Chapter 68: Phantom Spirit Mimicking Blue Flame

As Li Fan's body temperature rose, the image of Blazing Flame in his Sea of Consciousness once again sharpened.

However, even as Li Fan pushed the Profound Yellow Heart Refining Incantation to its limit, ignoring the faint scent of burning from his own body, he inexplicably withdrew from his visualization state just before the Blazing Flame Phantasm was about to fully form.

"Could it be that the intense heat exceeded my body's tolerance limit?" Li Fan mused, then searched for heat-resistant medicines in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

He spent 10 contribution points to purchase an Ice Heart Pill. After consuming it, Li Fan resumed his attempts.

This time, the moment the heat from visualizing Blazing Flame manifested, a cool aura simultaneously surged from his dantian. This aura circulated throughout his body, suppressing the sensation of heat.

Free from the need to distract himself with physical discomfort, Li Fan concentrated all his mental energy on solidifying the Blazing Flame Phantasm.

But it was futile! The phantasm still shattered at the very last moment before taking full shape.

It was as if some unseen force was deliberately obstructing him; the phantasm simply refused to coalesce.

After more than a dozen attempts, the Ice Heart Pill's effects began to wane, and Li Fan ceased his efforts.

"'The Essence of Heaven and Earth is truly extraordinary; even attempting to condense a phantasm based on it is proving impossible,' Li Fan mused. 'There must be some unknown rule or restriction at play.'"

Li Fan pondered, then searched the Heavenly Profound Mirror for information related to the Essence of Heaven and Earth. As he anticipated, the mirror indicated that his authority level was insufficient to access it.

For a time, Li Fan's plan to condense the Blazing Flame Phantasm was stymied. Yet, he had no intention of abandoning it.

The greater the limitations, the more significant the reward upon success. The immense power of the Essence of Heaven and Earth was vividly clear in his mind; even acquiring a ten-thousandth of it would be absolutely remarkable.

However, the exact method required further meticulous consideration. Thus, Li Fan maintained his assisted cultivation mode, remaining in a state of enlightenment, silently closing his eyes to ponder.

One day, two days, three days... Days passed, and his contribution points slowly dwindled. Finally, after seven days, Li Fan opened his eyes.

The Essence of Heaven and Earth is a manifestation of a specific law of the cosmos. If the 'flame' aspect of Blazing Flame represents laws connected to fire, then what special significance does the 'blazing' (red) aspect hold?

Were there other types of flames besides Blazing Flame? Li Fan immediately began to experiment.

He still visualized the Essence of Heaven and Earth, its form and aura identical to the Blazing Flame from his memory. However, the figure's color shifted from red to green.

This time, the phantasm successfully formed. Yet, it was extremely weak, like an empty shell, completely devoid of any offensive power.

He dispersed the nascent phantasm within his Sea of Consciousness, then tried again.

This time, it shifted from green to black. Like Blazing Flame, the Black Flame phantasm couldn't form. The difference, however, was the absence of the intense heat sensation experienced during the visualization of Blazing Flame.

He then tried another color. Li Fan proceeded to test every color he could conceive of.

He discovered a total of four distinct outcomes.

The first type, similar to Blazing Flame, failed to coalesce and induced a scorching sensation during visualization.

The second type, like Green Flame, could form but remained an empty shell, utterly devoid of power.

The third type, akin to Black Flame, proved impossible to form, with no unusual phenomena occurring during its visualization.

The fourth type, however, was the most unique. Within Li Fan's Sea of Consciousness, an ethereal image almost identical to Blazing Flame slowly coalesced, its color distinctively blue.

As the Azure Flame Phantasm gradually materialized, the temperature around Li Fan's body began to drop significantly. Layers of frost spread outwards from the ground where he sat.

His hair and eyebrows became coated with white frost, and his body progressively stiffened like ice. Even the Profound Yellow Heart Refining Incantation, which had been silently operating, slowed under its influence, seeming poised to cease at any moment.

Li Fan's heartbeat grew increasingly sluggish, and his vital signs rapidly deteriorated. Yet, Li Fan's consciousness entered a peculiar state.

It was as if his soul had left his body, observing the myriad changes in his physical form like a detached outsider. There were no emotional fluctuations whatsoever.

Li Fan had a premonition that in this state, even if his body were utterly destroyed and he perished the very next second, he would not experience any fear.

This was a state of absolute calm and rationality. It was in this detached state that Li Fan silently observed his own body becoming entirely encased in ice, as if plunged into absolute zero, into a profound and complete stillness.

Simultaneously, within Li Fan's Sea of Consciousness, the Azure Flame Phantasm fully materialized. The temperature did not rise, but vitality rapidly surged through Li Fan's body.

It was as if the absolute cold could no longer affect Li Fan. With a flick of Li Fan's divine sense, the Azure Flame in his Sea of Consciousness pulsed faintly, and the extreme cold enveloping his body quickly dissipated.

In the blink of an eye, Li Fan reverted to his original state, also withdrawing from that utterly rational mindset. The intense cold seemed like a mere illusion, leaving behind no trace.

"'Is this the power of Azure Flame?'" In his Sea of Consciousness, the nascent Azure Flame Phantasm settled into a slumber. However, Li Fan knew he could awaken it at any moment and reactivate that peculiar state.

"'The four distinct outcomes encountered when visualizing flame phantasms of different colors should correspond to the various states of the Essence of Heaven and Earth.' After much deliberation, Li Fan formed his conjecture.

The Essence of Heaven and Earth is the physical embodiment of the Heavenly Dao's laws. Concurrently, cultivators here can refine the Essence of Heaven and Earth to achieve the Dao Integration realm.

Therefore, in his previous visualization attempts, those phantasms that could form but possessed no power should signify the absence of that specific type of Essence of Heaven and Earth.

Conversely, those that failed to coalesce, like Blazing Flame, likely remain within the cosmic law system, allowing him to tap into their power but not fully possess them. And those like Black Flame were probably already refined by Dao Integration cultivators, thus no longer subject to the laws of this world.

So, what then did this Azure Flame represent?

"'A law on the verge of emergence?' 'Does this imply that, in the near future, somewhere within this cultivation world, the true Essence of Heaven and Earth—Azure Flame—will descend?'" Li Fan fell into a momentary, profound contemplation.

After a long while, Li Fan exhaled slowly, burying his numerous conjectures about the Essence of Heaven and Earth deep within his mind.

Regardless, though he hadn't managed to condense the Blazing Flame Phantasm, by a stroke of serendipity, he had instead visualized the Azure Flame Phantasm.

While their attributes were diametrically opposed, the power of Azure Flame appeared to be no less than that of Blazing Flame. Delighted by this discovery, Li Fan seized the opportunity and began cultivating the "Nether Spirit Phantasm Technique."

He aimed to cultivate and strengthen the Azure Flame Phantasm, enabling it to launch spiritual attacks against others. Time steadily flowed by as he cultivated.

Not long after, Li Fan abruptly disengaged from his assisted cultivation mode. It transpired that prolonged cultivation had once again depleted his contribution points to just over one hundred.