The nameless True Immortal's leg bone continued its planned analysis of the characters representing the transformation between immortal and mortal, using the flesh and blood of the You Clan.
Li Fan first made specific improvements to the simulated persona overseeing the process. This allowed the persona to gain a detailed understanding of the You Clan's bloodline unsealing process. Only after confirming that the You Clan would not lose control at this world's critical juncture did Li Fan depart.
Back at the Grand Profound Preaching Platform, Li Fan first reviewed the overall progress of the various beings exploring the Carefree Paradise over the past decade.
The complexity of the paradise dream truly surpassed all expectations. Nearly a million individuals had been sent in, but as of now, there had been no significant breakthroughs.
The most advanced explorer had reached Level 7 in paradise experience. Within the dream, this individual could effortlessly destroy a world. Such immense destructive power was comparable to, or even surpassed, that of an Eternal Realm cultivator in the Profound Yellow World.
This Level 7 explorer, Hou Mingwu, possessed modest cultivation talent in reality, only barely breaking through the Qi Refining stage after more than a month of listening to the preaching phantom. Unexpectedly, after Li Fan sent him into the dream paradise, he fortuitously acquired a miraculous treasure called the Reunion Mirror in his first dream world. This mirror had the astonishing ability to restore damaged or inert magical artifacts.
In the paradise dream, most powerful magical artifacts had a limited number of uses. Once depleted, reactivating them either required a significant expenditure of paradise coins for recharging or "feeding" them with lower-grade artifacts. The cost of reactivation was often prohibitive, sometimes making it not worthwhile. Consequently, some individuals chose to publicly sell these inert treasures at low prices, at least recouping some of their investment.
Hou Mingwu leveraged the Reunion Mirror's extraordinary ability to repair these artifacts and then resell them. After just a few such transactions, he amassed a considerable fortune. The dream paradise was immense, and after each transaction, Hou Mingwu would shift to a different large dream area. This strategy kept his secret safe for a considerable period.
By the time news of him possessing the Reunion Mirror finally spread, Hou Mingwu had already grown powerful enough to protect himself. He possessed an endless array of treasures; the sheer quantity he carried alone rivaled that of the paradise's elite teams. During every dream world mission, Hou Mingwu would unleash his artifacts without reservation, barraging enemies with overwhelming force. Even in treacherous worlds where combat power was typically rendered ineffective, he skillfully navigated perils using his numerous magical items. Consequently, Hou Mingwu's efficiency in completing dream worlds far surpassed that of others.
Despite the boundless greed of others, Hou Mingwu consistently operated alone, rejecting all invitations for cooperation or team-ups, leaving them with no means to confront him.
On one occasion, several major teams collaborated, using a tracking artifact to forcibly follow Hou Mingwu into a mission, intending to conspire and seize the Reunion Mirror. However, Hou Mingwu seemed to have long anticipated their pursuit, having set up an ambush within the world beforehand. After the trackers had all converged but before they could even make a move, the entire world was plunged into a horrifying, destructive apocalypse. With the world collapsing around them, further pursuit was impossible. The major teams scattered, suffering heavy casualties. In their post-mortem, they first suspected an insider within their allied teams, then speculated that Hou Mingwu must possess another supreme treasure capable of predicting the future and averting disaster.
Following this incident, the schemes against Hou Mingwu in the dream paradise temporarily ceased.
In fact, their suspicions were correct: beyond the Reunion Mirror, Hou Mingwu indeed possessed another supreme treasure. However, this treasure wasn't an artifact from the dream; it was Li Fan's direct attention. As his vanguard in exploring the Carefree Dream, Li Fan would naturally not allow Hou Mingwu to be easily harmed. The million individuals sent into the dream served as Li Fan's eyes. Some were even embedded within the very teams that targeted Hou Mingwu, though they remained unaware of their unwitting betrayal. With Li Fan's protection, Hou Mingwu faced virtually no mortal danger in the Carefree Paradise.
Hou Mingwu, in turn, did not disappoint Li Fan. The several worlds he explored in the deeper layers of the dream confirmed Li Fan's hypothesis. The dream realm of the Carefree Paradise had long since expanded beyond the Profound Yellow World, now reaching into the cosmos. In those specific worlds, Li Fan distinctly observed traces of the Profound Immortal Ark! These weren't mere direct manifestations of the Ark, but individual concepts like the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God, Heavenly Star Lotus, Duan Shenbi, and the Dao-Chasing Giant.
"The Profound Immortal Ark's inhabitants are likely completely unaware of this. The Carefree Dream hasn't forcibly pulled them into its illusions either. Instead, it seems to construct its dreamscapes using the subtle fragments of thoughts that inadvertently surface in their consciousness as blueprints."
"The Ark's denizens are not ordinary beings. Yet, even they are easily having their thoughts captured by Carefree. Is Carefree... truly that powerful?" Li Fan couldn't help but frown slightly. "What's certain, however, is that it truly exists and hasn't been detected by him. Perhaps the Profound Immortal Ark somehow fell under Carefree's influence at some point."
Li Fan gazed into the distance, his vision seemingly piercing through the boundless cosmos, reaching the foot of the high wall. "It has already enveloped the Ark; perhaps breaking through the high wall's blockade is not far off."
"No wonder Carefree has seemingly remained indifferent to matters within the Profound Yellow World. Even during multiple cataclysms that threatened its destruction, it merely lingered, making no effort to intervene. Is it pursuing an indirect strategy to bypass the high wall?"
Previous findings had all but confirmed that the high wall's blockade appeared to have a weaker effect on conscious and spiritual energies. Li Fan had long harbored suspicions about the subtle actions of the Carefree Paradise, which were now simply confirmed.
