shí suǐ zhī wèi 。
食髓知味。
Taste the marrow and savor its flavor.
míng bái le shàng pǐn huà dào shí jiū jìng shì hé děng qiáng dà de lǐ fán ， zhī hòu mǎ bù tíng tí ， yòu jiāng lìng wài èr rén qín zhù 。
明白了上品化道石究竟是何等强大的李凡，之后马不停蹄，又将另外二人擒住。
Li Fan, who had finally grasped the true strength of the top-grade Transformation Stone, wasted no time in capturing the other two individuals after that.
méi yǒu zhōng dà jiǎng ， tā men xié dài de huà dào shí yī rán zhǐ shì shàng pǐn 。
没有中大奖，他们携带的化道石依然只是上品。
Even without hitting the jackpot, their carried Transformation Stones remained only top-grade.
lǐ fán rú fǎ páo zhì 。
李凡如法炮制。
Following the same method, Li Fan absorbed three more top-grade Transformation Stones and once again felt a transformation akin to breaking through a major realm.
gòng jì xī shōu le sān méi shàng pǐn huà dào shí hòu de lǐ fán ， zài cì gǎn shòu dào le jiǔ wéi de 、 wǎn ruò tū pò yí gè dà jìng jiè de zhì biàn 。
共计吸收了三枚上品化道石后的李凡，再次感受到了久违的、宛若突破一个大境界的质变。
However, he did not get overly elated. He reanalyzed his experiences in this world.
bù guò tā yě méi yǒu péng zhàng ， jiāng cǐ shì de jīng lì zài dù chóng xīn fēn xī le yī biàn 。
不过他也没有膨胀，将此世的经历再度重新分析了一遍。
With enhanced planning abilities, he began to roughly derive how to successfully break free from the True Immortal Net, achieve true reality, and even benefit from it.
jiè zhù gèng qiáng de móu huà néng lì ， duì rì hòu rú hé chéng gōng zhèng tuō 【 zhēn xiān zhī wǎng 】、 shùn lì hái zhēn ， shèn zhì cóng zhōng jué qǔ hǎo chù ， dōu zuò dà zhì de tuī yǎn 。
借助更强的谋划能力，对日后如何成功挣脱【真仙之网】、顺利还真，甚至从中攫取好处，都做大致的推衍。
"But still, I can't derive the layers of the real world like the Mother Transformation Stone does. I need to adapt as circumstances change."
“ bù guò hái shì méi yǒu dá dào huà dào shí mǔ nà bān ， néng gòu tuī yǎn chū zhēn shí shì jiè de céng jí 。 hái shì yào suí jī yìng biàn 。”
“不过还是没有达到化道石母那般，能够推衍出真实世界的层级。还是要随机应变。”
Li Fan remained silent, his mind swirling with thoughts.
lǐ fán chén mò bù yǔ ， nǎo zhōng zhū duō niàn tou pán xuán 。
李凡沉默不语，脑中诸多念头盘旋。
After closing himself in for three days, he called over a clone named Li Qing.
bì guān zú zú sān rì zhī hòu ， tā xiān jiāng fēn shēn lǐ qíng zhào lái 。
闭关足足三日之后，他先将分身李晴召来。
"You should go ahead and head to Cunyun Sea first to warn the Dao Yuan Sect of their impending danger. If there are no unexpected incidents, the remains of the Dao Yuan Sect will still fly towards Jiuzhang Province."
“ nǐ kě xiān xíng qián wǎng cóng yún hǎi ， jiāng cháo yuán zōng tí qián jīng zǒu 。 rú guǒ méi yǒu yì wài ， cháo yuán zōng yí jì réng rán huì fēi xiàng jiǔ shān zhōu 。”
“你可先行前往丛云海，将朝元宗提前惊走。如果没有意外，朝元宗遗迹仍然会飞向九山州。”
"Once all the minor world cultivators have been forcibly elevated to Golden Core Realm by taking the Medicine King Sect's elixirs, you can lead them on your way."
