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Chapter 367: Life and Death Can Refine the Heart

“Practicing like this, who wouldn’t go crazy?”

After reading the entire jade slip, Li Fan couldn’t help but sigh.

Recorded in the jade slip is naturally what Zhong Shentong said before, the “Life and Death Profound Technique” he cultivated.

Half a scroll, origin unknown.

The essence of the technique is even more incredible.

The first chapter of the technique clearly states:

Believing that everything in the world will ultimately face death.

From birds, beasts, plants, humans.

To cultivators, demonic beasts, and even the heavens and earth themselves.

No one can escape this fate.

If one wishes to transcend death, they can only do so before their own death arrives.

Attain a state of neither life nor death, both alive and dead.

This is also the highest realm envisioned by the technique.

To achieve “being in both life and death” requires an unparalleled comprehension and understanding of the essence of life and death.

The “Life and Death Induction Chapter” is a method in the technique used to comprehend life and death.

From the initial “attachment to life and fear of death” to “abandoning life and forgetting death,” and then to “being in both life and death.”

The “Life and Death Profound Technique” is such a peculiar technique practiced with the power of life and death.

Because of its lofty ideals, the content of the technique is extremely profound and obscure.

Compared to the “Mystical Transformation of True Spirits,” it is even more profound.

Perhaps it is because the founder of the technique did not reach the realm of being both alive and dead.

The latter part of the cultivation content of the technique is mostly speculative and conjectural.

With a rough glance, Li Fan could see one or two contradictions.

“The technique is not bad, but it’s a pity it’s incomplete. If it were complete, it could still be somewhat useful. For now, it can only serve as a reference.”

“Moreover, it’s a pity that Zhong Shentong’s Seven-Colored Divine Light seems to have no connection with this ‘Life and Death Profound Technique.’”

Li Fan shook his head slightly.

Folding up the jade slip, Li Fan pondered for a moment, trying to operate the “Life and Death Induction Chapter.”

This chapter is a prerequisite method that one must cultivate in order to enter the “Life and Death Profound Technique,” even ordinary people can practice it.

Naturally, Li Fan had no problem with it.

Every word and sentence silently flowed through Li Fan’s mind.

After three days and three nights.

As Li Fan meditated with closed eyes, his mind suddenly fluctuated.

Countless scenes appeared before his eyes in an instant.

He seemed to have vaguely returned to Da Xuan, experiencing the spiritedness during the Triple Unity, the wanton behavior in the Empress Dowager’s palace, the arrogance of dominating the world…

And later, he experienced dangers, broke through the Immortal Absolute Formation, and finally arrived in the cultivation world.

Step by step, from an ordinary person, cultivating Qi, establishing Foundation, forming Core.

Every exciting moment in his past life rushed into his mind.

Letting Li Fan feel as if he were experiencing them again firsthand.

During this fragmented time, many joyful events overlapped.

Even with Li Fan’s willpower, he couldn’t help but feel a bit ecstatic and joyful.

Just as this joyful atmosphere reached its peak…

All the scenes shattered like bubbles, one after another.

In their place were the near-death moments Li Fan often encountered.

“Father, Father…”

“Husband!”

Faintly, there came the desperate cries of agony. In his first life, he had not yet awakened to the truth and was about to die from illness.

“It’s just seeking a chance at survival!” Kou Hong’s mad laughter accompanied by a tremendous roar and the sky full of flames appeared before Li Fan’s eyes.

That was in the second life, when Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong battled, and Xuanjing was destroyed in an instant, and Li Fan narrowly escaped death.

The tearing of the boundary whale of the Immortal Absolute Formation, the rapid aging of the transformed sea, the pursuit of the law enforcement elders…

Scenes of fatal crises seemed to descend upon Li Fan simultaneously.

Until the space in the Tianxuan Mirror was torn apart, and ahead, a kind-faced old man could vaguely be seen.

The fear in his heart was uncontrollable.

Li Fan snapped out of his cultivation.

“Still…”

The remaining half of the truth character had yet to be uttered in his mind.

The various terrifying images disappeared in an instant.

Only then did Li Fan manage to stop.

His whole body was soaked in cold sweat, and his breath was as rapid as if he had just escaped death.

Li Fan’s gaze flickered as he looked back on the experience just now.

“The cultivation failed.”

“The Life and Death Induction Chapter triggers a deep fear of death in the heart, not just simple illusions.”

“It’s somewhat similar to that illusion horse, extremely lifelike.”

“What the heart perceives as real, is real.”

“Truly perilous, if deeply trapped in it, unable to distinguish true from false, there might truly be a possibility of being scared to death by oneself.”

“No wonder Zhong Shentong was so erratic…”

“Only in this way can one truly feel the fear of death.”

Thinking of this, Li Fan sighed softly.

“Unfortunately, this method is useless to me.”

“Ordinary people facing the threat of death naturally feel terrified and desperate.”

“But I am different.”

