The once-gentle stream suddenly transformed into a roaring river in an instant.
Along with it, the land within the Cave-Heaven rapidly expanded once again.
With the nourishment of vast amounts of river water, the vegetation within the Cave Heaven thrived even more. Trees rose from the ground, lush and verdant.
“The River of Heaven and Yu’s Creation…”
Li Fan looked at the Holy Embryo Xu Bai and nodded with some satisfaction.
Then, he left the Cave-Heaven and resumed his journey through the Xuanhuang Realm.
Like a mortal traveler, he measured the land with his own footsteps.
Whenever he encountered a life transforming phenomenon that suited him, he would absorb it into his Cave-Heaven, just like gathering medicinal herbs.
At first, he was in awe, but after witnessing it so many times, he gradually became numb to it—it started to feel routine.
It is said that the changes about to occur in the world are like the meridians within a mortal’s body—without special methods, they are extremely difficult to detect.
Furthermore, once extracted, such phenomena would cause earth-shaking changes and attract great attention.
But all of these so-called “common knowledge” experiences failed to apply to Holy Embryo Xu Bai.
With just a brief moment of narrowed eyes, he could determine whether a “Heaven and Earth Life Transforming Phenomenon” was present.
Then, with a mere wave of his hand—like summoning a gentle breeze—it would silently become his.
As more and more transformative forces were integrated into his Cave-Heaven, it renewed itself day by day.
Mountains, ravines, plains, rivers, forests…
The Cave Heaven flourished with boundless vitality, resembling a small world constantly growing.
Yet, for the first time, Holy Embryo Xu Bai frowned.
“Something is still missing.”
“This vitality is merely an illusion—it cannot sustain a perfect cycle on its own.”
“If no external force replenishes it, this Cave-Heaven, which has grown unnaturally fast, will soon wither and return to silence.”
Li Fan sensed Xu Bai’s thoughts.
Xu Bai, now hovering in midair, scanned his surroundings and gazed into the distance.
He continued looking for an entire day.
Then, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Without urgency, he took a step forward, heading toward his destination.
From Li Fan’s perspective, Xu Bai’s speed did not seem particularly fast.
He didn’t even use his spiritual power—he was moving purely by physical strength.
Yet, to onlookers, he appeared to traverse thousands of miles in a single step, vanishing instantly.
“It’s not that he is moving—it’s that the world itself is cooperating, shortening the distance for him.”
“Shrinking the earth to inches, making travel effortless.”
As Li Fan observed the shifts in space around Xu Bai’s movement, a flash of insight struck him.
“Though my body was borrowed for Xu Bai’s rebirth, this is, in fact, a great fortune.”
“Each undiscovered ‘life transforming phenomenon’ represents an unparalleled treasure capable of creating a Soul Transformation powerhouse.”
“Moreover, every action Xu Bai takes is in harmony with the heavens and earth—it can all be considered divine abilities.”
“For example, the way he stimulates the Cave-Heaven’s vitality, the effortless way he extracts the Marrow of Heaven, or even his current use of Shrinking the Earth.”
“With my comprehension, grasping even one such divine ability in a single lifetime would be an incredible fortune. But now, they are coming one after another.”
“What’s even more precious is that all these divine abilities are being cast through my body and senses—as if I were the one using them myself. With some refinement in the future, I may be able to replicate them perfectly.”
“That is… if I have a next life.”
Li Fan’s swirling thoughts came to an abrupt halt as Xu Bai finally reached his destination.
“This place… is Congyun Sea?”
Li Fan snapped back to reality, startled.
Nearly ten years had passed since Ink Death’s world-ending massacre.
Although the place still bore the marks of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the once-violent lava flows had begun to cool, solidifying into a hardened black stone.
The space fissures, gnawed away like woodworms, had unknowingly healed completely.
At first glance, the former site of the Congyun Sea remained utterly lifeless.
Yet, upon closer sensing, a peculiar force seemed to be gestating.
Of course, this was something only Li Fan could perceive, thanks to the unparalleled innate talent of the Holy Embryo, Xu Bai.
If another cultivator were to arrive, they would likely only sense waves of deadly peril and would flee in terror.
The Holy Embryo, Xu Bai, gazed at the ruins for a long time. Before stepping into the Congyun Sea, he first glanced in the direction of Yuandao Prefecture.
A surge of resentment and dread instantly welled up in his heart.
For the first time, a trace of negative emotion appeared on Xu Bai’s face.
With a cold snort, he turned away and strode into the Congyun Sea.
Unlike the emotions that arose when he glimpsed Yuandao Prefecture, walking through the ruins here evoked an exceptionally complex feeling in Xu Bai’s heart.
It was a fusion of many emotions, intertwining and merging.
For a moment, even Li Fan could not discern the exact nature of this feeling.
However, his attention soon shifted to Xu Bai’s actions.
Clearly, the purpose of his journey this time is to perfect the [Change of Impending Life] within the vitality of his own Cave-heaven.
Unlike before, when he acted effortlessly, this time he was visibly solemn.
Using his hand as a brush, he moved swiftly through the air, drawing a boundary between reality and illusion within the heavens and earth.
The line extended continuously, from the western edge of Yuandao and Shilin Prefecture’s coastal borders to the farthest reaches of the Endless Ocean.
In just half a day, he had enclosed what was once the general territory of the Congyun Sea.
However, its contours were bizarrely shaped, and the enclosed area was significantly smaller than the original Congyun Sea.
When the boundary was finally sealed, it flickered once before vanishing into the heavens and earth.
Xu Bai then took a deep breath, reaching out to grasp the invisible loop of energy before gradually pulling it tight.
As the boundary was drawn in, something within the Congyun Sea seemed to be slowly extracted.
Li Fan remained intensely focused, unwilling to miss even a single detail.
The Dao Deviation Stone within his mind radiated a brilliant blue glow, meticulously recording every insight emanating from Xu Bai.
At first, Xu Bai reeled in the energy with ease. But as he progressed, the resistance from the void grew stronger.
Each successive pull required his full strength.
The once-intangible thread in his hands gradually became solid—its texture as gentle as a spring breeze, yet as chilling as ice silk.
Xu Bai’s gaze was unwavering, his resolve absolute.
As he extracted more and more of the boundary, the once-calm ruins of the Congyun Sea suddenly underwent a dramatic transformation!
Boom!
The previously dormant black-red magma erupted once more with terrifying intensity.
Countless wriggling black voids, like swarms of tiny insects, appeared in a dense mass!
The ominous aura of an impending apocalypse instantly descended.
“This is…” Li Fan’s pupils constricted.
“The soon-to-be-revived Congyun Sea is turning back into a dead land!”
“What he extracted… was the force driving the world’s revival!”
The world around them reverted into a living hell, yet Xu Bai’s actions remained unhesitating.
His expression bore neither sorrow nor joy.