Chapter 57

In his previous life, Li Fan, on the verge of his lifespan, fortuitously broke through the seal of the Immortal Absolute Great Array and came to the Cultivation World for the first time.

At that time, what he saw was a continuous range of mountains and a majestic city floating in the air.

In this life, after Li Fan arrived in the Cultivation World, he found himself on a vast ocean.

Before this, Li Fan had not given it much thought, assuming that something had gone wrong during the transmission.

It was not until today, when Li Fan saw the depleted Congyun Sea and the birth of the wondrous Canghai, that he finally understood.

There was no mishap; he had indeed arrived at the same place after breaking through the Immortal Absolute Great Array.

The only difference was the time of his two arrivals in the Cultivation World.

In his previous life, when Li Fan arrived in the Cultivation World, he was already 85 years old, which was 65 years after anchoring.

In this life, Li Fan entered the Cultivation World at the age of 40, with his transformation progress reaching 100%, which was 20 years after anchoring.

A 45-year gap, one encounter with the Canghai, and one with the mountains.

It was no wonder Li Fan had not thought about it this way.

Without personal experience, even if someone had told him about such a massive change in the world, he would have only half-believed it.

So Li Fan smiled.

First, he laughed at himself for still being unable to rid himself of the mentality of an ordinary person.

If he had connected the various anomalies Zhang Haobo had warned him about with the differences he saw in his two visits, he might have foreseen this massive change in the world.

Second, he finally saw hope for the end of this disaster.

Fifty years after anchoring, Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi broke into the Great Xuan. At that time, they claimed to be from the Lingtian City in the Congyun Mountains.

It was likely that the drought had already passed by then.

The dried-up sea would transform into a vibrant mountain range.

Now, it was 34 years after anchoring, and it was not far off.

Waiting without hope is the most torturous, but knowing the ultimate outcome made this seemingly endless disaster less terrifying.

Li Fan calmed his mind and returned to Taian Island.

Seeing the mortals who were in a constant state of fear and numbness, praying and bowing day and night, Li Fan transmitted his voice to the entire island, telling them that this disaster would eventually pass.

Upon receiving the instructions from the Immortal Master, the island's residents were overjoyed and rekindled their hope for survival.

Li Fan then entered seclusion and took out the Canghai Pearl once again.

"Is the glimmer of hope right here?"

Li Fan observed this azure wonder of the world.

His divine sense entered it, but it vanished like a mud ox into the sea, disappearing instantly.

"It seems I need to put in some effort to use it," Li Fan thought.

The key to achieving the Dao Foundation lies in the use of wonders of the world, and the methods to find and use them are invaluable experiences.

The exchange price in the Heavenly Xuan Realm is also extremely expensive, requiring nearly 2000 contribution points.

Li Fan could only explore on his own.

Next, Li Fan made many attempts.

He infused it with spiritual energy, nurtured it with divine sense, and even tried to strike it with external force, and finally attempted to refine it with his blood.

But the Canghai Pearl remained unmoved, unable to trigger the vast water vapor it contained.

Finally, Li Fan had a flash of inspiration and recalled a method in the "Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter" for sensing and refining the qi from various wonders of the world.

He immediately activated the "Discern Qi" divine ability and looked at the Canghai Pearl.

A deep blue light surrounded the Canghai Pearl.

Ancient, profound, and full of vitality...

Though small, the Canghai Pearl's qi was complex and powerful, surpassing all living beings on Taian Island.

It was currently in a state of nurturing and dormancy, so it was not easily discernible without careful observation.

Li Fan carefully sensed the qi of the Canghai Pearl.

The moment he made contact, Li Fan felt his body disappear.

It was as if he had suddenly ascended to the ninth heaven, looking down at the ocean below.

The Congyun Sea had existed since ancient times, nurturing countless living beings.

But one day, a will of the world suddenly descended.

Thus, the ocean began to die.

Creation and destruction are the principles of the Dao.

The heavens wished to burn the sea, and the sea had no power to resist.

But, it did not submit!

Thus, though the Canghai perished, another Canghai was born!

...

Boom!

Li Fan was pulled out of that wondrous realm.

Before he could savor the scenes he had seen, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness, almost losing his balance.

Upon inspection, Li Fan was shocked to find that he had a strand of white hair and fine wrinkles on his face.

This was just a moment of resonance with the Canghai Pearl's qi!

Li Fan opened the [Return to Truth] panel and drew a sharp breath.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Middle Qi Cultivation

Physiological Age: 89/199

Psychological Age: 517/2280↑

In that moment, Li Fan's physiological age had directly changed from 54 to 89.

It was as if he had lived 35 years in an instant.

"No wonder even in the ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect, few people practiced this technique. Just the consciousness of a Canghai, upon contact, rapidly consumes one's lifespan."

"If not for the rapid consumption of my lifespan triggering a warning, I might have been unknowingly assimilated by the Canghai consciousness. At that time, whether I could activate [Return to Truth] would be uncertain."

Li Fan understood what had just happened and felt a bit of fear.

"This is not the right way to manipulate the wonder of the world."

Li Fan knew he had made a mistake.

The time scale of humans is vastly different from that of the world, mountains, and seas.

Even those powerful cultivators who can live for thousands of years are far from comparable.

Rashly using human consciousness to make contact would only result in assimilation.

So, how could he manipulate the wonder of the world?

Li Fan held the Canghai Pearl, his expression uncertain.

...

Days passed, and Li Fan still had not figured out how to use the Canghai Pearl.

The weather became increasingly hot, as if to thoroughly purify the Congyun Sea.

The mortals on the island gradually lost the strength to pray.

Li Fan knew that if this continued, these mortals might die before the disaster ended.

Dying just before dawn is a desperate fate.

Li Fan also became restless, his mind filled with杂念.

To calm down, he involuntarily activated the long-neglected "Xuanhuang Heart Cultivation Spell."

Since becoming a Qi Cultivation practitioner, he had devoted most of his energy to practicing techniques like the "Yan Shui Decision" and the "Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter."

The "Xuanhuang Heart Cultivation Spell" had not been deliberately practiced for a long time.

Since it did not substantially improve his cultivation and would run slowly on its own, Li Fan had set it aside.

Now, as the Heart Cultivation Spell ran, all the negative emotions in Li Fan's heart—unease, fear, and urgency—slowly dissipated, becoming nourishment for his Dao heart.

His mind became calm again, and Li Fan suddenly had a realization.

The key to his breakthrough lay in the Canghai Pearl.