“Finally, we made it out!”
The relieved voices of Huangfu Song and Dongfang Yao echoed in Li Fan’s ears.
Li Fan turned to look at them and realized they were in a much worse state than he was.
In just a short time, they had visibly aged. Strands of white hair had appeared in their tied-up hair, and wrinkles had formed on their faces.
“If it weren’t for you, Brother Li, charging ahead and drawing in most of the deadly aura, Huangfu and I would have likely perished here!” Dongfang Yao said with lingering fear.
Huangfu Song nodded in agreement.
“You two should take some more Longevity Pills first. I still have a few left,” Li Fan said, his expression showing both pain at the loss and decisiveness. He took out a jade bottle, turned it over, and poured out the last three pills.
“I should have bought more back then,” Li Fan sighed, dividing the pills and handing two to Huangfu and Dongfang.
Seeing this, the two men couldn’t help but feel touched.
“Traveling with Brother Li this time has truly been our great fortune,” Huangfu Song said as he refined the pill’s medicinal power, dispelling the negative effects of the deadly aura before echoing his agreement.
“By the way, Brother Li, where did you obtain these Longevity Pills? Their effects are extraordinary! I have taken six in a row, yet I can still feel the immense life force within them. I have never heard of such a divine medicine before,” he asked after a brief pause, shifting the topic.
“To be honest, I bought them from a cultivator I met by chance in Tianyu City. He boasted about how powerful these pills were, but I was skeptical at the time, so I didn’t stock up. In my haste, I even forgot to get his contact information,” Li Fan shook his head regretfully.
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Song’s expression turned disappointed. “What a pity! A divine medicine like this will definitely cause a frenzy among the cultivators in the Immortal Alliance once the official decree is issued. If only we could have prepared some in advance…”
“For now, let’s focus on finding a way out. We’ve only escaped from the Sea of Death; we still haven’t left this Maze,” Dongfang Yao interrupted Huangfu Song’s wishful thinking rather bluntly.
With this, the three of them took a closer look at their surroundings.
Before them was a vast, azure ocean—completely different from the pitch-black Sea of Dead they had just escaped.
Not only was it different, but it was the exact opposite.
One side was filled with dense death energy that even Soul Transformation cultivators couldn’t easily resist or dispel. Meanwhile, this side, though not overwhelmingly filled with life energy, was like the morning sun, the vigor of youth, and the revival of spring.
Life flourished.
It was like a newly born world, brimming with vitality.
Even the three of them, upon entering, felt as though both their bodies and minds had become more “youthful.”
“What do you think, Brother Li?” Dongfang Yao asked.
Li Fan remained silent in contemplation.
Huangfu Song then shared his theory: “This Sea of Life might be the counterpart of the Sea of Death, both part of this maze—two sides of the same coin.”
“Which means that somewhere in this place, there must also be a formation core. Since life and death are opposites, the cores must be located in different places within their respective realms. If we find the core of the Sea of Life and pass through it, we might be able to escape this maze.”
Dongfang Yao scratched his head. “Why wouldn’t it just lead us back to the Sea of Death?”
Li Fan smiled and answered on Huangfu Song’s behalf. “Because this maze formation is the ‘Grand Reversal of Life and Death Formation.’ Furthermore, considering how dense the death aura was in the Sea of Death, if there had been a place as full of life force as this one connected to it, it would have stood out like ink dropped into water. Yet we searched the entire Sea of Death and didn’t find even the slightest trace of life force. This suggests that the exit of this Sea of Life isn’t over there.”
“Brother Li, your thoughts align perfectly with mine!” Huangfu Song praised.
“Alright, since you both agree, let’s hurry and find this so-called formation core,” Dongfang Yao said, conceding to the majority.
At first glance, this Sea of Life seemed like an ordinary ocean. Other than the abundance of marine creatures, there were no apparent anomalies.
Their journey was smooth, encountering no danger at all.
What surprised Huangfu Song was that their exploration here still counted toward the expansion of the unknown White Mist territory.
The rapidly increasing Qingxuan Points filled him with excitement. He couldn’t help but exclaim that they had come to the right place, seemingly forgetting the life-or-death crisis they had just experienced.
Li Fan’s face also carried a hint of joy, but in truth, this was merely an act to blend in with the group.
His real focus was on a single question.
Was this Sea of Life actually the experiment of that Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereign who reversed life and death?
“Creating an entirely new world of vitality from a world of extinction?”
“Raising the concept of life and death from all beings to the level of an entire world… It is indeed a step further.”
“Who exactly is this powerful figure?”
Li Fan felt that there might be other hidden secrets behind all of this, but at the moment, he was unable to fully grasp them.
“If my guess is correct, then the principle of [Reversing Life and Death] has already been claimed by someone. At this point in time, the Immortal Sage Blue Feather, who also seeks to attain Dao through this concept, has not yet faked his death and gone all in.”
“Perhaps, there is an opportunity to profit from this.”
“But dealing with a tiger is always dangerous—utmost caution is needed. For Blue Feather to have survived since the ancient cultivation era, he is definitely not an ordinary figure.”
While Li Fan pondered in silence, the three of them thoroughly explored the Sea of Life.
In the end, they actually found the [Formation Core].
“Last time, Brother Li took the lead, so this time, let me go first.” Feeling the faintly discernible miniature vortex ahead, Dongfang Yao patted his chest and volunteered.
Li Fan had no objections to this suggestion.
Huangfu Song also nodded in agreement, not competing with Dongfang Yao. Instead, he simply followed behind him.
Li Fan took up the rear, and one after another, the three of them plunged into the vortex.
The familiar white mist surged in from all directions. This terrifying existence, which could normally consume one’s lifespan, now instead brought them a sense of joy.
“We finally made it out alive!”
“We earned over thirty thousand Qingxuan Points this time! I bet no one in the entire Immortal Alliance has more than us!”
Unable to contain his excitement, Huangfu Song immediately raised his Heaven-Measuring Mirror, eager to synchronize their recorded data with the Tianxuan Mirror.
However, in the very next moment, his expression drastically changed, and he let out a miserable cry.
“What’s going on? Why have our Qingxuan Points reset to zero?”