And with the return of the portion of power that had previously split off from the Deepsea Pearl, Li Fan also learned what had transpired with Zhang Haobo.
When he first used the Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art to create the regressor Zhang Haobo, Li Fan hadn't considered using the Deepsea Pearl on him. Li Fan intended to use this treasure for his own Foundation Establishment in this lifetime.
But this world was not some static game; events wouldn't always unfold as he predicted.
After Zhang Haobo “regressed,” his providence shifted dramatically, his fate twisting violently.
This drew the attention of the Congyun Sea's consciousness.
After some interaction, the Congyun Sea's consciousness uncovered a staggering secret: this man of strange fate seemed to possess knowledge of future events.
Crimson Flame would descend, scorching the Congyun Sea—this was an intuitive premonition, and past experiences confirmed the reliability of this information.
Knowing It truly would be baked dry over a decade later, the Congyun Sea made a choice different from the past lifetime.
In the past life, the Crimson Flame began drying up the sea without any sign or warning. By the time the Congyun Sea noticed, It was already powerless to resist.
Yet It refused to submit.
Thus, though one sea perished, another sea was born.
Heaven wished to burn the sea. But this time, the sea decided to rise in rebellion, to fight a desperate battle.
Yet, It would always leave itself a path of retreat. Therefore, It divided its power into two parts.
One part transformed into the Deepsea Pearl. The other part gathered within the "regressed" Zhang Haobo. For although It possessed vast, limitless power, It could not act directly.
Heaven might wish to burn the sea, but it still had to manifest a Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth. If the sea wished to retaliate, It naturally needed to find a representative. And Zhang Haobo was naturally the best candidate.
Everything proceeded smoothly. With Its help, Zhang Haobo's cultivation progress was unbelievably fast. In just a few years, he broke through to the late-stage Qi Refinement realm.
Guided and protected by It, Zhang Haobo was able to observe the struggle between Azure Wind and the sword hilt, successfully using this to build his Foundation Establishment.
Later, with the power of an artificial core, he rode the azure winds and soared above myriad immortals, meeting the Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminence of Myriad Immortals Island.
Although the Immortal Eminence was skeptical of Zhang Haobo's claims about foreseeing future events, the temptation of Dao Unity and learning how long Crimson Flame would take to dry the sea led him to a decision—they would ambush the descending Crimson Flame.
To this end, the white-robed Hong Xi contacted another Spirit Transformation cultivator from Myriad Immortals Island, Immortal Eminence Zi Yun.
He also invited Immortal Eminence Tian Yang, with whom he had crossed paths in a previous battle.
The three of them questioned Zhang Haobo again about Crimson Flame's predicted behavior.
Even as they formed a strategy together, they still felt insecure. So, Hong Xi traveled hundreds of thousands of li to Feiling Province and invited the Dao Unity powerhouse, Immortal Venerable Jin Ri, to oversee the battle as insurance.
During this time, it so happened that two other Spirit Transformation cultivators, Immortal Eminence Lan Cang and Immortal Eminence Hao Xuan, were engaged in a great battle in the Congyun Sea.
Thus, Immortal Eminence Zi Yun employed her Starlight Teleportation Technique to invite these two to Myriad Immortals Island as guests. She then invited them to join forces to slay Crimson Flame.
The temptation of Dao Unity was difficult for any Spirit Transformation cultivator to resist. So the two gladly agreed.
In total, there was one Dao Unity powerhouse overseeing the battle, five Spirit Transformation powerhouses launching a joint assault, plus a Nascent Soul array master who had prepared hundreds of thousands of Array Crowns.
On top of that, they were using a prepared plan against an unprepared foe, to slay a Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth that took nearly a decade to burn the sea. Their chances of victory were significant.
And indeed, that was the case.
With the combined Star-Sun Prison of Immortal Venerable Jin Ri and Immortal Eminence Zi Yun severing Crimson Flame's connection to its power source of heaven and earth, Crimson Flame's defeat seemed inevitable.
Yet Zhang Haobo, who was observing from the sidelines, and the Congyun Sea itself, felt a vague uneasiness, so they decided to take action personally.
It seemed like a fantasy for a Golden Core realm cultivator to intervene in a conflict between Dao Unity and Spirit Transformation powerhouses. But it wasn't entirely impossible, because the one acting was not Zhang Haobo, but the Congyun Sea.
The power accumulated by the Congyun Sea over countless years was extremely close to the Dao Unity level. A Golden Core cultivator's body simply could not withstand it.
So, Zhang Haobo resolutely shattered his Golden Core, using a body of laws to accommodate the power of the Congyun Sea.
If successful, Zhang Haobo would ascend to the heavens in a single step, transforming from Golden Core to Dao Unity!
The frustration of a future burned to ashes, the fury of refusing to accept his destined fate, combined with the Heaven-Scorning Sword Intent Zhang Haobo had comprehended, ultimately culminated in the Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords.
These were swords of defiance, of vengeance, and of slaughter.
They succeeded, and yet they did not.
Though Crimson Flame died, Ink Death arrived.
The moment Zhang Haobo died, the Congyun Sea knew the endeavor had failed and ultimately withdrew Its power, returning to the Deepsea Pearl.
Although the Congyun Sea might not possess the clear intelligence of a human, an instinctive consciousness drove It to spur Zhang Haobo to fight against Crimson Flame.
Unexpected fortune, but not heaven’s blessing. Just a pawn in the game between two players.
Li Fan sighed and shook his head.
But the Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords is truly a magnificent sword technique.
Instantly, the memory of Zhang Haobo executing this sword strike flooded his mind. Every movement and every insight was crystal clear.
Channeling the power within the Deepsea Pearl, Li Fan swung his sword.
A blue sword light shot forth, unyielding and relentless as it swept across the lake’s surface.
The lake waters parted before the sword's power, revealing the muddy bottom beneath.
The eight hundred li expanse of Brightmoon Lake was cleaved in two by a single sword stroke.