Chapter 1517: Life Devours Ruomu

He Zheng-hao was left with no choice but to agree to Li Fan's request.

"The Heaven-Mystic Mirror is the Immortal Alliance's greatest treasure. Even if this person is powerful, he likely cannot harm it," He Zheng-hao reassured himself, trembling as he led Li Fan to a dark room deep within the Political Affairs Hall. After activating the Heaven-Mystic sub-mirror of Congyun State, he couldn't help but think this.

In a flicker of faint light, an ancient mirror materialized out of thin air.

"It truly feels familiar," Li Fan mused, contemplating the subtle sensation that had resurfaced within him. Without hesitation, he took a step forward, his form dissolving as he entered the mirror.

Only a dumbfounded He Zheng-hao remained standing by.

Although Li Fan entered the Heaven-Mystic Mirror, the mirror did not detect his intrusion. Functions that were originally locked and usable only with tiered permissions were now all openly displayed before Li Fan, categorized neatly. Furthermore, Li Fan could freely access all items, resources, divine abilities, and cultivation methods within the Heaven-Mystic Mirror. He could even utilize the Heaven-Mystic Mirror's deduction and computing power. As long as he didn't cause any major anomalies, he wouldn't be discovered by the mirror. If not for other memories in his mind, clearly superior to those of the Heaven-Mystic Mirror, Li Fan would have almost believed he was the human vessel of the Heaven-Mystic Mirror.

"I wonder if this convenience stems from previous simulations," he thought.

For the next three months, Li Fan resided within the Heaven-Mystic Mirror, perusing countless ancient texts and secret records. Although the mirror contained vast amounts of information, Li Fan always felt a vague sense of familiarity whenever he looked at it. Often, a quick scan was enough for insights to spontaneously emerge in his mind. The more he ruminated, the more fragmented memories transformed into clear ones. Li Fan's reading speed also became increasingly rapid. Eventually, he no longer needed to seek answers within the Heaven-Mystic Mirror.

"Defying the laws of heaven and earth to achieve immortality. This is clearly a flawed cultivation method, forever binding one to that Law-Imparting Celestial Venerable. Perhaps I was the one who ultimately clashed with him before..."

Li Fan was not in a hurry to embark on the path of cultivation. Three months of thorough reading, even without active cultivation, had continuously strengthened his body. "The Celestial Venerable's method relies on external objects. It's because human bodies are weak; to defy heaven, one must borrow external power to change their fate. But within me, such formidable power already exists. There's no need for me to cultivate by defying natural laws."

Li Fan sat cross-legged within the Heaven-Mystic Mirror, eyes closed in contemplation. With every breath, faint green lights, like a tide, emerged from his body. Emitting from within him, they did not dissipate but accumulated around Li Fan, casting a deep green glow that outlined his body.

When Li Fan opened his eyes again, though his external appearance hadn't changed much, a brilliant starry sky had already formed in his dantian. However, all the stars in this sky glowed with a vibrant green light, brimming with vitality.

"Strictly speaking, what I'm doing isn't cultivation. It's 'Xiuzhen,' unlocking my own potential. Although it's said that everyone possesses hidden bodily treasures, the treasures of a mortal body are incomparable to the infinite vitality contained within me. Any single green point in this sea of stars might be equivalent to the combined vitality of tens of millions of living beings," Li Fan observed the phenomenon within his dantian, deep in thought.

Once he was powerful enough, he could distort and alter the Grand Dao of heaven and earth with a mere gesture. Moreover, Li Fan instinctively sensed that his ability to subdue the Xuanhuang world seemed exceptionally prominent, just like the Crimson Flame he summoned with a thought.

As the boundless sea of stars formed within Li Fan, the Crimson Flame, which had been the first to yield, also reaped immense benefits. The crimson color, boosted by endless vitality, turned brilliant white. It no longer maintained a human form but became pure, pulsating flame. "From human to raging flame, though it appears to be a downgrade, it has actually transcended the constraints of the Xuanhuang Realm. Although it remains one of the Xuanhuang world's spirits, a part of it now exists beyond this realm. As with Crimson Flame, so too with me."

Enlightenment flooded Li Fan's mind. "And all of this is a result of this vitality."

