time!

    Pregnancy before marriage was an undeniable scandal. What made Lord Su even more angry was that Su Yujing refused to disclose who the child''s father was.

    She insisted that she had absolutely done nothing improper and imed that she had suddenly felt tired while ying in the garden one day and took a short nap.

    Upon waking up, she soon noticed something strange in her body.

    But how could a young girl waiting to be married bring up such a matter to others?

    It was only until her belly grew day by day that she finally couldn''t hide it anymore.

    The Su family naturally didn''t believe this absurd exnation.

    An enraged Lord Su wanted to abort the child.

    However, feeling the heartbeat of the fetus in her abdomen, Su Yujing showed her strength as a mother.

    She refused to agree to abort the fetus, even resorting to threatening suicide.

    Although Lord Su was furious, he couldn''t bring himself to kill his own daughter.

    He could only lock Su Yujing in her room, preventing her from leaving to avoid leaking the news.

    In this way, they finally waited until the day of her delivery.

    It took a lot of effort to give birth to Su Xiaomei.

    Su Yujing''s body was already weak, and she hadn''t received good care during her pregnancy.

    After such turmoil, her body couldn''t take it.

    Thus, shortly after giving birth to Su Xiaomei, she passed away.

    Before her death, she earnestly begged the Su family to take good care of Su Xiaomei.

    The Su family were not heartless people.

    After Su Yujing''s death, everyone in the family doted on this little child who had lost her parents at a young age, hoping she would grow up safe, happy, and healthy.

    However, no one expected that shortly after Su Xiaomei was born, she fell ill with a strange disease.

    Her whole body was burning, to the point where she had to apply ice constantly to alleviate it.

    The Su family consulted renowned doctors in the capital, but they couldn''t cure her.

    Until Li Fan arrived.

    ...

    Li Fan listened to Su Xueshi''s narration, then looked up at the sky of this world, lost in thought.

    "Is she born with heavenly fortune? Perhaps this can exin why Su Xiaomei has such exceptional talent."

    "However, ording to the original historical trajectory, even with her extraordinary talent, in the face of cmities, she would still find it hard to escape death."

    "In the entire cultivation world, how many people have talents as exceptional as Su Xiaomei''s, yet they die without any recognition, just like ordinary people?"

    "From this perspective, the heavens indeed treat everyone equally."

    With this matter concluded, Li Fan let out a long sigh and summoned the Tai Yan Boat, swiftly leaving.

    It didn''t take long before he safely returned to Liuli Ind.

    Indeed, what He Zhenghao said earlier was true. It had taken about twenty-five days in total.

    And up until now, the Concealing Form Talisman he had activated earlier was still effective.

    "As long as one does not fight with others, a Concealing Form Talisman canst this long. It''s truly cost-effective. Once I return to the ind, I should buy some as backups," Li Fan thought.

    Inside the Mountain Star Formation, Li Fan handed over the storage ring to He Zhenghao.

    He Zhenghao seemed a bit absent-minded, just ncing at it casually before storing the storage ring away.

    His attention was focused on an ancient mirror in front of him.

    Judging by its appearance, it seemed somewhat simr to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Following He Zhenghao''s gaze, Li Fan looked at the mirror and saw a line of small characters.

    "Spirit Mist Grass: current price is fifteen contribution points per nt."

    The number fifteen kept changing, sometimes bing sixteen and then quickly shifting to fourteen.

    "It''s going up! Go up!" He Zhenghao stared at the mirror as if enchanted, repeatedly uttering these words.

    "Fellow Daoist, what are you doing?" Li Fan asked curiously.

    "Ah, my friend, you don''t know," He Zhenghao didn''t take his gaze off, sighed, and said dejectedly, "A few days ago, shortly after you left, I received reliable information. Due to an attack by sea creatures, the ind where Spirit Mist Grass is cultivated was mostly destroyed."

    "As I mentioned before, Spirit Mist Grass is the main raw material for making Concealing Form Talismans and is already extremely scarce. Now that a significant portion has been destroyed, the price is bound to skyrocket."

    "At the time this news came, I thought I''d seize this opportunity to make a fortune. So, I spent a lot in the Tianxuan Mirror and hoarded arge amount of Spirit Mist Grass."

    This operation sounded somewhat familiar to Li Fan, who observed He Zhenghao and asked with some confusion, "But isn''t that a good thing? Why does fellow Daoist seem so dispirited?"

    "Ah, it is a good thing, but I was happy too early," He Zhenghao didn''t look away from the mirror, sighing and saying, "At first, the price of Spirit Mist Grass went up a bit, from twenty points per nt to twenty-five points per nt. But who would have thought that before I could sell the Spirit Mist Grass I had, its price suddenly plummeted."

    "It went all the way from twenty-five points to thirteen points, almost halving!" He Zhenghao was in great pain.

    "Fortunately, the price has rebounded somewhat recently, back to around fifteen points."

    ...

    Listening to He Zhenghao''s words, Li Fan couldn''t help but say, "Then why doesn''t fellow Daoist take this opportunity to sell the Spirit Mist Grass you have on hand? At the very least, you can recoup some of your investment."

    He Zhenghao hurriedly shook his head, "That won''t do. I''ve invested almost a hundred years'' worth of savings into it. At the very least, I need to wait for the price to rise again before I can sell..."

    He was halfway through his words when he suddenly eximed, "Why is it falling again? Thirteen? Twelve? Ten? Eight?..."

    "It''s still falling?!"

    In the blink of an eye, the price of Spirit Mist Grass copsed from fifteen points per nt to six points per nt before finally stabilizing with great difficulty.

    "It should... go back up, right?"

    After remaining silent for a long time and seeing He Zhenghao disoriented and bewildered, Li Fan could only console him in this way.

 Chapter 74: A Moment of Leisure

    In Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, the unusual fluctuation in the price of Spirit Mist Grass had already caused quite a stir.

    Upon a little inquiry, Li Fan understood the truth behind the matter.

    As expected, someone set up a scheme and ruthlessly reaped profits from cultivators like He Zhenghao who wanted to take advantage of the situation.

    The news of the ind where Spirit Mist Grass was cultivated being destroyed was indeed true. After the news was confirmed, many people hurried to enter, hoping to make a fortune.

    However, what they didn''t know was that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had recently discovered a subworld that had been sealed for a thousand years.

    It was said to be rich in wood-element spiritual energy and filled with various rare spirit nts.

    Spirit Mist Grass was abundant there.

    One step could crush several nts.

    Previously, only the high-ranking members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance knew about this.

    It wasn''t until people in the market shed blood and tears over Spirit Mist Grass that the news was suddenly released.

    No wonder the price of Spirit Mist Grass plummeted suddenlyter.

    "It seems like there''s no hope for He Zhenghao to recover his investment," Li Fan said with a smile and regret.

    "However, this senior''s methods are not very ethical."

    Li Fan checked the transaction records in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Greenwood Rebirth Nascent Lord.

    This person was the one who first raised the price of Spirit Mist Grass. Later, during the tug-of-war between buyers and sellers, he dealt the final blow, smashing the price of Spirit Mist Grass.

    It was obvious that he was an insider who had known about the news in advance.

    Li Fan muttered to himself.

    However, with Nascent Soul-level involvement, those who suffered losses probably didn''t have the courage to confront him.

    They could only ept their losses.

    Li Fan even spected maliciously that the ind where Spirit Mist Grass was cultivated might have been secretly destroyed by this Nascent Soul.

    "The market is truly treacherous," Li Fan shook his head.

    Just as Li Fan was gloating, news came from He Zhenghao.

    "Friend, I have sold all the goods acquired for this trip to Lijie. I''ve received a total of 2342 contribution points. ording to our previous agreement, we each get half."

    Although He Zhenghao suffered heavy losses in this investment action, he did not embezzle Li Fan''s rightful reward.

    Upon receiving the 1171 contribution points given by He Zhenghao, added to the remaining 125 points from before, Li Fan''s current contribution points reached 1296 points, which wouldst him for a while.

    After some consideration, Li Fan chose not to enter closed-door cultivation immediately. Instead, he searched for information about Jiao Xiuyuan.

    He had heard that this person could obtain arge number of Concealing Form Talisman from the Talisman Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, indicating that he had good connections. While taking the opportunity to buy some spirit talismans, he hoped to gather information about Sikong Yi.

    Ten Thousand Immortals Ind was roughly divided into three main parts.

    In the innermost core area were the official buildings of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, such as the Council Chamber, Martial Hall, Medicine Hall, and Talisman Hall.

    The middle areaprised individually developed cultivation abodes, where one could purchase one with sufficient contribution points. This was a step up from being confined to the small space allocated by the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The facilities in these caves wereparable to those in the Tianxuan Mirror space.

    The outermost area was a mix ofmercial and residential zones.

    The transmission square and Tianxuan Mirror were located at the border between this area and the cultivation abode region.

    The residences here only provided the most basic lodging function, without an increase in spiritual energy or a connection to the Tianxuan Mirror. If one wanted to cultivate, one still had to return to the Tianxuan Mirror space.

    As for themercial zone, they were independent shops established by various cultivators outside the Tianxuan Mirror trading system.

    The prices of the goods in these shops were often lower than those in the Tianxuan Mirror, but there was no guarantee of the same quality.

    Jiao Xiuyuan had opened a shop here.

    Following the information obtained from the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan arrived at the corresponding location.

    Thousand Mile Hall.

    Li Fan nced at the slightly crooked signboard and walked in.

    The shop was notrge, and the floor was littered with various items. The voice of a man could be faintly heard.

    "I''m telling you, these ten Concealing Form Talismans must be traded at the price we agreed upon earlier. I don''t care how much the price has dropped now..."

    "What? You''re canceling the transaction? You don''t even want the deposit?!"

    Bang!

    "Damn it! Another one! Do they think Jiao Xiuyuan is easy to bully?" A man with a stubbled face and dark skin mmed the table and roared in frustration.

    But soon, he slumped down and muttered to himself, "It''s over, it''s over. I, Jiao Xiuyuan, never do losing deals, but now I''m stuck with arge batch of Concealing Form Talismans..."

    At this moment, he noticed that a customer had entered the store.

    However, he couldn''t see the person''s face; it was clear they were using a Concealing Form Talisman.

    Having seen many such people, Jiao Xiuyuan didn''t pay much attention.

    "What do you want? Formation talismans, artifact pills, we have everything, and discounts forrge quantities!" hezily greeted.

    "How much for a Concealing Form Talisman?" the other party asked.

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s eyes lit up, and he became energetic.

    "10 contribution points per talisman. How many do you want? If you want more than ten, I''ll give you a 20% discount. If you want more than a hundred, I''ll give you a 50% discount!"

    Li Fan smiled, "I don''t need that many. Five or six will suffice."

    After a pause, Li Fan continued, "And your price isn''t right. Beforeing here, I bought one in the Tianxuan Mirror. A Concealing Form Talisman that can shield Golden Core cultivators'' scrutiny is now priced at only 20 points. Why are you selling these subpar ones at such a high price?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s face twitched at the words and quickly changed his tune, "8 points per talisman, I can''t go any lower. You have to understand that making talismans also has its own costs!"

    "Alright, give me six," Li Fan didn''t haggle any further.

    Afraid that Li Fan might change his mind, Jiao Xiuyuan quickly took out six Concealing Form Talismans.

    "How would you like to trade?"

    The Tianxuan Mirror didn''t support anonymous transactions. If they directly exchanged contribution points, their identities would be exposed.

    However, Li Fan had already prepared beforeing.

    "Spirit stones." He took out five medium-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and handed them over.

    Standard spirit stones were manufactured jointly by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association. They had different grades and were equivalent to the official currency of the cultivation world, with a unique anti-counterfeiting prohibition.

    The exchange ratio between top-grade, high-grade, medium-grade, and low-grade spirit stones was 10:1.

    Within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, one low-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for one contribution point in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The five medium-grade spirit stones Li Fan handed over were equivalent to 50 contribution points.

    "Don''t bother making change for me."

    Li Fan put away the Concealing Form Talisman and casually asked, "Do you ept business rted to investigating cultivators?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan immediately became cautious upon hearing this.

    He examined Li Fan and after much deliberation, he gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, why wouldn''t I? I''m already losing money in my business. If I don''t take on some private jobs, I won''t be able to survive!"

    "What''s the name and cultivation level?" Jiao Xiuyuan asked in a hushed tone.

    "Sikong Yi, middle stage Qi Condensation."

 Chapter 75: Encountering the Dragonwhale

    As soon as Jiao Xiuyuan heard that the target was only at the mid Qi Condensation stage, he immediately rxed.

    He eagerly said, "Rest assured, it''s just a minor cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage. I guarantee to thoroughly investigate his life for you. About the price..."

    Li Fan smiled, "Just a minor cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage, I believe it shouldn''t be too expensive."

    Jiao Xiuyuan wished to p himself, reluctantly saying, "In this line of work, there''s always some risk. How about this price?"

    He showed a gesture of eight with his hand.

    "Forty contribution points, not a point more," Li Fan shook his head.

    "Oh, you''re really haggling hard! How about 60 points? Or else, it will be another loss-making deal!" Jiao Xiuyuan eximed in distress.

    Li Fan turned to leave.

    "Wait, wait!" Jiao Xiuyuan hurriedly stopped Li Fan.

    "Fifty points, that''s the lowest I can go," he said with a pained expression.

    Li Fan stopped then.

    "First, give me ten contribution points as a deposit," Jiao Xiuyuan said, handing a Communication Talisman to Li Fan. "Once there are results, I will notify you through this talisman."

    Li Fan epted the talisman and handed over a middle-grade spirit stone to Jiao Xiuyuan.

    Not in a hurry to leave, Li Fan began to inspect other items being sold in the room.

    Seeing a potential big client, Jiao Xiuyuan became even more enthusiastic.

    "What else would you like?"

    "Do you have any cultivation techniques for sale? Preferably escape techniques, or something simr to the effect of a Concealing Form Talisman?" Li Fan asked.

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s expression froze.

    "Heh, are you ying a joke on me? How about you look at other items? How about this Illusion Array Diagram? It''s definitely a top-tier item. Once activated, it can trap a Qi Condensation stage cultivator for a day."

    "This Frost Sword isn''t bad either, suitable for ambushes..."

    "Oh, please don''t go!"

    ...

    Exiting Thousand-Mile Hall, Li Fan returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    He nned to cultivate the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" to thete stages of Qi Condensation first.

    Once the Azure me Illusionary Spiritpletely stabilized, he could release it forbat.

    With the auxiliary cultivation mode activated, Li Fan once again entered seclusion.

    ...

    One monthter, in the eastern Dongfang Yanjing Ind in the Cong Yun Sea.

    In the depths of the sea, Li Fan concealed his aura and followed a group of me Sharks.

    There were over a dozen me Sharks in this group, currently surrounding a solitary Crimsonback Whale.

    The Crimsonback Whale was massive, and it usually fed on the seabed Fire Crystals, with skin as tough as rock.

    The me Sharks had sharp teeth, swift movements, and coordinated attacks.

    Although they couldn''t inflict significant damage on the Crimsonback Whale for now, they were slowly wearing down its vitality.

    The Crimsonback Whale made a few attempts to break through the blockade of the me Sharks but without sess.

    Gradually, its resistance became weaker.

    Li Fan watched this scene and knew it was time.

    The Azure me Illusionary Spirit manifested.

    Then it turned into a thin blue light, swiftly passing through each of the over a dozen me Sharks and the Crimsonback Whale.

    After a moment, Li Fan returned to his sea of consciousness.

    The me Sharks and Crimsonback Whales suddenly stopped moving.

    Then, a cold breath surged from within them, freezing them from the inside out.

    In an instant, peculiar ice sculptures appeared on the seabed.

    Their expressions and postures seemed lifelike, but they had long lost the breath of life.

    "The power of the Azure me Illusionary Spirit is indeed remarkable."

    "Most of these sea beasts are equivalent to the Qi Condensation stage and have tough skin and flesh. Conventional methods will fail to hurt them. Afterunching a spiritual attack with the Azure me Illusionary Spirit, they are as defenseless asmbs waiting to be ughtered, without any resistance." Li Fan nodded, satisfied with the initial test of the Illusionary Spirit''s destructive power.

    Not long ago, after spending more than twenty days, he finally seeded in breaking through the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" to thete stage of Qi Condensation.

    To test the power of the Illusionary Spirit and earn some contribution points, he undertook the task of "hunting me Sharks to obtain their beast cores."

    Each beast core earned 5 contribution points, totaling around 60 points. In addition to the materials from the Crimsonback Whale, this task could yield more than eighty contribution points in total.

    It was better than nothing.

    In the past, he used to gain contribution points in the thousands, so this meager amount couldn''t really stir any emotions in Li Fan.

    As Li Fan was thinking this, he was preparing to harvest the beast cores of the me Sharks.

    Suddenly, he felt a tremendously massive figure approaching from the deep sea below.

    Li Fan''s face changed, and without caring about the nearby beast cores, he quickly retreated.

    A dark brown, ferocious-looking sea monster with irregr protrusions on its forehead that seemed like a mix between a dragon and a fish, emerged suddenly from the shadows of the sea floor.

    Its huge mouth opened and swallowed a dozen or so me Sharks along with the Crimsonback Whale in one gulp!

    Its body swayed, and the giant monster swam in a circle before swimming towards a certain direction.

    Li Fan, who had barely avoided the giant monster, hadn''t reacted yet and watched helplessly as his prey was stolen right before his eyes.

    Could he endure this?

    Rage surged within Li Fan.

    But soon, the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra circted, calming him down a bit.

    Wait a minute, could this giant monster be the same one that destroyed the ind where the Spirit Mist Grass was nted?

    It seemed to dawn on him, and Li Fan was stunned.

    Before epting the task of hunting Crimsonback Whales, Li Fan had seen another reward task.

    Because this task was somewhat rted to Li Fan, he carefully examined it.

    It turned out that the group of people who had previously hyped up the Spirit Mist Grass had almost all suffered heavy losses, some losing their entire fortunes.

    Frustration and resentment surged within them, making it impossible for them to concentrate on cultivation.

    However, they didn''t dare to provoke Greenwood Rebirth True Immortal and the Ten Thousand Immortals League. Thus, they could only vent their anger on the mysterious beast that had destroyed the ind where the Spirit Mist Grass was nted.

    ording to witnesses, the attacker was a dragonwhale. It was roughly at the Qi Condensation stage.

    The ind''s guardian was also a Qi Condensation cultivator.

    However, the dragonwhale was massive, and the guardian''s attacks were like tickles, having no effect at all.

    The dragonwhalepletely ignored the guardian, broke through the ind''s protective array, and rampaged on the ind, consuming most of the Spirit Mist Grass.

    After this, the Golden Core cultivators from the Ten Thousand Immortals League arrivedte.

    The dragonwhale, after being struck by a blow from a Golden Core cultivator, surprisingly didn''t die. It was heavily injured and fled back into the deep sea.

    The Cong Yun Sea was vast, and despite their efforts, these people couldn''t find the dragonwhale even after searching for more than ten days.

    Helpless, each of them contributed the little they had left and jointly issued a reward task.

    Those who killed the dragonwhale would receive two thousand contribution points.

    Because this dragonwhale was beyond the Qi Condensation cultivators'' capabilities, Li Fan, a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, naturally didn''t take this task before.

    But...

    The situation was different now!

 Chapter 76: Dragonwhaleâ€™s Execution

    The dragonwhale, worth 2000 contribution points, unexpectedly appeared in front of Li Fan and seized the reward for his mission.

    How could Li Fan endure this? A Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to deal with the dragonwhale, but Li Fan might not be unable to kill it!

    Li Fan narrowed his eyes, and the formless killing intent firmly locked onto the dragonwhale.

    The whispers in his ears and the hallucinatory scenes reappeared.

    However, this time, the side effects were considerably lesserpared to when he locked onto the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Guardian previously.

    Li Fan quickly recovered, watching the dragonwhale''s disappearing figure ahead, and hurriedly followed.

    The monstrous dragonwhale waspletely unaware that it had been targeted by killing intent.

    At this moment, it was hunting in the deep sea.

    The pulsation from the bulge on top of its head told it that it was getting close.

    As long as it continued hunting like this, before long, a radical transformation would ur within its body.

    It could then finally shed this ugly form and assume the sacred appearance in its mind.

    The dragonwhale roamed the deep sea, leisurely strolling as if it were in its own garden.

    Not long after, it found prey in front of it again, one of its kind.

    Another dragonwhale.

    This one was a female.

    Attracted by the powerful masculine aura, the female dragonwhale swam over, trying to please.

    However, the monstrous dragonwhale, looking at this supposedly "beautiful" existence among its kin, felt a sense of nausea and disgust.

    This was its own kind?

    Truly absurd.

    A dangerous light flickered in the monstrous dragonwhale''s eyes.

    As the female dragonwhale approached, it opened its massive mouth and ruthlessly swallowed her whole.

    What a pitiful creature!

    Quietly digesting the flesh and blood in its stomach, the monstrous dragonwhale couldn''t help but recall its past.

    Once upon a time, it wandered aimlessly in the depths of the sea like this poor creature.

    Living on instincts: eating, mating, surviving.

    But one day, everything suddenly changed.

    As if awakening from a long nightmare, it began to awaken its consciousness.

    It had a purpose.

    It wanted to be powerful, as strong as those creatures that flew above the sea surface all day.

    In its mind, it found a plethora of knowledge seemingly out of thin air.

    It knew which things it could consume to grow the fastest.

    Its instincts also became more urate.

    In certain ces on the sea floor, whenever it approached, it felt an incredible danger.

    So, it always avoided these areas to eat.

    Its growth speed increased rapidly, and it became more intelligent.

    Gradually it could even sense things that would be helpful for it on the sea surface from the bottom of the sea.

    So, for the first time in its life, it rushed out of the sea and feasted on inds.

    And just as danger approached, it quickly left.

    Since then, a bulge appeared on its forehead.

    And in its mind, the image of an immensely powerful mythical beast appeared.

    An instinctual sensing told it that this was the power hidden deep within its bloodline.

    As long as it continued to devour, it too could be as powerful as its ancestors!

    Yes! Relentless devouring! No one could stop it!

    A dangerous aura snapped the monstrous dragonwhale back from its memories.

    It suddenly realized that a massive sea serpent was blocking its path.

    In its memories, this sea serpent had lived for a long time.

    It had been the overlord of this sea area since the monstrous dragonwhale was born.

    Once upon a time, for safety, it used to avoid the sea serpent.

    However, times have changed now...

    A hint of greed shed in the monstrous dragonwhale''s eyes as it lunged towards the sea serpent.

    After a fierce battle, the seafloor was dyed red with blood.

    The monstrous dragonwhale swallowed the most valuable parts of the sea serpent.

    Gentle energy continuously surged from its stomach, healing its injuries.

    The dragonwhale felt a bit excited.

    Although it was injured, it was absolutely worth it.

    As long as itpletely absorbed the sea serpent''s energy...

    Before it could start daydreaming, another dangerous presence approached rapidly from a distance.

    Was it that giant octopus?

    Why did everything seem toe at once today?

    Well, let''s just swallow you all.

    The dragonwhale roared and engaged in a battle with the giant octopus.

    After a long while, the gigantic body of the octopus was torn into pieces.

    But the monstrous dragonwhale was also covered in wounds.

    Before it could consume and absorb the octopus, it sensed that three or four dangerous auras were approaching from not far away.

    It was really an unlucky day!

    It hastened its speed, wanting to get away from these annoying creatures.

    But...

    It was never-ending.

    Wherever it went, it encountered enemiesunching attacks against it.

    Even those clearly not its match would charge at it as if they had gone mad,ing to their deaths.

    At first, it thought of teaching these pests a lesson, but soon, it could only flee in a panic.

    Because there were too many of these pests, and it hadn''t rested in a long time, bing increasingly exhausted.

    The dragonwhale sensed that something was amiss.

    But it didn''t know where the problemy.

    The pursuit and attacks from other underwater creatures seemed never-ending.

    The dragonwhale''s consciousness started to blur.

    Until the moment before death, it vaguely saw a phantom, glowing with blue light, appearing before it.

    Then, its consciousness waspletely frozen.

    ...

    The Azure me Illusionary Spirit dealt the final blow to this monstrous dragonwhale, and Li Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    The lock of the formless killing intent dissipated, and the surrounding seabed creatures, who had been eyeing him intently, hesitated and stopped approaching.

    The time it took to hunt the dragonwhale far exceeded Li Fan''s expectations.

    This monstrous beast was just too powerful.

    Recalling the great battles he witnessed between various fierce sea creatures along the way, Li Fan was still amazed.

    Fortunately, no matter how strong it was, it couldn''t withstand endless consumption.

    It took more than twenty days in total for Li Fan to finally exhaust and kill this monstrous dragonwhale.

    This showed how tenacious its vitality was.

    "An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would have no chance against such a beast."

    "Formless killing intent is truly worthy of beingprehended from the killing intent of heaven and earth, it''s indeed formidable."

    Having effortlessly hunted the monstrous dragonwhale and obtained 2000 contribution points, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel a bit delighted.

    "The dragonwhale is toorge, and I can''t fit it into the storage ring. I can only cut off a few pieces with obvious characteristics and value..."

    Li Fan looked at the dragonwhale''s corpse in front of him, contemting to himself.

    After some hard work, Li Fan dismembered the dragonwhale.

    Just as he was about to leave, something suddenly came to mind.

    "I heard that the stomachs of these dragonwhales often contain things that are hard to digest. Over the years, they aggregate into a mass. It can be used as rare alchemy material, also worth quite a few contribution points."

    Following the principle of not missing opportunities, Li Fan started searching in the monstrous dragonwhale''s stomach.

    "The stomach of this dragonwhale is indeed diverse, with all sorts of things..."

    "Huh, what''s this..."

    Li Fan picked up a round, half-digested bead-like object, and it felt strangely familiar.

    Soon, he realized.

    "Isn''t this a Liuli Pearl..."

 Chapter 77: Stalking Shadow Technique

    Li Fan found many undigested Liuli Pearls inside the stomach of the dragonwhale.

    It should be the remnants of a Liuli Fish school that the dragonwhale had swallowed.

    "It seems that since I killed that giant Liuli Fish, the situation of the Liuli Fish school has be precarious," Li Fan pondered to himself.

    In addition to the Liuli Pearls, there were also half a piece of coral, a shining fish bone, and various other misceneous items.

    Li Fan didn''t care whether he recognized them or not; he packed them all.

    Finally, after rechecking to ensure that he didn''t miss anything, Li Fan quietly left.

    There was no conversation along the way, and he safely returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    After submitting the dragonwhale''s carcass, Li Fan exchanged everything he had gathered from its stomach for contribution points.

    A total of 320 points.

    Afterward, through an appraisal, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance confirmed that the dragonwhale carcass Li Fan turned in was indeed the one that had attacked the ind before.

    Thus, he received the task reward of 2000 points.

    Adding the previous remaining 450 points, Li Fan now had a total of 2770 contribution points that he could use.

    "With so many contribution points, I should be able to choose a satisfactory technique."

    Currently, Li Fancked a method to conceal his own aura to track others.

    These kinds of techniques were quite rare, but for just the Qi Condensation stage, 2770 contribution points were more than enough.

    Li Fan began his selection in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    At this moment, in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the task to hunt the dragonwhale, which had once left many Foundation Establishment stage cultivators helpless, was actuallypleted by a Qi Condensation cultivator.

    This unusual urrence immediately caught the attention of many people.

    The group of people who had initially jointly issued the task were especially puzzled.

    "Late-Qi Condensation, Li Fan? Who is this person? Wasn''t it said that the dragonwhale could resist attacks from Golden Core cultivators? How did Li Fan manage to kill it?"

    "Could it be that this person is hiding his cultivation base?"

    "Is this fellow Daoist a neer to our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance? How could he hide his cultivation base in front of the Tianxuan Mirror? Impossible!"

    "Indeed, this person undoubtedly possesses the strength of thete Qi Condensation stage. I have confirmed with someone; he was rmended by He Zhenghao to join Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance not long ago."

    "Oh? So how did this person achieve it?"

    "Could it be that this person possesses some extraordinary treasures?"

    ...

    A Qi Condensation cultivator achieving something that even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn''t naturally sparked various thoughts.

    At this moment, a disdainful voice spoke, "Stop guessing. Thetest inside information is that this kid just got lucky." This statement immediately drew a lot of attention.

    "Fellow Daoist Zhou Peng, what do you mean by that?"

    "Yeah, lucky? How is that possible?"

    ...

    Zhou Peng sighed, "I can''t believe it either, but it''s the truth."

    "So, fellow Daoist Zhou Peng, what exactly are you saying?"

    "The carcass of the dragonwhale was sent to Elder Sun of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets for analysis. The conclusion drawn was that this dragonwhale had fought at least three sea giants of the same level before it died."

    "Most of the injuries on its body were left by these sea giants."

    "Before it died, this dragonwhale was already at itsst breath. Even if that kid hadn''t intervened, this dragonwhale wouldn''t have survived much longer."

    After Zhou Peng finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

    Although it was a bit unbelievable, the name of Elder Sun from the Hall of Heavenly Secrets was somewhat known to everyone.

    So, the conclusion he reached was still rtively credible.

    "It''s said that the dragonwhale showed signs of transforming into a dragon. Perhaps for this reason, it attracted the greed of other giant beasts." "That makes sense. For beasts capable of devouring each other to evolve, those that have awakened their ancestral bloodlines like this are the most beneficial."

    "Oh, this Qi Condensation kid is unexpectedly so lucky. It''s truly enviable. That''s 2000 contribution points!"

    The people around nodded in agreement.

    ...

    Li Fan was already prepared for the possible impact ofpleting the dragonwhale reward task.

    But he wasn''t afraid at all.

    Because no matter how you looked at it, the dragonwhale died due to mutual ughter among giant beasts. He was just lucky to pick up the spoils.

    For 2000 contribution points, it was worth taking a little risk.

    Putting this matter aside, after a period of searching andparing, Li Fan decided on his target technique.

    "Stalking Shadow Technique."

    The technique excelled in tracking and concealment.

    Once locked onto the opponent, he could closely follow them like their shadow, making it difficult for the opponent to get rid of him.

    It could even hide like a shadow in the darkness, making it impossible for the opponent to detect.

    Such a miraculous effect naturally came at a price.

    1800 contribution points.

    Li Fan didn''t hesitate and directly bought it.

    Just as Li Fan was preparing to enter seclusion for cultivation, he suddenly received a Communication Talisman message from He Zhenghao.

    "Fellow Daoist Li Fan! I didn''t expect that the cultivator who killed the dragonwhale was really you! I thought it was another cultivator with the same name, same surname, and same realm as you!"

    "Someone asked me about your situation, and only then did I confirm that it was indeed you who killed that dragonwhale!"

    He Zhenghao seemed unusually excited.

    "Alright, alright. You''ve finally vented for me! You have no idea, these days, every time I close my eyes, all I see is the image of the Spirit Mist Grass prices plummeting."

    ...

    Li Fan fell silent for a moment, then replied, "It''s just good luck. When doing the mission, I happened toe across that dragonwhale fighting other giants, and so I got lucky."

    Shortly after the message was sent, He Zhenghao immediately replied.

    "Luck is also a part of strength, my fellow Daoist. Your talent and luck are extraordinary; your future is bound to be promising!"

    Before Li Fan could decide on a reply, He Zhenghao sent another message.

    "Can I ask you for a favor?"

    "Oh? What''s the matter?"

    "Well, I want to ask my fellow Daoist to temporarily act as the guardian on Liuli Ind for me. What do you think?"

    "Guard temporarily?" Li Fan was a bit curious.

    He Zhenghao hurriedly exined.

    "Previously, because of the incident with the Spirit Mist Grass, I lost most of my savings from these years. I''m getting farther and farther away from the Nascent Soul technique I want to exchange for. I''m not reconciled."

    "Coincidentally, a few fellow Daoists recently discovered an ancient cave, and they invited me to explore it together. ording to them, this cave should have been sealed before the great cmity, and there are bound to be many rare treasures inside, and even the existence of techniques is not impossible."

    "If I can make some gains, it can alsopensate for my losses. So, I''ve decided to take a chance."

    Li Fan thought for a moment and didn''t immediately reply. Instead, he asked, "I wonder how long you need me to oversee temporarily?"

    He Zhenghao quickly replied, "I won''t take long. At least one or two years, at most three or four years."

 Chapter 78: The Opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace

    "Sorry. I''m indeed helpless in this matter. I have a premonition that a breakthrough is imminent, and I need to go out to seek opportunities within the next two years. I can''t guard Liuli Ind for an extended period," Li Fan replied.

    The Cloud Water Heavenly Pce would open in a little over a year. Li Fan was determined not to miss the opportunity to enter early just for a small amount of contribution points obtained guarding duty.

    He straightforwardly declined He Zhenghao''s request.

    "I see. I''ll have to find someone else then. I wish you sess in reaching Foundation Establishment soon!" He Zhenghao regretfully responded.

    No more messages were exchanged through the Communication Talisman.

    Li Fan didn''t pay much attention and, instead, spent contribution points to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode.

    He began cultivating "Stalking Shadow Technique."

    After all, it was an auxiliary technique, and cultivating "Stalking Shadow Technique" was much simplerpared to the other two techniques.

    With the double boosts from the augmented cultivation and the Golden Liuli Pearl, in less than ten days, Li Fan had cultivated it to theter stage of the Qi Condensation.

    At the moment, Li Fan was testing the effects of the "Stalking Shadow Technique."

    With 100 contribution points, he simted a hunt for a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The surrounding space transformed into continuous mountain ranges.

    In the mountains, a figure was swiftly flying away into the distance.

    That was the target set for the hunt.

    As Li Fan watched the figure getting farther away, he activated the technique, and his figure suddenly darkened.

    It was as if he was covered with a dark veil, making him hard to detect amidst the ubiquitous shadows.

    As the target was about to disappear from sight, Li Fan elerated abruptly, catching up in a burst of speed.

    Compared to the simple wind-controlling flight he had learned before, Li Fan''s speed had greatly increased.

    There seemed to be a subtle connection with the locked target, boosting Li Fan''s speed to a certain extent.

    It was as if Li Fan had truly be the target''s shadow, making it impossible for the target to shake him off.

    He could continuously leap and navigate through the shadows on the ground.

    In no time at all, Li Fan caught up with the figure ahead.

    The surroundings blurred for a moment, and the illusion of mountains, rivers, and the cultivator vanished simultaneously.

    Once again, it returned to a pitch-ck space.

    The hunt concluded, and Li Fan was quite satisfied with the "Stalking Shadow Technique."

    Its effect of concealing one''s aura was outstanding, especially whenbined with the Concealing Form Talisman. It would make it even more difficult for others to detect him.

    Although Sikong Yi seemed a bit mysterious, his cultivation should be in thete stage of Qi Condensation. Li Fan had made ample preparations and had a well-devised n. The heist of the "Cloud Water Map" should not pose significant problems.

    Now that everything was in ce, he awaited the intelligence from Jiao Xiuyuan and the official opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan''s eyes were deep as he gazed into the distance.

    ...

    Two monthster, Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Ind, Thousand Mile Hall.

    Having received a message from Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan activated the Concealing Form Talisman and hurried over.

    Upon meeting Jiao Xiuyuan, he pretended to be angry, saying, "How is Thousand Mile Hall operating? Just a mere Qi Condensation cultivator and it took so long to gather intelligence. I thought you all had forgotten about it and I was preparing to find someone else!"

    Jiao Xiuyuan looked a bit embarrassed, but he quickly grabbed Li Fan and activated the shop''s formation to iste prying eyes.

    He then exined in a low voice, "Please lower your voice! There were reasons for the dy."

    "Hmm?" Li Fan''s expression changed slightly, waiting for further exnation.

    "Hehe, to be honest, this task''s difficulty was beyond my expectations. The fifty contribution points we agreed uponst time were really too little! You know, I had to seek help from a senior in thete stage of Foundation Establishment toplete this task..." Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan, making obvious implications.

    "What, are you trying to renegotiate the price?" Li Fan squinted his eyes, staring at Jiao Xiuyuan with a displeased expression.

    Jiao Xiuyuan scratched her head. "Could you add a few more points...?"

    Li Fan turned to leave.

    Jiao Xiuyuan panicked and almost jumped up. "Oh my goodness, my dear ancestor, my luck is really bad! Two consecutive money-losing deals."

    "Alright, alright, I''ll stick to what we agreed upon¡ªfifty it is!" he gritted his teeth and said.

    "Here, added the previous deposit, it sums up to exactly fifty contribution points," Li Fan said coldly, tossing four medium-grade spirit stones over.

    "I''m not making much money off you," Jiao Xiuyuan said, receiving the spirit stones with a wry face, then handed a jade slip to Li Fan.

    Li Fan took the jade slip and examined it with his divine sense, his expression changing.

    He then put away the jade slip and left.

    Watching Li Fan''s departing figure, the obsequious expression on Jiao Xiuyuan''s face vanished suddenly.

    He caressed the spirit stones in his hand, emitting a sneer.

    "One is mysterious, with an unknown background; the other is secretive, with unclear motives."

    "I''d like to see what you two are up to."

    ...

    In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan carefully read the contents of the jade slip again and then destroyed it.

    "Two people?"

    Li Fan frowned slightly, feeling a bit troublesome.

    ording to the information gathered by Jiao Xiuyuan, Sikong Yi usually kept a low profile and rarely showed up.

    She had a good friend named Baili Chen, also a male cultivator.

    Baili Chen''s strength was slightly weaker, at the mid Qi Condensation level.

    Sikong Yi and Baili Chen seemed to have an extremely good rtionship, always staying together whenever they went out, inseparable.

    Moreover, the two of them seemed to have a certain kind ofbined attack technique.

    During battles, they cooperated seamlessly, their minds connected, resembling one person.

    These two individuals usually stayed on Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Ind and rarely ventured out except toplete tasks and umte contribution points.

    However, during Jiao Xiuyuan''s investigation, the two of them had mysteriously disappeared once.

    After leaving Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Ind, they disappeared, and it was unknown where they had gone.

    "Who is this Baili Chen, and why do I have no impression of him?" Li Fan carefully recollected but couldn''t find any information about Baili Chen in his memory.

    "It seems this person might have perished in the ruins of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce."

    "However, I didn''t expect to have to deal with another cultivator. My current preparations seem insufficient."

    "Fortunately, there''s still plenty of time."

    Thoughts surged in his mind, and Li Fan began to n again.

    ...

    One yearter.

    In the eleventh year in the central region of the Congyun Sea.

    The thunderstorm that had been brewing in the sky for several months roared continuously.

    The thick vortex cloudyer had turned ck and was slowly rotating, continuously gathering power.

    The clouds seemed like thick walls guarding the center of the vortex.

    There, blue lights were constantly flickering.

    With each flicker, some inexplicable changes seemed to ur in this central sea area.

    This abnormality naturally attracted countless cultivators.

    There were even rumors that an ancient sect''s ruin was about to manifest in this location.

    So, in these past few months, the gathering of cultivators has be more and more prominent.

    Li Fan, naturally, was among them.

    His gaze swept over the crowd and discreetly paused on Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.

    Then, he spotted Jiao Xiuyuan in the crowd.

    Jiao Xiuyuan was staring at the vortex cloudyer in the sky, looking quite excited.

    "He probably thinks he''s stumbled upon an opportunity and can gain some profits."

    "Little does he know, he''s just digging his own grave."

    A cold glint shed in Li Fan''s eyes.

 Chapter 79: Chief of the Teaching Hall

    As the vortex cloud continued to rotate, it seemed to generate an inexplicable attraction.

    All the clouds in the entire Cong Yun Sea''s sky were slowly absorbed and merged into it.

    The scale grew increasingly vast, upying the entire field of vision. Just looking up gave one a suffocating sensation.

    The frequency of the blue shes at the center of the vortex also elerated.

    Finally, when everything reached a critical point.

    In the center of the vortex, the blue light erupted suddenly.

    After forming a ring, it spread outward continuously from the center of the vortex.

    The speed at which the ring expanded was extremely fast.

    When people first saw it, it was still inside the vortex cloudyer.

    In the blink of an eye, it swept across all the cultivators present.

    Without time for their faces to show a shocked expression, those who were swept by the blue light disappeared like illusions.

    The blue light continued to spread outward.

    If one could overlook the phenomena from ten thousand meters in the sky, they would see that this blue light ring spread from the central sea area to the entire Cong Yun Sea in an extremely short time.

    It reached the end of the sea area and stopped.

    Then...

    It suddenly contracted.

    With a speed several times faster than the expansion, it copsed back to its original point.

    The blue light instantly became extremely bright.

    The thunderstorm in the vortex cloudyer stopped.

    The thick cumulus clouds, which were thousands of kilometers thick and tens of thousands of miles long, seemed to be squeezed and kneaded by an invisible giant hand.

    At the same time, in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Countless blue dots separated from the sea surface from various ces, floating and gathering.

    Swiftly moving towards the clouds above.

    Gradually, the thick cumulus clouds, in their constant silent movement, formed a continuous building-like structure.

    Then, the blue dots attracted misty water vapor floating up from below.

    The cloudyer gradually turned azure and transparent.

    This anomalysted for a quarter of an hour.

    Finally, a massive heavenly pce, gathering the clouds and water, translucent and blue all over, appeared above the Cong Yun Sea.

    The Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, sealed for thousands of years, reappeared in the world!

    ...

    "In front, the battle is intense, and all major sects have suffered heavy losses. My Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, as the leader of the sects in Cong Yun Sea, is no exception."

    "I don''t know how many senior brothers have died on the battlefield."

    "The Sect Master entrusted me to go out and recruit disciples before he left. I can''t fail his entrustment."

    "Fortunately, this trip was quite fruitful."

    Li Fan gradually regained consciousness.

    Looking around, he saw a za with over a hundred cultivators lying all over the ce.

    However, all the cultivators'' clothes had turned blue and white, with faintly visible characters "cloud" and "water" on them.

    In front of the crowd, a tall and handsome man in white was muttering something to himself.

    The white-d man looked quite handsome, but a hint of nonchnce could be seen in his expression.

    Seeing this scene, Li Fan, recalling what he had heard in his previous life, knew that he had sessfully entered the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    At present, he couldn''t act rashly and had to wait quietly for the "plot" to unfold.

    So he concealed his breath and remained motionless.

    Gradually, the group of cultivators on the za began to wake up.

    When they saw their situation clearly, some of them became a little excited.

    "What''s going on? Where is this ce? I remember we were near that vortex cloud, weren''t we?"

    "Also, what''s the deal with these clothes?"

    They noticed the man in white in front of them, who stood out from the crowd.

    Immediately, someone asked impatiently, "Hey! You, the guy in white, did you bring us here? Who are you? What''s your purpose?"

    The man in white finally woke up from his mumbling.

    Looking at the group of cultivators in front of him, a joyful smile appeared on his face. "Oh, you''re finally awake. Next, stay quiet. I''m going to exin some important matters to you."

    Before he could finish speaking, he was impatiently interrupted.

    "Stop the nonsense and tell us, where is this ce?"

    A hint of amusement appeared at the corner of the man''s mouth. He shook his head, "It seems the neers this time aren''t very obedient."

    Without much movement, he nced at the person who spoke up.

    A blue light shed, and the person who had spoken before had their head severed.

    The previously noisy square suddenly became extremely quiet.

    Some of the cultivators were frightened, while others suddenly realized something.

    The man in white looked satisfied as he observed the now quiet crowd. He spoke calmly, "I am Qin Tang, the Chief of the Teaching Hall in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce. You should address me as Senior Brother Qin."

    "You are all outer disciples recruited by me this time. In the next few months, as long as you can pass my various tests, you will be able to officially join the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce."

    "Of course, there are a few points that you must remember."

    "The first point is to show enough respect to Senior Brother Qin. Whatever I say, you must do. As you''ve seen, the consequences of disobedience."

    "The second point..."

    Qin Tang continued to exin.

    The cultivators below seemed quiet on the surface but were alreadymunicating with each other through their divine senses.

    "Does anyone know what''s going on?"

    "This is strange! The Cloud Water Heavenly Pce seems to be a sect ruin shrouded in anomalies."

    "Is Qin Tang a real person?"

    "Definitely not a living person! Haven''t you seen that he has no aura at all?"

    "Don''t panic, the anomaly has its own rules. As long as we follow what Qin Tang says, there shouldn''t be any immediate danger."

    Li Fan subtly nced towards Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.

    These two individuals remainedposed as if they had already known they would encounter an anomaly.

    Or perhaps, even if it was an anomaly, these two werepletely prepared for it?

    Li Fan then looked at Qin Tang.

    Based on his memories of the exploration of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce from his previous life, Qin Tang was the first checkpoint to enter the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    He wasn''t a living person but an entity simr to an anomaly.

    Whatever he said was the rule of this anomaly.

    If you wanted to stay alive, you had to abide by it.

    And only by passing his tests could you obtain the qualification to explore various parts of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    ...

    Qin Tang finally finished speaking.

    He pped his hands, "It''s gettingte today. Let me take you to rest. Early tomorrow, we will officially begin the tests."

    "Follow me."

    Saying this, he turned and walked towards the outside of the square.

    The vast majority of the cultivators, including Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, obediently followed behind Qin Tang in white.

    Li Fan also followed closely.

    Only a very small number of people exchanged nces and did not follow the crowd.

    Instead, they rushed in the opposite direction, attempting to leave.

    Qin Tang seemed to be unaware of these people''s actions, showing no reaction.

    These people were about to escape, and their flying speed increased.

    They failed to notice that as they moved further away from Qin Tang, more and more blue light emerged from their bodies.

    Finally, after flying a distance.

    All these people turned into dried corpses, falling heavily to the ground.

 Chapter 80: Remember to Sleep Early

    The cultivators following behind Qin Tang noticed the scene in the distance and were all shocked.

    "What a bunch of fools. I already said we encountered an anomaly, yet they attempted to escape. They truly don''t know how to spell ''death.''"

    "I know one of them, a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Sun Kairong. His Dao techniques were quite impressive, I never expected him to die so quietly."

    "Strange, when they died, why didn''t we see any deration by the heavens and earth?"

    "Friend, is this the first time you''ve heard of an anomaly? Under the shroud of anomaly, its own rules are established. Mostmon knowledge is invalid. So, we must be careful."

    "Thank you for the advice."

    ...

    As they walked, theymunicated through their divine senses, their expressions varying.

    Not long after, Qin Tang led everyone to a tall building.

    In the center was a straight corridor.

    On either side of the corridor were small rooms.

    Inside each room, there were no other decorations.

    There were only five wooden beds ced simply.

    "Alright! Rest here for the night! Gather in the square early tomorrow morning!" Qin Tang turned around and said to everyone.

    After speaking, he shook his head and left.

    "Oh right, remember to sleep early!"

    After his figure disappeared, Qin Tang''s voice faintly echoed again.

    Seeing the anomaly vanish, the cultivators in the square finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Most of them were familiar with each other, so they found rooms together.

    Sikong Yi and Baili Chen naturally stayed in the same room.

    Li Fan didn''t force himself to go over and just chose another room rtively close to theirs.

    There were already two people inside the room.

    These two were also acquainted, currentlymunicating with each other using their divine senses.

    Li Fan didn''t greet them.

    Hey directly on the bed, circting the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, calming his mind and dissipating distractions.

    Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

    The two people still conversing noticed this and were momentarily stunned.

    Then, they realized what was going on. Their faces suddenly turned pale, as if struck by a sudden horror.

    So, they hastily stoppedmunicating and forced themselves to enter sleep.

    However, not everyone could keenly perceive what was about to happen.

    There were still many people exchanging what they had seen and heard today with theirpanions and expressing their excitement for the possible treasures in this brand-new Cloud Water Heavenly Pce ruins.

    Their expressions were full of excitement, making it difficult to fall asleep.

    Time passed bit by bit.

    It was unknown how long had passed.

    Suddenly, all the lights in this tall building went out.

    In the darkness, Qin Tang''s voice echoed softly.

    "Oh dear, these neers aren''t very obedient, are they?"

    "I already said to sleep early."

    "Howe, until now, so many people still haven''t rested?"

    "If it dys tomorrow''s test, that wouldn''t be good."

    "Since you can''t sleep, let me help you."

    Splurt!

    Splurt!

    Splurt!

    Chilling sounds kept ringing.

    Countless cultivators lost their lives without being able to utter a scream.

    At this moment, everyone present finally understood that Qin Tang''s earlier words, "remember to sleep early," were not a joke.

    But it was toote.

    The breaths of many cultivators were continuously vanishing.

    Some wanted to shout, waking those who were already asleep.

    But as soon as the sound came out, it abruptly stopped.

    Murder and death spread in the darkness.

    Under this terrifying atmosphere, some cultivators who hadn''t fallen asleep finally couldn''t bear it.

    Their auras surged, preparing to use all their strength and confront Qin Tang in white to the death.

    Qin Tang snorted coldly, seemingly offended.

    The blue light flickered and then extinguished.

    As a result, those cultivators who wanted to resist fell silently without a ripple.

    After killing these people, Qin Tang''s mood seemed to improve a bit. "Oh, this task is really tiring. If it weren''t for the fact that the Sect Master, senior martial brothers, and senior martial sisters have all disappeared, they wouldn''t have needed me to step in."

    "Boring, really boring. I''d rather go for a drink!"

    The words of Qin Tang were incoherent, and his actions were arbitrary.

    As his words faded away, the surviving cultivators inside the building all breathed a sigh of relief.

    However, no one could be sure when Qin Tang might return.

    So, they all wanted to take the opportunity to fall asleep.

    But...

    Sleeping, for those who often suffer from insomnia, was certainly a familiar struggle.

    If there were no mental burdens, falling asleep was natural.

    However, on the contrary, if one kept worrying about something, forcing oneself to sleep.

    More often than not, they would startle awake just as they were about to fall asleep.

    In addition, many of these cultivators had be ustomed to using closed-door cultivation to rece sleep.

    They had seemingly lost the ability to sleep.

    Thus, even though they knew they would die if they didn''t sleep, many cultivators still couldn''t fall asleep.

    Seeing that the life-threatening Qin Tang could return at any moment, these people were helpless.

    They secretly regretted not learning a few hypnotic spells beforeing here and could only choose to knock themselves out, hoping to bluff their way through.

    Unfortunately, in Qin Tang''s eyes, sleeping and being unconscious were clearly two different concepts.

    So, in thetter half of the night, when Qin Tang returned again.

    It was another scene of bloodshed and carnage.

    Early the next morning, when Li Fan woke up.

    What he saw was corpses covering the ground inside the building.

    Jiao Xiuyuan, as Li Fan expected, hadn''t been able to pass this test.

    Headless, lying silently there.

    Li Fan naturally wouldn''t have any pity for him.

    Without dy, Li Fan headed straight to yesterday''s square.

    With the lesson from yesterday, the cultivators didn''t wander around randomly and gathered obediently on the square.

    The crowd was sparse, and the surviving cultivators were less than two-thirds of yesterday.

    The trial hadn''t officially started, and there were already so many casualties.

    The survivors were pessimistic about what they would face next, their faces gloomy.

    Li Fan knew that this was just the beginning.

    In the end, less than one-tenth of the first batch of cultivators who entered the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce could make it out alive.

    In the crowd, Li Fan also saw the figures of Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.

    He just swept his gaze over them, not dwelling for long.

    Quietly waiting for Qin Tang to arrive.

    Not long after, Qin Tang appeared in front of everyone again.

    He held a gourd sk and was chugging it as he walked.

    "Good wine! Such good wine!"

    Qin Tang shouted joyfully while looking at the surviving cultivators on the square.

    "Alright, it looks like everyone is here."

    "Then, let''s officially begin the first trial."

    His eyes narrowed, as if reminiscing about something.

    "My master once said that in the pursuit of immortality and enlightenment, three things are crucial."

    "Natural talent, character, and luck."

    "My master believed that among these three, natural talent is the most important."

    "But I think differently."

    "I believe that among the three, character is the most important."

    "So, I''ve arranged three trials, all rted to character."

    Qin Tang spoke slowly, leading everyone to a tower.

    The tower had three floors.

    The first floor where everyone was situated had hundreds of bookshelves.

    Each bookshelf was filled with books.

    Everyone looked carefully.

    "Flight of the Clouds," "Flying Thunder," "Wood Rejuvenation Technique"...

    Each book was indeed a cultivation technique.

    The breathing of everyone suddenly became rapid.

 Chapter 81: The Trial of Focus

    In the hearts of all the cultivators, a single thought emerged simultaneously.

    "This is a windfall."

    Just by looking at this first level, the number of cultivation techniques exceeded tens of thousands! Taking some of them out at random would be equivalent to years of hard work.

    A wave of desire surged in the hearts of the cultivators.

    Although these cultivators were already very envious of the techniques on the bookshelves, they were still restrained by Qin Tang''s previous disy of power and didn''t dare to act recklessly.

    However, it seemed that Qin Tang was unaware of the abnormality among the cultivators.

    He looked at the rows of bookshelves, a look of nostalgia in his eyes, and slowly said, "The path of the heart lies in focus, courage, and perseverance."

    "This first trial is to test your level of focus."

    "There are 36,541 techniques here. For the next period, stay here and transcribe these techniques. You have three months."

    "After three months, I will assess you based on the quantity and quality of the techniques you transcribed."

    Upon hearing Qin Tang''s words, all the cultivators present showed wild excitement.

    So many techniques were actually made avable for them to transcribe?

    As long as they could remember a few techniques, even if they gained nothing elseter, this adventure would still be worth it.

    Ignoring the reactions of the cultivators present, Qin Tang casually pointed, and hundreds of sets of tables and chairs floated up in the attic.

    On the tables were brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

    "Alright, you may begin. I hope you don''t disappoint me," Qin Tang said and took out a wine gourd from somewhere, drinking from it again.

    Then he leaned against the wall, motionless, seemingly falling asleep.

    Seeing Qin Tang giving the order, these cultivators couldn''t hold back.

    They rushed to the bookshelves, picked up the techniques, and checked them out.

    After a while, the attic erupted into amotion.

    "What is this? How is this possible?"

    "''Golden me Intense Fire Technique,'' a fire attribute technique. You can cultivate it all the way to the Nascent Soul stage?"

    "This book, and this one too, they''re all Nascent Soul level techniques?"

    "Haha, it''s a windfall, aplete windfall this time!"

    ...

    Watching the cultivators, seemingly insane, Li Fan couldn''t help but sneer inwardly.

    He randomly picked up a technique, chose a table, and began transcribing.

    He didn''t bother to delve into the contents of the technique; he just patiently copied it word by word.

    Because he knew, these techniques were all illusory!

    In the previous life, the cultivators who had explored this trial had already reached a conclusion about the techniques that appeared in this trial.

    No matter how you recorded the techniques during the trial, once you left the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, all the records would disappear.

    As if they never existed.

    These tempting techniques were like a mirror''s reflection or a moon in water, tools to lure one''s mind.

    Although some of the cultivators present had a vague idea of the truth...

    But...

    When faced with genuine Nascent Soul level techniques, how many could resist the temptation and not read them carefully?

    There were even one or two individuals who were directly captivated by the profound and miraculous aspects of the techniques, and they hadn''t begun transcribing even after being reminded by others.

    Even when they finally came to their senses due to others'' reminders...

    They still transcribed intermittently, unable to resist looking back and reading.

    Few were as focused as Li Fan, writing tirelessly and paying no attention to the techniques.

    Paper and ink seemed endless, and soon Li Fan finished transcribing the technique in his hands.

    He returned it to the bookshelf and picked up another one.

    Li Fan''s indifferent behavior caught the attention of some people.

    After some contemtion, they also gave up the idea of trying to memorize the techniques.

    They focused on transcribing instead.

    As for those still immersed in the techniques, they didn''t have the kindness to remind them.

    ...

    Time passed day by day.

    Transcribing continuously was a monotonous and arduous task.

    With the previous lesson in mind, nobody dared to use their magical powers to cheat.

    Soon, some couldn''t endure it.

    They couldn''t help but stop to take a break.

    Some closed their eyes and rested for a while, then immediately resumed transcribing.

    Some thoroughly rested before regrouping.

    Li Fan, however, never rested for a moment.

    There were about two or three others like Li Fan, seemingly tireless, likely due to their good endurance and mental strength from practicing cultivation techniques.

    Even after staying awake for a very long time, there was no apparent exhaustion.

    Li Fan persisted unendingly.

    Because he was clear that in this trial, Qin Tang''s evaluation was not only based on the quantity of transcribed techniques and the number of mistakes made but also on an essential criterion: the duration from the moment one picked up the brush to when they put it down.

    As Qin Tang had mentioned earlier, this trial was about focus.

    Since they started transcribing techniques, stopping for any reason would mean a disruption in that "focus."

    Li Fan was single-minded, immersed in transcribing the techniques.

    All physical and mental fatigue was forcibly suppressed.

    He didn''t know how much time had passed.

    "Oh, I had such a good sleep!" Qin Tang''s voice suddenly echoed in Li Fan''s ear.

    He stretchedzily, and the pen and paper in front of Li Fan disappeared.

    "The time is up, let me see how you''ve performed."

    "Tsk tsk tsk, it''s really worse than the previous years." Qin Tang squinted as if inspecting something and shook his head repeatedly.

    "Oh, wait a moment..."

    "This is interesting."

    As if he had discovered something, he nced towards Li Fan, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

    But Qin Tang didn''t say anything more; he quickly withdrew his gaze.

    "The first trial is now over. Rest for a day, and on the day after tomorrow, we''ll begin the second trial."

    He pped his hands, and Li Fan felt a sudden shift in his surroundings.

    In the blink of an eye, he was back in the tall building where he had slept earlier.

    Qin Tang''s figure didn''t appear this time.

    The cultivators finally rxed.

    They were excited, sharing their thoughts with each other.

    "This was a real stroke of luck. I transcribed while memorizing, and I recorded a total of fifteen techniques. Most of them are Golden Core techniques, and a few are Nascent Soul techniques."

    "I recorded quite a few as well."

    "What''s the use of recording so many? It only matters if we survive."

    "That''s not entirely true. With my abilities, if everything goes as expected, I''ll probably stop at Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. Now, I have the rare opportunity to glimpse into the mysteries of Nascent Soul techniques. Even if I die tomorrow, I''ll have no regrets!"

    "Friend, you speak to my heart."

    "Some people are just stubborn and won''t listen to good advice. Hmph!"

    ...

    Apart from the arguments, some cultivators began eyeing the belongings of those who had perished.

    Unfortunately, after some investigation, they all wore disappointed expressions.

    Li Fan even heard someone nearby sneering, "Don''t bother. I checked that night. After being killed by Qin Tang, all the storage rings, magical items, and the like on their bodies disappeared, not a trace left."

    Li Fan shook his head upon hearing this, preparing to go back and rest. But then, almost by ident, he saw a corpse.

 Chapter 82: Trial of Courage

    It was indeed the corpse of Jiao Xiuyuan.

    After three months had passed, it gradually revealed something unusual.

    Unlike normal flesh and blood, it looked more like withered wood, presenting a yellowish color.

    Li Fan kicked it, and the sound was exactly like kicking on wood.

    At this moment, a voice came from behind Li Fan.

    "This is just a puppet, not the real body. It''s Jiao Xiuyuan''s usual method. Fellow Daoist, there''s no need to be surprised," said the voice.

    Li Fan turned around and saw that the speaker was also a Qi Condensation stage cultivator.

    He immediately cupped his hands, "Thank you for the guidance. Is the fellow Daoist also a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?"

    The person nodded, "Yes, I am Chen An. I''ve been a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for over thirty years."

    "I''m Li Fan. From what the fellow Daoist said, it seems you are quite familiar with Jiao Xiuyuan?"

    Chen An smiled, "Familiar is not the right word. But, you know some things after living here for so long."

    "Take Jiao Xiuyuan, for example. He opened a grocery store called Thousand Mile Hall on the ind, selling everything. It is said he has official connections with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and asionally he can sell some good stuff."

    "In addition, he often does some intelligence business. However, this guy never takes risks himself; he always uses puppets to pave the way."

    Li Fan nodded after hearing this, "Greedy for money and afraid of death, I see."

    Chen Anughed heartily, "Fellow Daoist summarized it perfectly! ''Greedy for money and afraid of death'' describes Jiao Xiuyuan very urately!"

    After theughter, Chen An suddenly said, "When we were transcribing the techniques in the book pavilion before, I saw others transcribing for a while and then taking a break when tired. They would transcribe again after recharging. Only you, fellow Daoist, didn''t rest for three months. I truly admire that!"

    "But I wonder, fellow Daoist, what''s the profound meaning behind your actions? If we only consider the speed of transcription, after all, when you stopped due to physical and mental exhaustionter on, you were certainly slower than those who took frequent breaks."

    "I don''t know if you can enlighten me on this," Chen An asked respectfully.

    Li Fan contemted for a moment before speaking, "I dare not im a profound meaning; it''s just a gut feeling."

    "Regarding what Qin Tang said about the first trial being about ''focus,'' to be focused means having undivided attention. Not being disturbed by any external factors can be called true focus. Is physical and mental fatigue also an external factor? If you stop because of it, doesn''t that mean you''re no longer ''focused''?"

    "It''s just a humble opinion; you can take it as you wish," Li Fan humbly said.

    Chen An seemed lost in thought upon hearing this.

    Li Fan didn''t say anything further and returned to the room to rest.

    The next day, Qin Tang did not appear again.

    No one dared to run around, and they just patiently waited inside the building.

    On the third day, early in the morning, Qin Tang appeared in front of everyone while staggering and drinking wine.

    "Good wine, good wine!"

    After burping, he squinted at the group of cultivators.

    "Today, we start the second trial!"

    "This time, I will test your courage!"

    "On the path of immortality, there are countless hardships and challenges. Do you have the courage to face them all?"

    Qin Tang smiled faintly.

    The crowd felt a momentary dizziness and suddenly found themselves by the seashore.

    Their own cultivation realm was sealed, and they became no different from an ordinary person.

    However, Qin Tang was nowhere to be seen.

    Only his voice came from afar.

    "I''ll wait for you on the other side of the sea. Use your courage to cross this vast ocean!"

    Hearing this, everyone looked at each other.

    Some brave individuals walked to the edge of the sea and took a step forward.

    The sea instantly froze into ice and safely held the person.

    The person was overjoyed and continued to walk forward, quickly disappearing from the sight of the others.

    The remaining people, seeing someone take the lead, hurriedly walked into the sea.

    Li Fan noticed Baili Chen doing the same and followed into the sea.

    However, Sikong Yi remained by the shore, not moving.

    Li Fan didn''t pay further attention and focused on traversing the sea.

    The water under his feet solidified into ice, but there was no trace of the others in his field of vision.

    On the vast sea, he was left alone in an instant.

    Li Fan remainedposed, steadily moving forward step by step.

    The sun rose and set above him, and he lost track of how much time had passed.

    The scenery Li Fan saw remained unchanged.

    It seemed like this vast sea had no end.

    Even though Li Fan knew the solution in advance, various feelings of powerlessness and hesitation arose within him.

    At this moment, Li Fan could feel the thickness of the ice beneath his feet gradually decreasing.

    Taking a deep breath, he dispelled the doubts in his heart.

    He continued resolutely moving forward.

    The ice beneath his feet solidified again.

    This second trial was testing "courage."

    It was not only testing the courage to face external circumstances but also the courage to face one''s own inner fears.

    On the vast sea, after walking for a long time, he still hadn''t seen the opposite shore.

    Would doubts arise in your heart, wondering if you had lost your way? Would anxiety creep in, questioning whether this vast sea had an end? Would fear start to take over, robbing you of the courage to move forward?

    Or would you give up and stop moving forward?

    Li Fan walked step by step, questioning his own heart.

    Even after hundreds of years of reincarnation, he had never experienced anything like this.

    Temporarily putting aside all external matters, he contemted while walking.

    This journey across the ice was like the path of immortality.

    The road ahead was boundless, and the endpoint was not visible.

    Halfway through, looking around, he couldn''t be certain if he had lost his direction.

    From start to finish, he was alone, with nothing to rely on.

    Time passed, and it seemed like he would walk like this forever.

    Endlessly.

    ...

    Even so, could you still firmly hold on to your faith and never lose the courage to move forward?

    Even though you knew that this trial would eventually end.

    But Li Fan had wavered in his heart as well.

    Because this journey across the sea seemed tost forever.

    A year, two years...

    Decades passed.

    Li Fan''s hair turned gray, his body hunched over, and he still didn''t stop his steps.

    Until his body became too old and he could no longer walk.

    He copsed weakly on the surface of the sea.

    His vision became blurry, and before losing consciousness, Li Fan seemed to see it.

    On the coast not far ahead, Qin Tang, dressed in white, stood there in solitude.

    He raised his wine gourd towards Li Fan and took a sip, smiling.

    ...

    Opening his eyes, Li Fan found that he and the other cultivators were still in that building.

    However, a long time had passedpared to the memories, and many people looked dazed.

    After a long time, they regained their rity.

    "Crossing the Nine Nether River is easy, but crossing the sea within one''s heart is difficult."

    "The second trial of courage has ended."

    "Two days from now, early in the morning, we will proceed to the final trial."

    After saying this, Qin Tang, with his ever-present wine gourd, shook his head and left.

 Chapter 83: Trial of Eternity

    "Crossing the sea within one''s heart is difficult."

    Upon hearing Qin Tang''s words, some of the cultivators present seemed lost in thought, as if they had grasped something. Others seemed indifferent, paying no attention.

    And so, the second day quickly passed.

    Early on the third day, Qin Tang, as usual, appeared before the eyes of everyone.

    However, this time, he didn''t drink. He appeared sober, much more spirited than before.

    "Today is the final trial," Qin Tang assessed the cultivators present with a serious expression.

    "On the path of cultivation, you will always encounter countless challenges and temptations. Will you be able to persevere and stay true to your initial intentions?"

    "Let me wait and see."

    In Qin Tang''s words, everyone felt a sudden darkness before losing consciousness.

    ...

    In a small vige amidst the mountains and fields, Li Fany on the roof, watching the setting sun. He had a feeling that he had forgotten something.

    Growing up in this mountain vige, he led a simple and happy life, working with the sunrise and resting with the sunset every day.

    It was a in and fulfilling life. If he continued like this, it didn''t seem bad at all.

    But there was a vague restlessness in his heart, a feeling that he shouldn''t end his life so ordinarily.

    "Fan, Fan, where are you? Come home for dinner!"

    Li Fan remained unmoved by his mother''s call.

    He looked up at the sky, at the birds soaring freely, at the sun and moon, ancient and steadfast, not subject to human will, lost in thought.

    He spent the whole night like this until dawn was approaching. Suddenly, it seemed like he had a realization.

    In a swift motion, he jumped down from the house.

    He rushed into the house and loudly said to his still-sleeping mother, "Mother, cancel the marriage arrangement with the girl next door."

    "I''m not getting married. I want to cultivate immortality!"

    His mother was rmed by the abrupt statement, thinking her child had gone mad, and hurriedly got up to hold Li Fan''s hand. "What immortal are you talking about? There''s no such thing as immortality! Wake up, my child!"

    Li Fan pulled away from his mother''s grip, his youthful face full of determination. "I don''t know where the immortals are, but I will definitely find them."

    With that said, he, in the midst of his mother''s tears, packed his belongings and strode out of the door.

    Six monthster, while exploring in the mountains, Li Fan tragically fell into a tiger''s mouth and lost his life.

    ...

    In front of the dpidated Taoist temple, amidst the flickering fire and the cries of the people, Li Fan felt lost.

    "Senior Brother, Master is dead. What should we do after we leave Ascending Clouds Sect?" A timid voice asked by his side.

    Li Fan was about to speak when he heard angry voices from all around.

    "What else can we do? Of course, everyone should divide the things in the temple and leave the mountain!"

    "We thought there was a real immortal on the mountain, that''s why everyone endured hardships toe up. Who would have thought this old Taoist was an out-and-out fraud!"

    "Yeah, can a real immortal suddenly fall ill and die like this?"

    As everyone got more and more agitated, Li Fan didn''t know how to exin, so he let them plunder and empty the Ascending Clouds Sect.

    After a while, only Li Fan remained alone on the mountain.

    He collected his master''s ashes and buried them. Li Fan thought about the look in his master''s eyes before he passed away.

    Unwillingness, regret, sorrow, hope...

    Was his master a fraud?

    Was the "Ascending to the Clouds" scripture he imparted just a fabrication?

    Li Fan felt that perhaps it wasn''t what everyone thought.

    Perhaps, immortals truly existed.

    In the end, Li Fan still didn''t leave the mountain.

    He spent thetter half of his life alone in the Taoist temple, watching the clouds change and the days pass.

    He spent his daysprehending the "Ascending to the Clouds" scripture.

    He was over fifty years old, but he couldn''t make any progress.

    He passed away with regrets.

    ...

    In the imperial pce.

    Li Fan looked at the wooden ques on the golden te in front of him, filled with names, and a trace of impatience appeared in his eyes.

    "Take them away. Tonight, I still want to cultivate."

    "Your Majesty, you haven''t visited the pce concubines in three months..."

    "Hmm?" A sh of fierceness passed through Li Fan''s eyes.

    "...I willply with Your Majesty''s orders."

    Watching the eunuch supervisor leave in fear, Li Fan snorted.

    "The position of emperor is truly tedious." A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

    His purpose was to scour the resources of the entire country for his cultivation.

    Externally, he still appeared to be an ordinary human, but in reality, he had already stepped into the realm of Golden Core.

    Worldly matters were so boring!

    With this in mind, three monthster, during the morning court, Li Fan vanished into thin air in front of the civil and military officials.

    For the next 216 years, while exploring an ancient subworld mansion, Li Fan unfortunately fell victim to an assassination plot.

    He died, vanishing from the world of cultivation.

    .....

    At the Lingyun Sect.

    "Why is this tribtion cloud taking so long to condense and descend?"

    "The might of this heavenly tribtion seems stronger than when the Sect Master ascended back then, right?"

    "Of course, in terms of strength alone, Junior Martial Brother can be considered the strongest in our sect in a thousand years!"

    Li Fan looked at the increasing might of the tribtion cloud above the Lingyun Peak and felt a surge of confidence.

    After three hundred years of cultivation, what fear did he have of a mere heavenly tribtion?

    A beam of sword light shot up into the sky from the Lingyun Peak.

    Splitting the sky, it cut through the tribtion clouds!

    Sunlight poured down through the rift in the tribtion clouds, illuminating the Lingyun Peak.

    Flowers fell from the sky, and the gates to the immortal realm opened.

    Li Fan flew into the immortal gates without a moment''s hesitation.

    In the immortal realm, Li Fan was infuriated to discover that all the senior martial brothers who had ascended two thousand years ago had been mysteriously killed by an unknown enemy.

    While practicing and searching for the culprit, he was suddenly ambushed by a close friend during an exploration of an ancient cultivation secret realm and died in a state of shock and unwillingness.

    ...

    In the Northern Immortal Region.

    Since the unification of the Qingtian Immortal Region by Emperor Fantian two thousand years ago, a bloody conquest had begun.

    In these years, with the heads of five immortal emperors and sixteen immortal kings, Emperor Fantian had gained an infamous reputation.

    In the end, only the Northern Immortal Region was barely holding on in the entire immortal realm.

    Now, the army was pressing in, vowing to overthrow the Northern Immortal Region within a year.

    In the center of the army, Qin Tang looked at the Fantian Emperor who was resting with closed eyes, hesitating whether to speak or not.

    Li Fan opened his eyes and looked at Qin Tang, his trusted confidant who hade a long way with him, and rarely showed a faint smile.

    "Qin Tang, it seems like you have something to ask me?"

    "I won''t hide it, Your Majesty. There is indeed something I don''t understand."

    "Feel free to ask."

    "Since Your Majesty started as a mere mortal and experienced countless hardships, eventually achieving the position of a Heavenly Emperor, your power is overwhelming. All the immortals in the immortal realm tremble at your name. But why does Your Majesty never seem to stop? What is it that you relentlessly pursue?"

    "After annihting the Zhaotian Emperor andpletely unifying the immortal realm, what ns does Your Majesty have?"

    Qin Tang stared at Li Fan, expressing the doubts in his heart.

    "Hehe." Li Fan chuckled lightly.

    "What I seek is simply the phrase ''eternal life,''" he said calmly.

    Qin Tang was dumbfounded, seemingly unable to believe his ears.

    "Eternal life? With Your Majesty''s current cultivation, can''t it already be considered eternal life? If there are no idents, even if Your Majesty lives for millions of years, it shouldn''t be difficult, right?" he asked in astonishment, finding it hard to understand.

    "A hundred thousand years of life, can it be called eternal life?" Li Fan smiled and counter-questioned.

    "In the burial mound, hundreds of ancient immortal emperors have long turned into dry bones in their graves."

    "Even the ancient immortals rumored to have created the immortal realm and possessing supreme power are now nothing more than ashes beneath the mountains, suppressed under my pce."

    "Now, I intend to unify the immortal realm, gather the power of all the immortals, and create a grand formation covering the entire immortal realm. Through this, I will break free from the supposed ancient restriction on immortality."

    "I want to step above the immortals and advance even further." Li Fan''s tone was casual, but resolute, leaving no room for dissent.

    Qin Tang fell silent.

    Because he knew that there was nothing beyond the immortal realm.

    So all he could do was lower his head in silence.

    Everything proceeded ording to Li Fan''s n.

    In just one year, Li Fan unified the entire immortal realm.

    After this, he used extremely brutal methods to suppress all opposing opinions. He collected resources from all over the immortal realm and sessfully created the grand formation to break the shackles of the immortal realm.

    As the formation was activated, the entire immortal realm trembled.

    Countless cracks appeared in the sky, and it seemed like everything in the world was shattering.

    Li Fanughed heartily and rushed into the cracks.

    What awaited him was only endless darkness.

    ...

    Thus, the Trial of Eternity hade to an end.

    Because Qin Tang knew there was no need to continue the test.

    In this trial, an anomaly appeared.

    Even if he constructed an infinite world, it seemed he couldn''t wear down this person''s unwavering determination.

    If the master was here, witnessing such a prodigy, he would probably be very pleased.

    But it''s a pity...

    A tinge of sorrow shed in Qin Tang''s eyes.

    Letting out a long sigh, everyone gradually awoke from the illusion.

    However, they were still in the same square as at the very beginning.

    Some were dazed, some woke up and turned pale, and some seemed to have a moment of realization.

    ...

    Qin Tang looked at the various cultivators with different reactions and smiled, saying, "The three trials havee to an end."

    "Among you, some have exceeded my expectations, and some are just not up to par."

    "The Sect Master once said to me that in Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, quality matters more than quantity."

    He looked at the people, his expression gentle. "Therefore, among you, I''ll let half stay."

    The cultivators who were originally happy upon hearing Qin Tang''s words suddenly changed their expressions upon learning that he intended to kill half of those present.

    "What do you mean?"

    They knew well how they performed in the three trials.

    Now, upon hearing that Qin Tang wanted to kill half of them, they were shocked and angry.

    With no way out, theyunched an attack against Qin Tang.

    Qin Tang remained unruffled.

    He just smiled calmly, saying, "Qin Tang, Chief of the Teaching Hall at Cloud Water Heavenly Pce."

    "I invite you all to advise me."

    With Qin Tang''s words, blue figures suddenly appeared around half of the cultivators.

    They were like mirror images of the targets, identical in appearance, aura, and even strength.

    As soon as they appeared, theyunched relentless attacks on their targets.

    "The Sect Master is stern. But the master once told me not to be ruthless in our actions. If you can survive from your own mirror image, I won''t trouble you further."

    Seeing the struggling cultivators, Qin Tang spoke slowly.

    The other half of the cultivators who weren''t attacked, including Li Fan, chose to move away from the battlefield to avoid being affected.

    Li Fan retreated to a safe ce and observed the situation in the field.

    The blue mirror images were extremely fierce in their attacks, tireless and immune to harm.

    Ordinary cultivators were no match for them. In no time, many cultivators met their end under their own mirror images.

    As more cultivators died, those left struggling wouldn''tst much longer.

    Cornered, they began to curse Qin Tang.

    "Snap out of it! Why are you still epting disciples? Cloud Water Heavenly Pce has been destroyed for countless years!"

    "What nonsense master and senior brother! Under the great cmity, they''re all going to kill each other!"

    ...

    "Kill each other?" Qin Tang shook his head repeatedly at these words.

    "In Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, we are united. We respect and love each other. Even if we must sacrifice ourselves for our fellow disciples, there wouldn''t be much hesitation."

    "How could we possibly kill each other?"

    As Qin Tang spoke, his voice suddenly lowered.

    "The great cmity, the great cmity..."

    He frowned, as if recalling something.

    "The great cmity..."

    He repeated in a low voice continuously, and the sky over the square suddenly darkened.

    The blue phantom figures attacking the group of cultivators also underwent a transformation.

    Thick darkness continuously surged from within the phantoms. In an instant, the phantoms turned into a terrifying ink-ck color.

    The ink-ck mirror images were much more ferocious than the previous blue phantoms. In the blink of an eye, most of the struggling cultivators were killed.

    Only a few remained, barely hanging on.

    Qin Tang, however, hadn''t recovered from his trance. He was still murmuring.

    The ground in the square began to shake violently, and the sky was pressed down by heavy clouds.

    Lightning and thunder incessantly roared.

    The cultivators who hadn''t been attacked by the mirror images and were watching from the sidelines suddenly felt something amiss.

    But facing Qin Tang, who was already entranced, no one dared to act rashly.

    For a moment, everyone didn''t know what to do.

    At this moment, Li Fan slowly walked to Qin Tang''s side.

    He carried a wine gourd and patted Qin Tang''s shoulder, offering it to him.

    With a faint smile, Li Fan said to Qin Tang, "Senior Qin, have a drink."

    "Don''t worry, there''s really no great cmity at all."

    Qin Tang turned around, sniffed the air, and instinctively took the wine gourd and drank from it.

    Then, he looked at Li Fan with some confusion. "No great cmity?"

    Li Fan nodded confidently and repeated, "Exactly, there is no great cmity."

    Qin Tang''s eyes gradually brightened, repeating murmurs of "no great cmity, no great cmity, no great cmity..."

    "Hahaha, you''re right! There''s really no great cmity!"

    After a long time, Qin Tang burst intoughter and finally returned to normal.

    The anomaly in the square also disappeared, and everything returned to normalcy.

    Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and expressed grateful looks towards Li Fan.

    However, Li Fan suddenly had a thought.

    He sensed that there were two faint killing intents locked onto him.

    Although these killing intents were extremely weak, Li Fan was very sensitive to them and wouldn''t make a mistake.

    And the owners of these two killing intents were none other than Sikong Yi and Baili Chen!

    Li Fan pretended not to notice and secretly locked onto the two through the formless killing intent.

    But he didn''t take action.

    The brief episode quickly passed, and the battle between the cultivators and the blue mirror images came to an end.

    In the end, only two fortunate cultivators survived.

    Qin Tang looked at the surviving cultivators with a gentle expression. "The trial is over, you may go."

    The cultivators were puzzled and were about to speak, but they saw each other''s figures gradually fading and disappearing from the square.

    Soon, only Li Fan was left in the square.

    Qin Tang looked at Li Fan, aplex expression flickering in his eyes.

    "Why aren''t you leaving?" Qin Tang asked.

    Li Fan smiled calmly. "Senior brother, you owe me a good bottle of wine."

    Seemingly surprised by Li Fan''s response, Qin Tang was momentarily taken aback, and then burst intoughter.

    "Exactly, I owe you a good bottle of wine!"

    His expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Li Fan seriously.

    Extending his right hand, he lightly tapped Li Fan''s forehead with his index finger.

    "This ''Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art'' is a technique I created, painstakingly integrating all my lifelong learning. I hope you won''t let it go to waste!"

    After a while, Qin Tang retracted his finger.

    Li Fan''s figure also slowly disappeared.

    In front of him was a towering gate with four characters engraved on it: "Cloud Water Heavenly Pce."

    Below the gate stood a broken statue.

    The statue was in a terrible state, covered in wounds.

    It appeared to have been pierced through the heart, revealing a huge hollow.

    Through the blurry face of the statue, Qin Tang''s appearance could still be vaguely seen.

    Li Fan silently watched the statue for a moment, then took out a wine gourd from his storage ring.

    He ced it gently in front of the statue.

    Then, activating the Stalking Shadow Technique, he swiftly headed towards the direction where the formless killing intent had locked onto.

 Chapter 84: Demon Refining Gu Daoist

    The remains of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce were incredibly vast. Even in his previous life, after over a decade of continuous exploration by cultivators from the Cong Yun Sea, thepleteyout had not been fully revealed.

    Not to mention the current situation, where the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Pce was shrouded in dense mist.

    The cultivators who awakened from the stone statue of Qin Tang soon split into several different factions.

    Some felt that the interior of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce was extremely perilous. To survive under Qin Tang''s subordinates was already a great stroke of luck. If they continued to explore, they would undoubtedly face certain death.

    On the other hand, some believed that with just a stone statue at the entrance of this pce, they had already gained such an opportunity. What kind of great fortune might await inside the rumored alchemy rooms, teaching halls, and treasure vaults?

    Once greed arose, it rapidly expanded in their hearts and could no longer be suppressed.

    Thus, these people, as if possessed, disappeared one after another into the mist.

    So, when Li Fan caught up from behind, he found that he had lost the trace of all the cultivators. If it weren''t for the fact that the killing intent had already locked onto Sikong Yi and the others in advance, he would likely have lost them.

    However, strangely, Sikong Yi and Baili Chen seemed to be very familiar with theyout of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    They could always find a way through the seemingly impassable mist. Their objectives were clear, constantly bypassing buildings shrouded in mist, moving deeper inside.

    Was this the reason why Sikong Yi managed to obtain the "Cloud Water Map" in the previous life? After all, Li Fan had knowledge of the simted experiences from his previous life, so he could understand the various secrets within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    But how did Sikong Yi know all this?

    Li Fan''s interest was suddenly piqued.

    At the same time, he became increasingly vignt. These two individuals obviously had significant secrets!

    He concealed his presence even more, closely trailing behind them.

    Suddenly, the actions of the two came to a halt.

    They stopped in their tracks, and Sikong Yi and Bai Lichen separated, each heading in an opposite direction.

    "Splitting up? Have they discovered me?" Li Fan squinted, hesitated for a moment, and then followed the direction in which Sikong Yi had left.

    Entering deeper into the mist, he arrived at a tower-like structure.

    Sikong Yi suddenly stopped at the base of the tower, turned back toward the direction where Li Fan was, and showed a provocative smile.

    Then he promptly entered the tower.

    "Quite interesting. Are you trying to kill me using the peril of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce?" Li Fan looked at the eerie tower in front of him, shrouded in white mist, and the memories from his previous life involuntarily surged in his mind.

    The Demon Refining Tower, one of the most dangerous areas in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    In the first ten years of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce''s opening, no cultivator had ever returned alive from the Demon Refining Tower. It was once regarded as a forbidden zone within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce by cultivators from the Cong Yun Sea.

    In the previous life, it was finally cracked only after anchoring it for 21 years. A master alchemist risked his life to enter and eventually deciphered its bizarre rules.

    "If this is your n, I''m afraid I''ll disappoint you," Li Fan sneered and also entered the Demon Refining Tower.

    Upon entering, he felt gusts of cold wind, apanied by a foul and putrid smell that assaulted him.

    The bottom of the tower consisted of prison cells.

    However, it seemed that much time had passed, and the prison cells were now filled only with peculiar and monstrous skeletal remains.

    Li Fan continued upwards, and the second floor was simr.

    He reached the top of the tower.

    In the distance, he could hear a murmuring voice.

    "All the senior brothers and sisters are fighting at the front line, and I can''t help much."

    "I must refine more pills so that I can enhance their strength as much as possible."

    "For every extra pill I refine, the possibility of senior brothers and sisters surviving increases."

    "But the monsters and demons inside this Demon Refining Tower are all dead, and without the alchemy materials, what should I do?"

    A disheveled man wearing a loose blue robe wasmenting and seemed at a loss.

    Beside him, suspended in mid-air, were three figures bound by invisible ropes.

    One of them was Sikong Yi.

    The other two were cultivators who had entered the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce together this time, but for some reason had ended up here.

    These two had pale faces, and their lips were moving, but no sound came out.

    Li Fan hadn''t made any moves yet, and he suddenly felt as if his hands and feet were bound by ropes, unable to move.

    He was then drawn into the air and fixed in ce, just like the other three.

    Having anticipated this encounter, Li Fan remained unfazed.

    It was at this moment that he clearly heard the self-talk of the man.

    "Oh my, it''s time to refine the pills!" At this moment, the man in the blue robe suddenly woke up from his murmuring.

    "Refining pills, refining pills..." The man reached into his loose, wide robe and moved around. In no time, he took out two ck pills.

    "The pills are ready, just don''t know how effective they''ll be this time." The man scratched his head, seemingly troubled.

    Then, he pped his thigh, "Right, I just captured a few bugs. It''s perfect to use them for the experiment!"

    Saying this, he looked towards Li Fan and the others, who were suspended in the air, his gaze constantly shifting, "Which bug should I choose?"

    Seeing that the man had fixed his gaze on them, a strange chill ran through them.

    They all became still, not daring to move, and held their breath, maintaining silence.

    "Let''s choose this one," said the man in the blue robe after looking at them for a while, and he reached out to grab one.

    Seeing this, the person couldn''t maintain their calm anymore.

    But their struggles were obviously in vain, and they could no longer make any sound.

    Their bodies flew towards the man in the blue robe, gradually shrinking in the process.

    In the end, they truly turned into a small flying insect and fell into the man''s palm.

    The head of the flying insect still faintly resembled a human face, with an expression of extreme fear.

    Gently pinched by the man in the blue robe, the human-faced insect emitted a buzzing sound from its trembling wings.

    However, it was all in vain. The man in the blue robe held the insect in one hand and a ck pill in the other.

    The pill was many timesrger than the flying insect, yet it was forcibly stuffed inside the insect.

    The human-faced insect struggled in pain, forcefully swallowing the pill.

    Its belly swelled many times over, bing a giant round ball.

    The insect''s breath gradually weakened, but the suffering had only just begun.

    After the pill entered its belly, it seemed to be digested, and its size began to decrease.

    However, a buzzing sound, like a swarm of mosquitoes, suddenly resounded.

    The body of the human-faced insect began to convulse uncontrobly.

    Tiny ck dots emerged one after another from its abdomen.

    Looking closely, these ck dots were newly born insects.

    After emerging from the body, the insects didn''t fly around randomly but stopped on the human-faced insect and greedily began to gnaw.

    Soon, the human-faced insect was devouredpletely.

    The man in the blue robe shook his head, looking regretful.

    "It seems the test failed. The potency of the medicine was probably too strong."

    Saying this, he opened his mouth and sucked the ck mist of the insect into his stomach.

    Even though Li Fan had heard about the events in the Demon Refining Tower beforehand and was mentally prepared, he still couldn''t help but feel a jolt in his eyelids.

    The scene was too horrifying.

    The man in the blue robe looked at the remaining ck pill in his hand, seemingly a bit distressed.

    "Should I try this pill again?"

    He nced at Li Fan and the others.

    All three of them held their breath, immobilized.

    After a while, the man in the blue robe sighed, "Forget it, it should be close enough, considering it was refined in a furnace."

    With that, the man opened his mouth and casually threw the ck pill inside his mouth.

    After swallowing the pill, the man in the blue robe remained unaffected.

    However, he became even more deranged.

    He started muttering again, ignoring the three people bound in the air and talking about not having enough alchemy materials.

    Among the three survivors, Li Fan remained silent.

    Sikong Yi showed no expression.

    The remaining person was already in a state of copse.

    "I should have died in Qin Tang''s hands earlier. At least I could have died quickly."

    Time in the Demon Refining Tower seemed to lose its meaning.

    The lives of everyone depended entirely on the actions of the man in the blue robe.

    After an unknown amount of time, the man regained consciousness from his deranged state.

    Once again, he pulled out two pills from under his wide robe, but this time they were eerie green.

    "Which insect should I choose for the experiment?"

    The man hesitated this time, but his gazended on Sikong Yi.

    "Let''s choose this one!"

    Li Fan suddenly became alert. He wanted to see what Sikong Yi was relying on to dare lead him into this perilous ce.

    To Li Fan''s surprise, Sikong Yi didn''t put up any resistance.

    After being forced to transform into an insect and swallow the green pill, Sikong Yi turned into a puddle of green water immediately.

    Sikong Yi was dead!

    "What''s going on? Was there an unexpected change? Could it be that, in this life, because of my tracking, the development of events is different from the previous life?"

    "No, Sikong Yi clearly enticed me into this Demon Refining Tower. How could he die so easily?"

    "Did he bring me into this death trap just to exchange life for a life?"

    While Li Fan was immersed in endless doubts, he suddenly sensed something and looked up.

    Outside the Demon Refining Tower, Bai Lichen, who was targeted by the formless killing intent, was slowly approaching.

    Beside him, Li Fan felt that the previously lost lock-ons of the formless killing intent had once again captured the target: Sikong Yi.

    Sikong Yi, who was supposed to be dead, had reappeared outside the Demon Refining Tower.

    "A puppet? An external incarnation? It doesn''t feel like either."

    Li Fan stared at the puddle of green water on the ground, unable to help butugh.

    "It seems that the secrets these two hold are even bigger than I imagined."

    "However, once I lock onto them, these secrets will no longer be secrets."

    In Li Fan''s senses, Sikong Yi and Baili Chen continued to advance towards the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    "There''s the lock-on with the formless killing intent; I''m not afraid they''ll escape. I just need to extricate myself from this Demon Refining Tower as soon as possible."

    However, the actions of the man in the blue robe followed their own patterns, and Li Fan couldn''t control them. All he could do was wait patiently.

    Soon, the third round of drug testing arrived.

    This time, Li Fan still wasn''t chosen. This left him somewhat bemused, not knowing whether it was lucky or unlucky.

    The man in the blue robe took out two pink pills and fed them to the human-faced insect.

    With a bang, the insect exploded into pink smoke.

    In the smoke, painful faces kept appearing.

    As the pink mist drifted, the faces contorted and twisted, appearing even more grotesque and terrifying.

    Li Fan, witnessing this scene, couldn''t help but shiver with goosebumps.

    In the end, it was the man in the blue robe who, muttering to himself, inhaled the smoke, finally ending this eternal agony.

    The man in the blue robe fell into mumbling again.

    The fourth round of drug testing finally arrived.

    At this point, only Li Fan remained inside the Demon Refining Tower.

    The man in the blue robe was about to pick Li Fan for the test, but Li Fan suddenly spoke up.

    "Junior Brother, I heard you don''t have enough alchemy materials."

    The Gu Daoist [1], upon hearing this, instinctively stopped his reaching hand and nodded, somewhat guilty. "Yes, I don''t have enough alchemy materials. I haven''t been able to produce new pills for a long time."

    He said with a hint of remorse, "I can''t make good pills, and my progress in cultivation has been slow. I''ve been a burden to everyone."

    The Gu Daoist''s words faltered, and he looked at Li Fan for a while, realizing what he was wearing. He became a bit flustered. "Oh, it''s Senior Brother! I thought it was just another insect!"

    "Senior Brother, I''m really sorry! I''ll release you right away."

    With the Gu Daoist''s words, Li Fan felt the restraints loosen, regaining control of his body.

    The Gu Daoist held his head, lowering it as if unable to face this senior brother.

    He said in self-me, "I messed up again. Every time it''s like this. I can''t make good pills, and my cultivation progress has been slow. I''ve been a burden to everyone."

    Li Fan approached and held the Gu Daoist''s shoulder, saying gently, "Don''t say that, Junior Brother. The pills you make have great effects, and everyone likes them."

    Upon hearing this, the Gu Daoist suddenly lifted his head, eyes filled with joy. "Really, Senior Brother? Everyone likes the pills I make?"

    "Why, don''t you believe your senior brother?" Li Fan put on a stern face.

    The Gu Daoist hurriedly shook his head. "I believe everything Senior Brother says."

    Then he dejectedly said, "But I don''t have any more alchemy materials. I can''t make the pills everyone likes."

    Li Fan patted the Gu Daoist''s head and said softly, "It''s okay, I''m still here."

    "Turn me into a pill, and everyone will have pills to eat again."

    "Senior Brother, you..." The Gu Daoist seemed shocked by Li Fan''s words, staring at him wide-eyed.

    Li Fan sighed deeply and continued, "Although I joined the sect early, my talent isn''t enough, and my cultivation has always been low. Senior brothers and senior sisters are fighting on the front lines, and I can''t help much."

    "Every time I think about this, my heart aches, hating my own ipetence."

    "So, turn me into a pill. That way, I can still help a little."

    Li Fan grabbed the Gu Daoist''s hand, excitedly saying.

    The Gu Daoist stared at Li Fan, seemingly deeply moved.

    "So, Senior Brother is just like me."

    "But Senior Brother is much greater than me. He''d rather sacrifice himself to help the senior brothers and sisters on the front lines."

    "And me, I just keep avoiding my problems. Hiding in this tower."

    The Gu Daoist twisted his hair in distress.

    "No, I can''t just watch Senior Brother sacrifice himself."

    He seemed to suddenly realize something, and excitedly said to Li Fan, "Senior Brother, I can refine pills for you! As long as you eat the pills I refine, your strength will definitely not be low, and you can help on the front lines!"

    The Gu Daoist seemed to have found a goal to strive for. "Pill refining, I want to refine pills!"

    He reached into his wide robe and started fumbling.

    Not long after, he took out two golden pills.

    "Senior Brother, here are the pills for you."

    The Gu Daoist held them in his hands, his face beaming with a smile, offering the pills to Li Fan.

    Li Fan didn''t ept the pills but instead untied the Gu Daoist''s robe.

    Under the wide robe, only an empty skeleton remained.

    On the skeleton, there were only a few traces of barely visible flesh and blood.

    The Gu Daoist used his own flesh and blood to refine pills.

    *****

    TL Note: Gu = Chinese poisonous insect refining

 Chapter 85: All Things are Like Insects

    Watching this horrifying scene before him, Li Fan was moved.

    This is indeed an anomaly!

    Caught between life and death, between rity and confusion, bound by obsessions, one can only follow established rules and repeat the eternal cycle.

    Unable to break free.

    Qin Tang was like this, and so was this Gu Daoist.

    Seeing that Li Fan didn''t respond, the Gu Daoist held up two golden pills and waved them in front of him. "Senior Brother, pills."

    He looked at Li Fan with hope.

    However, Li Fan shook his head regretfully. "My aptitude is too poor. Even if I eat this pill, my cultivation won''t increase much. So, I definitely can''t take this pill. I''ll leave it for the senior brothers with better aptitude; it''ll be more useful for them."

    The Gu Daoist was a bit disappointed and was about to persuade him.

    Li Fan continued, "However, I would like to ask Junior Brother for a favor. I don''t know if Junior Brother is willing to agree."

    The Gu Daoist became happy again. "Of course, I agree. Senior Brother, what''s your request, just tell me."

    "I want to learn from Junior Brother the method of capturing insects," Li Fan said slowly.

    Anomalies have their own rules.

    If you don''t follow the rules of the anomaly, you will surely die under the anomaly.

    But if you understand the rules, you can not only stay unharmed in the anomaly but also gain various benefits from it.

    Like the previous statue in the Qin Tang''s trial.

    In Qin Tang''s trial, if you performed well in all three tests, you could ask Qin Tang for help before leaving, using good wine.

    Qin Tang would then help based on the specific performance in the tests, either by enhancing one''s cultivation or by imparting a technique.

    In the case of this Gu Daoist, if you chose to swallow the golden pills, you could obtain the Gu Daoist''s alchemy technique.

    However...

    This alchemy technique is not a normal alchemy practice. It''s the way of insect pills.

    Not only are the materials for alchemy mostly from various bizarre flying insects, but the resulting pills also resemble flying insects.

    What''s more deadly is that the more insect pills you refine, the more you will gradually be like the Gu Daoist.

    Bing an inhuman, ghostly existence.

    So Li Fan did not choose the golden pills as a reward but chose something else, which waspletelyparable to the way of insect pills.

    When the Gu Daoist heard Li Fan''s words, he touched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly. "Senior Brother, my Insect Binding Technique is just something I y with usually. Why do you want to learn this..."

    Li Fan exined seriously, "Our senior brothers are fighting on the front lines, and annoying insects may harass them. Although my strength is weak and I can''t personally fight, if I learn your art of capturing insects, I can help the senior brothers by dealing with these annoying insects from the sidelines."

    Upon hearing this, the Gu Daoist suddenly realized, "I didn''t expect the Insect Binding Technique to have such a use. Senior Brother, you''re really clever!"

    Li Fan sincerely said, "Thank you, Junior Brother, for teaching me."

    The Gu Daoist was excited and blushed, "Okay, Senior Brother, I will teach you how to catch insects."

    With a buzzing sound, the Gu Daoist revealed four pairs of transparent wings.

    He reached behind him and tore off one.

    The wing, still with wet with bloodstains, was handed to Li Fan.

    Li Fan gently touched it, and the transparent wing turned into a burst of radiance, absorbed into his body.

    At the same time, countless intersecting threads seemed to appear in the world before Li Fan''s eyes.

    He felt as if he could manipte these threads at will, weaving them into a giant that captured all creatures in his field of vision.

    "This is it, the Insect Binding Technique."

    The illusion of the threads in front of him gradually disappeared, but Li Fan knew that he had obtained this extremely powerful technique.

    As long as the opponent''s realm was lower than his own, once he activated the Insect Binding Technique, he could instantly restrain the opponent.

    A cultivator bound by the Insect Binding Technique  couldn''t be cast any of their supernatural techniques or abilities.

    They could only be like insects in a web, at the mercy of others.

    At first nce, this Insect Binding Technique seemed to only be effective against cultivators lower in realm than oneself, making it seemingly not very useful.

    But that''s not the case.

    You see, the realm does not necessarily represent actualbat power.

    When exploring outside, which cultivator doesn''t have a few tricks up their sleeves?

    Under an unexpected outburst, even if the opponent''s cultivation is higher, they wouldn''t dare to guarantee they could retreat unharmed.

    However, with this Insect Binding Technique, there was no such concern.

    As long as the opponent''s realm was lower, they could ignore any miraculous trump cards and directly capture the opponent.

    It''s most suitable for dealing with those whose realm is low but seem to have many secrets...

    The figures of Sikong Yi and Baili Chen shed in Li Fan''s mind.

    Having gained this technique, Li Fan didn''t want to dy any longer.

    "Junior Brother, I have learned the Insect Binding Technique. I will now go to the front lines to find our senior brothers. Take care!" Li Fan said.

    The Gu Daoist was somewhat reluctant. "Senior Brother, you must be careful. Make sure toe back safely!"

    And with Li Fan''s departure, that worried expression slowly faded.

    After an unknown amount of time, in the quiet Demon Refining Tower, the Gu Daoist''s muttering once again echoed.

    "...without alchemy materials, what should I do..."

    ...

    Exiting the Demon Refining Tower, Li Fan sensed the location of Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.

    They were very close to the central core area of Cloud Water Heavenly Pce: the Taiyi Hall.

    Information about the Taiyi Hall instantly appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    The Taiyi Hall is said to be the ce where Cloud Water Heavenly Pce receives distinguished guests and holds sect discussions.

    There was no particr risk, but the situation was quite unique.

    Looking at Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, it seemed that they had stopped for some reason, moving slowly toward the central area.

    Li Fan instantly had a clear idea.

    He sneered and hurried towards the direction where the two were.

    In front of the Taiyi Hall, countless broken swords were inserted into the ground.

    The sword des crisscrossed, forming a forest of swords blocking the way to the Taiyi Hall.

    Sikong Yi and Baili Chen were standing on the sword handles, walking towards the Taiyi Hall.

    With each step forward, a virtual shadow corresponding to the broken sword under their feet would appear above them.

    Then it pierced through their hearts.

    No blood spattered. After piercing, the virtual shadow would disappear.

    It wouldn''t cause actual harm, and would only bring pain.

    The intense pain made them tremble uncontrobly, and sweat poured down their foreheads like raindrops.

    After a long time, they finally eased from this indescribable pain.

    The two took a deep breath and continued to step on the sword handles, moving forward.

    Another sword shadow pierced through.

    This was the reason why the speed of their progress was so slow.

    Although it was extremely painful, there was no retreat in their eyes.

    What they had worked so hard for was right in front of them, within reach.

    How could they possibly give up now?

    With firm determination, they gritted their teeth and continued to move forward.

    At this moment, they sensed someone approaching from behind.

    Looking back, they were shocked and couldn''t help but exim, "It''s you?! How is this possible?"

 Chapter 86: The Revelation of the Cloud Water Map

    Two voices sounded simultaneously, echoing in front of the Taiyi Hall.

    "Impossible! How could you possiblye out alive from that cursed ce?" The two eximed in unison, their faces full of disbelief.

    In front of the forest of swords, Li Fan stood with his hands crossed, looking at the pale-faced Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, sneering without a word.

    He just stepped onto the sword hilts, like he was about to chase after them.

    The phantom sword pierced through, and an excruciating pain followed.

    Li Fan almost couldn''t control his body and nearly fell down.

    Falling from the sword hilt wouldn''t lead to death, but it would just teleport him back to the outer periphery of the sword forest, starting anew.

    Of course, if someone couldn''t ept it and tried to fly over the top of the sword forest...

    Then they would truly experience what it felt like to have a thousand swords pierce through their hearts.

    This was the trial in front of the Taiyi Hall, the trial of the sword forest.

    As opposed to the other parts of the Cloud Water Celestial Pce, as long as you didn''t act recklessly, there was no fatal danger here.

    At most, it was experiencing the feeling of being pierced through the heart by sword after sword.

    In the previous life, many cultivators endured the intense pain and passed through the sword forest, entering the interior of the Taiyi Hall.

    However...

    The hall was empty,pletely devoid of anything!

    "Could it be that the treasures in the Taiyi Hall were taken by Sikong Yi in the first ce?"

    "The opportunity in this Taiyi Hall is the ''Cloud Water Map''?"

    Although Li Fan could use the Insect Binding Technique to capture these two now, he couldn''t guarantee that he would be able to force them to reveal how they obtained the "Cloud Water Map."

    Li Fan knew there were methods of soul searching in the ancient cultivation world that forcibly read a cultivator''s memories.

    Unfortunately, Li Fan didn''t know how to perform them yet.

    So, to be on the safe side, he had to wait for these two to take out the "Cloud Water Map."

    Li Fan contemted, and the Azure me Illusionary Spirit emerged in his mind.

    His body temperature gradually dropped, and Li Fan felt himself bing extremely calm and rational.

    Nothing could disturb his state of mind.

    Stepping forward, he stood on the sword hilt.

    Although he could still feel the pain, Li Fan wasn''t afraid.

    He took several steps forward in a row. To avoid scaring Sikong Yi and Baili Chen too much, he stopped and pretended to rest.

    Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, seeing that Li Fan was still alive, were greatly shocked.

    At this moment, seeing Li Fan getting closer and closer, they couldn''t help but be anxious.

    At that moment, they became ruthless, clenched their teeth, and took a few violent steps towards the front.

    Four sharp swords were added to their body at the same time, and the pain brought about was not as simple as simply adding up the pain of each sword.

    The agony multiplied several times, making it almost difficult for the duo to maintain the stability of their figures.

    Fortunately, they were able to stabilize themselves by supporting each other for a moment before they were about to fall.

    Seeing this, Li Fan also took three steps forward, and then he looked like he was having trouble maintaining his stance again.

    In this way, Li Fan always maintained a distance from the duo, pulling down the other''s guard.

    But yet, he was threatening to catch up, giving them a sense of oppression.

    As if they were prey being chased by hounds, Sikong Yi and Baili Dust, step by step, were getting closer and closer to the Taiyi Hall.

    Eventually, they walked to the end of the sword forest.

    Jumping down from the hilt of the sword, the two of them fell to the ground as if they were deted.

    However, with Li Fan pressing step by step behind them, getting closer and closer, they could not afford to rest.

    In a hurry, Baili Chen took out a blue token from his chest and shouted loudly in the direction of the Taiyi Hall.

    "I am Baili Chen, the 165th generation direct disciple of the Cloud Water Celestial Pce, and I request an audience with Patriarch Taiyi!"

    Baili Chen''s voice echoed continuously.

    Li Fan abruptly stopped the steps he was about to take and stared ahead.

    The majestic Taiyi Hall seemed toe alive at this moment, slowly rising into the air amidst constant tremors.

    The ground beneath their feet started to shake.

    "Boom!"

    "Boom!"

    Four thick legs like pirs emerged from below the Taiyi Hall and stomped forcefully on the ground.

    A hideous monster head appeared before Li Fan like a demon descending on the world.

    The broken swords in the sword forest kept trembling.

    "Roar!"

    Apanied by a strange roar, a giant turtle finally fully manifested.

    The Taiyi Hall was carried on the back of the giant turtle.

    And as the giant turtle continued to howl, inside the Taiyi Hall, two giant ck snakes crawled out.

    One moved forward, entwining itself around the head.

    The other moved backward, opening a huge bloody mouth, acting as the turtle''s tail.

    If the massive creature of this turtle-snakebination was visually impressive enough, then the scenes on this creature''s body were making Li Fan feel physically ufortable.

    Every inch of the monster''s body was stabbed with broken swords.

    It was incredibly bloody, and one couldn''t make out how many swords were actually stuck in the creature''s body.

    At first nce, this monster seemed to beposed entirely of swords.

    And the small sword forest in front of the Taiyi Hall seemed like an extremely insignificant part of it.

    "Cloud Water Celestial Pce''s Patriarch Taiyi? So many years have passed, and he''s still alive? Or has he be something anomalous like Qin Tang and the Gu Daoist?" Li Fan couldn''t be sure.

    In the previous life, there was no rumor at all about this Patriarch Taiyi.

    Li Fan didn''t dare to act recklessly for a moment and just observed from a distance.

    Baili Chen was extremely excited to see the true appearance of the patriarch.

    He knelt down and kept kowtowing.

    "Your name is Baili Chen? Are you a direct disciple of my Cloud Water Celestial Pce?"

    An old voice rang out.

    The turtle-snake monster slightly lowered its head, as if wanting to see Baili Chen''s appearance clearly.

    "Reporting to Patriarch Taiyi, disciple is from the Whisking Cloud lineage," Baili Chen replied with a trembling voice.

    "Whisking Cloud, huh..." The old voice seemed to be lost in memories.

    "Yes, you indeed carry the Whisking Cloud lineage''s aura."

    "So, that kid still has descendants alive?" The turtle-snake monster vaguely felt that something was wrong.

    But he was already too old.

    So old that even simple thoughts became a problem.

    The pain from the countless broken swords on his body was like a malicious curse, constantly affecting his thinking.

    After a moment of fruitless contemtion, he slowly spoke, "So, why did you wake me up?"

    Baili Chen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, suppressing his excited expression, and quickly said, "Disciple wishes to ask Patriarch for the ''Cloud Water Map.''"

    "The ''Cloud Water Map''? What is that? Let me think..."

    After a moment.

    "Oh. So, it''s this, not something significant."

    The turtle-snake monster''s tone carried a hint of nostalgia. "Back then, Hanhai mentioned that this thing can only be given to the Cloud Water Celestial Pce disciples."

    "Since you''re a descendant of Whisking Cloud..."

    Saying this, the turtle-snake monster hesitated for a moment.

    Then he slowly said, "In that case, I suppose it''s fine to give it to you."

    Baili Chen''s face revealed an ecstatic look, and he couldn''t stop kowtowing. "Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you, Patriarch!"

    Just as the turtle-snake monster was about to hand over the ''Cloud Water Map'' to Baili Chen, a voice suddenly rang out.

    "Hold on!"

    Baili Chen and the turtle-snake monster looked towards the direction of the voice.

    They saw Li Fan swiftly approaching, stepping through the sword hilts.

    Swords continuously passed through his body, but the pain seemed to have no effect on him.

    Li Fan took three steps and glided through the sword forest, then descended gracefully.

    Sighing in relief, Li Fan cupped his hands towards the turtle-snake monster. "Disciple Li Fan, also a direct disciple of the Cloud Water Celestial Pce. I also wish to ask Patriarch for the ''Cloud Water Map!''"

    As he spoke, he began to activate the "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art."

 Chapter 87: Treasure Obtained

    Seeing the treasure within reach but obstructed by unexpectedplications infuriated Baili Chen.

    He looked at Li Fan and couldn''t help but shout angrily, "Where did this impostere from! The disciples of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce have long been exterminated..."

    Mid-sentence, Baili Chen realized the inappropriateness of his words and stopped abruptly.

    "Divine Ancestor, this person definitely cannot be an authentic disciple!" he gritted his teeth and said to the turtle-snake creature.

    However, the turtle-snake creature paid no attention to his words, carefully discerning the aura operating within Li Fan.

    "Hmm... Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art. It''s unexpected that Junior Qin also has a sessor."

    "Good, good."

    Seeming highly excited, the massive form of the turtle-snake creature trembled slightly, and its ferocious visage rxed a bit.

    "Indeed, my cultivation technique is the direct transmission from Senior Brother Qin. Naturally, I can be considered a disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce," Li Fan nodded and said with an unchanged expression.

    They hadn''t expected that what Li Fan said was actually true, causing Baili Chen''s expression to darken instantly.

    Both he and Sikong Yi stared fixedly at Li Fan, their eyes brimming with murderous intent.

    Feeling the rapidly swelling killing intent emanating from them, Li Fan merely smiled slightly in response.

    "Hmm, you are both direct disciples, and this young man is also a direct disciple. You both want this ''Cloud Water Map''..."

    "It''s truly a headache..."

    The turtle-snake creature seemed a bit confused, its gaze shifting back and forth between Li Fan and Baili Chen.

    After a while, its slow-thinking mind finally came up with a solution.

    "Since that''s the case, ording to the rules of the sect, why don''t you twopete against each other?"

    "Whoever wins, I will give this ''Cloud Water Map'' to them."

    The turtle-snake creature seemed quite satisfied with its own solution.

    It shook its body and moved its stiff body.

    Several broken swords fell from its body, drifting towards the edge of the sword forest below in a very unusual trajectory, increasing the size of the sword forest.

    "Cloud Water Heavenly Pce disciples should respect and love each other. The two of you, be careful not to go too far during your sparring."

    The turtle-snake creature cautioned in its old, hoarse voice.

    Then, numerous broken swords flew out from its body.

    They fell into the ground around Li Fan and Sikong Yi, leaving only a nk area in the middle, forming a natural arena.

    "Hmm. You may begin!"

    The turtle-snake creature said in a muffled voice.

    Li Fan chuckled, "Divine Ancestor, rest assured, I will definitely spare Baili Chen''s life."

    Baili Chen remained silent, his murderous intent reaching its peak.

    Above his head, twenty-one constantly rotating blue water swords suddenly appeared.

    Forming a sword formation, they whizzed towards Li Fan.

    But Li Fan simply extended his right hand and lightly grabbed towards Baili Chen.

    Everything became still.

    Even if there were a thousand other means, they could no longer be executed at this moment.

    As if caught in an invisible giant, Baili Chen was firmly trapped, suspended in mid-air, unable to move.

    The twenty-four water swords also dissipated midway in their flight.

    Patriarch Taiyi, who had been asleep for thousands of years, was now enthusiasticallymentating.

    However, his thought process seemed rusty, making hismentary always a beat slow.

    Baili Chen had already been subdued by Li Fan before his voice slowly came out.

    "Hmm, not bad. It''s the Sea Fixing Sword Technique! It''s already practiced twenty one swords, it''s close to the grandpletion..."

    "Surprising... this is the binding technique of that little insect child? I never thought it would be passed on to an outsider..."

    Through thementary of the turtle-snake creature, Baili Chen and Sikong Yi had expressions of unimaginable horror.

    They naturally understood what technique had so effortlessly restrained Baili Chen.

    It was exactly the same as the method the strange cultivator used in the Demon Refining Tower.

    To escape from that peculiar cultivator was one thing, but to learn his supernatural abilities?

    How was that achieved?

    Could it be that this person was truly a disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce?

    Otherwise, none of this could be exined!

    However, the disciples of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce had clearly died out in the Great Cmity thousands of years ago!

    Who was he, really?

    Endless doubts and fears surged within Baili Chen and Sikong Yi.

    No, this person was too mysterious. If they fell into his hands...

    Looking at Li Fan''s "friendly" face, the two couldn''t help but shiver.

    Escape!

    So, under the gaze of the turtle-snake creature and Li Fan, a strange scene unfolded.

    Baili Chen, who was bound by the insect, suddenly transformed and in the blink of an eye became Sikong Yi.

    Meanwhile, Sikong Yi, who was watching from the side, now appeared as Baili Chen!

    It wasn''t just an exchange of appearance.

    Their auras, cultivation bases, and even the lock-on from Li Fan through the ''Formless Killing Intent'' all exchanged in an instant.

    Li Fan''s expression changed, but he heard Baili Chen shout, "My skills are inferior to you, I admit defeat! I''ll let Senior Brother have the ''Cloud Water Map''! Please, Divine Ancestor Taiyi, escort me out of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce!"

    "Hmm... what is this..."

    The turtle-snake creature was curious about the scene unfolding before its eyes, but was interrupted by Baili Chen''s shout.

    "You want to leave here?"

    "Yes, leaving is good. Leaving is good..."

    In the turtle-snake creature''sment, a blue light shrouded Baili Chen.

    His figure twisted for a moment, and he red hatefully at Li Fan, then disappeared without a trace.

    As for Sikong Yi, who was bound by Li Fan, he instantly lost vitality.

    Under Li Fan''s gaze, he slowly turned into ashes.

    Just like what happened in the Demon Refining Tower a while ago.

    In Li Fan''s senses, outside the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, Sikong Yi once again appeared next to Baili Chen.

    The two were doing their utmost to escape from this ce.

    "Humph, you want to escape? Not so easy!"

    Under the lock-on of the Formless Killing Intent, unless they were too far away, no matter what they did, they couldn''t escape from Li Fan''s grasp.

    Not in a hurry to chase them, Li Fan instead inquired the turtle-snake creature before him.

    "Divine Ancestor Taiyi, I wonder which technique Baili Chen cultivated? To transform between different living beings is indeed quite amazing."

    "Hmm... it looks somewhat familiar, seems like I heard of it somewhere."

    After a while, hemented, "I''m getting old, my memory isn''t so good. I can''t recall."

    "Well, while I still remember, I''ll give you the ''Cloud Water Map''."

    The ck snake entwined around Patriarch Taiyi''s head opened its mouth.

    A miniaturized version of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, emitting colorful light, slowly flew to Li Fan.

    Li Fan held it in his hand, sensing the information appearing in his mind, he couldn''t help but be somewhat astonished.

    Just this?

    Is this really worth a hundred thousand contribution points?

    This ''Cloud Water Map'' was indeed what it seemed like, just a miniature model of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    Every detail was faithfully reproduced, including all the sizes and structures within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    Moreover, within it preserved a trace of spiritual consciousness left behind by the disciples of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce from that era.

    Fixed in a special way, they became miniaturized figures, moving about in this miniature Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

 Chapter 88: Executing Sikong Yi

    Li Fan''s divine sense wandered through this colorful model, making it feel as if he were personally touring the ancient Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    But...

    Apart from this, it seemed like the "Cloud Water Map" had no other special purpose.

    "This ''Cloud Water Map,'' perhaps it would be more fitting to call it the ''Cloud Water Model.''"

    "Or perhaps, does it hide some other secrets inside? Otherwise, why would someone offer a reward of one hundred thousand contribution points?"

    Li Fan suddenly had many doubts.

    However, this wasn''t the time to delve deeply into them.

    He stored the colorful model in his storage ring and then politely bowed to the turtle-snake creature. "Divine Ancestor Taiyi, please escort me out of here. I still have to find my Junior Brother Baili Chen."After a moment, Taiyi''s aged voice sounded, "Yes, leaving is good. Leaving is good..."

    It was the same reaction as when he sent Baili Chen away earlier.

    A blue light enveloped Li Fan, and then his figure disappeared.

    In front of Taiyi''s pce, silence reigned once again for a long time.

    After some unknown duration, a strange noise shattered the tranquility.

    "Zzz..."

    "Zzz..."

    "Zzz..."

    It was like the sound of a sword constantly grinding against a whetstone, and also like a giant serpent shedding its old skin.

    Each time this sound urred, countless sword shadows appeared from the void and impaled the turtle-snake creature.

    "Boom!"

    The Taiyi Hall suddenly sank, and the turtle-snake creature''s limbs were forcibly retracted.

    The two ck serpents on its head and tail let out painful howls as they writhed and returned to the Taiyi Hall.

    "Pain..."

    "Pain..."

    Taiyi''s aged and mad voice thundered across the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    Buildings shrouded in white mist seemed to respond with various horrifying sounds, continuously echoing.

    The virtual sword shadows intensified like a torrential rain.

    "Roar!"

    Finally, the figure of the turtle-snake creature vanished.

    Only an empty Taiyi Hall remained, along with the increasingly vast sword forest, silently witnessing Taiyi''s eternal suffering.

    In the Cong Yun Sea.

    Li Fan''s vision blurred, and he felt like he had returned to the azure ocean.

    However, he had already left the central area of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce ruins.

    Sensing the positions of Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, Li Fan activated the Stalking Shadow Technique, following closely behind them.

    At the same time, the previously dormant Formless Killing Intent was suddenly activated.

    Sikong Yi and Baili Chen immediately encountered resistance, causing their speed to greatly decrease.

    Meanwhile, Li Fan''s speed continued to increase.

    The distance grew closer and closer, and in no time, their figures became faintly visible.

    "What exactly are you? I''ve already given you the ''Cloud Water Map,'' so why are you still hounding us?" Sikong Yi''s angry voice sounded.

    Li Fan didn''t reply, only elerating his speed.

    "You''re truly pushing it!" Seeing the situation, Sikong Yi actually gave up on running and turned to confront Li Fan.

