Chapter 95: Life and Death Lock Chain

Li Fan chose Zhang Haobo to be the "reborn" individual who would instigate a war between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and Chiyan, precisely because Zhang Haobo's destiny was extraordinary. In his previous life, though a mortal, he subtly perceived the impending Burning Sea crisis and fled before disaster struck. Furthermore, he seemed to have unique experiences on a distant continent. In just over twenty years, he ascended from a mere mortal to a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator. In this life, with the cultivation methods Li Fan provided, he is expected to grow even faster. Only then would he be qualified to play a role in instigating the great event of Chiyan Burning the Sea.

The seed has been sown; now, it's a matter of waiting for it to slowly mature into a towering tree. Naturally, during its growth, some shaping and pruning would be necessary.

Li Fan gazed at Zhang Haobo, who had fallen into a deep slumber after his profound mental upheaval, then ascended into the air, ready to return to Myriad Immortals Island.

Under the cloak of night, most residents of Glaze Island were asleep, leaving the island in darkness. Only one residence remained brightly lit, its courtyard draped with white mourning banners. Li Fan had once visited that residence; it was the home of Steward Zhao, the former financial manager of Glaze Island. Li Fan's divine sense casually swept over it. His figure suddenly halted, suspended in mid-air, a flicker of surprise in Li Fan's eyes.

He descended into Steward Zhao's courtyard and entered the mourning hall. Steward Zhao, clad in mourning attire, knelt before the memorial tablet. Li Fan stared at the inscription on the tablet, lost in contemplation.

The memorial tablet read: "Spirit Tablet of Deceased Immortal Master He Zhenghao."

He Zhenghao... Dead?

Li Fan wasn't so much shocked as he was immensely perplexed. It's often said that one cannot step into the same river twice. Yet, armed with "Revert to True," Li Fan could repeatedly enter the same river countless times. His minor actions might cause ripples, but they shouldn't alter the river's fundamental course. He Zhenghao's death, however, was entirely unexpected for Li Fan.

"How did Daoist He die?" Li Fan couldn't help but inquire.

Steward Zhao was startled but quickly turned around and respectfully replied, "It is said that Immortal Master He encountered a mechanism and tragically died while exploring a cave dwelling. It has been fifty-six days since then."

Li Fan couldn't help but recall He Zhenghao's message from that time: "Several friends recently discovered an ancient cave dwelling and invited me to explore it with them. They believe it was sealed before the great tribulation, and it's likely to contain many rare treasures, perhaps even numerous cultivation techniques." He Zhenghao wished to explore the cave dwelling and had asked Li Fan to temporarily oversee Glaze Island. Li Fan declined, as he was preoccupied with acquiring the "Cloud Water Scroll." He hadn't given the matter much thought at the time, assuming He Zhenghao would return safely. After all, in the previous life, Li Fan had encountered He Zhenghao over a decade later, and He was still perfectly well. He never expected, however, that He would simply die.

"So, in the previous life, He Zhenghao didn't participate in this cave exploration," Li Fan mused. "The reason for this alteration is because he lost all the contribution points he had accumulated over half his life. To switch to a Nascent Soul cultivation technique, he was prepared to take a gamble. He lost all his assets because the island producing Spirit Mist Grass was destroyed by the monstrous Dragon Whale, leading him to believe there was an opportunity for immense profit. In the previous life, this incident shouldn't have occurred. And what then caused the monstrous beast attack?"

A scene suddenly flashed through Li Fan's mind. Inside the Dragon Whale's stomach, he had once found many partially digested Glaze Pearls. Glaze Pearls are the primary ingredient for refining Glaze Pills, which, when consumed, can induce an effect similar to spiritual enlightenment. "Glaze can awaken intelligence..." This monstrous Dragon Whale gradually developed intelligence after consuming vast quantities of Glaze Pearls. By coincidence, it encountered the island where Spirit Mist Grass was cultivated. This Spirit Mist Grass must have offered it some benefit, prompting the Dragon Whale to launch a sudden attack and consume most of the island's Spirit Mist Grass.

And the reason it could consume so many Glaze Pearls was... Li Fan narrowed his eyes. In his previous life, when he had transformed into the vast sea, he once saw the enormous skeleton of a Glaze Fish. Within the remains, a massive Glaze Pearl shimmered in the sunlight. Therefore, in this life, as he passed by, he casually slew the leader of the Glaze Fish. Without their leader, the Glaze Fish swarm was like dragons without a head. They could only be consumed by the Dragon Whale without resistance.

In a flash, Li Fan, having grasped the entire chain of events, was utterly stunned. So, his own unintentional action from long ago had led to He Zhenghao's death? And it wasn't just He Zhenghao. How many others were ruined in the speculation over Spirit Mist Grass? And subsequently, how many were forced into desperate gambles, only to meet their demise? The cause of this entire chain of events was simply Li Fan killing one giant Glaze Fish.

The death of the Glaze Fish leader left the Glaze Fish swarm vulnerable to predation. This, in turn, led to a monstrous Dragon Whale developing intelligence after wantonly consuming Glaze Pearls. This newly intelligent Dragon Whale, by chance, destroyed all the Spirit Mist Grass on an island. The destruction of the Spirit Mist Grass was then secretly leveraged by others, causing countless individuals to lose their fortunes. The ultimate outcome was the premature deaths of several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

These events, one after another, formed interconnected shackles. Initially, they fastened gently; then, link by link, they tightened relentlessly. Until finally, once the fatal chain was forged, escape became impossible!

"So, even Foundation Establishment cultivators are so easily killed," Li Fan mused. "This, then, is the correct way to utilize 'Heaven and Earth Killing Intent.' 'Formless Killing Intent' still seems a bit crude." Li Fan's heart surged, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

In the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Lin Fan, who had been engrossed in various secret tales, suddenly changed his expression. He swiftly activated the auxiliary cultivation mode, and under the blessing of enlightenment, he began to have a sudden realization. "Killing doesn't require personal action. With 'Revert to True' providing foresight, I can, like with He Zhenghao, orchestrate events across time and space to claim a life. Thousands of miles away, years in the past, taking a life."

As the saying goes, "One cannot truly see Mount Lu's face, for one is within the mountain." Had it not been for He Zhenghao's unexpected death, Li Fan might have taken much longer to comprehend this technique: the "Chained Life and Death."

"Daoist He, how fortunate your death was!" With this thought, Li Fan sincerely lit an incense stick for He Zhenghao's memorial tablet. "Go on your way; in your next life, I will certainly not treat you unfairly," Li Fan murmured to himself.

He paused for a moment, and once the incense had almost burned away, Li Fan turned to depart. Just then, he heard Steward Zhao suddenly speak. "Immortal Master, please wait!"