At this point, Liu San chimed in from the side.
"Is that really true? If such a formidable formation existed, why has this old man never heard of it?" He scrutinized Fang Zaiji, his gaze filled with disbelief.
Fang Zaiji snorted coldly. "You are nothing more than a mere servant who has barely stepped beyond the Medicine King Sect's lands his entire life. How could you compare to someone like me, who has roamed the world?"
"Furthermore, what kind of figures did I associate with back then? Nearly every one was a true disciple of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao. It is hardly surprising that I know such secrets," Fang Zaiji added with immense pride.
Being called a servant did not anger Liu San. Instead, he retorted sarcastically, "If you're so capable, why didn't anyone lend a hand when you were being hunted down? Wasn't it thanks to the old Sect Master that you survived at all!"
Fang Zaiji's expression changed, and he bristled with indignation. "The Heavenly Sword Sect issued an absolute execution order—what could I have done? Surviving at all was sheer luck! If it had been you, you would have turned into a pile of dry bones long ago!"
Seeing that the two showed signs of continuing their bickering, Li Fan quickly spoke up to interrupt them.
"Does Mister Fang know the name of that formation?" Li Fan asked.
"That I do not know," Fang Zaiji said, shaking his head. "Back then, a direct disciple of the Taishang Sect mentioned it in passing while lamenting the state of things."
"He also said that if the grand formation hadn't been damaged, matters wouldn't have deteriorated to such a wretched state."
Hearing this, Li Fan slowly nodded.
*A blade hanging over the heads of all living beings, capable of stripping cultivators of their lives in an instant. This seems strikingly similar to the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation I saw in my previous life.*
*Harnessing the power of all living beings to lock onto other cultivation worlds. My previous guess—that the Xuanhuang Realm's 'rope' anchoring it to distant void realms was achieved through this formation—seems to be confirmed.*
*For now, it appears the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has restored certain functions of the grand formation, but not fully repaired it. And this formation was definitely not built by the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao. Rather, it dates back to the far older era of the Profound Heaven Sect.*
As Li Fan pondered silently, he faintly connected all the existing clues.
With the added assistance of another Dao Integration cultivator, Li Fan initiated his relocation plan.
The people of the Li Realm on Shenhua Island, along with all the awakened cultivators of the Medicine King Sect, boarded the Puxian True Boat under the escort of Liu San and Fang Zaiji, setting off ahead toward the Valley of Longevity.
"I still have a few matters to wrap up in the Congyun Sea. I will follow shortly," Li Fan told them.
Though Liu San and Fang Zaiji were somewhat concerned, they could not go against Li Fan's wishes.
Thus, they could only urge caution repeatedly before departing reluctantly.
By this time, numerous anomalies had already begun to manifest within the Chaoyuan Sect ruins. Shifting between illusion and reality, one could seemingly be transported back to ancient times and bring back cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, and magical artifacts from within the sect. As word spread, the realm was shaken, and an endless stream of cultivators arrived upon hearing the news. Mingling among them, the Medicine King Sect group drew little attention.
After seeing everyone off, Li Fan first checked on Tianyang.
Within the enhanced Earth Fire Origin-Returning Formation, all the heavenly treasures had already been completely absorbed by Tianyang.
Tianyang himself appeared to be undergoing a transformation, his puppet body enveloped in a thick layer of solidified black substance.
*Soon. Little Junior Brother, I hope you make it in time for this feast,* Li Fan thought to himself.
Bidding farewell to Tianyang, Li Fan did not return to Congyun City. Instead, he traveled countless miles to Yinyin Island.
Under the surveillance of the Formless Killing Intent, Master Yin seemed to have recently verified the secret of the immortal-mortal miasma once again.
The outcome was identical to before.
As though all hope had turned to ash, he sat slumped dumbly on the ground, having not moved for a long time.
Li Fan quietly approached him, sensing a heavy aura of death emanating from Master Yin.
Master Yin did not seem surprised by Li Fan's sudden appearance.
Yet he treated him as if he were invisible, merely casting a glance Li Fan's way before looking away.
"Fellow Daoist Yin, what exactly did you discover from the immortal-mortal miasma?"
After a long silence between them, Li Fan finally could not resist asking.
In his perception, Master Yin's cultivation was indeed unmistakably at Foundation Establishment. Even with his true body standing right in front of him, Li Fan felt no sense of danger whatsoever.
"So you were the one watching me all along," Master Yin said suddenly, without answering the question. "I thought it was the damn heavens."
He pushed himself up from the ground abruptly and dusted off his clothes.
Ignoring Li Fan, he walked straight toward the underground chamber on the island.
As he walked, he spoke, "Back then, I was nothing out of the ordinary—just a petty Qi Condensation cultivator."
"Yet one day, it rained in my hometown."
"What was hair-raising was that every cultivator around me, everyone I knew, vanished in that rain. Can you imagine that feeling...?"
"One moment, they were talking to you. But right before your eyes, they vanished into thin air, just like that. The whole world fell into dead silence. I searched frantically like a madman for those who had disappeared, but found nothing at all."
"It seemed as though I was the only being left in heaven and earth. Yet I had no idea why I alone remained alive in this world."
"And then..."
Master Yin entered the corridor lined with his collection.
His tone grew inexplicably agitated. With a wave of his hand, he sent forth a burst of flames, setting his collection ablaze one after another.
Seeing this, Li Fan did not stop him, merely watching as Master Yin's face shifted continuously in the dancing firelight while he went on recounting:
"The rain kept falling. It spilled over from the rivers, seeming intent on submerging every piece of land. And then, along with the raindrops, countless corpses began plunging from the sky."
"Most were mangled and incomplete, reduced to scraps and shreds. But there were still some intact skeletons and bodies."
"I was practically paralyzed with terror by that horrific sight. Yet when a relatively well-preserved corpse landed right before me, only then did I learn what true terror was."
By the time he reached this point, Master Yin had already arrived at the deepest part of the underground chamber.
A light flared, revealing before them countless corpses that looked identical to Master Yin.
Having advanced to Nascent Soul, Li Fan's perception was far more acute. To his senses, these corpses seemed as though they were still alive.
Vague tissues of flesh and blood were squirming in subtle motions undetectable to the naked eye.
Master Yin pointed a finger across the floor covered in corpses, a look of madness gradually emerging on his face.
"Yes! The corpse that fell before me back then was my very own!"
"I even saw that the faces of all those corpses falling from the sky bore the exact same visage as mine!"
"And every single one of them was smiling at me!"
Master Yin's dual voices echoed continuously throughout the underground chamber. The bizarre truth he recounted sent chills down the spine.
"How could something so terrifying happen in this world? Can you explain it?" He turned to look at Li Fan, asking in a daze.
Li Fan could only answer with silence.
"There is something wrong with this world." Master Yin looked up toward the sky.
Chapter 636