A sharp gleam flashed through Li Fan's eyes, and he intensified his devouring once more.
This earth vein power, having surged across millions of li, flowed entirely into Li Fan's body.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Li Fan could faintly hear the rumbling collisions echoing from deep within his body.
Amid this intense contest of forces, something seemed to be slowly fracturing.
A crisp cracking sound seemed to reach his ears.
A moment later.
Li Fan's cultivation surged forward in leaps and bounds, his momentum climbing continuously. In the blink of an eye, having only recently broken through to the mid Golden Core stage, he was already advancing headlong toward the late Golden Core stage.
Right at that moment...
Li Fan suddenly felt the seabed, which had still retained a faint glimmer of light, plunge into utter darkness.
It was not merely darkness that blinded the eyes, but a suffocating claustrophobia born of space itself being sealed off.
Without pausing his devouring, Li Fan looked up at the same time.
A colossal palm had appeared above his head at some unknown moment, blotting out everything as it bore down directly upon him.
Before it, Li Fan was as insignificant as an ant.
"Fuck!"
Staring at this mighty entity that had come out of nowhere, Li Fan cursed silently.
Yet his avatar was currently channeling the Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth. As if possessed by reckless audacity, it showed not the slightest fear before this terrifying giant palm.
Instead, it opened its mouth wide, actually attempting to swallow the colossal hand as well!
The outcome...
Was naturally beyond doubt.
The next moment, Li Fan lost all connection to his avatar.
Fortunately, the inexplicable entity that struck did not seem inclined to investigate further. It did not trace the connection back to Li Fan's true body. Otherwise, he likely would have been forced into another True Reversion.
Li Fan carefully recalled the timing of the giant hand's appearance.
"Did it appear because I forcibly broke through the Heavenly Calamity?"
"Is it heaven and earth's countermeasure, or..."
Frowning slightly, the Dao Transformation Stone crystal in Li Fan's mind blazed with blue light.
In the fleeting instant before the avatar was crushed to dust, channeling the Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth, it had actually managed to siphon a sliver of energy from that giant hand.
If the opponent had been a cultivator, Li Fan unquestionably would never have managed to do so.
Constantly savoring the taste of that sliver of energy, Li Fan grew pensive.
"It feels more like pure force of law."
"Seen this way, it seems somewhat similar to Senior Brother Zhang's Grand Vow Dharma Body."
"It remains hidden from the world under normal circumstances, intervening only under specific conditions..."
"I originally planned to use the Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth to push the avatar's cultivation to Golden Core perfection first and accumulate experience for breaking through to Nascent Soul. Who would have thought an unexpected disaster would strike even from this?"
"Fortunately, it was only an avatar."
Li Fan sighed softly, having long grown accustomed to how fraught with peril the Xuanhuang Realm was.
He quietly slipped out of Wanxian Island, found an uninhabited spot, and with some effort molded "Zhou Qing'ang" anew.
The avatar nodded slightly, took leave of the true body, and hurried off toward the site of the incident to see what that stretch of sea had become after suffering that palm strike from above.
Before long, Li Fan returned to the scene.
Much to his surprise, the surface of the sea was calm, and the sky was clear with drifting clouds and gentle breezes.
There was not the slightest sign of catastrophe having struck.
It seemed as though everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
Li Fan pondered for a moment and dove into the sea.
When he clearly saw the view on the seabed, his pupils shrank abruptly.
The ruins of the sunken island were nowhere to be found.
In their place was silt and sand that looked no different from any ordinary seabed.
It was not mere destruction; it was more like every trace of its existence had been completely erased!
After a deep, lingering gaze, Zhou Qing'ang quietly returned to Tai'an Island and went into honest seclusion.
Inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Having seen the aftermath of the giant palm strike through the avatar's eyes, Li Fan pondered.
"Because forcibly breaking through the Heavenly Calamity violated some taboo, it had to be erased?"
"And everything happened in utter silence."
"What would happen if one could survive that palm strike?"
"Would there be no more bottlenecks to worry about? Of course, it might also draw out even more horrifying entities."
The reckless thought lasted only a moment before Li Fan dismissed it.
"Still, in my previous life, the Heavenly Calamity mysteriously disappeared on its own after some time. I wonder what the reason for that was."
After being suppressed by this suddenly appearing giant palm, Li Fan gave up on having his avatar cultivate as well.
It was better to let it honestly remain a tool, ready to be sacrificed to escape danger at critical moments.
Since his attempt to gain early insights into forming a Nascent Soul through the avatar had failed, Li Fan had to settle for second best and purchase related summaries of experience from the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Everyone's insights differed greatly, yet each made sense in its own right, with little superiority or inferiority among them.
Wealthy and imposing, Li Fan adopted an all-embracing approach, buying them all up to study thoroughly.
Time flowed by slowly as Li Fan cultivated and contemplated.
Soon, the agreed time for the second investment with He Zhenghao arrived.
Thanks to the great start last time, He Zhenghao's haul this time was quite good, raising a total of five hundred and fifty thousand contribution points.
After confirming with Li Fan, He Zhenghao promptly transferred the contribution points over.
At the same time, he also added one hundred thousand contribution points of his own.
"One year from now, one million contribution points," Li Fan said succinctly.
Overjoyed, He Zhenghao let out a stream of flattering praise.
Not bothering to listen, Li Fan hung up the transmission directly.
At the same time, he looked over the list of contributors this time.
What caught his attention was that the cultivator named Zhou Peng still accounted for the largest share.
"Interesting. Such confidence in me? Isn't he afraid I'll run off with the money?"
"And as a Foundation Establishment cultivator just like He Zhenghao, where did he get so many contribution points?"
In his previous lives, Li Fan had heard He Zhenghao mention this man occasionally.
He was a good friend who often gathered with He Zhenghao to discuss investment methods.
He seemed to have close ties to a certain cultivator in the Heavenly Secret Hall, so he was well-informed and often led everyone to turn a tidy profit.
Consequently, he held considerable prestige within their small circle.
In past lives, when He Zhenghao planned to speculate on Spirit Mist Grass, this man had played a significant role.
"Hmph. Whatever tricks he has up his sleeve, I have nothing to fear. I'll just wait and see."
Glancing at his balance of over six million contribution points, Li Fan sneered inwardly.
With this many contribution points, it was more than enough to maintain the pretense for a while longer.
Moreover, the Spirit Mist Grass incident was fast approaching.
These contribution points would multiply several times over.
"My only concern is that with transaction amounts so enormous, it will inevitably draw the prying eyes of those with ulterior motives."
"It's time to check how Little Junior Brother Tianyang's recovery is going."
Thinking this, Li Fan quietly made his way to Shenhua Island.
Tianyang remained quietly within the formation, absorbing energy to replenish himself.
He showed not the slightest hint of wariness toward Li Fan's arrival.
Li Fan checked the progress.
"Almost there."
"With Soul Formation strength, he should ensure safety in the Congyun Sea."
"However, once outside the Congyun Sea, it won't be quite enough."
"Crimson Flame Burning Sea..."
Li Fan looked toward Tianyang, a flicker of hesitation passing through his eyes.
Chapter 453