With swift strokes, Li Fan wrote the character "Mo" [Submerge/没], disguised using the Method of Similitude. Its power was greatly diminished, perfect for his experiment. For accuracy, Li Fan also cut off a piece of his own flesh, the same size as the True Immortal's flesh, and a piece of ordinary mortal flesh as controls.
Under the influence of "Mo," the three pieces of flesh underwent distinct transformations. All were momentarily enveloped by a shadow. Li Fan's flesh and the mortal flesh reacted identically, offering no resistance, vanishing as if swallowed by an invisible wave.
The True Immortal's flesh, however, while not entirely immune to the True Immortal Script's influence, was like a small boat on a raging sea. Despite the surging waves, it bobbed up and down, remaining afloat. When the effects of "Mo" dissipated, it was practically unchanged.
"As expected of a True Immortal's flesh…" Li Fan's eyes flickered.
He then conducted experiments with other True Immortal Script characters like "Luan" [Chaos/乱] and "Du" [Alone/独], reaching a preliminary conclusion. Perhaps due to its past exposure to immortal spiritual energy, the True Immortal's flesh possessed incredibly strong regenerative properties. It wasn't immune to the True Immortal Script's influence but rapidly reverted to its original state after being affected. Therefore, it appeared unaffected by the characters.
"This resilience, this recovery speed…" Glimpsing the true terror of a True Immortal through this piece of flesh, Li Fan was deeply shaken.
"Just its flesh alone surpasses the regenerative capabilities of my soul, even with the Infinite Void Circulation Technique, by a thousandfold, ten thousandfold! What's driving this regeneration? There's no immortal spiritual energy within this flesh. And its basic structure is no different from a mortal's."
"Could it be…?"
With a thought, Falling to the Mortal Realm, the white ring, appeared in his hand. Mere flesh, devoid of life, was considered a "dead object" by the ring's standards.
As the ring's light enveloped the flesh, it instantly disintegrated. However, to Li Fan's disappointment, no immortal spiritual energy appeared, only a foul-smelling black gas. A single whiff made him dizzy and triggered hallucinations.
His expression changing drastically, Li Fan quickly retreated, activating a formation to contain and collect the black gas. Fortunately, the gas itself wasn't destructive and was quickly neutralized.
Looking at the small black sphere suspended in the air, Li Fan shuddered. The stench, which seemed capable of polluting even the soul, still lingered faintly.
"This black gas seems to be pure decay and ruin. Interesting. Such potent vitality, yet this is what remains after decomposition."
Li Fan's curiosity about the True Immortal's flesh intensified. He almost gave in to the urge to probe it further with his divine consciousness. However, he restrained himself with great effort.
"Next life… next life. There will be plenty of opportunities…" His current physical condition wasn't suitable for further exploration of the True Immortal's secrets. Li Fan took a deep breath, calming himself.
While he couldn't unravel the mysteries of the True Immortal's blood just yet, he could still explore its applications. A faint light flashed, and the bronze crane he obtained from the Profound Immortal Ark appeared in his hand.
"Immortal Descent, All Things Return to the Void!"
After some preparation, a miniature, weakened version of the Return to the Void Grand Formation appeared in the chamber beneath the Dao Discussion Platform. Invisible winds howled within the formation.
Li Fan tossed the bronze crane into the center. Instantly, violent wind blades, controlled by his will, bombarded the crane. As expected of a relic that survived the world-ending calamity, the bronze crane, though slightly smaller, bore only minor scratches from the Return to the Void Grand Formation, which had retained much of its power.
However, the relentless invisible wind continued to buffet the crane like a hammer, slowly reshaping it.
Three days later, a bronze skeleton lay within the formation. Li Fan temporarily removed it from the formation and, using golden Source Power Essence as a guide, drew a small piece of the True Immortal's flesh towards the skeleton.
