No wonder Zhang Haobo managed to go from a mortal without any foundation to the Golden Core realm in just over a decade in my previous life.
No wonder he could mobilize the power of the entire Congyun Sea as a Golden Core cultivator and unleash the earth-shattering Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords.
Realization dawned in Ye Feipeng's eyes.
According to the contents recorded in the jade slip, this skeleton belonged to a cultivator who had been exceptionally skilled in sensing the energy mechanisms of heaven and earth during his lifetime.
Although his cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment realm, by sheer coincidence, he had discovered an astonishing secret within the ruins of the Congyun Sea.
The vast and boundless Congyun Sea was actually formed by a single palm strike from an ancient powerhouse.
This cultivator spent over a decade excavating ancient strata and studying traces of the palm imprint, finally gaining insight and comprehending a divine ability: the Sea-Overturning Palm Strike.
Moreover, through years of contemplating the energy mechanisms of heaven and earth, this cultivator speculated that the Congyun Sea might have developed its own consciousness over the long ages due to that world-shaking palm strike.
Unfortunately, before he could personally verify this, he suffered qi deviation while perceiving heaven and earth, and died.
Before his death, he only had time to record this information in the jade slip, leaving it for a destined individual. Then he passed away with regret.
Cross-referencing the contents of the jade slip with his experiences from his previous life, Ye Feipeng finally understood the entire situation.
Heaven wishes to burn the sea, but the sea refuses to submit.
Crimson Flame is the executor of heaven's will, while Zhang Haobo is the executor of the Congyun Sea's will.
Zhang Haobo was no match for Crimson Flame alone, and he knew it himself. So he herded the stormfloods and intimidated those on Myriad Immortals Island, creating the opportunity to meet Immortal Eminence Hongxi.
He then revealed the news of Crimson Flame scorching the sea years in advance.
The temptation of slaying a Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth is nearly irresistible to Spirit Transformation cultivators.
Thus, five Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminences jointly took action, with one Dao Unity Immortal Venerable overseeing the situation. With such a lineup, they were surely confident of success.
Yet unexpectedly, a Golden Core cultivator ultimately stole the prize.
A Golden Core cultivator, manipulating Myriad Immortals Island's numerous powerhouses as he pleased.
Marvelous, truly marvelous!
Ye Feipeng couldn't help but praise.
Then his eyes filled with greed.
Unfortunately for him, in this life, this will all be mine!
With one palm strike, he shattered the skeleton and jade slip into dust. At the same time, Ye Feipeng's demeanor abruptly transformed.
It seems the key in this life lies in attracting the attention of the Congyun Sea's will.
They say Zhang Haobo was constantly accompanying stormfloods during his cultivation.
From initially chasing the wind, to severing the wind, and finally to herding the wind. Throughout this process, he grew stronger step by step.
It must have been his resistance against the stormfloods that attracted the Congyun Sea's attention.
I, Ye Feipeng, can naturally emulate this.
***
Unaware that anything was amiss, Ye Feipeng focused solely on rousing the consciousness of the Congyun Sea. Yet the moment he shattered the jade slip, his fate, shaped like a swirl of white mist, began to spin violently.
As if something from outside were being pulled into the vortex, the mist slowly took on strange, shifting colors.
Watching these changes through the Heaven-Swapping Art, Li Fan nodded in satisfaction.
His fate indeed follows providence; one change begets a hundred changes.
He has already begun to take flight this early. My efforts in laying the groundwork haven't been wasted.
Now that his Foundation Establishment Curio had transformed into the Deepsea Pearl, Li Fan could faintly perceive that the waters surrounding Ye Feipeng seemed slightly more vibrant than the rest of the sea.
The difference was minuscule, so subtle that even powerful cultivators might fail to detect it.
Only Li Fan, possessing the Deepsea Pearl of the same origin, could vaguely sense this phenomenon.
The plan is now proceeding along its proper course. Next, we'll see how this little fatty develops.
Li Fan smiled faintly as he watched Ye Feipeng’s expression shift constantly, like he was deep in thought.
His divine sense swept over Zhang Haobo, who stood at the bow of the Cangyuan with a confused expression.
Li Fan pondered silently. Though I don't expect Zhang Haobo to stir up any storms in this lifetime, his natural talent is remarkable. It would be a true pity not to recruit him into the Immortal Avengers.
Hmm, once my avatar returns from Jiushan Province, I can have Xiao Heng make a trip.
Stealthily returning to the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan routinely checked Zhang Qianmo's battle record in Seated Dao Discourse.
It had risen to thirty-six victories and six draws. No one had managed to overcome the Purple Core thus far.
Those draws were achieved solely through formidable combat power, allowing them to fight Zhang Qianmo to a standstill. This was something Li Fan couldn't replicate.
No matter, he wasn't in any hurry. He had plenty of time.
Activating the Unity of Dao Transformation and Mind, Li Fan resumed his cultivation and array studies.
***
Jiushan Province, Tianchang Mountain.
After more than half a year of arduous travel, Li Fan's avatar and his companions finally reached their destination.
Even Qingmu, a Nascent Soul Eminence, looked clearly exhausted.
Li Fan had finally personally experienced just how vast a single province of the Xuanhuang World truly was.
Without teleportation arrays interspersed throughout the journey, flying from one end to another took Foundation Establishment cultivators five to six months at minimum.
And that was assuming smooth sailing with no dangers along the way.
In reality, their journey had been far from peaceful.
During their half-year journey, Li Fan had gained a general understanding of Jiushan Province's specific circumstances through his conversations with the others.
The nine mountain ranges of Jiushan Province were said to have been formed from the nine meridians of an ancient exotic beast after its death.
These nine mountains stretched across the land, each possessing its own mystical properties yet interconnected as one.
Together, they seemed to form an immense, colossal array.
Influenced by this, any teleportation array built here was extremely unstable. Some exploded shortly after construction. Others changed the destination coordinates without warning, sending travelers to completely unfamiliar locations.
There was even an unfortunate cultivator who, clinging to hope, insisted on using a teleportation array. He was directly transported beyond the Xuanhuang World and never returned.
For this reason, after the Myriad Immortals Alliance occupied Jiushan Province, they deemed the management costs too high.
Furthermore, the region was relatively barren, lacking valuable resources. Thus, they simply abandoned the idea of constructing numerous guarded cities.
Instead, they built only nine cities along the mountain passes of the nine ranges, stationing guards there.
Meanwhile, the plains between the nine mountain ranges became a place where dragons and snakes mixed—a gathering of all sorts of people with ill intentions.
Among them were local factions from Jiushan Province itself, as well as external factions secretly supported by the Five Elders Council.
Li Fan's group consisted almost entirely of members who were part of the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s system.
With the presence of Eminence Qingmu, a Nascent Soul cultivator, to anchor the group, these hostile elements showed some restraint.
They encountered only seven or eight attacks along the entire journey, and all were successfully repelled.
It was said that if ordinary cultivators rashly ventured into Jiushan Province, they would quickly be stripped of their skin, bones, and every possession on them.
There were naturally reasons as to why Myriad Immortals Alliance couldn't be bothered to manage this chaotic state of affairs.