Daoyuan Is Tiandu

He Zhenghao was no longer the arrogant, hot-blooded youth of his past. Having struggled and survived in the Congyun Sea for decades, he had long recognized the cruelty of reality. He Zhenghao sighed deeply and shook his head. "Fellow Daoist, you must be joking. Ruoshui's talent for cultivation is far beyond mine." "Even if I could cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm in this lifetime, by then she might have already advanced to Soul Formation." "A Soul Formation law-weaver..." "The gulf in status between us will only grow wider." "I am getting old. I no longer harbor extravagant hopes for such things." "As long as Xinxin can come visit me every now and then, I will be more than satisfied," He Zhenghao said wistfully. Li Fan said nothing more. He patted him on the shoulder, then bid him farewell and took his leave. Returning inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan began searching thoroughly for information regarding Yuandao Province. The people of an entire province would have ten years of time devoured at irregular intervals. Those within Yuandao Province might not notice anything amiss at the time. Yet when communicating with cultivators from other provinces, would they not realize something was off? During those swallowed ten years, what state did Yuandao Province appear to be in to the outside world? With information as boundless as the sea inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror, there had to be some trace or clue concerning this, right? Li Fan spent most of the day checking for this. There was none. Li Fan could not help sighing, "Everything you can see is only what they want you to see." "Whatever they don't want you to see has vanished completely without a trace." Shaking his head, he abandoned his previous plan. He focused instead on researching the history of Yuandao Province. *An Examination of the Ruins of Tiandu*, *Yuandao? Daoyuan? On the Relationship Between Yuandao Province and the Ancient Source of the Dao*, *A Brief Study on the Heritage of the Tiandu Grand Dharma Master's Lineage*... Li Fan patiently pored through book after book. Nearly all these works regarding Yuandao Province could not avoid one key name: Tiandu. "The source of all Dao methods, the head of all teachings..." "Quite the boast." Li Fan could not help thinking, *Could this Tiandu have been one of the ancient Ten Great Immortal Sects?* According to later research, in ancient times, Tiandu hung suspended high in the nine heavens, gazing down upon the myriad living beings of the Xuanhuang Realm. It was acclaimed as the source of all Dao methods, the head of all teachings. Which cultivators had once inhabited Tiandu was now lost to time. The only name handed down through history was the Tiandu Grand Dharma Master. It was said that Dao Integration cultivator Immortal Venerable Blue Feather of Daoyuan Province was of the Tiandu Grand Dharma Master's lineage. The *Tiandu Feathering Technique* he cultivated was personally passed down by the Grand Dharma Master. Blue Feather's numerous rare treasures, such as the Tiandu Martial Arena and the Eight Trigrams Purple-Gold Furnace, all originated from Tiandu's legacy. "Before long this year, Blue Feather's lifespan will reach its end. Before dying, he will lay down the Essence-Devouring Rebirth Formation, vainly attempting to reverse the laws of life and death to attain Longevity." "It is said that when Blue Feather falls, anomalies will cover the entire province, visible to all." "My true body cannot go, but there's no harm in sending an avatar." Li Fan faintly felt that the unknown entity devouring time was very likely connected to the Tiandu of old. Yet this was merely an intuition, unsupported by any evidence. "Regardless, the demise of a Dao Integration Immortal Venerable is a rare sight." "It will do me good to go and broaden my horizons." "I heard that because Blue Feather was a cultivator who had already attained Dao Integration before the Great Calamity, the anomalies upon his demise will be entirely different from those of modern cultivators." ... Having made up his mind, Li Fan searched for methods to cleanse any inexplicable marks that might linger upon him. Every trade had its specialists. Just because True Reversion could not do it did not mean other methods in this realm could not. As long as it was a matter that could be resolved by spending contribution points, it was no problem for Li Fan. Keywords: purification, curses, marks, elimination... Unhurried, Li Fan reviewed the entries that popped up one by one. All these solutions fell roughly into three categories. The first was to rely on natural treasures to wash through the body and scour away vile, demonic auras. The second was to practice special cultivation techniques, achieving a completely purified mind and body, spotless and clear like lapis lazuli through continuous cultivation. The third was that there were cultivators who specialized in this trade. One only needed to pay a certain fee, and they would come to provide in-person service, cleansing the anomalies entangled around your person. Naturally, if they failed, they would not charge. Adopting a mindset of giving it a shot, Li Fan began contacting these cultivators. When they asked what type of mark needed to be expelled, Li Fan only replied that he was not sure either. He simply claimed his spiritual intuition gave him a sense that something was wrong with his body. Such an explanation was quite common. Over a dozen cultivators came and went, some at the Nascent Soul realm, some at the Golden Core realm. After they cast their arts, Li Fan felt no effect whatsoever. The cultivators all stared at Li Fan for a moment before shaking their heads, stating that they could find no anomaly. Just as Li Fan was about to give up, the final cultivator brought him a surprise. This cultivator was named Fang Yang, also of the Nascent Soul realm. Upon meeting Li Fan, he observed him for a time and was just about to cast an art, when his expression suddenly changed drastically. Without a word, he turned on his heel and left. Knowing Fang Yang had definitely spotted something, Li Fan hurried after him. In front of the Dharma Transmission Plaza, Fang Yang had a grim expression when Li Fan stopped him. Had fighting not been forbidden on the island, he likely would have struck this insolent brat dead with a casual slap. "Junior, go back! For whatever affliction you have, forgive this old man for being powerless to help!" Li Fan looked anxious and said earnestly, "Senior, please save me!" "I do not know why, but lately I have felt restless day and night, deeply uneasy." "I cannot even calm my mind to cultivate." "If this continues, my cultivation will never advance an inch, and I will die of old age in the Foundation Establishment stage, cutting short my path of Dao!" As he spoke, he gripped Fang Yang's hand tightly, making it clear he would not let go. Fang Yang's face flushed red, yet he could not lash out. He had no choice but to lower his voice and say, "Brat, I'll be honest with you. Although I don't know what is going on with you, you've clearly crossed an existence you shouldn't have." "The level is far too high—it is beyond what a petty Nascent Soul cultivator like me can resolve." "Even if I had a solution, I wouldn't act on your behalf." "To put it bluntly, that anomaly on you is essentially a mark left behind by that entity. If it is removed rashly, it will undoubtedly draw their attention." ... Having said his piece, Fang Yang spoke no further. Li Fan's heart sank. He had not expected the matter to be even graver than he had imagined. "Does Senior know of a way to resolve this? If I can escape this calamity, this junior will surely repay you handsomely in the future!" Li Fan said solemnly. Fang Yang scrutinized Li Fan once more, pondered for a moment, and only then replied, "Find a remote minor world, cultivate a purification technique, and spend a dozen or so years on it. Perhaps you might shake it off." "Of course, this is merely a suggestion. Whether it actually succeeds depends on your own fortune. I cannot make any guarantees." Hearing this, Li Fan nodded slowly. He thanked Fang Yang and ceased pestering him.