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Chapter 357: New Domain Beyond the Abyss

“Fearless in the face of death, sacrificing oneself for others?”

“If it weren’t for my 【Truth】, the ability to start anew at any time, I would never make such a choice!”

“It truly leaves a sour taste in one’s heart!”

In the vast sea of mist, Li Fan deployed the Purple Sky Divine Thunder Escape, transforming into a purple stream of light, swiftly heading towards the Eternal Immortal Stronghold.

The stifling and depressive feeling lingered in his heart for a long time.

And the previously unstoppable Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra unexpectedly operated extremely slowly.

It was like a heavy millstone, sucking in the inner thoughts and slowly grinding them away.

Unlike before, where Li Fan’s incorrect cultivation methods would ruthlessly crush everything.

At this moment, the Heart Refinement Mantra refined these rebellious emotions generated from going against the Dao Heart, transforming them into strands of coolness that flowed into Li Fan’s body and mind, nourishing him.

The cool sensation slightly relieved his restless mood.

Reversing the Dao Heart is actually actively seeking the ‘Difficulty in Understanding the Mind’.

This naturally made Li Fan, who had always been willful, feel extremely uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra did not disappoint Li Fan.

Sensing the effect of the coolness on his body, Li Fan’s mind suddenly shook.

“This feeling…”

“It’s so similar to when I took the 【Mind Horse】 back then?!”

“Before, the Clear Mind Mantra could strengthen the divine sense, and now the correct cultivation of the Heart Refinement Mantra can actually strengthen the soul?”

Li Fan’s heart was suddenly filled with waves of shock.

“No wonder its cultivation level is even higher than the Cloud Water Dream Technique, which is a Dao Integration level technique.”

“Methods that strengthen the divine sense, I’ve seen one or two of them in the special exchange list of merits in the Tianxuan Mirror.”

“But those that can strengthen the soul…”

“It’s truly unheard of.”

The soul is internal, and the divine sense is external.

If the soul becomes stronger, the divine sense will naturally also become stronger.

The divine sense is like muscles, which can be continuously strengthened through postnatal training and cultivation.

But the soul is like bones, predetermined at birth. Only when one’s own realm undergoes a breakthrough, which is almost a change in life form, or by using treasures like the 【Mind Horse】, can it be strengthened.

Initially, the Nascent Soul cultivator Zhang Zhiliang also said that the 【Mind Horse】 that can strengthen the soul is extremely precious.

However, as good as the Mind Horse is, its enhancement effect is limited.

But the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra’s enhancement of the soul has no apparent limit!

As long as one continues to reverse the Dao Heart, it seems that the soul can endlessly strengthen!

It’s worth noting that when the soul becomes strong enough, it can be directly used as a means of annihilation against enemies.

For example, the extremely terrifying Thousand-Faced Demon Ancestor officially announced by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, discarded his physical body and directly existed as a soul.

Relying on his powerful soul, he freely engaged in body snatching.

“As I cultivate the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra and continuously strengthen my soul, one day, even if the Thousand-Faced Demon Ancestor truly exists, he may not be my opponent.”

“Moreover…”

“【Truth】 and I are actually one. After each reincarnation, everything in the world returns to the chosen anchor point.”

“Only my changes remain.”

“Even if I choose to retain nothing, it’s still the same.”

“When I was still a mortal before, my will became stronger with each reincarnation. Eventually, I could even control the Taiyan Boat with a mortal body. This is the proof.”

“Willpower, soul…”

“Doesn’t this mean that everything in the world returns to its original state with each of my choices?”

“And my soul, on the other hand, continues to grow stronger.”

“One day, even if I choose not to retain my cultivation, just relying on a powerful soul would be enough to crush everything?”

The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable Li Fan felt.

“The Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra can be called a heaven-defying technique, yet it’s hidden within the commonplace Xuanhuang Clear Mind Mantra?”

“What is this…”

Instinctively, Li Fan felt that there must be some conspiracy hidden within.

With doubts in his mind, after some struggle, Li Fan still decided to continue cultivating.

“With such a technique right in front of me, I simply can’t give it up.”

“Even if there are any tricks, the enhancement of my soul is real.”

“If the hidden hand behind the scenes can truly ignore the influence of 【Truth】, then so be it.”

“If not, then no matter how many schemes there are, they are useless in front of 【Truth】.”

