Chapter 1361: The Immortal Puppet's Covert Entry
So far, the process of finding and merging the Immortal Realm chess pieces had been far too smooth.
So smooth, in fact, that Li Fan couldn't help but feel a flicker of suspicion. What if the final step—the fusion of the Immortal Realm's law fragments—was where he would finally hit a wall?
If Sun Piao Miao truly had left behind some kind of restriction, then the Medicine King Sect, as his descendants, should be able to circumvent it to some degree.
But that was only one aspect of his plan.
Li Fan's gaze swept over the seven Dao Integration cultivators of the Medicine King Sect.
"Your cultivation levels might have been considered top-tier in the past," he began, his tone matter-of-fact. "But ten thousand years have passed. The world has changed, and now, you are a bit too weak. So weak, in fact, that you can barely assist me."
"Therefore, I intend to help you increase your strength in a short amount of time."
Hearing this, Liu Ruchen asked cautiously, "Senior, when you say increase our strength, you mean...?"
The expressions on the faces of the Medicine King Sect's Dao Integration cultivators turned grim.
"No wonder the heavens sent down the calamity of incompatible cultivation laws. This method of practice... it's nothing short of demonic," one of them, Liu San, muttered under his breath.
Li Fan snorted coldly. "What is demonic? And what is righteous? In the cultivation world, there is only the distinction between strong and weak! If the strong declare the New Method to be just, then just it is!"
Though the members of the Medicine King Sect disagreed with his philosophy, they dared not refute it under the weight of Li Fan's overwhelming presence.
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "No matter. Perhaps only when you experience the wonders of the New Method for yourselves will your perspective change."
With a gentle wave of his hand, detailed information about various World Spirits instantly appeared before them.
"Each of you, pick one. I will help you achieve Dao Integration again, this time through the New Method."
The seven cultivators trembled.
"I choose this one, Crimson Refinement." The first to speak was Jiang Yushan.
As a former warden of the Wuding Prison, Jiang Yushan had killed countless beings and cared little for the distinction between righteous and demonic. As long as it could increase her power, she was willing to try anything.
"Good! An excellent choice!" Li Fan nodded in approval. "The power of Crimson Refinement is balanced and stable. It will soothe the lingering aftereffects of the rampant killing intent within you."
With someone to lead the way, the remaining Dao Integration cultivators from the Medicine King Sect exchanged glances and cast aside their reservations, eagerly making their selections.
Soon, the World Spirits were all claimed.
"There's no time to waste. I will now take you on a hunt."
The phantom of the Wooden Sword emerged from its sheath, enveloping the cultivators.
In the next instant, they found themselves within the Xuanhuang Realm.
Even through the protective layer of the sword's phantom, Liu Ruchen and the others could still feel the faint influence of the world's principle—that cultivation laws could not be shared.
"I cannot protect you forever. As for the *World Saving Longevity Scripture*, it is enough for Liu Ruchen alone to practice it. The rest of you may switch to other Dao Integration techniques." As he spoke, Li Fan displayed information on several thousand true Dao Integration arts for them to see.
The power of each technique was no less than that of the *World Saving Longevity Scripture*, leaving them almost dizzy with the possibilities.
"We can discuss this after you have achieved Dao Integration and returned."
"For now, focus."
Li Fan's figure drifted above their heads.
He tilted his head back, looked to the heavens, and casually cast a decree.
Dark clouds churned, and wind and thunder howled.
A massive vortex instantly formed in the sky.
It looked like a gaping wound in the firmament, with countless bolts of lightning flashing within.
Li Fan murmured in a voice only he could hear, "False Claiming Heavenly Geography!"
The five-character true words echoed back to the heavens.
Li Fan commandeered the mandate of heaven. Soon after, seven hazy figures answered the summons, appearing simultaneously within the vortex.
They were the very World Spirits the Medicine King Sect members had chosen earlier!
At the sight of the seven World Spirits, the eyes of the Medicine King Sect cultivators instantly turned bloodshot.
Each figure was as tempting to a cultivator as an elixir of immortality. And now, seven of them had gathered at once... If not for Li Fan's power suppressing them, these Dao Integration cultivators would have likely lost their minds and charged forward recklessly.
