"Purple Empyrean cleanses and sweeps; peer through the divine soul..."
In an instant, an art of soul observation spanning no more than tens of thousands of words surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
"Junior Brother, wait for me here. I'll be back shortly!" Zhang Qianmo said, drifting away before Li Fan could even reply.
"Purple Empyrean Soul Observation..." After reading through this unique soul-searching technique of the Purple Cloud Sect in detail, Li Fan had already grasped most of its principles.
The text clearly stated that in this era of the cultivation world, major sects, righteous and unorthodox cultivators, human practitioners, and various demons and strange beasts engaged in ceaseless strife. Murdering to seize treasures, soul searching, and soul refining were all commonplace.
Soul searching was simply reading the memories within another person's soul through a specific method. Depending on each sect's style and habits, the methods differed.
Some were cruel and brutal, inflicting permanent damage on the soul after the search. Even if the victim survived, they would be reduced to an imbecile, incapable of even caring for themselves.
Others were remarkably ingenious; while scouring the soul's memories, they would twist and alter them, carving a mental brand that turned a former enemy into the most loyal servant.
In contrast, the soul-searching technique of the Purple Cloud Sect was the most upright and balanced.
It did not cause severe damage to the soul, though during the process, the victim would endure pain akin to the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder striking directly at their soul.
With careful recuperation afterward, they could fully recover.
However, an inexplicable dread would be etched into their heart. From then on, whenever they sensed the presence of a disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect, they would feel as if confronting a natural predator, unable to muster the courage to resist.
Emulating Zhang Qianmo, Li Fan hooked his hand like a claw and reached toward one of the captives.
Circulating the Purple Empyrean Soul Observation Technique, countless scenes surged forward like a tidal wave.
It was similar to how he had once reviewed the Mountain-Sitting Formula through consecrating a clone, except the memories viewed through this soul-observation art were far more vivid.
Scene after scene unfolded in succession. Li Fan filtered out trivial matters, focusing only on the relatively important segments.
This Foundation Establishment cultivator was named Liu Tu.
Over forty years ago, he had been nothing more than an ordinary rustic villager.
One day while hunting in the mountains, he had lost his way and stumbled into a secluded valley.
To his astonishment, this deep, typically desolate mountain valley was somehow packed with people that day. Some were cultivators exuding powerful auras, but most were ordinary mortals just like him.
Paying no heed to background or status, they sat together, listening intently to an impassioned speech delivered by a young cultivator at the front.
"Decades ago, I was just like the vast majority of you here: a frail mortal without the strength to truss a chicken, unable to control my own destiny. Though my heart yearned for the immortal path, I lamented that I had no spirit root and could not cultivate.
"Fortunately, I witnessed the Immortal Venerable preaching the Dao with my own eyes and obtained a supreme method.
"From then on, one could cultivate even without a spirit root!
"In a mere ten years, I have achieved the Golden Core realm!
"The Immortal Venerable said: The path of immortality is..."
Under the young man's hands-on instruction, several dozen of those mortals condensed the Root of Heaven and Earth on the spot, stepping into the Qi Condensation stage.
Liu Tu was thoroughly mesmerized. Though his aptitude was slightly poorer and he could not step into Qi Condensation right then and there, he committed the Five Spirits Qi-Sensing Method to memory.
After returning home, he succeeded in drawing qi into his body in less than half a month, becoming a true cultivator.
Later, Liu Tu sought out and joined the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, an organization spontaneously founded by rogue cultivators practicing the new method.
After selecting the Heavenly Net Divine Art—the most popular manual among them—as his primary cultivation method, Liu Tu spent another five or six years cultivating before establishing his Dao Foundation using the wonder of heaven and earth known as Mountain Spirit Ginseng.
After that came Chu Liang seeking him out, agreeing to ambush the two disciples, Zhang Qianmo and Li Chen, who were coming to Ningyuan City to collect the Longevity Fruit.
The title of inner disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect had made Liu Tu somewhat apprehensive. But with Song Hesong, a Golden Core cultivator, acting as the ringleader, combined with the temptation of that peerless manual, the Purple Empyrean Thunder-Controlling True Scripture, Liu Tu had somehow ended up agreeing.
After all, according to their intelligence, the two disciples from the Purple Cloud Sect were only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Who could have foreseen running into a freak like Zhang Qianmo, who could slay a Golden Core cultivator while still at Foundation Establishment...?
*Thud!*
Having concluded the soul search, Li Fan dropped the limp, unconscious Liu Tu to the ground and pressed lightly against his throbbing temples.
He calmed his churning, turbulent soul.
A soul-searching art had boundless utility, laying bare every secret and memory in an enemy's mind.
Yet it was not without risk.
The toll on one's own divine sense was staggering; in Li Fan's current state, it was a clear case of overexhaustion.
Even worse, if one encountered someone playing the pig to eat the tiger—feigning total defeat only to unleash a lethal counterattack during the soul search—the consequences could be catastrophic. If caught off guard and unable to defend, not only would one's soul suffer severe trauma, but one would also face the risk of a reverse soul search.
*Even though I am only a divine sense avatar in this Fallen Immortal Realm, with weaker mental strength than my original body, the drain from this soul search is still excessively high.* Remembering how effortless Zhang Qianmo had made it look, Li Fan could not help wondering if he had performed it incorrectly.
Yet after combing through Li Chen's memories and pondering for a moment, Li Fan understood.