With a decision made in his heart, Li Fan suddenly felt relieved.

The actual effect of the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra far exceeded his expectations.

“But this method of reversing the Dao Heart is somewhat torturous.”

Li Fan vaguely felt that it’s not as simple as saying things that contradict the Dao Heart to cultivate.

One must integrate knowledge and action, actively acting against the Dao Heart.

Only then can it be turned into nourishment for the soul.

This is also why he ventured alone into the white mist.

“For others, the combination of the Demon Tide and the Age Devouring White Mist is indeed extremely dangerous, a place where one might risk their life.”

“Whether facing the white mist or the demon sounds, if I really encounter any fatal danger, I have time to calmly activate 【Truth】.”

“Overall, the benefits of this choice far outweigh the risks.”

“Instead, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance territory, which seems to have no risk at ordinary times, is fraught with danger if one wants to reverse the Dao Heart.”

“If one is careless, they may provoke the existence of Dao Integration level experts.”

As Li Fan pondered, he flew towards his destination.

With the Black Death Symbol protecting him, keeping the Age Devouring White Mist at bay, Li Fan’s only concern was the occasional assault of the Demon Tide.

Whenever murmurs and whispers reached his ears, as a precaution, Li Fan would stop flying.

He would then light the Silencing Glass Lamp and wait for the demon sounds to weaken before setting off again.

Although surrounded by dangers, under Li Fan’s cautious approach, he proceeded safely all the way.

Soon, Li Fan had been flying in the white mist for more than two days.

The Five Elements power within his body formed a unity, so he didn’t have to worry about spiritual power depletion.

However, Li Fan’s expression gradually became serious.

“If the threat is only at this level, Lengyingyi couldn’t possibly have an accident.”

“What has he encountered by delaying his return?”

“And where is this increasing sense of unease in my heart coming from?”

Li Fan gradually became vigilant, releasing his divine sense to probe the surroundings.

However, within the fog sea devoid of the Demon Tide, it was silent.

After searching for a long time, he still couldn’t find the source of the threat.

Li Fan could only adapt and continue flying towards the direction he sensed Eternal Immortal Stronghold.

Two more days passed like this.

Li Fan, who was flying swiftly, suddenly stopped.

His face turned unsightly.

“Finally, I understand why Lengyingyi hasn’t returned. So that’s it.”

At his speed, flying intermittently.

Originally, it should have taken no more than two days to reach the Eternal Immortal Stronghold.

But now, four days have passed since Li Fan left the Outpost.

In his perception, the Eternal Immortal Stronghold is indeed not far ahead.

However…

Despite the short distance, no matter how he flies, he can’t cross it.

“Clearly it seems to be just a short distance away, but it’s like a heavenly chasm that I can’t cross. We call these locations within the white fog barrier ‘Maze’.”

Huangfu Song’s words echoed in Li Fan’s ears.

He temporarily gave up flying and stood in the void, his expression changing constantly.

“Unbeknownst to anyone, a maze has unwittingly formed on the path between the Outpost and the Eternal Immortal Stronghold beyond the Abyss.”

“Silent, and unknown.”

“Lengyingyi must have gotten lost in this maze.”

“Now, it’s the same for me.”

Looking ahead, Li Fan seemed to see a huge green stone palm not far away.

But he couldn’t reach it.

“A short distance but a world away…”

Li Fan sighed softly.

However, although he inadvertently fell into a desperate situation, Li Fan would not immediately use 【Truth】.

There are still many unfinished matters in this world, so giving up so easily would be a pity.

This also fits Li Fan’s character of never giving up until the Yellow River runs dry.

So Li Fan decided to see if he could find a way to cross this newly formed maze before his resources were depleted.

After all, a maze is ultimately just an extremely vast space.

It’s not an absolute deathtrap.

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  1. Offline
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    Soul strong 💪
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    ---

    Chapter 357 – The New Domain Beyond the Abyss (渊外新生域)

    “Fearless before death, willing to sacrifice oneself for others?”

    “If not for Huanzhen (还真) — the art that lets me begin anew at will — I would never have made such a choice.”

    “How truly infuriating.”

    Within a vast sea of mist, Li Fan turned into a streak of violet lightning, using the Purple Firmament Divine Thunder Escape (紫霄神雷遁) to speed toward the Eternal Immortal Rampart (永恒仙垒).

