"Junior Brother? Junior Brother?"
Everything around seemed to be separated by a layer of viscous transparent substance.
When the voice reached his ears, it became distorted and bizarre.
The person seemed to wave his hand.
As the scene entered Li Fan's eyes, it felt like a fierce beast launching an attack.
He was startled.
Li Fan subconsciously tried to counterattack but suddenly realized that his techniques, like the Cong Yun Sea Sword and Heaven Overturning Palm, couldn't be executed.
Cold sweat broke out involuntarily.
Then, words like "Fallen Immortal Realm," "ritual," "first exploration," and other terms flashed in Li Fan's mind.
As if emerging from underwater, the surroundings gradually became clear.
Light and sound returned to normal.
"Junior Brother? What are you thinking? Why have you been in a daze for so long?"
A young cultivator wearing a purple and white robe, with a purple lightning mark engraved between his eyebrows, was looking in Li Fan's direction.
"This is the first time you've gone down the mountain in eighteen years. Are you thinking about the fun places Senior Brother told you about before?"
"Don't worry. After our tasks are done, Senior Brother will take you to experience the Red Dust Pavilion and the Drunken Immortal Tower!"
The young cultivator winked mischievously; though he was a senior brother, he didn't look serious.
Li Fan slowly came to his senses at this moment.
"Purple Heaven Sect, Li Chen."
"Follow Senior Brother Zhang Qianmo down the mountain to Ningyuan City to collect the 'Longevity Fruits.'"
In an instant, several pieces of information appeared in Li Fan's mind.
"Senior Brother is joking; let's focus on the important matters!" Li Fan replied indifferently, following Li Chen's usual personality as stored in his memory.
"Ah, so boring!" Zhang Qianmo rolled his eyes, sighed, and lazily lay down, no longer paying attention to Li Fan.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Fan observed the surroundings.
Currently, he seemed to be on a purple cloud.
This purple cloud appeared to be a flying magical treasure, rapidly soaring in the sky.
There seemed to be a protective array surrounding the outer part of the purple cloud, blocking the gusts of wind.
Sitting on the purple cloud was comfortable and serene.
"Is this the Fallen Immortal Realm?"
Li Fan carefully sensed and revealed a look of amazement.
"It's actually a world derived from a thought before death? So lifelike..."
Li Fan touched the purple cloud beneath him, feeling the pervasive spiritual energy in the air.
"If it weren't for my previous memories, I would almost think I've transmigrated again."
After a long time, Li Fan suppressed the astonishment in his heart.
"Luckily, I have an original identity on the first entry."
Li Fan recalled the precautions Chen Ying explained.
After entering the Fallen Immortal Realm, it was possible to form a spiritual avatar for exploration.
It was also possible to directly occupy the body of the original creatures in the Fallen Immortal Realm and obtain their identity.
Each approach had its advantages and disadvantages.
The spiritual avatar could exert one's original strength and magical powers but lacked an identity, being a complete outsider.
Without knowledge of the surroundings, exploration and obtaining opportunities would be much more difficult.
Moreover, the spiritual avatar would be much more quickly "eroded."
Having the original identity significantly slowed down the erosion process, as there was an extra "shell" for protection.
This allowed for a longer stay in the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Additionally, it enabled easy participation in specific events.
The downside was that the strength exerted could only be that of the occupied creature, and one had to be cautious, ensuring that familiar people didn't detect any anomalies.
Otherwise, they might be seen as usurpers, leading to ruthless pursuit.
Li Fan browsed through Li Chen's memories while adapting to this identity as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he sensed the consumption of spiritual energy.
Sure enough, even with the protection of the shell, Li Fan could distinctly feel his spiritual energy being eroded.
Intensity hasn't changed, but the overall amount is gradually decreasing.
"When the spiritual consciousness is completely eroded, one will be forced to exit the Fallen Immortal Realm."
"At this rate, it should only last for about half a month?"
Li Fan couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"No wonder Chen Ying said that only Golden Core stage cultivators can barely operate here. And I still have an original identity."
"If I were a spiritual avatar, I probably wouldn't last more than seven or eight days in this Fallen Immortal Realm."
"Well, I didn't expect any good gains on the first exploration. Let's consider it a learning experience."
With these thoughts, Li Fan checked the situation of Li Chen from the Purple Heaven Sect.
"I'm unfamiliar with this location. The Purple Heaven Sect is the largest cultivation sect within thousands of miles."
"Li Chen and Zhang Qianmo are both inner disciples of the Purple Heaven Sect, disciples of Primordial Nascent True Lord, Ling Yunzi."
"Li Chen is cultivating the technique 'Purple Heaven Royal Thunder.' Strength is at the late Foundation Establishment stage."
Li Fan searched for memories of the 'Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique' in his mind but could not recall anything.
Despite being at the late Foundation Establishment stage, there was no trace of Heavenly Treasures in his body.
The great calamity had not yet arrived, and both immortals and mortals could still cultivate together. There was no sign of Immortal-Mortal Miasma appearing.
"Is it at this point in time now?" According to Chen Ying, the time period in different regions of the Fallen Immortal Realm could be different.
At the moment Li Fan was in, the cultivation world seemed to be relatively peaceful.
Looking at it this way, Li Fan's start in this adventure was quite smooth.
With his thoughts fluctuating, he rested on the purple cloud for most of the day.
Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo were finally approaching their destination: Ningyuan City.
Zhang Qianmo yawned, stood up, and said with a smile, "Junior Brother, let's discuss something. I haven't seen my sweetheart for several years, and I can't wait any longer! So..."
He winked at Li Fan.
"I'll leave the small matter of collecting the 'Longevity Fruits' to you."
He patted Li Fan on the shoulder and, without waiting for a response, turned into a purple light and descended below.
"It's better to split up to avoid revealing any flaws."
Li Fan welcomed the suggestion, controlling the 'Purple Heaven Flying Cloud' to descend slowly.
"Which Senior Brother is visiting this time?" Before landing, a purple figure gradually approached.
The fluctuations of the technique emanating from the figure were extremely similar to the 'Purple Heaven Royal Thunder Technique,' though weaker by more than half.
As the person solidified, Li Fan looked over and saw a middle-aged man wearing a gray robe, seemingly at the Qi Condensation stage.
Seeming to recognize Li Fan, after seeing his face clearly, he cupped his hands and said, "So, it's Senior Brother Li in person. I hope you will forgive me for being unable to welcome you appropriately!"
At this moment, information about this person also flashed in Li Fan's mind.
"Song Hesong, an outer disciple of the Purple Heaven Sect, is in charge of affairs in Ningyuan City."
"Let's skip the pleasantries and focus on business. Take me to collect the 'Longevity Fruits.'" Li Fan, in accordance with Li Chen's usual style, had a cold expression and an arrogant demeanor.
Song Hesong didn't mind. After all, the gap between outer and inner disciples was enormous.
Moreover, this person was at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Being able to call him Senior Brother was already an acknowledgment of the position Song Hesong held in charge of Ningyuan City affairs.
Without further delay, he respectfully guided Li Fan into Ningyuan City.
It seemed that there was an invisible barrier enveloping Ningyuan City.
After passing through it, Li Fan's gaze focused as he stared at the sky.