Through the formation embedded within Zhao Ruoxi's soul, Li Fan instantly scanned her memories.
As expected of the Single-Minded Celestial Venerable, who embodied the will of many, her experiences were astonishing.
But that wasn't his focus.
Li Fan quickly found what he sought.
"Seize the Heavens and Replace…"
One of the Great Dao Sect's secret treasures, part of the spoils from the Profound Heaven Sect's destruction. It was said to be capable of completely stripping away a cultivator's techniques and cultivation, even grafting the attained realm and power onto the caster.
Li Fan was skeptical. Figures like the Twelve Dharma Kings couldn't have been so easily controlled by such a technique.
Regardless, most Profound Heaven Sect techniques originated from the Azure Underworld Pearl. It wasn't unreasonable for the pearl to reclaim them. Li Fan's current task was to verify the connection between the [Seize the Heavens and Replace] technique and the Azure Underworld Pearl.
He would nourish the pearl with cultivation, pulling it back from the brink of collapse. Then, he would use the Transformations of Truth and Falsehood to gradually restore it.
As for the cultivation used to nourish the pearl…
Zhao Ruoxi, who cultivated the Myriad Ages, I Alone Art Supreme technique, was the perfect source!
From her memories, Li Fan knew that although she had attained enlightenment through the principle of "Many becoming One," the core of her cultivation method was still the Myriad Ages, I Alone Art Supreme technique.
"Addicted to games, lacking ambition."
"Her success in defying natural order was solely due to this technique's heaven-defying properties."
Li Fan snorted inwardly. In the blink of an eye, he returned to the chasm beneath the wall, where the Azure Underworld Pearl lay.
The Dissociation Disc had already translated the Seize the Heavens and Replace technique into a formation.
Threads of light, carrying the formation's information, subtly entered Senior Sister Zhao's soul. Spreading along the intricate network of formations, they slowly extracted her cultivation.
Within Li Fan's hand, droplets of an eerie green liquid began to form.
Zhao Ruoxi was acutely aware of her draining cultivation.
For an Eternal Life cultivator like her, nothing was more terrifying than becoming a mortal overnight.
Her face paled. She had no idea how she had offended this unpredictable True Immortal.
The rate of her cultivation loss accelerated. Helpless, she could only watch as the essence she had painstakingly accumulated over millennia vanished before her eyes.
Then, she realized something even more terrifying.
Having defied natural order and become an Eternal Life Celestial Venerable, she was now part of the Xuanhuang World. Though still at the Eternal Life Realm, as her cultivation drained, her weakening body could no longer sustain her defiance of the world's natural order!
A crushing weight pressed down on her body and soul.
"Ugh…" Zhao Ruoxi groaned, her body breaking out in tiny fissures.
And not just this body. All versions of her were on the verge of collapse.
The pain intensified.
With her spiritual power completely drained, weaker than a Qi Refining cultivator, Zhao Ruoxi felt an unprecedented vulnerability. The crushing, tearing sensation within her soul amplified a thousandfold with her weakening power.
Blood erupted from the fissures covering her body, drenching her, masking the tears streaming down her face. She couldn't scream, only make hoarse sounds in her throat.
The terror of becoming a mortal, combined with the escalating, all-consuming pain, transported her back to her childhood in the Great Green Mountains.
Bandits rampaged through her village, flames and blood everywhere.
Hiding outside the village, she saw a fierce bandit, a cruel grin on his face, charging towards her. Terrified, she noticed a figure standing motionless nearby.
Clutching at this potential savior, she cried out, "Immortal Master, save me! Save me!"
Her desperate cries seemed to overlap with the memories of the past.
But the figure she saw as her savior wasn't Zhang Rong, the fourth-generation disciple of the Moon Radiance lineage whom she had long since consumed, but Li Fan!
The blurry figure in her mind solidified. As if answering her plea, Li Fan smiled faintly.
From the center of the countless formations within Zhao Ruoxi's soul, from the phantom of the Xuanhuang World, a pure energy seeped out. At first a gentle trickle, it quickly became a raging torrent, flooding her body.
The near-death Single-Minded Celestial Venerable was instantly revitalized.
Feeling the boundless power from the Xuanhuang World phantom within her, Zhao Ruoxi felt stronger than ever before.
The bloodstains on her pale skin vanished. She bowed gratefully to the figure within her soul.
…
Unaffected by Zhao Ruoxi's plight, Li Fan focused entirely on the fragile Azure Underworld Pearl.
Zhao Ruoxi's lifetime cultivation, honed through the Myriad Ages, I Alone Art Supreme technique, had only yielded four drops of green liquid.
Without Li Fan's intervention, guided by an unseen connection, the liquid's energy flowed towards the pearl.
The millennia of cultivation from an Eternal Life Celestial Venerable finally pulled the immortal artifact back from the brink of destruction!
Overjoyed, Li Fan enveloped the Azure Underworld Pearl with his divine sense.
A brilliant azure light swirled across the pearl's surface, attempting to repel his intrusion.
This defense might be effective against mortals, or perhaps even against Li Fan if the pearl were at its peak.
But weakened and barely clinging to existence, it couldn't stop a Half-Immortal.
Li Fan's divine sense, sharp as a needle, pierced through the azure light and entered the pearl.
Boom!
The scene before him trembled violently. Li Fan found himself in a strange realm.
Twelve majestic palaces, reaching towards the heavens, dominated the sky.
Within each palace stood a statue.
An endless stream of cultivators ascended from the earth below, kneeling and praying.
The statues' faces flickered to life, seemingly communicating with the worshippers.
