"No wonder this Seven-Colored Divine Light seemed nearly inexhaustible in combat, with no need to worry about consumption. It turns out the distilled essence of an entire cultivation world was backing it."
In Li Fan's dantian, as the world source force was continuously drawn out, the seven-colored bead seemed to dim slightly.
In contrast, however, the sky-blotting tendrils of the Root of Heaven and Earth plunged deep into every corner of the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven.
And the Root of Heaven and Earth, nourished by the source force, was slightly different from what an ordinary cultivator derived purely from their own spiritual energy.
It had become far more ferocious, and...
Far more ravenous.
As if having tasted marrow and acquired a craving, it required no deliberate direction from Li Fan.
With merely a thought, the dense, writhing black tentacles eagerly surged forward, expanding recklessly toward virgin lands yet untouched.
The vibrant, brilliantly colorful grotto-heaven world was gradually cloaked in shadow,
sinking into a heart-stopping darkness.
Watching this rather indescribable scene, a premonition even surfaced in Li Fan's heart.
Even if he did not deliberately manipulate it, this empowered Root of Heaven and Earth could complete the devouring process in a short time.
"The annexation between worlds..."
"When the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable created the new method back then, he must have witnessed the convergence of worlds with his own eyes." An understanding dawned on Li Fan.
Uncaring about the depletion of the seven-colored bead, he pushed the devouring speed to its absolute limit.
Three months later.
"It is time."
Li Fan suddenly opened his eyes.
The black roots had completely ensnared the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens.
Viewed from outside the void, what met the eyes was merely a bizarre hairball tangled with countless tentacles.
Not a trace remained of the magnificent, vast, life-filled grotto-heaven of before.
With a shift of his will, the countless roots below instantly bared their fangs and claws.
The Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven trembled faintly.
Incomparably pure vitality flowed through the roots like conduits, surging into Li Fan's body.
"Ugh..."
His physique, which had already looked in its twenties, seemed in an instant to return to the surging vigor of youth in his teens.
Moreover, every tissue, bone, and strand of flesh in his body was undergoing an earth-shattering transformation under this pure, concentrated vital force.
Li Fan took a deep breath, adjusting to this surging tide of boundless vitality.
Narrowing his eyes, he expressionlessly cut a deep bloody gash into his own arm, deep enough to reveal the grim white bone beneath.
Though the injury was severe, in mere breaths, the wound healed on its own at a pace visible to the naked eye.
One had to know that Li Fan had not even formally devoured the Nascent Soul grotto-heaven yet.
Merely relying on the vitality fed back from the grotto-heaven allowed him to reach such a degree!
"It is far stronger than the nascent grotto-heaven before," Li Fan murmured inwardly in admiration.
Then his body slowly dissolved, turning into gushing, inky blackness that surged along the countless tentacles, pouring into the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven.
The grotto-heaven bound by the black roots seemed to sense the crisis.
Tremendous roars erupted throughout the grotto-heaven world; the earth fractured and collapsed, and the oceans threw up colossal, sky-churning waves...
Countless creations within could not help but let out wails and sobs of sorrow.
Yet they could not hinder Li Fan's devouring speed in the slightest.
As the darkness continuously poured in, parts of the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven turned translucent and vanished.
The grotto-heaven's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
In the end, all fell completely still.
Though the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven had disappeared, this void still remained.
Empty and void.
After an indeterminate time, a figure suddenly materialized.
It was none other than Li Fan, who had successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul realm.
Incomparably surging power coursed through every part of his body. Since embarking on cultivation, Li Fan had never felt so powerful.
He even felt that an ordinary Dao Integration cultivator might not be a match for him.
"An ordinary Dao Integration cultivator's power covers a single province of Xuanhuang.
"Yet the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven I devoured is virtually equivalent to five provinces combined.
"A quantitative change produces a qualitative leap. Purely on absolute power alone, I can crush a whole host of weak Dao Integration cultivators.
"What is more, I have numerous divine abilities at my disposal."
Li Fan's eyes flickered, and a trace of security finally settled into his heart.
As long as the Longevity realm did not step in, no matter how much he courted death in this lifetime, he should still be able to escape with composure!
"With my strength swelling to such heights, scheming in the future will be far more convenient," he mused to himself.
Having completed his advancement, Li Fan was in no hurry to leave.
Instead, he repeatedly swept his divine consciousness across this void, seemingly searching for something.
Once, twice.
He tried multiple times, but found no abnormality.
Li Fan still did not give up.
After his strength had surged, he had keenly perceived that there seemed to be some other presence within this Five Elements void.
It was hidden extremely deep.
Yet at the very instant Li Fan made his breakthrough and thoroughly devoured the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, the drastic upheaval in the surroundings had caused it to reveal a tiny flaw.
And Li Fan had caught it.
This hidden entity did not belong to the Xuanhuang Realm's Root of Heaven and Earth.
Rather, it was that which had haunted him like a lingering ghost, surfacing around Li Fan from time to time...
The Crossing Adversity Sect!
Li Fan gave a cold snort.
A halo of seven-colored radiance emerged around him, and in an instant, this seven-colored light blazed countless times brighter,
expanding out into the surrounding void.
The Seven-Colored Divine Light was practically tangible,
completely packing and occupying this void space.
Any foreign object had to be repelled and exposed!
Compared to what Zhong Shentong had unleashed in the previous life, Li Fan's display now was simply the difference between the bright moon in the heavens and the flicker of a firefly.
Only with the backing of this immense Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven could Li Fan squander power with such wanton abandon.
Yet the effect was extraordinary as well.
In the end, Li Fan's objective was achieved.
Driven out by the pure Seven-Colored Divine Light, a foreign object finally revealed itself.
Li Fan's eyes flashed as he reached out and drew it to his grasp.
Examining it closely, what lay in his hand was an origami figure fashioned from yellow talisman paper.
As if it had existed for far too long, the yellow of the paper had faded slightly whitish.
Moreover, this paper figurine was exceedingly eerie.
It had no facial features on its head, save for a single eye occupying the entire face.
What made Li Fan feel even more solemn was that the one-eyed paper figurine seemed to be alive.
The moment Li Fan captured it, the eye shifted slightly, fixing an unblinking stare upon him.
Li Fan instantly felt a searing heat in his hand, as if it were being scorched by blazing fire.
"Playing the devil!"
A ball of raging flames abruptly erupted in his hand, engulfing the one-eyed paper figurine.
Li Fan attempted to incinerate it completely.
Yet though the flames danced for a long while, the paper figurine was not affected in the slightest.
It was as though it had no physical body at all; no matter how high the temperature of Li Fan's flames rose, they could not damage it in the least!
Following that, Li Fan tried various other methods.
Five Elements arts, the Extinction Sword, and even formations.
None could destroy it.
Witnessing this, a saying could not help but leap into Li Fan's mind:
"Leaped beyond the Three Realms, outside the Five Elements."
The yellow paper figurine rolled its eye slightly,
as if mocking Li Fan's overestimation of his own abilities.
Chapter 860