Great Xuan, Mount Jieli.
The mountain rose thousands of meters high, sheer as if cleft by a blade, piercing straight into the clouds.
Along a perilous mountain path halfway up the slopes, two youths walked one behind the other.
The one in the lead was a slender youth wearing a straw hat, his features resolute.
The youth trailing behind him appeared a few years younger, yet possessed a burly physique, with thick eyebrows, wide eyes, and an honest, simple demeanor.
At that moment, the burly youth wiped the sweat from his forehead and plopped down onto the ground. "Erlang, let's take a break. We've been walking for most of the day—I really can't take another step."
The slender youth turned and passed over a waterskin. "Fierce tigers and beasts roam these mountains from time to time; resting here isn't safe. I know of a hidden cave not far ahead. If you're truly exhausted, we can rest there."
Taking the waterskin, the burly youth took several deep gulps, let out a long breath, and asked curiously, "Erlang, are there really immortals in these mountains?"
"Definitely. I saw one with my own eyes," Erlang replied with certainty, looking up at the mountain peak hidden among the clouds.
Hearing this, the burly youth wore a skeptical expression. "Starting five years ago, it was like you were possessed—whenever you had free time, you'd head straight into Mount Jieli. Heaven knows how many trips you've made back and forth, yet you haven't actually found an immortal. If you ask me, you should give up on this idea as soon as possible. Seeking immortals and the Dao is far too ethereal. In my opinion, you'd be better off practicing martial arts diligently like me..."
Before the burly youth could finish, Erlang cut him off with a furrowed brow. "Wang Xuanba, how did you become as naggy as my mother? If you keep spouting such nonsense, you can head back down the mountain by yourself!"
Wang Xuanba awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and tactfully shut his mouth.
The two continued climbing along the mountain path toward the summit.
Not long after they resumed, an eerie, chilling wind suddenly swept through the mountains.
Wang Xuanba's ears twitched, and his expression shifted. Stepping forward, he placed a hand on Erlang and made a gesture for silence.
"There's something ahead..." His eyes narrowed slightly. He was just about to warn him aloud when he froze in an instant.
A drop of cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
Along the mountain path ahead, accompanied by a rustling sound, a colossal white python slithered down along the mountainside.
The white python had a massive body; the section displaying just its head was fully seven or eight meters long.
The rest was concealed within the mountain's foliage, leaving its true length unknown.
As thick around as a washbasin, its giant crimson eyes gleamed with a chilling red light.
Flicking its tongue with a hiss, it held its head high and slithered down along the cliff wall toward the chasm below.
Faced with such a terrifying, strange beast, Wang Xuanba and Erlang were both struck with dread, not daring to make the slightest movement, holding even their breath.
The white python's enormous body dragged across the ground for a good while before slowly disappearing from their sight.
Phew...
Wang Xuanba let out a long breath, but just as he was about to speak, he heard another hurried rustling.
That massive serpent head had suddenly reemerged from beneath the cliff in an instant, staring intently at the two of them!
Wang Xuanba and Erlang turned to stone once more.
Hiss, hiss...
Swaying its head, the white python slithered forward slowly, closing in on them.
Its gigantic maw parted, unleashing gusts of foul, rank wind.
Engulfed in the white python's shadow, seeing that his head was about to be swallowed whole in a single gulp, Wang Xuanba could endure it no longer.
He let out a tremendous roar, muscles bulging across his entire frame as his body swelled a full size in an instant.
Leaping into the air, he swung his fist and smashed it down toward the serpent's head below.
Clang!
It actually produced the sound of clashing metal!
At that moment, Erlang moved as well.
With a stomp of his foot, shattering the mountain rock beneath him, his figure blurred, appearing behind the white python in the blink of an eye.
Shifting from fists to fingers, he jabbed fiercely dozens of times in succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang!...
The sounds of impacts rang out incessantly.
Yet their barrage could not pierce even the white python's hide!
Hissing furiously, the white python whipped its body around and lashed into Wang Xuanba.
Bang!
Wang Xuanba was sent flying, crashing against the cliff face and sending loose stones flying.
Rather than pursuing Wang Xuanba, the white python swung its head around, opening its cavernous jaws to snap at Erlang.
Unable to dodge in time, Erlang had no choice but to throw his hands out, bracing desperately against the python's jaws.
The white python let out an eerie roar and clamped down with sudden force.
Erlang's body nearly vanished into the python's colossal mouth, but with a muffled grunt, he stubbornly held his ground, holding its jaws apart.
After a long stalemate, seeing that it could not swallow this tiny human, the white python grew beside itself with rage.
It thrashed its body violently, repeatedly slamming Erlang against the mountain path and the cliff face in an attempt to shake him off.
With every blow Erlang took, his fingers sank deeper into the python's flesh like swords.
