Chapter 353: Lost Jiaxu

Inside Outpost Jiaxu, Li Fan surveyed the Golden Rankings displayed in his Heavenly Profound Mirror.

"Guo Yezhong is quite an interesting character," he mused. "Unless there's a special reason, he's openly slacking off and taking it easy under everyone's watchful eyes. This is practically a direct slap in the face to the Myriad Immortals Alliance." He recalled Guo Yezhong's completely unremarkable appearance during their initial training camp. "If he still has zero points when the grand competition ends, I'll truly respect him as a man."

A faint, resentful whisper suddenly echoed in his ears again. After more than a year of enduring it, Li Fan had long grown accustomed to it. Without changing his expression, he lit a glazed lamp in the room. Eerie black flames flickered to life, and the strange sounds from the abyss instantly vanished.

"This Nirvanic Glazed Lamp is really effective," Li Fan praised, once again enjoying the rare silence.

The Nirvanic Glazed Lamp was a new type of sound-suppressing exotic treasure sent by the Martial Arts Hall two months prior, originating from the ethereal Western Continent. Once the Nirvanic Wick inside the lamp was lit, it would emit black flames that turned all surrounding sounds into nothingness. Simple to use and exceptionally effective, it carried no risk of mutation even after absorbing a large amount of demonic sounds, unlike other exotic treasures. The glazed lamp remained unaffected until it burned out and could also be extinguished when not needed, extending its lifespan.

Among all sound-suppressing exotic treasures, the Nirvanic Glazed Lamp was considered the most outstanding. Unfortunately, its crucial component, the Nirvanic Wick, reportedly required special processing and had a long production cycle, making it extremely valuable. Therefore, only formation masters like Li Fan and Xue Mu were equipped with it. Members of the Azure Profound Army only deployed it during moments of crisis to overcome difficulties.

However, Li Fan lighting the Nirvanic Glazed Lamp at this moment was not an act of extravagance on his part. For the past fifteen days, ever since the sudden eruption of the demonic sound tide, which had long plagued the abyss, Outpost Jiaxu had lost all contact with other outposts and the Eternal Immortal Fortress. Communication talismans, spell transmissions, and even the Heavenly Profound Mirror could not connect with the outside world. In fact, the ranking list Li Fan had just idly looked at merely displayed data frozen before the tide erupted.

According to Leng Yingyi, the old Azure Profound veteran and Nascent Soul cultivator guarding him, the power of this tide was a once-in-a-century phenomenon. Based on Leng Yingyi's experience, the duration of the demonic sound tide was almost directly proportional to its power. The sudden outbreak of the great tide had caught everyone by surprise.

The outpost's supplies, including the Black Death Talismans essential for survival in the Soul-Devouring White Mist, were rapidly depleting and required immediate replenishment. Therefore, Leng Yingyi, fulfilling his duty, led three subordinates back to the Eternal Immortal Fortress to seek supplies, risking his life during the lull after the demonic sound tide erupted. However, he had not returned yet.

Although Li Fan was a little puzzled as to why he had encountered this rare once-in-a-century tide, the outpost still seemed relatively safe given the current situation, so there was no need to panic.

However, under the dual influence of the great tide and the white mist, not only communication but also spiritual energy had become chaotic. It was impossible to concentrate, and forcing himself to cultivate would cause spiritual energy to surge irregularly within his body, damaging his vital essence. Unable to cultivate, the usually diligent Li Fan found himself with nothing to do.

He had also tried to initiate a ritual to enter the Realm of Fallen Immortals. But in this white mist, his connection to the Realm of Fallen Immortals was too weak. He failed to enter several times, which only left him with a trembling spirit and dizziness, so he had no choice but to give up.

The only way to pass the time was to chat idly with the other cultivators in the outpost, discussing various topics. However, as days passed and the outpost's supplies dwindled with no sign of Leng Yingyi's return, everyone's mood grew heavy, and casual conversations gradually decreased.

The black flames flickered erratically, constantly dancing, casting a somber glow upon Li Fan's face. "Could it be that this life ends here?" After being cooped up for so long, this thought occasionally crossed his mind.

Taking a deep breath, he habitually circulated the Xuanhuang Heart Forging Chant, suppressing stray thoughts. Having nothing else to do, Li Fan decided to fully dedicate himself to cultivating the Heart Forging Chant. Since achieving a certain level of cultivation, circulating the Xuanhuang Heart Forging Chant had become as instinctive as breathing for him. However, there was still a difference between wholeheartedly comprehending and practicing it, and merely cultivating it instinctively. This was the first time in a long while that Li Fan had seriously cultivated the Heart Forging Chant again.

When he was still a mortal, the Heart-Cleansing Chant was his hope for breaking through the barrier between mortals and immortals. Thus, he had practiced diligently for years, forgetting sleep and food. But after breaking through to the Qi Refining stage, when the Heart-Cleansing Chant transformed into the Heart Forging Chant, its purpose became vague. It could not improve his cultivation in the slightest, and its apparent function was merely to suppress and crush distracting thoughts.

In today's cultivation world, where spiritual discipline was not emphasized, this was virtually useless. Furthermore, Li Fan's mental fortitude was already exceptionally strong, meaning he rarely encountered inner demons. Thus, for Li Fan, the Heart Forging Chant had minimal utility. If not for his intuition and the fact that it was listed as the top cultivation technique on his True Self Panel, indirectly indicating its value, Li Fan might have abandoned it long ago. After all, no matter how powerful a dragon-slaying technique was, if there were no dragons in the world, it would be a futile effort, not worth wasting time on.

However, at this moment, as Li Fan temporarily put everything aside and immersed himself in heart forging once more, he gradually came to a realization. "Heart forging, heart forging," he murmured. "How to forge, I already know by heart. But what should it be forged into? What is its ultimate purpose? I have no clue. Perhaps this is why my progress in cultivating the Heart Forging Chant has been stagnant for so many years. What is it that I am forging?" This question, perhaps too profound, stumped Li Fan, who considered himself quite insightful.

Time slowly flowed by during this process. Isolated contemplation had limited use. On the thirty-sixth day after the demonic sound tide erupted, Li Fan, unable to find an answer, simply stopped cultivating for the time being. He simply paced slowly around the outpost, listening, observing, feeling, and thinking.

Compared to just over ten days ago, Outpost Jiaxu had subtly undergone some changes in a short period. The confined environment, an uncertain future, and the demonic sound tides that struck periodically, combined with dwindling survival supplies, made the cultivators in the outpost feel as if days dragged on like years, as an inexplicable emotion slowly began to grow within everyone's hearts. Although they hadn't reached a desperate point yet, Li Fan, being perceptive of human nature, noticed this immediately.

"Excluding myself, there are three Nascent Soul cultivators and six Golden Core cultivators," he calculated mentally. "I'm the weakest in terms of power, but if I play weak and reap the benefits of others' struggles, surviving until the end shouldn't be an issue." This was the first thought that came to Li Fan's mind.