This was already Li Fan’s sixth cup of spiritual tea.
The tea was named “Spring Sun Warmth”, priced at 800 contribution points per cup.
It was said that the tea tree needed to be cultivated in a cave environment with year-round dry weather, grown facing the sun. It only sprouted once every three years, making it extremely rare.
After drinking it, a warm current would rise within one’s body, creating a sensation akin to basking in sunlight. The effects lasted for several days.
Yet, even this widely acclaimed tea failed to dispel the cold fear lingering in Li Fan’s heart.
This was the third time Li Fan, since entering the cycle of reincarnation in the Xuanhuang Realm, had directly faced a true powerhouse in his original form.
The first time was when his clone was seen through by the Heavenly Doctor, who followed the connection to invade Li Fan’s private space in the Tianxuan Mirror.
The second time was during his secluded cultivation in Tianyu Prefecture, comprehending the “Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword.” The Old Fisherman, drawn by the aura of heavenly calamity within it, had unexpectedly appeared.
This third encounter, however, was even more startling and caught him completely off guard.
At least the Old Fisherman, though mad and incoherent, bore no malice toward Li Fan. On the contrary, he had even given him a fortunate opportunity.
The encounter with the Heavenly Doctor was Li Fan’s own doing, as he had taken on a mission offering a reward of 100,000 contribution points and willingly sought out the trouble. Though he hadn’t yet learned the importance of concealing his thoughts before a powerhouse, leading to his intentions being discovered, his true consciousness was clear at the time. Plus, with the [Truth] Shield protecting him, the danger had been more bark than bite.
But this time…
Daoist Xiumu appeared suddenly and without warning, catching Li Fan entirely unprepared.
Their methods were terrifying, and even now, recalling the experience, Li Fan felt a chill of dread.
“Unlike the Heavenly Doctor’s method of seeing through human hearts, the Daoist Xiumu—or rather, ‘Ruomu’—can directly distort and alter a cultivator’s thoughts and perceptions.”
“And the cultivator themselves remains oblivious to any abnormalities…”
“No wonder the Daoist Xiumu previously claimed that the cultivators who had their golden cores taken were all ‘willing.’”
Recalling his thoughts and reactions at the time, Li Fan felt another wave of coldness rising in his heart.
He downed another cup of “Spring Sun Warmth” to calm his nerves.
“Natural selection—this is simply the way of nature.”
“But after following him and witnessing the place called ‘Withering Human Life,’ not only did I not sense danger or sorrow, I actually found it entirely reasonable.” ŕＡ𐌽ȏBÈś
“I even felt a desire to replace them myself…”
Li Fan squinted his eyes, replaying the scenes before Ruomu in his mind through the Dao Deviation Stone.
The influence of Ruomu had dissipated by now.
Though Li Fan had always regarded all living beings as tools, seeing cultivators suspended like fruit from branches still instinctively filled him with unease.
This was the natural reaction he should have had.
“Under the Daoist Xiumu’s influence, my concepts were twisted and seemingly guided toward extremes.”
“One could say I became somewhat deranged.”
Li Fan didn’t deny that, deep within, he might indeed harbor a faint shadow of such thoughts.
But humans are complex spiritual aggregates, often harboring contradictory beliefs.
A fleeting thought cannot, of course, define one’s fundamental worldview.
“This Daoist Xiumu is highly abnormal.”
“They seem to harbor a profound hatred for cultivators.”
Naturally, Li Fan didn’t believe someone with Ruomu’s level of cultivation would sell golden cores merely for contribution points.
Abducting cultivators to join the ‘Withering Human Life’ production line might also be secondary.
The primary purpose, it seemed, was likely to propagate the idea that “cultivators can also be like fruit.”
Such heretical views would undoubtedly be rejected by the cultivator community. The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was likely monitoring and suppressing such ideologies, which was why the Daoist Xiumu couldn’t act openly.
“Revenge, perhaps…” Li Fan’s eyes flickered with thought.
The heavens give rise to all living things, yet Ruomu steals their longevity. It draws life to create longevity fruits, which, when consumed, grant eternal life.
During the period when Ruomu controlled his thoughts, countless scenes had flashed through Li Fan’s mind.
He saw a towering, vibrant tree utterly unlike the current withered one.
It stretched up to the heavens, verdant and brimming with life.
No cultivators hung from its branches.
At its crown, there were merely a few translucent, purple-and-gold fruits of extraordinary quality.
The fruit’s surface bore faint patterns—trees, mountains, exotic beasts.
The markings on each purple-and-gold fruit were unique, with no duplicates.
In those flashes of vision, Li Fan also saw that, at first, only ordinary humans stumbled upon the tree. They had no cultivation and dressed as common mortals.
Only a select few lucky individuals managed to climb the tree’s branches and successfully pluck the purple-and-gold fruits.
Later, however, humans came more frequently and grew stronger.
Some climbed the giant tree as though walking on flat ground.
Naturally, more fruits were taken.
As a result, Ruomu, once indifferent to outside intrusions, began to change.
It birthed various mystical creatures on its branches as a defensive system to repel intruders seeking its fruit.
This worked for a while.
But the peace didn’t last.
When humans returned, their strength had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
They came in groups, clad in peculiar garments, capable of flight and manipulating the energy of the heavens to battle.
The creatures Ruomu had spawned were no match for them.
Humans seized control of Ruomu and claimed it as their own.
They stationed guards and periodically harvested its fruits.
…
“Xuantian Sect?”
The attire of the humans in those visions was distinctive and unmistakable.
It bore a striking resemblance to the robes Li Fan had seen on the remains of a Xuantian Sect Dharma King in Senior Sister Zhao’s illusion.
The Xuantian Sect ruled over this place for a long time.
When the scene shifted again, the people now appearing at Ruomu were cultivators from the Ten Great Immortal Sects.
“Longevity Fruit, perhaps?”
Li Fan glanced at the withered tree fragment on the table, his mind racing.
After a long moment of reflection, his thoughts returned to the memory.
During the Ten Great Immortal Sects’ occupation of Ruomu, the yield of purple-and-gold fruits inexplicably began to decline.
The cultivators who came to harvest the fruits also seemed to come from different sects each time.
What followed remained unclear…
One day, dozens of cultivators with powerful auras stormed into the scene.
After easily slaying the guards, they did not immediately plunder the purple-and-gold fruits.
Instead, they stared at Ruomu, arguing over something.
Their dispute grew heated but eventually reached a resolution.
The subsequent scene made Li Fan’s pupils contract sharply.
They set up an enormous formation, sealing Ruomu within.
Black chains, like long needles, pierced into the tree at various points.
Soon, an unending stream of life energy was drawn out and gathered into a green ball of light in the air.
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