“No matter what the situation, I always have a lifeline.”

“That is my 【Truth】.”

“When the Life and Death Induction Chapter reaches its extreme, facing the substantial threat of death, I will instinctively call upon 【Truth】, to start all over again…”

“Wait…”

In an instant, Li Fan thought of something, his expression changing slightly.

“The instinct for survival…”

“The Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra…”

Standing up suddenly, Li Fan’s thoughts turned quickly.

Walking back and forth, contemplating feasibility.

“To reverse the cultivation of the Dao Heart, I need to resist the instincts within me.”

“And for me, the greatest instinct is, at the moment of death, to invoke 【Truth】.”

“If I were to reverse cultivate the Dao Heart in this way, the harvest would surely be unimaginable.”

“But it’s impossible to truly abandon the plan of invoking 【Truth】 at the moment of life and death.”

“By using the Life and Death Induction Chapter, this problem disappears.”

Li Fan’s gaze flickered, and after a moment, he steadied his mind.

He began to operate the Induction Chapter once again.

When, this time, all the beauty of life was shattered, and the threat of death descended once again.

Li Fan still couldn’t shake off the habit that seemed to have been carved into his soul, and still called upon 【Truth】.

The second attempt failed.

Undeterred, Li Fan persisted, the third time, the fourth time…

Until after fifty-six attempts.

Facing the face of the Heavenly Doctor, Li Fan activated the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Mantra.

At the same time, with extreme willpower, he temporarily suppressed the instinctive urge to invoke 【Truth】.

But the threat of death did not disappear with Li Fan’s restraint.

Instead, it became more and more real.

The Heavenly Doctor’s face became clearer before his eyes, and the spiritual sense in Li Fan’s heart continued to warn frantically.

In the end, Li Fan was still drenched in sweat, breaking free from the cultivation of the Life and Death Induction Chapter.

“Perhaps, this Induction Chapter can only truly confront death without harming oneself after reaching the stage of abandoning life and forgetting death.”

Li Fan was well aware that if he had persisted just now, even if he hadn’t perished on the spot, the outcome would definitely not have been good.

“This technique is indeed somewhat sinister.”

“However, in just that brief moment, the harvest was also immense.”

In the Heart Refinement Grand Millstone, compared to the previous events of traversing the white mist and risking his life to seek help, there was a little more coolness, which he swallowed down wholeheartedly.

Comments 8

  1. Offline
    + 00 -
    Interesting
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  2. Offline
    + 110 -
    ---

    Chapter 367 – Life and Death Can Temper the Heart

    (第367章 生死可炼心)

    > “To cultivate like this—if you don’t go mad, who would?”



    After finishing the jade slip, Li Fan couldn’t help but sigh.

    Recorded within it was exactly what Zhong Shentong had mentioned earlier—his cultivation method, The Profound Art of Life and Death (Shengsi Xuangong).

    It was only a half-scroll of a remnant text, origin unknown.
    Yet even so, the essence of its doctrine was astonishing—almost inconceivable.

    The first section opened with bold declaration:

    > “All things under heaven, in the end, must die.”



    Birds that fly, beasts that walk, grass and trees, human beings—
    Even cultivators, spirit beasts, and the heavens and earth themselves cannot escape this destiny.

    If one wishes to transcend death, one must, before death arrives,
    attain a state that is neither life nor death, both life and death—
    a superposed state of existence and nonexistence.

    This, the text claimed, was the highest realm of the cultivation art.

    To coexist with life and death required an unparalleled understanding—
    a comprehension of the very essence of life and death themselves.

    The section called “Perception of Life and Death” (Shengsi Ganying Pian)
    was a method to awaken this awareness—
    from the first attachment to life and fear of death,
    to the state of abandoning life and forgetting death,
    and finally to the ultimate coexistence of life and death.

    Thus was The Profound Art of Life and Death—
    a cultivation method that drew directly on the forces of mortality itself.

    Its intent was lofty; its principles, exceedingly obscure.
    Even compared to the Qi Xuan Zhenling Transformation,
    it was more abstruse still.

    Perhaps the creator himself had never reached the state of “both alive and dead,”
    for the latter half of the scroll turned vague—filled with speculation and conjecture.
    Even a cursory glance revealed contradictions within.

    > “A fine method,” Li Fan murmured, “but incomplete.
    Were it whole, it might still serve some purpose—
    but as it stands, it can only be a reference.”



    He shook his head.

    > “A pity. Zhong Shentong’s Seven-Colored Divine Radiance seems unrelated to this Profound Art of Life and Death after all.”



    After a moment’s thought, Li Fan put away the jade slip and began attempting the Perception of Life and Death chapter.

    This preliminary method was designed as the entry gate—
    one that even ordinary mortals could cultivate.
    Naturally, Li Fan faced no barrier.

    The incantation flowed silently through his mind—
    word by word, phrase by phrase.

    Three days and three nights passed.

