Perhaps because the [Root of Heaven and Earth] feared harming the newly born Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, the suction from the outside dropped sharply once Li Fan arrived near the five clusters of light.
This also spared him the fate of completely disintegrating in a short span of time.
At this moment, although only half of Li Fan's body remained, he still had all four limbs intact. His physique had simply shrunk overall, leaving him resembling a child of seven or eight.
It was comical yet eerie.
Fortunately, it did not hinder his movements.
Quietly gazing at the flickering five-colored light clusters nearby, Li Fan was in no rush to cast his secret technique and devour them.
Instead, he observed them closely.
Amid the ceaseless flashes of light below, the Root of Heaven and Earth wove energies and laws of identical attributes onto the five grotto-heavens of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth respectively.
As a result, the frail, newborn grotto-heavens grew increasingly complete and resilient.
"If this space is viewed as a womb nurturing life, then right now, the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens are like an embryonic fetus that has just taken shape."
Existing now in the form of lines, Li Fan was far more sensitive to the fluctuations of the surrounding laws than he had been in his human form.
Witnessing the initial formation of the grotto-heavens, flashes of insight swept through his mind.
In his previous life, when the relocated Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven had finally annihilated due to an elemental imbalance, Li Fan had witnessed with his own eyes that terrifying scene within the black-and-white vortex, nearly obliterating everything.
Now seeing the genesis of the Five Elements, comparing the two, he discovered they actually shared subtle similarities.
"Creation and destruction..."
"Creation is the beginning of destruction, and destruction is the origin of creation," Li Fan murmured softly, feeling a sudden realization.
"Using the principle of mutual generation among the five elements—endless and unceasing—to drive the arts of Mo Sha and Tian Sha, I created the [Great Five Elements Oblivion Sword]."
"And this principle of creation and destruction..."
In an instant, his thoughts accelerated to their absolute limit.
Without any external aid, Li Fan seemed to plunge into an epiphany.
He stood dazed beside the five-colored spheres of light, motionless as a statue.
Yet his body was not entirely unresponsive to the outside world.
Whenever a stray, whistling particle flew toward the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens and was about to pierce through Li Fan where he stood blocking its path, his body would contort in bizarre ways as though forewarned, effortlessly dodging the particle's strike in a split second.
Once safe, it instantly snapped back to its original shape.
As for Li Fan himself, he remained completely immersed in thought, utterly oblivious to his body's movements.
Time passed.
Gradually, richer and more detailed landscapes could be vaguely glimpsed within the five-colored spheres of light.
Vast seas, molten fire, towering trees...
Various post-celestial five-element creations began to emerge within the grotto-heavens.
Like a fetus growing over ten months, developing from an indistinct, curled lump into the recognizable form of an infant, diverse landscapes began to evolve within the grotto-heavens.
The brilliance shrouding the grotto-heavens' periphery also began to contract inward, drawing back into the interiors.
And this radiance served as a supreme natural tonic; once absorbed, the evolution within the grotto-heavens accelerated hundreds and thousands of times over.
Faint rumbles echoed out.
The grotto-heavens themselves began to "grow," expanding outward.
Only when they expanded until they brushed against the other grotto-heavens did they slowly grind to a halt.
Yet the inner power driving their growth had not dissipated.
Amid groaning creaks of compression, the five grotto-heavens blended together, forming a natural array where one could hardly be distinguished from another.
The Five Elements Grotto-Heavens were about to formally take shape.
"Splendid!" Right then, Li Fan finally awoke.
On a face composed entirely of lines, it was hard to discern any expression of joy.
Yet clearly, he had reaped immense gains this time.
"That divine ability isn't suitable to unleash here. I'll test it after getting out!"
"For now, back to business!"
Reviewing the scenes recorded in the Dao Transformation Stone that he had missed during his epiphany, Li Fan nodded inwardly.
"Just as I thought. The Five Elements Grotto-Heavens have not yet completely detached from the [Root of Heaven and Earth]."
"Like a mother's natural instinct to protect her young, the moment I attempt to swallow them, it will inevitably provoke a full-force attack from the Root of Heaven and Earth."
"Even someone with a Dao Integration cultivation base would likely perish with grievance here on its home turf."
"Therefore, my only chance is that split second when the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens detach from the mother body, but before they descend into the void of Tianling Province in the mortal world!"
With complete clarity, devoid of joy or sorrow, Li Fan awaited the arrival of that precise moment.
If it were any other cultivator facing an opportunity that would bring lifelong regret if missed, no matter how extraordinary their mental fortitude, they would inevitably feel some trepidation.
But for Li Fan, who possessed [True Reversion], it was merely an ordinary attempt among "infinite" trials.
Thus, not a single ripple stirred in his heart.
Like a master hunter, he waited for his prey in quiet patience.
No one knew how much time passed.
In the distance, the diverse scenery within the grotto-heavens seemed to gradually turn transparent.
Within the [Root of Heaven and Earth], only the five interconnected circular outer contours of the grotto-heavens remained, sprawling across the space.
Boom...
The Five Elements Grotto-Heavens began to shudder violently.
With it, the inner space of the [Root of Heaven and Earth] shook incessantly as well.
It was as though the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens were struggling to break free from the womb's constraints and burst out.
In Li Fan's vision, the crisscrossing gridlines all became somewhat warped.
*Ting!*
A sound like a snapped zither string suddenly rang out.
Li Fan saw what appeared to be a severed line appear out of thin air around the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens.
Even though it vanished in a flash, he was certain it was no illusion.
Sure enough, in a chain reaction, the sounds of snapping rang out repeatedly.
Above the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, countless severed lines fluttered in the draft, dissolving into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
The grotto-heavens shook even more violently.
"Now!"
At that very instant, Li Fan's body completely disintegrated.
Twisting, writhing lines shielded the Golden Core in his dantian like countless vipers, shooting at full speed toward the location of the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens.
As if alarming the [Root of Heaven and Earth], the thin lines of his body dissolved ever faster during his flight.
Yet that could not stop Li Fan from closing in step by step.
At the split second when the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens were finally about to completely leave the space of the [Root of Heaven and Earth], cracks surfaced across Li Fan's Golden Core.
It looked as though the core might shatter at any moment, yet it remained cohesive without falling apart.
Instead, grotesque "tentacles" slithered out from the fissures.
As if sighting a delicious feast, baring fangs and brandishing claws in an impatient frenzy, they lunged toward the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens just inches away.
These tentacles were also "Roots of Heaven and Earth."
Not referring to the genesis of creation here, but rather the "Root of Heaven and Earth" that cultivators in the mortal world condensed within their bodies in accordance with the Heavenly Venerables' new method.
Chapter 580