Naturally, Li Fan had intended to investigate the anomaly within his body. However, a mere three months, relying solely on the Heaven-Mystic Mirror's accumulated knowledge, was clearly insufficient to uncover the true mysteries of vitality. "Moreover, what I've learned and seen is only the part of the Heaven-Mystic Mirror connected to the outside world. Another part of the Heaven-Mystic Mirror remains sealed. I can only glimpse it by entering the headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, where the mirror's main body is located."

Li Fan currently had no intention of venturing into dangerous territory. Although the Xuanhuang world wasn't vast, it harbored countless secrets. Next, he might start by exploring other places to recover his knowledge and experiences.

Li Fan diligently searched through endless illusions to find the most suitable destination for himself. Suddenly, before another ancient mirror, his thoughts paused.

"This is... the Immeasurable Mirror?""Sun Luyao, Sun Luyuan..."Various pieces of information about the Sun family surfaced accordingly.

"The direct descendants of the Mirror Master lineage. Approaching them won't be as easy as approaching He Zheng-hao. Although my current body is strong, it's not capable of ignoring the encirclement of many Dao Integration experts."

After a moment of thought, Li Fan summoned He Zheng-hao.

At this moment, He Zheng-hao was both elated and terrified. All this stemmed from the large quantities of resources mysteriously allocated through the Heaven-Mystic Mirror. Ten times more than before, He Zheng-hao could swear that the Immortal Alliance headquarters would never be so generous! But He Zheng-hao simply couldn't bear to return what he had obtained. With wealth as his backing, he stood firm. As vast quantities of resources were distributed downwards, his subordinates all believed it was due to He Zheng-hao's connections within the Immortal Alliance headquarters. They held nothing but heartfelt reverence and admiration for him. Now, He Zheng-hao finally understood what it truly felt like to be the ruler of a state. However, this beautiful illusion was about to shatter as he was summoned by Li Fan.

"How do you feel about the ten-fold resource allocation this time?"

He Zheng-hao's body trembled, unable to answer.

Li Fan said calmly, "Don't be nervous. It's just a string of numbers. Not to mention ten times, if you dare to think and ask for it, I can easily allocate a hundred times for you."

He Zheng-hao trembled even more violently, repeatedly saying he wouldn't dare. He knew everything came with a price, and now was the time for the other party to collect their dues. "Elder, whatever your command, I will do my best to fulfill it."

"Every time, the top ten performers in the political achievements assessment from each state can go to the Immortal Alliance headquarters to receive commendations and rewards. Make this your goal and strive hard. The next assessment is in five years. Tell me whatever you need," Li Fan said calmly.

He Zheng-hao's expression changed abruptly upon hearing this. In this world, no thief would steal something and then flaunt it all over the streets. Once benefits were gained, one should quietly absorb them. Who would ever go participate in a political achievement competition? Advancing in rank would require massive material support. Leaping from the bottom ten to the top ten... This simply wouldn't stand up to scrutiny!

However, Li Fan's gaze told He Zheng-hao that if he agreed, even if the truth came out later, his death would be five years away. If he didn't agree, then today would be his last. With no other choice, He Zheng-hao gritted his teeth and agreed.

Having boarded the pirate ship, He Zheng-hao decided to go all out. With a wave of his hand, he reported a resource list several times greater than what was needed. To his surprise, Li Fan agreed without batting an eye. In less than half a day, mountains of resources began appearing within the Congyun State's Heaven-Mystic sub-mirror, which left He Zheng-hao both astonished and terrified.

Besides the various resources needed to maintain government affairs, Li Fan even provided detailed information on large and small grotto-heavens and impending world-altering changes within Congyun State and neighboring territories. With this information, cultivating hundreds of Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation cultivators within five years would be no problem. He Zheng-hao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling no excitement whatsoever.

"Oh, and one more thing.""Take me on a trip and place this object anywhere underground in Yuandao State," Li Fan said, handing over a young seedling.

It seemed like an ordinary sapling, but unusually, He Zheng-hao felt no vitality from it. He couldn't even sense its presence. Holding it, he felt nothing at all. If not for the occasional faint green glimmers on it, He Zheng-hao would have almost forgotten about it entirely.

He Zheng-hao dared not delay Li Fan's instruction. He headed straight for Yuandao State. Before long, he entered Yuandao's territory. He found a treasure land where ley lines converged and planted the sapling. Only then did he rush back.

Through a part separated from his own body, images of Yuandao State began to appear in Li Fan's mind. "This place seems to harbor great danger. However, for me, it also seems to be a tremendous resource. But I need to wait for the right moment and lay down some covert preparations first."