    Then suddenly, as he meditated,
    his mind quivered violently—
    and countless scenes surged forth.

    He seemed to return once more to Da Xuan,
    full of pride as he won the Triple Scholar Titles,
    wanton in the Empress Dowager’s palace,
    dominating the world with supreme arrogance.

    Then came the tribulations—
    breaking through the Immortal-Extinguishing Grand Array,
    stepping at last into the realm of cultivation.
    From mortal to Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core—
    each moment of triumph in his past life rose vividly before him,
    one after another, overwhelming his senses.

    Even Li Fan, with his iron will,
    felt himself floating—his heart light and joyous.

    Just as this euphoria peaked—

    —all visions burst like bubbles.

    In their place came death.

    The moments he had faced the brink of extinction—
    flashed before him, one after another.

    > “Father… Father…”
    “Husband!”



    Crying voices—his first lifetime, when he had yet to awaken Huanzhen,
    dying of illness while his loved ones wept.

    Then the mad laughter of Kou Hong,
    amid fire and thunder:

    > “It’s only for a sliver of survival!”



    —the second life—when Dao Xuanzhi battled Kou Hong,
    and Xuanjing was reduced to ruins.

    The Rift Whale of the Immortal-Extinguishing Array,
    the sea that aged him into frailty,
    the pursuit of the sect’s elder protectors—
    scene after scene of fatal peril descended upon him simultaneously.

    Until finally, within the space of the Tianxuan Mirror,
    the void tore apart, and he saw faintly the kind face of an old man.

    Terror gripped his heart—uncontrollable.

    Li Fan tore himself free from cultivation.

    > “Hu—”



    The second half of the word “Huanzhen” never left his lips—
    for all fear and illusion vanished at once.

    His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
    His breath came ragged—like one who had truly escaped death.

    > “I failed.”



    He reflected quietly.

    > “This Perception of Life and Death does not merely conjure illusion.
    It awakens one’s inner fear of death—
    illusions so real they are nearly true.”



    > “If the heart believes them real—then they become real.”



    > “Truly perilous.
    To lose oneself within them might very well mean being frightened to death.”



    > “No wonder Zhong Shentong lost his mind.”



    > “Only through such madness can one feel the raw terror of death itself.”



    Li Fan sighed softly.

    > “But this method… is useless to me.”



    > “Ordinary people tremble before death—
    but I am different.”



    > “In any circumstance, I hold a single lifeline—
    my Huanzhen.”



    > “When life and death reach their extremity,
    I instinctively invoke Huanzhen and start anew…”



    He suddenly froze.

    > “Wait…”



    A thought flashed through his mind.

    > “The instinct to survive… the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Mantra…”



    He rose abruptly, pacing back and forth,
    thoughts racing.

    > “To reverse-train the Dao Heart is to resist one’s own instincts.”



    > “For me, the greatest instinct is—
    to invoke Huanzhen at the brink of death.”



    > “If I use this to temper my Dao Heart…
    the results could be unimaginable.”



    > “But I cannot truly abandon Huanzhen when my life is on the line.”



    > “Yet… with the Perception of Life and Death—
    I can face it safely.”



    His eyes gleamed.
    After a moment of stillness, he steadied his mind and began once more.

    This time, when life’s beauty shattered and death loomed—
    he resisted the ingrained habit that had seeped into his very soul.

    But instinct triumphed.
    He invoked Huanzhen again.

    Second attempt—failure.
    Third—failure.
    Fourth—failure…

    Until, after fifty-six tries—

    Facing the visage of the Heavenly Healer,
    Li Fan activated the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Mantra,
    and by sheer force of will,
    suppressed the reflex to call upon Huanzhen.

    Yet death’s shadow grew only more real—
    the healer’s face clearer,
    his spirit screaming in warning.

    At last, Li Fan burst free from the trance, drenched in sweat.

    > “Perhaps… only upon reaching the state of abandoning life and forgetting death
    can one truly face mortality without harm.”



    He understood—had he forced it further,
    even if not slain outright,
    the consequences would have been dire.

    > “This art truly borders on the demonic…”



    > “Still… that brief moment yielded tremendous insight.”



    Within the great Heart-Grinding Millstone of his inner world,
    a thread of cool clarity flowed downward—
    even greater than what he had gained
    from crossing the white mist or braving death for aid.

    (End of Chapter)


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  3. Offline
    + 30 -
    The tearing of the boundary whale of the Immortal Absolute Formation, the rapid aging of the transformed sea, the pursuit of the law enforcement elders…


    wat
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  4. Offline
    + 62 -
    He still remembers his wives and children. 30
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  5. Offline
    + 150 -
    I am worried that HD wil sense someone thinking bout him
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    1. Offline
      + 80 -
      Or mabye he already sensed it. troll43
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  6. Offline
    + 140 -
    Isn't everything too much of a coincidence... I feel like something is brewing. It's all part of a grand scheme
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    1. Offline
      + 40 -
      Just go back yo checkpoint
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