Upon returning to Haixuan Island, Ji Shaoli naturally received numerous banquet invitations and visit requests as well.
He simply turned a deaf ear to them all.
"There are too many eyes and ears; this avatar shouldn't be wandering about right now. Better to honestly enter seclusion for a while.
"Still, that the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would actually release the cultivators who failed the Immortal Chosen selection is rather unexpected." Ji Shaoli frowned slightly, a flicker of puzzlement in his mind.
If the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen plan was truly of utmost importance, then at the very least, before the Immortal Chosen could fulfill their intended purpose, their identities ought to be kept secret. Naturally, the Alliance should not have released those who failed; instead, they should have used them as a screen to conceal the true identities of the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen.
Yet the Alliance showed no intention of doing so at all...
"It doesn't matter who they are.
"All that matters is having thirty-three people who meet the criteria."
Ji Shaoli narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting. Let me see what game the Alliance is really playing.
"It's time to put a little more pressure on them."
His avatar sat upright on Haixuan Island, remaining still.
In the Spirit Wood Realm, Lin Ling, having received Li Fan's orders, once again traveled to Jiushan Province to make contact with the Five Elders Association.
The Five Elders Association questioned why there had been no reply to their messages for so long.
Following Li Fan's prior instructions, Lin Ling informed them that the brilliant orb had merged with two anomalous powers: the Mind Ape and the Will Horse.
Though the representative of the Five Elders Association remained outwardly impassive, Lin Ling keenly detected the turbulent emotional waves within the man's mind.
After offering another batch of supplies to express their gratitude, the Five Elders Association inquired about the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen plan.
Lin Ling spoke vaguely, brushing the matter aside.
Just as the other party was feeling somewhat disappointed, Lin Ling dropped a bombshell.
"To counter the Five Elders Association's predatory gaze, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has not only selected the Immortal Chosen, but has also developed numerous world-suppressing supreme artifacts, including the Sky-Splitting Cannon. If you don't take action soon, I fear it will be too late for regrets."
Lin Ling repeated Li Fan's words verbatim.
Delivered alongside the message was a projection.
A world-destroying black beam of light pierced through dense layers of white mist, annihilating everything that stood in its path.
The black beam gradually faded, yet the void it carved out remained unfilled and unrestored by the white mist for a long time.
Its residual power made it impossible for any foreign matter to draw near.
Even from a hazy image, the terrifying might of this Sky-Splitting Cannon was unmistakable.
No matter how calculating the Five Elders Association's representative was, he could not hide the profound shock on his face.
Taking a deep breath, he cupped his hands and promised substantial rewards in the future, then departed in haste.
Lin Ling curled his lips as he watched the figure vanish, then returned through the earth veins to report back.
Within the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven.
"I wonder if the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has actually manufactured this world-suppressing supreme artifact in this life. Regardless, whether it is real or fake changes nothing.
"The Five Elders Association was already champing at the bit, held back only by the Alliance's unexpected moves.
"With the brilliant orb incident resolved, and now pressed by lethal weapons like the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen and the Sky-Splitting Cannon, I trust they will choose to strike first.
"All that remains is to wait."
Having received Lin Ling's report, Li Fan pondered for a moment before shifting his focus.
In his dantian, the seven-colored bead emanated a sacred radiance, dazzling the senses.
"Worthy of a supreme treasure refined from the heavenly light of an entire realm.
"Mastering it completely won't happen overnight."
Spiritual energy wrapped around the seven-colored bead layer upon layer, and numerous images flashed rapidly before Li Fan's eyes.
Cultivators soared amidst the white clouds, and mortals dwelt upon the vast earth.
Those were scenes from the long-extinct Chongyan cultivation world.
"A pity the realm's time and space shifted so abruptly; I cannot make out the finer details," Li Fan thought with a touch of regret.
So far, apart from the Xuanhuang Realm, he had learned the names of three cultivation worlds: Xiaoyao, Taiyi, and Chongyan.
Yet that was the extent of it. Aside from their names, he knew virtually nothing of their actual circumstances.
"If I could break free from the shackles of the Immortal Ruins, I could go and see for myself.
"Still, Chongyan is destroyed. Whether Xiaoyao and Taiyi even still exist is hard to say."
With spiritual energy surging through his body, slowly refining the seven-colored bead, Li Fan redirected the vast majority of his attention back to devouring the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven.
Before long, however, he noticed something unusual.
The rate at which the Root of Heaven and Earth multiplied was nearly twice as fast as before!
At this pace, it wouldn't even take a year to completely devour this Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven!
"Hm?"
Li Fan had not stepped outside during this period.
The only variable lay in the newly acquired seven-colored bead.
Surprised, Li Fan quietly analyzed and investigated the cause of this change.
Before long, he discovered the likely reason.
As his spiritual energy refined the seven-colored bead, a mysterious power was nourishing and transforming the spiritual energy itself.
Empowered by this force, the Root of Heaven and Earth multiplied wildly, as though fed by a potent tonic.
Moreover, as Li Fan's progress in refining the seven-colored bead advanced, the rate of proliferation continued to climb.
It was fast enough to leave even Li Fan, the instigator, feeling a hint of trepidation.
Like dark storm clouds driven by a howling gale, Li Fan eroded the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven at an unimaginable, terrifying speed.
"Were it not for the multitude of monsters in the Xuanhuang Realm, I could claim the entire realm as my own using this method in a mere decade or so."
Li Fan couldn't help harboring such a premonition.
"What on earth is this mysterious power...?"
Li Fan examined it carefully.
Only after seven full days did realization dawn upon him.
"World source force?
"The seven-colored heavenly light of the Chongyan Realm was an evolution of the Heavenly Dao, containing the realm's world source.
"It was preserved within after being refined into a magical treasure.
"In ordinary combat or flight, this special property wouldn't manifest. But once it came into contact with the Root of Heaven and Earth—a technique of the new methods specifically designed to devour heaven and earth—a reaction occurred!
"Acting like a catalyst, it vastly enhanced the power of the Root of Heaven and Earth, accelerating the devouring of the grotto-heaven.
"Strictly speaking, depleting the world source will degrade the seven-colored bead's power to some extent.
"Merely speeding up the process at such a cost would ordinarily be a terrible trade.
"But for me...
"It doesn't matter in the slightest!"
Li Fan understood completely.
He then further accelerated the refining and extraction of the world source force.
"If world source force helps with advancement at the Nascent Soul stage, what about Soul Formation, Dao Integration, and even Longevity?
"Will it continue to provide a boost?"
Watching the countless tentacles grow ever more flourishing, Li Fan couldn't help pondering.
Using the power of another world to devour a world.
Something that should have been impossible had become a reality thanks to the appearance of that supreme treasure, the fishing pond.
Chapter 859