Under normal circumstances, the dormant cultivators inside the Medicine King True Cauldron would be protected by the ‘Dream of Spring and Autumn Formation’, making it considerably challenging for Li Fan to achieve his objectives.
However, the forced detachment from the Immortal Ruins had somewhat disrupted the formation’s effectiveness.
More importantly, Li Fan was aware that a Medicine King Sect cultivator named Linghu Chang had not fully integrated into the Dream of Spring and Autumn Formation.
The room he occupied was not completely sealed; a small gap remained.
If Li Fan could access the memories within Linghu Chang’s mind, the Medicine King True Cauldron would be virtually defenseless against him.
As for the cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage or higher, Li Fan planned to leave them undisturbed, allowing them to remain in slumber. For those below the Nascent Soul stage, if necessary, he could use his ‘Insect Binding’ divine ability to suppress them one by one.
Despite the fact that these disciples of the Medicine King Sect carried various magical artifacts and pills, such external items were of little significance to Li Fan in his current state.
What truly captured his interest was the Medicine King Cauldron itself, capable of traversing the void, as well as a set of navigational markers within the sect that could lead to another cultivation realm.
“Even with the existence of the Immortal Ruins, escape from the Xuanhuang Realm is currently impossible. Yet one day, I will leave this place,” he thought.
Another reason for Li Fan’s arduous journey was his desire to witness the Immortal Ruins firsthand.
Raising his gaze to the sky, he calmed his thoughts and awaited the arrival of the Medicine King True Cauldron.
While waiting, he observed the unique “Immortal-Suppressing Force” of the Cangwu Abyss, marveling at the wonders of creation.
Unlike restrictions or formations that merely weakened a cultivator’s strength, the Immortal-Suppressing Force seemed to proportionally scale down one’s cultivation level.
With his current Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation, although his strength seemed unrestricted, he could only manifest power equivalent to that of the Golden Core Stage.
“How fascinating! It’s as if a mortal entered the land of giants—unchanged in stature, yet, relative to everything around them, reduced to a mere ‘small person.’”
While Li Fan was lost in thought, the ruins of a nearby structure, as though stirred by an unseen wind, began creaking and slowly moving toward his position.
Without warning, the ruins appeared animated, as if imbued with life, exuding a sinister aura.
Li Fan frowned slightly but refrained from destroying the ruins. Instead, he chose to evade them.
As the broken remnants brushed past him, Li Fan’s gaze sharpened. With a flash, he landed atop one of the stone pillars.
The pillar, weathered by countless ages, bore carvings that had become nearly indistinct.
Despite its condition, thanks to his mastery of the Transformation Dao – Divine One, Li Fan could mentally reconstruct its original form.
The faint, fragmented patterns on the pillar seemed eerily familiar to him.
“This is…”
His eyes lit up with intrigue. Comparing the markings before him with his memories, he found them to match perfectly.
Looking around at the sprawling ruins of the Lost City, Li Fan was filled with astonishment.
“Are these buildings perhaps all from within the mist?”
In the mysterious domain where Li Fan obtained the [Chaos] character formula, he had once seen twelve large ruins.
The patterns on those ruins’ structures were identical to those on the stone pillar before him.
He recalled the origins of the Cangwu Abyss—how an entire province’s mountains and rivers had vanished, leaving only this abyss shaped like a giant footprint.
Peering into the abyss’s depths, he saw only darkness, endless and unfathomable.
“Does the Cangwu Abyss connect to the depths of the white mist?”
“In ancient times, the Xuanhuang Realm had no Devouring Origin White Mist. Now, the mist separates the world…”
“Where did it come from? Who were those tragic, fallen cultivators I encountered within the mist?”
Questions surged in Li Fan’s mind, unanswered.
Before he could ponder further, a meteor streaked across the night sky, momentarily illuminating the heavens.
“It’s here!”
Looking up, Li Fan saw the fiery streak descending straight toward his location.
An inexplicable sense of foreboding arose within him—part terror, part confrontation with an unstoppable calamity.
His body trembled slightly, reacting to the lingering aura of the Immortal Ruins emanating from the recently freed ‘Medicine King True Cauldron’.
Moving a bit away from the landing point, Li Fan kept his eyes fixed on the fiery meteor.
The cauldron descended rapidly, reaching the ground within moments, plunging into the depths of the Cangwu Abyss.
As it entered the abyss, its speed slowed, and the flames around it dimmed.
Sensing the aura of the Immortal Ruins, the abyss’s denizens instinctively scattered, clearing a path.
Finally, the Medicine King True Cauldron came to rest in its former position from the previous era.
After emitting a faint distress signal to the outside world, the cauldron gradually became transparent, vanishing into the air.
Li Fan waited patiently until the Immortal Ruins aura dissipated entirely before controlling the Little Medicine King Cauldron to enter.
With knowledge gained from Xiao Heng and the others’ exploration in his previous life, he navigated effortlessly to Linghu Chang’s slightly ajar door.
Inside, Linghu Chang lay on the floor, deep in slumber.
“Also at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, but…”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly as the phantom of the Five Elements Cave-Heaven emerged behind him.
The power of the Cave-Heaven Domain descended like chains, restraining Linghu Chang.
After confiscating all items from Linghu Chang, Li Fan mobilized his strength.
Moments later, before Linghu Chang could scream in agony, his body was crushed into fine dust under the immense power of the Cave-Heaven.
However, the Nascent Soul within his dantian remained completely unharmed under Li Fan’s precise control.
With his body destroyed, the sleeping Linghu Chang woke up instantly.
Seeing his tiny purple infant-like body, he immediately realized what had happened.