    Golden sword qi appeared one after another around him, winding like a dragon.

    With a point from Sikong Yi, under the activation of the sword qi, they surged towards Li Fan like a multitude of flying dragons.

    As for Baili Chen, he had somehow used a secret technique, and his speed suddenly increased several times, attempting to flee towards a distant ind.

    "Are you trying to use the same trick as before? Are you nning to use the ind''s teleportation array to return to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind?"

    "Not a bad idea."

    "It''s a pity I was prepared for this."

    Li Fan watched them closely, his eyes shining with an inexplicable light.

    Ever since he had learned that Sikong Yi and Baili Chen often acted together from Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan had specifically purchased some targeted magical tools in the Heavenly Profound Realm to better deal with them.

    For example...

    A shield surrounded by mes appeared in front of him, blocking all of Sikong Yi''s golden sword qi.

    Redme Shield, 350 contribution points.

    It had a natural restraining effect on Sikong Yi''s golden attribute sword qi.

    Li Fan also took a ck chain from his storage ring.

    One end of the chain was aimed at Sikong Yi, while the other end targeted Baili Chen.

    With a gentle toss, the ck chain rapidly extended, reaching out like a bolt of lightning, binding Sikong Yi and Baili Chen together.

    The chain suddenly tightened. Baili Chen, who was frantically trying to escape, was abruptly yanked back towards Sikong Yi.

    Soul-Locking Chain.

    Li Fan had spent 958 contribution points to have a Foundation Establishment artificer from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance specially create it.

    Once the two were connected by the chain, they couldn''t move too far apart from each other.

    Finally, watching the two captives chained together, Li Fan took out a set of formations.

    The Blue Wood Purple Fire Formation.

    A total of 1500 contribution points.

    It was incredibly powerful. Once activated, it could reduce the average Qi Condensation stage cultivator to ashes within moments.

    Li Fan remained expressionless and activated the formation, enveloping Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.

    From the moment Li Fan blocked Sikong Yi''s golden sword qi to when he trapped the two with the formation, it had all urred in the blink of an eye.

    The two never had a chance to react; they had be sitting ducks and could no longer escape.

    "Who exactly are you?!" Sikong Yi saw that each of Li Fan''s moves was highly targeted, making it clear that he had been nning this all along.

    Now he couldn''t help but be baffled.

    Li Fan didn''t reply. Instead, he used his Insect Binding Technique to control Baili Chen.

    Ignoring Sikong Yi''s curses, Li Fan activated the formation, burning Sikong Yi.

    "Ahh!"

    Amidst the cries of agony, Sikong Yi turned into ashes.

    However...

    There was no peculiar phenomenon in the sky above.

    Following this, just as Li Fan had anticipated, the scene unfolded.

    A faint phantom slowly appeared beside Baili Chen. After the phantom wriggled for a while, it gradually took on a solid form.

    Sikong Yi had been resurrected!

    Li Fan squinted his eyes and once again activated the formation.

    The wails continued.

    Sikong Yi died once more.

    After this resurrection, his cultivation fell from thete Qi Condensation stage to the mid Qi Condensation stage.

    Li Fan seemed to understand something.

    Purple mes leaped, and Sikong Yi faced another round of death.

    Sikong Yi went from cursing to begging for mercy, and then to tearfully pleading in agony.

    But Li Fan was unmoved.

    Sikong Yi was enigmatic and had extraordinary means of self-preservation. Stealing the "Cloud Water Map," worth one hundred thousand contribution points, from him had already made him a mortal enemy.

    Even if Li Fan couldn''t force his secrets out of him, there was no way he would let him go.

    The Blue Wood Purple Fire Formation was activated repeatedly.

    Soon, Sikong Yi''s cultivation had dropped to the early Qi Condensation stage.

    Desperation showed on his face.

    He copsed, begging Li Fan to spare him.

    In order to save his own life, he chose to reveal his secrets to Li Fan.

    Li Fan listened silently, his expression still.

    Finally, purple mes shimmered.

    After dying three times in a row, Sikong Yi could no longer resurrect.

    As for Baili Chen, after Sikong Yi''s final death, he turned into dust andpletely disappeared from this world.

    At the ce where Sikong Yi vanished, a ck token hovered silently in the air.

    Li Fan picked up the token, and a piece of information immediately appeared in his mind.

    "The bearer of this token shall rule the Sun Stealing Sect."

 Chapter 89: The Sun Stealing Sect

    The fall of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator,pared to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, was much less spectacr. There were no magnificent disys of the Foundational Treasure, only two streaks of crimson clouds that suddenly appeared in the sky.

    "Qi Condensation stage cultivator, Sikong Yi, cultivated for thirty-five years, in by Qi Condensation stage cultivator Li Fan in the Cong Yun Sea region..."

    "Qi Condensation stage cultivator Baili Chen, cultivated for three years, in by Qi Condensation stage cultivator Li Fan in the Cong Yun Sea region..."

    "Now they have perished, returning to the heavens!"

    Under the fiery clouds, Li Fan stood quietly, fiddling with the Sun Stealing Token in his hand.

    After a long while, he suppressed the greed rising within him.

    "A remarkable treasure, but... it''s not for me."

    The Sun Stealing Token was the supreme treasure of the Sun Stealing Sect.

    The Sun Stealing Sect was a secretive sect that had existed since ancient times. Unlike other sects that founded schools and epted many disciples, the Sun Stealing Sect had no fixed base and often had only one disciple per generation.

    As a result, when the Great Cmity befell the world, other sects experienced a bloodbath, but it had little impact on the Sun Stealing Sect.

    The reason the Sun Stealing Sect survived for thousands of years with only one disciple in each generation, maintaining their heritage, wasrgely due to their unique cultivation technique.

    Sun Stealing Technique: This technique allowed the creation of a special clone using one''s blood and some specific materials. Unlike regr clone techniques, this clone possessed its unique appearance, aura, soul, cultivation level, and realm, as well as its own luck and fate.

    This clone could be treated as apletely separate person.

    Furthermore, when creating a clone, if bones from deceased cultivators or the blood of a living one were added, it could strip away some of the target''s innate talents, luck, and more, grafting them onto the clone.

    However, this alone did not demonstrate the full power of the Sun Stealing Sect.

    The Sun Stealing Technique, whenbined with the Sun Stealing Token in Li Fan''s hand, was theplete form.

    This Sun Stealing Token had been forged by Sikong Yue, the 38th generation disciple of the Sun Stealing Sect, thousands of years ago.

    She had witnessed the Great Cmity, where countless cultivators ughtered each other like ants. Frightened, she deeply desired to find a perfect method of self-preservation.

    After more than a hundred years of painstaking research and exploration, she finally created this Sun Stealing Token.

    Its uses were endless. It had an extensive storage space. After a sacrifice ceremony, the token could freely transfer between the master and the clone, ignoring spatial limitations.

    Most importantly, using the Sun Stealing Technique, she transferred the life essence of her clone and even her true self onto this token.

    As long as the token remained intact, even if the master and the clone were killed, they could reconstruct a new body by consuming the blood stored in the token, effectively "resurrecting."

    In simple terms, after thepletion of the cultivation technique, what was seen by outsiders, whether it was the master or the clone, was just an empty shell.

    The Sun Stealing Token was the true essence.

    After being modified by Sikong Yue in an unconventional way, the technique had be somewhat unorthodox, but it was effective.

    Over thousands of years, with the help of this bizarre technique, Sun Stealing Sect disciples had always managed to escape any perilous situation.

    Thus, the Sun Stealing Sect had survived for thousands of years without being extinguished, until Sikong Yi encountered an extraordinary anomaly like Li Fan who was capable of warping time and space.

    The Sun Stealing Technique was far from perfect and had some fatal drawbacks.

    For instance, there needed to be a certain distance between the primary body and the clone. The farther the clone was from the primary body, the more its power diminished. If the distance exceeded the limit, the clone''s cultivation would drop to the minimum, typically at the early Qi Condensation stage.

    Another example was that due to their life essence being connected to the token, when a Sun Stealing Sect disciple died, a portion of their lingering soul would be bound within the token, unable to escape. These lingering souls often preserved some crucial memories from their previous lives.

    In times of crisis, these memories could be unleashed against enemies by the token''s master.

    Li Fan''s divine sense entered the Sun Stealing Token, and although the storage space was vast, it was empty except for Sikong Yi and another indistinct soul drifting within.

    His divine sense transformed into a giant hand, seizing these two lingering souls and delving into their remaining memories.

    After a long time, Li Fan finally understood why the millennia-old Sun Stealing Sect had fallen into such a desperate state.

    The origins of the situation stemmed from Sikong Yi''s master, Sikong Bo.

    Over the centuries, the Sun Stealing Sect had traversed numerous dangerous situations without harm, which had made them increasingly arrogant. However, Sikong Bo had taken this audacity to an extreme.

    On a distant continent, when Sikong Bo, who had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, was dissatisfied with a clone he had previously refined, he decided to gather materials for a new one.

    During this time, he encountered a child of five or six in a remote mountain vige.

    This child had a natural affinity for cultivation. Not only was their strength boundless, but their cultivation speed was astonishing. At such a young age, they had perfected Qi Condensation and were ready to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

    This piqued Sikong Bo''s interest. After discreetly observing the child for a while, he realized that the child''s luck was extraordinary. Every time the child ventured into the deep mountains to hunt, they returned with various rare treasures from the earth and heavens.

    If he could strip away the child''s luck, the clone he would create would undoubtedly be remarkable.

    Therefore, Sikong Bo attempted to steal the child''s essence during the night when the child was asleep.

    However, this child had long been selected by a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse who was approaching the end of their lifespan. This senior had been searching for a host for their next incarnation.

    Ordinarily, the process of taking over another''s body would somewhat damage the target''s foundation. But the Nascent Soul stage cultivator, who had given up on advancing further, didn''t want to jeopardize their chances for further progress by allowing this to happen.

    So, they chose an extreme method: turning themselves into a Heavenly Treasure, waiting for the child to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and then perfectly merging with them.

    Yes, ording to Sikong Bo''s residual memories, humans could be refined into Heavenly Treasures. Or rather, a significant portion of the many Heavenly Treasures appearing in the world were transformed from fallen cultivators.

    After a cultivator''s death, their Dao underwent a transformation over countless years in the natural world. Based on their characteristics, temperament, and the nature of the techniques they had practiced in life, they would gradually form various Heavenly Treasures that would reappear in the world.

    In life, they could not practice the same techniques as others, and after death, they still had a role to y. This was the world''s way of showing its regard for cultivators.

 Chapter 90: Everything Has a Cause

    Li Fan had seen quite a few Heavenly Treasures in the past.

    Besides the Cong Yun Sea''s Canghai Pearl, there was Kou Hong''s Gnarled Dragon Branch and Dao Xuanzi''s Rust Sword Dao Xuan. Now, it seemed that these were mostly formed by the deceased cultivators of the past.

    The Gnarled Dragon Branch focused on absorbing and devouring; Rust Sword Dao Xuan had a will that was unbending and could decelerate rusting.

    From them, one could vaguely see the shadow of the cultivators.

    Suddenly learning the secrets of Heavenly Treasures, Li Fan was somewhat shocked. But considering the grand scenes he had witnessed during the incineration of the sea, he quickly calmed down.

    In Li Fan''s eyes, the conflict between the heavens and the cultivators had clearly escted to an extreme.

    In the intensifying conflict, any bizarre urrences were possible.

    Li Fan then continued to examine the memories of Sikong Bo.

    The Nascent Soul expert had already turned himself into a Foundation Treasure and possessed the child as his host.

    He mostly remained in slumber and only awakened when guiding the child in cultivation or when the child faced life-threatening situations.

    Thus, he didn''t detect Sikong Bo''s secret observation or malicious intentions.

    Only until that night when Sikong Bo tried to steal the child''s essence blood did he wake up.

    The Nascent Soul expert immediately flew into a rage. The child was his hope to reach Soul Transformation or even Dao Integration, and he would not tolerate anyone coveting the child.

    He revealed his true form on the spot, turning into a green willow tree, intending to kill Sikong Bo.

    One was a Nascent Soul cultivator transformed into a Heavenly Treasure, suffering a significant decrease in strength. The other, while only at the Foundation Establishment stage, possessed various methods due to a millennia-old esoteric sect inheritance.

    For a time, the two fought neck and neck.

    They used all their means, engaged in a true battle, and neither was willing to retreat.

    After a prolonged fight, both of them suffered heavy injuries and began to consider withdrawal.

    At this moment, the child suddenly appeared.

    With a cold expression, he looked at the two with indifference, utterly different from the innocent child from a few days earlier.

    He had already reached the limits of the Qi Condensation stage. As long as there was a Heavenly Treasure, he could step into the Foundation Establishment stage at any time.

    The green willow sensed that something was wrong and wanted to escape, but it was toote. During his slumber, the child had secretly ced various restrictions on him.

    Now, these restrictions suddenly activated, and the green willow was instantly absorbed into the child.

    Seeing this scene, Sikong Bo was utterly horrified and fled without any regard for anything.

    The child, despite just entering the Foundation Establishment stage, disyed a martial master''s demeanor. His every move struck the vital points of Sikong Bo.

    Moreover, it seemed that he knew a lot about Sikong Bo''s background.

    Every time Sikong Bo tried to escape and separate from his split body, the child would immediately destroy it.

    Both of them chased each other until Sikong Bo''s split body waspletely destroyed. The main body was severely injured and cornered.

    In desperation, he chose to release all the remaining souls of his sect elders contained in the Sun Stealing Token to withstand for a moment.

    Those souls did indeed cause some interference for the child. Sikong Bo managed to get far away.

    However, he soon saw a purple thunderbolt descending from the sky, annihting all the souls.

    Sikong Bo was utterly terrified and didn''t look back, running madly.

    He continued to flee until he reached this remote Cong Yun Sea area, where he finally stopped.

    However, his injuries were too severe, and his time was running out.

    Before his death, Sikong Bo found Sikong Yi and took him as his disciple.

    After hurriedly handing over the Sun Stealing Technique and the token to him, he perished.

    As for Sikong Yi''s memories,pared to his master''s thrilling adventures, they were much simpler.

    He received the Sun Stealing Sect''s inheritance, but his benevolent master left almost nothing to him before his death.

    Cultivating as an unaffiliated cultivator was indeed tough. Even gathering the materials to create a clone was difficult. So, he explored on his own until he reached the Qi Condensation stage, and he made the decisive choice to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    After breaking through to the middle stage of Qi Condensation, he began to collect materials and crafted his own clone.

    In a fortunate coincidence, he found a corpse while exploring the seabed. Sikong Yi had a vague sense that this corpse was extraordinary, possibly belonging to a powerful cultivator in their previous life. Thus, he used this corpse as material to create his own clone, who was known as Baili Chen.

    When the clone was sessfully crafted, fuzzy images appeared in his mind. It turned out that this corpse had once been a disciple of the ancient Cloud Water Heavenly Pce. When the Great Cmity arrived, he was seriously injured and fled from the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce but couldn''tst long and eventually lost his life at sea. Thousands of yearster, Sikong Yi turned him into a clone.

    Through this clone, Sikong Yi not only obtained a cultivation technique called the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique" but also learned some secrets about the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce from the past. Unfortunately, they were just fragments, and he couldn''t gain aplete understanding. Besides, the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce had long been hidden by a grand formation and was not visible to the world. Sikong Yi wanted to explore it, but it was impossible.

    Later, he found that the highly rewarded "Cloud Water Map" was located within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce. He was overjoyed, knowing that his opportunity hade. He kept a close eye on the changes in the central area of the Cong Yun Sea, waiting for the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce to open.

    However, he didn''t expect to encounter Li Fan.

    Sikong Yi didn''t even know until his death that he had been killed. How had his killer noticed him? He had learned from his master''s lesson and acted very cautiously.

    Feeling the strong unwillingness in Sikong Yi''s remaining soul, Li Fan maintained his calm expression. He summoned the Azure me Illusionary Spirit andpletely obliterated the two remaining souls.

    "If it weren''t for me, Sikong Yi would probably have sessfully obtained the ''Cloud Water Map,'' exchanged it for one hundred thousand contribution points, and then used the long-distance teleportation array to leave the Cong Yun Sea before anyone else could react."

    "No, something is wrong." Thinking back to what had happened in his previous life, Li Fan shook his head inwardly.

    "In my previous life, many people saw Sikong Yi leaving alone through the teleportation array. However, no one noticed Baili Chen..."

    "Perhaps, this should be Sikong Yi''s mirroring of a golden cicada shedding its shell. In the end, he probably never left the Cong Yun Sea."

    "There''s no need to deceive the Tianxuan Mirror. Just disappearing from the sight of those who covet the one hundred thousand contribution points will be enough..."

    "A good method. Perhaps I can do it this time. After all, the temptation of one hundred thousand contribution points is simply too great."

    Li Fan put away the Sun Stealing Token and flew towards a nearby ind.

    He wanted to pay a visit to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. This trip to the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce had yielded an immense harvest, even a bit overwhelming. He needed to spend some time digesting it.

 Chapter 91: Creating a Clone

    After returning to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind via the teleportation array, Li Fan found out that the news about the reappearance of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce in the mortal world had already spread.

    "Quick Look! Mysterious Sect Revives After Thousands of Years," "Gentle Senior Brother Attempts Misdeeds at Night...," "Top-Secret Information, Only 10 Contribution Points, No Deception."

    At first, it was the information sold by Jiao Xiuyuan, rted only to the first trial of the Qin Hall. However, since it was first-hand information, it still fetched a high price of 30 contribution points per copy.

    Jiao Xiuyuan made a considerable profit from this.

    However, as survivors returned from the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, information about this mysterious sect''s remnants gradually became richer, and the prices fell ordingly.

    Of course, the information avable on the market was currently limited to the information about the Qin Tang statue and several other anomalies around it.

    There was still ack of information about the deeper areas of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, such as the Demon Refining Tower and the Taiyi Hall.

    Li Fan shook his head and returned to the Tianxuan Mirror to assess his gains from this journey.

    The "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art" taught by Qin Tang, the "Insect Binding Technique" from the Gu Daoist, and the "Cloud Water Map."

    There was also the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique" and the "Sun Stealing Technique" received from Sikong Yi, as well as the "Sun Stealing Token."

    Li Fan had already cultivated the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra," the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique," and the "Stalking Shadow Technique."

    With his multiple techniques, he needed to make choices about which technique to specialize in.

    The Insect Binding Technique was an innate technique, so it didn''t require cultivation.

    The "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art" had endless uses. It was incredibly valuable for Li Fan''s future ns, so he had to cultivate it.

    The "Sun Stealing Technique" could be cultivated, but...

    Li Fan''s divine sense swept across the Sun Stealing Token inside his storage ring.

    The method for creating a clone might be worth a try.

    As for the technique that Sikong Yue had developedter, which transformed one''s essence into the Sun Stealing Token, it didn''t need to be cultivated. In Li Fan''s eyes, this self-preservation method was far from perfect. As long as he could trap the main body and the clone, followed by continuous extermination, the so-called resurrection was just a joke.

    In this world, for self-preservation, what could be stronger than his [Truth]?

    Why chase after trivial gains and ignore the big picture?

    Moreover...

    As he looked at the somewhat eerie, lifelike token, Li Fan had a faint premonition.

    "Sun Stealing. Who reces whom? It''s hard to say."

    "There''s no need to risk it. Let''s put it aside for now, and verify it at ater date."

    "''Sea Fixing Sword Technique'' can be cultivated all the way to the Golden Core Realm. When perfected, you can condense 108

    Sea Fixing Swords in your dantian."

    "It''s a first-ss martial technique for killing, with considerable power, but there''s no need to hurry with cultivation."

    "Now, it''s been 12 years. In my previous life, the Crimson me''s burning of the sea took ce in the 31st year. At that time, I was still hesitant about whether to participate in this major event. Now, with this opportunity, if I use my clone with the ''Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art,'' even if my main body escapes to a distant continent, I can still stir up somemotion in the Cong Yun Sea."

    In an instant, Li Fan''s mind was flooded with various schemes. After a long time, he decided to put them aside for now.

    He took out a small, colorful model from his storage ring and examined it carefully.

    "If I hadn''t acquired this item directly from Patriarch Taiyi himself, I''m afraid I wouldn''t believe that this is the legendary ''Cloud Water Map.'' After studying it, I still can''t see any mysteries," Li Fan couldn''t help but exim.

    "Perhaps there really is a secret hidden inside this. But if I can''t crack it, it''s just like trash sitting in my hands. It''s more appropriate to exchange it for 100,000 contribution points."

    "But if I submit it right now, it will attract too much attention. I should create a clone first."

    Li Fan checked his current contribution points.

    Previously, to deal with Sikong Yi, he had nearly spent all of his contribution points.

    He was left with just over 500 points.

    Thankfully, the materials needed for creating a clone were mostly not too expensive.

    Superior Bones, Heavenly Spirit Milk, Shattered Bone Essence...

    Li Fan purchased these materials one by one.

    Finally, when he had only 135 points left, Li Fan bought all the other materials except for thest one, Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand.

    As for the Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand, Sikong Yi''s memories indicated that it could be collected in some ces within the Cong Yun Sea.

    Afterward, Li Fan activated the auxiliary cultivation mode and began cultivating the "Sun Stealing Technique."

    The "Sun Stealing Technique" was somewhat simr to the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" that Li Fan primarily cultivated.

    The "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" involved cultivating Qi, while the "Sun Stealing Technique" focused on stealing destiny.

    Both Qi and destiny were profound and challenging to sense, yet they existed as truths.

    With the boost from the Enlightenment Mode, Li Fan spent three days to cultivate it to the middle  Qi Condensation stage.

    However, his contribution points were now down to a meager 35 points.

    In any case, the "Sun Stealing Technique" allowed him to create a clone at the middle Qi Condensation stage, so he decided to halt his cultivation.

    Bringing the materials with him, Li Fan left the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind through the teleportation array and arrived in the western Cong Yun Sea, specifically on Lingyun Ind.

    The location where the Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand could be found wasn''t far from Lingyun Ind.

    He greeted the guardian of Lingyun Ind, activated a Concealing Form Talisman, and flew toward the location.

    After several days, he stopped in an area of the sea filled with whirlpools of various sizes and then dove beneath the sea.

    The seawater here was rtively shallow, only about three to four hundred meters deep, and he soon reached the seabed.

    The seabed was littered with copsed architectural remnants, indicating that it was the site of some ancient ruins. The scale of the ruins was quiterge, and it was still possible to imagine its former prosperity. However, it had sunk to the bottom of the sea for some unknown reason.

    Such ruins were scattered throughout the Cong Yun Sea, and Li Fan didn''t find them unusual.

    After all, when Li Fan had just arrived in the Cong Yun Sea, he had heard about the great windstorm disaster that had struck and caused hundreds of inds to sink.

    Arriving next to an oblique stone column, Li Fan slipped through the gaps in the stone.

    Inside, it appeared as though a pitch-ck cave, with hundreds of luminescent jellyfish drifting about.

    They looked like moving stars.

    The cave''s floor was covered with ayer of shimmering sand.

    In the center of the cave, a giant rock had been hollowed out, serving as the jellyfish''s habitat.

    The glowing sand on the floor was naturally the Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand.

    Li Fan collected the Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand from the ground and then gazed at the giant rock in the center, marveling at the wonder of creation.

    This ce was also discovered by Sikong Yi by chance.

    The central boulder was originally an ordinary Heavenly Spirit Ore.

    But after being consumed and digested by these unknown jellyfish, it had transformed into a precious material, the Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand.

    It was truly incredible.

    To put it in perspective, even a Foundation Establishment alchemist would have to spend quite a bit of time to refine Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand.

 Chapter 92: Li Fan and Fan Lin

    After obtaining the Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand, Li Fan left the cave and returned to the sea surface. With all the necessary materials collected, he was now ready to start creating his clone. However, this was something he couldn''t do under the watchful eyes of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Li Fan thought for a moment and continued flying westward. On a deserted ind in that direction, there was a subworld that Sikong Yi had once opened. He had concealed it using the techniques of the Sun Stealing Sect, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to detect. This was where Sikong Yi had created his own clone.

    So, Li Fan decided to head for that subworld.

    After flying for another two days, he was nearing the deserted ind. However, he faintly sensed that someone was present on the ind. He immediately became alert, concealed his presence, and stealthily approached.

    "Strange, it should be on this ind."

    A somewhat familiar voice echoed from a distance.

    Li Fan focused his vision and saw a figure that looked furtive. It was none other than Jiao Xiuyuan. He was scratching his head with his left hand while holding a square-shaped object in his right hand.

    The object resembled apass, but it had more intricate patterns and symbols on it. A red light emitted from it and spread into the surroundings, soon returning with a "beep" sound.

    "It''s impossible; I should be in the right ce. But why isn''t this Spirit Discernment Disk working?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan seemed puzzled.

    "What are you looking for..." Just then, Li Fan''s voice abruptly sounded.

    Jiao Xiuyuan was startled, and the Spirit Discernment te almost slipped from his hand.

    "Is that you, Senior Sikong?" He turned around and looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared, concealed by a Concealing Form Talisman, making it impossible to discern his appearance. He asked tentatively.

    "Did you send someone to secretly follow us before to sneak into my subworld while I was away?" Li Fan asked coldly, his tone unfriendly.

    Jiao Xiuyuan chuckled, "Misunderstanding, it''s all a misunderstanding."

    His eyes darted around, and he quickly asked, "I wonder where Senior Baili is?"

    Li Fan didn''t reply. Instead, he took out the Blue Wood Purple Fire Formation and enveloped Jiao Xiuyuan.

    The purple mes shed, and amid Jiao Xiuyuan''s miserable screams, he turned into ash.

    The air carried a scent akin to charred wood.

    "As expected, just a puppet."

    Li Fan wasn''t surprised. He looked at the deserted ind below and activated the Sun Stealing Technique.

    He faintly sensed the existence of a hidden subworld in the ind''s jungle.

    He flew toward it and stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary coconut tree.

    Gently touching it, he felt a gravitational force.

    Releasing his resistance, he was drawn into the tree.

    The so-called subworld was actually quite simple. It could barely amodate two people without feeling crowded.

    There was nothing valuable inside.

    But Li Fan was only borrowing this ce temporarily and didn''t care much about its furnishings.

    He also wasn''t worried about retaliation from Jiao Xiuyuan because sneaking into another person''s subworld wasn''t a noble act.

    Moreover, this ce was quite remote. Even if Jiao Xiuyuan wanted to seek revenge, by the time he traveled a long distance, Li Fan would have already created his clone and left.

    Li Fan didn''t dwell on such matters. He took out the necessary materials, held his breath, and focused on the task at hand.

    This time, when creating the clone, Li Fan didn''t intend to put too much effort into taking away the life force from other cultivators.

    In his n, this clone was only meant to deceive others, draw attention away, and acquire the 100,000 contribution points he needed.

    He would also leave this clone behind to observe the events of the sea''s incineration.

    Since, in the end, they would all face death, he didn''t need to be overly meticulous about it.

    The creation process began. Li Fan used a drop of his own essence blood as the core and controlled the blood of various animals and beasts, condensing them into a humanoid form.

    Then, he activated his techniques and sensed the scattered life forces in the surrounding world. Most of these life forces belonged to the nts and animals on the nearby inds. Each one was weak, but there were a great number of them.

    Li Fan carefully extracted a strand of life force from each of these sources and converged them into one ce.

    As he continued to extract life forces, it became increasingly challenging to control them. Li Fan knew that he couldn''t be too greedy; otherwise, he might lose control, resulting in the life forces backfiring on him.

    Once he felt that he had reached the limit of what he could control, Li Fan stopped extracting more life force.

    Li Fan incorporated this new collection of extracted life force into the humanoid figure''s flesh.

    Instantly, a faint sign of vitality emerged from it.

    The process of creating the clone was already more than halfwayplete, and Li Fan added the remaining materials one by one.

    Bones, organs, skin, and hair slowly took shape.

    Li Fan then adjusted the appearance of the clone. He didn''t make it exceptionally handsome or ugly but gave it an average, forgettable face that would blend into a crowd.

    After a while, an expressionless face appeared before him.

    Li Fan observed it carefully and nodded in satisfaction.

    Now, there was just one final step.

    Li Fan concentrated his thoughts and pointed at the clone''s head.

    "Sever!"

    He severed the connection between the clone''s life force and its origins.

    Finally, the clone became a separate entity.

    Li Fan and the clone looked at each other.

    An extra body and a whole new perspective.

    It felt somewhat peculiar.

    Controlling the clone, making it move, sit, stand... it took a while for Li Fan to adapt.

    He retrieved clothes from his storage ring and dressed the clone. He bowed to the original, "Greetings, fellow Daoist!"

    The original Li Fan smiled, "From now on, you shall be called Fan Lin!"

    "Very well!"

    Fan Lin, the clone, had a slightly lower cultivation level than the original. He was only at the Qi Condensation Intermediate Stage and hadn''t cultivated any techniques; he was a nk te.

    Now that the clone had been sessfully created, the next step was to integrate him into the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    There was no need for the original Li Fan to introduce him.

    Fan Lin carried the storage ring containing the "Cloud Water Map" and flew to the vicinity of Lingyun Ind. The original Li Fan followed quietly, prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

    Thankfully, nothing unexpected urred.

    Fan Lin sessfully met with the guardian of Lingyun Ind and requested to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    His request was readily epted.

    Afterpleting the familiar procedures, Fan Lin arrived on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and entered his own Tianxuan Mirror Space.

    The original Li Fan also returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, but they didn''t meet in person.

    Fan Lin then took out the "Cloud Water Map" and chose toplete the mission worth 100,000 contribution points.

    At the same time, the original Li Fan concentrated his mental power and sensed the situation on Fan Lin''s side.

    The Tianxuan Mirror remained silent for a much longer time than usual.

    For a while, there was no response.

    Li Fan thought something might have gone wrong.

    Finally, the Tianxuan Mirror''s voice spoke again.

    "Unable to verify the authenticity of the ''Cloud Water Map.'' Please wait."

    ...

    "The mission issuer requests to visit your space. Do you ept?"

    Fan Lin was taken aback, then chose to ept.

    A momentter, a white-haired old man with a benevolent expression appeared before Fan Lin. There was no trace of a cultivator''s aura about him; he appeared just like an ordinary mortal.

 Chapter 93: The Heavenly Doctorâ€™s Immortal Sutra

    The elderly man with white hair seemed somewhat familiar, yet Fan Lin couldn''t recall where he had seen him before. He appeared gentle and friendly, just like a kindly grandfather, radiating a positive impression.

    Of course, Fan Lin didn''t believe that this person was an ordinary mortal. It was undoubtedly his cultivation level that was beyond what Fan Lin could perceive at the moment. So Fan Lin became even more cautious.

    He paid his respects, "Greetings, senior."

    The white-haired man responded with a warm smile, "No need to be so formal; I''m just an old man who hasn''t died yet."

    After a pause, he asked kindly, "You want to hand over the ''Cloud Water Map''?"

    Li Fan nodded and then handed over the model.

    The white-haired man epted the miniature Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, carefully examining it. His eyes filled with boundless nostalgia.

    "That''s right, this is it."

    "Han Hai, Taiyi, Fu Yun..."

    "It''s been a long time."

    Seemingly lost in memories, the old man''s gaze became somewhat cloudy.

    Hearing the words of the old man, Fan Lin''s heart skipped a beat. He stood quietly to the side, not daring to move.

    From the old man''s words, it seemed that he was of the same generation as that turtle-snake Taiyi. The destruction of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce happened many years ago. How could this guy have survived all this time? After all, following the Great Cmity, cultivators were generally targeted by the malicious will of the heavens and the earth, and they couldn''t live as long as the ancient cultivators. Living for a thousand years was already very difficult. What kind of cultivation level was needed to live this long? Soul Transformation? Dao Integration? Fan Lin didn''t dare to specte but became even more cautious.

    In a world where different schools of cultivation couldn''t coexist, someone who had managed to survive from the time of the Great Cmity until now was a big shot. If anyone thought they''d be as "kind" as they appeared, they were being too naive.

    The white-haired man, seeing Fan Lin somewhat nervous, chuckled.

    "How is the scene in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce today?" he asked.

    Fan Lin then gave a detailed description of the situation, mentioning how Qin Tang had turned into a statue, the Gu Daoist who refined elixirs using his own body, and Taiyi, whose body was stabbed with broken swords.

    "If it weren''t for some special circumstances preventing me from entering the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, I wouldn''t idly sit by watching them suffer."

    After a long silence, the old man sighed deeply.

    "To be able toe out of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce alive, you are indeed quite resourceful," he praised Fan Lin after sizing him up.

    "It''s just a matter of luck," Fan Lin modestly replied.

    "I have a request, would you be willing to ept it?" the white-haired man suddenly asked.

    "Senior, please speak."

    "I need you to pay a visit to the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce for me. ce this object there." The white-haired man took out a small white jade figurine and handed it to Fan Lin.

    The figurine didn''t seem to have any special aura; it appeared to be made of ordinary white jade. The figurine''s appearance was identical to the old man standing before Fan Lin.

    "Since I can''t personally enter the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, I will use this figurine to apany them continuously. As for the reward..."

    After contemting for a moment, the white-haired man pointed at Fan Lin''s forehead.

    Suddenly, Fan Lin''s mind was flooded with countless pieces of information. Even with his Qi Condensation Intermediate Stage level of mental power, he couldn''t help but feel dizzy, and his head began to throb.

    When he regained his senses, the image of the white-haired man had already disappeared from the Tianxuan Mirror, and he had received 100,000 contribution points.

    Slowly, Fan Lin organized the vast amount of information in his mind. After a long while, he finally understood the reward from the white-haired man.

    It was the "Heavenly Doctor''s Immortal Sutra."

    It wasn''t a cultivation technique but instead a medical treatise. It epassed knowledge about human physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and various aspects of medicine. The scope of the treatise even extended to all kinds of animals and nts in the world, making it incrediblyprehensive.

    The volume of information contained within was massive. Fan Lin estimated that just a single read-through would take at least a dozen years.

    This vast and invaluable repository of knowledge had been casually given to Fan Lin by the white-haired man.

    "This is indeed a blessing, but unfortunately, learning it is too mentally exhausting. I can only put it aside for now and slowly digest itter."

    Fan Lin couldn''t afford to neglect the request from the white-haired man, especially when he had already received the reward in advance. So, Fan Lin visited the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce once again.

    He had expected that, upon entering the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, his clone would relive Qin Tang''s dream-like test. However, after the figurine emitted a burst of white light from his storage ring, Fan Lin found himself standing right in front of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce''s gate.

    The figurine left his storage ring and flew into the sky, slowly dissolving like ice melting.

    "Is the task consideredpleted like this? It seems too simple and smooth," Fan Lin mumbled to himself.

    After waiting for a while, nothing unusual happened within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    "I wonder what this figurine is for."

    Fan Lin couldn''t discern any mysteries in it, so he decided to leave. Safely back inside the Tianxuan Mirror, Fan Lin stared at his bnce of 100,000 contribution points, lost in thought.

    Originally, Fan Lin had nned to have his clone acquire the necessary cultivation techniques and treasures and then give them to his main body, much like the way Xiao Heng had exchanged the "Minor Yan Water Technique" in his previous life. However, after encountering the white-haired man, Fan Lin dispelled this idea.

    At present, it seemed best to avoid any connection between the clone and the main body. This white-haired man gave Fan Lin a strong sense of danger. As the clone had already fallen under his gaze, if the main body and the clone had direct contact, there was a risk that the connection between them would be discovered.

    Even with the mystical Sun Stealing Technique, in this dangerous world of cultivation, people could be refined into Heavenly Treasures. So, no matter how cautious he was, it wasn''t excessive.

    As for whether these 100,000 contribution points would go to waste in the hands of the clone and couldn''t be spent, there was no need to worry about that. After all, the most valuable thing in this world was various types of knowledge, including cultivation techniques!

    While the clone browsed through various knowledge, the main body would be also learning. So, these 100,000 contribution points would be effectively spent by the clone in the same way they would be spent by the main body.

    With a focused mind, Fan Lin started by searching for information about the "Ancient War."

    During his time in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, he was greatly interested in the constant references made by Qin Tang and the Gu Daoist cultivator about a war that appeared to be quite tragic, causing them to remember it even after bing anomalies.

    Quickly, Fan Lin found some fragmentary information. Unfortunately, all the rted records were vague and iplete, with the rest being lost to history.

    What could be confirmed was that there was indeed such a great war. This war seemed to havested for a long time, starting even before the Immortal Ancestor''s Preaching. It had continued until the arrival of the Great Cmity.

    Fan Lin next searched for information about Heavenly Treasures.

 Chapter 94: Zhang Haoboâ€™s Rebirth

    "Treatise on Heavenly Treasures."

    Cost: 2000 contribution points.

    Without even blinking, Fan Lin made the purchase.

    He carefully began to peruse the contents.

    Heavenly Treasures were key to a cultivator''s foundation. They could be categorized into three main types: Celestial Treasures, Earthly Treasures, and Human Treasures.

    Celestial Treasures were mysterious and elusive, closely aligned with the heavens, and were rarely encountered. The book only gave one example: the foundation of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Yanfa Jue [1].

    The specific owner of this Foundation Treasure remained unknown. Its special effect allowed the spontaneous generation of new techniques day and night.

    When Fan Lin read this, he stopped and thought, "Previously, I heard from Kou Hong that the cultivation techniques that cultivators use nowadays were all newly created techniques. I assumed that there must be some genius who was capable of inventing so many diverse techniques."

    "But it''s not a result of human innovation; it''s reliant on this Heavenly Treasure."

    Fan Lin pondered this revtion and continued reading.

    Earthly Treasures were rare as well, but they were less elusive than Celestial Treasures. They often appeared alongside extraordinary natural phenomena. The book gave some examples.

    The disappearance of the Cangwu Province''s four rivers and twenty-eight mountains left behind a seemingly bottomless abyss and led to the creation of the Cangwu Landscape Map Earthly Treasure.

    The continent''s water system, which originally flowed from west to east into the sea, suddenly reversed one year, with all waters converging at Peni Mountain, which persisted for three months, leading to the emergence of the World Water Mother.

    Fan Lin found this information engrossing and thought, "Does that mean the Canghai Pearl is also an earthly wonder?" It was still more than a decade before the emergence of the Canghai Pearl, and it appeared to be near Flowing Cloud Ind. He couldn''t afford to forget about this matter.

    Next, there was the category of Human Treasures. The majority of Heavenly Treasures in the world belonged to this category. They often formed over several thousand years from the remains of fallen cultivators and could be ssified into three grades based on their quality: upper, middle, and lower grades. The higher the quality, the more powerful a cultivator could be by using them.

    Fan Lin couldn''t help but think of the Gnarled Dragon Branch and the Rust Sword Dao Xuan. He wondered what grade these two wonders were. Based on their disyed power, they were at least of medium grade.

    As Fan Lin''s clone delved deep into the secrets of the cultivation world, the main body, Li Fan, was quietly traversing the teleportation array to reach Liuli Ind. He didn''t encounter He Zhenghao but instead met a stranger guarding the ind''srge formation. He suspected that He Zhenghao was still exploring the cave and hadn''t returned yet.

    Fan Lin didn''t think too much about it and merely nodded to the guardian. He then exited the formation, concealed his presence, and silently arrived at Captain Zhang Haobo''s home.

    Seeing Zhang Haobo fast asleep, Fan Lin smiled faintly.

    Neen years remained until the burning of the sea.

    With the clone nowplete, some preparations could be made in advance. Fan Lin activated the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art.

    Zhang Haobo abruptly awoke from a terrifying nightmare, drenched in cold sweat. He was panting heavily, and the fear in his heart had yet to subside.

    After a while, he finally regained his senses, gazing around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

    Where was he... Liuli Ind?

    Could it be that everything was just a terrible nightmare?

    But when had he ever had such vivid dreams?

    In the dream, he had once gone fishing at sea and pulled up a corpse, along with a book. Even after being submerged in seawater for a long time, the text on the pages remained clear.

    "Sea Fixing Sword Technique."

    It was a cultivation secret technique from the ancient Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, capable of carrying practitioners through to the Foundation Establishment stage. With it, twenty-four Sea Fixing Swords could be condensed in the dantian, making it exceptionally powerful.

    With this secret technique, he had made significant progress in just over a decade.

    All the way from an ordinary person to reaching thete Qi Condensation stage.

    Originally, he had hoped to build his foundation, but he hadn''t expected...

    Whenever Zhang Haobo thought about the terrifying scenes in his dream, he couldn''t help but shudder uncontrobly.

    In the sky above the Cong Yun Sea, a sudden appearance emerged¡ªa translucent figure of crimson.

    In its hand, there was a seemingly feeble me.

    But it was this very me that, in the subsequent ten years, slowly evaporated the entire expanse of the Cong Yun Sea.

    His rtives, his homnd, and everything around him were utterly obliterated by it.

    The cultivators of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind fought desperately against it, but unfortunately, the power of that figure was overwhelming.

    Moreover, its appearance had been so sudden.

    The Cong Yun Sea had turned into an impassable dead zone.

    Without reinforcements, eventually, the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind fought with all their might, only managing to severely injure it.

    Rolling mes descended from the sky, turning Ten Thousand Immortals Ind into ashes.

    The nightmare ended at this point, but Zhang Haobo couldn''t calm down for a long time.

    Was it truly just a dream?

    How could he, an ordinary person, dream so vividly about Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, the Tianxuan Mirror, and other things that hadn''t even existed in his imagination before?

    And even the cultivation techniques...

    Wait a minute.

    Zhang Haobo''s eyes narrowed.

    The cultivation technique "Sea Fixing Sword Technique" suddenly emerged in his mind!

    Every word, every sentence was crystal clear.

    He abruptly stood up.

    It wasn''t a dream?!

    Could it be...

    Rebirth?!

    He had read quite a few novels in the past, which included plots of dying and returning to the past decades ago.

    But he never thought he would experience such a thing himself one day.

    It took Zhang Haobo a long time to calm down.

    He made an effort to recall his previous life''s experiences.

    Unfortunately, perhaps because the terrifying crimson figure had overwhelmed his entire consciousness, he only had a vague impression of major events from his past life.

    However...

    It was enough.

    He turned to look at his sleeping wife. His gaze became firm.

    The tragedy would ur in a little over ten years.

    If he prepared in advance and made arrangements, he could undoubtedly kill that crimson figure.

    First and foremost, he had to break through to the early Qi Condensation stage.

    Then, he would join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    The matter of rebirth was too strange to be revealed to others.

    He also needed to find a way to make the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance believe that the crimson figure would truly appear.

    Zhang Haobo recovered the mindset of thete stage Qi Condensation cultivator from his previous life. His mind was constantly calcting.

    ...

    Li Fan watched as Zhang Haobo''s expression continued to change and, seeing that he didn''t immediately try to escape, he nodded in secret.

    Zhang Haobo''s belief in his rebirth was naturally the result of Li Fan''s Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art.

    Using his real future experiences as a blueprint, Li Fan constructed an illusion to deceive an ordinary person, which was already more than sufficient.

    Unfortunately, Li Fan''s current level of cultivation was still shallow, and even though he had experienced events from the future, he couldn''t know everything.

    So, the illusion he created still had some ws.

    In order to increase the credibility of the illusion, Li Fan even brought out the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique," which had been truncated to the Foundation Establishment stage.

    The purpose was to have Zhang Haobo, in his stead, drive the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to confront the Crimson me.

    Li Fan wanted to know how the various cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind would react if they knew in advance about the arrival of the Heavenly Spirit.

    Of course, to prevent Zhang Haobo from being frightened by the Crimson me''s power and choosing to escape immediately, Li Fan imnted some psychological suggestions into his mind, making him feel a sense of responsibility to prevent the tragedy from happening for the sake of his family andrades.

    At the same time, he made modifications to the Crimson me''s strength, making it appear less invincible and more susceptible to defeat.

    Now, it seemed like the effect was quite good.

    In the future, Li Fan nned to periodically return to strengthen the illusion using the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art.

    With these thoughts in mind, Li Fan employed Formless Killing Intent to secretly lock onto Zhang Haobo to prevent him from slipping away unnoticed.

    *****

    [1] Yanfa Jue trantes roughly to Technique Derivation Jade.

 Chapter 95: Life and Death Interlocking

    The reason why Li Fan chose Zhang Haobo as the "reborn" to provoke the Ten Thousand Immortals League to fight against Crimson me was, of course, because this person''s fate was extraordinary.

    In the previous life, as a mortal, he could vaguely sense the crisis of the burning sea and fled far away before the disaster arrived.

    Not only that, it seemed that he had another fate on a distant continent.

    In just over twenty years, he transformed from a mortal into a Foundation Establishment powerhouse.

    In this life, with the techniques provided by Li Fan, it was likely that he could grow even faster.

    Only in this way would he qualify to participate in the great event of resisting the Crimson me''s burning of the sea.

    The seed has been sown, and now one must wait for it to grow into a towering tree.

    Of course, during its growth, it would inevitably need some trimming and pruning.

    Li Fan looked at Zhang Haobo, who had experienced a drastic change of mind and then fallen into a deep sleep, took off into the air, and prepared to return to the Ind of Ten Thousand Immortals.

    Under the cover of the night, most of the residents of Liuli Ind had already fallen into deep sleep, and the ind was dark.

    Only one residence was still brightly lit, but the courtyard was hung with white mourning banners.

    Li Fan had been to that residence before; it was the home of Steward Zhao, the steward in charge of the ind''s finances.

    So Li Fan''s spiritual sense scanned it briefly.

    His figure suddenly stopped and hung in mid-air, and a look of surprise shed in Li Fan''s eyes.

    Hended in the courtyard of Steward Zhao''s residence and walked into the spiritual hall.

    Steward Zhao was dressed in mourning, kneeling in front of a memorial tablet.

    Li Fan looked at the characters on the memorial tablet, lost in thought.

    "The memorial tablet of thete Immortal Master He Zhenghao."

    He Zhenghao...

    Is he dead?

    Li Fan wasn''t particrly shocked, just extremely puzzled.

    It is said that a person cannot truly witness the event twice.

    However, with the [Truth], Li Fan could witness the same event countless times. His slight movements might cause ripples in the river, but he couldn''t change the river''s course.

    He Zhenghao''s death was unexpected.

    "How did fellow Daoist He die?" Li Fan couldn''t help but ask.

    Steward Zhao was suddenly taken aback but immediately turned around and answered respectfully, "It is said that Immortal Master He encountered traps while exploring an ancient cave and tragically perished."

    "It has been fifty-six days so far."

    Li Fan couldn''t help but recall He Zhenghao''s message from back then.

    "Just now, several fellow Daoists of mine discovered an ancient cave and invited me to explore it with them. They say that this cave should have been sealed long before the Great Cmity, and it is bound to contain numerous treasures and perhaps even some techniques."

    He Zhenghao wanted Li Fan to oversee Liuli Ind because he wanted to explore this cave.

    Li Fan refused because he was trying to obtain the "Cloud Water Map." At that time, he hadn''t taken this matter to heart, thinking that He Zhenghao would surely return safely.

    After all, in the previous life, Li Fan had encountered He Zhenghao more than ten yearster, and he was perfectly fine at that time.

    But unexpectedly, he had directly perished.

    "So, in the previous life, He Zhenghao didn''t participate in this exploration of the cave."

    "The reason for the change must be..."

    "He saved up a lifetime of contributions and lost them all at once. To earn the Nascent Soul technique, he was ready to take a gamble."

    "Why did the event of the attack by that beast, the dragonwhale, happen?"

    A scene suddenly shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    When he was in the stomach of the dragonwhale, he found many unprocessed Liuli beads.

    The Liuli bead is the main material for refining the Liuli Pill. After consuming the Liuli Pill, it can produce effects simr to enlightenment.

    "Liuli beads can enlighten..."

    This beast, the dragonwhale, gradually gained sentience because it had consumed arge number of Liuli beads.

    By a stroke of fate, it encountered the ind where Spirit Mist Grass was grown.

    The Spirit Mist Grass seemed to be of some benefit to it, so the dragonwhaleunched a raid and devoured most of the Spirit Mist Grass on the ind.

    The reason it could consume so many Liuli beads was because...

    Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

    In the previous life, when he was assimted into the Canghai Pearl, he had seen the massive skeleton of a Liuli fish.

    In the skeleton, a huge Liuli bead shimmered in the sunlight.

    So, in this life, when he passed by, he casually ughtered the leader of the Liuli fish.

    With the leader of the Liuli fish gone, the Liuli fish group was leaderless.

    They had no resistance and could only be devoured by the dragonwhale.

    In the blink of an eye, Li Fan had unraveled the chain of events and waspletely stunned.

    So, does this mean that his unintentional action back then led to He Zhenghao''s death?

    And not only He Zhenghao, but how many other people were ruined by the maniption of Spirit Mist Grass trading?

    And how many other people had to take desperate risks, ultimately leading to their deaths?

    The cause of this series of subsequent events was just because Li Fan killed a giant Liuli fish.

    The death of the leader of the Liuli fish meant that the Liuli fish group could not resist other creatures'' predation.

    As a result, an exotic beast, the dragonwhale, gained sentience after devouring arge number of Liuli beads.

    This sentient dragonwhale, by chance, destroyed all the Spirit Mist Grass on an ind.

    The destruction of the Spirit Mist Grass, further manipted by someone, led to countless people''s fortunes being ruined.

    The ultimate result was the premature deaths of several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

    These events were like interlocking shackles.

    At first, they were just lightly locking together, but one link led to another, tightening more and more.

    Until finally, once the fatal chain was formed, it was difficult to break free.

    "So, even Foundation Establishment cultivators are so simple to kill. This is the correct way to use the killing intent of the heavens and earth."

    "The ''Formless Killing Intent'' still seems a bit crude."

    Li Fan couldn''t help but be overwhelmed with excitement and contemtion.

    In the Tianxuan Mirror, Lin Fan, who was immersed in various secrets, suddenly changed his expression.

    He quickly activated the auxiliary cultivation mode, and with the enlightenment enhancement, he began toprehend.

    "To kill someone, it is far from necessary to do it personally. With the [Truth]''s foresight and premonition, I can easily kill someone, just like I did with He Zhenghao. Through maniption, I can kill across time and space."

    "Hundreds of thousands of miles away, several years in the past, I can take someone''s life."

    In other words, the butterfly effect: the pping of a butterfly''s wings could cause a series of events that lead to a hurricane on the other side of the world.

    If it weren''t for He Zhenghao''s unexpected death, Li Fan might have had to wait a long time beforeprehending this butterfly effect.

    "Fellow Daoist He, it''s good that you died!"

    Thinking of this, Li Fan sincerely lit a stick of incense in front of He Zhenghao''s memorial tablet.

    "Rest now. In the next life, I will not treat you unfairly."

    Li Fan silently said.

    After standing for a moment and waiting for the incense to burn out, Li Fan turned to leave.

    Just then, Steward Zhao suddenly spoke.

    "Immortal Master, please wait!"

    *****

    TL Note: And so it begins...

 Chapter 96: The Opportunity of the Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion

    Li Fan turned his head and looked at Steward Zhao.

    Steward Zhao, facing a legendary immortal, couldn''t help but be a bit nervous. He carefully chose his words and asked, "Esteemed Immortal, it seems like you had a good rtionship with Immortal He?"

    Li Fan was about to respond but suddenly remembered something. He contemted for a moment and then said, "Fellow Daoist He and I have known each other for more than forty years, and he has shown me great care. I was away for a while, and I had no knowledge of his passing. Seeing fellow Daoist He''s memorial tablet today was truly a great shock."

    "I can only offer a joss stick..."

    Saying this, Li Fan shook his head and sighed.

    Steward Zhao also sighed and said, "Since I learned of Immortal He''s passing and set up this memorial hall, it''s been twenty-six days. You are the first and only one toe and pay your respects to him."

    "Many immortals on the ind have arrived in the past few days, either to search for his possessions or topete for the position of guarding Liuli Ind."

    "Now, with the new guardian immortal already in office, it''s difficult for me to keep my current position."

    "I have been unable to fulfill fellow Daoist He''sst wish all this time, and I feel guilty."

    "Fortunately, I met you today."

    Steward Zhao looked relieved.

    "Fellow Daoist He''sst wish?" Li Fan asked, puzzled.

    "Yes, Immortal He entrusted me with an item before he passed away. He instructed me that if he encountered misfortune in the future, I should hand this item over to the first fellow Daoist who came to offer their respects."

    "How could he entrust an item to you, a mortal?" Li Fan was surprised by Steward Zhao''s answer.

    "I won''t hide it from you, Immortal. In my earlier years, I once saved Immortal He''s life by a stroke of luck. Originally, Immortal He wanted to take me on as his disciple, but I was afraid of the difficulties of cultivation, so I asked for a job instead."

    "Over these years, I have been serving Immortal He, and I gained his trust." Steward Zhao said, half proud and half sorrowful.

    It seemed like there was such an incident.

    Li Fan nodded.

    "Moreover, it''s very secure to leave it with me. After all, who would think that a mortal would be entrusted with an immortal''s belongings? The immortals who have beening and going these days have never even looked at me..." Steward Zhao exined but realized that he might have said too much and stopped abruptly.

    He quickly turned and took out a small square box from under He Zhenghao''s memorial tablet.

    This small box seemed to have the effect of isting divine consciousness. Even when Li Fan stood right in front of it, he couldn''t detect it.

    "The item in this box is Immortal He''s possession. I don''t know what it''s used for." Steward Zhao handed the box over, his voice anxious.

    Li Fan opened the box and found a charm with numerous characters that looked like a "Ten Thousand."

    It seemed somewhat familiar.

    This was...

    Li Fan took out an identical charm from his storage ring. The only difference was the aura on the charm.

    It was none other than the entry charm given to foreign cultivators for their first entry to Liuli Ind.

    Li Fan remembered that He Zhenghao had exined at the time that this charm was worth 100 contribution points.

    But what was the use of this thing?

    For a moment, Li Fan was puzzled.

    However, he still put the wooden box away.

    Looking at the nervous Steward Zhao, Li Fan thought for a moment and said, "I will go and speak on your behalf to the new guardian immortal. As for whether you can keep your position, I can''t guarantee."

    Steward Zhao was overjoyed and immediately knelt down, repeatedly kowtowing.

    Li Fan waved his hand and left.

    Steward Zhao continued to kneel on the ground, not daring to move.

    After waiting for a long time, he slowly got up.

    Looking at He Zhenghao''s memorial tablet, he said softly, "I''ve finally passed this hot potato to someone else. These days, watching the immortals flying in and out over my head, I couldn''t even sleep well."

    "Just now, that person didn''t lie, and he was the first toe and pay his respects to you. Handing your possession to him is also in line with yourst wish."

    "My heart is finally at peace."

    After remaining silent for a long time, Steward Zhao whispered, "Cultivating immortality but dying even earlier than me. There isn''t even anyone to collect your remains."

    "It''s really meaningless."

    ...

    Li Fan, holding the wooden box, returned to the ind''s protective formation and met the unfamiliar cultivator once more.

    The unfamiliar cultivator was named Yuwen Xing and had taken over as the new guardian of Liuli Ind after a series of political maneuvers.

    Li Fan didn''t mention Steward Zhao''s rtionship with He Zhenghao. He only said that Steward Zhao had a connection with him and inquired whether he could retain his position as the manager of Liuli Ind''s finances.

    It was just a mortal job, and after thinking for a moment, Yuwen Xing agreed.

    Li Fan expressed his gratitude.

    After exchanging Communication Talismans, Li Fan hastily returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    After some searching, Li Fan finally understood the purpose of the entry charm. Besides being used as an entry certificate to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, it also served as an item storage and retrieval voucher.

    The items weren''t stored in the Tianxuan Mirror but in a ce called the "Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion."

    Usually, what was stored there wasn''t anything precious. It was often the inheritance left by cultivators for their mortal rtives to prevent any idents.

    Only after the cultivator''s death could their mortal rtives use the charm to withdraw the inheritance.

    So, the Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion was not on Liuli Ind but on the remote ind of Yon,  Cong Yun Sea.

    With the purpose of the charm rified, Li Fan didn''t dy. He made a trip to Yon Ind and finally retrieved He Zhenghao''s possession.

    It was a jade slip.

    Li Fan initially thought it was some kind of cultivation technique. It wasn''t until he read through the content of the jade slip that he understood.

    The jade slip contained an unfinished work by He Zhenghao.

    "Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram."

    The book detailed He Zhenghao''s special insights into formations over the years and some innovative ideas.

    Along with this book, there was a message from He Zhenghao.

    He said that his whole life, he only loved formations. After years of painstaking effort and many setbacks, he had barelypleted most of the "Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram."

    This time''s expedition to the cave was supposed to be rtively low-risk. However, it''s better to be safe than sorry. If he met an ident and died, it wouldn''t be a big deal. What worried him was that his life''s work, the "Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram," would be buried and lost forever.

    So, he made arrangements, hoping that the fellow cultivator who received the charm could hand over the "Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram" to any of the formation masters on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, with the hope ofpleting it.

    In the end, He Zhenghao couldn''t help but vent his frustration.

    He talked about the various benefits of his "Mountain Meditation Technique."

    But unfortunately, it was just too difficult to practice.

    If not for this, he wouldn''t have had to risk his life in that ancient cave to change his cultivation technique.

    ...

    "Mountain Meditation Technique? Fellow Daoist He, you''ve truly presented me with a challenge."

    After putting away the jade slip, Li Fan''s eyes shone with an inexplicable gleam.

    *****

    TL Note: Patreon readers wanted a higher tier so while I''m building a stockpile for that, you guys get consistent 2 chapters per day :)

 Chapter 97: Mechanical Death

    "Sitting idly on a mountain and reaping the benefits, I never expected such a technique still exists in this world."

    "Unfortunately, he just mentioned it briefly and didn''t leave the technique behind."

    "I wonder if fellow Daoist He''s remains can still be found..."

    "The ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' is just too suitable for me. It can fully leverage the advantages of [Truth]''s precognition and anticipation."

    He didn''t know about the ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' before, but now that he knew its profound aspects, he was determined to master it, and no one could stop him!

    He Zhenghao had passed away and apparently hadn''t passed on the technique. But it didn''t matter. Li Fan had the ''Sun Stealing Technique,'' which could strip He Zhenghao''s memories using soul puppets. Maybe he could recreate the ''Mountain Meditation Technique.''

    If luck wasn''t on his side and he failed, he could n for the next life. Thinking about it, Li Fan became interested in the ancient cave where He Zhenghao had perished.

    He Zhenghao, along with five Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, had all perished, with only one Golden Core stage cultivator narrowly surviving.

    This shocking news had stirred quite amotion on Liuli Ind. Rumors were flying everywhere.

    After some inquiry, Li Fan gradually understood the whole story.

    This cave was located inside an underwater volcano. It had remained hidden until recently when the volcano suddenly erupted. Passing cultivators noticed the hidden cave, so He Zhenghao''s group decided to explore it.

    One Golden Core stage and five Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. It wasn''t a weak lineup by any means. ording to the information they obtained, the cave belonged to a Golden Core cultivator from ancient times named Tian Yang.

    ording tomon sense, exploring a Golden Core cultivator''s cave should not have been too difficult. Even if they couldn''t carry everything away, they should have been able to leave safely, even if they encountered danger.

    But as they ventured deeper into the cave and triggered a restriction, they found that Tian Yang was a skilled practitioner of a long-lost mechanical art from ancient times.

    A dozen or so mechanical puppets were instantly activated, surrounding the group.

    Only a cultivator named Zheng Xiaoyun, who was in the Golden Core stage, managed to escape despite severe injuries.

    The other five Foundation Establishment stage cultivators all met gruesome ends at the hands of the mechanical puppets.

    Because three of the deceased Foundation Establishment stage cultivators were ind guardians of Cong Yun Sea Inds, the official authorities of the Ten Thousand Immortals League even sent a Nascent Soul expert to investigate whether there was any intentional foul y involved.

    The conclusion was that it was indeed an ident.

    The death of the five Foundation Establishment stage cultivators didn''t dampen the enthusiasm for exploring the cave. On the contrary, it ignited even more passion among cultivators.

    Ignoring the priceless mechanical puppets within the cave, the inheritance left behind by the five Foundation Establishment stage cultivators had already made many people envious.

    It was said that the second exploration team had already been assembled.

    The leader this time was a Nascent Soul expert, True Lord Gouxuan.

    This person was obsessed with various esoteric techniques, and when he heard that a long-lost mechanical art had reappeared in the world, he couldn''t contain his excitement. So, he decided to go see for himself.

    "I wonder if this exploration will be sessful? But this time, the team is made up of Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators. I won''t join in the excitement."

    "There are so many treasures there; surely no one would want topete with me over fellow Daoist He''s remains, right?"

    "Maybe I can post a bounty? 1,000 contribution points? That might be too much, 500 should be enough..."

    Li Fan wasn''t worried about the ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' leaking out. Cultivators in this realm usually didn''t carry their technique jade slips with them. Generally, after mastering a technique, they chose to destroy the jade slip and re-record it when needed. The need often arose when trading techniques.

    Cultivation techniques couldn''t be practiced concurrently, making them the most valuable resource in the cultivation world. A technique like the ''Mountain Meditation Technique,'' found inadvertently in an ancient cave, can be sold to the Ten Thousand Immortals League or other organizations for a good price if you choose not to practice it.

    Techniques like the ''Minor Yan Water Technique,'' exchanged from the Tianxuan Mirror, can also be sold back after breaking through to the next realm, thus recovering some contribution points.

    After selling a technique, the memories rted to it are naturally erased from your mind.

    "There are roughly two types of cultivation techniques in the world."

    "One type is developed after the Great Cmity, with corresponding backups. Even if the cultivator who practices it identally dies, the technique won''t be lost but will be collected and sold again, just like the two techniques in Qian Hong''s tomb."

    "The other type includes techniques that existed before the Great Cmity, but due to various reasons, they aren''t known to the world. Only the cultivator practicing it knows about it. If that practitioner passes away without leaving a copy, it usually means the technique is entirely lost. ''Mountain Meditation Technique,'' ''Sea Fixing Sword Technique,'' and others fall into this category."

    "Using the ''Sun Stealing Technique,'' I can, with a certain probability, recreate lost techniques from the remains of a cultivator..."

    "Or perhaps, this is the correct way to use the ''Sun Stealing Technique''?"

    Li Fan fell into contemtion.

    After a while, he shook his head.

    "Let''s get fellow Daoist He''s remains out first. Before that, I need to do a few tasks to earn some contribution points."

    Creating a clone could only be done by the main body. Furthermore, since he had decided that the clone Fan Lin wouldn''t have any connection with the main body, it was better for the main body to issue the task personally.

    For most cultivators, 500 contribution points might take half a year or more to umte, but for Li Fan, who had knowledge of many secrets in the Cong Yun Sea, it was just one task.

    Three years had passed since hestpleted the Blue Blood Coral task. Doing one or two tasks at this time wouldn''t attract too much attention.

    So, Li Fan began browsing the task list.

    Soon, he picked a 2,000-point reward bounty mission.

    epting the task, he replied.

    "In the southwest sea area of the Cong Yun Sea, below the Gonghai Ind, there is a sea creature matching the description you''re looking for."

    "Equivalent tote Qi Condensation stage, but they move in groups, making them challenging to deal with."

    "Note that this cave has twoyers. You need to explore it carefully to find the entrance to the secondyer."

    "The sea creatures are in the secondyer."

    ...

    He still only provided information.

    After half a day, the other party confirmed the uracy of the information.

    Quite generously, they awarded Li Fan with 1,000 contribution points.

    With the contribution points in hand, Li Fan immediately issued a 500-point contribution task in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    In the task description, he mentioned his close friendship with He Zhenghao over almost forty years, describing their bond as inseparable. He expressed his reluctance to leave his remains exposed outside and therefore offered a reward to bring back He Zhenghao''s remains for a proper burial.

    He originally thought it would take some time for someone to ept the task.

    However, to his surprise, it was picked up quickly.

    The person who epted the task was a member of the exploration team currently assembling. He was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

    The person sent a message asking Li Fan if he wanted to join them.

    "With a Nascent Soul expert leading the team, you''re sure to return safely," they reassured Li Fan.

 Chapter 98: Discerning Oneâ€™s Fate Through Two Lifetimes

    The other person also mentioned that they inquired because it''s quite rare to find someone so emotionally attached in the current cultivation world.

    Li Fan looked at the person''s name.

    Song Weiyu, who seemed to be a female cultivator.

    Should he go or not? The Golden Core expert''s abode had the assurance of safety due to the Nascent Soul powerhouse leading the team.

    However, Li Fan thought about it and decided to politely decline.

    He only sought He Zhenghao''s remains, and if Song Weiyu''s mission was sessful, she would surely bring them back. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.

    If there were any significant opportunities in that abode, Li Fan could inquire about them and explore them in the next lifetime.

    Song Weiyu didn''t respond further after Li Fan''s rejection.

    With everything settled, Li Fan began practicing the "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art."

    He was very focused on Zhang Haobo, his pawn.

    To ensure he didn''t deviate from the path of growth Li Fan had set for him, he needed to periodically use illusory dreams on him.

    It was easy during his mortal phase. However, influencing his thoughts once he reached the Qi Condensation stage and especially after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage would be much more challenging.

    Therefore, Li Fan needed to advance the "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art" to the second level.

    The "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art" was a unique cultivation technique with seven levels, unrted to cultivation realms like Foundation Establishment or Qi Condensation. Instead, it depended on the strength of one''s spiritual consciousness and the precision of constructing illusions.

    The higher the level of this technique one practiced, the stronger the influence of their illusions.

    In theory, even an ordinary mortal could, with sufficiently strong spiritual power, submerge a Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stage cultivator in illusions. However, the cultivator''s realm usually determined the strength of their spiritual consciousness, so this situation was almost nonexistent.

    ...

    Three monthster.

    Liuli Ind.

    On board the Cangyuan ship.

    Zhang Haobo stood at the bow, facing the sea breeze, gazing at the ocean.

    He furrowed his brows as if searching for something.

    Suddenly, he spotted a familiar-looking reef in the distance.

    His spirit was rejuvenated, and he immediately leaped into the sea, leaving the surrounding crew astonished.

    Zhang Haobo navigated through the dim underwater environment and soon reached the seabed. If an ordinary mortal had ventured this deep underwater, they would have sumbed to the immense pressure and perished.

    However, after three months of cultivation, most of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma within Zhang Haobo''s body had been cleared away. His constitution had significantly improved, and he was not far from breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage.

    Combined with his natural affinity for water, he was unafraid.

    Zhang Haobo swam further along the seabed when he suddenly noticed something.

    His speed increased sharply as he swam toward a half-buried corpse in the mud.

    He pulled the remains out of the muck and found a book resting on the corpse''s chest.

    It was the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique."

    "It''s not a dream; I have been reborn." Zhang Haobo stroked the cover of the book as he mumbled to himself.

    Although he had previously epted that he had been reborn, it was still a concept too extraordinary to grasp. Moreover, the memories of his previous life were gradually fading, causing him to doubt this situation.

    Fortunately, recently, probably due to his imminent breakthrough to the Qi Condensation stage, some forgotten details had been resurfacing in his mind.

    This included the location where he initially salvaged the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique." He took the opportunity of this voyage to verify his rebirth.

    Now, with these skeletal remains and the reappearance of the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique," Zhang Haobo had finally confirmed that he had indeed been reborn.

    His gaze became resolute, and he tucked the book into his bosom.

    "I can''t dy any longer; I must improve my cultivation quickly. Only by reaching a higher realm can I prevent that impending cmity."

    "Just a mere Qi Condensation stage cultivator won''t be enough. I need to gain more strength, or I won''t be able to convince anyone."

    "At least Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core..."

    Thinking this way, Zhang Haobo slowly swam back to the surface and climbed back onto the Cangyuan ship.

    The crew members observed their serious captain and refrained from asking too many questions.

    Since some time ago, their captain seemed to undergo an inexplicable transformation. The jovial and yful captain they once knew had vanished.

    Zhang Haobo was bing less jovial, and his aura was growing stronger every day, resembling the ind''s immortal masters. As a result, they became somewhat intimidated and uneasy in his presence.

    ...

    Above the Cangyuan ship, Li Fan, who remained concealed, intently observed Zhang Haobo while using the Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra to examine his fate.

    "Indeed, there seems to be a peculiar change in his fate. It''s very subtle, but I initiated this change myself, so I naturally pay special attention to it. Thus, I noticed it."

    Li Fan carefully considered the subtle differences before and after, and it seemed like he was beginning to understand something.

    "In cultivation, it''s often one step at a time, with each step being quicker than thest."

    "Last lifetime, Zhang Haobo only embarked on the path of cultivation in middle age due to a fortuitous opportunity. While his luck was extraordinary, reaching Foundation Establishment in just over ten years was already his limit. That was his destined fate."

    "But this lifetime, under my guidance, he began his cultivation over a decade earlier."

    "When fate changes, it naturally flows differently, with small changespounding upon each other..."

    Li Fan murmured softly, his eyes growing brighter.

    Being able to personally witness the before-and-after changes in someone''s fate was a great opportunity for Li Fan.

    If it weren''t for the [Truth], which allowed him topare and verify the destinies of two lifetimes, he wouldn''t have been able to know the fate of himself or others.

    Just as in his previous life, only by turning into the Canghai Sea could he peek into the killing intent of the heavens.

    Only by spanning two lifetimes could one understand the changes in fate.

    With this realization, Li Fan couldn''t help but let out a deep chuckle.

    "Perhaps you will really bring me some surprises."

    "I am genuinely looking forward to your performance, Zhang Haobo."

    ...

    In a cheerful mood, Li Fan leisurely flew back to Liuli Ind.

    Three months had passed, but his avatar, Fan Lin, remained in a state of epiphany over the butterfly effect.

    The state of Enlightenment was still ongoing.

    Contribution points were being spent like flowing water, and he had used almost 2,000 points so far.

    Fortunately, his avatar had a reserve of 100,000 contribution points, so it could endure this level of expenditure.

    "I wonder what kind of divine power my avatar willprehend when it emerges from this epiphany?"

    Li Fan contemted these possibilities as he arrived within the protective array of Liuli Ind.

    He intended to use the teleportation formation to return to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. However, he noticed that Yuwen Xing, the new guardian immortal of Liuli Ind, had a grave expression, filled with worry.

    "Daoist Yuwen, what has happened?" Li Fan politely inquired.

    Yuwen Xing appeared to be deep in thought, and for a moment, he didn''t respond.

    "Daoist Yuwen?" Li Fan had to repeat his question.

    Finally, Yuwen Xing snapped back to attention and looked at Li Fan with a sigh.

    "Something bad has happened."

    "The expedition team led by True Lord Gouxuan that went to explore the ancient abode... they''re all dead."

    "Even True Lord Gouxuan himself didn''t manage to escape."

 Chapter 99: Youâ€™re Stronger, So Am I

    Li Fan was surprised and asked, "How could this happen? Wasn''t it just a Golden Core cultivator''s cave? How did even a Nascent Soul master  fall?"

    Yuwen Xing shook his head and said, "The exact situation is unclear right now. They have temporarily sealed the entrance to that cave to prevent any unsuspecting individuals from entering and meeting their demise."

    He continued, "In the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, there are only about ten Nascent Soul cultivators. So the sudden loss of one is indeed significant."

    "Let alone the four Golden Core and thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators who perished in two consecutive exploration attempts."

    "Now, the ind is not in a very peaceful state. With so many cultivators lost, their positions on the ind are now vacant. Various factions have started maneuvering behind the scenes to vie for these opportunities."

    "Even the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has reopened its investigation into Zheng Xiaoyun. This time, it''s being conducted by the Hall of Heavenly Secrets''s Elder Gongsun. We don''t know if they will find anything substantial."

    "It''s a tumultuous time."

    After listening to Yuwen Xing''s concerns, Li Fan realized that there was an additional reason behind his worries. It turned out that Yuwen Xing had relied on the now-deceased True Lord Gouxuan as his backer.

    Thanks to this connection, he managed to defeat numerouspetitors and became the guardian of Liuli Ind. However, with his protector falling, Yuwen Xing seemed anxious about his own position.

    Li Fan thought to himself, "If even a Nascent Soul cultivator has fallen, it seems that the cultivation cave is extremely dangerous. It might be a while before I can retrieve the remains of fellow Daoist He."

    However, a few dayster, there appeared to be a turning point in the situation. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s investigation results were released, which concluded that a cultivator named Zheng Xiaoyun, who was in the Golden Core stage, was not responsible for the deaths of the explorers.

    The reason for the second exploration team''splete annihtion was attributed to the peculiar nature of the mechanisms and puppets within the cave of Tian Yang:

    These mechanisms and puppets had the unique characteristic of bing stronger when faced with stronger opponents. During the first exploration led by Zheng Xiaoyun, these puppets only exhibited thebat strength of Golden Core cultivators, which allowed Zheng Xiaoyun to survive.

    However, when True Lord Gouxuan led the second expedition, these puppets suddenly exhibited the power of Nascent Soul cultivators, catching the team off guard and leading to their deaths.

    The mechanisms and puppets in the cave were designed to absorb the energy of the underground volcanoes. Over the thousands of years, they had be significantly more potent. The upper limit of their strength was unclear.

    Now, it was clear that True Lord Gouxuan''s death was not unjust. No one could have expected that within the small cave of a mere Golden Core cultivator, such terrifyingbat power was hidden.

    The official announcement from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance lifted the heavy atmosphere over Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. Most people found the investigation results credible, especially since Elder Gongsun from the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, known for his exceptional ability to predict events and determine causality, was responsible for the inquiry.

    Countless Qi Condensation cultivators in the Cong Yun Sea were reinvigorated by the revtion that there were only a dozen puppets at the Qi Condensation stage which didn''t pose much of a threat.

    If it were possible to bring back even one of those puppets...

    Countless Qi Condensation cultivators were immediately filled with all sorts of ideas, their hearts throbbing with excitement.

    They began moring to form teams to explore the cave of Tian Yang for the third time.

    When Li Fan heard this news, he couldn''t help but feel tempted himself.

    After all, during the Qi Condensation stage, he was practically invincible. Those with lower realms could be easily handled with his Insect Binding Technique. As for those at the same Qi Condensation stage, he had a multitude of techniques, such as the Formless Killing Intent, Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art, Azure me Illusionary Spirit, and more.

    Li Fan couldn''t believe that there would be anyone within the Cong Yun Sea stronger than him. Should he explore this cave?

    Li Fan contemted this for a moment but then thought it over and decided that something wasn''t right.

    If these puppets really became stronger when facing stronger opponents, then the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could secretly gather a group of Qi Condensation cultivators to infiltrate the cave, defeating the puppets, and bringing them all back.

    The idea of acquiring over a dozen puppets, each at least equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage, would be too enticing for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to pass up. Why would they foolishly disclose this information to the public?

    The only exnation was that there must be other peculiar aspects to these puppets within the cave that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance couldn''t predict.

    Li Fan had also heard of Elder Gongsun, the Hall of Heavenly Secrets''s elder. He had investigated the situation when Li Fan hadpleted the bounty regarding the dragonwhale.

    Elder Gongsun had only determined the immediate cause of death: the whale had been surrounded by several deep-sea behemoths and had exhausted its life.

    However, he hadn''t uncovered the root cause: Li Fan''s activation of the Formless Killing Intent.

    Therefore, Li Fan believed that Elder Gongsun could indeed predict events and determine causality, but his abilities were like a blind person touching an elephant, only grasping part of the truth.

    This understanding wasn''t exclusive to Li Fan; many others shared this viewpoint.

    At first, when they were excited and hot-headed, they quickly organized into a group. In total, there were over thirty of them, and they were determined to explore the cave of Tian Yang once again.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, simply reposted the bounty for fellow Daoist He''s remains and patiently waited to see how it would all unfold.

    Ten dayster, the exploration team returned in disarray. Most of the thirty-plus people escaped from the cave.

    As they tearfully recounted their experiences, the onlookers learned what had happened inside the cave.

    The seventeen puppets inside were incredibly powerful! They were constructed from some unknown material, making them incredibly durable. No spell seemed to affect them, leaving no marks or damage whatsoever.

    Not even a scratch could be left.

 Chapter 100: Zhang Haobo Tests His Sword

    This is only natural. Although these puppet mechanisms have reduced theirbat power to the Qi Condensation stage, their physical strength alone is capable of withstanding attacks from Nascent Soul stage cultivators. How can a group of Qi Condensation cultivators hope to harm them?

    After a series of pitiful attacks from the thirty-plus Qi Condensation cultivators, the seventeen puppets remained unfazed. They were impervious to any damage.

    In return, the puppets'' offensive capabilities, limited to the Qi Condensation stage, didn''t appear as menacing. After a grueling battle, the third exploration team, although battered, managed to preserve most of their lives.

    Finally, everyone began to understand that this cave of Tian Yang was far beyond the reach of their group of low-level Qi Condensation cultivators. The seventeen high-defense puppet mechanisms were like formidable gatekeepers, keeping all intruders at bay.

    Li Fan pondered, wondering how things had turned out for this cave in the past. Since he joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, he had never heard anyone discuss the matter. It seemed the cave had disappeared long ago.

    "Perhaps, in the end, a powerful expert will intervene to resolve this matter," Li Fan spected.

    With the storm raised by the cave gradually calming down, cultivators began to deliberately forget about this treasure that they could see but not possess. Some with ulterior motives attempted to secretly rally others, hoping to assemble hundreds of Qi Condensation cultivators for another exploration. The n was to use arge group to engage the seventeen puppets while the others ventured deep into the mansion to seek opportunities.

    But no one paid attention to their proposals. Everyone was a Qi Condensation cultivator, and they were unwilling to take the risks and potentially sacrifice their lives for someone else''s gain. Thus, the number of cultivators with the cave in their minds gradually dwindled, and the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance seemed to forget the matter entirely.

    The Cong Yun Sea became calm once more, and Li Fan, who seldom had time to focus on his cultivation, finally settled down to practice in peace. Time passed, and half a yearter, the 13th year had arrived.

    On this day, Li Fan was examining the results of his half-year intensive cultivation. Hepared the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" with the "Sun Stealing Technique" and practiced them together. Both techniques had advanced to theter stages of the Qi Condensation realm, and he could sense the existence of bottlenecks. Once he broke through these bottlenecks, he would be able to use a Heavenly Treasure to establish his foundation and be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

    As for the "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art," it had progressed slowly after reaching the thirdyer, and he had to temporarily halt his practice. This thirdyer was already capable of affecting Nascent Soul stage cultivators, with the specific effects determined by the difference in spiritual strength between Li Fan and the opponent.

    However, the "Stalking Shadow Technique" and the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" didn''t receive much attention over this period.

    "Maybe having so many techniques to practice isn''t such a good thing. Perhaps I should consider merging and simplifying them... Of course, with my current level of insight into these techniques, I can''t achieve that," Li Fan pondered.

    However, if one were to use the Tianxuan Mirror''s enlightenment over a long period of time, it might not be impossible.

    His clone, Fan Lin, was still immersed in enlightenment. He had already consumed over six thousand points of contribution, but Li Fan didn''t mind. The longer Fan Lin''s enlightenmentsted, the more profound the insights he might gain. Li Fan even hoped that Fan Lin could spend all of his hundred thousand contribution points.

    Suddenly, Li Fan felt a subtle weakening of the Formless Killing Intent that had been locked onto Zhang Haobo all along.

    Zhang Haobo finally advanced to the Qi Condensation stage?"

    "That''s great, faster than I expected."

    "Who knows, perhaps he''ll achieve the Golden Core stage in just over a decade."

    In less than a year, Zhang Haobo had transformed from an ordinary mortal into a Qi Condensation stage cultivator. With his altered fate, his cultivation speed had increased significantlypared to the previous life. The faster he cultivated, the stronger his power, and the greater influence he could exert.

    Although he might not directly participate in the uing incineration of the Cong Yun Sea, Li Fan was well aware of the cascading effects a Golden Core cultivator could trigger.

    "The incineration of the sea in this life is really worth looking forward to."

    Three monthster, Li Fan received a message from Yuwen Xing while in seclusion.

    "Li Fan, do you know that we have an incredible individual on our Liuli Ind recently?"

    Li Fan''s eyes lit up. "Oh? I''d like to hear more."

    "Hehe, have a look," Yuwen Xing sent over a video.

    In the video, seventeen massive puppets, entirely red, wielded huge fists as they fought with a blue water sword in front of them. At the center, surrounded by the seventeen puppets, stood one person, unmistakably Zhang Haobo. He had seven floating blue swords that rotated around him, acting as a protective formation. Zhang Haobo controlled ten more water swords simultaneously, engaging all the puppets in battle.

    This kind ofbat was clearly extremely taxing on his mental power. After a short time, three puppets broke through the sword blockade and approached Zhang Haobo.

    Out of the seven protective swords, Zhang Haobo instantly divided three to face the iing puppets while retreating.

    In the blink of an eye, within the fury and frustration of the puppets, Zhang Haobo left the cave.

    After a while, Yuwen Xing''s triumphant voice came through.

    "What do you think?"

    "Are these seventeen puppets from the cave of Tian Yang? Fighting alone against seventeen puppets, although he onlysted for a short time, it''s still quite impressive. Who is this person?" Li Fan pretended not to know.

    "Hehe, this person is called Zhang Haobo. Just over a year ago, he was just an ordinary mortal."

    "A few months ago, he advanced to the Qi Condensation stage, and I introduced him to our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    "After hearing about the cave of Tian Yang, he went there alone."

    "At first, I didn''t know what he was doing, butter, I found out."

    "He went there to practice against those seventeen puppet mechanisms!"

    "In the beginning, it''s said he could onlyst a few breaths. Then, as time passed, he could endure longer against the puppets."

    "The video I sent you was from over half a month ago. I wonder what the situation is like now."

 Chapter 101: Dragonâ€™s Roar Under the Sea

    After telling the story, Yuwen Xing couldn''t help but sigh, "This person not only possesses an extraordinary natural talent in cultivation, which is rare in the world, but he also has remarkable willpower and courage, which are equally scarce."

    "Those seventeen powerful puppets are formidable, and most cultivators would avoid them at all costs. Yet Zhang Haobo takes a different approach and uses them as sparring partners."

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk, if this person doesn''t meet an unfortunate end, he''s destined for greatness!"

    Li Fan agreed, "What you say, fellow Daoist Yuwen, is absolutely true!"

    After a long pause, there was no further message from the other side. It seemed that Yuwen Xing had gone to inform others about this matter.

    "A cultivator can typically form the twenty-four Sea Fixing Swords only after entering Foundation Establishment, but Zhang Haobo, who recently entered the Qi Condensation stage, managed to form them already."

    "Is he particrly suited to this technique? Or is there some other reason? Interesting..."

    In a burst of curiosity, Li Fan immediately set out to investigate the situation at the Tian Yang cave.

    The Tian Yang cave was located beneath the sea in a dormant underwater volcano in the western part of the Cong Yun Sea. Since its emergence due to a volcanic eruption, the surrounding underwater volcanic activity has increased.

    On his way, Li Fan asionally spotted groups of Qi Condensation stage cultivators who were excited and couldn''t stop talking about Zhang Haobo, who was currently engaged in a sword trial. They mentioned that Zhang Haobo was now able to endure the onught of the seventeen puppet mechanisms for almost the duration of a joss stick burning.

    Many people used the opportunity when Zhang Haobo attracted the puppets'' attention to sneak into the mansion and seek opportunities. However, one joss stick''s time was too short for them to discover anything, and they would be killed by the enraged puppets before they could react. But there were reports that Zhang Haobo had made significant progress through these repeated trials. Perhaps he would soon advance to the mid-Qi Condensation stage, and at that point, his strength would allow him to restrain the puppets for a longer period. This would enable others to explore the mansion while he held the puppets at bay.

    Zhang Haobo didn''t seem to mind this behavior, and he didn''t express any dissatisfaction. He continued his repetitive cycle of resting, sword trials, and resting.

    Therefore, more and more cultivators began harboring various schemes.

    Of course, some came purely to witness the remarkable feat of Zhang Haobo fighting seventeen puppets on his own.

    Before long, Li Fan arrived in the area where the Tian Yang cave was located. Due to the active underground fires, the water temperature here was noticeably higher than in other areas. The sea''s surface was scattered with dead fish, even though it had been cleaned up once.

    Fortunately, Li Fan had made preparations beforeing. He activated Concealing Form and Fire-Protection Talismans and then submerged into the sea.

    As he descended, the water temperature continued to rise. Near the sea floor, the water was almost boiling. Inside an underwater volcano crater, searing magma continuously erupted along with billowing white smoke. Once the magma met the seawater, it cooled rapidly, forming ck stone that piled up and spread outward.

    Many cultivators had gathered around the volcano. They didn''t mind the boiling seawater or the spectacr eruptions of the underwater volcano. All of their attention was focused on Zhang Haobo, who was meditating not far away.

    As Li Fan approached, he heard people whispering:

    "Just now, in his first battle in the mid-Qi Condensation stage, it seems like he didn''tst much longer than before. What''s going on?"

    "You don''t understand. Didn''t you notice that his techniques'' power is simr to when he was in the early Qi Condensation stage? He''s clearly still adapting to his breakthrough."

    "That''s right, I''m certain he''ll endure for the time of two joss sticks burning this time!"

    In the midst of the discussions, Zhang Haobo suddenly opened his eyes and stood up.

    With a calm expression, he dashed into the crater.

    The onlookers didn''t follow him. Instead, a watery screen lit up in the center, disying the scene inside the mansion. It seemed that the seventeen puppets were not just lifeless objects. Anticipating Zhang Haobo''s return, they had already set up an ambush at the mansion''s entrance.

    As soon as he entered, the puppets immediatelyunched an attack. Zhang Haobo remained calm and immediately surrounded himself with twenty-four deep blue water swords, blocking the puppets'' attacks one by one. He swiftly moved through the gaps between the puppets, and in the blink of an eye, he had broken through their blockade and emerged from the encirclement. He then flew into the air.

    "What is he trying to do?"

    "He''s not just defending anymore? Is he nning to use an offensive approach instead?"

    Amidst the exmations of the onlookers, Zhang Haobo gazed at the puppets below with focused eyes and formed a hand seal. In an instant, the twenty-four water swords drastically increased in speed, striking the mechanical puppets like a furious storm. The water swords moved like graceful spirits, creating countless illusions. At a nce, it seemed like hundreds or even thousands of water swords were attacking simultaneously.

    The mechanical puppets were incredibly tough, and the water swords left only shallow marks when they struck. But the attacks caused the puppets to momentarily hesitate. However, as soon as they recovered from this brief pause, the water sword attacks continued, trapping them in a cycle of rigid movements.

    The onught of water sword attacks resembled a rushing waterfall, non-stop and relentless. Zhang Haobo, using his strength alone, was actually suppressing the seventeen puppets!

    Outside the mansion, the cultivators who witnessed this scene were left speechless, their hearts filled with amazement.

    "Is Zhang Haobo really only in the mid-Qi Condensation stage? What cultivation technique is he practicing? He''s incredibly strong!"

    "I heard he''s been cultivating for just over a year? He''s a true genius!"

    "Fellow Daoists, let''s go. I see that these puppets can''t lift their heads now. It''s the perfect opportunity for us to explore the mansion!"

    In the crowd, someone suddenly spoke up, inciting others.

    The idea sounded reasonable, and many began to feel eager.

    However, at that moment, a burly man shook his head and said, "I think not. Zhang Haobo''s move is truly terrifying, but it must consume a lot of spiritual energy and is difficult to sustain. I''m afraid this time, he won''tst as long as the previous attempt."

    The crowd fell into deep thought and eventually nodded in agreement.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, kept his eyes on Zhang Haobo in the water curtain.

    The move that Zhang Haobo had just used was known to Li Fan. It was a deadly technique from the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique."

    "Dragon''s Roar."

    This technique involved the swords moving like dragons, attacking freely and expansively with a wide range and a fast attack frequency, making it a powerful offensive move.

    It required an extremely strong consumption of spiritual energy and was typically only usable by those in the Foundation Establishment stage. Even the previous cultivator, Baili Chen, who was also in the mid-Qi Condensation stage and practiced theplete version of the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique," couldn''t perform this move.

    What puzzled Li Fan was that although Zhang Haobo had extraordinary talent, he was still only in the mid-Qi Condensation stage. The "Dragon''s Roar" was not something that could be sustained for long. Yet, looking at Zhang Haobo now, he seemedpletely confident and unconcerned about running out of spiritual energy. Why was that?

 Chapter 102: Tian Yangâ€™s Roar

    Just as Li Fan was feeling puzzled, he suddenly sensed something and his expression changed as he looked around.

    In the deep sea, tiny specks of blue light were converging from all directions.

    Heading towards the Tian Yang cave.

    Li Fan reached out and intercepted one of the blue light points, examining it in his hand.

    "Pure water elemental spiritual energy..."

    In an instant, Li Fan realized what was happening.

    He made the most urate decision.

    He activated the "Stalking Shadow Technique" technique in an instant. His figure became like a phantom, rushing into the volcano.

    The others were still astonished by the increasing number of blue light points.

    "A Water Spirit Body! Zhang Haobo is actually a Water Spirit Body!"

    Someone finally reacted and eximed.

    "I understand now. A Water Spirit Body is naturally attuned to elemental spiritual energy. As long as he''s within this vast sea, he doesn''t need to worry about running out of spiritual energy. Even if he consumes it quickly, the abundant water elemental spiritual energy in the surroundings can replenish it rapidly!"

    "Does that mean..."

    "Darn, someone beat us to it!"

    "Friends, hurry!"

    The knowledgeable Qi Condensation cultivators, like Li Fan, rushed into the volcano to seek opportunities.

    But Li Fan, who had moved ahead of them, had already crossed the magma inside the volcano and reached the Tian Yang cave.

    Passing through the battling puppets and Zhang Haobo, Li Fan scanned the area with his divine sense, trying to find any traces of He Zhenghao''s remains.

    However...

    This ce had witnessed several intense battles and was now in ruins.

    The full power of the seventeen Nascent Soul puppets was truly terrifying.

    The solid floor of the cave had been eroded as if it had been cut by a strange force. There were noplete bodies to be found, not to mention any storage rings.

    Only some fragments of the ground remained.

    Li Fan''s heart skipped a beat as he saw the approaching cultivators. He couldn''t afford to be too picky, so he decided to collect all these fragments in a hurry.

    Then he charged deeper into the cave, attempting to find anything valuable.

    Just at that moment, he suddenly heard a voice in the cave, a voice that sounded ancient and mechanical.

    "Tian..."

    Li Fan''s figure hesitated as a sense of unease washed over him.

    He looked towards the source of the voice and saw one of the puppets. These dark-red mechanical puppets, which had been suppressed by Zhang Haobo''s "Dragon''s Roar" all this time, seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.

    Anger had built up within them.

    Like a dormant volcano erupting all of a sudden.

    Cracks began to appear on the puppets'' bodies, revealing a slightly eerie ckness within.

    "Yang..."

    Seeing this, Zhang Haobo intensified the attack of his Divine Sea Swords.

    From the looks of it, he still had reserves of strength even after the intense battle from before.

    The puppets were still at a disadvantage, but Li Fan''s unease grew stronger.

    So, he decided to turn back against the flow of people.

    "Soul..."

    More and more cracks formed on the puppets, like shattered porcin, breaking into countless tiny fragments.

    The multitude of water swords in the air suddenly halted.

    Zhang Haobo gazed in astonishment at the scene unfolding before him,pletely dumbfounded.

    "How is this possible?"

    Not only Zhang Haobo, but all the cultivators present were shocked by this sight.

    Their eyes darted back and forth between Zhang Haobo and the scattered fragments, filled with disbelief.

    Was this puppet''s toughness merely for show?

    Or had Zhang Haobo hidden his true cultivation level, appearing to be a Qi Condensation cultivator on the surface but actually being a powerful expert who concealed his true strength?

    Li Fan was equally stunned by this unexpected turn of events,ing to a halt in his tracks.

    He stared at the scattered puppets, his thoughts racing.

    Then, in the midst of the silence, all the fragments started to vibrate.

    "Not..."

    The mechanical sound resounded once more.

    This time, it came from all the fragmentsbined.

    Thousands of voices echoed simultaneously, resonating throughout the Tian Yang cave.

    "Weaker..."

    In a spine-chilling sound, these ck and red fragments trembled as if they were living creatures, slowly moving and converging in one ce.

    In the midst of the faint, creaking sounds, these fragments slowly merged together.

    "Than..."

    Li Fan''s sense of crisis peaked.

    Suddenly, he elerated and flew towards the exit of the cave.

    As he passed by the dazed Zhang Haobo, he slightly altered his course and grabbed him.

    "Fellow Daoist Zhang, run!"

    To prevent any struggle, he immediately used the Insect Binding Technique to immobilize Zhang Haobo.

    Still in a daze from watching the unusual behavior of the puppet fragments, Zhang Haobo felt a sudden loss of control in his body when he heard the voice. Startled, he heard the words spoken and felt somewhat relieved.

    Looking towards the person, he noticed that they concealed their appearance, making it impossible to see their form.

    However, with a single gesture, they could immobilize himpletely, leaving no room for resistance.

    Their strength...

    Seemed unfathomable.

    Zhang Haobo''s heart shuddered as he allowed this mysterious individual to lead him through the magma, out of the volcano, and back to the seabed.

    "Man..."

    As the puppet fragmentspleted their reformation, a ck giant hand, full of cracks, appeared in front of everyone.

    A dazzling dark red light flowed through the cracks in the giant hand.

    A mechanical and angry roar emanated from the giant hand.

    "Tian, Yang''s, Soul..."

    "Not, Weaker, Than, Man..."

    In the midst of a roar reminiscent of an ancient ferocious beast, the giant hand''s five fingers clenched into a fist and struck forward.

    Seeing this, Li Fan, who was escaping at high speed with Zhang Haobo, changed his expression and increased his speed.

    A thunderous explosion resounded from the volcano.

    Amidst the intense st, thick smoke billowed into the sky.

    In an instant, it erupted from the sea floor to the sea surface.

    And then, into the sky.

    After a moment of silence, an even more violent rumbling echoed from the seabed.

    Rolling ck clouds appeared from the depths of the sea, exploding and spreading in all directions.

    Like a rampaging herd, they surged forward.

    With each explosion, the range of the ck clouds doubled.

    From the smoke columns that pierced the heavens and earth, crimson streaks shot in all directions.

    Li Fan ran all the way and finally brought Zhang Haobo to a safe area.

    Looking back at the raging inferno, he couldn''t help but shudder.

    However, it seemed that all of this was just the beginning.

    The heavens and earth trembled, and the entire Cong Yun Sea seemed to shake.

    Like beacons being lit one after another, one underwater volcano after another erupted, starting from the Tian Yang cave!

    In this world-annihting scene, the roar of the puppets could overpower the eruption of the underwater volcanoes.

    "Tian, Yang''s, Soul!"

    ...

    "Not, Weaker, Than, Man!"

    ...

    A puppet that had been buried in the earth''s veins for thousands of years, constantly absorbing the energy of the Earth''s core, and tempering itself.

    It tore apart the numerous mountains under the sea and stood up in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Defying the heavens, it roared with pride!

 Chapter 103: The Battle of Soul Transformation

    The ck clouds from the underwater volcanic eruption reached the sky, and countless red-hot stones streaked through the sky, sshing in all directions.

    As the Tian Yang Puppet stood firm in the sea, it turned slightly, and its eyes emitted a sinister red light.

    It headed in the direction of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, taking giant strides.

    "Boom!"

    With each step, it caused massive waves to rise a hundred meters high.

    Despite appearing slow, it was incredibly fast, rapidly closing in on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Along the way, the tsunamis generated by its movements destroyed countless inds.

    Suddenly, the Tian Yang Puppet''s colossal body came to a halt.

    The sky had abruptly darkened.

    The Tian Yang Puppet gazed up, and above it, a massive mountain hung suspended in the air, several timesrger than itself.

    The mountain''s bulk nearly upied its entire field of vision, with glimpses of flora and fauna on its surface.

    "Fellow Daoist, please stop!" A cold, slightly murderous voice echoed through the sky.

    The mountain descended, pressing down toward the Tian Yang Puppet.

    The Tian Yang Puppet''s face disyed defiance, and it roared angrily. Its arms reached out.

    They collided with the descending mountain.

    A shockwave erupted from their point of impact.

    Li Fan and Zhang Haobo, who were watching from a distance, were swept up by this shockwave, their bodies nearly uncontroble like leaves in the wind.

    Both of them had astonished expressions on their faces.

    Shortly afterward, a series of explosions were heard.

    "Boom!"

    "Boom!"

    "Boom!"

    ...

    Li Fan and Zhang Haobo focused on the descending mountain, where the Tian Yang Puppet''s waist began to bend under the pressure. Its feet were directly embedded in the seabed, producing a continuous booming sound of impact.

    "Tian..."

    The red light on the puppet''s body grew more intense, brighter than the midday sun.

    "Yang..."

    The Tian Yang Puppet looked up at the mountain it was supporting, its eyes filled with madness and unwillingness.

    Creaking sounds continued as its hunched body gradually straightened.

    The massive mountain was slowly lifted into the air.

    "Hmph!"

    Seeing that the Tian Yang Puppet remained unyielding, another cold snort echoed through the heavens and earth.

    On the hanging mountain''s peak, several mountain peaks of varying shapes began to emerge faintly.

    They formed a mysterious formation, exuding an immense aura.

    The weight of the descending mountain suddenly increased several times over.

    The lower part of the Tian Yang Puppet, under this immense pressure, was pushed into the sea.

    The surrounding seawater was pushed outward, creating a circle of massive waves that spread in all directions.

    The eroded seabed was exposed as the collision continued, and the puppet''s lower limbs were crushed bit by bit.

    Soon, only the upper half of the Tian Yang Puppet remained, desperately struggling to support itself.

    It seemed that the defeat was imminent.

    "Soul..."

    "Not weaker than humans..."

    He continued to repeat these words, but after a few repetitions, the Tian Yang Puppet''s head was all that remained.

    At the base of the suspended mountain, it opened its eyes wide.

    "Not weaker than humans!"

    Its head suddenly exploded, transforming into moltenva.

    Deep beneath the Cong Yun Sea, the subterranean fires erupted once more.

    The countless magma and moltenva formed by the Tian Yang Puppet gathered together, creating a fiery figure.

    This reconstituted Tian Yang Puppet, with mes surging and roiling on its body, resembled a fire dragon as it charged head-on toward the hanging mountain.

    "Boom!"

    The molten dragon burrowed through the base of the mountain.

    Amid continuous explosions, cracks appeared one after another in the hanging mountain.

    Finally, the fire dragon burst out from the bottom of the mountain, roaring into the sky.

    After a moment, it transformed back into a human form.

    Coldly gazing down at the shattered hanging mountain.

    "Boom!"

    "Boom!"

    "Boom!"

    ...

    The colossal hanging mountain exploded into pieces.

    Countless fragments fell like meteorites onto the ck,va-cooled seabed.

    "Quite interesting. He truly lives up to being an heir of an ancient body transformation technique," the voice from the heavens and earth sounded once again,cking the expected rage and instead filled with curiosity.

    "With the foundation of a Golden Core, he has achieved such power after thousands of years..."

    Above the Tian Yang Puppet, the illusory mountain peaks became more substantial.

    As if provoked by the words "with the foundation of a Golden Core," the Tian Yang Puppet, not willing to be outdone, roared again and confronted the illusory mountain peaks.

    "If you want to fight, let''s change the location."

    At this moment, azy female voice rang out.

    The world suddenly darkened.

    Li Fan and Zhang Haobo looked up, only to realize that the sun had disappeared from the sky.

    It was as though arge hole had been torn in the sky, revealing a starry night.

    The starlight fell lightly,nding on the Tian Yang Puppet.

    "Roar!"

    The puppet could only let out an angry roar before its massive form vanished.

    "Good! Let''s change the location and fight properly!"

    The illusory mountain peaks also disappeared.

    The ruptured sky gradually closed, and the stars began to vanish one by one.

    The sun shone brightly, and the world remained serene and peaceful.

    Only the nearly shattered fragments of the Cong Yun Sea in the vicinity bore witness to the earth-shattering battle that had just urred.

    "The two figures that appeared just now should be the Soul Transformation stage cultivators staged on the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind."

    "Their demeanor is truly awe-inspiring. It''s something to aspire to."

    Li Fan saw a Soul Transformation expert in action for the first time, and he couldn''t help but feel his heart pounding with excitement.

    When he came back to his senses and looked at Zhang Haobo, thetter was also lost in thought. His face disyed a longsting sense of amazement.

    "It seems that the illusory realm created by the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art cannotpare to a firsthand experience. Otherwise, after witnessing the burning ocean, one wouldn''t be so intimidated by the Soul Transformation battle," Li Fan pondered.

    He released the Insect Binding Technique and asked, "How are you feeling, fellow Daoist Zhang?"

    Startled, Zhang Haobo awakened from his daze.

    He instantly activated the spiritual energy within him, and the twenty-four Sea Fixing Swords appeared around him in an instant.

    "Hmm?" Li Fan tilted his head, looking at him.

    Realizing what he had done, Zhang Haobo''s aura stagnated, and he retracted his blue water sword.

    With a somewhat embarrassed smile, he scratched his head and bowed respectfully to Li Fan. He said seriously, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving my life."

    Li Fan chuckled and waved his hand, "It''s a trivial matter. Fellow Daoist Zhang, with your mid Qi Condensation stage cultivation, you were able to confront seventeen puppets on your own."

    "The way you controlled water swords to suppress all the puppets was truly impressive!"

    Zhang Haobo hastily shook his head, "I can''tpare to your divine abilities."

    Then, he looked up at the sky with a somewhat mncholic expression, "Originally, in just a little over a year, I rose from an ordinary mortal to the mid Qi Condensation stage. I was a bit self-satisfied. But today, after seeing true experts in action, I realized..."

    "In their eyes, someone in the Qi Condensation stage is no different from an ant."

    Li Fanforted him, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, there''s no need to be disheartened. With your talent, given time, you may well be one of these experts.

 Chapter 104: Forgotten Catastrophes

    Zhang Haobo forced a bitter smile and was about to say something when he suddenly stopped.

    After a moment, he spoke again, "I don''t know your name yet? I dare not forget the favor you''ve done today. I''ll repay it in the future!"

    Li Fan smiled and did not answer. He just sped his hands and said, "We''ll meet again if fate allows."

    His figure turned into a thin line and quickly disappeared from view.

    In the blink of an eye, he had vanished from Zhang Haobo''s sight.

    Zhang Haobo squinted, "Such incredible speed. That unknown technique is truly formidable if it can render me powerless. So mysterious, I wonder about the person''s identity."

    After a while, he sighed and thought, "It''s a pity that no matter how many secrets they have, it won''t make much difference."

    Zhang Haobo tilted his head and looked up to the sky, "Heaven and earth have dered killing intent. The numerous beings in the Cong Yun Sea, regardless of cultivation level or wealth, have long been destined for death."

    "That red-colored figure that burned the sea......

    "A Nascent Soul cultivator is already so powerful, is it really possible to defeat him?"

    Zhang Haobo was in a daze.

    However, after some time, his gaze gradually became more resolute. "No matter what, I will do my best to stop it."

    His resolve became solid once again, and he nced at the ruins onest time before taking off.

    Not long after Zhang Haobo left, Li Fan''s hidden figure reappeared.

    "It seems that he hasn''t lost his fighting spirit. I was overly cautious," Li Fan nodded to himself.

    After some consideration, he carefully returned to the original location of the Tian Yang Cave.

    He wanted to see if any treasures had survived the recent battle. However, after searching for a while, all he found was the flowingva and nothing else.

    He couldn''t help but sigh in disappointment, "It''s a shame. I wonder if I can reproduce the ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' from the fragments."

    His thoughts were mixed as he returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    The location of the Tian Yang Cave had experienced a massive battle that day, and the news had obviously spread. Many cultivators were discussing the matter, but nobody knew what had really happened or how the towering puppet had appeared.

    Various opinions were expressed, but no one had the full story.

    Li Fan was certainly not going to share the details of the battle.

    However, while passing by the cultivators and engaging in casual conversations, he suddenly had a thought.

    "Considering the recent events and the destructive power disyed during battles between powerful cultivators, they must have drawn a lot of attention. After such an event, people would discuss it, and the topic would naturallye up in conversation."

    "However, when ites to the killing intent of the heavens and earth to harm cultivators, there have had to be previous disasters. But...¡±

    "Whether in the previous life or this one, the conversations I had with many Qi Condensation cultivators never involved any mentions of major disasters that urred before the Cong Yun Sea."

    "This thinking made me develop a sort of cognitive gap. So, when Zhang Haobo first mentioned that there might be a disaster approaching, I didn''t pay much attention to it."

    "In my understanding, if a ce frequently experiences disasters, the residents would at least asionally mention it in their conversations. And when outsiders arrive, they should be warned."

    "So, since none of the cultivators here ever talked about any disaster, there wouldn''t have been any particrly significant disasters in the past.¡±

    Therefore, in his past life, he had merely made an inquiry to the Tianxuan Mirror, and after receiving a negative answer, he quickly forgot about it.

    However, was the burning sea the first time the heavens and earth formed killing intent against the cultivators in the Cong Yun Sea?

    It was unlikely.

    Everything follows a gradual process.

    The heavens and the earth have malevolent intentions toward cultivators.

    As the number of cultivators within the Cong Yun Sea gradually increases, and their cultivation levels rise, the heavens and the earth will begin killing them off.

    At first, it should only be small-scale catastrophes.

    Only when the number of cultivators reaches a limit is a final removal n initiated.

    The Heavenly Spirit appears, eradicating all living beings.

    Li Fan deduced this because the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in the Cong Yun Sea had already developed to such arge scale.

    Would the murderous intent of the heavens and earth deliberately endure, waiting for cultivators to grow and silently bide their time?

    Would it onlyunch a devastating strike when it couldn''t tolerate them anymore?

    With Li Fan''sprehension of the killing intent of the heavens and earth, it was obvious that this would not be the case.

    The killing intent of the heavens and earth would always exist as long as there were cultivators.

    In other words, in the past years, catastrophes must have been constantly recurring.

    So what exactly led to all cultivators keeping silent about these disasters?

    "Do they actively avoid mentioning them, or..."

    "Were they... forgotten?"

    Li Fan immediately returned to the Tianxuan Mirror and searched for keywords.

    Historical cmities, catastrophes, killing intent of the heavens and earth.

    The results sent shivers down Li Fan''s spine.

    None.

    None.

    None.

    None.

    No matter how Li Fan searched, the Tianxuan Mirror disyed no results.

    After a while, Li Fan calmed down and took out a Communication Talisman, asking Yuwen Xing.

    The response sent a chill down Li Fan''s spine.

    Yuwen Xing first denied any knowledge of previous catastrophes. Then, after repeated questions from Li Fan, he vaguely recalled that something might have happened, but he couldn''t remember clearly.

    He didn''t think it was very important and had already forgotten about it.

    Li Fan also asked several other older cultivators.

    They were puzzled as to why Li Fan was asking such questions, but their answers were all simr to Yuwen Xing''s.

    It seemed like something had happened, but they couldn''t remember.

    Li Fan fell silent.

    Couldn''t remember?

    Since when did Foundation Establishment cultivators be so forgetful?

    Li Fan remembered his first encounter with a wind cmity when he arrived on Liuli Ind. Even the ordinary people on the ind would tell him about the scene of a more massive wind cmity that urred over a decade ago.

    Weren''t cultivators supposed to have better memory than ordinary people?

    Remembering disasters should make people more vignt and help them survive future cmities more easily.

    This was the proper reasoning.

    But in the world now, this reasoning seems to have been forgotten.

 Chapter 105: Paradise in Heaven and Earth

    "Against the reasoning of heaven and earth..."

    Li Fan began to speak slowly but only muttered the second half in his heart.

    "To attain immortality!"

    Since entering the world of cultivation, Li Fan had witnessed Nascent Soul cultivators move mountains, and he had seen the Dao Integration Realm Crimson me burn the sea. However, none of these couldpare to this moment, where he glimpsed the awe-inspiring existence of the Immortal Ancestor within various signs that defiedmon sense.

    Invisible and unnoticeable, this influence had an impact that was far more potent than mere destruction.

    "I have only been unaffected by this power because the burning of the sea I remember belonged to a cmity that urred in the future."

    "Thus, I was able to perceive the influence of the Immortal Ancestor between the past and the present."

    After a while, Li Fan slowly dispelled the fear that had suddenlye over him, caused by the realization that he was constantly living under the shadow of this great entity.

    In the world of cultivation, Golden Core stage cultivators were generally called Lords, Nascent Soul stage cultivators were True Lords, Soul Transformation stage cultivators were True Monarchs, and those of the Dao Integration Realm were Immortal Sages.

    The highest-level experts, such as the Immortal Ancestor, were referred to as the Immortal Venerables.

    The Immortal Venerables in the world were mostly elusive figures. Specific details like their names were generally unknown to ordinary cultivators.

    "It seems that under the influence of the Immortal Ancestor, all the cultivators in the world will gradually forget the disasters they once experienced. Or, not just disasters, it seems that any collective memory that would bring pain is under his influence."

    "It seems that this world of cultivation is a paradise..."

    Li Fan pondered slowly, and at the same time, he began to realize.

    In this world, where the heavens and earth harbored so much malice toward cultivators and where the conflicts between immortals were so sharp, he had encountered cultivators like Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi, He Zhenghao, and Yuwen Xing, who almostpletely ignored the malice of the heavens and earth.

    There were hardly any of the bitter or hateful types that would seek to destroy the heavens.

    They all intentionally or unintentionally overlooked the malicious intent of the heavens and earth.

    At most, theymented the difficulty of the Dao of Immortality and were even cheerful...

    It was highly probable that this was the work of that Immortal Ancestor.

    Was it for the sake of allowing cultivators throughout the world to cultivate better?

    Or did it serve some other purpose?

    Li Fan had always been inclined to assume the worst possible motives of others.

    ...

    Longevity was what Li Fan relentlessly pursued, the ultimate goal.

    But at this moment, he was still far from his objective.

    He had to stay grounded, steadily practicing step by step.

    After recovering from the shock brought by the Immortal Ancestor''s influence, Li Fan began to search for information on the Ancient Body Transformation Dao.

    It was not some closely guarded secret, so it was easy to find relevant information.

    The Ancient Body Transformation Dao was not taught by a sect that specialized in mechanical techniques.

    Instead, its disciples all cultivated a special method known as "Mind Body Transformation."

    They could ce their mind, spirit, and thoughts onto external objects.

    Once these were ced, they could not only control the object but also fully synchronize with the sensations of the object.

    At the highest level of practice, they could abandon their own physical bodies and forever inhabit the object of their choosing.

    The reason why it was so easy to find relevant information was not that this method was particrly powerful.

    It was because...

    In the Tianxuan Mirror, there were indeed many "splendid articles" that described male and female cultivators utilizing the Ancient Body Transformation Dao to engage in intimate activities with various peculiar objects.

    The variety of methods made Li Fan marvel.

    After browsing for a while, Li Fan shook his head and closed it.

    "From this perspective, Lord Tian Yang probably nted the puppet in the depths of the sea''s volcanic veins before his death and set up an arrangement. In the end, his soul and thoughts were ced in the puppet."

    "Over thousands of years, the puppet incessantly absorbed the geothermal energy to grow. Meanwhile, Lord Tian Yang, once a mere Golden Core stage cultivator, turned into a formidable existence capable of fighting a True Monarch."

    "Although it seems that he has lost his consciousness now and can only act instinctively."

    "But he probably has no regrets."

    "Throughout his life, Lord Tian Yang was no less than a person."

    "At the very least, the statement "Tian Yang''s soul isn''t weak" isn''t too far-fetched."

    After reflecting on these matters, Li Fan began his closed-door cultivation.

    Observing the battle of the Soul Transformation Realm had given him some insights.

    He believed that he was not far from breaking through his current bottleneck.

    As he had anticipated, it was indeed the case.

    Like water flowing to its destined course, five dayster, Li Fan felt that the spiritual energy within his body had reached saturation.

    Both the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" and the "Sun Stealing Technique" had reached thete Qi Condensation stage simultaneously.

    He had made no progress.

    However, what pleasantly surprised Li Fan was that as soon as he touched the bottleneck this time, he faintly sensed the location of his opportunity.

    Moreover, the path ahead would undoubtedly be fraught with danger and full of surprises.

    After some preparations, Li Fan was about to set off.

    But before he could leave, a profound insight suddenly surged into his mind.

    It was the Li Fan''s clone who had been in seclusion for a long time, finally emerging.

    With two pieces of good news in a row, everything seemed to be going well. It made Li Fan feel like the heavens and the earth were on his side.

    After calming down, Li Fan carefully pondered the abilities that the clone hadprehended this time.

    All things in the world were interconnected.

    Linked in a chain from life to death, controlled by the butterfly effect.

    What Li Fan hadprehended, the "Life and Death Chain," could be described as an upgraded version of the "Formless Killing Intent."

    By selecting a predetermined individual as the target of "death", he could backtrack through countless connections and sense the weakest and most fatal "life" chain.

    By severing this vital connection, he could subtly drive the predetermined target towards death, unnoticed by either gods or ghosts.

    The "Formless Killing Intent" required the target to be locked onto.

    The target''s strength could not surpass Li Fan too much, or else he would suffer a bacsh.

    And there was also the risk of being detected by the target.

    In contrast, the "Life and Death Chain" was different. It only required knowledge of the target''s existence.

    It could almost ignore the difference in cultivation realms between them.

    With sufficient information, even in the Qi Condensation stage, Li Fan could eliminate a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

    Take the case of the Tian Yang Cave as an example.

    If Li Fan wanted to assassinate a Nascent Soul True Lord, he wouldn''t have to take action himself. He would only need to trigger the "Life and Death Chain" retrace back through all possibilities of connections between him and the Tian Yang Cave.

    From there, he would find the most suitable path.

    He would subtly influence the Nascent Soul True Lord to have the idea of exploring the Tian Yang Cave.

    As a result, the True Lord would perish within the cave.

    While the "Life and Death Chain" was powerful, it also had certain conditions for activation.

    It was necessary to determine the "death" chain in advance.

    This meant that Li Fan needed to determine how the target would die before he could backtrack.

    Moreover, this "method of death" had to be effective.

    For example, if Li Fan decided that the Nascent Soul True Lord would identally lose control of his spiritual energy and fall from the sky during flight, leading to his death.

    Indeed, such an oue was possible.

    However, theplexity of the required reverse derivation to bring about this result was beyond Li Fan''s current capabilities.

    As a result, the "Life and Death Chain" could not be activated.

 Chapter 106: Li Fanâ€™s Sudden Enlightenment

    However, if it is set reasonably, say, the Nascent Soul True Lord was on a flight and encountered an enemy on the way. After a fierce battle, he was defeated and died.

    In this way, after activating the Life and Death Chain, it would be possible to trace the conditions under which these two enemies met. Although it might take a long time for calctions, it would eventually seed.

    In summary, the more abundant the information, especially about the "death" link, the easier it would be to activate the Life and Death Chain. And Li Fan was fortunate enough to fully utilize the advantage of foresight through [Truth].

    Therefore, transcending the Qi Condensation stage to kill Nascent Soul True Lords would be a feasible task. For example, Li Fan could lure a targeted Nascent Soul True Lord into the Cong Yun Sea during the burning of the sea. By harnessing the power of the Crimson me, he could assassinate the Nascent Soul True Lord.

    "Identify the cause and effect, and kill without a trace." Li Fan couldn''t help but exim, "What a fantastic ability."

    What surprised Li Fan even more was that, besides the "Life and Death Chain," his doppelganger had also experienced another revtion, the "Heavenly Sight, Earthly Hearing" technique, which incorporated various insights Li Fan had about Qi and destiny, elevating the Life and Death Chain to a whole new level.

    The fate of all things was under the watchful eye of heaven and earth. By observing the intertwining of Qi fluctuations and fate, one could perceive them from the perspective of heaven and earth.

    In simpler terms, while the previous Formless Killing Intent could only vaguely lock onto the target''s position, now, afterprehending the "Vision of Heaven and Earth," one could observe the target through the perspective of heaven and earth.

    After figuring out the function of the Vision of Heaven and Earth, Li Fan was really overjoyed this time.

    Even with his state of mind, he could not help but be secretly excited.

    The surprises came one after another, even causing Li Fan to be a bit terrified. He experimented with the "Vision of Heaven and Earth" technique. His mind settled down, sensing the Formless Killing Intent that was locked onto Zhang Haobo.

    A picture appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    On top of the blue waves, Zhang Haobo stood in the void.

    Twenty-four increasingly blue water swords were flying around him, forming some sort of arcane formation.

    Like the stars of the circumference, they were constantly moving.

    Water dragons were born in the water sword formation as it transformed.

    Zhang Haobo pointed towards the sea in front of him, and the water dragons in the formation then flew out, dancing wildly in the sky.

    "Explode!"

    Zhang Haobo gave a low shout, and the group of water dragons exploded.

    Each of the water dragons disintegrated into countless tiny water swords.

    In an instant, the water swords were like a raging wind and rain, sting into arge area in front of Zhang Haobo.

    The surface of the sea was suddenly startled by countless water columns, which was spectacr.

    And Zhang Haobo was tireless as the stars of blue light flew into his body.

    He began to test the move once again.

    ...

    Li Fan was almost mesmerized as he watched.

    Because, with the perspective of heaven and earth, he saw more than just the scene on the surface.

    The route of the aura in Zhang Haobo''s body, the flow of the aura in each move, and even the method of operation of this strengthened version of the Water Dragon Breathing Formation were all unreservedly and clearly disyed in front of him.

    Although there was still a considerable gap between watching and mastering, seeing so much would surely lead to understanding! In the blink of an eye, a sh of enlightenment pierced Li Fan''s mind.