…
The Divine Witch World!
As the image faded, Li Fan understood what he had seen.
His divine sense had been forcibly expelled from the Azure Underworld Pearl.
He didn't attempt to re-enter. The brief contact, combined with the pearl's unique aura, was enough for him to replicate it using the Transformations of Truth and Falsehood.
But he didn't immediately begin.
He had a premonition that creating another Azure Underworld Pearl would be far more taxing than his previous endeavors. He needed to prepare.
Unable to move the pearl yet, Li Fan surrounded it with layers of formations, the glowing points of immortal-level formations flickering around him, offering a sense of security.
"Falsehood Becomes Truth!"
Li Fan chanted, but the target of his technique wasn't the Azure Underworld Pearl, but himself!
His cultivation, soul, and all aspects of his power doubled.
Looking at the Azure Underworld Pearl, he still felt it wasn't enough.
After a brief respite, he activated Falsehood Becomes Truth again.
The threefold increase in cultivation couldn't be sustained for long.
Once his body adapted to the strain, Li Fan focused his mind on the Azure Underworld Pearl.
Using its azure light as a guide, he recalled the fleeting glimpse of the Divine Witch World.
He visualized the existence of another Azure Underworld Pearl.
"Falsehood…"
"Becomes Truth!"
This was far more strenuous than replicating the Primordial Essence of Time, likely because the Primordial Essence was a simple form of energy, while the Azure Underworld Pearl was a convergence of numerous laws.
Veins bulged on his forehead. A moment later, he felt utterly drained, incredibly weak.
But the Azure Underworld Pearl's color seemed brighter, more vibrant.
Li Fan knew he had succeeded.
The amplified cultivation from Falsehood Becomes Truth receded. Physical and mental exhaustion washed over him like an avalanche.
But after a brief rest, he resumed the replication process.
Each activation of the Transformations of Truth and Falsehood deepened his understanding. But like the things he created, most of these insights would fade with time, only a small fraction remaining.
"The Transformations of Truth and Falsehood, ethereal and elusive, are the foundation of my existence."
"Relying solely on True Return and the Unending Cycle of Reincarnation isn't enough."
With a determined glint in his eyes, Li Fan, despite his exhaustion, pressed on, utilizing Falsehood Becomes Truth while the insights from his previous attempt still lingered.
Within the subterranean river of the chasm, a strange aura pulsed, appearing and disappearing.
Time slowly passed. Though Li Fan's appearance remained unchanged, his aura became increasingly unfathomable, like a true immortal descended to the mortal realm.
After a stick of incense burned, Li Fan reached his limit, both physically and mentally.
Sighing softly, he was overwhelmed by exhaustion.
Ignoring the revitalized Azure Underworld Pearl, he sat down, closing his eyes to rest.
His mind was blank, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Only faintly, countless points of light flickered, then faded into darkness, repeating endlessly.
Three days later, Li Fan's spirit revived.
The intense, near-limit activation of Falsehood Becomes Truth had provided him with insights equivalent to five activations of True Return.
"This is because it was my first sustained attempt at this level of intensity, awakening previously forgotten insights from my past uses of the Transformations of Truth and Falsehood. The next time won't be as effective."
"But it's still significant."
Through this attempt, Li Fan realized that the insights gained from True Return and from his own simulated activation were different.
Undoubtedly, the insights from True Return were purer, closer to the true essence.
While his own were weaker, they were more easily controlled.
"There's still a long way to go from comprehension to practical application."
"Each activation of True Return deepens my understanding. But the practical application requires my own effort."
Understanding dawned upon Li Fan.
At that moment, True Return pulsed, as if acknowledging his progress.
Li Fan tried to communicate further, but was met with silence.
Shaking his head slightly, he set the matter aside and turned to the Azure Underworld Pearl.
He reached out, drawing it towards him.
Perhaps due to his partial restoration, the immortal artifact offered no resistance, landing gently in his hand.
"Though it's no longer on the verge of collapse, its power has significantly diminished."
"After all, its life force was used to restore the Dark Star Sea."
Li Fan observed the abundant life force within the subterranean river.
But it wasn't the pearl's life force he sought, but its legendary abilities.
"The Azure Underworld Pearl can devour other immortal artifacts, absorbing their functions."
"It can also extract cultivation techniques from corpses."
After some investigation, Li Fan discovered the pearl no longer possessed a spirit. If not for his intervention, it would be a useless husk.
But now…
"Its functions are still operational."
Li Fan's heart stirred. He returned to the Xuanhuang World with the Azure Underworld Pearl.
To avoid alerting the Starvation Immortal of the Immortal Ruins, he maintained the concealment formation, transforming it into a white mist that made him appear even more ethereal and immortal-like.
"Devour immortal artifacts…"
Li Fan's gaze fell upon the Boundless Mirror within the Sun Clan's underground chamber.
He reached out, and the Boundless Mirror, traversing space and time, landed in his hand.
"Who's there?!"
Ignoring Sun Luyao, the Boundless Mirror's spirit's cry, Li Fan fed it to the Azure Underworld Pearl.
Though both were damaged immortal artifacts, the Boundless Mirror was clearly inferior.
With Li Fan suppressing it, it couldn't resist, vanishing into the Azure Underworld Pearl's azure light.
The pearl's surface rippled like rain-swept water.
Perhaps due to its weakened state, the sudden influx of energy was difficult to absorb. The digestion process took almost half a day.
As the ripples subsided, a new aura emanated from the Azure Underworld Pearl.
(End of Chapter)