Savage, maniacal intent radiated from the colossal black hand, identical to the previously suppressed Heaven-Scorning Sword.
Yet before this hand steeped in destructive energy could make any move, an immeasurably large wave of blue light suddenly blazed forth from the depths of Cloudwater Palace, behind Taiyi Hall.
It was like an endless ocean had been inverted across the sky.
Wrapped within and illuminated by this blue radiance, the giant hand appeared to be scoured by endless seawater.
The darkness slowly faded, and the hand returned to its original color.
The blue light abruptly withdrew, and Cloudwater Palace fell silent once more.
Many cultivators who witnessed this strange phenomenon believed some esoteric treasure had manifested there.
Gathering their courage, they approached to investigate.
The first thing they encountered was over a dozen headless corpses littering the ground.
Their faces paled in unison.
Remembering the giant sword that radiated an ominous black aura earlier, none dared take further action, hastily retreating instead.
News of the dangerous anomaly deep within Cloudwater Palace quickly spread throughout the Congyun Sea as cultivators exchanged information.
It seems it won't be so easy to trick people into triggering the Heaven-Scorning Sword again.
However, with the Unity of Dao Transformation and Mind, it makes no practical difference whether I observe it once or multiple times
Having achieved his goal for this trip, Li Fan quietly returned to Myriad Immortals Island.
Within the Tianxuan Mirror, he repeatedly replayed the scene in his mind: the Heaven-Scorning Sword leaving its scabbard, reaping over a dozen cultivators' lives with its cry, a faint vibrational hum.
Through the perspective of heaven and earth, Li Fan saw the previously calm spiritual qi surrounding the cultivators instantly turn chaotic when the sound reached them.
It transformed into sharp yet supple zither strings, bursting the cultivators' heads apart as they vibrated.
Baleful energy...
After replaying this scene hundreds of times, Li Fan gradually gained some insight.
Shifting scenes, Li Fan then focused his attention on the subsequent events.
The wave of blue light surged into the sky, resembling a vast and magnificent overturned ocean.
Li Fan contemplated it carefully.
The blue energy is deeply familiar, almost identical to the Congyun Sea. But its oceanic imagery somehow feels even vaster than the Congyun Sea itself...
Hanhai...
He had originally planned to use Heaven-Scorning’s Law or Ink Death’s Law to condense his Golden Core first. But after unexpectedly witnessing the blue light of Hanhai, Li Fan hesitated.
This blue light seemed to share the same origin as the Congyun Sea.
And Li Fan was intimately familiar with the Congyun Sea, having even personally established his Dao Foundation with the Deepsea Pearl in the past.
Meanwhile, condensing a Golden Core with Hanhai’s Law clearly offered greater advantages.
The Heaven-Scorning Sword could corrupt and transform the blue light. Perhaps this means the pure Heaven-Scorning’s Law will slightly affect one's mind, making it difficult to suppress the savage urge to kill.
And Hanhai’s blue light serves nicely as a buffer.
I’ll add Ink Death’s Law, and if Hanhai’s Law proves insufficient, I’ll supplement it with Blue Flame’s Law...
With that, I can condense a Four-Law Golden Core in one attempt.
Having roughly decided his approach, Li Fan temporarily set other matters aside and entered secluded cultivation.
The duration of Golden Core condensation varied according to individual aptitude and the laws cultivated.
Previously, with the support of the Congyun Sea's will, Zhang Haobo had condensed an artificial core using the Laws of Water and Wind in just over a month.
However, for Li Fan, it wouldn't be so easy.
The Foundation Establishment Curio silently transformed into the Deepsea Pearl.
Threads of blue light, representing the power of Water Attribute’s Law, surged forth from the Deepsea Pearl.
Like silkworm threads, they wove and coiled around the Foundation Establishment Curio.
Li Fan visualized the moment Hanhai made his move, infusing his own comprehension of the laws into the process.
The blue light emanating from the Deepsea Pearl seemed to transform in an instant, growing deeper in hue and radiating an ancient aura.
Because the Deepsea Pearl shared many similarities with Hanhai’s Law, this process progressed much faster than Li Fan had anticipated.
Gradually, a dark blue halo enveloped the Deepsea Pearl.
A crude, rudimentary Golden Core began to take shape.
If I continue purely with Hanhai’s Law, the Golden Core might condense immediately.
However, that is not my goal.
Next, it’s time to incorporate Heaven-Scorning’s Law.
The scene of Heaven-Scorning Sword leaving its scabbard flashed repeatedly in his sea of consciousness.
Jet black strands suddenly emerged from the core of the Curio.
Like ink, they spread and diffused within the blue light.
But Li Fan frowned slightly, for these jet black strands, representing Heaven-Scorning’s Law, could not persist for long.
It held out for only a moment within the blue light before dissipating entirely.
Having read many accounts of cultivators undergoing core formation, Li Fan immediately understood the reason.
This was because Heaven-Scorning’s Law had no foundation within Li Fan's body.
Like water without a source or a tree without roots, it could only flash into being briefly, unable to endure.
Hanhai’s Law, anchored by the Dao Foundation Deepsea Pearl, naturally had an endless supply of nourishment.
This was also why cultivators forming their cores often could not master multiple laws simultaneously.
Without a suitable Dao Foundation as a root, coalescing laws to form a core was exceedingly difficult.
Li Fan tried for a long time, but the rate at which he could coalesce Heaven-Scorning’s Law simply could not keep up with its rate of dissipation.
After pondering for a moment, Li Fan temporarily gave up his attempts.
Instead, he contemplated the scene of Zhang Haobo forming his core.
A black phantom of sword intent, magnified countless times, towered between heaven and earth.
Azure wind blew down from the sword's tip, entering the blade from above.
Blue water flowed up from the sword's hilt, entering the blade from below.
Azure, blue, and black intermingled as the sword's form slowly solidified.
Li Fan's eyes brightened slightly, lost in thought.
Zhang Haobo used the Laws of Water and Wind that inherently exist between heaven and earth, combined with the Heaven-Scorning Sword Intent, to form his core.
The laws of heaven and earth are boundless and inexhaustible. Naturally, there's no worry about dissipation.
This is likely why many cultivators travel the world to personally comprehend and absorb the laws of heaven and earth when forming their cores.
But I cannot follow this path.
Whether Heaven-Scorning’s Law, Hanhai’s Law, or Ink Death’s Law, each is more dangerous than the last.
Going to observe them in person is suicide. I’d likely die before my core forms.
Fortunately, I have Return to Truth.
With a thought, the Foundation Establishment Curio instantly transformed into Heaven-Scorning Sword Intent.
The blue Hanhai’s Law, which had formed a cohesive mass, instantly lost its roots and began to dissipate.
Yet it had already developed its own momentum, so the rate of dissipation slowed considerably.
This gave Li Fan enough time to coalesce Heaven-Scorning’s Law.
The darkness of the black colour deepened.
Layer upon layer of dark shackles seemed to wrap around the blue water sphere.
Time flowed slowly.
Once the rudimentary form of Heaven-Scorning’s Law was established, Li Fan immediately switched his Foundation Establishment Curio back to the Deepsea Pearl.
The blue Hanhai’s Law resumed its dominance.
Repeating this process again and again, the silhouette of a Golden Core centered around Return to Truth slowly began to manifest within Li Fan's dantian.