Chapter 667: Heartfelt Assistance in Refining the Heart

Hearing the prompt from the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan's eyes instantly narrowed.

“The Mind Ascension Elixir, its danger ranking is only over three thousand? What kind of things have the cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance been dabbling with all these years?”

Although a previous plan was declared bankrupt, Li Fan didn't feel particularly surprised.

After all, stability is paramount for the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

Any item that could cause unrest would inevitably be strictly controlled.

Imagine the destructive power if a Dao Integration cultivator, addicted to the Mind Ascension Elixir, were to experience withdrawal.

It would be rather abnormal if it weren't prohibited.

“How unlucky! It’s actually a damn contraband item!” Li Fan feigned an annoyed expression in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

“Still, I went to great lengths to get it! Rather than destroying it…”

Li Fan pretended a hint of ferocity appeared in his eyes.

“I might as well just swallow it myself!”

With that, he was about to swallow the elixir whole, right in front of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

“Warning: After consuming the Mind Ascension Elixir, you will be subject to imprisonment and de-addiction treatment for a period determined by your potential threat level as a cultivator. This will cause irreversible damage to your body and mind.”

“Warning…”

Li Fan’s body stiffened slightly, and his action of consuming the Ascension Elixir immediately halted.

Muttering curses, Li Fan crushed the Mind Ascension Elixir into powder.

“There, happy now!”

“No, I can’t let this go! That bastard dared to deceive me, I’m going to settle scores with him!”

Seemingly growing angrier with each thought, Li Fan immediately exited the Heavenly Profound Mirror, left Luoyan City, and flew towards the depths of the wilderness.

He continued until he reached a remote, deserted area, and only stopped after confirming he wasn't being followed.

Transforming into a streak of light, he burrowed deep underground and skillfully excavated a secret chamber.

Li Fan then re-condensed the small amount of Mind Ascension Elixir powder he had specifically saved in his hand.

Moments later, a miniature Mind Ascension Elixir, dozens of times smaller, appeared in Li Fan’s palm.

Dividing it in half, Li Fan gazed at one half before consuming it.

It wasn't because Li Fan's addiction had flared up, but rather to verify a certain hypothesis he had.

The miniature Ascension Elixir dissolved upon entering his mouth, transforming into a warm current that instantly spread throughout his body.

His head felt slightly dizzy. In a trance, Li Fan seemed to once again see the vast, interwoven net of heaven and earth that he had witnessed while comprehending the Dao using Human Dao Stardust!

Moreover, this time, it was a hundred times clearer than before.

It seemed incredibly close, within reach. The ultimate truths of heaven and earth were laid bare before Li Fan's eyes!

Li Fan involuntarily widened his eyes, wanting to see it even more clearly.

Just then, the elixir’s effects receded.

The scene before him instantly shattered and vanished like a reflection in a mirror or the moon in water.

An unspeakable sense of emptiness suddenly welled up in Li Fan's heart.

“Damn it! It was so close!”

“The truths of heaven and earth were once so near to me…”

“Quick, have Liu San refine more of it!”

Thoughts like these, like a violent whirlwind, instantly took over Li Fan’s mind.

Li Fan suddenly stood up, but he did not leave the secret chamber.

Instead, his face was contorted in a grimace.

“If I wish to become an immortal, why should I rely on mere elixirs?”

“For ordinary people, missing a chance at immortality might lead to lifelong regret. But for me…”

“A momentary opportunity is an eternal opportunity. It is inexhaustible! If I miss it in this life, then there’s the next life. If I miss it again in the next life, then there’s the life after that!”

Li Fan began to fight against the effects of the Mind Ascension Elixir with his own will.

His face was distorted, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

He struggled with all his might, battling the wild, untamed desires within him.

This went on for half a day.

After all, it was only a small amount of powder, not a complete Mind Ascension Elixir. Li Fan actually managed to endure the craving.

All sorts of distracting thoughts receded like a tide, and when he thought of the Mind Ascension Elixir again, there was no longer any trace of desire.

“This item is truly terrifying. If it were a complete Ascension Elixir, with my current willpower alone, I probably still wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation.”

“However, if I had the aid of the Profound Yellow Immortal Heart Mantra, it would be different.”

Li Fan let out a long breath, invigorating his spirit, then swallowed the remaining half of the Ascension Elixir.

The moment desire surged, he activated the Profound Yellow Immortal Heart Mantra.

Just as before, Li Fan once again saw the vast net woven from the truths of heaven and earth.

But with the Immortal Heart Mantra’s blessing, Li Fan’s mind was as still as water, devoid of any impulse.

Thus, Li Fan quietly waited for the effects to pass.

When the hallucination before his eyes suddenly vanished and the emptiness and craving surged in his heart once more, the Profound Yellow Immortal Heart Mantra slowly began to operate. These myriad desires were absorbed instantly and transformed into nourishment for the Immortal Heart Mantra before they could affect Li Fan’s mental state.

“To presumptuously claim to be an immortal before true immortals is to make a fool of oneself.” Li Fan’s heart remained utterly unshaken.

“Regardless, one thing has been confirmed. Consuming this Mind Ascension Elixir can be used to aid in cultivating the Profound Yellow Immortal Heart Mantra, and without worrying about side effects.” After the desires vanished, Li Fan also stopped operating the Immortal Heart Mantra.

Currently, he couldn’t keep the Immortal Heart Mantra constantly active like an instinctual breath. Perhaps only when the Immortal Heart Mantra is fully perfected will this effect be achievable.

As he left the underground chamber and traveled towards Tianling State, a thought suddenly emerged in Li Fan’s mind.

“The truths of heaven and earth seen after consuming the Mind Ascension Elixir are merely nearly realistic illusions. Even if I consume more, I won’t gain any substantive enlightenment. But conversely, if I could see the true truths of heaven and earth—the kind that cultivators are destined not to comprehend—would the effect be even better?”

“After all, no matter how realistic an illusion, it cannot compare to true existence.”

“An elixir that can truly help cultivators comprehend the Dao shouldn’t be banned by the Myriad Immortals Alliance, right? What if, among a batch of ineffective Dao elixirs, I added one or two elixirs containing truths of heaven and earth that cultivators *can* comprehend…”

Lost in thought, a strange smile involuntarily appeared on Li Fan’s lips.

Upon arriving at Tianling City, Li Fan temporarily put his thoughts aside.

He headed straight for a shop in the city that sold Heavenly Spirit Flowers.

“Shopkeeper, I’d like a pot of Heavenly Spirit Flowers,” Li Fan said.

“Coming right up, honored guest, please come this way to see. We have a full range of premium flowers, from sixteen to twenty petals,” the shopkeeper greeted enthusiastically.

After scanning the dozens of Heavenly Spirit Flowers displayed in the shop, Li Fan’s expression immediately darkened.

“You scoundrel, are you trying to take advantage of me because I’m an outsider? Do these wretched things even deserve the name Heavenly Spirit?”

“Why do these flowers have strange reddish veins flowing within them? It’s utterly unsightly!”

Li Fan cursed furiously, his voice like thunder, instantly attracting the attention of many cultivators.

“Oh dear, honored guest, you may not know this. Ever since a few years ago, all the Heavenly Spirit Flowers grown here have been like this!”

The shopkeeper explained with a bitter smile.