Having reincarnated through a hundred lifetimes, Li Fan wielded grand divine abilities far beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.
The Chaos Formula, the Nirvanic Extermination Sword, the Heaven-Overturning Palm, the Congyun Sword...
Every single one of them was capable of slaying enemies across cultivation realms.
Li Fan looked down upon the divine abilities of ordinary beast spirits. Yet this Nine-Headed Bird was clearly not among their ranks.
He had a premonition that the grade of this vicious nine-headed bird seemed to surpass even that of the Kunpeng.
"We shall see what surprises this kid Ye Feipeng can bring me."
Having tested the Nine-Headed Bird's baleful energy, he retrieved a mass of Kunpeng essence blood from his storage ring.
By extracting a wisp from Ye Feipeng at regular intervals to comprehend, Li Fan had already achieved initial success in his research into the power of the Kunpeng.
Circulating the Myriad Forms Furnace Technique, his external appearance remained human. But quietly, without a sound, his stomach transformed into the internal structure of the exotic beast Kunpeng.
Feeling the wondrous utility of the Kun-form stomach for a moment, Li Fan smiled faintly, took out several superior spirit stones—each worth a hundred contribution points—and swallowed them whole.
Almost instantly, these spirit stones, brimming with immense spiritual energy, were drawn upon and absorbed by Li Fan.
Compared to the methods of ordinary cultivators, the efficiency was several times higher.
Though it could not compare to the sheer madness of the Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth, it was still astonishingly terrifying.
"No wonder Ye Feipeng cultivated faster and faster in the previous life. Such an extraordinary ability is truly not to be underestimated."
Circulating the Mountain-Sitting Art, he converted all of this spiritual energy into his own spiritual power. To test the upper limit of the divine ability [Kun Devour] at its current level, Li Fan retrieved another pile of supreme-grade spirit stones.
Each was worth a thousand contribution points, and this stack alone amounted to fifty or sixty thousand points.
Showing no stinginess whatsoever, Li Fan opened wide and swallowed them like a whale gorging on the sea; the pile of spirit stones streamed into his belly like rivers rushing into the ocean.
Boom!
A torrent of pure spiritual energy erupted from within his stomach.
Li Fan's expression shifted slightly. He pushed his cultivation technique to its utmost, striving to expend and assimilate it.
Yet the torrent of spiritual energy surged relentlessly, like a violent flash flood.
Li Fan's attempts to consume and deplete it were truly a drop in the ocean.
Fortunately, having cultivated the Creation Furnace Technique, his physique had been significantly strengthened, so the meridians within his body were spared from being injured by this colossal deluge of spiritual energy.
Even so, letting it run rampant through his body was no long-term solution.
To avoid drawing attention, Li Fan's clone stepped over to Tianyang's side and converted all the nearly uncontrollable spiritual energy in his body into blue Congyun Swords, slashing them toward the puppet's body.
After unleashing several strikes in rapid succession, the rampant spiritual energy was finally depleted and slowly subsided.
Yet when that seemingly immense, roaring sword light struck Tianyang, it left behind not even the faintest mark.
Tianyang tilted his head, looking somewhat puzzled at this "Senior Brother" of his.
Thinking Li Fan wanted to spar with him, Tianyang raised his fist.
"Haha, Junior Brother, don't misunderstand. Senior Brother just had a small mishap during cultivation," Li Fan said with a chuckle, waving his hand to stop Tianyang.
Tianyang's face immediately shifted into an expression of worry.
After reassuring Tianyang for a while, Li Fan returned to the secret chamber.
"Though simulating the stomach of a Kunpeng grants that shocking devouring speed, a cultivator's mortal body cannot be compared to an ancient exotic beast after all.
"It cannot convert the absorbed energy into nourishment to empower itself in time.
"However, if cross-referenced with the Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth..."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, an idea instantly taking shape.
