Chapter 981: The Dark Gold Glazed Lotus
Chapter 981: The Dark Gold Glazed Lotus
Hearing Lin Ling's earnest declaration, Li Fan's spiritual sense instantly locked onto Liuli, the young Daoist child within the Spirit Wood Realm.
He saw her standing before a Heaven and Earth Furnace, her eyes wide with a look of pure curiosity.
"Just like the Seven-Colored Jade Void Gilded Light, it's a golden radiance of a world-class magnitude. This little one... she's truly something else."
"She has such an innocent, harmless appearance that even I nearly overlooked her."
Li Fan, of course, could easily tell that Lin Ling wasn't lying.
With a mere thought, an invisible pair of giant hands seemed to materialize within the Spirit Wood Realm. They seized the young Daoist child, Liuli, and instantly brought her before Li Fan.
Liuli felt her vision swim as the world around her abruptly transformed.
When she saw Li Fan's face, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes. She tried to speak, her lips trembling, but not a single sound escaped.
"To be able to manifest a golden light... your fruit form must be an incredibly potent tonic."
Li Fan showed no intention of questioning her. Instead, his hands blurred through a series of seals, laying down a formation around Liuli that resembled a great alchemy furnace.
Feeling the scorching heat radiate from the formation, Liuli's face went pale. She waved her small, delicate arms, desperately trying to explain herself.
Li Fan, however, ignored her completely, looking as though he intended to refine her on the spot and consume her essence.
The immense pressure from all sides soon rendered Liuli immobile. She floated stiffly in the air, as if bound by invisible ropes.
Watching the young Daoist child, who seemed utterly powerless to resist, Li Fan narrowed his eyes and intensified the formation's output.
Within the furnace-like formation, nine crimson fire dragons materialized. With furious roars, they simultaneously blasted torrents of dazzling flames at the bound Liuli.
Behind Li Fan, Lin Ling watched the scene unfold with a chill creeping into her heart, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She never imagined her master would act so decisively, not even uttering a single word of interrogation before attempting to roast Liuli alive!
He was so ruthless and decisive. If he truly wanted to kill her, she realized, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
At that moment, any trace of disloyalty in Lin Ling's heart was utterly extinguished.
Inside the furnace formation, however, the young Liuli did not dissipate in the flames as Lin Ling had expected.
Bursts of dark golden light erupted from her body, forming a barrier that repelled the inferno.
No matter how much Li Fan intensified the formation, he could not break through the protection of the dark golden light.
Li Fan grunted softly and continued to draw upon the surrounding spiritual energy, ceaselessly generating molten fire to scorch Liuli.
He wasn't actually trying to kill her. Instead, he was using a gradual, ever-increasing pressure—like boiling a frog in warm water—to force out her true form.
Within the furnace, the two forces clashed, locked in a tense stalemate.
Releasing the dark golden light seemed to place a heavy strain on Liuli. Her eyes slowly closed, and her body curled into a fetal position as if she had fallen into a deep slumber.
Yet, the dark golden light surrounding her only grew more stable.
It took the shape of a six-petaled lotus, blossoming around the young Daoist child!
Once the lotus formed, the flames from the nine fire dragons could no longer threaten it in the slightest. The fire was easily repelled, and no matter how violently it raged, the lotus remained utterly unmoved.
"What is this...?"
There seemed to be nothing like it in the entire Xuanhuang Realm. Even the *Heavenly Doctor's Immortal Sutra* contained no records of such a thing.
It must have originated from another cultivation world.
"Six petals... this must be its juvenile state." A sudden insight struck Li Fan as he carefully observed the lotus in the flames.
His objective achieved, Li Fan withdrew his power.
The nine fire dragons vanished in an instant, but the young Liuli remained bound.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed. His voice, like rolling thunder, echoed through the space. "Do you think that pathetic lotus can protect you from me?"
"If so, you sorely underestimate the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm!"
As he spoke, Li Fan released a ray of seven-colored divine light.
Wrapped within the light was a tiny patch of gray mold.
He had originally cultivated two pieces of this gray mold; the larger one had been used against Dharma Transmitter Jiang.
Although this remaining piece was smaller, the mold's innate ability to corrode a world was in no way diminished. The moment it appeared, even while still cloaked in the seven-colored divine light, the lotus sensed an extreme danger approaching.
Liuli's body trembled uncontrollably, and the dark golden light of the six-petaled lotus swirled restlessly.
In a flash of change, it seemed as if a new petal was about to form.
The seven-colored light was about to collide with the lotus, on the verge of releasing the gray mold.
Just at that moment, a cool, detached female voice suddenly echoed in Li Fan's mind. "Wait!"
The seven-colored light halted instantly.
"I never expected this world to also be under the influence of the 'Submerge' character..."
"The 'Submerge' character..." Li Fan's heart stirred, but his expression remained impassive. "Would you care to show yourself, fellow Daoist?"
The cool voice made no attempt to hide further. The lotus slowly bloomed, and a phantasmal, dark gold figure appeared before Li Fan.
Though its features were blurred and indistinct within the golden light,
...the regal, almost imperial aura it radiated spoke volumes about its identity.
"Greetings, Daoist of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"You sneak into my Xuanhuang Realm with ulterior motives, Daoist," Li Fan remarked, his gaze sweeping over the golden figure. For a moment, he found himself unable to gauge its true strength.
To exist only as a form of energy, without a physical body, should logically mean it was grievously injured and had no other choice. Yet, Li Fan sensed no weakness from the golden figure. On the contrary, it brimmed with an infinite, burgeoning vitality.
It was resilient and powerful.
The golden figure spoke apologetically. "It was not my intention to conceal myself, but my circumstances left me no choice."
Before Li Fan could ask, it continued its explanation. "Any cultivation world that still survives in the Sunken Star Sea is extremely hostile to outsiders. In my current state, if I were to reveal my identity, I fear I would not survive for long."
"The Sunken Star Sea?" Li Fan tilted his head, asking probingly.
"It is the collective term for all star domains affected by the Immortal Ruins."
As if realizing something, the golden figure quickly added, "Every cultivation world has its own name for it..."
"I see," Li Fan interjected smoothly. "We cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm call it the Darkest Star Sea."
"The Darkest..." The golden figure fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "Yes, that name is quite fitting indeed."
"So, who are you, and where are you from?" Li Fan's questions came one after another, his tone and expression growing colder with each word. "Why did you appear in the Fishing Pool? And most importantly, are you the reason it disappeared?"
(End of Chapter)
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