“Who exactly are you?”
Linghu Chang stared at Li Fan, half in hatred and half in fear.
Li Fan responded with a flash of purple lightning before Linghu Chang’s eyes.
“The Purple Heaven Sect…”
Linghu Chang’s words were filled with disbelief.
In the next moment, he lost consciousness and fainted.
After thoroughly absorbing Linghu Chang’s memories, Li Fan waved his sleeve and temporarily sealed Linghu Chang’s Nascent Soul within his Cave-Heaven.
He continued deeper into the Medicine King True Cauldron, arriving at the entrance to the “Gate of Life and Death,” where he began to contemplate.
“The Gate of Life and Death cannot be breached, not even by a Dao Integration expert.”
“Only by cultivating the true teachings of the Medicine King Sect’s Longevity and Lifespan Sutra and manifesting the ‘Longevity Green Energy’ can one reverse the gates of life and death in an instant and enter within.”
“Longevity and Lifespan Sutra, a Dao Integration cultivation method.”
For an ordinary cultivator, obtaining a Dao Integration technique would be enough to leave them sleepless with excitement.
However, Li Fan remained indifferent.
Although Longevity and Lifespan Sutra was indeed a Dao Integration method, its cultivation focused on altruism, healing the sick, and saving lives.
“Saving others is saving oneself; the more people one saves, the faster the cultivation progresses. Even breaking through bottlenecks requires meeting specific rescue quotas.”
This technique had low compatibility with Li Fan and no necessity for him to switch to it.
Still, as a Dao Integration method, its value was undeniably high. By exterminating everyone in the Medicine King Sect, this technique would become Li Fan’s exclusive possession. But there was no need for such measures; the Medicine King Sect members had other, more significant uses.
The current trouble was that too many people were cultivating The Longevity and Lifespan Sutra—a total of 462.
When Li Fan tried to cultivate this technique, his spiritual energy seemed completely blocked, with no reaction at all.
After pondering for a moment, Li Fan came up with an idea.
Using Linghu Chang’s memories, he located the quarters of some Golden Core disciples of the Medicine King Sect.
Breaking in, he forcibly extracted portions of their “Longevity Green Energy.”
By fusing these energies, Li Fan formed an energy body.
He separated a strand of his consciousness into the green energy body, stretching and adapting for a while.
“The Longevity Green Energy keeps dissipating and won’t last long. However, it should suffice.”
With a thought, the energy body condensed into a green Nascent Soul form.
Li Fan plunged headlong into the Wall of Life and Death.
Passing through a gray membrane, he found himself in a space that seemed identical to the exterior of the Medicine King True Cauldron.
This illusion was due to the transparent interior walls of the Medicine King Cauldron.
Within the space were two skeletons: one standing and one lying on the ground.
“The standing one must be Liu Ruchen; the one on the ground should be Elder Huang.”
“To escape the Immortal Ruins, Liu Ruchen had no choice but to sacrifice the life essence of some sect members.”
Recalling his past life’s knowledge, Li Fan mused to himself.
“Just bones left—surely, they’re not still alive.”
Li Fan cautiously approached Liu Ruchen’s remains.
As he reached the skeleton, a phantom suddenly appeared beside him.
Startled, Li Fan quickly realized it was merely a projection without any life force.
The Longevity Green Energy leaking from his body was absorbed by the phantom.
As if completing some sort of verification, the phantom eventually spoke:
“Disciples of the Medicine King Sect, heed my words.”
“If you are seeing this image, I have likely perished.”
“I was wrong.”
“I foresaw the arrival of the Great Calamity but did not expect something even more terrifying above our Xuanhuang Realm.”
“The Ten Great Immortal Sects knew everything yet left us to die.”
“This enmity is irreconcilable!”
“But remember, the Ten Sects are too powerful to confront directly. After returning to the Xuanhuang Realm, take refuge in the ‘Valley of Longevity’ and preserve your strength. Act cautiously after the calamity subsides.”
“After my death, my son Liu Yihang will temporarily serve as sect master, supported by the elders. Once he breaks through to Soul Transformation, he may formally assume the position.”
“In critical times of life and death, internal strife is unacceptable!”
…
The phantom recited Liu Ruchen’s will mechanically. Li Fan stood quietly, listening.
Long after the message concluded, the phantom dissolved into starlight, leaving behind a glowing, diamond-shaped crystal.
Li Fan knew this was the control core of the Medicine King Cauldron.
Originally intended for Liu Yihang, it now belonged to the prescient Li Fan.
Using the control core with his energy body, Li Fan opened the Wall of Life and Death and entered the main control room.
After seven days of refining, he gained control over the Medicine King True Cauldron.
Although many advanced functions were temporarily unusable without Longevity Green Energy, most basic features were operational.
Li Fan reviewed the images recorded by the Medicine King True Cauldron.
They matched what Xiao Heng and others had seen in his previous life.
In the boundless void, the Xuanhuang Realm’s light sphere appeared insignificantly small, while the Immortal Ruins above threatened to devour everything.
The images continued.
The Medicine King Cauldron, unable to resist, fell toward the Immortal Ruins despite the light radiating from its surface.
Drawing closer to the Immortal Ruins, its collapse seemed inevitable.
At that moment, countless glowing particles emerged from the cauldron, seemingly granting it infinite power.
Amid resounding roars, the cauldron changed its trajectory.
Yet Li Fan’s focus remained on the recorded images of the Immortal Ruins.
Due to the proximity, he discerned a clearer view of the ruins’ outline.
The desolate land was strewn with remnants of destruction.
Amid the ruins stood a towering figure silently gazing downward.