After listening to Ye Feipeng's account, the group clicked their tongues in amazement.
Their eyes kept drifting to the pair of deep brown wings on his back, showing expressions of undisguised envy.
A thousand li away, Li Fan, who had witnessed everything, wore an inscrutable expression.
Kun-Peng essence blood?
Just a single drop of essence blood, passed down through a bloodline. Yet, even after thousands of years, it can still cause a human body to undergo such a heaven-shaking, earth-overturning transformation.
Having achieved a small degree of mastery in the Creation Forge Technique, Li Fan understood perfectly the magnitude of such power.
Just how formidable were the Kun-Pengs at the peak of their strength?
Not to mention the many other legendary beasts that were its equals, or even fiercer.
Yet now, not a single one can be seen.
What exactly happened back then...
Li Fan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
I wonder how exactly beast essence blood strengthens the physical body. How does it differ from my Creation Forge Technique, which mobilizes the power of the human body's hidden reserves?
Stones from other hills can polish jade. Perhaps there's a chance to learn something from it.
Recalling Ye Feipeng's astonishing speed and strength from moments ago, Li Fan pondered privately once more.
It seems the little fatty hasn't given up on contending for the Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth either. The question is, who will succeed—him or Zhang Zhiliang? Although Zhang Zhiliang's current cultivation far surpasses Ye Feipeng's, I have a faint feeling the little fatty's chances are slightly better. I wonder why that is...
Let's see what fortune awaits him during his core formation.
His gaze flickering, Li Fan's thoughts gradually settled.
He began to toy with the white, glowing cube in his hand again.
This object was none other than the Array Crown gifted to him by Zhang Zhiliang.
Over the past six months of constant experimentation, Li Fan had completely mastered the first twenty arrays.
Furthermore, after dozens of failures, he had successfully used these twenty arrays as a foundation to construct his own miniature Array Crown.
A great deal of precious materials had been wasted in the process, and its power was utterly incomparable to Zhang Zhiliang's hundred-array Array Crown.
But it was still a good start. It meant Li Fan's skill in the array path had officially crossed the threshold.
This hard-won achievement naturally filled Li Fan's heart with excitement.
Consequently, he devoted a few more threads of focus to array path research during this period.
***
The sea of knowledge was boundless.
Time always passed with abnormal swiftness when the mind was immersed.
Unnoticed, Anchor Year 25 had arrived.
On this day, a sudden ripple stirred within Li Fan.
Perceiving it briefly, he knew the cooldown period for entering the Fallen Immortal Realm had ended. He could venture in once more.
I wonder where I'll appear this time?
His heart stirred with excitement and anticipation.
Li Fan halted all other processes. Then, focusing his mind, he performed the ritual.
"Blessed be Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang!"
As he completed the ritual, his consciousness blurred, and Li Fan arrived once again within the Fallen Immortal Realm.
***
"Junior Brother? Junior Brother?"
He heard an all-too familiar voice.
Li Fan started violently, staring blankly at Zhang Qianmo, who was waving a hand in front of his face for the umpteenth time.
What's going on? Why am I still here?
I clearly defeated him, resolved his lingering obsession, and even gained the secret art. Where did things go wrong?
Countless questions surged within Li Fan’s mind in an instant.
This region of spacetime around Ningyuan City was likely similar to Tian Yang’s Eternal Remnant Will.
Trapped here, Li Fan could not leave without resolving the lingering obsession that sustained this spacetime.
But now...
Forcing down the disappointment in his heart, Li Fan’s thoughts spun rapidly as he analyzed the situation with cold clarity.
Given the current circumstances, there were only a few likely possibilities.
First, Li Fan’s understanding of this spacetime region was completely wrong.
For some unknown reason, he was permanently trapped here. No matter what method he tried, he could never leave.
Second, Li Fan’s understanding was not wrong.
But he had not yet truly resolved Zhang Qianmo’s obsession.
Whether it was living happily together with Chi Xia or seeking a worthy defeat, neither was his true desire.
And there was a third possibility...
With this in mind, Li Fan narrowed his eyes, looking around.
What sustained this spacetime was not Senior Brother Zhang’s obsession at all. Zhang Qianmo was just a remarkable supporting character.
The true protagonist...was someone else!
Which guess was correct?
Li Fan did not know yet.
Fortunately, he had enough time to eliminate the wrong options one by one.
When that was done, he would know the correct answer.
Crushing the impatient, restless agitation within, Li Fan slowly grew calm again.
At this moment, Zhang Qianmo, who had been watching the shifting expressions on Li Fan’s face, finally spoke up. “Junior Brother, what’s wrong with you?
“Don’t tell me you’re having a nightmare in broad daylight?”
Li Fan smiled faintly. “Senior Brother, you always see through me. I did indeed have a nightmare, so I’m a bit unsettled.”
Zhang Qianmo couldn’t help but grow curious. “Oh? What did you dream about?”
“I dreamed that you were surrounded by a tide of demons and exotic beasts, Senior Brother. Outnumbered, you fought to exhaustion before falling in battle.” Li Fan shook his head and sighed. “Such an ill omen. I don’t know why I’d dream of something like that for no reason.”
Zhang Qianmo’s expression shifted, his brow furrowing slightly.
“As cultivators, our hearts and minds are clear. We are long past being mortals who fall into nightmares from idle thoughts.
“For a nightmare to arise so abruptly... Could you have sensed something subconsciously, and this is a warning from your spirit?”
Zhang Qianmo stroked his chin, thoughtful.
Li Fan felt somewhat speechless inside.
He hadn’t expected that an offhand remark from him would lead Zhang Qianmo to such a conclusion.
Still, he had accidentally stumbled upon the truth. Ahead in Ningyuan City, there was indeed a minor “danger.”
Following his lead, Li Fan continued, “Could it be that this trip to retrieve the longevity fruits will not go smoothly?”
Zhang Qianmo was momentarily taken aback but did not refute it immediately.
After a moment’s thought, he said, “Your concern isn’t unwarranted, Junior Brother.
“I once overheard Master and Uncle chatting. They mentioned that the cultivation world hasn’t been very peaceful lately.
“To be cautious, why don’t you and I secretly infiltrate Ningyuan City first and investigate the situation there?
“Let’s see if there’s anything unusual in the city.”
Li Fan had no objection and nodded in agreement.
The two of them stowed away their Purple Firmament Flying Cloud, suppressed their auras, concealed their forms, and flew silently toward Ningyuan City.
"Senior Brother," Li Fan asked abruptly during their flight, "what would you say is the greatest wish of your life?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask, Junior Brother?" Zhang Qianmo sounded surprised.
"Heh, please don't take offense at what I'm about to say. Just now, in a dream, I saw you die a miserable death. Your eyes were fixed on me, as if you had some unresolved regrets.
"The look in your eyes felt too real. Even now that I'm awake, I can't forget it. My mind is unsettled, so I had to ask." Li Fan spoke slowly.