Chapter 253: Dao Source is the Heavenly Capital

Angry Squid:

He Zhengdao was no longer the arrogant and passionate youth he once was. After decades of trials and tribulations in the Sea of Clouded Thicket, he had long come to terms with the harsh realities of life.

He Zhengdao sighed deeply and shook his head, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you jest. Ruoshui's cultivation talent far surpasses mine. Even if I manage to reach the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime, she might have already ascended to the Soul Transformation stage by then. A Soul Transformation Weaver... The gap in our statuses will only grow wider. I am old now; I no longer hold such aspirations. As long as Xinxin can visit me from time to time, I will be perfectly content." He Zhengdao mused with emotion.

Li Fan said nothing, patted his shoulder, and then took his leave.

Returning to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan began to meticulously search for information about Yuan Dao State. The entire population of the state would intermittently have ten years of their lifespan devoured. Perhaps the people within Yuan Dao State wouldn't notice it at the time, but when they interacted with cultivators from other states, would they realize something was amiss? During these ten years that were devoured, what state would Yuan Dao State appear to be in from the outside? The information within the Heavenly Profound Mirror was vast as the ocean; surely there would be some clues related to this?

Li Fan spent most of the day confirming this. There was none.

Li Fan couldn't help but sigh, "Everything you can see is what they want you to see. Anything they don't want you to see vanishes completely."

Shaking his head, he abandoned his previous plan and then focused on searching for the history of Yuan Dao State.

*A Study of Heavenly Capital Ruins*, *Yuan Dao? Dao Origin? A Treatise on the Relationship between Yuan Dao State and the Ancient Land of Dao Origin*, *A Brief Discussion on the Inheritance of the Heavenly Capital Grandmaster Lineage*... Li Fan patiently flipped through these works, one by one.

In almost all these books concerning Yuan Dao State, one keyword was consistently unavoidable: Heavenly Capital.

"The source of all Dao, the leader of all sects..."

"What a grand claim."

Li Fan couldn't help but wonder to himself, "Could this Heavenly Capital be one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects of ancient times?" According to later research, in ancient times, Heavenly Capital hung high above the nine heavens, overseeing all sentient beings in the Xuanhuang Realm. It was proclaimed the source of all Dao and the leader of all sects.

It was no longer known which specific cultivators resided within Heavenly Capital in the past. The only name that had been passed down was that of the Heavenly Capital Grandmaster. It was said that Immortal Venerable Lan Yu, who achieved Dao Integration in Dao Origin State, belonged to the lineage of the Heavenly Capital Grandmaster. The Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Art she cultivated was personally taught by the Grandmaster. Many of Lan Yu's exotic treasures, such as the Heavenly Capital Martial Arts Arena and the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace, all originated from the Heavenly Capital inheritance.

"Before long this year, Lan Yu's lifespan will reach its end. Before her death, she will set up the Soul Devouring Rebirth Formation, attempting to reverse the principles of life and death and attain eternal life."

"It is said that when Lan Yu perishes, unusual phenomena will spread throughout the entire state, visible to everyone."

"My main body cannot go, but a clone can make the trip without issue."

Li Fan vaguely felt that the unknown entity devouring time was likely connected to the ancient Heavenly Capital. However, this was merely an intuition, with no concrete evidence to prove it.

"Regardless, the spectacle of a Dao Integration Immortal Venerable perishing is a rare sight. It would be good to witness it and broaden my horizons. I heard that because Lan Yu achieved Dao Integration before the Great Tribulation, the phenomena accompanying her demise will also be different from those of current cultivators."

With a plan in mind, Li Fan then searched for methods to remove any inexplicable marks that might be on him. As the saying goes, "Every profession has its specialties." Just because he couldn't achieve it didn't mean other methods in this world couldn't. Anything that could be resolved by spending contribution points was not an issue for Li Fan.

Keywords: purification, curse, mark, elimination...

Li Fan unhurriedly reviewed the information that appeared, one by one. All these solutions were broadly divided into three categories. The first category involved using rare treasures to cleanse oneself and dispel malevolent energy. The second category involved cultivating special techniques, continuously practicing to achieve purity of mind and body, rendering oneself flawless. The third category involved cultivators who specialized in this field. For a certain price, they would proactively offer their services to remove the anomalies entwined around your body. Of course, if they failed, they wouldn't charge.

With the idea of trying it out, Li Fan contacted these cultivators. When asked about the type of mark that needed to be expelled, Li Fan simply stated that he wasn't sure himself, merely saying that his spiritual perception had given him a faint feeling that something was amiss with his body. This kind of explanation was quite normal.

Over time, more than ten cultivators came, some at the Nascent Soul stage, some at the Golden Core stage. After their rituals, Li Fan felt no effect whatsoever. Each cultivator would stare at Li Fan for a moment, then shake their head, stating they couldn't find any anomaly.

Just as Li Fan was about to give up, the last cultivator surprisingly offered him a breakthrough. This cultivator was named Fang Yang, and he was also at the Nascent Soul stage. After meeting Li Fan, he observed for a while, and just as he was about to cast his spell, his face suddenly changed drastically. Without a word, he turned and left.

Li Fan knew that Fang Yang must have noticed something, so he quickly pursued him. In front of the Cultivation Transmission Plaza, Fang Yang, who had been stopped, looked displeased. If it weren't for the ban on fighting on the island, he likely would have casually killed this insolent brat.

"Young friend, please go back! I am afraid this old man is powerless to help with your problem!"

Li Fan, with a tense expression, earnestly pleaded, "Please, senior, save me! For some reason, I've recently felt restless, unable to eat or sleep peacefully, and my mind is uneasy. I can't even cultivate in peace anymore. If this continues, I fear my cultivation will make no progress, I'll die in the Foundation Establishment stage, and my path to Dao will be severed!" As he spoke, he clutched Fang Yang's hand tightly, as if he would never let go.

Fang Yang's face flushed crimson, but he couldn't erupt in anger. He could only lower his voice and say, "Kid, I'll tell you the truth. Although I don't know exactly what's going on with you, it's clear you've provoked an entity you shouldn't have. The level of that entity is too high; it's beyond what a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like me can handle. Even if I had a solution, I wouldn't act on your behalf. Because, to put it simply, the anomaly on you is like a mark left by that entity. If you rashly try to remove it, you will surely attract their attention." Fang Yang said no more, having spoken his piece.

Li Fan's heart sank; he hadn't expected the situation to be more serious than he imagined. "Senior, do you have a solution? If I can escape this calamity, this junior will certainly offer a generous reward in the future!" Li Fan said solemnly.

Fang Yang re-examined Li Fan, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "Find a remote minor world and cultivate a purification technique. Spending over a decade on it might allow you to get rid of it. Of course, this is merely a suggestion. Whether it will actually work depends on your own fortune; I cannot guarantee it."

Upon hearing this, Li Fan slowly nodded. He thanked Fang Yang and ceased to pester him.