Chapter 889: Condensing Sword Intent with a Thought
So-called prodigies were merely powerful cultivators who had yet to reach their full potential.
And for the Li Fan of today, they were easily dealt with.
"This black flame, however, is another matter."
"It's merely one of the World Birthing Changes, yet its essence feels subtly more formidable than even the Crimson Flame's."
His hand, veiled in a layer of Seven-Colored Jade Void Gilded Light invisible to outsiders, effortlessly suppressed the black flames emanating from Yan Fangzhou. Li Fan studied them with intense focus.
"This aura... it's remarkably similar to the Cong Yun Sea after it was scorched dry by the Crimson Flame. Both belong to the same category of cataclysmic destruction..."
Li Fan pondered, delving into its nature.
In the grotto-heaven created by Su Bai in his past life, he had never encountered one of these World Birthing Changes. They were rare indeed.
"It likely doesn't originate from the Xuanhuang Realm itself. Instead, it must be a fragment of another world, a piece of heaven and earth that was fused into ours later on."
"Countless worlds, all merged into one."
"And while the Xuanhuang Realm remains the dominant entity, absorbing so many foreign elements has inevitably altered its Heavenly Dao."
Li Fan slowly tightened his grip. His palm, suffused with the potent seven-colored divine light, began to blur at the edges from the sheer concentration of power.
The black flame writhed with endless defiance.
But Li Fan extinguished it, inch by agonizing inch.
"If this were a true Spirit of Heaven and Earth, I might have actually been tempted."
"But alas, it's just a World Birthing Change."
Li Fan shook his head slightly, dismissing Yan Fangzhou from his thoughts for the time being.
His mind drifted to the imminent arrival of the Crimson Flame Burning Sea.
"I know the locations of so many Spirits of Heaven and Earth now. There's no longer any need to fixate on the Crimson Flame."
"For one, the Crimson Flame is too weak. For another..."
"After the Crimson Flame perishes, Ink Death will descend. Even if I managed to escape its grasp, I would undoubtedly attract the attention of the Xuanhuang Realm's hidden titans."
"It would make me far too conspicuous."
"For now, my priority is to remain hidden."
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan made his decision.
"When the time is right, I'll arrange for the members of the Congyun Mutual Aid Association to evacuate."
"They're promising talents I've worked hard to cultivate, the future backbone of the Federation of All Worlds. I can't let them die in vain."
Currently, the most powerful member of the Congyun Mutual Aid Association was Pei Tuo, who was in the early Nascent Soul stage.
While he hadn't retaken the Immortal Alliance's grand examination, his qualitative leap in strength had earned him a significant position from the higher-ups.
He had been promoted to Martial Guard of the Cong Yun Sea's Martial Hall, with three training squadrons under his command. He now wielded genuine authority.
"Hmm, I'll have to find a way to get him transferred inland."
"At his rank, however, a lateral transfer will be difficult."
"Perhaps I could help him perform some meritorious deed..."
Instantly, the faces of numerous spies from the Five Elders Council flashed through Li Fan's mind.
With his decision made, his clone, Ji Shaoli, immediately began to set things in motion.
Li Fan's thoughts then returned to Yan Fangzhou's words.
"This small world has some impressive scenery, but insisting on calling it the 'Federation of All Worlds'... doesn't the name promise more than it delivers?"
...
"I couldn't even bluff a young upstart. It seems some upgrades are definitely in order."
As he mulled this over, his divine sense swept across the Spirit Wood Realm. Though it boasted many of the Xuanhuang Realm's wonders, it still felt somewhat barren. In that instant, an idea sparked in his mind.
His form flickered, and he reappeared on a mountain peak.
Drawing upon his memories, he focused his will.
Before long, a stone tower imbued with an ancient aura erupted from the ground.
Li Fan then retrieved a spire from his storage ring.
He set it in place.
Once the spire was set atop the tower, the newly risen structure was instantly suffused with a profound, almost mystical aura.
Li Fan nodded, pleased with the result.
He surveyed the area around the tower. Soon, a series of deep rumbles echoed through the air.