    In the midst of his excitement, he exited the state of "Vision of Heaven and Earth" and stood up. He couldn''t help but shout, "Today, I finally understand my path!"

    What was Li Fan''s path? Since the beginning of his cultivation, there had always been a question lingering in his mind. His innate talent was not great, and even expelling the miasma and condensing Qi was quite challenging. Theter stages, such as Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and even the path to Nascent Soul and beyond would certainly be increasingly perilous.

    In the world, geniuses were abundant, some possessing astonishingprehension abilities. They could easilyprehend various techniques and divine abilities.

    Li Fan had wondered what he could use topete with those exceptional individuals. If one day the gap between the two realms became too vast, even if he restarted endlessly, he might never breakthrough. What would he do then? Today, Li Fan had finally found his answer.

    A unique path that belonged to him alone, impossible for others to replicate.

    [Truth], "Mountain Meditation Technique," "Vision of Heaven and Earth."

    "No matter how high their innate talent is, they are always under my gaze. Their lifetime of understanding belongs to me."

    Li Fan gradually calmed his emotions and sat back down, speaking softly, "Even though there are many heroes in the world, they must all end up under mymand."

    Heroes were like carp swimming across a river, emerging year after year. Li Fan''s path was to select the most outstanding among them. Gathering the best of the talented individuals and using them as pawns, he would derive extraordinary techniques from them.

    He would gather the strengths of thousands and innovate further, forging his unique path. "The path is now established; the next step is to see how to arrange it."

    Li Fan stated his path. At the same time, his doppelganger, Fan Lin, felt ted. Another wave of insight was transmitted, but it wasn''t about a divine ability; it was information perceived during the enlightenment.

    Through this enlightenment, Fan Lin understood that the previous cultivation world that existed before the Great Cmity had ced immense importance on enlightenment. Ancient cultivation emphasizedprehending the ways of the heavens. Some mortals could have sudden insights, advancing from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment in a single day, reaching Golden Core in three days, and forming the Nascent Soul in five days. There were even cases of people meditating for a hundred years, having a sudden revtion, and ascending to immortality in one step.

    However, such individuals were exceedingly rare, with only a handful throughout the history of cultivation. Most people would use enlightenment to improve slightly within a lower realm or gain insight into certain divine abilities.

    Nowadays, very few can achieve enlightenment.

    "Peering into thews of heaven and earth, seizing the essence of heaven and earth, and extracting the marrow of heaven and earth... If heaven doesn''t give it to me, I''ll take it myself."

    "The Dao of enlightenment, the Dao of plundering heaven... but what is my Dao..." Li Fan muttered.

    ...

    Afterprehending these two divine abilities, Li Fan spent half a month consolidating his insights within the Tianxuan Mirror. Afterward, he decided to set off in search of an opportunity to breakthrough the bottleneck.

    Afterparing the location in his mind with the Cong Yun Sea''s map, he realized that the ce he had to go to this time was a peculiar ind called Yin Yin Ind. The ind earned its strange name because it was devoid of ordinary people. Instead, it was inhabited solely by a cultivator known as Master Yin Yin.

    Master Yin Yin''s cultivation level was not high; he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. However, he wasn''t very interested in cultivation and preferred to study various entric things. Among the objects of his research, the most famous was the "Immortal-Mortal Miasma."

    The experiment which involved extracting the Immortal-Mortal Miasma from Su Changyu''s body and led to his death was his work. Due to this, many cultivators didn''t hold him in high regard and preferred not to associate with him. So, he moved to a remote small ind, where he could enjoy the peace and quiet.

    How could the opportunity for his breakthrough be rted to this person? Li Fan was somewhat curious and immediately set out for Yin Yin Ind.

 Chapter 107: Six-Headed Monstrosity

    Yin Yin Ind is located in the northeastern corner of the Cong Yun Sea. It took Li Fan over twenty days to arrive in the vicinity.

    The ind is notrge andcks any significant vegetation. There''s a square building standing on the ind.

    From a distance, you can faintly hear the cries of human suffering carried by the sea breeze.

    "Master Yin Yin, are you here?" Li Fan shouted loudly.

    His voice spread across the entire ind but received no response.

    Li Fan patiently asked again, but all that echoed back was the mournful sea wind.

    He asked one more time, still without a reply.

    After pondering for a while, Li Fan felt that he was indeed in the right ce for his opportunity.

    With caution, he descended to the square building on the ind.

    The building appeared to be constructed from a dark blue stone-like material, and apart from arge entrance, it had no other doors or windows. The interior of the building was shrouded in darkness, so dark that it seemed to devour both light and divine perception. It was impossible to discern what was inside.

    Only the intermittent cries emanated from within.

    The ce seemed eerie, and Li Fan had to be on high alert as he advanced.

    Just as he was about to enter, he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

    A small creature, like a little dog, sprinted out from inside the building, heading straight for Li Fan.

    Thinking it was some kind of magical beast attack, Li Fan was about to strike it down. However, when his divine perception scanned it, he realized it was just an ordinary creature.

    Not wanting to harm a pet from the owner of the house he was visiting, Li Fan extended his hand, picked it up by the neck, and set it aside.

    The creature was taken by surprise, whimpering in fear and trembling.

    With a thud, the item it had been carrying in its mouth dropped to the ground.

    Examining the small creature closely, Li Fan couldn''t help but shiver. It resembled a dog but had hands like those of a human. On the belly of the dog''s body, five or six eye-like objects were moving about, blinking and gazing fixedly at Li Fan.

    "What in the world is this?" Suppressing the urge to throw it away, Li Fan ced the creature behind him and proceeded cautiously into the darkness.

    After a moment, when his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Li Fan observed an unexpected scene. Contrary to his imagination of a horrifying and eerie ce, the interior was quite clean. The ground was spotless, with no signs of blood.

    Scattered throughout the area were numerous transparent cages containing various bizarre creatures. They all appeared strange and were lying passively in their cages, disying no signs of aggression.

    It seemed that these cages were only transparent one way, as those inside couldn''t see out.

    Among these odd creatures, there were giant pythons with two heads that were entangled with each other, a creature resembling arge disk covered in squirming, wriggling maggots, and a being that appeared to be a fusion of two different species: a goat-headed turtle.

    What most unsettled Li Fan was a monstrosity with six human heads joined together.

    Two arms grew out of the top of each head, which held another head, and so on, while the lowest head had two tiny hands on the bottom as well. This "Six-Headed Monstrosity" had a vertical body posture, simr to a giant insect, and it crawled within the cage. During its movements, all six heads faced different directions, with nk, pale faces showing no emotions.

    Li Fan hadn''t encountered such a disgusting creature even in his most horrifying nightmares. Suppressing the difort he felt, he took just a brief look and hurriedly walked past it.

    "I must find you, I must find you..."

    Listening carefully, deep within the building, there seemed to be a low, murmured repetition.

    Li Fan followed the voice and arrived at a massive rectangr transparent cage.

    On either side were four small adjoining cages connected to thisrge rectangr one.

    Each small cage contained a mortal with peculiar devices attached to their bodies. It appeared as though something was moving inside them, causing visible protrusions to move rapidly across their bodies.

    With each movement of these protrusions, their flesh and blood rapidly decayed. However, as the protrusions shifted, some slowly regenerated, while others worsened. In an instant, a ck abyss formed, revealing the white bones inside.

    The experiences of these mortals were no less cruel than the most gruesome of executions. They writhed and cried out in agony. Some were left lifeless, reduced to mere piles of flesh and blood, still twitching uncontrobly.

    At the front of therge rectangr transparent cage stood a figure. Li Fan gazed at the individual, whose hair was somewhat disheveled, streaked with ck and white. His clothes were ragged and unkempt as if they hadn''t been changed for many years.

    "I must find you, I must find you..."

    The figure, as if possessed, stared intently at the transparent cage in front, continuously muttering under his breath.

    "Master Yin Yin?"

    The individual had the cultivation of Foundation Establishment, and there was no one else around.

    Li Fan, maintaining some distance, called out.

    However, the figure showed no response, as ifpletely oblivious.

    "Woof, woof, woof!"

    Suddenly, the small dog-like creature that Li Fan was holding began to struggle and roar, seemingly seeking help from its master.

    Awoken by the dog''s barking, the figure, Master Yin Yin, turned abruptly.

    Gazing at Li Fan, he suddenly realized, "Oh, there''s a guest!"

    "Oh, there''s a guest!"

    ...

    Two voices, one after the other, echoed within the figure as if reverberating within, and then they were projected outward.

    Li Fan''s eyelid twitched.

    He released the dog and greeted with a bow, "Greetings, fellow Daoist!"

    Once the small dog touched the ground, it rushed to Yin Yin''s feet, eagerly seeking affection.

    Yin Yin tidied his messy hair and seemed somewhat embarrassed, "I was deeply engrossed in my thoughts and didn''t hear the calls of fellow Daoist. Please forgive me!"

    The two voices, oddly one after another, sounded as Yin Yin addressed Li Fan warmly, "This isn''t a suitable ce for conversation. Please, this way, fellow cultivator."

    Saying so, Yin Yin opened a door beside them, revealing an entrance to another room.

    The small dog barked happily and followed suit.

    Leading the way ahead, Yin Yin suddenly recalled something and turned back to say to Li Fan, "By the way, my name isn''t Yin Yin."

    "My name is Yin."

    "My name is Yin."

    ...

    But two voices, one after another, resounded again, sounding just like Yin Yin.

    "So that''s how it is," Li Fan suddenly realized.

    Perhaps when the Cong Yun Sea cultivators referred to him as Yin Yin, it wasn''t without a hint of mockery.

    "Greetings, fellow Daoist Yin!" Li Fan greeted again.

    Recognizing that his name had been called correctly, Master Yin was extremely pleased.

 Chapter 108: A Single Rib

    Beyond the small door, there were many exhibits.

    Master Yin Yin enthusiastically introduced them to Li Fan, ¡°This is a bone from the Vedic Fish. This species went extinct three thousand five hundred years ago. It took quite an effort to collect this bone. It is said that the Vedic Fish was exceptionally intelligent and could mimic human speech. Eating its flesh allowed people to understand thenguage of fish. Who knows if that¡¯s true.¡±

    They continued to a gigantic serpent that was lifelike, winding and stretching for over a kilometer.

    Master Yin Yin excitedly said, ¡°This is a Cong Yun Sea Serpent. Normally, they hide in the deep sea, burying themselves in the soil. I had to run across arge part of the Cong Yun Sea to catch one this long! Preparing it as a specimen was no small feat.¡±

    Then, Master Yin Yin spoke mysteriously, ¡°Based on my research, these sea serpents are not the true body. They harbor a mysterious parasitic creature inside them, a minuscule parasite that is extremely hard to detect, even by Foundation Establishment stage mental power. However, it¡¯s this tiny parasite that controls the gigantic sea serpent! It¡¯s truly unimaginable!¡±

    ...

    As they moved forward, the wide array of exhibits widened Li Fan¡¯s horizons.

    Both of them stopped in front of two human skeletons ced side by side.

    Master Yin Yin pointed to the two skeletons and asked with a hint of pride, ¡°Fellow Daoist, do you notice anything different about these two human skeletons?¡±

    ¡°Different?¡± Li Fan swept his mental power over them and, at first nce, they seemed like ordinary human remains.

    Both skeletons were of men, only varying in size.

    But to ask if there was any essential difference...

    Li Fan gazed at them for a while, then shook his head, saying, ¡°I apologize, but I cannot see any differences.¡±

    Master Yin Yin chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I bet no other could perceive the differences between these two skeletons within the Cong Yun Sea except for me.¡±

    Pointing at the two skeletons, Master Yin Yin moved closer to Li Fan, speaking in an extremely hushed tone, ¡°These two individuals are not of the same kind of people.¡±

    ¡°Not of the same kind?¡± Li Fan was taken aback. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Master Yin Yin gestured with his hands for a while, brooding, as if he couldn¡¯t find suitable words to describe the situation.

    After a long while of contemtion, Master Yin Yin suddenly clenched his fist, his face filled with confusion, ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling, you know? Clearly, they¡¯re both humans, but these two humans lived in different eras and regions. Perhaps they look almost identical, and both were dug out from the depths of the Cong Yun Sea by me, but there¡¯s a profoundly unique boundary that distinguishes these two sets of remains...¡±

    Master Yin Yin¡¯s words were cryptic, and he couldn¡¯t exin further.

    Nor did he dwell on it, continuing forward.

    They stopped in front of an empty disy stand.

    Master Yin Yin pointed to the vacant stand, his face pale, and his fingers trembling uncontrobly.

    He tried to say something, but his lips moved without uttering a word.

    ¡°My... my treasure !¡± Master Yin Yin eximed in a panic.

    The small dog following behind him whimpered, ears drooping.

    It secretly nced upward and quickly crouched at Master Yin Yin¡¯s feet, trembling.

    Seeing this, Li Fan realized something.

    Therefore, he asked tentatively, ¡°Fellow Daoist Master Yin Yin, when you mention your ¡®treasure,¡¯ you¡¯re not referring to a bone, are you?¡±

    Master Yin Yin was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, ¡°Yes, have you seen it?¡±

    Li Fan looked peculiar, then led Master Yin Yin back to the entrance of the rectangr building.

    Upon their arrival, the little human-dog rammed into Li Fan.

    The object it had in its mouth fell to the ground. At that time, Li Fan nced at it, thinking it was just a toy for the human-dog, so he didn¡¯t bother to pick it up.

    However, he didn¡¯t expect that this bone was actually Master Yin Yin¡¯s treasure.

    Master Yin Yin carefully picked up the bone, wiping away the saliva on it, and looked at it with affection and tenderness, as if he were gazing at a lover in a dream.

    The way he behaved gave Li Fan goosebumps.

    Li Fan cleared his throat, trying to awaken Master Yin Yin from his trance.

    He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Fellow Daoist Master Yin Yin, may I inquire about the origin of this bone that you hold in such high regard?¡±

    Master Yin Yin gripped the bone in his hand, as if he were afraid of losing it again. He gazed at the bone and replied somewhat absentmindedly, ¡°Oh, this, this is an extraordinary treasure. I¡¯m willing to part with all my other collections, but this, it¡¯s even more valuable than my life.¡±

    Li Fan felt a chill as he listened. He became curious and gazed at Master Yin Yin inquiringly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, fellow Daoist,¡± Master Yin Yin began.

    ¡°At first, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma only spread among ordinary humans and had no impact on us cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Later, an immortal cultivator, for no apparent reason, got infected, and it began spreading among us cultivators.¡±

    Li Fan looked at the bone in Master Yin Yin¡¯s hand, ¡°Are you saying...¡±

    ¡°Yes, this rib bone belonged to the unfortunate first cultivator who got infected by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.¡±

    Master Yin Yin smiled foolishly and fondly caressed the rib bone.

    However, he saw that Li Fan remained unexcited. He couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised.

    ¡°How are you so unfazed by such a treasure? Don¡¯t you understand its importance?¡±

    Li Fan shook his head repeatedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity fellow Daoist cannot see its value.¡±

    ¡°The spread of Immortal-Mortal Miasma was one of the greatest events in history. Its effects on our world are only second to the Great Cmity itself.¡±

    ¡°How could a mere gue frommon people infect immortal cultivators?¡±

    ¡°If we could understand the source of this anomaly, maybe we could eliminate the Immortal-Mortal Miasma at its root!¡±

    ¡°By then, I would be a prominent figure who will be remembered throughout the entire world of immortal cultivation!¡±

    Master Yin Yin was momentarily lost in his own fantasies.

    After a while, seeing Li Fan¡¯s continued indifference, he sighed deeply, as ifmenting Li Fan¡¯s ignorance.

    ¡°You might not know that each bone of this Su... Su something. What was his name? Either way, each of his bones is invaluable, with countless cultivatorspeting to obtain them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m extremely lucky to have been able to seize this rib bone.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the most treasure one is hisplete skull, stored in the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.¡±

    Master Yin Yin indulged in his fantasies, and his mouth nearly watered.

    Li Fan couldn¡¯t understand this strange fascination and could only shake his head repeatedly.

    At this moment, Master Yin Yin suddenly reacted, ¡°Wait. I still don¡¯t know the purpose of your sudden visit. What brings you here?¡±

 Chapter 109: All Transform Into Heavenly Treasures

    After returning to the depths of the building and finding a ce to sit, Li Fan exined his purpose to Master Yin.

    "Oh? You want to know how to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?" Master Yin suddenly became excited, and he began to exin energetically. "You''ve asked the right person! I dare say, no one understands Foundation Establishment better than I do!"

    "Please, tell me more," Li Fan replied with a smile, not disputing Master Yin''s im.

    At that moment, the human-hand dog walked over on its hind legs, carrying two cups, which it ced on the table. The cups contained a dark, viscous liquid, and it was unknown what was inside.

    The human-hand dog then crouched down, continuously circling around Master Yin to seek praise.

    "Please, have some tea!" Master Yin said to Li Fan while taking a sip. "This is a valuable brew, cultivated from a spiritual bacterial colony. When consumed, it multiples rapidly and enters symbiosis with the body, which can elerate the cirction of spiritual energy in your body and enhance the power of your spiritual energy. It has many benefits."

    Li Fan scanned the cup with his divine sense and saw countless tiny microorganisms inside, each with unique appearances.

    He chose not to drink it and remained still.

    Seeing Li Fan''s reluctance to drink, Master Yin felt somewhat disappointed.

    Without insisting, he continued the conversation, asking, "Do you know exactly what establishing the foundation means?"

    Li Fan replied, "The so-called Foundation Establishment stage is exactly what the name implies. After a Qi Condensation cultivator reaches perfection, they need to establish their own foundation to continue their cultivation. Otherwise, even if their cultivation continues to increase, it''s like building a hundred-foot tall building on top of sand. A gentle shake, and it will copse."

    When discussing academic matters, Master Yin appeared quite serious. He nodded and said, "That''s right. Before the Great Cmity, there were some Qi Condensation cultivators who took a different path and chose not to establish their foundations. They focused solely on refining their Qi."

    "They imed that there was no limit to refining Qi, and that this path could eventually reach Dao Integration. However, they couldn''t progress beyond the ny-ninthyer of Qi Condensation. In the end, a Golden Core cultivator couldn''t stand the sight and casually killed them."

    "Perhaps their path was indeed feasible, but Qi Condensation cultivators have weak bodies and can''t withstand such powerful forces. Second, even with moreyers of Qi Condensation, it only results in physical strength. When ites to fighting against Foundation Establishment or even higher level cultivators, they face many disadvantages."

    Master Yin took a sip of tea and continued, "Ancient cultivators followed the principle of learning from nature, observing thews and rules of the heavens and the earth andprehending the principles of the Heavenly Dao."

    "Then, bybining their personal insights and self-pondering, they formed the foundation of their future cultivation by making crude imitations."

    "However, everyone''s aptitude varies, and theirprehension abilities differ. The speed andpatibility with which they establish their foundations also vary greatly."

    "Some individuals can experience a moment of enlightenment and immediately establish their foundations. But for the vast majority, it takes decades or even centuries of white hair and deep learning with no progress."

    "Cultivation is undoubtedly difficult to achieve."

    Master Yin sighed suddenly. "But that was the past."

    "If we liken the rules of heaven and earth to a towering tree, then in the past, we cultivators were like tiny fairies residing among its branches, observing and learning from the leaves."

    "It was too slow and too difficult."

    "So, after the Immortal Ancestor passed down his teachings, we cultivators turned into greedy ants. We no longer cared about observing, learning, or emting. We directly nibbled at the tree''s branches and leaves, turning them into our sustenance."

    "By doing so, our cultivation speed increased by countless times. Heavenly Treasures are like the branches and leaves of this great tree."

    "Each Heavenly Treasure is the aggregation of thews of heaven and earth in a particr aspect. Cultivators use these miraculous items as their Foundation Treasure and can bypass the process of selfprehension, immediately forming their own foundation."

    Li Fan nodded and said, "I remember ''Treatise on Heavenly Treasures'' mentioning something simr."

    "''Treatise on Heavenly Treasures''..." Master Yin sneered with a touch of disdain.

    He continued, "If we are to say that Foundation Treasures are used to bypass the process ofprehending the heavens and the earth..."

    "Then let me ask you this. Nowadays, there are cultivators with exceptional talents who don''t need Foundation Treasures toprehend thesews. Their profound understanding of the heavens and the earth would allow them to directly establish their foundation during ancient times. Can they still do it now?" Master Yin looked intently at Li Fan.

    "Of course not. Establishing a foundation requires Foundation Treasures..." Li Fan began to speak but suddenly fell silent, as if he had remembered something.

    "That''s right. The way of cultivation has beenpletely changed," Master Yin said coldly. "In the past, cultivatorsprehended thews of the heavens and the earth, following the natural order."

    "But after the Immortal Ancestor passed down his teachings, this natural order was reversed. Cultivators now have to go against the heavens, plundering the heavens and earth..."

    Li Fan whispered, "Plunder the heavens and earth..."

    "In order to attain immortality!" Master Yin continued.

    "I don''t know how cultivators attained immortality before the Great Cmity."

    "But ever since the method of cultivation was changed, the only path to immortality is by going against the order of heaven and earth."

    "The original founder of this teaching, the Immortal Ancestor, was the first to propose the theory and also the first to practice it."

    "He defied all conventional principles of cultivation and attained immortality. From that moment on, he shared the same lifespan as the heavens and the earth, living freely."

    "Since then, all cultivators have no choice but to follow his ''methods'' in their cultivation. How overbearing!"

    Master Yin''s tone was intense, clearly dissatisfied with this Immortal Ancestor who passed down the new way of cultivation.

    "Going your own path and then making all living beings follow that same path. How incredible." Li Fan mused, deeply moved.

    He thought of the giant statue of an elderly man wearing a tall crown on the ind of the Ten Thousand Immortals.

    Majestic and overlooking all living beings.

    "Could it be that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was founded by the Immortal Ancestor? But if this Immortal Ancestor is still alive, how could he have allowed the Crimson me to destroy the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind a few yearster?" Li Fan was filled with doubt.

    Master Yin didn''t pay attention to Li Fan and continued, "The key issue now is that since Foundation Establishment requires Foundation Treasures..."

    "Then what are the Heavenly Treasures, exactly?"

    "You''ve read ''Treatise on Heavenly Treasures.'' You know that when cultivators fall, they are transformed by the heavens and the earth into Heavenly Treasures."

    "Doesn''t that mean that when cultivators are alive, they can also be seen as Heavenly Treasures that haven''t been fully transformed yet?"

    Master Yin spoke faster and faster, as if he wanted to share all the years of research that no one had paid attention to.

    "The heavens and the earth are like a crucible, and the finished product is the formed Heavenly Treasures. But everything in the heavens and the earth can be seen as unformed Heavenly Treasures!"

    "Heavenly Treasures are aggregations of rules, and aren''t humans the same? The human body is so intricate, containing endless mysteries. Why can''t it be seen as a Heavenly Treasure?"

    "Do you also know that some cultivators will refine ordinary people with extraordinary abilities into Heavenly Treasures to use them as their Foundation? In this way, the abilities of those ordinary people be their own."

    "I am also a human, so am I a Heavenly Treasure?"

    Seeing Master Yin''s increasingly absurd statements, Li Fan couldn''t help but ask, "Is this your spection, or..."

    Master Yin grinned and said, "It used to be a spection, but now..."

    "I''ve confirmed it."

    With that, his entire body split along the center line, and another face of Master Yin emerged from within.

    "Ten years ago, I used myself as a Heavenly Treasure to establish my foundation!"

    Both faces, inside and outside, spoke in unison.

 Chapter 110: Building the Foundation with Myself

    No wonder Master Yin had two voices when he spoke, one normally and another echoing. It turned out that he had another "him" inside his body!

    This eerie scene left Li Fan astonished. Fortunately, Master Yin seemed to realize that his original appearance was somewhat terrifying. After only disying it briefly, he closed his body again and returned to his original form.

    He continued, "I used myself as an experiment to confirm my hypothesis. Anything existing in the world can be seen as unformed ''Heavenly Treasures.''"

    "I call this process ''Heavenly Transformation''."

    "However, if you want to establish your Foundation with unformed ''Heavenly Treasures,'' you need toplete the upleted ''Heavenly Transformation'' process yourself."

    "This is extremely difficult. Once you fail, it might lead to instant death. Even if you barely survive, your body will undergo various bizarre changes."

    "Just like my current appearance." Master Yin grinned.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but ask, "Didn''t you say you sessfully built your foundation?"

    "I did seed, but notpletely. I still didn''t fully understand myself, which caused me to fail at the final moment of establishing the foundation," Master Yin regretfully replied.

    "If I had a few more chances... No, just one more chance would suffice. I''m certain I could achieve a perfect ''Self Foundation''."

    "Self Foundation?" Li Fan''s curiosity was piqued. "What if you seeded in establishing the foundation with yourself?"

    Master Yin''s eyes lit up, "That''s equivalent to harnessing the power of the heaven and earth''s furnace to reshape your body. And this body would be the most perfect constitution one could imagine."

    "The most suitable Heavenly Treasure is the best Foundation Treasure. Nowadays, when cultivators establish their foundations, they often need to find Heavenly Treasures that arepatible with themselves to maximize the objects'' power."

    "But, no matter the level of Heavenly Treasures, not even the legendary ''Celestial Treasure,'' they all pale inparison to ''Self Foundation.''"

    "Think about it. What''s better suited to you than yourself?"

    "Your foundation perfectly aligns with yourself, and all cultivation and techniques be second nature."

    Seeing Master Yin getting more and more excited, Li Fan couldn''t help but interrupt. "Are these just your spections?"

    Master Yin hesitated, then shook his head, "Although I onlypleted half of the ''Self Foundation'' process, I can clearly feel that I''ve improved in various aspectspared to before. This includes my aptitude in cultivation, understanding of techniques, affinity with spiritual energy, and even the agility of my thoughts."

    "It''s beyondparison to before!"

    Li Fan wanted to know more and asked, "So, how high is the sess rate for ''Self Foundation''?"

    Master Yin exined, "I almost seeded in one attempt, so the sess rate must be quite high. You must believe me, my friend! I''ve dissected hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators'' bodies, researching for decades toe to this conclusion. It can''t be wrong."

    Li Fan replied, "Yes, I''ll definitely give it a try... wait, you mentioned that you''ve dissected hundreds of foundation cultivators'' bodies?"

    Master Yin thought for a moment, but then his gaze turned nk. "From where did I obtain so many bodies? This is strange; I can''t seem to recall."

    Li Fan had an idea and quickly said, "It''s not important. If you can''t remember, just let it be."

    Master Yin nodded in agreement. "You''re right."

    "Thank you for clearing up my doubts. Now that my doubts are gone, I won''t bother you any longer."

    Just now, when Li Fan heard Master Yin say that "everything in the world can be seen as unformed ''Heavenly Treasures,''" he had a sudden realization, and the bottleneck that had been guing him disappeared.

    "As long as I have the Heavenly Treasures from heaven and earth in hand, I can immediately start establishing the foundation."

    Now that his purpose had been achieved, Li Fan had no desire to linger in this ce any longer.

    Even though Master Yin might not necessarily have any ill intentions, the atmosphere in this ce was ufortable.

    So, Li Fan chose to take his leave without hesitation.

    Master Yin tried to persuade him to stay, but Li Fan declined.

    "Fellow Daoist, remember to give my ''Self Foundation'' method a try!" Before parting, Master Yin earnestly requested.

    Li Fan agreed multiple times, then took flight and left.

    For a long time, as he watched Li Fan''s departing figure, Master Yin muttered, "You must try it; I really wasn''t lying."

    After a while, he fell into silence once again.

    He turned and returned to the enormous rectangr transparent cage.

    All the ordinary people in the four corners had turned into a puddle of flesh and blood, with none of them surviving.

    "What a pity, not a single one made it through," he said with a hint of regret.

    "There aren''t many test subjects left. It looks like I''ll have to go out again."

    In the four cages, the people who had turned into blood and flesh were removed with a creaking sound.

    A new batch of test subjects appeared in the cages.

    The agonizing wails began once more.

    Master Yin was already ustomed to this, his face showing no sign of strangeness.

    He stared intently at the rectangr transparent cage, holding the white rib in his hand tightly.

    In a tone that almost sounded pathological, he whispered, "Rest assured, I will avenge you. I will find the person who created the Immortal-Mortal Miasma and avenge you..."

    ...

    "I must find you, I must find you..."

    Master Yin''s murmurs echoed once more in this eerie building.

    ...

    Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Back in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan began searching for "Self Foundation."

    It was not considered a well-kept secret at all.

    All cultivators treated it as a joke and never believed it.

    Because anyone who believed in this would end up dead when trying to establish their foundation.

    "Self Foundation..." Li Fan naturally wouldn''t fully believe the words of Master Yin. But at least there was one statement that seemed reasonable: "Everything in the world can be seen as unformed Heavenly Treasures."

    Li Fan believed that this statement should have no issues.

    Then naturally, he had to question the nature of his reincarnations.

    Is [Truth] truly a Heavenly Treasure from heaven and earth?

    Could he use [Truth] to establish his foundation?

 Chapter 112: Blue Wind

    TL Note: Chapter 111 was a short author note about them publishing officially and thanking their readers, which is why it was skipped.

    *****

    What exactly is [Truth]? Since awakening to [Truth], this question has been deeply buried in Li Fan''s heart.

    Was it an ability that awakened within himself as he traversed into this world, or was it a rare treasure hidden within his body?

    At certain moments, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel a sense of fear. What if, one day, he suddenly lost [Truth]? Or in a moment that required turning reality into an illusion, what if [Truth] malfunctioned?

    When he first read "Treatise on Heavenly Treasures," Li Fan had also doubted whether [Truth] was a type of Heavenly Treasure from heaven and earth. Could he use it to build his foundation?

    Now, after hearing Master Yin''s words, Li Fan was somewhat convinced that he could indeed use [Truth] to build his foundation.

    However...

    Not now.

    As his final trump card, Li Fan couldn''t rashly attempt it without a certain degree of certainty.

    If building the foundation using [Truth] was considered a problem to solve, Li Fan currently didn''t even have the qualification to participate in the discussion. After all, he hadn''t fully grasped what building the foundation entailed.

    Thankfully, in this era, most problems could be solved with money.

    Fan Lin started searching for knowledge rted to building the foundation.

    "The Fundamentals of Foundation Establishment," "Heaven, Earth, and Humanity," and "Records of a Hundred Individual Foundations"... one by one, relevant works were exchanged and read.

    Li Fan gradually gained a general understanding of foundation establishment.

    Use the "Devouring Technique" to ingest Heavenly Treasure into the dantian.

    The Roots of Heaven and Earth would take root there.

    Using Heavenly Treasures as the soil and nurturing them, absorbing the containedws, and eventually cultivating the fruit called the Foundation Treasure.

    Heavenly Treasures were divided into three categories: Celestial Treasures, Earthly Treasures, and Human Treasures.

    Among them, building the foundation with Human Treasures was the easiest. Human Treasures were usually the remnants of fallen cultivators and contained the cultivators'' understandings of thews from their lifetime. In the process of building the foundation, it was akin to having a constant teacher guiding and instructing.

    On the other hand, Earthly and Celestial Treasures were closer to thews of the great Dao. With no reference from other cultivators, it took more time and effort toprehend the various rules within the Heavenly Treasures and convert them into one''s own Foundation Treasure.

    However, the advantage of using Heavenly Treasures to build the foundation was that it could not fail. It was simr to when one condensed the Roots of Heaven and Earth during a breakthrough in the Qi-refining stage, forcefully extracting spiritual energy. This method of building the foundation emphasized "stability."

    "If I were topare pre-ancient cmity foundation establishment to a closed-book exam, then today''s foundation establishment would be an open-book exam. The answers are right in front of you, and the difference lies in how quickly and urately you can copy them," Li Fan contemted silently.

    "The rarer the Heavenly Treasure, the higher the difficulty of the ''exam.'' When the difficulty is so high that you can''t even understand what the question is asking, let alone answer it, you have a problem."

    "In that case, even if I want to use [Truth] to build the foundation in the short term, it''s practically impossible."

    "But, if I gradually improve my understanding of thews during sessive foundation establishment attempts and then try it again, there might be a chance."

    "As for ''Self Foundation''..."

    "Ten years in the past, I can let Master Yin try it for himself first."

    Li Fan made a n for his future cultivation.

    Currently, his avatar was still present, but the remains of the deceased cultivators from the Tian Yang Cave had yet to be used.

    His avatar, Fan Lin, continued to explore the secrets within the Tianxuan Mirror. He also exchanged and read some foundation establishment techniques, umting knowledge for the future integration of several techniques.

    As for his main body, Li Fan intended to wait until the Canghai Pearl appeared to use it for foundation establishment.

    In his previous life, he had turned into the Canghai Sea andprehended thews of heaven and earth through the consciousness of the Cong Yun Sea. He had an extraordinary affinity with the Canghai Pearl.

    Using it for foundation establishment would certainly yield great results.

    Now, about thirteen years had already passed, and there were only about seven or eight years left until the appearance of the Canghai Pearl. He could afford to wait.

    Furthermore, during this time, he could work on understanding the way of foundation establishment.

    He activated the Formless Killing Intent and the Vision of Heaven and Earth.

    The images in his mind gradually became clearer.

    In the midst of a raging storm, Zhang Haobo floated like a kite with a broken string, soaring with the wind. He didn''t care about the turbulent waves or the raindrops pelting him, letting them strike him freely.

    Li Fan observed Zhang Haobo and noted, "It''s been almost three months since Ist saw him, and now he''s in theter stages of Qi Condensation..."

    "His eyes are tightly closed, no signs of breathing, and his spiritual energy has fallen silent."

    "What is heprehending?"

    Li Fan also watched the storm raging around them. Perhaps it was an illusion, but in the dim and gloomy sky, a streak of blue light shed briefly.

    "What was that..."

    When Li Fan looked again, he couldn''t see it anymore.

    The brief glimpse of that astonishing sight seemed like a mere illusion.

    "Blue..."

    With the power of Vision of Heaven and Earth, Li Fan didn''t believe he was mistaken.

    He suddenly recalled the continuous wind disasters that had raged through the Cong Yun Sea for years. He had previously searched for information about the wind disasters in the Tianxuan Mirror, but it appeared that these wind disasters had little to no impact on cultivators. There were no records of them.

    Now, he understood that this was likely manipted.

    Li Fan recalled that in his previous life, shortly before he arrived at Cong Yun Sea, a massive wind disaster had urred. Over a hundred inds were destroyed. Over the following years, the scale and frequency of the wind disasters gradually diminished until the advent of the Crimson me.

    "There might be some hidden secrets in this. It''s just not the right time to investigate..." Li Fan noted it in his mind.

    He shifted his attention back to Zhang Haobo, who was still in the midst of enlightenment.

    Li Fan couldn''t discern anything, and the torrential storm seemed endless, with no sign of stopping.

    So, he had to keep a fraction of his attention on Zhang Haobo''s situation.

    Most of his attention returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    "It''s obviously not effective to focus on a single person. I need to cast a wider. I haven''t tried it yet, and the Formless Killing Intent can at most lock onto a few individuals."

    "Hmm, I should find some cultivators who are about to build their foundations to conduct experiments."

    When it came to gathering information, Li Fan thought of Jiao Xiuyuan. Although he was greedy and fearful, his information was usually reliable. Li Fan had been a regr customer of his for some time.

    Hiding his presence and taking a familiar route, Li Fan arrived outside Thousand Mile Hall.

    Before he could enter, he heard Jiao Xiuyuan''s voice from a distance, "I''ve obtained all your stuff, so when are youing to pick them up? I''ve reminded you several times, haven''t I?"

    "Don''t give me those ridiculous excuses that you can''te. I think you just don''t want them!"

    "Hello? Hello!"

    "Damn it!"

    When Li Fan entered the room, he saw Jiao Xiuyuan''s frustrated expression as he mmed a small cauldron onto the table.

 Chapter 113: The Medicine King Sect from Ancient Times

    "Fellow Daoist Jiao, have you taken on another losing business?" Li Fan teased.

    Upon seeing a guest, Jiao Xiuyuan immediately changed his angry expression to a smile. However, when he heard Li Fan''s taunt, his face darkened.

    He replied sheepishly, "Fellow Daoist, you''re mistaken. Jiao never engages in losing deals."

    Then, he muttered through gritted teeth, "This brat dared to y me. He thinks I''m an easy target..."

    Li Fan seemed to have heard Jiao Xiuyuan say this more than once, so he just smiled without saying anything.

    Li Fan looked at the small cauldron on the table and asked, "Fellow Daoist Jiao, what is this small cauldron?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s eyes lit up, and he immediately gave an enthusiastic introduction, "This small cauldron is quite extraordinary. I obtained it with great difficulty from the remnants of a ruined sect."

    Li Fan became interested and asked, "Oh? What is the use of this small cauldron? Objects that have survived from ancient times are usually not ordinary."

    "Do you know the famous Medicine King Sect?" Jiao Xiuyuan asked mysteriously.

    "I''ve never heard of it," Li Fan shook his head.

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s smile froze for a moment, but he was a professional and quickly provided an exnation to Li Fan.

    "The Medicine King Sect was one of the renowned sects from ancient times, known for their expertise in alchemy and herbal cultivation."

    "It is said that after the Immortal Ancestor passed down his teachings but before the impending Great Cmity, the Medicine King Sect''s patriarch, Liu Ruchen, had a premonition that a great change wasing to the world."

    "As a result, Liu Ruchen led the entire Medicine King Sect, using his own Medicine King Cauldron as their vessel, to break through the void and leave this world."

    Li Fan heard this story for the first time and inquired, "Break through the void? Where did they go?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan shrugged and said, "It''s a story from thousands of years ago. Who can really know for sure? They might have gone to the peripheral independent worlds, or they might have reached an entirely new world. In any case, that''s not the key."

    "The key is this cauldron!"

    Li Fan nodded slightly, while his secondary self, Fan Lin, began searching for the keyword "world."

    Relevant information quickly appeared, indicating that long ago, cultivators had already established their basic worldview. The current world of cultivation was not the only existing world. Apart from this world, there were many other attached small worlds and miniature independent realms.

    Beyond the boundless void, there were other worlds simr to our own.

    Before the Great Cmity, the ancient and prosperous world of cultivation had extensivemunication and interaction with these other worlds. Cultivators of that era referred to themselves as "Xuanhuang Realm Cultivators."

    ...

    Li Fan paused for a moment.

    "Xuanhuang..."

    His thoughts swirled as he continued reading.

    However, for some reason, this connection andmunication abruptly ceased at some point. There were cultivators who tried to traverse the void and explore other worlds they had previouslymunicated with, but none of them ever returned.

    Later, the Great Cmity arrived, bringing unprecedented changes. The Xuanhuang Realm seemed to "self-iste."

    Attempting to break through the void and leave this world became exponentially more challenging.

    It wasn''t until hundreds of years had passed after the end of the ughter and a new order was established that some new cultivators attempted to reestablish contact with other worlds.

    However, over these years, they had found nothing.

    Nevertheless, it appeared that research in this area had always been ongoing and had not been abandoned.

    ...

    "I see, the Xuanhuang Realm," Li Fan mused.

    "Could it be that the Cleansing Heart Mantra [1] was passed down from ancient times? But back then, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had not appeared, so the timeline doesn''t seem to match," Li Fan pondered.

    There were no clear written records of what exactly happened during ancient times, even within the Tianxuan Mirror. What was certain was that many cultivators from that era were still alive today, such as the white-haired elder Li Fan had encountered. However, they all seemed to maintain a unanimous silence on this matter, enveloping that period of history in mystery and ambiguity.

    Current cultivators could only rely on hearsay and rumors to gain some insight into the events of ancient times, as initially exined by Kou Hong. ording to this narrative, the Great Cmity had urred, and it was followed by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.

    However,ter, Li Fan found the tomb of Yi Xing, an outer disciple of the Tai Yan Sect. ording to the descriptions on the tomb''s murals, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had already spread during the time of the Tai Yan Sect, so it seemed to contradict Kou Hong''s ount.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, had more faith in the archaeological evidence he''d gathered. ording to Kou Hong''s exnation, there seemed to have been some time between the prohibition of cultivators practicing the same technique and theplete outbreak of carnage.

    Perhaps this period was longer than he had initially thought. In his view, the cultivators at the time had surely realized the consequences of cultivation techniques not being able to be practiced together and had taken various measures to save themselves.

    The copse of order wasn''t an instantaneous event. The ancient world of cultivation might have been more resilient than he had imagined. Moreover, the time scale of cultivators,pared to ordinary people, was muchrger.

    During ancient times, cultivators had long lifespans. For them, ten or twenty years might have been nothing more than a single period of seclusion.

    Real fear, despair, and bloodshed might have erupted only when their cultivation reached a point where they could no longer advance, and their lifespans were running out.

    In the beginning, some semnce of order might have been maintained, but as the Immortal-Mortal Miasma broke out...

    Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

    Of course, these were just spections based on various known clues. The truth might still have some hidden aspects, but overall, it probably didn''t differ too much from Li Fan''s conjecture.

    ...

    While Li Fan was lost in thought, Jiao Xiuyuan noticed that he hadn''t received a response after exining all that.

    So, he held up the small cauldron in front of Li Fan''s eyes.

    "Fellow Daoist, what do you think? Do you want this Medicine King Cauldron?"

    Li Fan immediately snapped out of his reverie, his expression unchanged. "What exactly is the use of this small cauldron, fellow Daoist Jiao? Please exin it again. I was thinking about something else just now."

    Jiao Xiuyuan, somewhat helpless, repeated his introduction. "This small Medicine King Cauldron was used by the disciples of the Medicine King Sect to cultivate various spirit nts and herbs."

    "It contains its own space, which continuously generates wood-attribute spiritual energy, elerating the growth of herbs."

    Li Fan frowned upon hearing this. "With such a treasure, why didn''t that person want it just now?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan gave an awkward smile and didn''t lie. He truthfully exined, "Fellow Daoist, you might not know, but they have already put the first batch of spiritual nts and herbs cultivated in the newly discovered wood-attribute spiritual energy subworld of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance on the market."

    "The quantity is enormous, so..."

    Jiao Xiuyuan shrugged helplessly.

    "The prices have plummeted."

    *****

    [1] TL Note: I believe the Cleansing Heart Mantra includes the pinyin for Xuanhuang in its Chinese name, which is why Li Fan makes this connection. I''m not entirely sure though - if anybody here speaks Chinese, here''s the name: Ðþ»ÆÇåÐÄÖä.

 Chapter 114: Rain and Wind Enlightenment

    "With therge-scale, bulk supply of these spirit nts and herbs, the market prices for them have been dropping continuously. There are even rumors that there are two more simr-sized spirit energy subworlds near that wood-element spirit energy subworld," Jiao Xiuyuan shook his head, sighing.

    "Just think about it. After working hard to cultivate these spirit nts and herbs for more than half a year, you excitedly harvest them, thinking they''ll sell at a good price. But when you get to the market, you find they''ve all dropped to dirt cheap prices, and you can''t even recover your production costs."

    "Who can endure this situation?"

    "In times like these, who is willing to grow their own? It''s better to buy in the market!"

    Li Fan nodded, saying, "I see now. So, this little Medicine King Cauldron is useless to me."

    "Don''t buy, don''t buy!" Li Fan replied impatiently.

    Jiao Xiuyuan continued to persuade, "Please reconsider, friend. While it''s true that the prices for spirit nts and herbs have dropped now, what about the future? Will they go up again? No one knows for sure!"

    "Treasures like the little Medicine King Cauldron are rare toe by! You''d regret it if you miss it!"

    "Even if you don''t cultivate herbs, you can grow some flowers and nts as decoration!"

    Jiao Xiuyuan made full use of his eloquence to convince him.

    "Well, since you put it that way." Li Fan seemed to be swaying.

    Jiao Xiuyuan continued to push, "I see, my friend, you must be a long-time customer of Thousand Mile Hall. Today, I''ll sell this to you at a big loss. Buy one, get one free!"

    Saying that, he took out another small cauldron, and with a thud, ced it on the table.

    Li Fan looked at the nearly identical two cauldrons, raising an eyebrow in doubt. "Fellow Daoist, are you trying to deceive me? Is this little Medicine King Cauldron truly something you excavated from the Medicine King Sect''s ruins?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan was anxious. He did not lie; he exined, "This is guaranteed authentic! Our Thousand Mile Hall''s business spans across the world of cultivation, and we would never tarnish our reputation."

    "Look, there''s still dirt on it!"

    Jiao Xiuyuan patted both cauldrons, making bits of soil fall off.

    "500 contribution points, buy one, get one free! Fellow Daoist, you''re absolutely not losing out in this deal!"

    Seeing Jiao Xiuyuan''s heartfelt guarantee, Li Fan contemted for a moment and then shook his head, saying, "Never mind, I don''t have many contribution points with me to begin with. I have other matters to attend to this time, and I don''t have spare money to buy this little Medicine King Cauldron."

    Jiao Xiuyuan continued to persuade, "Don''t hurry. Think about it again. Even though the prices of spirit nts and herbs have dropped now, who knows if they''ll rise again in the future? This little Medicine King Cauldron is a treasure. Once it''s gone, you won''t find another one!"

    Seeing Jiao Xiuyuan patting his chest in assurance, Li Fan pondered for a moment, but still shook his head, "Forget it, I don''t have many contribution points on me in the first ce. This time, I have other things to do. There''s no money left over to buy this little Medicine King Cauldron!"

    "Don''t, tell me what''s going on! I''ll help you out. At least you are my old customer, don''t you think so?" Seeing that Li Fan had changed his attention, Jiao Xiuyuan was anxious again.

    Only then did Li Fan exin his intentions.

    "If you''re looking for a ce with a high concentration of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, then if you buy these two little Medicine King Cauldrons, I''ll give you the information as a free gift!"

    "Alright, since you put it that way." Li Fan had no choice and immediately took out five high-grade spirit stones he had prepared earlier and handed them over.

    "Good decision!" Jiao Xiuyuan seemed afraid that Li Fan would regret it and quickly took the spirit stones. He then took out a nk jade slip, holding it in his hand. After a while, he handed the jade slip and the two cauldrons to Li Fan.

    Li Fan stored the little Medicine King Cauldrons and looked through the contents of the jade slip.

    "Foundation Establishment Grandmaster? Sounds interesting." With his goal achieved, Li Fan prepared to head directly to the location of his target.

    As for the two little Medicine King Cauldrons, they were bought on a whim. Jiao Xiuyuan''s rationale was logical, and who knew if they woulde in handyter?

    After taking a few steps, Li Fan suddenly remembered something. He turned around and looked at Jiao Xiuyuan thoughtfully. Afterward, he left quietly.

    Jiao Xiuyuan didn''t pay much attention to Li Fan''s actions and mumbled to himself, "I worked hard to dig up thirty-six cauldrons, spending so much effort, and I only sold ten. Damn, I''m so unlucky..."

    ...

    Southeastern waters of the Cong Yun Sea.

    This sea area was quite spacious. Except for a nameless small ind in the center, there were no other inds within a radius of thousands of miles. The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster Jiao Xiuyuan mentioned was on this ind.

    Although this individual only had a Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, they were said to have a deep understanding of the Foundation Establishment process and could help reduce the time required for cultivation.

    Many cultivators came to seek their advice with the intention of trying it out. However, cultivators had their pride and usually didn''t admit that they had relied on someone else''s help for their Foundation Establishment sess. So, it was rare for others to mention it.

    The reputation of this Foundation Establishment Grandmaster was only spread within a specific circle of people.

    As Li Fan was rushing towards the ind where the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster was located, he received feedback from the strand of spiritual sense he had left with Zhang Haobo.

    Li Fan''s spiritual sense moved, and his attention returned to Zhang Haobo. At this moment, the storm was gradually dispersing, and the sky had cleared up.

    "Wind..." Zhang Haobo opened his eyes and muttered softly, his eyes seeming to gather a storm.

    A gentle breeze swept by.

    "Rain..." Zhang Haobo spoke softly again, and the drizzling raindrops began to fall from the sky.

    "Wind and rainbined..." Zhang Haobo''s eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice.

    A cool breeze blew, and the rain intensified gradually.

    Raindrops fell from the sky like a string of pearls breaking free.

    Rain fell as the wind rose.

    The sound of the wind grew louder and stronger. It pushed the rain to be heavier.

    Gradually, clouds from all directions were drawn towards the west, as if they were going to condense into thick dark clouds.

    Bringing another sudden downpour.

    Fierce winds stirred up raging waves that continuously surged, showing signs of growing intensity.

    Rain rode on the wind, and the wind amplified the rain''s power.

    In this cycle, they continually reinforced each other, as if it would never end.

    It seemed that a new storm was about to form in the sky.

    But suddenly, the clouds dissipated.

    The wind ceased abruptly.

    The strange phenomenon vanished without a trace.

    Zhang Haoboughed loudly, and then he slumped back as if losing his strength.

    He fell from the sky into the sea, creatingrge sshes of water.

    He sank into the depths of the sea, his presence entirely disappearing.

    ...

    "Wind and rainbined..." Watching and listening to everything through Vision of Heaven and Earth, Li Fan couldn''t help but admire.

    Even though this magical technique couldn''t be fully disyed due to Zhang Haobo''s exhaustion, Li Fan could glimpse the formidable power it would have when perfected.

    "I hope you can bring me more surprises in the future."

    Returning his focus to his main body, Li Fan continued on his way to the destination.

    Three dayster.

    The ind where the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster was located was now clearly visible.

    There appeared to be only one courtyard-like structure on the ind.

    Li Fan reduced his flight speed and slowly descended in front of the small courtyard.

    The main gate was wide open, and a listless young man was leaning against it.

    He nced at Li Fan andzily said, "When the Grandmaster makes a move, he guarantees that you''ll achieve Foundation Establishment, with no deception."

    "You need to bring your own Heavenly Treasures."

    "The price is 2,000 contribution points or the equivalent in spiritual stones."

 Chapter 115: Foundation Establishment Grandmaster

    "I am Li Fan. May I know your name?" Li Fan asked politely.

    The young man suddenly perked up when he heard this. "What a coincidence, fellow n member. I''m Li Chenfeng."

    "By the way, there''s an entrance fee of 1800 contribution points when you enter," Li Chenfeng whispered.

    "Thank you, Brother Li! However, I haven''t found the right Heavenly Treasure yet. I came here just to see the style of the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster and make ns," Li Fan exined.

    "Oh, that''s fine. There are many people like you every year. The master won''t mind if you just observe," Li Chenfeng replied nonchntly. "Just make sure to stay quiet and not disturb."

    Li Fan nodded and walked along the path into the courtyard. From a distance, he heard a voice saying, "Calm your mind and concentrate diligently..."

    "Do you know why I chose this remote location for our academy? It''s because for thousands of miles in all directions, only seawater exists here."

    "The Great Dao''sws are rtively pure here. If you were to break through on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, you would inevitably be subject to various disturbances, affecting the speed of your foundation building."

    ...

    Li Fan approached the courtyard and saw five Qi Condensation cultivators sitting cross-legged on the open ground. They exuded a mysterious aura, as if they were about to break through and sessfully build their foundations.

    Li Fan''s heart moved, and he immediately started using the Formless Killing Intent to lock onto his targets. One, two, three...

    By the time he reached the fourth one, Li Fan was already feeling somewhat strained. "Including Zhang Haobo, the current limit seems to be five people," he calcted in his mind.

    "Under my guidance, two hundred and sixty-five cultivators have sessfully built their foundations. Most of them took less time than expected. You all..."

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster, who looked dignified, was in the middle of sharing his experience. However, he suddenly stopped.

    He looked up with a hint of confusion, gazing at the sky for a while but couldn''t sense anything unusual.

    So, he mumbled a few words and continued, "With my guidance, the time needed for foundation building can be greatly reduced!"

    ...

    "This Foundation Establishment Grandmaster is really extraordinary. He could vaguely sense my Formless Killing Intent?" Li Fan''s heart shivered. "If his cultivation were slightly higher, he might have been able to trace me through the technique."

    "One must not underestimate the people of the world. It seems that when I use the Formless Killing Intent in the future, I''ll need to be more cautious."

    ...

    Just when Li Fan was silently shivering, someone in the group seemed to have suddenly had an epiphany, perhaps as a result of the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster''s words. His aura instantly surged from the Qi Condensation stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.

    After stabilizing his aura, he opened his eyes, showing a delighted expression. He bowed to the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. I, Xiao, am deeply grateful."

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster patted his shoulder and smiled reassuringly. Then, the man named Xiao took off.

    The remaining people in the courtyard all had a revived look, and their confidence was rekindled.

    "The first Foundation Establishment cultivator has appeared, ten days ahead of our initial estimate. Who will be the next one?" the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster reminded them.

    As Li Fan watched this scene from the sidelines, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of amusement...

    The man named Xiao, who had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, was precisely one of the four individuals locked onto by his Formless Killing Intent.

    Although it seemed like he had indeed achieved a Foundation Establishment breakthrough, under the watchful eye of Li Fan''s Vision of Heaven and Earth, he could clearly see that there were no traces ofws condensing on the man''s body. He had simply expanded his aura to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, but his actual cultivation was still at the Qi Condensation stage.

    Indeed, it was just a simple illusionary technique like the Concealing Form Talisman. Furthermore, this person didn''t actually leave the area. They merely made a round trip while secretly returning.

    Their clothing and appearance changed in an instant, turning into a different person. This so-called Foundation Establishment Grandmaster... could it be that they are actually a fraudster? Li Fan took another nce at the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster, who had both white hair and a youthful countenance, looking like a true immortal. He couldn''t help but sigh, thinking that there were truly remarkable individuals in the world.

    However, at this moment, not long after Xiao''s breakthrough, another cultivator seemed to have a breakthrough. Inspired by the sess of their fellow cultivator, they also showed signs of advancing.

    Li Fan''s heart stirred because this time, the breakthrough was genuine. Through his Vision of Heaven and Earth, he could see that a sorrowful sea lotus was faintly condensing in the cultivator''s dantian.

    Li Fan immediately stopped diverting his attention and focused onprehending the changes in the cultivator''s body. After the sea lotuspletely formed, the cultivator''s aura suddenly erupted.

    This time, it was a true Foundation Establishment cultivator. The person opened their eyes, their face filled with joy. "Master, thank you!" Their words were concise, but their gratitude was clearly expressed.

    "Go now, don''t disturb their subsequent breakthroughs." The person nodded and left in excitement.

    "Maybe they aren''t entirely fraudsters," Li Fan mused. He pretended to take his leave and secretly remained around the ind, observing the remaining three people.

    Over the next few days, two more people sessfully broke through. Thest person, however, took more than half a month to barely achieve the breakthrough. They sighed and left in a hurry.

    "It doesn''t matter if it''s real or fake. What''s important is to make the cultivators who achieve a breakthrough believe it''s real. With enough confidence, they can elerate theirprehension and achieve an early breakthrough."

    "Moreover, some breakthroughs are real. Even if there are one or two individuals who don''t get the expected results, when seeing others seed, they might think it''s a personal problem."

    "Going a step further, even if they realize this is a scam, this Foundation Establishment Grandmaster is a cultivator at thete Foundation Establishment stage. They wouldn''t want to openly admit they were deceived. If that happens, the more than two hundred cultivators who sessfully built their foundations on this ind earlier would undoubtedlye to trouble him."

    "In that case, it might be swallow blood and bear it."

    "How interesting, how interesting. This Foundation Establishment Grandmaster is truly a clever person." After understanding the intricacies, Li Fan couldn''t help but marvel.

    One person might only pay 2,000 contribution points, which didn''t seem like much. However, when 265 cultivators were added together, it amounted to half a million contribution points in total!

    Li Fan couldn''t help but have some dangerous thoughts. "I wonder when this Foundation Establishment Grandmaster opened for business."

    In the following period, Li Fan continued to lurk around the ind. Using the Formless Killing Intent to lock onto the cultivators who came in search of foundation building opportunities, he increased hisprehension with their breakthroughs.

    In less than three months, Li Fan observed the breakthrough process of more than forty Qi Condensation cultivators. His level of understanding of establishing the foundation gradually deepened.

    And just at that moment, he received a reminder from Zhang Haobo''s side. It seemed that Zhang Haobo had sessfully reached thete Qi Condensation stage and was now searching for his own Heavenly Treasure.

 Chapter 116: Mortal Technique Thieves

    The howling gales roared, raising monstrous waves. A feeble glowing barrier protected the ind, trembling under the relentless pounding of gigantic waves.

    The spiritual energy in the world ran rampant like a frenzied beast racing and colliding.

    Endless winds seemed to appear from nowhere, raging between the sky and the ocean.

    This was a scene of amon wind disaster in the Cong Yun Sea.

    In the midst of the hurricane, Zhang Haobo was like a piece of driftwood, constantly rising and falling. There was no spiritual energy around him. However, through the eyes of Li Fan, he could faintly perceive a unique rhythm of spiritual energy emerging from Zhang Haobo''s body.

    It appeared as if he was mimicking the omnipresent "wind" in the world.

    Zhang Haobo''s mind settled, and he closed his eyes to contemte. It was only when the storm gradually subsided that he opened his eyes.

    After a brief sense, he floated towards a specific direction. There was still no spiritual energy fluctuation, but his speed was incredibly fast.

    He really seemed like a gentle breeze brushing through the world.

    "This technique is quite impressive," Li Fan nodded slightly.

    "However, he seems to be contemting something again. Wasn''t he looking for Heavenly Treasures to build his foundation?" Li Fan sensed that Zhang Haobo was heading toward another brewing storm.

    Zhang Haobo was chasing the wind.

    "Interesting..."

    It seemed that he had no intention of building his foundation anytime soon. Therefore, most of Li Fan''s attention returned to the matter of the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster.

    More than ten days had passed since thest group of Qi Condensation cultivators sessfully built their foundations and left. ording to past experience, there would typically be one or two new arrivals every seven to eight days. However, this time, no one had shown up after more than ten days.

    It was abnormal.

    So, the three individuals on the ind began to get uneasy. They gathered every day to discuss something.

    Li Fan, who was secretly observing, activated his "Formless Killing Intent" to lock onto a young man named Li Chenfeng. He wanted to figure out what they were nning.

    One day, the three of them gathered in secret once again.

    Li Fan listened attentively from his vantage point, having a clear view of their discussions in the room.

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster appeared anxious, casting an anxious look upwards and muttering, "It''s happening again. I''m getting that feeling again!"

    "Come on, old man, are you really this scared?" Li Chenfeng didn''t quite understand but still looked serious.

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster shook his head, "You guys don''t understand. Although I''m stuck at theter stage of Foundation Establishment, I''ve witnessed hundreds of scenes of sessful foundation building. I''m extremely sensitive to the fluctuations of thews of heaven and earth."

    "It can''t be wrong; it''s that feeling of being observed again."

    "Maybe some powerful figure is watching us..."

    The wrinkled face of the Foundation Establishment Grandmaster seemed to pale.

    "Once or twice could be just idental nces, but it''s been many times now. Is this a warning or..."

    "Enough, stop scaring yourself!" Li Chenfeng interrupted impatiently, mming his hand on the table to boost their morale.

    "Moreover, this secret chamber is isted by a Birth-Death Array, shielding divine senses. It''s not that easy to be broken through!" Li Chenfeng added.

    However, Li Chenfeng shifted the topic, "But old man, your concerns aren''t entirely baseless. Our purpose has always been not to stay in one ce for too long, make a profit, and then leave. However, the Cong Yun Sea is vast, and there are a considerable number of foundation building cultivators every year, which is why we''ve stayed here for so long."

    He continued, "Our original n was to stay for another seven or eight years before leaving. Now it seems that we''ve earned quite a bit of profit, and we''ve attracted someone''s attention."

    Li Chenfeng analyzed calmly, "So, it''s best to leave early. We''ll pack up our things, and tomorrow morning we''ll set out. Next, we''ll head north to Yongliang Prefecture. That''s the territory of the Five Elders Association. Once we get there, even if the people from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance want to cause trouble for us, it won''t be that easy."

    The man named Xiao chimed in, "Right, once we arrive there, we can change our identities and use our old tricks."

    Li Chenfeng suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Old man, how close are we to exchanging for the ''Sea Swallowing Eternal Life Technique''?"

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster squinted, "It''s close. If we''re careful and work for another fifty or so years, we should be able to exchange for it."

    Xiao sighed, "It''s really not easy. Old man, you''ve been away from your hometown for nearly a hundred years, right?"

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster couldn''t help but feel sentimental, "Yes, it''s been that long. Back then, I overcame countless hardships, broke through the Immortal Extinction Formation, and arrived in the cultivation world. It''s been over ny-eight years now."

    Li Chenfeng said in a solemn tone, "A Dao Integration technique is extraordinary, of course. To think that it will only take a little over a hundred years to exchange for it is truly a stroke of luck."

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster felt somewhat embarrassed, "It''s all thanks to your cleverness, Li. In just one year, I''ve gained more than I did in ten years before."

    The man surnamed Xiao also praised Li.

    Li Chenfeng didn''t show a sense of satisfaction on his face but said solemnly, "The closer we get to sess, the more careful we must be. After a hundred years of nning and countless sacrifices, we cannot afford to fail."

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster''s expression turned serious, "Li is right."

    Xiao spoke in a low voice, "As long as we can bring back the ''Sea Swallowing Eternal Life Technique,'' all the sacrifices will be worth it."

    Li Chenfeng sighed, "I don''t know how many new Void Ripper Whales have been cultivated over the years. When the Empress calcted it, she found that only a group of a hundred thousand Void Ripper Whales would be able to counteract the attraction of the cultivation world to our homnd. Thirty years ago, when I left my hometown, the group had a size of only around seventy thousand."

    "Thirty years, thirty thousand..."

    "Difficult!" Li Chenfeng shook his head.

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmasterforted him, "The number of Void Ripper Whales is insufficient, but we can slowly cultivate more in the future. As long as we bring back the Dao Integration Technique, we can help the Empress subdue those opposing forces."

    "By then, with the full force of the empire, we can certainly lead the empire away from this realm within ten years."

    "Once we have established a lineage with the ''Sea Swallowing Eternal Life Technique,'' we can break free from the restrictions of immortal techniques not being able to be practiced together."

    "In the future, more and more cultivators will emerge from the empire."

    "The empire''s future is very bright!"

    The Foundation Establishment Grandmaster''s words filled Li Chenfeng and the man surnamed Xiao with a vision of a hopeful future.

    After a while, the three sped their hands together tightly.

    "For the Empire, for the Empress!"

    A fanatical expression appeared on all three of their faces as they spoke in unison.

    ...

    "The Empire, stealing cultivation techniques, leaving the cultivation world..." Li Fan watched this scene from afar and had a strange look in his eyes.

    "It seems that those small worlds and sanctuaries that the mortals migrated to in the past aren''t all like the Grand Xuan,pletely devoid of spiritual energy."

    "Or perhaps, that was indeed the case in the beginning. It''s just that, over thousands of years, some changes have urred."

    "The ability to cultivate and control a group of a hundred thousand Void Ripper Whales..."

    "This so-called empire is undoubtedly powerful. I wonder what methods they are using."

 Chapter 117: Devouring White Mist Barrier

    On the next day, Li Chenfeng and his twopanions quietly left the ind.

    In the perception of the Formless Killing Intent, they continued northward, getting farther and farther away.

    The perception became increasingly blurry, and Li Fan canceled the lock on Li Chenfeng.

    "Is there still another four or five decades left?"

    "If there''s a chance in the future, we can visit their empire."

    However, in this lifetime, Li Fan needed to first advance his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage.

    Upon returning to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, Li Fan first secluded himself to cultivate for some time, digesting his insights from observing the Foundation Establishment process.

    After emerging from seclusion, he checked the "Geographical Map of the Cong Yun Sea Area" that his clone Fan Lin had obtained.

    He had considered exchanging the entire map of the Xuanhuang Realm at once, but the Tianxuan Mirror disyed that hecked the necessary authority to view it.

    Therefore, he could only settle for a more limited exchange, starting with the geographical area around the Cong Yun Sea.

    As the map materialized in his mind, Li Fan discovered that the seemingly boundless Cong Yun Sea was, in fact, an ind sea. It was as if someone had forcibly carved a gap into the maind, nearly encircling the Cong Yun Sea.

    Only in the southeast, through a rtively narrow sea area, was it connected to the endless ocean.

    To the north of the Cong Yun Sea was Yongliang Province, where Li Chenfeng and his group had fled.

    To the west and south, from top to bottom, were Jiushan Province, Shilin Province, and Yuandao Province, all of which belonged to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s territory.

    Yongliang Province to the north was under the control of the Five Elders Association.

    "It''s been almost 14 years, and it''s time to n an escape."

    "After obtaining the Canghai Pearl, we should leave the Cong Yun Sea as soon as possible. My clone can stay here to observe the situation."

    "As for where to go..."

    Li Fan thoroughly reviewed the information about the various provinces.

    Yongliang Province, bordering Jiushan Province, was not very peaceful.

    Shilin Province and Yuandao Province were rtively simr.

    However, Yuandao Province was adjacent to the boundless ocean and had abundant water-based spiritual energy. Considering the need to use the Canghai Pearl for Foundation Establishment in the future, it made more sense to head to Yuandao Province.

    Li Fan also noticed that in the Xuanhuang Realm, the boundaries between provinces were not artificially designated by humans.

    The separation between provinces was naturally created by something called the "White Mist Barrier." Both mortals and cultivators could pass through it. However, the cost of crossing the White Mist Barrier was one''s lifespan.

    The longer the time spent crossing it, the more lifespan was consumed.

    Mortals rarely dared to cross the White Mist Barrier on their own because, at their pace, they often perished before making it to the other side.

    Even though cultivators could fly at extremely high speeds, each crossing of the White Mist Barrier cost at least thirty days of their lifespan. While it might not be a significant amount, frequent crossings would eventually wear down even a Golden Core cultivator.

    Therefore, most cultivators adhered to a principle: they only moved when necessary and mostly stayed within their respective provinces.

    Luckily, each province was vast, and they were well-supplied thanks to the existence ofrge organizations like the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, which spanned the entire cultivation world. So, for many cultivators, staying within one province for their entire lives didn''t significantly hinder their cultivation.

    Of course, there were long-distance teleportation arrays that allowed travel between provinces, reducing the lifespan cost to around ten days. However, the expense was substantial, and only a small number of cultivators used this method.

    Li Fan checked and found that there was no White Mist Barrier between Yuandao Province and the Cong Yun Sea. Furthermore, there were specialized teleportation arrays within Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to reach Yuandao Province.

    "If I can sessfully reproduce the ''Mountain Meditation Technique,'' then learning about gifted prodigies will be more important."

    For a moment, several figures shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    "After leaving, maybe I can take them along to test the effectiveness of the ''Mountain Meditation Technique," Li Fan contemted.

    "However, it would be inconvenient to bring mortals along. I need to make some preparations in advance."

    Li Fan had previously attempted to include living people on the Tai Yan Boat, but it couldn''t be stored in [Truth] afterwards.

    After some consideration, he decided to use the teleportation array to visit Yuandao Province.

    The overallyout of Yuandao Province was simr to that of the Cong Yun Sea. Nearly every major mortal city had defensive formations and Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding them.

    Above Yuandao Province, a massive floating city stood.

    It was named after the province: "Yuandao Heavenly City."

    Theyout inside Yuandao City was identical to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, almost like it was copied from a temte, which gave Li Fan a sense of familiarity.

    In the center of the city, the Tianxuan Mirror was still present. When Li Fan entered, he found it to be exactly the same as when he used it on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Furthermore, in Yuandao City, Li Fan saw a familiar figure.

    "It seems that this should be the case in areas under the rule of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. I wonder what the situation is with the Five Elders Association."

    Mortals couldn''t enter Yuandao Heavenly City. Thergest city in Yuandao Province was called Zhuo Ling City.

    After teleporting to Zhuo Ling City, Li Fan exchanged a courtyard with the city''s guardians in exchange for 50 contribution points, which would serve as his base for future activities.

    Following this, Li Fan took out the Tai Yan Boat and flew back from Yuandao Province to the Cong Yun Sea, to explore the route for theirter withdrawal.

    By the time he returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, the 14th year had alreadye.

    During this period, Zhang Haobo had been constantly pursuing the trace of the wind disaster. Initially, he would sometimes misjudge the timing and location of the wind disaster''s appearance. However, over time, Zhang Haobo''s premonitions became increasingly urate.

    He would often arrive on the scene of each wind disaster right on time.

    But now, Zhang Haobo had stopped chasing the winds.

    He floated in the air, gazing up at something.

    He remained as still as a stone statue.

    This had been going on for quite some time.

    However, gradually, an unusual aura began to emanate from Zhang Haobo.

    Li Fan immediately refocused his attention on Zhang Haobo.

    Suddenly, Zhang Haobo''s clothes rustled without any wind, and he started to rise upward as if pushed by an invisible force from below.

    He ascended slowly at first, then elerated, bing a streak of light shooting up into the sky.

    His speed increased, and he soared toward the sky.

    However, when he reached a certain height, he abruptly stopped.

    Then he began to hover continuously in this space as if searching for something.

    But...

    He couldn''t enter.

    Zhang Haobo''s face remained calm, and he turned into a gentle breeze, continually blowing through this area.

    One day, two days, three days...

    As time passed, it seemed he still hadn''t found anything.

    But Li Fan noticed that Zhang Haobo''s range of activity was steadily decreasing.

    When the final area was determined, Zhang Haobo let out a loud shout, elerated suddenly, turned into a green light, and forcefully collided with the void.

    A nearly imperceptible blue light also shone at the right time on his body.

    Zhang Haobo''s figure suddenly disappeared from the world.

    And Li Fan''s perspective was also taken into a strange space.

    A translucent green figure stood there with closed eyes.

    In their hands, they held a cageposed of green light.

    A jet-ck sword handle exuded a sinister aura, relentlessly striking the cage, attempting to break free.

    "Bang, bang, bang!"

    asionally, strands of green light were released from the cage during its impact, floating down andnding in various ces in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Transforming into wind disasters.

 Chapter 118: Sword Wind Enlightenment

    "This is..."

    "The Heavenly Spirit, Green Wind?"

    Li Fan''s mind was greatly shaken.

    This green figure was so simr to the Crimson me from the previous lifetime! The only difference was the distinct convergence of the principles of wind on this being.

    Even through his Vision of Heaven and Earth, the allure of the Heavenly Spirit was overwhelmingly strong, instantly affecting Li Fan''s mental state.

    From a distance of thousands of miles, Li Fan''s observation perspective became distorted. It shifted from Zhang Haobo, the primary subject of observation, to the green figure known as Green Wind.

    Inside the Tianxuan Mirror, within Li Fan''s sea of consciousness, the Azure me Illusionary Spirit suddenly awakened.

    It opened its eyes and gazed in the direction where Green Wind was located.

    In an instant, the temperature of the Azure me Illusionary Spirit dropped, as if it had been doused with icy water. The insatiable desire that had expanded countless times within Li Fan gradually subsided.

    His mind turned extremely cold and rational, allowing Li Fan to silently observe the strange scene once again.

    After staring at Green Wind for a long time, Li Fan shifted his gaze to the ck sword handle.

    The ominous aura that shot up into the sky almost materialized into a substantialyer of twisted ck substance, covering the surface of the sword handle.

    Beneath the handle, you could faintly see a short, broken sword de.

    This ck sword handle resembled a living creature as it violently mmed against the green cage.

    It asionally emitted horrifying roars, causing the chaotic green light to tremble.

    But no matter how it struggled, it couldn''t break free from the green cage.

    In this seemingly empty cage, Li Fan faintly sensed the continuous surge of a terrifying green current.

    The speed of the current''s movement was too fast, beyond the limits of what Li Fan could perceive at that moment.

    So, at first nce, it appeared peaceful inside the cage.

    But judging from the asional green light that fell into various ces in the Cong Yun Sea, the power of the storm surging within the cage was beyond imagination.

    The Green Wind was like a de, continuously shing at the sword handle, constantly breaking and destroying the ck ominous substance.

    This mysterious sword handle, for some unknown reason, was exceptionally fierce.

    But under Green Wind''s prolonged imprisonment and erosion, it gradually became more and more broken.

    "Who could have imagined that the wind disasters raging through the Cong Yun Sea were actually the unintentional side effects of the struggle between the Heavenly Spirit and a sword handle?"

    "The power of Dao Integration is indeed terrifying."

    "In thest life, the major wind disaster never appeared again. Perhaps it''s because this sword handle waspletely destroyed? Or..."

    "And what exactly is the origin of this sword handle? It''s just a damaged hilt, and it can resist the Heavenly Spirit in Dao Integration for so long..."

    "If it were in itsplete state, how much stronger would it be?"

    Various thoughts shed through Li Fan''s mind repeatedly.

    Afterward, he shifted his gaze back to Zhang Haobo.

    "In general, ordinary cultivators can''t perceive Dao Integration beings."

    "They are hidden in this secret space..."

    "Zhang Haobo has extraordinary talent, and he can sense the wind disaster Cmity and roughly detect the location of this space..."

    "But with his cultivation in the Qi Condensation stage, there''s no way he can break in."

    "Unless..."

    In Li Fan''s field of vision, ayer of clear blue light enveloped Zhang Haobo.

    As if unaffected by the Heavenly Spirit''s allure, Zhang Haobo didn''t even nce at Green Wind''s figure. Instead, he focused intently on the cage in its hand.

    He observed the struggle between Green Wind and the sword handle within the cage.

    Under the cover of the blue light, Green Wind waspletely oblivious, as if he ignored Zhang Haobo''s presence and allowed him to observe at close range.

    Li Fan thought, "Before reaching Dao Integration, conducting such an observation is truly like walking on a razor''s edge."

    "However, he indeed has something to rely on."

    The familiar blue light kept flowing, and Li Fan, like Zhang Haobo, observed the struggle between Green Wind and the sword handle.

    "With the flow of destiny, Zhang Haobo''s luck continues to grow. Within the Cong Yun Sea, he already has a taste of being a ''Child of Heaven.'' Things go his way, and opportunitiese naturally."

    "Unfortunately..."

    "Let''s see how his story ends."

    "This hidden ce would be nearly impossible to discover with my efforts alone, even after several lifetimes of reincarnation. But with Zhang Haobo''s immense luck, he can easily find it."

    "Within just the Cong Yun Sea, there are countless opportunities. When we look at the entire cultivation world, how many secrets are there truly? Exploring everything alone would be inefficient. However, with all the natural prodigies as my eyes, they can find these treasures for me one by one."

    "In the next life, I''ll take everything useful..."

    "Good."

    His thoughts gradually fell silent, and Li Fan concentrated all his attention together with Zhang Haobo.

    They were trying toprehend the battle between the sword and the wind.

    Such an opportunity was extremely rare, and Li Fan didn''t want to waste it.

    Time passed slowly.

    For cultivators, a few years of seclusion was considered normal.

    After an unknown amount of time, Li Fan was abruptly awakened by the brilliant blue light bursting forth from Zhang Haobo''s body.

    After a brief flicker, Zhang Haobo suddenly left the mysterious space where Green Wind and the sword handle were located.

    Like a shooting star, he fell straight into the deep sea.

    The energy swirling around him, Li Fan was very familiar with.

    It was a sign that Zhang Haobo was about to break through from the Qi Condensation stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.

    "Hmm?" Li Fan found it a bit strange because the Heavenly Treasure that Zhang Haobo was using to imitate the process of Foundation Establishment differed from what he had anticipated.

    A clear and crisp sound of a sword rang out.

    It was like the first cry of a newborn baby, or the first rays of the morning sun.

    The chaotic and uprehending willpower began to grow continuously from the moment it was born.

    The sound of the sword''s roar became clearer and more exhrating.

    "ng!"

    The sword sound reached its sharpest point and suddenly disappeared.

    At the same time, within Zhang Haobo''s dantian, a vague and ever-changing sword shadow suddenly appeared.

    Under the dark sea, the seawater around Zhang Haobo was instantly repelled, leaving a circr area without water.

    The sword shadow, like a mischievous and vibrant child, stretchedzily.

    Then it surprisingly flew out of Zhang Haobo''s dantian, hovering and rotating in the empty area around him.

    Li Fan could see clearly that this sword shadow had no physical form. It resembled the Azure me Illusionary Spirit in many ways, being a purely conscious existence.

    "This is... sword intent?" Li Fan was somewhat shocked.

    He hadn''t expected that in such a short time, Zhang Haobo wouldprehend the sword intent by observing the sword handle.

    It''s worth noting that although Li Fan had gained some insight into it, he was far from reaching such an exaggerated level.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but sigh; the difference in people''s talents was indeed substantial.

    However, Li Fan was also somewhat surprised because Zhang Haobo was using this sword intent as a Heavenly Treasure to establish his Foundation.

    It proved the correctness of Master Yin''s theory that "everything in the world can be seen as unformed Heavenly Treasures."

    If sword intent could be used, then [Truth] could naturally be used as well.

    Moreover, the process where Zhang Haobo established his Foundation using sword intent provided Li Fan with plenty of inspiration.

    However, establishing a Foundation using [Truth] was much more challenging than using sword intent to establish one. To achieve this goal, Li Fan still had a long way to go.

 Chapter 119: The Five Element Subworlds

    Zhang Haobo opened his eyes, and the wandering sword intent swiftly returned to his dantian.

    As the sharpness in his eyes slowly faded away, he appeared unremarkable and harmless.

    Li Fan, observing Zhang Haobo''s changes, couldn''t help but marvel.

    To achieve such a level of concealing one''s presence and returning to a state of simplicity and innocence during the Foundation Establishment stage was truly remarkable.

    Indeed, Zhang Haobo possessed exceptional talent.

    After spending a while underwater to familiarize himself with the newly reached Foundation Establishment stage, Zhang Haobo promptly flew to the ocean''s surface.

    Without a moment''s rest, he began practicing the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique."

    One after another, the blue water swords appeared and danced in the air.

    Under Zhang Haobo''s control, the blue swords crisscrossed the sky, and water dragons soared.

    Li Fan, who was covertly observing, noticed something.

    With the unknown sword intent heprehended to establish his Foundation, Zhang Haobo''s Sea Fixing Sword Technique showed some noticeable changes.

    If the previous Sea Fixing Sword Technique was grand and dignified, the present version, infused with a mysterious sword intent, harbored hidden madness and ruthlessness within its mighty sword techniques.

    Moreover, Li Fan had a faint feeling.

    Zhang Haobo was still holding back.

    An overwhelming malevolent aura remained concealed.

    Once this malevolent aura that originated from the ck sword hilt erupted, the power of the Sea Fixing Sword Technique would likely increase several times instantly.

    Zhang Haobo tirelessly practiced the Sea Fixing Sword Technique on the uninhabited sea surface without any rest.

    Day and night, wind and rain were of no concern.

    The countless dots of blue light converged from all directions in the ocean, and within his home ground of the Cong Yun Sea, Zhang Haobo had no worries about depleting his spiritual energy. He could practice without restraint.

    In this manner, although his cultivation stage remained at the early Foundation Establishment level, his actualbat power was rapidly improving.

    The most visible aspect of his progress was the number of Divine Sea Swords he could manifest. These past few days, they had increased from thirty-six to seventy-two, and now to one hundred and eight!

    In just over a month since entering the Foundation Establishment stage, Zhang Haobo, who had recently arrived in this stage, had perfected the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique."

    While external factors were at y, there was no denying that Zhang Haobo''s talent was genuinely astonishing.

    With one hundred and eight Divine Sea Swords simultaneously released, the sky was filled with the roars of water dragons.

    In Li Fan''s eyes, this level of power surpassed that of Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, both of whom were in thete Foundation Establishment stage.

    It''s important to note that Zhang Haobo achieved this without using any Foundation Treasure.

    Upon seeing Zhang Haobo''s rapid progress, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel a sense of anticipation.

    "What will you do next? I only gave you the ''Sea Fixing Sword Technique'' up to the Foundation Establishment stage."

    "Could you really deduce the Golden Core stage on your own?"

    Li Fan was skeptical.

    In the world of cultivation, it was possible to create new techniques, but it wasn''t a task that could be aplished solely with extraordinary talent.

    It required an extremely profound understanding of techniques as a foundation, allowing one to create new techniques from scratch.

    In the Immortal Cultivation World, such cultivators who could deduce new techniques were honored as Master Pathweavers.

    The position of a Master Artificer was highly revered and held significant respect, even above that of Master Artifact Refiners, Master Alchemists, Rune Masters, and Formation Masters in any organization.

    Moreover, there were Grandmaster Pathweavers who were highly skilled, with a transcendent understanding of techniques. They were able to design custom techniques for cultivators.

    Their status could even be on par with that of Immortal Sages.

    Currently, Zhang Haobo, despite his exceptional talent, had only cultivated the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique."

    Deducing the Golden Core stage from the Foundation Establishment stage of the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique" was indeed possible, but the chances were incredibly low.

    Li Fan was curious about what Zhang Haobo would do next.

    However, at the moment, Zhang Haobo, who was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, did not have to worry about the cultivation technique.

    He acted as the best teacher, repeating and meticulously demonstrating various moves from the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique" in front of Li Fan, time and time again.

    He was incredibly patient and thorough.

    Li Fan devoted most of his attention to studying andprehending.

    The rest of his focus was directed back into the Ten Thousand Profound Mirror.

    They say that cultivation knows no years, and it was indeed true.

    During the period of time that Li Fan and Zhang Haobo were cultivating, time quietly slipped away.

    Now, it had reached the 16th year.

    The grand event of the Crimson me burning the sea was getting closer and closer.

    Li Fan began by looking into the major events that had urred during these two years.

    Due to the influence of the heavens, although only two years had passed, many records of various events have been lost.

    But afterward, Li Fan visited cultivators like Yuwen Xing, continuously inquiring and piecing together the clues. He recorded these events one by one.

    Although he was sure that he would slowly forget these events in the near future, it didn''t matter.

    Because in the next life, Li Fan would remember these events once again.

    Li Fan studied the records in his hands, and a few of them piqued his interest.

    In the 14th year, shortly after he and Zhang Haobo entered their enlightenment, something significant seemed to have urred in the northwestern region of the Cong Yun Sea, near the border between Yongliang Prefecture and Jiushan Prefecture.

    The local specialty, the "Gold Flying Fish," had its price skyrocket by fifty times in a short period.

    It onlysted for seven days before quickly falling back.

    However, all the surviving buyers couldn''t recall why they had bought these "Gold Flying Fish" or what had happened at that time.

    This was the first event.

    The second interesting event took ce in the 15th year.

    A fiery meteor lit up the sky and streaked across the night.

    It was unclear where it had fallen.

    All the cultivators who saw this meteor couldn''t help but feel a sense of fear, sorrow, and other emotions.

    There had been attempts to find the crash site of the meteor, but it seemed that no one could locate it.

    The third event had urred not long ago.

    The rumors mentioned by Jiao Xiuyuan were confirmed: near the wood-element spirit energy subworld, there were indeed two other subworlds nearby.

    But, the reality was more exaggerated than the rumors.

    There weren''t just two subworlds hidden there; there were four.

    These five subworlds belonged to the gold, wood, water, fire, and earth elements, and they were subtly connected as if they formed a single entity.

    The discovery of these Five Element Subworlds was truly astonishing.

    It even attracted the covetousness of the Five Elders Association.

    The two sides engaged in a battle near the subworlds, and in the end, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance repelled the Five Elders Association at the cost of a Soul Transformation cultivator.

    Later on, in order to prevent further disputes and to protect the Five Element Subworlds, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance paid a great price to move the entire subworld to a location near the Tianyu Prefecture.

    ...

    Li Fan firmly stored this information in his mind. These were all important channels for gaining benefits in the next life.

 Chapter 120: Li Fanâ€™s Desire to Create Techniques

    In these past few years, the clone hasn''t been idle. It has been voraciously browsing through various hidden knowledge of the cultivation world, rapidly depleting its contribution points. Now, there are only a little over 73,000 points left.

    The current knowledge reserve should be sufficient for most situations.

    Therefore, Li Fan decided to take a break for now. In the uing  period, he ns to focus his energy on studying techniques. As he is about to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, it''s time to upgrade some of his existing techniques.

    The "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" can be practiced all the way up to the Nascent Soul stage, so there''s no immediate need to change it. The same goes for the "Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art."

    However, the Sun Stealing Technique, ording to its records, could be practiced up to the Dao Integration stage in ancient times. But over the many years, the Sun Stealing Sect seemed to decline, and there were no reports of practitioners reaching such high levels. In the past two thousand years, there was only a single record of a Soul Transformation cultivator. Most could only progress to the Nascent Soul stage. Thinking about the Sun Stealing Token still lying in his storage ring, Li Fan had a strong premonition.

    After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he decided to seize an opportunity to give it a try.

    The "Stalking Shadow Technique" is just a rtivelymon body movement technique. It could be reced at any time with a Foundation Establishment stage technique.

    After observing Zhang Haobo''s sword intent which was as gentle as a breeze, Li Fan gained insights. Perhaps he couldbine the essence of that sword intent with the "Stalking Shadow Technique" to create apletely new technique.

    The "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" was particrly important to Li Fan. The Azure me Illusionary Spirit had various mystical effects, especially its ability to resist the desires brought about by the world''s soul.

    So, Li Fan searched in the Tianxuan Mirror to find Foundation Establishment stage techniques that could nurture illusory spirits. He found several, and there was even one called the "Unholy Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique." This was an upgraded version of the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique." But Li Fan didn''t rush to exchange it.

    After observing how Zhang Haobo condensed sword intent, Li Fan believed he could try to integrate this insight with the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" to create a new technique.

    Yes, Li Fan was going to try to be a pathweaver.

    Li Fan knew that creating new techniques was extremely difficult, but he didn''t have a quantitative understanding of just how difficult it was. He figured that the best way to understand was to try it himself.

    He had his secondary body, boosted by the Tianxuan Mirror''s Enlightenment Mode and the Golden Liuli Pearl, which increased his insight efficiency by a factor of twenty-seven.

    The contribution points remaining on his secondary body would support continuous closed-door cultivation for ten years.

    In these next two hundred and seventy years, he could work on creating two Foundation Establishment stage techniques. Li Fan pondered. Though he might only be an average individual, there was still a high probability of sess.

    After all, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could live for approximately this long.

    If he seeded, he could break free from the constraints of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s techniques, and his next life would allow him to cultivate directly.

    Moreover, what was even more important was that he was pioneering a new, feasible method for obtaining techniques. By using the raw techniques obtained through the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance as a base, integrating the insights he gained from the Tianxuan Mirror''s enlightenment abilities, and refining them with his observance of prodigies through Formless Killing Intent and Vision of Heaven and Earth, he could create new techniques for his main body''s cultivation.

    If this production chain turned out to be truly viable, then he, Li Fan, could barely be called a pathweaver.

    With a determined mind, Li Fan no longer hesitated. His secondary body''s spiritual sense immersed itself in closed-door cultivation to begin the enlightenment process.

    On Zhang Haobo''s side, he continued to diligently cultivate without rest each day. His cultivation speed not only didn''t slow down as he entered the Foundation Establishment stage but instead increased.

    However, on Li Fan''s side, he had decided to wait for the emergence of the Canghai Pearl before breaking into Foundation Establishment. So, his cultivation had temporarilye to a halt.

    During this time, he couldn''t find much to do and instead enjoyed some rare leisure on the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    He spent his days leisurely strolling on the ind and making friends with many Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators. These cultivators might not have outstanding strength, but they were the grassroots of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s control of the Cong Yun Sea. Most of them were knowledgeable and not ordinary individuals.

    Interacting with them, Li Fan learned much from the experience. After some time passed, Li Fan suddenly received a transmission message.

    "Chen An?"

    Li Fan looked at the name and frowned slightly. But soon, he remembered who Chen An was. It was the Qi Condensation cultivator who had asked him about the mysteries of Qin Tang''s trial in the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    This man had managed to survive the trial involving Qin Tang, and he promptly retreated and left the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce. He was quite cautious.

    For years, there had been no contact between them. Li Fan was curious about why Chen An was reaching out now.

    He opened the message, and the image of Chen An with a smile appeared.

    "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, how have you beentely?"

    "Since the day we parted at the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, it has been over five years. Your outstanding performance in solving the Qin Tang anomaly is still vivid in my memory, unforgettable."

    "Recently, something unusual has happened in the Cong Yun Sea, which you might find interesting."

    ...

    After listening to Chen An''s transmission, Li Fan understood why Chen An had suddenly contacted him.

    Recently, in the Cong Yun Sea, an extraordinary event had urred. A massive, constantly shifting white mist suddenly appeared in the Cong Yun Sea. A curious cultivator who flew into the white mist found a colossal, mountain-like blue bull pulling a two-wheeled cart, walking on the sea.

    On the cart was a dpidated thatched cottage. Outside the cottage stood two strange creatures. One of them had no mouth and had a terrifying appearance, while the other was robust and strong, carrying a wooden staff.

    From inside the cottage, a faint, melodious sound of someone reading aloud could be heard. This bizarre sight naturally drew the curiosity of the cultivator. This individual was quite bold.

    Convinced that there must be a chance to gain some fortune in this, he flew to the front of the thatched cottage to investigate. However, he was blocked by the two doorkeepers.

    Politely, he greeted them and attempted to enter the cottage. However, there was no response, and instead, he was struck with a chaotic beating from the wooden staff, expelling him from the range of the blue bull''s cart.

    When he tried to approach again, he found that no matter what he did, he couldn''t fly close to the thatched cottage.

    So, he had no choice but to give up. He returned and informed his best friend about this event. They were also intrigued.

    They came together and visited the blue bull''s cart the next day. Surprisingly, the cultivator found that he could once again approach the thatched cottage. So, the two of them cautiously approached and were struck by the wooden staff again, forcing them out.

    However, they didn''t get discouraged. On the third day, they tried once more, and the result remained the same.

    But they were not disheartened. In fact, they were somewhat delighted because, since there was no danger to life, they could simply invite more people.

    They would definitely find a way to enter the thatched cottage.

 Chapter 121: Wooden Staff Overpowers Immortals

    The mysterious ox-drawn carriage was evidently another stroke of fortune.

    They were also unwilling to share it with strangers for no reason.

    So next, they only called upon their own friends to explore the secrets here.

    Chen An was one of them.

    But though there were now more explorers, the result remained the same.

    All were beaten out by the wooden staff.

    Things continued this way for half a month, still at an impasse.

    Clearly, this group was not clever enough.

    And inevitably, the moving white mist drew the attention of other cultivators outside.

    Every day new cultivators discovered the secrets within and entered.

    However, upon learning of the circumstances here, they also chose to keep it secret.

    But they could not prevent the growing crowds outside the ox cart.

    Clearly, if this continued, sooner orter the matter would bemon knowledge among all in the Cong Yun Sea.

    But by then, even if there really was some opportunity here, it would no longer be their turn.

    So they decided to seek outside help.

    Clever outside help.

    And Li Fan, who had left a deep impression on Chen An at Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, naturally became one of the candidates for outside help.

    "If fellow Daoist is interested,e to the vicinity of Yutang Ind in Cong Yun Sea, and in time someone will lead you here."

    "An ox cart, interesting." In his previous life, Li Fan had not heard of this matter.

    But since he was free and had nothing to do, and there seemed no danger to life over there, there was no harm in going to take a look.

    Li Fan made some preparations and then traveled through the teleportation array to Yutang Ind.

    Upon seeing Li Fan, the guardian of the ind''s eyes lit up.

    "You must be fellow Daoist Li Fan. I am Zhou Ningchang, a good friend of Chen An''s. Pleasee with me." Without any dy, he directly led Li Fan flying towards the location of the ox cart.

    As they flew, Zhou Ningchang briefed Li Fan on thetest developments.

    "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, Chen An has probably already told you the general situation. This ox treads on water without stopping for a moment. Although its pace is not fast, it keeps moving forward."

    Zhou Ningchang''s expression was a bit distressed: "The route forward of this ox is a straight line. Based on our guesses, it seems to be heading straight for Cloud Water Heavenly Pce in the center of Cong Yun Sea."

    "At the ox''s current speed, it will enter Cloud Water Heavenly Pce in at most another month. That ghostly ce is filled with anomalies. It''s hard to say what changes might ur once the ox enters. So we''d best find a way in before that."

    "Otherwise, even if we''re reluctant, we''ll have to give up." Zhou Ningchang said.

    "Cloud Water Heavenly Pce..." Li Fan''s gaze focused. He had not expected this ox cart to be rted to the sect that had copsed thousands of years ago.

    After Zhou Ningchang finished briefing him, the two flew on in silence. After flying for most of the day, they saw in the distance arge mass of white fog slowly moving across the sea.

    "We''re here!" Zhou Ningchang said, then took the lead flying into the mist.

    Li Fan had already locked onto Zhou Ningchang with Formless Killing Intent. Activating Vision of Heaven and Earth, he observed the situation within the mist, confirming there was no ambush before slowly flying in.

    Already gathered around the ox were about seventy or eighty people. Most had bruised faces and swollen noses, looking rather miserable.

    Unconcerned by the new arrival, they continued discussing loudly.

    Chen An waved Li Fan over.

    Li Fan went to Chen An''s side and listened to their debate.

    "That mouthless freak, it''s easy to figure out. You can''t speak, not evenmunicate mentally, or it''ll throw you out."

    "Right. The key is that guy with the staff."

    "Although it doesn''t endanger your life, damn does it hurt to get beaten!"

    "You''ve only been here a few days? I''ve been pummeled over ten times already."

    "Don''t even mention it. Now I feel a little ufortable if I don''t get thrashed once a day."

    ......

    Chen An gave a wry smile as he exined to Li Fan: "With no way in found for so long, everyone can only make the best of a bad situation."

    "We still have to rely on fellow Daoist Li."

    Chen An looked at Li Fan full of hope.

    Li Fan shook his head: "So many people for so many days haven''t figured it out. How could I be an exception? Fellow Daoist overestimates me."

    "I can only try my best, don''t get your hopes up too high."

    Chen An nodded: "I naturally understand that. We''ll just do what we can."

    Li Fan then focused his attention on the straw hut ahead.

    Just then, a neer went forward to try. Li Fan narrowed his eyes to observe closely.

    Having learned from everyone''s experience, the man silently approached the straw hut.

    But before he could do anything, the muscr freak wielding a wooden staff suddenly red at him angrily.

    The staff in his hand shed out like an arc of light, fiercely striking the cultivator.

    With only time for a miserable shriek, he was sent flying without any ability to resist.

    Only when outside the ox cart''s range did he finally stabilize himself.

    But from the agonized expression on his face, the blow was clearly heavy.

    "What cultivation level is he?" Li Fan asked.

    "Foundation Establishmentte stage." Zhou Ningchang replied.

    "There''s also a Golden Core mid stage cultivator here, but like those in Qi Condensation, he doesn''t have any ability to resist under that staff."

    "As for higher, we didn''t dare invite any." He added.

    "Treated the same regardless of level." Li Fan narrowed his eyes. This trait reminded him of anomalies.

    "Could this also be an anomaly?" Li Fan couldn''t help voicing this doubt.

    "If so, why doesn''t this anomaly injure people?" Puzzled, Li Fan decided to try for himself.

    Silently he flew close andnded in front of the straw hut, slowly striding forward.

    The mouthless freak ignored him, but the one with the staff became angry as Li Fan approached.

    Li Fan frowned and retreated.

    The staff wielder''s expression gradually returned to normal.

    Li Fan considered, then continued forward. This time his pace was even slower, but the freak didn''t want to y this game of testing boundaries with Li Fan.

    The staff flew from his hand, fiercely striking Li Fan''s body.

    It felt like being viciously kicked in the stomach. Overwhelming force sted out, sending Li Fan flying uncontrobly.

    Li Fan sucked in a breath of cold air.

    It really hurt!

    Seeing Li Fan''s attempt fail, the others were not too concerned and continued discussing in small groups how to try again tomorrow.

    Li Fan on the other hand was recalling the scene, constantly pondering.

    The next day, everyone began trying again.

    One by one they were sent flying in session.

    It was somewhatical.

    When Li Fan''s turn came, it was the same, no exception.

    The third day.

    The result remained unchanged.

    ......

    Time passed day after day. Seeing they were getting closer and closer to Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, everyone seemed to be slowly losing patience.

    Each day fewer and fewer people went to try.

    Watching as all methods were exhausted to no avail against the cultivators, Li Fan vaguely had a guess.

    So the next day when it came, Li Fan loudly said to everyone: "Would some fellow Daoist in the early Qi Condensation stage like to try advancing after dissolving their cultivation?"

 Chapter 122: A Bamboo Slip to Transcend

    Upon hearing Li Fan''s words, the group of cultivators first collectively froze, and then there was an uproar, with varying reactions.

    Some wore expressions of disdain and mockingly said, "Where did this Qi Condensation juniore from, spouting nonsense here?"

    "Yeah, you''re telling people to dissipate their cultivation. Why don''t you do it yourself?"

    Others appeared curious, asking, "Does our fellow Daoist mean that the creature with the staff only targets cultivators and not ordinary people?"

    "Although it sounds a bit unbelievable, there''s a possibility. The situation here is somewhat simr to the anomalies in the sect''s ruins."

    This idea resonated with many of the cultivators.

    "Considering that the blue ox pulling the cart is about to enter the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, time is running out for us. We should indeed give it a try."

    "But that staff is extremely powerful. It''s possible that our cultivation is the only reason we''re able to survive its blows. If we dissipate our cultivation and be ordinary people, we might be killed with a single strike."

    "Ah, our fellow Daoist here has a point."

    People discussed and hesitated, and for a moment, no one dared to step forward to try.

    However, a red-haired cultivator seemed to grow impatient. He shouted loudly and red at the others, saying, "What''s there to be so hesitant about? It''s just dissipating your cultivation! With the ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture,'' we can quickly regain our cultivation. I''ll do it!"

    With that, he flew down andnded in front of the thatched cottage. Then, he operated the ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture,'' and in just a moment, his entire cultivation waspletely dissipated, turning him into an ordinary person.

    Li Fan''s mind was alert, and he locked onto him with the Formless Killing Intent.

    The red-haired cultivator, who had been somewhat carefree earlier, was now feeling nervous, facing the massive and fierce creature as an ordinary person. He swallowed hard and took slow steps forward.

    All eyes in the area were focused on him at this moment, and it became silent all around.

    Slowly approaching the thatched cottage, the creature without a mouth still seemed oblivious to him. The creature with the staff, on the other hand, stared at him for a long time, and the staff in its hand lifted several times but never struck down.

    And so, the red-haired man reached the door of the thatched cottage without incident.

    The faint sound of reading inside the cottage suddenly stopped.

    The door of the cottage boomed open, and a somewhat elderly voice came from within, saying, "Come in!"

    The red-haired man''s face lit up with joy, and he walked into the cottage with wide steps.

    The door closed behind him, and the two guardian deities continued to watch from the outside.

    Around the blue ox pulling the cart, it suddenly became as lively as a marketce.

    "Did it really work?!"

    "This Qi Condensation junior... No, this fellow Daoist is indeed extraordinarily clever. What should we call you?"

    "Damn it, Liu Zhi beat me to it. No, I want to dissipate my cultivation and enter too!"

    Of course, there were still many cultivators who remained calm, saying, "Not so fast. Let''s wait for Liu Zhi toe out and see what kind of opportunity is inside the thatched cottage."

    "That''s right, he''s an ordinary person now. He won''t be able to escape even if he wants to."

    The surroundings were in chaos, but Li Fan had a furrowed brow, his eyes fixed on the thatched cottage.

    Because, at the very moment Liu Zhi entered the cottage, the Formless Killing Intent that had locked onto him failed.

    Since Li Fan hadprehended this technique, it had never failed before.

    The Formless Killing Intent imitated the heavens and was universally effective in various situations.

    And now...

    What was inside that thatched cottage might be an extremely terrifying existence.

    Other cultivators didn''t share Li Fan''s concerns. Five more Qi Condensation cultivators entered the thatched cottage one after another,peting to go inside.

    As for the Foundation Building cultivators, they remained cautious, in a wait-and-see posture.

    Inside the thatched cottage, there was no change. Only the seemingly unchanging sound of reading echoed in everyone''s hearts.

    This voice seemed clearerpared to when they first heard it, but it was still not entirely clear, making it impossible to discern the specific content.

    Although the cultivators were impatient, they had no choice but to exercise patience and wait.

    The next morning, without anyone noticing, the six individuals who had entered the day before suddenly appeared in the open space outside the thatched cottage. They were sprawled out in various positions, seemingly asleep, but their breath was steady as if they were merely in deep slumber.

    "Wait a minute, didn''t they all dissipate their cultivation and be ordinary people? How is it that their cultivation has been fully restored now?"

    Soon, some cultivators realized something was amiss.

    "Not only did their cultivation return, but it seems like they all gained one minor realm in cultivationpared to before."

    "That''s right, Liu Zhi was at the early Qi Condensation stage before. After just one night, he''s now at the mid Qi Condensation stage!"

    "The Qi Condensation stage cultivator even advanced to thete Qi Condensation stage!"

    "Thete Qi Condensation stage cultivator didn''t seem to advance, but their spiritual energy has solidified quite a bit, which should still be beneficial."

    Amidst the astonishment of the crowd, their gazes towards the thatched cottage hadpletely changed. It had forcibly elevated the cultivators who entered by one minor realm without discrimination. This could save them a considerable amount of resources and time. The higher the cultivation, the more valuable it was.

    In their impatience, the cultivators awakened the six individuals and inquired about what had urred inside the thatched cottage yesterday. The six individuals had consistent stories, but their ounts left the others bewildered.

    "So, you spent a whole day inside just reading?"

    "The teacher was a bamboo slip floating in the air?"

    "You don''t remember what you read?"

    It was indeed quite peculiar, but it appeared that they were not lying.

    Given the opportunity, the hesitating Qi Condensation cultivators all dissipated their cultivation and entered the cottage.

    Chen An was about to go inside when he looked back at Li Fan, who hadn''t moved. He was somewhat puzzled and inquired, "Fellow Daoist Li, is there anything unusual inside?"

    Li Fan shook his head and replied, "There should be no issues. However, I''m already at thete Qi Condensation stage, so the opportunity inside doesn''t hold much significance for me. You can go in by yourself; there''s no need to worry about me. I''ll continue to observe for a while."

    Chen An hesitated for a moment and then sped his hands to Li Fan before entering the thatched cottage.

    As for the Foundation Building cultivators, they still hadn''t acted.

    Zhou Ningchang exined the reason to Li Fan. Cultivators with a cultivation level of Foundation Building or higher, even if they dissipated their cultivation using the ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture,'' their Dao foundation remained intact and in a state between real and illusory, not affected by the cultivation dissipation. They were unsure whether they would be considered ordinary people and were therefore hesitant.

    After waiting for a long time, a Foundation Building cultivator couldn''t resist the temptation any longer and was the first to try. They sessfully entered the cottage after dissipating their cultivation.

    As a result, numerous Foundation Building cultivators followed suit, entering the cottage with great joy.

    Even the only Golden Core cultivator in the crowd couldn''t resist the allure.

    As for the six cultivators who had entered the cottage yesterday and wanted to replicate their previous experience to further advance by one minor realm, they were hit by the bamboo staff and thrown out instantly.

    They decided to leave and bring their friends and family to the area before the blue ox pulling the cart entered the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    Soon, outside the thatched cottage, only Li Fan remained.

    ***** TL Note: New $10 tier for 40 chapters ahead has been released!

 Chapter 123: Return to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace

    With waves of people entering, the sound of reading inside the house became louder. Li Fan strained his ears and could faintly make out a few sentences.

    "Heavenlyws are strict, honor the rules and regtions."

    "...I have learned thew today, and spread it to all living beings."

    "Heavenlyws must not be vited."

    "Heavenlyws..." Li Fan recalled his past experiences but couldn''t find any rted information. He wondered about the connection between this ce and the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    The reason Li Fan chose not to enter was twofold. First, as he had mentioned before, the opportunity here was not particrly useful for him at histe Qi Condensation stage. Second, he still had some concerns.

    He couldn''t believe that such an enigmatic ce would bepletely devoid of danger and would simply grant benefits to those who entered.

    He intended to let these people try it first. If it was indeed as beneficial as it appeared, he coulde back in the next lifetime. Li Fan nned for a hundred lives in the future, not for the present life. The concept of missing an opportunity didn''t exist for him.

    As the sound of reading filled the air, another day passed. On the second day, when all the cultivators woke up from the ground, they had all advanced by one minor realm without exception. They were overjoyed, as one night had equaled the effort of many years of cultivation.

    Following the previous six individuals, they contacted their friends and brought them to this ce.

    Gradually, more people learned about this opportunity, and they came and went with joyful expressions. Li Fan continued to observe silently.

    Before the blue ox cart reached its destination, Li Fan made a rough estimate. There were about two Nascent Soul cultivators, six Golden Core cultivators, neen Foundation Establishment cultivators, and numerous Qi Condensation cultivators who had entered the thatched cottage.

    Even the liveliest gatherings must eventuallye to an end.

    One monthter, the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, suspended in the sky, loomed in the distance. The blue ox cart had finally reached its destination.

    Li Fan and other cultivators chose to stay far away from the cart, observing from a distance.

    "Moo!"

    The blue ox let out a cry and, with its hooves in the air, ascended from the sea level into the sky. It pulled the two-wheeled cart, advancing slowly.

    It then crashed headlong towards the azure, transparent Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    The lights intersected and rose to a blinding intensity.

    Without any sound, the ox cart quietly disappeared into the sea of clouds.

    The cultivators present all let out sighs of regret.

    There were a dozen or so cultivators, perhaps they were bold, perhaps because they had once broken into the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce before.

    Driven by curiosity, they also followed and flew in.

    Li Fan used his Formless Killing Intent and locked onto one of them.

    Following him, the perspective changed to the long-lost Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    In front of the towering gate, the blue ox shrunk to its normal size.

    As it passed the statue of Qin Tang, the cart suddenly stopped.

    The door of the thatched cottage burst open, and a scroll of bamboo slips flew out. A nearly transparent figure emerged from the bamboo slip. The figure appeared somewhat elderly, and their face was indistinct.

    "Qin Tang..."

    They stared at the stone statue that had been pierced through the heart, falling into silence for a long while before slowly speaking.

    The Qin Tang statue seemed to suddenly move, and then it creaked, tilting its head at an odd angle.

    Staring at the elderly figure before it, a faint and barely audible voice emerged from the Qin Tang statue.

    "Master..."

    "Master..."

    Although the voices were small, they were like a thunderp, instantly spreading throughout the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    "Master..."

    "Master..."

    "Master..."

    The different voices expressed pain, confusion, relief, and contentment. The voices came from various directions, echoing continuously. Interweaving, they were like a symphony from hell resonating within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    Li Fan observed that deep within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, in the location of the Taiyi Hall, the tortoise-snake Patriarch Taiyi seemed to be waking from its slumber, revealing its monstrous form.

    However, a broken sword phantom suddenly appeared. This broken sword was deeply inserted into Taiyi''s body, with only a short section protruding outside. It was pitch ck and exuded a malevolent aura. The broken sword trembled slightly, producing an ear-piercing noise as if it were being sharpened on a whetstone.

    In the void, numerous sword phantoms fell like rain, fiercely piercing the monstrous creature''s body.

    "Pain..."

    Taiyi howled in madness and had to retract its body back into the Taiyi Hall.

    Watching this scene, Li Fan''s heart was deeply shaken. The broken sword embedded in Taiyi''s body seemed to be the same as the hilt he had encountered before during his battle with the Green Wind.

    They belonged to the same sword!

    The transparent figure of the master standing before the Qin Tang statue looked in the direction of the Taiyi Hall, heaved a long sigh and then reached out to grip the bamboo slips. Afterward, the figure''s hands were ced behind their back as they gazed up at the sky.

    Taking a deep breath, the figure of the master instantly swelled. In just a moment, he stood tall like a giant supporting the sky. His hair flew wildly as he red forward and shouted angrily.

    "Heavenly!"

    "Doctor!"

    The master''s furious roars echoed throughout the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce in the blink of an eye.

    Following the master''s roar, silence enveloped various parts of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce. Then, one by one, the voices of resentment and despair surged to the sky.

    "Heavenly Doctor!"

    "Heavenly Doctor!"

    "Heavenly Doctor!"

    ...

    The cries were relentless, filled with despair and hatred, making Li Fan, who was outside the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, shudder involuntarily.

    The cries of despair resonated throughout the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, causing the massive structure to shake and tremble incessantly.

    The white mist that had previously shrouded every building in the pce began to roll like boiling water. It was as if all the tormented entities within it wanted to break free.

    In the high sky of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, the master''s colossal figure stood in front. A small white jade statue suddenly appeared. With his appearance, all the anomalies within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce broke outpletely.

    The angry and desperate roars were like surging river waters, unceasing.

    Cracks appeared on the ground, and the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Pce was on the verge of copse amidst this turmoil.

    High in the sky of Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, in front of the master''s huge body.

    A small white jade statue suddenly appeared.

    And with his appearance, the bizarre beings within the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce allpletely rioted.

    Angry and despairing cries were as endless as a river.

    A crack appeared from the ground, and the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Pce was about to be torn apart in this strange movement.

    The white jade statue emitted a faint light and instantly transformed into a human-sized figure. He had a kind and gentle face with silver-white hair.

    It was the mysterious old man that Li Fan had encountered before, who had a brief encounter with his clone, Fan Lin.

    Ignoring the thunderous roars that sounded like turbulent waves from below, the Heavenly Doctor smiled slightly and said, "Everyone."

    "It''s been a while."

    The master''s towering figure trembled all over. His face was filled with hatred, and he clenched his teeth, wanting to say something. But in the end, the only word that came out of his mouth was, "Die!"

    The sky seemed to grow dark as if an endless killing intent was gathering.

    Fine lines appeared on the Heavenly Doctor''s body, but he simply patted himself, and those lines vanished in an instant as if they had never appeared.

    The Heavenly Doctor smiled as he looked at the master and said, "Why so angry for a little fight?"

    His smile suddenly disappeared, and his expression turned extremely cold.

    "Getting angry is a disease."

    "It''s a disease..."

    "And diseases need to be treated."

    Outside the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, Li Fan''s expression changed dramatically. He immediately activated all the defensive talismans on his body, elerated to the maximum speed, and fled backward.

    A shockwave erupted from the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, sweeping through the entire Cong Yun Sea in an instant. Then, its remaining force continued to spread towards the surrounding regions.

    For a moment, the entire cultivation world sensed the events urring in the Cong Yun Sea, and it seemed that several colossal consciousnessesmunicated with each other.

    Subsequently, silence descended upon them all.

 Chapter 124: Gambling on Fish

    Under the impact of the shockwave, Li Fan felt like a withered leaf blown uncontrobly by the fierce wind and was sted hundreds of miles away before he could barely steady himself.

    Fortunately, this shockwave was just for show and didn''t have any real destructive power.

    It was as if the power was restrained, only stirring up a huge wave that spread throughout the Cong Yun Sea, without causing any other damage.

    It felt like all thunder but little lightning.

    But Li Fan didn''t dare to take it lightly at all. This kind of ultimate control over power was even more indicative of the other''s terrifying strength.

    The lock-on of the Formless Killing Intent had disappeared, and obviously, the unlucky cultivator had unfortunately died in the fight between the two masters.

    But Li Fan was undeterred, and on the contrary, he flew back towards the direction of Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    Soon, he could see Cloud Water Heavenly Pce again.

    Only now, the huge blue transparent building was stained with ayer of ck.

    Above, dark thick clouds gathered and thunder rumbled continuously.

    A huge whirlpool appeared above Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, seemingly wanting to swallow this recently unsealed building again.

    The entire sky shook and trembled, the continuous buildings tilted, slowly copsing towards the center of the whirlpool.

    There seemed to be unwilling, angry howlsing out of Cloud Water Heavenly Pce.

    But they could not change the reality of its slow disappearance.

    After a while, this sect that had only reappeared in this world for a little over five years disappeared again from thisnd.

    Soon after, the dark thunderclouds also gradually dispersed.

    The sky and the sea quickly regained the calm scene of light clouds and gentle breeze.

    "Cloud Water Heavenly Pce is sealed again? This didn''t happen in my previous life."

    "Is it because of the statue of the Heavenly Doctor that I delivered?"

    In that instant, many thoughts shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    "So in my previous life, Sikong Yi privately kept the small carving and didn''t deliver it to Cloud Water Heavenly Pce?"

    "He dared to do that? Unafraid of death by virtue of the Sun Stealing Token?"

    "No, there''s another possibility. The Heavenly Doctor didn''t give the white statue to Sikong Yi."

    "But he gave it to my clone Fan Lin..."

    "If that''s really the case, did he notice something?"

    The bizarre wailing scene in Cloud Water Heavenly Pce appeared in his mind again, and Li Fan was also full of doubts.

    "What exactly did the Heavenly Doctor do that caused such resentment against him from the entirety of the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce..."

    Li Fan recalled the first time he met the Heavenly Doctor.

    "I''m just a stubborn old man who should have died but didn''t."

    "...Use this carving to apany them instead of me..."

    When the Heavenly Doctor said these words, his expression was regretful and full of emotion, not at all insincere.

    But the more so, the more Li Fan felt a chill in his heart.

    "No matter what, this one called Heavenly Doctor is too dangerous. His strength far exceeds my previous estimates. My clone has already appeared in his sights, so my true self must never contact him again."

    "After all, this world is not a static system. Unintentional actions can often lead to many unexpected changes."

    "In the future, I still need to be more careful and prudent."

    "And that sword..."

    "Just what other secrets are still hidden in this Cong Yun Sea?" Li Fan sighed and lost the mood to wander around anymore, hurriedly returning to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    In the Tianxuan Mirror, he searched for more information rted to "Heavenly Doctor" and "Master", but there were only some recent discussions among cultivators.

    No valuable information at all.

    Li Fan was not surprised.

    In the following period of time, Li Fan resumed the leisurely life he had on the ind before.

    asionally when he discovered cultivators on the ind who were about to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he would use the Formless Killing Intent to lock onto them, using it toprehend and umte the true meaning of Foundation Establishment.

    He also took on some tasks from time to time to umte contribution points.

    He nned to exchange for Heavenly Treasures in the Tianxuan Mirror, then use them to empower [Truth], to unlock the second anchor point.

    He already had a rough n in mind for how to specifically use the second anchor point.

    The specifics would have to wait until after it was unlocked.

    Monotonous cultivation was not the entirety of a cultivator''s life.

    The vast majority of cultivators were not madmen like Zhang Haobo who cultivated 24 hours a day.

    They also had their own hobbies and leisure pastimes.

    In the Cong Yun Sea, the most popr one was undoubtedly gambling on fish.

    On the northwest border of the Cong Yun Sea, there was a solitary ind surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs.

    Seawater flowed up along the cliffs, against the current, converging in ake at the center of the ind.

    Once a month, when the umted water in theke reached its peak, it would burst up towards the sky, pouring the seawater back into the sea.

    At this time, countless fish would be carried up, leaping in the air.

    And among them, there would definitely be one fish that leaped the highest.

    A few years ago, a passing cultivator happened to see this wondrous spectacle and was struck by inspiration.

    He refined all the other fish in theke into spiritual energy and fed it to the fish that leaped the highest.

    That fish thus underwent metamorphosis, bing as strong as a demonic beast, and returned to the sea.

    Ever since then, more and more fish gathered in theke on this lonely ind.

    Later, this cultivator had a dispute with a friend over the ownership of a treasure.

    He remembered this ce again and proposed that the two of them each choose a fish from theke as their representative.

    See whose fish leaped higher when theke water erupted, and the treasure would belong to that person.

    His friend thought it was interesting, so he agreed.

    This move by the two attracted a few other interested cultivators, who also ced bets and joined in.

    They also set up formations around the ind to prevent powerful sea beasts from identally entering.

    They would observe and select their preferred fish within 27 days. In the 3 days before theke erupted, they had to finalize their choice, no further changes allowed.

    The winner takes all, whoever''s selected fish leaped the highest would obtain all the other cultivators'' bets.

    And if one was fortunate enough to select the fish that leaped the highest among all, it would be considered a jackpot, with double the winnings.

    One had to rely entirely on one''s spiritual sense to subtly observe and select the representative fish, and couldn''t enhance it with spiritual energy. Once cheating was discovered, the other cultivators would jointly execute them.

    After the end of the game, all the other fish will be refined into spiritual energy to feed the "fish king".

    ...

    In the end, the cultivator''s selected fish only ranked second, and he painfully lost the treasure.

    But this person was not heartbroken, believing that he had just misjudged, and had found the trick to it.

    So they agreed toe here again next month to have a final showdown.

    The other cultivators all loudly agreed.

    And so, this "fish gambling" gradually attracted more and more cultivators to participate.

    Later when there were more people, the rules were slightly adjusted.

    A prize pool was added.

    Half of each bet went to the reward for the current round, and the other half went to the prize pool.

    First ce had the biggest prize, and second to tenth ces were minor prizes.

    The jackpot was split in half, with the first ce taking half and the minor ces splitting the other half evenly.

    And if someone guessed the fish king, they would take all the rewards.

    At the end of each year, the umted prize pool would be emptied out all at once, producing a super grand prize.

 Chapter 125: Heaven Defying Luck?

    Ever since this fish gambling started, it has be the most popr activity for cultivators in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Especially during the final round of fish gambling at the end of each year, the number of participating cultivators was so great that the solitary ind was almost filled to capacity.

    Everyone was hoping to strike it rich overnight.

    During the fish gambling at the end of the 16th year, Li Fan also went to join in the lively atmosphere.

    He discovered that there was some skill to this fish gambling; it wasn''t as simple as just relying on luck.

    One must know that the fish in this ind''ske came from all over the Cong Yun Sea.

    For those who could traverse thousands of miles to get here, each one''s strength was considerable.

    During the 27-day observation period, these fish had to ensure their survival within theke, while also umting power and making preparations for the final leap into the sky.