Faced with this overwhelming temptation, Li Fan's expression remained utterly unchanged.
The moment the World Spirits appeared, an immortal array had already sealed off the area without a sound.
The World Spirits' senses were extremely sharp.
Realizing their connection to the world's origin had been severed, they immediately snapped out of their stupor.
But before they could act, a cloud in the shape of a five-fingered hand had already blotted out the sky above them.
Li Fan, with casual ease, pressed his palm down.
The seven World Spirits felt as if the weight of the entire world was crashing down upon them!
In an instant, they were rendered immobile!
Moreover, the invisible shackles binding them grew tighter and tighter.
Li Fan slightly curled his fingers, turning his palm into a claw.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of the World Spirits' law-infused bodies shattering inch by inch echoed through the air!
Under the terrifying force, their figures were forced to stoop.
At the brink of life and death, the law-power within them seethed and churned in a final, desperate struggle to escape Li Fan's grasp.
But like waves crashing against a mighty dam, they could not shake the unyielding barrier.
All the struggles of the World Spirits were destined to be in vain.
Their death throes did not loosen their shackles; instead, they only hastened their demise.
Even lost in the throes of their own greed, the sight of Li Fan suppressing seven World Spirits with a single palm sent a profound shock through the hearts of the Medicine King Sect cultivators.
They were only roused from their shock by Li Fan's sharp rebuke: "What are you standing around for?"
Liu Ruchen and the others felt the restraining force on them vanish, and they no longer suppressed the avarice in their hearts.
One after another, they charged toward their chosen targets.
They unleashed their ultimate techniques against the World Spirits that Li Fan held pinned.
Only when they truly clashed with the World Spirits did the Medicine King Sect cultivators experience firsthand the immense power of the world.
Even though the World Spirits were helpless, unable to fight back and already grievously wounded by Li Fan, the cultivators still had to exhaust nearly all their spiritual energy to finally deliver the killing blows.
"Even among all the World Spirits, the ones Senior selected for us must be among the absolute strongest." The thought couldn't help but surface in their minds.
"And yet, such powerful World Spirits were completely helpless before him..."
Once again, the members of the Medicine King Sect gained a clear, quantifiable understanding of Li Fan's power.
As the World Spirits were killed one by one, Li Fan released the seal of the immortal array.
Having inherited the power of the World Spirits, the origin-force of the Xuanhuang Realm's laws poured down from the massive vortex in the sky.
Like a heavenly cloudburst, it descended upon the Medicine King Sect cultivators.
The aura around them surged, multiplying in strength.
Seven newly advanced Dao Integration Venerables had arrived in the Xuanhuang Realm!
At the same time, another phenomenon manifested. The fall of a single World Spirit was enough to shake heaven and earth; the simultaneous fall of seven...
A celestial phenomenon, identical to the one that appears when a cultivator dies, illuminated the sky.
The members of the Medicine King Sect felt a terrifying, almost palpable malice from the world, pressing in from all sides!
And though Li Fan hadn't delivered the final blows himself, he had twisted the world's principles to suppress the World Spirits.
He was the true culprit behind their demise!
The worldly malice he faced was a thousand times greater than what the Dao Integration cultivators felt combined!
The previous goodwill was gone, replaced by an animosity as if he were an irreconcilable enemy.
To be an enemy of the world meant being surrounded by a tangible malice that manifested as menacing whispers.
This was an unsettling experience for the members of the Medicine King Sect, who had always adhered to the belief of saving the world and its people.
But if they were asked to return the power they had just obtained to the heavens... that was simply impossible.
They would rather fight the world itself!
In this situation, Li Fan was unhurried. As if long prepared, he stepped in front of the Medicine King Sect cultivators.
He looked directly at the sky and stated his reasons for his actions.
The process of the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension will be aided by several sources of power. The revitalizing force of the Star Sea, the sealed remnant power of other cultivation worlds, and the immortal spirit energy from the Great Heavenly Venerate's legacy.
These vast and complex powers are like potent medicines. The Xuanhuang Realm, in its current frail and battered state, may not be able to withstand them.