One by one, buildings began to rise from the earth.
"I'll have the Tree People handle the finishing touches, and then it should be complete."
Stepping outside the newly formed complex, Li Fan brandished his brush and, upon a large, bare boulder, inscribed three bold characters: Heavenly Mystery Sect.
"A perfect replica," he mused with a smile, "and with the Heavenly Mystery Sect's supreme treasure, the Heaven-Earth Divination Dice, in residence... who would dare call it a fake?"
Next, Li Fan repeated the process.
He recreated the landscape of the Heavenly Sword Sect, drawing on his memories of the original.
Staring at the empty, newly-constructed mountain gate, Li Fan's thoughts inevitably turned to the Heavenly Wonder known as [Sword], still slumbering in its yet-undiscovered tomb.
"It's a magnificent treasure, to be sure. But it was left behind by Su Bai, which means it could very well be one of his contingency plans."
"I have to be wary."
"Besides, all Heavenly Wonders possess a spirit of their own. Even if I went to claim it, there's no guarantee it would submit to me."
"I could always use it to grant a favor."
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Li Fan casually snapped a twig from a nearby tree.
He focused, calling to mind all his comprehension of the Dao of the Sword.
He drew upon the insights he had gained from Su Bai's red rope in his past life, and his understanding of the [Sword] from the Heavenly Sword Sect itself.
Gradually, the simple twig in Li Fan's hand began to undergo a profound transformation.
Phantoms of innumerable swords flickered across its surface.
Then, just as suddenly, they vanished into it.
The twig's color deepened, its texture hardening.
Slowly, all that made it a twig began to fade away.
It was truly becoming more and more like a true [Sword].
Unfortunately, after an initial, rapid absorption of countless sword phantoms, the influx of true sword intent dwindled sharply.
Li Fan's own comprehension had run dry.
It was not enough to support the mundane object's complete transformation into a Heavenly Wonder.
A moment later, Li Fan had exhausted his abilities.
He gazed at the nondescript sword-branch in his hand and shook his head slightly.
"It barely qualifies as a Human Treasure, I suppose."
With a gentle squeeze, the sword-branch disintegrated into fine dust.
He wasn't annoyed, however. After all, unlike his study of formations, he had never dedicated a significant amount of time to practicing the sword.
The Dao of the Sword was something he had merely picked up along the way.
To be able to fabricate a Human Treasure from scratch was already an extraordinary feat.
"Even if I don't take the [Sword], a trip to the Heavenly Sword Sect's ruins might still be worthwhile."
"While I'm at it, I can visit the old grounds of the Medicine King Sect, the Purple Cloud Sect, and the others."
Li Fan planned to resurrect these cultivation sects, long lost to the river of time, within his Spirit Wood Realm.
They didn't need to be perfect, of course—just convincing enough to fool anyone who saw them.
"I have the legacy treasures of the Heavenly Mystery Sect."
"The Medicine King True Cauldron will return one day, bringing with it the original members of the Medicine King Sect."
"Truth mixed with lies, lies mixed with truth. When the time comes, who will be able to tell which is which?"
Feeling rather pleased with his plan, Li Fan departed from the Spirit Wood Realm.
He headed straight for the ruins of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The publicly known location of the Heavenly Sword Sect ruins was in Tianguang Prefecture.
But in his past life, he had learned from Shuo Feng that the sect's true sword tomb—and the [Sword] itself—was not in Tianguang Prefecture at all.
It was located in the neighboring Tianyou Prefecture.
The White Mist Barrier had descended right upon it, splitting the site in two.
That was why the sword tomb had remained undiscovered all this time.
He traveled discreetly, keeping a low profile.
Without alerting any of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators stationed along the route, Li Fan soon arrived at the site of the sword tomb in Tianyou Prefecture.
He gazed at the unremarkable scene before him. It looked for all the world like a common burial ground for mortals.
Li Fan couldn't help but sigh. "Who could have imagined," he murmured, "that the once-mighty Heavenly Sword Sect would be reduced to this?"
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