    And on the final day when theke erupted, the position of each fish within theke alsorgely determined the eventual leaping height.

    Hundreds of thousands of fish were intertwined in thiske, struggling against each other.

    That one lucky fish not only had to defeat itspetitors but in the end also had to rely on fortune, hoping that the erupting waters were strongest in its area in order to be the final winner.

    How difficult!

    Li Fan''s divine sense flowed among the hundreds of thousands of fish for a long time but didn''t find one particrly suitable.

    In the end, he could only randomly choose a fish that looked rather strong before the deadline.

    As a result, this fish actually couldn''t survive the remaining three days. Before theke erupted, it was swallowed by two other fish teaming up.

    Li Fan shook his head, resigned to his bad luck.

    The final result came out: the fish that leaped above all others turned out to be a sickly-looking inconspicuous white pomfret.

    This fish had barely managed to survive in theke before, but unexpectedly it was the one who had thestugh.

    The cultivators used the recorded images to discover that this white pomfret had heaven defying luck.

    When theke erupted, it just happened to be at the point with the strongest current.

    After umting power all this time, with many factorspounding, it was able to shoot into the sky and take first ce.

    No one could have predicted it, and they could only regretfully watch this white pomfret.

    Li Fan locked onto it with Formless Killing Intent, carefully memorizing its appearance in his mind.

    "I wonder if this same fish will be the final winner again in the next life?" Li Fan randomly thought.

    After fish gambling ended, some were happy and some were worried.

    But what needed to be done still had to be done.

    The group of cultivators jointly worked swiftly. In an instant, all the fish in theke aside from that white pomfret were refined into spiritual energy.

    The white pomfret swallowed this ball of spiritual energy, and its body instantly expanded several fold.

    Its teeth became as sharp as des, and blood-red streaks even emerged between its scales, an ominous aura bursting out from within.

    In a short time, this white pomfret had seemingly alreadypleted the metamorphosis that the other fish struggled towards for a lifetime but still might not have achieved.

    After releasing this white pomfret back into the sea, the group of cultivators departed together.

    Li Fan went along with them.

    Halfway there, Li Fan was suddenly taken aback.

    Because in the perception of Formless Killing Intent, the aura of that white pomfret which had justpleted its metamorphosis and ascended in one step, was rapidly declining.

    "Hmm? What''s the situation?" Li Fan was a little curious, immediately activating the Vision of Heaven and Earth.

    In his vision, five ugly and extremely ferocious-looking fish were surrounding and attacking the white pomfret.

    Each of these fish was not inferior in strength to the freshly metamorphosed white pomfret.

    Ganged up on, how could it withstand the onught?

    Soon it was already grievously injured and on itsst legs.

    Li Fan saw clearly that these five fish had a mixture of refined blood and energy in them. Obviously, they didn''t naturally evolve to this level, clearly showing traces of artificial cultivation.

    "Interesting, these are all the previous years'' winning fish?" Li Fan understood the cause and effect in an instant.

    These fish that obtained good fortune, because of the obstruction from the outer formations of the solitary ind, could not enter theke again to participate in fish gambling.

    But they had already vaguely developed intelligence, knowing that each month here a new fish king would be born.

    Thus, theyy in wait here, joining forces to strangle these newly born fish kings and eat their flesh and blood.

    Unable to obtain good fortune themselves, but able to eat those who did, the effect was the same.

    Under Li Fan''s gaze, the white pomfret that the group of cultivators just spoke of having "Heaven''s Will" and "heaven defying luck" was reduced to bones in an instant, buried in the bellies of the five fish.

    Only the slowly rising crimson blood stain in the seawater proved that it once existed.

    After eating their fill, the spiritual energy in the five strange fish swelled a bit more.

    Satisfied, they swayed their heads and left.

    Li Fan watched this scene from afar, falling deep in thought.

    Returning to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, he didn''t choose to enter secluded cultivation in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Instead, he narrowed his eyes, looking up at the sky, then looked at the statue of the elderly man overlooking all life on the ind.

    Feeling ever more sentimental.

    "Perhaps there is nothing new in this world..."

    Li Fan realized.

    Time continued to slowly tick by.

    In the 17th year, Zhang Haobo''s cultivation had broken through to mid Foundation Establishment.

    Li Fan observed for a while and discovered he no longer endlessly practiced the Sea Fixing Sword Technique.

    Instead, he once again embarked to follow after the winds.

    Only now, different from before, wherever Zhang Haobo arrived at the scene of a wind cmity, he would dance with his sword along the wind.

    The 108 Sea Fixing Swordsbined into a giant blue sword.

    Zhang Haobo, facing the howling frenzied winds, shed against them.

    The roaring wind cmity seemed to weaken under his endless sword slices.

    But this trend was very weak. If not for Li Fan''s Vision of Heaven and Earth revealing the minute shifts in the flow of spiritual energy between heaven and earth, it would be hard to notice.

    Yet Zhang Haobo appeared unconcerned by failure or humiliation.

    Unwilling to give up, he continued to pursue one wind cmity after another.

    Honing his sword intent in the winds.

    "Looks like his next breakthrough is not far off." Li Fan did not feel the slightest envy towards his rapid progress.

    From the moment he obtained [Truth] and entered the cultivation world, Li Fan was clear that speed of cultivation waspletely unimportant to him.

    umting steadily over life after life, building an extremely solid foundation, that was what he should do.

    And after seeing the white pomfret get eaten after winning, he became even more firm in this understanding.

    Only by cultivating through hundreds of lifetimes was there a sliver of a chance to break out of this dead end.

    ...

    Li Fan''s days on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind continued as peaceful as always.

    In the middle of the 17th year, Li Fan umted over eight thousand contribution points and bought two low grade Human Treasures.

    He went out for a trip and then sacrificed them to unlock the second anchor point of [Truth].

    He didn''t immediately set the anchor. Li Fan nned to see how the third anchor point was unlocked before deciding.

    However, not long after this, Li Fan''s peaceful life was disrupted.

    He received a summons from the Hall of Heavenly Secrets of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, requiring him to assist in an investigation. It involved the mysterious deaths of two Nascent Soul cultivators, six Golden Core cultivators, neen Foundation Establishment cultivators, and numerous Qi Condensation cultivators.

 Chapter 126: Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation

    The Hall of Heavenly Secrets is located in the central core area of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. A message instructed him to go to the entrance of the area, and someone would guide him.

    Li Fan was curious about this mysterious death incident, so he wasted no time and headed straight to the central core area.

    Soon, the imposing buildings in the central area of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind came into view.

    A prominent seven-colored barrier and a surrounding moat separated the core area from the central cave residence district.

    Li Fan stood on a small bridge, waiting for the reception.

    He keenly sensed that since he stepped onto the bridge, the colorful floating light above had locked onto him.

    Fearless, Li Fan lifted his head and carefully observed the seven-colored radiance.

    It seemed to be part of the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind''s Guardian Formation but stood independently, possessing formidable power.

    "I wonder what kind of formation this is," Li Fan pondered.

    Before long, a Foundation Establishment cultivator in a ck and yellow robe hurriedly arrived.

    He nced at Li Fan, confirmed his identity, and then simply instructed him to follow closely and not wander.

    Then, he walked inside.

    The lock on by the seven-colored radiance dissipated, and Li Fan calmly followed behind.

    As he walked, he observed his surroundings.

    All the cultivators here wore ck and yellow robes, just like the guide. Their faces were serious, and they seemed extremely busy.

    "This must be the so-called internal branch," Li Fan thought.

    Council Chamber, Medicine Hall, Talisman Hall, Martial Hall...

    Passing by various buildings, he finally arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets.

    Compared to other ces, this area seemed much quieter.

    asionally, he encountered one or two cultivators whose cultivation levels were unclear, sitting with closed eyes and seemingly calcting something.

    The guide led Li Fan to a room and quietly left.

    The room was filled with fragrance, and a cultivator with his back to Li Fan was looking up at a massive map of the Cong Yun Sea.

    Li Fan focused his gaze and on the map, countless markings covered it densely.

    There were blue winds, red forks, ck dots...

    Moreover, these markings moved and changed on the map as if they were living creatures.

    "What is this..." Li Fan''s mind was slightly moved, and he carefully observed the map.

    Unexpectedly, after just a few nces, he felt a dizzying sensation. He quickly shifted his gaze, not daring to look again.

    So, Li Fan stood in the room for quite a while. The cultivator turned around.

    He was a young man with a schrly appearance, looking like he was in his twenties.

    His face was weak and sickly.

    He coughed a few times, waved his hand, and dozens of miniaturized figures appeared in front of Li Fan.

    "Do you recognize these people?"

    Li Fan looked over, focusing his divine sense on one of the figures.

    "Mao Fei, Foundation Establishment cultivator. Cause of death: attacked by ocean-depth beasts while going out."

    Li Fan switched to another person.

    "Qiao Guangyu, mid Golden Core cultivator. Cause of death: lost control of his mind whileprehending thews of heaven and earth, self-destructed."

    Li Fan''s eyelids twitched, and he switched to another person.

    "Ling Meng, mid Nascent Soul cultivator. Cause of death: identally fell in ancient ruins while searching for opportunities."

    ...

    After checking each of these images, Li Fan''s heart suddenly sank.

    He naturally knew all these people.

    All of them were the individuals who had entered the thatched cottage back then.

    He originally thought it was a great opportunity to advance a minor realm.

    Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a deadly trap.

    The retribution did note immediately but in the near future.

    The Master was deadly!

    "Moreover, the method of death..."

    Li Fan was all too familiar with it.

    Isn''t it the killing intent of heaven and earth?

    However, why would epting the Master''s opportunity attract the killing intent of heaven and earth?

    Master, Heavenly Doctor, Cloud Water Heavenly Pce Pce...

    Countless thoughts shed through Li Fan''s mind in an instant.

    While pondering, he didn''t forget to nod and reply, "Indeed, I had some interaction with these people."

    Li Fan then recounted the scene of the blue ox pulling the cart and the bamboo slips teaching.

    The weak-looking cultivator seemed to have known this already and showed no surprise. Instead, he looked at Li Fan with interest and asked, "The chance was ahead of you. So many people were present at the time. Why didn''t you go in?"

    Li Fan still used the same excuse as before.

    The weak cultivator listened withoutmenting, but he didn''t argue with Li Fan either.

    He just smiled and said, "You are quite fortunate."

    Turning his head to look at the images of the cultivators who died mysteriously, he sighed, "When heaven wants you dead, you have to die."

    After a while, he said to Li Fan, "You can go back. I know this has nothing to do with you, but as the sole survivor of the incident, you still need to go through the necessary procedures. That''s why I summoned you here for some inquiries."

    Li Fan nodded and took another nce at the map on the wall before leaving quietly.

    Faintly, as if he could hear a faint sigh from the room, "One more case."

    Li Fan''s steps paused briefly but then returned to normal.

    Coming out of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, Li Fan''s doubts surged.

    "One more case? What does that mean?"

    "Does it refer to the bizarre deaths or the heaven and earth''s killing intent?"

    "With the invisible influence of the heavens, how did he remember?"

    Li Fan recalled the countless markings on that map.

    "Perhaps, although specific events cannot be remembered, observing the effects brought about by events can indirectly confirm that the events did indeed happen."

    "For example, when numerous Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators suddenly died at the same moment..."

    While walking, Li Fan contemted.

    His thoughts were interrupted by a noisy crowd ahead.

    These people all wore ck and yellow robes, looked rtively young, and seemed inexperienced in the ways of the world.

    Their cultivations were only in the Foundation Establishment early stage, indicating that they had just begun their cultivation journey.

    They looked up at the flowing seven-colored brilliance in the sky, pointing and talking excitedly.

    The leader was rtively older, with a long beard.

    He said, "This is the core area equipped with the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation found at every Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance territory. It''s a modified ancient formation and is extremely powerful. Even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator who inadvertently fell into the formation would immediately perish."

    "So powerful!"

    "Master Gong, Master Gong, I wonder how long we have to learn before we can set up such a formidable formation!"

    Master Gong chuckled, "You youngsters have just learned to walk and already want to fly."

    "Well, let me think."

    "Generally speaking, when you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, you can try setting up the ind protection formation."

    "In the Golden Core stage, you can barely participate in maintaining the Ten Thousand Immortals Guardian Formation."

    "As for this Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation here..."

    Master Gong smiled but didn''t answer.

 Chapter 127: Fate from the Past

    "Master Gong, with your proficiency in the Dao of formations, setting up the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation should be easy for you."

    "No need to say, Master Gong is one of the top formation masters in the Cong Yun Sea."

    "That''s right. Didn''t you see Master Gong personally involved in maintaining the formations every year?"

    The group of young cultivators chattered, creating amotion.

    Master Gong, on the side, had a pleased expression, stroking his beard and smiling.

    "A formation master." Li Fan saw this scene and felt a stir in his heart.

    He almost forgot someone''s dying request.

    Immediately, he adjusted his expression and asked from a distance, "Senior, are you Master Gong?"

    The bearded cultivator was slightly startled, turned his head, and looked at Li Fan.

    There was some surprise in his eyes, but it shed by, well concealed.

    He smiled and said, "I am Gong Boyu. May I know the name of the junior?"

    Li Fan was excited, "I''m Li Fan. Master Gong, it''s really hard to find you. I''ve been wanting to meet you for a long time!"

    Gong Boyu felt a bit awkward but patiently asked, "Why is junior looking for me?"

    Li Fan sighed, his face full of emotion, "It''s a request from someone!"

    "My friend, He Zhenghao, left behind a scroll called ''Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram.''"

    As Li Fan was speaking, he was abruptly interrupted by Gong Boyu''s intense emotions.

    "What, you''re a friend of Daoist He? He left a formation work in your possession?" Gong Boyu''s expression was strange, seeming a bit incredulous and a bit delighted.

    He flickered and appeared next to Li Fan.

    Li Fan felt his shoulder being grabbed for an instant, and then the scenery in front of him changed.

    When he reacted, he had already arrived in front of a diagonally standing cubic building.

    This cubic building seemed to be entirely made of some kind of metal, emitting a cold and bright light in the sunlight.

    "Follow me." Gong Boyu said to Li Fan, then walked into the building.

    Li Fan followed, entering it.

    As soon as he stepped inside, the surroundings darkened. The seeminglyrge building on the outside turned out to be a cramped space inside.

    Just as Li Fan found it strange, he suddenly felt a tremor under his feet, and the square space he was in seemed to be moving.

    After that, the walls and floor became transparent. Li Fan realized that the space inside seemed to have been cut into numerous independent small squares.

    Each square moved rapidly ording to some trajectory, and faintly, the busy figures of cultivators could be seen inside.

    After a period of time, as if hitting something, the small square he was in stopped.

    The seamless connection was instantlypleted, and the surrounding scenery changed suddenly.

    The space became several timesrger, and there were several tables and chairs inside, seemingly a ce for receiving guests.

    Inviting Li Fan to sit down, Gong Boyu asked with a smiling face, "I wonder if the junior can let me take a look at the ''Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram'' you mentioned?"

    Li Fan had no reason to refuse.

    He had long deleted the message left by He Zhenghao in the jade slip after saving a few backups. At this moment, Li Fan took out one and handed it over.

    Feeling emotional, he said, "Daoist He asked me to take care of it before he set off to explore the cave. He was afraid that he might encounter something unexpected, and his lifelong effort would be buried. So he handed the ''Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram'' to me, instructing that if he passed away, I should give it to Master Gong here. I hope you canplete this unfinished work for him."

    Gong Boyu carefully read the jade slip. His expression alternated between amazement and confusion.

    After a while, he carefully put away the jade slip and said to Li Fan, "Ah, although Daoist He''s cultivation level is a bit low, his talent in the Dao of formations is truly admirable. It''s a pity..."

    "The heavens are envious of talents!"

    Then, he solemnly said to Li Fan, "Rest assured, I will do my best toplete it. I won''t let Daoist He''s work be left in the dust."

    After that, he handed amunication talisman to Li Fan, "Afterpletion, I will inform you immediately. By then, I will also provide you with a copy."

    After pondering for a moment, Gong Boyu added, "This ''Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram'' is of great help to our Formation Hall. Even I would greatly benefit from seeing some of its novel insights."

    ¡°Going through all that trouble to deliver it to me is an aplishment. I''ll transfer 20,000 contribution points to youter.¡±

    Li Fan hadn''t predicted another unexpected gain and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

    Watching Gong Boyu immerse himself again in He Zhenghao''s work, Li Fan was about to leave but found himself in an awkward situation.

    He didn''t know how to leave.

    He had no choice but to disturb Gong Boyu again.

    "Don''t you understand anything about the Dao of formations?" Gong Boyu was surprised.

    He then took out another jade slip, saying, "This is the basic course for the introduction to formations for our Formation Hall. While cultivating, you can also study it. When Daoist He''s work ispleted, you won''t bepletely ignorant."

    "Remember, do not spread it to others."

    "You can go now!"

    After that, he waved his hand.

    Li Fan felt a vibration under his feet, and the surrounding space detached, forming a three-dimensional cube again.

    It quickly moved in the direction it came from.

    Soon, it sent him back to the entrance of the Formation Hall.

    Walking out of this uniquely designed building, Li Fan looked up again.

    "There are still a dozen years, I hope you canplete it in time."

    Returning to the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan took out the jade slip given by Gong Boyu and couldn''t help but smile.

    Compared to various entry-level formation books on the market, the teaching content in this jade slip was progressive and thorough.

    Moreover, it was clear and detailed.

    From basic theory to practical formation setup, it was like receiving personal guidance.

    In his previous life on Tai''an Ind, Li Fan had also tried to set up a seawater purification formation.

    But even for such a rudimentary formation, Li Fan had spent almost half a month.

    The Dao of formations was truly vast andplex.

    With this jade slip, however, things would be much easier.

    In the ancient cultivation world, this could be considered at least half of a true inheritance.

    After all, the content in this jade slip couldn''t be bought with contribution points.

    "Good, good, good! Daoist He, you''re still helping me even after death!"

    Li Fan''s spirit was lifted, and he eximed his joy.

    He then immersed himself in the study, as if hungry for knowledge.

    Lost in the mysteries of formations, he didn''t notice the passage of time.

    After an unknown period, he was awakened by a faint spiritual perception in his heart.

    After checking the time, it was already the 18th year.

    "Studying formations takes more time than cultivation." Li Fan couldn''t help but marvel.

    In his perception, it seemed that only a few days had passed.

    "However, why did I suddenly wake up?"

    Li Fan furrowed his brows, recalling past events one by one.

    ...

    "Three years ago, my sister was noticed by a passing immortal, who took her away. At first, she would send us messages through others, assuring us of her safety. Butter, we never heard from her again."

    So that''s the reason!

    Li Fan suddenly understood.

 Chapter 128: Cutting Through the Wind Disaster with a Sword

    "A Treasure Seer Physique? Indeed, it is quite an extraordinary physique. But..."

    Li Fan furrowed his brows and said, "I have [Truth] in hand, which is more formidable than this Treasure Seer Physique by more than a hundred times."

    "Moreover, in my previous life, I only had a transaction with Yin Yuzhen. We don''t owe each other anything, and our fate hase to an end."

    "How could ite to the point of my spiritual perception reminding me?"

    You should know that in Li Fan''s many years of cultivation, there were only a few instances of such a spontaneous feeling from the depths of his heart. This kind of sudden inspiration for cultivators was either a crisis warning or rted to some kind of opportunity.

    It was mysterious, yet one had no choice but to believe.

    After contemting for a while, Li Fan seemed to have an insight, "Could it be rted to the cultivator who took away Yin Yueting?"

    "It''s somewhat interesting. I might as well go and meet him."

    Li Fan checked his current contribution points.

    The promised 20,000 contribution points from Gong Boyu had already been credited. Adding up the contribution points umted from previous tasks, he had a total of 23,510 points.

    So, Li Fan used the Tianxuan Mirror to purchase two Human Treasures, one of low grade and one of medium grade.

    It cost a total of 8,200 contribution points.

    After leaving Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, he arrived at a deserted area.

    First, he took out the low-grade Human Treasure and touched it with his hand.

    "Discover chargeable item: Resentful Bamboo."

    "Do you want to consume it to charge?"

    Li Fan chose yes.

    The Resentful Bamboo disappeared in his hand, and the advancement of [Truth] appeared in due course.

    "Current anchor charging progress: 10%."

    "Current anchor points: 1."

    "Current avable anchor points: 1."

    Next, Li Fan took out another medium-grade Human Treasure: Gloomy Staff.

    After charging, the progress reached 20%.

    The 8,200 contribution points disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Li Fan was left with empty hands, silently pondering.

    "For the second anchor''s charging, the first and second times were the damaged Stone Tablet of Prohibition, increasing the progress by 25% each."

    "The third and fourth times used twoplete low-grade Human Treasures, increasing the progress by 30% each."

    "But when unlocking the third anchor, it only increased the progress by 10%. Moreover, it seems that there is no difference for [Truth] between low-grade and medium-grade Human Treasures. I wonder if the Heavenly and Earthly Human Treasures would increase the charging progress more."

    "In the future, it will definitely be more challenging to add anchor points. Once an anchor is set, it cannot be changed."

    "The use of anchor points still needs to be handled with caution."

    After the experiment, Li Fan headed towards Night Ind.

    Night Ind was located north of Liuli Ind and had no cultivator guarding it, naturallycking a teleportation formation.

    He still needed to teleport to the nearest Liuli Ind first and then fly over.

    ...

    Night Ind, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    Li Fan flew into the air, hiding his figure and eavesdropping on the conversation between the two sisters.

    The two sisters looked extremely alike.

    However, the younger sister, Yin Yuzhen, was far less mature than the one he had seen in the previous life. She looked green, even a bit naive, and her body hadn''t fully developed, appearing rtively slender.

    While the older sister, Yin Yueting, although of average age, possessed a temperament far too mature for her age.

    At the moment, she was picking through a pile of scrap metal in the room, looking for something.

    Yin Yuzhen, on the other hand, stood on the side, looking bored, asionally yawning.

    Yin Yueting picked out a few small cauldrons, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and was full of joy.

    "These small cauldrons should have some age to them. The Wanhua Chamber of Commerce will definitely buy them. This time, we can make a good profit."

    "Sister, when are we going to eat?" Yin Yuzhenpletely ignored her sister''s words, rubbing her stomach and muttering.

    Yin Yueting was somewhat helpless. "Little sister, you also need to learn to identify treasures. If one day your sister is not around, and you are still so absent-minded, what will we do?"

    Yin Yuzhen ran over with a yful smile, hugged Yin Yueting''s arm, and kept shaking it, saying, "No, sister. You know my abilities."

    "Foretelling good fortune and avoiding disaster! It''s amazing! Plus, with your Treasure Seer Physique, what difficulty can''t we ovee together!"

    She lowered her voice, mysteriously saying, "Sister, the faintly bad premonition I had before waking up this morning haspletely disappeared."

    "Instead, I feel that something great is about to happen soon..."

    Yin Yueting''s eyes also lit up. "Really?"

    The two sisters whispered to each other for a while, then burst intoughter and yfulness.

    ...

    "Foretelling good fortune and avoiding disaster?" Li Fan, who received unexpected news, narrowed his eyes.

    "No wonder this little girl was so decisive in her actions in my previous life."

    "If someone with this talent can step onto the path of immortal cultivation, their advantages would be even greater than the Treasure Seer Physique."

    "Identifying treasure, foretelling good fortune and avoiding disaster, only one more peerlessbat physique is needed."

    "Hehehe..."

    Li Fan seemed to think of something and couldn''t help but burst into a low, deepugh.

    After that, Li Fan secluded himself near the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, waiting for the arrival of that cultivator.

    The gradually settling spiritual perception also confirmed Li Fan''s spection.

    Of course, Li Fan wasn''t just wasting time; he was diligently studying the introductory formation techniques gifted by Gong Boyu.

    Days passed one by one.

    Li Fan had been waiting for almost a month, and that cultivator still hadn''t appeared.

    However, Li Fan was not in a hurry.

    One day, Li Fan suddenly felt something.

    The Formless Killing Intent was activated, and his perspective instantly switched to Zhang Haobo.

    After a year, the face of this "Son of Heaven" had be more resolute.

    His eyes seemed to hide an abyss, making it difficult for people to fathom.

    Zhang Haobo hovered in mid-air, and brilliant blue lights like stars converged from all directions, apanied by strands of blue radiance.

    All were absorbed by him.

    In an instant, the intensity of his aura increased by nearly half, and Zhang Haobo stepped into thete Foundation Building stage.

    "In just six short years, he has leaped from an ordinary person to thete Foundation Building stage. When destiny and talent mutuallyplement each other, it''s truly incredible."

    "Obviously, this is far from his limit."

    After breaking through, Zhang Haobo showed no intention of resting at all.

    He moved through the air towards a nearby site of a minor wind disaster.

    Fierce winds raged, creating towering waves with deafening roars.

    Zhang Haobo roared into the sky and 108 Sea Fixing Swords merged into one, transforming into a blue light as he swung the sword.

    The wind stalled.

    Endless water attribute spiritual energy surged from the ocean below, rapidly replenishing Zhang Haobo''s consumption.

    In an instant, another blue brilliance met the roaring storm as he shed once more.

    The wind stalled again.

    Zhang Haobo continued to wield the giant blue sword against the raging winds and the vast sea, continuously resisting the wind disaster.

    The blue light never ceased, while the force of the wind gradually slowed.

    Finally, this small-scale wind disaster that was supposed tost another three or four days was prematurely terminated.

    The blue brilliance suddenly shattered, turning into countless tiny raindrops, dissolving into the heavens and earth.

    Zhang Haobo had cut through the wind disaster with a sword.

 Chapter 129: Second Young Master Zhaoâ€™s Purchase

    Having dispelled a wind disaster, Zhang Haobo''s face showed no emotional fluctuations. He raised his head, nced at the sky, and continued flying towards the next location of a wind disaster.

    ...

    "From chasing the wind to cutting through the wind. What''s your next move?"

    "There''s not much time left for you, hehe."

    Li Fan chuckled and shifted his focus.

    He resumed studying the introductory formation techniques in the jade slip.

    After another month, Li Fan''s expression changed, and he put away the jade slip.

    The cultivator he had been waiting for finally appeared.

    In Li Fan''s perception, this mid Qi Condensation stage cultivator showed no intention of hiding his aura. He swaggered towards the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    The Formless Killing Intent immediately locked onto him, and Li Fan''s Insect Binding Technique was ready to be unleashed. However, when he was about to subdue the cultivator, a hint of surprise shed across Li Fan''s face.

    Surprisingly, the cultivator showed no interest in finding Yin Yueting. Instead, he walked into the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, shouting excitedly.

    "Has the new stock for this month arrived? Show it to me quickly!"

    Seeing him, the young clerk from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion warmly greeted him, "Oh, Second Young Master Zhao is here! Come,e, this way! We''ve received quite a few rare treasures in these past months, especially set aside for you!"

    Overjoyed, Second Young Master Zhao hurriedly followed the clerk into the treasure storage of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    Pointing to several items disyed separately on the shelves, the young clerk said, "ording to your instructions, we''ve collected all the items with these special patterns for you."

    Second Young Master Zhao walked up quickly, picked up a small tripod from the shelf, and carefully examined it.

    "Not bad, not bad." After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction.

    Then, he lifted a slightly cracked cdon vase into the air for closer inspection.

    "The pattern does match the style of that ce."

    Second Young Master Zhao was quite pleased.

    He went through each item on the shelf, praising them endlessly, "You guys at Heavenly Treasure Pavilion are efficient. In just a few months, you''ve collected so many treasures for me!"

    "Unlike other shops, they''re all worthless!"

    "Especially that so-called Wanhua Chamber of Commerce. They boast loudly but can''t find a few useful items in a year."

    Second Young Master Zhao cursed vehemently.

    Then, he patted the young clerk on the shoulder with a smile, "Pack up these things for me, and deliver them to the old ce."

    The clerk, grinning, nodded incessantly.

    When settling the bill, Second Young Master Zhao took out a handful of gold leaves from his pocket, tossed them over without looking, and said, "No need for change. Consider the extra as your reward."

    "Remember, for the items with the patterns I instructed, I want as many as you can find."

    He raised his head, spoke magnanimously, and added, "Your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is reliable. Why confine yourselves to this small Night Ind? I can see your business growing bigger and spreading throughout the Cong Yun Sea in the future!"

    Second Young Master Zhao praised, then hummed a tune and was about to leave.

    The young clerk, feeling proud, couldn''t help but say, "Certainly! Our shopkeeper..."

    Before he could finish his words, the elderly steward beside him gave him a p on the head, interrupting him.

    The young clerk realized it was inappropriate, covering his head and falling silent.

    Second Young Master Zhao''s eyes turned, but he didn''t say much. A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He continued humming and left, reaching a small courtyard on Night Ind.

    After the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion''s staff delivered the items, Second Young Master Zhao closed the gate.

    A flying boat suddenly appeared in the courtyard. Second Young Master Zhao carefully moved these items into the flying boat.

    Then, he performed a spell to conceal the flying boat''s appearance, left Night Ind, and flew north.

    ...

    Watching all this from start to finish, Li Fan couldn''t help but be interested.

    Every move of this Second Young Master Zhao revealed an air of peculiarity.

    Disguising himself as a mortal, collecting antiques.

    Although he had a storage ring, he insisted on using a flying boat and personally transporting the items.

    What did he mean by "that ce," and what was so special about it that this mid Qi Condensation stage cultivator was so concerned about?

    At least for now, Li Fan understood why Yin Yueting was sought out by Second Young Master Zhao in the previous life.

    Certainly, someone in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had inadvertently leaked information.

    That clerk might not know the specifics of Yin Yueting''s Treasure Seer Physique, but he was undoubtedly aware that their shopkeeper possessed special abilities to discern treasures.

    And how could a mortal withstand scrutiny from a cultivator?

    Exposure was inevitable.

    Second Young Master Zhao would surelye back to look for Yin Yueting.

    Li Fan decided to wait for him here.

    First, he wanted to see where Second Young Master Zhao would transport the collected treasures.

    From the Vision of Heaven and Earth, the flying boat headed north, swiftly flying for two days until it reached an extremely open sea area.

    There were no inds around, only a straight and massive rock pir standing alone in the sea.

    The middle of the rock pir seemed to bepletely hollowed out, creating several small rooms.

    Second Young Master Zhaonded the flying boat on the top of the pir and tirelessly moved the items inside one room.

    Li Fan observed that not only this room but several others were neatly arranged with simr items.

    The patterns on them were identical to the ones Second Young Master Zhao had bought this time.

    Clearly, he had been collecting these things for a long time.

    After appreciating them with great pleasure, Second Young Master Zhao reluctantly lifted the flying boat and returned to Night Ind.

    As he left, the rock pir slowly descended, shrinking back into the sea.

    Two dayster, outside the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    Second Young Master Zhao, behaving stealthily, stared at Yin Yueting who was selecting treasures. His mouth nearly watered.

    "So, this is the legendary Treasure Seer Physique..."

    "With this little girl''s help, it will be much easier for me to collect the cultural relics from that ce."

    His eyes were full of greed as he muttered to himself.

    "Where is that ce?"

    A voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

    Startled, Second Young Master Zhao, about to make a move, was horrified to find that he had been instantly restrained, unable to move!

    "Let''s go, let''s have a good chat at your home."

    A figure with apletely concealed aura suddenly appeared behind him.

    Then, Second Young Master Zhao felt like he was being picked up like a chick and flew into the sky.

    Heading rapidly towards a familiar location.

    Second Young Master Zhao''s heart gradually turned cold because the mysterious person didn''t lie.

    He actually knew the location of his base!

    Thinking about the treasures he had collected over the years being taken over, Second Young Master Zhao felt a pain in his heart, almost unable to breathe.

    It was more ufortable than his own death.

    The mysterious person flew at an extremely fast speed. In just over a day, they arrived at Second Young Master Zhao''s base.

    "What, not inviting me in for a chat?"

    The control over his body was suddenly restored, and Second Young Master Zhao heard the other party''s indifferent words.

 Chapter 130: Illusions Play with Hearts

    Second Young Master Zhao shivered and instinctively thought about resisting.

    But considering the unfathomable strength of the other party, he chose to surrender.

    Feeling the cold gaze scanning him, Second Young Master Zhao put on a mournful face and said, "Alright, senior!"

    Then, he performed a technique.

    The rock pir rumbled and rose from the sea, and Second Young Master Zhao, hanging his head, said dispiritedly, "Senior, please!"

    After saying that, he walked into the rock pir through the central staircase embedded within.

    Li Fan swept his divine sense around.

    After studying the jade slip for over a year, he was no longer ignorant of formations.

    Inside the rock pir, there were only a few simple water and dust-cleansing formations, with no traces of attack formations.

    However, Li Fan did not lower his guard and activated a protective talisman, following Second Young Master Zhao inside.

    It was clear that Li Fan was overly cautious.

    The rock pir could be described as quite rudimentary.

    Most of it was storage rooms for the collected items.

    Leading Li Fan, Second Young Master Zhao came to a rtively spacious room.

    In the middle was arge table with what seemed to be a miniature model of the Cong Yun Sea.

    "Senior, please sit."

    Stammering, Second Young Master Zhao said with difficulty.

    Li Fan calmly sat down, looking at Second Young Master Zhao''s pale face, and said, "Should I ask one question at a time, or will you honestly confess?"

    Second Young Master Zhao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but could only force out a smile uglier than crying. "Senior, I don''t know what I need to confess!"

    Li Fan snorted coldly, and the Insect Binding Technique was activated again.

    Second Young Master Zhao was immediately restrained.

    Controlling the Azure me Illusionary Spirit, a visible cold air spread from the ground, like an icy blue snake, slowly crawling onto Second Young Master Zhao.

    In an instant, Second Young Master Zhao''s lower body was frozen into blue ice crystals.

    "I wonder, with your cultivation, can your body recover after being shattered into ice shards?" Li Fan said with some curiosity.

    Fear shed in Second Young Master Zhao''s eyes, but soon, he forcibly suppressed it.

    There was no sign of pleading, with a somewhat defiant attitude, as if preferring death over submission.

    Li Fan also realized that Second Young Master Zhao didn''t seem to be pretending.

    "Interesting." Li Fan smiled, captured Second Young Master Zhao, and came to the adjacent storage room.

    Second Young Master Zhao''s eyes suddenly showed fear.

    "Oh, the things here seem really good. You must have spent a lot of effort collecting them," Li Fan lightly traced his hand over some items that looked quite old.

    "Bang!"

    However, while touching a porcin bowl, he identally dropped it to the ground.

    "Tsk tsk tsk, I''m really sorry. I wasn''t paying attention, and it broke." Li Fan expressed regret.

    "Bang!"

    Another piece of porcin shattered.

    Fire of anger surged in Second Young Master Zhao''s eyes, ring at Li Fan.

    It seemed like he wanted to tear him to pieces.

    However, as fragile antiques continued to be destroyed, Second Young Master Zhao''s gaze gradually changed from ferocious to painful and then anxious.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, continued without any intention of stopping.

    With him leading Second Young Master Zhao through every room in the rock pir, he destroyed all the collected items in an instant, right in front of Second Young Master Zhao.

    Seeing the fragments scattered all over the floor, Second Young Master Zhao''s eyes were filled with despair.

    His body ckened, and control over his body was restored. Second Young Master Zhao rushed forward, sobbing uncontrobly.

    The crying echoed through the sky, his heartbroken appearance making it difficult for people to bear witness.

    Second Young Master Zhao cried but suddenly found that the fragments in his hands were gone.

    He was still being controlled, back in the original room.

    It turned out that everything that just happened was just an illusion! Emotions flipped drastically, going from extreme joy to deep sorrow, and Second Young Master Zhao almost couldn''t handle it in one breath.

    The restraints on his body disappeared, and Second Young Master Zhao fell to the ground.

    Feeling weak all over, he struggled and ran to the adjacent storage room, seeing that his beloved collection was still intact.

    Unable to hold back his joy, he cried even more miserably.

    In Second Young Master Zhao''s eyes, the illusion just now was ten thousand times more terrifying than the most dreadful nightmare.

    He never wanted to experience that again!

    "Now, do you know what you should confess?" A nightmare-like voice sounded beside his ear, making Second Young Master Zhao tremble all over. He felt that the other party''s tricks of manipting the human heart were truly terrifying!

    "I''ll talk, I''ll talk!" He shivered and said repeatedly, fearing that Li Fan would actually destroy his entire collection.

    The two returned one after the other, with Li Fan sitting and Second Young Master Zhao obediently standing on the side.

    Second Young Master Zhao opened his mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating.

    After a long time, Second Young Master Zhao nervously began, "Junior Zhao Erbao, a local cultivator from the Cong Yun Sea. Sixty-eight years old this year..."

    Li Fan''s face darkened, and he quickly interrupted, "Who asked you to confess this? I''m asking you, what''s the use of the things you''ve collected? Where is the ce you mentioned?"

    "Why don''t you use a storage ring for transportation and insist on using a flying boat to move things personally?"

    With each question, Zhao Erbao''s body trembled.

    After Li Fan finished asking, Zhao Erbao, with a bitter face, said, "Senior is truly formidable; nothing can be hidden from you."

    He paused, seeming to organize his words.

    After a moment, he hesitated and said, "The reason why this junior has spent a lifetime collecting these antiques is that, when I was still just a mortal, I discovered a secret."

    "A secret?" Li Fan looked at Zhao Erbao with interest, waiting for him to continue.

    Zhao Erbao nodded. "The Zhao family, generation after generation, has been in the antique business. Influenced since childhood, I''ve always been interested in these relics salvaged from the deep sea."

    "Perhaps due to natural talent, I can easily distinguish between genuine antiques and imitations."

    "So, the family gradually entrusted me with all the identification work. I could alsoe into contact with numerous relics every day."

    "Therefore, I gradually discovered a secret hidden in the dust of history."

    "The Cong Yun Sea seems to have once harbored a lost civilization."

    Zhao Erbao''s expression became serious, and his eyes narrowed as if he were recalling something.

    "This civilization has an extremely distinctive style, markedly different from other eras in the Cong Yun Sea."

    "All the relics stored in this base belong to this civilization."

    Li Fan nodded slowly. "What''s special about this civilization? Although these items have some age, they seem to be just ordinary things. They shouldn''t be of much use to you, a Qi Condensation cultivator."

    "These items themselves are indeed not very valuable. The real treasures lie in what they carry," Zhao Erbao said.

    "Do you know, senior, that the bottom of the Cong Yun Sea is littered with ruins of buildings?"

    Turning the conversation abruptly, Zhao Erbao suddenly asked.

 Chapter 131: Resonance of Ancient Relics

    "Ruins? I''m naturally aware of them," Li Fan replied. He was a frequent visitor to the Cong Yun Sea.

    Regarding the ruins scattered throughout the Cong Yun Sea, he was familiar with them as well.

    "Are you implying that these ruins belong to the lost civilization you mentioned?" Li Fan asked.

    Zhao Erbao shook his head. "No, no, no. These ruins are all local to the Cong Yun Sea..."

    "That''s not right either." Zhao Erbao scratched his head, gesturing in a circle. "In the past, the Cong Yun Sea was not a sea."

    Li Fan was slightly startled.

    Zhao Erbao continued, "This ce was originally a piece ofnd. But one day..."

    "It was suddenly submerged by seawater."

    "The ruins at the bottom of the Cong Yun Sea belong to the civilizations that originally existed on the surface."

    "Submerged by seawater..." Scenes he had witnessed in the depths of the sea shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    The exit from the Grand Xuan was a deep abyss at the bottom of the sea.

    Refining a clone and searching for Heavenly Crystal Spirit Sand also took ce in arge-scale underwater ruin.

    ...

    He had witnessed these underwater ruins scattered everywhere many times, coupled with having seen the Cong Yun Sea dry up.

    Since this ce could change from a sea to a mountain range, was it possible that this sea had once been something else as well?

    In theory, he should have easily raised such a question.

    However...

    There was something disturbing his thoughts.

    Causing him to intentionally or unintentionally ignore this point.

    He even actively sought other reasons for the formation of underwater relics, such as considering them as inds destroyed by natural disasters.

    Now looking back, these underwater relics, so continuous and widespread, didn''t resemble the aftermath of sunken inds at all.

    "This maniptive method is quite simr to that of the heavens. However, it''s slightly weaker. Once one wakes up, they won''t be affected anymore."

    "Above Dao Integration, below an Immortal Venerable..."

    In an instant, several thoughts shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    Meanwhile, Zhao Erbao continued to speak.

    "All the relics I''ve collected belong to anotherpletely different civilization."

    "It''s like they fell from the sky, suddenly appearing."

    "Like..."

    Li Fan suddenly spoke, "Like the Cong Yun Sea itself?"

    Zhao Erbao pped his hands together excitedly. "Exactly!"

    "Back then, carrying this doubt, I searched the bottom of the Cong Yun Sea and excavated everywhere."

    "After studying the faults in the seabed worldwide, I made an astonishing discovery."

    "Keep in mind, changes in mountains and rivers aremonce. Perhaps one day, this vast Cong Yun Sea will turn back intond."

    "But!"

    Zhao Erbao raised his voice, repeating, "But!"

    "When this ce changed fromnd to ocean, it was just in an instant!"

    The more Zhao Erbao spoke, the more excited he became. He walked over to the miniature Cong Yun Sea model in the room.

    Pointing his finger, the model''s seawater gathered into a ball and flew into Zhao Erbao''s palm.

    The deeply indented model slowly returned to its original state.

    "Just like this!"

    Holding a ball of seawater in his hand, Zhao Erbao mmed it down.

    "Bang!"

    Under the impact, the ground sank deep, and seawater surged out from between his fingers, instantly filling the entire depression.

    The transformation from mulberry fields to a boundless sea truly urred in the span of a single palm strike!

    Li Fan couldn''t help but recall the topographic map he had seen around the Cong Yun Sea before.

    It was a literal gap forcefully carved out from the maind!

    "This palm, this palm..."

    Li Fan was lost in thought, reminiscing about the scene from back then, his mind spinning, unable to control himself.

    Zhao Erbao also withdrew his palm, staring nkly at the reshaped model of the Cong Yun Sea, lost in his own thoughts.

    After a long silence, Zhao Erbao slowly spoke again, "The ancient relics I''ve collected should have been carried here by this boundless seawater."

    Suddenly, Li Fan recalled the two sets of human bones he had seen at Master Yin''s ce.

    "They''re not the same type of people."

    "So that''s how it is."

    Although the great powers above the Dao Integration could distort people''s thoughts and conceal their traces, in the world, there were various talents who could perceive what had happened in the world by observing various clues.

    His spiritual awareness became even more serene. It seemed that Zhao Erbao hadn''t lied.

    After pondering for a while, Li Fan spoke again, "The patterns on these relics you mentioned, are they rted to that palm strike?"

    After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Erbao finally confessed, "The power of that palm that formed the Cong Yun Sea was almost akin to an  Immortal Venerable."

    "These objects carried along with it were inevitably tainted with a trace of Dao resonance."

    "Buried deep under the sea, even after thousands of years, this resonance still lingers on them."

    "Just one item, the resonance is faint and imperceptible."

    "But as the collected quantity increases, the residual resonances resonate with each other, bing more pronounced."

    "If it reaches a certain quantity, it might be possible to recreate theplete resonance."

    "Witnessing the brilliance of that palm."

    Hearing this, Li Fan''s lingering spiritual awareness finally dissipated.

    "So, this is where my opportunity lies."

    "Sea Covering Palm..."

    Zhao Erbao, seeing that Li Fan hadn''t responded for a long time, cautiously continued, "The reason why I, a junior, didn''t use storage rings to transfer these relics is because these residual resonances are extremely fragile."

    "If they were stored and then taken out, it''s likely that the lingering resonances would be destroyed."

    "So I had to do it personally."

    Li Fan nodded slightly, acknowledging this exnation.

    "Let''s go. Take me to see the resonance of the Sea Covering Palm!"

    Zhao Erbao dared not refuse. Leading Li Fan, they descended the stairs along the pir and arrived at thergest storage room.

    Inside, there were hundreds of artifacts with different styles.

    There were porcin bottles, porcin bowls, bronze small cauldrons, and even ordinary household items like iron pots and shovels.

    Li Fan closed his eyes toprehend.

    In this storage room, there was indeed a peculiar rhythm slowly flowing.

    However, it was still very weak, making it difficult to discern any profound mysteries.

    "How many more items are needed to strengthen this strand of resonance to a perceptible level?" Li Fan asked.

    Zhao Erbao hesitated, "It''s hard to say. At the very least, the quantity needs to be several times more than what I''ve currently collected."

    "These relics are scattered all over the seabed. It''s extremely challenging to collect them with individual efforts."

    "But..." He paused, looked at Li Fan, and said, "If that Treasure Seer Physique girl helps, it will certainly be much easier."

    Li Fan smiled inexplicably.

    "Then you need to hurry. There''s not much time left for you."

    He pointed his finger, touching Zhao Erbao''s forehead.

    "From now on, you''ll work for me."

 Chapter 132: Authorâ€™s Note

    TL Note: I don''t usually trante author notes, as it''s usually just the author thanking his fans, but I thought you guys might be a little more interested in this one. The trantion will be a little rough, but I won''t count it in the rate of releases.

    *****

    After publishing for 66 days and writing over 270,000 words, the officialunch is finally here.

    I want to express my gratitude to everyone for their continuous support throughout this journey.

    Let''s talk about a few issues encountered during the creative process.

    Some readers questioned the feasibility of ancient people discovering gunpowder and advancing technology too rapidly, as well as the reason why firearms couldn''t be used in the cultivation world.

    I didn''t anticipate readers being concerned about these aspects. In my impression, over a decade ago, there were many novels about transmigrating and rapidly advancing technology. No one found them unreasonable, and I simply omitted certain processes.

    As for why firearms couldn''t be used in the cultivation world, this is amon question in every cultivation novel. Why? Because I am writing a cultivation novel. I set it up this way, and if high-tech weapons could be used in the cultivation world, it would turn into apletely different story.

    There were many simr small issues, perhaps because I didn''t think it through, and I didn''t expect readers to be so discerning.

    However, overall, these were not major problems.

    What truly had a fatal impact on the structure of this book was the process from Li Fan''s first arrival in the cultivation world to the discovery of the Cong Yun Sea'' transformation, which was too short and rushed.

    My original outline was as follows:

    Li Fan went through hardships to reach Liuli Ind, joined a fleet, engaged in a struggle of wits with Zhang Haobo, and, using the treasure hidden in the sea in advance, seized the position of the captain. Later, he cleansed himself in the spirit pool, arrived at Ten Thousand Immortals Ind after several years,pleted tasks, umted enough contributions, and exchanged for a water attribute cultivation technique.

    I thought that from then on, the path of cultivation would be smooth, but it turned out that after only a few years, the spiritual aura of water in the world became increasingly scarce.

    The cultivation speed slowed down, and the entire Cong Yun Sea was sealed, preventing entry and exit. Panic spread among cultivators, and killings gradually began.

    Li Fan had to escape Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and hide on a remote ind.

    Later, as the seawater dried up, revealing the seabed, Li Fan suddenly realized and understood the reason for the difference between what he saw in the two lifetimes.

    ...

    Originally, I intended to write at least over a hundred chapters, simr to the first volume of Lord of the Mysteries [1], providing enough setup before revealing the reversal.

    But I had to change my focus midway.

    Because when the book reached a hundred thousand words, it only had a little over a hundred collections [2]. Trying to test the waters didn''t work.

    If I continued with the original outline, it would be a dead end.

    So I had to elerate the pace andpleted the reveal in forty-something chapters.

    After that, although the performance started to improve, it was stillcking somewhat.

    As I said before, it was too rushed.

    Inevitably, many issues arose, such as the underwater treasures being too new, not resembling treasures found in the sea at all.

    But I could only try to round it off.

    The second problem was that the reduction of [Truth]''s charging time by the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra was too much. At that time, with insufficient experience, I set it directly to reduce 11 years.

    This also led to the need to fill in these 11 years before I could continue the plot of the previous life.

    It also caused the problem of the slow progress that many readers have reflected on.

    This is because I''m not just writing about this life; I also need to considerying the groundwork for the next life''s plot.

    These two issues, in my opinion, had a rtively significant impact on the structure of this book.

    Other issues were minor and had little impact.

    Let''s also talk about a few issues that received more feedback from readers.

    <ol> <li>

    The protagonist''s cultivation progress is too slow.

    This book is not a traditional leveling and monster-ying story. Coupled with the protagonist''s unique cultivation method, the progress of one lifetime is practically useless for him.

    </li> <li>

    The protagonist''s advantages are too overwhelming.

    I have only one question: with the current skill configuration of the protagonist, if his realm was raised to Immortal, can he be the opponent of the Immortal Ancestor who passed down thew?

    He doesn''t even cultivate his own path; how is he going to fight?

    So the advantages need to be even more overwhelming; they need to continue.

    </li> <li>

    The problem with the foundation building using [Truth].

    [Truth] is beyond the world, involving aspects of thews of time. It is definitely impossible to use it for the foundation stage in the early stages.

    As for how the protagonist will use [Truth] for the foundation, please wait and see.

    </li> </ol>

    ...

    Next are some exnations.

    I am indeed a neer and not someone''s alt ount.

    So, there may be some immaturity in my writing, and I hope everyone can understand.

    I will work hard to improve myself, and I hope for your encouragement.

    My job is decent, so I won''t y the sympathy card.

    Most of my writing relies on interest.

    Being a part-timer and a novice, it''s already quite difficult to write over 4,000 characters every day for more than four hours.

    Maybe in the future, as my brain speed increases, my typing efficiency will improve.

    As the saying goes, "The writing carries the Dao." On the first day of cultivation in He Zhenghao''s first lesson, there was a passage:

    "Some peaks, seemingly towering, have already exhausted their fate and cannot advance further in their lifetime. Some now are just small mounds, but who knows if, after several years, they will grow into a pir supporting the sky?"

    "Just like this mountain at your feet, inconspicuous back then, but after dozens of years, it can already overlook all the other mountains."

    "Of course, more are like the countless peaks under this Cong Yun Sea, which can only serve as a foil, silently looking up at the peaks above the Cong Yun Sea."

    "If mountains are like this, what about people?"

    This sentence is also for myself.

    At that time, the collections of this book hadn''t even reached a hundred. Meanwhile, other books from the same period had already reached several thousand.

    I could only encourage myself like this.

    Now, with everyone''s support, the achievements of this book are already better than most books from the same period.

    Once again, thank you all.

    Thanks to everyone who has been voting and rewarding.

    Also, thanks to the editor, Dusty, for the continuous help.

    It will be on the shelves at twelve o''clock tomorrow, with a possible dy of a few minutes.

    First, three consecutive chapters will be released, and a couple more chapters will be addedter in the evening.

    If you think this book is well-written, please consider giving it a subscription.

    See you all tomorrow!

 Chapter 133: The Wind Shepherd Haobo ?

    Zhao Erbao felt a coolness in his forehead, as if a chilling force drilled into his brain like a living thing, then lurked into his body, disappearing.

    Feeling the chill, he heard the other party say, "Don''t worry, it''s just some ice spiritual energy. It will automatically dissipate in a few days. No need to worry."

    Zhao Erbao wanted to cry but had no tears. Who would believe that? It must be some terrifying restriction!

    Thinking of his previous experience in the illusion, he shivered and quickly expressed, "Senior, rest assured, from now on, I will do whatever you say! Absolutely no disobedience!"

    Li Fan smiled but didn''t answer.

    He didn''t lie; the force he just sent into Zhao Erbao''s body was indeed only ice spiritual energy created by the Azure me Illusionary Spirit. It didn''t have any specific effect, just meant to frighten.

    Threats from others'' words are far less terrifying than one''s own suspicions.

    Of course, he couldn''tpletely rely on scaring Zhao Erbao; necessary countermeasures were still needed. The Formless Killing Intent had already secretly locked onto him, so there was no need to worry about him running away.

    After the stick, the carrot was also necessary.

    Li Fan said to Zhao Erbao, "I don''t need you to do anything else. Just continue to collect the relics of that unknown civilization with all your effort, as before. Every now and then, I will ask about your progress. When the Dao resonance sessfully condenses, you can alsoprehend it together with me." As he spoke, Li Fan handed over a one-way Communication Talisman.

    Hearing this, Zhao Erbao was overjoyed and quickly epted the talisman, expressing his loyalty again.

    "Let''s go meet that Treasure Seer Physique girl." Li Fan said coldly.

    It took more than a day, and the two returned to Night Ind.

    It was already night, and in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the two sisters were chatting in their room.

    Li Fan, apanied by Zhao Erbao, suddenly appeared in front of them.

    A faint killing intent was revealed, locking them in ce.

    He said indifferently, "Both of you, are you willing to work for me?"

    The sudden appearance of the figure startled the two sisters, who were about to scream, but found that they couldn''t make a sound.

    They immediately understood the identity of the two figures before them.

    Legendary immortals.

    Yin Yueting''s face instantly turned extremely pale, but she knew she had no choice.

    Just as she was about to answer, she felt her younger sister secretly kick her right leg. She immediately rxed and blurted out, "Immortal Master, we are willing to serve the immortals."

    Li Fan shook his head inwardly, knowing that the little girl had misunderstood.

    He signaled Zhao Erbao to exin.

    Zhao Erbao put on the airs of an immortal and exined the whole story.

    "You need to mobilize the power of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and work with me to collect relics."

    Seeing that her special physique had been exposed, Yin Yueting pursed her lips and respectfully agreed.

    Yin Yuzhen, on the other hand, lowered her head, asionally curiously ncing at Li Fan, seemingly unafraid.

    Unfortunately, Li Fan concealed his figure, and she couldn''t see clearly.

    After looking at the three people with different expressions, Li Fan made his final instructions.

    He said to Zhao Erbao, "Night Ind doesn''t have cultivators stationed, so you stay here and help Heavenly Treasure Pavilion expand, improving the efficiency of the search. Of course, be cautious, don''t attract the attention of other cultivators. If you''re unlucky and encounter a cultivator you can''t defeat, prioritize preserving your life. I will handle it when Ie."

    Zhao Erbao''s face became serious. "Senior''s consideration is thorough."

    Li Fan continued, "Although these two girls are mortals, you must not oppress them. The matter of collecting relics still requires their full effort."

    "I dare not, I dare not," Zhao Erbao responded repeatedly.

    Yin Yueting''s face showed a hint of joy, and she quickly knelt down with her younger sister, expressing that she would do her best.

    Li Fan nodded, then quietly left and returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    For Li Fan, collecting the Dao resonance was just a small episode in his cultivation life.

    With a casual arrangement, he would see the final result.

    What Li Fan was more concerned about was the times he had sensed the existence of those powerful beings above Dao Integration.

    Was it a coincidence, or did it involve some kind of inevitability?

    If it''s a coincidence, then so be it.

    But if not, the implied meaning within it is enough to make people deeply ponder and fear.

    "Immortal Gods go to great lengths to conceal their traces, but the heavens and earth guide cultivators to them by all means."

    "When immortals fight, mortals suffer."

    "However, opportunities are indeed genuine..."

    Li Fan never believed that in the face of the Immortal Gods who rebelled against the heavens and earth, the heavens and earth would have no resistance.

    Even a cornered rat will fight back, not to mention the Dao of the heavens and earth.

    "However, not every cultivator may receive such guidance."

    "There may be some secrets hidden within this that I don''t know."

    ...

    After returning to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, Li Fan resumed studying the formation jade slips.

    The collection of Dao resonance relics, under the joint supervision of Zhao Erbao and Yin Yueting, proceeded in an orderly manner.

    Time passed swiftly.

    In the blink of an eye, it was the 19th year.

    During this time, there were no major events in the Cong Yun Sea.

    However, there was an extraordinary event that caught the attention of many cultivators and became a topic of discussion during their leisure time.

    The protagonist of the event was none other than Zhang Haobo.

    When Li Fan took a break from seclusion, he learned about the incident through discussions among cultivators.

    "Zhang Haobo is quite remarkable now. He runs to wherever there is a wind disaster. Under his sword light, those wind disasters often dissipate before they can fully form."

    "Yeah, it''s said that the ordinary mortals suffering from wind disasters in the Cong Yun Sea are now starting to set up altars and burn incense for him."

    "Zhang Haobo? I seem to have some impression of him. Wasn''t he the one who tested his sword with more than a dozen puppets in a cave before?"

    "Now that you mention it, I remember. But back then, he was only in the Qi Condensation stage. How did he be so powerful in just a few years?"

    "Yes, he is now in the Foundation Establishmentte stage. That Wind shing Sword Art is also amazingly powerful. Ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators in his hands probably won''tst a few rounds."

    "I just went through closed-door meditation for a while, and he''s already in the Foundation Establishmentte stage? How?"

    "He''s a genius, hard to measure withmon sense. I think he''s currently testing his sword against the wind disasters."

    "You''re all talking about old news. Thetest news is that he''s no longer using the Wind shing Sword Art."

    "Oh? What is he doing now?"

    "If I tell you, you might not believe it. Now, he''s shepherding the wind!"

    "Shepherding the wind? What does that mean?"

    The cultivators looked at each other in confusion, full of iprehension.

    "Hehe, you guys are all familiar with shepherding, right?"

    "No... this can''t be possible?"

    The cultivators eximed.

    "Shepherding the wind?" Li Fan''s eyes shed slightly.

    "Zhang Haobo, what is he up to?"

    The Vision of Heaven and Earth technique was activated, and the perspective immediately switched.

 Chapter 134: Returning to Dali After Ten Years

    In the vast sea, the fierce wind howled, creating towering waves.

    Dark clouds hung low, apanied by a raging storm.

    This was a moderately-sized wind disaster.

    From the perspective of the heavens and the earth, Li Fan clearly saw that this wind disaster was slowly moving in a certain direction.

    And Zhang Haobo was calmly following behind the wind disaster.

    asionally, he would release a blue light, as if a diligent gardener, pruning the direction in which the wind disaster advanced.

    Although the energy contained in this storm far surpassed Zhang Haobo, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he controlled the wind disaster like a child herding, guiding it to move in the direction he envisioned.

    Li Fan faintly sensed that in the distance, another wind disaster was brewing.

    "Interesting," Li Fan observed patiently.

    And so, more than ten dayster, the two massive storms manipted by Zhang Haobo collided.

    In an instant, a hint of green brilliance erupted in his eyes. A giant blue sword,posed of 108 Sea Fixing Swords, once again emerged, spanning the sky between the ocean and the heavens.

    Compared to what Li Fan had seen before, the blue glow on this giant sword was even more profound.

    The blue light unfolded, like flying scissors, rapidly trimming the two colliding storms.

    Slowly, the two wind disasters blended into each other as they collided with each other.

    In the end, they merged into one.

    Apletely new wind disaster was born.

    Although this newborn wind disaster, due to the loss of some energy, was slightly less powerful than the previous twobined, it surpassed either of them individually.

    Zhang Haobo looked at the newly born storm, resembling a work of art, with a satisfied expression on his face.

    Looking into the distance, he selected a direction and once again drove the wind disaster, setting off.

    ...

    Li Fan noticed that by merging these two wind disasters, Zhang Haobo''s cultivation had also gained a slight improvement.

    He was herding the wind, but he was also cultivating through this process.

    "It seems like he''s nning something big," Li Fan vaguely guessed Zhang Haobo''s intentions.

    Now, the deadline for the burning sea was approaching.

    And Zhang Haobo was still in the Foundation Establishment stage.

    Without a cultivation method for the Golden Core stage, promotion was impossible.

    With his insignificant status, it was challenging, if not impossible, to see the higher-ups of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and warn them about the impending Crimson me.

    What to do?

    It seemed that he could only create a big scene to attract enough attention.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but anticipate the uing developments.

    However, the current intensity of Zhang Haobo''s storms was clearly insufficient to attract the attention of Soul Transformation cultivators.

    It would have to brew for a while longer.

    Li Fan temporarily retracted his attention.

    "The ten-year deadline has arrived. It''s time to visit Dali again."

    After making some preparations, he set off immediately.

    Arriving once again at the ruins near the entrance to Dali, Li Fan didn''t rush into the ancient well but carefully observed the wreckage.

    There were obviously artificially polished giant stones scattered underwater in various positions.

    One could vaguely see that this ce was originally a building resembling a pce.

    In addition to the visible parts, many architectural remnants were covered by the seabed silt.

    The entire ruin extended for several miles, suggesting that this ce was once a small town.

    "The original civilization..." Li Fan pondered.

    Then, he set up the Tai Yan Boat and broke through the Immortal Extinction Formation, entering Dali once again.

    Li Fan gazed from afar at the volcano in the center of Dali.

    Compared to ten years ago, this volcano seemed to have be more active.

    Entering the ruins, Li Fan conducted a thorough investigation.

    It seemed to be a volcano formed purely by geological activity, without any trace of extraordinary power.

    However, Li Fan always had a vague feeling.

    Behind the formation of this volcano, there seemed to be something hidden.

    However, with his current strength, he couldn''t investigate further.

    Not dwelling on it, Li Fan kept it in mind and then flew towards the Dali Capital.

    He concealed his presence, not alerting the sentries on the four watchtowers of the capital.

    Li Fan sensed the power of the Azure me Illusionary Spirit that he had left inside Su Xiaomei''s body, silently approaching.

    On a martial arts za, dozens of beasts made of steel were ced.

    A petite figure continuously shuttled among these beasts.

    Her speed was extremely fast, leaving behind phantom images in the air.

    With bare hands, she continuously struck these steel beasts, producing loud "bang" sounds.

    Beside the martial arts za, Su Changyu and Xiao Heng stood still, watching.

    Su Changyu''s face showed a faint smile.

    Xiao Heng, on the other hand, sighed and spoke in a frightened manner, "Changyu, how can you still smile? Haven''t you noticed that Xiaomei is bing more and more terrifying? Look at the marks she''s leaving on these steel beasts. If she identally ps me like that, I might be directly pped to death!"

    "I think these steel beasts won''tst a few days!"

    Su Changyu frowned slightly at first but then rxed, saying, "You know Xiaomei has a special physique. She''s naturally gifted with divine strength and a hot temper. In the past few years, it was still manageable because there were methods left by the Immortal Master, and Xiaomei was barely able to control her emotions."

    "But now, the methods left by the Immortal Master are gradually losing their effect, and Xiaomei''s self-control is getting worse."

    "If she doesn''t vent like this every day, I''m afraid she might unintentionally kill many people."

    "However, she is still my sister. Although she is indifferent to the rest of the family, she treats you quite well. I don''t know what you are afraid of."

    Xiao Heng immediately became anxious, "You call this treating me well? Aren''t you aware..."

    Before he could finish his words, he heard a thunderous roar in the center of the martial arts za, "Xiao Heng, you''re talking behind my back again?"

    The sound hadn''t faded when Su Xiaomei''s figure flickered. In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of Xiao Heng, causing a gust of wind that made Xiao Heng''s hair fly.

    His eyelids twitched, and he quickly shouted, "Xiaomei, I dare not speak ill of you. I was just praising your great strength!"

    Su Xiaomei looked at Xiao Heng suspiciously, snorted, and didn''t pursue the matter further.

    "Brother!" She looked at Su Changyu, her face showing a smile.

    Su Changyu looked at Su Xiaomei affectionately. Taking out a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped away the sweat from her forehead.

    "It seems like you''re living quite well."

    At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded beside the three.

    Seeing this sudden figure, Su Changyu and Xiao Heng''s faces changed, immediately thinking of something. Their faces showed both surprise and joy.

    Just as they were about to speak, Su Xiaomei shouted, "Who are you, daring to y tricks in front of me!"

    While speaking, she swung her fists, attacking Li Fan.

    "Xiaomei, stop!" Su Changyu and Xiao Heng couldn''t help but exim.

    Before they could finish speaking, they saw Su Xiaomei, who could even break steel, now seemingly restrained by an invisible.

    She was suspended in the air, unable to move.

 Chapter 135: An Old Friend

    "Xiaomei is young; I hope Immortal Master will spare her life!" Su Changyu reacted quickly, quickly kowtowing to Li Fan in apology.

    Xiao Heng also immediately realized, "Please, Immortal Master, spare Xiaomei''s life."

    Li Fan didn''t answer; he just looked with interest at Su Xiaomei, who was caught by the Insect Binding Technique.

    Helpless and unable to move, Su Xiaomei''s small face turned bright red.

    Then, a force surged from her body. Li Fan sensed that, in an instant, Su Xiaomei''s strength doubled.

    "Innate talent?" Li Fan''s eyes shed with interest, but he didn''t release the restraint.

    He wanted to see where Su Xiaomei''s limits were.

    Feeling the opponent''s gaze wandering around her, Su Xiaomei was unable to resist.

    Su Xiaomei, who had never suffered such humiliation from childhood to adulthood, felt an endless rage in her heart.

    A touch of crimson appeared in her eyes, like burning mes flickering.

    Her body became scorching hot, and the temperature of the surrounding air rose ordingly.

    Su Xiaomei''s strength doubled again.

    However, it was useless!

    The anger still lingered in her heart.

    The redness in her eyes gradually spread throughout her body, dyeing her ck hair with a strange red color.

    A faint wisp of white smoke emanated from various parts of her body.

    Su Xiaomei''s strength doubled again!

    Xiao Heng, seeing this scene, was so anxious that tears almost came out, repeatedly kowtowing.

    Su Changyu remained calm, but the bloodstains on his forehead revealed his true feelings at the moment.

    "Is the strength now eight times the original? Innate talent, indeed unreasonably strong." Li Fan nodded to himself.

    Although Li Fan felt that Su Xiaomei''s strength could continue to expand, it would cause hidden injuries to her body.

    Li Fan was just testing, there was no need to go this far.

    So, the Azure me Illusionary Spirit appeared in his sea of consciousness. Li Fan reached out his right hand, gently pressing on Su Xiaomei''s head.

    A chilling force was infused into her.

    Su Xiaomei''s body temperature gradually dropped, and the red color in her pupils gradually disappeared.

    Her fierce expression also gradually calmed down.

    The Insect Binding Technique lost its effect, and Su Xiaomei fell from the sky.

    In an instant, she stabilized her figure and rushed towards Li Fan.

    She grabbed Li Fan''s thigh, holding on tightly and refusing to let go. "Master! You finally came!"

    "Master..." Li Fan chuckled. This address was extremely rare in the current cultivation world.

    Almost extinct.

    Without responding to her, Li Fan simply took Su Xiaomei off his leg and ced her on the side to carefully examine her.

    Perhaps due to her special physique, although Su Xiaomei should be in her teens now, her height and size were only that of an ordinary six or seven-year-old child.

    At this moment, she widened her eyes, carefully examining Li Fan, looking incredibly cute.

    Li Fan smiled, then shifted his gaze to Su Changyu and Xiao Heng.

    Seeing that Su Xiaomei was now out of danger, they both sighed in relief.

    However, they still didn''t dare to get up, kneeling and bowing to the ground.

    Ten years ago, when Li Fan was about to leave, he gave Xiao Heng the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" and the usage method for the apanying medicine.

    Without special instructions, it could not be passed on casually.

    From the remaining Immortal-Mortal Miasma in Su Changyu''s body, it seemed that he understood the importance of not spreading it.

    He didn''t tell others.

    However...

    What''s up with this kid? Feeling Xiao Heng''s condition, Li Fan''s face darkened.

    There were signs of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma being expelled, but it was only a small part.

    No different from before.

    You spent only a month in your past life to cleanse yourself of the miasma, right? It''s been almost ten years now! You''ve been too negligent!

    Li Fan said coldly to Xiao Heng, "When traveling from Dali to the cultivation realm, it takes about ten days. If you haven''t sessfully expelled the miasma by the time we reach the cultivation realm, I''ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish. Understand?"

    Hearing this, Xiao Heng''s face turned pale, and he trembled all over.

    Su Changyu looked at him helplessly and shook his head inwardly.

    Su Xiaomei looked gleeful, smiling mischievously at Xiao Heng.

    Originally, Li Fan nned to quietly leave with these three.

    But upon second thought, it had been ten years, and the materials collected by Dali were probably ready.

    He Zhenghao unexpectedly met his demise, and no one had taken over this smuggling route.

    Since he had alreadye here once, he couldn''t leave empty-handed.

    After all, 2000 contribution points were not a small amount.

    Every bit helps.

    With a decision in mind, he manipted the spiritual energy in his body and struck the bell under the four watchtowers.

    Suddenly, the sound of the bell spread throughout the Dali capital, causing quite a stir.

    Li Fan, with Su Xiaomei and the others, came to the square where they had been before, waiting for the arrival of the Emperor of Dali.

    After a small half-day, the emperor and his officials all came before Li Fan.

    They looked at Su Xiaomei and the others behind Li Fan with various expressions.

    But none dared to be negligent; they all knelt down.

    "We greet Immortal Master!"

    Li Fan directly said, "For this transaction, I will personally transport the people you have selected. Have you prepared your supplies?"

    Although the Emperor of Dali was hesitant, the identity of the Immortal Master in front of him was undoubtedly genuine.

    So, he nodded repeatedly.

    Li Fan went to the imperial treasury, received the supplies, and turned back, instructing, "Tomorrow morning, I''ll still be waiting for you here in the square. Don''t bete."

    The Emperor of Dali agreed and quickly left to let his subjects make preparations.

    The next morning, many people gathered in the square.

    Most of them were young faces, and among them, Li Fan recognized some.

    It was the group of people he met when he first entered the cultivation world in his previous life.

    After releasing the Tai Yan Boat and cing it on the square, Li Fan spoke to these people, "The cultivation world may not be as beautiful as you imagine - it is full of dangers."

    "Going there, you might face a fate worse than death."

    "I''ll give you onest chance. If you don''t want to go, you can choose to give up. I will take care of your families; you won''t be put in a difficult situation."

    Li Fan finished speaking and coldly watched how they would choose.

    These young people didn''t expect this twist. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

    At this moment, a sharp voice rang out on the square, "Please rest assured, Immortal Master. Although the path of immortality is treacherous, my determination to seek immortality is unwavering for a hundred lifetimes!"

    After hearing these words, Li Fan''s expression became strange. Following the sound, he saw a familiar face from his previous life¡ªthe fat guy who had threatened and ckmailed him, and whom he had casually killed.

    Encouraged by his words, quite a few people struggled and hesitated for a while before deciding to venture into the cultivation world.

    But there were still some who chose to give up.

    "Words may not persuade the stubborn. You''ve made your choice. When you die miserably in the future, don''t me anyone else."

    Watching these young people, their faces showing excitement and nervousness, boarding the Tai Yan Boat one by one, Li Fan silently pondered in his heart.

 Chapter 136: Fate Changes with Fortune

    In the sea of clouds, on the Tai Yan Boat.

    The people who had just entered the cultivation world from Dali were excitedly looking around on the deck.

    Meanwhile, Li Fan activated the "Sun Stealing Technique" to observe the fortunes of the people.

    Most of them were covered in dust, dull and dim.

    However, when Li Fan saw the fat guy, Ye Feipeng, his eyes revealed a hint of surprise.

    Because his fortune resembled a newly born white mist, constantly rotating and evolving.

    "This kind of fate..."

    Li Fan recalled the exnation in the technique.

    "Changing with fortune, a hundred changes in life."

    It meant that this person''s fortune was highly susceptible to external influences.

    If they encountered someone influential who supported them, it was highly possible that their life would indeed soar to great heights, just like their name, soaring with the wind and rising straight up.

    However, if they encountered a great viin, and at that time, their own fortune was still rtively fragile, they might not withstand the cmity and meet a tragic end.

    For example, in the previous life, he sensed the shady figure of Li Fan and attempted extortion. As a result, he was directly stabbed to death with a dagger by Li Fan.

    But if the extortionist wasn''t as decisive and got entangled with Li Fan.

    Then, with the ebb and flow of fortune, he might soar to great heights and be unstoppable.

    Li Fan was willing to describe such a person in eight words: "Prosper with the wind, perish against the tide."

    Among the people from Dali, besides Ye Feipeng, only Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei had somewhat peculiar fortunes.

    Su Xiaomei''s fate was the intertwining of purple and ck, indistinguishable from each other.

    As for Xiao Heng, it was the image of a hidden dragon in the abyss.

    Any one of these three would be extremely rare even in the ancient cultivation world. Typically, arge region would produce one every ten years.

    But now, in this small Dali, they emerged together.

    This made Li Fan unable to help but ponder.

    "Perhaps it''s rted to the volcano in Dali."

    ...

    Under the pressure of death, Xiao Heng couldn''t sleep at night. Faster than the previous life, he only took eight or nine days to expel all the Immortal-Mortal Miasma from his body.

    After entering the cultivation world, in just one day and one night, he sessfully guided the qi into his body and entered the Qi Condensation stage.

    Su Xiaomei''s progress was even more outrageous. The moment Tai Yan Boat broke through the Immortal Extinction Formation and entered the cultivation world, the spiritual energy in the world spontaneously surged towards her.

    Her body, like it had been hungry for a long time, indiscriminately absorbed all the spiritual energy.

    Up until now, this process was still ongoing.

    Watching these two progress so quickly, Su Changyu couldn''t help but feel a bit envious.

    However, he didn''t lose hisposure. Instead, he became even more diligent in cultivating the "Cleansing Heart Mantra" that Li Fan had passed down to him.

    He worked hard, forgetting to eat and sleep, much like Li Fan when he first met him on Liuli Ind.

    Li Fan nodded silently after seeing this.

    ...

    The Tai Yan Boat skimmed above the sea, flying quickly.

    All around was an endless ocean, and the monotonous, repetitive scenery quickly robbed the people from Dali of their sense of novelty.

    They returned to the cabin to rest.

    After studying array formations for more than two years, Li Fan tried his hand at setting up a "Silent Concealment Formation" outside the Tai Yan Boat.

    This was the most basic small-scale concealment formation, but its effect was quite good, capable of hiding both sound and form.

    Throughout the journey, they were not discovered by anyone. Li Fan, leading a group of people, smoothly returned to Night Ind.

    After informing everyone of the various methods to remove Immortal-Mortal Miasma, Li Fan let Yin Yueting take charge of the arrangements.

    Then, he inquired about the future ns of Su Xiaomei and the others.

    Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng both said they would wait for Su Changyu to sessfully guide qi into his body before going to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind together.

    Li Fan didn''t force them and simply went to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to exchange for two Qi Condensation stage cultivation techniques.

    One was, of course, for Xiao Heng, the "Minor Yan Water Technique."

    In addition, he prepared another technique for Su Xiaomei called the "Heart me Technique."

    Xiao Heng carefully took the jade slip and respectfully kowtowed to Li Fan.

    Su Xiaomei, on the other hand, was not so reserved. Taking the jade slip, she happily grinned and said, "Thank you, Master," repeatedly.

    Li Fan ignored her and let her speak as she pleased.

    "While waiting for Su Changyu on Night Ind, you can''t just idle away your time," Li Fan instructed. "Work with Zhao Erbao to collect ancient artifacts for me. I have important uses for them."

    Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng nodded in agreement.

    "Cultivation is challenging, and I can only guide you to the entrance. Your achievements in the future will depend on your own fortunes."

    After saying this, Li Fan left them with a Communication Talisman and sent them away.

    "Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei both have extraordinary fortunes. With their assistance, the process of collecting ancient artifacts with Dao resonance should speed up significantly. I hope toplete the collection before Crimson me burns the sea," Li Fan thought.

    That night, using the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art, Li Fan deepened Zhao Erbao''s painful memories as a warning.

    Afterward, Li Fan hurriedly returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    This was because he received a message from Gong Boyu.

    He Zhenghao''s legacy, the "Hundred Veins Formation Diagram," had beenpletely restored.

    Unexpectedly, the other party acted so quickly. Li Fan wasted no time and arrived outside the Formation Hall.

    Gong Boyu had already sent someone to meet him here.

    Entering the metallic cube-like building once again, this time, they arrived at arge conference room.

    Inside, besides Gong Boyu, there were six other cultivators.

    They all looked to be in their forties or fifties, and their auras were unfathomable, indicating that their cultivations were not weak.

    Gong Boyu weed Li Fan to his side, saying with joy, "Thanks to the joint efforts of these old friends, brainstorming and sharing ideas, we spent quite some time finallypleting He Zhenghao''s legacy. It''s truly something to be happy about!"

    Li Fan nodded, "If Daoist He''s spirit exists beyond death, he would surely be very pleased."

    Gong Boyu took out a square jade block from his pocket and handed it to Li Fan.

    Holding the unfamiliar jade block in his hand, Li Fan carefully examined it.

    The eight corners of the jade block were reced with different colored metals, and the overall surface was engraved with intricate and profound patterns.

    Threads of golden light flowed like a river between the patterns.

    "This is our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s encrypted jade slip. After its creation, each encrypted jade slip can only be viewed by specific cultivators. If someone else forcefully tries to read it, it will trigger a preset self-destructive prohibition."

    "This one is prepared for you, and it contains thepleted ''Hundred Veins Formation Diagram,''" Gong Boyu exined.

    Li Fan nodded and, with a thought, began examining the contents of the jade slip with his spiritual sense.

    Various mountainous terrains appeared in Li Fan''s mind in an instant.

    Upon closer inspection, every bit of soil and every piece of gravel on those mountains were actually miniature arrays.

    Stacked under countless tiny arrays, they formed aplete mountain, a mountain-shaped grand array.

    The colossal amount of information contained in it made Li Fan involuntarily inhale a cold breath.

    This was not something a Qi Condensation cultivator could casuallyprehend.

 Chapter 137: Li Fan Worships his Master

    Li Fan had a premonition that if an ordinaryte-stage Qi Condensation cultivator forcefully read the contents of the "Hundred Veins Formation Diagram," the surging information would undoubtedly overwhelm their brains. Even though Li Fan''s mental strength was higher than that of an average cultivator, the oue might not be favorable.

    Withdrawn his spiritual sense, Li Fan solemnly stored the jade slip in his storage ring.

    "How is your learning progress in formations?" Gong Boyu asked casually.

    Li Fan pondered for a moment, "I''ve studied for two years and gained some understanding. However, I''m not sure how proficient I''ve be."

    Gong Boyu said, "That''s easy!"

    He then took out a small ck sphere and tossed it to Li Fan, saying, "Separate a strand of your spiritual sense and enter it."

    Li Fan examined the ck sphere, seemingly with flowing starlight on its surface, and followed the instructions.

    In an instant, Li Fan felt like he was in a pitch-ck tunnel. His thoughts raced as if on a roller coaster, swiftly sliding through the tunnel. Questions and answers on formations came at him, and Li Fan involuntarily responded. If he knew and answered correctly, the speed of his thoughts would elerate. If he didn''t know or answered incorrectly, the speed would decrease. The feeling of having his thinking speed amplified a hundredfold was somewhat simr to the artificial enlightenment of the Tianxuan Mirror but even more effective.

    After a while, Li Fan felt his thoughts slowing down, eventuallying to aplete stop. He was expelled from the ck sphere.

    Gong Boyu took back the ck sphere, looked at the nearly invisible light point on it, and stared at Li Fan with an incredulous expression. "Did you really study for only two years?"

    Li Fan''s expression remained unchanged, "Indeed."

    After a moment of silence, Gong Boyu kindly consoled, "The path of formations is heavily dependent on talent. It''s normal if you progress slowly. Don''t be discouraged."

    Li Fan nodded appreciatively.

    However, thisforting remark unexpectedly angered another cultivator present.

    "What nonsense is this? The path of formations depends only on diligence! Gong Boyu, your talent in formations might be high, but dare you say that your understanding of formations surpasses mine?"

    Li Fan looked over and saw that the speaker had white hair, but his eyes gleamed with a hidden brilliance, making it difficult to look directly at him.

    "Brother Zhiliang, don''t be so impulsive. I was just consoling the younger generation, just a casual remark. Why take it so seriously? Everyone on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind knows that you, Zhang Zhiliang, are the number one in formations," Gong Boyu said somewhat helplessly.

    "The path of formations relies on diligence. How can you spout such nonsense?"

    Zhang Zhiliang coldly snorted, seemingly dissatisfied with Gong Boyu''s exnation.

    He turned to Li Fan, gazing sternly, "Kid, don''t be disheartened. Know that when I had just studied formations for two years, the result of my spiritual orb test was worse than yours!"

    "For five hundred years, I almost spent all my time studying formations, making progress bit by bit. That''s how I reached today''s understanding of formations. Diligence can make up for deficiencies, especially in the path of formations."

    "Although the world of formations ims to have an infinite variety, themonly used formations are limited, and they can be mastered with enough effort."

    "If you study diligently, do not ck off, and never give up, several hundred yearster, who knows, you might be a master of formations of your generation?"

    Li Fan listened, his expression solemn, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. I will definitely keep it in mind."

    After Zhang Zhiliang finished speaking, he gradually calmed down.

    He scrutinized Li Fan for a moment, then slowly said, "Although diligence can make up for deficiencies, having a master to guide is equally important."

    "When I was self-studying formations, I was well aware of how difficult it was to grope around on my own."

    After a moment of contemtion, Zhang Zhiliang said, "I see your temperament is steady, not arrogant or impetuous, quite simr to me when I was younger."

    "He Zhenghao''s ''Hundred Veins Formation Diagram'' has greatly benefited me. You bringing the iplete scroll is also a favor to me."

    Zhang Zhiliang looked at Li Fan with a serious expression, "I wonder, are you willing to follow me and learn formations?"

    Gong Boyu on the side hurriedly reminded, "Quickly worship Master Zhang!"

    Li Fan was also extremely delighted and quickly bowed in respect.

    Zhang Zhiliang calmly epted Li Fan''s bow and continued, "I''ll be frank. I don''t want to take on disciples, so there won''t be a formal master-disciple rtionship between us."

    "The unique formations I created will not be taught to you."

    "I''ll only be responsible for guiding you into the realm of formations. I won''t withhold any insights or experiences."

    "With my busy schedule, I can only spare some time to guide you."

    "I am meticulous in my work, and I am extremely strict with others. If you are found to bezy or cking off, you will definitely be expelled without mercy."

    ...

    Zhang Zhiliangid out a series of seemingly strict but reasonable conditions.

    Finally, he asked, "So, are you willing to follow me and learn formations?"

    Li Fan suppressed his inner excitement andposed himself.

    He bowed to Zhang Zhiliang again and said, "I am willing."

    Zhang Zhiliang watched Li Fan''s performance and contentedly stroked his beard.

    "Good, diligence requires time. Your formation learning begins today!"

    With that, Zhang Zhiliang grabbed Li Fan, and in a sh, they disappeared from the conference room.

    Gong Boyu and other formation masters exchanged nces, all revealing a bitter smile.

    ...

    Following Zhang Zhiliang, Li Fan suddenly arrived in a starry sky.

    Everything around him was pitch ck, set against countless twinkling stars.

    "Do you know what a formation is?" Zhang Zhiliang asked.

    Li Fan was about to answer, but after some thought, he shook his head, "Disciple does not know."

    "A formation is a formalized set ofws."

    Zhang Zhiliang said each word deliberately.

    "Burning, freezing, lightning..."

    "These are natural phenomena existing in the world, and what supports their urrence and operation are variousws in the world."

    "Laws remain unchanged throughout eternity, except in certain special circumstances."

    "Cultivators often need to observe andprehend thews of the world."

    "Formations are the formatted, mechanized, and standardized application of thesews."

    ...

    In Zhang Zhiliang''s narration, the gateway to the world of formations slowly opened to Li Fan.

    Li Fan immersed himself deeply, losing track of time.

    In the blink of an eye, the 20th year hade.

    Above the Cong Yun Sea.

    Zhang Haobo stood in mid-air, looking up.

    "Is your dying blow about toe?"

    In his memory from the previous life, a terrifying wind disaster would ur soon. Its might was enough to change the colors of the sky and earth. Over two hundred inds, including Dayu Ind, were razed to the ground, and countless mortals'' souls returned to the sea.

    Compared to this dreadful wind disaster, the storm he currently manipted was pitifully weak.

    However...

    He, Zhang Haobo, the reborn one, the son of destiny, the guardian of the Cong Yun Sea, was about to perform an audacious act, and...

    Shepherd wind!

 Chapter 138: Decisively Condensing the False Golden Core

    The fierce wind roared, stirring up waves of shock.

    The ck clouds gathering in the sky became even denser. In the mountain-likeyers of clouds, shes of lightning would asionally illuminate, showcasing its destructive power.

    This massive storm, however, in the hands of Zhang Haobo, seemed like a wild horse restrained by reins, obediently moving in the predetermined direction.

    "To peer into thews of heaven and earth to refine the Golden Core..."

    Zhang Haobo, surrounded by the raging storm, contemted slowly.

    "With my current strength, attempting a breakthrough is still a bit forced."

    "But without the Golden Core, I can only be trapped at the Foundation Establishment stage, unable to make any progress."

    "Time is pressing, and I don''t have the luxury to slowly umte contribution points to exchange for Golden Core techniques."

    "The only option now is..."

    "A false Golden Core."

    A hint of determination shed in Zhang Haobo''s eyes.

    The method of creating a false Golden Core involves infusing one''s body with the power of heaven and earth after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, forcefully breaking through and forming an illusory Golden Core constructed by the power ofws within the dantian.

    This temporarily elevates one''s cultivation to the Golden Core realm.

    However, the false Golden Core method is not sustainable and can onlyst for a little over thirty days. The side effects are also terrifying. Even if one sessfully condenses a real Golden Coreter on, irreversible injuries will be left behind, putting an end to the cultivation path.

    But Zhang Haobo has no other choice!

    Going against the natural order is no easy task.

    Zhang Haobo subtly looked up again, a trace of coldughter crossing his heart.

    Ever since his rebirth, he asionally felt a sense of being spied on.

    A prickling sensation on his back made him uneasy.

    Originally, he thought it was just a kind of illusion, but after entering the Foundation Establishment stage, this feeling became even clearer.

    Zhang Haobo understood that it was probably his various abnormal actions since his rebirth that caught the attention of someone above.

    The killing intent from the heavens, the fate of the countless beings in the Cong Yun Sea, should have been predetermined.

    Wanting to reverse fate will certainly face strong resistance.

    On this point, Zhang Haobo had long been mentally prepared.

    Predictably, as his strength continues to grow, this obstructive force will be stronger.

    However, he is not without assistance.

    Zhang Haobo subconsciously touched his chest, where a faint blue transparent bead was faintly visible.

    He was not a Water Spirit Body.

    In the Cong Yun Sea, where he could use spiritual energy freely without worrying about consumption, it was all thanks to the existence of this treasure.

    What the name of this treasure is and how it came about, he has no idea.

    It was only on the day he broke through to the Qi Condensation stage that he discovered this blue bead in his chest.

    After some experimentation, he slowly learned the uses of this water bead.

    It can help him rapidly recover spiritual energy at a terrifying speed.

    It also makes it easier for him toprehend the power of thews between heaven and earth, especially those rted to water and wind.

    From time to time, images would appear in his mind, revealing some secrets in the Cong Yun Sea.

    Previously, he was able to detect the peculiar space where the green wind and the sword hilt shed and enter it without being noticed thanks to the assistance of this blue water bead.

    Otherwise, even with his current cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage, it would have been impossible!

    This mysterious treasure should be the benefit he gained as a reborn person.

    It is also his reliance on reversing fate in this life!

    Zhang Haobo''s thoughts surged, gradually calming down.

    His left hand stretched out, catching a strand of wind from afar, sensing the uing wind disaster.

    Constantly adjusting the speed and direction of the small storm he was manipting.

    In his mind, he calcted and simted the possible oue after two storms collided.

    "The day when the storms meet will be the time I condense the false Golden Core."

    A glint of determination shed in Zhang Haobo''s eyes, and then, hidden in the wind and rain, his figure slowly disappeared into the storm.

    ...

    Although Li Fan could monitor Zhang Haobo''s every move, he couldn''t see into his inner thoughts.

    So, naturally, he was unaware of what had happened to Zhang Haobo.

    And now, he didn''t have the time to care.

    Since starting to learn the art of arrays with Zhang Zhiliang, he had no free time at all.

    Zhang Zhiliang would leave for a while after teaching for some time to attend to other matters, but before leaving, he would leave corresponding array problems for Li Fan to study.

    Often, before Li Fan couldplete these problems, Zhang Zhiliang would return.

    After correcting and exining the problems, Zhang Zhiliang would start teaching again.

    This cycle continued endlessly, not leaving any time for rest.

    When Zhang Zhiliang felt Li Fan''s mental fatigue had reached a certain level, he would ignite a silver-colored incense.

    The fragrance was faint, and after Li Fan smelled it, the mental fatigue immediately vanished.

    Then, under Zhang Zhiliang''s gaze, he continued to focus on studying.

    This process seemed endless.

    It even made Li Fan feel like time was passing very slowly.

    Every second of studying arrays felt like torture.

    He couldn''t wait for it to end soon.

    If it weren''t for his firm determination and the three mental trials he underwent at Qin Tang''s trial earlier, his endurance might not have been enough.

    After who knows how long, Zhang Zhiliang brought back another person.

    Their progress differed, so they weren''t taught together.

    Instead, in this dark starry sky, identical phantoms appeared, separating to lecture the other person.

    Li Fan only then realized that the person who had been teaching him might not be a real person.

    The so-called leaving for other matters was just an excuse.

    It was probably just to test his diligence when unsupervised.

    Li Fan shook his head, not bothering with the other apprentice.

    After setting a two-year deadline reminder, he no longer cared about anything else.

    He immersed himself single-mindedly in the study of array techniques.

    So, time passed, and he lost track of the years.

    One day, while Li Fan was frowning in thought, his face suddenly changed drastically.

    It was as if his brain had been fiercely struck by some giant object, and the world spun around him, stars twinkling.

    Blood flowed from his nose and eye sockets, giving him a terrifying appearance.

    Zhang Zhiliang''s figure suddenly appeared.

    He looked at Li Fan strangely but didn''t ask much.

    Instead, he ignited the silver incense again.

    This time, the fragrance was even more intense than before.

    The mental trauma caused just now rapidly improved after inhaling this fragrance.

    In just half a day, Li Fan felt his injuries were gone,pletely recovered.

    At this moment, Li Fan finally had the chance to check thest image transmitted to his mind.

    "Zhang Haobo broke through to the Golden Core realm?"

    He turned his head slightly, gazing into the distance, a strange expression on his face.

 Chapter 139: Riding the Wind, Overlooking Ten Thousand Immortals

    "The realm has exceeded the limits of the Formless Killing Intent, causing a bacsh."

    Li Fan pondered for a moment, then checked the scene he had just witnessed again.

    In the pitch-ck expanse of the universe, two storms collided with each other.

    A green light illuminated the heavens and earth. Li Fan vaguely saw a small ck sword shuttling through the storm.

    The killing intent was overwhelming, the speed was extremely fast, apanied by a blue and green me.

    Between the vast sky and water, the energy of the storm destroyed everything, even dispersing the abundant spiritual energy.

    Only pure wind remained.

    The two storms slowly merged and returned to one.

    However, the smaller one, like a snake swallowing an elephant, dominated.

    After who knows how long, the fusion was finallypleted.

    At the moment when this new storm took shape, the heavens and earth seemed to suddenly quiet down.

    The ck sword intent was magnified countless times, standing between the heavens and earth.

    Green wind blew in from the top of the sword, and blue water flowed into the sword from the bottom.

    The three colors, green, blue, and ck, mixed together, and the sword slowly condensed.

    When the sword intentpletely manifested, Zhang Haobo''s angry shout echoed through the sky.

    "sh!"

    Then the scene went ck, and the information stopped there.

    Li Fan repeatedly watched this scene several times, and only when Zhang Zhng saw him in a daze for a long time did he ask if he needed a break.

    Only then did Li Fan stop.

    "The method of heaven and earth to refine the Golden Core."

    Although he suffered a small injury from the bacsh, Li Fan didn''t know how exactly Zhang Haobo had achieved the Golden Core.

    But suddenly witnessing the first formation of the Golden Core, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel excited and joyful.

    On the path of cultivation, there were many unknowns shrouded in mist.

    Now, with the help of the power of a son of destiny, he had illuminated a portion of it.

    After a long while, the joy gradually faded.

    Li Fan calmed down again and resumed studying formations.

    On the side, Zhang Zhng, who had watched Li Fan study, get injured, feel joy, and continue studying, couldn''t help but show a content expression on his face.

    "Although this kid''s talent in formation techniques is a bitcking, his diligence and mentality are quite to my liking. I just don''t know how long he can persist."

    "Hopefully, he won''t give up halfway like those before."

    ...

    While Li Fan was studying formations with dedication on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, he was unaware that a giant wind disaster was swiftly moving toward Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    This abnormal sight naturally caught the attention of the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    They were confident in the protection of the Ten Thousand Immortals Guardian Formation; even if this wind disaster were twice as powerful, it wouldn''t have any substantial impact on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    However, this wind disaster had never been seen before in the Cong Yun Sea and was quite intimidating.

    Moreover, its target was extremely clear, heading straight for Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    This couldn''t help but make the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind make some unfounded associations.

    Regarding the storms ravaging the Cong Yun Sea, there was an unwritten rule among the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind cultivators.

    Only defend and generally do not take the initiative to disperse them.

    It was said to be an order from the True Monarch of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Even though the storms were powerful, it seemed that their harm was extremely limited.

    It only affected the ordinary people living on the ind.

    Even Qi Condensation stage cultivators hadn''t died in a storm.

    So, the cultivators didn''t pay much attention to the storms.

    But now, the situation was different.

    This storm wasing straight for Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    It''s worth noting that since the establishment of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, there has never been a storm attacking Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    For a while, the cultivators on the ind discussed.

    And for some unknown reason, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance officials remained strangely silent, not making any decisions.

    In this manner, the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind helplessly watched as the colossal green wind disaster, seemingly piercing through heaven and earth, approached closer and closer.

    It wasn''t particrly noticeable from a distance, but as the wind disaster gradually closed in, the cultivators became somewhat horrified.

    Countless sea water was sucked into the wind disaster.

    Wherever the wind disaster passed, the sea became empty. Even the mud and rocks from the seabed were carried up into the sky.

    Under this immense wind force, the ground of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind actually trembled faintly.

    On the stone statue of the crowned old man, who represented the Immortal Ancestor, a radiance bloomed.

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Guardian Formation had automatically activated its protection.

    "Which fellow Daoist is visiting Ten Thousand Immortals Ind?"

    "Please reveal yourself!"

    The green wind disaster got closer and closer, and the True Monarch of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind finally appeared.

    Countless mountain peaks like continuous ranges stood in the way of the wind disaster.

    Although the green wind was strong, facing these lofty and continuous mountain ranges, it seemed a bit inadequate.

    However, the wind disaster showed no intention of changing direction.

    Without answering, it directly collided head-on!

    The wind disaster and the mountain peaks collided.

    A tremendous sound resounded through the heavens and earth.

    In the ears of the watching cultivators, there was a continuous rumbling sound, making their expressions change.

    They watched in shock as the wind and mountains shed.

    The wind, like a knife, sent rocks flying, instantly shaving off many mountaintops.

    A cold snort echoed, and the mountain peaks immediately returned to their original state.

    The sky around the green wind disaster suddenly darkened.

    One after another, mountain peaks appeared, endlessly appearing one after another.

    They surrounded the green wind disaster in the center.

    At this moment, a heartyughter echoed from the wind disaster, "Cong Yun Sea, Zhang Haobo, greetings to the True Monarch!"

    The sound spread far and wide, resonating across the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Ind in an instant.

    The cultivators watching this scene were either confused or in disbelief.

    Through word of mouth, soon, all the cultivators on the ind knew who Zhang Haobo was.

    A few years ago, he tested his sword against puppets with Qi Condensation stage cultivation.

    Not long ago, he reached Foundation Establishment, cutting through the green wind with his sword.

    Now, how could he manipte such a terrifying storm to press Ten Thousand Immortals Ind?

    Looking at his momentum, although notparable to a True Monarch, he was definitely above the Nascent Soul realm!

    How did he achieve this?

    Ten Thousand Immortals Ind was in an uproar.

    The sound of discussions filled the air.

    But after the initial shock, many discerning cultivators saw through it.

    "This Zhang Haobo may not necessarily have a strong cultivation base himself! He''s borrowing momentum!"

    "Right, in my opinion, this person''s cultivation is at most in the Golden Core stage. It''s just that hisprehension of thew of wind is quite astonishing, so he can control such a formidable wind disaster!"

    "With his weak strength, he is stirring the might of heaven and earth. Ordinary Golden Core cultivators can never achieve this. How long has he been cultivating? This person''s talent is truly terrifying!"

    ...

    On Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, discussions were endless.

    The True Monarch, whose form stayed concealed, remained silent for a while.

    "Why have youe here?"

    After a moment, he spoke again.

    In the green wind disaster, Zhang Haobo slowly revealed his figure.

    He looked towards the void ahead and smiled slightly, "I am disturbing your peace to seek an audience with senior to discuss important matters!"

 Chapter 140: Even Soul Transformation are Ants

    "I have important matters to discuss!"

    Zhang Haobo''s voice echoed in the heavens and earth.

    The expressions of the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind varied, and their reactions were different.

    "He''s quite arrogant. Just a Golden Core cultivator, what important matters could he have?"

    "Yeah, he actually used the power of the wind disaster to force Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. He''s truly underestimating us!"

    "Why hasn''t the True Monarch pped this kid to death with a single palm? It''s annoying!"

    "Watching him take the spotlight is even more ufortable than losing a cultivation technique!"

    "However, with only Golden Core cultivation, he has such a demeanor. This person will surely be someone significant in the future."

    "Practicing for less than a decade, achieving Golden Core cultivation, facing the winds that overwhelm Ten Thousand Immortals. This feat reminds me of the rumored Young Master Jinglun."

    ...

    Ignoring themotioning from Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, Zhang Haobo remainedposed, patiently waiting.

    After a moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front.

    Wearing white clothes, and holding a feather fan, he had a graceful demeanor.

    He squinted his eyes, sizing up Zhang Haobo, "Golden Core? Important matters?"

    "It''s been a long time since I''ve encountered such an interesting young person!"

    Zhang Haobo stared directly at the man, his expression unchanged, saying calmly, "Golden Core, Soul Transformation, they are all ants."

    The hand of the white-clothed Soul Transformation cultivator, who was fanning himself, stopped. He scrutinized Zhang Haobo once again.

    But this time, there was a hint of seriousness in his gaze.

    After a while, he pointed with the feather fan, "So be it,e with me!"

    Then, the white-clothed Soul Transformation cultivator and Zhang Haobo disappeared from the sight of the people on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Only the gigantic green tornado continued to rotate without stopping.

    A void suddenly appeared in the sky.

    Brilliant starlight shone down, and the Green Wind of the tornado gradually dissipated.

    Leaving behind the continuous discussion of the cultivators of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Zhang Haobo''s vision blurred, and he suddenly felt himself appearing on a mountain peak.

    Mists surrounded the area, with distant mountain ranges barely visible.

    The Soul Transformation cultivator in white stood on the cliff of the mountaintop with his back turned.

    "This ce forms its own domain, able to iste from the perception of the heavenly dao. If you have something to say, just speak."

    Zhang Haobo first observed the surroundings once again, taking a moment to examine them.

    With his current cultivation, he couldn''t see anything special about this ce.

    So, he said, "Senior, do you know that within this Cong Yun Sea, there is a manifestation of a Heavenly Spirit?"

    The white-clothed Soul Transformation cultivator turned around, looking at Zhang Haobo with interest, "You mean the Green Wind that was in a standoff with that sword hilt?"

    "Although I don''t know where you learned about this, if you think it''s just a coincidence, you''ve misunderstood."

    "Among the Soul Transformation cultivators in the Cong Yun Sea and even in several neighboring states, all are aware of the existence of the Green Wind."

    "But no one dares toe and refine it. Do you know why?"

    Zhang Haobo remained unchanged, answering, "Is it because of that sword hilt?"

    The white-clothed Soul Transformation cultivator nodded, "The Heavenly Spirit, whenever it appears, has a heavenly mission. ording to our observations, the duty of that Green Wind is to destroy that sword hilt."

    "A hundred years ago, an outsider Soul Transformation cultivator passed by, sensed the existence of the Green Wind, and wanted to refine it."

    "As a result, the Green Wind used a cage, imprisoning him together with the sword hilt."

    "The malevolent aura of the sword hilt suddenly erupted, and its target was not the Green Wind''s cage but the Soul Transformation cultivator."

    "The Green Windunched a timely attack afterwards."

    "It''s like two Dao Integration figures making a move at the same time. That Soul Transformation cultivator died on the spot."

    Hearing this, Zhang Haobo pondered.

    "Two Dao Integration figures in a stalemate, but if others intervene, especially weaker ones, it would be seen as a provocation."

    "People would unite to attack. Is that so?"

    The white-clothed Soul Transformation cultivator waved his feather fan, "The young can be taught."

    However, Zhang Haobo changed the subject suddenly and said, "But what I''m talking about as the Heavenly Spirit is not the Green Wind."

    "The sword hilt escaped from confinement, and I don''t know where it flew to. The Green Wind followed suit."

    The movement of the white-clothed Soul Transformation cultivator suddenly froze.

    "What I''m talking about is a manifestation of the Heavenly Spirit that has not yet appeared but is about to appear in the Cong Yun Sea."

    Zhang Haobo''s eyes drifted, seemingly recalling something.

    The white-clothed Soul Transformation cultivator set down his feather fan, staring intently at Zhang Haobo.

    His expression was serious.

    Above the mountain peaks, dense clouds gathered, obscuring the sky.

    ...

    Li Fan was currently unaware of the events happening outside.

    He had been immersed in the study of formations.

    The person who had been learning with him couldn''t withstand this extremely abnormal study method and voluntarily gave up after three months, choosing to leave.

    Zhang Zhiliang didn''t say anything, but shortly afterward, he brought in another person to teach them formations.

    Li Fan didn''t pay any attention to these events happening around him.

    He was focused on researching formations.

    Whenever he felt tired, the silver spice would ignite itself.

    Not even a moment of rest.

    Zhang Zhiliang looked at Li Fan with increasingly satisfied eyes.

    This kind of life continued for two years.

    When the set reminder time arrived, Li Fan finally woke up from his studies.

    Looking somewhat reluctant at the detailed formation map split into countless tiny images in front of him, Li Fan shifted his gaze to Zhang Zhiliang.

    "Master Zhang, I have something to attend to and need to go out for a while," Li Fan exined.

    Zhang Zhiliang nodded, "You''ve been studying continuously for so long; it''s time to take a break."

    After thinking for a moment, he handed Li Fan a white glowing cube.

    "This is temporarily loaned to you for protection, in case of any unexpected situations."

    Observing the cube in his hand, Li Fan could see traces of dozens of superimposed formations.

    Zhang Zhiliang continued, "This is the Formation Crown, formed by the superposition of over a hundred different formations."

    "Among them, the most precious one is a teleportation formation."

    "When encountering an opponent you can''t match, you can use this teleportation formation to be transported to a random location one hundred thousand miles away."

    "After studying with me for so long, you should know how to use this item. I won''t go into details."

    Li Fan understood the preciousness of this item because the formations within the Formation Crown were not one-time use.

    After each activation, it could absorb surrounding spiritual energy on its own for recharging.

    Once the recharging wasplete, it could be used again.

    Compared to formations that could only be used a few times and often got damaged, this item was much superior.

    Zhang Zhiliang entrusting this item to Li Fan also indicated a certain level of trust in him.

    Li Fan immediately thanked Zhang Zhiliang and then left the Formation Hall.

    This time, he naturally had to go out because the time for the appearance of the Canghai Pearl was approaching.

    The Canghai Pearl was the Foundation Treasure that Li Fan had set for this life, and there could be no mistakes.

    So, he left seclusion in advance to go to Flowing Cloud Ind for observation.

    Not in a hurry to set out, Li Fan inquired about significant events that had urred in the past two years.

    This way, he learned about the turmoil caused by Zhang Haobo.

    "Indeed, a grand move. Remarkable bearing, truly remarkable!" Li Fan praised.

    "Now, considering the situation, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance should already know that the incident of Crimson me will happen next."

    "I wonder how they will respond to it."

 Chapter 141: Fortunately Obtaining the Canghai Pearl

    During the two years, besides Zhang Haobo''s wind shepherding towards Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, several major events urred.

    In the 21st year, at the edge of the Cong Yun Sea, near the endless ocean, two Soul Transformation True Monarchs engaged in a mysterious battle thatsted for over a month, with no clear winner.

    Eventually, the sky tore open, and a dazzling starlight enveloped them, putting an end to the fierce battle that had attracted numerous onlookers.

    Around the same time, shortly after the two Soul Transformation True Monarchs'' battle, in the Yuandao Prefecture adjacent to the Cong Yun Sea, a heavenly anomaly shrouded the entire province. The Blue Feather Immortal Sage, a cultivator in the Dao Integration Realm, fell.

    The Blue Feather Immortal Sage was rumored to be a senior cultivator who had survived the Great Cmity and had controlled the Yuandao Prefecture for nearly three thousand years. However, he couldn''t achieve longevity and eventually sumbed to the end of his life.

    After the Blue Feather Immortal Sage''s death, the Yuandao Prefecture fell into considerable turmoil.

    In the 22nd year, in the northwest sea area of the Cong Yun Sea, a Daoist cave rose from the sea and flew straight toward the direction of the Jiushan Prefecture.

    This incident piqued the curiosity of many cultivators, who followed to investigate, but none of them returned, their whereabouts unknown.

    ...

    Li Fan meticulously recorded these events. Then, he checked the records of his Communication Talismans.

    The collection of Dao resonance artifacts seemed to progress quite smoothly. With guidance from a group of exceptional talents, progress was better than anticipated.

    However, Zhao Erbao''s reports became increasingly sporadic, with thetest message arriving six months ago. It seemed he needed another profound lesson.

    Xiao Heng rarely disturbed Li Fan. Su Xiaomei, on the other hand, sent messages to Li Fan every now and then, reporting her progress and sharing news.

    Born with an innate physique, Su Xiaomei''s cultivation progressed rapidly. In just over two years, she had reached the Qi Condensation Late stage. Xiao Heng''s progress was slightly slower, at the Qi Condensation Middle stage, but he was said to be on the verge of a breakthrough.

    ...

    The rest of the messages were casual greetings from cultivators Li Fan had befriended on the ind. Nothing of great importance.

    However, upon entering the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan noticed that during the 21st year, a Qi Condensation cultivator named He Xinxin had sent several visitation requests.

    These requests continued intermittently until half a year ago when they suddenly stopped. Li Fan found it strange and couldn''t help but think of He Zhenghao.

    Suddenly, he remembered the first time he encountered a wind disaster on Liuli Ind in his previous life. The protective formation was activated by a female cultivator. However, they never met again, and Li Fan gradually forgot about it.

    "He Xinxin should have stayed in the Cong Yun Sea for a while and then left?" Li Fan could only specte.

    After some consideration, he decided not to actively seek her out. If fate allowed, they would meet again.

    With these misceneous matters settled Li Fan didn''t dy any longer. Using a teleportation array, he arrived at Flowing Cloud Ind.

    ording to Wu Xingzou from the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce, the Canghai Pearl was obtained by him from a fisherman on Flowing Cloud Ind.

    Therefore, the Canghai Pearl should have initially formed in the sea andter been swallowed by a fish, eventually ending up in the hands of the fisherman.

    Now, Li Fan activated the Concealing Form Talisman, flew over Flowing Cloud Ind, and carefully sensed the surroundings.

    In his previous life, he had merged with the consciousness of the Canghai Pearl, and naturally, he was extremely familiar with its aura.

    If it were on this ind, Li Fan would surely have detected it. Unfortunately, after flying in circles, he couldn''t find any trace of the Canghai Pearl.

    So Li Fan had no choice but to use Flowing Cloud Ind as the center and search towards the outer sea.

    The sea was vast, and the Canghai Pearl was still in the process of incubation, making its aura extremely weak.

    This action was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

    Fortunately, it only took a bit of time.

    Three monthster, Li Fan sessfully obtained the Canghai Pearl without any incidents.

    "With the passing of the old sea, a new one is born."

    Li Fan carefully examined this familiar object from his previous life.

    With keen perception, Li Fan felt that the Canghai Pearl seemed a bit weaker than when he saw it in his previous life. The blue color inside appeared diluted, not as profound as the ocean but rather a light blue like the sky.

    "I thought I wouldn''t see you in this lifetime, but unexpectedly, you also understand the principle of hedging your bets."

    A trace of color shed in Li Fan''s eyes, and then he devoured the Canghai Pearl into his dantian.

    True foundation building would only begin when the Canghai Pearl fully formed, but it didn''t hurt to beginprehending it now.

    With the Canghai Pearl in hand, Li Fan''s business in the Cong Yun Sea was almostplete. Afterward, he visited Night Ind to check on the situation of the outstanding talents and continued to intimidate Zhao Erbao.

    To deepen the impression, Li Fan used multipleyers of illusions.

    In the illusion, Zhao Erbao once again found himself in the nightmare where ancient artifacts were smashed. However, having experienced it two times before, he had developed some resistance.

    So, he struggled to wake up from the illusion.

    But he pretended to be still immersed in the illusion, intending to deceive Li Fan.

    It wasn''t until Li Fan appeared that he suddenly attacked. With one strike, he seemingly killed Li Fan.

    Looking at the body lying on the ground, the nightmares that had haunted him for so many years were finally eliminated. Zhao Erbao proudly howled to the sky.

    However, he found that there was no death announcement from the heavens.

    When he looked again, he saw Li Fan''s head, revealing a strange smile.

    The surroundings shattered like ss, and he returned to his own base.

    Time seemed to rewind to the day he first met Li Fan. He was exining the origin of Dao resonance artifacts to Li Fan.

    However, things took a turn. Li Fan, indifferent to the idea of reproducing Dao resonance, directly smashed the ancient artifacts in the base and pped him on the head.

    The scene turned ck, and Zhao Erbao woke up abruptly.

    Drenched in cold sweat, he was initially confused, then suddenly looked around.

    Not seeing Li Fan''s figure, he was a bit unsure whether it was still an illusion or reality.

    After a long time, Zhao Erbao finally regained his senses.

    Knowing it was a warning from Li Fan, he hastily sent a report message to Li Fan.

    Observing Zhao Erbao''s expressions and actions in the shadows, Li Fan knew the intimidation had been sessful.

    "However, this is not a long-term solution. In the future, when the opportunity arises, I must find a method specifically for controlling cultivators."

    After that, Li Fan went to check on Su Changyu.

    The miasma cleansing was still notpleted, but Su Changyu remained steady, persevering without arrogance or impatience.

    Combined with the asional treasures that Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng brought him, which were said to help eliminate the miasma in his body, theplete cleansing was not far off.

 Chapter 142: Far Away from the Cong Yun Sea

    Due to their joint responsibility for collecting Dao resonance artifacts, Su Xiaomei, Yin Yueting, and Yin Yuzhen became very close. Additionally, Su Xiaomei had limited contact with outsiders since childhood, except for Xiao Heng and Su Changyu, so the two years of closepanionship cultivated some feelings between them.

    Under Su Xiaomei''s encouragement, Yin Yueting and her sister also began practicing the "Cleansing Heart Mantra," attempting to eliminate the miasma in their bodies and embark on the path of immortality. However, their cultivation progress was slower than Su Changyu''s.

    Observing from the sidelines, Li Fan did not reveal himself. Once he confirmed that there were no unexpected situations, he returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Returning the Formation Crown to Zhang Zhiliang, Li Fan immersed himself once again in the study of formations. At this time, it was the 22nd year, and he had set a time limit of six years for himself.

    In the previous life, when he emerged from seclusion in the 31st year, the destruction of the sea had already begun. In the 30th year, he even went to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and submitted the Tai''an Fruit.

    So, the appearance of the Crimson me should be between the 30th and 31st years. However, with the unstable factor of Zhang Haobo in this life, Li Fan decided to leave noter than the 28th year, just to be safe.

    Before that, he needed to make the most of his time to learn formations. After arriving in the unfamiliar Yuandao Prefecture, it would be challenging to find a formation master to teach him once more.

    Time was running out, and Li Fan became even more diligent. Immersed in the study of formations, he worked tirelessly without rest. Even Zhang Zhiliang''s well-intentioned advice to take a break was firmly refused.

    Over the years, the apprentices around Zhang Zhiliang changed repeatedly. However, none of them were as focused and unwavering as Li Fan.

    As time passed, four years flew by in the blink of an eye. The time came to the 26th year, and Li Fan, who was reading formations, was slightly stunned. His clone, Fan Lin, who had been in seclusion for so long to derive new techniques, had run out of contribution points and was forced to leave seclusion.

    The result of the equivalent of two hundred and seventy years ofprehension was not bad but not excellent either. Creating a technique from scratch was extremely difficult, even if it was just a modification of an existing technique.

    Out of the two techniques, only one was derived, and the progress of the other was only halfwayplete. Li Fan estimated that it would take about thirty more years toplete.

    On average, it would take him about one hundred and fifty years to derive a new technique at the Foundation Establishment stage. No wonder the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association could monopolize techniques. Li Fan couldn''t help but sigh at the overwhelming costpared to the benefits.

    Li Fan examined the new technique he hadprehended: "Spirit Intent Illusion Technique." It was a synthesis of the "Netherworld Spirit Illusion Technique" and the insights into sword intent foundation from Zhang Haobo. With this technique, the Azure me Illusionary Spirit would further grow.

    As for the new movement technique based on the "Stalking Shadow Technique," it had not been derived yet.

    Not intending to cultivate it for the time being, Li Fan continued to seize the remaining time to improve his understanding of formations.

    The clone, Fan Lin, continued to perform some errands on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, umting contribution points to sustain himself in the Tianxuan Mirror. While doing so, he tried to gather information about the events of the past few years.

    However, he did not find any useful information. Since the 22nd year, the entire Cong Yun Sea had fallen into a strange calm, as if something was brewing.

    The river of time continued to rush forward. In the blink of an eye, it reached the 28th year.

    Li Fan''s nned time to leave the Cong Yun Sea had arrived, just when he was thinking of finding an excuse to bid farewell to Zhang Zhiliang.

    However, Zhang Zhiliang took him to a secluded space.

    In the distance, a dazzling gxy shone. Li Fan, who had been studying formations for nearly ten years, could vaguely discern traces of a slowly operatingrge formation.

    "I have a matter that requires you to handle for me." Zhang Zhiliang looked at Li Fan with a serious expression, his words exceptionally forceful, leaving no room for Li Fan to refuse.

    "You will go to Tianyu Prefecture for me. That''s where the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters is located. Once you arrive, open this object, and you''ll naturally know what to do next."

    Li Fan was momentarily stunned, then took the item handed to him by Zhang Zhiliang. It was a small rectangr ck box, smooth and dark on the surface, engraved with a sealing formation.

    "With this item, you won''t be able to use teleportation formations. You need to fly all the way to Tianyu Prefecture. The journey is long, and with your speed, it will likely take two or three years to get there. While on the way, don''t idle. Crack the sealing formation on this. I believe that with your current level of formation mastery, by the time you reach Tianyu Prefecture, the seal will naturally be lifted."

    At first, Li Fan didn''t understand the mysterious and ingenious nature of Zhang Zhiliang''s task. However, after hearing his series of requests, he understood.

    Silently putting away the small ck box and without asking aboutpensation, Li Fan prepared to take his leave. Before departing, he asked, "Master Zhang, aren''t you leaving?"

    Zhang Zhiliang was momentarily surprised, then carefully reevaluated Li Fan. His eyes filled with approval, and he said, "Leave? In the vastness of heaven and earth, where else can I go? You go!"

    Li Fan respectfully bowed, said nothing more, and left the Formation Hall.

    "I hope I haven''t misjudged him." Zhang Zhiliang sighed, watching Li Fan disappear in the distance.

    ...

    On the Transmission Square, the ck box stored in the storage ring, Li Fan attempted to use the teleportation formation. Unsurprisingly, it still worked.

    It seemed that the task assigned by Zhang Zhiliang was just an excuse to send Li Fan far away from the Cong Yun Sea. The reason for saying he couldn''t use teleportation formations was to prevent Li Fan from returning quickly.

    Watching the cultivators of the Cong Yun Sea who came and went hastily in front of the transmission formation, Li Fan understood it was time.

    Using a Communication Talisman, he contacted Su Xiaomei and asked her and the others to wait on Night Ind.

    Then, using the teleportation formation, he arrived at Liuli Ind, nning to leave with Su Xiaomei and the others.

    Unexpectedly, just as he stepped out of the teleportation formation, he was stopped by the guardian of Liuli Ind, Yuwen Xing.

    "I have a good job here. I don''t know if you''re interested?" Yuwen Xing looked at Li Fan warmly.

    "Oh? I don''t know what the job is." Li Fan politely asked but didn''t take it to heart. Regardless of what Yuwen Xing said, he would definitely refuse.

    "The guardian of Tai''an Ind and I have a good rtionship. Currently, he is facing a bottleneck in his cultivation and wants to go out to seek opportunities. However, due to his responsibilities, he can''t leave without authorization. So, he asked me if I could rmend a suitable person."

    "Coincidentally, I ran into you."

    Yuwen Xing said with a smile.

    Li Fan only needed to hear one sentence to know something was wrong. When Yuwen Xing finished speaking, his face turned dark.

    "No, no. I have been entrusted by someone else with a task and need to go out for a trip. I really can''t spare the time."

    "Please ask someone else!" Li Fan bluntly refused with his hands cupped.

 Chapter 143: The Appearance of Crimson Flame

    "That''s a pity," Yuwen Xing said with regret as he looked at Li Fan.

    Li Fan was about to leave but suddenly thought of something.

    He asked, "Fellow Daoist Yuwen, I wonder, what is the cultivation level of the guardian of Tai''an Ind?"

    Yuwen Xing was a bit puzzled about why Li Fan would ask such a question, but it wasn''t a secret, so he answered, "Fellow Daoist Zhou Qingang is at the mid Foundation Establishment level. It hasn''t been long since he broke through from the early Foundation Establishment stage, only about twenty or thirty years. It''s unexpected that he''s about to break through again so soon. Truly enviable!"

