Slaying Zhang Qianmo

“Still…” Li Fan could not help but frown. “Could it be that Senior Brother Zhang cannot activate that purple core state on his own initiative?” Recalling the earlier scene where Zhang Qianmo’s physical body was completely obliterated before re-emerging from the purple core, Li Fan could not help but speculate, *Could it be that this special state can only be triggered after being broken first to stand anew?* The subsequent course of the battle seemed to confirm Li Fan’s conjecture. Zhong Shentong’s continuous onslaught of Seven-Colored Divine Light persisted for more than twenty additional days. The energy stored within the purple core inside Zhang Qianmo’s body was finally drained completely. When Zhang Qianmo was disintegrated by thousands of beams of radiance, the scene of rebirth from the purple core did not occur again. “Pardon my poor display!” A faint smile reappeared on the old Daoist’s face. He gave a Daoist salute toward the spot where his opponent had vanished without leaving a trace of bone or ash. Then, his figure gradually faded away. “So that was how it had to be resolved. Seriously…” Li Fan was left somewhat speechless. To think that Zhang Qianmo was actually ground down to death alive. Indeed, while Senior Brother Zhang was in that purple core state, it was practically impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to defeat him. In that case, the key was simply to never let him enter that purple core state. In hindsight, the principle was straightforward. Yet upon deeper reflection, Li Fan realized that while doing so seemed easy, it was extraordinarily difficult in practice. In his normal state, Zhang Qianmo’s combat strength was already at the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment realm. Suppressing him for such a long time, wounding him without killing him just to deplete his reserves, was simply beyond the capability of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivation. Even an ordinary Golden Core cultivator could not accomplish it easily. For now, Li Fan naturally could not replicate it either. Still, at least he now knew the method to counter Senior Brother Zhang. It all came down to one single concept: attrition. With a solution in hand, what followed would be far easier to manage. Li Fan considered his own combat strength to be in no way inferior to Senior Brother Zhang’s standard state. All he needed was to find a method for sustained, prolonged combat, and he would be able to grind Zhang Qianmo to death in the Fallen Immortal Realm. His only concern was that each entry into the Fallen Immortal Realm had a certain time limit. However, Li Fan had long since prepared a countermeasure for that. It was merely out of caution that he had never put it into practice. This presented the perfect opportunity to see whether it worked. Before entering the Fallen Immortal Realm again, Li Fan searched for information on who this Zhong Shentong actually was. The results took him greatly by surprise. He had originally thought this person would be some prodigy, an extraordinarily gifted cultivation genius whose white hair and youthful complexion were mere disguise. To his astonishment, Zhong Shentong was genuinely just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. He even had the air of a late bloomer. Until his sixties, this man had been nothing more than a mortal. Only when his hair was stark white and his lifespan was nearly exhausted did the thought of cultivation cross his mind. At long last, right before his life ran out, he managed to step into the Qi Condensation stage. He squandered decades idling in Qi Condensation. Then, just barely as his lifespan was once again at its end, he stepped into the Foundation Establishment stage. Originally, such a figure, even after becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, should have remained completely obscure. Yet not long ago, this very person had actually comprehended his own innate divine ability. He could summon Seven-Colored Divine Light to combat enemies. The radiance cut like razor blades, invincible and unstoppable. Furthermore, he could transform into light to flee, his escape speed astonishingly swift—faster even than a Nascent Soul cultivator. It was precisely because of this Seven-Colored Divine Light that Zhong Shentong’s name had gradually grown renowned. “Interesting…” “According to the available intelligence, Zhong Shentong comprehended this Seven-Colored Divine Light midway through last year, the 23rd year of the Anchor Era.” “If an opportunity arises, perhaps I can see just how he accomplished it.” It was no wonder Li Fan entertained such thoughts. After all, Zhong Shentong’s aptitude was truly nothing remarkable. If there was a chance to snatch this opportunity away, Li Fan certainly would not let it