Even with Li Fan's current proficiency, cultivating from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Nascent Soul stage would take considerable time.
Moreover, the matters he came into contact with were growing ever more perilous. Unforeseen complications might arise along the way, and a Foundation Establishment cultivation would make it difficult to cope.
Thus, it was only natural that Li Fan wanted to reset his anchor.
"If all goes according to plan, then before this lifetime ends, I might be able to take advantage of the deadlock between the Faceless True Immortal and the immortal in the Immortal Ruins to frantically extract the about-to-be-born changes of the Xuanhuang Realm and attain the Soul Formation realm.
"Starting each future lifetime with a Soul Formation cultivation comparable to the Longevity realm would make whatever I plot far easier."
Li Fan's eyes flickered. "Right now, I still have two blank anchors..."
The new Five Elements Grotto-Heavens were still gestating, and Li Fan had not yet verified his conjecture on how to add new anchors.
However, at the Root of Heaven and Earth in Tianling Province, Li Fan had already located the corresponding paper figure from the Book of Crossing Adversity. As soon as the new grotto-heaven showed signs of being on the verge of taking form, Li Fan would sense it immediately.
Previously, when studying the Book of Crossing Adversity, Li Fan had lacked the secret arts of the Crossing Adversity Sect and had been unable to take complete control of it.
Yet obtaining information on paper figures at one or two crucial locations was well within his capabilities.
Not long ago, when Li Fan pulled out a paper figure in the concealed grotto-heaven before Mo Rubin, he had placed his imprint on the paper figure at that location, allowing him to check on the situation there at any moment.
"Everything is in place; all that's missing is the east wind.
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror, the King of Profound Heaven..."
Sitting upright in the Spirit Wood Realm, Li Fan seemed to look past layers of world barriers, straight toward the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters in the Xuanhuang Realm.
Mo Rubin did not keep Li Fan waiting for long.
Three months later, the Profound Heaven Spirit-Sealing Formation was on the verge of completion.
Li Fan and Mo Rubin met once more in the concealed grotto-heaven.
"The moment the restriction-breaking formation is completed, it will inevitably send tremors through the Alliance headquarters.
"I've already secretly brought several cultivators at headquarters under my control. When the time comes, they will riot to create confusion and distract their attention. Are you prepared on your end?" Mo Rubin had a rare, solemn expression on his face.
Li Fan nodded. "Don't worry, I've already arranged it. Once they receive your signal, the Five Elders Association will coordinate an assault on the Alliance headquarters. Heh, a chance to breach the Alliance headquarters has never presented itself before; how could they possibly pass it up?
"And it's thanks to the Heavenly Profound Mirror acting as an inside mole, or they wouldn't even know where the Alliance headquarters is located.
"However, the force of cultivators the Five Elders Association can mobilize is limited. The highest among them are only at the Soul Formation realm. Even relying on powerful artifacts, they won't last long."
During these three months, Li Fan had also made contact with the Five Elders Association.
He had easily persuaded them to make this attempt.
However, he had not revealed that this was to help the Heavenly Profound Mirror escape, saying only that it was to secure a certain critical treasure from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters.
While the Five Elders Association was very interested in wreaking havoc at the Alliance headquarters, they had no intention of completely tearing away the veneer of peace just yet.
Thus, the assistance they could offer was limited; none of those Soul Formation cultivators were natives of the Five Elders Association, merely deathsworn agents cultivated within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
That was what the Five Elders Association claimed on the surface, but one could not rule out the possibility that they were making other plans in secret.
After all, an opportunity to infiltrate the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters...
Was once in a millennium!
***
Mo Rubin handed an ancient bronze mirror to Li Fan and instructed, "Take this and provide support from the outside. You must remain within the four central provinces of the Alliance, or the distance will be too great to establish a connection.
"Once the restrictions are broken, the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror will first lodge itself within me. Then, after we rendezvous, it will transfer into this bronze mirror."
Hearing this, Li Fan could not help examining the small mirror in his hand, which bore faint traces of verdigris.
It seemed quite ancient.
"Back in the day, this too was a realm vessel, but during the great catastrophe, it lost all its spirituality. Only its physical form was preserved.
"Using it as a temporary vessel for the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror is more than sufficient.
"As for afterward..."
Mo Rubin pondered for a moment, then said, "It will likely merge into one with its human body."
Li Fan was somewhat surprised. "In that case, wouldn't it leave itself no way out...?"
"Wait, no..." Li Fan suddenly realized.
"The Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror is actually being this decisive?"
The Heavenly Profound Mirror's human body was, according to the mirror itself, a means of attaining the Dao.
As long as its true body existed, the human body could not be permanently destroyed. Even if killed, it would soon regenerate.
Yet if the human body merged into one with the Heavenly Profound Mirror, then should the Heavenly Profound Mirror be destroyed, it would truly vanish from this world forever.
As if reading Li Fan's thoughts, Mo Rubin shook his head slightly. "Even without its original physical vessel, how could the spirit of an immortal artifact be so easily extinguished? In my view, even if Chuanfa took action, he might not truly be able to annihilate it. Unless it's an existence on par with an immortal, nothing can truly harm him. There's no need for us to worry on his behalf."
"Still, by burning his bridges like this, it does show he isn't playing any underhanded tricks," Li Fan agreed.
"Indeed, so it appears for now. Even so, we cannot let our guard down. Aside from a select few, we shouldn't place our trust in anyone else." Clearly, the downfall of the Profound Heaven Sect had left a deep mark on Mo Rubin, and he cautioned Li Fan once again.
Naturally, Li Fan did not disagree.
After discussing the final details of the operation, Mo Rubin's figure faded away.
Li Fan, meanwhile, quietly flew to one of Shuo Feng's grotto-dwellings in Tianquan Province and waited patiently.
The surrounding area of five hundred li around this grotto-dwelling had been entirely purchased by Immortal Venerable Feixue. No other cultivators set foot there, making it relatively safe.
Concealed within, Li Fan gazed at the sky while pondering the location of the Alliance headquarters.
The four central provinces of the Alliance were all connected to the Alliance headquarters.
"When entering and leaving the Alliance headquarters, I have entered from each of these four provinces.
"Clearly, spatial nodes have been opened in each...
"It seems the true body of the Heavenly Profound Mirror must be immense in scale."
Time drifted past as Li Fan contemplated.
Half a day later, an inexplicable tremor running through heaven and earth caught Li Fan's attention.
Without him realizing when, the firmament had become tinged with an eerie green.
As if struck by relentless bombardments, the earth trembled, and ceaseless rumbles echoed across the sky.
Across heaven and earth, rift after rift split open.
It felt as if doomsday had arrived, and the entire world was about to shatter!
"Such a massive disturbance?"
Li Fan was startled, yet the ancient bronze mirror against his chest gave no response whatsoever.
The disturbances across heaven and earth did not fade; instead, they grew increasingly pronounced.
Most striking of all was the firmament—it actually mirrored the image of the earth below.
It was as though the sky had turned into a mirror, reflecting everything upon the earth!
Watching this unfold, Li Fan suddenly felt an ominous foreboding.
Narrowing his eyes, he concealed his figure.
Yet whether it was merely an illusion or not, Li Fan seemed to still see his own silhouette reflected in the sky.
Chapter 1045