Everything flowed naturally like water channeling its course, completely without obstruction.
When Li Fan awakened from his secluded cultivation, he had already successfully broken through to the mid Nascent Soul realm.
"Is it already Anchor Year 17...?"
"Without the Heavenly Profound Mirror's Spirit Enlightenment effect and relying solely on Dao Comprehension Pills as an aid, things really slowed down considerably."
He inspected his physical condition. The scale of the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens within him had expanded by more than threefold compared to when he was in the early Nascent Soul realm. The individual grotto-heavens had also grown far more vibrant, no longer possessing that deathly, motionless calm from before. However, they were clearly still some distance away from generating living creations. It was merely that the circulation of the five elements' power had accelerated substantially, as though something was brewing within the world of the grotto-heavens.
By now, Li Fan had achieved total control over both his own Five Elements Grotto-Heavens and this Beast Seed pocket world. One could say he was an existence akin to the Heavenly Dao itself within them.
Yet comparing the two closely, Li Fan detected many differences.
The Five Elements Grotto-Heavens had been stolen from the Xuanhuang Realm. Even though they had been reinforced and incorporated into his body through the new method, it was just like how a mortal could not fully control every function of their own flesh and blood. The vast majority of the grotto-heavens' operation and evolution occurred spontaneously, the result of certain laws unfolding on their own. While Li Fan could clearly sense every change occurring within them, his current self was still unable to fully comprehend it all—let alone alter or create things at will.
The Beast Seed Realm, however, was entirely different. Wind, rain, thunder, lightning, ice, snow, and flowing fire—the materialization of the world's laws all hinged upon a single thought of his. As long as Li Fan willed it, the Beast Seed Realm could freeze in a single state in an instant and never change again. At the same time, he could remake the Beast Seed Realm to his heart's content. Raising mountains or leveling a hundred rivers with a single thought were both trivial matters.
"Under normal circumstances, even if one used some method to usurp all the heavenly fortune of a pocket world, one would never reach such a state of absolute freedom so early on. It would take years of contemplation and resonance with the world's origin. But Xiao Hei already completed that process for me. I merely inherited its mantle, reaping immense benefits."
Looking at the familiar silhouette within the Feather of the Profound Bird inside his body, Li Fan understood at once.
Turning his attention back to the Beast Seed Realm, two years had passed, and the place had undergone earth-shattering changes. Not only had the density of spiritual energy soared to a level only slightly below that of the Xuanhuang Realm, but the once-barren wilderness had also become brimming with life.
Various spiritual plants and medicinal herbs were cultivated in neat plots, and those laboring diligently in the spiritual fields were none other than individual beast seeds. Around their necks, however, were none of the beast-controlling rings that Fang Zaiji had mentioned earlier.
Li Fan's divine sense swept across the entire world, and he discovered that only the most powerful mutated beasts bore marks of subjugation.
"Controlling the leaders allows one to command the rest. Truly, one does not need to waste much thought dealing with these beast seeds."
At the moment, Liu San and Fang Zaiji were not in the Beast Seed Realm. Crossing through the spatial passage into the Valley of Longevity, Li Fan found the two of them gathered together, seemingly discussing something.
Sensing Li Fan's aura, both of their faces lit up with joy.
"Sect Master, you've emerged from seclusion!"
"What happened? Why do you both look so solemn?" Li Fan asked as he stepped before them.
"Congratulations to the young master on your cultivation making further progress!" Liu San said, looking Li Fan over with a smile.
Fang Zaiji went straight to explaining why he and Liu San were so grave.
Roughly half a year ago, a group of Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals cultivators, steering Puxian True Boats, had entered the white mist. At first, Liu San had thought their objective was the Valley of Longevity and treated them like a formidable enemy. He had even mobilized all the Medicine King Sect cultivators and prepared to flee at a moment's notice.
Yet before long, Liu San discovered it was a false alarm. Without lingering at the entrance of the Valley of Longevity at all, the Alliance cultivators' destination seemed to lie even deeper within the white mist.
This had allowed Liu San to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking they were merely passing by by coincidence.
However, what followed proved him utterly wrong. Over the past half year, at regular intervals, dozens of Puxian True Boats packed with cultivators had sailed into the depths of the white mist. It was as though they were executing some mission, radiating a faint, chilling aura of slaughter. Occasionally, some cultivators would also retreat from the depths of the white mist, looking thoroughly demoralized and bleak.
The general cultivation levels of these cultivators were not very high, but to be safe, Liu San had not pried closely, only observing from a distance.
Even though these Alliance cultivators were not targeting the Medicine King Sect, they were passing by far too frequently. No one could guarantee that by some sheer coincidence, they might not stumble upon the location of the Valley of Longevity. And if they discovered it, who could say whether a clash with the Medicine King Sect would ensue?
Consequently, Liu San and Fang Zaiji had been on edge this entire time.
"Is this a covert operation by the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, or are they acting openly? Do ordinary Alliance cultivators know about this?" After listening to their report, Li Fan's eyes flickered, and he asked immediately.
"Common cultivators seem completely unaware. At least, that is what we gathered from our inquiries," Fang Zaiji replied.
Li Fan pondered for a moment before saying, "This matter is rather peculiar. We should meet changes by remaining unchanged for now. Once I go outside to investigate the truth of the situation, we can make our decision."
Having absolute confidence in Li Fan's capabilities, the two agreed at once.
Liu San then retrieved twelve jade bottles and handed them over. "These are the pills I refined during this period: nine bottles containing a total of eighty-one Longevity Pills, two bottles containing twenty Supreme Passionless Pills, and one more..."
Liu San paused, his expression turning somewhat odd. "...which is the Mind-Ascending Immortality Pill."
"Thank you for your hard work, Elder Liu." Li Fan stowed away the other pills, holding the jade bottle containing the Mind-Ascending Immortality Pill in his hand, intending to unseal it and take a look.
Yet Liu San suddenly moved to stop him.
"Is there something wrong with this pill?" Li Fan asked with a frown.
Liu San gave a bitter smile. "Though this pill is non-toxic, its actual harm is not inferior to any poison under heaven."
"The Mind-Ascending Immortality Pill is an eccentric pill that has a minuscule chance of forming while refining Supreme Passionless Pills. Any cultivator who swallows it will develop an illusion that they have comprehended the Great Dao and are on the verge of ascending to immortality right where they stand," Fang Zaiji explained from the side.
"Moreover, the more one consumes it, the stronger this delusion becomes. In the end, to taste that sensation of immortal ascension once more, those addicted cultivators are capable of doing anything."
Li Fan's fingers instinctively clamped tight around the jade bottle in his hand.
He understood what this so-called Mind-Ascending Immortality Pill truly was.
"Back in the day, because this pill caused immense turmoil, it was strictly banned under the rule of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao. However, our disciples inquired around, and it seems the current Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has no record of banning it."
"I thought this item might be of use to the young master, so I did not destroy it," Liu San said.
Chapter 671