Perhaps due to its inherent nature, or perhaps sensing a similar "immortal" aura on the bronze skeleton, the flesh adhered to the bone. It pulsed and churned, attempting to expand.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Fan infused it with Source Power Essence. While merging with the True Immortal's flesh was difficult, there seemed to be a certain compatibility between them. Like a sponge, the flesh slowly absorbed the golden essence.
Nourished by the energy, the True Immortal's flesh began to grow along the bronze bones. Initially, it was just a small lump the size of a fingertip, attached to the skull. After some writhing and self-proliferation, it flowed downwards like a red tide.
Fed with Source Power Essence, this growing mass of flesh, unlike before, didn't emit any whispers or resentful murmurs. Instead, it felt like a creation under his complete control, an extension of his own will.
As Li Fan continued to infuse it with Source Power Essence, the True Immortal's flesh eventually covered the entire bronze skeleton. However, no skin formed. The resulting figure, composed entirely of flesh, was a gruesome sight.
Li Fan could sense the flesh taking root, fusing tightly with the bronze bones beneath. And as the bond strengthened, the flesh body began to change.
However, observing the body, Li Fan felt something was missing.
"The soul is the master of the body. A body without a soul is merely an object…"
After a long observation, Li Fan finally understood. However, he hesitated to take the final, crucial step, not only because he lacked the essential ingredient – an "immortal soul" – but also because a sense of danger washed over him whenever he considered it.
"When dealing with the realm of True Immortals, caution is paramount. Adding the finishing touch… one must be wary of the dragon breaking free and retaliating…"
With that in mind, Li Fan nodded slowly, making a hand seal and sealing the flesh body within a formation.
"I'll wait until I find a consciousness that can fully withstand the True Immortal's flesh without losing control." The remains of Tian Yang and Master Bai flashed through his mind.
"An Eternal Remnant, enduring for eternity, resonating with the Dao, should be able to withstand the influence of the True Immortal's flesh."
Compared to the unpredictable Master Bai, the pure-hearted Tian Yang was clearly a more suitable candidate.
Li Fan traveled to the bottom of the Congyun Sea. Glancing at Tian Yang's puppet body, still slumbering beneath the earth's ley lines, he didn't disturb it. Instead, he went to Tian Yang's cave abode and retrieved his remains. After failing to sense the Eternal Remnant attached to them, Li Fan crushed the bones into dust and scattered them onto the True Immortal's flesh body.
The bones were merely a vessel. The Eternal Remnant wouldn't be destroyed with them.
Boom!
With the addition of the Eternal Remnant, the True Immortal's flesh body underwent a qualitative change. Intense energy fluctuations surged from the body. As if sculpted by an invisible hand, skin and hair began to form on the naked flesh.
The slowly emerging face was identical to Tian Yang!
Li Fan set up multiple formations around the body to prevent Tian Yang from going berserk upon awakening. He also bound the body with chains formed from Source Power Essence. However, he soon realized something was wrong.
Although Tian Yang's features became increasingly distinct, no life force manifested. The figure before him was like a doll assembled from immortal artifact fragments, True Immortal flesh, and an Eternal Remnant. While lifelike, it lacked the essence of true life. He couldn't even make it move.
"…"
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "It seems I was too naive. Life, especially immortal life, isn't so easily replicated."
"However, this body isn't useless. Its core is Tian Yang's Eternal Remnant. When he awakens, he can control this flesh puppet. Although it possesses no spiritual power, its physical strength alone could likely suppress half of the Xuanhuang World. Ordinary techniques and spells wouldn't even scratch it. Even better, its flesh was nurtured by Source Power Essence. Even after this transformation, it's still under my control…"
With a thought, the flesh puppet moved like a marionette, performing various actions. However, due to the presence of Tian Yang's Eternal Remnant, Li Fan sensed a certain resistance.
"Only his true consciousness can fully control it."
He sealed the Immortal Flesh Puppet within another formation. Looking at the remaining True Immortal's flesh, Li Fan pondered.
