Obviously, no one could repeatedly enter the same location the way Li Fan could. However, one Golden Core cultivator was clearly quite pleased with himself and began boasting about his experience.
Once, when he entered the Fallen Immortal Realm, he had taken over the body of a young boy.
The boy’s clan had been wiped out when he was still young, and his entire family perished tragically, leaving him as the sole survivor.
While struggling just to stay alive, the boy never stopped investigating the mastermind behind the massacre.
One day, he happened upon two cultivators locked in a fight to the death in the mountains. Both ultimately perished. From their corpses, the boy obtained several elixirs and two cultivation techniques, which allowed him to step onto the path of immortality.
Just as he began to see some success, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm and uncovering clues about the massacre, he was possessed by this Golden Core cultivator.
Using the boy’s accumulated clues, the cultivator managed, within the limited time available, to track down the culprit from years past. He then exterminated the killer’s entire family, fulfilling the boy’s long-cherished wish for revenge.
After leaving the Fallen Immortal Realm, the Golden Core cultivator successfully brought out one of the techniques, which later sold for a handsome sum of thirty thousand contribution points.
Hearing this, the others were filled with envy and praised his good fortune.
“So I believe one possible way to bring items out is through exchange,” the cultivator said.
“Since I wanted the boy to give me the technique, I had to help him fulfill his deepest wish.
“His wish was revenge for the massacre, and I accomplished it. In return, he was naturally willing to hand over the technique.”
The Golden Core cultivator, Ji Xingwen, spoke with complete confidence.
Li Fan and the others fell into thoughtful silence after hearing this.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Li Fan waited for the results of the fish-betting game, memorized the appearance of the winning fish, and then hurried back to Myriad Immortals Island.
Inside the Tianxuan Mirror, he cultivated in the boost state while waiting.
Over ten days later, Li Fan inexplicably felt that he could enter the Fallen Immortal Realm again and immediately performed the ritual.
Things unfolded without incident. Just like the previous two times, he possessed Li Chen of the Purple Firmament Sect.
Li Fan followed the exact same actions as last time, like pressing the fast-forward button.
"Junior Brother, wait here for me, I'll be right back!" Zhang Qianmo was already far away by the time his words faded.
This time, Li Fan chose another person to soul-search.
As this was his second time performing the Purple Firmament Soul Observation Art, he was somewhat more proficient, but it still consumed considerable energy.
After browsing through this person's past experiences, he found nothing particularly noteworthy.
His circumstances were quite similar to Liu Tu's: just an ordinary mortal who happened to encounter someone spreading the Immortal Venerable's new methodology, and then embarked on the immortal path and joined the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
However, in his memories, the one spreading the new methodology to the mortals wasn't that ambitious young man who reached Golden Core in ten years, but rather a woman dressed in snow-white clothes, with peerlessly beautiful features.
This woman's cultivation speed was even more outrageous; it was said she had become a Nascent Soul Eminence in just twenty years.
It seems there were quite a few cultivators who personally witnessed the Immortal Venerable transmitting the new methodology and later helped spread it.
Li Fan casually dumped the cultivator onto the ground like a sack of potatoes, then turned his gaze to the center of Ningyuan City.
Some time had passed, but the conflict still hadn't broken out.
After a long while, Zhang Qianmo emerged from the Drunken Immortal Tavern with a satisfied expression, slowly making his way toward the Rebirth Longevity Tree.
Li Fan noticed that Zhang Qianmo had erected a barrier around the tavern's exterior, likely to protect his former lover Chi Xia from the impending confrontation with Song Hesong.
It seems this Senior Brother Zhang is quite the romantic. Li Fan mused inwardly, his eyes glinting with unreadable light. Perhaps this is the angle to exploit for retrieving the Purple Firmament Soul Observation Art.
Boom!
A purple thunderbolt thick as a barrel suddenly descended from the heavens.
Song Hesong's agonized scream instantly echoed throughout Ningyuan City.
Li Fan watched as the city's Life Conversion Array activated at tremendous speed, drawing wisps of azure life force from the mortals and channeling them toward the site of the battle.
"Zhang Qianmo, so what if you're an inner disciple? You're just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Do you truly think I fear you?" Song Hesong's voice rumbled like thunder across the city.
A massive blood-red bell instantly encased Zhang Qianmo.
Song Hesong then reduced countless buildings to rubble with a casual wave.
The commoners trembling inside had no time to scream before their lives were extinguished.
From their remains rose thick, nearly solid crimson auras that shot skyward and gathered around Song Hesong. Within the bloody glow, the faces of the recently slain appeared. They immediately began charging toward Zhang Qianmo, who was trapped within the great bell.
Moments later, Senior Brother Zhang fell into a dazed, motionless state.
This Myriad Souls Divine Refinement Array is truly extraordinary. Li Fan observed. Even with Zhang Qianmo striking first, he still fell to the array's power. A pity it requires mortal lives as fuel, rendering it practically useless in the present day.
Li Fan silently watched as Song Hesong freely harvested the lives of Ningyuan City's inhabitants, transforming them into weapons against his foe.
In moments, the city became a landscape of devastation. Countless mortals perished by Song Hesong's hand.
Only the Drunken Immortal Tavern, protected by Zhang Qianmo's barrier, and Li Fan's current location, remained safe.
As the death toll mounted, half of Zhang Qianmo's skull exploded within the Myriad Souls Divine Refinement Array.
Yet his life force persisted.
Song Hesong's expression shifted exactly as before, but fear was quickly suppressed by greed, and he summoned crimson flames to scorch Zhang Qianmo.
It was only when the Purple Core within his body was revealed that Song Hesong finally sensed something amiss.