Gains and Losses

He had abruptly escaped the trap, but the crisis was far from over. The Essence-Devouring White Mist relentlessly drained Li Fan's lifespan, churning with even greater ferocity than inside the Lost Domain. Amidst the vast expanse of white mist, Li Fan once again sensed the location of the Broken Palm Immortal City. The next instant, he pushed the Purple Empyrean Escape technique to its utmost limit, speeding toward it. Just as Li Fan drew farther away from the Lost Domain where the Chaos Character Stone lay, a strange ripple—bearing an uncanny resemblance to the vibrations emitted by the shattered stone earlier—faintly drifted from behind him. Even the boundless, desolate white mist seemed to ripple slightly. "Hmm?" Without looking back, Li Fan could sense that the Lost Domain of chaotic rubble seemed to be gradually disappearing. Or rather, concealing itself. However, Li Fan had no time to worry about it for the moment. There was still a considerable distance between here and the Eternal Immortal Bastion. And under the relentless devouring of the Essence-Devouring White Mist, Li Fan's age was surging drastically. The closer he traveled toward the Chizha Abyss, the faster his lifespan was consumed. 156, 178, 193... Watching the numbers flickering and climbing continuously on the True Reversion panel, a long-lost feeling of weakness welled up in Li Fan's heart. Aging in mere moments made him feel as though he had reverted to that doddering, decrepit Grand Preceptor of Great Xuan from long ago. The Eternal Immortal Bastion was right before his eyes, yet Li Fan calculated that with his remaining lifespan, it would be utterly impossible to cross the distance ahead. A decision flashed through his mind without the slightest hesitation. Li Fan took out the Transformation Longevity Fruit from his storage ring and swallowed it in a single gulp. A magnificent surge of vitality erupted from within his belly. In an instant, it coursed through his entire body like a raging river. The senile weakness vanished abruptly, and the upper limit of Li Fan's physiological age rose from the original 599 to 899. Invigorated, Li Fan dared not delay. Like a bolt of purple lightning, he tore through the desolate white mist, streaking straight toward the Broken Palm Immortal City. *Though the Purple Empyrean Divine Thunder Escape obtained from Senior Brother Zhang is far faster than any escape technique I've seen in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, it is still too slow!* *Without the Purple Empyrean Thunder-Controlling True Scripture cultivation method to support it, it inevitably falls short.* *In ordinary times it matters little, but in such life-and-death crises, the importance of raw escape speed becomes painfully obvious.* 264, 378, 492... His age climbed rapidly, and Li Fan gradually shifted from a youthful scholar into a middle-aged man. Yet his mind remained exceptionally calm, unbothered by the passing of his life. *If the opportunity arises, I must acquire a top-tier escape technique.* *Aside from the Yanfa Jade, Zhong Shentong's Seven-Colored Divine Light also seems quite remarkable.* *Outstripping the speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator while only in the Foundation Establishment stage...* While Li Fan recalled the deeds surrounding Zhong Shentong, he drew closer and closer to the Eternal Immortal Bastion. 567, 689, 734... "Who goes there?!" A furious shout erupted from the bluestone severed palm, cutting across the white mist and striking straight at Li Fan. Li Fan's flight speed instantly slowed. Cursing inwardly, he immediately committed the person's voice to memory. His expression remained composed and steady, methodical and unflustered, as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I am Li Fan, a Golden Core formation master under Dean Ji! "Assigned to assist in constructing the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation outside the Chizha Abyss! "Help!" At the same time, he pulled a severed finger carved of bluestone from his robes. It was precisely thanks to this token left behind by Leng Yingyi that Li Fan had been able to lock onto the location of the Eternal Immortal Bastion with pinpoint accuracy despite being trapped between the vast white mist and the demonic sound tide. "What?" A hint of surprise and panic surfaced in the voice. Li Fan accelerated once more, flying toward the torn seam at the wrist of the severed palm. His call for help had indeed worked. An entrance had already opened there. Moving like lightning, Li Fan plunged straight inside. The influence of the surrounding white mist vanished in an instant, and Li Fan's physiological age finally froze at 842/899. With one foot in the grave, his end was near. Pervasive weakness spread through every corner of his body. Li Fan could not even control the angle of his flight and plummeted straight toward the ground. He tumbled and skidded a long way before slowly coming to a halt. "Cough, cough..." Just as Li Fan tried to speak, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and blacked out directly. A white-haired cultivator who looked as though he might perish at any moment, appearing in the Eternal Immortal Bastion in such a conspicuous manner, naturally drew everyone's attention at once. As it happened, the Eternal Immortal Bastion had been cut off by the tide for some time, which privately gave rise to numerous rumors. People claimed all sorts of things. Some even swore that this demonic sound tide was entirely a conspiracy by the Five Elders Association. Now that the Five Elders Association had gone on the offensive, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was in steady retreat. Before long, they feared the Eternal Immortal Bastion would change hands. Fortunately, Young Lord Shang, the master of the Broken Palm Immortal City, intervened and promptly suppressed these increasingly outrageous rumors. He had the rumor-mongers hung in the air above the city center, whipped day and night as a warning to others. ... In the darkness. Although Li Fan's physical body was in a coma, his consciousness was exceptionally clear. This was an intensely contradictory state. Yet, just as he simultaneously felt the newborn vigor and the weakness of old age, it was undeniably real. The weakness naturally stemmed from this lifetime's physical body being on the verge of running out of fuel, not far from its natural limit. The vigor, on the other hand, came from his divine soul. After enduring all manner of hardships and narrowly escaping death, Li Fan had finally reached the Eternal Immortal Bastion. He had ultimately fulfilled the requirements of the "reverse Dao Heart" action. The stifled frustration and resentment in his heart dissipated abruptly. Within the great heart-refining millstone, an unprecedented influx of nourishment was welcomed. Drops of cool aura nourished his divine soul. A sense of growth comparable to breaking through a major cultivation realm surfaced in Li Fan's heart. Moreover, the growth of his divine soul was not merely a one-time surge; it continued unabated like a trickling stream, flowing on and on. *Where there is action, there is reward. This is the recompense for the reverse Dao Heart action.* *I suppose the full reverse cultivation process will only truly conclude once those people back at Outpost Jiaxu are actually rescued.* *Even with a special bonus for the first time, the effect of this Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation is terrifyingly potent.* Li Fan carefully sensed his divine soul continually expanding. It even gave him the illusion that he could abandon his physical shell and exist in the world purely as a divine soul. An unknown amount of time passed. Sensing someone approaching his sleeping body, Li Fan shifted his mind and commanded his body to slowly awaken. Physical sensations regained dominance once more, and a wave of weakness instantly overwhelmed his heart. Giving a soft cough, Li Fan struggled to sit upright. "Fellow Daoist, you're awake?!" A member of the Qingxuan Army hurried over to support Li Fan. "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, we have already verified your identity with the Formation Planning Hall. "What on earth happened? You should be stationed at Outpost Jiaxu right now. How did you make it back to the Eternal Immortal Bastion? "And ended up looking like..." He seemed full of questions, firing them off like a string of firecrackers. Li Fan, however, noticed that the moment he regained consciousness, a shadow had suddenly appeared in the corner of the room. Though nearly imperceptible, with his strengthened divine soul, Li Fan could clearly sense it. Keeping his composure, Li Fan began calmly recounting what he had experienced.