Chapter 850: The Source of Extraneous Power
Chapter 850: The Source of Extraneous Power
The Mind Monkey and Will Horse were entities utterly alien to the laws of the Xuanhuang Realm.
They were believed to be remnants of the Heavenly Dao, lingering traces from smaller worlds that the Xuanhuang Realm had devoured and assimilated.
"No wonder they can still exert their influence even within the domain where the Longevity Celestial Venerable's reversed logic holds sway," he mused.
"The power of weirdness..."
Li Fan recalled his 114th life. During the struggle against the Mysterious Net, the Heaven Overturning Association had created a superweapon known as the [World Destruction Arrow].
Though the exact method of its creation remained a mystery, its materials were sourced from the various anomalies that were becoming increasingly frequent at the time.
The Mysterious Net had usurped the heavens, its power rivaling that of the Xuanhuang Realm's current Heavenly Dao.
If the World Destruction Arrow could damage the Mysterious Net, it stood to reason that it could also wound the Heavenly Dao itself!
Li Fan scrutinized the resplendent sphere in his hand. "I just never imagined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's research into these anomalies had progressed so far. It seems you never know how many cards they're hiding until you force their hand."
"Still, it stands to reason," Li Fan mused, suddenly recalling a gigantic map he had seen during his meeting with Gongsun Qixuan at the Heavenly Secrets Hall in the Cong Yun Sea.
That map had been marked with the locations of anomalous incidents throughout the region.
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has always maintained strict surveillance over these anomalies. It's only natural that they've now learned to harness them, at least in a preliminary way."
The Mind Monkey and the Will Horse were both terrifying anomalies linked to the power of the mind, capable of transforming a cultivator into an aberration.
Becoming a Mind Monkey enhanced one's spiritual sense.
Becoming a Will Horse, on the other hand, could directly nourish the soul itself!
"I experienced it myself when I consumed the [Will Horse]—a power so illusory it felt real. If you believed you died in the illusion, you would truly perish in reality! Consciousness capable of altering the physical world..."
"Judging by how cheaply and widely these resplendent spheres are being distributed, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance must have completely mastered the application of this extra-planar law."
After long deliberation, Li Fan still couldn't devise a countermeasure.
He could hardly claim to have mastered the laws of the Xuanhuang Realm, let alone this power from beyond its borders.
Li Fan could well imagine the headache the Five Elders Council was currently facing.
A sage once said: "Thus in the government of the sage, he empties their minds, but fills their bellies; he weakens their ambitions, but strengthens their bones. He constantly tries to keep the people without knowledge and without desire."
Now, every cultivator affected by the resplendent spheres considered themselves a "Child of Destiny."
Their potential for destruction was on an entirely different scale compared to that of an ordinary cultivator.
Before he transmigrated, Li Fan had read his fair share of web novels.
Nine times out of ten, the protagonists of those stories were transmigrators themselves.
Why was that?
Beyond helping the reader feel more immersed, it also built a sense of anticipation.
The destiny of a transmigrator was vastly different from that of a so-called native.
Having seen another world and recognized their own "extraordinary" nature, they could never drift through life in a stupor like the locals.
They were bound to try and make a name for themselves.
And regardless of the final outcome, they would, without fail, at least make the attempt.
These resplendent spheres deployed by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance worked in much the same way.
They made the tainted cultivators see themselves as exceptional, their ambitions soaring to the heavens.
Furthermore, the tempering through ninety-nine reincarnations was, in itself, a massive opportunity for any cultivator. It was enough to allow some of them to shed their serpent skins and become dragons, completing a total metamorphosis!
"It's like unleashing thousands of watered-down transmigrators into the Five Elders Council's territory."
"And they've been brainwashed with permanent hostility."
"Tsk, tsk..."
"It's also highly probable that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is embedding useful cultivation techniques from the Xuanhuang Realm within the spheres' reincarnation illusions, helping these 'Children of Destiny' achieve rapid growth."
A gloating smile spread across Li Fan's face.
"Let's just see how they handle this."
"Lin Ling, if the Five Elders Council sends any more messages asking for help, ignore them for now," Li Fan instructed.
Lin Ling nodded, though she only seemed to half understand.
"This aggressive counterattack is meant to plunge the Five Elders Council into internal chaos, leaving them no time to deal with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"It seems the Alliance is taking this grand examination very seriously indeed."
Li Fan stroked his chin.
...
Amid great anticipation, the month-long grand examination finally concluded.
Cultivators began to return from the Heavenly Profound Mirror, their expressions a mixture of elation and disappointment.
On Haixuan Island.
"Judging by your expression, Daoist He, you must be feeling quite confident about the results, eh?"
The six cultivators from the Cong Yun Sea Mutual Aid Association who had registered for the grand examination were gathered together.
Initially, only four, including He Zhenghao, had planned to take part. But after the Alliance announced the selection of the thirty-three immortal candidates, two others had been stirred to action.
They decided to take the plunge and give it their all.
Though they had far less time to prepare than He Zhenghao and the other three, the looks on their faces suggested their results were just as pleasing.
"That last-minute cramming really paid off," said one of the two, a cultivator named Wei Qizheng, his voice filled with excitement.
"The question bank Daoist Ji provided was immense. I couldn't possibly review it all, so I just skimmed through and memorized what I could. But my luck was fantastic—almost all the questions on the exam were ones I'd memorized!"
"And for the questions that weren't in the bank, I feel I performed quite well on those too," Wei Qizheng added, sharing his delight with the group.
He Zhenghao stroked his beard, a smile spreading across his face. "In that case, perhaps we should offer our congratulations in advance, little brother Wei?"
The others joined in the good-natured teasing.
It was clear that every one of them felt confident about their performance.
Just then, Ji Shaoli cleared his throat, interrupting the boisterous atmosphere.
It seemed, however, that the outbreak of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was still too fresh in their minds, as the sound of a cough cast a pall over the room.
Before Ji Shaoli could even speak, their expressions shifted, and all eyes snapped towards him.
Seeing their concerned gazes, Ji Shaoli was momentarily speechless.
"I'm perfectly fine."
He waved a hand dismissively and got down to business. "Once the results are out, you'll all have to face the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's review. It would be disastrous if they were to discover you knew the questions in advance."
Their hearts jumped at his words.
"However..." Ji Shaoli said with a slight smile.
"...our Mutual Aid Association possesses a secret art known as the [Sky Shrouding Hand]. I will teach it to you all shortly."
"With its help, you will have nothing to fear!"
Joy was written all over the faces of He Zhenghao and the others.
Ji Shaoli lightly tapped the space between each of their brows. A moment later, everyone in the room had closed their eyes to comprehend and cultivate the technique.
Ji Shaoli took the opportunity to observe them covertly.
The first to open his eyes was the cultivator named Wei Qizheng.
In his previous lives, during his friendship with He Zhenghao, he had occasionally heard mention of this exceptionally talented young man.
But as Li Fan's own world had expanded, he had encountered countless prodigies.
As a result, he had never paid Wei Qizheng much mind.
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