Modifying a cultivation technique was not something accomplished overnight. After using the secret art of Spirit Unity with Dao Transformation to divide off a portion of his mind specifically to deduce and extrapolate the matter, Li Fan proceeded to test the divine ability [Peng Flight].
This time, there was no bizarre manifestation of bone wings sprouting from his back; Li Fan merely darted and shifted continuously within the cramped space of the secret chamber.
His speed grew faster and faster until he became nearly a blurred phantom in midair, far exceeding what the naked eye could track.
After a good while, Li Fan finally brought the test to a halt, thoroughly satisfied.
"Splendid. Combining [Peng Flight] with the incomplete Purple Empyrean Divine Thunder Escape makes my flight speed more than twice as fast.
"And as my research into the Kunpeng essence blood deepens, it will only become faster."
As for the divine ability [Shocking Peng Transformation], Li Fan did not test it.
Toward divine abilities that completely transformed one into the likeness of a beast spirit, Li Fan preferred to keep his distance.
Even though its might was formidable, if it carelessly triggered Senior Brother Zhang's Grand Vow Dharma Body, he would truly have no place to weep.
In truth, among the many divine abilities Ye Feipeng had displayed in the previous life, the one Li Fan cared about most was [Bloodline Transfer].
Judging from Ye Feipeng's later behavior, this Bloodline Transfer could do more than alter a person's physical constitution.
While gradually transforming a human into a pure beast spirit, it could even subtly alter their thoughts without them realizing it.
Ye Feipeng's shift in terminology from "beast spirit" to "sacred beast" illustrated this point perfectly.
It was easy to imagine that Ye Feipeng, deeply influenced by the Kunpeng essence blood, would show unquestioning "loyalty" straight from the depths of his bloodline were he ever to meet the beast spirit Kunpeng in person.
And right now, what Li Fan lacked was precisely this kind of method to control people.
At present, he merely relied on intimidation and inducement using the information asymmetry of his foreknowledge.
Though effective enough, slips were inevitable. It was far less dependable and reassuring than this sort of secret art.
"[Bloodline Transfer] will probably have to wait until the Kunpeng bloodline within Ye Feipeng grows a bit purer before it can be easily comprehended.
"Mm, it is time to go purchase more pills that replenish vital energy and blood."
After handing the remaining pills in his storage ring and the task of periodic blood extraction over to Tianyang, Li Fan made his leisurely way back to Wanxian Island.
Instead of returning to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, he headed straight for Thousand Li Hall.
Nearly two years had passed, yet there had still been no reply regarding the excavation of the Small Medicine King Cauldron that he had entrusted to Jiao Xiuyuan back then.
Li Fan found it somewhat strange, which was why he came in person.
When Jiao Xiuyuan saw Li Fan suddenly appear, he froze for a moment.
His eyes darted about, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Fellow Daoist Jiao, have you forgotten something?" Li Fan asked.
Jiao Xiuyuan laughed awkwardly, hurriedly producing a chair from who knew where and ushering Li Fan to take a seat.
"What happened?" Seeing Jiao Xiuyuan acting like this, Li Fan already had an inkling.
In no hurry, he merely stared at Jiao Xiuyuan for a long time before speaking.
Fidgeting under Li Fan's gaze, Jiao Xiuyuan promptly shut the shop doors and lowered his voice. "It's not that I'm deliberately stalling you—I truly have troubles I can hardly speak of!"
"With Fellow Daoist Jiao's capabilities, could there still be something in the Medicine King Sect ruins that poses a problem for you?" Li Fan asked skeptically.
"Thousands of years have passed; even if there were any restrictions, they would have expired long ago." Jiao Xiuyuan shook his head and said, "The problem is, someone intercepted it!"
"Hm? What do you mean?" Li Fan's tone grew solemn.
Another unknown variable had emerged.
"Just as I was about to pinpoint the location of the Small Medicine King Cauldron, people from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Garrison Court suddenly showed up."
Chapter 486