A crisis had dissolved into nothingness.
Once calm was restored, thunderous applause erupted aboard the massive Dust-Crossing Boat.
The formation masters and numerous collaborating builders, witnessing such astonishing might from the creation they had labored over for years, could hardly conceal the excitement on their faces.
Li Fan clapped along sociably, wearing an expression of deep gratification.
Yet once a certain thought surfaced in his mind, he could no longer suppress it.
The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had spared no effort to construct the terrifyingly formidable Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation.
Yet once the deed was done, would the Alliance truly let builders like Li Fan and the others remain alive?
It was not that Li Fan was overly suspicious.
"Peace is won by the general's hand, yet the general is never permitted to see peace"—throughout history, this was the most common of tales.
Mortal emperors, upon finishing their mausoleums, routinely slaughtered every artisan involved to prevent secrets from leaking.
Li Fan had very little confidence in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
If it were merely a surveillance array, there might still be a glimmer of hope for the formation masters responsible for its construction.
But now, in its very first display, the Spirit-Locking Formation had shown such terrifying might...
It was hard to imagine just how much remained concealed within this formation.
The greater the true power of the Spirit-Locking Formation, the slimmer the survival chances for the formation masters.
*Perhaps the life extension I was hoping to receive from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has been delayed because of this.*
*Since we are all marked for death in the end, why bother with the unnecessary trouble?*
Thinking this, Li Fan felt a growing chill in his heart.
Just as he was pondering countermeasures for the future, the gasps and exclamations of the crowd drew his attention back to the void below.
After the colossal explosion, aside from the colossal cyan web of the Heavenly Profound Spirit Lock, nothing remained where the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven had once stood.
Yet now, from the various meridian nodes of the Spirit-Locking Formation, surging anomalous energy visibly erupted forth.
"Is that... five elements energy?"
Sensing it closely, Li Fan's expression shifted slightly.
Using the annihilated void as a canvas and the various elemental energies absorbed earlier as pigment, the Heavenly Profound Spirit Lock operated like a precision machine, reconstructing the destroyed Five Elements Grotto-Heavens bit by bit.
A process on par with the creation of a world unfolded openly, completely unhidden before the cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Azure waters surged with rolling waves, towering trees grew at breathtaking speed, blazing flames soared skyward...
Every scene from the former Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven was swiftly recreated at a speed far beyond Li Fan's comprehension.
This magnificent sight utterly captivated the minds and souls of every cultivator aboard the Dust-Crossing Boat.
None dared make the slightest sound, terrified of disturbing the magnificent creation of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation.
Time slipped quietly by.
After an unknown span of time, a brand-new Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven emerged into the world.
Having been recalibrated by the Heavenly Profound Mirror, though it appeared significantly smaller than before, it had also been restored to its original state of elemental balance.
Having completed its masterpiece, the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation slowly faded from everyone's view, like an actor taking a final bow.
It left behind only the cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, standing in stunned, utter silence.
"Such methods..."
Li Fan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock and agitation within his heart, and swiftly conducted a rational analysis.
*It differs from true creation. It was not creating something from nothing, but a reorganization of matter.*
*Furthermore, there seem to be no living beings in this newborn grotto-heaven; it is merely a realm of reorganized spiritual energy.*
*Even so, the power displayed by the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation is terrifying indeed.*
*It seems to have analyzed the convergence of the five elements and then reverse-engineered it.*
*The empty Five Elements Grotto-Heavens devoid of living beings, the inexplicable elemental imbalance, the prepared Eternal Calamity Fine Gold, the strict, unyielding order to complete the formation before the convergence of the five elements...*
*Perhaps the massive explosion in this grotto-heaven was completely deliberate. Its purpose was to allow the Heavenly Profound Mirror to complete its analysis of "five elements transformation."*
As if confirming Li Fan's suspicion, as soon as the new Five Elements Grotto-Heaven finished forming, a host of black-robed cultivators flew out from the Dust-Crossing Boat in unison.
They flew off toward their respective grotto-heavens to settle the five elements creatures that had been evacuated earlier.
Before long, this newborn grotto-heaven gradually became vibrant once more.
Just then, Qi Buyi's announcement came through the Overseeing Heaven Record.
The Spirit-Locking Formation of the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven was successfully completed; the Dust-Crossing Boat would return to Tianchen Province for a three-day celebration.
Not only had abundant rare spiritual foods and spiritual teas been prepared for everyone to enjoy free of charge, but during this rest period, their time would still count as constructing formations in the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, adding competition points at a fixed, uniform rate.
The moment the news arrived, the cultivators snapped out of the shock induced by the Spirit-Locking Formation and were thrilled.
*At present, the Spirit-Locking Formation is not yet fully completed, so there shouldn't be any danger to our lives just yet.* Watching the chattering crowd of cultivators, Li Fan considered the situation and felt it was not yet time for a condemned man's last meal.
As he was thinking, Li Fan suddenly detected a disturbance from an item in his storage ring.
Keeping his composure, he quietly slipped into the interior of the Dust-Crossing Boat, found an unoccupied cabin, and took out the item.
It was none other than the key controlling the White Bone Vanguard Realm: the white bone left hand.
Faint ripples of fluctuations emanated from it.
Li Fan sensed it briefly, and his expression momentarily grew slightly dazed.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I could never reach you through Seeking Immortals, so I had to resort to this method to notify you.
"The thirty-year lease has expired. Do you wish to renew your lease for the White Bone Vanguard Realm?
"If you do, please contact me before it officially expires.
"Otherwise, your former key will cease to function, and you will no longer be able to enter the White Bone Vanguard Realm.
"Any items and scenes left behind in the Vanguard Realm will be preserved for you for three months.
"After three months, I will clear everything out."
A somewhat familiar voice echoed in Li Fan's mind.
It was indeed the true owner of the White Bone Vanguard Realm, the cultivator calling himself "Immortal Venerable Zimiao."
Back in Anchored Year 9, in order to mislead the people of the Li Realm, Li Fan had leased thirty years of usage rights for the White Bone Vanguard Realm from him.
It was now the end of Anchored Year 38, and the lease was nearing its end.
Immortal Venerable Zimiao had sent an inquiry.
*The construction of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation began in Anchored Year 29. I hadn't realized ten years had passed so quickly.*
After some thought, Li Fan did not reply to Immortal Venerable Zimiao for the time being.
When the Dust-Crossing Boat returned to Tianchen Province and the cultivators flocked to the Qianxing Detached Courtyard to feast and celebrate with abandon, Li Fan went alone to the Dao Discussion Tower within the city.
Renting a private courtyard, Li Fan casually laid down a protective formation and entered the White Bone Vanguard Realm.
Leaving behind four Small Medicine King Cauldrons, he activated the Five Elements Annihilation Sword to thoroughly destroy all the arrangements he had made.
Then, using his administrative permissions, he left behind a recorded projection within the Vanguard Realm.
Li Fan returned to the real world and destroyed the white bone left hand, severing his final connection to the Vanguard Realm.
*In this lifetime, purchasing and leasing the Vanguard Realm was handled entirely by my clone, Lin Fan.*
*From here on, whatever happens, it shouldn't trace back to me.*
Chapter 389