"Fearless in the face of death? Sacrificing myself for others?"
"If not for True Reversion allowing me to start over whenever I want, I would never make such a choice!"
"It truly leaves a foul taste in my mouth!"
Amidst the boundless sea of mist, Li Fan executed the Purple Empyrean Divine Thunder Escape, transforming into a streak of purple light that sped toward the Eternal Immortal Bastion.
The stifled, gloomy irritation in his chest lingered for a long time.
Meanwhile, the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation—which had previously worked effortlessly without a hitch—was operating uncharacteristically slowly.
Like an extraordinarily heavy millstone, it drew in the thoughts of his inner heart and slowly ground them down.
Unlike his previous erroneous cultivation, where everything was crudely crushed to dust, the incantation now refined these rebellious emotions born from defying his Dao heart. It transformed them into faint wisps of cool, refreshing breath that flowed deep into his mind and body, nourishing him.
The cooling sensation slightly soothed his agitated mood.
Refining the Dao heart against the grain was, in truth, an active pursuit of unresolved discontent.
Naturally, this felt immensely agonizing to Li Fan, who had always acted purely as he pleased.
Fortunately, the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation did not disappoint him.
Carefully sensing the effect of the cool breath on his body, Li Fan's mind trembled in shock before long.
"This feeling..."
"How can it be so similar to after I consumed the Will Horse back then?!"
"Previously, the Heart-Clearing Incantation could strengthen divine consciousness, but practicing the Heart-Refining Incantation properly can actually strengthen the divine soul?"
A tempestuous storm instantly surged in Li Fan's heart.
"No wonder its grade is ranked above the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique, a Dao Integration level cultivation technique."
"Techniques that strengthen divine consciousness—I've seen one or two in the Heavenly Profound Mirror's special merit exchange list."
"Yet one that can strengthen the divine soul..."
"Is truly unheard of."
The divine soul was internal, while divine consciousness was external.
When the divine soul grew stronger, divine consciousness naturally grew stronger in tandem.
Divine consciousness was like muscle, capable of being continuously bolstered through acquired training and cultivation.
The divine soul, however, was like bone—fixed at birth. It could only be strengthened when one broke through in cultivation realm, altering their very form of life, or through heavenly materials and earthly treasures like the Will Horse.
Back then, the Soul Formation cultivator Zhang Zhiliang had also mentioned that the Will Horse, which could strengthen the divine soul, was exceedingly precious.
Fine though the Will Horse was, its boosting effect was limited.
Yet with the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation enhancing the divine soul, there was no end in sight!
As long as he continued to cultivate his Dao heart against the grain, his divine soul could seemingly grow stronger without limit!
One had to know that once the divine soul became powerful enough, it could be used directly as a means to annihilate enemies.
For instance, the terrifying Thousand-Faced Demon Venerable officially publicized by the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had abandoned his physical body altogether, existing directly as a tangible divine soul entity.
Relying on the immense strength of his divine soul, he possessed bodies at whim.
"With me practicing the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation and my divine soul growing ever stronger, a day will come when even if the Thousand-Faced Demon Venerable truly exists, he won't be a match for me at all."
"Furthermore..."
"True Reversion and I are truly one. After each cycle of reincarnation, everything in the world returns to the chosen anchor."
"Only changes to myself remain."
"Even if I choose to retain nothing, that holds true."
"Back when I was still a mortal, my will grew continuously stronger through repeated cycles of reincarnation. Later, I was even able to pilot the Taiyan Boat with a mortal body. That is clear proof."
"Will, divine soul..."
"Doesn't that mean all things in this world return to square one with each of my choices..."
"...while my divine soul continues to grow ever mightier?"
"Will there come a day when, even if I choose not to retain my cultivation, I could crush everything simply with my formidable divine soul alone?"
The more Li Fan thought about it, the more incredible it seemed.
"The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation can be called a heaven-defying divine technique, yet it was hidden within the Xuanhuang Mind-Clearing Incantation that is found everywhere in the mortal realm?"
"Just what..."
Instinctively, Li Fan felt there had to be some conspiracy lurking behind this.
Uncertainty and suspicion churned within him, but after a bit of inner struggle, Li Fan decided to continue cultivating it.
"With such a technique right before my eyes, it's impossible for me to give it up."
"Even if there is some plot, the strengthening of my divine soul is genuine."