“ děng dào gè gè xiǎo shì jiè xiū shì tōng guò fú yòng yào wáng zōng dān yào 、 qiáng xíng tí shēng dào jīn dān jìng hòu ， nǐ zài dài lǐng tā men qián wǎng 。”
“等到各个小世界修士通过服用药王宗丹药、强行提升到金丹境后，你再带领他们前往。”
"With your care, they should be able to fight their way out from the blood and bones of the Dao Yuan Sect. Once they reappear, they will all advance to Foundation Establishment Realm. At that point, exploring the secrets in the Blood River will become much easier."
“ yǒu nǐ zhào yìng ， yīng gāi néng cóng cháo yuán zōng de shī shān xuè hǎi zhōng shā chū 。 děng tā men zài chū xiàn zhī hòu ， jiù néng zhěng tǐ jìn shēng dào yuán yīng jìng jiè 。 dào nà shí ， zài cóng xuè sè cháng hé zhōng tàn xún mì mì ， jiù yào róng yì xǔ duō le 。”
“有你照应，应该能从朝元宗的尸山血海中杀出。等他们再出现之后，就能整体晋升到元婴境界。到那时，再从血色长河中探寻秘密，就要容易许多了。”
In Li Qing's mind, memories of the Dao Yuan Sect instantly surfaced.
fēn shēn de nǎo hǎi zhōng ， yě shùn jiān huí yì qǐ guān yú cháo yuán zōng de zhǒng zhǒng 。
分身的脑海中，也瞬间回忆起关于朝元宗的种种。
The Dao Yuan Sect was an ancient cave dwelling hidden beneath Cunyun Sea, situated between three layers of the ocean floor.
cháo yuán zōng nǎi shì cáng yú cóng yún hǎi ， hǎi dǐ sān duàn céng de shàng gǔ dòng fǔ 。
朝元宗乃是藏于丛云海，海底三断层的上古洞府。
Before Cunyun Sea faced its calamity, it had retreated to Jiuzhang Province.
cóng yún hǎi jí jiāng zāo shòu jié nàn zhī qián ， tā yuǎn dùn ér zǒu 、 luò zhì jiǔ shān zhōu 。
丛云海即将遭受劫难之前，它远遁而走、落至九山州。
Shuofeng, Zhang Haobo, and Su Xiaomei had once embarked on a companion expedition in search of breakthrough opportunities.
shuò fēng 、 zhāng hào bō yǐ jí sū xiǎo mèi ， wèi le xún qiú tū pò jī yuán ， céng jīng yī tóng jié bàn tàn xiǎn 。
朔锋、张浩波以及苏小妹，为了寻求突破机缘，曾经一同结伴探险。
From their experiences, Li Fan also learned about the secrets of the Dao Yuan Sect.
cóng tā men de jīng lì zhōng ， lǐ fán yě dé yǐ zhī xiǎo cháo yuán zōng zhī mì 。
从他们的经历中，李凡也得以知晓朝元宗之秘。
The Dao Yuan Sect was an indigenous sect from the Xuanhuang Realm.
cháo yuán zōng ， nǎi shì xuán huáng jiè běn tǔ zōng mén 。
朝元宗，乃是玄黄界本土宗门。
Since the great calamity's arrival, it had vanished without a trace, as if erased from existence.
zì cóng dà jié jiàng lín zhī hòu ， jiù xiāo shēng nì jì 、 wǎn rú rén jiān zhēng fā yì bān 。
自从大劫降临之后，就销声匿迹、宛如人间蒸发一般。
In reality, the entire sect had transformed into some strange state, existing in a limbo-like space, isolated from the outside world.
shí jì shàng shì zhěng gè zōng mén bèi zhuǎn huà chéng le mǒu zhǒng qí yì de zhuàng tài ， chǔ yú xū shí zhī jiān 、 yǔ wài jiè gé jué 。
实际上是整个宗门被转化成了某种奇异的状态，处于虚实之间、与外界隔绝。
Time seemed to have stopped within this realm, hoping to avoid disaster.
shí jiān zài qí zhōng fǎng fú yě xiàn rù le tíng zhì ， yǐ qī néng duǒ bì zāi huò 。
时间在其中仿佛也陷入了停滞，以期能躲避灾祸。
This was the original plan of the Dao Yuan Sect.
zhè shì cháo yuán zōng yuán běn de jì huà 。
这是朝元宗原本的计划。
However, various unforeseen events occurred.
bù guò zǒng yǒu zhǒng zhǒng biàn gù fā shēng 。
不过总有种种变故发生。
Firstly, their region was struck by the Palm of Law and transformed into Cunyun Sea, burying the Dao Yuan Sect underground.
xiān shì tā men suǒ zài de dì yù ， bèi chuán fǎ tiān zūn yī bā zhǎng pāi chéng le cóng yún hǎi ， cháo yuán zōng yīn cǐ shēn mái dì xià 。
先是他们所在的地域，被传法天尊一巴掌拍成了丛云海，朝元宗因此深埋地下。
Then, perhaps influenced by the fusion between realms, strange changes began to occur within the sect.