    Yet his chest felt heavy, his heart stifled and dark.

    The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Chant (玄黄炼心咒), which had always flowed smoothly, now slowed as if burdened by unseen weight.
    It ground within him like a colossal millstone, drawing in his turbulent thoughts and emotions to crush them, not violently, but deliberately.

    Unlike his earlier, mistaken attempts — when he had shattered all emotion through brute force — the Chant now refined the inner resistance born of violating his Dao-heart (道心), tempering it into strands of cool essence that sank deep into body and soul, quietly nourishing him.

    That chill soothed his agitation, easing the burning within.

    To reverse-refine the Dao-heart (逆练道心)… is to seek out one’s own unrest.

    For one as willful as Li Fan, it was agony to move against his own nature.

    Yet the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Chant did not disappoint.

    As he attuned himself to the icy current within, sudden shock rippled through his spirit.

    “This sensation… it’s identical to when I took Yi Ma (意马)!”

    “The Clear-Heart Mantra (清心咒) could strengthen divine sense (神识), but this… the proper practice of the Heart-Refining Chant strengthens the very divine soul (神魂) itself?”

    A surge of awe flooded him.

    “No wonder its grade surpasses even the Dao-Unity-level (合道级) Cloudwater Dream Technique (云水幻梦功).”

    “I’ve seen arts that enhance divine sense listed in the Tianxuan Mirror’s (天玄镜) special-merit exchange catalog…”

    “But an art that strengthens the divine soul — I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

    The soul is within; the sense without.
    When the soul grows stronger, the sense expands in turn.

    Divine sense is like muscle: trainable through effort.
    The soul is like bone: fixed from birth.
    Only a transformation of life itself, or a heavenly treasure like Yi Ma, could temper it.

    Zhang Zhiliang, a Nascent Soul cultivator (化神修士), had once said that Yi Ma, which nourished the soul, was priceless — yet even it had limits.

    The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Chant, however, showed no ceiling.
    So long as one continued to reverse-refine the Dao-heart, the soul’s power would grow without end.

    When the soul becomes mighty enough, it alone can destroy foes.

    The infamous Thousand-Faced Demon Lord (千面魔尊) — whose deeds the Ten-Thousand Immortals Alliance (万仙盟) proclaimed in terror — had abandoned his flesh and lived as pure soul, seizing new bodies at will.

    “If my soul keeps strengthening through this art, then one day, even that demon lord would not be my equal.”

    “Moreover…”

    “Huanzhen and I are one. Each time I return through its cycle, Heaven and Earth reset to the chosen anchor, yet I remain changed.”

    “No matter what I preserve or abandon, my transformation endures.”

    “When I was still mortal, after countless cycles my will (意志) grew so firm that I could command the Taiyan Vessel (太衍舟) with a mortal body — that was proof enough.”

    “Will… soul…”

    “So every time the world resets, my soul alone continues to grow?”

    “One day, even if I retain no cultivation, my soul alone could crush all things.”

    The thought left him breathless.

    “The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Chant — a divine art that defies Heaven itself — hidden within the common Xuanhuang Clear-Heart Chant (玄黄清心咒) practiced by mortals?”

    “What does this mean…”

    Instinct whispered of hidden hands and unseen plots.

    Doubt lingered, yet after long deliberation he decided:

    “With such power before me, how could I turn away?”

    “Even if there is a scheme, the strengthening of my soul is real.”

    “If the one behind this can truly override Huanzhen, then so be it.”

    “If not, then before Huanzhen, every plot collapses.”

    Once decided, the heaviness in his chest eased.

    The art’s true power far exceeded expectation.
    Only the method — this reversal of the Dao-heart — was torment.

    He soon realized: words alone, contrary to the Dao-heart, were useless.
    Only when thought and deed both defied it could rebellion refine into nourishment for the soul.

    That was why he had entered the white mist alone.

    “For others, the Demonic Sound Tide (魔音大潮) combined with the Devouring White Mist (噬元白雾) is a place of near-certain death.”

    “But for me, the danger is less.”

    “My only fear is any power that could strip my resistance in an instant.”

    “Whether mist or sound — if peril truly arises, I’ll have time to invoke Huanzhen.”

    “All told, the gain outweighs the risk.”

    “Paradoxically, within the Ten-Thousand Immortals Alliance, where danger seems low, to reverse-refine the Dao-heart would be far more perilous — one misstep could draw the gaze of a Dao-Unity expert (合道强者).”