    Li Fan nodded thoughtfully and said, "I see. This Zhou Qingang seems to have some issues..."

    However, since Li Fan was nning to slip away, this matter had nothing to do with him. He just kept it in mind.

    After bidding farewell to Yuwen Xing, Li Fan hurried to Night Ind.

    Su Xiaomei and the others had already gathered.

    In the six years that had passed, everyone had undergone earth-shaking changes.

    Su Changyu had sessfully entered the Qi Condensation stage, practicing the "Concealed Jade Art" that Xiao Heng had exchanged for him.

    Xiao Heng, unable to contact Li Fan for years, joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance through the introduction of Zhao Erbao. They undertook various tasks to umte contribution points. Both of them were now at thete Qi Condensation stage, preparing for Foundation Establishment.

    As for Yin Yueting and Yin Yuzhen, they had sessfully removed the miasma from their bodies, although they had not yet seeded in condensing Qi into their bodies.

    Although he was at thete Qi Condensation stage as well, Li Fan activated the Concealing Form Talisman on his body, and Su Xiaomei and the others couldn''t see his true cultivation level.

    Li Fan asked Zhao Erbao, "How is the collection of Dao resonance antiques going?"

    In recent years, Zhao Erbao has been very obedient, having experienced hardships under Li Fan. Later, seeing the several juniors brought by Li Fan rapidly surpassing him in cultivation, he became even more docile.

    He honestly confessed, "We''re still a few artifacts short, but it should be enough to reproduce the Dao resonance soon. It should take another year or two."

    Li Fan shook his head. "There''s no time. Let''s get ready to leave."

    "Leave? Where are we going?" Zhao Erbao looked a bit confused.

    "Yuandao Prefecture," Li Fan answered without exining why.

    Then, Li Fan looked at Su Xiaomei and the others. "Are you willing to go with me?"

    "Master, wherever you go, I will follow," Su Xiaomei said with a cheerful smile, not asking why they suddenly had to leave.

    Although so much time had passed, for some reason, she still looked like a seven or eight-year-old child.

    Seeing Li Fan asking, she immediately expressed her loyalty.

    "We will naturally go with Xiaomei." Xiao Heng and Su Changyu had no objections.

    Yin Yueting, however, looked hesitant, apparently reluctant to leave the foundation they had built for Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

    In the midst of her hesitation, her sister Yin Yuzhen kicked her right leg forcefully.

    Looking back at her sister, Yin Yueting said, "We will go together."

    Li Fan nodded, making the final decision, "Pack up, we will set off in seven days."

    The reason for such a long preparation time was because the transfer of Dao resonance antiques was somewhat troublesome. They couldn''t use spatial storage equipment, so they had to move each item one by one.

    Fortunately, with everyone working together, they finally managed to move all the Dao resonance antiques into the Tai Yan Boat within the specified time.

    As for the assets of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, Yin Yueting only took half of it with her. The rest was left to the elders who had been following her and working together.

    Everyone boarded the Tai Yan Boat, ready to leave.

    At this moment, a person suddenly rushed out from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion crowd, crying and kowtowing while shouting, "Manager Yin!"

    It turned out to be someone Yin Yueting had treated with great kindness, reluctant to see her leave.

    Li Fan recognized him as Sun Zhang, who had been at Heavenly Treasure Pavilion on Liuli Ind in the previous life.

    After thinking about it, Li Fan brought him onto the Tai Yan Boat.

    Apart from him, no one else from Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was willing to leave.

    Li Fan also inquired about a fatty named Ye Feipeng.

    Amidst the various responses, Li Fan learned that Ye Feipeng had been noticed by Wu Xingzou of the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce a few years ago. Following Wu Xingzou, Ye Feipeng left the Cong Yun Sea, and no one knew where he had gone.

    Nodding, Li Fan didn''t ask further.

    Then, flying the Tai Yan Boat, they headed towards Yuandao Prefecture.

    This route had been traveled by Li Fan before, and this time, there were no major obstacles.

    After more than a month of traveling, they arrived at Zhuo Ling City.

    However, Li Fan hadn''t anticipated bringing so many Dao resonance antiques.

    The courtyard he had prepared as a temporary residence turned out to be too small.

    It couldn''t amodate all the items.

    So, Li Fan left the Tai Yan Boat outside Zhuo Ling City, used formations to conceal its presence, and instructed Su Xiaomei and others to guard it.

    Afterward, Li Fan met with the guardian of Zhuo Ling City and inquired if there were suitable ces nearby to open a cultivation cave.

    "Cultivation cave?" The guardian of Zhuo Ling City, Fei Nan, was a Foundation Establishmentte-stage cultivator. At this moment, he was somewhat surprised by Li Fan''s question.

    Because generally, cultivators from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would either settle directly in Yuandao Heavenly City or stay in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Only those entric cultivators who liked solitude would go through the trouble of opening cultivation caves in the wilderness.

    Fei Nan didn''t inquire further, especially since Li Fan generously offered a consultation fee of one hundred contribution points. Fei Nan immediately warmly provided Li Fan with several locations to choose from.

    The first location was a gorge more than two thousand miles north of Zhuo Ling City.

    Looking down from the sky, the mountain peaks on both sides were like natural barriers, protecting the gorge in the center. The gorge was abundant in spiritual energy, and it wasn''t too far from Yuandao Heavenly City.

    The second location was to the south of Zhuo Ling City, more than three thousand miles away, where there was a continuous mountain range called the Daoling Mountains.

    Legend had it that it used to be the site of a certain sect before the great cmity. In the Daoling Mountain range, there were several suitable peaks for opening cultivation caves. The downside was that asionally, cultivators woulde to explore the remnants of the sect.

    The third location was rtively remote.

    More than five thousand miles west of Zhuo Ling City, near Shilin Prefecture, there was a vastke called Mingyue Lake, several hundred miles in diameter.

    Theke itself had no valuable resources, and there were no ancient relics nearby. The density of spiritual energy in the vicinity was also ordinary.

    So, few cultivators ventured there.

    After listening, Li Fan thanked Fei Nan and left.

    Among these ces, it seemed that Mingyue Lake was most suitable as a cultivation cave.

    However, Li Fan wasn''t in a hurry to make a decision; he believed seeing was believing.

    He rejoined Su Xiaomei and the others, lifted the Tai Yan Boat, and headed towards Mingyue Lake.

    Meanwhile, as Li Fan and his group were looking for a future residence, a grand drama quietly unfolded over the Cong Yun Sea.

    It was already midnight.

    No stars or moon were visible, making it pitch dark.

    On Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, everything was silent.

    Suddenly, without warning, a huge sun appeared in the sky.

    The sunlight was intense, illuminating everything.

    Under this artificial daylight, the Cong Yun Sea, which was shrouded in darkness, became as bright as day.

    And beneath the great sun, in the high sky, a red, transparent figure suddenly appeared.

 Chapter 144: All Immortals Execute Crimson Flame

    The night suddenly became day under the great sun.

    This strange scene attracted the attention of all the living beings in the Cong Yun Sea who had not yet rested, causing them to look up at the sky.

    At the same time, an ancient voice also echoed from the heavens, seeming like thunder, instantly spreading throughout the entire Cong Yun Sea.

    "Since you begged for my help, I will lend a hand. Whether you seed or not depends on your own fortune!"

    Under the illumination of the great sun, the figure of the Heavenly Spirit that could not be seen by ordinary people, Crimson me, was now clearly revealed.

    "What is that?"

    Compared to the sun illuminating the Cong Yun Sea, this crimson figure was extremely tiny.

    But all cultivators'' gazes were involuntarily attracted by it.

    Greed surged from their hearts.

    Reason disappeared as cultivators one after another flew towards the sky like moths to a me.

    Before even getting close, their whole bodies were incinerated by fierce mes.

    Dots of death announcements like fireworks continuously appeared in the sky.

    Ten Thousand Immortals Ind had already fallen into chaos.

    "It''s a Heavenly Spirit! After consuming it, one can achieve Dao Integration!"

    Countless cultivators'' eyes turned bloodshot as they babbled incessantly.

    In an instant, cultivators blinded by greed flew towards the sky as if possessed.

    However, when their flight altitude exceeded the statue of the Immortal Ancestor, rays of white light simultaneously shot out from the various statues in the Transmission Square, bombarding these transgressors into pieces.

    Above Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, all kinds of death announcements instantly appeared.

    But the fear of death could not stop the greed of cultivators at all.

    White lights kept shing, and each time they lit up, at least several cultivators lost their lives.

    Observing through his clone, Li Fan was also shocked and mesmerized by the cruel yet magnificent scene before his eyes.

    Although he had witnessed the Heavenly Spirit many times and knew its fatal allure to cultivators, when it really happened before his eyes, Li Fan realized that he still underestimated its attraction to cultivators.

    Fearless of death, they pressed forward sessively.

    In the blink of an eye, at least hundreds of cultivators had lost their lives because of it.

    Moreover, the Heavenly Spirit''s attraction kept growing stronger.

    Even those cultivators barely holding onto their original temperance seemed about to lose their persistence.

    At this moment, a rainbow-colored shield abruptly expanded from the central core area of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    In an instant, it covered the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    The seven-colored radiance, misty and flowing, slightly blocked the cultivators'' line of sight towards the Heavenly Spirit.

    As if seen through a thin veil, although they could still clearly see everything happening high in the sky, the surging desires in their hearts gradually faded away.

    "The Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation..." As Li Fan looked at the rainbow shield, before he could think further, his attention was drawn back to the scene in the sky.

    The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind who had just escaped death also did not have time to discuss among themselves. Their attraction grew more as time passed.

    The Heavenly Spirit, Crimson me.

    It seemed to have just emerged into the world and was illuminated by the great sun overhead.

    After such a long time, its figure finally fully condensed.

    Ignoring the ants recklessly flying to their deaths below, it looked up at the sun shining in the night sky.

    mes abruptly surged around its body as it was about to take action.

    But then, in the heavens, a splendid river of starsposed of countless twinkling lights soundlessly appeared.

    Under the rare scene of the stars and sun sharing the sky together, the silvery starlight interwove with the scorching sunlight.

    It formed a cage that trapped the Crimson me within.

    "The waters of the Lancang Rivere down from heaven!"

    An unrestrainedughter echoed across the sky.

    Shrouded by the star river, torrents of river water a thousand feet deep descended from the sky as if like a spear piercing downwards.

    The roaring waters were like a dragon, mming down towards the Crimson me.

    But before even getting close to the Crimson me, the surging waters were evaporated by the scorching heat.

    However, the flowing river never stopped, and it slightly dyed the Crimson me''s actions.

    At the same time, all living beings in the Cong Yun Sea heard the tender voice of a 5 or 6-year-old boy.

    "Tian Yang''s soul..."

    A strange mechanical voice followed.

    "Not weaker than man!"

    ck and red mes soared into the sky, transforming into fiery chains that instantly locked the Crimson me''s four limbs.

    Under the scorching pure red mes, the ck and red chains continuously fell back.

    Some were assimted into the crimson ze, while other chains turned into ck ash and fell from the sky.

    "Not weaker!"

    "Than man!"

    The childish and mechanical voices echoed across the sky together.

    Full of stubbornness.

    The ck and red chains suddenly regained their previous shape out of thin air.

    Tightly pulling at the Crimson me''s hands and feet.

    In the sky, within the brilliant star river, a star transformed into purple light and descended from afar.

    In an instant, crossing numerous spatial barriers, it smashed onto the Crimson me.

    It didn''t create the earth-shattering impact as imagined.

    After the purple light approached, it was vaporized into nothingness by the unimaginably high temperature.

    It only caused the mes to flicker slightly, with no other apparent impact.

    The Crimson me tilted its head slightly, seemingly mocking.

    "Fellow Daoist Hongxi, Fellow Daoist Haoxuan, if not now, when will you act?"

    A steady female voice urged.

    "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

    Faint rumblings echoed in the heavens and earth.

    "Mountain!"

    An inverted mountain peak that looked extremely small suddenly appeared above the Crimson me''s head in an instant.

    The needle-like mountain peak pressed down on the Crimson me.

    "Mountain!"

    "Mountain!"

    "Mountain!"

    ...

    The young man''s voice resounded one after another.

    Above, below, left, right, front, and back of the Crimson me, multiple inverted mountains simultaneously appeared.

    They trapped the Crimson me in the middle.

    And behind each mountain peak, the shadows of several other peaks could be faintly seen.

    Inverted mountains pressed down from all directions.

    The immense pressure distorted the space around the Crimson me.

    But, the moment each mountain approached the Crimson me, they were scorched into nothingness by the fiery heat.

    At this moment, the Crimson me faced attacks from the Chains of Tian Yang, the Falling Starlight, the Lancang River water, and the inverted mountains.

    The mes surging around its body indicated that it was no longer as rxed as at the beginning.

    Therefore, it prepared to make a move.

    "Center!"

    Just at this moment, a thunderous shout echoed in the heavens and earth.

    A silver light suddenly appeared and pierced through its chest.

    The Crimson me''s body slightly hesitated.

    The mes surged, and the silver radiance disappeared in an instant.

    "Center!"

    Another silver radiance pierced through its body.

    Yet, it appeared oblivious and began its counterattack.

    Extending its hand, it lightly flicked its finger.

    A terrifying red light burst forth, momentarily surpassing the brightness of the sun in the sky.

    Amidst the explosion of mes.

    The inverted mountains in all directions were instantly sted away, copsing in disarray.

    mes churned around its body as it dragged the Tian Yang Chains and threw a fist at the white Lancang River water dragon.

    White mist tumbled as the waterfall in the sky instantly dried up.

    A ray of red light shot out from the Crimson me''s eyes, colliding with the purple light falling from the star river.

    Rising upwards, like a meteor flying in reverse, it bombarded the brilliant star river.

    The starlight darkened as the river sustained a heavy strike.

    In just a moment, under the Crimson me''s casual counterattack, the originally magnificentbined strike of the five True Monarchs already showed signs of defeat.

    In the Cong Yun Sea, the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind had all lost their voices at this scene.

    Not long ago, they were still shocked by the earth-shattering divine abilities of the True Monarchs.

    But now, as the Dao Integration Realm Crimson me took action, they finally understood.

    That insurmountable chasm between the Dao Integration Realm and the Soul Transformation Realm.

    For a while, some cultivators'' minds copsed.

    "Thebined might of five True Monarchs is so easily crushed?"

    "Devour the Heavenly Spirit, devour the Heavenly Spirit. The power of the Dao Integration Realm is too terrifying. How can we devour the Heavenly Spirit?"

    "Ants... we''re all ants..."

    ......

    Other people still had faith in the ind''s True Monarchs.

    "Get a grip! Esteemed True Monarch Hongxi and the others won''t be defeated so easily. They must have more tricks up their sleeve!"

    "That''s right, the Heavenly Spirit has been under siege since revealing itself, obviously the True Monarchs have made preparations beforehand. Don''t worry!"

    As if to prove these words, high up in the sky, under the shining stars, silver-white squares soundlessly appeared around the battlefield.

    "That''s..."

    Li Fan was slightly surprised.

    He recognized this object: it was the Formation Crown that Formation Master Zhang Zhiliang gave him for protection when he went out before.

    Just one Formation Crown contained hundreds ofyered formations.

    Yet now, densely packed, at least hundreds of thousands of white squares had appeared around the Crimson me and five True Monarchs'' battlefield!

    "I, Zhang Zhiliang, am first in formations in the Cong Yun Sea!"

    "Although I am only at the Nascent Soul Realm."

    "Today, I will use my Infinite Formation to assist the True Monarchs'' ascension!"

    Zhang Zhiliang''s arrogant voice thundered.

    "Gather spirits!"

    Following his low shout.

    The hundreds of thousands of white Formation Crowns simultaneously emitted faint white lights.

    A silence descended upon heaven and earth.

    Then, tremendous attractive forces burst out from these white Formation Crowns.

    In an instant, the spiritual qi of the entire Cong Yun Sea was attracted towards the battlefield.

    A spiritual qi storm swiftly formed.

    Vast amounts of spiritual qi, almost condensed into liquid, gathered.

    The damaged Tian Yang Chains instantly regained their firmness.

    The darkened star river once again became dazzling and eye-catching.

    The waters of the Lancang River once again surged with great momentum.

    The inverted mountains towered into the sky again.

    Moreover, the hundreds of thousands of Formation Crowns created by Zhang Zhiliang, harnessing the entire power of the Cong Yun Sea, were far from just having these uses.

    "Stall!"

    Strands of silver-white threads shot out from the Formation Crowns, coiling around the Crimson me like spider silk.

    The threads seemed insubstantial; no matter how the mes churned, they only twisted the fine lines.

    But the mes were unable to destroy them.

    Tens of thousands of threads bound the Crimson me.

    Its actions became a bit sluggish.

    "Birth and death!"

    White light shone on the five True Monarchs.

    Their offensive abruptly became even more ferocious.

    And they seemed to have gained a trace more coordination between each other.

    Achieving a synergistic effect of one plus one being greater than two.

    On the other hand, each of the Crimson me''s me attacks was weakened by the True Monarchs''bined strikes.

    "Obliteration!"

    Strands of ck lights emitting an aura of destruction sporadically shot out from the hundreds of thousands of white Formation Crowns.

    urately bombarding the Crimson me, causing the mes around its body to flicker rapidly.

    ......

    Zhang Zhiliang manipted and unleashed arrays of different effects in session.

    The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind watched this scene with eyes wide and tongues tied, finding it unbelievable.

    "Just who is this Zhang Zhiliang? I only know Gong Boyu is the ind''s formation master!"

    "He says his own cultivation base is only at the Nascent Soul Realm? I see his formations'' might even exceed those True Monarchs!"

    "Master Zhang is indeed unanimously recognized by the Formation Hall as first in formations."

    "I must also learn formations."

    While Li Fan, who had followed and learned formations from Zhang Zhiliang for nearly ten years, had an even deeper understanding.

    Indeed, Zhang Zhiliang ability to participate in the contest between Soul Transformation and Dao Integration relied greatly on the hundreds of thousands of Formation Crowns.

    But Li Fan knew clearly in his heart that simultaneously controlling such a huge number of Formation Crowns was an extremely difficult matter.

    It required extremely powerful spiritual support as well as thorough familiarity with formations.

    "Infinite Formation..." Li Fan thought of the small ck box Zhang Zhiliang gave him, a thought arising in his mind.

    Up in the sky, the battle became increasingly intense.

    Purple lights continuously fell from the star river, urately striking the Crimson me.

    The frequency of the silver lights shooting out from an unknown origin became increasingly rapid, riddling the Crimson me''s body full of holes.

    The inverted mountains, Lancang River waters, and Tian Yang Chains continuously tangled with the Crimson me.

    Although the offense was extremely fierce, each attack only snuffed out a few mes.

    As the Heavenly Spirit, its power came from heaven and earth itself.

    Seemingly endless and inexhaustible.

    Thebined might of the five True Monarchs could not inflict substantial damage.

    They could only slowly wear down its strength.

    Although the Crimson me was equivalent to a Dao Integration Realm cultivator, it was after all only an embodiment of principles.

    It was not very proficient inbat, purely relying on its power to overwhelm others.

    Each of its attacks posed huge threats to the True Monarchs, but with Zhang Zhiliang and the hundreds of thousands of formations assisting, they could quickly recover from injuries.

    Under this war of attrition, for a time, the battle situation had fallen into a strangely tense stalemate.

    Shrouded under the great sun, the normal cycle of day and night in the Cong Yun Sea was also stopped.

    Time seemed to be paused as all living beings halted their activities, looking up at the battle between the six powerful experts in the sky.

    The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind watched the battlefield closely, afraid to miss the slightest detail.

    Thebined might of five Soul Transformation experts against one in the Dao Integration Realm.

    Such a scene perhaps could only be witnessed once in their lifetimes.

    Many cultivators even took out inscription tablets to record this down.

    Whether to aid in their ownprehension in the future or replicate and sell, it would be greatly useful.

    A small number of cultivators foresaw trouble brewing and wanted to escape through the teleportation arrays. But they discovered that the teleportation arrays had all lost effectiveness.

    So they fled from Ten Thousand Immortals Ind in panic, wanting to fly away from the Cong Yun Sea by themselves.

    ......

    Among the masses with all kinds of reactions, Li Fan also carefully watched this seemingly endless battle through his clone.

    Engrossed in it, letting time slip by.

    One day, two days.

    Time trickled away little by little.

    In the protracted battle, the mes churning around the Crimson me''s body flickered increasingly rapidly.

    Evidently, continuously facing the relentlessbined strikes of the five True Monarchs had made its responses gradually more strenuous.

    More importantly, the dazzling golden light from the great sun in the sky as well as the faint starlight from the splendid star river together wove a cage, cutting off its connection with heaven and earth.

    Preventing it from replenishing its primal energy.

    Each attack made it weaker bit by bit.

    The scales of victory were tilting towards the five True Monarchs.

    So their offense became increasingly fierce.

    Ever since the great battle began, the spiritual qi of the entire Cong Yun Sea kept getting drawn away.

    The precipitous drop in spiritual qi density was keenly sensed by the cultivators.

    They could not help feeling rmed.

    The battle had reached a white-hot stage.

    On Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, Li Fan, who was watching the battle, suddenly sensed something.

    He shifted his gaze away from the sky, looking at the Cong Yun Sea shrouded under the great sun.

    There, something seemed to be slowly taking form.

    The Canghai Pearl in his original body informed him that this was not an illusion.

    "Zhang, Hao, Bo," Li Fan said each word one by one in his mind, a strange look on his face.

    He originally thought that summoning the winds to soar over Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and attract the True Monarchs'' attention toy the trap against the Crimson me was already his limit.

    He didn''t expect that he would still make a move?

    How is that possible?

    No matter how fast he cultivated, it was impossible to break through to the Golden Core Realm in just a few years.

    Even if Zhang Haobo had achieved Golden Core, in a battle at this level, he would still be like an ant.

    What else could he do?

    Li Fan''s gaze tightly locked onto the air above the sea.

    There, an illusory human figure was gradually taking shape.

    Little by little, aside from Li Fan, many other cultivators also noticed the anomaly.

    "Quick, look over there, what is that?"

    "Could it be another True Monarch joining the battle?"

    "That silhouette looks so familiar, have I seen it somewhere before?"

    "It''s Zhang Haobo who attacked Ten Thousand Immortals Ind back then!"

    Amidst the crowd''s cries of rm, Zhang Haobo''s figure followed the wind and rapidly expanded, in a sh bing as enormous as a mountain.

    "This is..."

    "Golden Core Dharma Body! He actually shattered his golden core!"

    "Why? Such a young cultivator at Golden Core Realm has boundless prospects ahead!"

    Information regarding the Golden Core Dharma Body instantly surfaced in Li Fan''s mind.

    Refining the golden core required peeping into thews of heaven and earth.

    If foundation building used enlightenment from thews contained in Heavenly Treasures to build one''s Dao Foundation, then the Golden Core consists of thews personallyprehended by the cultivator.

    The Golden Core Dharma Body is the embodiment ofw condensed in one''s Golden Core.

    When detonating both it and the physical body, one could form a body purelyposed ofws that briefly existed in heaven and earth.

    The Dharma Body could only persist for less than half a day.

    Once it dissipated, it signified the cultivator''splete death.

    Only Golden Core cultivators facing mortal peril would use this method as an all-out strike.

    Yet he didn''t expect Zhang Haobo to unhesitatingly utilize it for no reason.

    What was he trying to do?

    The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind all focused their gazes on this Golden Core Dharma Body.

    A thought that they dared not believe shed in their minds in unison.

    Did he want to y a Dao Integration Realm as Golden Core?

    Not even in their dreams would anyone dare attempt this.

    However...

    Zhang Haobo dared!

    His body had grown to the limit, resembling a mountain.

    Watching the raging battle not far away in the sky, the Crimson me and the five Soul Transformation True Monarchs were still fighting.

    An inexplicable expression appeared on his face.

    Extending his left hand, a deep blue water droplet appeared in the palm of his hand.

    With a mixture of gratitude and nostalgia in his gaze, Zhang Haobo''s eyes shed with a trace of determination.

    Suddenly, he clenched his hand, and the blue water droplet burst open with a resounding noise.

    Endless blue light emerged from it, absorbed by Zhang Haobo.

    And below, the Cong Yun Sea seemed to boil instantly, creating waves without wind.

    In the midst of the surging waves, countless blue dots of light rapidly flew towards Zhang Haobo.

    Zhang Haobo''s body instantly expanded several times again.

    Like a giant towering into the sky, with the ck sky above his head and the blue sea beneath his feet, his eyes were level with the Crimson me.

    Zhang Haobo looked at the familiar figure in front of him and said loudly.

    "You!"

    "Destroyed my hometown!"

    "Burned my rtives!"

    He paused, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

    "Now..."

    "Receive my sword!"

    A dazzling blue light suddenly lit up between the sky and the sea.

    The brilliance was dazzling, surpassing even the great sun in the sky.

    At this moment, all the cultivators watching here instinctively closed their eyes.

    Zhang Haobo, embodying the sword, shed forward in an instant.

    Fearless of life and death, he pressed forward!

    "This sword!"

    "I''ve waited for sixteen years!"

    The attacks of the five True Monarchs intensified like a sudden rainstorm, immobilizing the Crimson me.

    In the blink of an eye, the blue sword shadow crossed through multipleyers of spatial barriers and shed down upon the Crimson me!

    Passing through its body, the momentum unabated, it flew towards the distance.

    However, Zhang Haobo had returned to his normal size.

    The lower part of his body hadpletely dissipated.

    Only the upper body floated in the air.

    His hands firmly grasped the Crimson me, and under the purely scorching mews, his Dharma Body began to dissolve like a melting candle.

    Soon, his features became blurred and grotesque.

    But he never let go.

    Zhang Haobo smiled again and said thest words.

    "In fact..."

    "I lied to you just now."

    "I..."

    "Still have twenty-seven swords."

    Before the words fell, from various parts of the Cong Yun Sea.

    Waves surged, emitting a deafening roar.

    This was not just Zhang Haobo''s power but the will of the entire Cong Yun Sea.

    The sky wanted to burn the sea, but the sea resisted.

    So...

    Receive the twenty-eight swords of the Cong Yun Sea!

    The remaining twenty-seven strands of blue light instantly took form.

    Covering the sky, shining on all living beings.

    Aimed at the Crimson me locked by Zhang Haobo, they arrived in an instant.

    Twenty-seven swords, piercing through one after another.

    Cracks of blue appeared on the transparent body of the Crimson me.

    It silently looked at Zhang Haobo, who was almostpletely melting while still gripping it, expressionless.

    Then...

    The mes suddenly dimmed.

    The red figure gradually became transparent, as if melting into water, slowly dissipating.

    At the same time, Zhang Haobo, who had only half a head left, gained a sudden surge of strength.

    A body made of mes was generated from below his head.

    A wave of pressure manifested simultaneously.

    The five True Monarchs were forced to reveal their figures, descending to the sea surface.

    Even the sun in the sky had to retract its radiance.

    mes danced around, and Zhang Haobo''s body finally fully formed.

    He looked down at the beings in the Cong Yun Sea below, his face devoid of joy or sorrow.

    A new Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage was born.

    On the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, there was silence.

    All the cultivators, their gazes fixed, found it hard to believe what they were seeing.

    "Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage, a Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage who cultivated for sixteen years..."

    They couldn''t help but mutter to themselves.

    Even Li Fan, the instigator of all this, looked at the figure in the sky with shock.

    "He actually, actually aplished it?"

    The waves in the Cong Yun Sea surged, seemingly celebrating the birth of the new Immortal Sage and the escape from a disaster.

    All eyes of every creature were now focused on the Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage, Zhang Haobo.

    Admiration, envy, fear...

    Various emotions arose.

    ...

    At this moment.

    A thin ck line silently pierced through Zhang Haobo''s chest.

    Behind him, a figurepletelyposed of a deep ink color appeared out of thin air.

    In the Cong Yun Sea, at the moment when all beings saw this ink-colored figure, their souls trembled uncontrobly.

    The moment they saw it, they knew its name.

    Ink Death.

    Zhang Haobo, stunned, tried to turn around.

    But he found that he could no longer move.

    His breath instantly weakened.

    Zhang Haobo died!

 Chapter 145: Ink Death Exterminates Cong Yun Sea

    Crimson clouds suddenly emerged in the sky, shrouding the entire Cong Yun Sea endlessly.

    A passage naturally surfaced in the minds of all the beings who witnessed this strange scene.

    "Crimson me Immortal Sage Zhang Haobo cultivated for 16 years. Had built his foundation using the Heavenly Treasure ''Heavenly Cmity Sword Intent'', and had achieved Golden Core through the ''Water Wind Sword Technique''."

    "He sacrificed the Heavenly Spirit Crimson me to achieve Dao Integration."

    "Fortunately, he was executed by the Heavenly Spirit Ink Death, and his Dao was dissipated and returned to the heavens!"

    However, the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind had no time to look at this shocking scene.

    Because...

    True terror had arrived.

    When that ink-ck figure had appeared behind Zhang Haobo and executed him.

    The white-robed True Monarch Hongxi let out a stern shout: "Go!"

    In an instant, the inverted mountains, Lancang River waters, purple starlight, dazzling silver lights, and ck fire chains all smashed towards the ink-colored figure.

    Trying to buy some time.

    Faced with an unfamiliar Heavenly Spirit, the five True Monarchs unanimously chose to flee the Cong Yun Sea.

    The aura from that ink-colored figure also made them feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.

    But it was toote.

    Ink Death lightly waved his right hand upwards, and a ck line shot into the great sun in the sky.

    A muffled groan came from within.

    A ck spot abruptly appeared in the golden sun.

    It was so conspicuous, then like a sun-devouring creature, it quickly expanded outwards.

    The light gradually disappeared.

    Darkness descended upon the Cong Yun Sea.

    At the same time, Ink Death split into five, instantly appearing in different directions.

    Five ck strands arrived in a sh, piercing through the five True Monarchs'' bodies.

    The river dried up, True Monarch Lancang was dead!

    The ck mes abruptly vanished, True Monarch Tai Yang was dead!

    The mountain range copsed, True Monarch Hongxi was dead!

    A hidden stctite in the sky shattered inch by inch, True Monarch Haoxuan was dead!

    In the splendid star river, countless stars sessively exploded.

    The starry sky abruptly became extremely gloomy.

    The torn heavens gradually recovered.

    Only a meteor remained, streaking across the horizon.

    True Monarch Ziyun was heavily injured and escaped!

    In an instant, out of five True Monarchs, four were dead and one was heavily injured.

    Right after that, Ink Death split into five thousand.

    In a sh, prating through those hundreds of thousands of white formation fortifications.

    Like dense ink dripping into clear water, all the white squares instantly turned pitch ck.

    Zhang Zhiliang who had been hiding in the air relying on the formation fortifications, could no longer hide.

    A drop of ink effortlessly pierced through Zhang Zhiliang''s chest.

    At the wound, ck ink markings appeared.

    His flesh and blood turned into countless tiny ck particles, instantly swallowing Zhang Zhiliang.

    Zhang Zhiliang, first in formations in the Cong Yun Sea, was dead!

    In the sky, the hundreds of thousands of ink droplets simultaneously squirmed, merging into one.

    One Dao Integration Immortal Sage, four Soul Transformation True Monarchs, one Nascent Soul True Lord.

    All had perished at the same time.

    The various phenomena in Cong Yun Sea''s sky intertwined and fused together.

    Yet all was dyed ck by the flying ck particles, forming a bizarre, fantastical sshed ink painting.

    The Heavenly Spirit Ink Death stood below the ink painting, looking down on the living beings of the Cong Yun Sea.

    Raising his head and looking up at the sky, strands of information like hellish hymns started ying in the minds of living beings, continuously echoing.

    "True Monarch Lancang..."

    "...True Monarch Yang..."

    "...True Monarch..."

    ......

    "Had cultivated for 1653 years..."

    "...1436 years..."

    "...years..."

    ......

    "Had built his foundation using the Heavenly Treasure White Dragon Flower..."

    "...built his foundation..."

    "...foundation"

    ......

    "Fortunately, he was executed by the heavens, and his Dao dissipated and returned to the heavens!"

    "Fortunately, he was executed by the heavens, and his Dao dissipated and returned to the heavens!"

    "His Dao had dissipated and returned to the heavens!"

    "His Dao had dissipated and returned to the heavens!"

    "His Dao had dissipated and returned to the heavens!"

    ......

    Ink Death is silent, heaven and earth sing his intent.

    This is a silent threat, an unspoken warning.

    This is heaven and earth, showcasing their true power before the cultivators.

    The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind watched as the once aloof and mighty Soul Transformation True Monarchs were easily and casually ughtered like dogs and chickens.

    This terrifying scene made all the cultivators'' hearts turn cold.

    Some trembled all over, copsing limply on the ground with vacant eyes.

    Some became crazed, losing all reason and randomly fleeing around.

    Some had bloodshot eyes, disregarding the gap in strength and attacking Ink Death.

    ......

    Ink Death''s head turned slightly, ncing down at Ten Thousand Immortals Ind below, then retracted his gaze, sweeping across Cong Yun Sea.

    In a sh, his body split up, changing again into thousands of tiny ck particles.

    Then, thousands became millions, millions became billions, and billions became trillions.

    Innumerable ck particles proliferated outwards.

    Finally, they formed an ink-colored curtain, shrouding the entire Cong Yun Sea.

    The ck particles squirmed as they endlessly multiplied downwards.

    The seven-colored radiance on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind flowed, barely blocking it.

    But countless tiny gnawing sounds rang out, and the radiance instantly dimmed.

    Outside of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, nothing obstructed these ck particles.

    The ocean surged, seemingly wanting to desperately resist.

    But the seawater swirling in the air was the first to be devoured and transformed.

    The ck curtain pressed down from the sky.

    Swallowing inds and oceans.

    Soil, rocks, life, seawater...

    Everything, everything was gnawed and transformed into ck particles.

    Inds were annihted.

    The sea level kept dropping downwards.

    In less than half a day, the blue oceanpletely disappeared from sight.

    Ten Thousand Immortals Ind waspletely surrounded by the ck particles.

    Endless darkness enshrouded the ind''s immortals, with nowhere to escape.

    This was a true apocalypse.

    This was a disaster tens of thousands of times more terrifying than Crimson me burning the ocean.

    On Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, the seven-colored protective shield could no longer hold on, shattering like broken ss.

    The towering statue of the Immortal Ancestor instantly became the ck particles'' first targets of attack.

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Guardian Formation''s protective rays continuously attacked, but falling into this ck ocean, it too only became nutrients for the ck particles.

    The stone statues of the Immortal Masters, starting from their high crowns on their heads, were melted away bit by bit.

    Soon, only half of their bodies remained.

    At the same time, the other ck particles swarmed in, transforming into strands.

    Like lethal snakes, they hunted the cultivators fleeing everywhere.

    Countless cultivators often couldn''t even make a sound before being melted and assimted into the constantly squirming ck particles.

    And under the sky obscured by the ck curtain, even the falling cultivators'' death announcements could no longer be seen.

    The cultivators on the ind, like dogs that lost their homes, fled around in panic.

    In the chaos and despair, only two people remained calm.

    One was Li Fan''s clone.

    He watched the sky filled with ink, his expression tranquil.

    The startling shock from first seeing Ink Death gradually faded away. In its final moments, the clone slowly pondered.

    "Although both are Heavenly Spirits, Ink Death and Crimson me''s destructive power simply could not bepared."

    After a while, he came to a realization.

    "When a Heavenly Spirit descends into the mortal realm, they have their own heavenly duties."

    "Green Wind trapped the sword, Crimson me burned the ocean."

    "As for Ink Death, his purpose was..."

    "Obliteration!"

    Under Ink Death''s havoc, it was the true obliteration of everything.

    Not even the soil and rocks would remain.

    It seemed after this catastrophe, the original region of the Cong Yun Sea would be an empty abyss of nothingness.

    It seemed the scene dozens of yearster in his past life where the dried-up Cong Yun Sea became the lush Cong Yun Mountains would not appear again in this life.

    This kind of obliteration method was too horrifying, too extreme.

    The heavens and earth would not use it from the very beginning.

    But in this life, after the Heavenly Spirit Crimson me was sacrificed and refined, it provoked a fierce reaction from heaven and earth.

    Ink Death promptly descended into the mortal realm after.

    This existence of utter destruction showcased the extremely resolute will of heaven and earth.

    That was: Cong Yun Sea must die!

    However, watching the cultivators die without resistance, Li Fan felt very unhappy in his heart.

    So he flipped his middle finger at the sky.

    Aside from Li Fan''s clone, there was another person in this apocalyptic scene who also didn''t show any fear on his face.

    This person was Thousand Mile Hall''s Jiao Xiuyuan.

    He not only didn''t have the slightest trace of fear or panic, but he was instead extremely excited.

    Holding a seven-colored inscription tablet, he flew at low altitude over Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Strands of ck lines brushed past him, and at any moment he could die, yet Jiao Xiuyuan didn''t care one bit.

    He just kept excitedly saying something with his mouth.

    "Struck it rich, really struck it rich this time."

    "A Dao Integration Realm expert, True Monarch Tian Yang, together with True Monarch Hongxi and the other five True Monarchs, plus Zhang Zhiliang utilizing the Infinite Formation with hundreds of thousands of formations."

    "Set up a trap to hunt the Heavenly Spirit Crimson me."

    "This was already a heaven-shaking piece of news."

    "What''s more sensational is that a Golden Core junior actually snatched the opportunity of Dao Integration!"

    "If I didn''t have the inscription tablet as proof, no one would believe me if I said this!"

    "Golden Core decapitating Dao Integration Realm!"

    "Even writing it as a fantastical tale would get mocked!"

    "Even more unbelievable is that this Immortal Sage, probably the second youngest in history to achieve Dao Integration, didn''t even get to celebrate before being ughtered by another Heavenly Spirit!"

    "This Heavenly Spirit called Ink Death didn''t just kill this newly ascended Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage."

    "He also wanted tomit an apocalypse,pletely destroying all of Cong Yun Sea!"

    "Great, kill them, kill them all!"

    "With all of you dead, this is my exclusive scoop!"

    "Let me think, how many contribution points could I sell this footage for?"

    "Two thousand? No no no, too little."

    "At least five thousand! I, Jiao Xiuyuan, had never conducted business at a loss!"

    "That''s right, I''ve never conducted business at a loss."

    Jiao Xiuyuan kept muttering as he gestured wildly, recording Ten Thousand Immortals Ind''s final moments.

    At this time, he saw among the cultivators desperately struggling for their lives, there was a special existence acting differently from the rest.

    He didn''t show any fear on his face, flipping his middle finger at that apocalyptic Ink Death in the sky.

    "Good!"

    Jiao Xiuyuan couldn''t help but cry out. In his heart he was even more delighted: "Faced with the might of heaven and earth''s destruction, we cultivators are fearless. Struggling against it, even if we die, it is glorious!"

    "Wonderful, this elevates the theme and raises the level."

    "With this inspired scene, I could at least sell this exclusive footage for two thousand more points!"

    On the ground, Li Fan looked in the direction of the voice and also saw Jiao Xiuyuan''s figure.

    He was not surprised, only smiling and nodding at him.

    Seeing this, Jiao Xiuyuan was slightly startled.

    "So it''s an old customer..."

    Jiao Xiuyuan tilted his head, eyes narrowed, muttering softly.

    The two looked at each other as the ck curtain of the skypletely pressed down.

    Ten Thousand Immortals Ind vanished into smoke and dust.

    From today on, there will no longer be a Cong Yun Sea in this world.

    ......

    When the falling silhouettes of Cong Yun Sea''s cultivators continuously bloomed like fireworks.

    In a certain unknown space.

    Five indistinct statues stood in a circle.

    The statues bowed their heads, looking down at the center.

    There, arge cluster of glowing clouds floated in the air.

    Within the clouds, one could faintly glimpse a miniaturendscape ofnd, mountains, and flowing water.

    The cloud cluster was divided intorge and small isted regions, and above each region floated a tiny speck of light.

    Suddenly, at the edge of this glowing cloud cluster, within a small blue region.

    The speck of light there suddenly turned red, flickering nonstop.

    Along with the red light''s flickering, a circle of invisible ripples expanded out from it, reverberating in this unknown space.

    Four out of the five statues were also awakened by it.

    The red light dot projected a segment of images upward.

    The scene quickly yed on repeat at several hundred times the speed, precisely of what had just happened in Cong Yun Sea.

    The four enormous divine sensesmunicated with each other.

    "It actually rmed Ink Death..."

    "Cong Yun Sea ambushed the Heavenly Spirit? What was Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance thinking over there?"

    "The old geezer didn''t ask about worldly affairs, so it''s normal his subordinates didn''t know."

    "Moreover, the deceased were two local Soul Transformations of Cong Yun Sea. The other three were also ones they brought over from who knows where. All not from Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s core."

    "Even so, five Soul Transformations, plus some other cultivators of various levels. Dying all at once was still too many."

    "No matter, they were all expendable."

    "We must still control the overall number of cultivators. There cannot be too many, but cannot be too few."

    "With the old geezer nowhere to be seen all day, this matter still depends on us."

    "Then loosen up the restrictions on exchanging cultivation methods."

    "I will ry this."

    "As for Cong Yun Sea''s side, it had already be a dead zone. We still had to trouble Carefree Heavenly Venerable."

    After a moment, the statue that had been motionless finally transmitted some divine sense ripples.

    "I know."

    Then there were no more transmissions.

    The others seemed to also be used to it.

    They exchanged a few more words before sessively falling silent.

    Within the glowing cloud cluster in the center of the five statues, the brightness of that edge blue region gradually faded away, then became transparent and disappeared.

    ......

    Yuandao Prefecture.

    The instant Ten Thousand Immortals Ind waspletely destroyed by Ink Death, Li Fan sensed it and looked towards the distance.

    "Master, what''s wrong?"

    Su Xiaomei noticed Li Fan''s abnormality and curiously asked.

    Li Fan shook his head and didn''t answer.

    At this time, after a few days of travel, they arrived at the vicinity of Mingyue Lake.

    This region was as Fei Nan said: resources were scarce and few cultivators came here.

    It was far from Yuandao Heavenly City, which was very inconvenient.

    Although unsuitable for most cultivators to establish a base, for Li Fan it was not a bad choice.

    One reason was because next, Li Fan would use the Canghai Pearl to build his foundation.

    This eight-hundred-kilometer Mingyue Lake contained vast amounts of misty water, and its water attribute spiritual qi density was notckingpared to the Cong Yun Sea.

    Very suitable for Li Fan.

    Secondly, precisely because few cultivators came here, storing Dao resonance artifacts would be safer, as there would be no worry that others might discover them.

    However, establishing a base was a major matter.

    He still needed to personally scout out whether there were any oddities within thiske.

    Otherwise, if he built his nest in someone else''s home, it would truly beughable.

    Li Fan flew above theke''s surface, preparing to investigate thoroughly.

    But his figure abruptly stopped.

    Between heaven and earth, an enormous cluster of blue water radiance suddenly appeared out of the void.

    Returning to the Canghai Pearl.

    At the same time, countless images appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    "So the matter could not be aplished and you''ve finally returned?"

    The previously extremely weak Canghai Pearl slowly absorbed this sudden blue radiance, finally returning to the deep blue appearance Li Fan saw in his past life.

    Even more, because the Cong Yun Sea was executed prematurely, the Canghai Pearl also elerated its maturation process.

    Li Fan estimated that this Earthly Treasure that was still gestating wouldpletely form before long.

    With the return of the portion of power the Canghai Pearl split off, Li Fan also came to know what happened with Zhang Haobo.

    Initially, when using the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art to create the "reincarnator" Zhang Haobo, Li Fan didn''t consider using the Canghai Pearl on him because this object would be his Foundation Treasure in this life.

    But...

    This world was not an unchanging game, matters would not all develop as he anticipated.

    After Zhang Haobo "reincarnated", his fortune flowed and his destiny rapidly changed.

    This attracted the attention of Cong Yun Sea''s consciousness.

    And after some contact, Cong Yun Sea discovered an earth-shattering secret.

    This strangely fortunate person seemed to be able to know of future events.

    To be specific, Crimson me''s descent and burning of Cong Yun Sea.

    And with this belief, along with past experiences, the Cong Yun Sea confirmed the credibility of this news.

    More than ten yearster, it would truly be scorched and dried up.

    So, Cong Yun Sea made a different choice than the previous life.

    In the previous life, when Crimson me simmered the ocean, it was originally very covert.

    By the time Cong Yun Sea noticed, it was already toote to resist.

    But, it was unwilling to ept this.

    So although it withered away, it would be reborn anew.

    This life, the heavens wanted to burn the ocean, so the ocean decided to make an all-out desperate struggle.

    But it would still leave itself a way out.

    Therefore, it split its power into two parts.

    One part continued to transform into the Canghai Pearl.

    The other part then gathered in the "reincarnator" Zhang Haobo.

    Because even with its endless vast power, it could not personally take action.

    The heavens wanted to burn the ocean but still needed to manifest the Heavenly Spirit.

    To counterattack, it naturally also needed a spokesperson.

    And Zhang Haobo was naturally the best candidate.

    Everything proceeded very smoothly.

    With its help, Zhang Haobo''s cultivation level rose unimaginably fast.

    In just a few short years, he broke through tote Qi Condensation.

    Under its guidance and protection, Zhang Haobo was also able to observe the battle between Green Wind and the sword hilt, sessfully building his foundation using it.

    Then, with the false Core Formation cultivation base, he trespassed Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and met the ind''s Soul Transformation True Monarch.

    Although they were skeptical about what Zhang Haobo said regarding foretelling the future, under the temptation of the Dao Integration Realm and after asking in detail approximately how long it took for Crimson me to burn the ocean, they still made a decision.

    To ambush the soon-to-descend Crimson me.

    For this, the white-robed True Monarch Hongxi contacted the other Soul Transformation cultivator of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, True Monarch Ziyun.

    He also invited over True Monarch Tai Yang, whom he previously had a battle with.

    The three asked Zhang Haobo again about the details of his prophecy of Crimson me.

    After discussing it, they still felt it wasn''t safe enough.

    Therefore, Hongxi went tens of thousands of kilometers away to Feiling Prefecture, inviting the Dao Integration Realm expert, True Monarch Golden Sun, to lead them.

    During this time, he also invited two more Soul Transformation cultivators, True Monarch Lancang and True Monarch Haoxuan, to battle in the Cong Yun Sea.

    So True Monarch Ziyun initiated the Starlight Teleportation Technique to invite them over to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind as guests.

    Inviting them to jointly work together to y Crimson me.

    For Soul Transformation cultivators, the enticement of the Dao Integration Realm was extremely difficult to resist.

    So the two readily agreed.

    With one Dao Integration Realm expert leading, five Soul Transformations surrounding and attacking, plus a Nascent Soul realm Formation Master preparing hundreds of thousands of formations.

    With intentions aligned, a n was formed to kill the Heavenly Spirit which took nearly ten years to burn the ocean.

    The odds of sess could not be considered small.

    And matters did indeed turn out as such.

    With Golden Sun Immortal Sage and True Monarch Ziyun joining hands, the sun-star cage cut off Crimson me''s connection to heaven and earth''s primal energy.

    Crimson me''s defeat seemed only a matter of time.

    But Zhang Haobo and the Cong Yun Sea, who were observing by the side, felt uneasy in their hearts.

    So they decided to take action personally.

    For a mere Golden Core cultivator to intervene in the contest between Dao Integration Realm and Soul Transformation seemed preposterous.

    But it was not entirely impossible.

    Because the one taking action was not Zhang Haobo, but rather Cong Yun Sea itself.

    The Cong Yun Sea had umted power for who knows how many years, and already bordered on the Dao Integration Realm.

    It was too much for a Golden Core cultivator''s body to bear.

    Therefore, Zhang Haobo decisively shattered his core, utilizing a body purely ofws to contain Cong Yun Sea''s power.

    If sessful, Zhang Haobo would instantly ascend to the Dao Integration Realm from Golden Core!

    The resentment of being incinerated in the future, the unwillingness to ept its own fate, plus Zhang Haobo''sprehension of the Heavenly Cmity Sword Intent finally unsheathed the Twenty-Eight Swords of the Cong Yun Sea.

    These swords carried unyielding will, revenge, and killing intent.

    It seeded, yet also failed.

    Although Crimson me died, Ink Death arrived.

    The instant Zhang Haobo perished, Cong Yun Sea knew the matter could not be aplished, and finally returned its power back into the Canghai Pearl.

    ......

    Although the Cong Yun Sea did not necessarily have humans'' clear intelligence, its muddled, vague consciousness still made it direct Zhang Haobo ording to its instincts to fight it out with Crimson me.

    "Fortune does not guarantee sess."

    "He ended up merely a tool exploited by both sides in their game."

    Li Fan sighed and shook his head.

    "However..."

    "The Twenty-Eight Swords of the Cong Yun Sea."

    "Truly was an excellent sword technique."

    The scene of Zhang Haobo unleashing this sword instantly surfaced in Li Fan''s mind.

    Mobilizing the power contained within the Canghai Pearl, Li Fan shed out a sword.

    The blue sword radiance was unstoppable.

    Cutting across theke''s surface.

    Thekewaters were split open by the sword qi, exposing the muddykebed.

    The eight-hundred-kilometer-long Mingyue Lake was divided into two with one sword.

 Chapter 146: Blue Feather Scatters Treasures

    The sword''s momentum was like a rainbow, splitting open the Mingyue Lake, and it continued to fly towards the distance.

    Even when it disappeared from sight, its momentum only weakened by half.

    The ripples lingered, and theke water took a long time to calm down.

    Not far away, Su Xiaomei and her group watched as Li Fan, with just a casual sword strike, collectively fell into a stunned state.

    After a long time, they finally woke up from their petrified state.

    Su Xiaomei flew excitedly to Li Fan''s side, shouting, "I want to learn this! Master, I want to learn this!"

    Xiao Heng still had a shocked expression, staring at thergeke that was split into two in the distance, with a hint of longing in his eyes.

    Su Changyu''s expression became more determined.

    Zhao Erbao lowered his head, trembling.

    In his heart, he wailed, "Golden Core stage! This sword strike is definitely something only a Golden Core cultivator can achieve! Looking at how casually he did it, his cultivation might be even higher!"

    "It''s over, it''s over. I can never escape from his clutches in my entire life!"

    ...

    On the shore of Mingyue Lake, Li Fan paid no attention to Su Xiaomei, who was making a fuss on the side.

    He was currently calming the turbulent spiritual energy in his body, barely maintaining his lofty demeanor.

    With the cultivation of the Golden Core stage, forcibly controlling the Canghai Pearl to unleash this Cong Yun Sea Sword was still quite strenuous.

    "After all, it''s not my own power. I''m just imitating based on the residual memories of Zhang Haobo in the Canghai Pearl."

    "This sword, while having a formidable appearance,cks substance. It looks intimidating, but if it''s truly used in battle, its power is actually mediocre."

    "However, with these insights, I can study andprehend it day and night, turning it into something of my own. Someday, I will be able to unleash my own Cong Yun Sea Twenty-Eight Swords."

    "The immediate priority is to build the foundation as soon as possible. I''ve already dyed it for too long waiting for the Canghai Pearl."

    With a decision in mind, Li Fan said to Su Xiaomei and the others, "The four of you, go and thoroughly investigate the area around Mingyue Lake. See if there are any hidden dangers. Next, I will establish a cave here."

    "Yes, Master!"

    "Yes, Senior!"

    Having just disyed his divine might, Li Fan''s words were naturally heeded by everyone, and they responded obediently.

    Soon, they dispersed to start their tasks.

    Even the three mortals from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion followed along.

    "Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng both possess extraordinary fortune. Combined with the Yin sisters, who can detect treasures and avoid disasters, even if there are any hidden secrets around Mingyue Lake, they should be able to find them."

    "But as the site for foundation building, the safety level is still insufficient. I need to make a trip to the Yuandao Heavenly City..."

    Perhaps because the process of building the foundation requiredmunication with the heavens and the earth, it was impossible to build the foundation in the Tianxuan Mirror space.

    Therefore, a safe and secluded ce was needed for seclusion.

    Otherwise, if disturbed at a critical moment, the effort might be in vain, and building another foundation would be hopeless.

    Just as Li Fan decided to go to the Yuandao Heavenly City and make some purchases...

    He vaguely sensed a figure in the distance, rapidly flying towards him.

    Behind, there were six cultivators following.

    Judging by their auras, this group seemed to have Golden Core cultivation.

    Li Fan narrowed his eyes, bing highly vignt.

    At the forefront was a man dressed in blue, tattered and covered in bloodstains.

    Seeing Li Fan, his speed increased, shouting, "Senior, save me!"

    The group behind him yelled, "You up front, don''t meddle in other people''s business!"

    Li Fan watched as the man in blue approached, but suddenly, his speed explosively increased, distancing himself from the situation.

    What a joke! You, a Golden Core cultivator being chased, still want a small Qi Condensation cultivator like me to save you?

    However, in an instant, Li Fan understood.

    This man in blue must have been attracted by the Cong Yun Sea Sword that Li Fan had just unleashed, thinking that there was a powerful cultivator practicing here.

    Unfortunately...

    As soon as the man in blue saw that Li Fan immediately moved far away, showing a clear reluctance to get involved, a trace of surprise shed across his face.

    He gritted his teeth, nced back at the approaching crowd, then turned and fled in the direction of Shilin Prefecture.

    The group chasing him didn''t even look at Li Fan, who was standing on the side.

    Seeing this group about to disappear from sight, Li Fan''s heart moved.

    The Formless Killing Intent immediately locked onto the man in blue at the forefront.

    Although the man in blue was seriously injured, his speed was not slow at all.

    The six people chasing him, although threatening and shouting all along, were never able to close the distance with the man in blue.

    Slowly, in the distance, a wall of white mist that traversed heaven and earth appeared in the field of vision.

    "Is this the White Mist Barrier?" Li Fan saw this thing for the first time.

    Watching from the Vision of Heaven and Earth, the White Mist Barrier filled the space between heaven and earth, extending endlessly without an end.

    Compared to cultivators, it was as if they were as tiny as ants.

    Seeing that the man in blue was about to rush into the White Mist Barrier, the group chasing him couldn''t help but get anxious, shouting, "Huyan Lin, hand over the Blue Feather Legacy, and we''ll spare your life!"

    Huyan Lin sneered, didn''t answer, and rushed into the White Mist Barrier without hesitation.

    The scene went ck, and the locked Formless Killing Intent instantly lost its effect.

    "Blue Feather Legacy, huh..." Li Fan pondered.

    Following their traces, Li Fan arrived at the White Mist Barrier and waited for three days in a row.

    No one returned.

    Li Fan could only shake his head regretfully and just kept the term "Blue Feather Legacy" firmly in his mind.

    This incident was just a minor episode.

    After sinking the Tai Yan Boat into the Mingyue Lake and using an array to conceal its traces, Li Fan gave some instructions to Su Xiaomei and the others before heading towards the Yuandao Heavenly City.

    It took a full twenty-six days to arrive at the Yuandao Heavenly City.

    Upon entering, Li Fan keenly sensed something unusual.

    Inside the Yuandao Heavenly City, it was deste, with almost no cultivators in sight.

    When he asionally encountered one or two, he noticed they had excited expressions and hurriedly flew away towards a certain direction.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but be curious. He stopped a person politely and asked, "Fellow Daoist, may I ask where the cultivators in Yuandao Heavenly City have gone? Why is the city so empty?"

    The person nced at Li Fan and said, "Fellow Daoist, are you new to our Yuandao Prefecture? Everyone has gone to watch the battle between the two outstanding talents of the Blue Feather Sect."

    "This battle is intense. The two have been fighting for three days and three nights without determining the winner."

    "I was just about to go and have a look. Why don''t youe with me, friend?"

    Li Fan thought for a moment and readily agreed.

    On the way, as the two conversed, this Qi Condensation cultivator named Feng Shu introduced Li Fan to the origin of the duel between the two outstanding talents of the Blue Feather Sect.

    Seven years ago, when the life limit of the Blue Feather Immortal Sage was approaching, he established an inheritance for the cultivation technique he practiced: the Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique.

    The Blue Feather Sect considered martial prowess as supreme.

    Only the undefeated one could obtain the Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique.

 Chapter 147: A Quirk of Fate

    The so-called Blue Feather Sect does not refer to the descendants of the Blue Feather Immortal Sage.

    Instead, it specifically refers to the vast and intricate forces that were dependent on the Blue Feather Immortal Sage.

    The Blue Feather Immortal Sage had ruled over the Yuandao Prefecture for thousands of years,manding an uncountable number of cultivators. They held various key positions in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance of Yuandao Prefecture.

    Although the Blue Feather Immortal Sage has fallen, the Blue Feather Sect still stands tall and unshaken, maintaining absolute dominance that no one else can challenge.

    However, internally, the Blue Feather Sect was in chaos.

    The reason for this was that everyone wanted to be in charge.

    In the past, with the Blue Feather Immortal Sage in power, everyone naturally deferred to him. But now, with the True Monarch''s fall, each faction within the Blue Feather Sect refused to yield to the others.

    In the struggle for leadership, they fought each other fiercely. There was even a Soul Transformation cultivator who perished as a result. Numerous cultivators at the Nascent Soul and Golden Core levels also lost their lives.

    Other forces in the Yuandao Prefecture observed the internal strife within the Blue Feather Sect. Seeing the chaos andck of leadership, they began to make secret alliances and took advantage of the situation to divide the territory of the Blue Feather Sect.

    Especially coveted were lucrative positions like those in the Formation Hall and the Talisman Hall, many of which were snatched away by these external forces.

    After suffering a loss, the Blue Feather Sect finally woke up and decided to sit down and talk.

    After a round of discussions, they decided that whoever could obtain the "Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique" would be recognized as their leader.

    Originally, everyone was at the Soul Transformation stage. It wasn''t just about who was the strongest; they had to consider factors such as personal connections and control of resources.

    Under the increasing pressure from external forces, the Blue Feather factions urgently needed to resolve their internal conflicts and choose a leader.

    The legacy of the Blue Feather Immortal Sage became a point of consensus among them.

    The "Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique" was already an extremely prestigious cultivation technique, and now it had be the symbol of leadership for the Blue Feather Sect.

    Thepetition was intense, to say the least.

    Seven years had passed, and there was still no final winner.

    There were two outstanding talents, both with strengthsparable to each other, making it difficult to determine a victor.

    One was named Dugu Xi, and the other was named Dugu Shi.

    Both were Soul Transformation cultivators and were twin brothers adopted by the Blue Feather Immortal Sage over five hundred years ago.

    With extraordinary talent, they both achieved the Soul Transformation stage within the five hundred years.

    In this fiercepetition for the "Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique," countless cultivators fought to obtain it, but in the end, the two brothers were left.

    However, the "Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique" was a rare and precious cultivation technique, and even blood-rted brothers could not easily concede.

    Over the past few years, the two brothers had fought over a dozen times, yet they still hadn''t determined a winner.

    Competition at the Soul Transformation stage was already rare, not to mention between top-tier Soul Transformation experts like the Dugu brothers.

    Every time theypeted, it attracted numerous cultivators to watch.

    ...

    After listening to Feng Shu''s introduction, Li Fan nodded slowly.

    "When I arrived, I saw two groups of people fighting for the Blue Feather Legacy from afar. I wonder, what is this Blue Feather Legacy?"

    Feng Shu exined, "Before the Blue Feather Immortal Sage fell, in addition to establishing the inheritance of his cultivation technique, the ''Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique,'' he also packed all his personal belongings into blue boxes. He scattered them throughout Yuandao Prefecture, leaving them for those with destiny."

    "These blue boxes are called Blue Feather Legacies. Although they are remnants of an immortal, the items inside these small boxes are diverse¡ªranging from extremely powerful magical treasures to seemingly ordinary jade pendants."

    "After all, these are just external possessions, not as precious as the ''Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique.'' So, the attention they attract is far less than that of the ''Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique.''"

    "Nevertheless, it still stirred up quite a bit of bloodshed," Feng Shu sighed.

    As the two conversed, they arrived at the location where Dugu Xi and Dugu Shi were inbat.

    It was a circr white jade structure suspended in the sky, known as the Tian Du Martial Arena. Legend had it that it was personally constructed by the Blue Feather Immortal Sage for his subordinates to spar.

    When the twobatants entered, the white jade would be transparent, projecting the scenes inside the martial arena onto the sky, allowing external cultivators to witness everything.

    The martial arena formed its own space, extremely sturdy, allowing Soul Transformation cultivators to unleash their full strength without worrying about causing destruction. After the battle, the white jade emitted a pure white light, swiftly healing the injuries of both sides. All its functions were designed for martial artspetitions.

    At this moment, numerous cultivators had gathered around the Tian Du Martial Arena to watch.

    They pointed and discussed while looking up at the sky. Above, the images of the Dugu brothers'' battle upied arge portion of the sky.

    "The one in white clothes is Dugu Xi, and the one in ck clothes is Dugu Shi," Feng Shu, aware that Li Fan was visiting for the first time, warmly introduced.

    From afar, Li Fan could only see the figures of the two intertwined, creating a vague entanglement of ck and white threads with each collision. Each collision formed a mysterious vortex that gradually calmed after a moment. However, as the Dugu brothers continued to sh, vortexes continuously appeared in the Tian Du Martial Arena, resembling an extremely dangerous whirlpool.

    Compared to the previously straightforward battle scene between the Cong Yun Sea Soul Transformation cultivators, the Dugu brothers'' fight seemed a bit more abstract.

    Gradually, Li Fan discerned some subtleties. Dugu Xi excelled in using offense as defense and defense as offense, while Dugu Shi was sharp and highly aggressive. Their strengths were close, and they understood each other well. No wonder, after so many battles, there was still no clear winner.

    ...

    In the sky, the fierce battle continued, captivating the spectators below.

    However, as Li Fan observed the battle, he noticed that Feng Shu''s expression had be somewhat peculiar.

    Just as he was curious, a conversation slowly drifted into his ears.

    "Siblings who share the same mother should be loving and caring, but now, for the sake of a cultivation technique, they fight each other. Sigh, even though they are Soul Transformation powerhouses, I can''t admire them!"

    "My brother, you''re joking. That''s the ''Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique.'' Its value is beyond ourprehension as mere Foundation Establishment cultivators."

    "What''s so special about a Dao cultivation technique? There''s only one in the world? We, blood brothers, can amodate each other. Why can''t they?"

    "Hehe..."

    "Brother, what''s with that expression? Rest assured, if we discover a cultivation technique together one day, no matter how precious it is, I''ll definitely give it to you first, withoutpeting with you!"

    The conversation was filled with righteousness, making people look at them with admiration.

    Li Fan vaguely felt that the dialogue between these two people was somewhat familiar.

    Curious, he looked in the direction of the voices.

    When he saw the faces of the two, even with Li Fan''sposure, he couldn''t help but burst intoughter.

    It turns out these two were old acquaintances of Li Fan.

    It was none other than Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi! In this life, they met nearly twenty years earlier.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but sigh in his heart.

    "It''s really..."

    "The quirks of fate."

 Chapter 148: Purchasing the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation Flags

    Li Fan''s lightughter attracted Kou Hong''s displeasure. Kou Hong flew over, stared at Li Fan with an unfriendly tone, and said, "Why are youughing?"

    Feng Shu''s expression changed; this Foundation Establishment cultivator seemed not easy to deal with. It seemed like he was ready to take action with just a few words.

    However, Li Fan remained fearless, sighed deeply, and said, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know. I pride myself on being well-versed, but I didn''t anticipate that in the current cultivation world, there are still cultivators like you who are noble and not swayed by cultivation techniques."

    "I feel ashamed, truly inferior!"

    "May I know your name?"

    Li Fan deliberately asked.

    Kou Hong, upon hearing this, eased his expression slightly and proudly said, "I am Kou Hong."

    Then, pointing to Dao Xuanzi on the side, he said, "This is my brother, Dao Xuanzi."

    Dao Xuanzi didn''te over; instead, he watched Li Fan and Feng Shu from a distance, nodding slightly.

    Li Fanposed himself and said, "Unexpectedly, it''s Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi in person! I''ve long admired you."

    Seeing Li Fan''s reaction, Kou Hong felt somewhat puzzled. He then looked at Li Fan with suspicion and asked, "Have you heard of us brothers?"

    Dao Xuanzi was also slightly stunned, carefully observing Li Fan. Unfortunately, the opponent had hidden his cultivation with a Concealing Form Talisman, making it impossible to see through him.

    "Of course. Kou Hong possesses exquisite Dao techniques and is proficient in the art of refining. As for Dao Xuanzi, your swordsmanship is extraordinary, and the might of the Rust Sword Dao Xuan is unmatched. How could I not have heard of you?" Li Fan said earnestly.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi blushed.

    Dao Xuanzi quickly approached and said, "Fellow Daoist, keep your voice down. The two Soul Transformation cultivators are still battling above us. It''s inappropriate to praise us like this."

    Kou Hong''s face immediately returned to normal, and he happily said, "I didn''t expect our names to spread to Yuandao Prefecture. May I ask for your name?"

    "I am Li Fan."

    ...

    The two immediately engaged in conversation.

    The more they talked, the more Kou Hong felt a connection with Li Fan. Their topics and temperaments were highlypatible as if they were natural brothers with endless shared topics.

    Moreover, Li Fan''s im of being well-versed was not an empty boast. He effortlessly brought up various secret stories in the cultivation world, many of which were unheard of by Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.

    In formations, alchemy, talisman crafting, and pill refining, Li Fan had a breadth of knowledge. Especially in the field of formations, his expertise surpassed expectations. Although Kou Hong was skilled in refining, he only had a superficial understanding of formationspared to Li Fan.

    With just a few concise words, Li Fan provided enlightening answers, resolving many doubts Kou Hong had in self-studying formations. This made Kou Hong greatly impressed and opened his eyes.

    Unlike the conversation with Dao Xuanzi, when speaking with Kou Hong, Li Fan asionally praised him inadvertently. This made Kou Hong feel elevated and uncontrobly pleased.

    So, he found Li Fan more pleasing to the eye, feeling as if they had met toote, creating a strong sense of camaraderie.

    Dao Xuanzi stood on the side, listening to the two converse without intervening, asionally nodding in agreement.

    Feng Shu, witnessing this scene, felt strange. However, this strange feeling was fleeting, well concealed, and unnoticed by Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong.

    In this way, the few of them chatted while watching the battle.

    The Soul Transformation battle continued for two more days, and they chatted non-stop for another two days.

    Two dayster, the intense Soul Transformation battle above finally came to a temporary halt.

    However, the oue was still undecided.

    Dugu Xi and Dugu Shi agreed to reconvene and battle again in one year.

    Subsequently, they transformed into streams of light and sessively flew away from the Tian Du Martial Arena.

    As the grand battle concluded, the numerous onlookers among the cultivators gradually dispersed.

    "I n to return to the Yuandao Heavenly City. How about the two of you joining me?" Li Fan asked warmly at this moment.

    Kou Hong also felt the conversation was unfinished and was about to agree when he saw a meaningful look from Dao Xuanzi. He couldn''t help but express regret, saying, "We have some matters to attend to temporarily, so we won''t be going back now."

    "Next time we have a chance, let''s have a good chat."

    "No problem, I''ll be sure to apany you!" Li Fan readily agreed.

    After exchanging Communication Talismans, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi watched Li Fan leave from a distance, sighing, "Unexpectedly, in this Yuandao Prefecture, we could encounter such a kindred spirit."

    "If we had met a couple of hundred years earlier, the three of us would have surely be sworn brothers," Dao Xuanzi added.

    "Unfortunately, there are only two Blue Feather Legacies in that ce. Otherwise, we could have invited him along," Kou Hong said with a hint of regret.

    ...

    "Is it the Blue Feather Legacy again? I thought they had found the ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra''..."

    "But after thinking about it, it''s still early for them to discover this technique."

    Li Fan, watching the scenes transmitted through his Vision of Heaven and Earth, felt a bit regretful.

    Getting closer to Kou Hong was a precautionary measure for Li Fan, preparing for the future.

    Li Fan hadn''t forgotten that in about twenty years, these two would likely find the technique he was currently cultivating. In such a short time, Li Fan would probably not advance to theter stages of Foundation Establishment. He and Kou Hong conversed so harmoniously, and he felt the urge to be sworn brothers on the spot.

    Therefore, to prevent the tragic scenario of brothers fighting each other, Li Fan had to find an opportunity to kill them before that happened.

    Returning along the way, Feng Shu looked at Li Fan, wanting to say something but hesitated. In the end, he didn''t say anything. After arriving at Yuandao Heavenly City, the two bid farewell and went their separate ways.

    Li Fan went straight to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    This time, his visit to the Yuandao Heavenly City was to purchase some defensive formations.

    With Li Fan''s current mastery of formation techniques, he could deceive Kou Hong with words, but if he wanted to set up arge formation capable of resisting external enemies, he fell short.

    Currently, Li Fan has 14,600 contribution points.

    To ensure absolute safety during Foundation Establishment and considering the need to guard the cultivation cave, as well as protect Dao resonance artifacts in the future, Li Fan decided to invest heavily and buy a formation capable of withstanding attacks from Golden Core cultivators.

    Browsing through the options in the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan soon found an item that caught his eye.

    "Ten Thousand Immortals Formation gs."

    "A set of three hundred and sixty-five gs. They can form a miniature Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, covering an area of up to thirty miles. Even a Golden Core perfection cultivator can''t break through."

    "When all the gs are deployed, the covered area is considered under the protection of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    "Any unprovoked attacker will be hunted down by the Martial Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    "Note: not rmended for use outside the territory of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    "Suggested to be purchased together with the Tianxuan Minor Mirror for a 10% discount."

    "Tianxuan Minor Mirror."

    "A mirror image of the Tianxuan Mirror, avable in multiple versions."

    "The most basic version only provides information and allows searching and purchasing of items, as well as releasing and epting tasks."

    "The upgraded versiones with the Tianxuan Mirror Space, usable for cultivation and enlightenment."

    "The Supreme version adds a defensive function, reflecting all attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators."

 Chapter 149: Li Fan Initiates Foundation Establishment

    "The Tianxuan Minor Mirror, this is indeed a good thing."

    Li Fan''s eyes lit up.

    "It should be the Tianxuan Minor Mirror that He Zhenghao used to track the price trends of Spirit Mist Grass."

    "The initial version isn''t too expensive, only five thousand contribution points."

    "But the prices going up from there are outrageous."

    "The version with cultivation function is fifty thousand contribution points. The one with defense capability is two hundred thousand contribution points."

    "I can only look at it."

    "The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation gs cost ten thousand contribution points."

    "If both are bought together, it''s thirteen thousand five hundred contribution points."

    "Just enough."

    "It''s a bit expensive, but it''s worth it."

    After some hesitation, Li Fan decided to spend a huge sum to buy these two treasures.

    Li Fan had seen the Tianxuan Minor Mirror and thus stored it in his storage ring without much inspection.

    He carefully examined the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation gs: one g was about half a person''s height, ck and yellow, with the words "Ten Thousand Immortals" written on it.

    This was the main g.

    By touching it, one could sense the existence of the remaining three hundred and sixty-four auxiliary gs.

    In addition to deploying the entire set of gs, there were three variations: thirty-six, seventy-two, and one hundred and eight.

    The fewer gs used, the less powerful the formation, but the speed of setting the formation was considerably faster. It was suitable for self-defense when traveling.

    Having gained some insight into formation techniques, Li Fan naturally understood the power of this miniature Ten Thousand Immortals Formation.

    Satisfied, he stored them away and immediately rushed back to Mingyue Lake.

    In the twenty-plus days, Su Xiaomei and the others had thoroughly explored the surroundings of Mingyue Lake.

    Indeed, it was just an ordinaryrgeke, and there were no spiritual creatures nearby.

    Li Fan chose a small ind near the center of theke and, using it as the center, arranged the three hundred and sixty-four Ten Thousand Immortals Formation gs one by one.

    With the main g in ce, the miniature Ten Thousand Immortals Formation took shape.

    "I will be in seclusion here, so I''ve set up a formation. Remember not to intrude; otherwise, you will undoubtedly die."

    "During my seclusion, you can choose suitable inds around to settle. If you''re not satisfied, you can build your own ind."

    "When Ie out of seclusion, I will expand the range of the formation to thirty miles. You can settle on inds within this range."

    ...

    After some instructions, Li Fan activated the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, cutting off the line of sight inside and outside the formation.

    Instead of immediately entering seclusion on the ind, he submerged himself in the water and reached theke bottom.

    He found a giant rock on theke bottom and hollowed it out.

    Then, he used the Concealing Art the "Sun Stealing Technique" to conceal it.

    Only then did he enter the stone chamber and start his seclusion.

    The stone chamber was simple and empty, but Li Fan didn''t mind.

    Cross-legged, he floated in mid-air.

    His consciousness was immersed in the Canghai Pearl.

    Neen years after entering the cultivation world, Li Fan finally began Foundation Establishment.

    "Steal Heavenly Treasures to establish the foundation of the Dao."

    "The process of Foundation Establishment requires Heavenly Treasures. However, the word ''steal'' is also crucial."

    "Deception, notplete reliance."

    "Heavenly Treasures, while gathering thews of heaven and earth, still retain a bit of consciousness."

    "For a cultivator to establish the foundation, they must transform the gatheredws from heaven and earth into their own Foundation Treasure while maintaining their own will and consciousness."

    The Roots of Heaven and Earth, under Li Fan''s control, attached to Canghai Pearl in his dantian.

    In an instant, countless scenes appeared in his mind.

    Those were the experiences of Cong Yunhai.

    Apanying them were extreme emotions like anger, unwillingness, resentment, and more.

    Cong Yunhai''s memories were too vast, like waves surging endlessly, never stopping.

    If Li Fan epted them rashly, with his current spiritual strength, he would be washed away by this massive influx of information and be an idiot.

    So, what Li Fan did was stick to his original intention and ignore them.

    Like a coastal reef, allowing the wind to blow and the waves to beat, he stood firm without moving.

    And those negative emotions turned into nutrients for the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.

    No impact on Li Fan whatsoever.

    The Cong Yun Sea roared in anger, but Li Fan remained unmoved.

    A faint blue light was slowly drawn out from Canghai Pearl by the Roots of Heaven and Earth.

    A vast sea illusion gradually appeared in Li Fan''s dantian.

    ...

    Mingyue Lake.

    Su Xiaomei and others were diligently establishing their own caves.

    Suddenly, they felt something and looked around.

    The sky was clear, but ripples appeared on the calm Mingyue Lake.

    Theke water surged, and the waves grew higher.

    The eight hundred miles of Mingyue Lake, at this moment, was boiling.

    Giant wavesshed out, wreaking havoc in theke.

    The caves they had painstakingly carved out were instantly submerged.

    Helpless, they could only fly into the air to avoid it.

    "Is Masterprehending some kind of magical technique again? Just entering closed-door cultivation has caused such arge ruckus!"

    Su Xiaomei blinked her big eyes, very curious.

    The others couldn''t answer, just watching the vastke below in shock.

    ...

    Lake bottom.

    As the sea illusion gradually solidified with the continuous extraction of power from Canghai Pearl by the Roots of Heaven and Earth, Li Fan''s vision slowly ascended from himself to mid-air.

    It quickly spread to the surroundings, soon enveloping the entire Mingyue Lake.

    This feeling was very familiar to Li Fan, exactly the same as when he merged into the Canghai Pearl back then.

    However, why did it happen like this?

    Li Fan was a bit puzzled.

    The power of Canghai Pearl was continuously drawn out by the Roots of Heaven and Earth.

    It was changing from real to illusory.

    His own Foundation Treasure was about to take shape.

    Everything was going smoothly and perfectly.

    Why did he suddenly turn into Mingyue Lake?

    Li Fan concentrated his mind and carefully pondered.

    After a long time, he finally realized.

    It was somewhat amusing.

    It turned out that this abnormal scene was caused by the mischievousness of Canghai Pearl.

    The Canghai Pearl, seeing that it was about to be transformed into the Foundation Treasure of a cultivator, vaguely sensed the existence of Mingyue Lake¡ªa much weaker existence.

    The vast Cong Yun Sea couldn''t escape cmity, so why should this tiny Mingyue Lake live well?

    So, Canghai Pearl, controlling itsst bit of power, tried to pull down the Mingyue Lake.

    This, of course, was futile.

    A cultivator couldn''t use two Heavenly Treasures simultaneously as their Foundation Treasure.

    However, this action by Canghai Pearl brought unexpected benefits to Li Fan.

    ...

    The waters of Mingyue Lake churned and surged, with huge waves towering.

    This strange phenomenonsted for a full eighteen days.

    Su Xiaomei and the others had withdrawn to theke shore, temporarily staying there, but they didn''t leave.

    One day, the turbulentke water, which had been rushing violently, suddenly calmed down without any warning.

    The people looked at each other and focused their attention on the small ind where Li Fan was building his foundation.

    Covered by the formation, shrouded in mysterious light, they couldn''t see the situation inside.

    After a short while, a figure soared into the sky from within, suspended in mid-air.

    With fluttering sleeves and extraordinary demeanor, it was Li Fan, who had been in seclusion for a long time.

    He extended his left hand, gazing down at Mingyue Lake, slowly clenching it.

    It seemed like nothing happened.

    "What is Master doing?" Su Xiaomei, with her hands propping up her chin, looked ahead, somewhat puzzled.

    The others shook their heads, silent and unresponsive.

    They just knew that Li Fan wouldn''t do anything meaningless, so they stared at theke, afraid of missing any details.

    After a moment, they understood why Li Fan had acted the way he did.

    In Li Fan''s hand, as if in an instant, an infinite attractive force emerged.

    The water of the eight hundred miles of Mingyue Lake formed dragon-like streams, continuously flying towards Li Fan''s hand.

    Countless white water dragons, as if paying homage to their master, soared from all parts of Mingyue Lake towards the sky.

    Flying towards Li Fan in the air.

    On Mingyue Lake, a person stood alone.

    Three million water dragons danced, raising countless water mists.

    Sunlight poured down, and a seven-colored rainbow appeared.

    Su Xiaomei and the others were all dumbfounded, watching this magnificent and colorful scene.

    They forgot to think.

    As for theke water dragons flying towards Li Fan''s palm, theypressed and converged, forming a small water droplet.

    Theke water continued to decrease, but the size of the water droplet remained constant.

    Only its color gradually changed from white to deep blue.

    Water dragons soared for half a day, and Mingyue Lakepletely dried up.

    Countless fish, shrimp, and crabs in theke were lying on theke bottom, suffocating to death.

    Li Fan looked at the water droplet in his hand, somewhat simr to Canghai Pearl, with a gleam in his eyes.

    "ce of Dao attainment..."

    Although the Canghai Pearl didn''t turn Mingyue Lake into a Foundation Treasure like itself, this action, under the coverage of thews contained in Canghai Pearl, gradually assimted the entire Mingyue Lake without anyone noticing.

    And now, with Li Fan achieving Foundation Treasure through Canghai Pearl, he could manipte the entire Mingyue Lake like a puppet.

    In the ancient cultivation world, there were cultivators whose unintentional manifestation of the breath of thews during enlightenment affected the surrounding environment.

    These influenced ces often carried the strong personal imprint of the enlightened cultivator.

    It could even create a supernatural power out of thin air.

    These ces were called ces of Dao attainment.

    The situation of Mingyue Lake and Li Fan was simr.

    But in fact, it was even more extreme.

    In reality, Li Fan, with the help of Canghai Pearl, had turned Mingyue Lake into something like his treasure.

    Inside this Mingyue Lake, theke was him, and he was Mingyue Lake.

    With full force, the might was second to none among Golden Core cultivators!

    "Go!"

    Li Fan crushed the water droplet in his hand.

    Countless water droplets burst and scattered.

    Then, they transformed back into flying water dragons, roaring as they returned to Mingyue Lake.

    Mingyue Lake, having dried up quickly, became replenished.

    After a while, it returned to its original appearance of vast and misty beauty.

    With a wave of his hand, he transformed the eight hundred kilometers of water area.

    However, Li Fan felt no joy in his heart.

    It was simr to the previous situation with the Canghai Pearl; it was just an external force.

    In the end, it wasn''t his own power.

    While contemting, Li Fan opened the long-unseen  interface.

    Name: Li Fan

    Cultivation Realm: Foundation Establishment Early Stage

    Physiological Age: 49/365¡ü

    Psychological Age: 569/3560¡ü¡ü

    Virtualization Charging Progress: 200£¥

    Anchor Charging Progress: 20£¥

    Current Anchor Points: 1

    Current Avable Anchor Points: 1

    Bound Items: "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra," Tai Yan Boat, Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged)

    Cultivation Techniques: Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art, Sun Stealing Technique, Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra, Spirit Intent Illusion Technique, Stalking Shadow Technique

    Supernatural Abilities: Life and Death Chain, Formless Killing Intent, Insect Binding Technique

    ...

    Physiological age had finally surpassed three hundred, and the upper limit of psychological age had reached over three thousand five hundred, still increasing.

    Li Fan felt that his spiritual strength had increased several timespared to before.

    The total amount of spiritual energy in his body was beyondparison with the past.

    Li Fan began to contemte the next path of cultivation.

    After Canghai Pearl transformed into the Foundation Treasure, it could no longer be easily manipted like before.

    It was as if it turned into a treasure, sealed within his body.

    Continuous improvement of his cultivation was required to unlock this treasure.

    The higher the unlocking degree, the higher the efficiency of its use.

    Eventually, the power of the Canghai Pearl would be fully restored.

    The entire process of Foundation Establishment cultivation was to transform the power of the Heavenly Treasure into one''s own power.

 Chapter 150: Recovering the Mountain Meditation Technique

    Li Fan didn''t choose to immediately leave seclusion. Instead, he returned to the stone chamber at the bottom of theke and began his first cultivation after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

    He practiced the Foundation Establishment section of the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    However, after a short while, he furrowed his brow and stopped.

    During the cultivation process, he faintly felt a slight stagnation in the cirction of spiritual energy. It was an extremely subtle feeling that would go unnoticed if not paid attention to, but it still existed.

    After some contemtion, Li Fan stopped and turned to practice the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique."

    Since Zhang Haobo''s death, no one has practiced this technique.

    As soon as he started, Li Fan clearly felt the differencepared to cultivating the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    Even with Li Fan''s aptitude, the cultivation process went extremely smoothly. As if there was a bonus toprehension, spiritual energy effortlessly circted through his body along the meridians of the technique, breaking through to the middle Qi Condensation stage in no time.

    ...

    "Oh right, you''re now in thete stage of Qi Condensation. When choosing a Foundation Establishment technique, if possible, remember to choose one that ispatible with the Heavenly Treasure you used for foundation building. This way, not only will your future cultivation be more efficient, but there will be other benefits as well."

    He Zhenghao''s words from the past suddenly appeared in Li Fan''s mind, making him contemtive.

    "So, it''s aboutpatibility. I see."

    With a thought, a blue water sword instantly took shape in his dantian. With a casual wave, the water sword flew out and easily pierced a small hole in a giant rock.

    "The power of the technique has also been enhanced to a certain extent."

    Li Fan retracted the Sea Fixing Sword, pondering silently.

    "For ordinary cultivators, if they have both Nascent Soul and Golden Core techniques at hand, even if the Golden Core technique is faster to cultivate, they would definitely choose to cultivate the Nascent Soul technique."

    "But I''m different. [Truth] can carry my cultivation realm to the next life. Therefore, what suits me best is a technique that quickly advances the current realm."

    "In the past, there was no choice; there was only the ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra'' to cultivate. Now that I have more options, I don''t have to cling to it."

    Li Fan examined the list of techniques on his [Truth] panel.

    He hadn''t paid much attention when he had fewer techniques to cultivate.

    Now, with six techniques cultivated simultaneously, he noticed some clues in their order.

    Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art, Sun Stealing Technique, Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra, Spirit Intent Illusion Technique, Stalking Shadow Technique.

    It seemed to be arranged in order of the value of the techniques.

    "So, the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra is ranked above the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art?"

    The Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art was passed down by Qin Tang and belonged to apletely different system than the current techniques. Regardless of the cultivation realm, as long as the previousyer of cultivation wasplete, meeting the advancement conditions would allow cultivation of the nextyer.

    The sevenyers of the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art corresponded to Mortal, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, and Dao Integration respectively.

    Its value was evident.

    Even so, in the eyes of [Truth], the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra''s grade seemed to surpass that of the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art.

    The implications involved in this realization made Li Fan fall into deep thought.

    However, he couldn''t figure out how he originallyprehended the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra. It seemed that he wouldn''t find any logical exnation.

    Currently, the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra operated as instinctively as breathing, continuously circting in his body. However, the progress of cultivation had be extremely slow.

    Twenty-eight years had passed in this world, yet there were still no apparent changes. However, Li Fan wasn''t in a hurry. After all, he had plenty of time.

    His thoughts turned to the choice of the next technique to cultivate. Li Fan couldn''t help but recall the "Mountain Meditation Technique" that He Zhenghao had practiced in his previous life.

    From the descriptions in He Zhenghao''s writing, this technique could infinitely magnify the advantages of foresight brought by [Truth].

    However, the actual effectiveness of "meditating and waiting for sess" needed specific experimentation.

    After a moment of contemtion, Li Fan took out a pile of indistinguishable remains from his storage ring. These were the remains of various cultivators he had obtained from Tian Yang Cave.

    Since his clone had died, it was time to forge a new one.

    A gleam shed in Li Fan''s eyes.

    "The first thing to do is to find the part that belongs to Fellow Daoist He."

    After some thought, Li Fan came up with a n. He set up a rudimentary "Celestial Star Formation" and poured the remains into it.

    Suddenly, these remains became like stars in the sky, floating and rotating around the center.

    Li Fan then increased the frequency of the formation''s output.

    The rotation of the remains became faster and faster.

    Soon, these remains formed distinct trajectories, clearly separated.

    Li Fan carefully distinguished He Zhenghao''s aura.

    It was still mixed with some other remains.

    Patiently, Li Fan repeated the above steps.

    After half a day, he finally separated He Zhenghao''s remains.

    Superior Bones, Heavenly Spirit Milk, Shattered Bone Essence, Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand...

    Li Fan took out the prepared materials one by one.

    The refinement began.

    "ording to the instructions in the ''Sun Stealing Technique,'' when robbing the identity of the deceased cultivator, certain memories from their life will also be stolen."

    "Generally speaking, the more valuable something was to the cultivator in their lifetime, the less likely it is to appear."

    "So, luck ys a significant role in determining what can be robbed."

    "He Zhenghao had nned to change his technique before he died, indicating that he didn''t value this ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' too much."

    "I have a good chance of sessfully reproducing it."

    While thinking, Li Fan began to condense the clone.

    Bones, organs, skin, hair...

    Slowly taking shape.

    In the end, he still created the appearance in the same manner as the previous clone.

    Satisfied, Li Fan nodded and pointed at the clone''s head.

    "Sever!"

    Unlike before, after connecting consciousness with the clone this time, Li Fan''s mind suddenly disyed many images.

    Like a collection of long-preserved paintings, some were just a bit outdated, while others were riddled with holes, tattered and torn.

    But they all shed by.

    Li Fan concentrated all his attention, carefully distinguishing the parts with the existence of the "Mountain Meditation Technique."

    The number of images appearing gradually decreased, and they began to shake violently.

    Li Fan remained unfazed.

    He wouldn''t settle for anything other than the "Mountain Meditation Technique."

    Finally, his luck erupted.

    In the instant before all the images were about to disappear, Li Fan saw it.

    A young He Zhenghao, holding a jade slip with a joyful expression after exploring the cave mansion.

    A glint shed in Li Fan''s eyes.

    "It''s you!"

    His thoughts, like a wild beast waiting for prey for a long time, fiercely swallowed this tattered, damaged image.

    Countless pieces of information flowed into Li Fan''s mind like running water.

    Li Fan slowly digested it.

    After a long time, Li Fan opened his eyes, revealing a look of astonishment.

    "So, this ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' was not a cultivation technique created by a human!"

 Chapter 151: First Investment

    Li Fan didn''t have the intention toin.

    However, the "Mountain Meditation Technique" was indeed not initially created by human cultivators.

    The exact origin was untraceable.

    However, ording to the records in the technique, the original version of the "Mountain Meditation Technique" required practitioners to rely on "meditating on a mountain" to advance their realm.

    By selecting a peak and increasing its height, corresponding feedback in cultivation would be obtained.

    This process was extremely lengthy.

    In ancient times, mountains and rivers were not as easily changeable as they are now. A mountain peak would often take several thousand years to grow slightly taller.

    If the "Mountain Meditation Technique" was not a joke, it seemed more suitable for use by trees and rocks on the mountain rather than people.

    As far as Li Fan knew, in the current cultivation world, there were no stories of nt spirits or demonic beasts.

    Even the slightly more powerful beasts could only control a trace of extraordinary power through their bloodlines but were absolutely incapable of cultivation.

    "Could it be that, in the beginning, there were nt spirits and demonic beasts in this world? Perhaps something happenedter, and all the demonic beasts disappeared," Li Fan spected.

    However, regardless of the truth, it had little to do with Li Fan''s cultivation of the "Mountain Meditation Technique." He just had some whimsical thoughts, and delving deeper would be pointless.

    The initial version of the "Mountain Meditation Technique" was fundamentally impossible for cultivators to practice.

    However, with the arrival of the Great Cmity, the mountains and rivers began shifting more and more frequently, and the "Mountain Meditation Technique" became barely usable.

    Later, a talented individual from a thousand years ago inadvertently obtained the "Mountain Meditation Technique." ording to the profound meaning of "meditating and waiting for sess," modifications were made to the technique.

    Self-cultivation could also increase the progress of the technique, and the scope of "meditating and waiting for sess" expanded from mountains to people.

    This officially made the "Mountain Meditation Technique" a cherished and extraordinary cultivation method.

    Unfortunately, this peerless genius only recorded this matter in the preface of the technique and did not leave behind their name.

    Simr to the "Sea Fixing Sword Technique," the "Mountain Meditation Technique" was also a Golden Core stage technique. In this lifetime, it was undoubtedly sufficient for Li Fan to practice.

    Following the technique''s script, the "Mountain Meditation Technique" was quickly mastered by Li Fan in just a moment. However, the sense of stagnation during cultivation reappeared.

    Obviously, the "Mountain Meditation Technique" was notpatible with Li Fan''s foundational treasure, the Canghai Pearl.

    After hesitating for a moment, Li Fan activated the "Tai Shang Primordial Scripture."

    He diverted all the power of the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" and started cultivating the "Mountain Meditation Technique."

    With the assistance of the refined cultivation in the Foundation Establishment stage, Li Fan quickly advanced the "Mountain Meditation Technique" to the Foundation Establishment stage.

    "Next, I''ll see how effective this ''meditating and waiting for sess'' truly is."

    "If the effect is mediocre, I might as well go and cultivate the ''Sea Fixing Sword Technique.''"

    Having made up his mind, Li Fan took out the jade slip of the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    "As they say, there is no greater favor than passing on knowledge, especially in a world where different cultivation methods cannot be practiced together. The favor of passing on knowledge is simr to the favor of creation."

    "He Zhenghao had taken care of me before, presumably because of the benefits of ''meditating and waiting for sess.''"

    "Unfortunately, his vision was too limited, and they were all small favors. Even if it could provide feedback in cultivation, it probably wasn''t much."

    "Investment, investment. Naturally, therger the investment, the greater the return."

    "Let''s y big this time and see how this ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' really is."

    At this point, Li Fan took out the Tianxuan Minor Mirror and checked the market for Golden Core stage cultivation techniques.

    Within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the prices of Qi Condensation stage cultivation techniques generally ranged from 1000 to 3000 contribution points.

    Foundation Establishment stage techniques, on the other hand, typically fell within the range of 5000 to 10000 contribution points.

    However, starting from Golden Core stage techniques, the prices experienced a significant leap.

    Even the lowest-tier Golden Core stage techniques required a minimum of 30,000 points, and the more exquisite Golden Core cultivation methods could go up to 40,000 to 50,000 points.

    Genuine Nascent Soul techniques started at 50,000 points, and even reaching 100,000 contribution points was not considered excessive.

    Li Fan even saw a technique named "Yin and Yang Dual Cultivation Samsara" with an astonishing price tag of 150,000 points. He wondered what mysteries it held.

    "Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi, in this world, I''ll make sure that you brothers won''t end up fighting each other."

    Li Fan smiled faintly and chose to sell his Nascent Soul technique, the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    The faint light of the Tianxuan Minor Mirror scanned through it. After a while, it provided a price of 90,000 contribution points.

    Considering that there would be a discount for the Tianxuan Mirror''s purchase, it indicated that the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" was indeed valuable.

    Without hesitation, Li Fan directly chose to ept.

    A golden contract flew out of the Tianxuan Minor Mirror,nding in front of Li Fan.

    Li Fan carefully read through it.

    The contract outlined various precautions for the trade of cultivation techniques.

    Once the transaction wasplete, the technique would belong to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Any future use of the technique would have no rtion to the original owner.

    The trade was irreversible, and the original owner''s memories regarding the technique would automatically disappear after the transaction.

    It was crucial not to keep copies of the technique for trade with others, or else you would pay the consequences.

    ¡­

    Li Fan had no objections.

    Using spiritual power as a pen, Li Fan signed his name on the golden contract.

    Subsequently, the contract turned into countless golden particles, with a portion vanishing into Li Fan''s body. Another part, carrying the jade slip, returned to the Tianxuan Minor Mirror.

    With the transactionpleted, Li Fan''s memories of the specific content of the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" also disappeared.

    There was no sense of loss or regret. After all, it was a bound item, and there was no fear of losing it.

    "It seems that I can make a big profit in every future life with this."

    With 90,000 contribution points in hand, Li Fan''s experiment on the effectiveness of "meditating and waiting for sess" began.

    "For the control group of the experiment, let''s choose Xiao Heng."

    The first investment target for the Mountain Meditation Technique would naturally be Su Xiaomei, a person born with an immortal physique and heavenly fortune.

    The clone put on clothes, concealed its cultivation with a Concealing Form Talisman, and stood aside.

    Then, using a Communication Talisman, he called the two of them toe.

 Chapter 152: First Trial of the Mountain Meditation Technique

    "Don''t worry about the amount of contribution points. Just choose the Heavenly Treasures and techniques that you like."

    Although Li Fan nned to budget carefully, looking at the hesitant faces of Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng, he still instructed them.

    They breathed a sigh of relief, and after half a day, they finally selected the items they needed from the vast list of options in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Su Xiaomei chose the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Treasure, ''Fiery me Feather,'' a high-quality Human Treasure worth 6,000 contribution points.

    As for the cultivation technique, she chose an upper-level alternative to the ''Heart me Technique'' called the ''Heart me Fury Technique,'' also valued at 6,000 contribution points.

    Xiao Heng''s choice for the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Treasure was the ''Cloud Carving Monument,'' a high-quality Human Treasure worth 5,500 contribution points.

    His chosen cultivation technique was the ''Spring Wind and Rain Decree,'' valued at 5,500 contribution points.

    After making their selections, they obediently gathered around Li Fan, watching him with bated breath as he settled the bill.

    In total, it amounted to 23,000 contribution points.

    Even with Li Fan possessing a substantial sum of over 90,000 contribution points, he couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow.

    It''s no wonder He Zhenhao''s scale was so small; he simply couldn''t afford it.

    Investing in a Foundation Establishment cultivator requires at least 10,000 contribution points.

    Li Fan remembered that the rewards for guarding the inds in the Congyun Sea ranged from a few hundred to over two thousand contribution points per year.

    Even with some additional ie, umting over 10,000 contribution points would take at least two to three years.

    After so much hard work and effort over such a long period, giving these away to others...

    Who could bear to do that?

    "Indeed, this ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' is not something ordinary people can cultivate." Li Fan sighed and bought the four items.

    In the blink of an eye, the 90,000 contribution points were reduced to 67,000, plus the previous 1,100 left over from before.

    Li Fan currently had only 68,100 contribution points left.

    "You two will cultivate here, and I will protect you," Li Fan instructed as he handed over the items to the two.

    Overjoyed, the two immediately agreed.

    Withplete trust in Li Fan, Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng began their closed-door cultivation in the room.

    Li Fan, once again taking advantage of the opportunity, immersed himself in understanding the process of Foundation Establishment.

    Although Foundation Establishment was alreadypleted in this lifetime, Li Fan''s ultimate goal was not just to achieve the foundation with the Heavenly Treasure Canghai Pearl.

    Therefore,prehension of Foundation Establishment was beneficial for Li Fan.

    The talents of the two were truly remarkable.

    Just one dayter, the phantom of a phoenix took shape in Su Xiaomei''s dantian, indicating her sessful advancement to the Foundation Establishment stage.

    At the same time, Li Fan felt a surge of pure cultivation in his body.

    It didn''t disappearpletely after the first urrence but continued to increase, like a babbling stream in the mountains.

    However, the rate of increase became very small, almost negligible.

    Su Xiaomei was excited after the breakthrough but maintainedposure, seeing that Xiao Heng was still in the process of building the foundation.

    She obediently stood by Li Fan, waiting for Xiao Heng toplete his Foundation Establishment.

    After another half day passed, a blue cloud took shape, marking Xiao Heng''s formal entry into the Foundation Establishment stage.

    However, the feedback of cultivation from the ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' at this time was only one-fifth of Su Xiaomei''s.

    As for subsequent cultivation increases, it was essentially equal to nothing.

    After the breakthrough, Xiao Heng showed a joyful expression.

    But soon, he calmed down, bowed to Li Fan, and paid his respects again.

    Li Fan nodded calmly and then took the two to meet Su Changyu and the others.

    Su Changyu and the Yin sisters were genuinely happy to see the two break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, offering heartfelt congrattions.

    Zhao Erbao, on the other hand, widened his eyes, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two and Li Fan, filled with disbelief.

    After a lively celebration, Li Fan instructed, "The ce where we currently reside is too simple. Next, you all should work together to build a real cultivation cave on Mingyue Lake. This will be used for everyone''s cultivation in the future."

    "I will give Xiao Heng 5,000 contribution points, and you can purchase the necessary materials at the Tianxuan Mirror."

    "I have some business to attend to, and I hope that when I return, I will see thepleted cave mansion."

    "At the bottom of theke, in a stone chamber, there is a friend of mine. If there''s anything you can''t solve, you can consult him."

    Everyone energetically epted the orders.

    After transferring 5,000 contribution points to Xiao Heng, Li Fan spent another twenty days returning to Yuandao Heavenly City.

    Entering the Tianxuan Mirror, he spent 10,000 contribution points to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode.

    He immersed himself in the cultivation of the ''Mountain Meditation Technique.''

    Time passed swiftly, and a hundred days flew by.

    In the blink of an eye, the 29th year arrived.

    Li Fan woke up from seclusion, checking the increase in his cultivation.

    The results surprised Li Fan.

    Because the increase in cultivation over these hundred days was only twice that of Su Xiaomei''s breakthrough feedback.

    "No, it shouldn''t be twice. Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng''s strength must have increased during these hundred days. So, the increase in my cultivation is not only from my own practice but also a small part from the feedback of ''Mountain Meditation Technique.''"

    "It can be foreseen that with the continuous improvement of Su Xiaomei''s realm, the feedback of cultivation will continue until they reach the perfection Foundation Establishment stage."

    "A preliminary conclusion can be drawn. With the same contribution points, the total increase in cultivation through feedback far exceeds what I gain from my own cultivation. However, this process is lengthy. Investing in individuals with average talent often takes nearly a hundred years to enjoyplete returns."

    "Investing in extraordinary talents significantly shortens this process."

    "In either case, the ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' technique is profitable."

    "In this case, with sufficient contribution points, the fastest way to cultivate is to practice in the Tianxuan Mirror, pass on techniques, and use ''meditate and wait for sess.''"

    "Unfortunately, the consumption of contribution points for this kind of cultivation is too high. Even with 200,000 contribution points, it won''tst long. It''s not a long-term n."

    "To maximize the benefits of contribution points, all contribution points should be invested into extraordinary talents, relying on the feedback from ''meditate and wait for sess'' to increase cultivation and advance realms."

    "Unfortunately, extraordinary talents are rare. In my two lifetimes, I''ve only encountered two or three such individuals."

    "The cultivation speed is certainly not as fast as all of them using the Tianxuan Mirror to assist in cultivation."

    Li Fan paused in his thoughts and then considered Xiao Heng''s situation.

    "Paid transmission of techniques also brings cultivation feedback. And if I can ensure the safe recovery of contribution points, wouldn''t it be a risk-free profit?"

    "If I can charge a little more..."

    "I''m sure there are many cultivators stuck at bottlenecks, desperately needing a breakthrough, willing to pay a trivial cost to obtain techniques or Heavenly Treasures in advance."

    "I can capture those who try to escape with Formless Killing Intent. Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng serve as my two great guardians, and if someone fails to return on time, there''s no need for me to personally intervene."

    "If we encounter a true genius, I can provide the technique for free..."

    "Good! Excellent!"

    Li Fan became more and more excited as he thought about it, blurting out, "The ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' is indeed an excellent technique!"

    "Such a profound skill, yet you, Fellow Daoist He, want to switch techniques. What a waste!"

 Chapter 153: Mingyue Palace

    The idea is beautiful, but before formal implementation, there are many urgent issues to be addressed.

    For example, is there already a simr organization in the current Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?

    Will doing this touch upon others'' interests and then subsequently lead to him being casually killed by powerful cultivators?

    After some investigation, Li Fan was relieved.

    Currently, there is norge-scale, organized lending behavior in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    One reason is that obtaining contribution points is difficult.

    It''s already challenging to maintain one''s own cultivation, let alone having extra contribution points to lend to others.

    Another important reason is that lending is easy, but getting it back is difficult.

    The cultivation world is vast, and cultivators have numerous ways to hide their whereabouts.

    They can easily hide in some remote mountain, enter closed-door cultivation for ten or even fifty years, and simply not return.

    What can be done?

    Perhaps there are powerful cultivators who can precisely locate, but they are likely focused on their own cultivation and disdainful of such distracting and unrewarding activities.

    However, Li Fan is willing even if they are not.

    On the way back to Mingyue Lake, Li Fan began nning for the future in his mind.

    Over twenty dayster, Li Fan returned to Mingyue Lake.

    In about forty days, the underwater cultivation cave had been almostpleted.

    However, it was just some splendid buildings on the surface, with no defensive measures other than the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation gs.

    For the sake of future appearances and security, Li Fan spent another twenty thousand contribution points to purchase aplete Spirit Illusory Wave Formation from the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Unlike the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation gs, this formation cannot be moved once deployed.

    It is suitable for construction near water and has effects such as concealment, protection, and defense.

    Fully activated, it is said to withstand attacks from mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

    Li Fan personally arranged it.

    After the Spirit Illusory Wave Formation was sessfully activated, looking at the pale blue protective cover above the underwater cave, Li Fan felt much more at ease.

    With the formalpletion of the cave, celebration was inevitable.

    Everybody gathered at the entrance of the cave, looking at this building that had taken dozens of days of effort, their faces filled with inexplicable excitement.

    Li Fan looked around and felt that something was missing.

    So, he purchased a jade que and two jade pirs from the Tianxuan Mirror.

    After cing them properly, the Sea Fixing Sword flew out from his dantian, and Li Fan skillfully wrote fourrge words on the left jade pir: [Learn Mercy and Compassion].

    On the right jade pir, he wrote another fourrge words: [Prevent Suffering, Avert Disasters].

    Finally, on the middle jade que, he wrote two final words: [Mingyue Pce].

    Li Fan put away the blue water sword, looked at his masterpiece, and nodded in satisfaction.

    As for Su Xiaomei and the others, looking at Li Fan''s inscriptions, they were all moved and lost in thought.

    Su Xiaomei''s eyes were full of stars, while Xiao Heng and Su Changyu were also impressed by the magnificence of these words, unable to control themselves.

    "Learn Mercy and Compassion, Prevent Suffering, Avert Disasters..." As the one who had been in the cultivation world the longest among them, Zhao Erbao understood the weight of these eight words better than anyone else.

    So he became even more uncertain about Li Fan''s cultivation level, and a hint of suspicion arose in his heart.

    Li Fan led everyone into Mingyue Pce, and they began to tour this newly built cave.

    Mingyue Pce covered an area of five square miles.

    The main buildings were arranged in a half-cross pattern.

    In the center was the Mingyue Hall, which was nned to be used for meetings and receptions.

    On both sides were the residences of everyone.

    The series of buildings behind Mingyue Hall were used for cing the Tianxuan Mirror, storing Dao resonance artifacts, and Li Fan''s closed-door cultivation.

    Currently, Mingyue Pce was still an empty shell, with no interior decoration, furniture, or anything else.

    But in forty days, achieving this much already satisfied Li Fan.

    Apart from the five thousand contribution points, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion sisters as well as Sun Zhang had put in a lot of effort.

    Especially Sun Zhang, who had carefully designed theyout of Mingyue Pce.

    Instructing everyone toplete the decoration of Mingyue Pce as soon as possible, Li Fan went to the closed-door cultivation retreat.

    Ever since Mingyue Pce waspleted, his clone had been staying here.

    He wasn''t idling away, but instead trying to decipher the seal formation on the small ck box given to Li Fan by Zhang Zhiliang.

    Perhaps because this clone had stolen some of He Zhenghao''s innate talent in formation, it was progressing much faster than Zhang Zhiliang had expected.

    Li Fan estimated that in another half a year or so, the seal could be lifted.

    He was quite excited about what might be inside.

    In the next period of time, everyone in Mingyue Pce remained very busy.

    While making the vast Mingyue Pce more and more substantial, more than ten thousand Dao resonance artifacts were safely transferred.

    At the same time, Li Fan quietly came to Yuandao Heavenly City alone and began to spread information.

    Slowly, many Qi Condensation cultivators in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance learned that there was an eight-hundred-kilometer Mingyue Lake on the border of the Yuandao Prefecture.

    In Mingyue Lake, there was a Mingyue Pce.

    With just a negligible cost, Qi Condensation cultivators could borrow Foundation Establishment techniques and treasures in Mingyue Pce to advance their foundation cultivation ahead of time.

    After building the foundation, they could slowly repay the corresponding contribution points.

    It''s worth noting that the speed at which Foundation Establishment cultivators earn contribution points is much faster than that of Qi Condensation cultivators.

    The interest of thirty-six percent per year is negligiblepared to the benefits of building the foundation several years earlier.

    This sounded too good to be true, so it obviously seemed like a scam.

    Therefore, most Qi Condensation cultivators justughed it off.

    But as the news spread, there were always one or two cultivators who kept this matter in mind.

    ...

    Three monthster.

    Mingyue Pce.

    In the underground treasury behind Mingyue Hall.

    Tens of thousands of Dao resonance artifacts were neatly arranged.

    Li Fan was around these artifacts, setting up formations.

    Due to the insufficient quantity of collected Dao resonance artifacts, aplete Dao resonance could not be reproduced at the moment.

    So, Li Fan thought of a formation called the Insight Amplification Formation.

    The sole purpose of this formation is to amplify spiritual energy fluctuations and the rhythm ofws to a certain extent.

    Although there will be a certain degree of distortion based on the skill of the formation arranger, it is already sufficient for Li Fan toprehend the Sea Covering Palm.

    As Li Fan focused on arranging the formation, he faintly heard a voiceing from above Mingyue Lake.

    "Junior Chu Xingyang requests an audience with the seniors of Mingyue Pce!"

    "Junior Chu Xingyang requests an audience with the seniors of Mingyue Pce!"

    Repeated several times, echoing continuously.

    Li Fan smiled slightly.

    After so long, finally, the first customer hase to the door.

    However, he doesn''t need to appear personally.

    He had already made the arrangements and was quietly waiting for Chu Xingyang to show up.

    ...

    Above Mingyue Lake, after Chu Xingyang shouted several times, he felt extremely anxious.

    The sudden appearance of Mingyue Pce was mysterious as if it had suddenly emerged.

    The cultivators in the Yuandao Prefecture knew very little about it.

    Anyone confident enough to loan Foundation Establishment techniques and Heavenly Treasures without worrying about recovery issues must be from a powerful force.

    Chu Xingyang, just a small Qi Condensation cultivator, naturally felt extremely nervous shouting loudly at the door of such a powerful force.

    Moreover, he still didn''t know if the rumor of borrowing techniques and treasures from Mingyue Pce was authentic.

    But Chu Xingyang had no other choice.

    He had to give it a try.

    If he continued with the previous method of doing tasks and umting contribution points, it would take at least two or three years to sessfully build the foundation.

    Too long! It''s toote!

    Thinking of the scene where his childhood sweetheart was entangled with another man, Chu Xingyang''s heart was filled with endless anger.

    Why? Just because the other person is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while he is just a small Qi Condensation cultivator.

    Three monthster, the two will get married.

    He must sessfully build the foundation before that.

    Then, at the wedding, snatch her back!

    Chu Xingyang thought with resentment.

    Just as he was immersed in the beautiful fantasy of flying together with his childhood sweetheart, he suddenly noticed a figure silently appearing behind him.

    After that, he found himself being lifted up without any resistance.

    "Senior, spare my life! Senior, spare my life!"

    Chu Xingyang hurriedly shouted.

    "Don''t make a fuss! You''re quite old, yet your courage is so small!"

    A clear, childish voice filled with innocence.

    Chu Xingyang took a closer look and found that the one who restrained him was actually a girl who looked seven or eight years old, dressed in fiery red clothes!

    What shocked Chu Xingyang even more was that this little girl was already at the Foundation Establishment stage!

    Foundation Establishment at the age of seven or eight!

    Such a young age and already at the Foundation Establishment stage. What about the others in Mingyue Pce? What level of cultivation could the owner of Mingyue Pce have?

    No wonder they dare to lend out Foundation Establishment techniques and treasures without fear of recovery!

    Chu Xingyang felt dizzy, and a deep sense of fear surged in his heart.

    But then, he became extremely eager.

    It seems that the rumor of Mingyue Pce lending techniques is not a scam!

    With mixed emotions, Chu Xingyang was carried into theke.

    Passing through the blue barrier, he arrived in front of the gate of Mingyue Pce.

    Chu Xingyang was shocked once again.

    Learn Mercy and Compassion!

    Prevent Suffering, Avert Disasters!

    What courage and broad-mindedness it takes to write these eight characters at the entrance!

    The more Chu Xingyang looked, the more he felt that these eight characters were extremely profound as if they contained the mysteries of the universe.

    He became increasingly awed by the mysterious owner of Mingyue Pce.

    Following the little girl...

    No, following the senior at the Foundation Establishment stage.

    Chu Xingyang bypassed the central hall and arrived at a small attic on the right.

    In the attic, there were two identical-looking women sitting in front.

    Graceful figures, skin as white as snow.

    Their beauty far surpassed Chu Xingyang''s childhood sweetheart!

    Chu Xingyang couldn''t help but be stunned, staring nkly.

    Finally, after being pped on the shoulder by the little junior next to him, he came to his senses.

    In a panic, he quickly knelt down to apologize.

    "I cannot even see the cultivation level of these two fairies. They must be Golden Core stage cultivators. How could I be captivated by beauty?"

    "If I provoke their displeasure, they might...¡±

    Thinking of this, Chu Xingyang couldn''t help but shiver.

    Fortunately, the two sisters did not me him.

    Instead, they asked for his name and the reason he came to Mingyue Pce.

    Chu Xingyang naturally confessed everything truthfully.

    After understanding the whole story, the two sisters disappeared, leaving Chu Xingyang alone with the little junior ring at him.

    Chu Xingyang was sweating on his forehead and dared not act rashly, patiently waiting in ce.

    ...

    "Sister, look at this person. After borrowing techniques and treasures, he wants to go and snatch a bride. Is this the high-risk customer that the senior mentioned? Shouldn''t we refuse his request and not lend him these things?" Yin Yuzhen asked with her head tilted.

    "You''re wrong, little sister. Think about it. He chose to cause trouble on someone else''s big day."

    "Even if the bride-snatching fails, at most, he''ll get a beating. They won''t kill him while the marriage is ongoing."

    "Besides, this person is twenty-eight years old and already at the Qi Condensation stage. He can be considered a high-quality customer, as mentioned by the senior."

    "He is also the first customer toe to our Mingyue Pce..."

    "Well, this business can be done."

    Yin Yueting concluded.

    "This is the Heavenly Treasure he wants and the cultivation technique. You go and get it from the senior."

    Yin Yuzhen nodded, took the note written by her sister, and ran all the way to Li Fan''s closed-door cultivation.

    "I already know about this matter. Take the items and go."

    Without saying a word, a storage ring flew over.

    Yin Yuzhen saluted towards the inside and then hurriedly returned.

    "Little sister, predict, will lending these things bring good or bad results?"

    Yin Yueting asked.

    Yin Yuzhen held the storage ring, closed her eyes, and sensed.

    Her eyshes trembled slightly. After a moment, Yin Yuzhen''s face showed a joyful expression. "Sister, it''s a little auspicious! We can lend it!"

    Yin Yueting also breathed a sigh of relief, then took the storage ring and walked out of the room covered by the formation, arriving in front of Chu Xingyang.

    "Medium-grade Human Treasure: [Indignant Fall]. Foundation Establishment technique: Purple Radiance Starlight."

    "The two things you want are in this storage ring."

    "Total value: 9500 contribution points. How do you choose to repay?"

    Chu Xingyang looked at the ring in Yin Yuzhen''s hand, his eyes shining.

    With all his hopes for the future on this ring, Chu Xingyang gritted his teeth and said, "I choose to repay once a month, clearing the debt within three years."

    Yin Yuzhen nodded, and took out a contract.

    "Come, sign it, and you can take this storage ring."

    Excited, Chu Xingyang nced over the contract and hastily wrote his name on it.

    "Remember to transfer the contribution points to me at this time every month. Otherwise, I''ll personallye to your door to collect. Understand?"

    "Don''t even think about escaping. Though the cultivation world is vast, if you owe a debt to our Mingyue Pce, there will be no ce for you!"

    Su Xiaomei on the side stared at Chu Xingyang with a fierce gaze.

    Trembling, Chu Xingyang nodded quickly, indicating that he understood.

    After obtaining the storage ring, Chu Xingyang was almost moved to tears.

    When he left Mingyue Pce, he bowed to the two jade pirs at the door.

    Then, with a determined expression, he flew away.

    "Hehe, wasn''t my performance good?" Su Xiaomei, seeing that the person was gone, rubbed her face and boasted.

    "But, is what we did reliable? This is 9500 contribution points! Can we really get them back? What if this person suddenly dies or runs away halfway?" Su Xiaomei asked with some worry.

 Chapter 154: Understanding the Sea Covering Palm

    "The first deal, even if it means losing money, we must do it." Sensing Chu Xingyang cultivating in foundation-building, Li Fan couldn''t help but sigh.

    Actually, Li Fan wasn''t entirely sure about the feasibility ofrge-scale breakthrough loans in the cultivation world. However, he had enough room for trial and error and could boldly attempt it.

    So, Li Fan was not worried at all.

    To better expand Mingyue Pce''s business, Li Fan personally designed two small props and had a batch made.

    The first one was called the "Mingyue Talisman." When activated, the talisman could sense the location of the person borrowing techniques. It could even clearly perceive the target''s every move, significantly reducing the difficulty of collection.

    In fact, the "Mingyue Talisman" itself wasn''t particrly mysterious. Its essence was just a perception-sharing talisman. What made it useful was Li Fan''s divine ability, "Formless Killing Intent."

    This was a technique he developed after observing the killing intent of heaven and earth for decades. It hadn''t disappeared even after he converted the cultivation base of the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    After all, the cultivation technique was just a tool for him to observe the natural energies of the world. "Formless Killing Intent" was more of an instinctive application of his understanding of the killing intent of the world, bing a part of Li Fan''s natural abilities. Like the Insect Binding Technique, even without any cultivation, it could still be executed.

    This was probably why [Truth] had a separate category for it.

    The second item was called the "Deterrence Talisman." Considering the possibility of encountering cultivators intentionally avoiding debts, hiding in ces like Yuandao Heavenly City where they couldn''t be easily dealt with, Li Fan intentionally produced a batch of these talismans. Essentially, they were just ordinary self-destructing Communication Talismans. What truly created deterrence was a sentence written in the talisman.

    "If you persistently refuse to repay and deliberately evade debt, Mingyue Pce will report your lost cultivation techniques to the Law Enforcement Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance!"

    Because Li Fan had exchanged for the cultivation techniques, he could report to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance that the techniques had been lost. As for the recovery of the techniques, it would naturally be handled by the mysterious and chilling Law Enforcement Hall.

    This was a move with mutual losses. After the cultivation techniques were recovered, ownership would return to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. The debtor would lose their life, and Mingyue Pce would lose some contribution points.

    Li Fan believed that any rational cultivator would understand how to choose.

    The reason for deliberately creating these two types of talismans was to create a sense of mystery. When a talisman flew out, a cultivator who was happily avoiding repaying debts in a safe area would suddenly change their expression. After some gritting of teeth, they would obediently work to repay their debts.

    This dramatic scene, full of intrigue, would undoubtedly attract many cultivators to spontaneously investigate Mingyue Pce. It served both as publicity and to establish the mysterious image of Mingyue Pce in the hearts of cultivators.

    In Li Fan''s mind, there were two critical factors limiting the rapid development of Mingyue Pce''s breakthrough lending business.

    One was that Li Fan''s own contribution points were too few. After helping Chu Xingyang breakthrough forpensation, he only had a pitiful 23,600 contribution points left. At best, he could only help two more Qi Condensation stage cultivators breakthrough, and recovering contribution points would take another two to three years.

    Without enough contribution points for cirction, attemptingrge-scale development of Mingyue Pce''s business was simply a joke. Small-scale activities contradicted Li Fan''s initial intention.

