The crisis dissipated without a trace.
Once the winds had calmed and the waves stilled, thunderous applause erupted aboard the massive Dust-Crossing Boat.
The array masters and the many co-builders who had witnessed the fearsome power of their creation, the fruit of years of toil, could not conceal the excitement on their faces. Li Fan also applauded, fitting in with the crowd, his expression one of profound satisfaction.
Yet in his mind, a thought had surfaced, one he could no longer suppress: The Myriad Immortals Alliance had painstakingly constructed the awe-inspiring Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array. But once the deed was done, would the Alliance truly allow its builders—Li Fan and the others—to live?
It wasn't that Li Fan was overly suspicious.
"Generals secure the peace, yet are not permitted to see that peace" was a tale as old as time, a commonplace occurrence throughout history.
Even mortal emperors, after constructing their tombs, would slaughter every craftsman involved to prevent secrets from leaking. Li Fan had precious little faith in the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
If the grand array’s only function was surveillance, these array masters who had constructed it might retain a sliver of hope for survival. But now, on its very first trial, the Soul-Locking Array had demonstrated such terrifying power... One could only imagine what other capabilities this array might be hiding. The greater its true power, the slimmer the chances of its architects’ survival.
Perhaps the lifespan extension I hoped the Alliance would grant me is delayed for this very reason. Li Fan thought, his heart growing colder. Why go to the extra trouble for men who are ultimately destined to die?
As he pondered his future countermeasures, exclamations from the crowd drew his attention back to the void below.
After the great explosion, aside from the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array's vast green net, the former location of the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens was now utterly empty. Yet at this moment, anomalous surges of energy began to erupt from the various nodal points along the array's meridians.
Is that... the energy of the five elements? Li Fan focused his senses, his expression shifting slightly.
Using the void as a canvas and the previously absorbed energies of various elements as pigments, the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array operated like a precise machine, meticulously reconstructing the shattered Five Elements Grotto-Heavens piece by piece.
This process, akin to the creation of a world, unfolded openly before the assembled members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
Azure waters surged with rolling waves, towering trees grew with impossible speed, raging flames billowed skyward... Every scene from the former Five Elements Grotto-Heavens reappeared at a pace far exceeding Li Fan's comprehension.
This magnificent spectacle utterly captivated the hearts and minds of every cultivator aboard the Dust-Crossing Boat. None of them dared utter a sound, lest they disturb the majestic process.
Time flowed slowly.
After an indeterminate duration, a brand new Five Elements Grotto-Heavens appeared in the world. Remodulated by the Tianxuan Mirror, its scale seemed somewhat diminished compared to the original, yet the five elements had regained their former state of equilibrium.
Having completed its masterpiece, the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array, like an actor taking a final bow, gradually faded from view. It left behind only the group of cultivators from the Myriad Immortals Alliance, steeped in stunned silence.
Such a method... Li Fan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock and trepidation in his heart as he quickly analyzed the situation with cold logic. It differs from true creation ex nihilo. It is not making something from nothing, but a reorganizing matter. Moreover, these newborn grotto-heavens also seemed devoid of any living beings, merely realms reconstituted from pure spiritual qi.
Even so, the power displayed by the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array is terrifying.
It seemed to have analyzed the convergence of five elements, then performed a reverse engineering of the process.
An empty Five Elements Grotto-Heavens devoid of life, an inexplicable elemental imbalance, the pre-prepared Eternal Calamity Gold, the order to complete the array's construction before the five elements converged at all cost...
Perhaps the massive explosion of this grotto-heaven was intentional. The goal was to allow the Tianxuan Mirror to complete its analysis on the transformation of the five elements.
As if confirming Li Fan's speculation, once the new Five Elements Grotto-Heavens had fully formed, many black-robed cultivators flew out in unison from the Dust-Crossing Boat.
They each flew to different grotto-heavens to resettle the previously evacuated elemental lifeforms.
Before long, these newly born grotto-heavens slowly regained their vitality.
At this moment, an announcement from Qi Buyi also came through the Celestial Oversight Ledger.
The Soul-Locking Array around the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens had been successfully completed. The Dust-Crossing Boat would return to Tianchen Province for a three-day celebration.
Not only were many rare spirit delicacies and teas prepared for everyone to sample freely, but the rest period would still be counted as time spent constructing the array within the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, adding points to the competition tally at a fixed, uniform rate.
Upon hearing the news, the cultivators quickly snapped out of their shock from witnessing the Soul-Locking Array and grew excited.
The Soul-Locking Arrays haven’t all been fully constructed yet, so the danger to our lives probably isn't immediate. I guess there’s still time before my last meal. Li Fan thought darkly, watching the chattering crowd of cultivators.
As he was pondering, Li Fan suddenly sensed an unusual disturbance from a certain item within his storage ring.
Maintaining his composure, he quietly entered the Dust-Crossing Boat, found an empty cabin, and retrieved an item.
It was the key to controlling the Bone Vanguard Realm, the skeletal left-hand bone. Faint pulsations were emanating from it.
Li Fan focused his senses slightly and immediately felt a wave of disorientation.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I haven't been able to reach you through Seeking Immortals, so I had to use this method to contact you.
"Your thirty-year lease has expired. Do you wish to renew your lease on the Bone Vanguard Realm?
"If so, please contact me before the expiration date.
"Otherwise, the previous key will become invalid and you will no longer be able to enter the Bone Vanguard Realm.
"Items and scenes left within the vanguard realm will be temporarily preserved for you for three months.
"After three months, I will proceed to clear it out."
A somewhat familiar voice echoed in Li Fan's mind.
It was the true owner of the Bone Vanguard Realm, the cultivator who called himself Immortal Venerable Zi Miao.
Back in Anchor Year 9, in order to deceive the people of the Li World, Li Fan had leased the Bone Vanguard Realm for thirty years.
Now it was the end of Anchor Year 38, and the lease was about to expire. Thus, Immortal Venerable Zi Miao had sent an inquiry.
Construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Arrays began in Anchor Year 29. I hadn't realized ten years had passed so quickly.
After some thought, Li Fan did not reply to Immortal Venerable Zi Miao immediately.
When the Dust-Crossing Boat returned to Tianchen and the cultivators headed to the Thousand Stars Branch Academy to feast and celebrate, Li Fan went alone to the city's Dao Discourse Tower.
Renting a private courtyard, Li Fan casually set up a protective array and entered the Bone Vanguard Realm.
He left behind four Mini Medicine King Cauldrons, then activated the Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword, utterly destroying all the arrangements he had previously made.
Then, using his permissions, he left a recorded message within the vanguard realm.
Li Fan then returned to the real world and destroyed the skeletal hand, severing the final connection between him and the vanguard realm.
In this life, it was my avatar Lin Fan who handled the purchase of the vanguard realm.
Whatever happens next, it shouldn't lead back to me.