After a long struggle that left the path battered with the marks of Erlang colliding against the rock, a crimson gleam flashed in the python's eyes, and a jet of dark brown liquid spewed from its mouth.
Erlang barely managed to jerk his head aside, but the venom still drenched his entire body.
Sizzle...
As the venom corroded his flesh, it revealed muscle beneath that faintly gleamed with a dull golden luster.
Letting out a muffled groan, he could hold on no longer and was flung aside by the python, tumbling beside the unconscious Wang Xuanba.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he barely propped himself up. Watching the white python draw nearer, a trace of unwillingness surfaced in his eyes.
Ever since that evening in Mount Jieli when he had witnessed with his own eyes the peerless figure of an immortal gliding through the air, he had been obsessed with seeking immortals and the Dao.
He had ventured deep into the mountains countless times, hoping only to find this immortal and become his disciple.
For this, he had even quarreled with his mother.
Who could have thought that instead of finding the immortal, he would lose his life to this beast's maw?
To think that he, the second son of the Sun family, born with divine strength and versed in all martial arts, would meet such an end—how could he accept this?
Yet overshadowed by the white python, with no strength left to resist, Erlang could only close his eyes in despair.
Just as Erlang resigned himself to death, a resounding crane cry suddenly echoed from deep in the distant mountains.
Hearing this cry, the white python reacted as if confronting a natural enemy, whipping its head up, flicking its tongue, and fixing its gaze upon the direction of the sound.
Seeing a turn of events, Erlang opened his eyes as well.
A white crane had flown in from somewhere in the mountains, tangling in fierce combat with the python.
Wheeling and diving, the white crane nimbly evaded the serpent's strikes while repeatedly pecking at the serpent's body with its sharp beak, tearing away shreds of flesh.
Though the python was not as agile as the crane, its hide was tough and thick; several dozen strikes from the crane failed to inflict any vital harm.
On the other hand, a single retaliatory bite from the python would be enough to leave the crane grievously wounded.
Gradually, the white crane fell into a disadvantage.
Seeing the two beasts locked in an inextricable fight and paying no attention to him, Erlang struggled to his feet, intending to pull Wang Xuanba along and seize the chance to escape.
Right at that moment, a sound like surging tides seemed to echo through the mountains.
Erlang froze. Looking up, he beheld a bizarre spectacle.
In the sky, countless birds flocked from every corner of the mountains like dense, overcast clouds, flying toward this location.
Across the mountain, mountain rats, reptiles, and even apes, tigers, leopards, as well as countless beasts Erlang had never seen before suddenly emerged from all directions. They formed a beast tide, surging toward where the crane and serpent were locked in combat.
Realizing what was happening, Erlang's face turned pale.
Amid such a beast tide, there was no way the two of them could survive!
The crimson-eyed white python sensed danger as well. Breaking off its clash with the crane, it attempted to flee.
Yet the white crane was relentless. As though harboring an irreconcilable feud, even as it was bitten until bloody and mangled, it refused to let the python leave.
In an instant, the birds and the beast tide arrived.
They ignored both the crane and Erlang; their only target was the massive python!
The white python let out terrified shrieks, but surrounded by innumerable beasts, there was truly no way to heaven and no door into the earth.
As if driven mad, the beasts trampled over one another, tearing and gnawing at the python's body.
Even if their teeth shattered and blood poured from their jaws, they refused to let go.
Not a few beasts bit themselves to death in the frenzy, only to be promptly replaced by others.
It was as if the white python had committed some unforgivable sin.
Every bird and beast surged forward wave upon wave, determined to devour the python down to nothing.
Relentless until death!
Engulfed by the beast tide, the white python's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
After an unknown time, all sound ceased completely.
Only then did the beasts gradually disperse.
As for that massive crimson-eyed white python, not even a bone remained.
Witnessing such an eerie scene, Erlang stood frozen in place, not daring to make a sound for a long time.
Swallowing with difficulty, it took him a long while to come back to his senses.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, he looked around and cried aloud, "Immortal Master, is that you?"
"It must have been you, right?"
To him, this abnormal beast tide had to be the handiwork of that immortal recluse living in Mount Jieli.
Erlang was agitated and anxious.
Unfortunately, though he shouted until his throat was hoarse, no sign of the immortal master appeared.
He sank into profound dejection.
Not far from him, Li Fan was watching him with a faint smile.
The immortal master was right before his eyes, yet mortal sight could not behold him.
"This boy is not bad. His constitution seems rather special, and his heart for seeking the Dao is quite resolute," Li Fan remarked, looking at Erlang with a hint of admiration in his gaze.
"Pity is, my own footing is not yet secure—how could I teach you?" Li Fan shook his head with a chuckle.
"Better to grant you a stroke of good fortune in the future once the time is ripe!"
He lightly pointed a finger toward Erlang.