    "I hope Zhang Zhiliang''s little ck box can bring me some surprises," Li Fan thought as he sensed his clone still had over two months before breaking the seal of the formation.

    The second limiting factor was that Li Fan had too few forces under him. Once the business expanded, there would inevitably be a shortage of manpower, affecting the efficiency of contribution point collections.

    However, there was currently no good solution to this issue.

    In Li Fan''s vision, if he could cooperate with a major force in Yuandao Prefecture, allocating part of the profits to them, these two problems would be easily solved. Unfortunately, with Li Fan''s current early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he wouldn''t engage in such risky ventures.

    In the next period, besides Chu Xingyang, there was surprisingly only one Qi Condensation stage cultivator who came seeking help.

    However, after a careful evaluation by the Yin sisters, they rejected this person. iming that the personcked affinity with Mingyue Pce''s Dao, Su Xiaomei was the one to send him away.

    "It seems that we have to wait for Chu Xingyang''s wedding and bride-snatching to make a name for himself," Li Fan thought quietly.

    To ensure that Mingyue Pce''s first customer could achieve a resounding victory, creating a greater impact, Li Fan decided that if necessary, he could secretly help Chu Xingyang.

    As the grand n of Mingyue Pce''s breakthrough lending had yet to unfold, Li Fan visited the underground treasure trove, silently feeling the resonance of tens of thousands of Dao artifacts.

    The "Insight Amplification Formation" was already set up.

    Through the amplification of the formation, the strength of the Dao resonance of that Sea Covering Palm was now perceptible.

    One day, two days...

    After standing for seven days, a trace of embarrassment shed across Li Fan''s face.

    "Well... with my talent, trying toprehend a divine ability from this strand of Dao resonance is a bit forced."

    "But fortunately, I''m not alone."

    Without hesitation, Li Fan called in Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei.

    "The Dao resonance artifacts you''ve been collecting for several years have finally formed a powerful resonance through my enhancement formation."

    "This strand of Dao resonance holds tremendous opportunities."

    "As for how much you canprehend, it depends on your own destiny."

    After thanking Li Fan, both Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei closed their eyes and immersed themselves in theprehension of the Dao resonance.

    Li Fan himself didn''t give up and continued to observe andprehend along with them.

    Time passed bit by bit.

    This time, the first to gain insights was Xiao Heng.

    He suddenly opened his eyes, and a fleeting sense of vicissitudes shed in them.

    Li Fan still couldn''tprehend anything.

    However, seeing Xiao Heng''s expression, he knew he must have gained something.

    Without directly asking, Li Fan gestured for him to patiently wait for Su Xiaomei to finish herprehension.

    After another day, Su Xiaomei also woke up from her enlightenment.

    Li Fan led the two of them to the square in Mingyue Pce.

    Activating the Spirit Illusory Wave Formation for protection, they could now spar freely without worrying about causing damage to the surroundings.

    Li Fan then instructed, "Practice and verify each other''s insights. Confirm your ownprehensions."

    Both nodded, their eyes locking onto each other. Simultaneously, they said,

    "Xiaomei, please enlighten me!"

    "Xiao Heng, be careful!"

 Chapter 155: Infinite Formation

    "Bang!"

    "Bang!"

    Explosions echoed continuously on the square.

    Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng were engaged in a fierce battle using the newlyprehended palm techniques, making it difficult to distinguish between them for a while.

    Under the observation of heavenly vision and earth hearing, Li Fan carefully pondered their palm techniques.

    Combining it with the previous insights into the Dao resonance, he suddenly felt enlightened.

    So, it can be understood this way!

    Although Li Fan had an average aptitude, he could still understand the palm techniques used by Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng, who were both in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

    If you can''t solve the problem, can''t you copy it?

    First learn from theirprehension, master the palm techniques, and then gradually incorporate his own insights to finally create a palm technique that belonged entirely to himself.

    During the observation, Li Fan also discovered the differences in their palm techniques.

    Although both were inspired by the same strand of Dao resonance, Xiao Heng''s palm technique carried a misty and elusive quality.

    On the other hand, Su Xiaomei''s palm technique contained an unparalleled domineering intent.

    It seemed that with each strike, everything in heaven and earth would submit.

    It wasn''t a matter of superiority or inferiority.

    It could only be said that the palm technique of the original Sea Covering Palm was too astonishing, having many facets.

    The palm techniques of Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng contained both their ownprehension and the intent contained in the original Sea Covering Palm.

    ...

    The battle between Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei continued for a whole day.

    It finally ended under Li Fan''s call to stop.

    "Not bad. It seems you''ve gained quite a bit. However, remember not to becent."

    "You both are far fromprehending this Dao resonancepletely."

    "Next, continue your cultivation, ponder the Dao resonance, and spar with each other."

    Li Fan instructed, and both Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei nodded in agreement.

    With the help of the two outstanding talents, Li Fan''s understanding of the original Sea Covering Palm technique continued to grow.

    Unfortunately, as time passed, Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei''s palm techniques were nearing perfection.

    However, Li Fan felt that something was missing in his own palm technique.

    The palm he executed was still within the realm of stances and was far from reaching the level of divine abilities.

    However, Li Fan wasn''t impatient.

    He patiently optimized and elevated his palm technique.

    Two monthster.

    In the underground closed-door cultivation room.

    As the little ck box lit up with silver threads, the sealing formation finally broke.

    Several items inside appeared in Li Fan''s clone''s field of view.

    One of them seemed familiar to Li Fan.

    It was an encrypted jade slip with golden corners.

    However, the contents of this jade slip were not the "Mountain and River Vein Formation Diagrams" left by He Zhenghao.

    Li Fan entered his divine sense into it to read the contents.

    After a short while, Li Fan felt dizzy, and his divine sense retreated from the jade slip.

    He pressed his temples, easing the tingling sensation in his divine sense.

    But Li Fan''s eyes showed an excited expression.

    The contents recorded in this jade slip were the lifelong learnings of Zhang Zhiliang, the first in formations in the Cong Yun Sea.

    "Infinite Formation."

    The formation insights from both He Zhenghao and Zhang Zhiliang were now in Li Fan''s hands.

    It seemed that his clone wouldn''t be idle for a long time.

    With dedicated study, Li Fan''s knowledge of formations was bound to have a bright future.

    Li Fan was very much looking forward to the reaction of He Zhenghao when he sat down to discuss formations in the next life.

    Having calmed his mood, Li Fan checked the remaining items.

    A small white bag filled with silver fragrances.

    It was the fragrance Li Fan often used during Zhang Zhiliang''s arduous study, capable of eliminating mental fatigue.

    A small ck ball.

    It was the testing ball used to assess one''s proficiency in formations.

    A golden foil paper. An ordinary jade slip.

    Li Fan first read the jade slip.

    It contained thest words of Zhang Zhiliang.

    Zhang Zhiliang didn''t mention the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind group''s plot against Crimson me.

    Instead, he introduced Li Fan to his "Infinite Formation" and exined the purpose of the golden foil paper.

    Zhang Zhiliang''s "Infinite Formation" was his life''s work.

    The scene where hundreds of thousands of formation crowns bloomed that day, deciding the oue of the Dao Integrationpetition while only at the Nascent Soul realm, left a deep impression on Li Fan.

    However, ording to Zhang Zhiliang''sst words, the "Infinite Formation" he was currently cultivating was far from reachingpletion.

    Zhang Zhiliang had once said during a lecture that formations were standardizedws.

    While standardization simplified the application ofws, it inevitably brought a fatal w.

    All formations in the world could be broken.

    Once a formation was set up, it became fixed after standardization.

    Even for formations like the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation, said to be unbreakable, someone proficient in formations could identify its weaknesses, spend enough time, and eventually crack it.

    However, if a formation could constantly evolve, forever in a state of growth, and if its growth rate surpassed the rate of the world''s strongest formation masters in deciphering it, then this formation would be one that could never be broken.

    This was Zhang Zhiliang''s lifelong wish.

    The "Infinite Formation."

    Unfortunately, although Zhang Zhiliang''s formation skills were extraordinary, he was far from creating a true "Infinite Formation."

    The critical factor was theck of a core.

    A central hub that could provideputational support for the infinite evolution of the formation.

    Zhang Zhiliang tried various things to act as this core.

    Heavenly Treasures, the consciousness of cultivators, ancient artifacts...

    But all of them without exception ended in failure.

    The requirements of the "Infinite Formation" for the core''sputational power were too terrifying, even beyond Zhang Zhiliang''s cognitive limits.

    In addition to theputational power requirement, the core must possess its own spiritual intelligence.

    The evolution of the "Infinite Formation" had countless directions.

    If determining the evolution path was just a simple brute force deduction, the evolution speed would be greatly reduced.

    But if the core has its own intelligence, constantly coordinatingputational power, continuously adjusting the optimal evolutionary direction, and even making corresponding optimizations based on the attempts of formation masters to decipher it.

    Only then can it be considered a true "Infinite Formation."

    Of course, Zhang Zhiliang doesn''t have any expectations for whether Li Fan can achieve the "Infinite Formation."

    What he hopes for is simply that Li Fan can inherit his current mantle.

    Then pass it down from generation to generation.

    He hoped that one day, a true formation genius will be discovered, and could fulfill the grand dream of the "Infinite Formation."

    As for that golden foil paper, it''s meant to inspire Li Fan in the study of formations.

    Its name is the Inheritance Token.

    Essentially, it''s an inheritance of a significant amount of contribution points.

    Only under certain conditions reached after the death of a cultivator can it be imed.

    The  left by Zhang Zhiliang astonishingly contains a total of four hundred thousand contribution points.

    It can be imed in ten installments.

    The condition for receiving each time was to pass the test of formation knowledge of the testing ball.

    A total of ten levels of tests.

    If one truly inherits Zhang Zhiliang''s "Infinite Formation," then all four hundred thousand contribution points can be obtained.

    And if one cannot even pass the first-level test, then they can only watch the mountain of treasure without gaining a single contribution point.

 Chapter 156: A Poor Dog Has Nothing to Offer

    "Four hundred thousand contribution points..."

    "The umtion of a lifetime of a Nascent Soul stage Formation Master is indeed quite exaggerated."

    Li Fan stared fixedly at the golden Inheritance Token, his eyes widened.

    Eagerly, he picked up the testing ball and began the formation test.

    The first-tier test was very easy, involving only basic knowledge of formations.

    Having immersed himself in formations for over a decade, Li Fan naturally passed the first-tier test without much effort.

    Golden light floated from the Inheritance Token, converging onto Li Fan. The golden paper dimmed slightly, and when Li Fan checked with the Tianxuan Mirror, he indeed found that his contribution points had increased by forty thousand, totaling 63,600 points.

    Excitement filled him as he started the second-tier test.

    After a while, Li Fan withdrew his spiritual consciousness from the testing ball, wearing a displeased expression.

    "After ten years of hard work, I''m just a little short ofpleting the second-tier test?"

    "When will I be able to gain these four hundred thousand contribution points?"

    The mountain of treasure was right in front of him, seemingly within reach but still unattainable due to the limitations of his formation skills.

    It was like a small hand plucking at Li Fan''s heartstrings, tempting him under enormous allure, making him wish to abandon everything and immerse himself in the study of formations.

    "Zhang Zhiliang, what a cunning n!"

    "The effect of the contribution points as motivation is truly immediate. Even I can''t resist it."

    "The second-tier test has not yet involved the ''Infinite Formation,'' and I can still rely on my clone to study formation knowledge. Butter on, I''ll need my main body to read and learn the ''Infinite Formation'' from the encrypted jade slip."

    "In this way, my cultivation is bound to be dyed."

    "I hope that before this happens, the business of the Mingyue Pce can beunched. With the feedback from the ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' technique, even if I don''t practice at all, the progress of my realm won''t be much slower."

    "With over sixty thousand contribution points, I should be able to get by for a while. But it''s still not enough!"

    "I need to quickly withdraw all the contribution points from the Inheritance Token!"

    A gleam of determination shed in Li Fan''s eyes.

    Driven by immense motivation, Li Fan''s main body and clone began to study formations together.

    Whenever fatigue set in, he would light the silver incense, invigorating his spirit to continue studying.

    With the double boost, Li Fan''s formation skills steadily improved.

    ...

    After more than a month passed in this manner, Chu Xingyang''s wedding ceremony finally arrived.

    Li Fan had to divert some of his attention to focus on the defining event of the Mingyue Pce''s first customer.

    The result, however, left Li Fan bothughing and crying.

    At the wedding scene, Chu Xingyang descended from the sky, shamelessly dering that the bride should follow him.

    How could the groom endure this? His face twisted in anger, vowing to kill Chu Xingyang on the spot.

    But Chu Xingyang''s talent was indeed outstanding. In just three months, he not only advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage but also surpassed the groom, who had been in the Foundation Establishment for a long time.

    After a long battle, without Li Fan''s intervention, the groom already showed signs of defeat.

    Chu Xingyang fought against the groom while effortlessly evading attacks, triumphantly shouting, "Ah Yue, can''t you see? This Zhang guy is so unworthy. How can he marry you! Come with me! I will make you happy!"

    The groom, infuriated, with a face turning purple, couldn''t endure anymore. Every move resulted in injuries.

    But Chu Xingyang became more and morecent, almost yful in his demeanor.

    Growing increasingly proud, he was about to speak when he heard a stern shout from the bride.

    "Enough, Chu Xingyang! Have you caused enough trouble?"

    Following that, a cold and clear light attacked him.

    Chu Xingyang, frightened, barely avoided the bride''s attack, continuously asking, "Ah Yue, what are you doing?"

    The bride gritted her teeth, "Don''t call me Ah Yue! I''ve told you more than once. I willingly became Daopanions with Zhang Qi out of mutual affection. There was no coercion, and it has nothing to do with the disparity in cultivation!"

    "As my childhood friend, not only did you not congratte me on my wedding, but you also came here to stir up trouble!"

    "From now on, there is no friendship between us!"

    After speaking, the bride joined forces with the groom, attacking Chu Xingyang.

    Chu Xingyang was dealt a severe emotional blow by the bride''s words, his face turning pale.

    He just instinctively evaded of thebined attacks from the couple. While dodging, Chu Xingyang continued to ask why.

    However, the bride showed no mercy, striking ruthlessly with every move.

    In the end, a light pierced through Chu Xingyang''s left shoulder.

    Chu Xingyang''s face revealed despair, his heart ashen.

    Yet, the instinct to survive forced him to grit his teeth and flee with his injuries.

    He escaped to a secluded cave, where Chu Xingyang began treating his wounds.

    After his injuries slowly healed, Chu Xingyang''s eyes were filled with renewed determination.

    "It must be that my current strength is not enough."

    "If Foundation Establishment is not enough, I''ll aim for Golden Core. If Golden Core is insufficient, then Nascent Soul."

    "As long as I be powerful enough, Ah Yue, you will change your mind one day."

    Chu Xingyang looked into the distance, muttering to himself.

    ...

    The farce finally came to an end.

    Apart from the embarrassment of those involved, the topic of how the wedding crasher Chu Xingyang managed toplete Foundation Establishment in a short time became a widely discussed subject.

    Gradually, the name of the Mingyue Pce also spread among Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

    As it turned out, the Mingyue Pce''s loans of Heavenly Treasures and Foundation Establishment techniques was not a scam but true!

    With a live example before them, more cultivators seeking help gradually approached the Mingyue Pce.

    Of course, the contribution points were still limited, so Li Fan instructed the Yin sisters to be selective.

    An average of one slot could be released per month.

    Others were dismissed under the pretext of insufficient affinity.

    This cautious behavior of the Mingyue Pce actually deepened its credibility among cultivators.

    If any cultivator could easily borrow treasures and techniques from the Mingyue Pce, they would worry about potential conspiracies.

    Thus, the reputation of the Mingyue Pce continued to grow.

    Many Qi Condensation stage cultivators from various regions in Yuandao Prefecture came from afar to seek assistance for early Foundation Establishment, as the sess stories spread.

    As for the 36% interest umted over the year, they selectively ignored it.

    Foundation Establishment cultivators earned contribution points more than twice as fast as Qi Condensation cultivators.

    Even if they chose to repay in three years, the total contribution points repaid would only be close to twice the original amount.

    Worth it!

    And so, on the 39th year, the grand venture of the Mingyue Pce''s breakthrough loans finally began in an orderly fashion.

    When the time reached the 40th year, Li Fan finallypleted the second-tier test of the testing ball.

    His contribution points increased by another forty thousand.

    Every month, there were returns from those who had borrowed methods before.

    The deficit of contribution points finally began to ease up slowly.

 Chapter 157: Meteor Descends on Cangwu

    "On average, each cultivator borrows ten thousand contribution points."

    "Now, our Mingyue Pce has already assisted seven cultivators with breakthrough."

    "They mostly choose to repay in three years, and ording to a 36% annual interest rate, they have to return over five hundred points each month."

    "For seven cultivators, the total contribution points earned is over four thousand."

    "Every three months, we can assist another cultivator."

    "With the continuous expansion of our business, this speed will only get faster..."

    In the Mingyue Pce, Yin Yuzhen estimated the profits of the breakthrough loaning business, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

    "But we can''t just calcte it this way. As the number of cultivators borrowing methods increases, we might encounter one or two who refuse to repay honestly. Each one can bring significant losses."

    "Nevertheless, the speed at which our Mingyue Pce is expanding is remarkable."

    Yin Yueting also eximed, "Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng are not easy to deal with. Didn''t you see Su Xiaomei enthusiastically going out to collect debts every time, returning satisfied?"

    "The Mingyue Talisman and the Deterrence Talisman are also incredibly useful. If we didn''t have these two items, collecting debts would be much more challenging." Yin Yueting nodded.

    "Indeed, the senior''s actions are extraordinary. The eight characters he personally wrote, ''Learn Mercy and Compassion, Prevent Suffering, Avert Disasters'' have now be deeply ingrained among Qi Condensation cultivators." Yin Yuzhen spoke excitedly, full of enthusiasm.

    ...

    In the underground seclusion of the Mingyue Pce.

    Li Fan, admired by the two sisters, was not currently disying the demeanor of a senior.

    He had just awakened fromprehending formation principles, checking the growth of his cultivation within, and a pleasantly surprised expression appeared on his face.

    "On average, each Foundation Establishment breakthrough assisted provides feedback of about seven months of cultivation instantly. I haven''t cultivated at all these days, yet I''ve gained forty-nine months of cultivation. It''s like continuous cultivation for four years without stopping!"

    "Moreover, as the cultivation of these borrowing cultivators continues to improve, I can still receive continuous feedback."

    "Although it''s just a small stream, with the increasing quantity, it''s enough to form a vast ocean!"

    "I can foresee that when the scale of the Mingyue Pce''s breakthrough loaning business expands in the future, my cultivation speed will be even faster."

    "Sitting back and enjoying the benefits, sitting back and enjoying the benefits!"

    "Great!"

    For a moment, Li Fan was overjoyed.

    However, right after that, he furrowed his brows.

    During the Qi Condensation stage, the limit of targets that the Formless Killing Intent could lock onto was five people.

    When he tested it during the Foundation Establishment stage, the limit increased to fifteen people.

    Although it tripled, it was still far from enough.

    "I wonder if there''s a way to increase it." The limit of the Formless Killing Intent should be rted to the strength of the spiritual consciousness.

    There should be a method to increase spiritual consciousness strength, but it would undoubtedlye at a high cost.

    So, Li Fan began searching for it in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    After eliminating methods that were clearly impossible to achieve now, he soon found the most suitable method for his current situation.

    "Startling Spirit Formation, Heart Monkey Bones..."

    Li Fan looked at the silver incense emitting a delicate fragrance, contemting something.

    "It turns out that this incense, which can eliminate mental fatigue, is made by grinding Heart Monkey Bones into powder and mixing them with other materials."

    The so-called Heart Monkey does not refer to any rare beast but to a cultivator who has lost their sanity.

    ording to legend, in some regions, idents would asionally ur where arge number of cultivators would be inexplicably bewitched.

    These bewitched cultivators often lost their consciousness and became killing machines.

    After being killed by others, their bodies would turn into the appearance of a white ape.

    This is what is referred to as the Heart Monkey.

    The Heart Monkey''s body is a treasure.

    The most valuable part is its bones, which have the effect of enhancing and replenishing consumed spiritual consciousness.

    As for the Startling Spirit Formation, it was a formation that, depending on the formation materials used, can exhibit different effects.

    For example, if the formation materials used have the property of gathering spiritual energy, then the Startling Spirit Formation will amplify this property.

    Therefore, arranging a formation using Heart Monkey Bones to enhance spiritual consciousness, forming the "Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation," will have several times the effect of strengthening spiritual consciousness.

    The Startling Spirit Formation is potent, but the drawback is that, as the formation materials are continuously consumed, the effectiveness of the formation will also weaken.

    It requires constant replenishment of formation materials to maintain the normal operation of the formation.

    "A rough calction suggests that setting up a ''Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation'' will cost about twenty thousand contribution points. Moreover, continuous replenishment of Heart Monkey Bones is required..."

    "I can only try the effect first..."

    Li Fan, who could now be considered wealthy, bought a sufficient quantity of Heart Monkey Bones on the spot and began setting up the Startling Spirit Formation.

    Although the Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation is essentially an amplification formation, it can''t be considered veryplex.

    However, it still took Li Fan nearly half a month to set it up.

    "Indeed, there is still quite a gap between pure theory and practice. Although my current level of formation theory has already surpassed the threshold of beginners, my practical formation skills are still only at the apprentice level."

    Li Fan sighed as he activated the Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation.

    Feeling the amplification effect of the formation, Li Fan noticed that his spiritual consciousness strength had increased by about five times.

    "In other words, the limit of the Formless Killing Intent''s locking capacity has probably increased to around seventy-five."

    "Although it''s a bit far from my expected goal, it''s currently sufficient."

    "After breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, spiritual consciousness strength will increase again. If it''s still not enough, I can continue to increase the scale of the Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation. However, the benefits brought by doing so may not outweigh the costs..."

    Temporarily resolving the hidden worries of the breakthrough loaning business, Li Fan continued to immerse himself in the study of formation techniques. Inside the Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation, Li Fan was pleasantly surprised to find that, perhaps due to the enhanced spiritual consciousness, both his main self and the clone had experienced an increase in learning efficiency.

    This was an unexpected joy.

    As time passed slowly, in a blink, the 41st year arrived.

    On this day, the focused Li Fan was awakened by the call of a Communication Talisman.

    "What''s this?"

    He was momentarily stunned, then realized it was the Communication Talisman from Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.

    As the talisman activated, Kou Hong''s voice followed.

    "Li Fan, my friend, how have you beentely?"

    "I''ve been in seclusion, practicing diligently, so I can''t say it''s been good or bad." Li Fan chuckled and replied.

    "Hahaha, these years, Dao Xuanzi and I have..."

    Kou Hong spoke halfway but seemed to be interrupted.

    The topic shifted, "Ahem, let''s talk about business. Li Fan, my friend, Dao Xuanzi and I are nning to go to Cangwu Prefecture in search of opportunities. Would you like to join us?"

    "Cangwu Prefecture?" Li Fan had some recollection; it seemed to be in the extreme southwest of the continent, very far from Yuandao Province.

    He wondered why these two were going there.

    Li Fan immediately voiced his doubts.

    Kou Hong''s surprised voice came over, "What? Old friend, don''t you know yet?"

    "This matter has already been widely circted."

    "Do you remember, twenty-six years ago, that meteor that illuminated the sky?"

    Li Fan squinted his eyes, instantly recalling.

    When he gathered intelligence, he had heard about this incident.

    It happened in year 15.

    A meteor streaked across the night sky, and no one knew where it fell.

    All the cultivators who saw this meteor simultaneously felt a sense of awe, sadness, and otherplex emotions.

    "Since that day, cultivators have been constantly trying to find thending ce of the meteor, but all in vain."

    "Fortunately, everyone persisted, and after twenty-six years, they finally discovered its traces."

    "Guess what? Do you know where this meteor fell? It fell into the Abyss of Cangwu!"

    "That eerie ce, deep and bottomless. No wonder no one found it for so many years."

    "It is said that a great power calcted that this meteor is rted to an enormous opportunity. So cultivators from all over the world want to venture into the Abyss of Cangwu, hoping to try their luck."

    "What if they happen to encounter that meteor?"

    "We, the two brothers, also think the same way. Dao Xuanzi and I have been fortunate recently, so we n to go and try our luck."

 Chapter 158: Development Amid Twists and Turns

    "Fellow Daoist, are you willing to go with us?"

    Looking at Kou Hong''s inquiry, Li Fan decisively chose to refuse.

    Their journey should not have any danger, but it was destined not to yield any harvest. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have turned into enemies over a cultivation technique nine yearster.

    The flourishing business of the Mingyue Pce''s breakthrough loaning operation was unfolding rapidly. How could Li Fan leave for the Abyss of Cangwu to search for some meteor at this time?

    Seeing that Li Fan did not agree, Kou Hong felt quite regretful, but he still said confidently, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li Fan. If there''s any significant gain this time, I won''t forget to leave you a share!"

    Li Fan chuckled, expressing his understanding of the goodwill.

    This matter was just a trivial episode. Soon, Li Fan cast it aside and reserved a fraction of his mental focus to monitor the Mingyue Pce''s operations.

    The majority of his energy was once again invested in the endless study of formations.

    There was still the allure of 320,000 contribution points beckoning to Li Fan, leaving him no choice but to strive for them.

    By the time the 42nd year reached its halfway point, with theplete recovery of the first batch of debts in the Mingyue Pce, it marked the entry of the breakthrough loaning operation into a new stage.

    In three years, the Mingyue Pce''s assets had more than doubled. The initial 100,000 contribution points had turned into over 200,000, lent out again to cultivators.

    It became a constantly growing gold mine.

    At this point, disregarding those who had already settled their debts, the number of cultivators owing debts to the Mingyue Pce had reached twenty-five.

    Every month, nearly 30,000 contribution points were being reimed. The Mingyue Pce''s reputation was growing, attracting cultivators from other provinces toe and try their luck.

    Li Fan ordered the rxation of restrictions, lending to anyone as long as they had enough contribution points.

    Under the principle of money begetting money, the Mingyue Pce''s business scale expanded rapidly, making it challenging for Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei to handle the increasing number of debtors each month.

    Fortunately, during these years, Li Fan encountered two individuals with outstanding talents - one named Zhuge Yu and the other named Sima Cang.

    Both of thempleted the Foundation Establishment process in just a few years and were only slightly less talented than Xiao Heng.

    So, Li Fan did not collect their contribution points, and instead generously gave them Heavenly Treasures and Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques for free.

    Afterpleting their Foundation Establishment cultivation, these two were grateful to Li Fan for his selfless andpassionate breakthrough loans. They voluntarily joined the Mingyue Pce, contributing their efforts to the breakthrough loaning operation.

    After observing them for a while, Li Fan agreed to their requests. However, the core secrets of the Mingyue Pce were kept from them, and they were assigned to debt collection duties.

    However, Li Fan did not mistreat them. Besides the fixed annual reward of 5,000 contribution points, they received a three percentmission for every debt they collected.

    Though the percentage wasn''t substantial, it motivated them greatly.

    The addition of Zhuge Yu and Sima Cang eased the pressure on the debt collectors. But as the scale continued to grow, it would still not be enough.

    So, Li Fan kept an eye out. Once he encountered talents suitable for the breakthrough loaning operation, he would immediately bring them under hismand.

    The conspicuous and ostentatious wealth umtion of the Mingyue Pce naturally attracted the attention of others.

    First came a cultivator in theter stage of the Golden Core realm, attempting to probe the truth of the Mingyue Pce.

    At this time, Li Fan was still in seclusion, not showing himself. He transformed his body into the Mingyue Lake and executed a Cong Yun Sword.

    The sword shadows were chilling.

    This Golden Core realm cultivator, in front of many Foundation Establishment cultivators, was powerless, beheaded by a single sword.

    The witnessing cultivators were shaken, and their awe of the mysterious Mingyue Pce deepened.

    However, Li Fan had no trace ofcency in his heart. He knew that inevitably, the attention of higher-level cultivators would be drawn to them.

    As expected, the day arrived sooner than anticipated.

    "Weakness is the original sin."

    Li Fan sighed in his heart but dared not dy for a moment. He began preparing to escape.

    He spent a hefty sum to purchase a one-time random teleportation array in the Tianxuan Realm, cing it near the treasure vault.

    Once activated, the teleportation array would self-destruct, and the explosion would destroy tens of thousands of Dao resonance artifacts along with the Mingyue Pce.

    He also upgraded and modified the Spirit Illusory Wave Formation. The upgraded formation was capable of withstanding attacks from all Nascent Soul cultivators and could even resist a Soul Transformation cultivator for a short time.

    During this period, Li Fan was confident that he could calmly leave through the teleportation array when the crisis approached.

    As the crisis loomed, instead of retracting the breakthrough loaning operation, Li Fan, driven by the idea of making onest fortune, expanded the operation more aggressively.

    The probes from higher-level cultivators cameter than expected.

    In the 43rd year, a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator arrived at the Mingyue Lake, seeking an audience with the owner of the Mingyue Pce.

    Li Fan merely activated the Spirit Illusory Wave Formation, refusing to meet the guest.

    This Nascent Soul True Monarch seemed to be a discerning person. After releasing a casual attack and testing the protective grand array, he refrained from seeking disgrace and left after a polite gesture.

    After the Golden Core stage came the Nascent Soul stage. Would the next stage be Soul Transformation?

    Li Fan, watching the departing figure of the Nascent Soul cultivator, wore a gloomy expression.

    Even though this Nascent Soul cultivator didn''t get to meet the true owner of the Mingyue Pce, his purpose had already been achieved.

    There must be no cultivators of mid-Nascent Soul or higher within the Mingyue Pce; otherwise, they wouldn''t have chosen to shut themselves in and refuse to meet.

    Having their secrets exposed, the mysterious aura vanished, and the debt collection actions became increasingly difficult.

    First, Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei were ambushed, almost losing their lives. Fortunately, the treasures given by Li Fan protected them, allowing them to escape.

    However, Zhuge Yu and Sima Cang were not as fortunate. Sima Cang was captured, and his life or death remained uncertain. Zhuge Yu returned heavily injured and unconscious.

    As the situation rapidly changed, with a pile of external debts about to be unrecoverable, Li Fan, facing a grim reality, directly activated the Formless Killing Intent, killing two or three malicious cultivators who refused to pay their debts.

    This temporarily suppressed the evil tendencies towards not repaying debts.

    "Starting a business on my own is really difficult," Li Fan sighed as he watched the dejected crowd in the Mingyue Pce.

    "Hold on for just a little longer. Fortunately, I feel that breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage is not far away."

    "If things don''t work out, I''ll change my name, move to a different province, and start over."

    Under dire circumstances, the Mingyue Pce temporarily suspended the breakthrough loaning operation, focused on reiming contribution points, and prepared to evacuate at any time.

    However, it seemed that fate was on Li Fan''s side this time. A sudden major event urred, causing the Yuandao Prefecture to descend once again into chaos.

    The majority of Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation cultivators were affected, and they became embroiled in endless battles.

    They had no time to spare for the Mingyue Pce.

    The two geniuses of the Blue Feather Sect in the Yuandao Prefecture, Dugu Xi and Dugu Shi.

    Both have gone missing.

 Chapter 159: Crazy Expansion

    Two True Monarchs in the Soul Transformation realm inexplicably disappeared.

    It sounds like a fantasy.

    But it happened so mysteriously.

    Since the fall of the Blue Feather Immortal Sage, Dugu Xi and Dugu Shi would annuallypete in the Tian Du Martial Arena for the ownership of the "Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique."

    For many years, they had not determined a winner.

    Each time, it attracted numerous cultivators toe and watch, bing a spectacle in the Yuandao Prefecture. Many cultivators from other provinces also came, eager to witness the grand battle between the two Soul Transformation True Monarchs.

    However, this year, on the agreed-upon day for their grand battle in the Tian Du Martial Arena, not a single figure was seen.

    People waited for a long time, but Dugu Xi and Dugu Shi did not appear.

    Initially, some thought there might be a change in the schedule, and the cultivators did not think much of it. It wasn''t until a few dayster that shocking news spread.

    Rtives and subordinates of the two tried various methods but could not contact them. Even the Hall of Heavenly Secrets failed to find any trace of them through divination.

    As if they had vanished into thin air, no one saw them alive or dead!

    The most shaken was the Blue Feather Sect.

    The disappearance of the two top powerhouses left the internal atmosphere of the Blue Feather Sect anxious, and paranoia took hold; everyone suspected everyone else were potential conspirators.

    While other forces were initially shocked, they gradually regained theirposure.

    The Blue Feather Sect, once unassable, had suffered internal strife for several years and now faced the inexplicable disappearance of two Soul Transformation True Monarchs.

    How much strength did the Blue Feather Sect have left now?

    Greedy thoughts sprouted in the hearts of many, giving rise to a covert alliance called the "Burning Feather Alliance."

    Minor frictions emerged initially.

    But then, sparked by the Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique, arge-scale battle erupted.

    This profound technique, divided into five parts before the fall of the Blue Feather Immortal Sage, was stored in five encrypted jade slips. Four were entrusted to the most loyal subordinates, and the remaining one was safeguarded by the most mysterious and reclusive Law Enforcement Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Only when the five jade slips werebined could theplete "Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique" be reconstructed.

    When the Dugu brothers went missing, inviting numerous wolves, the Blue Feather Sect''s seemingly most loyal Soul Transformation True Monarch, Wei Xutuo, betrayed them. Under the guise of discussing strategies against their enemies, he tricked the other Soul Transformation True Monarch, Wutong Tian, into a trap set by the Burning Feather Alliance.

    Wutong Tian, resentful and infuriated, fell into the ambush. Wei Xutuo obtained two portions of the "Heavenly Feather Transformation Technique," and the Burning Feather Alliance took advantage of the situation to conquer territories of the Blue Feather Sect.

    Upon hearing the news, the Blue Feather Sect was first shocked and then infuriated.

    A bloody counterattack began.

    The turmoil expanded, sweeping across the entire Yuandao Prefecture.

    Countless Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and even Soul Transformation cultivators were affected, and signs of constant deaths from the heavens were evident.

    However, the most numerous Qi Condensation cultivators, due to their low strength, could not even serve as cannon fodder, so they weren''t affected much.

    Mingyue Pce.

    "Who is behind this again..."

    Observing recent events in the Yuandao Prefecture, Li Fan''s eyes flickered.

    The thick scent of conspiracy behind this was too obvious.

    "People with insight can easily see the suspicious points."

    "Unfortunately, at this moment, I am already deeply entangled in the chessboard, unable to act freely."

    "Qi Condensation cultivators, with their low strength, don''t even qualify to be pawns."

    "However, even if I cannot detect the maniptions, I don''t mind."

    At this moment, Li Fan gathered the members of Mingyue Pce and issued orders for a great expansion.

    Although Su Xiaomei and others were somewhat puzzled by thismand, they resolutely carried it out.

    At the end of the 43rd year, after stagnating for nearly half a year, the breakthrough loaning business of Mingyue Pce reopened with even more intensity than before.

    Under Li Fan''s guidance, Mingyue Pce retained only 30,000 contribution points for emergency use, lending out the rest.

    News of the resumption of business by the Mingyue Pce spread instantly among Qi Condensation cultivators. After waiting patiently for half a year, they rushed to Mingyue Lake.

    The number of people was beyond Li Fan''s imagination.

    However, Li Fan did not fill all the quotas at once but continued to select a Qi Condensation cultivator with affinity for Foundation Establishment every three days, whetting the appetite of the cultivators.

    After nearly a month, the nned contribution points were fully lent out.

    At this point, the external debts of the Mingyue Pce umted to nearly 220,000 contribution points.

    With the 30,000 points in self-reserve, and the remaining 320,000 points from Zhang Zhiliang''s legacy, the total amounted to 570,000 contribution points.

    However, the chaotic fighting situation in the Yuandao Prefecture provided the Mingyue Pce with an excellent incubator for concealed development.

    With unbridled growth, the terrifying speed ofpound interest finally revealed itself.

    At the end of the 44th year, the contribution points of the Mingyue Pce''s external debts soared to 310,000.

    By the end of the 45th year, it reached 450,000.

    At the end of the 46th year, it reached 630,000.

    ...

    By the mid-50th year, the external debt contribution points of the Mingyue Pce had reached the astronomical figure of 2.2 million.

    In seven years, the Mingyue Pce had sessfully helped almost five hundred Qi Condensation cultivators to build their foundations.

    Every time a cultivator sessfully built their foundation, the "Mountain Meditation Technique" would return almost six months'' worth of cultivation.

    This nearly 250-year cultivation return had long pushed Li Fan to thete Foundation Establishment stage.

    Under the vignt surveince of the Formless Killing Intent, Li Fan also personally witnessed the foundation-building process over five hundred times.

    At this time, his understanding of Foundation Establishment probably surpassed all other Foundation Establishment cultivators in this realm.

    At this point, the prodigy Su Xiaomei had just broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while Xiao Heng was still lingering in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

    The horrifying cultivation speed made Li Fan feel like he was in a dream.

    However, the huge amount of contribution points in hand made Li Fan feel like he was walking on thin ice.

    Instead of experiencing the joy of rapid advancement, an inexplicable unease grew in his heart.

    He ordered the Mingyue Pce members to stop the breakthrough loaning business immediately and quickly collect contribution points.

    Li Fan took precautions in advance, reading methods to break through the Golden Core realm in the Tianxuan realm while keeping his guard up, ready to flee at any moment.

    ...

    In an unknown space in the Yuandao Prefecture.

    A ck-robed cultivator had just awakened from seclusion.

    He habitually formed a seal.

    In front of him, a golden ginkgo tree suddenly appeared.

    The ck-robed cultivator, holding a whisk, gently waved it.

    The ginkgo tree, seemingly frozen in time, suddenly began to change.

    The trunk swayed, and five golden leaves fluttered down.

    The ck-robed cultivator showed a pleased expression, "How did five Soul Transformation cultivators die during my closed-door cultivation?"

    The hand seal changed.

    Besides the golden ginkgo, another identical tree appeared.

    However, it emitted a soft silver light all over.

    The whisk was waved once more.

    Twenty-three silver leaves slowly descended.

    The ck-robed cultivator was even more delighted.

    With a quick calction, he already knew the reason.

    "So, there was an internal conflict. What an unexpected joy."

    "Strange, whose doing is this? Why can''t I calcte it?"

    "Hmph, never mind. The more that die, the better."

    "Originally, I leveraged Blue Feather''s death and executed the Blue Feather Legacy Strategy, significantly reducing the number of cultivators."

    "Now, with this happening, it seems I will exceed the mission quota this time."

    The ck-robed cultivator was inexplicably joyous, muttering to himself.

    "The Yuandao Prefecture has been peaceful for too long, and there are too many cultivators. It''s about time for a thorough pruning. It was all because of that old Blue Feather''s protection..."

    "Hmph, now that you''re dead, there''s no way for you to show off."

    A blue ginkgo appeared, and this time, even more leaves fell.

    The ck-robed cultivator was suddenly overjoyed, "This time, the instructions from the Immortal Ancestor are finallypleted."

    Then, he habitually summoned thest green ginkgo.

    To the ck-robed cultivator''s astonishment, this green ginkgo grew rapidly in the wind.

    In just a breath, it increased its size by a full circle.

    Full of vitality, it swayed gracefully.

    The ck-robed cultivator stood up in shock, eximing, "How could this be?"

    "The number of Foundation Establishment cultivators has tripled in ten years?"

    Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and the ck-robed cultivator quickly calcted with his fingers.

    "What a remarkable Mingyue Pce..."

    After a long time, the ck-robed cultivator gritted his teeth and said in a resentful tone, "There are also a bunch of imitators..."

    "You will all die!"

    Boom!

    The gold, silver, blue, and green ginkgo trees in front of him instantly turned into flying ashes.

    The ck-robed cultivator, holding the whisk, took a step forward and disappeared instantly.

 Chapter 160: Mingyue Soars into the Sky

    TL Note: term change from prefecture -> province.

    *****

    Mingyue Pce.

    Li Fan, still unaware of the impending danger, chuckled as he read a message sent by Kou Hong.

    "Li Fan, my friend, you have no idea how unlucky Dao Xuanzi and I have been in recent years!"

    "Last time, we went through hardships to reach Cangwu Province. Just as we arrived, news spread that the meteor had already been found."

    "We didn''t even get to see what it looked like and had to return disappointed."

    "This time, Dao Xuanzi and I ventured deep into the Hundred Stone Cave Heaven on the border of Shilin Province, almost risking our lives, to find a scroll of a cultivation technique."

    "Believe it or not, it turned out to be a Nascent Soul technique!"

    "I was ecstatic at first, but upon closer inspection, someone was already practicing this technique!"

    "I checked and found out that it''s already being sold in Tianxuan Mirror!"

    "I almost vomited blood!"

    "Dao Xuanzi and I didn''t even dare to look at the contents of the technique, afraid that the Law Enforcement Hall woulde after us!"

    "I don''t know if it''s lucky or unlucky!"

    ...

    "Hundred Stone Cave Heaven..." Li Fan mumbled to himself without replying to Kou Hong. He then opened the  panel.

    Name: Li Fan

    Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Late Stage

    Physiological Age: 71/399

    Mental Age: 591/3669¡ü

    Virtualization Charging Progress: 200%

    Anchor Charging Progress: 2%

    Current Anchor Points: 1

    Current Avable Anchor Points: 2

    With the help of the Mountain Meditation Technique, Li Fan''s cultivation speed was unimaginably fast. At the age of 71, he had already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. In the midst of growing unease, Li Fan had been converting Mingyue Pce''s contributions into usable assets.

    Firstly, he exchanged for eight Human Treasures, unlocking the second anchor point of [Truth].

    However, when trying to unlock the third anchor point, Li Fan found that the effects of Heavenly Treasures were negligible. A single Human Treasure could only increase the progress by 1%. Unfortunately, he couldn''t exchange for Earthly Treasures due to insufficient permissions.

    However, now there were enough contribution points, it would be possible to try the effectiveness of Earthly Treasures soon.

    Permission levels in the Tianxuan Mirror could be increased by holding an official position or obtaining merits.

    There were two ways to obtain merits.

    The first was to rmend cultivators to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Rmending a Qi Condensation early stage cultivator was ssified as intermediate merit.

    Rmending a Qi Condensationte stage cultivator was ssified as high merit.

    However, how these merits were calcted into permission levels was not known.

    Li Fan, who did not hold any permissions, searched but couldn''t find the answer.

    In addition to exchanging for Heavenly Treasures, Li Fan also exchanged for another item inrge quantities.

    Standing next to the Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation, Li Fan smiled at therge amount of white mist floating around the array.

    These white mists emitted a frightening aura, causing people to instinctively want to stay away.

    A golden woven from golden threads firmly sealed these white mists next to the Heart Monkey Bone Startling Spirit Formation.

    "Devouring White Mist,bined with the Startling Spirit Formation, forms the Devouring Startling Spirit Formation."

    "This array can greatly amplify the white mist''s ability to devour lifespan, and even a cultivator of the Dao Integration realm should be dyed for a moment."

    "Unless they are ruthless and risk the consequences of lifespan consumption to kill me."

    "But with just 2 million contributions, there shouldn''t be any enemies with such a deep-seated hatred."

    However, Li Fan still felt a bit uneasy.

    "Maybe I''ll encounter one or two narrow-minded people who can''t stand others making a fortune. No, I need to make more preparations."

    "When a powerful expert takes action, they will surely block space. We won''t be able to escape using the random teleportation."

    "I need to find a way to deal with it."

    ...

    While Li Fan was carefully consideringprehensive life-saving strategies, Yin Yueting and Yin Yuzhen, the two sisters, hadpletely different expressions.

    "Sister, you said you''ve had a premonition of great fortune recently. Is it true? Why do I always feel a bit uneasy?" Yin Yueting asked with a puzzled expression. This was the first time she doubted her sister''s intuition.

    "Even Xiaomei and Xiao Heng feel the same worries as me." Yin Yueting said, frowning slightly.

    Yin Yuzhen was not convinced and said seriously, "It''s true, sister. Great fortune! Very great fortune!"

    Yin Yuzhen exaggeratedly gestured with her hand and said, "From birth until now, I''ve never had such a strong premonition! Something really good is definitely going to happen!"

    She dered with confidence.

    Seeing her sister so sure, Yin Yueting finally let go of her worries.

    She instinctively touched the silver-colored square ne hanging on her chest.

    "With this random teleportation ne given by the senior, even if we encounter any disasters, we should be able to save our lives." Yin Yueting could only console herself in this way.

    ...

    By the shore of the Mingyue Lake.

    Mingyue Pce had stopped its breakthrough loaning business for some time, but there were still a small number of Qi Condensation stage cultivators gathered here.

    They were anticipating the reopening of the business, hoping to gain an advantage.

    On this day, cultivators were chatting and discussing the current situation in the Yuandao Province.

    After nearly seven years of intense ughter and the ongoing war between the Blue Feather Sect and Burning Feather Alliance, the conflict was finally about to settle down.

    Both sides suffered heavy losses, almost reaching the point where they could not maintain their positions.

    It was said that they had negotiated several times but failed to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement.

    "What''s that?" A cultivator gazing into the distance suddenly eximed.

    Everyone looked in the direction he pointed.

    In the sky, a thin silver thread appeared, descending from an unknown origin. In an instant, it reached the ground and swiftly extended around Mingyue Lake.

    In just a few breaths, the silver thread circled around, like a shackle, tethering the entire eight-hundred-mile Mingyue Lake.

    Seeing this bizarre scene, some alert cultivators sensed that something was wrong and immediately fled.

    However, most people were still stunned, unsure of what to do.

    After the silver threads surrounded theke, they emitted a faint glow.

    Then, as if lifted by an invisible force, the silver threads were pulled upward!

    In an instant, the earth shook violently.

    Theke water churned.

    The cultivators, dumbfounded, witnessed the vast Mingyue Lake being lifted into the air.

    It wasn''t just theke water; it included the soil and rocks beneath theke, and even Mingyue Pce built at the bottom of theke.

    Everything was pulled up together, ascending higher and higher.

    At this moment, it wasn''t just Mingyue Lake.

    Throughout the entire Yuandao Province, numerous cultivators saw a scene that would be unforgettable for the rest of their lives.

    Dozens of thin silver threads hung from the sky, continuously pulling uprgekes, mountains, and cities from various ces in Yuandao Province towards the sky.

 Chapter 161: Escape from Death

    In Mingyue Pce, the faces of the people witnessing the sudden change turned somewhat pale. In the instant they sensed something was wrong, following Li Fan''s instructions, they prepared to activate the random teleportation nes on their bodies.

    However, they were astonished to find that this vital lifeline had lost its effect at this moment.

    As the entire Mingyue Lake, akin to a toy, was being pulled upward towards the sky, Su Xiaomei, Xiao Heng, and the others had extremely unpleasant expressions.

    "This kind of power is that of a Dao Integration Immortal Sage!" Suddenly, fear and confusion filled their hearts.

    But for what? Just to gain a few contribution points?

    The small Mingyue Pce couldn''t resist even Soul Transformation cultivators, let alone a Dao Integration Immortal Sage personally taking action.

    However, despite their emotions, in front of a Dao Integration Immortal Sage, they could only be like ants, utterly powerless.

    Helplessly, they watched as the entire Mingyue Pce rose higher and higher, and they themselves, like turtles in a jar, had nowhere to escape.

    "Younger sister, is this the great fortune you mentioned?" Yin Yuetin''s face turned ghastly pale, and she looked at her sister with disbelief.

    Yin Yuezhen looked bewildered, at a loss for words.

    Then, as if recalling something, she quickly said, "Don''t worry, Senior will definitely make a move! It will surely turn bad luck into good..."

    Before she could finish speaking, a loud noise came from outside the Mingyue Pce.

    Everyone looked and saw a huge mushroom cloud rising, centered on the Mingyue Pce, expanding rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it covered the entire Mingyue Lake.

    In the sky, the one who initiated the explosion, Li Fan, had a pained expression on his face.

    Originally, the nned Devouring Startling Spirit Formation was only meant to cover the range of the Mingyue Pce, intending to dy the arrival of a powerful enemy.

    But unexpectedly, the unknown Dao Integration expert didn''t directlyunch an attack. Instead, he wiped out the entire Mingyue Lake.

    It seemed like he wanted to take them somewhere.

    With no choice, Li Fan had to spend several times the original cost to expand the self-detonation''s scope.

    "It''s fine. As long as we can escape this time, we still gained something."

    Since he chose to take action, Li Fan no longer hesitated. Carefully taking out a ck spike from his bosom, he aimed it at the silver thread in the sky and threw it forcefully.

    At the moment of the explosion of the Devouring White Mist, the silver thread seemed to encounter a natural enemy and subconsciously contracted for a moment. However, immediately afterward, it ignored the white mist touching it and instead wound even tighter around the Mingyue Lake.

    In the sky, faint thunder-like sounds could be heard.

    "Devouring White Mist? Hmph, your Mingyue Pce is the head of all evils, disrupting my grand n. Even if it costs me some lifespan, I must capture you."

    "If I don''t thoroughly deal with you, it will be difficult to dispel the hatred in my heart!"

    Before the words fell, a ck radiance was pierced into the silver thread.

    "Dimension Cleaving Nail? Interesting."

    The radiance of the silver thread dimmed. Then, another ck spike shot into the sky.

    "Go!" Li Fan''s voice sounded timely.

    Without needing Li Fan''s reminder, Su Xiaomei and the others, who sensed that the random teleportation nes were once again usable, immediately activated the teleportation formation.

    One after another, radiant shes urred, and the people from the Mingyue Pce disappeared consecutively.

    Continuous explosion sounds echoed from below.

    In an instant, the Mingyue Pce turned into ruins.

    Above the ruins, a ck shadow slowly appeared.

    His face showed no signs of impatience; instead, it carried a yful expression, like a cat teasing a mouse.

    "Escape? Where can you escape to?" The ck-robed cultivator lightly waved his whisk, and in the air ahead, several thin threads suddenly appeared out of nowhere, extending in different directions from this point.

    "Little Foundation Establishmentte stage cultivator, you are truly ignorant of life and death. I''ll capture you first."

    The ck-robed cultivator extended his right hand, pinching one of the silver threads between his fingers, and slowly exerted force.

    At the point where the silver thread disappeared, the space suddenly shattered and became blurry.

    Li Fan''s silhouette slowly appeared.

    At this moment, he was looking up, seemingly gazing at the sky. There was a shocked expression on his face as if even his thoughts were frozen at this moment.

    His body, along with the surrounding scene, was gradually being pulled back to the ck-robed cultivator.

    Just as Li Fan was about to bepletely captured, the movements of the ck-robed cultivator suddenly stagnated.

    The mockery on his face vanished without a trace, reced by a gradually serious expression as he stared at the ground below.

    Just now, therge amount of detonated Devouring White Mist did not return to the White Mist Barrier that separated the various provinces as it should have.

    Instead, it descended to the ground.

    Then, like flowing water, it continuously infiltrated underground.

    In just a moment, arge amount of Devouring White Mist was devoured by the earth.

    This abnormal scene made the ck-robed cultivator, who had lived for thousands of years, involuntarily furrow his brows.

    "What is this..."

    Suddenly, a sense of unease surged in his heart. He calcted continuously with his left hand, and his expression kept changing.

    Clearly, even for the ck-robed cultivator, this mysterious event was extremely difficult to calcte.

    His aura fluctuated, wrinkles appeared slowly on his face, and strands of white hair began to show. Blood flowed from his eyes.

    After a while, the ck-robed cultivator suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood.

    Then, he shouted loudly, "Devouring Rebirth Formation?"

    "Old Blue Feather, do you still want to seek longevity even after death!?"

    A trembling sense of fear surged from the depths of his soul, and the ck-robed cultivator instinctively had the thought of fleeing.

    But immediately after, he looked towards the direction of Yuandao Heavenly City.

    "No wonder these years, the usually peaceful Yuandao Province has been full of ughter, with countless cultivators dying..."

    "My Blue Feather Legacy n also went unexpectedly smoothly. It turns out I was also manipted."

    "Arrogance, too much arrogance!"

    The ck-robed cultivator gritted his teeth, "How could I let you have your way!"

    At this point, he no longer cared about the people from the Mingyue Pce. Letting go of the silver thread, he rushed towards the direction of Yuandao Heavenly City.

    ...

    "Tru..."

    The frozen thoughts gradually recovered, and Li Fan almost uttered the word "Truth."

    However, the pulling force from the other side had already disappeared, and Li Fan, who had returned to safety, forcibly swallowed the word.

    "So, this is a Dao Integration Immortal Sage..."

    Li Fan''s face turned dark. All of his so-called preparations were nothing but jokes in the face of absolute strength disparity.

    Just now, it was undoubtedly the most dangerous moment since Li Fan crossed. He could sense that something had happened around him, but his soul was frozen and he was unable to make effective reactions or thoughts.

    If the ck-robed cultivator hadn''t been startled away, Li Fan might really have been finished.

    "Just prompting more than five hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators to appear prematurely directly attracts an expert of this level..."

    "No, there were still quite a few more who were captured along with the Mingyue Pce just now."

    "There are probably many who imitated my breakthrough loaning."

    "So, is it because there''s a sudden surge in Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

 Chapter 162: The Calamity Has Long Been Destined

    "It seems that although the ''Mountain Meditation Technique'' cultivates at an extremely fast speed, the risks are still too great for a high-profile cultivation."

    "This time, I was fortunate to escape with my life due to good luck."

    "The next time, it''s impossible to say."

    Li Fan sighed, then remembered the scene where the ck-robed Dao Integration cultivator had a terrified expression just now.

    "Devouring Rebirth, seeking longevity?"

    "I didn''t expect that the mastermind behind the chaos in the Yuandao Province was actually the deceased Blue Feather Immortal Sage."

    "Is he trying to reverse the cycle of life and death?"

    Although he still didn''t know the specific details of Blue Feather Immortal Sage''s n, the fragments of information from the ck-robed cultivator were enough to reveal the terror of Blue Feather Immortal Sage.

    He sacrificed countless lives of cultivators in the Yuandao Province to achieve immortality.

    Among these fallen cultivators, many were Blue Feather Immortal Sage''s subordinates and rtives.

    "I don''t know if, after being discovered by this ck-robed cultivator, Blue Feather''s n can still seed. Anyway, regardless of the oue, the Yuandao Province is not a good ce to stay for long. I have to leave quickly."

    Previously, he had already agreed with Su Xiaomei and the others to meet in the Shilin Province after splitting up.

    In these seven years, with a significant surplus of contributions, even the weakest Yin sisters had broken through tote stage Qi Condensation, plus they had some magical treasures for protection.

    Being a bit careful on the way should ensure their safety.

    Li Fan surveyed the surroundings. He had been transported to a dense forest, and he didn''t know the exact location.

    He tried to contact others from the Mingyue Pce usingmunication talismans, but he couldn''t establish a connection.

    After pondering for a moment, Li Fan decided to find a popted ce first, identify his current location, and then proceed.

    He chose a direction, concealed his figure, and swiftly flew.

    However, halfway through, Li Fan suddenly stopped.

    His face showed puzzlement.

    "What''s going on? Why hasn''t the unease in my heart disappeared, and is instead growing stronger?"

    "Has that ck-robed Dao Integration cultivator not given up on chasing me?"

    "What kind of grudge is this, what kind of resentment?"

    "No, this feeling is not like the helplessness and despair when facing the Dao Integration Immortal Venerable."

    "Does the crisise from someone else?"

    "What''s going on?"

    The experiences of this life shed through his mind quickly, but Li Fan couldn''t figure out where this fatal crisis wasing from.

    Li Fan stopped and took out a ne with a random teleportation formation from his storage ring.

    After activating it, the scenery around him changed rapidly.

    Before he could see the environment clearly, Li Fan took out another ne.

    He repeated this process five times, not knowing how far he had been teleported.

    Li Fan stopped when he felt a bit dizzy.

    The uneasy premonition in his heart finally gradually subsided. It seemed that he had temporarily escaped from this unknown enemy.

    Surveying the surroundings, Li Fan found himself on a in.

    In the far distance, there were continuous mountains visible on the horizon.

    Not far away, there was a city. After inquiring, Li Fan learned that this ce was already near the border of the Shilin Province, and the city was called Luo Fan City, a remote town without any cultivators guarding it.

    However, to the north of Luo Fan City, there was arge city called Rong Hua City, where cultivators were definitely residing.

    For his own safety, Li Fan decided to use the teleportation formation in Rong Hua City to go to the Shilin Heavenly City and lie low.

    Li Fan didn''t dy any longer and hurried towards Rong Hua City.

    However, when he flew halfway, Li Fan suddenly stopped again.

    Because the source of that crisis suddenly appeared again, and it was even more urgent than before.

    As if it appeared out of thin air on the road ahead.

    "Did he use the teleportation formation toe to Rong Hua City?"

    "The other party can lock onto my location at any time?"

    Li Fan pondered for a moment, choosing not to escape immediately but tond and set up a formation in ce.

    "Considering that the opponent still needs to use the teleportation formation, it shouldn''t be a Dao Integration cultivator."

    "If it''s a Nascent Soul cultivator, it might not be impossible to resist for a moment."

    "At the very least, I need to figure out why he is chasing me."

    "Otherwise, even if I start over, in the next life, I will encounter the same cmity."

    Abandoning the n to escape, Li Fan''s mind became calm.

    One by one, heid out the formations.

    [Explosive Law Formation].

    Temporarily increases the power of one''s Dao techniques by one rank.

    [Chaotic Disruption Profound Spirit Formation].

    Disrupts the flow of spiritual energy around the opponent, reducing their strength to some extent.

    [Five Elements Sword Qi Formation].

    Reverses spiritual energy into the power of the five elements, turning it into sword qi to harm the enemy.

    [Soul Shock Formation].

    Uses the remains of beasts tounch a soul-shaking attack with divine sense.

    [Replication Formation].

    After activating the formation, it memorizes the current technique, and then replicates and casts it.

    ...

    Finally, Li Fan gathered the remaining Devouring White Mist in one ce.

    He also ced hundreds of [Exploding Seals] around it.

    Although the power of each [Exploding Seal] was not too strong, the advantagey in theirrge number.

    Li Fan put the mist and seals in a separate storage ring.

    Ready to give this unknown enemy a surprise.

    "Unfortunately, with my current level of formation skills, I''m not skilled enough to make a formation crown. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be so troublesome."

    "In the cultivation world, under the Dao Integration, crossing arge realm to kill an opponent with one''s own strength is considered a genius."

    "To kill an opponent crossing tworge realms is rare in ancient times, known as an unparalleled genius."

    "With the assistance of formations, I can barely be considered half of a Golden Core cultivator."

    "But I don''t know how many rounds I can withstand against this Soul Transformation True Monarch."

    Everything was ready, Li Fan closed his eyes and meditated, waiting for the enemy.

    Soon after, a fiery red light tore through the sky and arrived in an instant.

    The person had arrived above Li Fan''s head in an instant.

    This person had a sturdy figure, fiery red hair, and a ming red beard.

    Staring down at Li Fan, his voice was like thunder.

    "You can run pretty fast!"

    "Surrender the Minor Medicine King Cauldron, and I might spare your life!"

    ...

    The rolling sound echoed continuously in Li Fan''s ears.

    Li Fan squinted his eyes, and in an instant, many thoughts shed through his mind.

    "Minor Medicine King Cauldron?"

    "Hunting me across several states, is it really for this?"

    "Could it be some extraordinary treasure?"

    "But it''s been almost thirty-seven years since I bought these two small cauldrons from Jiao Xiuyuan."

    "These two small cauldrons have no practical use. I''ve always kept them in the corner of my storage ring, and I''ve almost forgotten about them myself."

    "If they really have some special value, why did it take so long for the pursuit to begin?"

    Past scenes quickly shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    ...

    "It is said that after the Immortal Ancestor passed on his teachings, before the arrival of the Great Cmity, the sect leader of the Medicine King Sect, Liu Ruchen, had a vague premonition that the world might undergo significant changes."

    "So, with an extremely tough attitude, Liu Ruchen led the entire Medicine King Sect, using his Medicine King Cauldron as a boat, to break through the void and leave the realm."

    Jiao Xiuyuan spoke confidently.

    ...

    In the 15th year.

    A fiery meteor illuminated the sky, tearing through the night.

    Its whereabouts were unknown.

    But all the cultivators who saw this meteor felt a simultaneous surge of fear, sorrow, and other inexplicable emotions.

    ...

    "Good heavens, do you know where this meteor fell? The Abyss of Cangwu!"

    "That eerie ce, unfathomable. No wonder no one has found it for so many years."

    In the 41st year, the meteor returned to the Cangwu Province.

    Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi wanted to seek opportunities.

    ...

    "Thest time, we painstakingly ran to Cangwu State. The news of the discovery of the meteor had juste out when we arrived, and we didn''t even get to see what it looked like. We could only return disappointed."

    Kou Hongined dejectedly.

    ...

    Li Fan couldn''t help but suddenly understand.

    "Could it be that the meteor is the Medicine King Cauldron of the Medicine King Sect?"

    "The Medicine King Cauldron that broke through the void before the Great Cmity has now inexplicably returned to the Xuanhuang Realm."

    "And those 36 Minor Medicine King Cauldrons that no one cared about in the past have be treasures coveted by everyone for some unknown reason."

    "So, the cmity that endangered my life was this!"

 Chapter 163: Foundation Establishment Slaughters Nascent Soul

    Having rified the reason for the pursuit, Li Fan didn''t immediately choose to submit.

    As he observed the sturdy red-haired man above him, a dangerous glint shed in Li Fan''s eyes.

    "I thought that the oneing to kill me would be a Soul Transformation cultivator."

    "Unexpectedly, while I was just waiting here, I got a Nascent Soul cultivator instead."

    "I''ve cultivated for a hundred years and never had a formal battle with anyone."

    "It''s the perfect timing to test everything I''ve learned on you."

    Seeing Li Fan standing still, the red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator became impatient.

    "Surrender the Minor Medicine King Cauldron, and I might spare your life!"

    He shouted again.

    If it weren''t for the concern that attacking might damage the storage ring, potentially causing the loss of the Minor Medicine King Cauldron, he probably would have pped this small Foundation Establishment cultivator to death already.

    "Is this the Minor Medicine King Cauldron you''re talking about, Senior?" Li Fan revealed a ttering smile and then took a small cauldron out of his storage ring, holding it in his hand.

    The eyes of the red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator lit up. "Yes! Yes! That''s it! You''re quite sensible, little guy!"

    Watching the Minor Medicine King Cauldron flying towards him, he was satisfied.

    He reached out to grab the small cauldron, but before he could be happy about it, a storage ring suddenly appeared from the cauldron.

    Immediately after, arge mass of white mist, entangled with golden threads, appeared next to the red-haired Nascent Soul.

    "Boom!"

    The mist exploded as hundreds of runes burst into fragments.

    A tremendous destructive force erupted.

    Following that, the cloud formed by the Devouring White Mist enveloped the red-haired Nascent Soul.

    "You bastard!"

    He roared in anger, and the Devouring White Mist was instantly blown away.

    The Nascent Soul revealed himself again, and the Minor Medicine King Cauldron had already been put away.

    There seemed to be no injuries, just a slightly trembling hand, indicating that Li Fan''s attack was not entirely useless.

    "You''re looking for¡­"

    Before he could finish his sentence, the red-haired Nascent Soul was instantly enveloped by several arrays.

    His breath stagnated, and then he saw the world seemingly light up.

    A vast blue ocean suddenly appeared in the sky.

    A bright blue sword light, with an unmatched aura, flew out from the ocean and shed towards him.

    Li Fan''s first move was unexpectedly his strongest move at the moment.

    The Cong Yun Sea Sword.

    "Earthly Treasure?!"

    The red-haired Nascent Soul eximed, then looked at Li Fan with greedy eyes.

    The ground cracked and the sky darkened.

    A volcano rose up, blocking the path of the sword light.

    The volcano was not like the illusory image of the ocean but instead a tangible object.

    The surroundings became scorching hot as magma surged out from the cracked ground.

    The blue sword light dimmed slightly but still pierced through the volcano, shing towards the red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator.

    A trace of seriousness shed across the Nascent Soul cultivator''s face; he felt that he couldn''t avoid this blue sword light.

    He could only face it head-on.

    But the sword light unleashed by this Foundation Establishment cultivator actually posed a lethal threat to him.

    What kind of sword technique was this?

    In the split second of contemtion, mes emerged on the Nascent Soul cultivator''s body.

    The mes were like swords and collided with the blue sword light.

    There was no earth-shattering explosion.

    The blue sword light gathered and retracted in an instant, forming only a thin blue line.

    This thin line separated the mes and quickly wound around the Nascent Soul.

    The Nascent Soul was slightly stunned, then saw the opponent utter a light shout.

    "Cong Yun Sea Twenty-Eight Swords!"

    In the ocean silhouette, another 27 sword lights appeared and flew towards him.

    Simultaneously, all the arrays erupted.

    Five Elements Sword Qi attacked him.

    The roar of a mythical beast shook his mind.

    The Nascent Soul felt that there was a slight gap between his physical body and his dantian.

    Unbeknownst to him, another blue phantom suddenly appeared, causing the temperature around the volcano to drop instantly.

    The blue phantom silently flew to the side of the Nascent Soul cultivator and gently pressed its hand.

    Along with the 27 Cong Yun Sea Swords striking the Nascent Soul, all the arrays also erupted.

    In an instant from the first Cong Yun Sea Sword to the remaining 27 sword lights shing the Nascent Soul, it was just a moment.

    The Nascent Soul cultivator''s face was full of astonishment.

    Cracks appeared on his body.

    His shattered body became stiff and cold.

    A gentle breeze blew.

    Then, like a shattered ice sculpture, it turned into countless tiny fragments and fell to the ground.

    The Nascent Soul cultivator''s body was shattered.

    But there was no trace of triumph on Li Fan''s face.

    Because the volcano confronting the Cong Yun Sea still existed.

    It even became more violent.

    "Good!"

    "Very good!"

    "With Foundation Establishment cultivation, you''ve destroyed my physical body! You can be proud of yourself!"

    "Unfortunately, you, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, won''t understand how terrifying the Nascent Soul realm is!"

    The voice of the red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator resounded again.

    Beneath his calm tone, there was an endless fury.

    "As long as my nascent soul isn''t annihted, I won''t die!"

    Behind the volcano, a baby''s phantom slowly appeared.

    It clung to the volcano like a parasite, arching its tiny body, and attached itself to the volcano.

    "Don''t even think about dying easily!"

    "I will torture you with the cruelest methods to vent my hatred!"

    In the resentful voice of the baby, the originally destroyed body of the Nascent Soul cultivator unexpectedly showed signs of reforming.

    Li Fan saw that the energy of the volcano was slowly absorbed by the baby.

    Then, the baby''s body, wriggling flesh and blood, appeared out of nowhere.

    Like weaving a coat.

    The human shell was slowly taking shape.

    "As long as the nascent soul isn''t destroyed, the cultivator does not die." Li Fan looked at the scene before him, contemting.

    Using all his means, catching the opponent off guard, only destroyed one physical body.

    After recovery, he would be the one dead.

    "As expected, challenging cultivators across realms is not an easy task."

    "However..."

    Li Fan''s eyes shed.

    His aura suddenly erupted, and Li Fan had no reservations at this moment.

    "I still have onest move. Please enlighten me, Senior!"

    The Explosive Law Formation operated to its extreme, on the verge of copse at any moment.

    Bearing the far-overloaded energy, Li Fan''s body was disintegrating inch by inch.

    His lower limbs gradually disappeared, leaving only the upper torso remaining.

    At this moment, Li Fan, fearless of life and death, unleashed the Sea Covering Palm that heprehended from the ancient Dao resonance.

    His right hand swung out, seemingly ordinary.

    In the moment just before the Sea Covering Palm took shape,

    Between life and death, Li Fan suddenly had an enlightenment.

    Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei observed the Sea Covering Palm, each having their own insights.

    Xiao Heng''s palm technique was elusive and unpredictable.

    Su Xiaomei''s palm technique, on the other hand, was unparalleled in dominance, suppressing all things.

    However, Li Fan had always only mastered the form, unable to embody his own true meaning.

    Alwayscking that tiny bit.

    For several years, there had been no progress.

    But now, facing a Nascent Soul stage cultivator with only Foundation Establishment cultivation, Li Fan, fearless of life and death, unafraid of the gap in realms, decisively struck out with the Sea Covering Palm.

    At that moment, he suddenlyprehended the true meaning of his palm technique.

    That is...

    Defiance!

    So what if it''s a Nascent Soul stage cultivator?

    In two lifetimes, practicing cultivation for a hundred years, with countless secrets in my possession.

    Moreover, using several outstanding talents as pawns, deducing divine techniques.

    Killing enemies across two realms, what the ancient prodigies did, can''t I?

    Li Fan''s body dispersed with the wind, but his eyes became brighter.

    Heughed loudly, "Today, with your life, assist me in attaining mastery!"

    The red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator sneered, "Brazen words..."

    Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly found his head enveloped by ominous clouds.

    "It appears to be Sea Covering."

    "But in reality, it is..."

    "Heaven Overturning!"

    A giant hand that could not be seen in its entirety descended from the sky, pressing down forcefully.

    "Boom!"

    The volcano, along with the attached nascent soul, turned into powder in an instant.

    In the high sky, the announcement of the Nascent Soul cultivator''s fall suddenly urred.

    But Li Fan paid no attention.

    His body disintegrated, leaving only half a head.

    Before consciousness faded away, Li Fan silently recited, "Truth!"

 Chapter 164: Establishing the Foundation over a Hundred Lifetimes

    "The simtion has ended."

    ...

    In the familiar yet unfamiliar study, Li Fan stood still, still immersed in the aftermath of the "Heaven Overturning Palm."

    After a while, he took a deep breath.

    Although he had killed a Nascent Soul cultivator as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there was not much pride in Li Fan''s heart.

    One reason was that the red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator was not particrly strong.

    More importantly, Li Fan did not rely entirely on his own strength.

    He used the "Explosive Law Formation" to forcibly increase the power of his techniques to the Golden Core realm. He also activated a bunch of formations for assistance.

    In the end, the Cong Yun Sea Twenty-Eight Swords and the Heaven Overturning Palm, two major killer moves, were unleashed together.

    Ultimately, it ended with both parties perishing.

    If it weren''t for [Truth], he might have already died.

    However, then again, if it weren''t for [Truth] as a reliance, given Li Fan''s character, he probably wouldn''t have been willing to sacrifice himself toprehend the Heaven Overturning Palm that reversed the situation.

    He stared at the options from [Truth].

    Without a doubt, Li Fan chose the second option, retaining his cultivation.

    While making the decision, he concentrated his mind, paying close attention to the changes about to happen in his body.

    When he inherited the cultivation of thete Qi Condensation stage, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma in his body silently dissolved and disappeared as the cultivation appeared.

    Now, what Li Fan was curious about was how [Truth] would deal with thews of this world, which demanded that Foundation Establishment breakthrough required stealing Heavenly Treasures.

    Holding his breath, the cultivation of thete Foundation Establishment stage suddenly surged out from his body.

    The Immortal-Mortal Miasma dispersed like snowkes, leaving no trace.

    Spiritual energy inexplicably emerged within him, and then his momentum rose steadily.

    In the blink of an eye, he reached thete Qi Condensation stage.

    Then, in his dantian, an azure pearl suddenly appeared without any warning.

    It was the Canghai Pearl that should not have appeared yet!

    The Roots of Heaven and Earth attached to the Canghai Pearl, transforming itsws into Li Fan''s Foundation Treasure.

    However, this process of Foundation Establishment was a hundred or a thousand times faster than Li Fan''s own.

    In an instant, the Canghai Pearl disappeared.

    A blue ocean silhouette lingered in Li Fan''s dantian.

    In a short moment, Li Fanpleted the process of Foundation Establishment.

    Afterward, his aura continued to rise until it stopped at thete Foundation Establishment stage.

    "It seems that even when relying on the power of [Truth] to enhance my cultivation, in this world, I still have to follow the cultivationws set by the Immortal Ancestor step by step."

    "This is the power of ''Opposing the Principles of Heaven and Earth,'' isn''t it?"

    "The nature of the rules of cultivation has fundamentally changed. If you want to y the game of cultivating immortality, you must follow the established rules."

    Li Fan pondered for a moment, recalling scenes from his previous life, as if he had gained some insight.

    "After the Immortal Ancestor opposed the principles of heaven and earth, he no longer appeared in the world."

    "A Dao Integration cultivator suppresses a state, and is the strongest battle force on the surface."

    "Under Dao Integration..."

    He thought about the various Soul Transformation cultivators in the Yuandao Province killing each other but only ending up as sacrifices for Blue Feather Immortal Sage''s rebirth.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but sigh: "Under the Dao Integration, all are ants."

    "Soul Transformation, Nascent Soul, Golden Core, Foundation Establishment."

    "There is no difference."

    "Only after sacrificing a Heavenly Spirit and achieving Dao Integration can one barely enter the gaze of the Immortal Ancestor."

    "But..."

    "Without achieving immortality, it is ultimately futile."

    "The Blue Feather Immortal Sage, even after struggling for several millennia, still couldn''t escape the ultimate fate."

    "Achieve immortality..."

    "Achieve immortality..."

    ...

    Li Fan murmured these two words repeatedly as if contemting something, his brows furrowed.

    "Without achieving immortality, everything is ultimately futile."

    "If one does achieve immortality, then what?"

    "In the beginning, the Immortal Ancestor established a new way of cultivation."

    "From then on, if one does not follow his path of cultivation, it is impossible to cultivate."

    "But if one truly walks his path of cultivation, then even if one truly achieves immortality, they will still be under his shadow."

    Li Fan seemed to have figured something out, and his face suddenly calmed.

    "In this world, the path of cultivation has already been established ording to his will, resulting in fixed rules."

    "To transcend, one must escape the chess game from the very beginning."

    "But as a chess piece, and the weakest one at that, how can one jump out of the game by oneself?"

    "Unless one relies on external things."

    "[Truth]..."

    Li Fan stared at the [Truth] screen in front of him, his gaze constantly shifting.

    "Since the day I learned that everything in the world can be seen as Heavenly Treasures, I have had the idea of relying on [Truth] to build my Foundation Treasure."

    "For this reason, I have observed the process of Foundation Establishment thousands of times."

    "I''ve also unlocked two anchor points."

    "Now is the time to try."

    With determination in his heart, Li Fan flew to Mount Xie Li, where he had firstprehended the Formless Killing Intent.

    He quickly built a simple grass hut and arranged the surroundings to prevent outsiders from entering.

    Then he sat cross-legged in the hut. With a thought, the [Truth] prompt appeared at the right moment.

    "Would you like to set the current time as the second anchor point?"

    Li Fan didn''t hesitate: "Yes!"

    The second anchor point was set in response.

    "Now, it''s just a matter of waiting for [Truth] to recharge."

    "The charging speed of [Truth] has not increased, still requiring about nine years."

    "During this time, I can''t afford to be idle."

    "I haven''t studied He Zhenghao''s ''Mountain and River Vein Formation Diagrams'' much, but I remember the basics of Zhang Zhiliang''s ''Infinite Formation.''"

    "It''s a good opportunity to continue strengthening my proficiency in formations."

    "It''s just a pity that in this Land of Immortal Extinction, I can only improve my theoretical knowledge and cannot practiceying down formations."

    Li Fan sighed, then settled his mind into the insights of the formation path.

    Nine years passed in the blink of an eye.

    "It''s time!"

    Ready to turn truth into illusion at any moment, Li Fan finally had the confidence to start building his foundation with [Truth].

    Currently, his Foundation Treasure is still the Canghai Pearl.

    So, the first step was...

    Shattering the Foundation Treasure.

    The "Tai Shang Primordial Scripture" circted throughout his body, converting all his cultivation into pure energy and storing it within his body.

    Then, looking at the ocean silhouette in his dantian, Li Fan forcefully struck his dantian with a finger.

    Li Fan spat out arge mouthful of blood, and his breath rapidly weakened.

    The ocean silhouette of the Cong Yun Sea began to violently sway, and a ck crack appeared in the middle.

    The ocean silhouette became increasingly illusory.

    Li Fan attacked again.

    After three times in total, the oceanpletely disappeared from the world.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, was as weak as a strand of silk, his face as pale as paper, as he almost perished.

    "I exerted too much force; I should be gentler in the next life."

    Li Fan thought to himself.

    As his cultivation re-refined, Li Fan''s injuries quickly healed, and he returned to the state of perfect Qi Condensation.

    "If it weren''t for this ''Tai Shang Primordial Scripture,'' trying to build my Foundation Treasure with [Truth] would probably be a hundred times more difficult." The fluctuation of realms in this instant made Li Fan think about this.

    Settling his mind, Li Fan began his first attempt.

    Unlike building a foundation with tangible and physical Heavenly Treasures, [Truth], though residing within Li Fan, was intangible and formless.

    It was extremely difficult to sense.

    Fortunately, Zhang Haobo''s Foundation Treasure, the intangible and formless "Heavenly Cmity Sword Intent," served as a reference for Li Fan, who had the privilege of witnessing the entire process.

    After a long time, a hazy white light appeared from Li Fan''s dantian.

    Then...

    Bang!

    Li Fan''s dantian exploded.

    "Truth!"

    Before consciousness vanished, Li Fan silently prayed.

    The lighting changed, not returning to the original vige but instead to the small grass hut atop Mount Xie Li.

    Naturally, he chose to return to the second anchor point.

    He chose to shorten the recharging time.

    After reducing thirty percent of the recharging time, the recharging process would beplete in just six years.

    Li Fan frowned slightly, carefully recalling the process of building the foundation in the previous life and constantly contemting andprehending.

    Six years passed in the blink of an eye.

    [Truth] recharged, and Li Fan began his attempt again.

    He used three fingers to shatter the Foundation Treasure.

    This time, although Li Fan''s face was still pale, he only spat out a small mouthful of blood.

    Returning to the state of perfect Qi Condensation, he diligentlyprehended the rules of [Truth].

    This time, the faint white light appeared a bit softer.

    The situation improved slightly but didn''tst long.

    Bang! Li Fan''s dantian exploded again.

    "[Truth]!"

    Six yearster, Li Fan began the third attempt.

    The white light representing the rules of [Truth] was slightly gentler this time.

    The duration of persistence this time was longer than the previous two attempts.

    However, it was still far too short for the [Truth] silhouette to take shape.

    Li Fan''s dantian exploded again.

    "[Truth]!"

    The fourth attempt.

    "Why does my dantian keep exploding?" Thinking back to the process of building the foundation in previous lives, Li Fan couldn''t help but ponder.

    The way of cultivationid down by the Immortal Ancestor emphasized stability.

    Even if one''s aptitude was poor, as long as the lifespan was sufficient and the conditions were met, sess in cultivation was guaranteed.

    However, Li Fan''s current attempt to build his foundation with [Truth] contradicted the way of the Immortal Ancestor.

    "I originally thought that the difficulty in building the foundation would be in sensing the intangible and formless [Truth]."

    "But unexpectedly, perhaps because [Truth] itself is integrated with me, sensing its existence is not as difficult as imagined."

    "Instead, it seems that the ipatibility with the way of the Immortal Ancestor''s cultivation, leading to the explosion of my dantian, has be the biggest obstacle to my sessful foundation establishment."

    "Perhaps if I can solve this problem, building the foundation with [Truth] is not far away."

    Thinking of this, Li Fan''s heart lifted a little.

    The fourth attempt began.

    Bang!

    The fifth attempt!

    Bang!

    The sixth attempt!

    ...

    Each attempt represented six years of time.

    Although each time ended in failure at thest moment, with the dantian exploding, the radiance of [Truth] indeed became increasingly gentle.

    Things were developing in a positive direction.

    Li Fan also strengthened his faith as a result.

    Continuously reincarnating, Li Fan tirelessly repeated the process of building the foundation, time and time again.

    Single-minded, he cast aside everything else.

    The tenth attempt.

    The twentieth attempt.

    The thirtieth attempt.

    ...

    After fifty-six attempts, Li Fan finally made significant progress.

    In his dantian, the gentle white light seemed to condense into a solid entity, as smooth as jade, pleasing to the eye.

    The radiance no longer changed; instead, its shape transformed.

    "Could it be that sess is finally within reach?"

    Seeing this, Li Fan''s mind, which was previously calm and unperturbed, couldn''t help but ripple with subtle waves.

    But obviously, things were not that easy.

    This time, the dantian remained intact, without bursting.

    But Li Fan felt as if tiny insects were constantly wriggling throughout his body, deep within his bones and muscles.

    The itching, tingling, and aching sensation made Li Fan emit a muffled groan involuntarily.

    And this was just the beginning.

    Round fleshy masses suddenly protruded from Li Fan''s body.

    They seemed to develop a consciousness of their own, swimming ceaselessly across his body.

    The fleshy masses grewrger andrger. In a matter of breaths, they almost reached half the size of a head.

    Covered in these horrifying blood-colored tumors, Li Fan now looked like a monstrous creature.

    Moreover, these bloody tumors were still expanding.

    Finally, with a "puff!" sound.

    The tumors reached the limit his Qi Condensation body could endure and burst like balloons.

    Flesh chunks and blood sttered everywhere in the small grass hut.

    Li Fan was also drenched in his own blood.

    But he remained indifferent.

    In the sea of consciousness, the Azure me Illusionary Spirit appeared.

    At the same time, the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra kept running.

    Li Fan entered a state free of worry, fear, and anxiety.

    The [Truth] silhouette that condensed in the dantian, despite the destruction of his flesh, remained unchanged.

    However, the physical body of a Qi Condensation cultivator was quite fragile.

    Slowly, Li Fan''s life aura became faint, then slowly extinguished.

    As it was about to perish, at thest moment, Li Fan silently recited [Truth] in his mind.

    The fifty-seventh attempt!

    Six yearster, Li Fan tried again.

    The white jade light changed shape as Li Fan furtherprehended.

    The fleshy tumors on Li Fan''s body kept appearing.

    After a long time, another failure.

    The fifty-eighth attempt.

    Failure!

    The fifty-ninth attempt.

    Failure!

    ...

    Repeated failures did not diminish Li Fan''s determination and belief.

    He summarized the lessons learned andpared each foundation building process.

    Li Fan discovered that deliberate maniption was more effective than a state of ignorance and confusion. He found that the time he could endure was much shorter if his mind was chaotic.

    "Although I can''t perceive [Truth] directly, it seems to influence my body since it is integrated with me."

    "Building the foundation with my consciousness is much smoother than doing it with my subconscious."

    During the 75th attempt at foundation building, Li Fan had a moment of enlightenment.

    As he expected, the shape of the white jade light sphere gradually became regr with each subsequent attempt, as if he was trimming it back to its original form.

    ...

    The nieth attempt.

    When the white jade light sphere finally took on an elliptical shape, it stabilized.

    No more fleshy tumors appeared on Li Fan''s body.

    The light flickered as it transformed from illusion to reality.

    It seemed to manifest in the dantian.

    But...

    Suddenly, a realization shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    It was stillcking something.

    It was as if something had abruptly descended into the small grass hut atop Mount Xie Li.

    In an instant, Li Fan''s hair turned snow-white.

    His skin dried up and wrinkled.

    Terrifying grooves and cracks appeared on his face.

    His muscles dissolved, leaving only ayer of skin hanging on the skeleton.

    He became deformed like a horrific monstrosity.

    Li Fan''s age rapidly increased, and in a moment, he seemed on the verge of dying of old age.

    "Truth!"

    Without hesitation, Li Fan eximed.

    From the 91st to the 98th attempt, each attempt was the same.

    Sess in establishing the foundation with [Truth] was just a tiny step away.

    On the 99th attempt, he returned to the Mount Xie Li.

    "What exactly iscking?"

    Li Fan frowned.

    He knew that sess was now within a hair''s breadth.

    But it wasn''t something that simple attempts could resolve.

    It required a moment of enlightenment to identify the problem.

    Li Fan had a premonition that the answer should be simple.

    It was like breaking through a thinyer of window paper, easy to pierce.

    However, at this moment, Li Fan was stuck on this mountain, unable to see the true nature.

    He couldn''t find the exact solution.

    As Li Fan contemted, he descended from the mountain.

    He strolled through the mortal world, seeking his own answers.

    At the same time, he observed the vast world of the Grand Xuan that hadn''t been influenced by him.

    In the fifth year, a severe drought hit Jiangnan.

    A group of refugees attacked the Langya Prince''s estate.

    The Langya Prince''s estate suffered heavy losses.

    Except for Prince Langya, who escaped through a secret tunnel, saving his life, the rest of the mansion''s inhabitants were mercilessly killed by the refugees.

    The news spread, shaking the court and the public.

    The emperor was furious and ordered the military to suppress the rebels. Simultaneously, he summoned Prince Langya to the capital and protected him. From then on, Prince Langya remained in the capital.

    In the 15th year, the emperor suddenly fell seriously ill.

    Before his death, he summoned Prince Langya to the pce and passed the throne to him. Prince Langya ascended the throne and changed the era name to Xuanjing.

    In the 16th year, simultaneous rebellions erupted across the country. Emperor Xuanjing appointed his trusted advisor as the Grand General to lead the army in quelling the unrest.

    After three years, the Grand General finally pacified the rebellions throughout thend. He returned triumphantly to the court.

    Emperor Xuanjing ordered the officials to wee the Grand General outside the capital with imperial honors. However, the Grand General, with an arrogant expression, did not dismount in the presence of the officials and did not kneel before the emperor.

    Emperor Xuanjing remained unfazed, extended his hand, and weed the Grand General into the pce. Lavish banquets were held to entertain the guests.

    After three rounds of drinks, the officials quietly withdrew.

    Dozens of executioners rushed in.

    The Grand General, who was heavily intoxicated, suddenly woke up and questioned Emperor Xuanjing. Emperor Xuanjing remained silent.

    Under the attack of the executioners, the Grand General, although valiant and unrivaled, was covered in wounds.

    Barely clinging to life, he pointed at Emperor Xuanjing and resentfully said, "If there is a next time, I will personally lead a mighty army to crush the imperial capital. I will use your head as a wine jug to satisfy the hatred in my heart!"

    He then died under the swords.

    ...

    Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

    Li Fan, who had been silently observing, now revealed his figure.

    His eyes were bright as if he had suddenly enlightened.

    "People don''t have a next time."

    "This world doesn''t have a next time."

    "But I do."

    "My [Truth]..."

    "Transcends beyond the rules of the world."

    In an instant, the surroundings became illusory, and Li Fan returned to Mount Xie Li.

    Li Fan exhaled [Truth] again.

    "Truth into lie..."

    "Reality into illusion..."

    He stared at the six words generated by [Truth], his mind pure and clear.

    "I will build the foundation based on the rules of [Truth]!"

    Everything fell into ce without any obstruction.

    The white jade light sphere suddenly manifested in the dantian.

    The third anchor dropped without dy.

 Chapter 165: Learning All the Laws of the World

    "Building the foundation for a hundred lifetimes, although arduous, has broken my shackles. From now on, I no longer need to worry about thepatibility issues between the cultivation method I practice and my Foundation Treasure."

    "Any Heavenly Treasure from all corners of the world can be my Foundation Treasure."

    At the peak of Mount Xie Li, Li Fan, who sessfully built the foundation with [Truth], couldn''t help but feel a faint sense of joy in his heart.

    More than six hundred years and a hundred lifetimes had been spent all for one goal.

    Now that it has finally been achieved, the results are extraordinary.

    "Canghai Pearl!"

    Li Fan''s mind moved.

    In the dantian, the white jade light sphere emitted a gentle light.

    Then, in an instant, it turned into the appearance of a vast blue ocean.

    Even though Li Fan had used the Canghai Pearl to build his foundation before, at this moment, it was difficult to distinguish the sea inside him from the original Canghai Pearl.

    It could only be said that they were exactly the same!

    "This is turning lies into truth!" Li Fan sighed.

    The magnificent power of reversing time possessed by [Truth] transcends this world.

    So, Li Fan''s repeated failures in using theplete [Truth] to build the foundation were because of this.

    However, [Truth] transcends the world, and it also intersects with this world.

    Its rules within this world could be expressed in the six words "Truth to Lies, Reality to Illusion."

    In short, during Foundation Establishment, [Truth] can transform into any Heavenly Treasure rted to thews that Li Fanprehends or that [Truth] has absorbed.

    Feeling excited, Li Fan changed the appearance of the Foundation Treasure within his body one after another.

    "Rust Sword Dao Xuan!"

    A broken and rusty sword appeared on Mount Xie Li.

    "Gnarled Dragon Branch!"

    "Indignant Fall!"

    ...

    As the appearance of the Foundation Treasure within his body changed, the aura on Li Fan''s body also kept changing.

    After simting all the Heavenly Treasures encountered in the twelfth life, Li Fan changed [Truth] into the appearance of the Canghai Pearl again.

    An ocean silhouette appeared above his head, and Li Fan swung his sword.

    The clouds parted with a single sword strike which flew towards the rising sun in the east.

    Even when it disappeared from view, its momentum remained undiminished.

    "When performing a Cong Yun Sea Sword, it''s indistinguishable from the real Canghai Pearl."

    "In the world of cultivating immortals, the Foundation Treasure has a significant impact on cultivators, at least before Dao Integration. The cultivation path must match their own Foundation Treasure."

    "But by building the foundation with [Truth], I no longer have such worries."

    "This means that I can adopt anyw in the world as my own."

    "I even have a premonition." Li Fan''s eyes were bright, and he began to daydream.

    "Heavenly Treasures are the manifestation of thews of heaven and earth. If one day, I can simte and manifest all the Heavenly Treasures in the world..."

    "For example, the Yanfa Jue of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance..."

    ...

    After a long time, Li Fan finally returned to reality from his fantasies.

    Building the foundation with [Truth] had allowed him to break free from constraints, and from now on, the possibilities were limitless.

    However, they were only possibilities.

    To realize them, he would need careful nning over countless lifetimes.

    "In this life, with the premonition in my heart, I was one hundred percent confident. I didn''t wait for [Truth] toplete its charging before I started building the foundation. Now that the foundation isplete, I''ve set the third anchor point, only a few days apart from the second anchor point."

    "The initial anchor point was the moment I just crossed into this world."

    "The second anchor point is on Mount Xie Li, with the Canghai Pearl as the Foundation Treasure, and it''s atte stage Foundation Establishment cultivation."

    "The third anchor point is just now, with [Truth] as the Foundation Treasure, also atte stage Foundation Establishment."

    "The foundation has beenpleted, and it''s time to return to the immortal world."

    "At this point, there are still nine years until thepletion of charging, but I can make some preparations in this Grand Xuan."

    With such thoughts, Li Fan drifted down the mountain, returning to the mortal world.

    As an immortal, he was unstoppable in the world of mortals.

    After nine years, Li Fan, killed all people who deserved death throughout the world, collecting their blood.

    In the end, he condensed it into a ck-red blood bead.

    The aura emanating from the blood bead was like it came from a natural enemy.

    Even from a distance, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel his heart pounding.

    With the chargingplete, Li Fan once again used [Truth].

    Returning to the third anchor point, this time Li Fan chose the first option, retaining the items he possessed.

    Of course, it was this blood bead full of Immortal-Mortal Miasma.

    "Blood Essence of Ten Thousand People."

    Looking at the name of this item in [Truth], Li Fan couldn''t help but stroke his chin.

    "It only mentions the mortals'' blood; it doesn''t mention the Immortal-Mortal Miasma..."

    Recalling the process of dispelling the Immortal-Mortal Miasma in his body during the Foundation Establishment process of a hundred lifetimes, Li Fan seemed to have some enlightenment.

    "Perhaps, this Immortal-Mortal Miasma doesn''t actually have a physical existence? Maybe it''s more like a curse-like power?"

    "Regardless, this blood bead will be my killer move in the future."

    In the twelfth life, whenever Li Fan encountered cultivators with Nascent Soul cultivation base or above, he felt a sense of powerlessness.

    He couldn''t help but think of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma that made all cultivators turn pale.

    In this life, all the effort was to turn the Immortal-Mortal Miasma into [Truth]''s bound item so that he could use it anytime.

    "However, from the information I know, in the cultivation world, using Immortal-Mortal Miasma to maliciously harm others will cause one to be jointly pursued by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association until death."

    "It''s not something that should be used until it''s absolutely necessary."

    "Well... perhaps, I can use the transformation of [Truth] to disguise myself as someone else."

    Li Fan gradually sank into deep thought.

    After nine years, [Truth]pleted its charging.

    Li Fan swept through the world, filling the Taiyan Boat to the brim.

    Then he rushed out of the Immortal Extinction Formation, returning to the cultivation world after more than six hundred years.

    At this time, to avoid alerting the Law Enforcement Hall, Li Fan only practiced the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."

    His Foundation Treasure transformed into the appearance of the Stone Tablet of Prohibition.

    Arriving at the Cong Yun Sea, he still headed straight for the Liuli Ind.

    When he was close to his destination, Li Fan didn''t forget to kill the giant Liuli Fish in passing and took the Golden Liuli Pearl.

    "Rest assured, fellow Daoist He, this time you will not lose everything!"

    Li Fan smiled faintly and arrived outside Liuli Ind.

    "Fellow Daoist He of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, are you here?"

    His voice, like thunder, spread across Liuli Ind in an instant.

    After a moment, the solemn voice of He Zhenghao came, "This humble one is He Zhenghao! May I ask, fellow Daoist, what important matter brings you to me?"

    It turned out that he had not appeared in person but remained hidden within the ind protection array.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but smile wryly, and he immediately said loudly, "I have no ill intent, and only desire to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. I have heard of fellow Daoist''s reputation for generosity and wanted to ask fellow Daoist to rmend me!"

    "What..." Before finishing his sentence, He Zhenghao shed consecutively, showing up beside Li Fan with a face full of surprise.

    "Easy, easy!" He Zhenghao looked at Li Fan and readily agreed.

    "I still don''t know the name of fellow Daoist?" He bowed slightly, asking with a smile.

    "I am Li Fan."

    Watching the smiling He Zhenghao, Li Fan couldn''t help but also reveal a friendly smile.

    *****

    TL Note: here''s a mass release for you guys for the holidays! Merry Christmas :)

 Chapter 166: Investor He Zhenghao

    "Fellow Daoist, where did you cultivate before?"

    Inside the pavilion on the mountaintop of Liuli Ind, He Zhenghao and Li Fan sat facing each other.

    He poured a pot of spirit tea, filled Li Fan''s cup, and then asked.

    "I was originally a loose cultivator in the Yuandao Province. In the past few years, while seeking a breakthrough opportunity, I arrived at the Cong Yun Sea," Li Fan took a sip of tea and continued, "I am now in thete stage of Foundation Establishment. As a precaution, I want to prepare for the future Golden Core cultivation method."

    "Foundation Establishment is the limit for ordinary loose cultivators. By exploring on my own, it''s extremely difficult to find a Golden Core cultivation method. After much consideration, I decided to abandon my previous loose cultivation philosophy and join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance." Li Fan sighed and exined.

    "Fellow Daoist, there''s no need to worry. I know that many loose cultivators in the outside world have misunderstandings about our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. They think that our cultivators are like cattle and horses, being driven and having no freedom. This is a great misconception!" He Zhenghao exined confidently.

    "The contribution points we use in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance are essentially no different from spirit stones. Essentially, everyone relies on their own efforts to obtain cultivation resources. It''s just that within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, there is centralized arrangement."

    "Moreover, the alliance also has treasures like the Tianxuan Mirror, which is extremely useful. When you witness it, you''ll understand." He Zhenghao smiled and said, lifting the teacup to take a sip.

    "I heard that rmending cultivators to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliancees with corresponding contribution point rewards?" Li Fan suddenly asked.

    "Cough, cough..." He Zhenghao seemed to have choked and coughed a few times before putting down the teacup.

    "Fellow Daoist, you are quite well-informed! Rest assured, I understand the rules! When the timees, I will share half of the contribution points I obtain!" He patted his chest and assured.

    Li Fan inexplicably nced at He Zhenghao, then nodded slowly, "So be it, please guide me, fellow Daoist. I can''t wait any longer!"

    He Zhenghao suddenly felt a chill on his back but quickly dismissed it, thinking it was just an illusion.

    Hearing Li Fan''s words, he immediately said, "Fellow Daoist, wait a moment. Let me go and get the passage token for you. Otherwise, if you rush onto the ind, you will be attacked by the Ten Thousand Immortals Guardian Formation."

    Li Fan nodded, "I''ve heard about this. Fellow Daoist, please go!"

    He Zhenghao activated the teleportation array and went to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Li Fan, on the other hand, waited while drinking tea.

    Not long after, He Zhenghao returned.

    "Fellow Daoist, just leave behind a trace of your aura." Handing the passage token to Li Fan, He Zhenghao said.

    Li Fan did it with ease.

    "When you officially join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, remember to return this token. Otherwise, you''ll have topensate for the corresponding value in contribution points."

    "Such a small piece..." He Zhenghao was about to say something more but suddenly changed his words.

    "Hehe, forget it. Fellow Daoist, let''s go!"

    Li Fan nodded, and the two of them passed through the teleportation array, arriving at Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    As before, He Zhenghao introduced Li Fan to the various things on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    But this time, it was more detailed than the previous two times.

    "Not far ahead is the Tianxuan Mirror. This Celestial Treasure is incredibly versatile. Once you use it, you won''t be able to part with it!"

    "When your contribution points are abundant in the future, you can even buy a Tianxuan Minor Mirror to carry with you."

    The conversation continued all the way until the two entered the space of the Tianxuan Mirror.

    "This fellow Daoist is the Foundation Establishment cultivator I reported before who wanted to join our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance." He Zhenghao said.

    After a while, the voice of the Tianxuan Mirror sounded.

    "Introducing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, recorded as a high-ranking third-grade merit, equivalent to 3000 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 4140 points."

    He Zhenghao was stunned, suspecting that he had misheard.

    "How much?" He Zhenghao asked again.

    So the Tianxuan Mirror repeated it once more.

    He Zhenghao looked back at Li Fan with a face of shock and opened his mouth, but couldn''t utter a word.

    "What''s the matter? Any problem?" Li Fan knowingly asked.

    "I don''t know... may I ask, fellow Daoist, how old are you now?" He Zhenghao cautiously inquired after a while.

    Li Fan pretended to hesitate for a while before sighing, "To be honest, I have been alive for more than twenty-nine years."

    "But spending so much time and still struggling in thete stage of Foundation Establishment, with the Golden Core distant and unreachable, it''s really embarrassing to mention this!"

    He Zhenghao immediately turned red, his mouth opened, but he couldn''t say a word.

    After a long time, he forced a somewhat awkward smile, "Fellow Daoist, you''re joking. Thete stage of Foundation Establishment at twenty-nine..."

    "Thete stage of Foundation Establishment at twenty-nine..."

    He Zhenghao thought for a long time before finally squeezing out the words "heavenly genius."

    "No, no, that''s not true." Li Fan shook his head repeatedly.

    "Fellow Daoist, do you know that a true heavenly genius can form a Golden Core within eight years of cultivation?"

    "They can even jump from Golden Core to Dao Integration; I am far from it!"

    Li Fan said seriously.

    "Heh..." What Li Fan said exceeded He Zhenghao''s understanding.

    Not knowing how to respond, he had to show an embarrassed smile.

    Fortunately, he was an old hand in the cultivation world, quickly changing the topic.

    Taking out a Communication Talisman shaped like a mountain peak, He Zhenghao handed it to Li Fan and said enthusiastically, "Since fellow Daoist is looking for my rmendation, it means you hold me, He Zhenghao, in high regard."

    "In the future, if there is anything I, He Zhenghao, can help you with, feel free to ask. Although my cultivation level is a bit low, I still have some connections on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind."

    Li Fan took the Communication Talisman without saying a word, smiling at He Zhenghao.

    He Zhenghao was first stunned, then pped his head with a look of realization.

    "If it wasn''t for fellow Daoist reminding me, I almost forgot." With a hint of reluctance in his eyes, He Zhenghao transferred 1500 contribution points to Li Fan.

    Li Fan nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "Fellow Daoist has probably been a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for quite some time. Why does it seem like your contribution points are not very abundant?"

    He Zhenghao immediately became energetic and began to exin to Li Fan, "Fellow Daoist, you don''t know! If you have too many contribution points but never use them, they will remain forever stagnant."

    "But if you use the contribution points to invest inmodities like Spirit Mist Grass and Tongxuan Wood when their prices are low, you can stock up."

    "Wait until their prices rise, then sell them."

    "You can profit from it."

    "Although the fluctuations are usually small, and each nt doesn''t earn much, if you buy arge quantity each time, it still turns out to be a decent profit."

    He Zhenghao was proud of himself.

    "This is what we call investment!"

    "Fellow Daoist, you don''t know, but I am well-versed in the art of investment."

    "No wonder you dared to go all-in with your entire wealth before. It turns out you''ve tasted the sweetness beforehand."

    Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao with a strange expression, thinking in his heart.

    "Fellow Daoist, you seem to doubt what I said?" He Zhenghao was a bit unhappy.

    He immediately said, "Okay, let''s do it this way."

    "When there is an opportunity for a big profit next time, I will invite fellow Daoist to join in."

    "Then, fellow Daoist can witness my skills!"

 Chapter 167: Ice Intent Heartless Pill

    "Well, I''m really looking forward to it." Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao, full of confidence, and said with a smile.

    He Zhenghao boasted about his past achievements again, bragging about doubling his contribution points in ten years, making a big profit equivalent to several years of hard work, and so on. After Li Fan signaled with his eyes, he finally stopped, still notpletely satisfied.

    The promotion message from the Tianxuan Mirror sounded timely.

    "Cultivator Li Fan, wee to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. As a benefit, we will give you 1000 contribution points for free. You can use contribution points to exchange for spiritual stones, cultivation techniques, magical treasures, and more."

    "You have received 1500 contribution points from He Zhenghao."

    "Current total contribution points: 2500."

    ...

    Although Li Fan started this life with 2500 contribution points, for someone who once had a wealth of over a million, it was challenging to evoke any psychological fluctuations. Especially in thete stage of Foundation Establishment, the daily activation of the Tianxuan Mirror already cost 300 contribution points.

    Li Fan now realized that these 300 contribution points were roughly what an ordinaryte Foundation Establishment cultivator could earn in nearly a month of doing low-risk tasks most of the time. After spending one day on assisted cultivation, it would be back to running errands in an endless loop.

    Add to that asionally getting lucky with high-reward, low-risk tasks, after a year, only a small amount of contribution points could be umted.

    This was the typical fate of ordinary cultivators in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    If there were regrets and one wanted to take a risk, there would naturally be the possibility of death.

    As someone who regressed, Li Fan would naturally not fall into the same fate.

    Repeating the same trick, he bought a storage ring, went out, and returned to exchange the gold and silver treasures and the remains of the "Stone Tablet of Prohibition" in the Tai Yan Boat.

    He received 2831 contribution points.

    Still too little!

    Li Fan remembered that in about half a year, the dragonwhale that had swallowed many Liuli Pearls and gained wisdom would destroy the ind where Spirit Mist Grass was found. Greenwood Rebirth True Immortal also took advantage of this to set up a big harvest.

    Li Fan didn''t want to miss such a feast and naturally wanted to umte enough contribution points before participating.

    Li Fan looked again at the task to collect Blue Blood Coral that he had taken before.

    Without hesitation, he directly epted the task.

    Then he went directly through the teleportation array to Mist Crow Ind in the northwest of the Cong Yun Sea.

    The Mist Crow Ind was guarded by a Foundation Establishment cultivator whose hunched body was hidden in a ck robe, and his face was unseen.

    An eerie aura radiated from his body, repelling anyone thousands of miles away invisibly.

    Li Fan just nodded at him slightly as a sign and then left directly.

    Once out of the ind protection formation, Li Fan looked up.

    The ind was shrouded in a gray mist throughout the day.

    Within the gray mist, faint silhouettes of flocks of birds could be vaguely seen.

    Approaching the edge of the mist, Li Fan controlled his spiritual power and captured one of the birds for closer inspection.

    "Croak! Croak!"

    This bird was naturally the so-called Mist Crow.

    It had no physical form, entirelyposed of the gray mist.

    The Mist Crow struggled, pping its wings ceaselessly, attempting to peck Li Fan with itsrge and curved beak.

    Upon contact between spiritual energy and the mist, a faint burning sensation surprisingly urred, leaving Li Fan somewhat astonished.

    "It seems that the Mist Crow has some utility, but only the members of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets are aware of it."

    After studying it for a while, Li Fan didn''t reach any conclusions and released the Mist Crow.

    Then, he proceeded with his main task, flying towards the west of Mist Crow Ind.

    After flying for more than two hundred miles, Li Fan suppressed his aura and submerged into the sea."

    In the vast underwater ruins stretching for dozens of miles, arge Blue Blood Coral grew prominently.

    Transparent and emitting a faint ethereal light, the coral was surrounded by various underwater creatures that had established their homes around it. A sea snake with strength equivalent to the mid Foundation Establishment stage lurked in the vicinity, acting as a guardian.

    This serene and beautiful scene was abruptly disrupted by Li Fan''s arrival.

    Activating the Insect Binding Technique, while [Truth] also transformed into the Canghai Pearl.

    With a sh from the Cong Yun Sea Sword, the sea snake instantly lost its life.

    "Huh? After the Foundation Establishment treasure transformed into the Canghai Pearl, the power of the technique seems to have been enhanced somewhat within this Cong Yun Sea?" Li Fan keenly noticed the difference as he carefully sensed the surroundings.

    "This feeling... is it an inexplicable sense of kinship emitted by the Cong Yun Sea?"

    "Is it treating the Canghai Pearl as a brother?"

    Li Fan chuckled and paid no attention, focusing his gaze on the Blue Blood Coral.

    With a loud rumble, the Blue Blood Coral was uprooted and stored in Li Fan''s storage ring.

    Countless underwater habitats were destroyed, and the creatures scattered in panic, fleeing for their lives.

    Li Fan showed no signs of remorse for acting as a harbinger of destruction.

    "Three thousand contribution points are in hand now."

    Li Fan recalled that Elder Chen from the Medicine Hall had always been interested in purchasing this Blue Blood Coral.

    So, carefully recollecting, he identified another location within the Cong Yun Sea where this coral existed.

    "Well, it seems not far from here, in an underwater deep valley, there is another one."

    "Let''s take it while we''re at it."

    So, with little effort, Li Fan dug out another Blue Blood Coral.

    Returning to the Tianxuan Mirror, he chose to submit it.

    After the other party received the two corals, the task reward was quickly settled.

    Six thousand contribution points were instantly obtained.

    "I wonder what pill is Elder Chen refining with this Blue Blood Coral?"

    Li Fan casually asked.

    After a while, perhaps for the sake of the two Blue Blood Corals, the reply came.

    "Ice Intent Heartless Pill, for the purpose of exploring a secret realm. If you find this kind of coral in the future, you can trade them to me. I''ll buy as many as you can find."

    ...

    "Ice Intent Heartless Pill." Li Fan savored the name of this pill, pondering.

    With the taskpleted, Li Fan''s contribution points now exceeded ten thousand.

    It had only been three days since he joined Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance at this point.

    The speed of contribution point growth was truly astonishing.

    Li Fan then looked at the most eye-catching bounty task.

    "One hundred thousand contribution points for the Cloud Water Map, this opportunity can''t be missed in this life."

    "But the so-called Heavenly Doctor is a bit strange."

    "Judging from his strength, he''s at least an Dao Integration Immortal Sage."

    The scene of the ck-robed Dao Integration Immortal Sage from Yuandao Province freezing Li Fan''s thoughts was still vivid in his mind.

    Naturally, Li Fan wouldn''t choose to face the Heavenly Doctor directly.

    "It seems that I need to refine a clone."

    Having gathered all the materials for refining the clone, he went to the seabed again and obtained the Heaven Crystal Spirit Sand.

    Then he headed straight to the cave where Sikong Yi was hiding.

    Sikong Yi and his clone, Baili Chen, had unpredictable whereabouts. If Li Fan used the Sun Stealing Technique, he was afraid they would sense it and escape through a teleportation formation.

    Chasing them afterward would be troublesome.

    It was better to wait here and catch them off guard.

 Chapter 168: Counterattacking the Immortal Cultivation World

    ording to the previous intelligence from Jiao Xiuyuan, Sikong Yi visited this cave every once in a while.

    Li Fan decided to wait here.

    His luck was good.

    Ten dayster, Li Fan, who was in the middle of cultivation, opened his eyes.

    Sikong Yi and Baili Chen walked into the concealed cave expressionlessly.

    When they saw Li Fan waiting inside, expressions of astonishment and disbelief involuntarily appeared on their faces.

    "You..."

    Before a single word could be spoken, Li Fan''s Insect Binding Technique instantly captured them.

    No words were exchanged; Li Fan killed them on the spot.

    He waited for their resurrection chances to be exhausted,pletely disappearing from the world.

    Li Fan put away the Sun Stealing Token that fell on the ground and began crafting his clone.

    In theory, the cultivation of the clone was only one small realm behind the main body.

    However, Li Fan found that to craft a Foundation Establishment stage clone, it was still necessary to use Heavenly Treasures.

    "Perhaps the Sun Stealing Technique was indeed powerful initially, but after the Immortal Ancestor passed down his path, it became somewhat redundant."

    "No wonder the Sun Stealing Sect has been declining generation by generation."

    "Anyway, this clone is just for sacrifice, so there''s no need to waste Heavenly Treasures."

    "Aplete Qi Condensation cultivation is sufficient."

    After some contemtion, Li Fan began the crafting process for his clone.

    This was already the third time Li Fan crafted a clone, and he was familiar with the process.

    Before long, the clone reappeared in the world.

    After donning clothes, the clone went to Flowing Cloud Ind and joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Li Fan did not leave; instead, he took out He Zhenghao''s Communication Talisman and sent a message.

    "Fellow Daoist He, I''ve been traveling outside these days and heard some unfavorable rumors about you."

    He Zhenghao quickly replied, "Unfavorable rumors? Hehe, fellow Daoist must have been mistaken. I, He Zhenghao, have cultivated good karma, and my reputation is excellent. How could it be..."

    "Oh? So those rumors about you smuggling mortals are false? It''s really hateful; they''re spreading malicious rumors! But the rumors are quite borate, mentioning Lands of Immortal Extinction and whatnot..."

    "Cough, cough, cough..." Li Fan hadn''t finished speaking, and He Zhenghao''s panicked voice came through. "Where did fellow Daoist hear about this?"

    "This matter requires a face-to-face discussion. Do you have time? Please trouble yourself withing to my Liuli Ind." He Zhenghao''s voice sounded somewhat serious.

    "Hehe, sure, sure." Li Fan smiled and put away the Communication Talisman, heading straight to Liuli Ind.

    After leaving the teleportation array, He Zhenghao greeted him and then activated the Mountain River Star Formation.

    After studying the art of formations for decades, Li Fan''s perspective changed.

    The mountains and rivers above his head rotated like stars. The power of this formation was unexpectedly superior to the Spirit Illusory Wave Formation Li Fan had purchased.

    "Your ind protection formation is truly extraordinary!" Li Fan eximed.

    "Oh? Fellow Daoist also understands formations?" He Zhenghao, upon hearing this, showed a hint of surprise on his face.

    "A little, just a little. But formations are vast and profound. Without a master, progress is slow with only self-study." Li Fan sighed.

    "Hehe, if fellow Daoist doesn''t mind, you cane to my ce for a discussion." He Zhenghao, once he started talking about formations, immediately became spirited, putting aside the reason why he invited Li Fan for the time being.

    "Not to boast, but in terms of formations, ignoring cultivation level, the ordinary Nascent Soul realm formation masters on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind might not necessarily be better than me. Perhaps only Zhang Zhiliang, Gong Boyu, and three or four others could barely surpass me."

    "Most of this Mountain River Star Formation was built by me personally." He Zhenghao proudly dered.

    Li Fan chuckled and didn''t interrupt.

    Instead, he asked, "Let''s set aside the issue of formations for now. I''m curious, did you call me here regarding the matter of smuggling mortals across the border?"

    The expression on He Zhenghao''s face immediately froze.

    Ah, he sighed.

    "I won''t hide it from you, my friend. I''ve indeed been secretly involved in some dealings to smuggle mortals across the border. I thought I had concealed it well all this time, but unexpectedly, the news leaked. Fellow Daoist, where did you hear about it?" He Zhenghao''s eyes were full of sorrow and doubt.

    "I was participating in the fish gambling recently. I overheard people talking about rumors regarding you during a casual conversation. As for the specifics or who said it, I don''t know." Li Fan had already prepared his statement and responded.

    Upon hearing this, He Zhenghao felt a chill in his heart.

    "Oh no! Every time during fish gambling, there are so many cultivators attending! The matter of me smuggling mortals across the border might have already spread throughout the Cong Yun Sea!" He Zhenghao''s face showed signs of panic.

    "Hehe, don''t scare yourself, my friend," Li Fan hurriedlyforted.

    "Moreover, it''s just smuggling mortals return to the cultivation world. Although it vites some taboos, it''s not a big deal. After all, you''re a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and you''re also guarding an ind. Do you really think the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would do anything to you?" Li Fan was somewhat dismissive.

    However, He Zhenghao shook his head repeatedly, sighing, "Fellow Daoist, you don''t do business in this area, so it''s normal not to understand the situation. Smuggling mortals across the border is not as simple as viting taboos."

    "Ifpared seriously, the most severe consequence could be dealt with ording to the ''Sin of Rebellion.'' At that time, not to mention the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, even the Five Elders Association might not provide a refuge."

    Li Fan was truly stunned this time, "Sin of Rebellion? How could it be so serious?"

    Helpless, He Zhenghao exined, "It all traces back to the farce that happened five hundred years ago."

    With his exnation, Li Fan understood what had happened.

    Originally, during the Great Migration n, thousands of subworlds were settled by mortals.

    After thousands of years, these ces, which were originally deste with no spiritual energy coverage, had given birth to various extraordinary powers due to various fortuitous encounters.

    Some had a revival of spiritual energy, while others, due to the methods brought back by mortals crossing the border, reopened the cultivation path by removing the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.

    Some developed body refining techniques, specializing in physical strength. Their bodies were robust, and attacks from ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators were like tickles.

    Some, although physically weak, mastered ways tomunicate with spirit beasts. By controlling spirit beasts in battle, they could also unleash formidablebat power.

    ...

    Harboring resentment from being forcibly expelled from their hometown years ago, these subworlds, under someone''s persuasion, surprisingly reached a consensus.

    They united to counterattack the cultivation world!

    It was said that at the time, dozens of subworlds responded to the call, creating a huge momentum.

    The coalition of subworlds appeared suddenly, catching the cultivators at that time off guard.

    "But after all, it was a motley crew. When an Immortal Sage stepped in, he easily suppressed them!"

    "The whole process didn''t seem to cause much damage to our cultivators."

    "So, it was just a farce."

    "Think about it, counterattacking the cultivation world? Haha, how is that possible!"

    "However, considering the precedent, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association established rules."

    He Zhenghao furrowed his brows, his face filled with concern.

 Chapter 169: Clear Wind Hall

    "It''s fortunate that no one is investigating this matter. I''m afraid that if someone with ill intentions wants to take advantage of it and scheme against me, there would be a big trouble!" He Zhenghao''splexion worsened the more he thought about it.

    "Fellow Daoist He, there''s no need to worry. I believe, at most, it will be treated as gossip during casual conversation. If someone truly wants to plot against you, they wouldn''t casually reveal it like this. It''s more likely they would directly report it to the higher-ups in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance." Li Fan consoled him.

    "Nevertheless, just to be safe, fellow Daoist, you should refrain from such activities in the future." Li Fan advised.

    He Zhenghao sighed and nodded.

    Then, Li Fan pretended to be very curious and asked, "Since you know that helping mortal trespassers has considerable risks, why did you do it before? Could it be that the benefits involved were so great that you disregarded life and death?"

    He Zhenghao smiled bitterly, "There wasn''t much profit involved. A single world makes two or three thousand contribution points every ten years. It''s just a slow umtion over time."

    Li Fan pretended to be surprised, "Fellow Daoist, are youcking in contribution points to this extent? You would still covet such a small amount?"

    He Zhenghao blushed, "Who wouldn''t want more contribution points? Besides, I also have my difficulties."

    Then, He Zhenghao exined the advantages and disadvantages of his cultivation technique and his ns to change to another Nascent Soul technique.

    Li Fan shook his head, "If you''ve only reached Foundation Establishment mid stage after a hundred years of cultivation, then indeed, this technique isn''t worth it. It''s better not to cultivate it!"

    "Fellow Daoist He, you''ve made a bold decision to change your cultivation technique midway. Although the cost is significant, it seems worthwhile!"

    "I support you!"

    "I wonder how many contribution points you are short of exchanging for the Nascent Soul technique?"

    He Zhenghao sighed, "The Nascent Soul technique I want to exchange for is extraordinary. It not only requires a hundred thousand contribution points, but also a certain level of authority to search for and exchange it."

    "My authority has reached a sufficient level, but umting enough contribution points will still take about ten more years."

    Li Fan nodded, thinking, "So, the list of cultivation techniques I saw in the Tianxuan Mirror was iplete."

    "Ten thousand contribution points, indeed, it''s a considerable sum. In the over a month since I joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, I havee to understand the difficulty of umting contribution points. I heard that fish gambling is a one-night opportunity for sudden wealth, so I went to try my luck. Sigh..." Li Fan sighed, looking troubled.

    "Fish gambling? Hehe, I used to be obsessed with it too. But it''s been a long time since I participated in it."

    He Zhenghao solemnly said, "Let me give you a word of advice; it''s better to touch this thing less. You and I simply don''t have the foresight and luck. Going there would just be giving away money for nothing!"

    Li Fan agreed, "Fellow Daoist, you speak the truth."

    Then, Li Fan changed the subject and said, "Thinking about it, I feel that the investment method you mentioned earlier suits me better..."

