Chapter 231: Embodiment of His Ease

Angry Squid

Li Fan had no personal experience with Core Formation. The jade slip left by his third senior brother offered very few descriptions on the subject. Utterly bewildered, Li Fan had no choice but to explore and experiment on his own.

Core Formation is an extremely difficult stage, whether in ancient or modern cultivation worlds. The disparity in strength before and after Core Formation is vast. Hence, the saying goes: "With a golden core swallowed, my destiny is my own, not heaven's." Li Fan seized this rare opportunity to practice Core Formation on someone else's body, paving the way for his own cultivation.

While he was engrossed in his cultivation, oblivious to the passage of time, a violent explosion startled him awake.

"Boom!"

The gate of the Shēnhuà Dào cave mansion seemed to be under continuous bombardment. The entire cave mansion trembled instantly. Li Fan had no choice but to stop cultivating and prepare himself cautiously.

Before long, the gate was blasted into pieces, and a group of people simultaneously burst in.

"This is it, the Body Transformation Dao Sect."

"Brothers, this place I found isn't bad, is it? The spiritual energy is dense, the terrain is treacherous, and it's easy to defend but hard to attack. It's a good place to establish a sect. Rumor has it that all the sect disciples died in the previous great battle, which works out perfectly for us."

"Wonderful, saves us a lot of effort..."

Seven cultivators, dressed in various outfits and looking fierce, conversed among themselves. They wandered freely around the cave mansion as if they were back in their own homes.

"Wait, it seems there's someone else in here?"

"Be careful!"

The Shēnhuà Dào cave mansion was only a small place. Inevitably, they soon discovered Li Fan's presence. The group immediately surrounded Li Fan tightly. Upon scanning them, Li Fan's heart sank. There were two Core Formation cultivators and five Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"It seems this simulated journey will end here," Li Fan thought to himself.

The people opposite looked at Li Fan, who was surrounded, and began to hesitate and communicate among themselves.

"Boss, what should we do? It looks like the Body Transformation Dao left a little kid to guard the place."

"Hmph, we finally found a decent cave mansion like this; how can we just let it go?"

"Second Brother is right. In my opinion, we should just kill this kid. Nobody will probably know anyway."

"Isn't that bad? He looks only five or six years old; why don't we just drive him away?"

"Womanish benevolence! If we let him go, what if he spreads the word everywhere that we forcibly occupied his cave mansion? Besides, a five or six-year-old at Foundation Establishment, his cultivation talent is a bit terrifying. What if in a few years he reaches Core Formation, or even Nascent Soul, and comes back for revenge..."

"Sixth Brother makes sense, just kill him then!"

"But the Ten Great Immortal Sects jointly issued a killing ban, ordering us to rest and recuperate, prohibiting slaughter. If discovered, we might be caught and forced to breed..."

At these words, everyone's faces turned pale, and their previously fierce eyes became flustered.

In the end, it was the leader of the group who made the final decision. "Things have come to this; there's no turning back. He's just a small Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he were at Core Formation, I might have some scruples. A Foundation Establishment cultivator isn't even cannon fodder; just kill him. Even if the Immortal Sects find out, they certainly won't really do anything to us!"

"Do it!" the boss commanded, but he himself remained motionless.

The five Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged glances. Helpless, and unable to defy the order, they had no choice but to take out their respective magic artifacts and attack Li Fan.

"Although they truly hold an absolute advantage in strength, they didn't ask for my opinion once from beginning to end. Are they perhaps looking down on me too much..." A hint of murderous intent flashed in Li Fan's eyes. "I originally wanted to just go back, but now, why don't I play with you all?"

Three magic swords, an iron hammer, and a small seal—five different magic artifacts, shimmering with light, instantly flew towards Li Fan. Li Fan remained still and activated the secret technique of 'Body Transformation for Self-Mastery.' His divine sense left his body, splitting into five, and attached itself to the five magic artifacts. With a thought, Li Fan felt as if these five magic artifacts had become a part of his own body. Like extending his own limbs, he manipulated them with a backhand motion, sending them flying towards the five Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"So they're just a bunch of good-for-nothings who don't even understand artifact refining methods," Li Fan scoffed inwardly. This secret technique within 'Body Transformation for Self-Mastery' is called 'Body Transformation into Other Objects.' It can influence and control other cultivators' magic artifacts, often producing miraculous effects that turn the tide of battle when used at critical moments.

Of course, the effect varies depending on the cultivator's ability to control their own magic artifacts. Situations like the current one, where he completely gained control of the opponent's magic artifacts with ease, rarely occurred. This could only mean that the five opponents hadn't even performed the most basic artifact refining. It was as if they had picked up the magic artifacts from the ground and immediately started using them. They lacked even basic common sense.

The magic artifacts turning against them in an instant also took the cultivators by surprise. They cried out in alarm, clumsily trying to defend themselves. These individuals were indeed quite ordinary in strength, and in their panic, they all sustained injuries. Naturally, Li Fan seized the opportunity to finish them off while they were vulnerable. Controlling the five magic artifacts, he continuously launched attacks like a violent storm. Fighting one against five, he surprisingly rendered his opponents completely powerless to retaliate for a time. Seeing that victory was slowly but surely within his grasp, the leader of the seven finally couldn't sit still.

"What a bunch of trash!" he cursed. Then, he summoned a flying sword that gleamed with chilling light. Wielding the vast power of a Core Formation cultivator, he slashed towards Li Fan. Li Fan's divine sense moved, attempting to control the flying sword. However, it only paused for a brief moment before instantly passing through Li Fan's body.

"The gap in cultivation realms is too vast. It's not something a secret technique can compensate for."

The surrounding scene became still, then shattered one by one. As if instantly emerging from underwater, Li Fan returned to the real world. In the True Reflection Panel, the usage count for 'Eternal Remnant' had become two. Attempting to recall the contents of the 'Otherworldly Transformation for Self-Mastery' cultivation method was like trying to grasp reflections in a mirror or the moon in the water—fruitless. However, he remembered his personal experiences very clearly.

After pondering for a moment, Li Fan did not immediately begin a second attempt. Instead, after destroying all traces at the bottom of the sea, he reverted to his original appearance and quietly returned to Myriad Immortals Island.

"Now, it seems there are two approaches to break this deadlock," he mused. "First, find a way to treat Tianyang's debilitating illness and participate in the plot's development during the initial period. Under variable circumstances, different outcomes might arise. Second, cultivate to the Core Formation realm during the period after consuming the Grand Supreme Foundation Establishment Pill. Defeating those seven people will unlock the subsequent plot."

"Hmm, no rush. Let's first investigate what exactly is wrong with Tianyang."

Immediately, Li Fan began searching for keywords in the Tian Xuan Mirror: weakness, prolonged unconsciousness, body that doesn't grow. A moment later, dozens of pieces of information popped up.

"Fetus not yet fully developed, forcibly expelled from the female cultivator's body..."

"Innate weakness, insufficient vital energy..."

"Requires treatment with potent medicinal pills that replenish innate vital energy."

Related results followed.