ér hòu huò xǔ shì yīn wèi shòu dào liǎng jiè róng hé zhī lì de yǐng xiǎng ， cháo yuán zōng zhī nèi yě zhú jiàn fā shēng le zhǒng zhǒng guǐ yì de biàn huà 。
而后或许是因为受到两界融合之力的影响，朝元宗之内也逐渐发生了种种诡异的变化。
When Su Xiaomei and her companions entered the remains of the Dao Yuan Sect, although the cultivators appeared normal, they had all become faceless blood faces, losing their original appearances.
dāng sū xiǎo mèi tā men jìn rù cháo yuán zōng yí jì de shí hòu ， lǐ miàn xiū shì suī rán dōu kàn shì zhèng cháng de shēng huó zhe 。
当苏小妹他们进入朝元宗遗迹的时候，里面修士虽然都看似正常的生活着。
And they were completely unaware of this.
dàn shí zé yǐ jīng quán dōu huà zuò de wú miàn xuè liǎn ， shī qù le zì jǐ de róng mào 。
但实则已经全都化作的无面血脸，失去了自己的容貌。
If revealed in front of these Dao Yuan Sect cultivators, they would suddenly attack with madness, behaving like beasts, using their bodies and claws to fight.
bìng qiě tā men zì shēn méi yǒu sī háo chá jué 。
并且他们自身没有丝毫察觉。
Although they did not use any divine techniques, these faceless blood faces were formidable opponents. They moved incredibly fast and could recover quickly from injuries.
rú guǒ dāng zhe zhè xiē cháo yuán zōng xiū shì de miàn ， jiē chuān tā men de wú miàn xuè liǎn zhēn miàn mù 。
如果当着这些朝元宗修士的面，揭穿他们的无面血脸真面目。
Only by cutting off their entire blood faces could one finally kill them.
tā men jiù huì fā fēng shì de ， tū rán fā dòng xí jī 。
他们就会发疯似的，突然发动袭击。
After the faceless blood faces were eliminated, a red light would attach itself to the killer's body.
wǎn rú shī qù le lǐ zhì yì bān ， bù guǎn shì hé zhǒng xiū wèi ， dōu zhǐ rú yě shòu 、 yòng ròu shēn lì zhuǎ jìn gōng 。
宛如失去了理智一般，不管是何种修为，都只如野兽、用肉身利爪进攻。
These red lights were actually the essence of the Dao Yuan Realm.
suī rán bú huì dòng yòng shén tōng ， dàn shì zhè xiē wú miàn xuè liǎn yě zhe shí bù hǎo duì fù 。
虽然不会动用神通，但是这些无面血脸也着实不好对付。
Once leaving the Dao Yuan Sect, these stolen red lights would follow the cultivators, acting like a great elixir that could elevate an under-Foundation Establishment cultivator by one major realm.
sù dù jí kuài 、 shòu shāng yě huì hěn kuài fù yuán 。
速度极快、受伤也会很快复原。
Even new methods for Foundation Establishment, Golden Core cultivation techniques, and Foundation Establishment Realms, the red light would naturally evolve.
zhǐ yǒu bǎ tā men de xuè liǎn zhěng gè qiè xià ， cái néng zuì zhōng bǎ tā shā sǐ 。
只有把他们的血脸整个切下，才能最终把他杀死。
And if special ritual refinement techniques were mastered, one could directly absorb the essence of these red lights from within the Dao Yuan Realm to sustain combat.