Therefore, a medicinal primer is needed to act as a buffer. These cultivators from the Medicine King Sect, who have just devoured the World Spirits of the Xuanhuang Realm, are that primer!
I will first infuse the revitalizing power into their bodies—not to give it to them, but to use them as temporary vessels for transfer and buffering.
When the Xuanhuang Realm officially begins its ascension, these Dao Integration Venerables will perish, and all that power will Return to the Dao in Heaven in a single moment!
An external application and an internal dose, a two-pronged approach! The disease will be cured, and ascension will be at hand!
...
Li Fan's confident explanation could be roughly summarized in a few words: *This is all for your own good!*
But his reasoning was not fabricated. It was based in fact.
Even the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm could sense this.
The current Xuanhuang Realm was far too far from its post-ascension target. The total power it needed to devour faintly exceeded its own capacity.
There was indeed a risk of being overwhelmed by the nourishment.
The surging worldly malice suddenly ceased. The Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm seemed to be contemplating.
After a brief stalemate, the malice finally, slowly, receded.
From the perspective of the Medicine King Sect members, they had just witnessed Li Fan single-handedly confront the heavens and earth of the Xuanhuang Realm and, through some unknown method, completely dissipate its malice.
Such a feat was truly unheard of.
The reverence the Medicine King Sect held for Li Fan deepened even further.
With their successful Dao Integration via the New Method, their strength had skyrocketed.
Liu Ruchen, in particular, had not only fully recovered from his injuries but had also gained new insights during the process.
Now, back in the Great Xuan small world, Liu Ruchen was reporting his realizations to Li Fan.
"According to what Senior explained earlier, the next step after achieving Dao Integration via the New Method is to reverse the logic of heaven and earth."
"However, in the process of reaching Dao Integration, we have already devoured a World Spirit. What is a World Spirit? It is the personification of the world's laws, an extension of its principles."
"So, to reverse a principle, the easiest starting point is to follow the thread back to its source, to trace the shadow to its caster. We must find the worldly principle behind the World Spirit we devoured."
Liu Ruchen spoke with confidence. "For instance, I devoured the World Spirit 'Green Silk.' This is, in fact, an extension of the principle of life force."
"With a concrete direction, the principles of heaven and earth are no longer so abstract. Through continuous cultivation and comprehension, I can find the origin of that principle. But reversing it... one can imagine how difficult that will be."
"...It's like trying to lift yourself up by your own hair. Without external force, it's a nearly impossible feat."
...
Li Fan listened quietly to Liu Ruchen's explanation.
He had to admit, to have been chosen as the master of a sect, Liu Ruchen's comprehension was truly remarkable.
The other newly advanced Dao Integration cultivators from the Medicine King Sect listened intently, their faces showing signs of contemplation.
Finally, when Liu Ruchen had nothing more to say, they all looked toward Li Fan.
"To have understood so much on your first day of Dao Integration with the New Method... you are quite impressive."
Li Fan's faint praise left Liu Ruchen feeling flattered.
"However, your thinking is still too simple. For thousands of years in the Xuanhuang Realm, only a handful of individuals have succeeded in reversing the logic and attaining Longevity."
"And it has been a very long time since a new Longevity cultivator has appeared. Why is that?"
"You should all think carefully about this."
Li Fan's guidance ended abruptly, causing the expressions of the Medicine King Sect members to shift as their minds raced with possibilities.
In the days that followed, the lives of the seven Dao Integration cultivators from the Medicine King Sect were incredibly full.
They began cultivating their new Dao Integration techniques and solidifying their newly advanced foundations.
From time to time, they would listen to lectures delivered by the phantom of a Saint Teacher at the foot of the Lecture Stage.
They would also spar with a mysterious, unfathomably deep, and taciturn senior.
This senior would simply stand still, and even if the Medicine King Sect cultivators exhausted all their power, they could not harm him in the slightest.
This allowed them to practice and test what they had learned without restraint.
As for the other disciples of the Medicine King Sect...
Li Fan gazed at the sight before him: next to the silver eye, a smaller, pink eye had appeared.
Myriad threads converged into a thick bridge, connecting the silver and pink eyes.
"The power of Carefree Joy permeates the entire Xuanhuang Realm; it isn't confined to the Five Elders Council's territory."
