“But…”
Li Fan couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
Could it be that Senior Brother Zhang’s purple core cannot be activated voluntarily?
Recalling the scene where Senior Brother Zhang’s physical body was completely destroyed, only to reappear from the purple core afterward, Li Fan couldn’t help but speculate, “Could it be that this special state can only be triggered by death?”
The subsequent battle seemed to confirm Li Fan’s speculation.
Zhong Shentong’s continuous onslaught with the seven-colored divine light lasted for more than twenty days.
Finally, the energy stored in Zhang Qianmo’s purple core was depleted.
After Zhang Qianmo was disintegrated by countless divine lights, there was no scene of the purple core resurrecting him.
“Excuse my impoliteness!”
The old Daoist’s face showed a faint smile again.
He bowed toward the direction where his opponent had been reduced to bones.
Then, his figure gradually disappeared.
“So, it was resolved in this way. It’s really…”
Li Fan couldn’t help but feel speechless.
He didn’t expect that Zhang Qianmo would be slowly drained to death.
Senior Brother Zhang’s cultivation in the purple core state was almost invincible against Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Thus, it was fine as long as he wasn’t allowed to enter the purple core state.
Looking back, the principle was simple.
However, upon careful consideration, Li Fan felt that achieving this was easier said than done.
In Zhang Qianmo’s ordinary state, his combat power was already at the peak of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
To suppress him for such a long time without killing him was extremely difficult.
An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator could never achieve it.
Even an ordinary Golden Core cultivator couldn’t easily accomplish this.
Li Fan, at present, naturally couldn’t replicate it.
However, he had at least discovered a way to restrain Senior Brother Zhang.
The key was one word: “exhaust.”
With a solution in mind, the following tasks would be more manageable.
Li Fan had formidable combat strength not below Senior Brother Zhang’s regular state.
He only needed to find a way to engage in prolonged combat and exhaust Zhang Qianmo’s spiritual energy in the Fallen Immortal Realm.
The only concern was that each time he entered the Fallen Immortal Realm, there was a time limit.
However, Li Fan already had a solution for this, and only hadn’t implemented it out of caution.
This was a good opportunity to see if it worked.
Before entering the Fallen Immortal Realm again, Li Fan first investigated who this Zhong Shentong was.
The result surprised him.
He initially thought this person might be an exceptional genius, gifted with extraordinary talents.
The white hair and childish demeanor might just be a disguise.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Shentong was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.
He was even a bit of a late bloomer.
This person was an ordinary mortal until he was over sixty years old, and only then did he start thinking about cultivation.
Finally, before reaching the end of his life, he successfully stepped into Qi Condensation.
He spent dozens of years in the Qi Condensation stage.
And just as he was about to run out of lifespan, he entered the Foundation Establishment stage.
Normally, such a person, even after becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would have been a nameless existence.
However, this person, surprisingly, comprehended his own innate talent not long ago.
He could summon seven-colored divine light to attack enemies.
The light was as sharp as a blade and was near-unstoppable.
Moreover, he could travel by turning into light, allowing him to escape extremely quickly.
Even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t compare with his speed.
It was precisely because of the existence of this seven-colored divine light that Zhong Shentong’s name gradually became well-known.
“Interesting…”
“According to the current information, Zhong Shentong seems to have comprehended this seven-colored divine light last year, in the middle of the 23rd year.”
“Perhaps there is a chance to see how he achieved this.”
It was no surprise Li Fan had this idea.
After all, Zhong Shentong’s aptitude wasn’t particularly high.
If there was an opportunity to snatch this fortuitous encounter, Li Fan wouldn’t let it slip by.
After all, the power of this seven-colored divine light was indeed quite formidable.
With this matter in mind, Li Fan began to prepare.
He searched for a method of prolonged combat and found several options.
One was special techniques, and the second was unique Foundation Treasures.
The third was relying on some special spiritual treasures.
The fourth was taking pills.
Naturally, Li Fan chose the cheapest and most effective solution.
