During the two years, besides Zhang Haobo's wind shepherding towards Ten Thousand Immortals Island, several major events occurred.
In the 21st year, at the edge of the Cong Yun Sea, near the endless ocean, two Soul Transformation True Monarchs engaged in a mysterious battle that lasted for over a month, with no clear winner.
Eventually, the sky tore open, and a dazzling starlight enveloped them, putting an end to the fierce battle that had attracted numerous onlookers.
Around the same time, shortly after the two Soul Transformation True Monarchs' battle, in the Yuandao Prefecture adjacent to the Cong Yun Sea, a heavenly anomaly shrouded the entire province. The Blue Feather Immortal Sage, a cultivator in the Dao Integration Realm, fell.
The Blue Feather Immortal Sage was rumored to be a senior cultivator who had survived the Great Calamity and had controlled the Yuandao Prefecture for nearly three thousand years. However, he couldn't achieve longevity and eventually succumbed to the end of his life.
After the Blue Feather Immortal Sage's death, the Yuandao Prefecture fell into considerable turmoil.
In the 22nd year, in the northwest sea area of the Cong Yun Sea, a Daoist cave rose from the sea and flew straight toward the direction of the Jiushan Prefecture.
This incident piqued the curiosity of many cultivators, who followed to investigate, but none of them returned, their whereabouts unknown.
...
Li Fan meticulously recorded these events. Then, he checked the records of his Communication Talismans.
The collection of Dao resonance artifacts seemed to progress quite smoothly. With guidance from a group of exceptional talents, progress was better than anticipated.
However, Zhao Erbao's reports became increasingly sporadic, with the latest message arriving six months ago. It seemed he needed another profound lesson.
Xiao Heng rarely disturbed Li Fan. Su Xiaomei, on the other hand, sent messages to Li Fan every now and then, reporting her progress and sharing news.
Born with an innate physique, Su Xiaomei's cultivation progressed rapidly. In just over two years, she had reached the Qi Condensation Late stage. Xiao Heng's progress was slightly slower, at the Qi Condensation Middle stage, but he was said to be on the verge of a breakthrough.
...
The rest of the messages were casual greetings from cultivators Li Fan had befriended on the island. Nothing of great importance.
However, upon entering the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan noticed that during the 21st year, a Qi Condensation cultivator named He Xinxin had sent several visitation requests.
These requests continued intermittently until half a year ago when they suddenly stopped. Li Fan found it strange and couldn't help but think of He Zhenghao.
Suddenly, he remembered the first time he encountered a wind disaster on Liuli Island in his previous life. The protective formation was activated by a female cultivator. However, they never met again, and Li Fan gradually forgot about it.
"He Xinxin should have stayed in the Cong Yun Sea for a while and then left?" Li Fan could only speculate.
After some consideration, he decided not to actively seek her out. If fate allowed, they would meet again.
With these miscellaneous matters settled Li Fan didn't delay any longer. Using a teleportation array, he arrived at Flowing Cloud Island.
According to Wu Xingzou from the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce, the Canghai Pearl was obtained by him from a fisherman on Flowing Cloud Island.
Therefore, the Canghai Pearl should have initially formed in the sea and later been swallowed by a fish, eventually ending up in the hands of the fisherman.
Now, Li Fan activated the Concealing Form Talisman, flew over Flowing Cloud Island, and carefully sensed the surroundings.
In his previous life, he had merged with the consciousness of the Canghai Pearl, and naturally, he was extremely familiar with its aura.
If it were on this island, Li Fan would surely have detected it. Unfortunately, after flying in circles, he couldn't find any trace of the Canghai Pearl.
So Li Fan had no choice but to use Flowing Cloud Island as the center and search towards the outer sea.
The sea was vast, and the Canghai Pearl was still in the process of incubation, making its aura extremely weak.
This action was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, it only took a bit of time.
Three months later, Li Fan successfully obtained the Canghai Pearl without any incidents.
"With the passing of the old sea, a new one is born."
Li Fan carefully examined this familiar object from his previous life.
With keen perception, Li Fan felt that the Canghai Pearl seemed a bit weaker than when he saw it in his previous life. The blue color inside appeared diluted, not as profound as the ocean but rather a light blue like the sky.
"I thought I wouldn't see you in this lifetime, but unexpectedly, you also understand the principle of hedging your bets."
A trace of color flashed in Li Fan's eyes, and then he devoured the Canghai Pearl into his dantian.
True foundation building would only begin when the Canghai Pearl fully formed, but it didn't hurt to begin comprehending it now.
With the Canghai Pearl in hand, Li Fan's business in the Cong Yun Sea was almost complete. Afterward, he visited Night Island to check on the situation of the outstanding talents and continued to intimidate Zhao Erbao.
To deepen the impression, Li Fan used multiple layers of illusions.
In the illusion, Zhao Erbao once again found himself in the nightmare where ancient artifacts were smashed. However, having experienced it two times before, he had developed some resistance.
So, he struggled to wake up from the illusion.
But he pretended to be still immersed in the illusion, intending to deceive Li Fan.
It wasn't until Li Fan appeared that he suddenly attacked. With one strike, he seemingly killed Li Fan.
Looking at the body lying on the ground, the nightmares that had haunted him for so many years were finally eliminated. Zhao Erbao proudly howled to the sky.
However, he found that there was no death announcement from the heavens.
When he looked again, he saw Li Fan's head, revealing a strange smile.
The surroundings shattered like glass, and he returned to his own base.
Time seemed to rewind to the day he first met Li Fan. He was explaining the origin of Dao resonance artifacts to Li Fan.
However, things took a turn. Li Fan, indifferent to the idea of reproducing Dao resonance, directly smashed the ancient artifacts in the base and slapped him on the head.
The scene turned black, and Zhao Erbao woke up abruptly.
Drenched in cold sweat, he was initially confused, then suddenly looked around.
Not seeing Li Fan's figure, he was a bit unsure whether it was still an illusion or reality.
After a long time, Zhao Erbao finally regained his senses.
Knowing it was a warning from Li Fan, he hastily sent a report message to Li Fan.
Observing Zhao Erbao's expressions and actions in the shadows, Li Fan knew the intimidation had been successful.
"However, this is not a long-term solution. In the future, when the opportunity arises, I must find a method specifically for controlling cultivators."
After that, Li Fan went to check on Su Changyu.
The miasma cleansing was still not completed, but Su Changyu remained steady, persevering without arrogance or impatience.
Combined with the occasional treasures that Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng brought him, which were said to help eliminate the miasma in his body, the complete cleansing was not far off.