Doubts aside, they still placed immense trust in Zhang Haobo, who had repeatedly led them back from the brink of death through terrifying waves.
Not a single person chose to turn back. Obediently, they all followed, setting out on a journey into the unknown.
Watching the group slowly depart from the shadows, Li Fan fell into deep thought as well.
"Even among mere mortals, there are people like Zhang Haobo who can sense a catastrophe before it arrives."
"To say nothing of the countless cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"It seems I may have been a bit overly optimistic. Although all my arrangements are discreet enough, there's no guarantee that someone favored by destiny won't stumble across anomalies through sheer coincidence."
"If you want to cover something up, the best way is to draw people's attention away with something else."
Li Fan's eyes flickered, an idea forming in his mind in an instant.
For now, though, he would quietly watch the spectacle of Crimson Flame Burning the Sea play out.
Not long after Zhang Haobo and the others departed, Crimson Flame, who had been sitting cross-legged in silence, finally made a move.
The flame dragon coiled around Him gleamed with excitement, bursting in a flash into countless streaks of scarlet fire that surged violently across every corner of the Congyun Sea.
The seawater heated up at a terrifying rate, and terror spread through the hearts of every living creature that had not yet fled the Congyun Sea.
Faced with absolute desperation, some cultivators rose up to fight back.
Yet the strongest among them were merely at the Soul Formation realm; how could they possibly rival an enhanced Crimson Flame?
Li Fan's attention was not on the rapidly perishing lives.
Instead, he silently observed the changes in Heaven and Earth itself.
"New life born from destruction."
"Revival rising from ruins."
The burning of the sea by Crimson Flame lasted a full three months.
The ocean ran dry, scorched earth stretched for thousands of li, and the vast sea transformed into deep chasms.
Yet Li Fan, having watched this entire spectacle unfold from start to finish, faintly sensed the hidden vitality concealed within.
"This is the Xuanhuang Creation and Destruction Transformation."
"By observing and comprehending this path, I can now advance to the Soul Formation realm at any time. And just like with the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven at the Nascent Soul realm, once I break through, I will undoubtedly be the absolute strongest among Soul Formation cultivators."
"Unfortunately..."
"My ambitions do not stop here."
Li Fan took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the restless spiritual energy stirring within him.
"How could the cyclical birth and death in a localized area of the Xuanhuang Realm ever compare to the subconscious stress response of the entire world when faced with an apocalyptic crisis?"
Li Fan recalled the insights he had gathered over the years while meditating on the Mending the Heavens Record.
A world was like a person.
When pushed to the brink of life and death, a human often erupts with power far beyond their limits.
A world was no different.
At the moment an apocalyptic crisis descended, the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm would undergo profound, mystical self-evolutions in an instant to seek a slim chance of survival.
The manifold transformations born then would far surpass anything during ordinary, stable periods.
"If I succeed, my strength upon advancing to Soul Formation will be even greater than anticipated."
"Therefore..."
"No one will stop me!"
His eyes cold and aloof, Li Fan turned and left.
...
Spirit Wood Realm.
Ou Daozi was scrutinizing the corpse before him.
"Incredible. Truly incredible."
"Did you really forge this, Lord Envoy? If you hadn't told me yourself, I would genuinely believe this to be an immortal's remains."
"After all, the aura it gives off feels almost identical to when Shangtian was beside me."
A corpse bathed in faint golden light hovered horizontally in midair.
Under the radiance of the gold, its facial features could not be discerned clearly.
Yet the sacred aura it emanated stirred both awe and greed in Ou Daozi's heart.
Hearing Ou Daozi's assessment, Li Fan nodded with satisfaction.
This forged immortal remains was his lever to muddy the waters of the Xuanhuang Realm.
The corpse had been bought at great expense—the exceptionally well-preserved remains of a Dao Integration cultivator from thousands of years ago.
He had then meticulously refined it with golden source power essence, imbuing it with the aura of power transcending the mortal plane.
Furthermore, to make the disguise even more convincing, Li Fan had extracted certain abilities from rare treasures he had previously acquired from the fishing pond and imbued them into the remains.
For example, anyone drawing near the corpse would have their emotions magnified without limit, nearly losing all reason.
Furthermore, if attacked, the corpse would actively tear through space to flee.
And if someone touched the remains, the pure, mutated spiritual energy concealed inside would pour madly into their body, instantly boosting their cultivation.
...
All of this was done to make the act as authentic as possible.
"Even a Longevity Heavenly Venerable would surely be interested in the remains of a legendary True Immortal."
"Then let's make an even bigger scene."
On these supposed True Immortal remains, in addition to the genuine benefits, Li Fan had secretly rigged a few traps.
They were guaranteed to give whoever ended up with it quite a grand surprise.
With the power of the Faceless True Immortal veiling it, cultivators skilled in divination were prevented from deducing the corpse's origins.
After putting the final finishing touches on it, two pitch-black puppets entered, hoisted the "True Immortal remains," and departed to carry out Li Fan's mission.
From their arrival to their disappearance, they were utterly silent.
In fact, had Li Fan not been the one directing them, even he would have found it difficult to detect their movements.
These two puppets were the fruits of Layman Qiaogong and his associates' labor from the Tianji Realm over the years.
They truly were among the most brilliantly talented in the Tianji Realm. Through relentless research, though they had yet to decipher the true essence of the gloomy dark power, applying it to a certain extent posed no obstacle at all.
The pitch-black puppets perfectly embodied the properties of the gloomy dark power.
Like the gloom itself, they could vanish into and emerge from the "cracks" of the world.
Divine sense could neither lock onto nor perceive them.
Moreover, they possessed a strong suppression against spiritual energy, making ordinary attacks almost incapable of damaging them.
The sole drawback was their limited destructive capacity, meaning they could only carry out covert operations.
Furthermore, the gloom's property of moving away from the Immortal Ruins also prevented the puppets from operating outside for prolonged battles.
Every so often, they had to return to the You Realm to replenish their gloomy dark power.
Regardless, Li Fan was thoroughly satisfied with the pitch-black puppets.
Entrusting the mission to them would leave almost no trace of suspicion.
After dismissing Ou Daozi, Li Fan went alone to a sealed chamber.
On a light screen, young faces flashed continuously.
Accompanying each image was a long list below describing their temperament and character.
"Among the millions upon millions of mortals in the pocket worlds, finding someone with a pure, innocent heart and utmost sincerity like Mr. Bai is still quite difficult."
"In particular, the power of Heavenly Venerable Rebirth has actually begun to affect many pocket worlds as well."
"Over the past few years, the newborn population has dropped considerably."
"There is no other way. I can only compromise and settle for the next best thing."
"If their innate disposition falls short, I will shape it through nurture and education."
Chapter 1105