NOVPUBHe had savored the marrow’s flavor.
Having realized just how powerful the top-quality Dao Transmutation Stones were, Li Fan acted without delay and captured the other two men.
Though they did not win the grand prize, the Huadao Stones they carried were still of top quality.
Li Fan replicated the process.
After absorbing three top-quality Dao Transmutation Stones, Li Fan experienced again the long-missed qualitative change that felt akin to breaking through a major realm.
However, he did not become arrogant and analyzed this world’s experiences all over again.
Leveraging his enhanced strategic abilities, he roughly deduced how he could successfully break free from the "True Immortal’s Net" and return to reality, and even how he could benefit from the situation.
"Still, I haven’t reached the level of the Transformation Stone Mother, which could deduce the hierarchical structure of the real world. I must adapt as things come," he thought to himself.
Li Fan remained silent, as a myriad of thoughts circled in his mind.
After meditating for three full days, he first summoned his clone, Li Qing.
"You may go ahead to the Misthaven Ocean and startle the Chaoyuan Sect beforehand. If nothing unexpected happens, the Ruin of Chaoyuan Sect will still head towards Jiushan Province," he instructed. 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Once the cultivators from various Small Worlds have forcefully advanced to the Golden Core Realm by consuming elixirs from the Medicine King Sect, you can lead them there," he continued.
"With your guidance, they should be able to fight their way out of the Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood of Chaoyuan Sect. Once they reemerge, they will be able to collectively ascend to the Nascent Soul Transformation Realm. By then, exploring secrets in the River of Blood will become much easier," he explained.
The thoughts of his clone also instantly returned to everything they knew about Chaoyuan Sect.
The Chaoyuan Sect was initially hidden within an ancient cave mansion in the three submarine faults underneath the Misthaven Ocean.
Before the upcoming calamity struck the Misthaven Ocean, it had fled far away, dropping to Jiushan Province.
Shuo Feng, Zhang Haobo, and Su Xiaomei once ventured together seeking a breakthrough opportunity.
From their adventures, Li Fan also came to understand the secrets of Chaoyuan Sect.
The Chaoyuan Sect was an indigenous sect of the Xuanhuang World.
Ever since the Great Calamity arrived, it disappeared as if evaporated from the human world.
Actually, the whole sect was transformed into a strange state, existing between reality and illusion, cut off from the outside world.
Time seemed to have also stopped within it, in hopes to evade disaster.
This was the original plan of the Chaoyuan Sect.
However, various changes always occurred.
First, their region was turned into the Misthaven Ocean with a palm strike from the Celestial Dharma Bearer, burying Chaoyuan Sect beneath the ground.
Latterly, perhaps due to the influence of the fusion of the two realms, various strange phenomena gradually began occurring within Chaoyuan Sect.
When Su Xiaomei and the others entered the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect, the cultivators inside seemed to be living normally.
But in reality, they had all turned into Faceless Blood Faces, having lost their own appearances.
And they were completely unaware of this themselves.
If one were to reveal the true nature of their Faceless Blood Faces in front of these cultivators,
They would go mad and suddenly attack,
Behaving as if they had lost all reasoning, regardless of cultivation level, they would attack like wild animals using their physical claws.
Although they wouldn’t use Divine Techniques, these Faceless Blood Faces were truly difficult to deal with.
They were very fast and healed quickly from injuries.
Only by completely severing their blood faces could one finally kill them.
And after a Faceless Blood Face was killed, it would transform into a beam of red light and attach itself to the cultivator who had killed them.
This red light was actually the Primordial Power of the Chaoyuan Sect World.
After leaving Chaoyuan Sect, this stolen red light would also depart with the cultivator.
Like some highly nourishing substance, it was sufficient to allow cultivators below the Nascent Soul level to directly ascend a major realm.
Even the essentials for new advancements such as Foundation Establishment Strange Objects, Golden Core Technique, and Nascent Soul Cave Heaven, would naturally evolve from the red light.
If one possessed a special refining method, it was even possible to directly absorb the red light primordial essence in the Chaoyuan Sect world, continuing to fight and fuel oneself through battle.
As for why such a bizarre scene occurred in the Chaoyuan Sect, it remained a mystery for now.
However, Li Fan speculated that it might be due to the influence of the fusion between the Xuanhuang World and other worlds.
...
Li Qing went over the origins and developments of the Chaoyuan Sect and then nodded.
"If that red light primordial essence is also useful to me, perhaps my realm might even surpass yours?" Li Qing said with a smile.
"Then you’ll need to kill even more. Advancing in Heaven’s Oddities is not like the rest. The resources you need to ascend to God Transformation might even surpass those needed by ordinary cultivators to reach Unity-Path," Li Fan responded unconcernedly.
"If you indeed achieve the God Transformation Realm, with the prowess of Black Sword Sky Oddity, you might actually manage to withstand me for two or three rounds."
The clone smiled and did not respond.
He accepted the command and left.
In the exploration of the River of Blood henceforth, the clone, Li Qing, would be fully responsible.
After all, once any secrets were unraveled, the clone’s knowledge would naturally synchronize with his own.
There shouldn’t be any mishaps.
...
With the support of the upgraded Dao Transmutation Stone, the Final Separation Disk was finally able to unleash its full computational power.
While working on deciphering the prohibitions set by the Celestial Dharma Bearer, it also started creating a completely new Array Technique, according to Li Fan’s design.
Meanwhile, Li Fan himself began studying the clump of white light inside him.
It was the Origin of the Mirror, previously entrusted to him by the Tianxuan Mirror.
Even though the Tianxuan Mirror claimed that the Origin of the Mirror existed only alongside it, neither increasing nor decreasing,
Li Fan was curious to know what would happen if, after Even True, he chose to retain this object.
"There’s a high possibility that a new Origin of the Mirror might suddenly appear in the world," he thought.
"And if the Tianxuan Mirror fails to sense this new Origin of the Mirror…"
Li Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
During the days he possessed the Origin of the Mirror, Li Fan had enjoyed numerous benefits.
Mere fact that the Tianxuan Mirror nearly completely lowered its defenses around him was worth using an anchor point to exchange for keeping the object.
"In this world’s final moments, one could test the Tianxuan Mirror’s reaction."
"If it’s detected, it doesn’t really matter since I will be undergoing Even True immediately anyway," he reasoned.
"And if the Tianxuan Mirror fails to detect this suddenly increased Origin, then its utility just increases manifold."
Of course, all this was predicated on the assumption that using an anchor point to exchange items generated them spontaneously within the Even True’s item space,
rather than absorbing existing objects from the world.
"This also signifies the real possibility concerning Even True," Li Fan mused, falling into deep thought.
"Nevertheless, it’s absolutely worth a try."
At the moment, Li Fan had only two blank anchor points left.
However, he already had a conjecture about how to increase anchor points.
The increase in anchor points before had come about through absorbing cultivators’ Gold Cores.
Initially, it was through absorbing cultivators’ Foundation Establishment Strange Objects.
So, it seemed apparent that the next step to increase anchor points likely involved absorbing what was necessary for a cultivator to form a Nascent Soul, namely a Cave Heaven.
As for why Li Fan had personally visited many Cave Heavens but had yet to receive any absorption prompts...
Li Fan guessed that it might require a newly-formed Cave Heaven.
