Not far from him, Li Fan watched with a faint smile.
The Immortal Master stood right before him, yet the mortal could not perceive him.
This child shows promise. His physique seems somewhat unusual, and his determination to seek the Dao is quite firm. Li Fan observed quietly, a hint of appreciation in his gaze.
But I haven’t even secured my own footing yet. How could I possibly teach you? Li Fan chuckled and shook his head.
It’s better to wait until the time is ripe before granting you an opportunity.
He pointed gently toward Erlang.
Sun Erlang suddenly felt dazed. He looked around somewhat confusedly before finally hoisting the still-paralyzed Wang Xuanba over his shoulder and making his way down the mountain.
Watching the two leave Jieli Mountain, Li Fan then turned his gaze to where the white python had been devoured.
A surge of satisfaction rose within him.
The last nine years of dedicated research were not in vain. This Formless Killing Mechanism is truly extraordinary.
The recent chaos within Jieli Mountain, where every bird and beast had simultaneously gone mad trying to devour the white python, had been his doing.
Having already reached the late-stage Qi Refinement realm in this life, he had chosen to seclude himself within Jieli Mountain to avoid the influence of Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
Here, he waited for the Return to Truth to finish charging while devoting himself to rigorous cultivation.
Since the Immortal Forsaken Lands contained no spiritual qi, he had spent the vast majority of his time contemplating the energy mechanisms of heaven and earth he had observed in his previous life.
Nine years of painstaking dedication had finally borne fruit, allowing him to comprehend a single technique: Formless Killing Mechanism.
Once unleashed, this technique could mimic the killing mechanisms of the Heavenly Dao to a certain extent within a defined range.
When heaven unleashed its killing mechanisms, it naturally manifested through various deadly calamities.
A target marked by Formless Killing Mechanism would perish from these calamities without Li Fan needing to lift a finger.
Take the crimson-eyed white python, for example. After being marked by Li Fan’s Formless Killing Mechanism, it became a target for the Heavenly Dao’s killing mechanisms within the bounds of Jieli Mountain.
Heaven and earth nurtured all living things, and the will of heaven and earth governed the vast majority of creatures in this world.
Thus, countless animals were driven by this will, developing an all-consuming killing intent towards this white python.
This killing intent would only vanish once the white python was utterly destroyed.
Borrowing the authority of heaven’s will—this was the formidable power of Formless Killing Mechanism.
The power of this divine ability was considerable, its method insidious, and its execution incredibly subtle.
The divine ability itself was like the killing mechanisms of heaven and earth, resembling a pure will and rule.
Ordinary cultivators simply couldn’t detect it.
Possessing so many advantages, it was truly the essential tool for murder and plunder.
No wonder Li Fan was so pleased.
Of course, since this initial experiment of the Formless Killing Mechanism had only targeted ordinary mountain beasts, the resulting spectacle was quite grand.
As for what effect it would have on cultivators of equal or higher cultivation levels than Li Fan, that was something he would have to test personally in the future.
Having tested out the divine ability, Li Fan returned to the thatched hut where he lived in seclusion atop Jieli Mountain.
After briefly tidying up, Li Fan checked the charging progress of Return to Truth.
It had reached 99%.
It is time to set foot in the cultivation world once more.
Li Fan immediately summoned the Taiyan Boat and flew to Xuanjing City.
Wielding the might of an immortal, he amassed vast quantities of treasures and grain as he had in his previous life.
Once the Taiyan Boat was fully loaded, Li Fan went to Qian Hong’s tomb.
With his current cultivation, the restrictions of the Halt Stele Fragment could no longer harm him.
Entering Qian Hong’s tomb, Li Fan retrieved the bound Halt Stele Fragment from Return to Truth’s spatial storage.
The two Halt Stele Fragments merged together, forming a completely new Halt Stele Fragment.
It was not as aged and worn as before, bearing only a few cracks on its surface. But it still seemed to lack that final step towards a qualitative transformation.
Li Fan wasn’t particularly concerned. Having experienced the immense power of the Deepsea Pearl, he no longer found this Halt Stele Fragment particularly valuable. It was simply something to sell to the Tianxuan Mirror for contribution points anyway.
Taking the two techniques from Qian Hong’s tomb and the damaged Taiyan Boat as well, Li Fan departed on his flying boat.
After flying for some distance, he turned back.
He returned to the tomb, gathered Qian Hong’s remains, and prepared to bring them back to the cultivation world, fulfilling the final wish of the deceased.
Now, with no more attachments, Li Fan smoothly passed through the Immortal-Slaying Grand Array and returned to the cultivation world.
Seeing the clear blue Congyun Sea again, Li Fan felt as if a lifetime had passed in the blink of an eye.
He took out Qian Hong’s bones, reduced them to ashes, and scattered them over the vast sea.
Above, a strange phenomenon suddenly manifested in the sky.
A single flower petal drifted from a branch. Carried by the wind, it wandered endlessly without rest.
“Foundation Establishment cultivator Qian Hong cultivated for 265 years, establishing his Dao Foundation with the Curio, Drifting Plum Blossom.”
“Exiled for 3670 years, his soul now returns home, his Dao returned to the heavens!”
The phenomenon lasted no longer than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea before fading away without a trace.[1]
1. A few minutes ☜