slip. Who told this Seven-Colored Divine Light to be so ridiculously potent? Making a mental note of this matter, Li Fan set about his main business. He searched for methods of sustained combat. The results boiled down to a few options: First, specialized cultivation techniques. Second, specialized Foundation Establishment wonders. Third, relying on certain unique magical treasures. Fourth, popping pills. Li Fan naturally chose the most cost-effective and efficient solution. “Superior wonder of Man: Continuous Resentment Branch.” Carrying this wonder of heaven and earth, Li Fan quietly departed Wanxian Island. As usual, he sought out a secluded area deep beneath the sea and entered closed-door seclusion. First, he absorbed the Continuous Resentment Branch. Then, True Reversion took on the forms of both the Vast Sea Pearl and the Continuous Resentment Branch simultaneously. Li Fan tested his spiritual energy consumption. To his pleasant surprise, under the combined blessing of these two wonders, the recovery speed of the spiritual energy in his body was alarmingly fast. It truly seemed like the waters of the ocean and the resentment of humanity—inexhaustible and boundless. With the capital for a protracted battle secured, Li Fan felt thoroughly reassured. Pondering for a moment, he summoned the Blue Flame phantom spirit, entering a state of absolute rationality devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Then, he conducted the ritual. “Blessings born of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Venerable!” After a long absence, Li Fan finally entered the Fallen Immortal Realm once more. “Junior Brother? Junior Brother?” Amidst Zhang Qianmo’s familiar voice, Li Fan opened his eyes. His gaze met Senior Brother Zhang’s. Who could have guessed that a senior brother who had been warm, affable, and smiling just a second ago would turn solemn in the very next second, his eyes brimming with murderous intent? Yet he did not strike immediately. Instead, he flashed into the distance, locking onto Li Fan from afar. “You are not my junior brother?” “An evil fiend? A heavenly demon? Or…” In his state of absolute rationality, Li Fan cared only for achieving his objective. He wasted no words on Zhang Qianmo. The outer husk belonging to Junior Brother Li Chen dissolved in an instant, revealing Li Fan’s original appearance. Then, the Vast Sea Pearl surged, and the Congyun Sword slashed violently outward. Witnessing this terrifying sight with his own eyes, Zhang Qianmo was also overcome with fury. “Audacious demon! How dare you act brazenly before me, Zhang Qianmo of the Purple Cloud Sect!” Purple Cloud Divine Thunder cascaded from the heavens, on the verge of striking Li Fan. Yet it was met by a Heaven-Upending Palm, and the thunder dissolved into nothingness in an instant. Before Zhang Qianmo could react, Li Fan’s attacks crashed down like rolling tides, one after another. Li Fan controlled the power of every move and technique with consummate precision, maximizing the efficiency of his spiritual energy while steadily grinding down Zhang Qianmo’s strength. The battle between the two fell into a protracted stalemate. The great battle raged for a full thirty-odd days, laying waste to countless mortal villages and cities along the way. Ultimately, Zhang Qianmo ran out of steam before Li Fan, reduced to complete exhaustion. He was cleaved down by Li Fan’s sword. There was no purple core nirvana. Zhang Qianmo was dead. Li Fan had claimed victory by the skin of his teeth. Without Zhang Qianmo’s restraint, before he even had time to explore the surrounding area, a familiar fluctuation descended. His duration in the Fallen Immortal Realm had reached its limit. *It seems that even with the Blue Flame phantom spirit, I cannot remain in the Fallen Immortal Realm indefinitely,* Li Fan thought to himself as he returned to the real world. Withdrawing the Blue Flame phantom spirit, a wave of profound exhaustion washed over him. Over thirty days of high-intensity combat was quite a psychological ordeal as well. *Fortunately, the harvest this time was bountiful.* *I’ve finally resolved Zhang Qianmo, who troubled me for so long. Next time I enter the Fallen Immortal Realm, I shouldn’t be trapped in Ningyuan City anymore, right?* *Furthermore…* Li Fan’s expression grew subtle as he inspected a passage of text that had inexplicably surfaced in his mind. This ought to be the harvest from slaying Zhang Qianmo. Although it was not the complete *Purple Empyrean Thunder-Controlling True Scripture*, it was still exceptionally useful to Li Fan. It patched up one of Li Fan’s major shortcomings. *Purple Empyrean Divine Thunder Escape*. Just like the Purple Empyrean Soul Observation Technique, it was a secret art attached to the *Purple Empyrean Thunder-Controlling True Scripture*.