Unlike the Ark elders' interaction with the "Gu" character, Ou Shangtian's young body didn't exhibit any signs of regression. The Qian-Kun Bone Hand within him vibrated subtly, absorbing and assimilating the power of the "Gu" character.
Li Fan wasn't sure if "absorbing and assimilating" was the right description. He simply sensed a resonance between the "Gu" character and the Qian-Kun Bone Hand. The power of the True Immortal Script, which should have affected Ou Shangtian's body, was instead channeled into the Qian-Kun Bone Hand. The other wonder within Ou Shangtian, the Book of Myriad Deaths, remained completely inert.
Stimulated by the power of "Gu," the Qian-Kun Bone Hand underwent a subtle change. Faint, dark red flesh appeared on the bare white bones, barely perceptible threads, but Li Fan, having observed the entire process, immediately noticed the anomaly. The appearance of flesh made the Qian-Kun Bone Hand seem more vibrant, as if imbued with life. The bony fingers twitched slightly, even without Ou Shangtian's control.
"Ugh…" Ou Shangtian groaned in his sleep. The changes within him were clearly causing him pain.
Li Fan placed his hands on Ou Shangtian's head, and the boy fell back into a deep slumber. A golden light emanated from Li Fan's hands, forming a sharp scalpel, which he used to make an incision on Ou Shangtian's arm. The flesh didn't tear. The golden scalpel entered Ou Shangtian's body, reaching the Qian-Kun Bone Hand.
As if sensing an external threat, the Qian-Kun Bone Hand vibrated violently, even attempting to break free and escape, disregarding its host's safety. However, Li Fan wouldn't allow it.
Thin threads extended from the golden scalpel, forming chains that bound the Qian-Kun Bone Hand in place. The scalpel's light flickered, swiftly scraping away the newly formed flesh. A sharp, resentful howl echoed in his ears, but Li Fan remained impassive, collecting the flesh in a golden net woven from Source Power Essence and sealing it.
Without the influence of the new flesh, the Qian-Kun Bone Hand calmed down. However, Ou Shangtian's face was deathly pale, as if he had suffered a severe internal injury.
Li Fan infused him with spiritual energy to heal him, then took the seemingly lifeless flesh, now contained within the golden net, and teleported to the space beneath the Dao Discussion Platform. Above, his Dao Preaching Avatar continued its lecture.
Below, within a large excavated chamber, Li Fan began his research on the flesh. "The Qian-Kun Bone Hand looks identical to the White Bone Vanguard Realm. According to its owner, Dao Integration Zi Miao, the White Bone Vanguard Realm was modeled after a painting depicting the remains of a True Immortal… Does this mean this flesh might belong to a True Immortal?"
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, examining the dark red tissue within the golden net. Having escaped from True Immortals several times and even witnessed one devoured by Mao Bao, Li Fan no longer held them in awe. In this life, through a stroke of luck, his True Return's Void Energy Charge Progress had doubled, allowing him three consecutive activations.
With his safety assured, Li Fan began his research on the True Immortal's flesh. He first confirmed that this piece of flesh possessed no independent consciousness. Its movements were merely instinctive biological reactions.
"However, the amount of flesh gathered is still small. If it were more substantial, things might be different." Li Fan remained cautious in this regard. This amount was enough for his initial research. He could always extract more from Ou Shangtian later.
Li Fan began by analyzing the composition of the flesh. He cut off a small piece with a scalpel made of Source Power Essence. The golden light spun, turning into a grinder that pulverized the flesh.
"No immortal spiritual energy." As expected, Li Fan wasn't disappointed.
"Separating the tissue from the blood… The tissue's vitality is significantly lower than the blood. There seems to be a special energy hidden within the blood…"
Li Fan's eyes lit up. He extended a strand of his divine consciousness, attempting to penetrate the separated blood. However, the moment it touched the blood, his divine consciousness recoiled as if it had struck a scorching hot iron gate. It reeled from the impact, and a large portion was instantly vaporized by the intense heat contained within the blood.
"Hmm?"
Although it was just a strand of his divine consciousness, the shock and burning sensation were transmitted to Li Fan's main consciousness. It felt as if he had been struck in the head with a club, and a raging fire erupted within his soul. The agony was akin to having his soul scattered. An ordinary cultivator caught off guard would have been instantly annihilated.
However, Li Fan was no ordinary cultivator. Empowered by the Infinite Void Circulation Technique, his soul constantly regenerated, practically indestructible. Even in this inferno, he endured. Even with his resilience, after this counterattack from the True Immortal's blood, Li Fan's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his muscles spasmed uncontrollably.
As the burning sensation within his soul subsided, Li Fan let out a long breath, dispelling the discomfort.
"A chasm between immortals and mortals… True Immortals are untouchable." That was the message he received. Even a single drop of blood could demonstrate the vast difference between immortals and mortals.
However… this warning only piqued his interest further. The more he was forbidden, the more he wanted to know.
Burning his soul? With the Infinite Void Circulation Technique and his indestructible soul, he could withstand the backlash and forcibly probe the secrets within the True Immortal's blood.
Endless pain? Li Fan had long learned to ignore it.
With a thought, he divided his divine consciousness into countless strands, like fearless soldiers charging towards the True Immortal's blood within the golden net.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The backlash from the blood reverberated through Li Fan's soul like a relentless hammer. The countless impacts brought countless waves of agony. His soul felt as if it were ablaze, countless sparks igniting into a raging inferno. The pain was indescribable. Even with the Immortal Heart Mantra and his indomitable will, he was on the verge of collapse.
