Half a month later, a rudimentary seawater desalination array was completed.
With ample drinking water and food rations, the surviving residents of Tai’an Island knelt and kowtowed, offering gratitude for the Immortal Master’s grace.
Yet Li Fan felt little joy, instead harboring a growing unease.
Having personally constructed an array, Li Fan could finally be said to have barely stepped onto the path of array cultivation.
It was then that he realized the island protection array was deteriorating at an alarmingly abnormal rate.
Typically, such an array could operate continuously for over a century. However, at its current rate of damage, it would lose all effectiveness within two or three years.
After careful investigation and cross-referencing the Introduction to Arrays , Li Fan identified the cause: the ambient spiritual qi in heaven and earth had become extremely violent and scorching hot.
This fierce spiritual qi seemed to have developed a will of its own. After being absorbed by the island protection array, it began slowly corroding the array’s critical nodes.
The island protection array now resembled a machine whose essential components were slowly rusting; each cycle of operation further diminished its lifespan.
Though he had found the cause, Li Fan had no real solution to offer salvation.
The island protection array was far too complex, with over ten thousand critical nodes, each often composed of dozens of micro-arrays layered on top of each other.
Multiple Nascent Soul array masters from the Myriad Immortals Alliance had collaborated to construct it.
How could Li Fan, a novice who had just begun studying arrays, possibly repair it?
Moreover, the root of the problem lay with the spiritual qi the array absorbed.
Even if temporarily repaired, as long as the violent nature of the external spiritual qi remained unchanged, any fix would merely be a stopgap measure, like drinking poison to quench thirst.
Staying on Tai’an Island is as good as waiting for death. I must find a way to leave.
But something has happened outside. With the violent spiritual qi running rampant, going out recklessly would also mean certain death.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, he seemed trapped in a hopeless situation.
Is this heaven unleashing its killing mechanisms? Li Fan stared intently at the sky beyond the island protection array, feeling like a fly caught in a spider’s web—immobilized and struggling in its death throes.
Yet Li Fan did not immediately activate Return to Truth.
Not only would returning now mean wasting over a decade of accumulated charging progress, but without understanding what was truly happening, he would most likely end up dead again next time anyway.
Even if he fled far from the Congyun Sea, could he guarantee that he wouldn’t encounter new crises?
One had to remember: the Heavenly Dao’s malice toward cultivators was ever-present. Li Fan did not believe that simply relocating could help him evade it.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he would not choose to abandon this life outright.
In the following period, Li Fan continued his cultivation while searching for a way out of this predicament.
However, the turbulent spiritual qi outside showed no signs of abating. Instead, as time passed, it grew increasingly ferocious.
Under the relentless assault, the island protection array grew ever more unstable, and was soon on the verge of collapse.
Is there really no other way? A sense of helplessness washed over Li Fan.
He was truly unwilling to end this life with such a lack of understanding and clarity of the circumstances.
But it seemed that there was no other choice left.
Return to Truth!
With a reluctant final glance at Tai’an Island, Li Fan called upon Return to Truth, preparing to end this lifetime.
Just then, he froze.
While watching the mortals below gradually recovering their vitality, Li Fan suddenly realized that the violent spiritual qi outside didn’t seem to target mortals.
Reports from the island's mortals stated that when they went outside the island protection array, the air was only slightly hotter than usual, with no other dangers present.
Heaven and earth’s killing mechanisms are only directed at cultivators, while mortals remain unharmed?
So, if he were to dissolve his cultivation and temporarily revert to being a mortal, wouldn’t he be able to survive?
Li Fan thought of the Taishang Primordial True Scripture.
With this miraculous technique, dissolving his cultivation wouldn’t cost him much of his power. As long as he found a safe place, he could return to his original level in no time.
Is this what they mean by placing oneself in mortal peril to be reborn?
Having found a solution, Li Fan couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.
Then, more considerations naturally followed.
He was currently cultivating two techniques. One was the Lesser Water Manipulation Art, obtained from the Myriad Immortals Alliance, and the other was the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture from the ancient Heavenly Mechanisms Sect.
One was from the new methodology, the other from the old methodology.
The new cultivation methodology involved plundering heaven and earth. That was precisely why it provoked the world’s malice.
Now, heaven and earth had laid down layers of killing mechanisms, targeting cultivators who practiced the new methodology.
What if he only dispersed the Lesser Water Manipulation Art but retained his cultivation of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture?
Would the killing mechanisms from heaven and earth lessen then?
Li Fan was a decisive man.
The array could collapse at any moment, so he acted immediately, circulating the spiritual qi within him and operating the Taishang Primordial True Scripture.
The Taishang is nameless, returning to the primordial...
As the technique took effect, the water-attribute spiritual qi gained from cultivating the Lesser Water Manipulation Art slowly dissipated like melting snow, transforming into a pure energy that settled in Li Fan’s dantian.
In less than half a day, the Lesser Water Manipulation Art had been completely dispersed.
Li Fan felt no discomfort whatsoever throughout the process.
This Taishang Primordial True Scripture is truly miraculous. Li Fan marveled, then flew to the edge of the island protection array.
It works! This method is effective!
Sensing the pervasive killing mechanisms outside suddenly weaken, Li Fan felt a wave of relief.
Unfortunately, I cultivated the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture using the new methodology of plundering heaven and earth. Though the world’s malice decreased significantly, it hasn’t completely vanished, perhaps due to how I approached cultivating the technique.
Realizing that venturing out would still pose a life-threatening risk, Li Fan steeled himself and chose to continue dissolving his cultivation.
Soon, another stream of pure energy joined the first in his dantian.
Though the two energies originated from different techniques, they merged without conflict.
According to the Taishang Primordial True Scripture, this pure energy from dissolved cultivation can remain in the dantian for nearly a hundred years.
Li Fan’s cultivation level had now reverted to that of a mortal, but he wasn’t overly concerned.
As long as I return to Myriad Immortals Island, I can quickly cultivate back to my previous strength.
Without further hesitation, Li Fan piloted the Taiyan Boat and slowly flew out of the island protection array.
Volatile, scorching spiritual qi raged outside, dyeing the distant sky a fiery orange-red.
But Li Fan was now a mere mortal. The rampaging spiritual qi swept past him, but no attack came.
Li Fan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Setting his course, he pushed the Taiyan Boat to its maximum speed, racing toward Myriad Immortals Island.
Along the way, he passed by numerous islands.
All of them were utterly devoid of life; the mortals on these islands had all perished.
A cold dread settled in Li Fan’s heart, and he urged the vessel onward.
Three months later, Li Fan arrived at the coordinates where Myriad Immortals Island should have been.
He consulted his map, checking and rechecking four or five times, but still could not believe his eyes.
The once-vast Myriad Immortals Island had vanished completely.
All that remained was a massive, gaping black hole that hung over the sea.