Just when Han Yi thought he had finally escaped from the jaws of death, he never expected that demon beasts were actually living in the deep ravine below, where spiritual energy flowed!
They were completely different from the species within the pocket world; they could breathe spiritual energy in and out to cultivate.
White snakes, flying kites, two-headed monkeys...
They were much closer to the traditional image of demon beasts from ancient times.
Having had no mental preparation whatsoever, Han Yi plunged headlong into the swarm of demon beasts, completely caught off guard.
Fortunately, these demon beasts lived within this deep ravine, cut off from the world year-round, and had never seen a human before.
Even as Han Yi was scared out of his wits, more than half of them actually fled in sheer terror.
As for the remainder, they were not nearly so agreeable.
Seeing their home invaded by an unfamiliar creature, the ferocity in their bloodlines was ignited, and without a word, they launched an attack on Han Yi.
Han Yi took a deep breath of spiritual energy, casting a protective ward over himself while condensing his Qi into a sword, slashing out against the swarming demon beasts.
Blood sprayed like mist, and in an instant, over a dozen demon beasts were decapitated.
Yet the scent of blood only drove them into a greater frenzy.
Unafraid of death, they surged forward like a tidal wave.
And in the distance, an endless multitude of demon beasts seemed to be constantly rushing toward this place.
Han Yi knew he could not linger here. He fought as he retreated, plunging deeper downward.
The closer he got to the bottom of the ravine, the thicker the spiritual energy became.
The better Han Yi was able to unleash his original strength at the perfection of Qi Condensation.
Correspondingly, however, the demon beasts dwelling here were also far stronger.
Han Yi gritted his teeth, throwing every technique he had into the fight, and finally carved out a path of survival through the horde of demon beasts.
Passing through a murky, chaotic tunnel opening at the very bottom of the ravine, he safely returned to the Xuanhuang Realm at last.
Inhaling deeply the familiar, sweet air, the shaken Han Yi did not even have time to rest.
Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of crisis surged in his heart, as if he were locked onto and watched, sending unstoppable tremors of dread through him.
Already like a bird startled by the twang of a bow, Han Yi ignored the wounds covering his body and hurriedly took flight once more.
Only after a long time had passed did the faint unease in his heart slowly subside.
Exhausted to his utmost limits in both body and mind, Han Yi found a nearby deserted island.
Barely touching down upon the ground, he could hold on no longer and passed out cold.
* * *
Back in the present.
Having learned every detail of Han Yi's experiences over the past few years through the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique, Li Fan showed a trace of interest in his eyes.
"This kid's experiences truly are colorful."
"Life-and-death crises that ordinary cultivators wouldn't encounter in an entire lifetime, he went through all of them in a single expedition."
"Under normal circumstances, if he were an ordinary person, he would have died countless times over by now."
"Yet, time and again, he narrowly escaped death."
"The *Heavenly Fortune Scripture*, the Feather of the Profound Bird... So this is what you rely on?"
Li Fan stroked his chin as he looked at Han Yi sleeping soundly.
"'Misfortune is that whereon fortune rests; fortune is that wherein misfortune lurks.' No wonder you hit the grand prize in fish picking in your past life, and then received the Blue Feather Legacy Treasure falling from the sky to open up the Tiandu Feathering Pill. Possessing such heaven-defying fortune, yet when exploring ruins with my clone later on, you repeatedly ran into walls."
Li Fan paused, then smiled faintly.
"Actually, what you said wasn't wrong either. Advancing from the perfection of Qi Condensation straight into the Golden Core stage in just over a decade, and later obtaining a Dao Integration true scripture suited to yourself from the Yanfa Jade..."
"It could truly be called 'a flying dragon in the sky, an unstoppable force.'"
"A pity, then, that you met me."
Li Fan's eyes were devoid of emotion, chillingly cold.
He lightly pressed a finger to the center of Han Yi's brows.
"In this life, the trajectory of your destiny will still have to follow my designs."
Only after making Han Yi experience certain scenes in his slumber in the form of illusory dreams did Li Fan withdraw his divine ability.
"The *Heavenly Fortune Scripture*... rather intriguing."
"Still, I'll leave it in your safekeeping for now."
His gaze dark and unfathomable, Li Fan swept his eyes over Han Yi's face once more, and his figure gradually vanished.
A long time later, Han Yi slowly woke up.
"Hiss..."
"Feels like I had a dream. Remembering all that infuriating mess in the pocket world again." Feeling a faint, stinging ache in his head, he instinctively pressed his fingers to his temples to soothe it.
After a while, the throbbing subsided, and Han Yi let out a soft sigh of relief.
"I really don't know whether I'm lucky or cursed!"
Lying on the ground and recalling his experiences in the pocket world, Han Yi could not help but chuckle wryly in exasperation.
"It's probably backlash because my *Heavenly Fortune Scripture* hasn't reached major mastery yet."
After pondering for a long time, Han Yi had a sudden realization.
"Earlier, escaping with my life from that mysterious man's hands was a stroke of heavenly luck."
"Yet right after, I suffered backlash and was baffledly captured by those monsters."
"Relying on heavenly fortune to protect myself and save my life again, another backlash followed, and I was hunted by Si."
"Even when I reached a dead end, I found a glimmer of hope. But immediately after, another life-and-death crisis hit, and I was besieged by demon beasts."
"..."
Han Yi's eyes shone bright as everything suddenly clicked into place in his mind.
"Fortune and misfortune depend on one another, inseparable."
"To blindly take cannot last. Only by offsetting fortune with misfortune, and using one's luck at the most crucial moments, is the true path!"
With his thoughts cleared and enlightened, a surge of churning spiritual power suddenly radiated from Han Yi's body.
The spiritual energy from all directions was absorbed into him.
Above the deserted island, a spiraling whirlwind faintly formed.
And inside Han Yi's dantian, the pitch-black Feather of the Profound Bird broke apart inch by inch, melting completely into his dantian.
This sight was none other than Han Yi achieving enlightenment upon returning to the Xuanhuang Realm after all his brushes with death.
He had broken through directly into Foundation Establishment.
What he had bitterly pursued for years without success was fulfilled today in a single stroke.
Han Yi felt the grievances and resentment in his chest completely swept away.
He let out a long howl to vent the pent-up frustration in his heart.
Yet the howl lasted for only a moment before Han Yi abruptly stopped.
He instinctively scanned his surroundings, and only when he confirmed that no crisis had suddenly jumped out this time did he slightly ease his mind.
"Forget it, I mustn't be too arrogant."
"It's merely the Foundation Establishment stage. My future is destined for Dao Integration, with Longevity in sight!"
Han Yi felt quite smug and self-satisfied.
After a while, he pondered again: "Even though I've established my foundation now, all my worldly possessions were wiped out by that Foundation Establishment Master long ago."
"I'm truly dead broke. I have to find a way to get some contribution points."
Narrowing his eyes, an idea struck him a moment later.
"I hear there's a game in the Congyun Sea called 'fish picking,' where the lucky can strike it rich overnight."
"It's tailor-made for me!"
"Hmph, just watch me!"
Thinking thus, he soared into the air, flying toward the location of the fish picking island he remembered seeing before.
Han Yi did not notice that, high up in the sky, a gaze had been watching him the entire time.
Chapter 555