Everything was within Li Fan's control. He successfully secured two replicated portions of the gray mold.
The entire process had been fraught with suspense, but without true mishap.
"Fortunately, I possess a treasure like the Seven-Colored Jade Void Flowing Light. Acting like a vessel, it sealed the gray mold away. Otherwise, ordinary methods certainly couldn't contain it.
"Once this gray mold breaks free, it would likely unleash a world-ending catastrophe."
Holding such terrifying matter, Li Fan did not show the slightest hint of fear on his face.
He observed the varying reactions of the gray mold within the three glowing spheres.
The largest portion, having witnessed the fate of the mold lured outside, subsided once more.
It lurked quietly inside the skull, just as it had when Li Fan first encountered it.
As for the second glowing sphere, it seemed unreconciled to its confinement, still madly corroding the surrounding Seven-Colored Divine Light.
Yet under the ceaseless replenishment of grotto-heaven power supplied by Li Fan, its efforts were entirely futile.
The gray mold in the third sphere was the smallest in quantity. Perhaps because it had only recently split off, it was the calmest. Its exterior color was not as deeply, heavily gray as that of its two predecessors.
"This is..."
Because of this, Li Fan was able to see the true form of the gray mold.
It was composed of many orderly horizontal and vertical lines, like...
...some sort of script.
Li Fan could not help narrowing his eyes.
In an instant, that colossal character sprawled across the land of the Immortal Ruins surfaced in his mind.
What lay hidden within this gray mold seemed to share many similarities with it!
Although the two differed vastly in scale, when Li Fan examined and compared them from the perspective of calligraphy,
he still discovered that some of the "strokes" overlapped almost completely!
Because he had not witnessed the character in its entirety, Li Fan could not determine which word had formed this horrifying, world-destroying gray mold.
Yet Li Fan could assert with certainty that, just like "Hunger" and "Chaos," this character was one of the sources of turmoil across the myriad realms!
"There are also differences between the three.
"I've never seen the genuine character for Chaos, only a copy traced by a mysterious figure.
"The complete character for Hunger led to the formation of the Immortal Ruins, impacting countless cultivation worlds across the endless void.
"As for this new character, it lacks an intact physical form, turning into countless spots of gray mold that corrode various worlds."
Characters flashed rapidly through Li Fan's mind
as he tried to find one that corresponded to the catastrophe wrought by the gray mold.
Yet none matched.
"Of course. What I've seen is nothing more than surface phenomena.
"They are merely the outward effects wrought by a character of a True Immortal.
"Just as I previously saw the Xuanhuang Realm being drawn toward the Immortal Ruins...
"The gravitational pull was merely an external manifestation. Its true core could only be understood upon seeing the True Immortal character in person: the character for 'Hunger'...
"What, then, is the true nature of this gray mold?"
Li Fan quietly watched the three glowing spheres before him, sinking into deep contemplation.
After an unknown length of time, he finally emerged from his reverie.
Clearly, relying solely on guesswork, Li Fan's comprehension alone was insufficient to fathom the mystery within.
"Perhaps if I cultivate more gray mold and observe its proliferation, I might discover something.
"However..."
After pondering for a moment, Li Fan temporarily suppressed the idea.
Even though the Seven-Colored Divine Light had a natural containment effect on this gray mold, that did not mean the Seven-Colored Jade Void Flowing Light stood on a higher tier than the mold.
After all, all Li Fan could do was seal it.
With the passage of time, the gray mold would neither disappear nor weaken on its own, whereas the Seven-Colored Divine Light would be continually eroded.
To put it bluntly, he was merely using the power of a realm's Heavenly Dao origin to delay the mold's outbreak.
"It's just like how the Xuanhuang Realm managed to sustain itself for nearly ten thousand years under the pull of the Immortal Ruins.
"Even though I possess the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven, meaning there is virtually no risk of running out of Seven-Colored Divine Light,
"to be safe, three sealed spheres are more than enough.
"After all, my objective has already been achieved."
He returned the glowing spheres to the deepest depths of his grotto-heaven, suppressing them beneath layer upon layer of seals.
"With this in hand, even if a Longevity expert comes, they will still fall prey to my schemes."
As for the consequences of using the gray mold...
At worst, the Xuanhuang Realm would be destroyed, and he would simply restart with True Reversion!
Nevertheless, Li Fan would not casually deploy this ultimate trump card.
Now that his strength had increased drastically and the shortcomings of his divine soul had been rectified, he could even exchange a few moves with a Longevity Heavenly Venerable.
Furthermore, protected by the Seven-Colored Divine Light, he shouldn't run into a situation like before where he couldn't even activate True Reversion.
Not being killed instantly, and being able to trigger True Reversion in time.
Under these two premises, accumulating more experience fighting against those in the Longevity realm was also quite good.
Li Fan had already begun considering the most suitable candidate.
"I'll start with an ancient method Longevity cultivator."
Unfortunately, any ancient method Longevity cultivator who had survived to this day was an ultimate old monster.
For a time, Li Fan couldn't even find an easy target to pick on.
...
Just as Li Fan's thoughts were stirring with anticipation in the Spirit Wood Realm,
in the outside world, the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation, summoned jointly by the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen, struck once more!
The location where the Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation appeared this time was none other than within the territory of the Five Elders Association!
Yongliang Province, neighboring Jiushan Province!
Unlike its all-crushing, overwhelming display in Jiushan Province, this time, when the Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation manifested high in the firmament and opened its eyes,
though the myriad living beings of Yongliang Province indeed felt the impending crisis of doom hanging over them,
at this crucial moment, the illusory silhouette of a scholar blocked the Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation.
The scholar tilted his head slightly upward, his lips parting as if saying something.
And slowly, the cultivators of Yongliang Province were astonished to find that the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation in the sky was gradually closing its eyes again!
Rumble...
Amid a faint tremor, the silhouette of the Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation dissolved into nothingness.
A world-ending catastrophe was thus defused.
The scholar's figure also slowly faded away, while countless cultivators kowtowed toward the Heavenly Venerable, expressing their heartfelt gratitude.
"It seems that within the domain shrouded by a Longevity Heavenly Venerable's inverted principles, trying to contend against a Longevity cultivator is still a bit too much to ask.
"No wonder the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has never been able to gain any substantial advantage over the Five Elders Association all these years.
"The Heavenly Venerables' power is simply too formidable.
"Rather than fighting against cultivators, it is more like clashing with five Longevity supreme beings.
"There is simply no chance of winning."
Such were Li Fan's thoughts upon receiving this recording transmitted from the Five Elders Association.
Yet immediately afterward, he frowned slightly.
The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had always planned thoroughly before acting and never did anything meaningless.
They couldn't possibly be unaware that within Five Elders Association territory, the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation wouldn't gain any ground.
Yet they had still done so.
"Could they be testing something?"
Li Fan could not help but grow intrigued.
Chapter 885