Chapter 57: Opportunity Suddenly Arises

In his previous life, as Li Fan’s lifespan was nearing its end, he coincidentally broke through the seal of the Immortal Severing Array and arrived in the cultivation world for the first time. The scene he witnessed then consisted of continuous mountain ranges and a magnificent city suspended in the air.

In this life, however, after Li Fan arrived in the cultivation world, he found himself above a vast ocean. Before this, Li Fan hadn’t given it much thought, assuming there had been some anomaly during the teleportation. It wasn’t until today, when Li Fan saw the dried-up Congyun Sea and witnessed the birth of the wondrous item 'Vast Ocean Pearl,' that he finally understood. There was no anomaly; the place he arrived at through the Immortal Severing Array was indeed the same location. It was merely that the timing of his two arrivals in the cultivation world was different.

In his previous life, Li Fan arrived in the cultivation world when he was 85 years old, which was Anchor Year 65. In this life, Li Fan entered the cultivation world at 40 years old, after his Void Transformation charging progress reached 100%. That was Anchor Year 20. A 45-year interval separated an encounter with a vast ocean from an encounter with mountain ranges.

It was no wonder Li Fan hadn't considered this possibility. Without personally experiencing it, even if someone had told him in advance about such a monumental change, he would probably have been skeptical. So Li Fan smiled. First, he laughed at himself for still being unable to shed his mortal mindset. If he could have connected the various anomalies Zhang Haobo had previously mentioned with the differences in what he saw on his two visits, he might have detected this monumental change earlier.

Second, it was because he finally saw hope for the disaster to recede. In Anchor Year 50, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi broke into Da Xuan. At that time, they claimed to be from Lingtian City in the Congyun Mountains. Presumably, the drought had already passed by then. The dried-up ocean would transform into vibrant mountain ranges. It was now Anchor Year 34, so the time was not far off. Waiting without hope was the most agonizing, but knowing the final outcome made this seemingly endless fiery disaster no longer so terrifying.

Li Fan calmed himself down and returned to Taian Island. Seeing the mortals on the island, who were living in constant fear, somewhat numb, and could only pray and prostrate day and night, Li Fan transmitted his voice across the entire island, telling them that this disaster would eventually pass. Upon receiving the Immortal Master's instruction, the island residents were overjoyed and rekindled their hope for survival.

Li Fan, meanwhile, entered secluded cultivation and took out the Vast Ocean Pearl once more. "Is the glimmer of hope here?" Li Fan observed this azure wondrous item of heaven and earth. His divine sense surged into it, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, disappearing instantly. "It seems using it will require considerable effort," Li Fan mused, seeing this.

Wondrous items of heaven and earth were crucial for achieving a Dao Foundation; how to find and use them was incredibly valuable experience. The exchange price for them in the Tianxuan Realm was also extremely high, requiring nearly 2000 contribution points. Li Fan could only explore on his own at this moment.

Next, Li Fan made many attempts. He tried infusing it with spiritual energy, nourishing it with divine sense, even striking it with external force, and finally even attempted the blood refinement method. But the Vast Ocean Pearl remained unresponsive, unable to activate the immense water vapor it contained.

Ultimately, Li Fan had a flash of insight, recalling that the "Thousand Machines Jade Ring Golden Tome" contained methods for sensing and refining the aura from various spiritual items of heaven and earth. He immediately activated his "Discern Mechanism" divine ability and looked towards the Vast Ocean Pearl. A deep blue radiance enveloped the Vast Ocean Pearl—ancient, profound, vibrant. Although the Vast Ocean Pearl was small, its aura was so complex and powerful that it overshadowed all living beings on Taian Island. It was currently in a state of nurturing and dormancy, making it difficult to discern without careful observation.

Li Fan carefully sensed the Vast Ocean Pearl's aura. As soon as he made contact, Li Fan felt his body disappear. It was as if he had suddenly ascended to the Ninth Heaven, looking down at the ocean below from a bird's-eye view. The Congyun Sea had existed since ancient times, nurturing countless living beings. But one day, a certain will from heaven and earth suddenly descended. And so, the ocean began to die. Born of Heaven, Slain by Heaven; such is the principle of the Dao. Heaven desired to burn the sea, and the sea was powerless to resist. But, she refused to yield! Thus, though one vast ocean perished, another was born!

Li Fan withdrew from that wondrous state. Before he could even savor the scenes he had just witnessed, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness, almost unable to stand steadily. Upon checking, Li Fan was even more horrified to find that he had unknowingly developed a strand of white hair and subtle wrinkles on his face. This was merely from a momentary connection with the Vast Ocean Pearl's aura! When Li Fan opened the True Return Panel again, he gasped.

Name: Li FanCultivation: Mid-Qi Refining StagePhysiological Age: 89/199Mental Age: 517/2280↑

In that brief instant, Li Fan's physiological age jumped directly from 54 to 89. In just a moment, it was as if 35 years had passed. "No wonder even in the ancient Heavenly Mystery Sect, very few people cultivated this technique. Just by interacting with the consciousness of a vast ocean, one's lifespan rapidly depletes." "If my lifespan hadn't depleted so quickly and my body hadn't automatically warned me, I might have been assimilated by the ocean's consciousness without even realizing it. Whether I could still activate the True Return by then is hard to say." Li Fan understood what had just happened and felt a sudden pang of fear.

"No, this definitely isn't the way to control wondrous items of heaven and earth." Li Fan knew he must have used the wrong method. A human's perception of time scale was simply not on the same level as that of heaven, earth, mountains, or vast oceans. Even powerful cultivators who could live for thousands of years were far from comparable. Rashly attempting to make contact with human consciousness would only result in assimilation.

So how exactly could one control a wondrous item of heaven and earth? Li Fan held the Vast Ocean Pearl, his expression fluctuating. Days passed, and Li Fan still couldn't figure out how to use the Vast Ocean Pearl. The weather also grew increasingly hot, as if intent on a final, complete purification of the Congyun Sea.

The mortals on the island gradually became too weak to even pray. Li Fan knew that if things continued this way, these mortals might die before the fiery disaster passed. Dying just before dawn was despair-inducing. Li Fan couldn't help but become a little restless, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts.

To calm himself, he instinctively activated the "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Incantation," which he hadn't practiced in a long time. Since becoming a Qi Refining stage cultivator, most of his energy had been spent cultivating techniques like the "Flowing Water Art" and the "Thousand Machines Jade Ring Golden Tome." The "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Incantation" had not been deliberately cultivated for a long time. This was because it didn't significantly help with cultivation advancement, and even without actively practicing it, the Heart Refining Incantation would spontaneously run slowly. So Li Fan had set it aside.

At this moment, as the Heart Refining Incantation operated, all the negative emotions in Li Fan's heart—unease, fear, urgency, and so on—slowly vanished, becoming nourishment for strengthening his Dao Heart. With his mind calmed once more, Li Fan suddenly had a revelation. The opportunity for his breakthrough also lay within this Vast Ocean Pearl.