"No wonder in the previous life, Zhang Haobo, a mortal without any foundation, managed to cultivate to the Golden Core in just over ten years.
"No wonder even though he was merely a Golden Core cultivator, he could mobilize the power of the entire Congyun Sea to unleash those earth-shattering Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords."
An enlightened look surfaced in Ye Feipeng's eyes.
According to the records within the jade slip, this skeleton had in life belonged to a cultivator adept in sensing the qi mechanism of Heaven and Earth.
Although his cultivation had only been at Foundation Establishment, by a stroke of fortune he had discovered an astounding secret within an ancient ruin somewhere in the Congyun Sea.
This vast and boundless Congyun Sea had actually been formed by a single palm strike from an ancient mighty figure!
That cultivator had spent over ten years excavating primeval geological strata and observing the traces of the palm imprint, ultimately gaining enlightenment and comprehending a divine ability:
The Sea-Overturning Divine Palm.
Not only that, through his years of communing with the qi mechanism of Heaven and Earth, the cultivator had further speculated that over the endless ages, the Congyun Sea might have given birth to its own consciousness because of that world-shaking palm strike.
Regrettably, before he could verify it himself, he suffered qi deviation and died during an attempt to commune with Heaven and Earth.
Before dying, he had only managed to record this information into a jade slip, leaving it behind for someone fated.
And then he had passed away with regret.
Comparing the contents of this jade slip with what he had witnessed in his previous life and cross-referencing the two, Ye Feipeng finally understood.
"Heaven desired to incinerate the sea, but the sea refused to yield.
"Crimson Flame was the executor of Heaven's will, while Zhang Haobo was the executor of the Congyun Sea's will.
"Perhaps Zhang Haobo alone was no match for Crimson Flame.
"Zhang Haobo himself knew this as well. That was why he herded the wind to soar over Ten Thousand Immortals, taking that opportunity to meet Immortal Lord Hongxi of Wanxian Island,
"revealing the news years in advance that Crimson Flame would incinerate the sea.
"The temptation of an anima of Heaven and Earth was virtually impossible for a Soul Formation cultivator to resist.
"Thus, five Soul Formation Immortal Lords joined forces, with a Dao Integration Immortal Venerable holding the line. With such a massive lineup, they must have believed victory was assured.
"Yet who would have thought that a Golden Core cultivator would steal the prize right out from under them in the end?
"With only a Golden Core cultivation, he played numerous powerhouses of Wanxian Island right in the palm of his hand.
"Brilliant, truly brilliant!" Ye Feipeng could not help marveling.
Then his gaze filled with greed. "Too bad in this life, it will all fall into my lap!"
With a single palm strike, he shattered the skeleton and the jade slip to dust, and his aura changed abruptly.
"It seems the key to this life lies in how to draw the attention of the Congyun Sea's will.
"It's said that when Zhang Haobo cultivated, he spent year after year accompanied by wind calamities. From chasing the wind at the start, to severing the wind, to finally herding the wind.
"He grew stronger step by step through that process. His clashes against the wind calamities must have drawn the Congyun Sea's attention.
"I, Ye Feipeng, can naturally follow suit."
***
Ye Feipeng, his mind consumed by thoughts of rousing the Congyun Sea's consciousness, had no idea that the moment he shattered the jade slip,
his fate, which resembled white mist, began to spin madly upon itself.
As though something was drawn in from the outside by this whirlpool, the white mist gradually took on an unusual hue.
Circulating the *Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Art* and watching all of this unfold, Li Fan could not help nodding.
"Truly, fate follows fortune, and one change breeds a hundred more.
"He's already beginning to soar so quickly. My painstaking scheme was not in vain."
Having already switched his Foundation Establishment wonder to the Vast Sea Pearl, Li Fan could sense something even more faintly.
The sea area surrounding Ye Feipeng seemed slightly more active than normal waters.
This difference was minuscule, subtle enough that even mighty cultivators of profound strength might not have detected it.
Only Li Fan, possessing the Vast Sea Pearl of identical origin, could vaguely perceive it.
"The plan is now on track. Next, let's see how this little fatty develops."
Li Fan watched Ye Feipeng, whose expression shifted continuously as he pondered who-knew-what, and smiled slightly.
His divine sense swept across the sea above, passing over Zhang Haobo, who stood at the bow of the *Cangyuan*, wearing a look of boundless bewilderment.
Li Fan pondered inwardly, *Although I don't count on Zhang Haobo to stir up the situation in this life, he possesses remarkable talent after all. It would be a true pity if he didn't join Immortal Restoration.*
*Mm, once my clone returns from Jiushan Province, I can have Xiao Heng make a trip.*
Returning quietly to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan routinely checked Zhang Qianmo's combat record in Sit and Debate the Dao.
It had already risen to thirty-six victories and six draws.
There still had not appeared any method capable of breaking through that Purple Core Nirvana.
Those few drawn matches had all relied on sheer, overpowering combat strength to fight Zhang Qianmo to a standstill.
Li Fan, however, could not replicate that.
In any case, there was no rush; he had plenty of time.
Activating Transforming Spirit into Dao Unity, Li Fan once again resumed cultivating while simultaneously studying array formations.
***
Jiushan Province.
Before Mount Tianchang.
After more than half a year of arduous travel, Li Fan's clone and his group finally arrived at their destination.
Even Qingmu, a Nascent Soul True Monarch, wore a face full of weariness.
Li Fan finally experienced firsthand just how vast a single province of the Xuanhuang Realm truly was.
Without teleportation formations everywhere, flying from one end to the other would take a Foundation Establishment cultivator at least five or six months.
And that was assuming everything went smoothly without a single danger.
In reality, the journey was far from peaceful.
Over the course of their half-year journey and chats with the others, Li Fan had gained a general understanding of the situation in Jiushan Province.
The nine mountain ranges of Jiushan Province were said to have formed from nine meridians within the body of some exotic beast after it perished in ancient times.
The nine mountains stretched across the earth, each possessing its own profound mysteries, yet connected together as a single whole.
They seemed to form an unimaginably colossal array formation.
Under its influence, teleportation formations were exceedingly unstable.
They might explode shortly after being constructed,
or the coordinates of their destination might suddenly mutate, sending travelers to an entirely strange place.
There had even been an unfortunate cultivator who, harboring wishful thinking, insisted on trying to use a teleportation formation.
In the end, he was teleported straight outside the Xuanhuang Realm and never returned.
For this very reason, after taking over Jiushan Province, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals deemed the cost of governance far too high.
Moreover, the region was relatively barren and possessed few precious resources.
Thus, they simply abandoned the approach of building numerous garrison cities.
They built only nine cities along the mountain passes of the nine ranges, stationing personnel to guard them.
Meanwhile, upon the plains between the nine mountain ranges, dragons and snakes mingled—a melting pot of unsavory figures harboring ill intent.
Among them were local factions of Jiushan Province, as well as external cliques secretly backed by the Five Elders Association.
Li Fan's group consisted mostly of members within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' system.
Furthermore, with True Monarch Qingmu, a Nascent Soul cultivator, anchoring their group, those figures exercised some restraint.
Along the way, they had only encountered seven or eight ambushes,
all of which were smoothly repelled.
It was said that if ordinary cultivators rashly intruded into Jiushan Province, they would have long since been skinned, flayed, and stripped bare of all their possessions.
The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals could not be bothered to manage such chaotic affairs.
Naturally, there were deeper reasons behind this.
Chapter 223