Chapter 272: Ningyuan Entrapped in a Dilemma

Everyone exclaimed in wonder after hearing Ye Feipeng finish his story. They occasionally glanced at the pair of dark brown wings on his back, a hint of envy flashing in their eyes.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, Li Fan, who had witnessed all of this, had an inexplicable expression on his face.

"Kunpeng's essence blood?"

"Just a single drop of essence blood, passed down through the bloodline, can cause such a colossal transformation in a person's body, even after thousands of years."

Li Fan, who had achieved minor mastery in the Creation Furnace Technique, was well aware of the immense power this represented.

"How powerful was the Kunpeng at its peak?"

"Not to mention, there were many other demonic beasts equally famous as the Kunpeng, or even fiercer. Yet, not a single one can be seen today. What exactly happened back then..."

Li Fan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"I wonder how demonic beast essence blood strengthens the physical body. How is it different from my Creation Furnace Technique, which mobilizes the hidden powers of the human body? As the saying goes, 'a stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade.' Perhaps I can learn a thing or two from it if the opportunity arises." Recalling Ye Feipeng's astonishing speed and strength, Li Fan couldn't help but ponder to himself.

"It seems the little fatty hasn't given up on contending for the Spirit of Heaven and Earth. It's just unclear who will succeed between him and Zhang Zhiliang. Although Zhang Zhiliang's current cultivation is far superior to Ye Feipeng's, I vaguely feel that the little fatty has a greater chance, though I don't know why... Let's see what opportunities await him when he forms his Golden Core."

His gaze flickered as Li Fan's thoughts slowly calmed. He then began to toy with the white glowing cube in his hand. This was precisely the Formation Crown that Zhang Zhiliang had given him earlier.

Through half a year of continuous exploration, Li Fan had completely mastered the initial twenty formations. And after dozens of failures, he successfully used these twenty formations as a foundation to construct his own "miniature Formation Crown." He had wasted many precious materials, and its power was nowhere near comparable to Zhang Zhiliang's hundred-formation superimposed Formation Crown.

But this was, after all, a good start. It meant that Li Fan's mastery of the Array Dao had officially reached an advanced level. The achievement was hard-won, and Li Fan was naturally thrilled. As a result, he allocated more of his energy to the research of the Array Dao during this period. The sea of knowledge is boundless. When one's mind is fully immersed and diligently focused on study, time always passes exceptionally quickly.

Before he knew it, it was already Anchoring Year 25.

On this day, Li Fan suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. After a brief sensing, he realized that the restriction to enter the Immortalfall Realm had disappeared, and he could once again enter and explore it.

"I wonder where I'll appear this time?"

With excitement and anticipation, Li Fan paused all ongoing processes. Holding his breath and concentrating his mind, he set up the ritual.

"Blessed Heavenly Lord of Profound Yellow!"

The ritual completed, his consciousness blurred for a moment, and Li Fan found himself once again in the Immortalfall Realm.

"Junior Brother? Junior Brother?" The familiar voice rang out again.

Li Fan was startled and stared blankly at Zhang Qianmo, who had reappeared before him, waving his hand.

"What's going on? Why am I still here? I clearly defeated him, resolved his obsession, and even gained secret techniques. Where did things go wrong?" Innumerable doubts instantly surged in Li Fan's heart.

This spatial-temporal region around Ningyuan City should be similar to Tianyang's Eternal Remnant. Li Fan was trapped here; he couldn't leave unless he resolved the obsession that maintained the existence of this space-time.

But now...

Forcibly suppressing the disappointment in his heart, Li Fan's thoughts raced as he began to analyze calmly. For this situation to occur, there were only a few possibilities.

First, Li Fan's understanding of this spatial-temporal region was completely wrong. For unknown reasons, he was permanently trapped here. No matter what methods he tried, he would never be able to leave.

Second, Li Fan's understanding was correct, but he hadn't truly resolved Zhang Qianmo's obsession yet. Whether it was soaring freely with Chi Xia or seeking a defeat, none of these were what he truly sought.

There was also a third possibility... As he thought of this, Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked in all directions. What maintained this space-time was fundamentally not Senior Brother Zhang's obsession. Zhang Qianmo was merely a brilliant supporting character. The true protagonist... was someone else!

Which guess was correct? Li Fan didn't know yet. Fortunately, he had enough time to eliminate the wrong options one by one. By then, he would know the correct answer. Crushing his anxious desire for quick success, Li Fan slowly regained his composure.

At this moment, Zhang Qianmo, who had observed the changes in Li Fan's expression, finally spoke up and asked, "Junior Brother, what's wrong with you? Did you have a nightmare in broad daylight?"

Li Fan smiled faintly. "Senior Brother's foresight is uncanny. I did indeed have a nightmare in a daze, so I'm a bit unsettled."

Zhang Qianmo couldn't help but feel curious. "Oh? What did you dream about?"

"I dreamed that Senior Brother was surrounded by an overwhelming tide of demonic beasts and strange creatures, outnumbered, exhausted, and died in battle." Li Fan shook his head and sighed. "How ominous. I don't know why I would dream of such a thing for no reason."

Zhang Qianmo's expression changed slightly, and he frowned faintly. "You and I, as cultivators, have clear and unified minds; we are no longer like mortals who fall into nightmares due to random thoughts. Now that a nightmare has suddenly appeared, could it be that you sensed something in the unseen, and your mind issued a self-warning?" Zhang Qianmo stroked his chin and said thoughtfully.

Li Fan was a little speechless inwardly. He didn't expect that just by saying something casually, Zhang Qianmo could make so many groundless associations. However, he had coincidentally stumbled upon the truth; there truly was a small "danger" ahead in Ningyuan City.

Immediately, going along with his words, Li Fan continued, "Could it be that this trip to retrieve the Longevity Fruit will encounter some twists and turns and won't be so smooth?"

Zhang Qianmo was slightly taken aback but didn't immediately refute. After thinking for a moment, he then said, "Junior Brother, your worry is not unfounded. When I overheard Master and Martial Uncle chatting, they once mentioned that the cultivation world hasn't been very peaceful lately. To be on the safe side, why don't you and I first secretly infiltrate Ningyuan City and investigate? See if there's anything strange in the city."

Li Fan had no objection and nodded in agreement.

The two immediately put away their Purple Heavens Flying Cloud, which they used for travel, concealed their aura, hid their figures, and quietly flew towards Ningyuan City.

"Senior Brother, what's your greatest wish in life?" During their flight, Li Fan suddenly asked.

"Hmm? Junior Brother, why do you ask?" Zhang Qianmo was a little surprised.

"Haha, Senior Brother, please don't take offense when I say this. Just now in my dream, I saw you die tragically, your eyes fixed on me, as if you had an unresolved regret. The look in your eyes was too real; even now that I'm awake, it's hard to forget. My heart is unsettled, hence my question," Li Fan said slowly.