Shuo Feng's voice grew fainter and fainter. Once it faded into complete silence, the swirling scarlet snowflakes between heaven and earth vanished as well.
It was as if it had all been an illusion.
"Was it mere coincidence, or did his astonishing fortune naturally guide him to seek good fortune and avoid calamity?"
"Or perhaps Immortal Venerable Feixue has been watching over Shuo Feng all along, refusing to let any harm come to him, and stepped in to stop him the moment she saw him about to step into danger?"
Li Fan remained silent, turning his gaze toward the location of Han Yi's stone statue.
After pondering for a moment, he touched down on the ground. Activating the Destiny Domain, he walked toward it step by step.
His pace was extremely slow, for he was carefully sensing the surrounding fortune-draining force.
Because he was currently infinitely close to the state of a person without luck, he was exceptionally sensitive to changes in his own fortune.
After advancing about ninety-odd steps, Li Fan suddenly noticed a tiny flaw appear in his Destiny Domain.
Like a water cup pierced with a hole, the fortune that had already been virtually nonexistent began draining away frantically in an instant. Once the very last wisp was thoroughly drained, thick black mist began swirling above his head in his vision.
His heart suddenly pounded with dread, feeling as though an immense catastrophe were about to strike at any second.
Li Fan hastily retreated, simultaneously drawing back the fortune previously stored within the Feather of the Profound Bird.
Even though his movements were extremely swift, the changes brought by his fortune were immediate. While falling back, Li Fan actually stumbled and nearly tumbled to the ground. He was a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, and among the very pinnacle of them, having formed his Nascent Soul using the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens.
Tripping while simply walking?
Yet this absurd, unnatural thing had actually happened.
Li Fan dared not hesitate. Committing that feeling firmly to memory, he accelerated the speed at which he replenished his lost fortune.
By the time he regained his footing and retreated to a safe area, Li Fan discovered that nearly half of the fortune stored within the Feather of the Profound Bird had been consumed before the black misfortune hovering above his head was finally neutralized.
"I am still so far from the stone statue, yet it consumed this much fortune. This fortune-draining statue is truly terrifying. I'm afraid even someone blessed with colossal luck like Shuo Feng couldn't withstand it and would be drained dry. No wonder his mother took him away."
"This is beyond mortal power to resist, unless..."
"The fortune of a world."
A thought stirred in Li Fan's mind, and he instantly recalled the world where Xiao Hei had fallen.
The heavenly fortune of that strange beast pocket world had clearly been refined and fused by Xiao Hei. But not long ago, Xiao Hei had fallen for unknown reasons, and that heavenly fortune had shattered and scattered everywhere.
Even Han Yi, with his shallow cultivation back then, could absorb and control the stray heavenly fortune.
Then for Li Fan, who possessed the Feather of the Profound Bird, absorbing the world's heavenly fortune would surely be a breeze.
"Besides, a drop of Xu Ke's essence blood seems to be buried there as well. Looks like I'll have to make a trip."
"That pocket world seems to harbor quite a few powerful beast seeds. In the past, when I only had Nascent Soul strength and was on my own, I might have had some reservations. But now..."
A sharp light flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
For now, he departed from this fortune-draining domain, returned to the Valley of Longevity, and summoned Liu San.
Just as he was about to instruct him to lead some Medicine King Sect disciples into the strange beast pocket world to sweep through it and clear out any threats, Li Fan suddenly sensed something amiss and paused, holding back his words.
"What troubles you, Young Master?"
Liu San looked at Li Fan, puzzled.
Li Fan pondered briefly and traced back the recorded scenes in the Dao Transformation Stone, only then realizing what it was.
It turned out that, without realizing it, he had once again forgotten that the Congyun Sea had suffered a catastrophe.
"I wonder what the Congyun Sea looks like in this life now—a void abyss, or parched mountain ranges?"
"If it has already turned to nothingness, does the entrance to the pocket world still exist...?"
Thoughts racing in his mind, Li Fan's expression turned solemn.
"During my journey outside this time, I discovered a terrifying matter."
Right then, Li Fan told Liu San about how the Congyun Sea had been destroyed, yet was gradually being forgotten by the world.
"The Congyun Sea?" Liu San looked dazed at first, but then he finally remembered, horror washing over his face.
"Fortunately, through a twist of fate due to our relocation to the Valley of Longevity, we avoided this catastrophe," Li Fan sighed.
Liu San, however, focused on the fact that he had actually forgotten it.
"Causing the people of the world to forget sorrow without the slightest awareness... is this the power of the new method's Longevity realm?" Liu San, whose impression of Longevity realm powerhouses was still stuck in ancient times, was profoundly shaken.
It must be known that as one of the Medicine King Sect's strongest Dao Integration experts, he had once met face-to-face with the Longevity Heavenly Venerables of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.
He had prided himself on being able to at least put up some resistance, even if he was no match for them.
Never would he have thought...
In an instant, the pride in Liu San's heart shattered piece by piece. The more he thought, the more terrified he became, beads of cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.
Li Fan noticed Liu San's distress and immediately offered comforting words: "Elder Liu, you need not take it to heart. The world has changed between ancient times and today. Though both bear the title of Longevity Heavenly Venerable, the Longevity of today's method and the Longevity of the ancient method are clearly no longer on the same level."
Even with his immense trust in Li Fan, it took a long while for Liu San to recover his wits.
After prolonged silence, he let out a long sigh and said to Li Fan, "Only today do I realize the terrifying might of the new method's Longevity realm. Before this, I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well."
"For the gap between the new and old methods to be this vast..."
"Young Master, I wish to switch to the new method," Liu San declared solemnly.
Li Fan was not in the least surprised by Liu San's decision. He nodded in agreement. "I support you! For you to rekindle your drive to strive for supremacy is a blessing for our Medicine King Sect. Who knows, perhaps you will attain great enlightenment and prove the Dao of Longevity. When that time comes, with the protection of a Longevity Heavenly Venerable, our Medicine King Sect will be able to step openly back into the world."
"However..."
Li Fan shifted his tone. "Nowadays, dharmas cannot be cultivated concurrently. If you wish to take another step forward and defy the principles of Heaven and Earth, Elder Liu, you will inevitably have to cultivate a different Dao Integration technique."
"For one, cultivation techniques are hard to come by nowadays, especially Dao Integration techniques. For another, we still need you to oversee the concoction of the Longevity Pills..."
Liu San instantly understood the implication behind Li Fan's words, and his soaring ambition dimmed in a flash.
The gulf between ideals and reality forced Liu San to make a choice.
Yet loyal to the core to the Medicine King Sect, Liu San hesitated for only a moment before making his decision.
"I understand, Young Master. Let us prioritize the revival of the Medicine King Sect first," he said somewhat dejectedly.
Only then did Li Fan offer a slight smile. "Elder Liu, you misunderstand me. I absolutely support you switching techniques. Besides, your rise in cultivation and the revival of the Medicine King Sect are not mutually exclusive."
"We just need a little time to prepare, that's all."
Chapter 661