At this point in time, major sects spared no expense in nurturing their elite disciples in every conceivable way.
Heavenly treasures were never lacking, and all manner of esoteric arts and secret techniques were practically free for the taking.
From live sparring to tempering divine sense, to direct guidance and personal instruction from senior sect powerhouses...
As long as you performed well enough, all of this served as fuel for rapid growth and empowerment.
In contrast, in today's cultivation world, a perfectly good cultivation method was forcefully split into several disparate fragments, blatantly designed to restrict a cultivator's combat prowess.
You want heavenly treasures to strengthen yourself? You want secret arts to fend off enemies?
Fine—go complete missions and hoard contribution points first.
Once you've hoarded enough contribution points, you still can't search for them.
Oh, that's probably because your clearance level isn't high enough. Go do some merit missions and build it up for a few years!
...
Though he did not know what things were like on the Five Elders Association's side, he imagined it was largely the same.
In Zhang Qianmo's eyes, the vast majority of cultivators in reality probably wouldn't even measure up to unorthodox rogue cultivators.
After all, according to Liu Tu's memories, the manuals provided by the nascent Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals included all sorts of wondrous arts and secret methods.
Take the Heavenly Net Divine Art, which boasted the highest number of practitioners: its contents encompassed everything under heaven, omitting nothing.
Breath concealment, escape arts, divine sense tempering, physical strengthening, qi refinement, alchemy, talisman crafting, formations...
Every detail was covered; nothing was left out.
It was practically the finest introductory cultivation manual available.
Though it might not be top-tier in every single aspect, its strength lay in its comprehensiveness.
Li Fan could not even begin to estimate how exorbitant a price such a technique would fetch in today's Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
And yet, at this point in time, it was merely one of dozens of manuals provided completely free of charge by the Alliance.
The stark contrast made Li Fan think, *Damn it all, how on earth did the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals end up like this?*
The disparity was immense even when compared to the rogue cultivators of this era, to say nothing of elite sect disciples like Zhang Qianmo.
Though Li Fan possessed the extraordinary treasure True Reversion and a divine sense far surpassing ordinary cultivators after a hundred cycles of reincarnation, he had never systematically strengthened it.
Nor had he consumed any heavenly treasures to nourish it.
Consequently, a considerable gap still separated him from Senior Brother Zhang.
Li Fan inspected his own condition, his brow furrowing slightly.
*Because of the excessive drain on my divine sense, the amount of time I can stay in the Fallen Immortal Realm has dropped drastically.*
*Originally, I could have lasted around half a month, but now I can only stay for seven or eight days.*
*However, according to Chen Ying, I've already gained something from this trip. I can choose to leave the Fallen Immortal Realm early.*
*All I need to do is mentally simulate the ritual in reverse.*
*The only question is whether I meet the conditions to bring items back to reality.*
Bringing items or information from the Fallen Immortal Realm back to the real world required fulfilling specific conditions.
As for what those conditions were, Chen Ying had been vague during his explanation that day.
Currently, no information regarding the Fallen Immortal Realm could be found within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, so Li Fan had no choice but to feel his own way forward.
*The more valuable an item, the harder it is to bring back.*
*The Heavenly Net Divine Art is out of the question for now. If I can just bring back the Purple Empyrean Soul Observation Technique, my objective will be met.*
*What exactly is the condition? Slaying Zhang Qianmo?*
For now, Li Fan had no clue.
*Regardless, I should return to reality first and see.*
*Maybe I'll be able to recall the specific contents of the soul-observation technique once I'm back in reality.*
After a moment's contemplation, Li Fan made his decision.
He directly ran the ritual in reverse within his mind.
A bout of dizziness washed over him. In an instant, the surrounding scenery shattered like starlight.
Li Fan's consciousness returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
He began carefully recalling the various scenes from this trip into the Fallen Immortal Realm.
The specific events and every single line of dialogue with Senior Brother Zhang were etched vividly in his mind.
Yet when he tried to recall the Purple Empyrean Soul Observation Technique and the Heavenly Net Divine Art, his mind was an utter blank.
Drawing water with a bamboo basket—all in vain.
*It really isn't that simple.*
*The treasure was right in my hands, yet like a flower in a mirror or the moon on the water, it remains out of reach...*
*This feeling truly isn't pleasant.*
*I'll have to go in again and search for the specific conditions.*
*Fortunately, because I exited voluntarily, the required waiting interval before entering again is greatly reduced.*
During the waiting period, Li Fan purchased an Awe-Proclaiming Talisman to disguise himself as a Golden Core cultivator.
He then bought a Disguise Pill, altered his appearance, and headed to Dingyu Island.
Due to the fallout from the Spirit Mist Grass incident, the crowd of cultivators gathered here had thinned considerably.
Li Fan casually picked a fish to place a bet on, then began discreetly probing the Golden Core cultivators in the crowd for information regarding the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Through casual conversation, Li Fan learned that the entry point into the Fallen Immortal Realm differed every time.
Sometimes, one would drop straight into a war between the righteous and unorthodox paths upon entering, only to be casually struck down by the powerhouses on the battlefield.
Other times, with good fortune, one might possess the body of a sect disciple. Yet trying to uncover the conditions to bring out a cultivation technique in a mere dozen or so days was extraordinarily difficult. More often than not, they could only watch with regret as the manual vanished from their memories.
Chapter 196