Chapter 55: Death Leads to Rebirth

Half a month later, a rudimentary seawater desalination array was completed.

With ample drinking water and food restored, the surviving residents of Tai'an Island prostrated themselves, kneeling to thank the Immortal Master for saving their lives.

Li Fan, however, was not as joyful; instead, he felt a sense of unease.

After personally constructing a formation, Li Fan felt he had barely embarked on the path of array mastery.

It was then that he discovered Tai'an Island's protective grand array was deteriorating at an alarmingly abnormal rate.

Typically, such protective grand arrays can function for hundreds of years.

However, at the current rate of deterioration, the grand array would completely lose its effectiveness in just two or three years.

After a careful investigation, and referencing descriptions in "Introduction to Formation Arrays," Li Fan discovered the cause of the grand array's damage.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth had become extremely turbulent and fiery.

This fiery spiritual energy seemed to have developed its own will; once absorbed by the protective grand array, it gradually began to corrode the critical nodes within the formation.

The protective grand array was now like a machine with critical parts slowly rusting; each operation further diminished its lifespan.

The cause was found, but Li Fan had no effective way to salvage the situation.

The protective grand array was too complex, comprising over ten thousand critical nodes, each often a composite of dozens of miniature formations.

It was said that when it was originally built, several Nascent Soul stage formation masters from the Myriad Immortals Alliance had collaborated on its construction.

With a problem now, it was far beyond the capabilities of Li Fan, a cultivator who had only just begun his journey in array mastery.

Furthermore, the primary cause of the problem lay in the spiritual energy absorbed by the grand array.

Even if the formation was temporarily repaired, as long as the violent spiritual energy outside remained unchanged, it would only be a temporary solution.

"Staying on Tai'an Island is simply waiting for death," he thought. "I must find a way to leave this place."

"But I don't know what changes have occurred outside," he mused. "Violent spiritual energy is raging; rushing out impulsively would also be a dead end."

Caught in a dilemma, he seemed to have entered a deadlock.

"Is this Heaven's wrath...?" Li Fan stared intently at the sky beyond the protective grand array, feeling like an insect caught in a spider's web, unable to move and struggling in vain.

However, Li Fan did not immediately choose to "Return to Reality" (his special ability).

Returning to Reality would not only waste over a decade of charging time, but without understanding what truly happened, he would likely still face death the next time.

Even if he fled far away from the Congyun Sea, could he guarantee that he wouldn't encounter new crises?

It should be known that the malice of this world's Heavenly Dao towards cultivators is omnipresent.

Li Fan did not believe he could avoid it by simply changing his location.

Therefore, he would not choose to abandon this life unless absolutely necessary.

For the following period, Li Fan continued to cultivate while searching for a way to break the deadlock.

However, the violent spiritual energy outside showed no signs of subsiding; instead, it grew even more tyrannical with the passage of time.

Under its relentless assault, the protective grand array became extremely precarious.

It was on the verge of collapse.

"Is there no other way?" Li Fan felt a surge of helplessness.

To end this life so inconclusively, he was truly unwilling.

But there seemed to be no other choice.

"Return to Reality!"

Li Fan reluctantly took one last look at Tai'an Island, summoned "Return to Reality," and prepared to end this life.

Just then, he paused.

Looking at the mortals below, who were gradually recovering their vitality, Li Fan suddenly realized that the violent spiritual energy outside seemed not to target ordinary people.

According to the island's mortals, beyond the protective grand array, the weather was merely a bit hot, with no other particular dangers.

"Heaven and Earth's killing intent is only directed at cultivators," he mused. "Mortals should be safe."

If he dispersed his cultivation and temporarily reverted to being a mortal, wouldn't he be able to survive?

Li Fan thought of the "Primordial True Scripture of the Grand Supreme."

With this extraordinary cultivation method, dispersing his cultivation and re-cultivating wouldn't result in much loss of progress. As long as he found a safe place, he could quickly return to his original realm.

"Is this what they call 'being pushed to the brink of death and finding life'?" he wondered. Having found a potential solution, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

Subsequently, more considerations naturally came to mind.

He was currently practicing two cultivation methods.

One was the "Minor Extinction Water Art," acquired from the Myriad Immortals Alliance; the other was the "Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Scripture" from the ancient Heavenly Mystery Sect.

One was a new method, the other an old one.

The new method's cultivation approach involved plundering heaven and earth.

It was precisely this approach that provoked the malice of heaven and earth.

Now, Heaven and Earth had set numerous deadly traps, targeting cultivators who practiced the new methods.

What if he only dispersed the "Minor Extinction Water Art" but retained the cultivation realm of the "Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Scripture"?

Would the killing intent between heaven and earth then be somewhat diminished?

Li Fan was a decisive person.

The grand array could collapse at any moment, so he immediately made a decision. Circulating spiritual energy within his body, he began to operate the "Primordial True Scripture of the Grand Supreme."

"The Grand Supreme is nameless, returning to the primordial..."

As the cultivation method operated, the water-attribute spiritual energy gained from practicing the "Minor Extinction Water Art" slowly dispersed like melting ice and snow, transforming into a pure energy that settled in Li Fan's dantian.

In less than half a day, the "Minor Extinction Water Art" had been completely dispersed.

Li Fan felt no discomfort whatsoever.

"This 'Primordial True Scripture of the Grand Supreme' is indeed miraculous," Li Fan mused, then flew to the edge of the protective grand array.

"Indeed, this method works!"

Sensing the pervasive Heaven and Earth killing intent outside suddenly weaken, Li Fan's heart filled with joy.

"Unfortunately," he thought, "the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Scripture' is still cultivated using the modern method of plundering heaven and earth. Although Heaven and Earth's malice is considerably less than before, perhaps due to the original intent of the cultivation method, it has not completely dissipated."

Realizing that he would still be in mortal danger if he went out now, Li Fan hardened his resolve and chose to continue dispersing his cultivation.

Soon, another stream of pure energy appeared in his dantian.

The two streams of energy, originally derived from different cultivation methods, could now merge without any conflict.

"According to the 'Primordial True Scripture of the Grand Supreme,' the pure energy obtained from dispersing cultivation can remain in the dantian for about a hundred years." Li Fan's realm had now reverted to that of a mortal.

But he wasn't particularly worried.

"As long as I return to Myriad Immortals Island," he thought, "I can quickly resume cultivation."

Without hesitation, Li Fan piloted the Taiyan Boat and slowly flew out of the protective grand array.

Violent, fiery spiritual energy raged, staining the distant sky an orange-red hue.

But Li Fan was now a mere mortal, and the raging spiritual energy all around simply whistled past, without launching an attack.

Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief, chose a direction, increased the Taiyan Boat's speed to maximum, and flew towards Myriad Immortals Island.

Along the way, Li Fan passed by many islands.

All the mortals on these islands were completely dead, with no trace of life remaining.

Li Fan was secretly alarmed.

He sped up his journey even further.

Three months later.

Li Fan arrived at the original location of Myriad Immortals Island.

He opened his map and cross-referenced it four or five times, yet still couldn't believe his eyes.

The once enormous Myriad Immortals Island had completely vanished.

Only a giant black hole remained, stretching emptily across the ocean.