Time flew by, and Xuanhuang once again reached the fifteen-year mark. Li Fan, repeating his previous actions, captured the returning Medicine King Cauldron, once again subjugating the Medicine King Sect. He brought Ruan Tianxiao back to the sect's ruins and had him consume the "stone pill."
As before, Ruan Tianxiao's demeanor shifted, becoming ethereal, and he began reciting the Dao Refining Medicine King Scripture. Even though it wasn't his first time hearing it, Li Fan still gained profound insights, his understanding of alchemy deepening.
The scripture's echoes lingered. Integrating his new understanding, Li Fan fine-tuned his ascension plan.
"After over a decade of nurturing, Xuanhuang has recovered from its weakened state."
"The time is ripe. Let's begin the first step." A glint flashed in his eyes as he looked beyond Xuanhuang's sky, towards the countless connected Small Worlds.
"All worlds shall return to Xuanhuang."
"All laws shall converge, uniting all under heaven!" With a hint of something sinister in his tone, Li Fan's words sealed the fate of those Small Worlds.
The Simulated Heavenly Grids within them activated, manipulating their worlds, extending tendrils along pre-determined paths, reaching towards Xuanhuang. A single point of light in the darkness was tinged with Xuanhuang's color. Then, hundreds, thousands of golden stars ignited, surrounding Xuanhuang in a brilliant display.
"Twisting the Threads of Heaven and Earth…" Li Fan projected an avatar towards the sky, chanting.
The merging of so many Small Worlds required Xuanhuang's cooperation. Otherwise, its Heavenly Dao might perceive it as an attack.
"Though a single Small World's power is negligible compared to Xuanhuang, the sheer number surrounding it is significant enough to trigger a qualitative change."
"Directly merging them like a flood would cause a backlash."
"I need a catalyst." With a thought, numerous blurry figures, Heavenly Souls, materialized, quickly dispersing throughout Xuanhuang to absorb the approaching Small Worlds. Li Fan assigned them designated areas. Each Heavenly Soul could absorb dozens of Small Worlds without issue.
Even so, hundreds of Heavenly Souls were constantly being generated to fulfill Li Fan's plan. This influx, like a demonic invasion, caused turmoil within Xuanhuang.
These summoned Heavenly Souls were more indistinct than normal, lacking the usual concentration of law power. They were mere vessels for merging the Small Worlds.
But they were still Heavenly Souls. This unusual activity quickly attracted attention. More and more cultivators noticed the world changing.
Was this a natural phenomenon, or was someone behind it? Uncertainty filled the air.
But many cultivators, sensing opportunity, began hunting the Heavenly Souls. For most, Dao Integration was the ultimate goal. The quality of the Heavenly Soul was secondary.
As cultivators formed groups, tracking the Heavenly Souls, dark clouds suddenly enveloped Xuanhuang, plunging the world into darkness. A sense of foreboding filled their hearts, but they couldn't pinpoint its source.
The clouds quickly dissipated, and life returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
However, in Li Fan's eyes, the beings of Xuanhuang were now trapped in an endless illusion. The Illusory, Myriad Xuanhuang Beings Grand Formation had been activated!
Except for a few locations like Dao Source Region and the Fishing Pond, all living beings within Xuanhuang were now within the array. Fueled by the infinite power of the Star Sea and a decade's worth of Source Power Essence from the Nether Race, Li Fan had deployed this world-encompassing Immortal Array.
It was even more powerful than the version that had trapped the Healer. Though his research on the Terminal Dissociation Disc had stalled, he had integrated his understanding of the Dao Refining Medicine King Scripture and the Interplay of Truth and Illusion, upgrading the array.
It wasn't just an illusion anymore. Death within the array was now permanent. And any progress or insights gained within the illusion wouldn't manifest in reality, but would be absorbed by the array, becoming nourishment for Li Fan.
Trapped within the array, the beings of Xuanhuang could no longer progress. Any positive change would be intercepted and harvested by Li Fan. As long as the array remained intact, they were his eternal slaves.
He wouldn't keep all the harvested essence for himself. He would offer most of it to Xuanhuang's Heavenly Dao. This wasn't an act of generosity. It was a way to gain the Heavenly Dao's trust. His actions had already earned him an unprecedented level of favor. Now, with the array eliminating all cultivator "parasites," his standing reached a new peak. He had just summoned thousands of Heavenly Souls with Twisting the Threads of Heaven and Earth, and the Heavenly Dao, instead of being angered, sent a fawning inquiry, offering more.
"Every moment the array operates, the Heavenly Dao's trust in me grows."
"Until…"
"Hehehe." He chuckled inwardly, ignoring the Heavenly Dao's attempts at connection. He narrowed his eyes, observing Xuanhuang within the array.
"Everyone in the Council of Five Elders' territory, except those protected by the Land of Dreams, is trapped."
"When the array activated, Blissful Ignorance tried to extend his protection over the entire Council, just like during the previous World Destruction Array. But for some reason, he stopped."
Li Fan pondered, choosing not to confront Blissful Ignorance directly.
"As for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance…"
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror at their headquarters seems unaffected. As expected of an Immortal Tool."
"And a few other locations have also escaped the array's influence." Intrigued, he investigated.
Most had escaped due to unique spatiotemporal locations, like hidden realms or remnants of merged cultivation worlds.
"Minor adjustments are all I need to encompass them next time." He dismissed them. They lacked even Dao Integration realm cultivators, posing no threat.
Only one exception caught his attention. Nearly a hundred people in an ordinary town in Liuguang Region seemed mostly unaffected. They hadn't completely escaped the array, entering the illusion briefly before quickly breaking free.
Even the Healer hadn't awakened so quickly!
Li Fan cautiously sent a sliver of divine sense to investigate.
"The storyteller's tales have come true! There are strange things in this world!"
"But a dream is still a dream. He told us to remember that anything too good to be true is probably a problem. That's how we wake up!"
"Wait. If we woke up so easily, isn't that also 'too good to be true'? Are we still dreaming?"
…
As they spoke, the townspeople were pulled back into the array.
"The storyteller…" Li Fan's divine sense swept the town, quickly locating him.
He, too, had awakened, his expression calm, a hint of surprise on his face as he observed the seemingly frozen world.
"I can't even sense his cultivation level."
"Is there a hidden expert in Xuanhuang?"
"Impossible. He showed no reaction during the two previous world destructions." Li Fan dismissed the thought, bringing the storyteller before him.
"G-Greetings, Immortal Master." The storyteller, initially startled, then greeted him with a mixture of respect and surprise.
Li Fan confirmed he was indeed an ordinary mortal.
"How did you wake up from the array?" he asked gently.
The storyteller shook his head, looking confused. "I don't know. I just felt… a dissonance within the world."
"Dissonance?"
The storyteller considered his words, then explained hesitantly, "Though realistic, the dream world is still different from reality."
"I know my limits. Even on my best days, I only attract a hundred listeners. But in the dream, half the town came to listen…"
Li Fan frowned. The Myriad Xuanhuang Beings Grand Formation shouldn't make such a basic error.
"Something is interfering with the array."
He focused his attention, examining the storyteller more closely.
(End of chapter)