Chapter 446: Heavenly Palm Like a Light Touch

Li Fan’s eyes flashed with a glimmer of light, and he increased the intensity of his absorption once more.

The earth’s leyline energy, which had traveled tens of thousands of miles, surged entirely into Li Fan’s body.

“Bang!”“Bang!”

Li Fan seemed to faintly hear the booming sounds of collision coming from within his own body. Amidst this struggle, it was as if something was slowly breaking apart. A crisp cracking sound seemed to echo in his ears.

A moment later, Li Fan’s cultivation surged forward, his aura continuously climbing. In the blink of an eye, he progressed from recently breaking through to the mid-stage Golden Core to advancing towards the late-stage Golden Core.

Just then, Li Fan suddenly felt the somewhat bright seabed completely darken. It wasn't just darkness in his field of vision; it was also the claustrophobic sensation of space being sealed off.

Without pausing his absorption, Li Fan simultaneously looked up. He saw a colossal palm appear above his head at some unknown moment. It obscured everything, pressing down directly. Before it, Li Fan was as tiny as an ant.

“Damn it!” Li Fan cursed inwardly, looking at this powerful being that appeared from nowhere.

However, his clone was currently operating the “Great Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Technique,” as if it had eaten the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard. Facing this terrifying giant palm, it showed no fear at all. Instead, it opened its mouth, attempting to swallow the colossal palm too!

The result was, predictably, without question.

The next moment, Li Fan lost contact with his clone. The silver lining was that the mysterious entity that had intervened seemed to have no intention of probing further. It did not follow the trail to find Li Fan’s main body. Otherwise, he might have been forced into a severe setback again.

Li Fan carefully recalled the timing of the colossal hand’s appearance. “It seems it was because I forcibly broke through the Heavenly Calamity that it was drawn here?” he mused. “Is it a countermeasure from heaven and earth, or...?”

Frowning slightly, the Dao Transformation Stone crystal in Li Fan’s mind glowed with blue light. Just before his clone was crushed, he, using the Great Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Technique, actually managed to absorb a trace of energy from that colossal hand. If the opponent had been a cultivator, Li Fan would undoubtedly have been completely unable to do this.

Pondering the 'taste' of that wisp of energy, Li Fan became thoughtful. “It’s more like pure power of rules,” he concluded. “From this perspective, it seems somewhat similar to Senior Brother Zhang’s Grand Vow Dharma Body. It usually doesn't appear in the world but acts only under specific circumstances...”

“Originally, I planned to use the Great Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Technique to advance my clone’s cultivation to the perfected Golden Core stage first, to accumulate experience for breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm. Who would have thought such an unexpected calamity would occur?”

“Fortunately, it was just a clone.” Li Fan sighed inwardly, already accustomed to the treacherous dangers of the Xuanhuang Realm.

He quietly left Ten Thousand Immortals Island, found a secluded spot, and after some effort, recreated “Zhou Qingang.” The clone nodded slightly, bid farewell to the main body, and headed towards the scene of the incident. He wanted to see what the sea area would look like after being struck by that palm from the sky.

Before long, Li Fan returned to the scene. To his great surprise, the sea surface was calm, and the sky was clear with gentle breezes. There was no sign of any disaster having occurred. It was as if everything that had just happened was merely his illusion.

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then dived into the sea. When he clearly saw the seabed scenery, his pupils involuntarily contracted sharply. The original submerged island ruins no longer existed. Instead, there was just sand and mud that looked no different from an ordinary seabed. It wasn't pure destruction; it was more like a complete obliteration of any traces of existence!

After staring deeply for a moment, Zhou Qingang quietly returned to Tai'an Island and honestly went into hiding.

Inside the Heavenly Mystic Mirror, using his clone’s eyes, Li Fan clearly saw the result of the colossal palm strike and became thoughtful.

“Was it because I forcibly broke through the Heavenly Calamity and violated some taboo, leading to its obliteration?” he wondered. “And everything happened silently. What if one could survive that palm strike? Would there be no more bottlenecks from then on? Of course, it might also attract an even more terrifying existence.”

The suicidal thought lasted only for a moment before Li Fan dismissed it. “However, in the previous life, the Heavenly Calamity inexplicably disappeared on its own after some time. I wonder what the reason was.”

After this suppression by the suddenly appearing colossal palm, Li Fan abandoned his plan to also cultivate his clone. It was better for it to honestly serve as a tool, sacrificing itself to help him escape in crucial moments.

Since his attempt to gain early insights into forming a Nascent Soul through his clone had failed, Li Fan had to settle for the next best thing: purchasing related experience summaries from the Heavenly Mystic Mirror. Everyone’s insights varied greatly, yet each had its own merits, with little distinction between superior and inferior. Li Fan, being wealthy and generous, bought all the different summaries, embracing various perspectives, to study them carefully.

Time slowly flowed by as Li Fan cultivated and meditated. Soon, it was time for the second investment, as agreed upon with He Zhenghao. Since their last venture had started well, He Zhenghao’s gains this time were decent; he had raised a total of 550,000 contribution points. After confirming with Li Fan, He Zhenghao immediately transferred the contribution points. At the same time, he also added his own 100,000 contribution points.

“One year from now, one million contribution points,” Li Fan stated concisely.

He Zhenghao was overjoyed, a string of flattering words pouring out of his mouth. Li Fan couldn’t be bothered to listen and directly ended the communication. At the same time, he looked at the list of people who had contributed this time. What caught his attention was that the cultivator named Zhou Peng still accounted for the largest share.

“Interesting. So much faith in me? Aren’t they afraid I’ll abscond with the money?” Li Fan thought. “And how did a Foundation Establishment cultivator, just like He Zhenghao, get so many contribution points?”

In his previous life, Li Fan had occasionally heard He Zhenghao mention this person. He was a good friend who often gathered with him to discuss investment strategies. It seemed he had a close relationship with a certain cultivator from the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, making him well-informed, and he often led their group to make small profits. Therefore, he held considerable prestige within their small group. In previous lives, when He Zhenghao planned to speculate on Spirit Mist Grass, this person had played a significant role.

“Hmph, no matter what tricks they’re up to, I’m not afraid. I’ll just wait and see.” Li Fan glanced at his balance of over six million contribution points and sneered inwardly. This many contribution points would be enough to continue leveraging his influence for a while. Moreover, the Spirit Mist Grass incident was approaching. These contribution points were expected to multiply several times over.

“My only concern is that such a massive transaction volume will inevitably attract the prying eyes of those with ulterior motives.”

“It’s time to check on how well Junior Brother Tianyang has recovered.”

With that thought, Li Fan quietly arrived in the Dao Transformation space. Tianyang remained quietly within the formation, absorbing energy to restore himself. He showed no sign of precaution at Li Fan’s arrival.

Li Fan checked his progress. “Almost,” he murmured. “With Incarnation stage strength, he should be worry-free in the Congyun Sea. But outside the Congyun Sea, it might not be enough.”

“Crimson Flame Scorch Sea...” Li Fan looked at Tianyang, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.