"If my true form were to venture beyond the wall, it would be far too perilous. Perhaps I could leverage the power of the Carefree Dream to first ascertain the truth..." This thought swiftly crossed Li Fan's mind.
"Sun Erlang and the others, in whom I placed so much hope, are simply unable to match the exploration progress of this unknown individual, Hou Mingwu. It seems I must truly utilize everyone's strengths and assign them tasks they excel at." Shaking his head slightly, Li Fan allocated another portion of his consciousness to meticulously monitor Hou Mingwu's every action.
For this lifetime, Li Fan had no intention of directly interacting with Carefree. Although Li Fan was certain that Carefree had already discovered him, the Profound Yellow array master, as the mastermind behind the invasion of the dream with millions of people. Yet, for some reason, despite clearly having the power to instantly expel all these individuals from the dream, Carefree had yet to act.
"It seems to have achieved a certain level of transcendence, becoming utterly indifferent."
"Quite interesting."
"It's a pity, however, that with its current power, its consciousness cannot yet exist entirely in a vacuum. If I were to destroy its physical form in the real world, the Carefree Dream would also vanish!" A similar sense of disdain arose within Li Fan. Carefree was indifferent to the dream's intruders, and Li Fan was equally indifferent to Carefree.
"I simply need to proceed methodically and achieve Dao integration with stability." His thoughts converging, Li Fan's gaze became deep and profound.
Fortunately, in this lifetime, when he envisioned and deduced the impending scene of Dao integration in his mind, that faint, fatal sense of crisis no longer emerged. "There shouldn't be any major upheavals occurring."
Still, to be safe, Li Fan decided to make a trip to the Profound Immortal Ark. "Since that Hanging Puppet can still provide some utility, perhaps the Three-Forked Tree can too." The prospect of a "true simulation" for free deeply enticed even Li Fan. After all, based on his experience in the previous life, the simulation process didn't seem to require his direct personal involvement; instead, it would flash through his mind like a slideshow. "The only question is whether I can retain any insights from it." "Even if not, it serves as a crucial life-saving contingency!"
Li Fan suppressed the immediate urge to use the Three-Forked Tree. He continued to manipulate the Dao-One Bugs, directing them to erode and pilfer items stored within the Heavenly Star Lotus's seeds. It was indeed worthy of being a supreme treasure of the star sea, entrusted with significant responsibilities by the Ark.
After Li Fan stealthily acquired three items in succession, the Heavenly Star Lotus instinctively began to spontaneously retract. The second layer of the secret vault instantly plunged into darkness, its ethereal glow extinguished. Even Li Fan could no longer perceive the Heavenly Star Lotus's aura. It was as if it had vanished entirely!
The unusual behavior of the Heavenly Star Lotus also alarmed the Ark's inhabitants. Li Fan faintly sensed several familiar auras rapidly approaching—the Ark's elders, prominently led by Jian Daosheng and Zhong Daogong. "And a faint trace of the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God's aura." "It seems their prolonged internal conflicts have kept them perpetually on edge." Li Fan smiled faintly, then, under the flicker of a dim sword shadow, he vanished from the scene.
With the second layer of the secret vault once again plundered, the Ark was plunged into another maelstrom of conflict. The Duanxian Tower and the Immortal Axis Court accused each other, igniting the decade's worth of accumulated grievances. A brutal struggle ensued within the Profound Immortal Ark.
Meanwhile, Li Fan, the orchestrator of these events, had already returned to the Grand Profound Minor World within the Profound Yellow Realm. Besides the Three-Forked Tree, the other two items Li Fan retrieved were the Small Medicine King Cauldron and the Broken-Winged Grey Bird. All three items were relics of Sun Piaomiao. All treasures in the second layer of the secret vault were veiled by the Heavenly Star Lotus, their specific functions imperceptible. The true value of these three items, with the exception of the Broken-Winged Grey Bird, had already been confirmed in his previous life. Given the time constraints, retrieving them was a logical decision.
"Neither the Three-Forked Tree nor the Small Medicine King Cauldron are ordinary items."
"The Broken-Winged Grey Bird may also possess extraordinary uses that I simply haven't uncovered yet."
Li Fan intended to save the Three-Forked Tree for its specialized deduction, to be used at a crucial moment just before his Dao integration. As for the Small Medicine King Cauldron, Li Fan still intended to feed it to the little turtle, assuming it was still able to consume it.
Li Fan's attention was now focused on the Broken-Winged Grey Bird. In his previous life, Li Fan and the Ark's inhabitants had exhausted numerous methods yet failed to uncover any special qualities in this item. It appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary object. Li Fan examined it briefly but likewise found nothing unusual. He therefore resorted to the simplest and most direct method.
Extending his palm, the World Annihilation Immortal Array enveloped the object within its confines. Like countless sharp blades, its energy cleaved down upon the Broken-Winged Grey Bird. To Li Fan's surprise, the Broken-Winged Grey Bird instantly dissolved into nothingness under the immortal array's immense power. It had utterly vanished from existence.
This left Li Fan, who had prepared for any outcome, momentarily stunned. "Could this truly have been a mere illusion left by Sun Piaomiao?" Li Fan meticulously examined the space before him, confirming that not a single fragment remained. The Broken-Winged Grey Bird had been annihilated.
"It seems I overthought things," Li Fan chuckled self-deprecatingly. A moment later, however, his expression abruptly shifted. A faint, ethereal transmission suddenly arrived from beyond the heavens!
[3 minutes ago] Chapter 1477: Fishing Without Fault
[3 minutes ago] Chapter 1340: Deep Abyss Predicament
[8 minutes ago] Chapter 828: Good Show Is About to Begin
[10 minutes ago] Chapter 1476: The Way Beyond the Dao
[11 minutes ago] Chapter 1339: Triumphant Return
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