"If the mastermind behind the scenes can truly disregard the effects of True Reversion, then I'll concede defeat."
"If not, then no matter how many schemes they have, all are useless before True Reversion."
Having made his decision, Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
The actual effects of this Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation were indeed far beyond his expectations.
"It's just that this method of cultivating the Dao heart against the grain is somewhat torturous."
Li Fan vaguely sensed that one could not simply cultivate it by uttering words contrary to one's Dao heart.
Action and knowledge had to be unified; his actual deeds also had to defy his Dao heart.
Only then could it transform into nourishment for the divine soul.
This was also why he had ventured into the white mist alone.
"To others, the combination of the demonic sound tide and the Essence-Devouring White Mist is indeed an extraordinarily perilous place of near-certain death."
"But to me, the danger isn't nearly that high."
"The only thing I fear is a means that strips me of the ability to resist in an instant."
"Whether facing the white mist or the demonic sound, if I truly encounter some fatal danger, I will have enough time to activate True Reversion composedly."
"All things considered, the gains from this choice far outweigh the risks."
"Conversely, in Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals territory—which usually appears devoid of danger—cultivating the Dao heart against the grain is fraught with peril."
"With a single misstep, one might provoke a Dao Integration existence."
...
Li Fan pondered as he flew toward his destination.
With the Black Death Talisman protecting his body and keeping the Essence-Devouring White Mist at bay, the only thing Li Fan had to worry about was the demonic sound tide that launched sudden assaults from time to time.
Whenever whispered murmurs sounded by his ears, to be safe, Li Fan would halt his flight.
Lighting the Extinction Glazed Lamp, he would quietly wait for the demonic sounds to weaken before setting off again.
Though danger lurked on every side, under Li Fan's prudent conduct, the entire journey remained peaceful and uneventful.
Soon, Li Fan had flown in the white mist for over two days.
The power of the five elements within him formed a self-contained cycle, so he did not have to worry about running out of spiritual energy.
Yet Li Fan's expression gradually turned solemn.
"If the threat is only at this level, Leng Yingyi couldn't have run into trouble."
"He hasn't returned for so long—what did he encounter?"
"Furthermore, where does the growing unease in my heart come from?"
Growing vigilant, Li Fan released his divine consciousness to investigate his surroundings.
Yet in the sea of mist without the demonic sound tide, all was dead silent.
After searching for a long time, he still found no source of danger.
Li Fan could only adapt as circumstances arose, continuing to fly in the sensed direction of the Eternal Immortal Bastion.
Like this, another two days passed.
Li Fan, flying at high speed, suddenly came to a halt.
His face darkened.
"I finally know why Leng Yingyi never returned. So that's how it is."
At his speed, even stopping and starting along the way, he should have reached the Eternal Immortal Bastion in at most two days.
Yet four days had already passed since Li Fan left Outpost Jiaxu.
In his perception, the Eternal Immortal Bastion indeed lay not far ahead.
However...
No matter how he flew, he could not cross this tiny distance.
"It seems to be mere inches away, yet it is like a natural chasm that cannot be crossed no matter what. In the White Mist Barrier, we call such locations 'Lost Domains.'"
The words Huangfu Song once said instantly echoed in Li Fan's ears.
He temporarily gave up on flying, standing suspended in the void with an unpredictable expression.
"Outside the Chizha Abyss, along the only path connecting Outpost Jiaxu and the Eternal Immortal Bastion, another Lost Domain has quietly formed without anyone realizing."
"Silently, completely unknown to anyone."
"Leng Yingyi must have gotten lost in this Lost Domain."
"And now, so have I."
Li Fan looked forward, seemingly catching sight of the immense severed bluestone palm right ahead.
Yet he could not reach it.
"So close, yet worlds apart..."
Li Fan sighed softly to himself.
Still, even though he had inadvertently stepped into a dead end, Li Fan would not activate True Reversion immediately.
There were still many unfinished matters in this life, and giving up so lightly would be a tremendous waste.
Besides, it suited Li Fan's stubborn nature not to give up until he was staring into the abyss.
Thus, Li Fan decided to see if he could find a way through this newly formed Lost Domain before his strength failed and his supplies ran dry.
When all was said and done, a so-called Lost Domain was merely an exceedingly vast expanse of space.
It was by no means an absolute death trap.
Chapter 355