“Upper grade Human Treasure: Endless Hatred Branch.”
With the Heavenly Treasure in tow, Li Fan quietly left Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
In his usual manner, he found a secluded area beneath the deep sea, and Li Fan began closed-door cultivation.
First, he absorbed the Endless Hatred Branch.
Then, [Truth] transformed into the appearance of the Canghai Pearl and the Endless Hatred Branch at the same time.
Li Fan tried the consumption of spiritual energy.
To his pleasant surprise, with the combined enhancement of these two Foundation Treasures, the recovery speed of spiritual energy within his body was astonishingly fast.
It was as if the water of the sea and the hatred of mankind were inexhaustible and limitless.
With the capital for a prolonged battle, Li Fan was confident.
After contemplating for a moment, he summoned the Azure Flame Illusionary Spirit and entered a state of absolute rationality devoid of emotional fluctuations.
Then, he held a ritual.
“Blessings bestowed by the Celestial Sovereign of Xuanhuang!”
After a moment, Li Fan finally entered the Fallen Immortal Realm once again.
“Junior Brother? Junior Brother?”
Amidst the familiar voice of Zhang Qianmo, Li Fan opened his eyes.
He locked eyes with Senior Brother Zhang.
In just a second, the kind and smiling Senior Brother suddenly turned serious, with a murderous intent in his gaze.
However, he didn’t immediately take action. Instead, he appeared in the distance in a flash, locking onto Li Fan from afar.
“You’re not Junior Brother?”
“Otherworldly Demon? Evil spirit? Or…”
In the state of absolute rationality, Li Fan was only focused on achieving his goal.
Without wasting words with Zhang Qianmo, the outer shell that belonged to Junior Brother Li Chen instantly dissolved, revealing Li Fan’s original appearance.
Then, as the Canghai Pearl rotated, he struck out forcefully with a Cong Yun Sword.
Witnessing this horrifying scene, Zhang Qianmo was furious.
“Bold demon, daring to be presumptuous in front of me, Zhang Qianmo of the Purple Heaven Sect!”
Purple Heaven Royal Thunder descended from the sky, about to strike Li Fan.
However, it was met with a Heaven Overturning Palm, and the thunder dissipated to nothing instantly.
Before Zhang Qianmo could react, Li Fan’s attacks continued to follow like a tidal wave.
Li Fan meticulously controlled the power of every move and style, minimizing the use of spiritual energy while constantly depleting Zhang Qianmo’s strength.
The battle between the two fell into a protracted and tense state.
The fierce fight lasted for more than thirty days, destroying countless ordinary villages and cities along the way.
In the end, Zhang Qianmo was one step ahead of Li Fan but fell into a state of exhaustion.
He was killed by Li Fan with a single sword.
There was no resurrection from his purple core.
Zhang Qianmo was dead.
Li Fan had narrowly won the battle.
However, before he could explore the surrounding areas without the restriction of Zhang Qianmo’s supervision, a familiar fluctuation descended.
The duration of the Fallen Immortal Realm had reached its limit.
“It seems that even with the use of the Azure Flame Illusionary Spirit, I can’t stay in the Fallen Immortal Realm without any limitations.”
Thinking so, Li Fan returned to the real world.
Retracting the Azure Flame Illusionary Spirit, a strong feeling of exhaustion surged over him.
Thirty-plus days of high-intensity combat was also a considerable mental test.
“Fortunately, the gains were plentiful this time.”
“I finally solved the long-standing problem of Zhang Qianmo. Next time, when I enter the Fallen Immortal Realm, I shouldn’t be trapped in Ningyuan City again, right?”
“And…”
Li Fan’s expression became subtle as he examined the text that inexplicably appeared in his mind.
This should be what he gained from killing Zhang Qianmo.
Although it wasn’t the complete “Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique,” for Li Fan, it was extremely useful.
It compensated for a major weakness of Li Fan.
“Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Escape.”
Similar to the Purple Heaven Soul Observation Technique, it was also a secret technique attached to the Purple Heaven Royal Thunder True Technique.