Chapter 264: The Power of Fate

Regardless, the Myriad Immortals Alliance's plan ultimately succeeded. They not only slew several Dao Integration cultivators from the Five Elders Association but also successfully exposed the spy, Immortal Venerable Ziqiong. It was truly a moment of fierce vengeance. Meanwhile, facing this stark reality, the Five Elders Association could only admit defeat.

Both sides experienced a loss: a major battle in Tianling Prefecture and an ambush in Tianyu Prefecture. The loss of Dao Integration powerhouses would require time to slowly recover. With both the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association having sustained damage, a relatively long period of peace was foreseeable. This was good news for the vast majority of cultivators.

As the shadow of war gradually receded, Jiao Xiuyuan's auction for the small Medicine King Cauldrons finally commenced at the end of Anchor Year 23. Li Fan did not attend the event. However, it was said that the results were somewhat underwhelming. A total of four small cauldrons were sold in the first batch, each generally fetching only around a few hundred thousand contribution points. Clearly, people still had doubts about whether the meteor that fell from the sky was truly the authentic Medicine King Cauldron. Even though Jiao Xiuyuan had adopted Li Fan's strategy and campaigned vigorously, the results were minimal. After all, only a minority of cultivators were willing to spend a huge amount of contribution points to gamble on future prosperity. Most cultivators operated on the principle of not releasing the hawk until the rabbit was sighted.

Despite the inauspicious start, Jiao Xiuyuan was not discouraged. On one hand, he still had a considerable amount of inventory remaining. On the other hand, even if all the remaining cauldrons sold at this price, he would still make a definite profit. Jiao Xiuyuan had stated that he wasn't greedy in business; as long as he made a profit, that was sufficient. Li Fan, of course, chuckled noncommittally at this.

Returning focus to his main body, the individuals from the Detached Realm, who had been living peacefully on the deserted island for over a decade, had now grown into adults and were gradually becoming restless. Su Xiaomei, in particular, would occasionally sneak out alone to wander around. However, Ye Feipeng's inexplicable disappearance remained a shadow hanging over their hearts. This prevented them from venturing too far from the deserted island, fearing detection by Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators and unforeseen dangers.

Li Fan checked on the cultivation levels of a few of them. Su Xiaomei, Xiao Heng, and Zhang Haobo had all reached the perfected Foundation Establishment stage, but they still seemed some distance away from breaking through to the Golden Core stage. The Yin family sisters' cultivation aptitudes were not particularly good; they had only reached perfected Qi Condensation and had not yet entered Foundation Establishment. Su Changyu's cultivation speed, on the other hand, was the slowest, barely reaching the mid-Qi Condensation stage. Yet, his mindset remained steady, free from arrogance or impatience.

As for the comatose Ye Feipeng, Li Fan found him somewhat inscrutable. Over the past few years, in addition to fully absorbing the devoured storm energy, the young boy had also unconsciously traveled almost the entire sea region, carried by the undercurrents of the Congyun Sea. The intensity of Ye Feipeng's aura had continuously strengthened during this process. Theoretically, he had long surpassed the limits of Foundation Establishment. Li Fan estimated that if Ye Feipeng were to unleash his full power, ordinary Golden Core cultivators would certainly be no match for him. It seemed as though the Congyun Sea was "feeding" Ye Feipeng in this unique manner, a growth in "quantity" that had reached a point where it could disregard the gap between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages. Moreover, the ethereal projection of a massive beast, which occasionally appeared behind Ye Feipeng, seemed to become more vivid and robust. It continuously circled him, occasionally letting out a long cry, as if it could come to life at any moment. Li Fan suddenly had a premonition: Ye Feipeng was not far from awakening.

And so, time slowly passed. In the blink of an eye, it was Anchor Year 24. On this day, Li Fan, who was in secluded cultivation, suddenly received a notification from the Heavenly Profound Mirror. In the "Sitting and Debating the Dao" arena, Zhang Qianmo finally suffered his first defeat! Li Fan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, wondering if "I Am Invincible" had finally comprehended a method to defeat him.

He opened "Sitting and Debating the Dao," and the result somewhat surprised him. It wasn't 'I Am Invincible' who defeated Zhang Qianmo, but someone else: a cultivator named Zhong Shentong. Furthermore, this Zhong Shentong was not a virtual fabrication but a real cultivator existing in the Xuanhuang Realm. Li Fan found it incredible. He was extremely familiar with Senior Brother Zhang's abilities; in his Purple Core state, slaying Golden Core cultivators was as effortless as slaughtering chickens or oxen. How could this Zhong Shentong, merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, have defeated Zhang Qianmo?

Pondering this question, Li Fan opened the battle replay. In the void, Senior Brother Zhang stood with a stern expression, his hands clasped behind his back. Not far away, an elderly man with white hair and beard, clad in a Daoist robe, gazed at him with a smile. Zhong Shentong began with a polite invitation for a match. No sooner had Zhong Shentong finished his pleasantries than his expression abruptly changed. With a flick of his right finger, a vast expanse of green light suddenly surged forth above Senior Brother Zhang's head. Each ray of light was like an incomparably sharp flying sword, continuously stabbing towards Zhang Qianmo. Senior Brother Zhang snorted coldly, and the Purple Heavens Divine Thunder appeared beside him, striking directly at the incoming green light. Green and purple intertwined, annihilating each other and vanishing into nothingness.

Zhong Shentong continuously flicked his fingers. Blue, purple, crimson, red... In an instant, a continuous torrent of multicolored light, in various hues, surged forth. Like an endlessly flowing river, the assault never ceased. Its sheer density forced Zhang Qianmo to barely defend himself. What was most terrifying was that this seven-colored divine light, whether a divine ability or a magic treasure, seemed to be unleashed without any discernible consumption. From the moment the attack began, there was no sign of weakening; in fact, the intensity of the light bursts grew even more relentless.

Gradually, wounds inevitably appeared on Senior Brother Zhang's body. Although they would quickly heal automatically, he still appeared quite disheveled. In contrast, Zhong Shentong remained completely at ease throughout. Li Fan, observing the battle, analyzed that the seven-colored divine light was indeed extraordinary, and wondered if Zhong Shentong had defeated Senior Brother Zhang solely by relying on it.

But then, Li Fan corrected himself, realizing that while the seven-colored divine light possessed astonishing destructive power, it was only effective within the same cultivation realm. If Senior Brother Zhang were to reveal his Purple Core form, it likely wouldn't even be able to breach his defenses. Suddenly, Li Fan seemed to realize something, and his expression turned serious. A realization dawned on him. He fixed his gaze on Zhang Qianmo in the midst of the battle. Wounds continuously blossomed like flowers on his body, but in an instant, they were healed by the power surging from within Senior Brother Zhang. As the battle continued, this process repeated endlessly, as if it would never cease.

But... a Foundation Establishment cultivator's power has its limits. Although the total amount of spiritual energy within Senior Brother Zhang far surpassed that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was still far from inexhaustible. When the battle was dragged on for one, two, then three days, the original power within him finally began to deplete. Thus, Zhang Qianmo was forced to begin drawing upon the energy stored within his Purple Core. Previously, when Li Fan was cultivating the Tribulation Body, he had already suspected that the Purple Core within Zhang Qianmo was a method used by the Purple Heavens Sect to contain and suppress cultivation. Now, it seemed, his suspicions were confirmed.