Of the ninety Sky-Patrolling Arrows, only half were physical objects with actual destructive power.
The other half were mere phantoms projected through formations, possessing nothing but grand momentum.
Yet the treemen of the Spirit Wood Realm had already been frightened out of their wits by the destructive might displayed by that single Sky-Patrolling Arrow earlier, leaving them entirely unable to tell real from fake.
The central giant wood was intimately tied to the Spirit Wood Realm.
When the wood flourished, the realm prospered; when the wood was destroyed, the realm perished.
The colossal cavity blasted into the trunk of the giant wood left the treeman clan of the Spirit Wood Realm without the slightest will to resist.
The treeman matriarch led her entire clan in kneeling humiliatingly before the Great Xuan Imperial Guard, submitting to their rule.
Afterward, Sun Erlang followed the Destiny Holy Emperor's instructions and carved layers of formations into the Heart of the Giant Wood.
He did not understand the profound meaning behind the formation, but obeying orders was the sacred duty of the Great Xuan Imperial Guard.
With Sun Erlang's current strength at peak Golden Core, activating the formation was still somewhat arduous.
Moreover, he had to guard against any sudden backlash from the treeman clan.
Fortunately, the deterrent power of the Sky-Patrolling Arrows was simply too overwhelming, and in the end, the treeman clan dared not make a desperate gamble.
Once the formation was complete, a burst of radiant green light erupted from the Heart of the Giant Wood.
The wound on the spirit tree began to slowly heal, and a silhouette was born from the light and shadow.
"The Spirit of the Giant Wood..." Sun Erlang murmured thoughtfully.
Just as he had expected, after the Spirit of the Giant Wood appeared, it did not take the side of the treemen.
Instead, it transmitted its voice to converse with Sun Erlang: "Are you Senior Brother Sun? Master told you to leave half the Imperial Guard here to assist in constructing the formation.
"By the way, my name is Lin Ling."
Lin Ling transmitted an image over. Sun Erlang heard the Destiny Holy Emperor's familiar voice within the projection and nodded slightly.
Without losing a single soldier, and having expended only one Sky-Patrolling Arrow, Sun Erlang had successfully conquered the Spirit Wood Realm. However, Sun Erlang was well aware that this had nothing to do with the Great Xuan Imperial Guard's actual combat prowess. It was entirely thanks to the terrifying, world-shattering power of the Sky-Patrolling Arrow.
Sun Erlang shook his head slightly, banishing the faint frustration from his heart. Leading the remaining forces, he hurried toward their second target pocket world.
"Great Li? Hmph..." A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Sun Erlang's eyes.
...
After the Great Xuan Imperial Guard departed, Lin Ling began overseeing the treeman clan according to the formation Li Fan had taught him.
Lin Ling felt little affection for these treemen.
On the contrary, Li Fan, who had preached the Dao, taught skills, and resolved doubts for him the moment he was born, was currently the person Lin Ling felt closest to in the entire world.
"The Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits?
"The day the formation is complete, it can open a passage to the world where Master resides. Furthermore, it will raise the overall spiritual energy density of the Spirit Wood Realm, sublimating the world.
"Complete the foundational formation first, and the remaining crucial materials will be delivered by the Great Xuan Imperial Guard."
Recalling the formation instructions Li Fan had imparted, and remembering his promise that once Lin Ling finished constructing the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits, he could travel to Great Xuan to meet him in person, Lin Ling felt a surge of motivation and once again urged the sluggish treemen onward.
...
In Great Xuan.
Sensing the somewhat blurred images sent from the Spirit Wood Realm, Li Fan nodded inwardly.
Although he planned to initiate Truth-Reverting in the You Realm this lifetime to leverage the power of darkness to blunt the perception of the Faceless True Immortal, Li Fan could not predict just how much it would be weakened.
Therefore, constructing the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits and All Living Beings Refining the Divine was an absolute necessity just in case.
If the sight of hundreds of millions of living beings perishing simultaneously had caused some ripples in Li Fan's mind the first time, then after the second time, and the times after that... Li Fan genuinely felt no psychological burden at all.
Collecting his thoughts, he looked at his nominal second disciple in this lifetime.
Wang Xuanba.
Unlike Sun Erlang, Li Fan had not taught Wang Xuanba the new cultivation method.
Instead, he had imparted the Creation Furnace Technique he had researched.
This version had undergone an earth-shaking transformation compared to the primitive version that merely pried open the body's secret reservoirs to crudely strengthen the physical form.
In his previous life, after receiving guidance from the Heavenly Physician and thoroughly mastering both the Heavenly Physician Immortal Scripture and the Mending the Heavens Record, Li Fan had gained a brand-new understanding of how to unlock the human body's latent potential.
However, turning theory into practice still required experimentation.
Wang Xuanba's unique constitution made him the ideal test subject.
"When the heaven and earth of Xuanhuang stood on the verge of destruction, myriad mysterious, marvelous changes erupted in an instant.
"A human being should be no different.
"Under normal conditions, the human body remains in balance. Only when an alien substance invades and the organism faces a mortal crisis will it tap into its own latent potential."
Before Li Fan, the seventeen-year-old Wang Xuanba lay in a comatose slumber.
His height had surprisingly reached nearly three zhang. His muscles bulged across his entire frame, and the surface of his skin was covered in a layer of golden, armor-like horn.
Although human features could still be faintly discerned, a casual glance made him resemble an ancient ferocious beast.
"The flesh and blood of eighteen exotic beasts have already been implanted, but he has only integrated and absorbed seven. All the rest suffered severe rejection reactions. Had I not intervened to save him, his bloodlines would have depleted and he would have perished by now.
"However, as his physique grows further, perhaps I can attempt it once more."
With this thought, Li Fan injected a lump of flesh and blood from an exotic beast, the Sky-Silk Fox, into Wang Xuanba's body.
Blindly reinforcing strength seemed to have caused Wang Xuanba's physical body to develop unevenly, pushing it toward collapse. He needed enhancements in agility and dexterity.
Li Fan was very keen to see where the true limits of the human mortal body lay.
...
In the Li Realm.
The conquest of Great Li proved even easier than that of the Spirit Wood Realm.
Without even deploying a Sky-Patrolling Arrow, the mere sight of the Great Xuan Imperial Guard flying across the sky brought the emperor and civil and military officials in the capital to their knees.
Adhering to the principle that there could be only one emperor—the Destiny Holy Emperor—Sun Erlang executed the Great Li Emperor without mercy.
He then selected Xiao Tianyou, King of Zhennan, to serve as the proxy ruler.
As Holy Emperor Thrones were erected across Great Li, the populace quickly accepted the reality of this sudden dynastic change, along with the existence of that Destiny Holy Emperor.
Great Li also gradually began its transformation into a spiritual energy pocket world.
...
Anchor Year 8.
"85%.
"It is actually slightly slower than before.
"Is it due to my current physical state?"
Looking at the number on the Truth-Reverting panel, Li Fan sank into deep contemplation.
Over the past three years, as numerous pocket worlds such as Spirit Wood, Beast Breed, and the Li Realm were incorporated into Great Xuan's territory, his Heavenly Emperor's Qi Canon had successfully advanced to the third layer.
Great Xuan's providence burned like a rising morning sun, radiating fiery red light and vibrant vitality.
The actual combat strength Li Fan could unleash was also equivalent to the early Soul Formation level of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Yet Li Fan had already sensed the bottleneck of the Heavenly Emperor's Qi Canon.
To advance further to the fourth layer, the Purple Qi realm, the current rate of development suggested he would need several decades at the very least.
Chapter 1132