ér wú miàn xuè liǎn bèi xiāo miè zhī hòu ， huì huà zuò yī dào hóng guāng fù zhuó zài shā sǐ tā de xiū shì shēn shàng 。
而无面血脸被消灭之后，会化作一道红光附着在杀死他的修士身上。
As for why the Dao Yuan Sect had suddenly appeared with such an eerie scene, it was still unclear.
zhè xiē hóng guāng ， shí zé shì cháo yuán zōng shì jiè de běn yuán lì liàng 。
这些红光，实则是朝元宗世界的本源力量。
...
dài dào cóng cháo yuán zōng lí kāi zhī hòu ， zhè xiē bèi duó qǔ de hóng guāng ， yě huì gēn suí xiū shì yī tóng lí qù 。
待到从朝元宗离开之后，这些被夺取的红光，也会跟随修士一同离去。
Li Qing summarized the history and origin of the Dao Yuan Sect. She nodded in agreement.
jiù xiàng shì mǒu zhǒng dà bǔ zhī wù ， zú yǐ ràng yuán yīng zhī xià de xiū shì zhí jiē jìn jí yí gè dà jìng jiè 。
就像是某种大补之物，足以让元婴之下的修士直接晋级一个大境界。
"If that source of the red light is also useful to me, my realm might even surpass yours?" Li Qing said with a smile.
shèn zhì xīn fǎ jìn shēng suǒ xū zhù jī qí wù 、 jīn dān zhī fǎ 、 yuán yīng dòng tiān ， hóng guāng yě huì zì rán yǎn huà 。
甚至新法晋升所需筑基奇物、金丹之法、元婴洞天，红光也会自然衍化。
"You'd better kill more. Ascending to True Immortal Realm isn't like other realms. The resources needed for your transformation into Spirit Formation Realm might be greater than those required for ordinary cultivators to reach Great Dao Realm," Li Fan replied nonchalantly.
ér rú guǒ zhǎng wò tè shū de jì liàn zhī fǎ ， gèng shì kě yǐ zhí jiē zài cháo yuán zōng shì jiè lǐ xī qǔ hóng guāng běn yuán 、 yǐ zhàn yǎng zhàn 。
而如果掌握特殊的祭炼之法，更是可以直接在朝元宗世界里吸取红光本源、以战养战。
"If you truly achieve the Spirit Formation Realm, relying on Black Sword Tianzhi, maybe we can hold our own in a couple of rounds."
zhì yú wèi hé cháo yuán zōng huì rú chū xiàn rú cǐ guǐ yì de yí mù ， zàn shí hái wú cóng zhī xiǎo 。
至于为何朝元宗会如出现如此诡异的一幕，暂时还无从知晓。
The clone smiled but did not respond. It took its leave.
zhì yú wèi hé cháo yuán zōng huì rú chū xiàn rú cǐ guǐ yì de yí mù ， zàn shí hái wú cóng zhī xiǎo 。
至于为何朝元宗会如出现如此诡异的一幕，暂时还无从知晓。
From now on, exploring the Blood River would be entirely handled by this clone.
bù guò lǐ fán cāi cè ， kě néng hái shì yīn wèi shòu dào xuán huáng jiè yǔ qí tā shì jiè róng hé de yǐng xiǎng 。
不过李凡猜测，可能还是因为受到玄黄界与其他世界融合的影响。
Since once any secrets were discovered, he would naturally know about them as well.
……
……
No major issues should arise from that.
lǐ qíng jiāng cháo yuán zōng de lái lóng qù mài lǐ le yī biàn ， ér hòu diǎn le diǎn tóu 。
李晴将朝元宗的来龙去脉理了一遍，而后点了点头。
...
“ ruò shì nà hóng guāng běn yuán duì wǒ yě yǒu yòng ， nà shuō bù dìng wǒ de jìng jiè fǎn ér yǒu kě néng yào chāo guò nǐ le ？” lǐ qíng xiào zhe shuō dào 。
“若是那红光本源对我也有用，那说不定我的境界反而有可能要超过你了？”李晴笑着说道。
With the support of the upgraded Transformation Stones, the Final Disentanglement Disc finally released its maximum computational power.
“ nà nǐ kě yào duō shā yì diǎn 。 tiān zhī qí jìn jí ， bù bǐ qí tā 。 nǐ jìn shēng huà shén suǒ xū zī yuán ， shuō bù dìng bǐ xún cháng xiū shì jìn shēng hé dào dōu duō 。” lǐ fán yě bù yǐ wéi yì 。
“那你可要多杀一点。天之奇晋级，不比其他。你晋升化神所需资源，说不定比寻常修士晋升合道都多。”李凡也不以为意。
While breaking down the restrictions imposed by the Palm of Law, it began to create a new array according to Li Fan's design.