"So, one doesn't need to go to their lands to enter the Land of Carefree Joy. It's just that no one had found the method before."
"But now, I have sent out a total of nine thousand, six hundred and thirty-two vanguards..."
"The Fabricated Heaven Personality is fully synchronized with their senses, allowing me to lock onto the Land of Carefree Joy through their thoughts."
The myriad threads forming the bridge were the very cultivators Li Fan had dispatched into the Land of Carefree Joy.
And sleeping within the pink eye were the vast numbers of Medicine King Sect disciples below the Dao Integration realm!
With their physical bodies under Li Fan's control and with the orders of their Sect Master, these disciples could maintain discipline even within the Land of Joy.
Moreover, belonging to the same sect, they already shared an extraordinary rapport and bond.
This would make their exploration of the Land of Joy far more efficient.
Besides the Medicine King Sect disciples, the pink eye also contained a large number of cultivators from the Great Xuan.
They were arranged in dense rows, charging into the Land of Joy to explore, one after another.
The pink eye had not broken the secrets of the Land of Joy.
It had merely used the cultivators who had already entered to construct an entrance to it within the Great Xuan small world.
The moment the pink eye formed, Li Fan had anticipated the arrival of the Carefree Heavenly Sovereign's power.
Unfortunately, it seemed the Sovereign was unconcerned with such minor matters.
Li Fan was rather disappointed that the Sovereign hadn't appeared.
"I hope these people can bring me a few surprises."
Li Fan had a nagging feeling.
The secrets hidden within the Land of Carefree Joy might be even more important than he imagined.
...
Only one last chess piece remained to recreate the Immortal Realm.
Li Fan first sealed the pieces he had already collected within the Great Xuan small world using an immortal array.
He then had the Medicine King Sect's Dao Integration cultivators set up the Jun Tian Ritual in the mortal small world, creating the illusion that he was still far away in the Great Qi, busily preparing for the ceremony.
His true self remained in the Great Xuan, standing guard.
He cast out a phantom of the Wooden Sword, quietly sending Tianyang to the exterior of the Immortal Boat.
A wisp of his divine sense was attached to the Tianyang immortal puppet, directing its actions.
The reason Li Fan did not go to steal it himself was that he had already undergone the Jun Tian Ritual with the elders of the Immortal Boat.
Although the Immortal Boat's side had not specified the details, Li Fan could vaguely guess that all the elders participating in the ritual could sense his general location at all times.
This sense wasn't particularly strong and was even ineffective outside the Immortal Boat.
But if he got too close, he would be instantly discovered.
The people of the Immortal Boat were still useful to him; it was not yet time to turn on them.
Thus, Li Fan decided to send Tianyang.
With a thought, the Tianyang immortal puppet's body instantly swelled to hundreds of times its original size.
It lay quietly, floating in the dark void.
Then, it suddenly accelerated, hurtling toward the Immortal Boat's location.
Not a single trace of an aura leaked from the Tianyang immortal puppet.
It was like a colossal meteorite streaking toward the Immortal Boat.
Such a massive object, charging so blatantly, was naturally detected by the Immortal Boat at once.
Because the immortal puppet's speed wasn't excessively fast, they initially assumed it was just an ordinary stray rock.
They casually fired a beam of light, intending to shatter it.
But when the light struck Tianyang, it didn't even cause a ripple, and the collision course remained unchanged. Only then did the Immortal Boat realize something was wrong.
Several figures flashed into existence one after another, led by the Immortal Boat elder, Jian Daosheng.
Working together, they finally slowed the immortal puppet's advance.
They managed to stop it just outside the Immortal Boat.
"What is this?"
Jian Daosheng's expression was strange.
Without Li Fan's instructions, Tianyang remained still with his eyes closed, allowing the people of the Immortal Boat to inspect him.
Li Fan's wisp of divine sense hid within the core immortal puppet's eternal remnant will, concealed by an immortal array.
"It seems to be... the corpse of some giant?"
"No, this aura is extraordinary. And its bones..."
Soon, they discovered the immortal puppet's remarkable nature.
Jian Daosheng dared not be complacent and quickly sent out a message.