"Source Power Essence is, after all, merely a lesser substitute for immortal spiritual energy. Nurtured by it, the True Immortal's flesh has also changed, its level lowered. Even though they originated from the same source, the Qian-Kun Bone Hand, they are now practically unrelated…"
"Mo Rubing once said Source Power Essence is more harmful than beneficial. It seems he was right."
However, that was only true for ordinary cultivators. Even if there were irreversible consequences from being tainted by Source Power Essence, Li Fan could simply erase them with True Return. Therefore, until he found a true path to transcendence, he would continue to utilize it.
"It's probably not just Source Power Essence. The True Immortal flesh's unique nature causes it to degrade when exposed to any power inferior to immortal spiritual energy… Truly a world of difference between immortals and mortals."
"If lower-level energies don't work, perhaps I can try those on the same level, or even above."
Among the methods at his disposal, the True Immortal Script and immortal-level formations were roughly on par with the True Immortal's flesh. True Return's manipulation of truth and falsehood, however, transcended even that.
Li Fan began another round of research. However, this time, progress wasn't as smooth. Dealing with powers beyond the mortal realm, with his current knowledge, achieving a breakthrough in a short time was difficult.
Li Fan knew his limitations. Instead of wasting his own time, he created a Simulated Personality to conduct the research. He would be instantly notified of any discoveries.
To prevent unforeseen circumstances during the research, Li Fan not only set up multiple formations but also left Falling to the Mortal Realm as a safeguard. If the True Immortal's flesh underwent any uncontrolled mutations, the ring would activate, disintegrating it. While the resulting black gas was foul-smelling, as long as it was contained, it wouldn't cause any problems.
On his way back to the edge of the Star Sea, Li Fan reflected on his experiment with the "Gu" character.
"The 'Gu' character's reverting power can generate flesh from bone. And there are other remains besides those of True Immortals within the Xuanhuang World."
The Grand Magus's remains within the First Beginning Sect's ruins beneath the Great Rift Valley in Floating Light Region flashed through his mind. In the world-destroying storm of the immortal formation in his past life, Dao Origin Region was the last to fall. Unlike other survivors, the Grand Magus's location was shrouded in a dark domain, isolated from the outside world. Even Li Fan, controlling the immortal formation, couldn't see what was happening inside. Even as the Great Wall crumbled and the Star Sea was in turmoil, that dark domain persisted. This alone spoke volumes about the Grand Magus's power. He was undoubtedly stronger than the Legacy Transmission Celestial Venerable, the Healer, and the others.
"Leaving his remains behind… Unmoved by the destruction of the Xuanhuang World, unmoved by the arrival of True Immortals… Even the collapse of the Great Wall and the arrival of the beings hunting True Immortals beyond didn't stir him. There's definitely something wrong with the Grand Magus's state. Even the most dedicated cultivator, when facing a mortal threat, would react instinctively…"
Based on this speculation, Li Fan wanted to use the Grand Magus's flesh for an experiment. However, it was risky. He would have to wait until the end of this life to make his move.
Lost in thought, Li Fan arrived outside the Profound Immortal Ark. Following their agreed-upon method, he sent a signal. The Ark's elders emerged to greet him, showing him due respect.
"Fellow Daoist, what happened to you? Why do you look like this?" They were shocked to see Li Fan, his hair now completely white, an aura of death clinging to him, after such a short time.
Li Fan snorted coldly, his tone accusatory. "Your Ark has brought me great misfortune!"
The elders exchanged confused glances.
"What do you mean, fellow Daoist?" Zhong Daogong asked with a wry smile.
"As you can see, I'm nearing my end! I have only twenty years left to live…" Li Fan's face was grim, his eyes filled with killing intent as he glared at the elders. "And it's all thanks to your Ark!"
Before they could respond, he continued, "Upon returning, I reported everything to my master, but I received no response. So I took the liberty of using our world-protecting immortal artifact to divine the future of our cooperation… and this is what happened!"
Li Fan stared at them intently. "Does that weak point in the Great Wall have something to do with what lies beyond?!"
(End of Chapter)