“ ruò shì nǐ zhēn de chéng jiù huà shén zhī jìng ， píng jiè hēi jiàn tiān zhī qí ， shuō bù dìng hái zhēn néng gēn wǒ shǒu xià jiān chí gè liǎng sān huí hé 。”
“若是你真的成就化神之境，凭借黑剑天之奇，说不定还真能跟我手下坚持个两三回合。”
Meanwhile, Li Fan studied the white light within his body—precisely the mirror essence given to him by the Heavenly Xuan Mirror.
fēn shēn xiào le xiào ， méi yǒu jiē huà 。
分身笑了笑，没有接话。
Although the Heavenly Xuan Mirror claimed that this mirror essence would neither increase nor decrease,
lǐng mìng ér qù 。
领命而去。
Li Fan was curious about what would happen if he retained it after achieving true reality.
zhè zhī hòu duì yú xuè sè cháng hé de tàn suǒ ， jiāng huì yóu fēn shēn lǐ qíng quán quán fù zé 。
这之后对于血色长河的探索，将会由分身李晴全权负责。
"There's a high likelihood that another mirror essence suddenly appeared in the world."
fǎn zhèng yí dàn tàn suǒ chū shén me mì mì ， fēn shēn zhī xiǎo de tóng shí ， tā zì rán yě néng tóng bù zhī xiǎo 。
反正一旦探索出什么秘密，分身知晓的同时，他自然也能同步知晓。
"If the Heavenly Xuan Mirror doesn't sense this new source of essence...
yīng gāi bú huì chū shén me luàn zi 。
应该不会出什么乱子。
"Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.
……
……
During these days with the mirror essence, Li Fan had reaped too many benefits. The fact that the Heavenly Xuan Mirror was almost completely open to him alone was worth exchanging a reference point for retaining an item.
dé dào shēng jí hòu de huà dào shí de zhī chí ， zhōng mò jiě lí dié xiàn rú jīn zhōng yú néng gòu jiě fàng le zì jǐ de zuì dà suàn lì 。
得到升级后的化道石的支持，终末解离碟现如今终于能够解放了自己的最大算力。
"In my final moments in this world, I can test the Heavenly Xuan Mirror's reaction."
tuī yǎn pò jiě chuán fǎ tiān zūn jìn zhì de tóng shí ， yě zài àn zhào lǐ fán de shè xiǎng ， kāi shǐ shēng zào chū yī mén quán xīn de zhèn fǎ 。
推衍破解传法天尊禁制的同时，也在按照李凡的设想，开始生造出一门全新的阵法。
"If it is detected, there won't be much impact since I will immediately achieve true reality anyway.
ér lǐ fán běn rén ， zé shì yán jiū qǐ le tǐ nèi de nà yī tuán bái guāng 。
而李凡本人，则是研究起了体内的那一团白光。
"But if the Heavenly Xuan Mirror doesn't sense this sudden addition of essence, its value would be significant."
zhèng shì cǐ qián tiān xuán jìng jiāo gěi tā de jìng zhī běn yuán 。
正是此前天玄镜交给他的镜之本源。
Of course, all of this depended on whether the item obtained through the anchor point was generated within the space created by achieving true reality instead of absorbing existing items from the world.
suī rán tiān xuán jìng xuān chēng ， zhè jìng zhī běn yuán zhǐ gēn tā tóng zài ， bù zēng bù jiǎn 。
虽然天玄镜宣称，这镜之本源只跟它同在，不增不减。
"This actually represents a genuine possibility related to achieving true reality."
dàn shì lǐ fán hěn xiǎng zhī dào ， rú guǒ zài hái zhēn zhī hòu ， xuǎn zé bǎo liú cǐ wù ， yòu huì rú hé ne ？
但是李凡很想知道，如果在还真之后，选择保留此物，又会如何呢？
Li Fan fell into deep thought.
“ hěn dà kě néng ， shì shì shàng tū rán yòu píng kōng chū xiàn le xīn de jìng zhī běn yuán 。”
“很大可能，是世上突然又凭空出现了新的镜之本源。”
"But it's definitely worth trying."
