Chapter 773: World Resilience

The murmuring stream instantly transformed into a mighty river. Accompanying this was the rapid expansion of the grotto-heaven’s land. Nourished by the abundant river water, the vegetation within the grotto-heaven also flourished even more. Trees sprouted from the ground, lush and verdant.

“The River of Genesis of Tian Yu…” Li Fan watched the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai, nodding with a hint of satisfaction. He then left the grotto-heaven and once again journeyed through the Xuanhuang Realm. Like a mortal traveler, he measured the land with his feet. Whenever he encountered a ‘Transformation of Genesis’ suitable for himself, he would incorporate it into his grotto-heaven, just like gathering herbs.

After the initial shock, seeing more of it gradually led to a sense of numbness and familiarity. Li Fan had read many insights from Nascent Soul cultivators on transforming into Deity. They all said that the ‘Transformations of Genesis’ in the world were like meridians within a mortal body, extremely difficult to find without special means. And once extracted, they would surely cause earth-shattering commotion.

However, all these conventional wisdoms proved ineffective for the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai. With just a brief squint of his eyes, he could ascertain the presence or absence of a ‘Transformation of Genesis’. Then, he would slowly wave his hand, as if summoning a gentle breeze across the heavens and earth. Silently, he would claim it for himself.

As more and more forces of change and innovation were integrated into the grotto-heaven, the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s personal grotto-heaven was renewed daily. Mountains, valleys, plains, rivers, forests… the grotto-heaven world was full of vitality, with all forms of life emerging. It truly resembled a small world constantly growing.

However, the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai frowned, a rare sight. “Something is still missing,” he mused. “This vitality is merely an illusion and cannot sustain a perfect self-circulation. Without external injection, this grotto-heaven, which has been force-grown, will soon slowly return to desolation.”

Li Fan sensed what the other was thinking. The Sacred Embryo Xu Bai then flew into mid-air, gazing in all directions, looking into the distance. He watched for an entire day. Then, a slight smile appeared on his face. Without haste, he took a step, heading towards his destination.

From Li Fan’s perspective, the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s speed wasn’t actually fast. He didn’t even use his spiritual energy, relying purely on physical movement. However, to outsiders, it appeared as if he was covering a thousand miles in a single step, vanishing in an instant. “It’s not him moving, but the heavens and earth actively cooperating, shortening the distance,” Li Fan realized. “Shrinking the ground into an inch, to facilitate travel.”

Li Fan carefully contemplated the changes in the surrounding world with each step, and a sudden realization welled up in his mind. “Although I have been reborn through Mr. Bai’s body this time, it is truly a great fortune. Every undiscovered ‘Transformation of Genesis’ signifies immense wealth capable of creating Deity Transformation realm experts.”

“Moreover, every action of the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai is in harmony with the heavens and earth. All can be considered divine abilities. For example, the verdant greenness that spurred the grotto-heaven’s growth, or the effortless way he plucked the essence of heaven. And now, this shrinking the ground into an inch.”

“With my comprehension, understanding even one such ability in a lifetime of reincarnation would be a great fortune. But now, they are coming one after another. What’s even more precious is that all these divine abilities are being performed using my body and senses, just as if I were performing them myself. With a little contemplation in the future, it might even be possible to perfectly replicate them. That is, if there is a next life.”

The myriad thoughts in Li Fan’s mind came to an abrupt halt as the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai finally reached his destination. “This is, Congyun Sea?” Li Fan, snapping back to reality, was startled. Almost ten years had passed since Mo Sha annihilated the world.

Although this place still retained a post-apocalyptic appearance, the previously violent lava no longer erupted. Instead, it had gradually cooled, forming a hard, black rock. The spatial voids that had gnawed like woodworms everywhere had also healed completely, though it was unclear when.

At first glance, the former site of Congyun Sea remained full of deathly silence. However, upon careful sensing, a different kind of power seemed to be gestating. Of course, this was only detectable by Li Fan, thanks to the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s unparalleled and unique aptitude. If other cultivators were to come, they would likely only feel waves of deadly crises approaching, fearing they couldn’t evade them quickly enough.

The Sacred Embryo Xu Bai gazed at the ruins for a long time. Before entering Congyun Sea, he first glanced in the direction of Yuandao State. A feeling of resentment and apprehension instantly surged in his heart. For the first time, negative emotions appeared on the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s face. With a cold snort, he turned and slowly stepped into Congyun Sea.

Unlike the emotions evoked by the glimpse of Yuandao State, a very complex emotion arose in the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s heart while walking through these ruins. It was a sensation formed by the convergence and fusion of multiple emotions. For a moment, Li Fan couldn’t discern what kind of feeling it actually was.

However, Li Fan’s attention soon focused on the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s actions. Clearly, his purpose for this trip was to complete the ‘Transformation of Genesis’ that would perfect the vitality of his grotto-heaven. He no longer acted with casual ease as before. Instead, he was uncharacteristically solemn.

Using his hand as a brush, and soaring through the air, he drew a line, half-real, half-illusory, across the heavens and earth. The continuous line stretched from the western fringes of Yuandao and Shilin States by the sea, eastward to the edge of the boundless ocean. In little more than half a day, he had enclosed the approximate area of the original Congyun Sea. However, the outline was bizarrely shaped and significantly smaller than the original Congyun Sea area.

After the illusory-real line closed and ended, it suddenly flashed, then vanished and disappeared into the world. Then, the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai took a deep breath. He reached out and grasped the invisible loop, then slowly pulled with force. As the loop was continuously gathered into his hand, something also seemed to be slowly pulled out from the world of Congyun Sea.

Li Fan was intensely focused, unwilling to miss any detail. The Dao Transformation Stone crystal in his mind emitted a brilliant blue light, meticulously recording every insight derived from the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai.

Initially, the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai found it relatively easy to gather the line. But the further he went, the stronger the reactive force from the void seemed to become. Each retraction required almost all of his strength. The fine line he clutched in his palm transformed from intangible to tangible. Its touch was like a gentle spring breeze, yet also like ice silk.

The Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s gaze was resolute, his line-gathering unwavering. As more and more of the loop was extracted, a sudden change occurred in the previously calm ruins of Congyun Sea! The black and red magma, which had previously subsided, violently erupted once again. One by one, black, wriggling voids appeared, densely packed like countless tiny worms! The terrifying aura of the apocalypse suddenly descended.

“This is…” Li Fan’s pupils contracted sharply. “The Congyun Sea, on the verge of revival, has once again turned into a land of death! What’s being extracted is the power that drives the world’s revival!” Even as his surroundings reverted into a living hell, the Sacred Embryo Xu Bai’s movements showed not the slightest hesitation. His expression was devoid of sorrow or joy.