Chapter 1021: Strange Explosion in the Clouds

Li Fan spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

However, he also knew that his ability to effortlessly upgrade the Profound Sky Dark-Locking Formation was entirely due to the advantages of the Disintegration Disc. Not to mention, it was a super version created after the fusion of two lifetimes. If it were a typical Dao-melding formation master, they might not even be able to comprehend this ancient grand formation.

Thinking this, Li Fan averted his gaze from the Netherworld Tunnel Entrance. The frequent outbreaks of strangeness in the Xuanhuang Realm should be a matter for five hundred years in the future. Clearly, the Xuanhuang Realm in this lifetime would not survive that long.

"Let me test the power of the Heaven-Deceiving Dao after its transformation." Li Fan concentrated, locking onto the thin thread connected to Jin Jian, the Spirit of Heaven and Earth. Then, with a slight exertion of force, he feigned the might of heaven and earth, conveying an erroneous command to Jin Jian: to return to the heavens and earth.

Within the Netherworld Tunnel Entrance, Jin Jian appeared somewhat perplexed by this sudden command. If it were to leave now, there would clearly be a risk of large-scale outbreaks of strangeness for some time. However, as the Spirit of Heaven and Earth is a manifestation of the will of heaven and earth, it naturally couldn't act against its own will. So, after a brief hesitation, Jin Jian, the Spirit of Heaven and Earth, transformed back from its golden chain form into a human body. Then it slowly faded, eventually disappearing into the fabric of heaven and earth.

The moment Jin Jian vanished, Li Fan saw a vast quantity of dark, murky matter violently erupting from the black, opaque, and unobservable area below. Formless and shapeless, yet like living creatures, they spontaneously spread outwards.

Heaven and earth reacted very quickly to these dark substances. A sense of imminent detection suddenly welled up in Li Fan's heart; he made a swift decision, immediately severing his connection to the vast net of heaven and earth. At the same time, he quickly fled far away from Congyun Sea.

Perhaps busy dealing with the crisis of strangeness, heaven and earth did not detect Li Fan, who had feigned a heavenly decree and interfered. Li Fan, from a distance, observed that after Jin Jian dissipated, two new Spirits of Heaven and Earth were about to be born in Congyun Sea.

Li Fan, having given his Heaven-Deceiving Dao an initial test, was very pleased with its divine power. The Spirits of Heaven and Earth are of an even higher level than the Transformations of Heaven and Earth. Since he could feign a heavenly decree to manipulate the Spirits of Heaven and Earth, then calling upon the Transformations of Heaven and Earth within a certain range would naturally be no problem.

"I could even use this method to first create chaos within the Xuanhuang Realm, and then, seizing the opportunity, 'manufacture' the Spirits of Heaven and Earth needed to resolve the issues," Li Fan mused, his thoughts wandering. "However, doing so would undoubtedly alert heaven and earth to the anomaly. It could only be done once, so its utility is limited."

Though far from Congyun Sea, Li Fan constantly monitored the situation after the Netherworld Tunnel Entrance began leaking, using the Heavenly Profound Mirror. It appeared utterly peaceful and calm, with not the slightest anomaly occurring.

However, even before the cultivators noticed, strange occurrences had gradually begun to appear on Myriad Immortals Island.

At Thousand-Mile Hall, "What the hell? This month's accounts don't add up!" Jiao Xiuyuan frowned deeply and recalculated this month's profits, only to discover he had actually suffered a loss. His blood boiled, and he felt as if he might uncontrollably spit out a mouthful of old blood at any moment. Jiao Xiuyuan forcefully suppressed his irritation and meticulously re-examined everything. The results were correct. "This isn't right. I distinctly remember this month should have been a small profit. How could it be a loss?" Jiao Xiuyuan was puzzled. He stopped attending to customers immediately and closed the main door tightly. Then he meticulously retrieved all the transaction records from Myriad Immortals Island for the month. Finally, he discovered the problem.

"Ah, right, there's one account that hasn't been collected yet." "Who was the debtor again?" Jiao Xiuyuan muttered to himself, and as he continued searching, his expression grew increasingly serious. He realized that the person who owed him money had simply vanished without a trace. Not only was there no memory of this person in his mind, but there was also no information about them left in the Heavenly Profound Mirror. It was as if this person had never existed at all.

"This..." Jiao Xiuyuan's first reaction was that he had encountered a powerful being. "Which friend is playing a joke on me, Jiao?" A trace of anger appeared on his tanned face. But soon, Jiao Xiuyuan felt some doubt. "It's only ten thousand contribution points, is it really worth all this trouble?" Having calmed down, Jiao Xiuyuan sensed that something was amiss. After going out to inquire, he further confirmed his suspicion.

"Indeed, it's not just one person; many have mysteriously disappeared." Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes darted around; he immediately took out a jade slip and inscribed his findings into it.

The strange occurrences erupting in Congyun Sea were not limited to this. On one island, all residents turned into faceless monsters overnight. Everyone saw themselves as normal in a mirror, but when they looked at others, they saw only a faceless visage. Furthermore, they could not understand each other's speech. In extreme terror, the islanders slaughtered each other, and ultimately, only one survivor remained.

On another occasion, a fishing boat returned to the island, but for a long time, no crew members appeared. The island residents, curious, boarded the ship to investigate, only to find that all the crew members had turned into skeletons. The ship's interior also looked as if centuries had passed, utterly dilapidated.

All these bizarre and fantastical events left even Li Fan, the instigator, marveling.

"Each strange occurrence should correspond to a specific rule. If one can uncover the secret of these rules during an outbreak, they might not only survive but also gain a portion of this new rule's power." "If cultivators represent the power of the old laws of heaven and earth, then these new laws..." "Perhaps they will give rise to an entirely new power system." After merging with heaven and earth, Li Fan's comprehension seemed to have significantly improved. He instantly thought of many things.

"However, these so-called new laws are merely temporary existences during the integration process. Once the Xuanhuang Realm completes its absorption and fusion, the old laws will be restored." "These new laws will naturally be considered heresies to be eliminated." "Furthermore, the Law-Propagating Heavenly Venerate and even the Myriad Immortals Alliance should not permit such power to exist in the world." "Yet, I hope there are as many of these existences as possible."

Li Fan, observing secretly, discerned potential profitable opportunities within this disaster. He immediately set off once more for Congyun Sea, attempting to search for beings who had survived the strangeness and mastered its power.

From the perspective of heaven and earth, the constantly wriggling, worm-like dark entities were perfectly clear. There was no risk of being affected. Wherever Li Fan went, he observed from the periphery. It must be said that for ordinary beings, surviving the strangeness was indeed incredibly difficult. Li Fan passed by over a dozen locations where strangeness had erupted, yet he couldn't find a single survivor.

However, perseverance paid off. Finally, on an island named Fanyong, he found his target.