However, his spiritual power struck the statue like water against a dam—completely blocked, unable to penetrate in the slightest.
It was as though the statue were insulated against both spiritual qi and divine sense. None of Li Fan’s usual methods could effectively probe it.
Interesting. I wonder what type of stone this is.
Li Fan summoned a blade of water, slashing at the statue with incredible speed. Even refined steel would be sliced in two by such a blade, yet the moment the water blade made contact, the spiritual qi maintaining its power scattered and dissipated.
Aside from giving the statue a thorough rinse, it caused no damage whatsoever. The broken statue remained utterly unscathed.
What a treasure!
Li Fan’s thoughts drifted through the many possible uses of this unknown stone, though it was followed with a hint of regret.
A pity there's so little of it, and I can't take it back to reality. Otherwise, it could be used to construct a fully secure chamber.
A sudden thought struck him. He found a regular stone on the ground and used it as a tool to chip off a fragment from the statue. He then drove this sharp fragment hard into his own arm.
Blood flowed immediately.
Li Fan frowned slightly. When he directed spiritual qi to the wound caused by the fragment, it had to detour around the area, drastically reducing recovery efficiency.
Essentially, the injury could not be healed by spiritual qi unless the fragment lodged in his flesh was removed.
After a moment’s thought, Li Fan gritted his teeth and dug the fragment out.
He held it in his hand, studying it.
Perhaps I don't need to wear Senior Brother Zhang down to defeat him after all. He contemplated privately.
While Li Fan was investigating the miraculous stone, the battle in the sky had reached a fever pitch.
Song Hesong had revealed his true nature and, together with Chu Liang and others, was besieging Zhang Qianmo.
The destructive aftershocks of their clash had turned Ningyuan City below into a scene of utter devastation.
Countless buildings lay in ruins, and an untold number of mortals had perished without understanding what had happened.
Around the small temple, however, no danger had occurred thanks to Li Fan's intervention.
Even without me, the presence of this broken statue keeps these children safe. No wonder they were able to emerge hale and hearty after the great battle to organize rescue efforts before. Li Fan thought to himself.
The battle continued according to its predetermined script.
Song Hesong, finding himself at a disadvantage, suddenly sent a palm strike toward Ningyuan City. In an instant, the number of mortal casualties soared beyond counting. Their souls transformed into a soaring column of bloody, baleful energy, forming the Myriad Souls Divine Refinement Array to imprison Zhang Qianmo.
Not content with this advantage, Song Hesong unleashed several more palm strikes in succession. Each strike from this Golden Core cultivator claimed the lives of tens of thousands of mortals. One such palm strike happened to be aimed directly at the small temple.
Li Fan's eyes flickered. He withdrew his protective measures and swiftly moved behind the statue.
As palm strike met the statue, the force dissipated into nothingness. Meanwhile, everything outside the area shielded by the statue was reduced to rubble.
It was as if a vacuum zone impervious to spiritual power had appeared, and Song Hesong remained completely unaware of it.
Li Fan stood up from behind the statue, casually clearing away the surrounding debris. Then, he continued to watch the battle unfold above.
Zhang Qianmo, whose constraints were broken, transformed into his Purple Core state, and began his slaughter.
Li Fan thought for a moment, pushed aside the stone statue, and entered the underground chamber.
The children inside tensed up at first when they saw someone enter. But recognizing Li Fan as that "good person," they relaxed with a sigh of relief.
"Better to hide in here. It's too terrifying outside," Li Fan said, shaking his head with a sigh.
Lu Ya grinned. He didn’t say much, just gesturing for Li Fan to come sit down.
The underground chamber wasn't large, but it was big enough for everyone to take shelter. It also held some water and grain, clearly serving as a regular place of refuge.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Fan struck up a conversation with the blond-haired Lu Ya.
He learned that this temple was originally called the Xuantian Temple, and this underground chamber was something they had discovered by chance.
No one knew who it was dedicated to, as the place had been abandoned for many years.
As for where the missing upper half of the stone statue had gone, Lu Ya was even more clueless.
Right then, a little girl not far away chimed in, "I know, I know! It's at Mister Bai's house! Last time when Mister Bai took me there to treat my illness, I saw it!
"Half a body was just stuck there, and it had no face. Super creepy!"
Lu Ya was stunned. "You know where Mister Bai's house is? Then why did you say you didn't know when I asked you last time?"
The little girl flushed, shooting Lu Ya a glare. "I've been there, but I was sick and all muddle-headed. How could I remember the way?"
Listening to the children's conversation, Li Fan grew thoughtful.
Mister Bai...
***
Above Ningyuan City.
After slaughtering all the traitors, Zhang Qianmo urgently searched for traces of his junior brother who had sent him the warning.
But even after sweeping the city back and forth several times with his divine sense, he couldn't find him.
Assuming his junior brother had already met a tragic end, Zhang Qianmo was filled with regret and remorse.
Unwilling to give up, he searched several more times, hoping at least to find his junior brother's body.
Still, nothing.
With no other choice, Zhang Qianmo retrieved the longevity fruits alone and left Ningyuan City, his heart heavy with grief.
Not long after he had disappeared into the distance, a petite figure cautiously peeked out from the ruins of the small temple.
After observing warily for a long time, she finally called out boldly, "It's safe now, come out!"
Immediately after, Li Fan followed the group of children and crawled out of the underground chamber.
The children gazed at Ningyuan City, now reduced to ruins and littered with corpses, feeling somewhat lost.
But they were orphans who were used to surviving on their own after all; their mental fortitude was remarkably strong.
Li Fan didn't see fear or terror in their eyes, only a momentary confusion and uncertainty about what to do next.
This Mister Bai should be arriving soon, right?
With no other cultivators left in the city besides himself, Li Fan had no more reservations.
He immediately used his divine sense to search for traces of Mister Bai among the survivors.
According to the children's description, he should be easy to spot: a young, gentle, extremely handsome scholar with a frail appearance.
But, he found no one matching that description.
Li Fan's expression shifted slightly. He searched several more times, with the same result.
Were all those just idealized embellishments in the children's own minds? Li Fan couldn't help but speculate.
With no other options, he could only wait at the small temple for Mister Bai to arrive.
Yet, contrary to Li Fan’s expectations, he never saw this Mister Bai arrive, even when his time in the Fallen Immortal Realm was about to end.
The surrounding scenery grew hazy.
Just as Li Fan was about to leave the Fallen Immortal Realm, he faintly heard the children’s excited shouts: “Little Bai! It’s Little Bai!”
“Mister Bai! Mister Bai!”
Li Fan whipped his head around, but could only make out a blurred, indistinct figure.