    He pondered as he flew.

    With the Black Death Talisman (黑死符) shielding him from the mist, only the Demonic Sound Tide remained a threat.
    Whenever whispers brushed his ears, he halted, lit the Glass Lamp of Silence (寂灭琉璃盏), and waited until the sound faded before moving again.

    Through caution he survived two full days within the fog.
    The Five Elements (五行) within his body circulated in harmony; his Qi (气) never waned.

    Yet his expression grew grave.

    “If the danger here were truly so slight, Leng Yingyi could not have vanished.”

    “What did he encounter?”

    “And this deepening unease within me—what is it?”

    Heightened by instinct, he spread divine sense in all directions.
    The sea of mist lay silent.

    After long searching he found nothing—no sound, no threat.
    Resigned, he continued toward the Eternal Immortal Rampart.

    Two more days passed.

    Then, mid-flight, he halted.

    His face darkened.

    “So that’s why Leng Yingyi never returned. So this is it.”

    By his reckoning, even with pauses, it should have taken two days to arrive.
    Four had passed since leaving the Jiaxu Outpost (甲戌号据点).

    The Rampart’s aura pulsed just ahead — yet no matter how he flew, the distance remained.

    “It’s as if it lies only a step away, yet the gulf between us is as wide as Heaven.”

    Huangfu Song’s voice echoed in memory:

    “We call such places within the White Mist barriers Lost Domains (迷域).”

    Li Fan stopped, standing in the void, expression shifting between calm and dread.

    “Outside the Abyss (叱咤深渊), between the Jiaxu Outpost and the Eternal Immortal Rampart, a new Lost Domain has silently formed…”

    “Unseen. Unknown.”

    “Leng Yingyi must have been lost within it.”

    “And now… so am I.”

    Ahead, through the mist, a vast broken stone hand loomed — so near he could almost touch it, yet forever out of reach.

    “So near… and yet so far.”

    He sighed softly.

    Though trapped, Li Fan did not yet invoke Huanzhen.
    Too many things remained undone; surrender would be wasteful — and against his nature.

    True to himself, he resolved to fight until every path was exhausted.

    Before his strength and supplies ran dry, he would search for a way to cross this newly-born Lost Domain.

    After all, a Lost Domain was only a vast, distorted space —
    not an absolute deathtrap.

    (End of Chapter)


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    Translator’s Notes

    1. Huanzhen (还真) – A mysterious ability that resets reality to a chosen “anchor point,” while Li Fan’s own will and soul continue to evolve. Literally “Return to Truth.”


    2. Xuanhuang (玄黄) – “Dark and Yellow,” symbolizing the primal unity of Heaven (玄) and Earth (黄); a term for cosmic balance in Daoist cosmology.


    3. Dao-heart (道心) – The cultivator’s innermost alignment with the Dao, representing spiritual intent and conviction.


    4. Reverse-Refining the Dao-heart (逆练道心) – Cultivation through contradiction: defying one’s instincts to temper the spirit.


    5. Divine Soul (神魂) / Divine Sense (神识) – The soul is essence; the sense is its projection. Strengthening the former deepens the latter.


    6. Yi Ma (意马) – A heavenly treasure that nourishes the soul; name literally means “Thought-Steed,” symbolizing the mind’s restless nature.


    7. Lost Domain (迷域) – A spatial distortion within the White Mist barriers, where perception and distance lose meaning; travelers become trapped between points that can no longer connect.
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      Meus respeitos ao sênior! clap
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    2. Offline
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      Your literally my saving grace, my man! I don't think i could handle going throught 150 chapters of the mtl ass translation.
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    “No wonder its cultivation level is even higher than the Cloud Water Dream Technique, which is a Dao Integration level technique


    I remember it was at the golden core level. swim
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    1. Offline
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      No, it has 7 levels, just he has trained in beginning It only to Core.
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    Comments!
    Xuanhuang is now being used as a prefix for both techniques interesting
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      Most likely it has been this way from the beginning. It's just that the first translator, not yet knowing that Xuanhuang is the name of this world, thought it was part of the technique's name and decided to translate it instead of leaving it as is. Remember, the first time the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra was introduced, it was translated as Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra. As you can see, there’s no “Xuanhuang” here. The term change occurred much later.
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