Among all the incoming feedback, the strongest resonance came from Su Yuqing in the Li Realm.
Perhaps because she had genuinely received the benefits of increased cultivation, her faith in the Compassionate True Immortal of the Mortal Realm was the purest and most fervent.
Not long ago, Li Fan had only been able to observe her surroundings.
Now, he could occasionally even sense the thoughts in her mind.
"Thanks to the True Immortal bestowing his grace, I was able to bring everyone back safely from our expedition against the Fire Realm."
"This humble woman dares not break her previous promise. From this day forth, I wish to serve at your side for all my days, steadfast until death."
Su Yuqing reverently kowtowed several times before the faceless stone statue she had sculpted herself.
At that moment, Li Fan sensed an inexplicable power transcend the boundaries of space and time, descending upon him.
It was only a gossamer wisp, almost negligible compared to the vast ocean of his own power.
Furthermore, it bore some resemblance to the cultivation returned through the Immortal-Sitting Art, yet the intrinsic nature of the energy was completely different.
Once this power entered his body, it remained as distinct from spiritual energy as water from oil.
Instead of flowing toward his dantian, it crept stealthily toward Li Fan's sea of consciousness.
Having always maintained his guard against the Faceless True Immortal, how could Li Fan allow it to have its way?
Seven-Colored Divine Light surged, forming layer upon layer of luminous cocoons that sealed off this alien energy.
Once trapped, the energy's reaction caught Li Fan somewhat by surprise.
It put up no fierce resistance, merely settling down quietly.
Unlike Li Fan's own spiritual energy, which radiated a shimmering white light, this energy—faint as it was—gleamed like pure gold.
Its grade seemed to be even higher than spiritual energy.
Li Fan observed this golden energy closely, remaining silent for a long time.
He knew this was produced through the power of the faceless stone statue, which transformed the gratitude and faith in Su Yuqing's heart.
"The legendary power of faith? Or perhaps the vow power of all living beings?"
"Or something else entirely?"
"Too little information. For now, I will call it vow power."
Li Fan's expression turned solemn.
Even knowing this golden vow power was poisoned candy, he had no choice but to swallow it at this moment.
His connection with the statue was already established. Unless he performed a True Reversion immediately, no matter how far he stood from the stone statue, this golden vow power would inevitably manifest within his body.
Moreover, this golden vow power would not appear just once.
As Su Yuqing continued her pious prayers, another wisp of golden vow power coalesced after a short time.
Following the exact same trajectory, it surged toward Li Fan's sea of consciousness.
"Killing Su Yuqing won't solve anything."
"The cultivators who swore oaths before the statue have effectively become generators for this golden vow power."
"Even if they cannot achieve what Su Yuqing has right now, the insidious influence of the faceless statue will seep deeper into them over time."
"One day, they will all end up like this."
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, surprised but not flustered, as he pondered a countermeasure.
At the same time, he continued deploying his Seven-Colored Divine Light to precisely isolate these strands of golden vow power, gathering them together with the first.
His countless cycles of reincarnation and ceaseless hoarding of esoteric secrets had not been in vain.
Before long, an idea came to mind.
Upon testing it, the effect was surprisingly magnificent.
Li Fan released the containment of the Seven-Colored Divine Light over the golden vow power, then forcibly guided the alien energy to gather slowly within his dantian.
When it grew restless and attempted once more to flow toward his sea of consciousness, an ethereal silhouette suddenly took shape within his dantian.
Like a vortex, it drew in the straying golden vow power, swallowing it whole.
"It really works." Li Fan felt a surge of joy.
This ethereal silhouette was the Tribulation Body he had previously used to store overflowing cultivation when hitting a bottleneck.
He had not been trapped at a bottleneck for a long time, so with no overflow or wasted feedback cultivation, he naturally had not used the method of the Tribulation Body for ages.
Little did he expect it to work wonders against this troublesome golden vow power.
The secret technique of the Tribulation Body originated from the *Taishang Primordial Scripture*.
In the ancient cultivation world, cultivators occasionally advanced too quickly, destabilizing their foundations.
When that happened, a cultivator needed to actively suppress their realm to solidify their base.
Different sects employed different methods.
The method of the Taishang Sect was to form an ethereal figure within the dantian to hold surplus cultivation.
Because the Taishang Sect viewed an unstable foundation as one of the tribulations of cultivation, this ethereal figure used to navigate the tribulation was called the Tribulation Body.
"The true legacy of the Taishang Sect originates from the Tiandu Grand Dharma Master."
"And the Tiandu Grand Dharma Master, like the King of Profound Heaven, possessed a half-immortal physique. He very likely obtained numerous inheritances from the Immortal Realm during that ancient catastrophe."
"It is hardly surprising that it can handle this golden vow power, which clearly ranks a tier above spiritual energy."
Li Fan pondered inwardly.
With the Tribulation Body serving as a receptacle, the golden vow power seemed to have found its home.
From then on, without needing Li Fan's deliberate guidance, it converged naturally toward the golden Tribulation Body in his dantian.
Seeing this, Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
"The crisis is temporarily resolved."
"This Tribulation Body is an independent entity that can be discarded at any time without causing any harm to my true self."
"Even in the worst-case scenario, where the Tribulation Body develops into an independent individual like Xu Bai in the 115th life, it won't possess its own intellect, making it far easier to deal with."
"For now, it is merely a pure crystallization of energy, with no other abnormalities."
After examining it carefully once more, Li Fan nodded slightly.
A feeling arose within him that as the Tribulation Body absorbed and held more golden vow power, it might even be detonated directly in the future.
Li Fan could not say how terrifying such an explosion might be, but he understood that a direct detonation was likely the crudest way to utilize this golden vow power.
"Truly licking blood from a blade's edge..." Li Fan murmured, his eyes deep and inscrutable.
He was fully aware of the hidden dangers behind this golden vow power.
Yet with True Reversion to fall back on, there was no need to shrink back at every shadow.
Just as Li Fan was considering how to handle the golden vow power going forward, he suddenly felt another disturbance inside him!
The source of this anomaly...
It came from within the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven—the dark gold cranium tightly sealed by the Seven-Colored Divine Light, and the gray mold residing inside it!
Perhaps because the vow power accumulated by the golden Tribulation Body had reached a certain threshold, the gray mold sensed its presence even from within the sealed grotto-heaven.
Like a starved beast suddenly catching the rich scent of blood, the gray mold surged from the cranium for the very first time, launching a frenzied assault against the enclosing walls of Seven-Colored Divine Light.
The Seven-Colored Divine Light began depleting at a terrifying rate.
Li Fan's expression darkened. The spiritual energy of the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven began circulating, quickly generating a continuous stream of reinforcements.
Chapter 906