Chapter 160: Misfortune Foretold

"It seems that while the 'Sitting Mountain Art' allows for incredibly fast cultivation, practicing it openly carries too much risk," Li Fan sighed. "This time, it was sheer luck that I escaped with my life. Next time, I might not be so fortunate." He then recalled the black-clad Hedao cultivator's expression of terror.

"'Devouring Essence for Rebirth, Achieving Immortality?' I never imagined that the mastermind behind the chaos in Daoyuan State would be the supposedly deceased Immortal Venerable Lan Yu. Is he trying to reverse the cycle of life and death?" Although the specific details of Immortal Venerable Lan Yu's plan remained unknown, the few words from the black-clad cultivator were enough to reveal the terrifying nature of his ambition. He was clearly sacrificing countless cultivators in Yuandao State to achieve immortality. Among those who perished were many of Immortal Venerable Lan Yu's subordinates and even his close relatives.

"I don't know if Lan Yu's plan can still succeed now that this black-clad cultivator has discovered it. Regardless, Yuandao State is no longer a safe place to stay. I must leave quickly." He had already agreed with Su Xiaomei and the others to split up and rendezvous later in Shilinzhou. With an abundance of contribution points over the past seven years, even the weakest of them, the Yin sisters, had broken through to the late Qi Refining stage and possessed some magical artifacts for self-defense. With a bit of caution on their journey, they should be able to ensure their safety.

Li Fan looked around; he had been teleported to a dense forest and had no idea of his exact location. He tried to contact others from the Bright Moon Palace using communication talismans but couldn't get through. After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan decided to first find a populated area to ascertain his current whereabouts. He chose a direction, concealed his presence, and flew rapidly.

However, midway through his flight, Li Fan suddenly stopped, his face showing a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "What's going on? Why has my unease not only failed to disappear but grown even stronger? Has that black-clad Hedao cultivator not given up on the chase? What kind of deep-seated hatred or grudge is this? No, this feeling isn't the same helplessness and despair I felt when facing a Hedao Immortal Venerable. Is the source of this danger someone else? What exactly is happening?" His experiences from this life flashed quickly through his mind, but Li Fan couldn't pinpoint the origin of this deadly crisis.

Li Fan stopped and took out a necklace embedded with a random teleportation array from his storage ring. After activating it, the surrounding scenery shifted. Before he could even clearly see his new surroundings, Li Fan took out another necklace. He repeated this five times, teleporting an unknown distance. Li Fan, feeling a bit dizzy, finally stopped. The unsettling premonition in his heart gradually subsided, indicating he had temporarily escaped the unknown enemy.

Looking around, Li Fan found himself on a plain. In the distance, continuous mountain ranges were faintly visible on the horizon. A city was nearby, and upon inquiry, Li Fan discovered he was already in Jiushan State. This city was called Luofan City, a remote, small town without cultivators guarding it. However, north of Luofan City was a large city named Ronghua City, which was certainly guarded by cultivators. For his own safety, Li Fan decided that before understanding the source of this inexplicable crisis, he would use Ronghua City's teleportation array to travel to Jiushan Heavenly City and lie low. Without further delay, Li Fan flew rapidly towards Ronghua City.

However, when he was halfway there, Li Fan quickly stopped again. This was because the source of the crisis had suddenly reappeared, and it was even more urgent than before, as if it had materialized directly in his path. "Is he already in Ronghua City, having used a teleportation array? Can my opponent constantly pinpoint my location?"

Li Fan pondered for a moment and decided not to return immediately. Instead, he landed, took out various materials from his storage ring, and began setting up formations on the spot. "Judging by the fact that he still needs to use a teleportation array, he shouldn't be at the Hedao cultivation level. If he's a Spirit Transformation cultivator, I might still be able to resist him for a while. At the very least, I need to figure out why he's chasing me. Otherwise, even if I restart, I'll encounter this calamity again in my next life." Having abandoned the idea of escaping, Li Fan's mind became remarkably calm.

