The exquisite subtlety of this formation was not at all inferior even to the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation Li Fan had learned in his previous life.
Even with his and Huangfu Song's considerable attainments in formations, it took them a long time and much discussion back and forth before they could barely comprehend it.
Of course, it was merely comprehension.
As for how the formation operated, and how death aura and vitality were converted into one another, that was somewhat beyond the scope of their understanding.
"Inverting the principles of life and death..."
"The culprit behind Heavenly Venerable Blue Feather's failed dao validation, the cultivators emerging from the white mist who seemed dead yet lived... could they be connected to the formation here?" Li Fan was profoundly shaken.
Meanwhile, Huangfu Song mumbled to himself, "When one dies, the body perishes and the dao vanishes; how could there be a principle by which the dead return to life? Inconceivable, truly inconceivable..."
Seeing his two companions looking as if they were possessed, lost in a daze for so long without snapping out of it, Dongfang Yao—who knew nothing about formations—grew vexed and anxious.
Finally unable to hold back, he barked a shout to jolt the two awake.
"The two of you have been studying it for so long—did you figure out an explanation or what?" he asked with a frown.
Huangfu Song shook his head and answered decisively, "In my view, even if Chief Lu of our Formation Planning Hall came in person, he might not be able to lay down this formation. For such a magnificent grand formation to remain unknown to the world, quietly concealed within the white mist's Lost Domains..."
A trace of dread flashed across his face. "It seems we have inadvertently stepped into the arrangements of an almighty figure who is validating their dao for Longevity."
"There are countless Lost Domains within the white mist, yet we happened upon the very one containing this formation. I truly don't know whether this is good fortune or misfortune," Huangfu Song said with a grim expression.
"Perhaps it is no coincidence. What if this formation exists in more than just one Lost Domain?" Li Fan suddenly said.
Hearing this, Huangfu Song froze completely. Then, seized by terror, he dared not speak another word.
In truth, Li Fan held back a great deal he did not say.
He had located this Lost Domain only by following the origin of whispers that seemed to belong to the Heavenly Physician.
Within this Lost Domain lay a grand formation capable of inverting life and death. And in his previous life, a cultivator had successfully reversed the principles of life and death, achieving the status of a new Longevity Heavenly Venerable.
Connecting all of this, it seemed perfectly logical to deduce that the Heavenly Physician had orchestrated it all from behind the scenes.
And it was he who would advance to become a Longevity Heavenly Venerable before long.
Yet...
Doubt still lingered in Li Fan's mind.
Logically speaking, the formation within this Lost Domain was crucial to the Heavenly Physician's validation of the dao for Longevity. Such a critical site should have brooked no mishap whatsoever. How could it allow Li Fan and his companions to barge in so easily?
"This completely unguarded state..."
"Is it a trap? Or does the master of this place simply not care about this formation? Or perhaps they possess absolute confidence that even if someone stumbled in, they could never shake the foundation of the formation?"
Li Fan suddenly thought back to his small wooden cabin atop Mount Jieli in Great Xuan.
It was his resting and cultivation abode while waiting for True Reversion to finish charging. Just like this Lost Domain, it had no defensive formations set up around it.
He had merely cast an illusion outside Mount Jieli to prevent mortals from wandering in.
Because Li Fan felt there was simply no need.
"Did I view mortals just as she viewed cultivators?"
"Is it the Heavenly Physician?"
Li Fan could not be certain either.
Yet Li Fan asked himself: even if dealing with mortals, if something concerned his breakthrough, he would out of caution definitely lay down contingencies just in case.
"And yet she did not do so..."
Just as Li Fan was filled with confusion, a comment from Dongfang Yao inadvertently gave him a sudden epiphany.
"Brother Huangfu, I think what you said isn't quite right. I don't know what makes this formation so brilliant, but since you say it can invert life and death, wouldn't the senior who set it up be even more capable of doing so?"
"After all, if you don't understand the principle, how could you set up the formation? Being able to invert the principles of life and death is already the method of a Longevity Heavenly Venerable, isn't it? Why have I never heard this Heavenly Venerable's title before?"
Li Fan was struck by sudden realization. "Of course. Previously, I assumed the master of this place intended to achieve the inversion of life and death through this formation. But it's also possible she could already accomplish that herself long ago. In that case, this place..."
Li Fan glanced around.
"This is no site for dao validation. It's an experimental ground after attaining the Dao!"
Li Fan's thoughts raced.
"Once one validates Longevity, the laws of heaven and earth are altered accordingly. In theory, a single thought should be enough to turn these frozen cultivators from death to life. Yet she went through the superfluous trouble of setting up a grand formation..."
"What is she still researching? Achieving Longevity wasn't enough—she wanted to go a step further?"
Li Fan turned his gaze toward the array eye of the life-and-death inversion formation they had located earlier.
"Perhaps the answer lies right there."
Li Fan said in a deep voice, "I fear this senior achieved the realm of Longevity Heavenly Venerable long ago. This place has already been abandoned by her, which is why we were able to enter so easily. Leaving through the array eye should be safe. Let's make our move quickly."
With that, before Huangfu Song and Dongfang Yao could respond, he flew toward the array eye ahead of them.
Huangfu Song and Dongfang Yao were slightly taken aback. Finding Li Fan's reasoning plausible, they quickly followed.
Before long, they arrived at the center of the grand formation, where the death aura was thickest.
That was precisely where the strange beast in the Dead Black Sea had vanished moments ago.
"Brother Li, should we reconsider?" Looking down at the black seawater, Huangfu Song could not help feeling intimidated.
Li Fan stared at True Reversion's 200% charge progress and shook his head. "Indecision invites catastrophe. We have already explored this entire place, and lingering will accomplish nothing. Or do you plan to fully comprehend this life-and-death inversion formation and break out that way? Rather than waiting for death, it's better to make a bold gamble!"
With that, an exceptionally dense aura of wood-attribute spiritual energy wrapped around him.
"Stay close to me!" Li Fan barked, plunging headfirst into the Dead Sea.
Seeing matters come to this, Huangfu Song and Dongfang Yao could only grit their teeth and dive in after him.
The moment they entered the water, an unimaginable aura of death swept over them from every direction. Like countless maggots, it gnawed and sucked at Li Fan's vitality. The sensation was strikingly similar to the Essence-Devouring White Mist.
Having experienced his lifespan bleeding away to nothingness within the white mist in a past life, Li Fan was no stranger to this.
Feeling no panic, he took out five Longevity Pills in one breath and tossed them into his mouth.
As the medicinal power erupted, Li Fan forced the Azure Longevity Force contained within the pills out of his body, forming a protective barrier to resist the erosion of the death aura.
Pushing his movement technique to its limit, he dove rapidly toward the pitch-black sea floor.
Within a few breaths, he was already near the seabed.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, sensing what seemed to be a miniature vortex ahead.
Within the vortex, a thread of vitality flickered into view.
"That's it!"
Focusing his mind, Li Fan transformed into a flash of radiance and charged into the vortex.
In the next moment...
After a faint wave of dizziness, light suddenly greeted his eyes.
A mild sea breeze, salty air, and the occasional cry of seabirds...
When Li Fan could see the scenery before him clearly, he was already hovering over an azure sea.
Brimming with vibrant life.
Chapter 698