Chapter 59

Seeing the crimson figure at the same time, countless pieces of information suddenly appeared in Li Fan's mind.

The soul of heaven and earth is the concrete manifestation of a certain law of the universe.

When a specific condition is met, the soul of heaven and earth will come into being and appear in a certain area.

If heaven decides to initiate a purge of cultivators,

then the soul of heaven and earth is the specific executor of the plan.

They have no thoughts of their own and only act according to their predetermined instincts.

They are the law itself, slaughtering cultivators like chickens and sheep.

Their mission is to exterminate those cultivators who defy heaven and earth.

For cultivators, the soul of heaven and earth is extremely dangerous.

Once targeted, it almost certainly means certain death.

But at the same time...

As the embodiment of the great law, the soul of heaven and earth also represents a tremendous opportunity for cultivators.

It is said that by sacrificing the soul of heaven and earth to merge with the Dao,

once a cultivator can refine a soul of heaven and earth, regardless of their previous cultivation level, they can immediately achieve the Dao Merger realm.

It is the archenemy of cultivators, yet it also exerts an unparalleled allure on them.

At this moment, as Li Fan witnessed the soul of heaven and earth, Chiyen, an overwhelming greed surged from the depths of his heart.

"Eat it! Eat it to attain the Dao, eat it to ascend in broad daylight!"

It was like a starving person encountering a sumptuous feast, like a traveler who had wandered in the desert for days and nights encountering a clear lake.

This greed was like the whisper of a demon, constantly urging Li Fan to rush toward the crimson figure in the sky.

Li Fan, while alleviating the intense sensation transmitted from the Canghai Pearl, frantically operated the Xuanhuang Heart Cultivation Spell to resolve the surging greed in his heart.

He was well aware that he could only observe the soul of heaven and earth, Chiyen, by borrowing the power of the Canghai Pearl.

In Chiyen's eyes, Li Fan was just an unformed consciousness of the Canghai Pearl. Even after noticing Li Fan's gaze, it merely glanced and then ignored him.

But if Li Fan lost his reason and attacked Chiyen, revealing his identity as a cultivator, he would surely be mercilessly killed.

Reason and desire tore at Li Fan's soul.

The two opposing thoughts almost tore his consciousness into two.

Li Fan could only struggle to maintain the operation of the Xuanhuang Heart Cultivation Spell to preserve his Dao heart.

After an unknown amount of time, the storm of greed gradually subsided.

Li Fan was still shaken and dared not make any further inquiries.

To have glimpsed the secrets of heaven and earth and still retain his mental clarity was already a stroke of luck.

Li Fan had a vague sense of gain. Just as his consciousness was about to leave the Canghai Pearl and return to his body, he discovered an extremely awkward situation.

It turned out that resolving the greed brought by the soul of heaven and earth had taken Li Fan nearly half a year!

The time he had been in sync with the Canghai Pearl's consciousness had far exceeded the limit that a Qi Condensation realm cultivator could endure.

At this moment, his consciousness was still connected to the Canghai Pearl, which was fortunate. If he returned to his body, he would likely age and die soon.

Just a single glance had such a terrifying impact.

It seemed that his cultivation in this life would have to end here.

Although Li Fan felt a bit regretful, he did not regret it.

Knowing the truth behind the sudden changes in the Congyun Sea, witnessing the soul of heaven and earth, Chiyen, and personally experiencing the secrets of heaven and earth,

Li Fan's gains were significant.

Even if this life were to end now, he could accept it.

Moreover, he did not plan to activate the "Return to Truth" and end this life just yet.

Since he was already trapped in the Canghai Pearl, he might as well take this opportunity to further comprehend the qi of heaven and earth.

As long as he did not recklessly probe the soul of heaven and earth again, simply perceiving the qi should be fine.

His body's lifespan was already exhausted. Without the nourishment of a body, his consciousness, like water without a source or a tree without roots, would gradually be consumed in the Canghai Pearl.

According to Li Fan's estimation, he could last at most a dozen years.

If he could make good use of this time, he might still achieve something.

Li Fan summoned a thread of pure power from the Canghai Pearl to protect his body from decay.

Then his consciousness once again immersed itself in the perspective of the Canghai Pearl.

He observed the flow of qi in heaven and earth, the rise and fall of the sun, moon, and stars.

He watched as the remaining lives in the Congyun Sea gradually faded away.

He felt the cold, indifferent, and eternal killing intent in the universe.

In this way, five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Forty years had passed, and the Congyun Sea had long since dried up, becoming a true wasteland.

Only the Taian Island, protected by Li Fan, still harbored a few surviving mortals.

One day, Li Fan suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky.

The crimson figure that had stood in the air for over a decade finally disappeared.

Its mission was complete, and it naturally dissipated.

No one could predict where in the cultivation world it would reappear.

Li Fan gazed at the direction where Chiyen had disappeared, and his mind once again sank into the Canghai Pearl.

As time passed, Li Fan's consciousness grew increasingly weak.

His thoughts became increasingly sluggish.

He lost the ability to think for himself and could only silently observe the world through the perspective of the Canghai Pearl.

In the second year after Chiyen's disappearance, several cultivators in green robes arrived at the Congyun Sea.

With the casting of various spells, the sky finally rained heavily after a long drought.

More cultivators soon arrived.

Green light blossomed on the dried seabed.

Plants representing the breath of life appeared on the land.

A gentle breeze blew, and trees sprang up.

In just a year, the scorched earth was once again vibrant with life.

The Congyun Sea had transformed into the Congyun Mountains.

A city began to be built above the Congyun Mountains.

After its completion, it attracted more and more cultivators from all over.

The Congyun Mountains became increasingly lively.

Occasionally, cultivators would come to visit the only island that survived the disaster, hoping to find opportunities.

But under Li Fan's instinctive concealment, they found nothing.

Forty-eight years later, a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator returned to the Congyun Sea.

He came to the former Liuli Island, now the Liuli Mountains, with a melancholy expression.

Li Fan's divine sense swept over the area, and he felt a wave of emotion upon seeing this scene.

He recognized this person.

It was Zhang Haobo, who had decided to migrate out of the Congyun Sea due to his unease.

After more than twenty years, this person had somehow become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The scenes of this life flashed rapidly through Li Fan's mind, and his consciousness was about to dissipate.

Before completely disappearing, Li Fan's consciousness returned to his body.

Years of perceiving the qi of heaven and earth had suddenly dissolved the bottleneck that had hindered Li Fan's breakthrough.

Heavenly essence rushed in, and Li Fan's cultivation instantly advanced to the late Qi Condensation realm.

A smile appeared on Li Fan's face and then froze.

His body rapidly aged, and a gust of wind blew, turning him into dust that dissipated into the universe.

Only a skeleton remained, lying there quietly.

"Return to Truth!"

Before dissipating, Li Fan called out in his heart.