One by one, formations were laid out:**Explosive Dharma Shocking Spirit Formation:** Temporarily enhances the power of one's spells and techniques by one rank.**Disrupting Spirit Annihilation Formation:** Disrupts the flow of spiritual energy around the opponent, reducing their strength to a certain extent.**Five Elements Sword Qi:** Transforms spiritual energy into the power of the five elements, manifesting as sword qi to harm enemies.**Soul Tremor & Spirit Seize:** Uses the bones of exotic beasts as a medium to launch a spiritual shockwave.**Replication Art:** After activation, the formation memorizes the current technique and then replicates it.

Finally, Li Fan gathered the last remaining Essence-Devouring White Mist in one place. Beside it, he placed hundreds of explosive talismans. Each explosive talisman could match the full power strike of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Perfected cultivator. While their individual power wasn't overwhelming, their sheer number was an advantage. He placed the white mist and talismans in a separate storage ring, planning to give this unknown enemy a surprise.

"It's a pity that my current level in array formation isn't enough to create an 'Array Crown.' Otherwise, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.""In this cultivation world, below the Hedao stage, those who can kill enemies one major realm above themselves with their own strength are considered geniuses. Those who can kill enemies two major realms above themselves are exceedingly rare, considered peerless geniuses.""With the aid of formations, I can barely be considered half a Core Formation cultivator. Yet, I wonder how many rounds I can last against this Spirit Transformation Immortal Lord."

With everything ready, Li Fan closed his eyes, contemplating, bracing himself for the enemy. Soon after, a fiery red light streaked across the sky, arriving in an instant. In a flash, it hovered above Li Fan. The person was robust, with hair like fire and a bristling red beard. He stared down at Li Fan with disdain, his voice like thunder. "Quite the runner, aren't you?! Hand over the Minor Medicine King Cauldron, and I'll spare your life!" The booming sound continuously echoed in Li Fan's ears.

Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, and many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. "The Minor Medicine King Cauldron? He chased me across several states, all for this? Is it some incredible treasure? But it's been nearly thirty-seven years since I bought these two small cauldrons from Jiao Xiuyuan. These two small cauldrons had no practical use; I've kept them in a corner of my storage ring, and I myself had almost forgotten about them. If they truly had special value, why would the pursuit only begin after so long?" Scenes from the past quickly flashed through Li Fan's mind.

"It's said that after the Immortal Venerable imparted his teachings, and before the great calamity, the then Sect Master of the Medicine King Sect, Liu Ruchen, had a faint premonition that the world was about to undergo a significant change," Jiao Xiuyuan had once recounted. "Consequently, Liu Ruchen, with an extremely firm resolve, led the entire Medicine King Sect, using the Medicine King Cauldron as a vessel, to rend the void and depart the realm."

Anchored in Year 15, a fiery meteor illuminated the sky, streaking across the night. It disappeared without a trace. And all cultivators who witnessed this meteor involuntarily felt fear and sorrow well up in their hearts.

"My goodness, do you know where that fiery meteor landed? The Abyss of Cangwu! That cursed place is bottomless; no wonder no one has found it after so many years."

Anchored in Year 41, the star returned to Cangwu. Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi intended to seek opportunities there. "Last time, we traveled all the way to Cangwu State with great difficulty. No sooner had we arrived than news broke that the fiery meteor had already been found. We couldn't even see what it looked like and had to return dejectedly," Kou Hong complained, frustrated.

Li Fan suddenly understood. "Could that fiery meteor have been the Medicine King Cauldron of the Medicine King Sect? The Medicine King Cauldron, which had departed the realm before the great calamity, has now inexplicably returned to the Xuanhuang Realm. And those thirty-six Minor Medicine King Cauldrons, once ignored, have for some unknown reason become treasures that everyone is vying for. So, the calamity that threatened my life was destined to originate from this!"