    He Zhenghao''s face lit up, "Hehe, fellow Daoist, you have a good eye to realize this so quickly, unlike me, who wasted half a lifetime before finally finding a stable way to make money."

    "Don''t worry, when the next big profit opportunityes, I won''t forget you!"

    Li Fan, however, directly stated, "No need to wait for the next time. There is a big money-making opportunity right now!"

    "Oh? There''s such a thing?" He Zhenghao sensed that something was amiss but still asked.

    "Hehe, I won''t hide it from you. Since you mentioned the investment method to mest time, I''ve been studying it in my free time. After a month, I feel like I''ve mastered the key points. If you want to profit from price fluctuations, the most convenient item is the Spirit Mist Grass."

    "The price has been fluctuating between 18-22 contribution points per nt throughout the year. If I buy arge quantity of Spirit Mist Grass at 18 contribution points per nt and then sell it all when it reaches 22 contribution points per nt, I can easily make a big profit, right?" Li Fan confidently exined.

    "Well... the logic behind it is indeed correct." He Zhenghao, after listening to Li Fan''s exnation, couldn''t find any ws and could only nod in agreement.

    Li Fan pped his hands together, "Now is the best time to buy! For some reason, the price of Spirit Mist Grass has been slowly declining during this period. Now it has dropped to 18 contribution points! Isn''t it the lowest price now? If you don''t buy now, when will you?"

    He Zhenghao was also excited by Li Fan''s words, "Makes sense!"

    Immediately, he took out a Tianxuan Minor Mirror from somewhere, and after a light tap with his finger, the price of Spirit Mist Grass appeared.

    "It really dropped to 18 contribution points!" he eximed in joy.

    Then he praised Li Fan quite appreciatively, "Fellow Daoist, your business intuition is quite keen!"

    "No! How did it drop to 18 points?" Suddenly, He Zhenghao realized something was wrong, and his face changed.

    "I bought it at 20 contribution points initially and never sold it. Now it dropped again?"

    Li Fan hurriedly said, "Hey, fellow Daoist, no need to panic. As the saying goes, when things reach their extremes, they can only reverse. The price of Spirit Mist Grass has been steadily declining, reaching the limit. Next, it''s likely to undergo a rebound. Perhaps, it might even rise to 23 points in one go. The price is so low now, it''s a perfect opportunity to increase our holdings!"

    "Reasonable! Reasonable! Increase our holdings, we must increase our holdings!" He Zhenghao agreed deeply.

    "Ah, it''s a pity that I lost most of my contribution points during fish gambling. I don''t know, fellow Daoist, if you could lend..." Li Fan hadn''t finished speaking, but He Zhenghao shook his head repeatedly, "No, no. As you sawst time, I only have a little over a thousand contribution points left, and I can''t spare any more to lend you."

    Li Fan looked disappointed, "If I miss this chance for a big profit, I''ll feel unwilling!"

    He Zhenghao looked at Li Fan, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

    Li Fan, however, saw through him at a nce and said joyfully, "Fellow Daoist, what do you want to tell me?"

    He Zhenghao still didn''t speak.

    Li Fan said solemnly, "If fellow Daoist could help me this time, I will repay this debt in the future."

    "I have a premonition that I am not far from breaking through to perfect Foundation Establishment. I''m about to prepare for Golden Core."

    "Collecting contribution points is urgent. If I miss this opportunity, who knows how long I''ll have to wait!"

    Perhaps thest two sentences convinced He Zhenghao. He hesitated for a while, then finally took out a dark green jade token and handed it to Li Fan.

    Whispering, he said, "If fellow Daoist really wants to seize this opportunity, take this token and go to the outermost part of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Ind, find a shop called the ''Clear Wind Hall.''"

    "Once inside the shop, don''t say anything, just show this token."

    "If someone asks, just say that I rmended you."

    "On the surface, Clear Wind Hall is a shop selling various sundries, but secretly, it provides loans of contribution points, cultivation techniques, and various other supplies."

    ...

    Li Fan listened to He Zhenghao''s words and smiled slightly in his heart.

    It''s you.

 Chapter 170: Clear Wind Blows on the Spirit Tree

    Previously, when Mingyue Pce was uprooted by that ck-clothed Dao Integration cultivator, there were many other simr organizations also destroyed.

    Li Fan spected at the time that these organizations might not have appeared in imitation of the flourishing lending business of Mingyue Pce. Instead, these organizations were likely originally engaged in other lending-rted businesses.

    After seeing the huge profits generated by Mingyue Pce annually, they couldn''t help but imitate its methods.

    If there were such organizations in Yuandao Province, there should naturally be simr organizations in the Congyun Sea.

    If you want to get rich, you can''t do without leverage.

    Li Fan nned to take advantage of therge fluctuations in the price of Spirit Mist Grass to make a hefty profit. Naturally, he needed the help of these lending organizations.

    But whether it was in the past or in this world, Li Fan, after inquiring in various ways, couldn''t find any trace of them.

    Apparently, this organization was very cautious in its actions.

    So, Li Fan came to inquire about it from He Zhenghao.

    Sure enough, He Zhenghao did not disappoint him.

    "Before you go to Clear Wind Hall, it''s best to reconsider."

    "They won''t lend you contribution points for nothing. You need to pay an exorbitant interest of eighteen percent every year."

    "If you make a profit, this interest can be quickly paid off. If you make a loss..."

    He Zhenghao''s eyelids jumped, "I''m afraid you''ll have to work for those guys for free for more than ten years."

    Li Fan arched his hand, "Fellow Daoist, I understand. But rest assured, I know what I''m doing."

    "I won''t bother you anymore. We''ll talk again next time."

    With that, Li Fan used the teleportation array to return to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    He headed straight to Clear Wind Hall.

    In a corner of the outermost area of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, he finally found it.

    It was inconspicuous and indistinguishable from an ordinary small shop.

    Li Fan activated a Concealing Form Talisman and walked in.

    An old man who looked quite sloppy was sleeping on a recliner behind the counter.

    When a customer came in, he didn''t even open his eyes, still swaying the chair with his eyes closed.

    Following He Zhenghao''s instructions, Li Fan took out the jade token.

    "Ding, ding, ding."

    The old man knocked on the counter three times.

    The emerald green jade token emitted a faint light, forming a door.

    Li Fan looked around for a moment. Then he walked into the door.

    His figure disappeared, and the green door disappeared with him.

    As for the old man, there was no change in his posture from beginning to end.

    It seemed as if no one had ever been to this Clear Wind Hall.

    The surroundings first fell into darkness, then lit up again.

    Li Fan looked around and found himself under arge tree.

    The concealment effect of the talisman he had just activated was unexpectedly lifted instantly.

    The branches were luxuriant, and the leaves were like jade, emitting a shiny luster.

    On the trunk of the tree, a human face appeared.

    It stared at Li Fan and asked, "Who introduced you, and what brings you here?"

    Li Fan faced the tree face and said loudly, "I was introduced by He Zhenghao, the guardian of Liuli Ind. I want to borrow from your Clear Wind Hall."

    The tree face''s reaction seemed a bit slow.

    After Li Fan finished speaking, it took a long time before it replied, "Late Foundation Establishment cultivator, the upper limit for borrowing is thirty thousand contribution points."

    "Annual interest rate of sixteen percent, you can choose the repayment method yourself."

    "The maximum overdue period is no more than ten years."

    ...

    The tree face slowly introduced the business of Clear Wind Hall to Li Fan, one sentence at a time.

    After finishing, Li Fan expressed some dissatisfaction, "How can I only borrow thirty thousand contribution points in total? It''s not enough."

    "I''m a Foundation Establishment cultivator at twenty-nine years old with a bright future. Can''t you give me more preferential treatment?"

    The tree face tried to widen its eyes and carefully stared at Li Fan.

    After observing for a while, it said, "You can borrow a maximum of forty thousand contribution points."

    Li Fan was a bit impatient, "You only added ten thousand contribution points? That''s too stingy!"

    "When I was in Yuandao Province, I was only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. I could borrow seventy to eighty thousand contribution points at once from Mingyue Pce!"

    "Why is your Clear Wind Hall so much worse?"

    "Tree, can you make decisions? Otherwise, let''s talk to someone who can."

    Li Fan said in a casual manner but discreetly nced in a certain direction.

    The branches above swayed without wind, and the green leaves rustled, making a shushing sound.

    The tree face stared at Li Fan expressionlessly.

    Li Fan, also unfazed, stared back at the tree face.

    After a while, the tree face slowly spoke, "Fifty thousand, no more."

    Li Fan looked very regretful, then said, "Oh, by the way. I don''t want to borrow contribution points; I want to borrow Spirit Mist Grass. Can you lend that?" He blinked, staring at the tree face.

    An invisible wind seemed to intensify.

    The branches and leaves shook more violently.

    "Yes. If borrowing items, no interest will be charged. It will be based on the quantity borrowed," the tree face said grimly.

    "In the first year, the repayment amount is calcted at 130% of the borrowed amount."

    "In the second year, it''s 160%."

    "In the third year, it''s 200%."

    "You can only borrow for a maximum of three years."

    Li Fan was shocked, "So high?"

    But seeing the tree face''s unpleasant expression, he immediately chose to keep quiet.

    He started negotiating again, "If borrowing items, can you lend me more?"

    The tree face ignored Li Fan.

    Seeing this, Li Fan could only regretfully give up.

    "How much Spirit Mist Grass can I borrow now?" he asked.

    "Two thousand seven hundred nts," the tree face grunted.

    Li Fan muttered a few words, not knowing what he was saying.

    "Alright! I''ll borrow it! What procedures do I need to go through?" Li Fan seemed to have made up his mind.

    A green leaf floated down from above andnded in front of Li Fan. Taking it in his hand, a stream of information instantly appeared in his mind.

    It was exactly the agreement Li Fan had just made with the tree face.

    "If you agree, use your spiritual power to refine this green leaf."

    Li Fan nodded, then used his spiritual power to envelop the green leaf.

    The green leaf was instantly refined, and a nearly invisible green leaf pattern appeared on the inside of Li Fan''s left arm.

    "After repaying the debt, the leaf contract will naturally disappear."

    "Wait a moment, and I will send you the borrowed Spirit Mist Grass."

    After saying this, the tree face disappeared from the tree, and Li Fan took the opportunity to lift his head and observe therge tree.

    The strength of the tree face felt a bit strange to him.

    It was obviously stronger than a Nascent Soul True Lord but weaker than the Soul Transformation True Monarch by quite a bit.

    Moreover, there were no traces of formations in this space, as if it was naturally formed.

    Li Fan looked around with interest.

    After a while, the tree face reappeared.

    It opened its mouth and spit out a storage ring.

    "All the Spirit Mist Grass is inside."

    "Transactionpleted, you can leave."

    "Remember to repay the debt on time, or..."

    Before Li Fan could speak, the tree face expelled him from this space.

    Under the big tree, strands of green light gathered to form a blurry green figure.

    "Borrowing so much Spirit Mist Grass? Interesting."

    A crisp female voice came from within.

    "Could it be that the price of Spirit Mist Grass will still drop?"

    "Ah Liu, pay attention to it."

    The tree face responded grimly, "Yes, Miss."

    "Miss, that guy just now was really annoying."

    The green figure let out a lightugh, "Indeed, quite annoying."

    "But, which faction is Mingyue Pce a part of? Why have I never heard of it?"

 Chapter 171: Nothing New

    After leaving Clear Wind Hall with 2,700 Spirit Mist Grass, Li Fan wandered around the vicinity, hoping to find some hidden small lending organizations.

    Unfortunately, his wish was not fulfilled.

    Li Fan returned to the Tianxuan Mirror, silently calcting.

    "The price of Spirit Mist Grass will rise to 25 contribution points soon, and I need to sell all of it before that happens."

    "After the news of the discovery of the Wood Attribute Subworld spreads, the price will copse. It will stabilize only after dropping to 6 contribution points."

    "By then, I can buy 3,510 nts and return them to Clear Wind Hall."

    "With one round trip, I can earn about 40,000 contribution points."

    "Tsk tsk, so little."

    "Making money is still too difficult..."

    ustomed to units of 100,000 contribution points, the growth of a mere thirty or forty thousand points didn''t seem like much.

    However, umting capital at the beginning is often the most difficult. Once it reaches a certain level, the wealth will start snowballing, and the growth of wealth will be faster and faster.

    "In this life, expanding the business of breakthrough loaning like before seems impossible. It seems that the strict control of the number of cultivators is the reason for the intense reaction from the cultivation world. The power of Dao Integration is not something I can contend with at my current level." Li Fan contemted carefully.

    "The 400,000 contribution points from Zhang Zhiliang can''t be given up."

    "In this life, someone still needs to push the cultivators of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to fight against the Crimson me."

    "However, maybe I can change the target."

    The figure of a chubby man suddenly appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    "Zhang Haobo has great luck but isn''t infallible. He can use the strength of the desperate struggle of the Cong Yun Sea to kill the Crimson me, and sessfully reach."

    "However, facing the uing Ink Death, he mustered no resistance at all and was killed."

    "His luck had run out, and his life disappeared."

    "If his luck was a bit stronger, would the ending be different?"

    "Of course, the most important thing is that I have alreadyprehended the Cong Yun Sea Twenty-Eight Swords. Zhang Haobo will be useless to me if he emerges again."

    "However, Ye Feipeng has a peculiar fate. If he is given enough help, maybe he can give me a surprise."

    "Complemented with ''Mountain Meditation Technique''..."

    "I wonder, if he seeds in entering Dao Integration, how much cultivation feedback he can provide? Can he push me to the Golden Core realm?"

    "Of course, guiding this person must be done in a different way. If Zhang Haobo was moved by emotion, then this person must be tempted by interest."

    After some nning, Li Fan had a clear idea.

    The reason he chose a proxy to carry out the Dao Integration was because the risks involved were too high. If even the ck-clothed Dao Integration could almost freeze Li Fan''s thoughts, Ink Death, whose strength was obviously superior, would be even more formidable. Even Zhang Haobo, who had just entered Dao Integration, couldn''t react in time and was killed. How could Li Fan ensure that he would be an exception?

    There was a probability of sess, but there was also a high probability of being killed. Once he failed, there would be no chance for aeback.

    Li Fan had no reason to take such a risk.

    "I can wait for the dust to settle after the Spirit Mist Grass incident and then go to the Dali world."

    "Now..."

    Li Fan searched for information on how to work for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Soon, a pile of information appeared.

    There were several ways to take up a position within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    The first method was to participate in the assessment held by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance every ten years.

    In order to participate in the assessment, one must meet several conditions, such as being a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for at least thirty years, having a cultivation level at Foundation Establishment or above, and possessing great talent, among other requirements.

    In simple terms, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance does not amodate idle or useless individuals.

    The second method is to have a high-ranking cultivator within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance serve as a guarantor, rmending a junior cultivator for a position. After a three-year probationary period, they can be formally appointed.

    In simple terms, Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance does not amodate idle or useless individuals unless there is someone influential vouching for them.

    The third method is more unique. It involvespleting specific tasks, such as assassinating a key figure in the Five Elders Association or aplishing a critical mission.

    It is said that Zhou Qingang, the guardian of Tai''an Ind, officially joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance through this method.

    Li Fan was particrly interested in what He Zhenghao mentioned about increasing permissions to a certain level, which allows the purchase of techniques that were previously inessible.

    Li Fan discovered that the conventional techniques offered by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for exchange had limited power. Possibly to restrict thebat capabilities of ordinary cultivators in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the techniques Li Fan saw in the Tianxuan Mirror throughout these lifetimes were not particrly profound.

    Not to mention matching the Cong Yun Sea Twenty-Eight Swords, even techniquesparable to the Sea Fixing Sword Technique were rarely seen.

    However, Li Fan thought this was reasonable. If powerful techniques were widespread, ordinary cultivators would gain the ability to overthrow the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Wouldn''t it be like turning the world upside down? There had to be some limitations.

    For people under the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s employ, treatment was naturally different. As long as their permissions were sufficient, all kinds of profound techniques were avable.

    The benefits didn''t need to be borated. Li Fan carefully examined the special reward tasks.

    As he looked, Li Fan furrowed his brows. The reason he hadn''t paid attention to these tasks before was that he didn''t have any understanding of them. However, he quickly discovered something suspicious.

    Only a few of these tasks had actual reward value, such as tracking a spy within the Five Elders Association or eliminating a traitor within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    But the majority of tasks seemed to have a very strong...

    Customized nature?

    As if they were specially created reward tasks for a particr cultivator.

    For example, one of the tasks Li Fan saw was particrly peculiar.

    Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s Hall of Heavenly Secrets needed to recruit a cultivator surnamed Wu between the ages of 123 and 130. This cultivator should cultivate a fire attribute technique and be at the Foundation Establishment mid stage.

    It was almost like calling someone out by name, directly specifying the candidate.

    Li Fan was no stranger to such practices.

    However, he didn''t expect the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to develop to this extent.

    After a thorough examination, Li Fan did not find a suitable task for himself. The ten-year assessment had just ended not long ago.

    Without any other options, Li Fan once again inquired with the ever-reliable fellow Daoist He.

    He Zhenghao responded promptly as always.

    "Does fellow Daoist want to officially join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance? Well, that might be a bit difficult. Mainly because fellow Daoist has only recently joined Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    "But, there is still a way."

    "I have some friendship with Master Gong Boyu, who is a master of formations. He has some positions avable for formation maintenance personnel every year."

    "You just need to spend a bit of contribution points to obtain this position."

    "By working diligently in this position for one or two years, you can then establish connections and transfer to other positions."

    "Hehe, but this is a secret. Be careful not to spread the word."

    "It might result in a negative impact."

 Chapter 172: Joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance

    "So, these positions are openly traded? Isn''t there anyone regting this?" Li Fan replied, feigning astonishment.

    "Regte? Who would regte it? The Soul Transformation True Monarchs, perhaps?" He Zhenghao counter-questioned.

    "Those two on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind seem much more honorable in handling such matters than the people below."

    "Cough..." He Zhenghao paused and then exined to Li Fan.

    "Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is highly autonomous in each state. As long as you don''t vite the rules of the alliance and don''t disturb the Law Enforcement Hall, the headquarters won''t bother with the affairs of the various branches."

    "In any case, the trade and distribution of resources within the alliance have to go through the Tianxuan Mirror. Everything is under control, and there won''t be any major chaos."

    "In that case, is the Law Enforcement Hall the most influential? Do you know how one can join it? Even if it requires more contribution points, I am willing." Li Fan inquired, recalling the Foundation Establishment Law Enforcer Wan who chased him in the eleventh lifetime.

    "The personnel of the Law Enforcement Hall in each state are directly appointed by the headquarters. It''s quite difficult for fellow Daoist to join the Law Enforcement Hall." He Zhenghao tactfully replied.

    "Many cultivators aspire to bew enforcers, and thepetition is fierce. It''s hard to even apply." He Zhenghao sighed. "The only reliable way is the ten year assessment. Back then, I also aspired to be aw enforcer, but the requirements were too strict, and I wasn''t selected. In the end, I could only settle for bing an ind guardian."

    "Otherwise, I wouldn''t be worrying about techniques now. You know,w enforcers can freely select and cultivate techniques." He Zhenghao enviously said.

    "Such a good deal?" Li Fan was somewhat surprised.

    "Of course. Law enforcers face various ruthless thieves every day, and the risk of dying is not small. It''s normal to have better benefits." He Zhenghao said matter-of-factly.

    "In fact, being a formation maintenance personnel is not bad either. Fellow Daoist doesn''t have to fixate on bing aw enforcer. There''s a fixed reward every year, and you can also learn formation knowledge for free under the guidance of the Formation Master. All you need to do is help repair the ind guardian formations of the Cong Yun Sea."

    "Do you want to consider it? For just ten thousand contribution points, I can help lobby for you." He Zhenghao asked with a tempting tone.

    Li Fan, however, asked again, "I wonder if you''re familiar with Master Zhang Zhiliang? I heard that this person is generous and has exceptional proficiency in formations, being considered the number one in the Cong Yun Sea. If I be a formation maintenance personnel, it might be better to follow him."

    He Zhenghao looked a bit surprised, "Generous? Fellow Daoist, where did you hear that? This person''s temperament is a bit peculiar."

    "But, his proficiency in formations is indeed remarkable. Following him might indeed yield greater gains."

    "I can''t guarantee this matter, but I can try my best." He Zhenghao honestly said.

    "Fellow Daoist, just go ahead with it. Whether it seeds or not, I will remember the favor." Li Fan boasted, "You don''t need to worry about contribution points. After borrowing contribution points from the Clear Wind Hall and stocking up on Spirit Mist Grass, I still have some leftovers. It should be enough for this matter."

    He Zhenghao said upon hearing this, "Since fellow Daoist says so, then I will do my best. Fellow Daoist, wait for my good news!"

    After expressing his gratitude, Li Fan ended themunication with the sentiment, "Fellow Daoist He is truly a goodrade."

    "Free techniques, ten year assessment..." Li Fan pondered for a moment and began searching for relevant information in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance entry assessment was held every ten years, and thest assessment was about half a year ago.

    Depending on the desired position, the assessment content varied.

    The assessment took ce in the Tianxuan Mirror, eliminating the possibility of favoritism or cheating.

    The results were immediately released after the assessment, and participants would lose their memory of the assessment content upon leaving the Tianxuan Mirror.

    This prevented anyone from taking advantage of the situation to profit.

    ...

    "It''s really rigorous!" Li Fan marveled, "Next time the assessment opens, I should go and broaden my horizons."

    Li Fan continued searching for the impressions of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators regarding the assessment and found that "difficult," "unreasonable," and "corrupt" had be the consensus among the majority of cultivators.

    "You have a new image transmission, please check it promptly."

    While Li Fan was engrossed in his search, the prompt from the Tianxuan Mirror suddenly sounded.

    "Huh?"

    Li Fan was a bit puzzled, so he opened the image, and a man in a green robe suddenly appeared.

    "Hello, young friend. I am Chen Ying from the Medicine Hall."

    "I wonder, where did you discover those two Blue Blood Corals you providedst time?"

    "After sessfully refining the Ice Intent Heartless Pill this time, I found that the efficacy of the pill was unexpectedly stronger than the ones I previously refined."

    "There were no other changes. After much thought, the only unexpected factor was these two Blue Blood Corals you provided."

    "So, I refined another batch with different Blue Blood Corals, and indeed, the effect of enhanced efficacy disappeared."

    "The quality of the Blue Blood Corals you provided is much higher than the conventional varieties."

    "I want to go to their growth ce to investigate. Perhaps I can discover something."

    "Regardless of the result, if you truthfully tell me, I will certainly reward you."

    ...

    After the image disappeared and without an immediate reply, Li Fan fell into contemtion.

    Recalling the process of harvesting the Blue Blood Corals before, Li Fan did not perceive anything special about those two locations at the time.

    "Could it be that I was negligent?" Li Fan thought for a moment and decided to make another trip to see what was going on.

    To prevent this Medicine Hall Chen Ying from tracking him, Li Fan specifically bought a "Disappearance Talisman" in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    It was an upgraded version of the "Concealing Form Talisman" and could shield against the prying eyes of Nascent Soul realm cultivators.

    After activating the Disappearance Talisman, Li Fan returned to the vicinity of Mist Crow Ind, where the underwater ruins containing the Blue Blood Coral were.

    With Li Fan having taken away the corals, the once vibrant ce had lost its former vitality.

    However, in the crevices of the copsed ruins, one or two fish swam by asionally.

    "There doesn''t seem to be anything special." Li Fan explored the area but still couldn''t find anything unusual.

    Even when Li Fan used the Formless Killing Intent to lock onto a fish in the ruins and observed it closely through the Vision of Heaven and Earth, the result remained the same.

    Next, Li Fan went to the underwater deep valley where he found the second Blue Blood Coral.

    Still, nothing out of the ordinary.

    "As a Nascent Soul cultivator and an elder of the Medicine Hall, he shouldn''t be joking with me."

    "So, is it because my cultivation is not high enough to perceive it?"

    At present, it seemed to be the only exnation.

    Li Fan then returned to the Tianxuan Mirror and contacted Chen Ying.

 Chapter 173: Fallen Immortal Realm

    "Senior, I can truthfully disclose the collection locations of those two Blue Blood Corals. As for the reward, it doesn''t matter to me. However, after the investigation, could you inform me of the results?"

    "I consider myself to have a decent judgment most of the time, but I never expected to overlook something so valuable. If I don''t understand the reason behind it, I can''t help but feel regret."

    Li Fan messaged Chen Ying through the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Before long, Chen Ying replied, "Hehe, it''s just my spection for now. Young friend, you don''t need to worry too much. We still need to confirm on-site before drawing any final conclusions. If you don''t mind, you cane with me."

    Looking at Chen Ying''s invitation, Li Fan immediately searched for information about him.

    Chen Ying, Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator, elder of the Medicine Hall, highly skilled in cultivating spirit nts, and equally proficient in alchemy.

    "Go together..."

    "This person should have no ill intentions. Besides, he is only at the Nascent Soul early stage."

    "If he really discovers some secret and wants to silence me, I should have the ability to defend myself, especially with the ''Blood Essence of Ten Thousand People'' as my trump card."

    Having killed a Nascent Soul cultivator, his mindset had be different. Adding to this, there was also the "Blood Essence of Ten Thousand People," so even if the other party attempted betrayal, Li Fan still had the power to resist.

    "What do I wish for?"

    After contemting for a while, Li Fan replied in this manner.

    "Good! There''s no time to waste; let''s depart immediately. I''ll be waiting for you at the Transmission Square."

    "By the way, for safety''s sake, I will change into apletely different appearance."

    "When you call meter, just call me ''Ying Chen.''"

    "Remember to conceal yourself when traveling. This is a ''Disappearance Talisman'' I often use, which can hide your cultivation and prevent others from tracking you. Remember to carry it with you and activate it."

    Chen Ying sent another face with apletely different appearance and a Disappearance Talisman.

    "This person..." Li Fan muttered to himself.

    To be on the safe side, Li Fan spent three thousand contribution points in the Tianxuan Mirror to buy a random teleportation ne.

    Then he headed straight to the Transmission Square.

    After scanning the area, he saw the transformed Chen Ying.

    Approaching him, Li Fan arched his hand, "Is it Fellow Daoist Ying Chen?"

    Chen Ying smiled slightly, "Exactly! There''s no time to waste; let''s set off. Please lead the way!"

    Li Fan nodded, and without hesitation, he went in front of the Mist Crow statue in Transmission Square.

    Activating the transmission array, the two of them arrived at Mist Crow Ind.

    The ck-robed guardian on the ind still had a cold expression.

    Ignoring him, the two went straight to the ruins under Li Fan''s guidance.

    "Senior, this is the ce." After reaching their destination, Li Fan informed Chen Ying.

    At the same time, he moved to the side, on high alert.

    Chen Ying surveyed the continuous ruins at the bottom of the sea, squinting his eyes.

    Then, a misty and ethereal scene, like countless spirit nts growing, enveloped his body.

    Under the cover of the extraordinary vision, Li Fan felt an omnipresent but elusive pressure, making him increasingly nervous. The Cong Yun Sea Sword, Heaven Overturning Palm, and random teleportation ne were all ready to be unleashed.

    After a while, Chen Ying retracted the extraordinary vision.

    Shaking his head, he said, "Not here, it should be another ce."

    Li Fan instantly breathed a sigh of relief, "That ce is not far from here, at the bottom of the deep valley in the sea."

    Li Fan continued leading the way.

    It didn''t take long for the two to reach their destination.

    Li Fan remained on high alert, moving to the side, while Chen Ying released the extraordinary vision again and carefully sensed it.

    After a long time, Chen Ying showed a joyful expression.

    "Well done, it''s right here!"

    "Previously, an extremely cold force descended here. The Blue Blood Coral only absorbed a slight trace of it, and its efficacy increased so much!"

    Chen Ying closed his eyes slightly, his expression intoxicated.

    "Just by sensing this residual icy force, one can feel an unparalleled tranquility and peace in the heart."

    "All distracting thoughts are eliminated."

    "Such perfection, it seems to have been directly derived from thews of heaven and earth."

    "Wonderful, wonderful."

    ...

    While Chen Ying was talking, he stood still as if entering a state of enlightenment.

    Seeing him describe this ce so mysteriously, Li Fan couldn''t help but carefullyprehend it.

    However, just like before, no matter how he tried, he couldn''t sense anything special about this ce.

    "Ice-cold energy, dispelling distracting thoughts, the derivation ofws..."

    Li Fan muttered to himself, suddenly realizing something.

    His expression became strange.

    He recalled the scene when he obtained this Blue Blood Coral.

    Arge octopus greedily clung to the Blue Blood Coral.

    Countless tentacles entwined the coral, holding onto it tightly.

    Any creature daring to approach would provoke the octopus''s angry attacks.

    At that time, in order not to damage this treasure worth three thousand contribution points, Li Fan used Insect Binding to restrain the enraged octopus. However, he did not choose to use the Cong Yun Sea Sword or Heaven Overturning Palm. Instead, he summoned the Azure me Illusionary Spirit and froze it into an ice sculpture, then effortlessly shattered it.

    The octopus ice sculpture turned into countless fragments, disappearing on the seabed.

    Li Fan then casually collected the Blue Blood Coral.

    So...

    The "cold force" that Chen Ying mentioned, which enhanced the efficacy of the Blue Blood Coral, could it be the Azure me Illusionary Spirit?

    The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Li Fan couldn''t help but find it somewhat amusing.

    No wonder, no matter how he investigated, he couldn''t find anything special.

    It turns out he had created a misunderstanding.

    He thought he might encounter some great opportunity.

    Unexpectedly, the opportunity turned out to be himself.

    As his doubts dissipated, Li Fan looked at Chen Ying, who wasprehending in a carefree manner, without any defense.

    He felt somewhat strange in his heart.

    If this person is cautious, why would he cultivate in front of other cultivators like this?

    Even if Li Fan appeared to be an ordinaryte Foundation Establishment cultivator on the surface and couldn''t pose a substantial threat to him, having the cultivation process interrupted would still be troublesome.

    However, Chen Ying didn''t care at all.

    He had been quite cautious before, changing his appearance and concealing his name.

    Li Fan even thought he might be nning to take action in some remote ce, secretly making a move on Li Fan.

    As a result, it turned out to be a false rm.

    Nevertheless, despite this observation, Li Fan remained vignt.

    He was still prepared to use his two powerful techniques and the teleportation item at any time.

    He was afraid that the person''s surface image was just a disguise.

    Like this, more than half a day passed, and Chen Ying finally awakened from his enlightenment.

    His eyes sparkled, his spirit surged, and joy overflowed in his words.

    He eximed, "Excellent! With this realization, my exploration of the Fallen Immortal Realm will be more profound!"

    Li Fan, on the side, listened and felt something stir in his heart.

    "The Fallen Immortal Realm? Is that the secret realm he mentioned before?"

    Chen Ying gradually retracted his aura, looking at Li Fan, who seemed to be deliberately keeping a distance to avoid disturbing his cultivation.

    There was a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

 Chapter 174: Chen Ying Reveals the Secret Realm

    TL Note: term change from Immortal God (the realm after Dao Integration, titled Immortal Venerable) to Longevity Immortal. The Immortal in "Fallen Immortal Realm" refers to the realm above that, which I''m tentatively naming the True Immortal realm, but this is subject to change. It''s a little confusing, so I''m open to any suggestions if you guys have any; here are the raw characters for Longevity Immortal: ³¤Éú.

    *****

    "Senior, did you gain anything?" Li Fan asked from a distance.

    "Hehe, not bad. The remaining ice spiritual energy here is extraordinary. Simr to the Ice Intent Heartless Pill I refine, it has effects such as calming the mind and stabilizing emotions," Chen Ying said, showing a proud expression. "Moreover, the level of this power surpasses that of the Ice Intent Heartless Pill. With this enlightenment, I am confident in improving the pill form. I believe the refined Ice Intent Heartless Pill will have a significant enhancement in efficacy."

    Envy appeared on Li Fan''s face as he said, "Unfortunately, this junior has dull aptitude and couldn''t sense the ice spiritual energy Senior mentioned. It''s truly heartbreaking to be so close to such an opportunity and yet unable toprehend it."

    Chen Yingughed, "The origin of this power is beyond the Nascent Soul level. As a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, it''s normal for you to fail to sense it."

    "If I didn''t frequently take the Ice Intent Heartless Pill and be familiar with simr powers, I''m afraid it would be challenging to perceive its traces."

    Looking at Li Fan, Chen Ying consoled, "You yed a significant role in this. I won''t go back on my word. So, tell me, what reward do you want? Contribution points? Pills? Or something else?"

    Li Fan''s expression became serious, "This junior dares not be greedy. It''s all up to Senior to decide!"

    Chen Ying was very satisfied with Li Fan''s attitude.

    After pondering for a moment, he took out a Tianxuan Minor Mirror and transferred thirty thousand contribution points to Li Fan on the spot.

    Then, he handed a talisman to Li Fan, saying, "Contribution points are more versatile. You can buy whatever you need in the Tianxuan Mirror. This is my Communication Talisman; if you have any alchemy needs in the future, you can contact me."

    Chen Ying hesitated for a moment before saying, "Eh... however, recently, I might not be in the Cong Yun Sea. The headquarters found a closed-off subworld with dense wood attribute spiritual energy, suitable for cultivating various spirit nts. They''ve mobilized manpower to develop it. I received a notice, and I''m also going there. At that time, you might not be able to contact me."

    Li Fan listened, realizing that this subworld was the culprit causing the drastic drop in the price of the Spirit Mist Grass. Moreover, it would likely affect the prices of most herbs and spirit nts in the market, leading to a sharp decline.

    This was not the main point; the most astonishing fact was that this wood attribute subworld concealed another four subworlds nearby, forming a subtle formation.

    This informationter triggered a conflict between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association.

    However, this ssified information was casually revealed. Was this really appropriate?

    Looking at Chen Ying, Li Fan felt somewhat amused.

    It seemed that this person might trulyck cautiousness.

    Following that, Chen Ying took out another Communication Talisman, saying, "This is the Communication Talisman of my assistant, Mu Rong. He is a mid Golden Core stage cultivator with excellent alchemy skills. When I''m not around, you can contact him. I''ll inform him before I leave."

    Li Fan put away the two talismans gratefully and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior. I won''t forget your great favor!"

    "Haha! Our meeting is also a form of fate. I find you quite pleasing, so I''ll take care of you a bit more. As for great favors and such, there''s no need to mention it!" Chen Ying waved his hand dismissively.

    "Now that it''s settled, I need to go back and study how to improve the pill form. I won''t linger here any longer."

    After finishing his words, Chen Ying was about to leave.

    "Senior, please wait!" Li Fan stopped him.

    "Oh? Do you have something else?" Chen Ying was surprised.

    Seeing Li Fan hesitate, uncertain whether to speak, he frowned and instructed, "Don''t beat around the bush! Just say it!"

    Li Fan observed Chen Ying''s demeanor and roughly understood his personality.

    "Just now, I heard Senior mention that the ''exploration of the Fallen Immortal Realm will be more profound.''"

    Since the start of my cultivation journey, I have heard that there are supreme experts in this world who have reached the Dao Integration and Longevity Immortal realms.

    However, I have never heard any rumors about genuine True Immortals. So, I am quite curious about the Fallen Immortal Realm you mentioned. I wonder, is it a ce where a True Immortal has fallen?

    Li Fan''s eyes sparkled with infinite curiosity as he stared at Chen Ying.

    "Oh, this matter?" Chen Ying realized.

    Instead of immediately answering Li Fan''s question, he asked, "What is your current cultivation level?"

    Due to the activation of the Disappearance Talisman, Chen Ying couldn''t determine Li Fan''s true cultivation level.

    "I am currently at the Foundation Establishmentte stage," Li Fan truthfully replied.

    "Foundation Establishmentte stage..." Chen Ying pondered for a moment before continuing, "Normally, only cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above should be informed about this matter. However, since you are already at the Foundation Establishmentte stage, you must be close to breaking through to the Golden Core stage."

    "Knowing a bit in advance won''t hurt."

    After a pause, Chen Ying continued with a serious expression, "Just remember, knowing about the existence of the Fallen Immortal Realm is enough. Before advancing to the Golden Core stage, your spiritual consciousness is not strong enough, and you should never attempt to explore it. Otherwise, not only will your spiritual sense be damaged, but it may also harm the foundation of your cultivation. In severe cases, it may even hinder the formation of the Golden Core."

    "Spiritual consciousness strength..." Li Fan repeated silently in his heart, nodding in agreement.

    Then, he immediately reacted, showing some surprise, and asked, "So, I can also explore this Fallen Immortal Realm?"

    Chen Ying chuckled, "Hehe, not only you, but all cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm can enter and explore it on their own."

    "However, the spiritual consciousness strength of a Golden Core stage cultivator is only enough for limited activities within the Fallen Immortal Realm. To truly explore freely, you''ll have to wait until the Nascent Soul stage."

    Li Fan became even more curious, "Where is this Fallen Immortal Realm located?"

    Chen Ying, hands behind his back, sighed, "The Fallen Immortal Realm..."

    "Is everywhere."

    "Everywhere?" Li Fan was stunned.

    "That''s right." Chen Ying nodded. "Anywhere in the Xuanhuang Realm, through specific methods, you can enter the Fallen Immortal Realm at any time."

    "But, only the spiritual sense enters; the physical body does not follow."

    Li Fan furrowed his brows, "Could it be that the Fallen Immortal Realm is purely a realm of consciousness?"

    "You can think of it that way. However, it has already transcended the boundaries of illusion and reality."

    "In the Fallen Immortal Realm, the gains can truly be brought back to the Xuanhuang Realm."

    "And dying in the Fallen Immortal Realm, at most, will only cause damage to the spiritual sense. It won''t lead to a real demise."

    "So, the Fallen Immortal Realm is the most explored mystery for cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above."

    Li Fan immediately realized the value of the Fallen Immortal Realm.

    "What exactly is in the Fallen Immortal Realm?" Li Fan couldn''t help but ask.

    "What''s in there?" Chen Ying smiled.

    He pointed around, "Whatever is here in this realm, you will find in the Fallen Immortal Realm."

 Chapter 175: A Glimpse Reflecting Thousands of Years

    Noting the confusion in Li Fan''s eyes, without waiting for him to ask, Chen Ying began to exin.

    "Why is it called the Fallen Immortal Realm?" Chen Ying asked rhetorically.

    "It''s because its formation is the result of an unimaginably powerful existence that took onest look at the Xuanhuang Realm before falling."

    "At that time, everything in the Xuanhuang Realm was observed by this existence."

    "After its fall, its lingering consciousness did not dissipate for a long time. After thousands of years of development and evolution, it finally formed the current Fallen Immortal Realm."

    "The Fallen Immortal Realm is as vast as the Xuanhuang Realm, and evenrger."

    "The scenes of the past, thousands of years ago, were recorded by itsst nce before falling."

    "These vivid scenes continue to rey within it."

    "All cultivators who enter it, in the face of the magnificent and miraculous wonders indistinguishable from the real world, will be shocked and moved by the immense power of that existence."

    "This kind of power is probably something only the mythical True Immortals of ancient legends could achieve."

    "Even though I have entered it countless times, every time I witness everything in the Fallen Immortal Realm, I still feel sincere awe."

    "The shock within it is beyond words. Only when seen with your own eyes can you understand."

    Chen Ying shook his head, deeply moved.

    "A glimpse reflecting thousands of years, forming its own realm after the fall." Li Fan was also stunned by this incredible fact.

    After a long silence, he couldn''t help but think.

    Just one nce before death, and it possessed such power.

    How strong was this person during their lifetime?

    How could such a figure fall?

    Seemingly aware of Li Fan''s doubts, Chen Ying sighed.

    "Incredible, isn''t it? Even such a powerful and iprehensible figure can fall."

    "One thought creates a world. Even the Immortal Ancestor may not be able to achieve this."

    "So, everyone agrees that the one who fell back then was probably a True Immortal."

    "Immortality? Is there really such a thing as immortality?" Li Fan couldn''t help but ask.

    Chen Ying was very confident. "Cultivating immortality cultivates immortality. If there was no immortality, what would our cultivation method be?"

    "If you can go to the Fallen Immortal Realm and live there in the Xuanhuang Realm thousands of years ago, you will know that immortality is not just a vague concept."

    "In many sects, there are paintings left depicting sect seniors breaking through the clouds and ascending during daylight."

    "It is said that there are even some major sects that have preserved immortal treasures passed down by True Immortals, with infinite power."

    "However, no one knows when the path to immortality was cut off. After reaching the Dao Integration, cultivation progress could no longer be made."

    "Later on, in order to protect themselves, the ultimate goal of cultivators became longevity rather than ascension."

    "This is also the origin of the Longevity Immortal realm."

    Chen Ying sighed, "This history is too ancient. Even in the Fallen Immortal Realm thousands of years ago, these were just rumors. So, what happened back then, and why the path to immortality suddenly broke off, is already unknown."

    Li Fan nodded slowly.

    Next, Chen Ying exined in detail how to enter the Fallen Immortal Realm and what precautions to take when exploring it.

    "Remember, don''t attempt it until you reach the Golden Core realm!"

    Before leaving, Chen Ying reminded once again.

    Li Fan readily agreed.

    Afterward, in a hurry to return, Chen Ying went back to study and improve the alchemical form, taking the lead to return to the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Li Fan also wasted no time and swiftly returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Now that he knew about the miraculous existence of the Fallen Immortal Realm, how could Li Fan not try it?

    After all, having experienced countless cycles of reincarnation, the strength of his spiritual consciousness was not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator couldpare with.

    However, for safety''s sake, Li Fan conducted a test in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    The surroundings changed, and suddenly, straw figures appeared.

    Li Fan''s spiritual sense, like arrows, fiercely shot toward these sequentially appearing straw figures.

    Hit by the spiritual sense, the originally withered straw figures instantly changed color.

    From yellow to green, then to blue.

    After all the straw figures were dyed, they all disappeared collectively.

    The scene was restored, and shortly afterward, the test results came out.

    Li Fan''s current spiritual sense intensity was equivalent to an ordinary cultivator in theter stage of the Golden Core Realm.

    "Spiritual sense stronger than cultivation base by a major realm... " Li Fan wasn''t too surprised.

    "So, there is no worry about insufficient spiritual sense."

    "In the Fallen Immortal Realm, the flow of time is not consistent with the real world. Moreover, even in different regions of the Fallen Immortal Realm, the speed of time varies."

    "But overall, it is much faster than the real world."

    "Every time you enter the Fallen Immortal Realm, the location is random."

    "So, different encounters may happen."

    "Some areas continually repeat the history of thousands of years ago, resetting the scenes within every period. Others have been evolving for thousands of years, forming various bizarre and wonderful changes."

    "In short, it was originally a world transformed from the consciousness of a True Immortal before its fall. Therefore, anything unimaginable might happen in the Fallen Immortal Realm."

    "There is no risk of dying. To bring back items obtained in the Fallen Immortal Realm to reality, certain conditions must be met."

    "You can forcefully exit midway without any harm."

    "However, simr to exiting after obtaining items, you need to wait for some time before entering the Fallen Immortal Realm again."

    ...

    Unable to find new information about the Fallen Immortal Realm in the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan had to silently repeat the exploration precautions mentioned by Chen Ying in his mind.

    While doing so, he purchased more than a dozen sets of items needed for each entry into the Fallen Immortal Realm.

    It wasn''t that Li Fan was extravagant; these items were just too cheap.

    In total, the cost didn''t exceed two hundred contribution points.

    Each set included four items:

    <ol> <li>A in linen robe.</li> <li>A full ear of rice.</li> <li>A small and exquisite model of a house.</li> <li>A lifelike miniature donkey cart.</li> </ol>

    cing the four items in each corner, Li Fan took a deep breath. With the first step forward, facing the linen robe, he softly recited:

    "Blessings bestowed by the Immortal Ancestor of Xuanhuang."

    For the second step, turning toward the full ear of rice, he earnestly murmured:

    "Blessings bestowed by the Immortal Lord of Xuanhuang."

    The third step, looking at the delicate model house, holding his breath and whispering:

    "Blessings bestowed by the Supreme Deity of Xuanhuang."

    Finally, facing the seemingly loaded donkey cart, Li Fan exhaled and silently chanted:

    "Blessings bestowed by the Celestial Sovereign of Xuanhuang."

    As the ritual concluded, Li Fan felt the surroundings suddenly quiet down.

    Even though there was no sound in the Tianxuan Mirror to begin with, he still sensed a silence that was different from the previous pure quietness.

    Then, like the shattering of silver bottles, countless sounds reverberated in Li Fan''s ears.

    The cries of infants, the screams of ordinary people, the roars of cultivators...

    Spells crisscrossed, mountains shook, and the wind and rain raged.

    His vision turned ck as if his head had been covered by a sack.

    Li Fan instantly lost consciousness.

 Chapter 176: Dreaming of the Purple Heaven Sect

    "Junior Brother? Junior Brother?"

    Everything around seemed to be separated by ayer of viscous transparent substance.

    When the voice reached his ears, it became distorted and bizarre.

    The person seemed to wave his hand.

    As the scene entered Li Fan''s eyes, it felt like a fierce beastunching an attack.

    He was startled.

    Li Fan subconsciously tried to counterattack but suddenly realized that his techniques, like the Cong Yun Sea Sword and Heaven Overturning Palm, couldn''t be executed.

    Cold sweat broke out involuntarily.

    Then, words like "Fallen Immortal Realm," "ritual," "first exploration," and other terms shed in Li Fan''s mind.

    As if emerging from underwater, the surroundings gradually became clear.

    Light and sound returned to normal.

    "Junior Brother? What are you thinking? Why have you been in a daze for so long?"

    A young cultivator wearing a purple and white robe, with a purple lightning mark engraved between his eyebrows, was looking in Li Fan''s direction.

    "This is the first time you''ve gone down the mountain in eighteen years. Are you thinking about the fun ces Senior Brother told you about before?"

    "Don''t worry. After our tasks are done, Senior Brother will take you to experience the Red Dust Pavilion and the Drunken Immortal Tower!"

    The young cultivator winked mischievously; though he was a senior brother, he didn''t look serious.

    Li Fan slowly came to his senses at this moment.

    "Purple Heaven Sect, Li Chen."

    "Follow Senior Brother Zhang Qianmo down the mountain to Ningyuan City to collect the ''Longevity Fruits.''"

    In an instant, several pieces of information appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    "Senior Brother is joking; let''s focus on the important matters!" Li Fan replied indifferently, following Li Chen''s usual personality as stored in his memory.

    "Ah, so boring!" Zhang Qianmo rolled his eyes, sighed, andzilyy down, no longer paying attention to Li Fan.

    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Fan observed the surroundings.

    Currently, he seemed to be on a purple cloud.

    This purple cloud appeared to be a flying magical treasure, rapidly soaring in the sky.

    There seemed to be a protective array surrounding the outer part of the purple cloud, blocking the gusts of wind.

    Sitting on the purple cloud wasfortable and serene.

    "Is this the Fallen Immortal Realm?"

    Li Fan carefully sensed and revealed a look of amazement.

    "It''s actually a world derived from a thought before death? So lifelike..."

    Li Fan touched the purple cloud beneath him, feeling the pervasive spiritual energy in the air.

    "If it weren''t for my previous memories, I would almost think I''ve transmigrated again."

    After a long time, Li Fan suppressed the astonishment in his heart.

    "Luckily, I have an original identity on the first entry."

    Li Fan recalled the precautions Chen Ying exined.

    After entering the Fallen Immortal Realm, it was possible to form a spiritual avatar for exploration.

    It was also possible to directly upy the body of the original creatures in the Fallen Immortal Realm and obtain their identity.

    Each approach had its advantages and disadvantages.

    The spiritual avatar could exert one''s original strength and magical powers butcked an identity, being aplete outsider.

    Without knowledge of the surroundings, exploration and obtaining opportunities would be much more difficult.

    Moreover, the spiritual avatar would be much more quickly "eroded."

    Having the original identity significantly slowed down the erosion process, as there was an extra "shell" for protection.

    This allowed for a longer stay in the Fallen Immortal Realm.

    Additionally, it enabled easy participation in specific events.

    The downside was that the strength exerted could only be that of the upied creature, and one had to be cautious, ensuring that familiar people didn''t detect any anomalies.

    Otherwise, they might be seen as usurpers, leading to ruthless pursuit.

    Li Fan browsed through Li Chen''s memories while adapting to this identity as quickly as possible.

    At the same time, he sensed the consumption of spiritual energy.

    Sure enough, even with the protection of the shell, Li Fan could distinctly feel his spiritual energy being eroded.

    Intensity hasn''t changed, but the overall amount is gradually decreasing.

    "When the spiritual consciousness ispletely eroded, one will be forced to exit the Fallen Immortal Realm."

    "At this rate, it should onlyst for about half a month?"

    Li Fan couldn''t help but furrow his brow.

    "No wonder Chen Ying said that only Golden Core stage cultivators can barely operate here. And I still have an original identity."

    "If I were a spiritual avatar, I probably wouldn''tst more than seven or eight days in this Fallen Immortal Realm."

    "Well, I didn''t expect any good gains on the first exploration. Let''s consider it a learning experience."

    With these thoughts, Li Fan checked the situation of Li Chen from the Purple Heaven Sect.

    "I''m unfamiliar with this location. The Purple Heaven Sect is thergest cultivation sect within thousands of miles."

    "Li Chen and Zhang Qianmo are both inner disciples of the Purple Heaven Sect, disciples of Primordial Nascent True Lord, Ling Yunzi."

    "Li Chen is cultivating the technique ''Purple Heaven Royal Thunder.'' Strength is at thete Foundation Establishment stage."

    Li Fan searched for memories of the ''Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique'' in his mind but could not recall anything.

    Despite being at thete Foundation Establishment stage, there was no trace of Heavenly Treasures in his body.

    The great cmity had not yet arrived, and both immortals and mortals could still cultivate together. There was no sign of Immortal-Mortal Miasma appearing.

    "Is it at this point in time now?" ording to Chen Ying, the time period in different regions of the Fallen Immortal Realm could be different.

    At the moment Li Fan was in, the cultivation world seemed to be rtively peaceful.

    Looking at it this way, Li Fan''s start in this adventure was quite smooth.

    With his thoughts fluctuating, he rested on the purple cloud for most of the day.

    Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo were finally approaching their destination: Ningyuan City.

    Zhang Qianmo yawned, stood up, and said with a smile, "Junior Brother, let''s discuss something. I haven''t seen my sweetheart for several years, and I can''t wait any longer! So..."

    He winked at Li Fan.

    "I''ll leave the small matter of collecting the ''Longevity Fruits'' to you."

    He patted Li Fan on the shoulder and, without waiting for a response, turned into a purple light and descended below.

    "It''s better to split up to avoid revealing any ws."

    Li Fan weed the suggestion, controlling the ''Purple Heaven Flying Cloud'' to descend slowly.

    "Which Senior Brother is visiting this time?" Beforending, a purple figure gradually approached.

    The fluctuations of the technique emanating from the figure were extremely simr to the ''Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique,'' though weaker by more than half.

    As the person solidified, Li Fan looked over and saw a middle-aged man wearing a gray robe, seemingly at the Qi Condensation stage.

    Seeming to recognize Li Fan, after seeing his face clearly, he cupped his hands and said, "So, it''s Senior Brother Li in person. I hope you will forgive me for being unable to wee you appropriately!"

    At this moment, information about this person also shed in Li Fan''s mind.

    "Song Hesong, an outer disciple of the Purple Heaven Sect, is in charge of affairs in Ningyuan City."

    "Let''s skip the pleasantries and focus on business. Take me to collect the ''Longevity Fruits.''" Li Fan, in ordance with Li Chen''s usual style, had a cold expression and an arrogant demeanor.

    Song Hesong didn''t mind. After all, the gap between outer and inner disciples was enormous.

    Moreover, this person was at thete Foundation Establishment stage.

    Being able to call him Senior Brother was already an acknowledgment of the position Song Hesong held in charge of Ningyuan City affairs.

    Without further dy, he respectfully guided Li Fan into Ningyuan City.

    It seemed that there was an invisible barrier enveloping Ningyuan City.

    After passing through it, Li Fan''s gaze focused as he stared at the sky.

 Chapter 177: Transforming Life and Yielding Longevity Fruits

    In Ningyuan City, nearly three hundred thousand mortals resided. Above the heads of these mortals, an invisible barrier enveloped them.

    "The Life Transformation Grand Formation..." Li Fan narrowed his eyes, sensing the asional strands of vitality in the air.

    "With such pure life energy, it''s no wonder it can form the Longevity Fruits that enhance one''s lifespan."

    This pervasive vitality naturally came from the mortals living in Ningyuan City.

    "I remember, inter generations, every branch of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had protective formations that extracted mortal essence, increasing the concentration of spiritual energy."

    "Butpared to the Life Transformation Grand Formation here, it is a great act of kindness."

    Li Fan''s divine sense swept across the mortals in Ningyuan City, noticing that there were very few elderly people.

    "The Life Transformation Grand Formation can absorb the vitality of mortals. Mortals growing within the formation will experience a drastically shortened lifespan."

    "Often, being able to live for forty to fifty years is already the limit."

    "At this time, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma doesn''t exist. In the eyes of cultivators, mortals are nothing more than livestock."

    Li Fan''s thoughts were racing, but he made no unnecessary moves.

    Following Song Hesong, he arrived at the center of Ningyuan City.

    Here, the life energy became even purer, concentrating into a faint green hue. It formed drifting tendrils that were slowly being absorbed by arge tree growing here.

    On the branches of the tree hung three heavy fruits.

    They were jade-green, crystalline, and emitted an enticing fragrance that made one''s mouth water.

    "Senior Brother, this is the Tree of Evesting Life." Song Hesong took out arge seal and pressed it towards the front of the Tree of Evesting Life.

    At the same time, he uttered, "Dismiss!"

    Around the Tree of Life, there seemed to be an invisible barrier.

    Therge seal and the barrier collided fiercely.

    Dozens of beams of light surged out from therge seal and swiftly, like silver snakes, traversed the invisible barrier around the Tree of Evesting Life.

    "Senior Brother, please lend a hand!"

    While Song Hesong struggled to maintain therge seal, he shouted.

    Veins bulged on his forehead, indicating the tremendous effort he was putting in.

    Seeing this, Li Fan didn''t hesitate. He stretched out his hand, and a purple seal instantly appeared.

    "Hurry!"

    The purple seal was imprinted on the invisible barrier.

    Dozens of purple light snakes rushed out of the seal, chasing the silver light snakes from before.

    Each had its target and devoured them one by one.

    After a moment, when the silver light snakes werepletely absorbed, these dozens of purple light snakes emitted a faint fluorescence.

    Then they flowed rapidly over the barrier.

    On the invisible barrier, they formed an image of purple thunderclouds.

    Now, following the instructions in his memory, Li Fan cast the Purple Heaven True Thunder, which could only be produced by practicing the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique.

    Purple lightning flickered.

    The invisible barrier burst open.

    Li Fan activated the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique, and Purple Heaven spiritual energy shielded his whole body as he entered.

    Arriving under the Tree of Evesting Life, he looked up and admired the Longevity Fruits which were emitting a tempting fragrance.

    "This batch has good quality."

    "Just one of these small Longevity Fruits can increase one''s lifespan by three hundred years."

    Identifying the fruits ording to the method in his memory, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel deeply moved.

    "It''s said that the highest quality Longevity Fruits can extend lifespan by over a thousand years."

    "Unfortunately, with the birth of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, it seems that this method of condensing Longevity Fruits has be ineffective."

    "Forter generations, these Longevity Fruits would undoubtedly be priceless treasures."

    "I wonder if there''s a way to bring these fruits back to reality."

    Thinking about it, Li Fan slowly plucked the three Longevity Fruits from the tree and ced them in a specially made jade box.

    "What should I do next? Should I send these Longevity Fruits back to the sect, or should I consume them myself?"

    Li Fan hesitated for a moment.

    ording to Chen Ying, everything gained in the Falling Immortal Realm only existed within the realm itself.

    To bring them back to reality, specific conditions needed to be met.

    Moreover, these conditions varied, requiring personal exploration.

    Furthermore, these conditions could change over time.

    These conditions seemed to be rted to the causalities around the items.

    And each time he entered the Falling Immortal Realm, the location he appeared in would be different.

    This meant that if he missed it this time, he might miss it forever.

    This situation made Li Fan feel a sense of loss and anxiety.

    However, soon Li Fan returned to normal.

    "The greater the value of an item, the more demanding the conditions for taking it out should be. How could it be so easy for me to bring it back to reality?"

    With a self-deprecating smile, Li Fan made a decision.

    "I''ll go back to the Purple Heaven Sect first and see if there''s any chance. I just don''t know if there''s enough time."

    At that moment, Li Fan left the protective barrier of the Tree of Evesting Life, preparing to call Senior Brother Zhang and return to the Purple Heaven Sect.

    "Boom!"

    Just then, a loud sound suddenly echoed through Ningyuan City.

    Li Fan''s heart skipped a beat, and he looked in the direction of the sound.

    "Chixia!" The sorrowful cry of Senior Brother Zhang came from afar.

    "You seek death! Don''t even think about leaving!" Apanied by his furious voice, a ck streak soared into the sky.

    Immediately, Senior Brother Zhang transformed into purple light, chasing closely behind.

    Li Fan suddenly felt a bad premonition.

    He hurriedly followed.

    Song Hesong also followed closely behind.

    "Senior Brother, calm down! Be careful; there might be a trap!" Li Fan transmitted his voice through divine sense.

    However, Senior Brother Zhang seemed to be consumed by anger, losing his rationality.

    He paid no attention to Li Fan''s advice.

    Relentlessly chasing after the ck light.

    Flying to the high sky, the ck light suddenly stopped.

    Looking down at the desperate Senior Brother Zhang, a conspiratorial smile appeared on his face.

    "Fellow Daoists, why not reveal yourselves!"

    In an instant, three more figures appeared beside the ck silhouette.

    They formed a formation, tightly surrounding Senior Brother Zhang who had entered the encirclement.

    "Senior Brother Zhang! Long time no see!"

    The ck figureughed heartily, extremely pleased with himself.

    Senior Brother Zhang now realized he had been tricked, his face darkening.

    "Senior Brother? Do I know you?" He stared at the other side for a moment, a bit puzzled.

    "You..." The ck figure seemed to have suffered a great insult, bing extremely agitated.

    "By the virtue of your Thunder Spirit Root, you act so arrogantly! You don''t even recognize Chu Liang, who once entered the sect with you and was humiliated by you!"

    Senior Brother Zhang, upon hearing this, remembered something.

    His body trembled, and he eximed, "You''re Chu Liang? How is that possible!"

    "You, who had no spiritual root and couldn''t cultivate, were expelled from the sect, right?! How do you now have a Foundation Establishment cultivation?"

    Chu Liang raised his head,ughing heartily, "You can''t cultivate without a spiritual root? Yes, that was true in the past!"

    "But now, the Immortal Ancestor has passed down a new method, and everyone can cultivate."

    "Moreover, our cultivation speed is even faster than you old relics!"

    "You, with your Thunder Spirit Root, started cultivating more than ten years ahead of me, yet you''re still at the same level as me!"

    Senior Brother Zhang''s face showed an incredulous expression.

    "Everyone can cultivate? That''s nonsense!"

    Chu Liang sneered, "Pitiful. Once you lose your proud cultivation qualifications, what do you have left?"

    Then, he looked at Senior Brother Zhang viciously, "Back then, I knelt before your door for three days and nights, almost crippling my legs."

    "I begged you to ept me and let me stay in the sect."

    "You remained indifferent and even mocked and insulted me."

    "The humiliation of that day will be washed away with your blood today!"

    "Fellow Daoists, attack together!"

 Chapter 178: Ningyuan Encounters a Siege

    "Senior Brother Li, it seems Senior Brother Zhang is caught in a heavy siege. Aren''t you going to help him?" Song Hesong asked with a worried expression.

    Recalling Senior Brother Zhang''s strength from Li Fan''s memories, he shook his head.

    "Let alone four ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, even if someone at the early Golden Core stagees, they might not be able to do anything to Senior Brother."

    Hearing this, Song Hesong showed a strange expression, as if confirming Li Fan''s words.

    With a furious shout from Chu Liang, four rays of light simultaneously burst forth, about to bombard Senior Brother Zhang.

    At this critical moment, a purple mirror suddenly appeared above his head, forming a protective barrier around him.

    Instantly, the four rays of light were reflected back.

    Chu Liang and the other three attacking Senior Brother Zhang did not anticipate this turn of events. Caught off guard, their own attacks hit them.

    "A mere speck dares to shine brightly!" Senior Brother Zhang''s purple lightning imprint between his eyebrows emitted a terrifying light.

    Threads of purple lightning surrounded his body, exuding a formidable aura.

    A menacing halberd, full of murderous intent, slowly manifested in Senior Brother Zhang''s hands.

    Pointing the halberd at Chu Liang and the others, he sneered, "Today, I will let you all see the difference between the true inheritance of a major sect and the misceneous practices of rogue cultivators!"

    Before his words finished, Senior Brother Zhang shed to the nearest enemy.

    With a swing of his halberd, purple lightning resembling a dragon ruthlessly swallowed the opponent without mercy.

    "Ah!"

    The person only managed to let out a scream before disappearing in the raging purple light.

    In an instant, one out of the four was gone.

    The remaining few were unavoidably terrified.

    Chu Liang shouted, "Fellow Daoist Song, why not take action now? What are you waiting for!"

    Hearing this, Li Fan''s expression changed.

    Before he could react, he felt eight blood-red chains suddenly appear beside him, entwining him.

    Then, a forcepletely surpassing the Foundation Establishment stage struck his back.

    Simrly, a purple mirror appeared above his head, forming a shield that slightly reduced the force.

    However, the force was too overwhelming. The protective light of the purple mirror only held for a moment before shattering into countless specks of starlight.

    Taking a direct hit, Li Fan spat out a mouthful of blood, and his aura rapidly declined.

    But the opponent was unrelenting.

    Looking back, Li Fan saw Song Hesong, emotionless, wielding a blood-red giant hammer.

    With majestic force, the hammer strikes continued, seemingly about to kill Li Fan on the spot.

    At the critical moment of his death, a jade pendant on Li Fan''s chest suddenly shattered.

    A giant hand, entirelyposed of purple lightning, formed from the fragments of the jade pendant.

    With a single-handed seal, it locked onto Song Hesong.

    Above his head, dark clouds gathered in an instant.

    A massive purple thunderbolt, as thick as a water bucket, struck down towards Song Hesong.

    Song Hesong showed a fierce expression, refusing to dodge or evade, preparing to endure the blow and kill Li Fan first.

    In the blink of an eye, a long halberd flew from a distance, intercepting the blood-red giant hammer.

    Senior Brother Zhang appeared in an instant, arriving at Li Fan''s side and supporting him.

    "Are you okay, Junior Brother?"

    As he spoke, he passed a strand of spiritual energy to help Li Fan stabilize his injuries.

    Then, with a solemn expression, he looked at Song Hesong.

    At this moment, the spiritual energy in Li Fan''s body had slowly recovered from the shock. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, squinting his eyes and staring at Song Hesong.

    This person suddenly turned against them and erupted with strength far beyond the surface of thete Foundation Establishment stage.

    Indeed, it was beyond Li Fan''s expectations.

    Coupled with the fact that he was currently upying someone else''s body and was not familiar with the techniques, it was unexpected and almost led to a fatal sneak attack.

    Fortunately, the original owner, Li Chen, was still an inner disciple of the Purple Heaven Sect, with many means of self-defence, allowing him to barely escape a disaster.

    Now looking at Song Hesong, it seemed that this person had suffered serious injuries from being struck by the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder.

    However, immediately after that, numerous green life force energies floated up from Ningyuan City below, rapidly restoring his injuries.

    In just a moment, he waspletely healed.

    Song Hesong''s face turned gloomy, and the blood-red giant hammer transformed into a long sword, held in his hand.

    Chu Liang and the other two arrived from afar, surrounding the two Purple Heaven Sect cultivators in the center.

    Ignoring the three Foundation Establishment cultivators like Chu Liang, Senior Brother Zhang looked at Song Hesong, his brows furrowed.

    "Mid-Golden Core stage? Manager Song, have you also cultivated that so-called new technique?" Song Hesong wore a mocking expression.

    "Why not? After toiling away for half of my life for your Purple Heaven Sect, I only managed to secure a position as an outer city manager," Song Hesong sneered.

    "In addition to a shallow cultivation in the ''Purple Heaven Thundercalling Technique,'' all I receive is a meager amount of spiritual stones every year.

    "I''m afraid I will remain stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage until I grow old."

    Song Hesong continued with resentment, "I refuse to face failure simply because I have little talent! After switching to the new technique, I achieved Foundation Establishment in five years and Golden Core in ten!"

    "Senior Brother Zhang, what do you think about my talent?"

    Zhang Qianmo looked at the thick blood-red aura lingering around Song Hesong, and a murderous intent emerged in his eyes. "Evil devil! I will definitely eliminate you!"

    As if hearing the world''s funniest joke, Song Hesong burst intoughter, mockery evident on his face. "Evil devil? You so-called prestigious sects treat ordinary people like livestock, extracting their life force, and refining Longevity Fruits."

    "Such extremely wicked methods, and you dare to call others evil devils?"

    "I think you are the real devils!"

    The blood-red aura on Song Hesong''s body surged along with his angry words.

    Zhang Qianmo''s expression remained unchanged. "Mortals receive our protection and must pay a price. Outside the wilderness, demons and beasts are rampant. Mortals are like food."

    "If it weren''t for our immortal sect guarding them, where could they live peacefully for so long?"

    "You think you can disturb my Dao heart with a few delusional words?"

    In Zhang Qianmo''s eyes, the purple color became even more intense.

    Pointing his long halberd at Song Hesong, he dered, "Even though you''re at the Golden Core stage, today, I will still kill you!"

    Under Zhang Qianmo''s pointed halberd, Song Hesong''s breath seemed to be affected, and it momentarily stagnated.

    But soon, he became somewhat ashamed and angered.

    "I''ve long heard about the exceptional talents of the inner sect disciples. Today, I''ll have to ask you to teach me!"

    With that, the blood-red long sword in his hand instantly split into six, facing Zhang Qianmo''s long halberd.

    On Li Fan''s side, Chu Liang and the other two cultivators surrounded him.

    Facing the siege of three cultivators at the same level, Li Fan remained calm.

    Activating the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique, he took out his spiritual weapon, a long spear.

    Shaking the body of the spear, it emitted a sound resembling a dragon''s roar.

    Li Fan engaged the three cultivators in a battle.

    Initially, Li Fan was not very familiar with the techniques he could use.

    There was always a sense of stiffness in his attacks.

    The three cultivators easily dodged each spear attack.

    Although Chu Liang and the other two were at the same cultivation level as Li Fan, having begun cultivation halfway through their lives, their attack methods were weaker by more than a bit.

    Li Fan dealt with them with ease.

    As time passed and Li Fan became more familiar with his own spells, his attacks became increasingly sharp and deadly.

    Chu Liang and his twopanions gradually fell into a disadvantage.

 Chapter 179: Fallen Immortal Realm, Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra

    As for Zhang Qianmo and Song Hesong on the other side, one was in thete Foundation Establishment stage, and the other was in the mid Golden Core stage.

    Although Zhang Qianmo''s cultivation level was lower, the techniques he cultivated were more exquisite than Song Hesong''s by no small measure.

    Moreover, the spiritual weapon in his hand was far superior to his opponent''s.

    So, for a while, the two of them were evenly matched.

    Meanwhile, Li Fan was gradually gaining the upper hand.

    The situation seemed to be developing in favor of the two from the Purple Heaven Sect.

    "Brother Song, the situation seemed a bit unfavorable!"

    One of the attackers against Li Fan shouted loudly.

    "Fellow Daoist Song, don''t hesitate, quickly activate the grand formation!"

    Chu Liang also called out.

    A moment of hesitation shed across Song Hesong''s face.

    It was followed by a grimace.

    He retreated rapidly, and his blood-red longsword transformed into arge bell, enveloping Zhang Qianmo within.

    A crazed expression filled his eyes as he mmed both hands towards the direction of Ningyuan City below.

    In Ningyuan City, there were cries and screams of mortals.

    Li Fan observed as blood-colored malevolent spiritual energy soared into the air, gathering beside Song Hesong.

    Within the bloody light were human faces twisted in agony.

    Song Hesong seized this blood-colored mass and poured it into the blood-red bell.

    Countless human faces wailed as they rushed toward Zhang Qianmo.

    Zhang Qianmo''s expression changed, and purple energy shielded him as he attempted to resist.

    But it was in vain.

    One after another, blood-colored faces rushed into Zhang Qianmo''s mind, leaving him stunned.

    The expression on Zhang Qianmo''s face changed constantly, sometimes in pain, sometimes revealing a bizarre smile.

    Seeing that Zhang Qianmo was temporarily trapped, Song Hesong looked towards Li Fan.

    Li Fan sensed trouble.

    However, Chu Liang and the others were currently intensifying their attacks, preventing Li Fan from escaping.

    Song Hesong arrived in an instant.

    One in the mid Golden Core stage and three in thete Foundation Establishment stage.

    Under the joint attack, Li Fan withstood only for a moment before sustaining heavy injuries.

    "It seems that this first exploration of the Fallen Immortal Realm is going to end here."

    As his injuries worsened and consciousness blurred, Li Fan heard what seemed like hallucinations.

    Illusory whispers, soft and rustling. Sometimes urgent, sometimes soothing.

    Seemingly wailing, resembling roars of anger.

    However, the specific content could not be distinguished.

    Before long, Li Fan could no longer resist.

    Song Hesong''s blood-colored giant palm ruthlessly mmed onto Li Fan''s head.

    "Bang!"

    Li Fan''s head exploded like a watermelon.

    By all logic, with his body destroyed, Li Fan should have returned to the real world.

    But...

    He entered a strange state.

    The remaining spiritual consciousness, like a ck hole, slowly devoured the body of Li Chen, who was a shell.

    There were no remnants of Li Chen''s memories.

    Just pure spiritual energy, gradually absorbed by Li Fan.

    The surroundings became increasingly noisy.

    Soft whispers turned into indescribable shouts.

    Anger, fear, sorrow, and other negative emotions rushed like a tsunami, vowing to engulf Li Fan.

    Yet, Li Fan''s mind remained unmoved like a rocky shore.

    Because underneath all of this was what Li Fan had been diligently cultivating since entering the path of immortality.

    The Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.

    After entering the Fallen Immortal Realm, the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra remained dormant, showing no special effects.

    But only after Li Chen''s body was killed...

    It started operating crazily on its own.

    Like a giant mill, it ground down the power thatposed Li Chen of the Purple Heaven Sect.

    Turning it into the purest supply, nourishing Li Fan''s mind.

    Although Li Chen''s body died, Li Fan''s consciousness gradually grew stronger.

    Apletely new avatar of consciousness belonging to Li Fan himself began brewing under the headless corpse of Li Chen.

    Li Fan remained calm, with no ripples in his heart.

    He coldly watched the "plot" continue to unfold around him.

    Song Hesong collected the storage ring from Li Fan''s hand and then let the corpse fall from high in the sky.

    Then he turned to look at Zhang Qianmo trapped in the blood-colored bell.

    "This person''s will was unexpectedly so resilient. Under the ''Sentient Soul Refinement Formation'' that sacrificed tens of thousands of lives, he could still persist for so long," sighed Song Hesong.

    "Unfortunately, the more extraordinary you are, the more you had to die today!"

    Song Hesong pped his hands towards the Ningyuan City below.

    Once again, a blood glow formed by countless faces surged towards Zhang Qianmo.

    Zhang Qianmo''s face became even more hideous and terrifying.

    Severalrge tumors bulged on his forehead, seemingly alive, moving around.

    "Puff!"

    A tumor burst, causing arge hole in Zhang Qianmo''s head. Afterward, like a chain reaction, the tumors on Zhang Qianmo''s head burst one after another.

    Half of his head disappeared.

    At this moment, Zhang Qianmo''s breath was like a candle in the wind, about to extinguish at any moment.

    However, some unknown force within him continued to sustain his vitality.

    Even with just a small portion of his head remaining, he stubbornly clung to life.

    "What''s going on?" Chu Liang eximed.

    "It seems this guy still has a big secret." Song Hesong''s face darkened.

    He looked at Zhang Qianmo, saying fiercely, "Even so, you are currently a turtle in a jar. I don''t believe you can turn the tables!"

    A red light emitted from the blood-colored bell pierced Zhang Qianmo''s body.

    The red light, like a knife, shed in a crisscross pattern.

    In an instant, Zhang Qianmo was cut into countless pieces.

    "After all this, I don''t believe you can survive!" Song Hesong sneered.

    Chu Liang and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.

    But not long after, their faces gradually turned pale.

    Because...

    They discovered that Zhang Qianmo''s breath still hadn''t disappeared!

    "Bloody hell! What kind of demonic technique is he cultivating!"

    Song Hesong finally revealed a terrified expression.

    "Fire! Use fire!" At this moment, Chu Liang shouted.

    Song Hesong pinched his fingers, and a red fireball appeared underneath the pile of flesh.

    In the intense heat, the flesh turned into flying ashes.

    But within this me, something persisted.

    No matter how vigorous the me, it couldn''t destroy it.

    It was a purple-colored Golden Core.

    "Golden Core? Wasn''t he in the Foundation Establishment stage? How could a Golden Core be formed inside his body?" This scene clearly exceeded the understanding of Song Hesong and others, and their faces all changed color.

    In fear, Song Hesong used all his techniques to attack the purple Golden Core.

    However, no matter what, they couldn''t shake the Golden Core even a bit.

    Trying to put it into the storage ring was also impossible.

    Because the aura belonging to Zhang Qianmo still lingered above it.

    Moreover, it was growing stronger and more vigorous.

    "You misceneous cultivators, without orthodox teachings, not studying the ssics."

    "Even if you learn a new method, it''s nothing more than having a high cultivation level."

    "How can you bepared to us orthodox sects?"

    Zhang Qianmo''s cold words emanated from the Golden Core.

    The Golden Core immediately radiated brightly, forcing the mes to retreat.

    A body slowly took shape from the radiance.

    As the radiance converged, it transformed into clothing.

    "I said that I will kill you today!"

    Zhang Qianmo looked at Song Hesong and spoke in a cold tone.

    Song Hesong trembled all over.

    He continuously struck downward, and amid the miserable cries of countless mortals, strands of blood-colored light materialized and surged toward Zhang Qianmo.

    As for Song Hesong himself, he didn''t care about Chu Liang and the others trembling in fear; he turned into blood-colored light and fled far away.

    Zhang Qianmo took a step, turning into purple lightning, arriving before the blood-colored light.

    Song Hesong couldn''t believe how fast Zhang Qianmo was. Unable to dodge in time, he collided head-on.

    "Boom!"

    Amidst the intense collision, Song Hesong seemed to lose control of his own body.

    Zhang Qianmo reached out with his right hand, gripping Song Hesong''s neck and lifting him up.

    "Traitor, die!"

    Zhang Qianmo pronounced the verdict.

    A purple lightning bolt descended from the sky.

    It fiercely struck Zhang Qianmo, who remained unharmed in the lightning, but Song Hesong, caught in his grip, let out a miserable scream.

    He then died.

    Zhang Qianmo looked towards Chu Liang and others, who had fled in different directions.

    He sneered.

    Pointing his finger lightly.

    Three purple lightning bolts descended.

    Their auras vanished, and three ck dots fell from the sky.

    Zhang Qianmo didn''t bother with them anymore.

    "To be forced to this extent..."

    "A new method..."

    He showed a contemtive expression.

    Then, as if sensing something, he flew down to the ground.

    There, the corpse that originally belonged to his junior brother Li Chen seemed to have melted like a candle.

    Zhang Qianmo discovered that beneath the remainingyer of skin was anotherpletely unfamiliar person.

    It was awakening.

 Chapter 180: Joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance

    The candle-like skin slowly melted away.

    It was gradually absorbed by the unfamiliar cultivator within the corpse.

    Facing this bizarre scene, Zhang Qianmo did not immediately kill the intruder. Instead, he observed with keen interest.

    After a moment, Li Chen''s corpse waspletely absorbed by the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.

    Li Fan also revealed his original appearance.

    With a slight smile, Li Fan bowed to Zhang Qianmo, "Greetings, Senior Brother!"

    Zhang Qianmo squinted his eyes, and the purple lightning mark on his forehead became prominent.

    "What exactly are you? A devil? An otherworldly demon?"

    Facing Zhang Qianmo''s inquiry, Li Fan remainedposed, "Senior Brother Zhang, is it that you can''t recognize me just because I changed my appearance?"

    Before the words could settle, a blue light illuminated the sky.

    The Cloud-shearing Sword and Heaven Overturning Palm sessively approached.

    Zhang Qianmo showed surprise on his face.

    The long halberd roared like a dragon, colliding with the Cloud-shearing Sword.

    Blue and purple lights devoured each other.

    In the end, the purple lightning prevailed.

    "Good swordsmanship!" Zhang Qianmo praised.

    Then, facing an invisible palm technique from above, Zhang Qianmo did not dodge but punched straight up.

    The fists collided.

    A majestic force erupted, spreading from the location of the two, devastating the city below, which was already in ruins with few mortals surviving.

    Only the Life-Engendering Longevity Tree in the center, protected by the barrier, remained vibrant.

    Zhang Qianmo was indifferent to the life and death of mortals.

    But as he looked at Li Fan, his expression turned solemn.

    "Who are you? Why did you secretly infiltrate my Purple Cloud Sect? Judging by your sword and palm techniques, you don''t seem like a misceneous cultivator."

    Li Fan avoided answering and asked, "Senior Brother, what technique is this? Clearly only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet you can condense a Golden Core inside your body? Even killing an enemy beyond a realm seems effortless for you."

    Zhang Qianmo snorted and, seeing Li Fan had no intention to answer, the killing intent in his heart grew stronger.

    Thus, he showed no mercy.

    The long halberd swept across, apanied by purple thunderbolts falling from the sky to assist inbat.

    Li Fan encountered an opponent with such strength for the first time in his life.

    His body technique reached its peak, forming the Sword Formation of the Still Sea to intercept the Dragon-like Halberd.

    During the exchange, the Cloud-shearing Sword and Heaven Overturning Palm asionally mixed in.

    But he rarely engaged in battles, so he only had those few tricks up his sleeve.

    Meanwhile, Zhang Qianmo showcased an endless array of techniques.

    The body born from the Golden Core was also invincible.

    Li Fan''s attacks asionallynded on him, causing only minor wounds.

    They quickly healed.

    On the contrary, with each burst of purple lightning, the injuries on Li Fan''s incarnated consciousness became increasingly severe.

    The whispering voices returned, influencing his mind.

    With each passing moment, Li Fan''s injuries worsened.

    After more than twenty rounds, Li Fan''s consciousness incarnation was finally cut in half by Zhang Qianmo''s halberd.

    There was no scene of blood flowing; his body disintegrated into countless particles, dispersing in the wind.

    "This person''s technique is mysterious, and his sword and palm techniques are full of wonders. He muste from a major sect. However, his actualbat skills are surprisingly ordinary, even a bit weaker than expected."

    "Truly strange."

    Zhang Qianmo shook his head, filled with confusion.

    In the heavenly mirror...

    Li Fan slowly regained consciousness.

    There was no sign of the weakness Chen Ying had mentioned. He even felt a slight enhancement in his spiritual consciousness.

    Recalling the experiences in the Immortal Fall Realm, Li Fan pondered.

    "It should be the effect of the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra."

    "But I wonder why this Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra has such an effect in the Immortal Fall Realm."

    "Generally speaking, after upying the original identity and dying, one should directly return to the real world."

    "I, on the other hand, can devour and reorganize, forming a new incarnation of consciousness. It''s like having two lives within the Immortal Fall Realm."

    "I wonder if there''s anyone else who can do it like me."

    "Although this first exploration yielded no results, my consciousness has gained some enhancement."

    ...

    Slightly pleased and without any fatigue, Li Fan, immediately prepared to perform the ritual again.

    To see if he could re-enter the Immortal Fall Realm.

    Unfortunately, there was no response.

    Li Fan could only regretfully give up.

    "ording to Chen Ying, it usually takes three to six months to re-enter. It''s a pity."

    "If one could enter indefinitely without restrictions..."

    Shaking his head, he dismissed this unrealistic thought.

    Checking the time, only a little less than half a day had passed since he entered the Immortal Fall Realm.

    "This time in the Immortal Fall Realm, I saw the cultivation world before the great cmity and the appearance of the Immortal-Devil gue."

    "It also exposed several issues I currently have. Although I have supernatural powers, my actualbat ability is a bitcking."

    "If not relying on array formations for ambush, I can handle ordinary Golden Core cultivators. But facing true geniuses is a bit challenging."

    "However, this is less my problem and more a difference between two eras."

    "In Zhang Qianmo''s era, sect disciples could freely study various techniques and secrets without any restrictions. They could easily find senior brothers for sparring."

    "Nowadays, exchanging techniques is difficult. Powerful techniques, aside from selfprehension, can only be obtained by joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and using merits and contributions."

    "Moreover, finding someone for a friendly spar is too difficult these days."

    "In the Heavenly Mirror, various scenarios can be simted, but there''s no simtion forbat against others. This should be a method used by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to restrict thebat power of ordinary cultivators."

    "However, with the existence of the Immortal Fall Realm, I can polish and improve my actualbat abilities within it."

    "Of course, the most important thing is still the advancement of my cultivation realm."

    Li Fan checked his contribution points, over 37,000.

    Enough to cultivate for some time in the Qi Condensation state.

    "Let''s cultivate to the perfection of Foundation Establishment first."

    So, Li Fan took out the exquisite ss bead and began closed-door cultivation.

    As time passed, he was awakened by a message from amunication talisman.

    Checking it, it was amunication talisman from He Zhenghao.

    Without immediately checking, Li Fan first examined the gains from his closed-door cultivation this time.

    After nearly two months of supplementary cultivation, half of his contribution points were spent.

    The gains...

    Li Fan sighed.

    Equivalent to three years of hard cultivation in a normal state.

    However, it was still far from reaching the perfection of Foundation Establishment.

    But Li Fan also knew he couldn''t be impatient.

    For ordinary cultivators, each breakthrough in the cultivation realm after Foundation Establishment required decades.

    "I still need the ''Mountain Sitting Technique''!"

    Li Fan sighed in his heart and then checked He Zhenghao''s message.

    "Friend Li Fan! Good news, things worked out! Through my tenacious efforts and persuasion, the position of Array Formation Repairer with Zhang Zhiliang has been negotiated!"

 Chapter 181: Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation

    He Zhenghao''s triumphant voice came through the talisman.

    "Zhang Zhiliang is quite entric. It took me considerable effort to convince him. Of course, the required contribution points are slightly higher than the 10,000 contribution points required for Master Gong."

    "13,000 contribution points."

    "It''s a rare opportunity. If you''re interested, contact me as soon as possible!"

    After that, the talisman fell silent.

    "Only an additional 3,000 contribution points, no problem. Thank you, fellow Daoist!" Li Fan thought for a moment and gave a positive response to He Zhenghao.

    On one hand, it was to get closer to Zhang Zhiliang and try to be his formal disciple.

    On the other hand, it was a perfect opportunity to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Joining the system of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had many benefits.

    Compared to the over 10,000 contribution points spent in this closed-door cultivation, the 13,000 contribution points were well worth it.

    Sending the message, He Zhenghao immediately replied, "In that case, to avoid dys, fellow Daoist, quickly go to the Transmission Square and wait for me."

    "I will take you to meet Zhang Zhiliang first. Then we''ll quickly secure the spot."

    "Remember, even though it''s just a small position as a Formation Repairer, there are still quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators eyeing it!"

    Li Fan also replied, "Thank you for your trouble!"

    After leaving the Tianxuan Mirror, he went to the Transmission Square to wait for He Zhenghao.

    As soon as he arrived, he saw that He Zhenghao was already waiting.

    "Fellow Daoist, you''ve gone through much trouble for me!" Li Fan said to He Zhenghao.

    "Hehe, no need to be so polite. Since you were introduced into the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance by me, I naturally have to take good care of you."

    "Moreover, it''s mutually beneficial. Maybe in the future, I''ll have something that requires your help!"

    He Zhenghao waved his hand, not minding.

    Then he said, "Zhang Zhiliang is not on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind right now. Recently, an ind suddenly emerged from the seabed in the western part of the Cong Yun Sea. Zhang Zhiliang and Gong Boyu are currently on that ind."

    "It might take a year or more before theye back."

    "You should go with me to see them and secure the spot first."

    Li Fan nodded.

    "An ind emerging from the seabed? Several Formation masters from the Formation Hall are also on the ind? Did they discover some sect remnants or something?" Li Fan followed He Zhenghao towards a tree-like teleportation formation while asking.

    He Zhenghao shook his head. "It''s not a sect remnant, just an ordinary ind."

    "Over three thousand years ago, for some unknown reason, the entire ind sank into the ocean. Now, it has resurfaced."

    "Oddly, this ind seems to have been under the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance originally, but there''s no record of this ind. The guardian formation around the ind was reactivated after it surfaced."

    "And the guardian formation from back then is quite different from the current one. That''s why several Formation masters from the Formation Hall went to check it out."

    He Zhenghao exined.

    Using the teleportation formation, the two arrived at a huge ind full of various trees, simr to a primitive forest.

    This ce was more than ten timesrger than Liuli Ind.

    "The new ind is located more than five hundred miles west of this Lingmu Ind."

    Li Fan and He Zhenghao flew towards their destination while conversing.

    "Could it be that the formations from a thousand years ago are stronger than those nowadays? Why would several Formation Masters go there to study?" Li Fan asked, expressing the doubts in his mind.

    "Hehe, fellow Daoist, you may not know this. The guardian formationsmonly used within our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance are not fixed."

    "We''ve always had conflicts with the Five Elders Association. If we had a set and unchanging formation for over a hundred years, it risks being leaked or easily cracked on arge scale."

    "So, guardian formations undergo a minor change every two hundred years and a major change every thousand years."

    "A minor change refers to keeping the basic logic of the formation unchanged, only subtly adjusting theyout of the formation."

    "While a major change involves building an entirely new formation."

    He Zhenghao exined slowly.

    "So, the guardian formation running on that ind from three thousand years ago is quite a rarity. Its power is average, but those proficient in formations can discern its intricacies and deduce the Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation thatplements it."

    Li Fan was momentarily stunned, "Theplementary Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation?"

    After hesitating for a moment, He Zhenghao exined in a hushed tone, "This Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation doesn''t refer to the one on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind. Rather, it refers to the true Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation formed by all the guardian formations in the cities and inds within a region, with the Ten Thousand Immortals Guardian Formation within the central ind city as the core, amplifying its power."

    "This Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation, once fully activated, covers the entire region with unimaginable power. It''s said to have a record of killing Dao Integration level figures."

    "But the resources it consumes are extremely huge, and it can only be activated with approval from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters."

    "It''s generally only used during invasions by the Five Elders Association."

    Li Fan, who was only beginning to understand formations, imagined the scene in his mind and couldn''t help but take in a sharp breath.

    "No wonder the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance goes to great lengths to build guardian formations in most cities within its territory."

    "It turns out there''s this additional consideration."

    At this moment, He Zhenghao continued with a cheerful tone, "Privately, we''ve spected that this might not be theplete form of the Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation. The true form might be a massive formation covering all Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance territories, formed by fully activating the Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formations in each region as nodes."

    "But this is purely our idle spection. That kind of formation is too terrifying. Once activated, I''m afraid the entire cultivation world would suffer immense destruction."

    Li Fan listened in silence.

    "Judging by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s style of doing things, this ultimate form of the Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation is definitely real."

    "The Xuanhuang Realm has maintained peace despite being almost divided between the conflicting Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders. Aside from those elusive Longevity Immortals, the existence of this ultimate Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation is probably a crucial factor."

    After a moment of contemtion, Li Fan fell into silence, and the two continued their journey in silence.

    Not long after, the once-sunken ind came into view.

    Even from a distance, Li Fan could sense that the dampness on the ind had not yet dissipated.

    Most of the buildings on the ind were still intact.

    However, having been submerged in the sea for a thousand years, the surfaces of the buildings were covered with seaweed and algae.

    On the streets, countless fish that had been separated from the seawater were leaping and struggling for survival.

    Outside the ind, Li Fan could vaguely see a golden formation barrier.

    "I wonder why this ind sank for some unknown reason three thousand years ago."

    "And now, why did it suddenly resurface?"

 Chapter 182: Mountain and River Formation

    On the golden barrier enveloping the ind, there was a small circr gap. He Zhenghao led Li Fan into the protective formation through this gap.

    "When you meet the Formation Masterster, don''t bring up the matter of contribution points in front of them. Act ordingly, and after everything is settled, transfer the contribution points to me. I''ll then pass them on to Zhang Zhiliang," He Zhenghao whispered to Li Fan.

    Li Fan smiled slightly, indicating his understanding.

    "Haha! Fellow Daoist He came just in time!"

    At that moment, theughter of Gong Boyu came from afar. Li Fan looked towards the sound and saw several Formation Masters from the Formation Hall gathered here.

    In front of them was arge vertical screen, on which many tiny formation units shed rapidly. Formation Masters asionally pointed at the screen, discussing things with varied expressions.

    "What''s this..." Li Fan''s gaze shed as he looked towards the golden formation in the sky.

    Sure enough, he vaguely saw many small disks, like crawling insects, attached to the surface of the formation.

    While absorbing the power of the formation, these discs simultaneously transmitted the data of the units that formed the protective formation to the central screen.

    "Formation Breaking Disks."

    In the twelfth life, Zhang Zhiliang''s legacy mentioned this kind of treasure.

    It could analyze theposition data of a formation without damaging its structure, providing a reference for cracking the formation.

    A set of one thousand one hundred and eighty Formation Breaking Disks was quite valuable.

    Li Fan had never had the chance to see them before, but unexpectedly, he encountered them today.

    "Come,e! Fellow Daoist He,e and take a look at thetest analysis data. See if the reappearance of this ind from the sea floor is rted to changes in the earth veins!" Gong Boyu enthusiastically called.

    Though He Zhenghao was excited about the study, he hadn''t forgotten about the main business. He turned to Zhang Zhiliang and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, this is the cultivator I mentioned before, Li Fan, who is willing to follow you as a Formation Repairer. He has a Foundation Establishment cultivation and some understanding of formations."

    Zhang Zhiliang casually nced at Li Fan, tossed over a testing ball, and said, "Test yourself first. As long as you''re notpletely ignorant of formations, there should be no problem."

    Li Fan took the testing ball, and after his spiritual sense circted through it, the test quickly ended.

    Zhang Zhiliang looked at the number of glowing points on the testing ball and was somewhat surprised.

    "You''ve only been self-studying formations so far? With these results, you''re quite good. As a Formation Repairer, you have more than enough ability!"

    Zhang Zhiliang knew the difficulty of the questions inside the testing ball: some of them could be considered quite tricky. Even apprentices in the Formation Hall might not perform as well as the person before him.

    "Master, you''re too kind! This junior has limited talent. The only thing I rely on is constant ''diligence''!" Li Fan calmly responded.

    Zhang Zhiliang nodded, increasingly satisfied, and handed Li Fan a jade token.

    A diagram of the main building of the Formation Hall was engraved on the jade token.

    Zhang Zhiliang instructed, "With this jade token, register your identity at the Government Hall first, then collect the relevant items at the Ten Thousand Mirror. After activating your permissions, if you have any questions, you can also find answers in the Ten Thousand Mirror."

    Li Fan nodded in acknowledgment, put away the jade token, and thanked him with a bow.

    Seeing that things had gone smoothly, He Zhenghao also showed a pleased expression and immediately focused his attention on the screen of the Formation Breaking Disks.

    The atmosphere became focused, and his temperament changed suddenly as if he had transformed into a different person in an instant. Li Fan couldn''t help but marvel at the sight.

    On the screen, the speed of the shing images continued to increase.

    He Zhenghao also seemed to be struggling a bit, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

    Above his head, a scroll unfolded slowly.

    In the scroll, faintly visible were continuous mountain ranges and a denselyid-outwork of water.

    Mountains and rivers intertwined, stretching for countless miles.

    The grandeur was magnificent and spectacr.

    "This should be Fellow Daoist He''s Foundation Treasure, the ''Mountain and River Vein Formation Diagrams.'' Judging from its power, it seems to be more than just a mere Human Treasure," Li Fan observed carefully, silently pondering.

    After about half a stick of incense, He Zhenghao finally took a deep breath and retracted the peculiar phenomenon.

    "Fellow Daoist Gong has an extraordinary eye! Your vision can be described in one word¡ªurate!" He Zhenghao praised first.

    He then continued slowly, "Indeed, this ind is currently situated on top of an earth vein. There must have been significant changes at some other node on this earth vein, causing this ind, which had been submerged in the sea for three thousand years, to reappear on the surface."

    "But that location seems to be extremely far from the Cong Yun Sea. With my Foundational Establishment cultivation, it''s difficult for me to sense the specific location," He Zhenghao regretfully said.

    He Zhenghao''s words immediately sparked a heated discussion among the group of Formation Masters.

    "So, it was caused by changes in the earth vein? How big of a disturbance must that be?"

    "If Fellow Daoist He can''t sense it, the location of the incident should be quite far away. With such a distance, the impact of the incident should have been tremendous to sink an ind all the way over here."

    "Just go back and inquire about which province it happened in."

    "That''s not necessarily the case, earth vein changes may also ur in the deep underground. The surface may experience only slight tremors."

    ...

    While the discussion was intense over there, Zhang Zhiliang, who had not participated, suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist He, what do you think of this golden protective formation?"

    He Zhenghao squinted his eyes, pondered for a moment, and replied, "This golden formation is connected to the earth vein. If my guess is correct, it should be based on the ''Mountain and River Formation.''"

    "As long as the earth vein is intact, this defensive formation will be endless. And the Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Formation can condense the earth vein of a whole province for protection. Its defense is so strong that even three or four cultivators in the Dao Integration realm may not be able to break it."

    "It''s stronger than the current formation by more than one level."

    Zhang Zhiliang nodded slowly. "Although this formation''s defensive power is strong, if the formation is broken, it will cause some damage to the earth vein. I wonder what happened at that time to force people to resort to a solution as extreme as the Mountain and River Formation."

    Gong Boyu also approached at this moment. "Why bother with so much? This free Mountain and River Formation is right in front of us. You can study it without spending any contribution points. Such a good thing is a once-in-a-century opportunity."

    He Zhenghao agreed, saying, "Fellow Daoist Gong makes sense. These opportunities should not be missed. We should study it carefully."

    Saying this, the group immersed themselves in the continuously shing images on the screen of the Formation Breaking Disks.

    Li Fan also observed for a while. Unfortunately, with his current foundation in formations, he was not yet able toprehend anything from it.

    Watching the several Formation Masters engrossed in their study, Li Fan decided not to linger any longer.

    After bidding farewell, he quietly returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    He headed straight for the central Formation Hall on the ind.

 Chapter 183: White Jade Inquiry Platform

    Carrying the jade token given by Zhang Zhiliang, the radiant light of the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation merely brushed past Li Fan, without eliciting any sense of threat.

    The Government Hall and the Council Hall were the two most prominent tall buildings in the central area of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Following the path, Li Fan quickly arrived outside the Government Hall.

    A Qi Condensation cultivator dressed in ck and yellow robes stood at the entrance. Upon seeing Li Fan approaching, he gave a nce and then politely inquired, "Fellow Daoist, are you here to register for a position in the Formation Hall?"

    Li Fan nodded.

    "Alright, follow me."

    Li Fan followed the cultivator, walking all the way inside to a small room deep within the Government Hall.

    Upon entering, he discovered another world.

    The guiding cultivator left on his own, leaving Li Fan alone to observe this space.

    Numerous tall red wooden cabs were arranged side by side on the ground.

    There were an extremelyrge number of these wooden cabs.

    They were endless; with a quick nce, one couldn''t see the end.

    An old man with white hair stood silently in front of these red wooden cabs.

    Observing him, Li Fan felt as if this old man wasn''t inactive.

    Instead, it seemed like he had countless clones busy in front of these red wooden cabs.

    Li Fan looked up and carefully examined this space.

    All around was a vast expanse of whiteness. Apart from the red wooden cabs and the white-haired old man, there were no other decorations.

    It was monotonous and somewhat frightening.

    "It seems that this ce, like the Tianxuan Mirror, is a space shared by every branch of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?" Li Fan spected silently.

    However, he didn''t show any disrespect and promptly handed the jade token to the old man.

    Taking the jade token, the old man nced at Li Fan.

    He cleared his throat and calmly said, "Although you are under Zhang Zhiliang, if you want to officially join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, you still need to go through the proper procedures."

    The old man pointed to the nk area in front of him, and suddenly, a white tform rose from the ground.

    Made entirely of white jade, it emitted a lustrous glow.

    "This is the Inquiry tform. To prevent spies from the Five Elders Association from infiltrating the alliance, you must pass the Inquiry tform test before joining."

    "Stand on it!"

    The old man instructed, not giving Li Fan a chance to refuse.

    Li Fan''s heart trembled slightly, raising his spirits, ready to use [Truth] if anything went wrong.

    After leaping onto the white Inquiry tform, a miniaturized projection of Li Fan instantly appeared around him.

    It included some basic information about him within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    "Besides the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, have you ever joined any other cultivation organizations?"

    ncing at Li Fan''s information, the white-haired old man asked.

    "None." Li Fan quickly answered.

    The white jade tform remained normal, with no abnormalities.

    The white-haired old man nodded, then continued to ask, "Have you had any dealings with the Five Elders Association?"

    "No."

    "Do you harbor ill intentions towards the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?"

    "No."

    "Do you have any living rtives?"

    "All mortals, no attachments."

    ...

    Time passed in the process of questions and answers.

    Fortunately, these were basic questions about one''s stance, without delving into the privacy of a cultivator''s techniques or abilities.

    Li Fan answered each question calmly.

    "Onest question." The old man cleared his throat.

    "Why did you join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?"

    Li Fan paused for a moment and answered slowly, "Immortality."

    The white-haired old man''s eyes flickered slightly.

    The Inquiry tform silently disappeared from view.

    "You have sessfully passed the inquiry test. From today onwards, you are an official member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    The old man pped his hands, and in front of him, Li Fan''s miniature projection image slowly appeared.

    Next to the image, there were lengthy pages of text and the footage of Li Fan''s questioning process.

    Afterward, a red wooden cab from a distance, like a phantom, traversed throughyers of wooden cabs and flew to the front of the white-haired old man.

    One of the cab doors opened on its own.

    The old man pressed his hands in the air,pressing the image data in front of him into a glowing white paper.

    Gently, he ced the paper into the cab.

    Then, the cab door closed, and the wooden cab instantly returned to its original position, disappearing from Li Fan''s sight.

    "You may go."

    The white-haired old man said to Li Fan, then returned to his previous motionless state.

    Li Fan bowed and quietly withdrew.

    Leaving this pale space, at the entrance of the Government Hall, Li Fan encountered the guide cultivator from before.

    He nced at Li Fan and cupped his hands, "Congrattions, fellow Daoist, on officially joining!"

    "Oh? How you could tell?" Li Fan replied politely.

    "Hehe, because after going up the Inquiry tform, if you haven''t officially joined, the only other possibility is death. Since fellow Daoist is alive, the result is self-evident." The guiding cultivator answered with a smile.

    "Thank you for the insight. I am Li Fan." Saying this, Li Fan handed over a Communication Talisman.

    "I am Gao Yuan." Taking Li Fan''s talisman, Gao Yuan became even more courteous.

    Li Fan exchanged a few more pleasantries with him before returning to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Upon entering, he received a notification.

    "Wee, Cultivator Li Fan. You have officially joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    "Your current position: Formation Repairer for the Cong Yun Sea."

    "Responsibility: Assist Zhang Zhiliang of the Formation Hall in maintaining the protective formations in the Cong Yun Sea area."

    "Fixed wage: 1500 contribution points per year. Each time you participate in maintenance, you can earn an additional 200-2000 contribution points based on your level of participation."

    "Minimum duty requirement: Participate in at least three major array maintenance tasks every ten years."

    "Reminder: If you fail to meet the minimum duty requirement for the first time, you will receive a warning. If there is a second time, your Formation Repairer position will be forcibly revoked, and you will not be allowed to rejoin for one hundred years."

    "Please take your responsibilities seriously."

    "You can now increase your permission level within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance by umting merits."

    "The higher your permission level, the more items and techniques you can view and exchange."

    "Your current permission level: One."

    "Complete merit tasks to earn merits."

    "Merits are divided into six levels from top to bottom: Heaven, Earth, First, Second, Third, Fourth."

    "Each level is further divided into upper, middle, and lower."

    ...

    In addition to various new prompts, Li Fan also received several items at the same time.

    One of them was the standard ck and yellow robe used within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    The robe provided simple protection and could effectively resist attacks from mid-level Foundation Establishment cultivators.

    For Li Fan, it was better than nothing.

    If the robe got damaged and needed recement, he would have to spend contribution points to buy a new one in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Another item was the identity jade disk.

    If you didn''t join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s system, the alliance wouldn''t care if you were killed outside.

    However, with this identity jade disc, if you died unexpectedly, the Heavenly Secrets Hall would investigate.

    Based on the specific results of the investigation, they would decide whether to carry out revenge.

 Chapter 184: Taian Island Spy

    In addition to the robe uniform and identity jade disk, there was also a uniquemunication talisman.

    The talisman was circr, intricately carved with patterns around it, and a ''Ten Thousand'' character engraved in the center.

    As his spiritual consciousness was immersed in it, he instantly felt like he was in the starry sea.

    Countless dim stars were faintly visible around, representing members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    The image of He Zhenghao shed through his mind.

    In an instant, among countless stars, he found the one representing He Zhenghao.

    Li Fan sent a friend request.

    After a while, that dim star brightened.

    In a dark gxy, it became conspicuously bright.

    "Fellow Daoist acted so fast; you''ve officially joined? Congrattions!" He Zhenghao''s message quickly arrived.

    "I must thank Fellow Daoist He!" Li Fan replied.

    However, there was no further response, indicating that He Zhenghao was once again immersed in the study of the Mountain and River Formation.

    Li Fan also sent friend requests to Chen Ying, Zhang Zhiliang, Gong Boyu, and others.

    Then his spiritual consciousness retreated from themunication talisman.

    In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan began to search for merit tasks.

    As opposed to tasks that earned contribution points, merit tasks were mostly directly issued by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    The task types ranged from collecting materials to participating in the maintenance of the daily operations of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    There was also a special category of tasks, which involved reporting and exposing spies infiltrating the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, such as those from the Five Elders Association or other cultivation organizations.

    For such tasks, the merits varied based on the spy''s rank.

    Li Fan''s current permission level was One.

    Basically, bypleting any merit task, he could upgrade to level Two.

    However, there was a limit on the number of merit tasks one couldplete.

    A maximum of three tasks could bepleted each year.

    Li Fan wasn''t in a hurry to ept them.

    Apart from tasks, there were other ways to earn merits.

    For example, rmending cultivators to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, like He Zhenghao did before.

    Or providing valuable information.

    There were no restrictions on these, and more was better.

    One point that caught Li Fan''s interest was that the merits required to upgrade permission levels were not a fixed value but instead disyed as a progress bar.

    This was because the Tianxuan Mirror would adjust the merits based on their real-time value.

    For example, say a merit task that required handing in ''Scarlet Cloud Ice'' would always exist.

    Afterpleting the task, a lower third-ss merit would be rewarded.

    However, the value of ''Scarlet Cloud Ice'' itself fluctuated continuously.

    Under normal circumstances, the value of these items wouldn''t fluctuate drastically.

    But in the history of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, there were cases where the value of certain resources plummeted significantly.

    So, the Tianxuan Mirror would adjust and precisely control based on the real-time value of merits.

    Li Fan''s focus was on a merit task with a middle third-ss merit reward.

    A small progress bar appeared next to the task introduction.

    Above the progress bar, there was a small number indicating forty-three.

    This meant thatpleting this task and earning the medium third-ss merit would raise Li Fan''s permission level by one, as well as providing an additional forty-three percent progress.

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had a total of forty-nine permission levels.

    In the beginning, promotion was rtively simple, but it became increasingly difficult as one progressed.

    Understanding the mechanism of merits and permission levels, Li Fan then searched for cultivation techniques.

    Immediately, Li Fan noticed a difference from the past.

    Some search results were prominently marked with golden font.

    This indicated that only members within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance system could see these cultivation techniques.

    Moreover, these restricted cultivation techniques could only be used for personal cultivation after redemption and couldn''t be shared with others. If they were "lost" and someone else learned them, there were personnel from the Law Enforcement Hall responsible for recovery, and the original redeemer would be penalized by deducting a certain amount of merits.

    Li Fan carefully examined these restricted cultivation techniques.

    Among them, the golden font of some was bright, indicating that Li Fan could redeem them with his current permission level.

    However, there was another fraction with a dim golden color, requiring permission levels beyond Li Fan''s current level. He could only view their introductions but couldn''t redeem them.

    Generally speaking, one could see search results three permission levels above their own as a form of encouragement. Li Fan casually looked at a dim golden Golden Core-stage cultivation technique.

    Sixty-five thousand contribution points, permission level three required for redemption.

    "Absorb the spiritual energy of metal to nurture sword intent within the body. Sword intent can be used for flying on a sword and as a spiritual weapon to kill enemies."

    "The power is indeed much stronger than what I''ve seen before, and the price is higher too."

    Li Fan looked at several other dim golden cultivation techniques, and they were all the same.

    "If the Yanfa Jue constantly derivates out cultivation techniques day and night, there will certainly be some world-shaking divine techniques."

    "They likely won''t be much weaker than the foundational techniques of those ancient sects."

    "Even if I can''t redeem them, taking a nce and broadening my knowledge would be good."

    "Unfortunately, my permission level is not enough."

    "Permission level, permission level..."

    Li Fan then recalled the various ways to earn merits.

    A figure suddenly shed in his mind.

    The guardian of Taian Ind, Zhou Qingang.

    In his previous two lives, this person always fled before the arrival of the Crimson me, which seemed somewhat suspicious to Li Fan.

    There were only two possibilities.

    One was that Zhou Qingang had a very strong background.

    In the tenth life, even the two Soul Transformation True Monarchs of the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind couldn''t detect the imminent arrival of the Crimson me. However, Zhou Qingang did.

    This indicated that Zhou Qingang''s background was even more formidable than these Soul Transformation powerhouses; in other words, a Dao Integration Immortal Sage.

    In Li Fan''s opinion, this possibility was low. If Zhou Qingang truly had the backing of an Immortal Sage, he could have just left directly.

    There would be no need to appoint someone else to guard Taian Ind as a proxy under the pretense of going out to look for opportunities.

    Therefore, the remaining possibility was far more likely.

    Zhou Qingang might be a spy nted by another organization within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Li Fan believed that the top powerhouses of this world must have sensed something before the Crimson me arrived.

    For some unknown reason, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters did not issue a warning about the danger to the Ten Thousand Immortals Inds, but other organizations should have detected some signs as well.

    For instance, the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce had issued an order for all its members to evacuate the Cong Yun Sea before the cmity struck.

    Zhou Qingang likely also received a notice from his organization, which led him to escape from the Cong Yun Sea.

    Of course, this was just Li Fan''s spection.

    To confirm this, further verification was needed. If his guess was wrong, that would be fine.

    However, if Zhou Qingang was indeed a spy, Li Fan would gain a lot.

    Not only would he harvest arge amount of merits and contribution points, but more importantly, Li Fan also wanted to find a way to deceive the Inquiry tform from him.

 Chapter 185: Splitting the Mind

    With the help of [Truth], one could undergo infinite cycles of reincarnation.

    Apart from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, Li Fan would definitely have the opportunity to visit other organizations such as the Five Elders Association in the future.

    He believed that they should also have a method simr to the Inquiry tform.

    To prevent exposure and being directly killed as a spy, it was necessary to find a technique that could conceal his intentions.

    Moreover, a method to hide the secrets in his heart was particrly important for Li Fan, who possessed [Truth].

    "You better be a spy, fellow Daoist Zhou."

    Recalling the scene when he first met Zhou Qingang, Li Fan secretly said in his heart.

    Subsequently, he separately messaged several people he knew, such as He Zhenghao, Gao Yuan, and Chen Ying, inquiring about Zhou Qingang.

    After most of the day passed, he gradually received replies.

    Excluding those who didn''t know much about Zhou Qingang, the other responses were quite consistent.

    Originally, Zhou Qingang was a wandering cultivator.

    Over seventy years ago, in theter stages of Qi Condensation, he joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    After advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, he sessfully passed the assessment held once every ten years and became the guardian of Taian Ind.

    Zhou Qingang was diligent and responsible in his daily work.

    Most of the time, he stayed on the ind, rarely venturing outside.

    ...

    With this information, Li Fan became even more convinced of his judgment.

    Next, he had to find a way to expose Zhou Qingang''s true colors.

    Having infiltrated the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for so many years without being discovered by others, this person must be extremely cautious in his actions.

    For others, finding his ws might be difficult.

    But for Li Fan, who harbored the Formless Killing Intent, as long as this person was indeed a spy, it was only a matter of time before he revealed himself under the all-epassing, 24/7 surveince throughout the year.

    Wearing a friendly smile, Li Fan left the Tianxuan Mirror and arrived at Taian Ind through the teleportation array.

    Having served as the acting guardian for several years, Li Fan was quite familiar with the ind.

    Above the city where the strange human-faced fruit lived, Li Fan met Zhou Qingang and exined his intentions.

    "Your timing is unfortunate, fellow Daoist. All the remaining Taian Fruits have been sold, and there are none left." Zhou Qingang shook his head, expressing regret.

    "Oh, my luck is really bad. I recently heard that there is such a cheap and life-prolonging treasure, but I couldn''t find it in the Tianxuan Mirror. I wanted to see if fellow Daoist had any in stock." Li Fan sighed, looking regretful.

    While speaking, he directly activated the Formless Killing Intent, locking onto Zhou Qingang.

    The Formless Killing Intent was already incredibly subtle, and Li Fan''s cultivation level was even greater than Zhou Qingang''s by a small realm.

    Naturally, Zhou Qingang had no awareness of it and enthusiastically suggested, "Fellow Daoist, don''t worry. If you really need it, I will save one for you next time Taian Fruit is harvested."

    Li Fan was delighted, "Thank you, fellow Daoist!"

    He took out the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliancemunication talisman and added Zhou Qingang as a friend.

    "I am currently serving as a member of the Formation Hall and am responsible for repairing formations. In the future, we can stay in contact!" Li Fan said.

    "I don''t know if fellow Daoist is acquainted with He Zhenghao, the guardian of Liuli Ind? My rtionship with fellow Daoist He is also quite deep."

    Zhou Qingang''s eyes lit up, and he promptly epted the friend request.

    "Hehe, my rtionship with fellow Daoist He is also decent. It turns out we all know each other!"

    Li Fan continued to follow Zhou Qingang''s lead and chatted for a while.

    Afterward, he returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Inside the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan directly transferred a hundred contribution points to Zhou Qingang.

    "Fellow Daoist Zhou, I''ve transferred the contribution points to you first. Remember to save the Taian Fruit for me."

    Soon, Zhou Qingang replied, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured. Even if I can''tplete the annual tribute mission, I will save one for you!"

    "Fellow Daoist Zhou is truly earnest!"

    While praising Zhou Qingang, Li Fan used the Vision of Heaven and Earth to observe his every move.

    His expression remained normal.

    Li Fan didn''t expect to quickly expose Zhou Qingang.

    However, the Formless Killing Intent was always watching, and there woulde a day when Zhou Qingang would reveal himself.

    For now, this matter was temporarily put aside.

    After transferring the 15,000 contribution points to He Zhenghao, Li Fan began the formal process of selecting merit tasks.

    He nned to first elevate his permission level and then see if he could find techniques rted to the mind.

    This was quite important to him.

    During the twelfth life, he encountered the problem of "not enough brainpower."

    As the lending operations of the Mingyue Pce gradually expanded, Li Fan had to maintain control of both his main body and clone while constantly monitoring nearly a hundred borrowers.

    Although most of them only required a trace of his consciousness, whenbined, the brainpower required began to affect his main body unavoidably.

    It specifically manifested as asional brief pauses in thinking and a decrease in his normal thinking speed.

    In simple terms, Li Fan sometimes felt that his brain was gging."

    To solve this problem, there were two methods.

    One was to increase the strength of his consciousness.

    The second was to enhance the multitasking ability of his consciousness, splitting his mind into different tasks.

    Compared to ordinary cultivators, Li Fan''s spiritual consciousness strength was already quite strong, equivalent to thete stage of Golden Core, a realm higher than the average Foundation Establishment cultivator.

    Now that he had found a method to enhance his spiritual consciousness strength by entering the Fallen Immortal Realm and absorbing the bodies of those possessed, he didn''t need to search for other ways to increase spiritual consciousness strength.

    Therefore, what Li Fan needed to do now was to improve his shorings.

    He needed to find a way to split his mind for various tasks.

    During the twelfth life, even though Li Fan possessed a considerable fortune, he couldn''t find such a technique in the Tianxuan Mirror.

    He could only reluctantly make do.

    Since he had joined the system of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in this life, he naturally wanted to take this opportunity to find a technique that could enhance his multitasking capabilities.

    Before, Li Fan had searched a bit, but with his permission level only being One, he hadn''t found a suitable technique.

    However, Li Fan believed that as his permission level increased, he would eventually find a satisfactory technique.

    Currently, Li Fan was at the Foundation Establishment stage, and most of the merit tasks avable corresponded to third-grade merits.

    asionally, there were one or two tasks ssified as second grade with abel indicating high risk.

    Li Fan''s target was these high-risk tasks.

    The so-called high risk varied from person to person.

    For ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, tasks at the Golden Core level were clearly beyond their ability.

    However, for Li Fan, who possessed various divine techniques, the risks of these tasks weren''t as high.

    For example, one task required him to join a squad from the Martial Hall to clear out beasts on Wai Ind in the Cong Yun Sea.

    ording to the task description, these beasts fed on sound.

    They reproduced rapidly inrge numbers and needed to be cleared out periodically.

    Although the beasts were rampant, their individual strength was rtively weak.

    Their basicbat power was only equivalent to the early Foundation Establishment stage.

    This task was perfect for Li Fan.

 Chapter 186: Nine Teams of the Martial Hall

    Merit tasks triggered by random events were always being watched by cultivators.

    Li Fan directly epted the task to avoid it being snatched by others.

    Soon, a friend request was sent to him.

    Martial Hall, Jiang Zhengji.

    Li Fan epted the request, and a message from Jiang Zhengji came: "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, I have already checked your basic information."

    "With yourte Foundation Establishment cultivation, plus the assistance of formations, there should be no risk in following behind our team toplete this task."

    "I will send you the information about this trip to Wai Ind shortly for you to prepare."

    "We''ll set out tomorrow. Meet at the Transmission Square."

    Li Fan didn''t rush to check the mission information Jiang Zhengji sent but first investigated Jiang Zhengji''s personal information.

    His spiritual consciousness touched the star in the starry sea representing Jiang Zhengji, and a brief message instantly appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    Jiang Zhengji, a member of the Tiancang Team in the Martial Hall on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Mid Golden Core stage cultivation.

    Li Fan had some knowledge of the Tiancang Team.

    It was one of the nine teams in the Martial Hall.

    In the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, matters rted to techniques would be handled by the Law Enforcement Hall.

    For other situations requiring the use of force, the Martial Hall would take charge.

    The nine teams were Tianjun, Tiancang, Tianbian, Tianxuan, Tianyou, Tianhao, Tianzhu, Tianyan, and Tianyang.

    Except for the Tianjun Team, who were responsible for overall coordination and had a slightly higher status, the other teams were of equal standing.

    "I wonder how many members from the Tiancang Team will be mobilized for this task."

    With this thought in mind, Li Fan clicked on the Wai Ind beast-clearing mission briefing.

    Wai Ind was located in the southwestern region of the Cong Yun Sea.

    The ind was inhabited by headless beasts.

    With short lower limbs and stout arms, they crawled on the ground at incredible speed.

    These beasts had no heads, only arge mouth on their chests.

    They fed on sound, and as long as they were hungry, they could satiate themselves by simply making sound.

    With thick skin and the ability to quickly recover from injuries by consuming sound, coupled with their formidablebat power, they posed a substantial threat.

    Moreover, they reproduced rapidly, and there were no natural enemies on the ind.

    So, they easily dominated the entire Wai Ind.

    "Feeding on sound, interesting."

    After roughly understanding the task, Li Fan, in the Tianxuan Mirror, purchased some formation materials.

    If he couldplete this task only using formations without revealing his true strength, that would be perfect.

    Li Fan made his preparations for the mission.

    Early the next morning, Li Fan arrived at the Transmission Square to wait.

    It didn''t take long before Jiang Zhengji, leading a group of six people, slowly approached.

    "Greetings, fellow Daoist Jiang!" Li Fan bowed in salute.

    "Fellow Daoist Li, you''ve waited a long time." Jiang Zhengji politely replied, then introduced the six people behind him.

    One of these six was also in the mid Golden Core stage, while the rest, like Li Fan, were at thete Foundation Establishment stage.

    After a bit of small talk, the group used the teleportation formation to reach Guishou Ind, the closest ind to Wai Ind.

    After flying for half a day, a lush ind came into view from afar.

    "Those beasts are extremely sensitive to sound. To avoid alerting them, after entering the area ahead, everyone should refrain from speaking."

    "Suppress your breath andmunicate using spiritual consciousness."

    Jiang Zhengji, the leader, instructed.

    Everyone expressed their understanding.

    Entering the range of Wai Ind, the surroundings immediately became silent.