“ rú guǒ duì yú zhè xīn de jìng zhī běn yuán ， tiān xuán jìng bú huì chǎn shēng gǎn yìng de huà ……”
“如果对于这新的镜之本源，天玄镜不会产生感应的话……”
Currently, Li Fan had only two blank anchor points left. However, he already had some guesses on how to increase them.
lǐ fán yǎn jīng wēi wēi mī qǐ 。
李凡眼睛微微眯起。
Previously, his anchor point increases came from absorbing cultivators' Golden Core Elixirs.
dé dào jìng zhī běn yuán de zhè duàn rì zi lǐ ， lǐ fán xiǎng shòu dào le tài duō de hǎo chù 。
得到镜之本源的这段日子里，李凡享受到了太多的好处。
Initially, they were obtained by absorbing Foundation Establishment Elixir items.
guāng shì tiān xuán jìng duì tā jī hū wán quán bù shè fáng zhè yì diǎn ， jiù zhí de tā yòng yí gè máo diǎn qù zhì huàn bǎo liú wù pǐn 。
光是天玄镜对他几乎完全不设防这一点，就值得他用一个锚点去置换保留物品。
So logically, the next step would likely be to absorb the Foundation Establishment Realm required—cave realms.
“ cǐ shì zuì hòu shí guāng ， kě yǐ shì yī shì tiān xuán jìng de fǎn yìng 。”
“此世最后时光，可以试一试天玄镜的反应。”
As for why Li Fan had personally visited many cave realms but did not receive any hints of absorption...
“ rú guǒ bèi chá jué chū lái ， fǎn zhèng wǒ dōu yào lì kè hái zhēn 、 méi shén me yǐng xiǎng 。”
“如果被察觉出来，反正我都要立刻还真、没什么影响。”
He speculated that it might be due to needing a new-born cave realm.
“ ér ruò shì tiān xuán jìng duì yú zhè tū rán duō chū lái de běn yuán chá jué bú dào ， nà me yòng chǔ kě jiù dà le 。”
“而若是天玄镜对于这突然多出来的本源察觉不到，那么用处可就大了。”
(End of Chapter)
Taste the marrow and savor its flavor.
Li Fan, who had finally grasped the true strength of the top-grade Transformation Stone, wasted no time in capturing the other two individuals after that.
Even without hitting the jackpot, their carried Transformation Stones remained only top-grade.
Following the same method, Li Fan absorbed three more top-grade Transformation Stones and once again felt a transformation akin to breaking through a major realm.
However, he did not get overly elated. He reanalyzed his experiences in this world.
With enhanced planning abilities, he began to roughly derive how to successfully break free from the True Immortal Net, achieve true reality, and even benefit from it.
"But still, I can't derive the layers of the real world like the Mother Transformation Stone does. I need to adapt as circumstances change."
Li Fan remained silent, his mind swirling with thoughts.
After closing himself in for three days, he called over a clone named Li Qing.
"You should go ahead and head to Cunyun Sea first to warn the Dao Yuan Sect of their impending danger. If there are no unexpected incidents, the remains of the Dao Yuan Sect will still fly towards Jiuzhang Province."
"Once all the minor world cultivators have been forcibly elevated to Golden Core Realm by taking the Medicine King Sect's elixirs, you can lead them on your way."
"With your care, they should be able to fight their way out from the blood and bones of the Dao Yuan Sect. Once they reappear, they will all advance to Foundation Establishment Realm. At that point, exploring the secrets in the Blood River will become much easier."
In Li Qing's mind, memories of the Dao Yuan Sect instantly surfaced.
The Dao Yuan Sect was an ancient cave dwelling hidden beneath Cunyun Sea, situated between three layers of the ocean floor.
Before Cunyun Sea faced its calamity, it had retreated to Jiuzhang Province.
Shuofeng, Zhang Haobo, and Su Xiaomei had once embarked on a companion expedition in search of breakthrough opportunities.
From their experiences, Li Fan also learned about the secrets of the Dao Yuan Sect.
The Dao Yuan Sect was an indigenous sect from the Xuanhuang Realm.
Since the great calamity's arrival, it had vanished without a trace, as if erased from existence.
