The reason Li Fan had chosen Zhang Haobo as the "reincarnator" to incite a clash between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and Crimson Flame was, naturally, that the man possessed an extraordinary destiny to begin with.
In his previous life, while still a mere mortal, Zhang Haobo had sensed the impending sea-boiling crisis and fled far away before the calamity descended.
Not only that, but he had seemingly encountered fortunate opportunities on a distant continent.
In a span of just twenty-odd years, he had vaulted from an ordinary mortal into a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator.
In this life, with the technique Li Fan had provided him, he would surely grow at an even faster pace.
Only then would he be qualified to participate in driving the monumental event of Crimson Flame boiling the sea.
The seed had now been sown; all that remained was to wait quietly for it to grow into a towering tree.
Of course, as it grew, a fair share of pruning and trimming would be inevitable.
Glancing at Zhang Haobo, who had fallen into a deep slumber after the massive emotional shock, Li Fan took to the air, preparing to return to Wanxian Island.
Under the cloak of night, most of Liuli Island's inhabitants were already fast asleep, leaving the island draped in darkness.
Only one residence remained brightly lit, its courtyard hung with white mourning banners.
Li Fan had visited that residence before; it was the home of Manager Zhao, who used to oversee finances on Liuli Island.
Out of habit, Li Fan swept his divine sense across the place.
His figure halted abruptly, suspended in midair, a flicker of astonishment flashing across his eyes.
He descended into Manager Zhao's courtyard and stepped into the memorial hall.
Dressed in mourning hemp, Manager Zhao was kneeling before a spirit tablet.
Li Fan stared blankly at the words inscribed upon it.
*Spirit Tablet of the Late Immortal Master He Zhenghao.*
He Zhenghao...
Was dead?
It was not so much shock that Li Fan felt, but rather an overwhelming sense of confusion.
People often said that one could not step into the same river twice.
Yet by relying on True Reversion, Li Fan could step into the exact same river countless times.
A few subtle actions of his might kick up splashes in the water, but they could not alter the river's overall course.
He Zhenghao's death, however, caught Li Fan completely off guard.
"How did Fellow Daoist He die?" Li Fan could not help but ask.
Manager Zhao was startled, but he quickly turned around and answered respectfully, "It is said that while exploring an ancient cave abode, Immortal Master He triggered a mechanism and met with misfortune."
"It has already been fifty-six days."
Li Fan recalled the transmission He Zhenghao had sent him back then.
***
*"It so happens that a few friends recently discovered an ancient cave abode and invited me to explore it together. According to them, it was likely sealed before the Great Calamity descended. There will certainly be numerous rare treasures inside, and perhaps even quite a few cultivation methods."*
***
He Zhenghao had wished to explore the cave abode and asked Li Fan to act as temporary guardian of Liuli Island.
Because Li Fan was plotting to secure the *Cloud Water Chart and Talismans*, he had declined. At the time, he had not paid the matter much heed, assuming He Zhenghao would surely return safe and sound.
After all, in his previous life, Li Fan had only met He Zhenghao more than a decade later, and the man had been alive and well back then.
Who would have guessed he would perish right here and now?
*Which means that in my previous life, He Zhenghao never took part in exploring that cave abode.*
*The reason for the change was...*
*He lost the contribution points he had saved over half a lifetime in one fell swoop. In order to switch to a Nascent Soul technique, he decided to take a gamble.*
*And the reason he lost his entire fortune was that the island cultivating Spirit Mist Grass was destroyed by that dragon whale, making him believe there was a fortune to be made.*
*In my previous life, that incident probably never occurred.*
*And what caused the beast's attack to happen in the first place?*
***
A scene suddenly flashed through Li Fan's mind.
Inside the dragon whale's stomach, he had once discovered numerous liuli pearls that had not yet been fully digested.
Liuli pearls were the primary ingredient for refining liuli pills, and consuming a liuli pill produced an effect akin to Spirit Enlightenment.
*Liuli can awaken the mind...*
Because the dragon whale had devoured a massive quantity of liuli pearls, it had gradually developed intelligence.
By sheer coincidence, it had stumbled upon the island where Spirit Mist Grass was grown.
The Spirit Mist Grass must have offered it some kind of benefit, prompting the dragon whale to launch a brazen raid and swallow up most of the grass on the island.
And the reason it was able to consume so many liuli pearls was...
Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
In his previous life, when his body transformed into the vast sea, he had spotted the massive skeleton of a liuli fish.
Among the bones, an enormous liuli pearl had gleamed beneath the sunlight.
So in this life, while passing by, he had casually slaughtered the leader of the liuli fish shoal.
Without their leader, the school of liuli fish was left leaderless and disoriented.
They could only be devoured by the dragon whale without offering the slightest resistance.
***
In a flash of lightning, having pieced together the entire sequence of events, Li Fan stood utterly stunned.
So it was an inadvertent action of his own that had caused He Zhenghao's death?
In fact, it wasn't just He Zhenghao.
In that speculative frenzy over Spirit Mist Grass, how many others had lost every last penny of their fortunes?
And how many of them had been forced to take desperate gambles, only to end up dead with their Dao extinguished?
Yet the origin that had triggered this entire cascade of events was merely Li Fan slaying a single giant liuli fish.
The death of the liuli fish leader left the shoal unable to fend off predators.
This allowed a dragon whale to gorge itself on liuli pearls, giving rise to its intelligence.
Having gained sentience, the dragon whale, by pure chance, decimated an entire island's worth of Spirit Mist Grass.
The destruction of the grass was then secretly fanned by manipulators behind the scenes, bankrupting countless individuals.
And the ultimate outcome was the premature deaths of several Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Each event linked to the next like interlocking shackles.
At first, they merely clasped on lightly, but loop by loop, ring by ring, they tightened.
Until finally, once the fatal chain was forged, no one could break free!
*So even Foundation Establishment cultivators are this simple to kill. So this is the proper way to wield the killing intent of heaven and earth.*
*The Formless Killing Intent is still a bit crude by comparison.*
Li Fan's heart surged with turbulent waves, his mind racing with countless revelations.
Within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Lin Fan—who had been engrossed in all manner of secrets—suddenly underwent a change in expression.
He hastily activated auxiliary cultivation mode, and under the boost of Spirit Enlightenment, he entered a state of sudden comprehension.
*To kill someone, there is no need to dirty one's own hands. With the foreknowledge granted by True Reversion, I can act just as I did with He Zhenghao—laying out a plan that spans across time and space.*
*Claiming a life from tens of thousands of li away, set in motion years in advance.*
As the saying went, one could not see the true face of Mount Lu simply because one stood within the mountain.
Had it not been for He Zhenghao's unexpected death, it likely would have taken Li Fan a very long time to grasp this technique:
The Life-and-Death Interlocking Chain.
*Fellow Daoist He, you died well!*
At this thought, Li Fan offered a stick of incense before He Zhenghao's spirit tablet with utmost sincerity.
*Go in peace. In the next life, I will not treat you poorly,*
Li Fan remarked silently to himself.
After lingering a moment until the incense had nearly burned down, Li Fan turned to leave.
Just then, Manager Zhao's voice suddenly rang out.
"Immortal Master, please wait!"
Chapter 95