Chapter 56: Compassion Blesses Mortals

The surrounding seawater continuously poured towards the black hole, yet upon touching its edge, it evaporated into vapor. Above the black hole, due to the extremely high temperature, the air was completely distorted. Enveloped by the constantly rising mist, a bizarre scene of black and white intermingled formed.

Li Fan, piloting the Taiyan Skiff, watched this scene from mid-air, suddenly enveloped by endless fear. Myriad Immortals Island… just gone? Scenes from his past on Myriad Immortals Island flashed rapidly through his mind: the Dharma Transmission Square with its ten thousand statues, the endless stream of cultivators coming and going, and even the magnificent and grand buildings in the center of the island, where powerful cultivators of the Soul Transformation stage were said to reside… Just gone? Not even a speck of dust remained.

What kind of power could accomplish all this? The malice of the Heavenly Dao? Li Fan didn't know. Faced with this immensely shocking scene, Li Fan's mind was a complete mess. Cultivating immortality, achieving longevity – Li Fan's long-held goal now seemed so ridiculous. In the face of this sudden catastrophe, cultivators had become like mortals, no different from ants.

Once fear took root in his heart, it became impossible to suppress. "Run! Get out of this hellhole!" Li Fan's eyes turned bloodshot as he piloted the Taiyan Skiff, desperately fleeing westward towards the Cloud Sea. He wanted to escape to land, far from this sea area that resembled purgatory.

Thus, Li Fan flew for an unknown duration, his mind in chaos. "Boom!" The Taiyan Skiff seemed to have collided with something, forced to a halt. Fortunately, its protective formation prevented immediate destruction and his demise. Despite suffering minor injuries from the violent impact, Li Fan gradually calmed down.

He looked out from the Taiyan Skiff. There was nothing there. In the distance was a continuous coastline; they were not far from the mainland. Li Fan controlled the Taiyan Skiff, attempting to fly forward. "Boom!" Something blocked Li Fan's path. Li Fan crashed repeatedly but couldn't advance an inch. He tried other directions, but it was the same. An invisible barrier separated the Cloud Sea from the nearby mainland. Entry permitted, exit forbidden.

Li Fan was stunned. He suddenly thought of a phrase: "A turtle in a jar."

After a long while, Li Fan let out a laugh. He looked up at the sky. How ruthless. He then became somewhat lost, wondering if he should summon Huanzhen and return to the initial anchor point, or if he should look around a bit more. Li Fan felt helpless, having lost his purpose. He piloted the Taiyan Skiff, aimlessly wandering over the Cloud Sea.

He passed by Nightfall Island, which, like the other islands, presented an apocalyptic scene with no survivors. He passed by Glazed Island. The island's protective formation was shattered, and He Zhenghao was nowhere to be found. The island was strewn with corpses, showing no signs of life. Flowing Cloud Island, Mid-Autumn Island… All had become desolate lands. Occasionally, he encountered surviving cultivators like himself, but they had all gone mad. Upon seeing Li Fan, they screamed as if seeing a ghost and fled.

Finally, Li Fan somehow returned to Taian Island. Here, he finally felt a long-lost vitality. Perhaps, only these few living people remained in the entire Cloud Sea. Li Fan walked through the streets, observing the mortals on Taian Island. They were unaware of the changes that had occurred outside Taian Island, their faces still showing the joy of surviving a disaster. Little did they know, an inescapable catastrophe awaited them. However, perhaps ignorance was a blessing. Witnessing such an apocalyptic scene would surely lead to nightmares every night. Li Fan couldn't help but mock himself.

As he continued walking, he suddenly heard sincere prayers. "May the Immortal Master Who Saves from Suffering and Calamity bless us, bless us with favorable winds and timely rain in the future, and food every year." "May the Immortal Master Who Saves from Suffering and Calamity bless us, protect my Yu'er to grow up safe and sound."

Li Fan was startled and turned to look. It turned out that a temple had been built on Taian Island at some unknown time. Inside the temple, a statue was enshrined, and on the tablet in front of the statue, the words "Immortal Master Who Saves from Suffering and Calamity" were clearly written. The statue bore a subtle resemblance to Li Fan, its eyes slightly lowered, gazing compassionately at the people kneeling before it.

"Immortal Master Who Saves from Suffering and Calamity..." Li Fan fell silent for a moment. After a long while, he sighed deeply. "Fine, I'll protect you for as long as I can."

However, protecting mortals amidst the Heavenly Dao's murderous intent was clearly not an easy task. Li Fan had initially thought the disaster was over. What he didn't expect was that the real calamity had only just begun.

One year, two years, three years… The sky still showed no sign of rain. The sea level began to drop, and the seawater continuously receded from the islands. Even with the seawater desalination formation, it became increasingly difficult for the mortals of Taian Island to obtain water. Each time, they had to walk for a very long time to find water. They didn't know why Heaven had sent down such a calamity, but they feared that the Cloud Sea would eventually dry up completely. So, every household began enshrining wooden statues of Li Fan, praying day and night. Li Fan was helpless. How could he contend with such a drastic change in heaven and earth?

The only good news was that, over these three years, perhaps because most of the cultivators in the Cloud Sea had perished, the murderous intent in the heavens targeting cultivators slowly dissipated. Li Fan also took this opportunity to cultivate back to the mid-Qi Condensation stage.

"When you stop worshipping me, I'll return to the anchor point." Being prayed to day and night by a multitude of mortals was certainly a peculiar experience. He activated his "Discernment" divine ability, observing the increasingly dense death qi above the mortals' heads, and secretly decided. "Wait, why is there a faint trace of white hidden within this black death qi?" Li Fan was startled. Ever since his cultivation recovered, Li Fan had checked Taian Island's aura daily. This time, for some reason, he discovered a glimmer of vitality he hadn't noticed before. Where did this vitality come from?

Li Fan circulated the "Thousand Mechanism Jade Sphere Golden Tome" to its limit, and found that the vitality of the people on Taian Island resonated with himself! He became even more puzzled. After repeated confirmation, Li Fan finally realized that the vitality indeed originated from him. But not Li Fan himself, rather an item on his person – something he had almost forgotten: the Heavenly and Earthly Wonder: Vast Sea.

Because it hadn't yet fully formed, this Vast Sea Pearl had been placed in a corner of his Taiyan Skiff. It wasn't until today, under the reflection of vital energy, that Li Fan remembered it. Unlike when he first saw it over a decade ago, it was now a deep blue, imbued with dense water vapor, as if a true vast sea was gestating within it.

"As one vast sea perishes, another vast sea is born." Li Fan stared blankly at the Vast Sea Pearl in his hand, then suddenly realized something. He piloted the Taiyan Skiff straight up, flying ten thousand meters high, and looked down. The Cloud Sea below, due to prolonged drought, had large sections of its seabed exposed. Submarine mountain ranges gradually revealed their true forms. And the former islands of the Cloud Sea were precisely the peaks of these mountains.

Kou Hong's enthusiastic face suddenly flashed before Li Fan's eyes. He had once said to Li Fan: "No worries. If you get out, you can find me in Lingtian City within the Cloud Mountain Range." Li Fan smiled. Cloud Sea. Cloud Mountains. They were, in fact, the same place.