In reality, the entire sect had transformed into some strange state, existing in a limbo-like space, isolated from the outside world.
Time seemed to have stopped within this realm, hoping to avoid disaster.
This was the original plan of the Dao Yuan Sect.
However, various unforeseen events occurred.
Firstly, their region was struck by the Palm of Law and transformed into Cunyun Sea, burying the Dao Yuan Sect underground.
Then, perhaps influenced by the fusion between realms, strange changes began to occur within the sect.
When Su Xiaomei and her companions entered the remains of the Dao Yuan Sect, although the cultivators appeared normal, they had all become faceless blood faces, losing their original appearances.
And they were completely unaware of this.
If revealed in front of these Dao Yuan Sect cultivators, they would suddenly attack with madness, behaving like beasts, using their bodies and claws to fight.
Although they did not use any divine techniques, these faceless blood faces were formidable opponents. They moved incredibly fast and could recover quickly from injuries.
Only by cutting off their entire blood faces could one finally kill them.
After the faceless blood faces were eliminated, a red light would attach itself to the killer's body.
These red lights were actually the essence of the Dao Yuan Realm.
Once leaving the Dao Yuan Sect, these stolen red lights would follow the cultivators, acting like a great elixir that could elevate an under-Foundation Establishment cultivator by one major realm.
Even new methods for Foundation Establishment, Golden Core cultivation techniques, and Foundation Establishment Realms, the red light would naturally evolve.
And if special ritual refinement techniques were mastered, one could directly absorb the essence of these red lights from within the Dao Yuan Realm to sustain combat.
As for why the Dao Yuan Sect had suddenly appeared with such an eerie scene, it was still unclear.
...
Li Qing summarized the history and origin of the Dao Yuan Sect. She nodded in agreement.
"If that source of the red light is also useful to me, my realm might even surpass yours?" Li Qing said with a smile.
"You'd better kill more. Ascending to True Immortal Realm isn't like other realms. The resources needed for your transformation into Spirit Formation Realm might be greater than those required for ordinary cultivators to reach Great Dao Realm," Li Fan replied nonchalantly.
"If you truly achieve the Spirit Formation Realm, relying on Black Sword Tianzhi, maybe we can hold our own in a couple of rounds."
The clone smiled but did not respond. It took its leave.
From now on, exploring the Blood River would be entirely handled by this clone.
Since once any secrets were discovered, he would naturally know about them as well.
No major issues should arise from that.
...
With the support of the upgraded Transformation Stones, the Final Disentanglement Disc finally released its maximum computational power.
While breaking down the restrictions imposed by the Palm of Law, it began to create a new array according to Li Fan's design.
Meanwhile, Li Fan studied the white light within his body—precisely the mirror essence given to him by the Heavenly Xuan Mirror.
Although the Heavenly Xuan Mirror claimed that this mirror essence would neither increase nor decrease,
Li Fan was curious about what would happen if he retained it after achieving true reality.
"There's a high likelihood that another mirror essence suddenly appeared in the world."
"If the Heavenly Xuan Mirror doesn't sense this new source of essence...
"Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.
During these days with the mirror essence, Li Fan had reaped too many benefits. The fact that the Heavenly Xuan Mirror was almost completely open to him alone was worth exchanging a reference point for retaining an item.
"In my final moments in this world, I can test the Heavenly Xuan Mirror's reaction."
"If it is detected, there won't be much impact since I will immediately achieve true reality anyway.
"But if the Heavenly Xuan Mirror doesn't sense this sudden addition of essence, its value would be significant."
Of course, all of this depended on whether the item obtained through the anchor point was generated within the space created by achieving true reality instead of absorbing existing items from the world.
"This actually represents a genuine possibility related to achieving true reality."
Li Fan fell into deep thought.
"But it's definitely worth trying."
Currently, Li Fan had only two blank anchor points left. However, he already had some guesses on how to increase them.
Previously, his anchor point increases came from absorbing cultivators' Golden Core Elixirs.
Initially, they were obtained by absorbing Foundation Establishment Elixir items.
So logically, the next step would likely be to absorb the Foundation Establishment Realm required—cave realms.
As for why Li Fan had personally visited many cave realms but did not receive any hints of absorption...
He speculated that it might be due to needing a new-born cave realm.
(End of Chapter)