Sun Erlang immediately grew dazed. Looking around blankly for a moment, he hoisted Wang Xuanba—who was still sprawled limp on the ground—onto his shoulder and made his way down the mountain.
Watching the two leave Mount Jieli, Li Fan then glanced at the site where the white python had been devoured, feeling rather pleased.
"My nine years of painstaking study were not in vain. This Formless Killing Intent is extraordinary indeed."
The sudden riot of birds and beasts on Mount Jieli that consumed the white python had naturally been his doing.
In this lifetime, because he already possessed a late Qi Condensation stage cultivation, he had simply retreated to Mount Jieli to live in seclusion to avoid the effects of the immortal-mortal miasma.
While waiting for True Reversion to finish charging, he had engaged in bitter cultivation.
Since there was no spiritual energy in this land severed from immortality, he had spent the vast majority of his time contemplating the qi mechanism of Heaven and Earth that he had observed in his previous life.
Over nine years, day and night, through solitary and arduous effort, he had finally gained something, comprehending a technique: the Formless Killing Intent.
Once unleashed, this Formless Killing Intent could, within a certain scope and degree, disguise itself as the killing intent of the Heavenly Dao.
When Heaven gave rein to its killing intent, various tribulations of slaughter naturally unfolded.
Once targeted by the Formless Killing Intent, there was no need for Li Fan to lift a finger; the target would perish on their own amidst the tribulations.
Take the crimson-eyed white python just now: once locked onto by Li Fan's Formless Killing Intent, it became the target of Heaven's killing intent within the confines of Mount Jieli.
Heaven and Earth gave birth to and nurtured all things, and their will governed the vast majority of living beings in the world.
Thus, countless animals were driven by that will, gripped by boundless killing intent toward the python.
This killing intent would not dissipate until the white python was utterly dead.
Borrowing the mandate of Heaven for one's own use—this was where the terror of the Formless Killing Intent lay.
Not only was its power formidable and its method uncanny, but the Formless Killing Intent was also exceptionally concealed.
The Formless Killing Intent itself was just like the killing intent of Heaven and Earth, akin to a pure will and rule.
Ordinary cultivators could not detect it at all.
Combining so many advantages, it was truly an indispensable asset for murder and plunder.
No wonder Li Fan was so satisfied.
Of course, the Formless Killing Intent had been tested for the first time on ordinary mountain beasts, which was why the spectacle had been so grand.
As for what effect it would have when applied to immortal cultivators of equal or higher cultivation than Li Fan, he would only know after trying it himself in the future.
With the divine ability tested, Li Fan returned to the thatched cottage where he lived in seclusion at the summit of Mount Jieli.
After tidying up briefly, Li Fan checked the charging progress of Dissolve into Emptiness.
It was already at 99%.
"It is time to set foot in the cultivation world once more."
Li Fan immediately summoned the Taiyan Boat and flew to Xuanjing.
With the might of an immortal, just as in his previous life, he plundered a vast hoard of treasures and provisions.
Having filled the Taiyan Boat to capacity, Li Fan arrived outside Qian Hong's tomb.
With his current cultivation, the restrictions of the Step-Halting Broken Stele could no longer harm him.
Entering Qian Hong's tomb, Li Fan retrieved the bound Step-Halting Broken Stele from the True Reversion space.
The two Step-Halting Broken Steles fused together, forming a brand-new Step-Halting Broken Stele.
It no longer looked as weathered and ancient as before, bearing merely a few hairline fractures along its surface.
Yet it still seemed just a hair shy of a qualitative transformation.
Li Fan did not mind.
Having experienced the tremendous might of the Vast Sea Pearl, he rather looked down upon this Step-Halting Broken Stele anyway.
At any rate, it was only to be sold to the Heavenly Profound Mirror for contribution points.
Taking along the two cultivation methods found in Qian Hong's tomb and the damaged Taiyan Boat as well, Li Fan was about to steer the boat away.
After flying a short distance, he turned back, collected Qian Hong's remains, and prepared to take them back to the cultivation world to fulfill the man's dying wish.
With no further ties holding him back, Li Fan smoothly passed through the Immortal Severing Formation and returned to the cultivation world.
Gazing once more upon the azure Congyun Sea, Li Fan could not help feeling as if a lifetime had passed.
He took out Qian Hong's bones, reduced them to ash, and scattered them over the sea.
High in the sky, an anomaly suddenly manifested.
A single flower petal drifted down from a branch, tossed on the wind endlessly.
"Foundation Establishment cultivator Qian Hong, who pursued the Dao for two hundred and sixty-five years in all, established his Dao Foundation with the wondrous item [Drifting Plum Blossom]."
"Stranded abroad for three thousand six hundred and seventy years, his soul now returns to his homeland, returning the Dao unto Heaven!"
The phenomenon lasted for barely half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before dispersing without a trace.
Chapter 61