Before long, the other elders of the Immortal Boat arrived, having heard the news.
As a civilization that had existed since ancient times, the people of the Immortal Boat were truly knowledgeable.
They quickly pieced together the general origins of the Tianyang immortal puppet.
"Bones of immortal artifact fragments, skin of True Immortal flesh and blood. Hiss..."
"Is this an immortal puppet?"
The elders were filled with shock and doubt, all of them stunned into silence.
"How did it end up drifting here?"
"This is definitely strange. We must be cautious!"
They all smelled a conspiracy in the air.
"What should we do?" The elders looked to Zhong Daogong.
Zhong Daogong pondered for a moment before casting a 'Reveal' character at the immortal puppet before them.
He wanted to use the power of the True Immortal script to peer into the puppet's history.
Unexpectedly, though the immortal puppet was dormant, its body was protected by some kind of mysterious force field.
The True Immortal script, which possessed immense power, could not affect the slumbering puppet in the slightest!
This discovery made the faces of the Immortal Boat elders change drastically.
"This..."
Their greatest reliance was on the various True Immortal scripts.
Now, something that was innately immune to them had fallen from the sky. How could they not feel alarmed?
Zhong Daogong raised a hand to calm the others.
He stared at the Tianyang immortal puppet, his expression grave.
Zhong Daogong first returned to the Immortal Boat, and when he reappeared, he held a green, liquid-like dagger.
Flashes of light flickered around him as Zhong Daogong set up numerous protections before cautiously approaching the immortal puppet.
He attempted to use the green dagger to cut off a piece of its flesh.
Li Fan had previously toured the first and second levels of the Immortal Boat's secret treasury but had never seen this dagger.
And whatever power this object contained, it was actually able to slowly pierce the force field surrounding the Tianyang immortal puppet!
But...
Clang!
When the dagger touched the True Immortal's flesh, it produced the sound of metal striking metal.
It couldn't break the skin at all.
The green light on the dagger rippled as if it had suffered a great impact. A flash of pain crossed Zhong Daogong's eyes. Knowing it was impossible, he quickly withdrew the dagger and retreated.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he said to the others, "It is indeed an immortal puppet. The pressure from the True Immortal's flesh and blood, and the protection that can ignore the power of True Immortal scripts..."
The expressions of the Immortal Boat elders changed once more.
After some discussion, they tried various methods but were ultimately unable to breach the immortal puppet's defenses, not even to cut off a piece of True Immortal flesh.
The elders stared at the immortal puppet before them, full of reluctance.
Then, after making some unknown decision, most of the Immortal Boat elders withdrew.
Only three elders were left behind to watch over the puppet from a distance.
One day, two days...
As the days passed, the Tianyang immortal puppet remained motionless in the dark void, showing no signs of activity.
The elders of the Immortal Boat responsible for guarding it were rotated in shifts.
What began as a smooth handover gradually devolved into arguments.
And so, half a year later.
Near the Tianyang immortal puppet, the elders of the Immortal Boat gathered once again.
"Just leaving this immortal puppet here isn't a solution."
"Indeed. We always have to have someone watching it. It appeared mysteriously in the star sea; if we don't stop it, it might just return to the stars one day."
"We can only watch. Are you suggesting we bring it back to the Immortal Boat? The risk is too great."
"Exactly. The appearance of this immortal puppet is far too bizarre..."
The elders argued endlessly.
But as they spoke, their eyes remained fixed on the Tianyang immortal puppet not far away.
Finally, it was Zhong Daogong who interrupted their conversation. "In the past six months, we have made some minor progress in studying the force field on this immortal puppet."
"But it's obvious that if we could completely deconstruct the puppet..."
A flicker of greed flashed in the eyes of the Immortal Boat elders.
"Bringing the immortal puppet back to the Immortal Boat certainly carries great risk. But I think it might be worth a try. After all, from what we've seen, only that one thing can break through this puppet's defenses."
As soon as he said this, the scene fell silent.
A short while later, the elders began to nod one by one.
Through exchanged glances, they gradually reached a consensus.
The elders joined forces, weaving what looked like a net.
They ensnared the Tianyang immortal puppet and dragged it into the Immortal Boat.
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