Li Fan glanced at the True Return interface. The Void Energy Charge Progress remained at 400%, unaffected by the backlash. This indicated that the backlash from a single drop of blood wasn't enough to threaten him at his current level.
Assured of his safety, Li Fan maintained the Infinite Void Circulation Technique while focusing his attention on the True Immortal's blood, now resembling a wall of fire. Under the relentless assault of his divine consciousness, cracks began to appear in its defenses.
After an unknown period, Li Fan finally broke through. The backlash vanished, and a sudden chill permeated his soul. A light emanated from the blood, enveloping Li Fan's consciousness.
An image appeared before him, shrouded in mist, the surroundings indistinct. An angry voice echoed from a towering figure in the distance.
The words were fragmented, but he could make out parts of it: "…Qiong Lang Star Region…Yan…Guardian…"
"…Locate the target…"
"This servant obeys," a deep voice, his own, replied.
The scene shifted. He found himself above the Xuanhuang World, looking down at the countless beings below. However, his attention wasn't on the world but on the starry sky beyond, as if waiting for something.
After an unknown period, a beam of light descended from the heavens. His gaze locked onto it, but he didn't interfere, allowing the light to fall upon the Xuanhuang World. Only after the light faded did he descend to investigate.
"Not yet."
"But not bad. In the past, this one would have had the potential to ascend. What a pity…" His voice was devoid of emotion, as if accustomed to this outcome. He shook his head slightly, then returned to his position above the Xuanhuang World, silently watching, waiting for the next target.
…
The scene froze, then rapidly faded like a bleached photograph.
Li Fan snapped back to reality. Although the memories within the True Immortal's blood consisted of only a few brief scenes, he felt as if he had lived through several lifetimes. This sensation was reflected in his physical form. His hair, now streaked with white, had grown to his waist. Wrinkles appeared on his face, hands, and skin.
Li Fan checked his age on the True Return interface. His mental age remained unchanged, but his physical lifespan had been reduced to fifty years. While still thirty years old chronologically, he was now nearing his end.
"Is this the price of peering into the memories of a True Immortal?"
After confirming that even the Xuanhuang World's life-extending treasures couldn't restore his lost lifespan, Li Fan was alarmed.
"An ordinary cultivator would be driven to despair. Fortunately, I have True Return. A fifty-year lifespan makes little difference to me. Twenty years is enough time to complete my preparations."
Calming himself, Li Fan recalled the scenes he had witnessed.
"The True Immortal whose blood this is was sent to the Xuanhuang World to search for a specific target… The term 'servant' is quite interesting. And that light from the heavens…" Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
Combining this with the information he had gleaned from the ancient formation in the Xuanhuang World and the Nine Star Crimson Pearl Formation, a theory formed in his mind. "The ancient Xuanhuang World was also capturing something. Unlike later, when it captured other cultivation worlds, its target back then was… people?"
Li Fan's eyes flickered. "'Not bad. In the past, this one would have had the potential to ascend…'" He repeated the True Immortal's words. "That beam of light, with the potential for ascension, wasn't the target he was waiting for. What was it…?"
Suddenly, for some reason, Li Fan thought of himself. Although the True Immortal's memories were fragmented and ancient, he felt a surge of relief, as if he had narrowly escaped a great danger. When he came to his senses, his back was drenched in cold sweat. This wasn't cowardice but an instinctive fear and gratitude after realizing the implications.
"This…"
His pounding heart gradually calmed. Li Fan left the chamber beneath the Dao Discussion Platform and returned to the sky above the Great Xuan Small World, concealed by the clouds.
He pondered his premonition. "Although hard to believe… my instincts tell me that, years ago, the target of that True Immortal in the Xuanhuang World might have been… me?! Or rather, not me, but True Return!"
Li Fan closed his eyes, hiding his shock and turmoil.
"True Return… True Return…" As he spoke, the surrounding scenery became ethereal and dreamlike, separated from reality, bringing him a sense of comfort.
"True Return involves the Great Dao of Truth and Falsehood, Reality and Illusion. Celestial wonders, the True Immortal Script, even the mysterious symbol that created the Grand Magus's bloodline… they are all partial projections of the Dao. But True Return transcends them all. It's practically the embodiment of the Dao of Truth and Falsehood, Reality and Illusion itself…"
Li Fan's thoughts raced as he calmly analyzed the situation.
"To be addressed as 'servant' by a True Immortal, that towering figure in the memory must hold a high position. Qiong Lang Star Region… Yan…"
Li Fan tried to piece together the truth from the fragmented information.
"It seems the Immortal Realm was already facing a crisis back then. Yan… Perhaps, based on the True Immortal's power, one of the solutions to the Immortal Realm's crisis was deduced to be… True Return. So they waited in the Xuanhuang World? But for some reason, I arrived tens of thousands of years too late."
…
The lingering sense of relief gradually faded as he distanced himself from the True Immortal's memories. Without the influence of that emotion, his previous speculation seemed almost absurdly comical.
"What is the truth?"
His composure restored, Li Fan returned to the chamber beneath the platform. He looked at the remaining True Immortal's blood within the golden net and pondered.
"I can't delve into it again in this life. I'll see if I can find more clues in my next life. Even if my theory is confirmed, it doesn't matter. After all, the True Immortals who wanted to 'hunt' me have already perished in the Immortal Realm's calamity!" A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes, his resolve solidifying.
While he couldn't explore the memories within the blood any further in this life, he could continue his research on the True Immortal's flesh.
"Next, let's see how resistant it is to the power of the True Immortal Script."
(End of Chapter)