    The sounds of the waves or wind could not be heard.

    Silently flying over Wai Ind, Li Fan looked down at the scene, feeling a bit uneasy.

    The entire ind was packed with headless beasts.

    Most of themzilyy on the ground, doing nothing.

    Even in areas where there was not enough space, they didn''t fight. They just piled up on top of each other, forming many small hills.

    The fur of these beasts was all red. At first nce, the entire surface of Wai Ind seemed to be covered with moving red fur.

    Just looking at it made one feel uneasy.

    asionally, one or two headless beasts felt hungry. They didn''t even bother to get up; just by patting their belly, before the sound could travel far, therge mouths on their torso opened and closed, swallowing everything.

    Other beasts nearby would alsoe over, open their mouths, and share the food.

    Besides eating, they also reproduced.

    The intense movement often attracted many of their kind to gather and watch. They formed a circle, enclosing the protagonist in the middle, all with mouths wide open, saliva overflowing.

    The somewhat bizarre scene on Wai Ind wasn''t only unsettling for Li Fan.

    The five Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Tiancang Team also seemed uneasy, evidently witnessing this for the first time.

    Only Jiang Zhengji and the other Golden Core cultivator, Du Xingchang, maintained theirposure, seemingly ustomed to such scenes.

    "Let''s get started!"

    Jiang Zhengji tossed a purple formation diagram into the air.

    The purple light spread with the wind and quickly enveloped the entire Wai Ind.

    The headless beasts below werepletely unaware.

    A radiant light emanated from Jiang Zhengji, resembling falling snowkes.

    Soon after, a blizzard swept across, covering the entire ind.

    "Golden Core Dharma Body..." Li Fan watched this scene, his eyes flickering.

    Having already exchanged for knowledge rted to the Golden Core stage, Li Fan was naturally familiar with this.

    After reaching the Golden Core stage, one could use thews within the Golden Core to condense a Dharma Body.

    The fusion of thews into the Dharma Body allowed maniption of arge area through thews.

    At this moment, a snowstorm raged.

    The temperature on Wai Ind plummeted rapidly.

    Some headless beasts slowly sensed something amiss and looked around.

    However, Li Fan and the others suspended high in the air made no sound, and the beasts couldn''t find any traces.

    At the same time, Du Xingchang also took action.

    In the midst of the swirling snowstorm, red plum blossoms emerged from the ground, blooming proudly.

    In an instant, the entire Wai Ind was covered in white snow and red plum blossoms.

    "Xingchang and I will watch from above. Everyone, go ahead and take action!"

    Jiang Zhengji said.

    The five Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Tiancang Team nodded one after another.

    Without any hesitation, they rushed towards the headless beasts below.

    "It seems that this is also training for them."

    Seeing this, Li Fan couldn''t openly ck off.

    So, he quickly caught up and casually set up the Shared Spirit Life-Death Formation, affecting the five Foundation Establishment cultivators ahead.

    This Shared Spirit Life-Death Formation was one of the formations used by Zhang Zhiliang during the extermination of Crimson me in the twelfth life.

    It amplified attacks and enhanced cooperation between individuals.

    However, the power of the formation arranged by Li Fan at this moment was weaker by more than ten timespared to Zhang Zhiliang. But for the five Foundation Establishment cultivators, its effectiveness was still enough to have an immediate impact.

    After that, Li Fan consecutively set up several formations such as the Five Elements Sword Qi Formation, the Silk Obstruction Formation, and the Spirit Fire Dragon Formation.

 Chapter 187: Formation Battle Against Beasts

    Afterpleting all of this, Li Fan''s face turned pale, and he was gasping for breath.

    "Please, fellow Daoists, lead these beasts to the formations I''ve set up," Li Fan conveyed through voice transmission.

    A Foundation Establishment cultivator named Huan Sui nodded, "Fellow Daoist, you''ve worked hard. We''ll take it from here."

    It was widely known that the path of formations was difficult and obscure, requiring a significant amount of time for study. It''s reasonable for proficiency in formations to be inversely proportional tobat strength.

    Besides, there was no expectation that this external helper could do much. Being able to set up so many effective formations at once was already a pleasant surprise.

    Huan Sui took out a small drum and struck it forcefully. A roar resembling that of ancient ferocious beasts resonated from the drum, spreading in all directions.

    On the ind, thezy headless beasts lying on the ground abruptly stood up, turning towards the direction of Li Fan and the others. They pounded their chests, seemingly excited.

    Like a surging tide, they rushed over one after another.

    The five members of Huan Sui''s team stood in formation, facing the approaching wave of beasts without changing their expressions.

    Five spiritual weapons simultaneously emerged around them, each taking the form of a differently shaped sword. The sword lights intersected, forming a sword formation.

    Any beast entering the formation was instantly annihted by the sword lights. Under the fire dragons of the "Spirit Fire Dragon Formation," they turned to ashes.

    The drumbeat continued, acting like a summoning spell, attracting the beasts toe forward and meet their doom.

    The Tiancang Team, like a meat grinder, mercilessly harvested the lives of these creatures.

    Slowly, the deaths of numerous beasts began to stir unrest among their ranks.

    They began to counterattack.

    "Roar!"

    The headless beasts pounded their chests, opened their bloody mouths, and let out thunderous roars. Invisible sound waves converged, forming a substantial fist shadow above the ind.

    The red fist shadow rushed towards the sword formation of the five people.

    "Bang!"

    Huan Sui and the others simultaneously spat out blood, their faces showing astonishment. The five swords trembled slightly, and the formation fell into disarray.

    Immediately, many red-furred beasts seized the opportunity to break through the blockade and charge towards the five.

    Although they were easily ughtered, the expressions of the five cultivators were no longer as rxed as before.

    Seeing this, Li Fan knew he couldn''t hold back too much.

    With a serious expression, he took out several beast bones from his storage ring and arranged a new formation.

    This time, just as the fist shadowposed of the roars of the red-furred beasts was about to form, a series of extremely discordant metallic friction sounds suddenly came from the surroundings, mixing with the roar.

    Like pure water mixing into muddy water, the roar became unclear, and its power diminished significantly.

    The fist shadow,posed of the howls of the red-furred beasts, was mixed with the strange noises. It became vague, and its power greatly diminished. It was easily blocked by the sword formation.

    Huan Sui and the others showed joy, "Fellow Daoist, excellent means!"

    However, Li Fan waved his hand, looking pale and seemingly unable to continue with such methods.

    The scales of victory tilted back towards the Tiancang Team.

    Hundreds of headless beasts were ughtered one after another.

    However, their numbers were just too vast.

    The number of headless beasts ughtered by the Tiancang Team,pared to the total poption on the ind, was just a drop in the ocean.

    Perhaps, if they continued like this, with the "Five Elements Sword Qi Formation" formation supplementing spiritual energy, they could slowlyplete the mission given enough time.

    However, after half a day passed and the death toll reached a certain level, the red-furred beasts discovered that their furious roars were no longer effective.

    They stopped their howls.

    Even their relentless charge to their deaths ceased.

    Seeing this, Huan Sui was puzzled.

    He continued to beat the small drum, attempting to re-attract the attention of the red-furred beasts, but the previously irresistibly enticing drumbeat now lost its effect.

    "Bang!"

    "Bang!"

    "Bang!"

    They stopped their attacks and instead rhythmically pounded their chests.

    The sound resonated continuously, growing louder.

    Li Fan sensed that something was amiss. Although he promptly activated the Discordant Confusion Formation he had previously set up to counteract the beasts'' roars, the noise didn''t have much impact on the grand symphony.

    Fortunately, Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang, who had been watching all along, finally stopped standing idly by.

    Once again, snowkes drifted down onto the world.

    The intensity of the coordinated sound was absorbed by the falling snow, abruptly diminishing its power.

    A strong wind blew, lifting thousands of snow piles and, at the same time, blowing away the red plum petals in full bloom in the snow.

    The petals danced in the wind like lethal des.

    Each time a petal floated past a headless beast, it quietly took away its life.

    It could be seen that the two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators, working together, could deal with these instinct-driven red-furred beasts. The beasts had no resistance whatsoever.

    However, Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang seemed to restrain themselves.

    There was no widespread ughter; they only slightly reduced the power of the red-furred beasts'' coordinated sound.

    Furthermore, they didn''tpletely prevent the beasts'' ritual.

    So, amidst the increasingly urgent and loud pounding sounds, the giant shadow of a red-furred beast slowly took shape.

    The faintly oppressive feeling emanating from the phantom was slightly weaker than Jiang Zhengji''s.

    "Golden Core stage!"

    Li Fan and the Tiancang Team''s faces turned serious.

    Although seemingly weaker than a true Golden Core stage cultivator, it undoubtedly possessed power far beyond the Foundation Establishment realm.

    However, after the Golden Core beast revealed its form, it didn''t immediatelyunch an attack on Li Fan and the others.

    Instead, it casually grabbed its weakpatriots from the ground and devoured them voraciously.

    The countless red-furred beasts on the ind, upon witnessing their peers being eaten, not only showed no fear but became excited, emitting strange and joyful cries.

    The Golden Core beast devoured its weaker peers without reservation.

    Gradually, its silhouette became solid.

    It seemed that, as it consumed more of its own kind, it couldplete the transformation from the illusory to the real!

    Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang both had their arms folded over their chests and carried cold and indifferent expressions, silently observing the situation.

    However, Huan Sui became anxious, "If we wait for that beast to solidify, its strength will beparable to a true Golden Core cultivator. Even if we all unite and fight to the death, we may not necessarily win!"

    Another person chimed in, "That''s right, we can''t wait any longer!"

    Li Fan also nodded, "I''ll set up the Current-Defying Formation to assist you all!"

    He then took out formation materials from his storage ring.

    In a moment, the Current-Defying Formation was set up.

    The Tiancang Team''s momentum surged suddenly.

    "The formation can onlyst for about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn."

    Li Fan, looking pale and feeble, said without much strength.

    It seemed that his mental energy consumption was extremely high.

    Huan Sui and the others exchanged nces and nodded.

    "If we can''t defeat that beast, even if we can save our lives, we''ll lose the qualification for promotion."

    "There is no retreat, the only way out is to fight!"

    "Kill!"

    The five people had determined expressions, relying on each other and piercing forward like a sharp sword.

    Fiercely, they stabbed towards the Golden Core beast.

 Chapter 188: White Snow Falls on Red Plum Blossoms

    The five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Martial Hall sessfully drew the attention of the majority of the red-haired beasts.

    Li Fan took advantage of the situation, hiding within the Spirit Fire Dragon Formation, leisurely watching the intense battle unfolding on the ind.

    The five sword-like Foundation Treasures alternated in attacking, resembling a sharp drill that turned all the obstructing beasts into minced meat.

    Facing the rapidly advancing Tiancang Team, the gigantic Golden Core beast remained indifferent, seemingly unfazed. However, it elerated the speed of its consumption in response.

    Along the way, the red-haired beasts, in a frenzied manner, used their bodies to form a defensive line at any cost to obstruct the Tiancang Team.

    These beasts possessed the strength of the Foundation Establishment stage. Waves after waves of the beast tide surged forward, and although the Tiancang Team''s swords were sharp, their progress unavoidably slowed down.

    They initially relied on their unstoppable momentum.

    Now, with their momentum obstructed and slowed, the pressure increased sharply as they faced seemingly endless red-haired beasts.

    In this critical moment, Huan Sui angrily shouted, "Change formation!"

    In an instant, the other four people stood behind Huan Sui, infusing all their spiritual energy into his body. The five swords gradually merged into one amidst a dazzling light.

    Combined, the five swords'' power surged.

    Sword qi sliced across the ground, easily carving a deep trench into the earth in front of them. The red-haired beasts obstructing their way dissolved in the sword light.

    Within moments, the giant sword arrived in front of the Golden Core beast.

    At this point, having consumed arge number of its kind, the upper half of the Golden Core beast hadpleted the transformation from phantom to real.

    However, the sword light had already approached, and it had no chance to further enhance its strength.

    Reluctantly thumping its chest, the Golden Core beast then extended its sturdy arms and tightly gripped the giant sword about to sh its head.

    The giant sword erupted in a dazzling light, attempting to break free.

    However, on the ws of the Golden Core beast, there was a wisp of ck qi. Like an extremely tenacious silk thread, it firmly entwined the sword.

    The beast''s bloody mouth suddenly opened, emitting a strange and horrifying roar.

    The sword light dimmed abruptly.

    As if crushed by an invisible force, the sword body became distorted.

    "Change!"

    Huan Sui''s voice sounded again.

    The sword light disintegrated, bing five separate swords once more.

    The Golden Core beast''s hands were left empty.

    The Tiancang Team reappeared in different positions, each wielding a different sword. Simultaneously, they struck the Golden Core beast.

    "Roar!"

    The beast emitted a painful howl. Although there was no blood, its figure became somewhat illusory.

    Using both arms, it deflected the five swords.

    It then swung a fist violently in the direction of where one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators was.

    However, before the shockwave of the punch could get close to that cultivator, the formation transformed once again.

    The five of them regrouped in one ce and appeared behind the Jindan beast.

    This time, it was a different person who took the lead.

    The five swords joined in one attack.

    They ruthlessly chopped at the back of the beast.

    Suddenly suffering a heavy blow, the Golden Core beast stumbled and was almost knocked to the ground.

    Both of its arms iled, attempting to block the sword light.

    It then grabbed a handful of its own kind and threw them into its mouth to recover from its injuries.

    However, the Tiancang Team did not engage it head-on.

    After a moment, the five individuals separated once again, appearing from different directions and leaving five new wounds on the beast.

    In this way, the Tiancang Team continuously weakened the strength of the Golden Core beast through their constantly shifting formation.

    Although the beast possessed great physical strength, it could do nothing but passively endure the attacks, watching helplessly as its injuries gradually worsened.

    In its rage, the red fur on the beast''s body stood on end.

    After another heavy blow from the united sword attacks, its anger finally reached an extreme.

    The red fur seemed toe alive in an instant, growing wildly.

    The giant beast tore off arge chunk of its own fur and threw it into the air.

    This twisted red fur emitted an ominous aura, then, like distorted tentacles, continuously extended.

    The giant core beast didn''t stop tearing off its fur, and around it, the red fur strands were like strands of silk, connecting and intertwining.

    Whenever the sword lights identally touched the hairs, the sword lights were captured and needed considerable effort to break free.

    With the growth of the red fur, the space avable for the Tiancang Team to maneuver became smaller and smaller.

    The interval between their attacks grew longer and longer.

    On the other hand, with the red fur as protection, the Golden Core beast became more and morefortable.

    No longer concerned about the sword light''s assault, it not onlyunched attacks but also casually threw its iing kin into its mouth to enhance its strength.

    "It seems the situation is a bit unfavorable." Incinerating a red-haired beast attempting to approach stealthily, Li Fan, who was observing from a distance frowned, wondering whether he should lend a helping hand.

    At this moment, Jiang Zhengji''s voice came from above: "Do you know where you went wrong? The moment that beast became visible, you guys should have attacked with all your might instead of hesitating until it devoured arge number of red-haired beasts and underwent a qualitative change in strength."

    "During a life-and-death battle, even a moment of hesitation can lead to failure."

    "After it entered the Golden Core stage, the oue of this mission was already determined."

    "Although the Tiancang Formation is powerful, this Golden Core beast has nearly endless kin as food, and will only be stronger as the battle goes on."

    "On the other hand, your strength will only weaken."

    "However, unexpectedly, under your mutual cooperation, you forced it into its red-furred form, which is beyond my expectations."

    "It seems your usual practice hasn''t been in vain."

    "This time, you guys barely pass."

    Huan Sui and the others, hearing Jiang Zhengji''s words, first showed a hint of embarrassment.

    But then, upon hearing that they passed the mission, they couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

    Before Jiang Zhengji''s words settled, he appeared above the Golden Core beast.

    The beast sensed the danger and was about to react.

    But it was toote.

    The drifting snow in the sky rapidly flew towards the beast.

    The blizzard covered the sky,pletely enveloping the beast in an instant.

    In a moment, the beast was tightly wrapped.

    A somewhatical giant snowman appeared under Jiang Zhengji''s feet.

    Initially, the beast inside the snowman wanted to struggle, but as the snow piled up thicker, its movements became weaker.

    Eventually, itpletely lost the power to resist.

    As the Golden Core beast was sealed by the heavy snow, the twisted red fur around it squirmed, attempting to rescue it.

    However, the countless red plum blossoms on the ind scattered in the wind.

    The red plum blossoms, like knives, continuously cut these red strands relentlessly and endlessly.

    The divided red strands were split into fragments and fell under a red plum tree.

    The petals, carrying the red fur, gradually withered.

    Turning into dust, they were absorbed by the red plum tree.

    Only fragrance was left in the world.

    Jiang Zhengji looked at the red plum tree with admiration and gently stepped forward onto the head of the snowman.

    The giant snowman then slowly shrank.

    In the end, it turned into a palm-sized miniature model, which Jiang Zhengji collected.

    In the blink of an eye, amidst the astonished expressions of Huan Sui and others, the Golden Core beast that left the Tiancang Team helpless was effortlessly captured.

    The immense gap between the mid-Golden Core stage and the Foundation Establishment stage was evident.

 Chapter 189: Immortal Ancestor

    The Golden Core beast was subdued by the joint efforts of Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang.

    The red-haired beasts on Wai Ind finally showed a hint of fear.

    They began to flee in the distance.

    Some even attempted to jump into the sea to escape this ce.

    However, the formation previously arranged by Jiang Zhengji hadpletely sealed off Wai Ind.

    "Kill!"

    Jiang Zhengjimanded, and the Tiancang Team once again ruthlessly and efficiently ughtered.

    At this point, Li Fan appeared to havepleted his rest, activating the Spirit Fire Dragon Formation. asionally, he swung a faint blue sword light, reaping the lives of the red-haired beasts.

    This time, there were no unexpected twists.

    Half a dayter, at sunset, only a quarter of the red-haired beasts on Wai Ind remained after the ruthless ughter.

    "Stop!"

    At this moment, Jiang Zhengji finally spoke again.

    As the snow began to fall again, he once again used the method he employed to capture the Golden Core Beast, turning most of the remaining red-haired beasts on the ind into tiny snowmen.

    He then collected them, and it was unclear where he stored them.

    "This mission went rtively smoothly. We can return to the ind," he said calmly.

    The exhausted five-person squad sighed with relief.

    Li Fan also appeared to be exhausted.

    "Much thanks to you this time. If it weren''t for your crucial formations, I doubt they could have sessfully passed the test," Jiang Zhengji said politely to Li Fan on the way back.

    Li Fan looked apologetic, "The entire process was carried out by the fellow Daoists from the Martial Hall. I merely arranged some formations and didn''t actually kill many beasts."

    Jiang Zhengji smiled, "That''s how a formation master should act. I see that your proficiency in formations is not weak. Although it doesn''tpare to those masters, its impact in actualbat is enormous. Especially the ''Discordant Confusion Formation,'' it''s truly wonderful."

    Li Fan shook his head, "Your praise is too much. It was just a moment of inspiration."

    Then, he asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist, have you participated in dozens of these clearance missions? Could it be that these red-haired beasts have some special value? Otherwise, why not just wipe them out in one go?"

    Jiang Zhengji nodded, "Your guess is correct. These red-haired beasts do have some uses."

    "I previously captured arge batch alive because of this reason, instead ofpletely exterminating them."

    "The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters has a task that requires various regions to collect and submit a certain quantity of treasures and beasts capable of absorbing sound each year."

    "These red-haired beasts feed on sound, and although they are a bit weak, theirrge numbers meet the headquarters'' mission requirements perfectly."

    "The headquarters is quite satisfied with the sound-absorbing effect of these red-haired beasts. The quantity we need to submit every year has been increasing."

    Speaking up to this point, Jiang Zhengji''s face showed a sense of aplishment.

    "But these red-haired beasts don''t have natural enemies, and they have nock of food. Their reproduction is too fast."

    "Coupled with their ability to devour their own kind to evolve, if the numbers get too high, there''s no guarantee that a Nascent Soul-level monster won''t emerge."

    "That would be troublesome. To avoid this situation, we need to regrly clear the beasts on the ind."

    Jiang Zhengji exined with a smile.

    "So, the number of these red-haired beasts should neither be too high nor too low," Li Fan nodded slowly and muttered to himself.

    He seemed to recall something, slightly raising his head to look at the sky, then falling into contemtion.

    Silence prevailed as they traveled back. When the group safely returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, Li Fan bid farewell to everyone.

    Back in the Tianxuan Mirror, he added Du Xingchang and others as friends.

    Sitting cross-legged inside the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan''s brows furrowed deeply.

    He recalled the time during the twelfth life when, due to the breakthrough loaning business, arge number of Foundation Establishment cultivators emerged prematurely. This somehow attracted the pursuit of Dao Integration cultivators.

    "There must not be too many cultivators because the new method is to plunder the heavens and earth. If the number of cultivators is allowed to expand recklessly, the resources of heaven and earth will deplete."

    "Then why must there not be too few cultivators?"

    "If one has already achieved immortality, why bother about ants?"

    "The establishment of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and even the creation of the Five Elders Association are for the purpose of intentionally raising cultivators."

    "The red-haired beasts are useful to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, so it is necessary to ensure a certain number of them."

    "What use do cultivators have for the Immortal Ancestor of the Xuanhuang Realm?"

    Before crossing over, Li Fan had heard that beneath the Immortal Ancestor, everyone was like ants.

    The Immortal Ancestor was high above and saw all things as mere cattle and dogs.

    The life and death of all things in the world did not enter the eyes of the Immortal Ancestor.

    Even if a great cmity urred and all living beings suffered, the Immortal Ancestor remained indifferent and unconcerned.

    So why did the Immortal Ancestors of the Xuanhuang Realm need a certain number of cultivators?

    After the endless ughter brought about by different cultivation methods, on a wastnd of cultivation, why did the Immortal Ancestors who had achieved longevity create the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?

    Out ofpassion?

    Or...

    In an instant, several different answers shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    But obviously, at this moment, none of them could be verified.

    They could only be deeply hidden in his heart, and could only be confirmed in the future.

    After calming down his turbulent emotions, Li Fan checked his permission level.

    The reward for clearing the mission of exterminating the red-haired beasts was a lower-grade second level merit.

    The actual increase in permission level was 2.6.

    With just this one missionpleted, Li Fan''s permission level had risen to Three, with an additional sixty percent progress.

    "It seems that in the early stages, increasing permission level is quite easy."

    Li Fan then checked the newly appeared cultivation methods.

    Unfortunately, he still hadn''t found one that could split the mind into multiple tasks.

    In the following period, Li Fan epted andpleted two more merit tasks.

    One was an upper-grade third level merit, and the other was a lower-grade second level merit.

    The process ofpleting the missions was very smooth, without any twists.

    While getting to know many members within the system of Ten Thousand Immortals Ind, Li Fan''s permission level increased to Five.

    The quota for epting merit tasks three times a year was used up, but he still hadn''t found a suitable cultivation method.

    "It seems that even with the limitless derivation of the Yanfa Jue within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the ability to multitask is still a very precious technique."

    "I wonder at what permission level it will appear on the exchange list."

    "The detailed information on techniques avable for exchange at higher permission levels is confidential and cannot be easily disseminated. The higher the permission level, the higher the confidentiality. If identally leaked, it can result in deduction of your merit or even being held ountable and killed."

    "If not for this, I could have asked others for information to at least have an idea."

    "Now, I can only wait for another opportunity to try and raise my permission level as much as possible."

    During this time, the situation at Tai''an Ind guarded by Zhou Qingang remained normal.

    However, Li Fan was very patient.

    He believed that before the arrival of the Crimson me, Zhou Qingang would definitely reveal his true colors.

 Chapter 190: The Show Begins

    On this day, Li Fan received a message from Zhang Zhiliang, asking him toe to the Formation Hall.

    After obtaining the position of Formation Repairer, Li Fan had not been engaged in any official tasks. Presumably, Zhang Zhiliang had been busy researching the Mountain and River Formation on that recently emerged ind, and that was why he hadn''t contacted Li Fan.

    With the sudden summons, Li Fan did not dy. He changed into a ck and yellow robe and proceeded to the Formation Hall.

    With his new status within the system, the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation above his head ignored Li Fan as he entered the central core area.

    Walking into the oblique cube-shaped building, the small cube body seemed to recognize Li Fan''s identity, automatically activating.

    After a moment, Li Fan was brought into the space where Zhang Zhiliang was.

    This ce was extremely familiar to Li Fan. In the eleventh life, he had spent several years here, tirelessly researching formations day and night, which led him to officially step into the path of formations.

    Looking ahead, Zhang Zhiliang stood with his back to him, motionless.

    "Greetings, Senior." Li Fan spoke and bowed.

    Zhang Zhiliang seemed as if he hadn''t heard, remaining unmoved.

    Seeing this, Li Fan repeated his greeting.

    As if there was a long dy, after a considerable amount of time, Zhang Zhiliang finally turned around.

    "Oh... you... are here."

    Li Fan immediately discerned that the figure before him should be some kind of clone or projection.

    However, he still inquired, "Senior, has the research on the Mountain and River Formation concluded?"

    After a while, Zhang Zhiliang''s intermittent voice sounded.

    "Not yet. The research on the Mountain and River Formation is at a critical juncture... It''s even moreplicated than imagined... It''s estimated to take another year or two to finish."

    "Brother Li seems to have something urgent, so you left in haste..."

    "I also... suddenly remembered that since you joined, I haven''t taught you any formations."

    "Now, in this situation, I can''t spare the time."

    "But if I postpone it for another one or two years, it wouldn''t be justifiable."

    "So, I will provide you with relevant formation information first. You can study on your own."

    "If you have any doubts, I''ll answer them one by one when I return."

    He spoke in a disjointed manner, and it took quite a while to finish this sentence.

    After saying this, Zhang Zhiliang handed over a storage ring.

    Li Fan took the storage ring, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he was not unfamiliar with the contents inside.

    Encrypted jade slips and Heart Monkey Bones.

    "Previously, you managed to grasp the basics of formations through self-study. Your talent should be... not bad. The encrypted jade slip inside this storage ring is a carefullypiled summary of the basics of formation. Study it attentively and cross-reference it with what you''ve learned. After reading it thoroughly, your proficiency in formations should see a significant improvement."

    After giving thisst piece of advice, Zhang Zhiliang''s figure vanished without a sound.

    Li Fan stored the ring and returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Taking out the encrypted jade slip, he carefully read it. He found that it was simr to what Zhang Zhiliang had taught him in the previous life but with many additional examples of formations.

    For instance, the current guardian formation of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance: the "Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation."

    Unlike the defensive Mountains and Rivers Formation from three thousand years ago, the present Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation emphasized both offense and defense. It also had the effect of absorbing the vitality of ordinary people within the formation to enhance the concentration of spiritual energy.

    Although the core structural data of the Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation was not included in the jade slip, there were still diagrams of some nodes of the formation. From these details, Li Fan could glimpse the vastness and intricacy of the Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation.

    In the jade slip, Zhang Zhiliang also left some reminders.

    The content of this grand formation was an absolute secret of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and must not be leaked.

    Apart from the Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation, the jade slip also analyzed many other formations that Li Fan had never seen before, such as the "Green Wood Spirit Gathering Formation" and the "Soaring Immortal Five Thunder Formation," broadening Li Fan''s horizons.

    However, these formations were profound and extremely intricate. Li Fan merely skimmed through them briefly without delving too deep.

    Because now, he had something else to do.

    Putting down the jade slip, Li Fan checked the price of the Spirit Mist Grass.

    Previously, Zhang Zhiliang mentioned that He Zhenghao, who was engrossed in researching the Mountain and River Formation, hastily left without caring for anything else. Li Fan spected that something might have happened, likely the attack of the dragonwhale on the ind cultivating Spirit Mist Grass.

    Considering the time, it should be about right.

    Sure enough, the price of Spirit Mist Grass had recently experienced a slight increase. It went up from 18 contribution points per nt to 19 points.

    Li Fan currently had a stock of 2,700 nts on hand, so there was no rush to sell them now. After all, it would take some time for the news to spread, the incident to escte, and the price of Spirit Mist Grass to skyrocket to 25 points.

    "A price of 25 points is still too low. Perhaps I can stir the pot a bit..."

    "However, it''s not appropriate for the main body to intervene. It''s time to use the clone."

    Li Fan''s eyes flickered.

    The clone, who had been quietly running errands on Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and barely maintaining what he needed to survive, activated a Concealing Form Talisman to hide its cultivation and appearance. It arrived at the Thousand Mile Hall.

    The entrance to the shop was deserted, with no customers in sight. Jiao Xiuyuanyzily behind the counter, resting with closed eyes.

    As soon as Li Fan entered, Jiao Xiuyuan bounced up, wearing a respectful expression, "Finally, a customer! What would you like?"

    "Formations, talismans, spiritual weapons, and elixirs, we have it all, and discounts are avable for bulk purchases!"

    Li Fan chuckled, "I heard that Senior Jiao has quite a few wed Concealing Form Talismans eliminated from the Talisman Hall?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan yfully smiled, "There are indeed many Concealing Form Talismans, but where I got them from is a secret. How many do you want, fellow Daoist?"

    "How many do I want? I actually want to buy all the Concealing Form Talismans fellow Daoist has..." Li Fan was halfway through his sentence before Jiao Xiuyuan''s face lit up with excitement.

    "But I''m short on contribution points!" he sighed, changing the topic.

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s face turned ck, and he spoke in an unfriendly tone, "You scoundrel, are you trying to mock me?"

    But then he furrowed his brows, somewhat puzzled, "Why do you need so many Concealing Form Talismans? One person should only need to have a few on hand."

    Li Fan smiled faintly, "This is the reason I came to fellow Daoist Jiao."

    Seeing that Jiao Xiuyuan was interested, Li Fan temporarily kept him in suspense, remaining silent.

    Jiao Xiuyuan sneered, "Are you trying to whet my appetite? Who knows if what you''re saying is true or false?"

    "If you don''t want to say it, forget it!"

    Li Fan didn''t get angry but smiled, then turned and walked away without any hesitation.

    As he walked, he sighed, "They say Jiao Xiuyuan of Thousand Mile Hall never engages in losing deals. I thought his business acumen was extraordinary, but it seems to be nothing special."

    Shaking his head, Li Fan, with one foot already out of the Thousand Mile Hall''s main door, thought, "Wait!"

    "Wait!"

    At this moment, Jiao Xiuyuan shouted, stopping him.

    Enthusiastically pulling Li Fan back, he closed the shop''s door.

    Jiao Xiuyuan rubbed his hands, "Although I know you are using provocative tactics, I am willingly falling for it."

    He looked greedy, "Because I smell the scent of a business opportunity."

 Chapter 191: Economic Bubble

    "Smell a business opportunity? What does that mean?" Li Fan looked at Jiao Xiuyuan with interest and asked.

    Jiao Xiuyuan looked pleased, "Just like those who can intuitively sense danger, I, Jiao Xiuyuan, have been able to effortlessly find the path to uncountable profits from countlessplicated and useless information since childhood! It''s pure instinct. Others can only envy me!"

    He nced at Li Fan again, "Just as fellow Daoist Li was leaving a moment ago, I felt an immense sense of loss."

    "It was as if I saw arge amount of contribution points leaving me; my heart was bleeding!"

    "So, I am certain that what fellow Daoist Li said is true!" Jiao Xiuyuan concluded.

    Li Fan was a bit surprised that he indeed had such talent.

    However, recalling his previous interactions with Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan nodded slowly.

    "In that case, what price is fellow Daoist willing to offer?" Jiao Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and made a three with his fingers.

    "What does this mean? Three thousand contribution points?" Li Fan looked for a while but couldn''t understand its representation, asking in confusion.

    Jiao Xiuyuan said solemnly, "Thirty percent. Fellow Daoist Li will receive thirty percent of the profits brought by this piece of information."

    Li Fan squinted, somewhat incredulous, "So generous?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan smiled, "Fellow Daoist Li is not a businessman after all and doesn''t understand the true value of timely information. Under specific circumstances, a piece of information be profitable a hundred or thousand times over. Thirty percent of the profit is hardly a huge costpared to a thousand times return?"

    Li Fan couldn''t help but apud, "Fellow Daoist speaks the truth. However, words alone are not enough. How can I ensure that fellow Daoist won''t turn back on the agreementter?"

    Jiao Xiuyuan chuckled, "It seems fellow Daoist Li is not familiar with the ways of business. There are rules in business."

    He took out a golden foil paper from somewhere and quickly wrote down the terms. After showing it to Li Fan for confirmation, he unhesitatingly wrote down his own name.

    "Fellow Daoist, please!" He handed the foil paper to Li Fan.

    Li Fan carefully read it and finally wrote down the name of his clone: Lin Fan.

    The golden foil paper instantly turned into three copies. Two flew towards Jiao Xiuyuan and Li Fan, while the other soared into the sky, heading to an unknown destination.

    After a moment, Li Fan felt an inexplicable force descending onto his clone.

    This force constrained and bound the clone, requiring it to fulfill the agreed-upon terms on the golden foil paper.

    It was as if it had be the will of the clone itself, and there was no turning back.

    One would actively fulfill the agreement.

    "The power to change mental cognition..." Sensing the inexplicable changes in his mind, the clone was suddenly startled.

    However, Li Fan''s main body, which was located within the Tianxuan Mirror, was unaffected.

    "The Sun Stealing Technique is truly ingenious." Relieved, Li Fan silently praised.

    On the clone''s side, coerced by the golden foil paper, it immediately revealed the news that the Spirit Mist Grass Ind might have been attacked by a dragonwhale, resulting in the destruction of all Spirit Mist Grass.

    "The Spirit Mist Grass Ind was destroyed?" Jiao Xiuyuan''s eyes, upon hearing this, shined with greed.

    "Fellow Daoist, wait a moment. Let me investigate!" He closed his eyes.

    After a while, he opened his eyes abruptly, excitedly pacing back and forth, "The news is urate! Spirit Mist Grass Ind in the Cong Yun Sea is one of thergest cultivation sites for Spirit Mist Grass. At least one-fifth of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance''s Spirit Mist Grasses from there."

    "Now, with all the Spirit Mist Grass on the ind destroyed, the price of Spirit Mist Grass will inevitably soar in a short time."

    "The prices of secondary products like Concealing Form Talisman will also skyrocket."

    Suddenly, he paused, furrowing his brows, "However, after all, it''s only used from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and Spirit Mist Grass is still grown elsewhere. Even if the price rises, it will likely increase by at most half."

    "Compared to the business opportunity I detected, it falls far short."

    "What exactly is the problem?"

    After thinking for a long time, he couldn''t find an answer.

    Jiao Xiuyuan instantly became somewhat irritable.

    An unsettling aura began to emanate from him.

    Li Fan, listening to Jiao Xiuyuan''s muttering, was also lost in thought.

    He recalled various anecdotes he had heard in his previous life; He Zhenghao and a small group of people were gearing up to take advantage of this opportunity and make a big profit. After the price of Spirit Mist Grass rose, it immediately attracted more people to follow suit.

    With all the clues strung together, Li Fan suddenly understood. He patted Jiao Xiuyuan''s shoulder and said in a deep voice, "This business opportunity is not about Spirit Mist Grass; it''s about people!"

    Jiao Xiuyuan was slightly stunned, his eyes initially filled with a bit of confusion. Then he instantly became clear-minded and eximed, "Fellow Daoist''s words have awakened me! Indeed, the profit lies in people, not the grass!"

    While enlightening Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan''s main body in the Tianxuan Mirror also started buying Spirit Mist Grass. Unfortunately, there were only a little over two thousand contribution points left, which was barely enough.

    At this moment, Jiao Xiuyuan''s aura changed. He no longer had the previous wretched appearance and instead carried an inexplicable dominance. "Profitse from manipting people, and I must act as the master," he dered.

    No visible actions were taken, but in an instant, Li Fan saw the price of Spirit Mist Grass skyrocketing at a visible speed: 19, 20, 21...

    In an instant, the price of Spirit Mist Grass surged to 22 points. "The Thousand Mile Hall is spread across the cultivation world..." Li Fan''s eyelids twitched. Jiao Xiuyuan, it seemed, was not exaggerating previously.

    However, Jiao Xiuyuan''s actions had just begun.

    "Now that I am the master, I invite all the guests to take their seats," he dered with a deep, lowugh.

    Subsequently, as if entering a deep sleep, he remained motionless. For a while, the Thousand Mile Hall fell into silence. Li Fan, however, knew what he was doing.

    Jiao Xiuyuan was undoubtedly using his countless puppets spread throughout the cultivation world to vigorously spread the news of the destruction of the Spirit Mist Grass Ind.

    It would take time for the matter to ferment, and patience was the key.

    Just then, an extremely excited message from He Zhenghao arrived. "Fellow Daoist Li Fan! Do you still remember when I told you before that I would lead you to make a fortune?! Now the opportunity hase! I''ve received urate information that the ind where Spirit Mist Grass is cultivated has been attacked by beasts. All the Spirit Mist Grass on the ind has been destroyed."

    "The price of Spirit Mist Grass is bound to soar!"

    "Don''t believe me? Look, in a short time, it has already risen from 18 points to 22 points!"

    "But it''s okay; it will definitely rise even more!"

    "Don''t miss the opportunity; fellow Daoist, act quickly!"

    A mysterious smile appeared at the corner of Li Fan''s mouth as he quickly replied, "Thank you, fellow Daoist He. I''ve gone all in."

    ...

    When the bubble appeared, everyone understood that this bubble would burst with a single touch.

    However, in the face of enormous profits, everyone lost their sanity and threw themselves into it.

    As Jiao Xiuyuan''s countless puppets began to act, a piece of news spread throughout the immortal cultivation world.

    And as it spread, it gradually became known to everyone.

    The price of Spirit Mist Grass would rise.

    Thus, the bubble began its first expansion.

 Chapter 192: The Dealer Enters the Game

    In the twelfth life, only a small group of people, including He Zhenghao, were the first to learn that the Spirit Mist Grass Ind had been destroyed, and subsequently, they prepared to specte on this opportunity.

    From beginning to end, the impact of the Spirit Mist Grass incident was limited to a few areas.

    However, in this era, when the puppetmaster changed from the Greenwood Rebirth True Lord in the twelfth life to Jiao Xiuyuan, whose cultivation level was unknown but whose business spread throughout the entire cultivation world, there was a significant change in the situation.

    Countless puppets acted as propaganda machines, spreading the news of the destruction of the Spirit Mist Grass Ind through various channels, quietly propagating throughout the entire Xuanhuang Realm in half a day.

    Even if only one percent of the cultivators who heard this news had spective thoughts, and among those who had such thoughts, only one percent took action, it was still an extremelyrge number.

    Moreover, in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, where umting contribution points through ordinary means was quite difficult, such an "obvious" opportunity to make a big profit attracted a considerable number of cultivators who were not willing to miss out.

    So, in reality, the number of cultivators involved in specting on Spirit Mist Grass far exceeded this number.

    Although most cultivators were not very affluent, they could still afford one or two Spirit Mist Grass.

    With the hope of making a profit, numerous cultivators, in the fastest possible time, rushed back into the Tianxuan Mirror,peting to buy Spirit Mist Grass.

    Therefore, half a day after He Zhenghao sent a message to Li Fan.

    The price of Spirit Mist Grass rose from 22 contribution points per nt to 35 points.

    This was ten points higher than the peak price of 25 points in the twelfth life.

    Furthermore, the upward trend showed no sign of ending.

    Excited messages from He Zhenghao continued toe.

    "Haha, fellow Daoist Li Fan, I was right, wasn''t I? The price of Spirit Mist Grass will definitely rise again!"

    "In just half a day, it has risen by fifty percent, and I''ve recovered all my previous losses!"

    "Fellow Daoist, remember, don''t sell the Spirit Mist Grass in your hands now. The news of the reduction in the production of Spirit Mist Grass has now spread like wildfire outside. I don''t know how many cultivators are joining the buying frenzy."

    "We all agree that it''s far from the time to sell. At least, it will rise another fifty percent!"

    "Hahaha, I''m about to purchase my Nascent Soul technique!"

    He Zhenghao was extremely excited.

    Li Fan replied perfunctorily, praising him with a few words.

    However, his attention was focused on his clone.

    "Fellow Daoist Jiao, I think the price has already risen a lot. Can we cash out now?" Looking at the steadily rising numbers in the Tianxuan Mirror in front of him, Li Fan tentatively asked.

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s face showed little excitement. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then shook his head, "No, it''s not time yet."

    "There are still greater variables yet toe. Just wait patiently."

    "Greater variables?" Li Fan paced back and forth in the Thousand Mile Hall, constantly pondering in his mind.

    "ording tomon sense, the price of Spirit Mist Grass has already risen to a very high level. I don''t know what this so-called variable is."

    But Li Fan knew that with the existence of the Five Element Subworlds, no matter how high the price of Spirit Mist Grass rose, the final oue would surely be a plummet to the ground.

    Even if he didn''t have time to cash out, at most, he would lose ten thousand contribution points.

    He could easily earn it back, so he waspletely calm as he watched the situation develop.

    Like Li Fan, many others decided to wait patiently.

    For example, the Greenwood Rebirth True Lord.

    He held nearly ten thousand Spirit Mist Grass nts cultivated in his own cave. Some time ago, he identally heard that the alliance headquarters seemed to have discovered a superrge-scale wood-attribute subworld. There were countless spiritual nts and herbs inside.

    He feared that the price of Spirit Mist Grass would plummet in the future.

    So, he began to systematically sell the Spirit Mist Grass in his hands. Although he tried to slow down the sale as much as possible, suppressing the price fluctuations to within the usual range, the price of Spirit Mist Grass still uncontrobly dropped from the higher price of 21 points to the historical low of 18 points.

    Greenwood Rebirth True Lord instantly realized that he was definitely not the only one who knew this information.

    However, for the sake of their own interests, everyone tacitly chose to slowly release their goods, preventing the price from copsing too suddenly.

    Just as Greenwood Rebirth True Lord had sold more than half of the ten thousand Spirit Mist Grass nts, he suddenly realized that the price of Spirit Mist Grass had not only stopped falling abruptly but also began arge-scale rebound.

    Before he could react, the price had risen back to its previous level.

    This anomaly indicated something unusual.

    Greenwood Rebirth True Lord immediately mobilized his connections and found the possible cause of the incident.

    The Spirit Mist Grass Ind was destroyed, and the Spirit Mist Grass cultivated on the ind was annihted.

    The keen Greenwood Rebirth True Lord immediately realized that this was a rare opportunity.

    So, he decisively switched from selling to buying, repurchasing all the Spirit Mist Grass he had previously sold.

    Although he suffered a loss in the process, the price of Spirit Mist Grass quickly skyrocketed further.

    In a single stroke, he turned losses into gains.

    The fierceness of this upward trend made Greenwood Rebirth True Lord feel both surprised and a little anxious.

    Greenwood Rebirth True Lord, who focused on nting various spiritual nts, understood Spirit Mist Grass better than most cultivators in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    The price of 35 points clearly exceeded its inherent value.

    Not to mention the existence of the wood-attribute cave, Spirit Mist Grass would surely eventually plummet naturally.

    However, Greenwood Rebirth True Lord, who had decided to sell the over ten thousand Spirit Mist Grass in his possession, hesitated as he watched the seemingly endless rise in its price.

    "Maybe... let''s wait another moment?"

    "This sudden surge is obviously abnormal. There are traces of many people pushing it behind the scenes."

    "Perhaps, it will rise a little more?"

    Once the thought arose, it was impossible to let it go.

    After all, for Greenwood Rebirth True Lord, every single increase in the price of Spirit Mist Grass meant an additional ten thousand contribution points.

    Even for a Nascent Soul True Lord, obtaining over ten thousand contributions was not so easy.

    In his daily efforts to care for these Spirit Mist Grass nts, Greenwood Rebirth True Lord had truly spared no effort, wasting a lot of energy.

    Working tirelessly, he could only earn a few tens of thousands of contribution points for his hard work.

    Yet now, in the blink of an eye, he easily obtained a simr profit.

    The young Greenwood Rebirth True Lord, at this moment, still didn''t understand the principle that a floating profit is not a real profit.

    Faced with the rapidly growing wealth on the ount, Greenwood Rebirth True Lord was lost.

    He decided that when the price of Spirit Mist Grass rose a bit more, he would sell the Spirit Mist Grass in his hands.

    "With the news of the discovery of the wood-attribute cave, the prices of spiritual nts will definitely decrease in the future."

    "Earning contributions will also be more and more difficult."

    "The opportunity is rare. If I don''t take advantage of this opportunity to make a final profit, I will definitely regret itter."

    Watching the price continue to rise, Greenwood Rebirth True Lord gradually became obsessed.

    He easily convinced himself.

 Chapter 193: Profit Without Capital

    In the twelfth life, the mastermind behind the spection of Spirit Mist Grass was Greenwood Rebirth True Lord.

    However, in this life, he abandoned his role as the mastermind and entered the game for personal gain.

    There were many behind-the-scenes yers with the same mindset as Greenwood Rebirth True Lord.

    Under the influence of these individuals, the price of Spirit Mist Grass, after briefly stabilizing at 35 points, began its second surge.

    On the second day of the event, the price skyrocketed to 50 points at one point.

    Then it dropped to 45 points, fluctuating between 45-50 points.

    The fact that the price of Spirit Mist Grass more than doubled in a short period became a topic of discussion among many cultivators.

    They were excited, and in their conversations, it seemed as if the price of Spirit Mist Grass would at least rise to a hundred points.

    Gradually, manyters, who were inevitably attracted, began to participate.

    Under this influence, on the third day, the price of Spirit Mist Grass sessfully broke through the 50-point mark, soaring to 54 points.

    In the Thousand Mile Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Ind:

    "Fellow Daoist Jiao, can we take action now?" Li Fan asked again.

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s eyes were filled with greed, and he shook his head vigorously, "No, not yet! Right now, Spirit Mist Grass is still Spirit Mist Grass. The real profit wille when Spirit Mist Grass is no longer just Spirit Mist Grass! It''s close; I feel that we''re just a step away!"

    On the other side, He Zhenghao shared the same opinion as Jiao Xiuyuan.

    "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, remember, firmly hold onto Spirit Mist Grass. Don''t believe those who say its price will crash. Those are rumors spread by people who haven''t joined the fray yet, trying to lower the price. Trust my judgment! The price of Spirit Mist Grass will rise again!"

    ...

    As if confirming their words, in the following days, the price of Spirit Mist Grass continued to rise.

    It reached 66 points.

    In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan shook his head, "It seems that we are just a spark away from real madness. Of course, the bubble could burst at any moment."

    Li Fan looked at the 2,900 Spirit Mist Grass in his hands and decisively chose to sell a thousand.

    At this moment, Li Fan discovered another advantage of being in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance system: ording to the permission level, he could sell goods at the actual market price a certain number of times each year.

    At permission level five in the system, he could do it three times a year.

    So, at 66 points of contribution, Li Fan sold the Spirit Mist Grass, gaining 66,000 contributions instantly.

    Li Fan remained calm and continued to observe how the situation would evolve.

    When the price of Spirit Mist Grass reached 69 points, the upward trend was finally restrained.

    Some enthusiasts also began to feel that the price of Spirit Mist Grass had indeed been pushed too high.

    There was a risk of copse.

    So, like Li Fan, they chose to secure their gains and tried to advise their fellow Daoists to stay rational.

    The price did decrease a bit due to this, but it was quickly pushed back up by more spective cultivators.

    However, it never broke through the barrier of 69 points.

    The bulls and bears engaged in fierce battles,sting for five or six days without a clear winner.

    Just when the situation reached a deadlock, an unexpected turn of events urred, much to Li Fan''s surprise.

    The variable that Jiao Xiuyuan mentioned had truly arrived.

    On this day, the slightly insane messages of Jiao Xiuyuan and He Zhenghao came simultaneously.

    "Hahaha, fellow Daoist Li Fan, how''s my foresight? The price of Spirit Mist Grass is going to soar to the sky!"

    "It''s here! The real opportunity for tens of times the profit has finally arrived!"

    Li Fan was awakened from his cultivation and nced at the price of Spirit Mist Grass.

    Suddenly, he thought he had seen it wrong.

    One hundred and thirty-five points per nt.

    Li Fan was stunned and looked again.

    One hundred and sixty-six points per nt.

    Moreover, this number was increasing rapidly.

    "How can this be?" Li Fan was bewildered.

    He quickly inquired.

    Jiao Xiuyuan and He Zhenghao, one after another, gave the answer.

    Both of them spoke with excitement, their voices trembling slightly.

    "Just now, the news came."

    "Hidden Dragon Abyss, Misty Phoenix City, and Cangmeng Ind..."

    "These major cultivation sites for Spirit Mist Grass within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance were simultaneously attacked by unidentified cultivators."

    "All the cultivated Spirit Mist Grass was destroyed."

    "These people are crazy; they evenpletely destroyed the special environments designed to grow Spirit Mist Grass in those ces!"

    "This means that, for a long time, there won''t be any new Spirit Mist Grass growing in the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance!"

    ...

    "These people really dare..."

    Li Fan couldn''t help but fall silent.

    He couldn''t help but recall the well-known words of wisdom from before he crossed over.

    For 10% profit, all people will be attracted; for 20% profit, people be active; for 50% profit, people be daring; for 100% profit, people will subvert thew; for 300% profit, people will dare tomit any crime, even risking execution.

    Even in a different world, it was still the same.

    Moreover, at this moment, it was not just a threefold profit.

    The news of the simultaneous attacks on cultivation sites instantly ignited the price of Spirit Mist Grass.

    In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it rose from over 160 points to 212 points.

    Furthermore, it was still rising without a limit.

    Cultivators who had previously sold Spirit Mist Grass at over sixty points, in their remorse, tearfully bought it again.

    Seeing the price of Spirit Mist Grass soaring upward again, cultivators who already had Spirit Mist Grass but were still wealthy couldn''t help but want to buy again.

    For a moment, in the Tianxuan Mirror, the price of Spirit Mist Grass once again irrationally skyrocketed.

    Two hundred and fifty-five, two hundred and eighty-two, two hundred and ny-nine...

    Soon, its price exceeded three hundred points.

    At this point, the majority of cultivators understood that the price of Spirit Mist Grass had be aplete bubble.

    But they were all gambling.

    They were betting that they could escape unscathed before the bubble burst, while also earning contributions that they couldn''t earn in a lifetime ofbor.

    The greed of human nature was fully revealed.

    The rising trend that could explode at any moment made Li Fan feel shocked as well.

    Suddenly, a strong sense of unease surged in his heart. At the price of three hundred and ten points, Li Fan decisively sold all the remaining 1,900 Spirit Mist Grass in his hands.

    This didn''t even cause a ripple, and it was instantly swallowed by the irrational cultivators.

    Five hundred and eighty-nine thousand contributions.

    Adding the previous sixty-six thousand, Li Fan looked at his total of six hundred and fifty thousand contributions as if in a dream.

 Chapter 194: A Word to Settle the Storm

    In the twelfth life, although Li Fan had once possessed a fortune exceeding a million contributions, it was the result of diligently cultivating and gaining contributions through the Mingyue Pce over several years.

    It was hard-earned money.

    It was nothing like the current situation, where Li Fan had almost invested nothing. Merely by seizing the opportunity to drive spection, he had collected six hundred and fifty thousand contributions in the blink of an eye.

    This huge sum of money came too easily, making the situation seem surreal and illusory.

    Li Fan calmed down a bit. Looking at He Zhenghao and Jiao Xiuyuan, who were still immersed in fervent greed, both the main and the clone couldn''t help but offer some advice.

    "Pull out, fellow Daoist He!"

    "Call it quits, fellow Daoist Jiao!"

    "You''ve earned enough now; don''t dy until it''s toote!"

    Although the two were in different positions, their reactions were surprisingly consistent.

    "Stop now? How is that possible?! The surge of Spirit Mist Grass has just begun! Those several cultivation sites being destroyed indicate that the big shots have truly entered the scene! Three hundred contribution points is not the end; it''s just the beginning! Fellow Daoist, don''t delude yourself!" He Zhenghao meticulously analyzed, disdainful of Li Fan''s suggestion.

    "Not enough, not enough, it''s still not enough! The opportunity isn''t over; let''s wait a bit longer!" Although Jiao Xiuyuan was a bit more rational, he still harbored greed, wanting to earn a bit more.

    Seeing their states, Li Fan knew that it was impossible for them to listen to anyone''s advice now.

    "Good advice is worthless to those blinded by greed."

    "I wonder how many fanatic cultivators will lose their family fortune and shatter their Dao hearts after this."

    Li Fan sighed inwardly.

    The bursting of the Spirit Mist Grass bubble was faster than Li Fan had imagined.

    It was beyond the expectations of the majority of fanatic cultivators.

    The price of Spirit Mist Grass soared all the way up, breaking through the three hundred and fifty-point mark. It was on the verge of breaking through four hundred points.

    All the cultivators who were rushing to buy Spirit Mist Grass in front of the Tianxuan Mirror suddenly had the slightly mechanical and cold voice of the Tianxuan Mirror echoing in their minds.

    "Due to the significant abnormal fluctuations in the price of Spirit Mist Grass in recent days, to ensure the stable and harmonious development of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the following announcement is hereby made."

    "The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance discovered a closed subworld three months ago. This subworld is extremely vast, with a high concentration of wood-attribute spiritual energy and a rich variety of spiritual nts and herbs."

    "ording to a rough estimate, this subworld''s production of Spirit Mist Grass alone has an annual yield of around ten million nts."

    "This ispletely capable of satisfying all the internal production and consumption needs of the alliance."

    ...

    The cultivators no longer paid attention to what came after the Tianxuan Mirror''s announcement.

    When they heard that the annual yield of Spirit Mist Grass was as high as ten million nts, their expressions froze.

    Endless fear instantly descended, upying their minds.

    There were rumors previously about the wood-attribute subworld.

    But under the crazy surge in the price of Spirit Mist Grass, no one was willing to believe this information.

    They would rather believe that someone with ulterior motives released this information to disrupt the market.

    They were unwilling to believe in the truth of the information.

    However, it was different now, because the one announcing this news was the Tianxuan Mirror.

    As the fundamental tform for all resource exchanges within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, no one would doubt the words of the Tianxuan Mirror.

    So, after the announcement of the Tianxuan Mirror, all cultivators felt as if they had been struck by lightning.

    There was only one thought in their minds.

    Flee.

    Flee as fast as possible, and lose as little as possible.

    But...

    All cultivators knew that the price of Spirit Mist Grass hadpletely copsed.

    Everyone wanted to sell the Spirit Mist Grass in their hands.

    And no one was willing to buy anymore.

    The final straw that broke the camel''s back was when the Tianxuan Mirror directly announced a unified repurchase price.

    Four points of contribution per nt.

    Cultivators who wanted to use their privileges to sell to the Tianxuan Mirror ording to the real-time price found that the Tianxuan Mirror refused to repurchase.

    As a result, Li Fan witnessed a scene that he would never forget.

    The price of Spirit Mist Grass, like a waterfall, plummeted.

    The number changed rapidly, going from three digits to two digits.

    From two digits to one digit.

    In just over a dozen breaths, the price of Spirit Mist Grass dropped from nearly four hundred points to four points.

    Instantly, it plummeted by ny-nine percent.

    In the Thousand Mile Hall, Jiao Xiuyuan''s expression became stagnant, a hideous look frozen on his face.

    "I, Jiao Xiuyuan, never make losing deals..."

    After struggling to utter a few words, cracks appeared on his body, and the breath of life rapidly disappeared.

    In an instant, Jiao Xiuyuan went from a living person to a withered, yellow, and dpidated piece of wood.

    With a thud, it fell to the ground, breaking into several pieces.

    "Fellow Daoist Jiao!" Li Fan couldn''t help but exim, rushing forward to check.

    "I''m... fine."

    From under the counter in the Thousand Mile Hall came Jiao Xiuyuan''s gritted teeth voice.

    Another intact Jiao Xiuyuan crawled out from under a pile of debris, carrying a smile uglier than tears.

    "Clearly, the opportunity hadn''t ended, but it was all cut off by the Tianxuan Mirror''s single statement..."

    "Now, we''re in big trouble."

    Li Fan also pretended to look lost and dejected. "I advised you to stop early on, but you didn''t listen."

    "My thirty percent profit has also turned into nothing."

    "If you had cashed out at three hundred points, or even at two hundred points, it would have been an unimaginable profit..."

    "Bang!"

    Countless cracks appeared on the new Jiao Xiuyuan''s face.

    In an instant, it exploded into countless fragments.

    "Stop talking..."

    "Let me take a break..."

    Another Jiao Xiuyuan slowly and painfully crawled out from the debris, replying with a face full of anguish.

    Seeing this, Li Fan seemed to havee back to his senses and, with a horrified expression, his gaze moved back and forth between the wooden debris on the ground and Jiao Xiuyuan. "Fellow Daoist Jiao, are you human?"

    Changing the subject seemed to suit Jiao Xiuyuan''s intentions.

    He coughed, waving his hand weakly. "Fellow Daoist, don''t panic. I am, of course, a human. It''s just that I cultivate the Ten Thousand Puppet Dao."

    "The Ten Thousand Puppet Dao?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

    "Don''t tell me, don''t tell me that all the shopkeepers of the Thousand Mile Hall across the cultivation world are your puppets?" Li Fan knowingly asked.

    "Hehe, that''s right. Business is difficult, so naturally, I have to manage everything myself. Employing more people means incurring more costs. Sometimes, having arge store is not necessarily a good thing!" Jiao Xiuyuan flipped over andy down, saying weakly.

    "Like this time, just exploding so many puppets is going to..."

    Before he could finish his sentence, this puppet also exploded with a loud bang.

    "Fellow Daoist, don''t speak. Let me rest for a moment."

    Jiao Xiuyuan''s weak voice came from the bottom of the debris.

    Amunication talisman flew to Li Fan''s face.

    "Let''s chatter..."

    Li Fan shook themunication talisman in his hand and quietly walked out of the Thousand Mile Hall.

    It wasn''t just Jiao Xiuyuan who suffered a heavy blow.

 Chapter 195: Finally Showing Signs

    The Ten Thousand Immortals Ind and even the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was gloomy in the following period.

    Every cultivator Li Fan saw appeared dispirited.

    In fact, Li Fan heard that many cultivators, after losing their fortunes, chose to end their lives in despair.

    Every now and then, death announcements could be seen in the sky, a sign of those who took extreme measures.

    Some gamblers who had leveraged heavily and intended to take a risk found themselves deeply in debt after the drastic drop in Spirit Mist Grass prices.

    Their debt was so insurmountable that even a lifetime ofbor couldn''t repay.

    In order to escape debt, some chose to resist forcefully, while others directly defected from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, seeking refuge with the Five Elders Association.

    Apparently, there were so many defectors that the manpower of the Martial Hall was insufficient.

    The Tianxuan Mirror broke the norm and issued numerous assassination missions in session as merit tasks.

    Furthermore, there were no limits on the number of times these missions could be epted.

    For a while, the entire Xuanhuang Realm was in turmoil and unrest.

    It was evident how significant the impact of the Spirit Mist Grass incident was.

    Li Fan also followed suit,pleting several assassination missions and raising his permission level to Eight.

    Strangely enough, just a little over a monthter, the turmoil spontaneously subsided.

    The sorrow on the faces of cultivators slowly dissipated, and they returned to their former lively appearances.

    It seemed as if they had forgotten the recent Spirit Mist Grass incident, rarely mentioning it in their conversations.

    Even if brought up asionally, people didn''t show signs of deep distress but instead added a touch of mockery and banter.

    "You only lost fifty thousand contribution points? Are you kidding?"

    "Hehe, look at us, who hasn''t lost eighty or a hundred thousand?"

    Conversations like these could be heard everywhere.

    Gradually, the collective memory of the cultivators about the Spirit Mist Grass incident faded away.

    In the end, only thementation of "It''s really hard to earn contribution points" remained.

    However, Li Fan''s memory did not weaken, partially because he was aplete beneficiary in this upheaval, devoid of painful and anxious memories.

    Additionally, his 650,000 contribution points reminded him constantly.

    "It seems like I don''t have to worry about contribution points for a long time."

    Thinking so, Li Fan sent another message to He Zhenghao.

    In the meantime, Li Fan had visited He Zhenghao once.

    In this life, he seemed to have suffered even greater losses than in the twelfth life.

    He looked as if he had been severely traumatized, his eyes vacant and dull.

    Calling his name only prompted an instinctive response.

    It wasn''t until recently, under the influence of the Immortal Ancestor, that he slowly recovered.

    He regretted not heeding Li Fan''s advice.

    Upon learning that Li Fan had sessfully pulled out before the bubble burst, he was even more envious.

    "Ah, fellow Daoist Li Fan, it would have been so much better if I had listened to your advice back then."

    This was probably the umpteenth time Li Fan had heard He Zhenghao say something like this.

    "Investing is all about talent. Fellow Daoist He, you obviously aren''t suited for it. Listen to my advice, and from now on, focus on doing missions honestly to umte contribution points!"

    "As long as your life is safe and your cultivation is intact, you can always start anew!"

    Li Fan said with a serious tone.

    "Yes, yes, fellow Daoist, you''re right." He Zhenghao nodded repeatedly, then tentatively asked, "I wonder how much profit fellow Daoist made this time?"

    "Hehe, a lot. A whole lot." Li Fan said with a cheerful tone.

    He Zhenghao''s face showed envy, and he seemed to want to say something but hesitated, his mouth opening and closing several times without speaking.

    Li Fan didn''t rush to reveal it and decided to let him simmer a bit longer.

    It was evident that He Zhenghao was not the only one who had lost a lifetime''s savings due to an unwise investment.

    After putting away the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliancemunication talisman, Li Fan''s attention shifted to Zhou Qingang on Taian Ind.

    He appeared restless, carrying a frown, pacing back and forth as if contemting something but unable to make up his mind.

    Suddenly, his expression changed, and he took out a talisman, saying with resentment, "Ok, ok, ok! It''s just fifty thousand contribution points. I''m the ind guardian; rest assured, by the end of this month, I will definitely pay it back!"

    Putting away themunication talisman, Zhou Qingang''s face became gloomy.

    It seemed that he had finally made a decision. Activating a Concealing Form Talisman, he flew out of the Taian Ind''s guardian formation.

    Arriving in a deste, uninhabited sea area, he lingered for a moment, and his aura suddenly changed.

    Furthermore, Li Fan saw from the Vision of Heaven and Earth that Zhou Qingang''s appearance had undergone aplete change in an instant.

    It wasn''t a mere illusion or disguise; he had fundamentally transformed into another person.

    The original Zhou Qingang was a quiet young schr.

    Now, he had be a thin, inconspicuous middle-aged man.

    After this transformation, Zhou Qingang continued to fly discreetly in a certain direction.

    "He finally showed his true colors." A glint shed in Li Fan''s eyes.

    He bought a recording stone from the Tianxuan Mirror and held it in his hand.

    Adjusting the monitoring angle slightly, he began recording the scenes he observed with his divine sense.

    After flying for a whole day, as night fell, Zhou Qingang arrived at a remote and uninhabited small ind.

    The ind was deste to the extreme,cking even a single tree. A nce revealed nothing but scattered rocks on the ground.

    Zhou Qingangnded on the small ind and surveyed his surroundings.

    After carefully observing for a long time and confirming that there was no one tracking him, he began searching the ind.

    After a while, he seemed to have found his target.

    With a happy expression, he held a stone in his hand.

    The stone waspletely ordinary, with no special symbols or markings. It was pockmarked, with a few small holes in specific locations.

    Zhou Qingang scrutinized the stone for a long time, memorizing the positions of the small holes.

    He then exerted force and crushed the stone.

    He flew northwest of the small ind.

    After another half day, in an uninhabited sea area, Zhou Qingang suddenly stopped.

    Then he plunged into the sea.

    At the bottom of the sea, there was a ruin. Zhou Qingang searched for a long time in the ruin, finally stopping in front of an inconspicuous broken stone.

    A golden light appeared on his hands, and Zhou Qingang pressed his palms on the broken stone.

    The palm prints matched.

    A light emerged from the broken stone, sweeping over Zhou Qingang''s body.

    Then it returned to the broken stone.

    On the smooth, mirror-like surface of the broken stone, a human face image suddenly appeared.

    "Hmm? Why are you contacting me so early this time? Isn''t there still six years left?" The face, whose specific features couldn''t be clearly seen, observed Zhou Qingang with a puzzled expression.

    Zhou Qingang hesitated with a somewhat awkward expression. "Head, the funds are running low. Can you allocate a little more to me?"

    The face was slightly surprised. "How did you use up everything so quickly? Hasn''t it been a short time since westmunicated?"

    Then, as if recalling something, the tone changed. "You fool, did you also get involved in the Spirit Mist Grass spection?"

 Chapter 196: Returning to the Fallen Immortal Realm

    Zhou Qingang hesitated as he exined, "Considering the trend of Spirit Mist Grass prices at that time, who could resist? It spread like wildfire, and almost every ind guardian in the Cong Yun Sea was involved in spection."

    "If I had acted differently, it would have exposed my intentions. Who knew the price would copse so quickly..."

    Then, as if realizing something, he nced suspiciously at the face on the broken stone. "Head, you didn''t participate in the spection too, did you?"

    The face avoided answering and rebuked, "Enough nonsense, how much do you need?"

    After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Qingang whispered, "One hundred thousand..."

    "One hundred thousand?!" The face''s voice suddenly rose a few degrees.

    "No! Funding is tight right now, and none of you have shown any concrete results despite lurking for so long. What can I use to request funds from above?" The face decisively refused.

    Seeing this, Zhou Qingang quickly said, "There are results, there are results! I''ve almost deciphered the outeryer of the Heavenly Transformation Formation. In at most seven or eight years, I willpletely crack the core of the formation."

    "This time, even He Zhenghao suffered heavy losses. I''m applying for these one hundred thousand contribution points to strengthen my rtionship with him."

    "He is proficient in formations and has participated in the deployment of the ind protection formation. With his assistance, we will surely master the formation sooner."

    The face''s expression eased slightly upon hearing this.

    After pondering for a moment, it slowly said, "In that case, send me the deciphered formation data first."

    Zhou Qingang nodded, and once again pressed his palms on the broken stone with closed eyes.

    A yellow light flickered continuously. After a while, he released his hands.

    Seemingly exhausted, his face turned extremely pale.

    The face remained expressionless, seemingly verifying the authenticity of the data.

    "Hmm, well done." After a while, the face nodded.

    "However, one hundred thousand is indeed too much. Fifty thousand!" The face suddenly said, changing its tone.

    Zhou Qingang''s face turned bitter. "Head, fifty thousand is too little! Seventy thousand, or sixty thousand would be eptable!"

    The facepletely ignored him. "Fifty top-grade spirit stones. One monthter, retrieve them from the usual ce."

    "That''s final!"

    As the words fell, the light and shadow on the broken stone disappeared, returning to an ordinary-looking stone.

    With a darkened expression, Zhou Qingang smashed the broken stone with a p.

    Returning to his original appearance, he remained silent all the way back to Taian Ind.

    He stayed within the ind protection formation, behaving like an ordinary ind guardian, making it impossible to tell he was an undercover spy.

    "It seems that, apart from Zhou Qingang, quite a few people are infiltrating under this supervisor."

    "However, these spies within the alliance should not hold high positions. The current task level is only focused on scheming on the ind protection formation."

    "In addition, their method ofmunication seems to be reset with every contact. Although it''s troublesome, the one-waymunication reduces the risk of being exposed."

    Seeing that Zhou Qingang had resumed his undercover activities without further actions, Li Fan withdrew his attention and considered how to maximize the benefits of this situation.

    "In addition to finding a way to deceive the Inquiry tform, Zhou Qingang''s method of changing appearance will be extremely useful for me."

    "It would be great to acquire both methods and then report them to earn merits."

    "Unfortunately, until now, I still haven''t found the rumored soul-searching technique."

    "It seems that the alliance has strict control over this method. Even with my current rank as permission level Eight, I haven''t found any relevant information."

    "I wonder if there is an opportunity in the Fallen Immortal Realm."

    Not long ago, Li Fan inexplicably felt a resonance, indicating that he could enter the Fallen Immortal Realm again.

    However, at that time, he was busy with merit tasks, so he didn''t enter again.

    Now that he was free, Li Fan once again had the idea of exploring the Fallen Immortal Realm.

    At this point, he began to set up the ritual again.

    "Blessings bestowed by the Celestial Sovereign of Xuanhuang!"

    As thest line was silently recited, numerous misceneous sounds entered his ears.

    Li Fan entered the Fallen Immortal Realm once again.

    "Junior Brother? Junior Brother?"

    When Li Fan saw the surroundings clearly, his heart sank slightly.

    "Junior Brother, what are you thinking? Why are you in a daze for so long?"

    A cultivator wearing a purple and white Daoist robe, with a purple lightning mark between his eyebrows, asked.

    This person was not unfamiliar to Li Fan; it was the cultivator he had encountered during hisst visit to the Fallen Immortal Realm, Zhang Qianmo.

    "Why is it here again?" Numerous question marks shed through Li Fan''s mind.

    ording to Chen Ying''s exnation, every time one enters the Fallen Immortal Realm, they should randomly appear in different locations. Why was his second login location exactly the same as thest time, down to the minute?

    Could there be a special reason? Thinking about the peculiar aspect of having two lives in this Fallen Immortal Realm, a name suddenly surfaced in Li Fan''s mind.

    "Could it be because of the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra again?" Li Fan spected.

    "Last time, I revealed my spiritual consciousness avatar and was killed by Zhang Qianmo. If I defeat him this time, will the oue be different?"

    "However, Senior Brother Zhang is not that easy to deal with."

    "Or, if he doesn''t discover me, the true me beneath Li Chen''s body..."

    Instantly, numerous thoughts surged in Li Fan''s mind. However, he didn''t forget to respond to the somewhat cynical Senior Brother before him.

    Recalling what would happen next, Li Fan quickly pondered, "Eh, Senior Brother, I don''t know why, but I suddenly feel a bit uneasy. It seems that this trip to obtain the Longevity Fruit won''t be as smooth as expected."

    Zhang Qianmo was slightly stunned, and instead ofughing it off, he paid great attention to it.

    He gently pinched his right hand, and it seemed like a purple cloud floated through his eyes.

    "Huh?" After a while, Zhang Qianmo''s expression became serious.

    "Junior Brother, your premonition is correct. There is indeed something unusual about this Ningyuan City!"

    "Really?" Li Fan appeared extremely surprised. "Then, Senior Brother, what should we do next?"

    Zhang Qianmo pondered for a moment and said, "The hexagram indicates that although there is some risk, there is no threat to life."

    "The Longevity Fruit must be obtained. If we don''t even set foot into Ningyuan City and instead return to the sect for reinforcements, wouldn''t we be ridiculed by our peers?"

    "It might be better for both of us to sneak into the city secretly, investigate the situation, and then decide."

    Li Fan readily agreed, "Senior Brother is right!"

    Zhang Qianmo activated some kind of technique, and the lightning mark on his forehead gradually receded, his aurapletely concealed.

    Observing this scene, as if by instinct, Li Fan also skillfully hid his own aura.

    "So, this is the Breath Concealing Technique from the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique..."

    As if controlling a character in a game, Li Fan could now use various techniques and moves from Li Chen, but he didn''t have a deep understanding of the techniques themselves.

 Chapter 197: Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique

    Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo, disguised in new appearances, quietly infiltrated Ningyuan City.

    "Senior Brother, I think if someone with ill intentions wants to ambush us, the best way is to catch us off guard. It''s very likely that they''re lurking near your old favorite, Chixia."

    Li Fan transmitted his thoughts.

    Zhang Qianmo''s face blushed slightly, and after pondering for a moment, he said, "Junior Brother, you make a lot of sense. Let''s first go to the Drunken Immortal Tower."

    Following Zhang Qianmo, Li Fan arrived near the bustling center of the city.

    Across from the Drunken Immortal Tower was arge stage where a theatrical performance was taking ce. A crowd ofmon people gathered to watch, whileughter and singing could be faintly heard from the Drunken Immortal Tower.

    Upon reaching this location, Zhang Qianmo''s eyes were fixed on a woman on the stage wearing theatrical attire, exuding a noble aura. His gaze seemed to be glued to her, unable to look away.

    Meanwhile, Li Fan, in the crowd, searched for the ambush set up by Chu Liang and others.

    Perhaps thinking that Zhang Qianmo and Li Fan had not yet arrived, Chu Liang did not conceal his presence much. He merely hid his aura and blended in with the onlookers.

    It didn''t take much effort for Li Fan to find him.

    "Senior Brother, why does that person look a bit familiar?"

    Li Fan awakened Zhang Qianmo, who was immersed in Chixia''s performance, and transmitted Chu Liang''s appearance to him through his spiritual sense.

    "Hmm? He seems somewhat familiar. Who is he?" After a long time, Zhang Qianmo finally remembered who Chu Liang was.

    "Chu Liang? Wasn''t he expelled from the sect a long time ago because he couldn''t cultivate? Why would he appear here?" Zhang Qianmo was surprised.

    Li Fan added, "This Chu Liang doesn''t seem to be an ordinary person. It seems he''s hiding his cultivation base."

    Zhang Qianmo nodded silently, "Indeed. There must be something strange about this."

    After some thought, he said, "Junior Brother, let''s surround him¡ªone in the front and one in the back. Then, let''s simultaneously use ''Spring Thunder Shock'' to subdue him. We can question himter."

    Information about ''Spring Thunder Shock'' instantly surfaced in Li Fan''s mind. It was a technique from the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique, a method of spiritual attack.

    It could cause a momentary shock to the opponent''s mind, like the first thunder in spring, making them lose control of their body for an instant.

    "Compared to the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique, most of the techniques I''ve seen before seem to be only for cultivation and advancing realms. It''s as if they were deliberately truncated,cking many such methods."

    "Perhaps only this ancient Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique can be considered a true technique."

    After a briefparison, Li Fan couldn''t help but think this way.

    Li Fan agreed with the n, and the two disciples separated in the crowd and approached Chu Liang from different directions.

    Chu Liang''s vignce seemed a bit low. It wasn''t until Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo were close that he vaguely sensed something was wrong.

    Looking at Zhang Qianmo suddenly appearing in front of him, Chu Liang''s face showed a look of horror.

    However, before he could react, he was hit by ''Spring Thunder Shock'' from both sides.

    His eyes lost focus, his whole body stiffened, and he couldn''t move.

    Zhang Qianmo approached and restrained him, quietly taking him to an uninhabited house.

    By now, Chu Liang had regained consciousness. His eyes were filled with hatred as he stared fixedly at Zhang Qianmo.

    "Are you Chu Liang? Why are you here?"

    "In just over thirty years, you''ve transformed from an untalented ordinary person, unable to cultivate, into a Foundation Establishment cultivator. What kind of evil technique are you using?"

    Zhang Qianmo''s face remained expressionless as he asked coldly.

    Chu Liang snorted but remained silent.

    "Do you think if you don''t speak, I won''t be able to find out?" A trace of disdain appeared on Zhang Qianmo''s face.

    "As a loose cultivator, how could you possibly know the methods of our orthodox sect?"

    Having said that, Zhang Qianmo''s five fingers turned into ws, reaching for Chu Liang''s head.

    In an instant, Chu Liang felt as if he was struck by lightning.

    His whole body trembled uncontrobly.

    A look of extreme pain appeared on his face, and his eyes gradually lost their luster.

    However, Zhang Qianmo remained unmoved, still firmly holding onto Chu Liang.

    In the end, Chu Liang''s pupils dimmed, and his body spasmed involuntarily.

    "Bang!"

    Casually tossing Chu Liang, who had lost any use, to the ground, Zhang Qianmo stood there, silent for a long time.

    "Senior Brother, what''s going on?" Watching this scene that closely resembled soul-searching, Li Fan''s gaze flickered.

    However, he didn''t make any inappropriate moves for the time being; he simply spoke up.

    Zhang Qianmo didn''t immediately respond but continued to mutter something.

    "Extract the essence of heaven and earth..."

    "Sacrifice the spirit of heaven and earth..."

    "Defy the principles of heaven and earth..."

    Seemingly deeply shaken, he seemed unable to control himself for a moment.

    "Senior Brother!" Li Fan had to speak again to bring him back to awareness.

    "Hoo..." Zhang Qianmo let out a long breath, slowly recovering from the shock.

    His expression became extremely serious. "Junior Brother, I''m afraid the seriousness of this matter goes beyond our imagination."

    "We need to quickly conclude matters here, return to the sect, and report to the Sect Master."

    Li Fan asked in astonishment, "What exactly happened? Why would it be necessary to alert the Sect Master?"

    Zhang Qianmo immediately exined the matter about the Immortal Ancestor transmitting a new cultivation method that didn''t require spiritual roots.

    "There are three more aplices in the city, and Steward Song Hesong, who has already reached the Golden Core realm, is also practicing the new method. Follow me to capture the three Foundation Establishment cultivators first."

    Li Fan couldn''t help but ask, "What about the steward at the Golden Core realm?"

    "Rest assured, leave it to me. However, he''s just a dog in my eyes." Zhang Qianmo revealed a trace of disdain on his face.

    Li Fan nodded without refuting.

    Next, the two of them easily captured the remaining three Foundation Establishment cultivators with ambushes.

    "Junior Brother, wait for me here and keep an eye on these people. I''ll go and capture Steward Song; then, I''ll find youter." Zhang Qianmo instructed.

    Li Fan checked the skills learned by Li Chen again and did not find the soul-searching technique that Zhang Qianmo had just disyed.

    So, he asked tentatively, "Senior Brother, how is the soul-searching technique performed? I''m idle, and I want to see if I can extract some useful information from these people''s minds."

    Zhang Qianmo was slightly surprised, appraised Li Fan for a moment, and chuckled, "Who was it that said the soul-searching technique is too cruel and refused to learn it before?"

    "Today, after almost being ambushed, you''ve seen the cruelty of the cultivation. The knot in your heart has untied, hasn''t it?"

    "Junior Brother, remember. In the path to immortality, there is no room for half-heartedness."

    "Compassion cannot be tolerated."

    "Not to mention the soul-searching technique, even more cruel methods, such as refining puppets with a cultivator''s body or using souls to refine spiritual treasures, must be used when it is necessary!"

    As he spoke, Zhang Qianmo pointed his finger at the center of Li Fan''s eyebrows, transmitting a technique called the "Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique."

 Chapter 198: Difference of Thousands of Years

    "Purify the soul with Purple Heaven, prate the spirit..."

    In an instant, a soul-searching technique consisting of tens of thousands of words appeared in Li Fan''s mind.

    "Junior Brother, wait for me here. I''ll be back soon!" Zhang Qianmo said. Without waiting for Li Fan''s response, he flew away.

    "Purple Heaven Soul Observation..." After carefully reading this unique soul-searching technique of the Purple Heaven Sect, Li Fan mastered it.

    The technique explicitly stated that in the current cultivation world, constant conflicts urred among major sects, righteous and demonic cultivators, and various beasts and monsters. Killing, seizing treasures, soul-searching, and soul-refining were allmon urrences.

    Soul-searching, in particr, involves extracting memories from the opponent''s soul through various methods. Different factions had their own styles and habits, resulting in various approaches.

    Some methods were cruel and brutal, causing permanent damage to the soul during the process. Those who underwent soul-searching would be left mentally impaired even if they survived.

    Others were more ingenious, not only searching memories but also modifying and distorting them, leaving spiritual imprints and turning enemies into loyal servants.

    The soul-searching technique of the Purple Heaven Sect was considered moderate and peaceful. It wouldn''t cause significant harm to the soul, only inflicting a temporary pain simr to the strike of Purple Heaven Royal Thunder during the process. With careful recovery afterward, the soul could be restored.

    However, it would leave an inexplicable fear in the heart. After sensing the presence of Purple Heaven Sect disciples, individuals would feel as if they had encountered a natural enemy,cking the courage to resist.

    Mimicking Zhang Qianmo, Li Fan extended his hand like ws, reaching for one of the captives.

    As he activated the Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique, countless images surged like giant waves.

    Simr to the reproduction of the Mountain Meditation Technique using the Sun Stealing Technique, this technique could vividly disy memories.

    Scene after scene appeared. Li Fan ignored insignificant details and focused on rtively important parts.

    This Foundation Establishment cultivator was named Liu Tu.

    Over forty years ago, he was just an ordinary viger in the mountains.

    One day, while hunting in the mountains, he got lost and stumbled upon a hidden valley. To his surprise, this usually empty valley was now filled with many people. Some were powerful cultivators, but most were ordinary mortals like Liu Tu.

    They all sat together, listening attentively to the passionate speech of a young cultivator.

    "Decades ago, I was like most of you, a powerless mortal unable to control my own destiny. Although I aspired to the path of immortality, I did not have spiritual roots and was unable to cultivate."

    "Fortunately, I witnessed the Immortal Ancestor preaching and obtained a supreme technique."

    "From then on, I had no need for spiritual roots to cultivate!"

    "In just ten years, I have achieved the Golden Core realm!"

    "The Immortal Ancestor said: the path of immortality is..."

    Under the guidance of the young cultivator, dozens of mortals present condensed the Roots of Heaven and Earth and entered the Qi Condensation stage on the spot.

    Liu Tu was fascinated. Although his aptitude was slightly inferior, preventing him from condensing Qi, he had memorized the "Five Spirit Qi Sensing Method."

    After returning home, in less than half a month, he sessfully absorbed spiritual energy into his body and became a true cultivator.

    Afterward, Liu Tu found and joined an organization formed by cultivators practicing the new path to immortality called the "Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

    After selecting the most popr "Heavenly Net Divine Art" as his primary cultivation method, Liu Tu spent five or six years cultivating and sessfully built his foundation using the spiritual treasure "Mountain Spiritual Ginseng."

    After that, he encountered Chu Liang, who invited him to join the ambush on Zhang Qianmo and Li Chen as they harvested Longevity Fruits in Ningyuan City.

    The title of Inner Sect disciple of the Purple Heaven Sect made Liu Tu somewhat fearful. However, with Song Hesong, a Golden Core realm  cultivator, as the leading figure, and the temptation of the supreme technique "Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique," Liu Tu reluctantly agreed.

    Unexpectedly, they encountered Zhang Qianmo, who could kill Golden Core cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage...

    "Bang!"

    After the soul-searching waspleted, Li Fan threw Liu Tu to the ground and gently pressed his throbbing temples.

    He calmed down his turbulent soul.

    Soul-searching was an ingenious technique capable ofprehensively revealing an enemy''s secrets by reading their memories. However, it wasn''t without risks.

    The consumption of one''s own spiritual consciousness was also extremely astonishing. In Li Fan''s case, it had over-exhausted him.

    Moreover, if one encountered someone ying pig to eat the tiger¡ªpretending to be defeated only tounch a fatal counterattack during the soul-searching process¡ªthe risks were even greater.

    "In this Fallen Immortal Realm, I am only a spiritual consciousness incarnation, and my spiritual consciousness intensity is not as strong as my original body. However, the consumption of soul-searching is still too high." Recalling Zhang Qianmo''s effortless demeanor earlier, Li Fan couldn''t help but wonder if he had used the technique incorrectly.

    But after reviewing Li Chen''s memories and a little thought, Li Fan understood.

    At this point in time, major sects spared no effort and expense in nurturing elite disciples. There was no shortage of all sorts of geniuses and treasures, and a variety of secret techniques could be casually selected.

    From practical sparring to refining spiritual consciousness to guidance and personal instruction from senior experts within the sect¡ªall these resources were avable for rapid growth.

    In contrast, in the modern cultivation world, aplete cultivation method would be deliberately divided into several different parts, restricting thebat power of cultivators.

    Want to strengthen yourself with rare treasures? Want secret techniques to fend off enemies? Well, then,plete tasks and umte contribution points.

    Even when you''ve umted enough contribution points, you might still not find what you''re looking for. Oh, that could be because your permission level isn''t high enough. Do some merit tasks and umte for a few years!

    ...

    Although Li Fan didn''t know the situation with the Five Elders Association, it should be roughly the same.

    In reality, the vast majority of cultivators today would not be able to enter Zhang Qianmo''s eyes.

    ording to Liu Tu''s memories, the initial Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance provided various spiritual techniques and secrets.

    Take the most practiced "Heavenly Net Divine Art" as an example; its content covered everything, including restraining breath, escape techniques, refining spiritual consciousness, strengthening the physical body, Qi cultivation, alchemy, talisman crafting, and formations¡ªevery aspect imaginable.

    It was indeed the best introductory cultivation method.

    Although it might not excel in every aspect, itsprehensiveness made up for it.

    Li Fan couldn''t estimate how high a price this cultivation method would fetch in the current Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    This was just one of the dozens of free cultivation methods avable at this time in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    Comparing the differences, Li Fan couldn''t help but feel the sentiment "How did the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance end up like this?"

    The disparity between casual cultivators was already significant, not to mentionpared with elite disciples of major sects like Zhang Qianmo.

    Although Li Fan possessed extraordinary treasures like [Truth] and his spiritual consciousness far surpassed ordinary cultivators, he hadn''t undergone systematic strengthening andcked the supplementation of rare treasures. Therefore, there was still a considerable gap between him and someone like Senior Brother Zhang.

    Checking his own situation, Li Fan frowned slightly.

    "Due to excessive consumption of spiritual consciousness, the time I can stay in this Fallen Immortal Realm has sharply decreased."

    "Originally, I could maintain my state for about half a month, but now it''s only seven or eight days."

    "However, I''ve already achieved some gains. I can leave the Fallen Immortal Realm prematurely."

    "I just need to reverse simte the ritual in my mind."

    "However, I don''t know if I''ve satisfied the conditions to bring items back to reality."

    Bringing items and information from the Fallen Immortal Realm to the real world required specific conditions.

    The exact conditions weren''t clearly exined by Chen Ying when he introduced them, and currently, the Tianxuan Mirror wouldn''t reveal information about the Fallen Immortal Realm. Li Fan had to figure it out himself.

    "The higher the value of the item, the more difficult it is to bring back."

    "Forget about this ''Heavenly Net Divine Art'' for now. If I can bring back the ''Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique,'' my goal will be achieved."

    "What are the conditions? Kill Zhang Qianmo?"

    Li Fan was currently clueless.

    "Regardless, let''s return to reality first."

    "Maybe I can recall the specific details of the soul-searching technique in reality?"

    After contemting for a moment, Li Fan made a decision.

    He directly initiated the ritual in his mind to return.

    A moment of dizziness struck, and in an instant, the surroundings shattered like starlight.

    Li Fan''s consciousness returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    Li Fan began to carefully recall various scenes from this journey to the Fallen Immortal Realm.

    Specific events and every conversation with Senior Brother Zhang were still fresh in his memory.

    But when he tried to recall the "Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique" and the "Heavenly Net Divine Art," he couldn''t remember anything.

    It was like drawing water with a bamboo basket, all in vain.

    "As expected, it''s not that easy."

    "The treasures were in my hands, but they''re like the moon reflected in water, just out of reach."

    "This feeling is really ufortable."

    "I''ll have to go back in and look for specific conditions."

    "Fortunately, I voluntarily exitedst time. The required time interval for re-entry has significantly shortened."

    During this waiting period, Li Fan purchased a concealment talisman, disguised himself as a Golden Core cultivator, and traveled to the fish gambling ind.

    Due to themotion caused by the Spirit Mist Grass, there were fewer cultivators gathered here.

    Li Fan randomly picked a fish to bet on and then subtly inquired about information on the Fallen Immortal Realm from the Golden Core cultivators in the crowd.

    After some casual chat, Li Fan learned that each person''s entry point into the Fallen Immortal Realm was different.

    Sometimes they entered and got caught in a battle between good and evil and were casually killed by powerful figures on the battlefield.

    Sometimes, with good luck, they upied the body of a disciple from a certain sect. However, in just over ten days, finding the conditions to bring out a cultivation method was quite challenging. They could only regretfully watch the cultivation method disappear from their memories.

 Chapter 199: The Unstoppable New Law

    Clearly, no one could repeatedly enter the same location like Li Fan.

    However, there was a Golden Core cultivator who was quite pleased with himself and boasted about his experiences.

    Once, he appeared in the Fallen Immortal Realm and upied the body of a young man.

    This young man''s family had been exterminated in childhood.

    The entire family met a tragic end, and only the young man escaped.

    While struggling for survival, the young man investigated the mastermind behind the extermination.

    By a stroke of luck, the young man witnessed two cultivators fighting to the death in the mountains one day, ultimately perishing together.

    From the corpses of these two cultivators, the young man found some elixirs and two cultivation techniques.

    Eventually, he embarked on the path of cultivation.

    Just as he achieved sess in cultivation, reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and found clues to the extermination case, he was coincidentally upied by this Golden Core cultivator.

    Following the clues, the Golden Core cultivator sessfully found the murderer within a limited time of a dozen days.

    He, too, massacred the murderer''s entire family in revenge.

    After leaving the Fallen Immortal Realm, the Golden Core cultivator sessfully brought back a cultivation technique.

    He sold it for a good price of thirty thousand contribution points.

    After hearing the story, everyone couldn''t help but feel envious, praising his good luck.

    "So, I believe that one possible way to bring items out is through exchange."

    "If I wanted this young man to give me the cultivation technique, I needed to help him fulfill his long-cherished wish."

    "His wish is to avenge his family''s deaths, and I''ve aplished that. In exchange, he naturally is willing to give me the cultivation technique."

    This Golden Core cultivator named Ji Xingwen spoke confidently.

    Li Fan and the others listened with thoughtful expressions.

    Having obtained the desired information, Li Fan recorded the appearance of the prize-winning fish and hurriedly returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    He elerated his cultivation in the Tianxuan Mirror while waiting.

    After more than ten days, Li Fan sensed that he could once again enter the Fallen Immortal Realm.

    He immediately performed the ritual.

    Unsurprisingly, he still possessed the body of Purple Heaven Sect''s Li Chen, just like the previous two times.

    Li Fan followed the same procedure as before.

    "Junior brother, wait here. I''ll be right back!" Zhang Qianmo''s words were not finished before he had already gone far away.

    This time, Li Fan chose another person to soul-search.

    The second use of the Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique was more skillful than the first.

    However, it still consumed a lot.

    He carefully examined the past experiences of this person but found nothing special.

    His encounters were quite simr to Liu Tu, as he was just an ordinary mortal.

    By chance, he came across someone spreading the neww of cultivation, and after stepping onto the path to immortality, he joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

    However, in his memory, the one who taught the neww for mortals was not the enthusiastic young man who reached Golden Core in ten years.

    Instead, it was a stunningly beautiful woman in wight.

    This woman''s cultivation speed was even more astonishing.

    It was said that she achieved the Nascent Soul realm and became a True Lord in just twenty years.

    "It seems that there are quite a few cultivators who personally witnessed the Immortal Ancestor teaching thew andter helped spread the neww."

    Li Fan casually tossed the cultivator, whose soul had been thoroughly searched, onto the ground like a puddle of mud and looked towards the center of Ningyuan City.

    Some time had passed, but the conflict had not yet erupted.

    After a long time, Li Fan saw that Zhang Qianmo hade out of the Drunken Immortal Tower and was heading slowly towards the Tree of Evesting Life.

    Li Fan also noticed that outside the Drunken Immortal Tower, Zhang Qianmo had clearly set up a barrier.

    He was afraid that the uing battle with Song Hesong would affect his old me Chixia.

    "It seems that this Senior Brother Zhang is quite sentimental."

    "Perhaps, to bring back the Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique, I can start from this aspect."

    Li Fan''s eyes flickered with an inexplicable light.

    "Boom!"

    A purple thunderbolt as thick as a bucket suddenly descended from the sky.

    Song Hesong''s miserable scream immediately spread throughout Ningyuan City.

    Li Fan saw that the Life Transformation Grand Formation within the city rapidly operated, extracting strands of green vitality from the mortals towards the direction of the fight.

    "Zhang Qianmo, although you are an inner disciple, you are only at the Foundation Establishment stage! Do you really think I''m afraid of you?"

    Song Hesong''s voice was like thunder, echoing throughout the city.

    A blood-colored bell instantly enveloped Zhang Qianmo.

    Then, Li Fan saw Song Hesong casually p his hands, and countless buildings turned into ruins.

    The mortals inside the buildings shivered in fear. Before they could scream, they perished.

    From the corpses of the mortals, arge mass of almost substantial blood-colored energy surged into the sky, rushing towards Song Hesong.

    In the blood light, the faces of the just-deceased mortals appeared.

    Countless faces rushed towards Zhang Qianmo, trapped inside the bell.

    After a moment, Senior Brother Zhang fell into a state of stunned stillness.

    "This Sentient Soul Refinement Formation is indeed extraordinary. Although Zhang Qianmo took the initiative this time, he is still trapped by the formation."

    After a long time, Li Fan finally saw Zhang Qianmoing out of the Drunken Immortal Tower with satisfaction, slowly walking towards the Direction of the Tree of Evesting Life.

    Li Fan also noticed that outside the Drunken Immortal Tower, Zhang Qianmo had obviously set up a barrier.

    It was probably because he was worried that the uing battle with Song Hesong would affect his old lover Chixia.

    "It seems that Senior Brother Zhang is indeed a sentimental person."

    "Perhaps, if I want to bring back the Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique, I can start from this aspect."

    Li Fan''s eyes flickered with an inexplicable light.

    "Boom!"

    A thunderous sound echoed as a thick purple thunderbolt suddenly descended from the sky.

    Song Hesong''s screams instantly spread throughout the entire Ningyuan City.

    Li Fan saw that the Life Transformation Grand Formation within the city operated rapidly, extracting strands of green vitality from the mortals and flying towards the direction where the two were fighting.

    "Zhang Qianmo, although you are an inner disciple, you are only at the Golden Core stage! Do you really think I''m afraid of you?"

    Song Hesong''s voice was like thunder, echoing throughout the city.

    A blood-colored bell instantly enveloped Zhang Qianmo.

    Then, Li Fan saw Song Hesong casually p his hands, and countless buildings turned into ruins.

    The mortals inside the buildings shivered in fear, perishing before they could even scream.

    From the corpses of the mortals, arge group of almost substantial blood-colored aura surged into the sky, rushing towards Song Hesong.

    In the blood light, the faces of the just-deceased mortals appeared.

    Countless faces rushed towards Zhang Qianmo, trapped inside the bell.

    After a moment, Senior Brother Zhang fell into a state of stunned stillness.

    "This Sentient Soul Refinement Formation is indeed extraordinary. Although Zhang Qianmo took the initiative this time, he is still trapped by the formation."

    "Unfortunately, it must mortal lives as a medium. It''s much less useful in the modern day."

    Li Fan silently watched Song Hesong ruthlessly harvest the lives of mortals in the city, turning them into his means against the enemy.

    Ningyuan City became a scene of devastation in an instant.

    Countless mortals died under Song Hesong''s hands, but only the Drunken Immortal Tower protected by Senior Brother Zhang''s barrier and the ce where Li Fan was currently located remained safe.

    As the mortals in Ningyuan City continued to die, inside the Sentient Soul Refinement Formation, half of Zhang Qianmo''s head had already exploded.

    However, he was still alive.

    Song Hesong turned pale, just like before.

    However, his fear was quickly suppressed by greed.

    Red mes roasted Zhang Qianmo, revealing the purple core inside him.

    Song Hesong finally noticed something was amiss.

    He pped his hands continuously, killing the remaining mortals in Ningyuan City and summoning blood-colored human faces to block the way while he retreated towards the rear.

    He actually sensed something was wrong and fled.

    Li Fan squinted his eyes and threw Li Chen''s spear towards the escaping Song Hesong.

    At the same time, he activated the Purple Heaven Thundercalling Technique, a purple thunderbolt striking down towards Song Hesong.

    The thunder hit him directly, freezing Song Hesong''s figure as the spear, carrying traces of purple lightning, was about to pierce him fiercely.

    However, he was still a Golden Core cultivator. In a critical moment, he recovered from his stiffness.

    He tightly gripped the spear.

    A burst of lightning erupted from the long spear.

    Song Hesong unconsciously loosened his grip, allowing the long spear to return to Li Fan''s hands.

    Song Hesong, high above, nced in the direction where Li Fan was.

    Although Li Fan was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Song Hesong, as a Golden Core cultivator, didn''t even consider fighting back at this moment.

    He just looked at Li Fan with resentment and was about to turn into blood light to escape again.

    "Junior Brother, well done!"

    The purple core glowed brightly as Zhang Qianmo''s physical body reappeared.

    The radiance converged, forming into clothes.

    With a step, he turned into purple thunder and intercepted the blood light.

    Just like before, Zhang Qianmo strangled Song Hesong.

    "Traitor of the sect, die!"

    The Purple Heaven Lightning descended from the sky, announcing Song Hesong''s imminent demise.

    A Golden Core cultivator died so easily in the hands of Zhang Qianmo.

    As if he had casually ughtered a chicken or dog, Zhang Qianmo''s face showed no emotional fluctuations.

    Swiftly, he arrived beside Li Fan, suppressing his aura.

    "The matter here is concluded, Junior Brother. Let''s return to the sect as soon as possible."

    "These few people will be taken along as evidence," Zhang Qianmo pointed to the four Foundation Establishment cultivators who were previously captured.

    As for the vast ruins and countless casualties in Ningyuan City, hepletely ignored them.

    Summoning the Purple Heaven Flying Cloud, he ced the captives on it and flew into the sky.

    As they were about to leave, Li Fan suddenly knocked the captives unconscious and asked, "Senior Brother, how do you view this neww?"

    Zhang Qianmo remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "It''s an unorthodox method, and is not the authentic way!"

    Li Fan chuckled, "Is that really what Senior Brother thinks?"

    Pointing to the captives lying in various postures on the Purple Heaven Flying Cloud, Li Fan said with a deep tone, "Senior Brother, look at these people. Without evenparing them with you and me, evenpared to those outer disciples and misceneous disciples in the sect, they are far inferior."

    "They''ve cultivated for far less time, but now they all have Foundation Establishment cultivation, just like us!"

    Zhang Qianmo frowned, "Junior Brother, what are you trying to say?"

    Li Fan didn''t answer directly but continued, "When those thousands of fellow disciples in the sect who don''t have true inheritance learn about the existence of this neww, will they still be willing tonguish in the sect, doing trivial and insignificant tasks, just to be able to go further on the path of immortality?"

    "Now, the path to immortality is wide open, but it does not begin at our Purple Heaven Sect."

    Li Fan pointed to the ruined Ningyuan City below, saying, "Today, in the battle between Senior Brother and Song Hesong, mortals suffered greatly, with countless deaths and injuries."

    "After all, there is a difference between immortals and mortals. The power of mortals is too weak. In the hands of us cultivators, they have no resistance at all."

    "But, does Senior Brother think they have no grievances at all?"

    "Those surviving mortals, although as weak as ants, number in the billions."

    "If they know about the existence of the neww, how will they choose?"

    "Senior Brother has great power, easily ughtering four or five cultivators of the same level."

    "But if today, within Ningyuan City, one-tenth of the mortals are at the Foundation Establishment stage, would Senior Brother still dare to be so unrestrained?"

    Zhang Qianmo remained silent.

    Li Fan gazed intently, staring at Zhang Qianmo. "Senior Brother''s understanding far exceeds mine. Things that I can think through, Senior Brother must have already figured out long ago."

    "Junior Brother..." Zhang Qianmo was about to speak but was directly interrupted by Li Fan.

    "The rise of the new technique is unstoppable. If you go with the flow, you prosper; if you resist, you perish. Don''t you think so, Senior Brother?" Li Fan pressed.

    Although he also thought so in his heart, seeing his junior brother say it so bluntly, Zhang Qianmo''s face turned somewhat pale.

    If it weren''t for the fact that this junior brother of his had never left the mountain since he entered the sect, Zhang Qianmo would almost think that he had already embraced the neww.

    "Junior Brother, be careful with your words..." Zhang Qianmo spoke to dissuade him.

    "This matter..."

    "Let the elders of the sect make the decision."

    Li Fan smiled faintly, not wanting to discuss this topic further. Instead, he suddenly changed the subject, "Before, in the mountains, Senior Brother often sighed that Miss Chixia couldn''t cultivate due tock of spiritual roots. That''s why she was unwilling to return to the sect with you."

    "Now that Senior Brother has learned about the new technique, I wonder if you have informed Miss Chixia about it?"

    Zhang Qianmo, who was indifferent to killing enemies, surprisingly hesitated and looked embarrassed in the face of Li Fan''s questioning.

    "Senior Brother, unlike us cultivators, mortals can''t enjoy eternal youth."

    "You should know that life ages and beauty fades."

    "How much time can mortals afford to waste?"

    "Do you really have the heart to watch her age day by day and avoid any interaction with you?"

    Li Fan''s words were like a barrage, relentlessly pressing Zhang Qianmo.

    After a long time, as if going through intense mental struggles, Zhang Qianmo finally sighed deeply.

    "Junior Brother, wait here. I''ll be back soon!"

    Having said that, he flew towards the Drunken Immortal Tower below.

 Chapter 200: Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart

    Zhang Qianmo''s trip took quite a while.

    Three days and nights passed without a trace of him.

    Li Fan stood on the Purple Heaven Flying Cloud, observing the ruined Ningyuan City below.

    During the battle between Zhang Qianmo and Song Hesong, most parts of Ningyuan City turned into ruins.

    The surviving mortals under this catastrophe had eyes filled with confusion.

    "Mr. Bai has spoken!"

    "Those with strength,e here and gather. Let''s do our best to dig and rescue those who are still alive!"

    "Those with minor injuries, help gather water and food..."

    "ce those with severe injuries in the small temple. Mr. Bai will treat them there!"

    Just when the victims were sinking into despair, shouts suddenly echoed throughout Ningyuan City, emanating from various ces.

    Li Fan found it interesting because the owners of these voices were unexpectedly children around ten years old.

    Dressed as beggars, they were slender but exceptionally clever.

    The calls of the children were like the dawn before sunrise, illuminating the darkness.

    As if they had grown a backbone, people gradually began to awaken from numbness and confusion.

    They eventually started self-rescue in an orderly manner.

    Watching this scene, Li Fan was abruptly reminded of the time he had organized rescue operations in Xuanjing City, which was destroyed after he first met Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.

    In the midst of his contemtion, there was a sudden surge of spiritual energy fluctuations from the Drunken Immortal Tower.

    "It seems that Miss Chixia has sessfully condensed qi into her body," Li Fan thought to himself.

    Sure enough, after half a day, Zhang Qianmo returned.

    Although his expression remained calm, the joy in his eyes was hard to conceal.

    "Junior Brother, you''ve waited a long time!" Zhang Qianmo apologized.

    "Congrattions, Senior Brother, on settling this matter!" Li Fan smiled and said, "Miss Chixia isn''ting back to the mountain with us?"

    Zhang Qianmo waved his hand, "Let''s wait for the sect leader to make a decision first."

    "Since we''ve waited so long, we don''t mind waiting a little longer."

    "However, in my opinion, it might be difficult for those old folks in the sect to ept this so-called neww in a short time." Zhang Qianmo sneered.

    Li Fan nodded in agreement.

    With only three or four days left in the Fallen Immortal Realm, Li Fan wasn''t in a hurry to return.

    He wanted to take this opportunity to visit the Purple Heaven Sect.

    Unfortunately, the mountain gate of the Purple Heaven Sect was quite far from Ningyuan City.

    After walking more than half of the distance, Li Fan felt the scenery around him bing blurry.

    The images and sounds faded one after another, and after a moment, Li Fan''s consciousness returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

    A strange heat surged in his head, bringing a tingling sensation.

    Li Fan couldn''t help but frown, but then he couldn''t help but show a happy expression.

    After a moment of contemtion, the content of the "Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique" appeared clearly and vividly in his mind.

    "This method of ''equivalent exchange'' is indeed effective."

    A spiritual consciousness technique is not a cultivation technique, so there is no prompt about the number of cultivators.

    With his previous experience in the Fallen Immortal Realm, Li Fan effortlessly mastered it.

    "With this soul-searching technique, I only need to wait for Zhou Qingang to fetch those fifty top-grade spirit stones."

    After purchasing some items in the Tianxuan Mirror as backups, Li Fan practiced while patiently waiting.

    Seven dayster, he sensed Zhou Qingang had once again changed his appearance and left Taian Ind.

    Li Fan also left Ten Thousand Immortals Ind at the same time, concealing his figure and heading towards Zhou Qingang''s location.

    Li Fan had been to the location where Zhou Qingang received the spirit stones before.

    It was Yon Ind, where he had obtained the legacy of He Zhenghao, the "Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram," from the Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion in the twelfth life.

    Instead of entering, he quietly waited outside.

    Not long after, Zhou Qingang swaggered out of Yon Ind.

    He flew towards a remote sea area, likely intending to change his appearance again.

    This was exactly what Li Fan wanted. He silently followed behind.

    With the tracking and surveince of the Formless Killing Intent, no matter what tricks Zhou Qingang used, he couldn''t shake off Li Fan''s pursuit.

    After half a day, Zhou Qingang felt safe.

    He dived into the depths of the sea, found a ruin, and transformed back into his original appearance.

    With the top-grade spirit stones worth 50,000 contribution points in his storage ring, Zhou Qingang nned to make a trip to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind to settle his debts.

    However, as he emerged from the sea, Zhou Qingang was horrified to find that, for some unknown reason, his entire body suddenly froze, and he lost control of his body.

    Simultaneously, a deafening gong-like sound erupted overhead.

    Dizzy and disoriented, Zhou Qingang thought, "Ah!"

    Before he could think further, Zhou Qingang was stunned.

    Li Fan appeared, grabbed Zhou Qingang, and submerged back into the sea.

    After finding a building in the ruins, Li Fan casually set up some formations around and entered.

    He threw Zhou Qingang, who had lost consciousness, to the ground.

    Then, he took out thirteen cold iron nails from his storage ring and pierced them into Zhou Qingang''s body.

    Only then did Li Fan use the Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique.

    Zhou Qingang''s body convulsed violently.

    Images shed rapidly before Li Fan''s eyes.

    "Building the foundation with the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart, changing appearance with the Heart Changing Technique..."

    "So that''s how it is."

    "To infiltrate the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance as a spy, he indeed has some skills."

    Li Fan was instantly delighted.

    Just as Li Fan was about to continue examining information on Zhou Qingang''s superior and the organization he served, it seemed to trigger some kind of prohibition.

    A terrifying destructive force erupted from the depths of Zhou Qingang''s soul.

    Li Fan''s face changed, and he instantly withdrew his spiritual consciousness.

    However, he couldn''t stop this force from damaging Zhou Qingang''s soul.

    "Ah!"

    Even in aa, Zhou Qingang let out a miserable scream.

    Then, Li Fan saw that his soul was wiped out in an instant.

    Although his vitality remained, he became like a walking corpse, an empty shell.

    "A secrecy countermeasure..."

    Li Fan didn''t find it particrly surprising.

    "It''s a pity that I couldn''t uncover more secrets."

    After contemting for a moment, Li Fan erased the traces of the formations he had set up earlier.

    Then, carrying Zhou Qingang''s body, he fled hundreds of miles away.

    He arrived in an area densely popted with fish.

    He threw Zhou Qingang towards the school of fish.

    Although the soul disappeared, the aura emanating from the Foundation Establishment cultivation level naturally made these fish instinctively fear him.

    They all moved away,cking the courage to treat this body as food.

    Seeing this, Li Fan once again targeted the strongest fish in the school using Formless Killing Intent.

    Then, he retreated another hundred miles.

    The Formless Killing Intent targeting Zhou Qingang was activated.

 Chapter 201: Coercing He Zhenghao

    Under the influence of the Formless Killing Intent, the school of fish around Zhou Qingang suddenly went into a frenzy.

    Ignoring the pressure emanating from him, they eagerly devoured his body.

    Without the autonomous protection of his soul, in just a few moments, blood dyed the surrounding seawater red.

    Zhou Qingang''s remains were gone.

    A stone-like heart with seven holes in it, glowing with a seven-colored radiance, emerged at the scene.

    The radiance was extremely dim.

    With the death of its owner, the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart lost its nature as a Heavenly Treasure and became an inconspicuous ordinary stone, sinking to the bottom of the sea.

    After waiting in ce for several days and seeing that the death announcement didn''t attract other cultivators, Li Fan returned. He absorbed the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart to feed [Truth].

    Afterward, without alerting anyone, Li Fan quietly returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Ind.

    Zhou Qingang''s disappearance hadn''t attracted anyone''s attention.

    For a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be out of contact for ten days was quite normal.

    Li Fan didn''t rush to report Zhou Qingang as a spy; instead, he first immersed himself inprehending the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart.

    "Versatile in all aspects, a heart deep as the sea; beguiling hearts, truth and lie are indistinguishable."

    Three dayster, Li Fan exhaled deeply, his eyes revealing an inexplicable expression.

    "Although it''s just a mid-grade Human Treasure and has no special benefits for cultivation, as a Foundation Treasure for a spy, it''s invaluable."

    In his dantian, [Truth] emitted a gentle radiance, slowly transforming into the appearance of the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart.

    Li Fan had the vague feeling that he had put on countlessyers of masks, making it difficult for others to easily discern his true thoughts.

    "This treasure is truly wonderful!"

    Li Fan silently praised.

    Then, Li Fan checked the matching secret technique, the Heart Changing Technique.

    This wasn''t a cultivation technique but rather a method of disguise created by the organization Zhou Qingang served, specifically for the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart.

    After setting a specific appearance in the mind, when the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart and the technique were mutually stimted, one could instantly transform into the appearance of another person.

    Body shape and appearance would all be perfectly imitated.

    Furthermore, it was a genuine transformation that couldn''t be seen through by illusion-piercing methods.

    The only issue was that it could only change the appearance; one''s own aura couldn''t be altered.

    Therefore, every time Zhou Qingang transformed, he was extremely cautious.

    Only after finding a secluded ce without anyone around to conceal his aura would he change his appearance.

    However, being targeted by Li Fan, who possessed the Formless Killing Intent, made all his caution useless.

    While studying the Heart Changing Technique, Li Fan pondered.

    "I''ve previously thought about using [Truth] to mimic Foundation Treasures and impersonate others before."

    "Now, with the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart and this disguising technique, impersonating others bes even more realistic."

    "Furthermore, I have ''Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra'' to discern auras and ''Sun Stealing Technique'' to read fate."

    "If I can imitate both aura and fate, I''m afraid it will be truly difficult to tell the real from the fake."

    "If it works¡­"

    Thoughts surged in Li Fan''s mind, and many ideas surfaced simultaneously.

    "After the clone takes the 100,000 contribution points from the Cloud Water Heavenly Pce, I will have many things to try."

    To test the effectiveness of the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart, Li Fan used a teleportation array to arrive at Liuli Ind.

    There was no sign of He Zhenghao anywhere, and Li Fan didn''t know where he had gone.

    Li Fan temporarily didn''t bother with him. He just changed into another appearance and spoke nonsense in front of Steward Zhao.

    Steward Zhao''s ability to distinguish between truth and lies had indeed lost its effect, and he was easily fooled.

    Leaving behind a shocked Steward Zhao, Li Fan, when no one was around, reverted to his original appearance.

    He sent a message to He Zhenghao: "Fellow Daoist, where are you now?"

    After a while, He Zhenghao''s somewhat tired voice came, "I received a task and am currently constructing defensive formations for a fellow Daoist''s ind. What does fellow Daoist Li Fan need from me?"

    Li Fan sneered, "You''re still doing tasks? He Zhenghao, do you know that cmity is about to befall you?"

    He Zhenghao was stunned, "Why does fellow Daoist say such things?"

    "This matter needs to be discussed in person. Hurry back to Liuli Ind. The situation is urgent, dys may lead to changes," Li Fan solemnly said.

    "Alright¡­ I''ll be there soon, fellow Daoist, please wait." Perhaps due to Li Fan''s performance during the Spirit Mist Grass incident, He Zhenghao was quite convinced. At this moment, he didn''t doubt Li Fan''s words. He sounded anxious and directly severed themunication.

    After half a day, He Zhenghao finally arrived, looking somewhat exhausted and tired, as if he hadn''t rested well for a long time.

    His eyes still had a hint of fear, but it was forcibly suppressed.

    "Fellow Daoist..." He Zhenghao was about to speak when Li Fan waved his hand, indicating him to open the Mountain River Star Formation.

    He Zhenghao became even more uneasy as he activated the formation.

    "Fellow Daoist He, are you familiar with ind guardian Zhou Qingang?" Li Fan asked.

    He Zhenghao was stunned for a moment and truthfully answered, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, I''m familiar. We have a good rtionship, and he consults me on formation knowledge from time to time. Why does Fellow Daoist ask?"

    "Hmph. Fortunately, you didn''t deceive me just now," Li Fan coldly said, "If you had uttered a false word, I would have turned around and left."

    He Zhenghao became even more anxious.

    Seeing that the atmosphere was already ripe, Li Fan didn''t heighten the suspense any longer. He took out the recording stone.

    He yed back the conversation between Zhou Qingang and the stone face.

    ¡­

    "This time, He Zhenghao suffered heavy losses. I applied for these 100,000 contribution points to deepen my rtionship with him."

    "This person is proficient in formations and has participated in the construction of the ind guardian formation. With his assistance, we can undoubtedly grasp the formation thoroughly sooner."

    ¡­

    At first, because Zhou Qingang didn''t have his original appearance, He Zhenghao couldn''t discern what was happening.

    However, as the conversation unfolded, He Zhenghao instantly realized what had urred.

    And when he heard his name mentioned in the dialogue, his face turned even paler.

    Sweat beads the size of soybeans rolled down He Zhenghao''s forehead, and his entire body couldn''t stop trembling.

    After putting away the Memory Stone, Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao with a stern expression. "Fellow Daoist He, how much information about the ind guardian formation have you leaked?"

    "Not... not much! Really, not much!" He Zhenghao stammered, trying to defend himself.

    "Stop lying! Do you want me to hand over this recording stone and let the Martial Hall investigate you?" Li Fan rebuked angrily.

    He Zhenghao was initially scared, but he then caught the meaning in Li Fan''s words. Hope suddenly emerged in his eyes.

    Grabbing Li Fan''s hands, he pleaded, "Fellow Daoist, save me! Please, save me!"

    Li Fan pushed him away. "If you want me to save you, then tell me everything about Zhou Qingang truthfully."

    With a mournful face, He Zhenghao tearfully spilled the details.

    After listening, Li Fan was somewhat speechless.

    It turned out that a significant portion of the outer structural data of the guardian formation handed over by Zhou Qingang was actually sourced from He Zhenghao.

    "He frequently praised me, boasting about my expertise in formations and seeking advice on formation details."

    "I was a bit ttered by the praise..."

    "Who could have thought that as a fellow Cong Yun Sea ind guardian, Zhou Qingang was actually a spy!"

    "Why did I let his sweet words cloud my judgment!"

    He Zhenghao wore an expression that seemed on the verge of tears.

    "No matter if you knew or not, it doesn''t change the fact that you leaked confidential information of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance." Li Fan coldly snorted.

    "Fellow Daoist He, you should know the consequences, right?"

    He Zhenghao shivered, "Dismissal and thorough investigation. Deduction of permission levels, and they might even abolish my cultivation..."

    The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, feeling that his future was bing bleak.

    Added to the fact that he had lost his life savings before, and he had been frantically taking on tasks to umte contribution points again, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.

    Under the multiple blows, He Zhenghao couldn''t hold on any longer. His mindset copsed, and he wailed bitterly.

    "Why is my life so miserable! I''ve lost everything, and now, I''m stuck in this situation!"

    Li Fan remained unmoved.

    After crying for a while, seeing that Li Fan showed no signs of sympathy, He Zhenghao felt somewhat awkward.

    Wiping away his tears, he said with a tearful voice, "Fellow Daoist, you must save me! You can''t hand over this recording stone! Otherwise, my future is ruined for sure!"

    Li Fan asked, "Reporting a spy is a significant aplishment. Fellow Daoist shouldn''t be unaware of that."

    He Zhenghao mumbled, "I canpensate you."

    Li Fan chuckled, "Fellow Daoist, you are currently penniless. Whatpensation can you offer me? I''m notcking in contribution points. Perhaps you don''t know, but I made a profit of 600,000 contribution points during the Spirit Mist Grass incident!"

    He Zhenghao, upon hearing this, widened his eyes, looking at Li Fan with disbelief.

    "What, don''t believe it?" Li Fan asked with a sideways nce.

    "I... I believe it," He Zhenghao hurriedly nodded.

    Envy and regret in his eyes grew stronger, "I really regret not listening to fellow Daoist''s advice back then!"

    After a while, He Zhenghao thought and said, "I have half of the ''Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram,'' my lifelong..."

    Before he could finish, Li Fan interrupted him.

    "I''m not very interested in formations. I only worked as a Formation Repairer as a stepping stone for entry."

    He Zhenghao hesitated for a while, then said with difficulty, "I have a daughter who is also at the Foundation Establishment level. I can introduce her to you..."

    Li Fan''s expression became solemn as he sternly refused, "What do you take me for? Don''t mention this matter again!"

    He Zhenghao breathed a sigh of relief but then wore a pensive expression.

    He seemed to realize that Li Fan did indeed have the intention to spare him.

    But at the same time, it seemed that Li Fan wanted something from him.

    However, apart from what he had previously mentioned, He Zhenghao was currently penniless.

    After pondering for a long time, he couldn''te up with an answer.

    He Zhenghao couldn''t help but smile bitterly, "Fellow Daoist, please don''t toy with me. Just tell me what you want."

    Li Fan smiled slightly, patted He Zhenghao''s shoulder, and said slowly, "I want you."

    He Zhenghao, upon hearing this, first froze, then his face turned pale. Subconsciously, he took a step back, looking at Li Fan warily.

    "Hehe, fellow Daoist, what are you thinking?

    "I am saying that I want you to obey me from now on."

    Li Fan stood in front of He Zhenghao and spoke slowly.