The sapling took root within the ley lines and then began to grow wildly without restraint. Its growth process didn't absorb power from the ley lines. Instead, it radiated its own vitality outwards. This was already the result of Li Fan suppressing the overflowing vitality as much as possible. The Xuanhuang world, seemingly full of vitality, was actually gravely ill. The vitality brought by this young sapling was like the refreshing fragrance of a miraculous elixir smelled at the brink of death. This immediately attracted the attention of certain holy spirits within the Xuanhuang world.

Among them, the first to detect it was an ancient tree with withered yellow leaves, its branches adorned with hanging cultivators! Just an incense stick's time after the sapling was planted, Li Fan sensed that his body in Daoyuan State seemed to have been targeted by someone. Moreover, the aura emanating from the other party felt strangely familiar to him.

"Hmm?" A hunched, frenzied figure flashed through his mind, and moments later, Li Fan saw the owner of that figure appear before the sapling.

"This is... Ruomu?" Ruomu's appearance triggered Li Fan's lost memories. And as Ruomu greedily reached out towards the sapling, a glint of coldness flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

"Since you desire it so much, I shall grant your wish."

Having cultivated from scratch for only three months, Li Fan was still unsure if his current self was a match for this ancient Xuanhuang tree. But if the opponent wanted to devour a part of his body, then he had a countermeasure. A green light suddenly flared in Li Fan's originally dark eyes. Like a volcanic eruption, endless vitality surged from the underground sapling in Yuandao State, and then poured into Ruomu.

Ruomu, originally decrepit and ancient, instinctively showed surprise and delight upon sensing this immense vitality. It absorbed it with extreme greed. But when it discovered that no matter how much it absorbed, the vitality within the sapling did not diminish in the slightest, and in fact, seemed to grow even more immense, its surprise quickly turned into terror. Its withered yellow branches and leaves all turned verdant green. Affected by the external absorption of vitality, countless new buds began to sprout on the colossal Ruomu tree.

However... the number of these new buds was simply too many! They sprouted densely from every part of Ruomu's body. Every available space was occupied by them. In just half a day, the combined size of these newborn sprouts already exceeded that of the original Ruomu! But they showed no sign of stopping their growth. Even though a panicked Ruomu had already fled from the unknown sapling's location, limitless vitality continued to surge from the green energy it had previously absorbed into its body.

Ruomu only felt its body growing heavier and heavier. Those newborn green branches were possessing it! But Ruomu was utterly helpless. It couldn't even find a way to resist. Strictly speaking, the newborn green branches were also a part of Ruomu. It was just that they grew so rapidly that they exceeded Ruomu's control. Once fully grown, they in turn suppressed Ruomu itself, like the parts naturally eliminated during a body's metabolism.

Ruomu frantically sensed that it was about to die! Not from the exhaustion of vitality, but from an overwhelming surge of vitality. This never-before-imagined way of dying still filled Ruomu with immense terror. It desperately tried to do something but found itself utterly powerless before this incomprehensible vitality. "Where did that thing even come from?" bewilderment filled Ruomu's heart.

Just as the new branches were about to completely devour Ruomu, they suddenly stopped growing. Even so, Ruomu had already lost its dominant control over the ancient Xuanhuang tree. It could only barely survive in a remote corner of the ancient tree.

A green, hazy figure appeared in this space as the situation was decided. Knowing that the other party was the culprit who had possessed it, Ruomu stared intently but dared not make a sound. The newcomer, naturally, was Li Fan. Possessing Ruomu was easier than he had imagined. This was also the first time Li Fan had unleashed the vitality within his body without restraint, with full power. Its immense potential startled Li Fan, who hadn't fully recovered his memories yet. Ruomu, who controlled the Xuanhuang world's vitality, was simply insignificant compared to the vast vitality within Li Fan. If he hadn't realized something was wrong later and stopped in time, Ruomu might no longer exist in this world.

Li Fan glanced at his new body. Frowning slightly, he shook down all the countless hanging cultivator-fruits onto the ground. Although they were in slumber, they were still affected by the overflowing vitality. Not only were their past injuries from continuously forming Golden Cores fully healed, but their life potential was also further stimulated. In the future, forming Nascent Souls and Soul Transformation would be as easy as drinking water, as long as resources were sufficient.