In the previous life, when Li Fan's life was about to end, he broke through the seal of the Immortal Extinction Array by a fortunate coincidence and came to the world of cultivation for the first time.
At that time, what he saw were continuous mountain ranges and a towering city suspended in the air.
But in this life, after Li Fan arrived in the world of cultivation, he found himself above a vast ocean.
Before this, Li Fan hadn't thought much about it, assuming that something had gone wrong during the transmission.
It wasn't until today when Li Fan saw the depleted Cong Yun Sea and witnessed the birth of the mystical object, the Canghai Pearl, that he finally understood.
There was no mishap; he had indeed arrived at the same place after passing through the Immortal Extinction Array. The only difference was the timing of his arrival in the world of cultivation.
In his previous life, when Li Fan arrived in the world of cultivation, he was already 85 years old, which corresponded to 65 years after the anchor point.
In this life, Li Fan entered the world of cultivation at the age of 40, after reaching 100% progress for the recharge of [Truth].
Only 20 years after the anchor point.
A 45-year gap, encountering the ocean in one life and mountains in another.
It's no wonder Li Fan didn't think along these lines.
Without experiencing it personally, even if someone had warned him in advance about such a vast change in the world, he still would have doubted.
So Li Fan smiled.
First, he laughed at himself for still being unable to completely rid himself of a mortal mindset.
If he could link the various anomalies that Zhang Haobo had warned him about with the differences he had observed twice, he might have been able to foresee this massive change in the world in advance.
Second, he was relieved because he finally saw the hope for the end of this calamity.
In the 50th year after the anchor point, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi broke into the Land of Immortal Extinction. At that time, they claimed to be from Lingtian City in the Cong Yun Mountains.
Presumably, before that, this drought disaster had already passed.
The dried-up oceans would transform into thriving mountains.
Now, 34 years have passed, not far from the end.
The most agonizing wait is a hopeless one. However, knowing the final result, this seemingly endless calamity no longer seemed so frightening.
Li Fan calmed down and returned to Taian Island.
Seeing the anxious and numb mortals who prayed incessantly day and night, Li Fan transmitted his voice across the entire island, telling them that this calamity would eventually pass.
Following the instructions of the Immortal Master, the residents on the island were overjoyed and once again ignited the hope for survival.
Li Fan, on the other hand, went into seclusion and took out the Canghai Pearl.
"Is the ray of hope in this?"
Li Fan observed this azure mystical object.
His divine sense poured into it, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, disappearing in an instant.
"It seems that I'll need to put in some effort to use it," Li Fan thought as he saw this.
Heavenly Treasures were key to achieving the Foundation Establishment stage. Finding and using them were precious opportunities.
The exchange price in the Tianxuan Mirror was also extremely high, requiring nearly 2000 contribution points.
At the moment, Li Fan could only explore it on his own.
Next, Li Fan made several attempts.
He infused spiritual energy, nurtured it with divine sense, and even tried external force impacts. Finally, he attempted to refine it with a drop of blood.
However, the Canghai Pearl remained unmoved, unable to activate the immense water vapor it contained.
In the end, Li Fan had a flash of insight and remembered the method from the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" to sense and refine the aura of Heavenly Treasures.
He immediately used his "Discern Variations" technique and looked at the Canghai Pearl.
A deep blue light surrounded the Canghai Pearl.
Ancient, profound, and vibrant...
Although the Canghai Pearl was small, its aura was more complex and powerful than all the creatures on Taian Island.
However, it was currently in a state of nurturing and dormancy, so without careful observation, it couldn't be easily distinguished.
Li Fan carefully sensed the aura of the Canghai Pearl.
Upon contact, Li Fan felt as if his body had disappeared.
It was like he had suddenly arrived above the nine heavens, looking down at the ocean below with an overlooking perspective.
The Cong Yun Sea has existed for eternity, nurturing countless living beings.
But one day, a certain spirit of the heavens and earth suddenly descended.
And thus, the ocean began to head towards its death.
Heaven creates, heaven kills, such is the way of the Dao.
Heaven intended to burn the sea, and the sea was powerless to resist.
However, it refused!
Thus, although the ocean seemed to die, another ocean was born!
...
Boom!
Li Fan snapped out of that strange state.
Before he could savor the scenes he had seen, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness, almost stumbling.
Upon inspection, Li Fan was horrified to discover that he had developed a strand of white hair and fine wrinkles on his face at some point.
This was just a momentary connection with the aura of the Canghai Pearl!
Li Fan then opened [Truth] and was even more astonished.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Qi Condensation - Middle Stage
Physical Age: 89/199
Mental Age: 517/2280↑
In just that instant, Li Fan's physiological age jumped from 54 to 89.
It was as if he had crossed 35 years in the blink of an eye.
"No wonder that even in the ancient Tianji Sect, there are very few practitioners of this technique. Just interacting with the consciousness of a certain ocean rapidly consumes one's lifespan."
"If it weren't for the rapid consumption of my lifespan and the body's automatic warning, I would have been assimilated by the consciousness of the Canghai Pearl in such a bewildering manner. At that point, it wouldn't be easy to activate [Truth]."
Li Fan realized what had just happened and was somewhat alarmed.
"No, this is definitely not the method used to control a Heavenly Treasure."
Li Fan knew he must have misunderstood the method.
A human time scale was not even on the same level as that of the heavens, the earth, mountains, and oceans.
Even those powerful cultivators who could live for several thousand years were still far from comparable.
Touching it with human consciousness would only result in being assimilated.
So how exactly could one manipulate heavenly treasures?
Li Fan held the Canghai Pearl, his face changing in expression.
...
Days went by, and Li Fan still hadn't figured out how to use the Canghai Pearl.
The weather became hotter and hotter, seemingly preparing for the final purification of the Cong Yun Sea.
The ordinary people on the island gradually lost the strength to even pray.
Li Fan knew that if this continued, these ordinary people might not survive until the end of this calamity.
Dying before dawn was despairing.
Li Fan couldn't help but become a little anxious and had many mixed thoughts.
To calm his mind, he involuntarily activated the long-unused "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra."
Ever since becoming a Qi Condensation cultivator, most of his energy has been used to cultivate the "Minor Yan Water Technique" and "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra."
The "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" had not been deliberately practiced for a long time.
Because it didn't significantly help with the essence of cultivation, and even if he didn't practice it actively, it would run slowly on its own.
So Li Fan put it aside.
Now, as the "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" circulated, all the negative emotions in Li Fan's heart—unease, fear, impatience—slowly disappeared and became nourishment for strengthening his Dao heart.
His mind became calm again, and suddenly, Li Fan felt something.
The opportunity for his breakthrough was also embedded in the Canghai Pearl.