Chapter 59: The Sea Turns to Mulberry Fields
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As Li Fan saw the crimson figure, countless pieces of information suddenly flooded his mind.
The Essence of Heaven and Earth is a tangible manifestation of a certain law of the universe.
When a specific condition is met, the Essence of Heaven and Earth will come into being in a certain area.
If the heavens decide to execute a plan to eliminate cultivators, then the Essence of Heaven and Earth is the executor of that plan.
They have no thoughts of their own and act only according to their predetermined instincts.
They are the laws themselves, slaughtering cultivators as easily as slaughtering chickens and sheep.
Their mission is to eliminate those cultivators who defy the heavens and the earth.
For cultivators, the Essence of Heaven and Earth is extremely dangerous.
Once targeted, it almost always means certain death.
But at the same time...
As the embodiment of the great laws, the Essence of Heaven and Earth also represents a tremendous opportunity for cultivators.
The saying goes, 'Sacrifice the Essence of Heaven and Earth to merge with the Dao.'
Once a cultivator can refine a strand of the Essence of Heaven and Earth, regardless of their previous cultivation level, they can immediately achieve the Dao Integration Realm.
It is the archenemy of cultivators, yet it also has an unparalleled allure for them.
At this moment, as Li Fan witnessed the Crimson Flame, a powerful desire surged from the depths of his heart.
"Eat it! Eat it and you will attain the Dao. Eat it and you will ascend in broad daylight!"
It was like a starving man encountering a sumptuous feast, or a traveler who has wandered in the desert for days and nights finding a clear lake.
This desire, like the whispers of a demon, continuously spoke to Li Fan, urging and tempting him to rush toward the crimson figure in the sky.
Li Fan, while alleviating the intense heat from the Vast Sea Pearl, frantically circulated the Yellow and Black Heart Cultivation Spell to suppress the overwhelming desire in his heart.
He knew that he was only able to observe the Crimson Flame because of the Vast Sea Pearl.
To the Crimson Flame, Li Fan was just an unformed consciousness of the vast sea. Even after noticing Li Fan's gaze, it merely glanced and then ignored him.
But if Li Fan lost his reason and attacked the Crimson Flame, revealing his identity as a cultivator, he would be mercilessly killed.
Reason and desire tore at Li Fan's soul.
Two opposing extremes almost split his consciousness in two.
Li Fan could only struggle to maintain the circulation of the Yellow and Black Heart Cultivation Spell to preserve his Dao heart.
After an unknown amount of time, the storm of desire gradually subsided.
Li Fan was still shaken and dared not make any more observations.
To have glimpsed the secrets of the heavens and still retain his clarity of mind was already a stroke of great fortune.
Li Fan had some insights, and just as his consciousness was about to leave the Vast Sea Pearl and return to his body, he discovered an extremely awkward situation.
It turned out that resolving the desire brought by the Essence of Heaven and Earth had taken Li Fan nearly half a year!
The time his consciousness had been merged with the Vast Sea Pearl had far exceeded the limits of a Qi Condensation Stage cultivator.
As long as his consciousness remained connected to the Vast Sea Pearl, it was still fine. But if he returned to his body, he would likely age and die soon.
Just a single glance had such a terrifying impact.
Perhaps his cultivation in this life would end here.
Although Li Fan felt a bit regretful, he did not regret it.
Knowing the truth behind the dramatic changes in the Congyun Sea, witnessing the Crimson Flame, and personally experiencing the workings of the heavens and earth, Li Fan's gains were significant.
Even if his life ended now, he could accept it.
Moreover, he did not intend to activate the [True Illusion] and end this life just yet.
Since he was already trapped in the Vast Sea Pearl, he might as well take this opportunity to further understand the workings of the heavens and earth.
As long as he did not recklessly observe the Essence of Heaven and Earth again, simply sensing the qi should be fine.
Now that his body's lifespan was exhausted, his consciousness, without the nourishment of his body, was like a stream without a source or a tree without roots, gradually being consumed within the Vast Sea Pearl.
According to Li Fan's estimation, he could probably last for no more than a dozen years.
If he could make good use of this time, he might still gain something.
Li Fan extracted a thread of pure power from the Vast Sea Pearl to protect his body from decay.
Then his consciousness once again immersed itself in the perspective of the Vast Sea Pearl.
He observed the flow of the qi of the heavens and earth, the rise and fall of the sun, moon, and stars.
He watched as the remaining life in the Congyun Sea gradually passed away.
He felt the cold, indifferent, and eternal killing intent of the heavens and earth.
In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
With the forty-year anchor, the Congyun Sea had completely dried up, becoming a true dead land.
Only the few mortals on Taian Island, protected by Li Fan, survived.
One day, Li Fan suddenly felt a stirring and looked up at the sky.
The crimson figure that had stood in the air for over a decade was finally gone.
Its mission was completed, and it naturally dissipated.
No one could predict where in the cultivation world it might reappear.
Li Fan watched the direction in which the Crimson Flame disappeared, his mind once again sinking into the Vast Sea Pearl.
As time passed, Li Fan's consciousness became increasingly weak.
His thoughts also became increasingly sluggish.
Losing his ability to think independently, he could only silently observe the world through the perspective of the Vast Sea Pearl.
In the second year after the disappearance of the Crimson Flame, several cultivators in green robes arrived at the Congyun Sea.
With the casting of various spells, the sky finally saw a long-awaited downpour.
More cultivators arrived.
Green light bloomed on the dry seabed.
Plants, symbols of life, began to appear on the land.
A gentle breeze blew, and trees sprang up from the ground.
In just a year, the scorched earth was once again vibrant with life.
The scene of the Crimson Flame boiling the sea, which had occurred not long ago, seemed like a nightmare that had been gently blown away.
The Congyun Sea had transformed into the Congyun Mountains.
A floating city began to be built above the Congyun Mountains.
After its completion, it attracted more and more cultivators from all over.
The Congyun Mountains became increasingly lively.
Occasionally, cultivators would come to visit the only island that survived the fire disaster, hoping to find some opportunities.
But under Li Fan's instinctive concealment, they found nothing.
In the forty-eighth year, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator returned to the Congyun Sea.
He arrived at the former Jade Island, now the Jade Glass Mountains, with a mournful expression.
Li Fan's divine sense swept over, and he felt a wave of emotion upon seeing this scene.
He recognized this person.
It was Zhang Haobo, who had decided to migrate out of the Congyun Sea due to his unease.
After twenty-some years, this person had somehow become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The scenes of this life flashed rapidly through Li Fan's mind, and his consciousness was about to dissipate.
Before completely disappearing, Li Fan's consciousness returned to his body.
Years of sensing the qi of the heavens and earth had suddenly broken the bottleneck that had been hindering Li Fan's advancement.
Heavenly essence rushed in, and Li Fan's cultivation immediately broke through to the late Qi Condensation Stage.
A smile appeared on Li Fan's face, then froze.
His body rapidly aged, and a breeze blew, turning him into dust that dispersed into the heavens and earth.
Only a skeleton remained, lying there quietly.
"True Illusion!"
Before dissipating, Li Fan called out in his heart.
(End of Chapter)